ESPN Analysts Write Off Celtics As NBA Championship Favorites

BOSTON -- The Celtics rolled through the Miami Heat before starting the Eastern Conference semifinals with a Game 1 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Apparently, that has not been impressive enough to national media analysts when weighing Boston's championship hopes.

During pregame coverage on ESPN before the Celtics host the Cavaliers in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, Stephen A. Smith and Michael Wilbon shared that a powerful Western Conference opponent may have overtaken the Celtics in their eyes: the Minnesota Timberwolves.

"We know the Celtics are going to be in the Eastern Conference Finals," Wilbon shared on "NBA Countdown" on Thursday. "We suspect the Celtics heavily will be in the finals. I am entirely with my man Stephen A. Smith on this. The way Minnesota is playing right now, not just (Anthony Edwards) and his maturation and becoming the most exciting player in the league. … There's nothing they're missing with that defense."

Minnesota certainly has found an extra gear since the start of the NBA playoffs, sweeping the Phoenix Suns in the first round and fighting for two road wins to put the reigning champion Denver Nuggets on the ropes in their second-round series. Anthony Edwards is a capable superstar on the rise, averaging over 32 points per game this postseason.

The Celtics, despite winning all of their previous four postseason games thus far by double-digits, cannot escape a national cloud of oncoming doubt, largely due in part to the current absence of Kristaps Porzingis with a calf injury and the decreased scoring of Jayson Tatum.

Are those issues enough to write off the Celtics, the team that dominated their way to the best record in the NBA this season?

They shouldn't be for now, though the eventual champion of the Western Conference will require the best the Celtics have to offer.

"If you can't guarantee me that Kristaps Porzingis is going to be out there close to 100%, then I don't know that I'm taking Boston over Minnesota," Wilbon added. "... I'm taking Minnesota over Boston with where we are now."

Boston and Minnesota split the season series with the home team winning both games. The Celtics earned their win in an overtime classic back in January. It made for a dream NBA Finals then and would offer the same months later.

The Celtics certainly aren't underdogs this spring, though the team may need to supply a reminder of just how capable they are amid their own championship aspirations.