As Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics prepare to defend last year’s title as favorites in the Eastern Conference, some concerns could derail their pursuit of back-to-back championships. The health of three starters, including All-Star Jaylen Brown, Kristaps Porzingis, and Jrue Holiday, is a legitimate worry. However, based on the Celtics’ overall talent, a route to the NBA Finals should be relatively smooth.

Still, Celtics fans are reminded that their team’s health is far from 100 percent, per ESPN’s Tim Bontemps.

“Yes, Boston shoots a lot of 3-pointers and is a high-variance team as a result. But if the Celtics can have a healthy playoff run from all eight of their key rotation players, they will be the clear favorites to defend their title,” Bontemps said. “But getting that is far from a sure thing. Porzingis was out for most of last year’s playoff run with injuries, and he has missed more games than he has played this season.

“Jrue Holiday has been in and out of the lineup, and Al Horford — while consistently available and reliable — is 38. All of which is why, if the Celtics can stay healthy, no one should be able to handle them in the East, and a second straight title easily could be theirs,” Bontemps concluded.

If the Celtics repeat, it will be the franchise’s first time doing so since 1963, per ESPN’s Zach Kram.

“Boston has a strong chance to become the first repeat champion of the 2020s. Only four teams have gone back-to-back in the entire 21st century: the Shaq-and-Kobe Lakers (who won a three-peat), the Kobe-and-Gasol Lakers, the LeBron-and-Wade Heat, and the Durant-era Warriors,” Kram said. “No Celtics squad has repeated since the 1960s!”

The Celtics are the odds-on favorite to return to the NBA Finals for the third time in four seasons.

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Jayson Tatum says Celtics’ title defense has been ‘fun’

Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) and Boston Celtics guard Derrick White (9) react during the first half against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden
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Celtics All-Star Jayson Tatum and Derrick White swapped gear for their regular-season finale. The Celtics secured their 61st regular-season win, beating the Hornets 93-86.

Before the game, Tatum discussed how fun defending the 2024 championship has been and how it’s brought the team closer together.

“With one game left in the [regular] season, I can say that everybody has felt valued,” Tatum stated. “Everybody has played a part in our success this season. Everybody understands the common goal that we share. We know who we are. We know who we are individually. We know what we bring to this team to make it what it is.”

The Celtics await their first-round opponent.