The Boston Celtics have been one of the most intriguing teams in the NBA this season. They're one of the most fascinating teams because they didn't have a great season until the last month. Boston was on a roll coming into the All-Star break, and they have to be optimistic about what they can do if they continue to play the type of basketball that everyone expects of them.

It's reasonable for fans and the NBA media to be worried when a team like the Boston Celtics struggles. This is perhaps the most historic organization in NBA history, therefore if they have a bad season, everyone will talk about it.

Boston did not accomplish what they needed to do throughout the first several months of the season, and as a result, they were only able to play .500 basketball. When a Boston Celtics team performs at this level, no one is happy, but happily, they've been able to turn things around, and it looks like their season will continue in the path that many hoped for.

It's tough to say if the Celtics can keep playing like this for the remainder of the season, but the fact is that this is exactly what the team should have been doing for the last year and a half. Something appears to have finally clicked for the,, and the result has been a better team on the court.

There are still some worries about the Boston Celtics' ability to maintain their current level of play, but with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown as their two stars, there should be no reason for them to slow down.

It'll be difficult for them to achieve their goals given the strength of the Eastern Conference, but the potential is unquestionably there.

Let's take a look at a few Eastern Conference playoff teams who might pose a threat to the Celtics.

Winning an NBA title is never easy. As we have seen with the past 20 champions, every team is going to need something significant to go their way. Whether that is an unfortunate injury to someone, or having guys on the roster step up more than they ever have. There is a reason why winning a championship is so hard, and a reason why we have seen crazy upsets in the past. If a team is going to win a title, they’re going to need everyone on their roster to be playing the best basketball they possibly can, and even sometimes that isn’t enough to get the job done. Matchups are always something that is going to play a major factor, and some teams just know how to get the job done against certain teams when it matters most.

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The Biggest Threats To The Celtics In The Playoffs, Ranked

3. Sixers

Only around four teams in the Eastern Conference should be able to beat the Boston Celtics in a playoff series. The Philadelphia Sixers, Miami Heat, Brooklyn Nets, and Milwaukee Bucks are those four. Any other defeat in the playoffs for Boston would be a tremendous letdown, considering they're better than any other team in the East besides those four. There's a case to be made that they're better than those four teams, but the top five teams in the Eastern Conference aren't that far off from each other.

One of the best rivalries of all time is Philadelphia and Boston, and when these two terrific teams and passionate fans meet in the playoffs, it's always going to be an incredible series. The Celtics aren't likely to want this series early on, but they do have a good interior defense to guard Embiid, and if they can slow down James Harden, they could be able to gain an advantage over the Sixers.

2. Nets

The Brooklyn Nets and the Boston Celtics met in the playoffs a year ago, and Brooklyn easily prevailed. Given that Boston has looked much stronger over the last month than they have over the previous season and a half, it will be fascinating to see how this sort of series plays out this year. It won't be easy to beat a team like the Brooklyn Nets, especially because of Kevin Durant, arguably the best player in the world, but Boston will be more competitive this time around than they were a year ago.

1. Bucks

The Milwaukee Bucks are an intriguing team for the Boston Celtics, and like the Brooklyn Nets, they boast Giannis Antetokounmpo, arguably the best player in the world. Stopping Giannis Antetokounmpo is never easy, but Boston has done a great job on him this season by employing a variety of defensive strategies, including double and triple teams at times.

Boston appears to be planning to have other players on the Milwaukee Bucks defeat them instead of Giannis Antetokounmpo, which is a good strategy. Guys like Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday can obviously step up for Milwaukee and take over a series at any time, but you can live with that rather than Giannis Antetokounmpo beating you single-handedly.