There’s a real case for the Boston Celtics to outplay expectations this season, even after the Jaylen Brown trade changed the shape of the roster.
That’s the bet Stephen Noh is making. The Sporting News NBA expert released bold predictions for every Eastern Conference team for the 2026-27 season, and his call on Boston is a big one: the Celtics will finish as the No. 1 seed.
“The Celtics did experience some talent drain after trading Jaylen Brown for Paul George,” wrote Noh. “They still might have enough to finish with the top seed in the East, even with several teams around them getting better and the Knicks as the clear best team heading into the season.
“Boston has been a regular season wins juggernaut under Joe Mazzulla. He proved last year without Jayson Tatum that his system, which prioritizes a ton of 3s, offensive rebounding, low turnovers, and a switch-heavy defense, is going to succeed a ton over the course of 82 games. If they won 56 games without Tatum, it's reasonable that they could be in the mid 50s again with Tatum as an upgrade over Brown and Mitchell Robinson adding more center depth.
“The Knicks are going to be the more dangerous playoff team until proven otherwise, but don't be surprised if the Celtics roll through the regular season again.”
That last part is the heart of the prediction. Noh isn’t saying Boston is automatically the best playoff team. He’s pointing to a group that, even without Brown, still has enough to pile up wins and stay near the top of the standings.
The bigger issue is what the trade means when the games get tighter. Brown’s exit lowers the ceiling question, especially in the postseason. But in the regular season, the Celtics still look built to be steady and hard to knock off.
And they may have to be, because the East could be more crowded this year. The Detroit Pistons might take a step back, but the Philadelphia 76ers, Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat all made notable offseason moves with a championship in mind. The Toronto Raptors could also matter if the Kawhi Leonard trade goes through, and the Indiana Pacers could enter the mix with Tyrese Haliburton back in uniform after his Achilles injury.
So Boston doesn’t need to be the flashiest team in the conference to grab the top seed. It just needs to be the most consistent. That’s exactly where Noh is putting his money.
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Boston has gone the other way at times, of course, but not with the same repeated pattern Philadelphia has shown. And for Celtics fans, it is one of those small but persistent league quirks that keeps resurfacing, especially when a familiar face shows up in a Sixers uniform and the old rivalry takes on one more layer of odd familiarity. [Read more 🡒]