The defending NBA champion Boston Celtics were the preseason favorite to win the Eastern Conference entering the 2024-25 season, and that hasn’t changed at the All-Star break.
Despite being 5.5 games behind the Cleveland Cavaliers in the East standings, the Celtics remain the team to beat in the conference. They are the only team ranked top five in both offensive and defensive rating.
What’s changed is the top contenders to their throne.
The Miami Heat, especially post-Jimmy Butler trade, are no longer a real threat. The Philadelphia 76ers were largely viewed as the No. 1 competitor to the Celtics in the East coming into the season, but the Sixers are in serious danger of missing the playoffs. They’ve been the most disappointing team in the league by far.
The Cleveland Cavaliers were expected to be a top-four or top-five seed, and now they are likely to finish No. 1 and win 60-plus games.
So, who are the top competitors to the Celtics in the East right now? Check out our updated top five below.
Current record: 27-29
The Magic are down to seventh in the East, largely because of injuries. Paolo Banchero has missed 34 games, but when healthy, he has the potential to be an elite player. Franz Wagner is another tremendous player, and he’s missed 20 games due to injury. Jalen Suggs has missed 21 games as well.
There’s a ton of talent on this Magic roster. This group plays with a lot of effort and has great length on defense, so it’s not surprising it ranks second in blocks per game and seventh in steals per game, along with the league’s third-best defensive rating. They have also given the Celtics fits in recent years. The Magic have won five of their last nine games versus the C’s.
Orlando is starting to get healthier with both Banchero and Wagner back in the lineup. Without any more significant injury setbacks, the Magic could climb up the standings post-All Star break thanks to the league’s fifth-easiest schedule the rest of the way.
Eddie House and Chris Forsberg offer their instant reaction and analysis to the Celtics’ 108-104 loss to the Magic.
Current record: 29-24
The Bucks started the season 2-8 after a 113-107 loss to the Celtics in Milwaukee on Nov. 10. But since then, the Bucks have righted the ship with a 27-16 record over their last 43 games.
The Bucks have played slightly above average for most of the campaign. They rank 12th in points scored per game, 13th in offensive rating and 11th in defensive rating. Milwaukee’s top strength is its 3-point shooting. The Bucks have the second-best 3-point percentage (38.7).
Giannis Antetokounmpo has had some struggles against the Celtics in his playoff career, but he’s still a top-five player in the sport. Swapping out Khris Middleton for Kyle Kuzma at the trade deadline also upgraded Milwaukee’s lineup, especially offensively.
The Celtics swept the season series with the Bucks 3-0. It’s hard to imagine the Bucks beating the C’s four times in seven games. Milwaukee would need an incredible series from Antetokounmpo and some red-hot 3-point shooting.
Abby Chin caught up exclusively with Jaylen Brown after the Celtics rallied to beat the Bucks.
Current record: 36-18
The Knicks spent the offseason upgrading their roster to compete with the Celtics. They traded five first-round picks to acquire Mikal Bridges — one of the league’s top wing defenders. They overpaid to re-sign OG Anunoby, and they traded for Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns.
All of those moves have resulted in two ugly blowout losses to the Celtics — the most recent coming last weekend at Madison Square Garden when Boston won 131-104 on the strength of 40 points from Jayson Tatum. The previous matchup was Opening Night, when the C’s tied a league record with 29 3-pointers in a 132-109 win.
The Celtics are a bad matchup for the Knicks. New York has no answer for Tatum, who in two games versus the Knicks this season, has scored 72 points on 26-for-42 shooting (14-for-23 on 3-pointers).
The Celtics’ superior depth, especially offensively, also was on display versus the Knicks last Saturday as Derrick White, Payton Pritchard and Luke Kornet all made a huge impact.
The Knicks are 12-12 against opponents with a .500 record or better. Until the Knicks prove they can consistently beat good teams or match up better with the Celtics, they can’t be taken seriously as a top contender in the East.
Watch Jayson Tatum put up 40 points in the Celtics’ 131-104 win over the New York Knicks
Current record: 30-23
The Pacers are fourth in the East standings, but this is a tough, scrappy, well-coached team that has given the Celtics fits for years. Even though the Celtics swept the Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals last season, Indiana easily could have won any of those four games. The Pacers and Celtics already played three times this season, and Indiana won twice.
After a slow start to the season, the Pacers have a 14-5 record since Jan. 1 — the fourth-best in the league during that span. Indiana also ranks eighth in offensive rating and ninth in defensive rating over that stretch. Pascal Siakam is an All-Star again, and point guard Tyrese Haliburton ranks among the league’s top young players.
The Pacers made a surprise run to the conference finals last season, but they won’t sneak up on anyone in 2025. This team will be a hard out in the playoffs.
Eddie House offers instant reaction following the Boston Celtics’ 123-114 loss to the Pacers and breaks down what went wrong for Boston during a crucial stretch where Indiana scored 13 straight points after the C’s had cut the lead to two.
Current record: 44-10
The Cavaliers have been the most surprising team in the league. Most people expected Cleveland to be good, but not this good. The Cavs have had the best record in basketball the entire season, and they even started out 16-0 before losing their first game to the Celtics in Boston.
Cleveland has been especially tough at home with a 25-4 record. But the Cavs are 1-2 against the Celtics this season and were eliminated by Boston in a five-game conference semifinals series last season.
That said, the Cavs have a legit closer in Donovan Mitchell, who has averaged 30.3 points per game against the Celtics in his career (19 games). The trade deadline acquisition of DeAndre Hunter from the Hawks gives the Cavs more wing defense and outside shooting. Darius Garland is averaging a career-high 21.8 points per game. Evan Mobley is a force at both ends of the court as one of the league’s top young centers.
The Cavs also rank No. 1 in offensive rating, No. 2 in net rating, No. 2 in points scored per game, No. 2 in field goal percentage, No. 1 in 3-point percentage and No. 3 in assists per game.
Cleveland has a talented, deep and versatile roster. This isn’t a fluke. This team is legit good. Can they beat the Celtics in a playoff series? Probably not, but they would have the best chance of any team in the East.
Derrick White scored 14 of Boston’s 25 total points in the fourth quarter, hitting 4 of 5 3-point attempts in the final 12 minutes to help the Celtics earn a hard-fought 112-105 win
