On Monday evening, the Boston Celtics continued their winning ways with a narrow home win over the Phoenix Suns. The Celtics were led by Jaylen Brown, who scored an impressive 41 points on the evening, while Jayson Tatum also remains in form amid his return from an Achilles tear.
Recently, ESPN NBA analyst and former Celtics great Kendrick Perkins expressed his thoughts in "First Take" on why Boston should be viewed as the favorite to come out of the Eastern Conference this year.
"The Boston Celtics are coming off the Eastern Conference. ... The way Jayson Tatum has looked since returning from that Achilles injury ... I see [them] And I'm saying that's what this couple has proven right here,'' Perkins said, according to X, formerly @lockedupjb on Twitter.
In fact, Tatum and Brown have a plethora of playoff experience, both positive and negative, on their resumes, capped by their championship run in the 2024 season, in which Brown won NBA Finals MVP honors.
Meanwhile, Tatum isn't looking like the full version of himself right now, as should be expected as he recovers from Achilles surgery after nearly a year off, but Celtics fans should still be encouraged by how much progress he's made from where he started a week ago against the Dallas Mavericks.
The Eastern Conference, despite its reputation, is loaded with talent this year, and Boston will have some challengers, including the Detroit Pistons and the team that beat them last year, the New York Knicks.
However, if Boston doesn't suffer one of their infamous playoff meltdowns this year, the team clearly has the talent to compete with anyone, not just in the Eastern Conference, but in the entire NBA.
