The Boston Celtics present the biggest possible NBA Finals challenge to the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Los Angeles Lakers are the best team in the Western Conference and are viewed as one of the premier title favorites in the NBA. The Lakers are among a trio of teams, alongside the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Clippers, that are viewed as head and shoulders above the rest of the league in terms of winning a championship.
It is not hard to see why. The Lakers have the best record in the Western Conference and have the best superstar duo in the league in LeBron James and Anthony Davis. The Clippers have the second-best duo in the league in Kawhi Leonard and Paul George and are arguably the deepest team in the league. The Bucks have the best player in the league and are the best defensive team in the league as well.
A road to championship number 17 is likely going to have to include going through both the Clippers and the Bucks. However, it will be the Clippers that are more challenging than the Bucks, as the Bucks are not even the toughest matchup that the Lakers could get in the Finals.
That honor belongs to the Boston Celtics, who are 1-1 against the Lakers this year and are in third place in the Eastern Conference.
But what makes the Celtics a tougher matchup than the best team in the NBA record-wise, you might ask? Let’s dive into it.