Jayson Tatum is far from 100 percent of his superstar self following an inspiring journey back from an Achilles rupture. Even so, the Boston Celtics already look like an absolute force again. Unfortunately for the Cleveland Cavaliers, they got a firsthand taste of that on Sunday afternoon at Rocket Arena.
Cleveland has enjoyed being on the right end of statement games in the lead-up to the NBA Playoffs of late. They were on the other side of things in this one. Boston dominated the first half against them. By the time the Cavaliers got going in the matchup, it was too little too late. The Celtics won a comfortable 109-98 ball game on the road.
For Boston, this was a real message about just how well they stack up with their best player back in the mix for the 2025-26 season. For Cleveland, it offered the collective gulp that many had been fearing about the looming threat of the Eastern Conference rivals.
Celtics are shaping up to be the team to beat in the Eastern Conference
The Cavaliers and Celtics are two of the teams who many will give a fair shake toward winning the East with the postseason coming into clear line of sight. The Detroit Pistons and New York Knicks round out the group. At this stage, It is more than fair to consider Boston the favorites here.
Despite boasting the best record in the conference, the Pistons stand out as easily the most unproven group of the bunch here. The young up-and-comers deserve plenty of praise for their rise. However, that comes with just as much skepticism about what their spring could look like.
The Cavaliers land somewhere in the middle of the four alongside the Knicks. The latter are a touch more proven with their current core in recent postseason settings. Even with that being true, it is fair to believe the ceiling of what Cleveland could be post-James Harden trade puts them an inch ahead.
Then, there are the Celtics. They have not only stayed afloat without Tatum, but they proved themselves completely capable after completely losing three core pieces in Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, and Al Horford. Joe Mazzulla deserves a lot of kudos for the coaching job done in Boston.
Even an imperfect version of Tatum makes the Celtics a team to rightfully be scared of before the spring. As the Celtics champion ramps up down the stretch, Boston will only get stronger.
The East is shaping up in the Cavaliers' favor right now. If the top four hold as they are, the Cavs will not have to face the Celtics until a potential Eastern Conference Finals clash. Some added confidence in the form of two series wins would go a long way for Cleveland before that clash.