Despite coming within literally a few possessions of winning the East last season, Brad Stevens still doesn’t think that his team quite measures up.
Addressing reporters on Tuesday, the Boston Celtics head coach commented on the Toronto Raptors’ addition of Kawhi Leonard this summer, calling them “the best team in the East.” Jay King of The Athletic shared his remarks:
Brad Stevens on the Raptors’ Kawhi Leonard addition: “Toronto was the best team in the East and they added one of the best players in the NBA.”
— Jay King (@ByJayKing) September 4, 2018
While the Philadelphia 76ers should also be in the mix, Boston and Toronto figure to be the two elites in the conference next season. They were the top two seeds in the East in 2017-18, and their star power and overall depth are both very comparable. The Raptors did have a better record (59-23) than the Celtics (55-27), but they were swept in the second round of the playoffs by the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavs then went on to knock off Boston in seven games in the Eastern Conference Finals.
As for Stevens, he has gone out of his way to show love to Toronto before, so it’s pretty obvious who he sees as his biggest competition in the conference.
