Former NBA Stars Make Bold Celtics Postseason Guarantee originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

With five games left in their regular season, the Boston Celtics are peaking at the perfect time.

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The Celtics have won nine of their last 11 games after blowing out the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday, with six of those wins coming by double digits. Dominant victories have been a theme for Boston lately, with 15 of its last 18 wins coming by double digits.

The Celtics were already one of the best teams in basketball before Jayson Tatum came back, and they’ve been even more unstoppable since he returned. They rank second in offensive rating, fourth in defensive rating and third in net rating.

Tatum’s been great, Jaylen Brown’s playing at an MVP level and their supporting cast has been fantastic. Joe Mazzulla deserves Coach of the Year, Hugo Gonzalez has been one of the league’s top rookies, and they’re also getting Nikola Vucevic back soon.

In other words, Boston’s a juggernaut, and nobody else in the Eastern Conference stands a chance.

“They’re going to the Finals,” Gilbert Arenas’ podcast predicted on Thursday.

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The Celtics are favored to win the East, so the sportsbooks agree. Even though they’re the two seed behind the Detroit Pistons, they’re clearly the best team in the East right now.

The Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks remain threats as well, but the East seems like Boston’s to lose. As long as the Celtics’ stars stay healthy during the playoffs, unlike last year, there’s no reason they can’t reach the Finals, if not win them.

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