Are the Celtics the Best Team in the East?

Does defense really win championships? A good defense is important, but in the modern NBA, where spacing, pace, and shot-making dominate — elite offense has increasingly become a prerequisite to be a true title contender. Consider the last three champions. The 2025 Oklahoma City Thunder ranked third in offensive rating, the 2024 Boston Celtics finished first, the 2023 Denver Nuggets ranked fifth. In fact, only one of the six teams to reach the NBA Finals during that span finished outside the league’s top 10 in offensive efficiency. As the regular season enters its final month, the Eastern Conference has largely consolidated into four legitimate contenders – the Pistons, Celtics, Knicks and Cavaliers. Using FTN’s NBA StatsHub, we can take a deeper look at those teams through the lens of shot-making efficiency — identifying which of the East’s top seeds is best positioned to reach the NBA Finals.

Detroit Pistons

Head coach J.B. Bickerstaff, deservedly well-respected for his ability to develop young talent, has engineered one of the most impressive turnarounds in the league in the Motor City, guiding the Pistons toward the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference after the team won just 14 games two years ago. He had a similar impact in his time with the Cavaliers, taking them from a lottery team and transforming them into a playoff contender in short order. The question surrounding Bickerstaff’s teams, however, has never been about regular-season success. The larger critiques have always been about whether the offensive formula that drives those regular season wins can hold up in the postseason – something that hasn’t happened to date. Using NBA StatsHub, it’s not difficult to see those same concerns rising to the forefront of Bickerstaff’s team once again – particularly after losing to the short-handed Cavaliers Tuesday. The Pistons have only three players posting a Field Goal Percentage Over Expectation above +3% this season, and that list doesn’t include their No. 1 or No. 3 scoring options:

• Jalen Duren: +4.9% FGOE
• Duncan Robinson: +4.7% FGOE
• Isaiah Stewart: +3.0% FGOE

As a team, the Pistons rank just 25th in three-point percentage and rely heavily on converting shots inside the arc to generate offense. The result is an offense that has been effective, but not elite in terms of efficiency. Detroit currently ranks 11th in offensive rating, making them the only top contender in the Eastern Conference sitting outside the league’s top five in that category — a potential warning sign with the playoffs approaching.

Boston Celtics

When it was announced that Jayson Tatum would miss significant time to begin the 2025-26 season, expectations for the Celtics were understandably tempered. After playing alongside Kyrie Irving in his first two years in the NBA, Jayson Tatum had since led the Celtics in scoring in each of his six subsequent seasons. Naturally, when it was announced that Tatum would miss significant time to begin the 2025-2026 campaign, expectations for Boston were tempered – they entered the new campaign with a preseason win total of just 43.5 wins. Fast forward to March, and head coach Joe Mazzulla has Boston sitting at 41-20 and firmly in control of the No. 2 seed. A major reason for that success has been the Celtics’ depth of elite shot-makers. According to StatsHub, Boston has six players posting a 3%-plus Field Goal Percentage Over Expectation this season.

• Luka Garza: +6.6%
• Payton Pritchard: +4.3%
• Jaylen Brown: +3.7%
• Sam Hauser: +3.6%
• Jordan Walsh: +3.5%
• Nikola Vučević: +3.0%

Unlike Detroit, Boston’s primary scorers are all on this list, absent Derrick White, who has been more valuable as the team’s top facilitator this year. Jaylen Brown has taken a step forward as a lead option, while players like Payton Pritchard and Sam Hauser have provided efficient perimeter scoring in complementary roles. The Celtics could have more help on the way, too. Reports indicate that Tatum is nearing a return from his Achillies injury, which would further strengthen the Celtics’ spacing and add another high-level shooter to an already efficient offense. The Celtics rank second in the NBA in three-point attempts per game, leaning heavily into their perimeter shooting and trusting that their collective shot-making will consistently put them in a position to win. This is a group that is more than capable of making a deep playoff run.

New York Knicks

After winning the NBA Cup, the Knicks spent the next month looking like one of the worst teams in the league. They went 7-11 across their subsequent 18 contests, ranking 25th in net rating in that span. New York has since found their groove, however, winning 15 of their last 19 games. They lead the NBA in net rating since Jan. 20 (+13.9). They rank seventh in offensive rating and have allowed the fewest points per 100 possessions during their recent hot streak.

Much of their success can be attributed to having an efficient superstar running the show in The Big Apple. Jalen Brunson owns a +4.2% Field Goal Percentage Over Expectation this season. He’s been even better of late, at 8.4% FGOE across the last month. New York’s other top offensive contributors, Mikal Bridges (+9.4% FGOE) and Karl-Anthony Towns (+6.4% FGOE) have also been playing excellent basketball as we approach the homestretch of the schedule. The Knicks are peaking at the right time of year and look as capable as any team in the Eastern Conference right now.

Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cavaliers are the biggest wild card in the Eastern Conference this season. They entered the new campaign as the odds-on favorite to win the East, but injuries and a lack of consistent availability from their core four led to a tumultuous first half of their schedule. In early February, they abandoned their traditional core-four, trading Darius Garland to the Clippers  in exchange for James Harden – a gamble that has worked brilliantly to date. Cleveland is 8-3 since the trade, ranking seventh in the NBA in net rating during that span, despite Donovan Mitchell and other key players continuing to miss time due to various ailments. Tuesday, the Cavaliers defeated the No. 1 seed Pistons without Mitchell and Dean Wade, the latter of whom is their best perimeter defender. Harden has fully unlocked Jarrett Allen on the offensive end of the floor, evident from the fact that he leads the entire NBA in Field Goal Percentage Over Expectation during the last 30 days (min. 5 games played, 10 FGA/game). This roster doesn’t have the chemistry or cohesion of other contenders in the East, but they have re-emerged as the odds-on favorites to win the conference for valid reasons. The ceiling for the Cavaliers is arguably higher than any of Detroit, Boston, or New York.

The Takeaway

Among Eastern Conference contenders, Boston’s offensive profile appears most sustainable to make a deep postseason run. They have a clear No. 1 scorer in Jaylen Brown, who is surrounded by a number of high-quality shot-makers. If Field Goal Percentage Over Expectation is any indication, we could be seeing the Celtics back in the NBA Finals this June.