Former NBA Champions Call Celtics Eastern Conference Favorites After Thunder Loss originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

A pair of tough losses to NBA title contenders hasn’t dissuaded some pundits from backing the Boston Celtics as the team to beat in the Eastern Conference.

Advertisement

Jaylen Brown got ejected in the first half of Tuesday’s 125-116 loss to the San Antonio Spurs, and the Celtics followed with a narrow 104-102 loss against the Oklahoma City Thunder without Jayson Tatum and Derrick White on Thursday. Three former NBA players remain encouraged by Boston after those defeats.

Richard Jefferson and Channing Frye, both 2016 NBA champions with the Cleveland Cavaliers, said on their “Road Trippin’ Show” that the Celtics can take the East after seeing promising early signs in Tatum’s return from an Achilles tear.

“If he can consistently give them 17 (points) a game, I would look at them as the favorite in the conference,” Jefferson said. “Jaylen Brown could be the MVP. Jayson Tatum, in this role, coming back over the next couple of months, he can be the secondary guy as he grows and elevates back into who he was once.

Advertisement

“If he’s rolling, I think they win it,” Frye added.

Kendrick Perkins has talked up the Celtics in recent weeks, believing his former team can add another banner to the TD Garden rafters with a healthy Tatum. The ex-Celtics center is even more confident after seeing Tatum average 19.7 points and 6.7 rebounds in three games.

“They’re my new favorite to win the East,” Perkins declared. “That’s all I needed to see was the appetizer of Jayson Tatum. That appetizer was damn good.”

Advertisement

Perkins cited Boston’s championship experience and believes Tatum, Brown and head coach Joe Mazzulla “thrive off adversity.”

“Those guys are dangerous,” Perkins said. “When you look at the rest of the teams in the Eastern Conference, like the Cavs, there are so many unknowns, uncertainty. Still believe that they’re legit title contenders, but I agree. Like, I’m ready to jump off the porch already and say that Boston is my favorite. Because they have a duo that’s proven.”

More NBA: Celtics Prove NBA Finals Dreams Are Real In Impressive Loss To Thunder