Celtics Summer Forecast: Finals destination

2:31 AM ET

The Boston Celtics will shoulder the burden of heightened expectations during the 2016-17 season. That much was obvious after Day 1 of our Celtics Summer Forecast when our panel projected the team would win 54 games, a sizable six-win spike from last season’s 48-win campaign. But the members of our panel really applied pressure with their postseason projections.

For Day 2 of our Celtics Summer Forecast, our 21-member panel of local bloggers was asked, “How will the 2016-17 season end for the Celtics?” Voters were given five options ranging from missing the playoffs to a trip to the NBA Finals.

A staggering 81 percent of the respondents pegged Boston to reach the Eastern Conference finals. One voter predicted a trip to the NBA Finals. In fact, none of the ballots cast predicted anything less than a trip to the second round of the playoffs.

Celtics forward Jae Crowder admitted last month that getting out of the first round of the postseason is an absolute must for a team that has been eliminated quickly each of the past two seasons. “I want to make the Eastern Conference finals,” Crowder said. “But I think the goal is for sure to get out of the first round and show a big leap of improvement.”

With so many uncertainties, especially health and the overall strength of the Eastern Conference, this writer is forecasting a trip to Round 2 of the playoffs. Al Horford got the Hawks to the conference semis in five of his eight playoff appearances with the team. His presence alone should steady the Celtics and ensure they move beyond the opening round. Beyond that, Boston’s fate could hinge on seeding, something it didn’t have the benefit of this past season after a four-way tie in the middle of the East playoff ladder.

With Al Horford on board, many of our Celtics prognosticators see a trip to the East finals in the team’s future. Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Our panel isn’t bashful with their season predictions. A sampling of the responses:

Jay King, MassLive (East finals): The East remains the Cavaliers and everyone else, but the Celtics and Raptors have distanced themselves from the rest of the field, setting up a possible Jared Sullinger revenge series in the second round. It would be entertaining to see Brad Stevens try to spread the court and force Sullinger to guard stretch power forwards, just like the Hawks did last year to force the big man to the bench throughout most of the first round. Alas, the series still would be about stopping Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, who were shaky enough during last year’s playoffs that the Celtics have real hope of reaching the conference finals. They still aren’t getting past LeBron James, but they’re closer now and still have several ways to chase star talent in the future.

Ryan Bernardoni, CelticsHub (East semifinals): The Celtics are probably the second best team in the East, which would suggest a trip to the conference finals, but I think that’s also their peak because of the Cavaliers. With that in mind, I would say the most likely outcome is one round earlier because they’re closer to the chaser than the chased.

Sam Sheehan, Celtics Reddit and CLNS Radio (East finals): As the Celtics learned painfully recently, injuries and team matchup ultimately dictate most playoff series. Losing Avery Bradley early in a tough pairing with the Hawks last season can be pointed to as a reasonable excuse for a slightly disappointing postseason. This season, I feel like most reasonable fans have an opening-round series win set as the expectation for this team. That said, you don’t have to squint too hard to see a scenario in which the Celtics are back in the Eastern Conference finals less than four years removed from trading Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. In a weak East, it might be as simple as being lucky enough to avoid Cleveland for two rounds and staying healthy (no disrespect to the Raptors). A second-round exit is …

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