There’s no doubt the path will certainly be harder. The East is loaded behind the 76ers’ acquisition of Paul George and the Knicks’ acquisitions of Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges. We’re not looking at a cakewalk anymore for Boston.

The NBA has thrown up six different champions in the past six years, and this upcoming season, which tips off on Tuesday, will likely be just as unpredictable with several teams harboring genuine hopes of lifting the Larry O’Brien Trophy next June.

If there actually existed a team-specific version of the NBA's yearly honor for the league's best defender, Bleacher Report NBA analyst Grant Hughes already has a player in mind for it in the season soon to arrive.