Only three teams have gone back-to-back since the Lakers dynasty of the early 2000s — Lakers (2009-10), Heat (2012-13) and Warriors (2017-18).

For the past 23 years, the NBA has polled all 30 of its general managers at the beginning of every season to take their temperature on a number of league matters. Some of them are straightforward, like picks for the championship and MVP.

The 2024-25 NBA GM Survey has been released by the league, and as one might expect given their status as reigning champions with much the same roster that earned that status coming back this season, the Boston Celtics feature prominently in it when it comes to title contention.