Boston Sports POWER RANKINGS

In today’s post, we’re ranking the four major sports teams in Boston.  All four teams are currently positioning themselves for championship contention.  This is the only city that can say this with a straight face.  We’re ranking based on three categories:  Current Championship Chances, Long Term Outlook, and Fan Interest.  We will rank each team one through four in each category.  The top team will earn four points in the category while the bottom team will get one.  We’ll then tally the points to determine the overall rankings.

 

Current Championship Chances

1.  New England Patriots – 4 points

2.  Boston Bruins – 3

3.  Boston Red Sox – 2

4.  Boston Celtics – 1

 

It’s obvious that Patriots remain the top title contenders in Boston heading into next season.  Their core will be back and there’s still no other threat in the AFC.  This has more to do with competition than the Patriots dominance.  The reality is that many Patriots teams who did not make a Super Bowl were better than last year’s team.

The Bruins have surprised everyone this season.  They’re a legitimate contender to with the Stanley Cup. The additions of Rick Nash and Brian Gionta told us all that the Bruins are going for it all this year and their upper management thinks that they have the tools to go all the way.  Great mix of young talent and veteran presence here.

The Red Sox are expected to be a playoff team this year.  With that said, there’s not an expectation that they’re a favorite to get to the World Series.  The Astros and Yankees remain ahead of the Sox.  Could it happen this year?  Absolutely.  There’s plenty of talent there.

The Celtics are just a 1/2 game out of the top spot in the Eastern Conference.  With that said, just about everyone knows that they’re not going to win a championship this year.  It will go to the Golden State Warriors again due to the lack of parity in the NBA.  Next year may be a different story with the return of Gordon Hayward.  It’s pretty amazing that this team is at the bottom of this list.  It says a lot about the current success of all four teams,  The Celtics are not far away…

 

Long Term Outlook

1.  Boston Celtics – 4 points

2.  Boston Bruins – 3

3.  Boston Red Sox – 2

4.  New England Patriots – 1

 

The Celtics are bound for more banner raising for two reasons.  1.  Their core is on the upswing and they have four potential All Stars on their team starting next year in Kyrie Irving, Gordon Hayward, Jayson Tatum, and Jaylen Brown.  Throw is an All Star this year in Al Horford and this team will be ready to dominate the Eastern Conference for many years.  2.  In the NBA, the team at the top gets there repeatedly.  See: Cavs and Warriors.

The Bruins are on the rise.  The peak this year was expected to be what we would see two to three years from now.  Young players such as Charlie McAvoy, Brandon Carlo, and Jake DeBrusk have blossomed early.  The Bruins are right there this year and they aren’t going away for a while.

The Red Sox are poised to win for a 2-3 year window.  The core of Mookie Betts, Xander Bogaerts, Andrew Benintendi, Jackie Bradley, JD Martinez, Chris Sale, and David Price all have at least two years to go in Boston.  After that?  Well, the Red Sox should always be in contention as they have the ability to outspend everyone.  However, their farm system is not nearly as strong as it once was.

The Patriots have gone all in on a quarterback who will be 41 before their first game next season.  Tom Brady is still playing at an elite level, but realistically, how much longer can this last?  The Patriots put all of their eggs in one basket.  It’s really the opposite of the approach that they’ve had under Bill Belichick.  With Belichick’s tenure to be appearing to near an end, the long term outlook is bleak with no QB developed and a coach in Josh McDaniels who has had no success outside of New England.

 

Fan Interest

1.  New England Patriots – 4 points

2.  Boston Celtics – 3

3.  Boston Red Sox – 2

4.  Boston Bruins – 1

 

No one is going to argue the Pats being at the top.  Then it gets interesting.  The Celtics have more fan interest right now than the Red Sox, but it will be close after the Red Sox season kicks off after a very dull offseason.  The Bruins are gaining momentum, but aren’t there just yet.  All four teams have the potential to get to the top in this category with an upcoming title.

 

OVERALL POWER RANKINGS

1.  New England Patriots – 9 points

2.  Boston Celtics – 8 points

3.  Boston Bruins – 7 points

4.  Boston Red Sox – 6 points

 

Boston fans – enjoy this!  You have four teams that are title contenders.  This doesn’t happen very often.  The total of ten championship since 2002 is about to increase…and not just to eleven.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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