The Boston Celtics finished this season at 56-26, earning the No. 2 seed in the NBA's Eastern Conference. Boston was upset in the first round by the Philadelphia 76ers, putting a major damper on a generally positive year of growth for many areas of the franchise.

So, with that disappointment fresh in mind, the Celtics are now ready to attack the offseason. The question is: How much do they really need to attack and how close or far away are they from being a true contender?

According to Brian Windhorst of ESPN, they aren't that far. He told CLNS Media's Bobby Manning on Sunday that he thought the Celtics were going to win the Eastern Conference this season when the playoffs started, and he implied that he doesn't think big changes are necessary.

I tend to agree. While the New York Knicks may go onto win the NBA championship this season, the Eastern Conference is generally underwhelming, at least compared to the West. The path back to the Eastern Conference title seems quite possible, especially when you consider the injury histories of guys like Karl-Anthony Towns and Joel Embiid. Furthermore, Donovan Mitchell is a free agent for the Cleveland Cavaliers, and it's unclear what exactly they'll do moving forward.

Yes, Tyrese Haliburton is coming back for the Indiana Pacers, the Detroit Pistons have a true star in Cade Cunningam, and teams like the Orlando Magic are at least interesting, but the conference seems open enough for the Celtics to take as currently constructed with a few minor moves.

Moving forward, the Celtics have to answer a handful of questions:

Right now, the Celtics are a very perimeter-oriented team. They were near the top of the league in three-pointers taken and three-pointers made. Do they want to be that team moving forward? And if they don't, do they have to make tweaks to the roster to fit a new style?

Along that note: The Celtics are extremely guard heavy. Do they need to move a guard in order to open up opportunities for a post player? And what about the Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown dynamic? They've existed together for nine years, but are things different now that Brown has a season as "the man" under his belt.

We'll have more on these questions throughout the week, but they are the questions that Brad Stevens and Co. need to be asking inside the Auerbach Center. Beyond that, the team is preparing for the NBA Draft, which kicks off on June 23. The Celtics hold picks No. 27 and 40.

Remember to join our CELTICS on ROUNDTABLE community, which is FREE! You can post your own thoughts, in text or video form, and you can engage with our Roundtable staff, as well as other Celtics fans. If prompted to download the Roundtable APP, that's free too!