2024 NBA playoffs - One strength and one potentially fatal flaw for each remaining team - ESPN

And we're on to the conference semifinals! The dust has settled on a wild first round of the 2024 NBA playoffs, and eight teams remain in the hunt for the Larry O'Brien Trophy.

Can the Celtics withstand a series without Kristaps Porzingis? Will the Knicks' relentless work on the glass drive them toward their first title since 1973? How will the Wolves overcome clunky late-game offense? So many questions.

To answer them, we've identified each team's biggest strength — something that could put it into the conference finals — and a potentially fatal flaw that could derail its season.

MORE: Everything to know about the playoffs | Offseason guides for every team

Strength: Depth beyond their star duo (specifically, Derrick White)

White, a guard long viewed as one of the league's best role players, has reached another level this season. He's a heady ball handler and a terrific defender. But during his team's first-round victory over the Miami Heat, White proved he was more than that, notching a career-high 38 points in Game 4, then a game-high 25 in Wednesday's close-out win. His 13 3-pointers in those two contests was the most in Celtics playoff history over a two-game span.

White's ability to step up as a third scorer — with a much higher percentage of his 2s and 3s coming on his own, without being assisted — could turn out to be a massive development for the team's postseason offense, especially with Kristaps Porzingis missing time to injury. The Celtics have won eight of their nine games this season, including the playoffs, when White scores 25 or more.

Weakness: Rim protection without Porzingis

Although Boston has still been great in games without Porzingis this season — 21-4 to be exact — his absence will mostly be