Look out, Denver Nuggets.
If it wasn’t obvious enough already, the Boston Celtics are the biggest threats to the reigning champions going back-to-back this season.
And while the Nuggets, who have won six games since the All-Star break, deserve plenty of respect as defending champions it’s not hard to see why Boston is favoured to win its first title since 2008.
Of course, Boston has been in and around the championship picture the last five seasons, going to the Conference Finals twice while also going down to Golden State in the NBA Finals.
But this feels different and this looks different.
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NBA Wrap: Tatum talks up Celtics | 02:41
Just ask the Warriors, who had turned a corner recently to rise up the Western Conference standings and firmly into the playoff picture.
Golden State had won 13 of its past 16 games before running into Boston on Monday morning. It was supposed to be an early litmus test of sorts — and the results were resounding.
The Warriors were no match for the Celtics, who ran up a score (82-38) to take the largest halftime lead in franchise history.
The numbers laid out just how dominant Boston was, shooting 60.0 and 62.5 per cent from the field and downtown respectively compared to just 34.9 and 16.7 for Golden State.
Superstar duo Jaylen Brown (25 points) and Jayson Tatum (22) combined to outscore the Warriors by themselves while Derrick White had 11 points and six assists in the first half.
What made Boston’s blowout opening half even more impressive was the fact it came without Kristaps Porzingis, who missed Monday’s game with a left quad contusion.
Richard Jefferson described it as a “perfect half of basketball” from the Celtics, declaring they had put the entire league on notice.
“This is maybe as good as any team has played in the first half this season,” Jefferson said.
“I think the entire league needs to be watching what the Boston Celtics are doing and understanding that they are the team to beat.
“I understand that the Denver Nuggets are the defending champions but to me there is no greater threat to them really going on a run and winning a couple than what the Boston Celtics are presenting this season.”
“They are so jaw-droppingly good right now, you just feel the need to keep exclaiming [that fact]. They are just in such an incredible rhythm right now,” Ryan Ruocco added.
“Up and down the roster, Brad Stevens has to be enamoured with the way this squad is playing.”
It wasn’t just on the offensive side of the ball that the Celtics were excelling, also putting the clamps on Warriors superstar Steph Curry, who missed all nine of his 3-point attempts in the half.
“They are just harassing him… he is just not seeing any daylight,” Jefferson said.
Golden State’s 38 points were the fewest it had scored in any half this season while the 82 scored by Boston was the most it had given up.
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