Boston fans have heard the narrative for quite some time: The Celtics are on the rise, but they’re still not good enough to challenge the Cleveland Cavaliers for the NBA’s Eastern Conference crown.
But the coach of Boston’s latest victim thinks that narrative should change.
The Celtics stayed hot Monday night, defeating the Dallas Mavericks 111-98 to win their 10th game in 11 tries and pull within two games of the first-place Cavs in the East. After the game, Mavs coach Rick Carlisle made a pretty bold declaration.
Care to elaborate on that, Rick?
“I’m just looking at the Eastern teams,” Carlisle said, via 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Brian Robb. “Clevleand’s got some injuries and they’ve been getting everyone’s best game all (season). Look, Boston’s in second (place).”
Indeed, the Celtics are one of the hottest teams in the NBA, and they’re piling up the wins despite the absence of starting guard Avery Bradley. Isaiah Thomas’ incredible scoring prowess has been essential to Boston’s success, but Carlisle believes the Celtics’ potential goes beyond their lone All-Star.
“Their ability to score (is elite), and they have great depth,” Carlisle said. “They have a lot of guys that have gained experience. I just see them as a real threat. There’s other teams that are banged up. I know Toronto’s had injuries and they are starting to get healthy. I’m not studying the East that much — other than the teams we are playing — but I’m watching the standings.”
Those standings could get interesting after Tuesday’s news: Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love is expected to miss six weeks with a knee injury, while the Raptors reportedly acquired big man Serge Ibaka. Even without that information, though, Carlisle was left with a pretty strong impression of Brad Stevens’ club.
“I’ve watched Boston a good bit because of the recent games,” Carlisle added. “They handled Portland. They took Utah apart two nights ago. They’re not a perfect team, but I don’t really see any out there. Even Golden State has their own challenges. They’ve got a chance to really make some noise, so we’ll see what happens.”
Thumbnail photo via Kevin Jairaj/USA TODAY Sports Images
