The Celtics took down the Toronto Raptors 125-117 on Friday night, with star guard Jaylen Brown putting up another outstanding performance.

Brown has taken on the role of the No. 1 option for Boston during the first half of the season while Jayson Tatum recovers from a torn Achilles. As one of the top players in the NBA, Brown faces the challenge of leading a team without Tatum and missing several key stars who departed in the offseason. Despite these difficulties, the Celtics have performed remarkably well, and Brown doesn’t think Boston’s early success is any surprise.

“I wouldn’t say a surprise,” Brown said on Friday. “I think we got here faster than I thought we would. I thought we would just kind of like take little baby steps on the way. But right now, we’re playing some really good basketball.”

As of Friday night, the Celtics are currently sitting in the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference. It’s not surprising to see Boston at the top of the NBA standings, but given all that the Celtics have been through since May, it’s been incredible to watch them compete with the league’s best.

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The Eastern Conference could be wide open this season, and if Tatum can return from his injury before the playoffs, the Celtics could make it to the NBA Finals.

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Featured image via Trevor Ruszkowski/Imagn Images