This early in the season, the Boston Celtics (7-1) and the Cleveland Cavaliers (8-0) look like the top-two contenders in the Eastern conference, while the Golden State Warriors (6-1) have surprised everyone with their surging start without Klay Thompson's services. On Thursday, the defending champion Celtics will face the Warriors in a rematch of their 2022 Finals matchup, and the Celtics will look to avenge that loss two years later. For one, Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum predicts an intense atmosphere between his team and the Warriors on game night.
“We playing against Steph Curry, somebody that I'm close with… It's a Finals matchup from a few years ago… so sure it'll be fun,” Tatum said, via a video shared by ClutchPoints on X, formerly Twitter.
Celtics finally go over the hump
While the memories of the 2022 Finals might still linger in the minds of the Celtics players, Warriors coach Steve Kerr benching Jayson Tatum in the 2024 Olympics, a few months after winning his first NBA title, should stay in the back of the superstar's mind.
Likewise, Tatum also had to watch from the bench as Stephen Curry lit up Team France with a three-point barrage to secure the gold medal for Team USA.
Not only did he lose out on Finals MVP to Jaylen Brown, who deserved to win it, but he also had to spend most of the Olympics on the bench after helping lead the Celtics to their league-best 18th NBA championship. Even Stephen A. Smith called out Kerr for his lineup decisions.
Still, Tatum is now an NBA champion, and his team is in a terrific position to repeat, since their strongest competitors in the East have come out the gate flat.
Competition
For instance, the Knicks (3-3) have had to lose some games to find out how to fit new acquisition Karl-Anthony Towns into their offense, centered around Jalen Brunson's attack, though they have more than enough time to figure it out.
The Milwaukee Bucks might not make the playoffs entirely, owing to their 1-6 record.
Meanwhile, the Magic, the team best equipped to beat the Celtics thanks to their size and athleticism on all five positions, have lost star Paolo Banchero to injury for at least four to six weeks. Who knows if they'll even be in the playoff picture by then, considering they hardly look like contenders without Banchero in the lineup.
So far, the Cavaliers have the same roster, and the Celtics put a 4-1 beating on them in last year's second round. Will the Celtics run through the East once again to win back-to-back titles?