The first place Boston Celtics, Eastern Conference champions last season, have seamlessly entered the 2022-2023 season on fire!
The Celtics coast to their eighth consecutive win, with a 126-101 victory on the road over the Atlanta Hawks, Wednesday night. Boston, 12-3, will try to make it nine consecutive victories when they face the Pelicans on Friday night at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans.
Here are 3 reasons why the Celtics are the best in the NBA.
Unstoppable two-man game
The duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are the first pair of teammates this season to score 300 points each.
Tatum is averaging over 31 points per game, along with Brown's 25 points per game, career highs for both. The tandem is also shooting a career best from the free throw line.
Both Celtics stars had an off night, in Wednesday night's win. Look for a bounce back performance from both in the Big Easy Friday.
Exceptional coaching
Suspended Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka is not on the bench and interim head coach Joe Mazzulla has managed to keep off-court drama where it belongs, off of the court. As such, the Celtics have managed to keep it together. Many of Udoka's assistants are still on the current staff, and leading the NBA’s best offense as things continue to trend in the right direction.
A deep bench
The Celtics bench has stepped up when their number was called so far this season. The bench contributed 44 points in Wednesday night's win. Both Tatum and Brown scored under their season average, and it was Boston's bench that covered the holes the duo had. Grant Williams (18 points) Payton Pritchard (14 points) and Sam Hauser (15 points), came off the bench and scored a combined 13 three-pointers, only missing 6 shots from long range against the Hawks.
The team is missing star defensive player Robert Williams III, who underwent knee surgery in September, plus guards Malcolm Brogdon and Marcus Smart due to injury. Filling in for Smart, guard Derrick White stepped up, scoring 16 points and dishing 10 assists.
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