Do the Celtics have any real threats in the East?
The Celtics' 120-117 win over the Cavaliers on Tuesday had about as much hype as you could possibly have for a regular season game in November, and Boston certainly rose to the occasion.
Outside of an attempted comeback in the third quarter, the Celtics dominated the Cavs with their signature defense from start to finish.
By snapping Cleveland's early-season undefeated streak, Boston not only stamped out any hope for the Cavs to match Golden State's record 24-0 start but also knocked off another would-be threat in the East.
Should the Celtics be afraid of any of their competitors in the Eastern Conference? Jones and Keefe discussed this Wednesday on WEEI.
"I don't think, Keefe, either of us were under the impression that the Cavs were a true threat to the Celtics in the East," Adam Jones said.
"I think when we talked this through yesterday, we both said Celtics and Cavs, seven-game series, Eastern Conference Final. We'll give the Cavs a game. It might be a competitive gentleman's sweep, but we'd give them a game. I'm not sure I'm doing that anymore," he continued.
Prior to Tuesday's tip-off, Jones thought that the Cavs' motivation to stay undefeated and take down the defending champs might have been an X-factor in Cleveland's favor. But, he said, that thought was proven wrong.
"The Celtics came out ready to play," Jones said. "If that's the biggest threat in the East, they don't have a threat in the East."
At the end of the day, Cleveland may become the second-best team in the East, but how much does that matter for Boston?
"I do think both things can be true," Rich Keefe said.
"I think Cleveland can be the second-best team in the Eastern Conference, and also not be a huge threat, because the rest of the East is falling apart," he continued.
Much of the Eastern Conference spent their summers trying to build rosters capable of beating the Celtics, but have any of those maneuvers paid off? Milwaukee and Philadelphia, two teams who saw themselves as contenders to take down Boston this playoffs, are below .500 and look more like trade deadline sellers than title contenders.
"Nobody else is really ready for it, right? Maybe the Magic or the Pacers [but] they're not ready. You probably need the Knicks to get everything together and play perfectly, just roster-wise, for them maybe to be a threat," Keefe said.
Beyond just the talent on the roster, the Celtics look to be trying harder to defend their title than most teams have been in recent NBA history. Part of the motivation definitely comes from the perceived slights from the national media, who might have crowned the Cavaliers as a threat to Boston too early.
"It seemed like the Celtics wanted to play. It might've been to take away the 15-0," Jones said.
