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Warriors Show Their Respect for the Boston Celtics

By Joshua Bateman

OAKLAND, CA - JANUARY 27: Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors and Kyrie Irving #11 of the Boston Celtics high-five after the game on January 27, 2018 at ORACLE Arena in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE
OAKLAND, CA - JANUARY 27: Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors and Kyrie Irving #11 of the Boston Celtics high-five after the game on January 27, 2018 at ORACLE Arena in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE /
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The Warriors are talking like a team that expects to see the Boston Celtics in the Finals

When you look at the Boston Celtics, it is impossible not to see how promising their future is. They have won throughout their rebuild, but this season is the first time you get the sense that they are on their way to having the kind of talent that will make them title contenders for a generation.

The Celtics have had their problems this season, and Gordon Hayward‘s absence will naturally make everyone more weary of their chances to contend this year. Whether or not they can effectively compete against the Warriors in the Finals is a bit of a stretch right now, but you can take a quick look at what the Warriors had to say about the Celtics following their victory, and it feels a lot like the Warriors are taking the Celtics more serious than much of the media.

These are isolated incidents, but we time and time again we hear major media outlets talking about how the Celtics are not the real competition in the East. We have people saying the Milwaukee Bucks, who just fired their coach, are a bigger threat. We have people saying the Miami Heat, who do not have a single All Star, are a bigger threat. Somehow, the Toronto Raptors are not even the team getting the most respect out of the East from prominent media members.

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If you want to say that none of these teams really have a chance against the Warriors, or that the Cleveland Cavaliers will turn things around and make things kind of intriguing, that is understandable. That being said, it sounds a lot like the Warriors are keeping their eyes on the Celtics come playoff time, because they absolutely should be the favorite to make the Finals from the East right now.

Multiple members of the Warriors talked about facing the Celtics later on in the season. With no more meetings scheduled in the regular season, they clearly have the Celtics in mind when thinking about who will be challenge them for that title. Again, this is not to say the Celtics have a real chance to beat the Warriors this season, but there is no doubting they have the attention of the defending champs.

When talking about Kyrie Irving‘s performance, Steph Curry had this to say: “We want to try to slow him down a little bit next time”. Draymond Green was even more blunt about it by saying: “It’s a team that we know we may possibly meet down the road, so we understand that as well.”. Even their head coach acknowledged the very real possibility that the Celtics will be the last team to come out of the East by saying: “When you know you have a chance to be in the Finals and you know who the potential opponents are, you always pay closer attention for that reason”.

Next: Celtics Know How Hard it is to Beat the Warriors

Obviously, this is not a determining factor in calling the Celtics favorites in the East, but this might be the most respect the Celtics have gotten in the media this season. There are plenty of reasons to think the Celtics should not make the Finals, but the players on the court have a different idea, and it really does not sound like the Warriors will ever want to take the Celtics lightly. And, oh yeah, the Warriors are talking like this without really worrying about what happens when Hayward is back on the court.

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