No division problems for C’s
TD BANKNORTH GARDEN — If this Philadelphia team is truly the biggest challenger to the Celtics in the Atlantic, then the division may already be sunk.
The Celtics improved their lead in the Atlantic Division to six games with a 102-78 win over the Sixers Friday night at TD Banknorth Garden, running roughshod over what was supposed to be a much-improved Philadelphia team. On their march to the franchise’s 17th NBA title last season, the Celtics set an NBA record by winning the Atlantic Division by 25 games, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
They’re on pace to win the division by an even greater margin this season.
“They’ve got a system over there that’s working,” Sixers guard Andre Miller said after Friday night’s game. “They’re better than last year. They’re playing good basketball… I’m not surprised [about the early division lead].”
Six-game leads are unusual for baseball teams in July, nevermind for NBA teams who have yet to play more than three-quarters of their games. With a win last night over the Hawks, the Toronto Raptors moved to 8-7 on the season, becoming the only other Atlantic Division team with a winning record. But with the first full month of the season not yet over, the Raptors are already six games back. And the Elton Brand-bolstered 76ers are 7.5 games behind the division-leaders.
“We know everybody wants to beat us,” Celtics guard Ray Allen said when asked to handicap the division race. “When they do beat us, they’re going to use that to turn their season around and they’re going to prove just how good they are by beating us. We don’t want to hold that distinction of getting a team going. We have to protect what we have every night. Being the defending champions, that’s a responsibility for all of us… We know everybody’s in contention.”
Or not.
With an unpredictably good 13-2 start last November, the Celtics took a 4.5-game lead over the Raptors, who were 9-7 after last season’s first month. So if a 25-game lead by this season’s end seems unreasonable, consider the Celtics are already off to a head start.
“I’m not surprised,” said Sixers coach Maurice Cheeks. “The way this team plays, they play with an urgency every game. And I’m assuming it’s Kevin Garnett that starts it that way, but they have other good players as well. They play with an urgency with every play, every possession. The second group when they come in the game, they play like that as well.”
Despite the praise from opponents, and despite the early lead, Celtics players and coaches are cautious of putting the division to rest just yet.
“They’re going to find their way,” said Celtics coach Doc Rivers. “Right now, they’re finding their — they’re just trying to find their way. And when teams are doing that, you don’t want to give them a break. You don’t want to be the team that gets them going. By the end of the year, they’ll be in there. They will. And so right now they’re not, and we want to take advantage of it.”
Philadelphia’s offseason addition of Brand seemed to make an impact on Garnett as well. Garnett said he had this one circled on his calendar as a statement game.
“We really wanted to make a mark tonight,” said Garnett. “Philly’s one of these teams that’s definitely more improved. They’re one of the dangerous teams in the East.”
Garnett could be right, but with an under-.500 record, the Sixers haven’t shown they can compete with the Celtics in the division just yet. And if the trend keeps up, Boston could find itself in even more rarified territory than it did last season.
“At this stage of the season,” said Cheeks. “They just look comfortable.”
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