Isaiah Thomas on the Warriors: ‘We want to be the first team to beat them’
Understandably, most Celtics were unwilling to talk about the undefeated Golden State Warriors before Wednesday’s matchup with the Chicago Bulls.
After a 105-100 victory over the visitors on Wednesday at the TD Garden though, Isaiah Thomas and his Celtic teammates could not hide their excitement at being next in line to take a shot at beating the Western Conference juggernauts.
“It’s definitely another game, but you know the situation,’’ Thomas said. “We want to be the first team to beat them and end their winning streak, and we know how good they’ve been playing. They’re the talk of the NBA. We’re the next game, and hopefully we can get one.’’
The showdown will come Friday night at TD Garden, with the Warriors riding a 23-game winning streak, the best start in NBA history. The pit stop in Boston will be the sixth game for Golden State in the midst of a marathon seven-game road trip.
The buzz surrounding the matchup is undeniable among the Celtic fanbase and should help create a playoff-like atmosphere Friday evening. Still, Jared Sullinger believes the key for his team will be treating the challenge like any other regular season contest.
“I know they’re coming in with a hot streak,’’ Sullinger said. “They’re undefeated. But we can’t look at it as a Super Bowl. We’ve got to look at it as, it’s another game, another chance to get another win, and carry ourselves like that. Because if we get over there and try to get too excited, they’re just going to blow us out.’’
One of the team’s more experienced veterans in Evan Turner echoed Sullinger’s attitude on facing the defending champions.
“It’s really just one game, honestly,’’ Turner explained. “I mean, if I was 22 maybe it’d be a big game. I’m 27. You know what I’m saying? I’m ancient, so basically I’ve seen a lot of games. This one will just be one of out of however many.’’
Still, Turner couldn’t help but recognize the chance for the Celtics to make a big splash with the entire NBA world watching on Friday.
“Once again, it’s a great opportunity, as you guys already may know, and they play great. Any time you play the defending champs, you want to have an opportunity to play great.’’
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