Rick Carlisle thinks the Celtics have a ‘legitimate chance’ to make NBA Finals
Boston impressed the Dallas coach with a convincing road win Monday.
The Boston Celtics are one of the hottest teams in the NBA right now, winning 10 of their past 11 games and 23 of 30 overall. The elite stretch has lifted them to the second seed in the Eastern Conference standings, but Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle believes Boston has emerged as a true contender in the East.
“Look, they’re a very good offensive team, one of the best,” Carlisle told reporters in Dallas after the Celtics beat the Mavericks 111-98 on Monday night. “They’ve got a legitimate chance to get to the Finals with that team out of the East. It’s a very, very good basketball team…”
The Cleveland Cavaliers still hold a two-game lead over the Celtics for the top spot in the East, but they’ve struggled at times lately without injured starting shooting guard J.R. Smith. The defending champions will clearly be the East favorite when the postseason begins, but Carlisle explained why he thinks the Celtics could be a formidable foe for them in May.
“Their ability to score [is elite], and they have great depth,” he explained. “They have a lot of guys that have gained experience. I just see them as a real threat. There’s other teams that are banged up. I know Toronto’s had injuries and they are starting to get healthy. I’m not studying the East, that much other than the teams we are playing, but I’m watching the standings.
“I’ve watched Boston a good bit because of the recent games. They handled Portland. They took Utah apart two nights ago. They’re not a perfect team, but I don’t really see any out there. Even Golden State has their own challenges. They’ve got a chance to really make some noise, so we’ll see what happens.”
