Celtics lead the NBA - Cavaliers floundering


Wait a minute. Weren't the Celtics supposed to be playing erratically early in the season, particularly since Gordon Hayward went down? And weren't the Cleveland Cavaliers, employing the best player on the planet - flat, or otherwise - supposed to start quickly? What a difference a trade makes.



Boston is now tied with the Orlando Magic for first place in the NBA with six wins and two losses. Cleveland is in 13th place in the Eastern Conference with a three-and-five record, and League-wise only the Kings, Mavericks, Bulls and Hawks trail them. Thus far, trading for Kyrie Irving seems like a masterful move. He is everything we wanted. As an aside, Kyrie keeps up with the flat earth/questionable-moon-landing talk, and I love it. Some of the most intelligent minds in academia talk this way to stimulate deeper thought. I am convinced that is his purpose.

And he also happens to be one hell of a dribbler. And passer, shooter and finisher. His defense is improving, and he is our alpha dog. Danny Ainge wanted him badly, and now we know why. And Brad Stevens moves his players into advantageous positions, much as Jaylen Brown does with his chess pieces. In addition to a tie for best record, Boston holds the longest win streak of six games. Looks like the first two games, both losses, were our adjustment period.


It is still early in the season, but here is what many expected. The Celtics were supposed to struggle a bit early in the season and then attempt to compete with the Cavaliers for supremacy in the East. Then Gordon was injured and our hopes plummeted. We might have been expected to make the playoffs, and that was it. After Hayward's injury in Cleveland, Justin Quinn, a fellow-writer for CelticsLife tweeted this message:



Good advice that was, for the most part, followed. With the Cavaliers down, perhaps temporarily, I will follow that same lead. Kyrie Irving wanted to be The Man here in Boston, and he certainly is that. We now have great hopes for this season and can only imagine how good the team will be next season with Gordon's return. A great time to be a Celtics fan.

Photo via Omar Rawlings






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