Celtics slotted at #2 in most recent NBA power rankings

To no one's surprise, the Boston Celtics were regarded as one of the league's top teams in the NBA's most recent squad classifications. They were labeled as the country's second best team, and are only being out-ranked by the nefarious Golden State Warriors.   

Although the Warriors can be found under a few teams in the league's current standings, this #1 overall ranking is well deserved, as the team has won their last six games by an average of 21.5 points. Most recently, they beat the Philadelphia 76ers by 21 at Oracle Arena. They also out-did the Celtics with their defensive rating this week, which is a first for the 2017 season. Over 100 possessions, they've allowed just 94.9 points. The Cs have given up 95.7 points over the same period. 

As for the Celtics, NBA's John Schuhmann wrote, 

Al Horford missed two games, Aron Baynes broke Kyrie Irving's face, and they faced an 18-point deficit against Charlotte and a couple more close calls last week, but the Celtics' winning streak has reached 12 games. Jayson Tatum has been terrific at attacking close-outs, but also at shooting from the corners, from where he's 9-for-13 and hit one of the biggest shots in Monday's win in Atlanta, with more big buckets coming in wins over the Hornets and Raptors. He leads all rookies in clutch scoring and in effective field goal percentage (minimum 50 shots) at 56.5 percent. 

 The Warriors will visit Beantown this Thursday, in what will be one of the most highly anticipated matchups of this young season. If the Celtics can escape tomorrow's matchup against the Brooklyn Nets unscathed, then their streak will be on the line when the Warriors come to town. The fans want it badly, and it's evident that the team does too. Here they are celebrating last night's last second victory versus the Toronto Raptors. 
And what about the Cleveland Cavaliers!? It may take you a while to scroll that far down the page, so I'll save you the trouble. Our Eastern Conference rivals can't be found anywhere in the top 20, and instead are ranked at #21 in this week's rankings. Absolutely gross. I can only imagine how the entire city of Cleveland is feeling...

Thursday can't come soon enough. For the NBA's full power rankings, click here. 

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 Photo 1: Boston Celtics 
Photo 2: Instagram

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