Written by Matt Zemek at The Comeback
Here we are on a Monday morning after a very eventful NBA weekend, one which witnessed the end of the Golden State Warriors’ bid to match and then pass the 1972 Los Angeles Lakers for the longest regular season winning streak in league history.
The NBA and basketball lovers everywhere (except the cities where the Warriors played of late) wanted the Warriors to be unbeaten heading into their Christmas Day showdown with LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. The delicious scenario — the unbeaten reigning champs going against the most iconic active player in the league in a Finals rematch — would have created a genuine sensation on Christmas in Oakland. There is no doubt that the Warriors are the NBA’s most interesting team, and that the Cavs and Spurs are the Dubs’ foremost challengers.
After that trio of heavyweights, however, which is the next most interesting team in professional basketball right now? The Oklahoma City Thunder are always a natural choice, with Russ and KD and a first-year head coach trying to figure it all out. The Los Angeles Clippers remain a soap-operatic rollercoaster ride with an expressive coach who doubles as the organization’s general manager. The Charlotte Hornets have become one of the big (and pleasant) surprises of the new season with their unexpected transformation into a highly potent and watchable offensive team.
Yet, with the past weekend in mind, the next most interesting team in the NBA outside of Oakland just might be the team which didn’t beat the Warriors on Friday night… but contributed to Golden State’s eventual downfall in Milwaukee… and then proved something very important on the same Saturday night when another team took down the Warriors.
That team is, of course, the Boston Celtics.
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