Every game matters in the NBA, but not all wins feel or mean the same. Depending on the opponent and time of year, some wins just mean more.
The Boston Celtics' thrilling win against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday was one of those games. The Celtics fell behind early against the defending champs, trailing by double digits in the first quarter before rallying for a 119-109 victory over the best team in basketball.
With only a few weeks left in the regular season, that's the kind of game that proves what Boston is capable of in the playoffs.
Paul Pierce says Boston Celtics win over OKC was a confidence booster for them:
“OKC was full strength, you played a team in a middle of a 12-game winning streak. So, these type of wins can give them confidence for the rest of the year going into the playoffs like, Hey, after… pic.twitter.com/2ZD6IoY2Gj
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"OKC was full strength, you played a team in the middle of a 12-game winning streak," Celtics legend Paul Pierce said on "No Fouls Given." "So, these types of wins can give them confidence for the rest of the year going into the playoffs like, hey, after that, ain’t nobody in the East can beat us. You see what we did to the champs, we should run through the East."
Boston definitely made a statement with its win, and many analysts agree with Pierce that the Celtics are the team to beat in the East. With Jayson Tatum back, they have the talent, experience, coaching, and everything else they need to reach the NBA Finals.
The Detroit Pistons, New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers are all good teams, but they're not in the same class as Boston. Beating OKC or the San Antonio Spurs in the Finals would be a different story, but the Celtics should be feeling good about themselves as March winds down.
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