Magic Johnson declares Boston Celtics as “undeniably the best team in the NBA” after blowout win against Phoenix Suns
The Boston Celtics continued their dominant run in the 2022-23 season after trampling over the Phoenix Suns, 125-98, in their second-largest win of the season.
The Celtics are now 21-5 on the season, with the best record in the NBA. With an average point differential of 8.8, the C's now have 11 wins with a margin of at least 10 points. They have the best win percentage (84.6%) in games decided by 10 points or more.
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown both scored 25 in the win, with Grant Williams and Blake Griffin adding 14 and nine points respectively. Malcolm Brogdon added 16 points and five assists off the bench.
On a night when the Suns ran a 12-man rotation, no one besides Josh Okogie scored 20 points or more. Devin Booker, Mikal Bridges, and Chris Paul combined for 10-for-35 shooting and made just one 3-pointer in 13 attempts combined. The game also marked the return of Chris Paul, who was out for a month with a heel injury.
The Phoenix Suns logged their ninth loss of the season, and with it, fell to 16-9. The New Orleans Pelicans now sit at the top of the Western Conference.
Lakers legend Magic Johnson commented on the Boston Celtics' win over the Phoenix Suns on Twitter:
"The Boston Celtics are undeniably the best team in the NBA!! They had a 45 point lead in the 3rd quarter tonight against the Suns and the Suns have the best record in the West!" (via) @MagicJohnson
For the uninitiated, throughout his career, Magic Johnson was consumed in one of the greatest sporting rivalries of all time against the Boston Celtics' Larry Bird.
The Lakers-Celtics/Magic-Bird rivalry is widely recognized to have redefined basketball and brought the NBA much-needed financial relief at the time. ESPN's Larry Schwartz once wrote:
"He (Magic Johnson) is more than the player who, along with Larry Bird, transformed the NBA from the brink of bankruptcy into a lucrative attraction." (via) ESPN
The Boston Celtics' run is even better than last season
Since January 2022, the Boston Celtics have been the biggest surprise in the NBA. Their unprecedented 28-7 run, which started in January and concluded with the conclusion of the 2021-22 regular season, was further compounded by a berth to the NBA finals, their first such trip in over a decade.
However, the C's are on pace to match last season's record. With a 21-5 run, they have a win rate only marginally greater than their 80% win percentage during their late-season run in 2021-22.
As it stands right now, the Boston Celtics are the best team in the NBA, and the only formidable contender other than them seems to be the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Bucks went 3-2 up during the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Celtics, and that too with Khris Middleton being out. The Celtics eventually won the series in 7 games.