New year, same Celtics.
Yes, it’s only preseason, but the Celtics are picking up right where they left off. The team that set NBA records a season ago with 17 wins by 25 points and 10 by 30 or more took care of business in Abu Dhabi, sweeping the Nuggets with a dominant 130-104 blowout on Sunday.
“I think we’re headed in the right direction,” head coach Joe Mazzulla said postgame. “I think we got off to a good start in training camp. I think we approached this trip the proper way, and we have an open mind, understanding that we have to get better.”
The score isn’t the story. It’s the process of which they played and the individual efforts that made this team so special a season ago.
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown set the tone from the jump with 19 combined points in the first quarter and 30 in the first half. …