NBA scores 2016: This isn’t the Celtics team we were all expecting

Boston has been positively unimpressive through seven games. There are reasons for that, though.

Nov 10, 2016, 2:00 PM UTC

NBA: Boston Celtics at Washington Wizards

Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

“We’re not as good as we thought we were.”

That’s what Isaiah Thomas said of the Boston Celtics’ just a few days ago. His words seem pretty accurate after a 118-93 drubbing by the Washington Wizards on Wednesday.

The injuries are a factor here, of course. Jae Crowder and key offseason signee Al Horford both have missed the last four games, and it doesn’t look like either is returning imminently. Marcus Smart and Kelly Olynyk both missed a couple games, too. One of the Celtics’ four losses came against the Cavaliers — hard to avoid even for a healthy team.

But remember the Celtics were a 48-win team without Horford last year? The last two losses — by a combined 41 points — came against Wizards and the Nuggets. The Celtics’ 112.3 defensive rating has been the worst in the NBA through its first seven games. Last year, they were sixth best. It’s been enough to counteract an offense that’s currently No. 2 in the league.

The likely way this shakes out is one that’s also boring as hell: the Celtics aren’t this bad defensively, aren’t this good offensively, and will likely end up being fine. Seven games with several injuries isn’t a convincing sample size for anyone. Boston’s defense didn’t combust permanently over an offseason, just like their offense won’t suddenly become hegemonic even with Horford along for the ride. Instead, everything will balance out and the Celtics will win about 50 games or so.

Still, this is a good wake-up call. That’s all Thomas was trying to say with that ominous quote above. The Celtics were a sexy pick to win the Eastern Conference for contrarians resisting the all-too-easy Cavaliers selection. As Cleveland stomps all in its path and the Raptors continue to roll, it looks like that under-the-radar movement should stay that way. The team is giving up too many threes, its bench is struggling, and the first quarters have been disastrous.

Those are all fixable problems. “When we don’t come out with a sense of urgency, we’re not a good team,” finishes that Thomas quote, so the team understands that, too. There’s a certain level of hubris Celtics fans have had with Brad Stevens and this start may balance that out. But he’s still a great coach, and there’s no reason to believe him and the Celtics can’t right this ship.

In the meantime, let’s temper expectations. This is a good playoff team, not a challenger for a conference championship.

Oh, so that’s the Warriors

The Golden State team we feared all offseason arrived with force on Wednesday. Granted, they were playing a Mavericks team that was sitting six players, but the Warriors obliterated them all the same. Here’s some statistics from the first half alone:

14 three-pointers on 20 attempts, one short of tying an NBA record for a half
63 of their 67 points coming from the starting lineup
0 points from Zaza Pachulia, who makes up one-fifth of that starting lineup
An eFG% of .861, which is absurd

It was a big night for Klay Thompson, who broke out after some early season struggles. Generally, this is the type of team the Warriors can be, and that’s terrifying.

The Clippers are real(ly good)

31. 32. 24. That’s the margins of victories for Los Angeles in their last three games. You don’t need me to tell you that’s damn good.

The Clippers rolled past the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday, a team they could easily end up facing in the playoffs. But if those two teams are usually on similar planes of competition, it sure didn’t show in this game. The Blazers scored 80 points all game, while the Clippers’ starting five had 70.

There’s a certain paradox to the Clippers, one that makes you suspicious of them until they finally win in the playoffs. That’s fair — but even if you don’t want to project them as an enormous threat to the Warriors just yet, don’t let your skepticism take away from what they are doing right now. It’s been a dominating few weeks to begin this season, with Chris Paul and Blake Griffin combining to play some of the most efficient, effective basketball of their careers. The Clippers don’t want your belief right now. They just want your respect.