‘ANYTHING SHORT OF A CHAMPIONSHIP isn’t enough for the Celtics!’ – Tim Bontemps | NBA Today

‘ANYTHING SHORT OF A CHAMPIONSHIP isn’t enough for the Celtics!’ – Tim Bontemps | NBA Today

Matchup features the two biggest favorites to win at all this year with the Celtics at plus 225 and the nuggets at plus 450 NBA reporter Tim bontemps is in Denver for the rematch tonight so Tim what is their mindset going into this matchup versus the defending champs well cha you guys played the

Sound there the the video I should say of that shot at the end of that game in January between Denver and Boston at TD Garden where Jason Tatum missed that shot over cavius Caldwell Pope to give the Denver Nuggets a win in that game go to Tuesday night when the Celtics had

That collapse against the Cavs it was a similar situation Jason Tatum with the ball in his hands down one chance to win the game missed a jumper at the end of the game Celtics go on to lose and for both Derek white and Jaylen Brown those late game execution moments that is

Something that the Celtics are focused on both today and moving forward now with the way the Celtics have been rolling through the season coming off an 11 game winning streak that set a record in NBA history for Point differential they have not had a lot of moments today

Where they’ve been in close tight situations like that and we’ll see if they get one tonight against Denver certainly a good chance of it but whether it’s tonight or in games going forward those are the moments Boston knows they need to clean up because when they get to the playoffs the Celtics so

There’s going to be a whole lot more of those kind of moments ahead of them and they need to be a lot better than they’ve been both in the game Tuesday and in the first game between these two teams back in January but that game Tuesday was kind of historic in the way

That we’ve seen a team that is topped in the NBA go and then in the fourth quarter they blew a 22-point lead so what are they saying personally about bouncing back from that one and I want you to be safe because you do have some video bombers behind you so no

Distractions there for you as well yeah we’ll see if the mascots come over here and give us any trouble but I mean look the Celtics really did not think too much about that game on Tuesday night they obviously were disappointed I was at the game Tuesday was certainly a somber locker room with

The way that game went away from them but talked to Dereck white afterward asked him what did you learn about your team during that winning streak he said frankly I didn’t learn a lot I was already really confident in our group and one game like this doesn’t change

That and that was the message that the Celtics really had across the board other than know Jaylen Brown like he did today saying we need to really lock in and be focused on a day-to-day basis something he and frankly the rest of the Celtics jday have been saying throughout

Their winning streak and really throughout the entire season this is a team that knows that just getting back to the finals like they did two years ago in Golden state is not going to be good enough for them there’s really only one acceptable outcome which is getting

To the finals and winning that 18th champ ship Banner anything short of that is going to be a disappointment and that’s really been the mentality they’ve had from training camp all the way up until now you think right now that the Boston Celtics are the better team oo

That’s a tough question um I think going into this he talked about the mindset right and I think from a coaching standpoint you want to drop a nugget just pun intendent pun intendant um into your not only your own team’s head that hey we can win here um but also a little

Doubt maybe in Denver that like they can beat you in Denver now the the closing thing is a real deal and right it be it’s not a thing till it becomes a thing but it’s becoming a thing they got to find that guy that closes um the games

For them does it at an efficient clip and when they find that guy I think this guy’s a limit but I think this is a mental thing right now for Boston More Than Anything Brian do you think that this is a mental matchup this is something that will give Boston

Confidence so that they can make it to the NBA finals and actually bring home Banner number 18 this is such a big game I mean I as a regular season game you can never put too much weight on it but this is such an important game because the last two

Games we have seen Boston at their absolute best the way they played Sunday if they replicated that during the during the Spring they would walk to a championship I’ve almost never seen impressive more impressive play than I saw in the first half of that game and

They were at their worst 48 hours later against the Cavs where they completely froze up down the stretch and clutch time something we’ve seen happen to them time and time again that has given them trouble in the playoffs the last two years so here we have this moment where

They’ve seen the Angel and the devil on their two shoulders their best and their worst going to Denver this is a perfect situation the injury report is clean everybody’s had time off Boston flew there on Tuesday night they’ve been in the altitude for 48 hours this is a

Great opportunity Denver is awesome at home this is strength on strength the opportunity for the Celtics to make a statement I can’t wait for this game there’s really nothing that truly comes out of it but the way that the Celtics play is a real indication of where their

Relative standing is to the Champs and I am I for one cannot wait for this game tonight definitely a a a big time matchup in the regular season but I wouldn’t put you know just everything on it it’s important for both teams I think that these are the two best teams in

Their respective divisions by far they both I think the Boston Celtics have the best starting five in the league and then Denver has the best player on the floor in this matchup in in uh Nicole yic my issue with both of these teams is their bench play neither team has to me

An outstanding bench and whose bench can play better first time they played each other they got 13 points Off the Bench each team when when Denver won the championship last year they had two key contributors Bruce Brown and Jeff Green true and if you’re going to try to win

16 games going all the way to win a NBA championship it is hugely important that along that way you get some bench contribution that helps you win a game or two per Series so I don’t know who that’s going to be for the these respective teams yeah and since you’re

Talking about series we have a Hall of Fame coach a back-to-back Champion here for the Las Vegas Aces so how would you go into a matchup knowing that in the future in a few months you might see this again yeah I I mean I agree it’s

About as big as a regular season matchup that you can have but you’re not going to show them your whole hand especially when you know you might be seeing them down the road in more important games such as the playoffs and and NBA Finals um so yeah you’re holding your cards a

Little bit closer you your cards versus the New York Liberty multiple times this past season Becky we actually did and that’s why they beat us by 20 at their place every but you had your way you had your way in game four but as a coach what are you telling the Boston Celtics

Because Denver has just done it but the Celtics want to do it now listen we just we just saw how Champions re respond to uh a little um Golden State meltdown gameost right so you saw how Golden State responded they’re they’re proven Champions I think Boston is still trying

To get with this specific group obviously we know there’s many champions in the Boston line but this group is trying to get into that Championship conversation and and when you have your worst outing you know how do how do you bounce back show me some resiliency show

Me some mental toughness and no better team to do it against than the defending champs like let’s go correct what you got and I I see that’s how Joe Missoula is going to challenge that group going in the game that that is true but I think a lot of people say hey the

Nuggets are the favorites but they’re still in the Western Conference so Brian who would you be more surprised by if they did not show up in the NBA Finals I guess probably Boston because the Eastern the teams on the East are all banged up right now none of their

Their top competition is playing at their best now we’re in early to mid-march here I don’t know who’s going to be healthy and who’s playing well but it’s it’s Boston and then a lot of injury reports and behind them they are definitely A Step Above everybody else

In the west you can make a case for two or three four different teams even though Denver is the leader amongst them so I would suspect that Boston has has the as easier path but you make assumptions in the NBA you start to get embarrassed I’ve certainly seen [Applause] [Applause] that

Tim Bontemps joins Chiney Ogwumike on NBA Today to preview the Boston Celtics vs. the defending champion Denver Nuggets coming off of the Celtics’ loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Then Becky Hammon, Brian Windhorst and Scott Perry join to discuss the matchup.

☑️ Subscribe to ESPN+: https://plus.espn.com/
📱Get the ESPN App: http://www.espn.com/espn/apps/espn
🏀 Subscribe to NBA on ESPN on YouTube: http://bit.ly/2yxs3Og
☑️Subscribe to ESPN on YouTube: http://es.pn/SUBSCRIBEtoYOUTUBE
☑️Watch ESPN on YouTube TV: http://es.pn/YouTubeTV