As teams start to get focused and make a push during the home stretch of the NBA season, it’s becoming clearer where the line is for genuine contenders and who are pretenders. And also, it’s clear who is tanking at this point.
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1. Boston Celtics (42-16, Last Week No. 2). If the Celtics are going to repeat as champions it will have to start with their defense — and of late they are back to playing at a championship level on that end of the floor (top 10 in the league over their last 10 games). On offense, the ball is moving again and more field goals are coming via assist. This is like a midterm week for Boston with some big tests ahead: Its showdown against Cleveland on Friday matters more to the Cavaliers’ psyche than the Celtics, but things don’t get easier for Boston after that when Nikola Jokic and Denver come to town on Sunday.
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