It’s early in an NBA season like no other — when one champion, the inaugural in-season tournament winner, the Lakers, has already been crowned. But does that mean LeBron James, Anthony Davis and company are really numero uno? And what about defending champs, the Denver Nuggets and 2x NBA MVP Nikola Jokic?
That’s not what Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd believes. After a tough loss yesterday to the surging Minnesota Timberwolves, Kidd said to Mavs still had a lot of positives to consider, especially since “Minnesota is the best team in the league.”
"It's just one of those night. When you look at the guys that got looks, they didn't go down for us tonight. Again, Minnesota is the best team in the league and we felt we were playing well."
— Bally Sports Southwest (@BallySportsSW) December 15, 2023
Jason Kidd reacts to tonight's game. #MFFL | @dallasmavs on @BallySportsSW 📺 pic.twitter.com/nmAZZ6OkPu
Going by overall record, Kidd has his facts straight, though the Boston Celtics moved to 18-5 with a win last night too, matching the Timberwolves. (The Lakers, despite their new trophy, are just 15-10.)
The Timberwolves — led by Anthony Edwards, Karl-Anthony Towns, and dominant center Rudy Gobert — got off to an 11-3 start, setting a franchise record for best beginning. CBS recently titled an article about the Minnesota franchise “The Hype Is Real.”
Minnesota head coach Chris Finch said last week of Gobert: “This is the best I’ve ever seen him play. I didn’t see him play every single minute he was in Utah, but this is the best I’ve seen him play on both ends of the ball. He’s dominating defensively, and offensively he’s quite the force there, too.”
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