When the Boston Celtics announced over the summer that they had pulled the trigger on a blockbuster trade that brought in Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett to play with Paul Pierce I think we all had some idea of how good the team might be. However, none of us had any idea that they would be THIS good.

The Celtics have pulled off an unprecedented turnaround from just a season ago where some critics accused the Celtics “playing out the string” trying to land one top draft picks by purposely tanking their last few games. And when the draft actually rolled around and Boston was left holding the bag while Portland and Seattle landed the top two picks, we all had a little chuckle and thought perhaps this was poetic justice for a team that had all but laid down at the end of the NBA season in the hopes of landing one of the two rookie gems. Boston’s tea party had become a Boston massacre.

The Celtics did what many considered impossible – they wrestled Garnett away from the Timberwolves and Allen away from the Sonics to create the big three that we see dominating the hardwood  and NBA power rankings this season.

But what is truly remarkable is how good they have been so fast. Those that make NBA picks have cashed in on Boston throughout this oung season. Their domination is unrelenting having only dropped two games. The Celtics are blowing the doors off the competition in the Atlantic Division and are clearly the early favorites to not only make it to the finals but to secure another sports championship for Boston.

Boston is a perfect 10-0 this season at home and 7-2 on the road and has the highest winning percentage in the league (.895) and shows no signs of slowing down.

They are getting it done with defense. The Celtics are out defending the top defensive-minded teams in the league like the Spurs, Pistons and Rockets – teams that have been known to play shut-down defensive schemes. Boston is allowing the fewest points in the Association (87.7 per game) as well as opposing FG percentage. And couple that with the Big Three (Garnett, Allen and Pierce) putting up almost 60 points per game and you can bet that barring injury, the Celtics should be a NBA picks favorite all season long.

Yeah, yeah, I realize the NBA season is only just beginning and it is far too early to pencil in any team as the champs but the NBA season is a marathon – not a sprint and things can and do change. Just look at the way the Celtics have turned it around. Last year’s cellar is now the NBA team to beat and sitting pretty in the proverbial catbird seat.