One team that believes it just sent a loud and clear message to the rest of the league goes head-to-head with a team desperately seeking such a statement win when the Boston Celtics host the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night.
The Celtics (26-18) are coming off one of their biggest wins of the season, a 117-108 home triumph over the Atlantic Division-leading Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night.
The win came on the heels of a three-game losing streak that had threatened to drop the Celtics's status in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
Despite still trailing the Raptors by six games in the Atlantic, Celtics star Kyrie Irving felt compelled to make a proclamation to reporters shortly after the final buzzer.