The Boston Celtics have made a good impression in more than a month of play, enough to convince the bookmakers to place them a few more steps ahead in the latest odds of the NBA Championship race.

The Celtics continue to keep in step with the powerhouse teams of the East despite having fewer expectations coming into the season, no thanks to the departure of Kyrie Irving and Al Horford. As it turns out, the signing of another All-Star in Kemba Walker, the apparent continuous improvement of young guns Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, a rejuvenated Gordon Hayward, and an even better role-designated support cast prove to be more than enough to hail them as still one of the elites in the league.

Based on the latest odds published by Superbook USA on Monday, the Celtics improved from being priced at 40/1 on Nov. 4 to 18/1. The latest value to the C’s put them at the sixth spot, tied with the Denver Nuggets. The two Los Angeles teams are tugging it out at first and second at 5/2 odds each. The Milwaukee Bucks come in at second priced at 5/1, while the Philadelphia 76ers and Houston Rockets share the fourth and fifth at 8/1.

Brad Stevens is steering his squad to a 15-5 record as of the moment which is tied with the Toronto Raptors at the 2nd and 3rd place in the East and just three games behind the Conference leaders Bucks. The C’s likewise remain flawless at the TD Garden in the eight games played there. Shall they get the flow of playing on the road, a red alert is expected to be sent to the rest of the NBA.

Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston believes the Boston Celtics have yet to reach their full potential amidst exceeding the preseason projections pegged at them. He says that more than anything, chemistry as a team is what drives the team to reach greater heights, citing the group’s continuous success despite the absence of Hayward due to an injury.

“To have that kind of success even without their full lineup on the floor - thanks to Gordon Hayward's broken hand - is a testament to the chemistry the Celtics have been able to build in the early going,” Forsberg said.

“A lot of the question marks entering the season are trending positively and, yet, Boston still hasn't seemingly played its best basketball and there's plenty of areas to tighten up that could ultimately raise the ceiling of this squad,” he added.

Danny Ainge Celtics
The 2016 NBA Draft will be wide open when the Boston Celtics and general manager Danny Ainge (left) are on the clock with the No. 3 overall pick Thursday (June 23) night in Brooklyn, New York. Getty Images
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