Walking the walk

Kevin Garnett and the Celtics have eyes only on the next opponent - that's one reason they've been virtually unbeatable. (David Kamerman/Globe Staff)

No one in the NBA has a swagger like the defending champion Celtics right now. But with that swagger comes a mature humility that keeps them from tooting their own horn.

So when it comes to the question of whether today's Celtics are better than last season's title team, the players and coach Doc Rivers don't seem comfortable answering. And that's even after Boston opened this season with a franchise-best 22-2 record, the latest notch being a 94-82 win over Western Conference power New Orleans last night. But when you ask some of their distinguished NBA peers outside the organization, the answer is a strong yes for numerous reasons.

"Everyone now has more confidence," said Cleveland coach Mike Brown in a phone interview. "They are more mature with the championship."

Hornets forward James Posey, who played for the Celtics last season, said, "Last year we learned on the fly and we were able to correct. But now going into the season, they know pretty much what to do, they make adjustments, and they play the game. The record speaks for itself. It is no surprise that they are really playing well."

Former Lakers great Byron Scott played for three NBA champions during the "Showtime" era with Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabaar, and James Worthy. Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish, and the rest of the Celtics in the 1980s hated those Lakers then and still do, but they had to respect their heart, talent, and swagger.

Scott sees those same rare ingredients in today's Celtics.

"It's there," said Scott, now coach of the Hornets. "I can't remember when it was, but when we got off to a 24-3 start, we were pretty much plowing through everybody. And I'm looking at the way they're playing, they're doing well and basically doing the same thing."

Scott is also impressed with the Celtics' focus. On Thursday, Kevin Garnett emphasized that the Celtics are not worrying about what other teams are doing and just focusing on each opponent. Boston achieved that frame of mind last season after learning the importance of winning home-court advantage during a tough postseason run. With several talented teams vying to steal their crown, the home court could be even more important this postseason, which makes the strong focus vital now.

"They've come out with a renewed focus," Scott said. "Like Paul Pierce has said, they put last [season] behind them and they're really thinking about this year. And that's how they're playing. They aren't playing like a team that has won a championship. Most teams, when they get a championship, they get a little fat. They kind of live on those laurels for a whole year. They just take it as it comes.

"I know we did that when we had our back-to-back championships. We came out even more determined [the second season]. That's definitely the kind of look that they have when I see them play."

Outspoken Charles Barkley, now an analyst for Turner Sports, said the Celtics are better simply because of their swagger. At this time a year ago, Boston was garnering notice after a strong start. But swagger? That didn't come until Jan. 5, when the Celtics defeated the Pistons in Detroit, 92-85, for their first headline victory of the season. Today's team has walked tall since arriving in Newport, R.I., for training camp.

"I know they have that swagger, and that is the key," Barkley said via text message. "Confidence is always the key."

Maybe the most telling sign that today's Celtics are better than last season's is they are viewed as a benchmark by Kobe Bryant, of all people. Such words are surprising from the proud Bryant, considering the Celtics dominated the Lakers in the six-game NBA Finals last season. The Lakers and Celtics will meet for the first time this season in a highly anticipated game on Christmas. And Bryant plans to use the Celtics as a "barometer" to determine where his Lakers really are.

"It's Boston that's our barometer," Bryant told reporters in Los Angeles after a victory over Phoenix Wednesday. "That's the team that beat us. They're the standard. They're the benchmark. That's the team that beat us, so that's how it's going to be.

"The message we want to send [to the Celtics is] that we want to see how much we've improved since the last time we faced them. That's what we want to see. That's what I want to see."

Brown added that another reason the Celtics are improved is their young players, from Rajon Rondo to Leon Powe, are better. Brown also said he loves how the Celtics hold each other accountable, a trait LeBron James and the Cavaliers are learning but haven't mastered and something that has played a strong role in the Spurs' success this decade.

While Brown says the Cavaliers rarely talk among themselves about other teams, on the rare occasions when Boston's biggest Eastern Conference threat does talk, the Celtics are the team that most often is mentioned.

So are the Celtics better? Well, if you're not convinced, listen to these words from a former Laker.

"I respect them more than anyone," Scott said. "That's not to say I don't respect the Lakers or any of those teams. I respect all of those teams. But I respect this team now more than any team in this league. That's just based on what I've seen these first 23 games, how I see them go about their business.

"There is just no [downside] to what they're doing. Everything they are doing, they are doing with a purpose, and that's scary."

The Celtics are widely known for doing a lot of talking on the court. But when it comes to talk about why they are better than last season, the rest of the league has no problem giving credit where credit is due to this scary team.