Look, I know it’s only the preseason, but Marcus Morris is really getting me amped up with his strong showing over the past week – both on and off the court.

For those who missed it, Cavalier’s big man Tristan Thompson told the media last Thursday that Cleveland is still the team to beat in the East, even with the King now in L.A.:

Tristan Thompson: “We’re still 4-time Eastern Conference champions, so until you take us down from that, teams ain’t got much to say. Boston, Philly, they ain’t got much to say. Boston had homecourt Game 7 and lost. Philly, you guys almost got swept. Toronto – we know that story” pic.twitter.com/gnGqd4mGeM

— Ben Axelrod (@BenAxelrod) September 27, 2018

Yeah, I LAWLed pretty hard at that one, too, as the kids say, and Marcus Morris made sure to let Thompson know what was really good almost immediately afterward:

😂😂😂😂😂 @RealTristan13 Cut it out. Get that vacation ready early this year fam! Ain’t shit going through the Cavs this year! #facts

— Marcus Morris (@MookMorris2) September 27, 2018

Apparently their trash-talking days date back over a decade, as Morris and his brother Markieff, who plays for the Washington Wizards, used to face off against Thompson on the circuit in high school. The three also participated in two tough collegiate battles back in 2011 while playing in the Big 12, with the Morris twins’ Kansas Jayhawks beating Thompson’s Texas Longhorns in the conference championship that year.

These two have quite the history.

Thompson has definitely had the upper hand on both of the Morris brothers since entering the NBA, and his Cavaliers did indeed beat the Celtics 102-95 at the TD Garden on Tuesday night. However, Morris continued to back up his big mouth with 14 points in 21 minutes on 50 percent shooting. He also added a block and two rebounds to boot.

Again, does last night’s performance really mean anything? Not really. But it does further demonstrate just how ready Morris seems to be and just how serious he is about the fact that this is both he and the Celtics’ year. Morris is quickly becoming one of my favorite guys on the roster, and I can’t wait to see wait to see the havoc that he and the rest of BWA are going to wreak on the NBA this season.

Though we’re still two weeks away from the real deal, the Celtics play their final preseason game this Saturday night on the road against Cleveland.