Re-evaluating the Boston Celtics
The Celtics have gone through injuries and additions. They're playing right now almost as if this is a second pre-season . The "second season" is seven games away. So now is a good time to re-evaluate the Celtics. Here's where we stand right now:
The New Guys
Stephon Marbury started out his Celtics career, however brief it might be, with a bang (8 points on 4-6 shooting in 13 minutes). He tailed off a bit for a little while, which is to be expected. Marbury spent a long time doing nothing. It's almost impossible to jump right back into NBA-level play after that kind of layoff, no matter who you are. But he's stepped up lately. 11 points on 4-5 shooting against Atlanta and 7 assists in 21 minutes against OKC show that Steph is starting to come out of his funk.
Marbury has shown an unselfish style of play with the Celtics. So much so, Doc is telling him to shoot more. He's also trying to commit to the Celtics defensive style. When you take into account his ability, the surrounding Celtics players, and the coaching staff, I think we can expect Marbury to be a solid contributor come playoff time.
Mikki Moore, on the other hand, seems to be a different story. It seems the Celtics traded for seven feet and six fouls in Moore. He's in a tough spot and I'm willing to give him as much benefit of the doubt as I can. He hasn't been able to play alongside Kevin Garnett, which will help his assimilation into the Celtics defensive scheme. But at a time when the Celtics needed minutes more than assimilation from him, he still kept fouling. Right now, it's nothing more than a red flag. I'm less confident in Mikki Moore pulling a PJ Brown as I was when he signed the deal. However, two straight double-digit rebounding games, including a double-double versus OKC, have given me a glimmer of hope.
The Injured
Kevin Garnett has been babied along so far, which shows how much the Celtics need him. They're doing everything to make sure he's as healthy as possible come playoff time. I feel like if KG gets a cavity, Doc Rivers would chew KG's food for him. The miles are clearly adding up on KG's odometer. But the Celtics clearly have a plan for preserving what miles KG has left. A lot of people are freaked out by him sitting out games again, but he hasn't gone back in for any new testing, and he hasn't experienced anything new in his knee. The soreness is lingering, which is worrying, but it could just be something KG just has to deal with. Come playoff time, KG's emotion, and the Celtics caution, should get him ready to provide enough for the Celtics to play at a championship level. A schedule that features a lot of rest from now until the end of the playoffs will give KG enough off time to stay healthy.
Leon Powe was playing the best basketball of the season -- maybe of his career -- when he went down with what looked like a run-of-the-mill bruised knee. But knee issues are the reason why Powe is even a Celtic to begin with. He went from "first round guaranteed deal" to "second round chance" because of knee injuries in college. People forget he led the Pac-10 in scoring and rebounding. But his multiple knee surgeries were enough to offset the performance. So here he is in Boston. The point is, Powe is a damn good player. He's got a knack for grabbing rebounds in a crowd and he's one of the best in the NBA at getting to the free throw line. The fact that he might not be ready until the playoffs begin is a little frightening to me.
Tony Allen was SUPPOSED to pick up some of the slack left by James Posey's departure. I'm sick of talking about how that hasn't happened yet. But the simple fact of the matter is that Allen can STILL help the Celtics by being a defensive menace off the bench.
He has been working out recently before games , and he's staying in shape. I'm going to go out on a limb and say Tony Allen will be a difference maker off the bench in a later round game. If nothing else, he's due.
Brian Scalabrine FINALLY escaped "joke" status to become a valuable contributor this year. He can do the little things and he rarely makes a stupid play, which is what you need from a guy like Scal. But multiple concussions are devastating for two reasons: Brain injuries are serious, and you can do nothing but sit and wait while recovering. The Celtics could use Scal, but I'm not counting on it at all.
The Veterans
Ray Allen is the old man of the crew, but he's not playing like it. Credit him and his hard work. The guy is in amazing shape (does he have ANY body fat?). He's a smart basketball player and he's capable of getting so hot that it doesn't matter who is guarding him, or how many hands he might have in his face. It's really amazing.
Paul Pierce... well,
I've talked about what he's doing . What he did against Orlando (despite the loss) shows that he's still capable of doing. If all else fails, get the ball to Paul Pierce and get out of the way. You will at least get a shot that has a chance at going in.
The Bench
Eddie House is chasing down Danny Ainge for the best three-point-shooting season in Celtics history. He's on a kind of shooting roll that I've never seen from any bench player... ever. Last year, when the Celtics brought Sam Cassell in to back up Rajon Rondo, it ended up being Eddie House that provided the real spark off the bench at guard. And there's no one on the floor with more confidence than Eddie. That's a big help for the type of player whose biggest weapon is the lowest percentage shot in the game.
Glen Davis took a lot of heat for taking jumpers this year, but those shots are starting to fall. That helps extend the defense and give everyone else some space. And with KG out, he has found another gear. Big Baby has taken some big steps lately. He's still young and raw, so he'll still have his struggles. But he's learning what it takes to be successful. Even an elbow to the head that opened up a 10-stitch gash provided a learning experience for him. His future is pretty bright, and he'll be a big contributor in the playoffs.
So Here's Where We Are Now
The Celtics might not be able to count on "KG" this year. His knee injury could be something that just lingers until the offseason. So they're going to have to be careful about his minutes. It's something they've already been doing anyway, but now they're going to have to limit him even more. That trademark intensity is going to have to be enough to carry him through April, May and June. Luckily for the Celtics, the playoffs drag on so much that KG will have plenty of time to rest in between games.
That might put some added pressure on Ray and Paul. However, the Celtics really need to be careful to get Pierce some rest over the next few weeks so he can be ready to roll like he usually does. Ray, however, seems to be rolling along quite nicely. He might end up being the Celtics top scoring threat come playoff time.
There will also be added pressure on the one guy I haven't mentioned yet -- Rajon Rondo. Rondo, who just sprained his OTHER ankle, is going to have to be the penetrating, havoc-causing, greased lightning bolt type of player he has been for most of the year. If he's not doing that, then the Celtics are going to have to lean on Ray and Paul even more. The good thing is, Rondo is less prone to those "off" games this year. And if he can keep those ankles healthy, he'll have that speed he needs to destroy the other team's defense. He's also hitting his jumpers with a lot more regularity. If a team can't sag on pick and rolls, that's just going to open up lanes for him to pick the team apart with his ridiculous passes.
Today, the Celtics are still a banged-up M*A*S*H unit that's looking for contributions from unusual places to get them through. But fear not, the full-strength Celtics are on their way. And it doesn't matter if the Celtics drop to the third seed. They're not dependent on home court advantage to advance. The people who say they need home court are using examples from almost a full year ago. It doesn't apply now. In fact, it didn't even apply by the end of last year's playoffs, so that tired excuse needs to be retired. I don't fear the Orlando Magic, and I don't fear any team below them in the standings. So going in as a 3 seed will only mean the Celtics will have to play an extra road game against (presumably) Cleveland and the Lakers.
Things clearly didn't go according to plan this year for the Celtics, but even after all that has happened, the Celtics are in good shape. The troops are getting healthy and the schedule is getting light. Even after all that has happened, the Celtics are in a good place.
So sit back, take a deep breath, and relax. This will be another fun ride.
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Re-evaluating the Boston Celtics
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