When Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen joined Paul Pierce in the Boston Celtics three years ago, head coach Glenn Rivers gathered the three aside for the famed Duck Tour of Boston. It was more than a sight-seeing tour of Beantown or even a bonding moment, Doc took the opportunity to impress upon the three what the upcoming season meant. Doc said, "The time is now. You have to win it this year. Not next year or the one after that. You will get injured. We'll be older. Things will not be the same."
It was in that ride where KG informed the three others that he was willing to give way for the others to shine and he was going to play hard every day. The others nodded and made a similar pact.
They did win that year banner number seventeen. And truthfully, Doc, is a seer.
Things have not been the same although they remain one of the Eastern Conference's elite.
In the 2007-08 season, Boston went 66-16 and won the Atlantic, the East and the NBA.
In the 2008-09 season, Boston went 60-20 and won the Atlantic, won the first round versus Chicago and lost to Orlando in the second round 4-3.
In the 2009-2010 season, though not yet done, they are still atop the Atlantic but with a 42-24 record with 16 games remaining. Even if they do win all 16 matches, they'll be at 58-24. In the playoff picture, they are seeded fourth behind Cleveland, Orlando, and Atlanta.
Currently, they are 29-15 in conference play, 11-2 in division play (padded with wins over the New York Knicks and New Jersey Nets), and 20-12 at home. On the road, they are a little more impressive -- 22-12. Oh yeah, it's the Nets and the Knicks. In power rankings, they are in the middle of the pack. But with 16 matches to go, they can still enter the play-offs with a hot streak and their engine firing on all cylinders.
They began the year with an impressive 23-5 record. They even beat Cleveland 95-89 in the season opener in Ohio with double-doubles coming from Pierce and Garnett. After they beat the Magic at the Amway Arena, they lost three straight to sub-.500 teams then were never the same again. Of course, Garnett got injured and it seemed that at one point or another, someone else was out.
Looking at the three teams ahead of them, they are 0-4 against Atlanta this year losing by an average of 7.75 points per match.
Against Orlando, the Celtics are 1-3, losing by an average of 4.6 -- close matches with one a result of a game-winning lay-up by Rashard Lewis. Boston did win their second meeting 86-77 with a tremendous outing by Rajon Rondo who notched a triple-double.
In a match-up with the league-leading Cleveland Cavaliers, after the opening night way, they lost the next two via double-digits --108-88 and 104-93. They host Cleveland one more time on April 4.
They way things are going, they could be matched up against the Milwaukee Bucks who are hardly impressive at 36-29. By the second round, they will be up against the top teams already.
Incredibly, all five of their starters are churning out double figures in points:
So what's wrong with Boston? It's their defense. As Rondo said after their 20-point home less to -- gasp -- Memphis, "We're just not getting it done. We are off; missing rotations here and there. We're not on the same page."
True, but there have also been new additions who still haven't jelled with the team -- Nate Robinson and Michael Finley. And Rasheed Wallace is so far removed from his days in Portland and Detroit where he was either "The Man" or super-sub. But in Boston Celtic history, they have always had additions who came in and did not produce the same numbers before but were still highly highly effective. Does Bill Walton's name ring a bell? And there's the late Dennis Johnson who did not put up the same numbers he did when he was in Seattle and Phoenix but was a superb player for the Celts.
Oh, there's this guy named Marquis Daniels on the bench. But I wonder if Doc is using his players well after all, he does have some very productive players; maybe just not in Boston. Remember last year, he had Mikki Moore. Or was that superb year in Jersey an aberration?
Yep, and they are ranked #29 in a 30-team league. I seemed to remember KG saying in the NBA "Where Defense Happens" commercial, "Defense is my backbone."
It's yours, KG. But how about the team? Guess Rondo is right after all.
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