Boston’s Still The Cream of the Crop
By Brendon Rosenau
Love of Sports Correspondent
When the Celtics announced they had traded for Kevin Garnett last summer, I was excited.
Christmas morning, shiny new PlayStation excited.
And I, along with every other fan of the green, pegged them as NBA finalists. When the exhibition season began, I still believed them to be a championship team. All throughout the season, I’d tell anyone who would listen that Boston would raise banner No. 17.
It made sense. Garnett, Allen and Pierce. They added veterans throughout the season like James Posey, Sam Cassell and P.J. Brown. This was a championship team, as evidenced by their 66 regular season wins. Even as the Hawks took the Celtics to the limit, I was still talking title.
With that in mind, I still believe the Boston Celtics are the team to beat. Crazy you say, considering they are now 0-5 on the road in the playoffs.
Maybe I am. But hear me out as I lay down the following with confidence, a little bit of stubbornness and maybe a hint of trepidation.
Correct me if I’m wrong here, but the Celtics still have home court advantage. While the talk has rightfully focused on their inability to win on the road, the bottom line is that they could still win a title and not win one game in enemy territory. I’m not recommended this approach, of course, but it could happen.
In their six playoff wins, they’re averaging 95.7 points while allowing only 75.5. In their last three home games, starting with Game 7 against the Hawks, they’ve allowed 65, 72 and 73 points. Defense wins championships.
The chic pick is for the Cavs to steal or take Game 5, depending on your view, and knock the Celtics out in six. People point to last year, when the Cavs dropped the first two in Detroit only to have LeBron James carry the team to four straight wins. That won’t happen this year, because Cleveland isn’t as complete a team as the Celtics.
The Celts aren’t relying on one player to carry them. In Game 1, Ray Allen didn’t even score! They still won. In Game 2, they won as six players scored at least nine points.
Meanwhile, the Cavs mostly go as their superstar goes.
James has been putrid in Boston, going 8-42 from the field and committing 17 turnovers. He hasn’t improved that much in the last two, either, as he struggled again from the field in two games in Cleveland. He scored 21 in both games at home, but shot a combined 12-36.
That’s a testament to the Celtics defense and to Pierce who, along with others, has done a fabulous job forcing the so-called King to take uncomfortable jumpers. The Cavs won the last two because of their supporting cast, but is that cast reliable?
Where were those guys in Boston? Will they show up in Game 5 or a Game 7? Will Joe Smith go 7-8 for 17 points as he did in Game 3, or 2-7 like he did in Game 2? Will Daniel Gibson pump in 14 points again, or will we see the Gibson that made just three shots in the first three games? What about Anderson Varejo? Can you count on another 12-point night? The answer to all of these questions is no. An unequivocal, unquestionable no.
What you can expect is K.G, Allen and Pierce to get around 50 combined points a night. Add in the contributions of Rajon Rondo, who showed he can hit a jump shot, and Posey and Leon Powe off the bench and the Celtics are looking at a minimum 80 points a game. That’s more than they allow. It’s simple math. And it spells tee times for the Cavs.
At home, the Celtics defense has been impenetrable. They have held the Cavs to under 35% from the field, have a +8 rebounding margin and have forced 32 turnovers. Why will any of this change?
It won’t.
It’s fun to bang on the Celtics. They talk about how Garnett, Pierce and Allen aren’t winners. They had one of the best regular seasons in history, and people are dying to type their obituaries. I can’t wait to see them change their tune when the Celtics role over the Cavs in Game 5 and change the momentum of the series.
So, don’t jump off that Bandwagon quite yet, folks. The Cavs have yet to win an elimination game in the James era. That won’t change this time around. That you can count on.
Comments
Mike Stellmacher on 05/14 at 07:41 AM
But will you get the Ray Allen who is a play-maker and held as a valuable off-season free-agent sign, or will you get the Ray Allen that scores 0 points in the first game of the second round of the playoffs, while complaining about the offense not working him into the mix.
Will you get the Paul Pierce that led the horrible Celtics to a lottery pick last year, or will you get the Paul Pierce that allow his individual skills be included in the “Big 3?”
Will you get the Kevin Garnett that people question his big-game, big-play ability, or will you get the KG that won over the hearts of every T’Wolves fan over the course of his career, only to be let down by his Managing Frong by supplying him no kind of support.
The Celtics have questions too. They didn’t exacly bring in Kobe, Duncan, and Dwayne Wade who all have Finals experience and success. Outside of MN, the Celtics are my team to root for with KG, but you do have to put some logic behind why they are struggling, and realize that their first year might not necesarily mean Championship. Even though I hope it does. Go Celtics.
Brendon on 05/14 at 09:05 AM
Those are good questions but the knock on Pierce is unfair. He played less than half of last season and has gotten sub par teams to the playoffs in the past. Much like Garnett, and even Allen to some degree, he has had very little around him.
Kobe, Duncan and Wade all had some pretty good help.
Yankeeh8tr on 05/14 at 01:10 PM
Doesn’t matter if they pull it off vs. LeBron & Co. They’ll get whupped by the West winner anyway.
Eliot on 05/15 at 09:32 AM
You’re wrong.
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