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| The aging Celtics are no longer fading, how does Doc Rivers do it? |
Early
this season I was having a conversation with a friend of mine who follows the
NBA on a regular basis. We began by discussing our season predictions and MVP
picks, but eventually stumbled upon the perennial topic of the aging Boston
Celtics. And after four years of waiting, we both concluded, the Celtics were (finally)
done. At the time they were sitting near the bottom of the Atlantic Division
with a five-win, eight-loss record.
In the summer of 2007,
when Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen were shipped from Minnesota and Seattle to
team up with a disgruntled Paul Pierce, NBA fans and pundits knew that the
Celtics were a force to be reckoned with. Due to the age of that trio, or “Big
3” as they were dubbed, most gave the Celtics a three-year window to win a
championship. The transaction was an instant success for the organization and
the Celtics went on to win the 2007-’08 title against the rival Los Angeles
Lakers. The following year the Celtics were ousted in the second round by the
Orlando Magic in seven games[1]
and in the 2009-’10 season they lost a seven-game Finals rematch with the
Lakers[2].
Then, last season, in an attempt to counter the “Big 3” in Miami, the Celtics
traded Perkins, believing that a center would be irrelevant in the playoffs, to
Oklahoma City for small forward Jeff Green. The move wound up being a
chemistry-imploding ordeal for Rajon Rondo and was futile as the Celtics lost
to the Heat in the second round of the playoffs[3].
Afterwards, the lockout happened and delivered us a shortened, gauntlet season
of 66 games in 120 days. Good luck to the knees of Kevin Garnett (35, turns 36
in May,) Paul Pierce (34,) and Ray Allen (36.)
In past years when
I declared that age would do the Celtics in, my thought process lacked any
rationality and was rooted in my unhappiness with LeBron James for not being
able to navigate his way around Boston. But this season something was
different. For the first time in their history, Boston’s new “Big 3” got off to
a bad start. And it wasn’t a relative bad start, where they were doing bad when
compared to Bostonian standards, but an actual bad start. They lost their first
three games, then won four and then lost five straight. On top of the
inconsistencies, it looked as though Garnett had lost all spring to his step,
Paul Pierce was playing uninspired and then, in game 13, when the Celtics
snapped their five-game losing streak, Rondo went down with a wrist injury that
would knock him out for the next eight games. It was clear to my friend and I
that they were done.
It seemed
implausible to imagine the Celtics somehow turning their season around,
especially with their youngest, and arguably their most talented player in
Rondo being out with an injury. But as usual, we forgot to account for the
coaching prowess of one Doc Rivers, who might just be the best coach in the
league at the moment. And without anyone noticing, Doc was able to motivate
Paul Pierce and finally found a rotation that works for him.
Over the past twelve
games the Celtics have won ten, with one of the losses coming to a last second
shot by Kyrie Irving of the Cavs. And, instead of trending towards the bottom
of the Atlantic Division, the Celtics suddenly find themselves in second place,
three games behind the 76ers. Pierce has averaged 20.5 points, 6 rebounds and
7.2 assists per game in that stretch, but more importantly, the Celtics have
returned to their defensive ways, holding opponents to 80.6 points per game,
including a game in which the Magic scored only 56 points.
It was premature
of me to count the Celtics out so early in the season and perhaps it is
premature of me to alter my perceptions at this juncture in the season, but Doc
Rivers has clearly struck a nerve with this team and they look to be back. They
won’t have the athleticism to outduel the Heat or Bulls for the East crown, but
are poised to grab the fourth or fifth seed if the can continue to build
momentum as the season moves on. Come playoff time, these Celtics will not be pushovers;
they look to have one last fight in them before all is said and done.
[1] A loss that
many blame on the loss of Kevin Garnett to a knee injury that kept him out of
the entire playoffs. Could have easily been a repeat for the Celtics.
[2] Kendrick
Perkins blew out his knee in game six, altering the outcome of the series.
[3] My
condolences to Jeff Green, who is missing the 2011-’12 season.
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