Team Previews - Boston Celtics

"It's my team, nigga."

So during the 2012 NBA Playoffs, Boston took a 3-2 lead over Miami home, hoping to close out the series in 6 games.  LeBron had other plans, going off for 45/15/5 on 19/26 shooting, resulting in a laugher, Miami winning 98-79.  He also notched 31/12 in Game 7, sending Boston home without a title yet again.  While disappointed, Boston took solace in the fact that they took Miami to 7 games, despite Avery Bradley (probably their best perimeter defender) missing the series, Ray Allen suffering from bone spurs, Pierce having knee problems, and Mickael Pietrus also suffering from an injury.  Most people I had talked to noted that Boston is a tough matchup when they're healthy, but that next year would be an 82 game season, and Pierce/Allen/Garnett aren't getting any younger.  While they would again have a good regular season, it was unlikely that they would be able to challenge the Heat again, especially after LeBron seemingly reached another level.  

Ignoring the naysayers, Danny Ainge and the Celtics management set out to make another team that has a chance at winning the NBA Championship, and I think they did an exceptional job.  Some key additions have put Boston in a better state than what they were in last year, and with vital components getting healthy, it's probable that Boston will yet again be the Heat's opponent in the Eastern Conference Finals.  I have to say that personally, I was shocked that they didn't just double down and attempt to win the chip with their 2011-2012 lineup...this is a team that refused to acknowledge that they lost the 2010 Finals to LA simply because Kendrick Perkins was injured and couldn't play.  Contrary to my belief though, they really made moves.

Smh, niggas calling dude "Judas Shuttlesworth" now

After the unceremonious departure of future Hall of Famer Ray Allen to the hated Miami Heat, Boston's first order of business was attaining a replacement.  Preferably, this replacement would be OK coming off the bench (a point that Ray Allen was miffed about), would be able to score more unassisted baskets (Ray's ability to move with the ball is certainly not what it was in 2005, or even 2008), and still be able to give you the shooting that Ray gave.  While I'd argue that their replacement is not as good of a shooter as Ray Allen, you'd be hard-pressed to find a better one than who they got...

I still have good memories of this vs. the Lakers

Yea...they got Jason Terry.  You know, the guy who helped Dirk Nowitzki shoot down Miami in the 2011 Finals, even after LeBron had claimed that rather than looking at his offense, we should look at his defensive effort when judging his performances.  So you get someone who is definitely disliked by the Heat (at the least, they remember what he did to them), and does everything that Ray did, except he's PERFECTLY OK with coming off the bench.  He pretty much made his name in Dallas by coming off the bench as a sort of "instant offense" or, in Bill Simmons' words, "irrational confidence" guy, dropping nearly 20 points a game off the bench.  Granted, he's not as good a shooter as Ray is, but really, it would have been difficult to get someone as good as Ray (for all of the shit people talked, Allen was 45% from 3 last year).  He's fine with being a 2nd option (although he'll be the 3rd option here), and really, how easy is it for dude to get the crowd into the game and to get your team hyped?  Allen is a great player; I think that Miami picking him up and convincing him to come off the bench (really, it has to be easier to come off the bench for Dwyane Wade than for fucking Avery Bradley) was a coup for Miami.  However, for what Boston is trying to do, Terry is better; he's younger, less likely to have recurring injuries, and easier to work into the lineup.  This was a VERY good pick up for Boston, especially since they made further moves to show that they're not simply relying on Avery Bradley as their shooting guard.

Stupid fuck.

This is my primary memory of their other guard acquisition, Courtney Lee...I remember that bullshit miss that gave the Lakers Game 2, and that added to their bullshit performance in Game 4 pretty much gave the series to LA without Orlando getting any semblance of momentum.  I'll forever acknowledge that I give Kobe credit for that Finals (he dropped over 32 points a game), but man, Orlando really could have won that series.  We all know how bad Kobe is in elimination game scenarios; it's likely that Orlando would have won in 5.  However, this is 2012, and maybe it's time to forget about that.  Last year, Courtney Lee averaged 11.4ppg on 43/40/83 splits (that 3pt % is key), and he's a career 39% 3pt shooter.  Basically, the addition of Terry and Lee replaces Allen's 3 point shooting, and gives them floor spacing that was sorely lacking when Pierce and Allen's injuries lowered their performance.  Additionally, Lee is younger (turning 27 soon), meaning he can be a partner with Rondo for the future, and he'll likely defer to Rondo much more than Allen did.  He's 6'5", which is good for them, considering Bradley is only 6'2" and will sometimes have problems matching up defensively with other 2-guards.  Honestly, if I ignore his fuckery in the 2009 Finals (he was only a rookie), I can acknowledge that this was a great scoop by Boston.

Presumably we won't see this next year

In addition to the new players who joined the Celtics, they also retained Brandon Bass, re-signed Kevin Garnett, and signed Jeff Green to a 4 year, $36 million deal.  While Jeff Green will probably never fit the traditional 3 or 4 position, he's a versatile offensive talent who causes matchup problems at the 4.  He's only 24, and with the loyalty that Boston has shown to him throughout his heart ailments, I'm assuming that he will go above and beyond for as long as he plays in Boston (side note: he's from Cheverly, making him a fellow PG County resident...it took me a while to put 2 and 2 together that this was the same Jeff Green I had been hearing about in high school.  I was more of a Chris McCray fan, so I wasn't really following dude like that). I was never terribly impressed with him in OKC, but I really think he will prove to be a smart signing for Boston, even after the bullshit of his first two years.  Rondo's a much better distributor than Russell Westbrook, and when Paul Pierce/Kevin Garnett inevitably retire, I have to think that Jeff Green will be the primary offensive weapon on the team.  We could see some pretty good years from dude, provided his heart doesn't give out. 

Their draft moves were also savvy, drafting Fab Melo (who gives them size to replace Greg Stiemsma and possibly gives them an actual starting center pending Garnett's retirement) and Jared Sullinger, who really could be good if his back doesn't become an issue.  Looking solely at depth, Boston might be the best team in the league; they've got viable backups at every position, and people who can fit multiple positions (Garnett, Green, Lee), and despite notions about Boston being an old team, they really do have a lot of young players now (although none of them are really "good" right now other than Rondo).  With the Allen/Rondo element now out of the locker room, I wonder just how good Boston will be this year.

I'm excited for Boston, if only because it's about damn time that the Eastern Conference was competitive.  While their success is still contingent on Pierce and Garnett making it through the entire season without getting injured or being overworked, this is their best supporting cast in the Big 3 era.  I'm hopeful for their draftees, and really, Rondo being an official member of the Big 3 has to be a good thing.  If they stay healthy, I've got them grabbing the 1 spot in the Eastern Conference and losing to Miami in 6 in the ECF.  Pretty good for a team going through a sort of "active" rebuilding process.