Looking at the Boston Celtics' fortunes

The Boston Celtics have won 17 titles, the most number of championships by any team in the NBA. They are the team with which other teams want rivalries with. Something to rekindle the embers of the good old days, when Celtics-Lakers had one of the most well known rivalries in the league. Perhaps that has something to do with why Carmelo Anthony went after Kevin Garnett after their game a few days ago. Had Melo been pushed around by some forward on a lottery team, he wouldn’t have reacted as he did. Or even if it was someone on the Golden State Warriors, who currently have a better record than the Celtics but are a far cry when it comes to team history, it wouldn’t have warranted such a hot-headed reaction. There’s something about the green which makes teams see green.

The Celtics seemed green this season; wet behind the ears, green and grim, they looked sick too. One may go as far as to say that the Boston Celtics are facing a crisis this season. They are 20-19 right now, and were it not for a 6 game win streak, there is a good chance that some drastic roster shakeups might have happened. As they stand now, they seem a far cry to be able to defeat either Miami or New York in a seven game series, the two powerhouses who will probably meet each other in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Rajon Rondo

This season marks the first time that Rajon Rondo has been voted in as an All Star starter. He will be joining his teammate Kevin Garnett on the Eastern Conference All Star squad. If you ask Rondo whether the Celtics are where they ought to be as the season approaches halfway mark, chances are he’ll sneer at you before mumbling “Not even close”, or something like that. This season, the Celtics lost one of their big three in Ray Allen, who bolted to arch rival Miami Heat. Now the Big 3 in Boston is made up by the troika of Rondo, Pierce and Garnett. Thing is, the Celtics are a lot more than just those three. Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo are the only players on the Celtics who are averaging more than 30 minutes per game. Doc Rivers is doing some heavy thinking in juggling minutes for his team. People say that as long as Rivers, Rondo, Pierce and Garnett are together, anything is possible. That’s because these guys have it in them to wring out maximum production from those around them.

Jared Sullinger, the 22nd pick in this year’s NBA draft, is now among the top ten rookies in the NBA. A big man who wasn’t polished enough to go in the lottery, he has rounded out a niche for himself with the Celtics. He is averaging 6.1 points and 6 rebounds per game. Jeff Green, although still not the player he was back with the OKC Thunder, is showing flashes of the player Celtics traded for. He’s averaging 9.4 points in 23 minutes. But their recent six game win streak can be attributed to the return of Avery Bradley. He had a double shoulder surgery and upon return, the Celtics went on their six game win streak. Bradley’s impact is mostly on the defensive end, where he acts like a spark plug for the entire team’s defence. Only 6″2′, Avery Bradley plays a lot taller than his size. He’s only played 8 games this season and needs to tamper his game a little to sustain that breakneck hustle on defence. The Celtics have eight players averaging more than 22 minutes per game; spreading the burden around is how they get mileage out of Garnett and Pierce.

The grand old man Garnett has been encouraging for Celtics instead of his usual grumpy self.

This month has been kind to the Celtics. Last year wasn’t particularly good for them. There were talks that the Celtics may not even make the playoffs. Their form of late seems to suggest that all worries have been laid to rest. But they need to figure what has worked well for them and stick with it if they are to make noise in the postseason. During their win streak, they defeated Pacers, Hawks, Knicks, Suns, Rockets and Bobcats. The win streak was halted by none other than Doc Rivers’ own son. Rivers Sr. did not have to change his son’s diaper or attend his graduation. Austin Rivers plays for the New Orleans Hornets. It was weird for Doc Rivers to be coaching against his own son. There was a moment when he saw his son do something errant on the court and almost corrected him before stopping himself. In the NBA, there have only been four father-son matchups – between these two, Dunleavys (Mike and Mike. Jr.), Karls (George and Coby), and Van Breda Kolffs (Butch and Jan).

Danny Ainge said recently “You have to produce. It’s my job to look at the bigger picture. We have to live in the moment and try to win and help our team have success, but at the same time, if it’s not happening on the court, then there have to be changes made, absolutely.” Rumours abound, of the Celtics looking to get Greg Oden onboard. That would make a world of difference to the Celtics, provided Greg’s health holds up. In 82 career games with the Blazers, Oden averaged 9.4 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks in 22.1 minutes per game. Oden is a 24-year-old who’s already undergone three microfracture surgeries during his NBA career. So that’s a roll of a dice for the Celtics if they decide to go for him. They have been getting good production from their young big men, and their grand old man Garnett has been encouraging for them instead of his usual grumpy self.

“Last month, Paul Pierce gave a game ball to Jason Collins. He needed to be acknowledged for his professionalism. He was coming every day, playing hard. When he came to Boston in free agency, he didn’t know if he’d be here at all. He was like the 13th man on the roster. Then, you put him in the starting lineup, and we immediately got a win at a time when we were struggling. It’s a pretty amazing story.”- Jason Terry. Jason Terry knows what it’s like to be an underdog. He has a tattoo of Underdog on his arm. This season, the Celtics are something of an underdog. Celtics have now won six of their last ten games and are now on pace to win around 43 games which may get them to the 8th spot in the East. The 1999 Knicks are the only team to make the finals from an 8 spot, and that was in a lock out shortened season. It may seem that with Garnett and Pierce being over the hill, the chances of this big three winning a ring are out of the window. But anything can happen in the playoffs. They just need to make it to the postseason.