Boston Celtics Breakdown: Championship Caliber

Perkins is the enforcer who will stand up to Rasheed Wallace, Dwight Howard, and Zydrunas Ilgauskas come playoff time.

 
James Posey

His jump shooting (2-7 FG, 1-6 3 FG, 4-4 FT, 6 REB, 2 AST, 2 STL, 9 PTS) never made its way to the arena and Posey committed a couple of silly fouls on defense. Still, Posey hustled and bustled the entire game and always looked to play defense right in an opponent's chest.

Posey is again playing like the championship-winning asset he was in 2006, instead of the lazy, unconditioned distraction he was last season.

Eddie House

House (3-8 FG, 1-3 3FG, 1-1 FT, 5 REB, 5 AST, 3 TO, 1 BLK, 8 PTS) is a streaky three-point specialist whose hot streaks can carry Boston to victory, while his cold streaks can be offset by his teammates’ production.

He’s making quick passes under Doc Rivers, and he’ll attack sloppy dribbles as well. But House is not a backup point guard on a championship team.

 
Tony Allen

Allen (0-4 FG, 4 REB, 2 AST, 1 STL, 4 TO, 0 PTS) is a brick layer and a poor decision maker whose best assets are his above average defense and his ability to finish on the break. He’s too mistake-prone to be worthy of minutes in the playoffs.

Leon Powe

Powe (3-6 FG, 4-4 FT, 3 REB, 2 BLK, 10 PTS) ran the court for a first half dunk and played with tremendous enthusiasm and hustle on defense. If he is raw defensively, his hustle and energy more than compensate.

Glen Davis

Davis (2-2 FG, 1 AST, 1 BLK, 4 PTS) is surprisingly nimble for a man of his girth. He also plays with tremendous defensive energy, fronting his man, staying with him off the dribble, blocking his shots under the basket, and never giving up on plays.

The Celtics team as a whole played with an inspiring amount of energy and passion, blazing even brighter in comparison to a Bulls squad that packed it in late in the second quarter.

Every loose ball was chased after by the Celtics, every Bulls shot was met with a raised hand, and every rotation was flawless.

With the Celtics up by more than 20, midway through the fourth, there was Rondo diving headlong for a rebound. With the game winding down, Posey crashed headfirst into the press row, going after a loose ball.

Boston held Chicago to 43 first half points, 31.8 percent shooting for the game (a championship number), out-rebounded the Bulls 55-35 ( a championship number), blocked nine shots, recorded nine steals, took 43 free-throw attempts, and grabbed two offensive rebounds off of missed free throws.

Plus, the Celtics were completely, and totally unselfish. Late in the second quarter, Rondo brought the ball up the right sideline and made a nifty entry pass to a posted Garnett who made a terrific pass to a cutting Pierce along the baseline.

Even though Pierce had a very good shot at scoring over the rotating Chicago defense, he too made the extra pass, finding Ray Allen all alone on the left wing for an uncontested triple.

Credit Doc Rivers for getting his team to play completely unselfish basketball. Credit Rivers again for getting everyone on his ball club to play with a fevered passion, from his superstar trio to his bench warming backups.

Tom Thibodeau also deserves credit for coaching his squad to play exceptional defense.

Months ago, I wrote that Detroit was the class of the East while the Pistons were playing solid ball and the Celtics were an unknown commodity.

But at this point in the season, it is clear that the Celtics are not only the best team in the East, but are a legit championship contender as well.

And while Garnett, Pierce, and Allen certainly deserve credit for their explosive offensive firepower, the Celtics are excelling this year because of less sexy characteristics: the role players are performing their duties harmoniously, their team-wide commitment, and exceptional defense.

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