Boston Celtics: The Story of the Year

In a year where Boston teams have dominated sports, the Celtics proved to be the story of the year.

Why the Celtics?

Simply because both the Red Sox and Patriots have been dominating for a while now.

For the Boston Celtics this has been no ordinary year. Make that a double for the Celtic fans.

Surprising? You bet.

Lessons learned: Many.

Look at it this way—I loved the team and I only picked them for 50-52 wins. They are going to shatter that number. And you can’t blame me after the last two years. Both years I expected much more than the Celtics delivered. This time I didn’t want to seem like a wild eyed optimist.

The Reality of Youth

Jermaine O’Neal didn’t want to play with them. Neither did Kobe. Ditto Shawn Marion. Add to that list Rashard Lewis and Ray Allen, and I’m sure there are others. I’m talking about too many youthful players. Rashard and Ray looked at what was happening in Seattle and said, “No thanks.”

The biggest lesson I’ve learned from rooting for the Celtics the past few years is how incompetent a slew of talented and energetic, but youthful and inexperienced players can be, especially when there are zero lotto picks among them. 

It is said that young players have their own agendas. They are trying to make a team, make a reputation. Winning? That would come in third at the very best. Even learning how to win was something lost on a team that was happy to get close, then lose. I know—I watched about 80 of the 82 games last year. Veteran teams smoked them whenever they needed to, almost every time. 

De-fense? That is something that surrounds de yard.

So by its very absence, I’ve learned the value of veteran play. Just knowing where to go on the floor and how to guard a man without fouling were mysteries the young Celtics were largely unable or unwilling to solve.

But even that will only get you to some mushy middle ground in this league. The Ricky Davises, Antoine Walkers, and Mark Blounts of the league are support players at best. More traction than that is needed to make a team a true contender. 

Critical Mass

This year I’ve seen what true stars can do for a team compared to those who are simply very good ball players.

It is all about critical mass. Forget all the stuff about each star being a loser. From the start that was nonsense. 

When you put three separate stars together—all three who are top 20 players and have led their teams for a number of years—you are going to get something special out of it. How can you not?

They are each used to being double-teamed regularly. They are each used to taking big shots under pressure. They are each used to their teammates looking for them to lead when things got tough.

None of the three had anything like the other two for teammates before. Is it any wonder that Garnett changed his mind and personally called Danny (as Danny has said) after he traded for Ray Allen?

Danny Ainge—Basketball Executive of the Year? 

The biggest surprise is that Ainge had enough left to trade for KG and then add three excellent, playoff experienced support players (Scot Pollard, Eddie House, and James Posey) around the core unit, while keeping Rajon Rondo and Kendrick Perkins, the other two starters. He also drafted what could be the best second round pick of the draft in Glen Davis. And he has two open roster spots for tweaks going forward.

Wisely done, if not masterful.

Ainge also retained trusted, loyal caretaker Manager Doc Rivers, the man who had to manage the many iterations of teams that Ainge traded for and drafted over the past three years. It is another move that now looks quite sound. Garnett, in particular, has voiced strong admiration for Doc Rivers.

A Higher Goal

Another lesson that is proving to be irrefutable is that the rules of teamwork and submitting to a higher goal still trump whatever else is in second place—by a long shot.

Each of these three stars have gotten that. They are all committed to winning, not statistics.

Any Three Stars? 

Even still, not any three stars would be able to do what this team has done so far. Kevin Garnett is the linchpin. His intensity has been squandered on middling teams for most of his career. He is the catalyst. The team’s defensive mindset begins with him. Garnett has made the first or second NBA All Defensive Team eight years running.

Both Allen and Pierce are crafty shot makers and can pass adeptly. But Ray Allen and Paul Pierce have opened eyes with their defensive efforts. Even offensive player Eddie House can be seen running up court to get to his man quickly. He knows he will watching from the bench if he doesn't. Kendrick Perkins, Rajon Rondo, Tony Allen, and James Posey are all very good defenders. As a unit they are more.

Add in the defensive genius of Tom Thibodeau and you get what you get. No team leads the league in points allowed, FG percent, and three-point percent without five men all playing serious defense for the whole game.

The Team is Making Reluctant Believers

Every team the Celtics play becomes a believer afterwards. Until the Celtic train runs them over, they can’t believe the Beantown ballers are that good. Once they see what kind of defense, energy, bench support, offense, and intense focus the team brings, they know this is a team to be reckoned with. 

That this ready-made Celtic team is quieting the naysayers is both an understatement and an amusing thing to watch. They are leaving little room for doubt, especially after this undefeated (4-0) west coast road trip. They absorbed everything those teams could throw at them, and much of it wasn’t basketball. 

Any doubts about the team being a contender are falling by the side of road with every challenge met. Winning it all? It is no longer out of the question and a very real possibility going forward. 

They could end up becoming the biggest won/loss turnaround story in the history of the NBA.

I don’t know how this story will end, but oh what a beginning!