The Atlantic Division—like the rest of the NBA—will take the Boston Celtics as its figurehead going into the start of the upcoming 2008-2009 NBA season.
With the defending champions, and two potential second-round teams, the Atlantic Division may be the best division in the Eastern Conference.
1) Boston Celtics
Even though the Celtics are the defending champions, and even though the trio of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen is rivaled only by a certain triad in San Antonio, there are still question marks in Boston.
Last season, the Celtics rocketed off to a 29-3 start, as Garnett, Allen, and Pierce were enthralled to be playing with such talented teammates. Garnett and Pierce were especially ecstatic, as KG had been liberated from the perpetually mediocre Timberwolves, and Pierce had suffered through a handful of seasons with teammates barely old enough to drink liquor.
With their basketball spirits fully revitalized, it’s no wonder that the Celtics hit the ground running and never looked back.
But after a long season, a short summer, and a lot of celebrations, will Boston start the season with the same fervent excitement that propelled them last year? And if they do have an ordinary start, how will they rebound? While the Celtics should peak come the second half of the season, don’t expect the same kind of record-setting pace Boston set last season.
Also, Pierce, Allen, and Garnett are all on the plus side of 30, making them vulnerable to chronic injuries and a decline in athleticism. A serious injury to either of the three—especially Pierce—would effectively end Boston’s title defense.
While Leon Powe and Glen Davis can replace P.J. Brown’s loss, the combination of Darius Miles, Bill Walker, and Tony Allen won’t be able to duplicate James Posey’s hostile defense, competitive spirit, and clutch three-point shooting under pressure. Posey was just as important to Boston’s championship last season as any member of the Big Three.
Still, the Celtics’ commitment to defense, their sheer physicality, the brilliance of their All-Stars, the emergence of Rajon Rondo as a playmaker, and the experience gained by last season’s title run all give the Celtics a head up on any competitor.
Barring a major injury, a shocking devolution to selfish ball, or the Big Three losing the battle with Father Time, the Celtics are the best team in basketball, and a safe bet to return to the Finals and win another championship.
2) Philadelphia 76ers
The dark horse in the conference with Elton Brand aboard, the Sixers have a legitimate chance of making it to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Instead of having to rely on Andre Iguodala in early offense, or Andre Miller to create magic out of nothing, the Sixers can now dump the ball in to Brand when their running game stalls, and watch as defenses are forced to break down and double team. In fact, Brand intrinsically makes every other player on the roster better.
With the pressure of carrying the offense now off, Iguodala can revert to being a powerful baseline second option and an athletic and physical defensive stud.
15 comments Last one added 8 months ago — Leave a Comment
Yama Hazheer 9 months ago
Too much hate for Vince again. He isn't soft, he just doesn't attack the basket and is lazy. And if you think he's unclutch, I could post some videos of some clutch shots that he's hit. Did you watch how well he played at the second half of last season? I see him playing like that this season. He played consistent, with heart, and led the sub-par team.
Nice article, agree with most of it.
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Erick Blasco 9 months ago
I didn't see anything special out of him. And hitting a few clutch shots is different than consistently taking over late in games. It's like Jamal Crawford. He's hit some game-winners and is a threat to score late in games, but more often than not, he comes up short.
And being lazy and not attacking the basket are part of the things that make a player soft.
He has a great chance to show something this year though. The Nets have no expectations and he'll be the unquestioned leader. It's a great opportunity for him to break his bad habits and see if he can play fresh, exciting basketball.
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Jon Brodz 8 months ago
RE: Posey was just as important to Boston’s championship last season as any member of the Big Three.
What an utterly ridiculous statement. Posey averaged 6 points and 3 rebounds in the playoffs. He played great defense and I was sad to see him go, but there's no reason to exaggerate his accomplishments. He was an excellent defender off the bench who occasionally hit a clutch shot. He's not a hall of famer as Garnett, Allen and Pierce certainly are.
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Erick Blasco 8 months ago
If Posey isn't on the Celtics last year, Boston doesn't win a championship. Boston ends up missing a superb big moment three-point shooter , a tough rebounder, and somebody to neutralize LeBron James, Tayshaun Prince, Lamar Odom, and Kobe Bryant. Is Posey a better player than the big three. Of course not. Was he just as important as either of the Big Three in Boston's title run? You bet.
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Jon 8 months ago
he following comment is about to be posted:
Erick - give me a break. Of course Posey was important to the championship. But so was Rondo. Hell, Rondo was more important than Posey. Rondo was the best player on the floor in Game 6. But that doesn't make him more important than Garnett. You could conceivably argue that the C's wouldn't have won without Posey. But then you'd have to argue they wouldn't have won without Rondo or Perkins, either. (Remember how bad they looked in the Finals game that Perkins missed). You seem to be under the misconception that if one player played an important role in a championship that makes him just as important as all other players. There are varying degrees of importance - if you could divvy up the credit among players you'd probably give at least 60% of the credit to the Big 3, 10 to 15% of the credit to Perk and Rondo, and then the rest to the bench. Think of this way - The Bulls wouldn't have won six championships without Pippen or even John Paxson. Does that make Paxson as important as Jordan? Was Robert Parish just as important as Larry Bird? Was Tom Heinsohn just as important as Bill Russell? Come on. You have to look at the facts. You're right that Posey played great defense on Kobe. But Ray Allen and Paul Pierce spent more time guarding him than Posey. Face it, Posey by definition played a limited role on the team because he wasn't a starter. You're exaggerating his value to prove a point that is based on emotion, not factual evidence.
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Erick Blasco 8 months ago
The problem with Rondo is that he didn't do anything in Games Three, Four, and Five, and the fact that with the way the Lakers played in Game 6, Boston would have won regardless of his performance.
Ray Allen, if you remember, struggled to shoot the first two rounds (especially against Cleveland), and struggled to defend until the Finals.
Kevin Garnett's timidity flat out lost Game 5, and instead of decimating opponents in the post, he settled for rinky dink 20 footers the entire postseason. And his defense on Pau Gasol was good, but hardly spectacular.
Forget just Kobe, Posey's bullying tactics took Lamar Odom out of the series. After every single whistle, Posey would give Odom a subtle shove and Odom couldn't handle the physicality. He would also bump Kobe around after the whistle too. It gets under people's skin, taking cheap shot after cheap shot after the whistle.
Paul Pierce did everything necessary during the Finals, but he too had his disappearing acts during the playoffs. He was clearly the most important player, but you can argue that Boston would have survived the Finals without Garnett. P.J. Brown played acceptable defense and hit his share of jumpers. Obviously it's a huge drop off, but you can plug Brown in, rely on Pierce and Allen, and not miss a beat in a short series.
Posey was better than Allen against Cleveland, and his defense, incredibly clutch three point shooting (especially in Game 4's comeback), and nasty attitude would have been irreplaceable.
You're bringing up legends like Bird, Russell, and Jordan who did everything for their teams. Boston didn't have that player. Udonis Haslem and Posey aren't better players than Shaq, but if they aren't locking up Dirk Nowitzki in the Finals, Miami isn't a champion. Shaq couldn't even get open looks against Dasagana Diop. Without Bruce Bowen, it's hard, and near impossible, to imagine San Antonio winning three of the last five championships.
I'm bringing up factual evidence. you're bringing up a grunt worker who was effective, but replaceable (Boston did have Glen Davis and Leon Powe), and a point guard who did nothing against Derek Fisher half the series.
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Erick Blasco 8 months ago
Thanks for the props and the questions.
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Gaz V 8 months ago
Erick, I think you are underestimating the value of the Celtics bench (like every other sports writer on ESPN.com and similar sites). With the additions of O'Bryant (who you fail to mention) and Miles, along with the continued development of Powe and Davis, the Celtics look to be a better defensive team this year than they were last year. Miles and Bryant are very good shot blockers who will force teams to shoot more from the perimeter. We all saw how ineffective that strategy was against the Celtics in the Finals Series with the Lakers (didn't Kobe shoot 34% for the series?).
I love what James Posey brought to the Celtics last season but, like Kobe Bryant, his reputation has been blown to legendary proportions by the mainstream media. To suggest that "the combination of Darius Miles, Bill Walker, and Tony Allen won’t be able to duplicate James Posey’s hostile defense, competitive spirit, and clutch three-point shooting under pressure" is only perpetuating that myth and undervaluing the three players you mention.
Tony Allen, who has now fully recovered from his knee injury, will be a genuine 10-15 point scorer this season. He, alone, is an adequate replacement for Posey. Though he typically get his "3-pointers" by driving the lane, drawing contact, and getting a bonus shot from the free-throw line (while also putting a defender in foul trouble), Allen has always been a better man-to-man defender, whereas Posey holds a decided advantage as a team defender (with his ability to step in and draw charges).
We'll have to wait to see how Miles (with his knee) and Walker (the same) adjust to playing in Boston, but I don't think anyone can say at this point that they will be better or worse than Posey.
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Erick Blasco 8 months ago
I never saw anything out of O'Bryant in Golden State and can't believe he'd be better than P.J. Brown was.
Miles was a punk in Los Angeles and Portland, and I doubt that he'd have an epiphany and discover that unselfish play, attention to detail, and committing to defending his man are keys to performing on a championship level. To say nothing about Posey's courage under fire being simply irreplaceable.
Allen is interesting. As you mentioned, he is much better off the dribble than Posey, and he might be better at staying in front of his man than Posey was/is. But Allen is also mistake prone, isn't as physical as Posey, is nowhere near as good a shooter, and isn't as nasty as Posey. Posey took opponents out of games psychologically by roughing them up during and after plays. Will Allen be able to get under opponents skins?
And Walker is just a rookie. The majority of rookies don't come in right away and play exceptional defense in their first season.
While Walker may contribute if he's bright enough to learn the game and buys into Doc Rivers and the big Three, Miles may contribute if he's finally grown up, and Allen no doubt will be a useful player, it's hard to imagine them having the total impact Posey had last year.
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Gaz V 8 months ago
I think both Miles and O'Bryant have something to prove in Boston and their main obstacle to success, especially in Miles' case, will be a serious injury. Their are both on their last chances to make it in the NBA and they will be playing like it. Both may end up being busts, but I think time will show that Ainge pulled off another great off-season of trades. Both of these guys were Top 10 picks at one time and both are just hitting their respective primes in terms of age.
Another big factor is the team culture in Boston. Both Miles and O'Bryant were able to get away with a lot more at their former clubs. Rivers and his coaching staff, along with the players (especially Garnett), will simply not tolerate slackness. Also, Miles and O'Bryant had guaranteed contacts for much bigger money during their relatively unproductive years for other teams, so they probably felt that could coast a little, but now will need to prove themselves if they want another decent contract in the future. They saw what a bench player like Posey could earn from a season of dedication and effort on a championship team, so I think they will strive to achieve the same. (You might recall that the year before Posey was picked up by the Celtics he was criticized for showing up to the Heat training camp out-of-shape).
Finally, with what I've seen so far, I think Walker may be a strong candidate to replace Posey as that "nasty" player you mention. I had the good fortune of watching the Celtics-Rockets preseason game in Manchester courtside Saturday night and I can assure you that Walker got under the skin of both Artest and Ming. He engaged in some off-the-ball jersey tugging that would have made Rip Hamilton proud.
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Erick Blasco 8 months ago
You make good points Gaz, and I'll pay attention to the trio during the course of the year to see if they can provide the things you're so excited about. With Bryant, I'm not sure he has the talent, and you can't teach talent. With Miles, it's hard for a zebra to change his stripes. But this is probably their last chances to redeem themselves. As for Walker, hey, maybe he'll surprise me. It seems as if he's off to a good start.
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Gaz V 8 months ago
Oops, forgot to mention that I enjoyed reading the article. Nice work, Erick.
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Marcel Mansour 8 months ago
Good article. I think the 76ers could challenge the Celtics for the top spot if one of the big three gets injured and misses around 20 games. I also think the Raptors won't be as good as some people think because O'Neal isn't the same player he was a few years ago and he is extremely injury prone.
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Erick Blasco 8 months ago
Glad you enjoyed, and I agree whole-heartedly with your points.
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Gaz V 8 months ago
Hey Erick,
It may be early yet, but TA looked the goods tonight against the Nets.
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