Boston Celtics: How Their Championship Window Closed Overnight

No one anticipated such a dramatic fall from grace. Even after last season’s second round playoff defeat to the Miami Heat, the Boston Celtics were still expected to be one of the premier teams in the Eastern Conference.

After their latest defeat to the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Celtics now boast a 4-8 record, by far their worst start since the 2007-08 season. They have been unable to beat a team with a record over .500, causing many fans to believe the team as currently constituted has no chance of competing for a championship.

The way the team has been playing, it’s hard to see how anyone can believe they are still among the league’s best. Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, their two best players during their championship run in ’08, seemed to have aged overnight. Pierce can hardly move and is admittedly not in basketball shape. In recent years, Pierce was the only player on the team able to create his own shot on the perimeter, but now it seems he is unable to shake his defender and get open.

Garnett is no longer the defense juggernaut he once was, and his offensive game has deteriorated drastically. It’s sad to see a player with such intensity and passion lose the physical tools that made him one of the league's best for so many years.

The team also lacks the depth needed to contend with younger and more athletic opponents. Before the season began, the Celtics lost forward Jeff Green to an unfortunate and potentially life-threatening heart condition. The team also was unable to sign free agent forward David West, who opted to go to the Pacers instead of the Celtics.

Besides the unexpected play by Brandon Bass, who was acquired in a trade for Glen Davis, no bench player has been able to contribute on a consistent basis.

The team has routinely struggled to put points on the board, and their offense on many occasions has consisted of Rajon Rondo dribbling around hoping for a teammate to get open. They have become a primarily jump-shooting team and if their shots aren’t falling, their offense will struggle mightily.

Even the defense, which has been their staple the past few years, has struggled over the first 12 games. The team lacks size on the interior and they don’t have athletic defenders on the perimeter that can contain opposing players off the dribble.

The play of the Boston Celtics this season has not only been disappointing but also sad to watch. The team has fallen to such a degree that it seems impossible they will be able to make another late-season run.