NBA Trade Dealine 2012: Why Boston Celtics Should Stay Quiet at Deadline
As the final buzzer sounded Friday night, the Boston Celtics claimed a 104-86 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers.
Yes, this game was impressive for Boston fans, but does it say something about the current team they have?
Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett have been playing fantastic after the All-Star break, while point guard Rajon Rondo has brushed aside every possible trade rumor to put up eye-popping numbers.
At several points Friday night, the Celtics held a 40-plus point lead.
Yes, you read that correctly. The Boston Celtics dominated every aspect of the game and the Blazers simply had no answers.
Portland committed a season-high 28 turnovers, while the C's took care of the ball, only turning it over seven times.
After holding a .500 record at the break, the Celtics are now 21-18 and only two games behind the 76ers in the Atlantic Division.
As the season progresses, the Celtics have surprisingly gotten better and better. The "old" guys seem to have some pep in their step and their bench is playing at a high level.
Guys such as Brandon Bass, Mickael Pietrus and Avery Bradley have stepped up to become a bench that puts fear in their opponents.
With Jermaine O'Neil out the past few weeks, Bass has stepped into the starting role. Look for Bass to stay there for the remainder of the season.
The team has been gelling and have put hope back into Boston fans. At the trade deadline, look for Danny Ainge to attempt to deal for a role player, most likely a big man for a draft pick and J.O.'s expiring contract.
With the way this team is playing, and the potential everyone is showing, the Celtics will stay quiet at the trade deadline.
This is a veterans' league, and the Celtics are a team that has been there and done that.
With all these blockbuster trade rumors regarding Rondo or any of the Big Three, all I can say is, don't count on it.
