NBA Playoff Picture: The Boston Celtics Can Win the NBA Championship

From fighting to reach .500 to the top of their division, the Boston Celtics have roared back mightily and re-emerged as a dark horse contender in the East. With injuries healed and players coming into their own at the right time of the year, the Celtics have finally developed hope for what fans in Beantown had been praying for all along: one last rodeo for the Big Three and Rondo.

With both Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen poised to hit free agency, this could be the final opportunity for this unit to make a run at a title. Fortunately, things are beginning to point in the right direction for Doc Rivers and company.

How promising is the Celtics' play? Enough that I've come up with five reasons they could win an NBA Championship in 2012.

Championship Pedigree with Something to Prove

Aside from the San Antonio Spurs, there is not a single team in the NBA with so much to prove and so little belief in their abilities. Strangely, there also isn't a better combination of four players in one starting lineup.

Nor is there another team in the Eastern Conference with an NBA Championship since the 2006 Miami Heat, who return just Dwyane Wade and Udonis Haslem from that title team.

With the taste of glory still fresh in their mouths, and this likely to be their last rodeo, it will be hard for anyone to find a more motivated team. With teams overlooking players such as Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, it will be hard to find a team with a greater opportunity for glory.

Defense Wins Championships

While many have begun to write the Celtics off as a shell of their former selves, they're actually playing at quite a high level on the defensive end of the floor. If you're wondering how high, try third in the NBA in scoring defense.

Along with Chicago and Philadelphia, they're the only team in the NBA to allow less than 90 points per game. They're currently allowing an average of just 89.8.

That's 3.2 points lower than the Orlando Magic, 3.9 points fewer than their potential first round opponent Atlanta Hawks and four points less than the Miami Heat.

While their scoring offense needs to drastically improve, scoring just 91.9 points per game and ranking 27th in the NBA, their defense is good enough to shut any opponent down. Furthermore, their average of 92.2 points over the past ten games has been good enough to secure double-digit wins over the Indiana Pacers, Miami Heat, Philadelphia 76ers and Utah Jazz.

Plus, with Kevin Garnett, Rajon Rondo, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce, anything is possible.

Rajon Rondo

As long as Rajon Rondo remains healthy, not a single team in the NBA has an advantage over the Celtics at the point guard position.

Between his status as the best facilitator in the NBA not named Steve Nash and his dominance in transition, Rondo is a serious threat to put up 20 points and 10-plus assists on any given evening. He's also an excellent rebounder, evidenced by his five triple-doubles in 2012; Chris Paul has yet to register one and Derrick Rose has had one over the past two seasons.

On the defensive end of the floor, Rondo is one of the league's best at forcing turnovers with 1.8 steals per game. He's also capable of defending any position from the point to the 3.

If the Celtics have anadvantage over any team, it's Rajon Rondo.

Unexpected Veterans

Has anyone ever heard of the Dallas Mavericks? They just so happen to be a team who was considered too old and ended up the NBA Champions.

Not so coincidentally, they did so by defeating the NBA's youngest and most promising teams: the Miami Heat and Oklahoma City Thunder.

While the Boston Celtics will forever command respect, it's clear that teams do not take them quite as seriously as they used to. With that being known, do not be surprised if and when the Boston Celtics upset one of the Eastern Conference's favorites.

The C's still boast one of the league's best point guards, the best three-point shooter of all-time and one of the most versatile players in the NBA, Paul Pierce. They also have an elite player who, contrary to popular belief, hasn't seen the quality of his defense take a hit: Kevin Garnett.

In addition to their starters, the Celtics have one of the most surprising benches in the NBA. So you tell me: what's going to hurt them in the playoffs? The Chicago Bulls' and Miami Heat's offensively-inept centers?

Youth Reaching Potential

Over the past few seasons, the biggest hurdle for the Boston Celtics has been getting the most out of their young players. While the Big Three and Rondo have certainly held up their end of the bargain, youngsters including Avery Bradley have not made much of an impact.

Oh, how the tides have turned.

Purdue rookies E'Twaun Moore and JaJuan Johnson have both played admirably, with Johnson scoring in double-figures in every appearance he's had of greater than 20 minutes. Fellow youngster Greg Stiemsma has been a force on defense, blocking 1.4 shots per game in just 12.3 minutes.

Most promising of all has been the play of Bradley himself. The former first round draft choice has been given major minutes since Ray Allen went down with an injury, scoring in double-digits in five of the past seven games.

What's most important about Bradley's development as a scorer is that he's given Rajon Rondo a partner in the open court. Rather than running in transition and taking it himself, Rondo now has a teammate to dump the ball off to; something Celtic fans have been adamantly demanding since the Celtics lost to the Heat in 2011.

Add in Brandon Bass's brilliant play and the fact that Bradley happens to be as dominant a defender as you'll find on the perimeter and you have to be confident in the Celtics' abilities.

Could this be the year where the youth aids the aging in winning one final title? I believe so.