2012 NBA Playoffs: Why Boston Proved It's Not a Legit Championship Contender

When Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett joined Paul Pierce in Boston, we knew we'd get to see a great trio of players going at a championship for a few years.

Now, those few years are over.

Sure, the Boston Celtics are the fourth seed in the East. Sure, all of those three players, plus Rajon Rondo, are on the team (although Allen is hurt and is questionable for Game 2). But the Celtics are losing it.

Boston had numerous opportunities to climb back into Game 1 against the Atlanta Hawks, and they made the game interesting. However, they finished with just 74 points on 39 percent shooting.

Oh, and Boston went 0-for-11 from beyond the arc.

Early on, Josh Smith and the Hawks were clicking. They were draining their jumpers and playing good defense, holding Boston to just 18 points. However, even when the Hawks wore down in the second half, Boston couldn't capitalize, missing jumpers and still letting Atlanta get open shots, although the Hawks missed most of them.

If the Celtics can't beat Atlanta, there's no way they're going to the NBA Finals.

The Celtics have had some recent success, especially against the Miami Heat, the favorites to win the East. In April, Boston went 10-5, with two wins against the Heat.

However, in Game 1, they sure didn't look like the team they were in April.

In the first quarter, Boston was slow and lazy on defense. Atlanta was getting open shots and nailing them, scoring 31 of their 83 points in the first quarter.

And while the Celtics came close, missed shots and lack of offensive rebounds doomed them, and now they're down 1-0.

Smith didn't only score; he rebounded. He grabbed 18 boards, and he was key in stopping Boston from scoring more points. He was boxing out well and grabbing defensive rebounds, stopping the Celtics from getting second chances. Atlanta didn't get many second chances, but they took advantage when they did.

Atlanta was up 69-59 and had just missed a shot. Three Celtics went up for the rebound, and two of them deflected it towards Tracy McGrady. McGrady grabbed the ball, pivoted and dunked the ball to put Atlanta up by 12.

That play summed up Game 1 pretty well for the Celtics.

Even if the Celtics managed to beat Atlanta, they'd have to face Chicago (or Philadelphia) next. Without Derrick Rose, Chicago played pretty well, and they still are a contender.

And if Boston gets through the second round? They're probably going to be playing Miami, who I doubt they will beat.

Boston has more talent than most teams in the playoffs. But they will have to get their stars playing better. The Celtics need to contest shots better because Atlanta missed a lot of open shots in the second half, and they won't continue to do that. If the Celtics hustle more, they can avoid that.

These are all things that can be fixed, but the question is this: Will they be fixed?

From what I saw Sunday night, I think the answer is no.