Eastern Conference Finals 2012: Celtics Can't Survive War of Attrition vs. Heat

The Boston Celtics have the heart, hunger and experience to compete for an NBA title.

But do they have the bodies to bully their way past the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference finals?

They certainly didn't look like it in a 93-79 loss in Game 1.

Ray Allen scored three points on 1-of-7 shooting from the field and according to ESPNBoston.com, might be given a night off in Game 2 to rest his troublesome right ankle.

Avery Bradley was ruled out for the rest of the playoffs before Game 7 against the Philadelphia 76ers after undergoing surgery on his bad left shoulder.

Allen's bum ankle, combined with Bradley's absence, left Dwyane Wade essentially free to roam the floor on the way to a 22-point, seven-assist night against the C's.

Kevin Garnett continued to do his part, registering his seventh 20-10 game of these playoffs.

Rajon Rondo once against approached triple-double territory with a line of 16 points, nine rebounds and seven assists.

But Paul Pierce looked pooped, missing 13-of-18 shots on one end and getting schooled by LeBron James for 32 points, 12 rebounds, three assists and three blocks.

And Brandon Bass was largely a nonfactor—as was the entirety of the bench—which combined for 14 points, four of which came after Doc Rivers emptied his bench in garbage time.

Let's not forget, either, that Chris Bosh was still in street clothes, though he may rejoin Miami's lineup at some point in this series.

What are the Celtics to do, then?

Well, for one thing, they must and probably will regroup in time for Game 2 on Wednesday.

They were clearly spent, both physically and emotionally, from their seven-game series against the Sixers and the quick turnaround it precipitated.

The shoestring effort put forth by the C's wasn't at all unlike what the Los Angeles Lakers registered in a 29-point loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals, less than 48 hours after their own Game 7 triumph over the Denver Nuggets.

The Lakers made the necessary adjustments (and got the necessary rest) to give the Thunder a serious run for their money in each of the following four games.

The C's can certainly take heart in the way their historic rivals bounced back from that fiasco. Doc will make his tweaks, his players will receive treatment on their aches and pains and they'll come back with a more focused performance in Game 2.

Will that be enough, though? And does Boston have enough left in its collective tank to get the job done?

Remember, those Lakers, despite valiant displays in Games 2 through 5, lost three of those four contests to fall out of the playoffs and into an offseason of change.

Not unlike the one that Boston will face whenever its run at another championship with the Big Three comes to a close. GM Danny Ainge will have to decide whether or not to retain Ray and KG, and lay out a plan for how he wants the team to be constructed down the line.

In the meantime, it'll be up to the current core to strap on their hard hats and get back to work in a big way on Wednesday.

These C's won't just lay down for the Heat to traipse into the NBA Finals—The Big Ticket won't let that happen on his watch—but if they're not going to get run over in this high-stakes game of Red Rover, they'll need their remaining healthy bodies to stand tall and strong, with every ounce of passion and desire they have left.

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