Celtic Dilemma: Why Another Title Might Elude Boston

Celtic Pride was alive and well last season, as  Boston was able to remain competitive despite the loss of all-star Kevin Garnett, and actually advanced to the Eastern Conference semi-finals. They were involved in one of the more memorable series in NBA history, a 7 game slugfest in which the Celtics disposed of a game Chicago Bulls team. Boston eventually succumbed to the Orlando Magic in the semis, but along the way they gave the eventual Eastern champions all they could handle.

The Celtics will begin this season looking to reclaim their spot as the best team in the east, and as the best team in the league. The return of Garnett, along with the addition of Rasheed Wallace has Celtic fans dreaming of another banner. It didn't hurt that they were able to re-sign coveted reserve Glen Davis either. Before getting to the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, Boston has a few questions and issues that have to be resolved. Don't start counting the four-leaf clovers yet.

The biggest issue with Boston may be age. The four players that they will probably depend on most are: Garnett-33, Wallace-35, Paul Pierce-32, and Ray Allen-34. That comes to an average of 33, which would make them among the oldest teams in the league. To be honest, none of these guys are old men but they have reached the age where their skills begin to visibly diminish. That can already be seen in the games of Allen, who seems to have lost a step, and Wallace, who seems to have lost major parts of his game.

Another problem I see may be the bench, which could be considered overrated. Not to say that the Celtics have a bad bench, they just have one that's incapable of carrying the team if anyone major goes down, sound familiar? The Celtic reserves of Kendrick Perkins, Leon Powe, and Davis performed well when Garnett was out but not well enough to carry Boston over the hump. The backcourt is another issue entirely, with there being no really viable alternative to the outstanding Rajon Rondo. Stephon Marbury is not the answer, it seems that Marbury has many interests, the least of them being basketball. Besides Marbury has never helped anyone win anything, that trend will probably continue. In fairness the Celtics did get Wallace and Sheldon Williams to help in the frontcourt, but Williams is a dedicated role player at best and Wallace presents concerns of his own.

Wallace at his best was one of the best forwards in the game. A horrible match-up, Wallace could shoot for distance or post players under the rim. He was a relentless player who thrived under the emotion of the game, and his defense was pretty good too. That was back in 2005, because recently Sheed has been a shell of his former self. I don't think it's possible for Wallace to regain the form of seasons past, but the Celtics are banking on the hope that Wallace's play was the result of discontent and not the erosion of his skills.

Speaking of erosion Boston may be on their "metaphorical" last legs. I discussed age, and none of the Celtics big 3 have less than 11 seasons under their belt. Injuries have to be a concern, along with the inevitable slowing down of their games. The injury bug presented itself last season and crippled the Celtics.

The big question now is, is Garnett's knee ok? The answer to that question may prove to be the answer to Boston's hopes this year. Kevin has 14 seasons under his belt and knee injuries are notorious for what they take from a player. The type of injury that Garnett had would be much easier to recover from if he were 24, but he doesn't have that luxury. You have to expect some type of drop-off from him, but will it be to much for the Celtics to recover from? Stay tuned.