Boston Celtics: Can They Win the East Without Kendrick Perkins?

“A very tough day to play basketball...to even concentrate, to be bluntly honest. It's not even about a teammate, it feels like we lost a family member today.” 

These were the words that Kevin Garnett used to describe the loss of Celtics center Kendrick Perkins. 

Perkins had grown close to his veteran teammates over the last few years. The kind of closeness that is cemented by the blood, sweat and tears that go into winning a championship. 

Perkins was part of the Celtics core that had been bonded by the collective mission to overcome obstacles. He fought through months of rehabilitation to overcome his devastating Game 6 ACL/MCL tear against the Lakers (an injury that was targeted [justifiably] by Celtics fans as the sole reason for the Celtics losing last season's finals) to make it back for the 2011 playoff push. 

The temporary crush to morale was more than apparent in a loss to the Nuggets on the day of the trade, but the Celtics have already bounced back.

The No. 1 seed doesn't pause for heartbreak. 

In Perkins, the Celtics lost one of the league's most physical centers. Perkins held down the lane and was critical in defending the likes of Dwight Howard, Andrew Bynum and more. He was, and is, a beast. 

On an organization level, management made the decision that it believed would best suit the team, not just for now but for the future. 

Perkins had recently rejected the Celtics' initial extension offer and the reality sunk in that the cap room would not be there to give Perkins what he wanted (and ultimately deserved).

Similar to the Carmelo Anthony situation in Denver, it was get something or get nothing for Perkins. 

The Celtics got more than something. 

With Nate Robinson sweetening the deal (we're not sure how), the Celtics managed to acquire a versatile forward to act as the perfect fill-in for Paul Pierce in Jeff Green and a less physical, but more offensively capable center in Nenad Krstic. 

Filling the big man gap was a must for the Celtics in the offseason and the acquisition of the two O'Neals seemed to be the fix. It was expected that the aging twosome would befall their fair share of injuries, but fans have reason to be optimistic that both players could be ready come playoff time. 

JO has a timetable for mid-to-late March, while it is possible that Shaq could return after the current road trip. 

Still, the two players are not likely to see significant minutes upon their return and should have little impact on the hunt for the No. 1 seed. Krstic and Glen Davis will have to weather the storm in the meantime. 

With Perkins gone, the Celtics will becoming increasingly reliant upon Shaq come playoff time. Shaq's physical presence will be a vital piece to the rebound game and for clogging up the lane. 

The answers for whether the Celtics can manufacture enough victories to grab the No. 1 seed for the postseason goes much deeper than the absence of Perkins. 

The return of Delonte West's talents is beginning to prove quite important for the Celtics and his capabilities easily trump Robinson's (as if that's hard). West has the experience and skill-set to run the second unit as well as any backup in the league. 

The acquisition of Green makes the Celtics' bench much more rounded and Von Wafer can be put on the list players that have been made serviceable through the influence of the Celtics' big three (think James Posey). 

The meshing ability of the new players in green (it will happen, trust me), along with the degree to which Doc Rivers chooses to rest the veterans, will have a high degree of influence on the seeding. 

It is hard to be overly concerned about the consequences for the one seed because of the trade when the Celtics maintained their position atop the conference without Perkins for the majority of the year while rallying through injuries to Garnett, Rondo, West and both O'Neals. 

This Celtics have proved they are as resilient as any team in the league. Their determination to blend their pieces together has become cancerous (haters can insert Garnett remark here) to any player putting on the uniform. 

Will seeding really determine whether the Celtics make it to their third Finals in four years? These Celtics groups only seem to become stronger in the face of a greater challenge. 

The competitive nature of the East not only makes the top seed seem slightly more important than usual, it has instilled a rejuvenated sense of regular season pride on a team that is full of it. 

This sense of pride has been apparent in the majority of games thus far and will only become more evident down the stretch.