Paul Pierce, Rajon Rondo, Kevin Garnett: Who Is the Boston Celtics' MVP?
It's an interesting title, isn't it?
Interesting to talk about with the Celtics having lost three of four to none other than the 76ers, Nets and Clippers?
No, that is not what I'm talking about.
Although these ugly little stints tend to give me a raging headache, I never worry. Even when homers like Bill Simmons had the Heat beating the Celtics in the first round last season.
Remember, last year's Heat? The team whose second best player was a tight race between Michael Beasley (15 points, six boards) and our favorite bench-warmer, Jermaine O'Neal (14 points, seven boards)?
For all the winning arguments that Simmons has implanted in my brain, this is something I still can't believe. Not that he was alone. Still, the others, the Jeff Van Gundy's that predict a newly formed super-trio lacking a point-guard and a center will knock Jordan's Bulls out of the record books—they can be forgiven.
But not Simmons. Not one of the most indiscreet columnists/fans ever.
In case you don't recall, Simmons had this to say about a Celtics team only two years removed from an NBA championship (and one year removed from an Eastern semis loss that only occurred thanks to the lack of Garnett—more about this later):
"I once wrote that Miami's 2006 title run was like a group of guys in Vegas spending crazy money at dinner, having a great time, ordering dozens of dishes and drinks and never once worrying about the check...and the 2007 Miami season was like the 10 sobering minutes when the check arrives and nobody can believe the bill.
The check just gets passed around so everyone can stare at it in horror, then the one dude with an MBA grabs it and figures out what everyone owes, and you limp out of the restaurant saying, 'I can't believe we just spent $250 apiece on dinner, I gotta hit an ATM,' but it takes an extra 10 minutes to leave because somebody has to take a dump and somebody else thinks they have a chance with the waitress, so the rest of the guys are just clustered in the lobby, totally full, a little bit drunk, a little bit tired, trying to rally for a big gambling night but knowing they're about to get their asses kicked because you can never win in Vegas when you're drunk, full, and tired.
Welcome to your 2009-10 Celtics postseason. The check has arrived. I hope I'm wrong."
In his recently published book, The Book of Basketball, Simmons told MVP-voting screw-ups to “put down this book and spend the next hour trying to ram your head up your ass”—predicting that these Celtics would lose to a starting lineup that most commonly featured Dwyane Wade, an aging Jermaine O'Neal, a troubled Michael Beasley, either Skip to My Lou or Carlos Arroyo and Quentin Richardson.
Let me remind you that two of these players will spend this year's postseason picking up somewhere between zero and negligible playing time off the Celtics' bench.
Don't get me wrong, Simmons' NBA knowledge is at a level I can't possibly imagine ascending to. However, I will always believe that he should have caught some major heat (no pun intended) for this abominable error in judgment. If anyone has a link to a guilty plea, please let me know.
I'm sure, at this point in time, Simmons would be the first person to tell you that the Perkins injury ultimately lost last year's Finals for the Celtics (three series after they were supposed to lose) and he would be right.
Having this argument with a Lakers fan has to be one of the more torturous experiences that I have been (and will continue to be) willing to repeatedly put myself through.
Insanity: Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
Me: “No way the Celtics lose that series if Perkins doesn't go down. No. Way.”
Ignorant Lakers Fan: “You can't say that. You have no idea what would have happened. It was unfortunate, yes, but they were in LA, against Kobe, blah, blah, blah.”
Right, 6-for-24, game seven Kobe.
The Celtics out-rebounded them 23-8 on the offensive boards and 53-40 in total during game seven, the worst totals in each category in any of the games. Yet, as I pull out rebounding statistics, I eventually realize my subject is no longer listening and I am forced to walk away without revealing how enraged this sort of thing makes me.
Still, I will never shy away from preaching the good word. The Perkins claim isn't speculation, it is fact. Insanity.
Thankfully, the most important pieces of that Celtics team still remain; primed for another playoff run that will likely leave me unwilling to vacate the house for fear (and probability) of encountering one of the aforementioned fans (this passion has cost me my fair share of household items).
The Celtics have survived injuries over and over again. They have battled through them again this season.
It is their unselfishness and willingness to pull together as a team that has got them over some of their most difficult hurdles. That is why the subject of the most important Celtic is particularly interesting.
Like the Spurs, the Celtics operate by working as one, cohesive unit.
Is there a “best” player? Probably. But each player has vital attributes that make them indispensable. That is the best part about a team.
It is the same reason that a lineup consisting of Billups, 'Sheed, Prince, Hamilton and Ben Wallace only needed five games to upset Shaq, Kobe, Payton, Malone and...Devean George (Fisher being more vital off the bench with Payton around).
Having said that, of course, Lakers fans can gripe about the Malone injury.
Still, unless you are overloaded with the type of star power that the league simply can't compete with (those same Lakers), the t-e-a-m inevitably conquers.
The Celtics can't handle losing one of the big four. That is fact. Still, there is usually one member that sticks out. The player that ends up defining the season.
Who is it for this Celtics team?
Thanks to an ever-developing Rondo and the big-three's return to full health, this year's version of the discussion is as intriguing as ever.
Paul Pierce
Clutch.
When the game is on the line, it is hard to argue that anyone is more reliable off-the-dribble than Pierce (the 41-point performance in game six of the 2007-08 Eastern semis against the Cavs seems to stick out).
This season, Pierce is shooting the highest FG percentage of his career (50.3), shooting his highest FT percentage (85.4) and is averaging higher points, assists and rebounds than he did last season (while committing fewer turnovers).
The most impressive part of Pierce's game has been his rejuvenated pursuit of the bucket. Pierce is attacking the rim with more ferocity than any of the past few seasons (again, cheers to good health).
Honestly, do you remember The Truth dunking this many times?
Rondo has hit a rough patch of games recently but is still leading the league in assists (11.7/gm.).
He is arguably the best defensive point-guard in the league and has passed New Orleans' Chris Paul as the league leader in steals (2.42).
Rondo's ridiculous vision is the perfect fit for a supporting cast fully capable of hitting open shots. His speed and ability to change directions make him as deceptive as anyone in the league.
Rondo's flaws (a weak jumper and poor free-throw percentage) are made up for by his dominance in the other areas. The reliability of the big-three make these weaknesses increasingly less important.
Rondo has made passing cool again.
Ray Allen
What can be said about Mr. Shuttlesworth?
At age 35, Allen is having one of the best seasons of his life.
He's averaging the highest three-point percentage of his career (46.6 – second in the NBA), his highest career FG percentage (50.1), while only seeing a noticeable drop in FT percentage.
The purest shooter of our time (maybe all time), Allen still has analysts oozing over his quick and unbelievably accurate release. His shot has been timed at .7 seconds and his work ethic makes him harder to chase down than any veteran in the game.
While Pierce is the off-the-dribble finisher, he will tell you that he wants Allen taking the last second shot. Of course, Allen will modestly tell you Pierce.
When it is all said and done, Allen will have demolished Reggie Miller's old record and hold one of the more difficult records to top in NBA history.
Yes, there is a reason I held The Big Ticket for last.
After dealing with a mess of injuries, Garnett finally has the pop back in his step that led the Celtics to their 17th NBA Championship in 2008.
That season was worthy of a legitimate MVP gripe, and although his numbers aren't as lofty this season (still averaging same rebounds), Garnett is as important as he has always been.
Shooting over 50 percent and a career high in FT percentage, Garnett is back to being the same old menace on the boards. He is 17th in steals (1.4) and is averaging almost two more minutes per game from last season.
The most meaningful pieces of Garnett's game go well beyond the numbers.
Only Garnett could lead a team including Latrell Sprewell and Sam Cassell to a near-win over the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals. Mending together the pieces in Boston turned out to be a much simpler project, obviously.
Garnett has been the heart of every team he has played on and he has grown from The Kid into a champion through that learning process.
He is a lock-down defender and the most intense player on the team.
Garnett's impact was no more noticeable than when the Celtics lost him to arthroscopic knee surgery in the February of the 2008-09 season. Though the Celtics came close to getting past the Magic in the Conference semifinals, there was no way they were getting through the Cavs and the Lakers without Garnett. Not without their pulse.
Garnett is the backbone to a team trying to get all of it's pieces healthy. His attitude has fueled his teammates to get the best out of their abilities. He is their hardest worker and their biggest fan when on the bench (while driving opponents out of their mind).
Garnett has been the glue that pulls it all together and regardless of how much the other three players contribute, he will be the one fueling the energy as this group aims for it's second ring.
