NBA Playoffs 2011: Why This Is Boston Celtics' Most Difficult Postseason Road Yet
After an injury-filled season and many other unique trials, the Celtics made it to the postseason.
It was an interesting game one against the Knicks in which I spent the first half questioning everything I had believed in regards to the second half of the season.
I spent months preaching how Celtics’ haters were going through their yearly age debate, reasoning that Boston had finally lost its stride.
I continued to write articles arguing that Shaquille O’Neal was a must for the Celtics to survive the playoffs and get to the NBA Finals.
The second half of the Celtics’ first postseason game reassured my confidence (thanks, in part, to the other O’Neal).
Do I think the Celtics are on the way to handling the Knicks? Of course I do (although, I have been known to be extremely biased).
Regardless, I still have my questions going forward about the Celtics. The thing is, I didn’t even approach these kind of doubts last postseason.
So where are all my worries stemming from? It’s relatively simple but I’m sure my explanations will end up complicating things.
The Perk Effect
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I have to admit that I was quite pleased when Kendrick Perkins came out with a mediocre stat-line for the Thunder in Game 1 against the Nuggets on Sunday (not that we hadn't been used to it).
Putting up stats was never in Perkins' game but having the Jermaine O'Neal performance (however “out of skin” it might have been) preface a less-than-impactful Perkins performance (besides that offensive goaltending no-call) was rather fulfilling.
I have cited earlier how important Perkins was to the Celtics, not just as a player, but as a piece of the puzzle.
While the media views the core of the Celtics as “big three” or “big four”—thanks to Rondo's emergence, Perkins was the five. He had the personality of his teammates—an intensity and a thirst for victory that was unwavering.
In several of the remaining games, it was clear that the Celtics missed their brother.
Still, I had little doubt that the Celtics would be ready for the playoffs.
I am still placing a heavy dependence on Shaq returning at some point but JO had shown signs of a return to effectiveness prior to Game 1 against the Knicks. He may be demonstrating capabilities that go beyond “weathering the storm.”
Outside of filling the physical void, JO depicted a fervor in the opener that has me thinking he can also fill the emotional void that Perkins left.
I love how KG can help to unleash a fury.
The Rise in Competition
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In case you're wondering, I won't be mentioning anything about age throughout the course of this article.
The Celtics had the competent population thinking they were the team to beat in the first half of the year (without Perkins) and I took little mind to thinking that age could somehow take over in a four-to-six month time frame.
Notice how every player was more willing to attack in Game 1? This is the playoffs. The Celtics were never going to bring the kind of effort that they brought against the Bobcats in the waning weeks of a long season into the postseason.
A case of more foolish speculation by the “what can we turn into a story” media.
The truth is that while many of the same powers remain (the Magic—slightly lessened, the Lakers—speculatively lessened), the Bulls, the Thunder (thanks to experience and Perkins) and the Knicks have all improved while LeBron's Heat obviously best LeBron's Cavs.
The competition in the top half of the East is stronger (hence, five-to-six reasonably relevant teams rather than four).
Still, last year's Magic was better, as were the Hawks of two years ago.
The Lakers seem to have a death wish but whoever comes out of the West will still be a very tough out (and no, I am not rescinding my Lakers prediction).
I don't think the Heat are close to being ready to take the throne. This belief is primarily due to a longstanding perception that the Heat play a form of basketball that has rarely lead to an NBA title (aka let's isolate Wade or LeBron until one of them is doubled and then kick it back to a shot-fearing role player, only to have it kicked back to them, again).
The Heat have displayed neither the offensive fluidity or consistency to command my interest as an imminent threat this season. It is the impending legend developing in Chicago that has me most worried.
If a full season of absurd play-making wasn't enough for you, what Derrick Rose has done in the first two games against the Pacers (39-6-6; 36-8-6) is completely mind-boggling.
The MVP shoe-in has a multitude of role players around him and the degree of shot development he has displayed this year is making him seemingly impossible to guard.
How does a 6'3”,190-pound guy become as difficult to stop when attacking the basket as LeBron James?
An Altered Bench
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Players remaining from Celtics' 2009-2010 bench on current roster: one (Glen Davis).
Players remaining from Celtics' bench prior to trade deadline: five (if you include Shaq).
Is it a coincidence that Tony Allen's new team had a six game turnaround this season, making the playoffs without one of their best players?
I'm not taking anything away from the services of Shane Battier but it is difficult to deny the effect that the uniquely scrappy role player has had on the Memphis Grizzlies.
It was certain that Allen would be missed and the Celtics were prepared to call on Marquis Daniels to step up as the primary backup to Paul Pierce.
A horrible spinal chord injury robbed Daniels of a shot at a title and his injury was undoubtedly influential on the Celtics' acquisition of Jeff Green.
Long story short, the perceived lack of depth led to a full revamping for the Celtics with less than two months left in the regular season.
With Delonte West still recovering from a wrist injury (and subsequent ankle sprain), the Celtics' bench has had limited time to find their stride.
Green finally looked relatively serviceable in Game 1 against the Knicks and has me thinking that those two games he got the start in at the end of the regular season may have brought him back to life (either that or the “OK, it's playoffs, let's turn it on” mentality—that analysts insisted could not happen again—is contagious).
Green's numbers will not be high, nor will his minutes, but he is an important piece to keeping things stable while the starters sit.
West's ability to run the offense is a necessity while Rondo sits while new acquisitions Troy Murphy, Carlos Arroyo and Nenad Krstic are unlikely to have much of an impact on the postseason.
Regardless, the new group sitting on the Celtics' bench will need to be a factor if the Celtics want any chance of getting another shot at the title (not to mention that Davis didn't look the same in the second half of the season, either).
The Celtics may be able to get by the Knicks with a mediocre bench performance (particularly if Chauncey Billups misses a couple games) but that won't be the case if they can move on.
