Boston Celtics: Analyzing Their Biggest Advantages over Their Competition

Despite the age of the team, the Boston Celtics still hold many advantages over their opponents as they head into the 2011-12 NBA season.

While the lockout is ongoing (another failed meeting occurred yesterday), the members of the Celtics are hopefully staying in shape by working out and refining their games.

If there is a season, what are the advantages the Celtics have over their opponents?  Is a shortened season an advantage in any way?

Let’s take a more philosophical approach to answering these questions and see just what keeps the C-E-L-T-I-C-S among the elite teams in the Big ThreeNBA.

Cohesion

If there’s one advantage the Celtics have over their opponents, it’s being a cohesive unit.  The Big Three are entering their fifth season together and there has never been an inkling of doubt that the C’s three future Hall of Famers have ever had difficulty co-existing with one another.

No one on the team demands the ball.  If anything, the Big Three try and get each other open looks as well as any team.  It’s this kind of team-oriented style that doesn’t always occur around the rest of the league.

Experience

Experience is an obvious advantage the Celtics have over their opponents.  While the age issue won’t ever go away, the Celtics core group of the Big Three and Rajon Rondo have enough experience playing together and enough playoff experience that makes them as good as they are.

Some teams are too young to go all the way, some teams haven’t played together enough.

Leadership

Building off of cohesion and experience, the Celtics are a team of leaders.  Rondo leads on the floor.  Kevin Garnett leads on the bench.  Paul Pierce and Ray Allen lead by example.

There will be some new pieces on the team this season, so the veteran leadership will need to be in full force in order to get their new teammates and younger players up to speed and performing at a high level.

Tenacity

Despite their ages, the Celtics never appear to let up during games.  They may not be able to jump out of the building with freakish athleticism, but the team always gives the proverbial 110 percent during every game.

No one will ever be able to question the work ethic on this team.

Intangibles

Intangibles are the types of plays that don’t show up in the box score but still factor into a game, and the Celtics definitely possess a high level of intangibles.

Not panicking, calling a time out at the right time, drawing charges and getting opposing players into foul trouble are all plays that smart players make.  

Clutch Factor

How many clutch shots have Ray Allen or Paul Pierce made over the past four seasons?

The knock against LeBron James has always been that he’s not a clutch player.  Either he can’t hit the game-winning shot often enough or he doesn’t perform well enough in the playoffs—that’s not something associated with the Celtics.

Sure the C’s lost to Miami in the playoffs, but they made it that far into the playoffs because of their clutch factor.  The Celtics played their share of close games during the season, but were able to put enough opponents away, especially in the first two games of the playoff series against the Knicks.

Shortened Season?

Okay, so the Celtics getting old.  If the lockout persists, would a shortened season held rest the aging Big Three?