Why the Boston Celtics' First Loss Is a Sign of Things to Come

For Celtics fans, the first game of the season provided a glimpse of both the good and the bad of what the upcoming season may hold.

Yes, the Celtics lost the game. A loss is a loss, but losing to a very good team on the road when you're playing without one of your best players isn't something to dwell on too much. 

In addition, the player the Celtics were without—Paul Pierce—would have been the guy drawing the defensive assignment on the player who led the Celtics' opponent—the New York Knicks—to the victory today. 

Paul Pierce isn't a miracle worker. He wouldn't have been able to shut down Carmelo Anthony, no one can do that. Pierce would have made life more difficult for Anthony, though. In addition, had Pierce been playing then Anthony would probably have been forced to defend Pierce, who presents his own set of match-up problems. 

If the Celtics were able to get four fouls on Anthony without Pierce in the game, then who knows what would have happened had Pierce been playing? 

Then again, that's really the problem. 

How often can Celtic fans really expect this team to be at full strength? 

Pierce's injury isn't too serious. He's going to be back soon. Will he back before the league hands down a possible suspension to Kevin Garnett? 

Garnett, who is yet another key veteran presence on the Celtics, acted more like child in the aftermath of the Knicks victory on Sunday afternoon. Garnett got into an altercation with Knick back-up forward Bill Walker and at one point had his hands wrapped around the player's neck. That's the type of physical contact that could draw a suspension from league offices.

It doesn't matter what Garnett's excuse is, the Celtics as a team will be hurt by his actions. This is a team that is already missing one player who was expected to be a key contributor this season, Jeff Green. The Celtics acquired Green in a midseason deal with Oklahoma City last season in exchange for popular center Kendrick Perkins. Green will miss the entire season recovering from surgery to correct an aortic aneurysm. 

That leaves the Celtics thin and the inevitable injuries seem to suggest that they'll remain a bit thin throughout the season.

The good news of course if that Rajon Rondo appears to be on the cusp of true stardom. The 25-year-old is entering his sixth season in the league and, luckily for the Celtics, he appears to be continuing to improve his overall game.

The season opener will be remembered as a loss, but it will also be remembered for the manner in which Rajon Rondo dominated the game from the point guard position. That's not an easy thing to do, but Rondo was able to do it nonetheless.

He shot the ball well, hit his free throws, passed with efficiency and also was an all around pest on the defensive end of the floor. There were times when the Knicks had no clue how to slow down Rondo. His superior quickness and athleticism made him impossible to defend and his court awareness means that opponents will double team him at their own risk.

The Celtics also got a great performance from offseason acquisition Brandon Bass. Bass was acquired via a trade with Orlando, in exchange for Glen Davis. Bass had 20 points and 11 rebounds in only 28 minutes of action.

It still wasn't enough, though. That may be the story of the 2011-2012 season, too. As long as the Celtics are an incomplete team constantly waiting for player "X" to return from an injury, they're going to struggle against the best of the NBA. If the team ever gets totally healthy they can and will compete with the league's very best, but as long as they're waiting on a key player to return to the active roster the season may feature far more close losses like today's opener.