Watching ESPN a few days ago, 1 of the talking heads mentioned that he felt this version of the Celtics deserved more than 1 championship. They got their 1 ring in the big 3’s 1st year of existence, but given how good they have looked at times it seems like they should have 2 or 3 in that span. Year 2 of the KG-Allen-Pierce trifecta was halted by a Garnett knee injury. In year 3, the C’s were a game away, and Boston fans will go to their graves clamoring that Kendrick Perkin’s injury during the Finals is what swayed the series to LA. In year 4, the Celtics looked like they could have given the Heat a decent run for their money at least, but Rajon Rondo dislocated his elbow during the series. He continued to play, but he was clearly not himself, and the Celtics exited quietly.
This might be the Celtics' last chance as currently constructed.
Year 5 has put Boston in a tough spot. To say they were the 5th best team in the Eastern Conferences this season (as their seeding suggests) is laughable. In fact, the Bulls and Celtics at full strength are the only teams from the East that would even make Miami bat an eye. But there’s a reason 4 other teams in the East marched to better regular season records. Boston’s core 4 are in tact, but age seems to be catching up. Finishing up Philly in a tidy 4 or 5 game series would have done the Celtics some good. Instead, the Sixers stretched them to 7 games, and as a result Boston’s game 1 loss in Miami following a quick turnaround was predictable. KG was really the only Celtic that played well. With Bosh sidelined, Miami has no real answer for him, and if Garnett keeps consistently draining 18 footers and getting deep post position, he will be a problem for the Heat all series. Pierce and Allen shot a combined 6 for 25 from the floor though, which just isn’t going to get it done. For them to have a chance in this series, I think they both need to shoot lights-out, which is going to be a tall order considering LeBron and Wade are going to be shadowing them most of the time.
Game 1 was strange on a couple of levels though. 1st, if you just watched the game in the 1st half without looking at the score, it felt like Miami had stretched the lead out to double digits by halftime, yet it was tied at the break. Also, Miami was the beneficiary of a couple of quick-trigger technical foul calls on Boston, but I’m not sure how much of an effect they had on the outcome of the game. It was reminiscent of the game 1’s of the Knicks-Heat and Pacers-Heat series earlier this postseason, where the Heat got the benefit of a couple suspect calls also, but those games were so out of hand that it was hard for the Knicks or Pacers to say they lost because of the refs. And yet, in a couple of the close games against New York and Indiana, I thought the refs swallowed their whistles in a way that worked against Miami. It’s just odd to me that the Heat seem to get a lot of calls in games that they win easily but not in closer games (where you would think star teams would be more likely to get calls).
Quick T's aside, LeBron and the Heat looked to be head and shoulders above Pierce and company in game 1.
On a sidenote, can we agree to stop praising Doc Rivers for his “decision” to move KG to center? 1st of all, this move was made out of necessity because the Celtics only other decent, able-bodied big man on the roster is 6-8 Brandon Bass. It’s not like Rivers was like, “Hmmm, maybe I should start Ryan Hollins at center just so I can keep KG at power forward.” 2nd, if you actually watch a Celtics game, it’s not like Garnett is doing anything differently on the court now that he’s not playing alongside a true center. The roles he fills are exactly the same as when he was paired with Perkins, Shaq, or Jermaine O’Neal. Just stop it already. This annoys me almost as much as calling Tim Duncan the “greatest power forward of all time.” He’s a center. He’s always been a center. He just so happened to play most of his career alongside other centers. He’s started next to DeJuan Blair and and Boris Diaw the last 2 seasons, so does that mean he also changed positions to center? Get out…no really, just leave.
Anyway, to me this series will be decided based on how well Pierce and Allen play. I fully expect them to play better than they did in game 1, but how much better? I’m not sure…Pierce has always matched up well with LeBron, and Allen’s ability to run Wade off of screens has traditionally been able to offset Wade’s slashing and post-up abilities. The fact that both Allen and Pierce are hobbled and have a lot of miles on them is clearly showing though. And the fact that Boston’s bench is even shorter than Miami’s right now means they are going to have to play a lot of minutes this series as well…which might just be too much to ask.
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