How can the Boston Celtics' top last season? By going undefeated?
A better question is, "Who can stop them?"
The answer is no one. Not a single team. The Celtics were unbeatable when they played with determination and intention. Their best was better than any other team’s best.
The Boston Celtics cut a wide and deep swath of destruction on their way to the 2008 NBA Title. Surprising to many, they did it with focused, intense team defense.
Tri Once Again
The Boston Triangle is back. It still begins and ends with the three stars. The only question is if they will have the drive that they did last year.
Many talk about how hard it is to repeat. No Celtic team has done it without Bill Russell on the team. Not Bird, not Cowens, not Havlicek—not even Greg Kite.
But it is not impossible. It is not even improbable. Except for one year (1999), there were repeat NBA champions consistently from 1988–2002.
Garnett, Pierce, and Ray Allen make the game easier for their teammates. Can their teammates make things easier on them?
Offensively balanced and efficient, but never boring
In terms of shot selection, the Celtics have a unique and truly balanced attack:
24 percent outside shots at .381 (fifth-highest accuracy in the league)
40 percent midrange shots at .417 (fifth-highest accuracy in the league)
34 percent inside shots at .613 (tenth-highest accuracy in the league).
Paul Pierce can produce points from anywhere on the court. Ray Allen and Eddie House launch heat seekers, and Garnett has one of the most consistent 15- to 18-footers I’ve ever seen. He is also underrated in the post.
Rondo has to improve his outside shot. And it would be nice if Kendrick Perkins showed more a bit more offense.
Is there a chink in their armor?
If we are going to pick on anything for the team as a whole, perhaps the post play might need improvement. Sagging defenses must be addressed. They are partially related.
12 percent of Celtic inside shots (tied for fourth-worst) were blocked during the regular season. Only Charlotte, Chicago, and Dallas had a higher percentage blocked. That is not good company. But I wouldn't break up the team because of it.
They sometimes settled too quickly for jumpers. Not surprising for an excellent outside shooting team. But remember the defense this team played. Then factor in that they led the league, by far, with a 10-point win margin. It suggests that little was wrong with this team’s offense or defense.
The stats say that the Celtics were the 18th-worst post defense (.602 percent allowed). But even this number is deceiving. The Celtics were the league’s No. 1 stingiest with inside shots allowed per game—29 percent tied with the Spurs.
How much have they changed?
Gone: James Posey, PJ Brown, Scot Pollard, Sam Cassell (maybe not)
Arrived: Darius Miles, Patrick O’Bryant, JR Giddens, Bill Walker
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3 months ago
I think Boston will come back strong because they were working out at the beginning of the month because they know they have a huge target on their back. Pierce is going to come back better too since I think he'll be shooting a bit more without posey backing him up
3 months ago
I'm with you Jeff.
It is up to them.
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