I know that many of you out there will call this post premature, but I wouldn’t be writing it if I thought that it was. If the Celtics do manage to come back from a 3-1 deficit against the Miami Heat, I’ll gladly put my tail between my legs and go celebrate by myself in the corner…
Last night’s Celtics game was tough to watch. The Celtics started hot, and throughout the course of the game it was clear that they were good enough to win. But after a broken play to end regulation, the Celtic’s look injured, old, and cold in OT. I don’t think that they have enough left in the tank to come back, and I can see the writing on the wall now — the Boston Celtics as we’ve come to know them are no more.
Sure, there will be plenty left up in the air this offseason. All of the big 3 could return, or all of them could leave. Same goes for Doc. Personally, I don’t think it really matters. If everybody stays, they’ll certainly have the best shot next year. But as this year has proven, for as good as these guys are the league is slowly beginning to see a changing of the guard. The time has come for a new generation on younger stars to dominate the game. If the big 3 all leave, the Celtics do have a few good young players to build around. Even if the Celtics were able to retain the likes of Rajon Rondo, Delonte West, and Jeff Green, the fact of the matter is the NBA is the league where I see the most fans getting over-excited about the prospects of a talented line-up. In this league you now need huge amounts of star power to be considered a serious contender.
As a Celtic’s fan, I know what it’s like to see your team dabble in mediocrity for quite some time. I’m sure that Danny Ainge will do his best to keep this from happening, but I see it as inevitable — at least for a few years. It’s going to be very difficult to assemble a team that can compete for years to come with the Heat or the Knicks, let alone Chicago or LA is they are able to land another big player to play alongside Kobe.
While I do feel that the future looks bleak, what’s most upsetting to me is that this current group of Celtics only managed to capture a single title. These guys had it won last year in the 4th quarter of game 7, and I think the team this year was good enough to win it as well. These guys are simply better than the single championship that they won — they are all first ballot Hall of Famers, they learned to play their roles perfectly, and they never had an issue sharing the spotlight. They were all professional, fun to watch, and clutch.
I suspect you’ll see several of them in a Celtics uniform again next year, but I truly feel like their time has passed. It’s not like these guys can’t play anymore — far from it. Paul Pierce went toe to toe with Lebron last night. But will they contend seriously for a championship again? No. It’s been a fun ride.
Heat in five does not look so crazy now
Agreed sir. You were correct, for once. I’m still surprised.
Is that an “I told you so?”
Kinda, will be when I collect my winnings.
You better hope that the Celtics dont take the same trajectory as the Pistons have.
I dont’e expect them too. I’d think they’ll field a decent team, but a decent team and a title contender look very different.
I am sure the Pistons thought the same thing.
How successful will Rondo be without three hall of famers scoring on his passes?
Glen Davis is working his way out of a contract right now
Jeff Green probably is not a number three player on a decent team.
If Delonte is a key player god help you.
Delonte has played very well, and Jeff Green has major potential as a scorer. Davis is playing his way out of Boston, you are right there. Rondo obviously benefits greatly from the big 3, especially his assist numbers. But he’s proven to be an exceptional defender and a dangerous scorer as well. All you need to do is watch this guy play and you realize he’s not going to simply disappear when the big 3 are gone.
I have watched him play he plays great D and can get to the hoop. He is a great passer but he certainly has been helped by Garnett around the basket, a dead eye shooter, and a guy names Ray Allen. His assist numbers are certainly going to be affected by West, Green, and Davis as opposed to Allen, Pierce, and Garnett.
He also really needs to learn to shoot. I he is going to be the star on his team he can not be that flawed at a huge aspect of the game.
If he learns to shoot he’s Derrick Rose. Otherwise, facilitation will always be the bigger part of his game, which is OK in a point guard.
Rondo will never be able to shoot. He’s a physical freak with amazing speed and ball handling skills. He’ll always be able to get to the basket. Give him somebody who can finish near the rim and they’ll be unstoppable. Even with the 45-year-old 450-pound Shaq (earlier in the season), you saw what he could be. Unfortunately Jeff Green and Big Baby don’t fit the bill.
I think Jeff Green could fit well with Rondo. As for baby? Not so much.
That was way below the belt J-bone. Comparing Boston and Detroit is as ridiculous as comparing Tom Brady to Eli Manning. One pisses excellence in the morning and the other represents bumbling ineptness at its highest level.
Haha that one got a laugh.
Ummm you may want to take a look at what the Pistons did in the 2004, 05, and 06 and compare that to the Celtics. Its pretty damn similar.
If winning one championship is pissing excellence then what is the Lakers and Spurs?
Perhaps it was unfair of me to compare Detroit to Eli, as you’re correct they have had more success. Pissing excellence is winning multiple championships (ie Brady, Montana, etc ). Bumbling ineptness is running around a football field like a scared little girl and throwing a jump ball to toooooo tall Jones for a super bowl win (ie Eli )
Maybe I missed this Celtics team second championship, but I am pretty sure they only locked down one.
The Celtics won the NBA finals the last 4 years.
Yes, one.
I am just not sure what the analogy is here. I compared the Celtics to the Pistons, both went to 2 finals, won 1 and had a 3 or 4 year window and was told that was a bad comparison.
Instead comparing the 1 win Celtics to the 1 win Pistons is more like Eli’s 1 vs Brady 3? huh?
I was alluding to the regional histories not the past few years and the opportunity to trash Eli, whom you didn’t /can’t defend
Can’t defend.
I have an will defend him when it is anywhere close to relevant about what is being talked about or has anything to do with what is going on today.
That was an awful failed analogy that made little to no sense. This celtics team most closely resemble that pistons team of any team of the last 20 years. Sorry if you don’t like it, bashing eli is not gonna change that fact
But it’s a very effective coping mechanism for me.
Sorry to have changed the subject, taken a meaningful jab at Eli and to have offended you. I’m in the city today, so how about I buy you an mgd 64 to make amends?
Haha. Make sure you get him a 16 ounce and not a 22 ounce.
All true. But if they hadn’t whistled James Jones for fouling Ray Allen when he caught Lebron’s ‘oops’ whirlybird turnover with 15 seconds left, then Allen goes in for an uncontested layup and the Celtics probably win by 2. That’s how close this series is to being 2-2. And then, who knows?
can say that about the Knicks series too.
Good point.
right, every close game is like that. the good teams win them, the bad teams don’t. hopefully the c’s will leave it all out on the floor in game 5 and not embarrass themselves like the lakers against the mavs.
I hate the Celtics. They tore my heart out yesterday in that game, and I wasn’t even watching it. I was here in the confines of the law school library watching a game cast with no footage, just the scores. I knew as soon as we went to overtime it was over. Screw you KG.
But KG is so intense!
He’ll still eat your heart out.
It’s not KG’s fault.
Other then game three he has played pretty poorly and has been embarassed more then a few times.
if miami wins the next game the sixers become the celtics equal.. only with more potential.
…how do you figure?
The sixers managed to win one game against the heat, the celtics managed to win one againast the heat.
The sixers are not made up of a collection of 30 year olds.