Garnett Suspended for Game 2

Boston Celtics PF Kevin Garnett is suspended for game 2 of the Celtics' first round playoff series against the upstart Miami Heat. In a small fight with 40 seconds left in the game Garnett elbowed Heat SF Quentin Richardson in the face which drew the suspension.

The loss of KG obviously hurts the Celtics significantly as they barely escaped game 1 with him in the lineup, without him they may not be so lucky.

Returning To Form

The Boston Celtics are emerging. A playoff quality win tonight in Dallas tells me they're getting ready for another push to the finals.

Two weeks ago it looked like the C's were headed to a nursery home, never mind the postseason. A major reason for the reemergence is Paul Pierce. The Captain is averaging 23.4 PPG in his last 5 games and he's stretching the floor for Kevin Garnett and Kendrick Perkins down low.

Pierce playing well is going to do some damage but for any hope at the title Kevin Garnett is going to need to step it up. It's pretty clear that his knee is still greatly hindering his athleticism but he still needs to knock down that 15 foot jumper that he has made his name off of. His defensive production hasn't dropped too much but he has been basically useless offensively. That needs to change.

Here's why the Celtics were so successful in the past. They would be in a moderately close game (6-8 point lead) and then they would go on a massive 15-2 run and blow it open. With shooters Paul Pierce and Ray Allen, defenses couldn't rotate fast enough to cover both.

The most important thing however is the defensive tenacity. Tonight the Celtics played with the effort they showed in the 07-08 championship season. In tonight's win against the Mavericks KG had 5 steals, that type of defense is what it takes to win a title.

Right now it looks as if the Celts are going to be running into the Heat in the first round and my only concern is that the Heat will not be taken seriously. For the last two years the Celtics have been in two unnecessarily long 7 game series', first against the Atlanta Hawks and then in the following year against the Chicago Bulls. The key is not to let the worse team believe they can play with you. Once you give a team hope amazing upsets can happen. The Celtics need to jump on the Heat (or Bobcats) early and then keep their foot on their throat. Never let the team gain confidence. Once a team gets something going amazing things happen, shots start falling, and all of a sudden they get their hands in the passing lanes. Before you know you're locked in a dogfight for your playoff lives.

Hopefully the Celtics have learned from their past mistakes. If they have not, they are doomed for another first round gauntlet.

As they regain their health and their championship swagger I see the Celtics making a very strong push for the big stage in June. The pieces are in place, now all they need is the desire. I don't know if the Celtics still have it in them, but I sure can't wait to find out.

Time to Blow Up the Big 3?

Heading into the All-Star break the Celtics sit in the fourth seed with a 32-18 record. This was a team that I thought was good enough to win a championship, I obviously miscalculated. At this juncture it's pretty clear that the Big 3 is aging, very quickly. Ray Allen's three point percentage is 33%, that's horrible considering he shot 40% just last season. Kevin Garnett still brings that fire and intensity which is amazing to watch, but he's no longer dependable for a double double every night. Paul Pierce is the one who really hasn't dropped off that much, he's still producing solid numbers night in and night out.

Breaking them up makes sense, as it stands, this team is good enough to be a very dangerous team in the East. But they're not good enough to seriously contend for a title. Back in the early 90's the Celtics held onto the original Big 3 (Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and Robert Parish) for a few years too long. The result was having to go through an entire decade without a competitive team. That's what is going to happen again if they keep this nucleus together too long.

Despite their age and declining level of play many teams would be interested in both Garnett and Allen. They should try to package them to get a superb young talent to play alongside Rajon Rondo for years to come. The first name that jumps to mind is Kevin Durant but I don't think the Thunder would trade him for anyone. The next name that pops up is Brandon Roy, now that's a real possibility.

It all depends on how the rest of the league views Kevin Garnett. They could still view him as a force in the league, or they could see him as a superstar reaching the end of his career.

If a blockbuster is out of the question, then at the very least they need to trade Ray Allen. His mammoth of a contract expires at the end of this season, and considering his recent play I have a hard time seeing the Celtics sign him back. It makes sense to get something back for him instead of losing him for nothing.

If I were in Danny Ainge's seat right now I would try to get my hands on O.J Mayo. I'm not sure how exactly they're going to be able to do that but him and Rondo would be a fantastic duo who could play together for years and years. Maybe they could try to do something like this:

Grizzlies get: Ray Allen, Randy Foye

Celtics get: O.J. Mayo, Mike Miller

Wizards get: Zach Randolph

Here's why this makes sense. The Grizzlies get rid of Zach Randolph's big contract, while taking on Ray Allen's expiring contract. That means that 18.7 million dollars would be coming off the books after this season. That gives them sufficient funds to make a run at LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, or any other upcoming free agent.

It makes sense for the Celtics because they get a great young player in O.J. Mayo while also acquiring a sharpshooter in Mike Miller.

The Wizards would gain a formidable big man down low. There are many rumors right now concerning Brandon Haywood. If he were to be traded, this would be a major upgrade in Washington.

You may have noticed that I left Paul Pierce out of the trade consideration. Pierce stuck with the Celtics through miserable seasons, he deserves the respect to not be traded, and end his career in Boston. Loyalty is a big deal, Pierce is one of those guys who just simply can't be traded. He's like Tim Duncan in that way. The fans would absolutely flip if they saw one of the greatest Celtics ever in another jersey. Also, Pierce is still producing so trading him makes little sense right now.

There's no doubt that breaking up the Big 3 would cause the Celtics to be much less successful in the next 2 years. But what it really comes down to is this. Are the Celtics satisfied with just being a good team, with little championship hopes. Or are they willing to sacrifice the next year or two for a better chance to win multiple championships down the line.

The Celtics aren't done yet. They could still turn this season around. I just have a hard time seeing them beat the Cavs, Magic, or Hawks in a seven game series. For that reason breaking up the Big 3 makes a lot of sense.

Well It's official, The Celtics Are Already Bored With The Regular Season

Regardless of their record, ever since thrashing the Bulls 118-90 back in October, the Celtics have been playing poorly to say the least. Most nights they are so much better than the other team that it won't matter, but against teams like the Hawks and the Suns you have to show up like it's a playoff game.

Some people may think that the Celtics are playing bad because Rasheed Wallace doesn't fit, or because the big 3 is getting too old, or even because they're not as good as advertised. The real reason is that they're horribly bored and can't wait to get these next 73 games out of the way to get to the playoffs. Read their body language, some nights the entire team doesn't look in the least bit interested.

Kevin Garnett, the most intense basketball player I've ever seen isn't bringing anywhere near the hunger to win which he has brought in years past. He looks as if he's going through the motions and the rest of the team is following suit. When Garnett originally went to Boston he changed the entire culture of the Celtics with his intensity and defensive prowess. Look at Kendrick Perkins before and after the arrival of KG. Garnett has turned Perkins into an intense, and slightly meniacal defender just like him. But as Garnett has stopped bringing that desire every night and as a result so has the rest of the team.

This is going to be a recurring theme all year as the Celtics will continue to play like this until they find the motivation to play better. The Celtics think they can turn it on whenever they want but it's not like you can just flip a switch and all of a sudden play well. That is the only concerning aspect of this, that the Celtics will play like this for too long and put themselves in a bad position once the playoffs roll around. Still, I strongly feel that the Celtics are going to win the title this year, barring injuries. This team is built for the playoffs and more specifically a championship.

There's good news for the Celtics in all of this, April 14th is right around the corner.

Anything Is Possible

Celtics' superstar PF Kevin Garnett appears to be healthy heading into the 2009-10 NBA season. The rest of the league is currently in a group voodoo session, from where I'm sitting that's just about all they can do at this point.

It is no secret to any NBA fan that KG has the most intensity of anyone in the league, maybe ever. If any of you saw him on the Celtics' bench in the playoffs, you will have seen that he was a ticking time bomb. And now that time bomb is about to explode. Expect KG to come into this season hungrier and with more emotion than ever. After injuring his knee, KG has probably come to the realization that his career is not going to go on forever, and he's going to take advantage of the time he has left.

Have you ever seen KG at the end of a play when someone on the other team takes a shot heading into a timeout or a dead ball? Well KG jumps up and either catches it or blocks it from going in EVERY time. This is just an example of the grit that Garnett brings to the floor every night. Nobody I've ever seen gets up for each and every game like Garnett does. The heart with which KG plays is a model that every young basketball player should try to imitate.

After missing so much time and feeling the pain which the sidelines brings, expect KG to be hitting his head even harder off the basket support before games. And expect him to be once again hoisting the Larry O'Brien Trophy in June at the expense of the Lakers.

NBA All-Time Starting 5

When talking about the best players ever the argument will undoubtedly come up, "If you had to make one team of all time players who would you pick?". There is no correct answer to this question, so many guys have such a strong case to be made that no matter what, many great players will be snubbed. Here is my all-time team, just a reminder, this is 5 guys that would be the best team, not necessarily the best players ever at their respective positions. 

Point Guard- John Stockton

In his best years Stockton was a high double double point guard who played good defense and could knock down the big shot. Many would probably expect to see Magic or Isiah here but this team needs a point guard who will run the offense for the star player and not look for his own shot and his own spotlight as Magic or Isiah would.

Shooting Guard- Michael Jordan (C)

Jordan is the best ever, plain and simple. Jordan and his Bulls flat out embarrassed the NBA after Jordan returned from his baseball sabbatical. Including the 1995-96 season where the Bulls went 72-10 and started their second three peat with a championship over Shawn Kemp, and Gary Payton's Seattle Supersonics (Now Oklahoma City Thunder) . Jordan is the catalyst on this team as most of the offense will come from him, many isolation plays would be run for him and he would pretty much have free roam to do whatever he wants.

Small Forward- Larry Bird

Bird is probably the smartest basketball player ever and his unselfishness led his Celtics to three championship titles. The reason why Bird is on this team is because he is a great three point shooter who would be perfectly content with not being the number one option on offense.

Power Forward- Kevin Garnett (C)

KG's defensive prowess is unparalleled, every single night KG leaves it all out on the floor like a championship game, who wouldn't put a player like that on their team? Along with the fact that he can put up 20 and 10 every night, nobody could pass that up. The one and only reason why he doesn't average very high numbers on the Celtics is because they blow out teams so badly that he only ends up playing about 30 minutes which is not enough time to get big numbers. What Garnett brings to this team is his intensity, on this team he will be the emotional anchor defensively, and nobody  will play lazy with KG around to tell them about it.

Center- Hakeem Olajuwon

Olajuwon won two NBA titles in the mid 90's (Jordan was retired at the time) and he is a dominant low post scorer and rebounder. Hakeem is what ties this team all together, his ability to draw double teams in the post opens everything up for Stockton, Jordan, and Bird. 

Notable Snubs: 

Wilt Chamberlain: Wilt's numbers are off the chart, but I'm a firm believer that if he were to be put in the NBA today he would not be anywhere near the force that he was in his day. All of the players on this team would be great players in any era.

Bill Russell: Russell's 11 championships are hard to ignore but he falls under the same category as Chamberlain, he would not be a great player in the 80's, early 90's, or today. He (and Chamberlain) would still be very good players and all-stars but they wouldn't be able to carry a team by any means.

Magic Johnson: Magic was snubbed because I don't believe that he could play alongside Jordan. Magic creates for his teammates but this team revolves around MJ and I'm not convinced that Magic would be able to deal with not being the guy who handles the ball for the majority of the game.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: Kareem was snubbed not because of anything he did, it's just that I'm a big fan on determination and Garnett's is too strong to pass up.

Oscar Robertson: The Big "O" is nothing short of phenominal, averaging a triple double for a full season is magical but he, like Magic, would not fit well around Jordan.

Davis Re-Signs with Celtics

Emerging PF Glen "Big Baby" Davis is going to be staying in Boston for the time being. Davis signed a two- year, 6 million dollar contract to stay with the Celtics. Davis was stellar in the absence of the injured Kevin Garnett during the 2009 playoffs and many believe that his star is still rising. 

Biggest Rivalries Heading into the 2009-2010 Season

Here are the biggest rivalries with bad blood between them heading into next season.

 

1. Bulls vs. Celtics

After the classic seven game series in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs the Bulls and Celtics are undoubtedly the two teams with the most bad blood between them. Rajon Rondo will be booed for the rest of his career in the United Center and likewise for Kirk Hinrich in the TD Banknorth Garden. By game 5 during their epic series a flagrant foul had become a normality, that's when you know that these two teams are hot for each other. There are emotional players on each side, KG for the Celtics and Joakim Noah for the Bulls. And don't think that Brad Miller has forgotten about Rondo's bitch slap in game 5. Don't be surprised to see Rajon hitting the floor hard at the hands of Brad Miller.

 

2. Celtics vs. Lakers

The Celtics and Lakers have been bitter rivals going all the way back to the Russell\Chamberlain era. The players have changed but the rivalry has remained the same. It is my personal opinion along with many others that if the Celtics didn't lose KG to injury they would have repeated as NBA champions. Going into the season the Celtics are going to be eager to show that they are still the powerhouse of the Eastern Conference. And God knows they have re-loaded themselves with talent, adding Rasheed Wallace and Marquis Daniels to go along with their already star studded lineup. Assuming that there are no injuries to major players on either teams it is my prediction that they will meet in the championship again and once again the Celtics will come out victorious. A major reason for this is because right now KG is like a land mine ready to explode, he had to watch his team get knocked out in the second round of the playoffs while he could do nothing. Expect Kevin to enter this season hungrier than ever and hitting his head even harder off the Basket support before games. 

 

3. Nuggets vs. Hornets

After the New Orleans Hornets got trounced by 58 points on their home floor I expect them to come into this season eager to show that they are a contender. Once Denver makes their first trip to New Orleans I expect a very physical and emotional game on the Hornets part. If they don't have any different attitude towards Denver then they have no soul and don't deserve to even take the floor. 

 

4. Detroit vs. Cleveland

This rivalry won't attract as much attention as the others but I still believe that there is a strong motivation in the Pistons' mind to disassemble the Cavs this season. Detroit has added the very dangerous and streaky scorer Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva. For the whole decade the Pistons have been at the top of the Eastern Conference and for 8 seasons in a row they were in the Conference Finals. Detroit is going to be looking to enter into the Eastern Conference hierarchy, which consists of the Celtics, Magic, and Cavs. 

 

I love bad blood between teams, it makes for a more interesting and emotional game. And at the same time, the level of competition is unquestionably raised. I look forward to seeing these rivalries develop this season.