The Boston Celtics: A Team Built On Paper
February 25, 2010 by Nick Gelso
As 2010 is unfolding, it’s become more and more apparent that the championship of 2008 is a distant memory and now added to the long list of Celtics championship lore. Chapter 17 is now the final chapter of a book that has spanned five generations and fifty years of NBA basketball.
Bill Russell, Bob Cousy and Tom Heinsohn are now mythic figures. John Havlichek, Dave Cowens and Jo Jo White are now simply highlights of three overtimes in the finals and the proud memories of the 70′s championships. Bird, Parish, McHale, Ainge and DJ are the fab five of the 80′s and, in many ways (combined with that team out west), the saviors of the league. The book has closed on chapters 1 thru 16 in the Celtics bible.
With the departure of Eddie House, the 2010 Celtics are one step closer to turning the page on chapter 17. As we look to re-open the championship book to start wetting the ink on 18, things are quite different.
The New Big Three is quickly turning into the Old Big Three as Rondo and Perkins are starting to take over the leadership roles of the franchise. Can Garnett, Pierce and Allen accept a role similar to that of Perkins and Rondo in 2008? We will creep one step closer to the answer as the Celtics suit up this evening with Pierce likely out of the line-up and Garnett unable to play effectively for 4 quarters.
Ray Allen.
Yes, Ray Ray. The guy many fans thought was necessary to trade is now the main weapon on offense, facing a Cavs team stacked with offensive potency. In the latest episode of the Celtics Late Night Show, I stated the case that the Cavs are the favorites to win it all this season. Though I felt that way last year and was forced to retract it, I am standing up for the Cavs again and putting my face at risk once more for mud to be thrown at it in the playoffs. I can only hope I will be in a puddle of mud this spring and the Cavs are again going on an early vacation.
The regular season is often a distant memory once the playoffs commence. In a season where the Celtics have went 1-3 again Orlando and 0-4 against Atlanta, I am making the statement that tonight’s square off against the number one team in the Eastern Conference is more than just a regular season game. Tonight will offer as a testament to the Celtics determination to show that they are still a team of the elite caliber.
The Celtics have mustered an unimpressive 16-9 home record and with the that, TD Garden has lost about as much of it’s mystique as the 2010 team did in January going 6-8. It wasn’t until January that the bottom fell out. With the Celtics pitching a 4-0 October, 10-4 November, 10-4 December, the team looked to be on pace to match their previous two season’s records. Even through an impressive 24-8 record, their were signs of the green paint cracking and chipping away as every win became less convincing and mediocre team’s started to bust through the Celtics defense. The high five’s and smiling celebrations had waned. Even I miss the Celtic-Swagger and am waiting for it’s re-emergence.
Through the dismal month of January, the coaching staff looked befuddled and unable to provide answers for the 
Celtics lack of fire, intensity and shocking loss of cohesion– a hallmark of the 2008 and 2009 squads. Injuries crept their way back into the line-up as well as Garnett, Pierce, Daniels, Davis and Wallace all missed multiple games. When fifty percent of your roster is decimated by injuries, chemistry may become a likely issue as the roster is in constant flux.
On paper you can look at the 2010 roster, analyze it and see that it can stand up against the 2008 championship team. The Celtics are deeper, more versatile and more experienced. Yet their 36-19 record does not translate over to the paper mansion Danny Ainge assembled in the off-season.
As the Celtics have resurfaced 4-1 on their annual west coast trip, the paper mansion is beginning to redevelop as the green paint that was chipped up in January.
Swagger? Not yet.
Cohesion? Slightly more.
Mystique? No way.
Tonight, as King James enters our realm, the Celtics can take one step further in patching up those cracks that January left behind. They can emerge from this heavy weight bout finally providing some answers and leaving the Cavs with some questions of their own regarding their toughness and fire.
Tonight is another chance for the Celtics to prove they can still beat the eastern elite. They can show the league that Celtic-Pride is still alive and give the fans a reason to get off of their hands. They can prove that the 2010 team is not a paper mansion comprised of impressive career stats by guys past their prime and unwilling to accept a lesser role.
Go Celtics!
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February 25, 2010 at 6:05 pm | Lee Herman
I would settle for quiet confidence in lieu of swagger at this point.
February 26, 2010 at 9:49 am | Nick Gelso
me too.