Allen’s 14.8 points per game are a sign of progress for Boston, not regression for the veteran sharpshooter. He still ranks second on the team in scoring — behind Paul Pierce, whose points also are down a notch at 18.1 — and leads the club in minutes at 34.8 per game. It’s the fewest minutes Allen has logged since the 1998-99 season.
The Celtics don’t need Allen to score as many points or play as many minutes as he has in the past. They are deeper than Cornell West breaking down race relations and have shown more flexibility than a Chinese gymnastics team.
This doesn’t mean the Big Three will be planning a farewell tour anytime soon. Allen, Pierce and Kevin Garnett remain essential cogs in the Celtics’ machine, but they no longer have to be the sole bread winners. With the addition of Rasheed Wallace and the the continued development of Rajon Rondo, Boston has plenty of weapons to share the responsibility and carry the burden that comes with chasing a championship.
In fact, everyone on the Celtics’ roster — except Kendrick Perkins — is averaging fewer points than they did last season. Still, the team has five players averaging 10 or more points per game. And over their first nine games, they’ve had five different leading scorers. Yet none of them has posted more than 27 points.
The Celtics’ success doesn’t hinge on one player dropping 30 every game. They aren’t built around one superstar — a Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony or Dwyane Wade. If one of those players has an off night or gets locked down, the odds of winning diminishes for the Lakers, Cavaliers, Nuggets or Heat.
The Celtics don’t have that problem. Opposing defenses can’t just key on one player wearing green and white. Coaches can’t devise a game plan or defensive scheme that focuses on bottling up one scorer. If Allen’s jumper isn’t falling, Pierce can pick up the slack. If Pierce is missing the mark, Rondo will push the action. If Rondo is struggling, Wallace can lend a hand. If Wallace is off, Eddie House has game. If House is cold, Perkins can drop the hammer.
On any given night, a different player can step up and lead the Celtics to victory. Stop one player. Another one introduces himself. They are like big waves at Pipeline in Hawaii — they just keep coming and coming and coming. There’s no end.
The Celtics have a balanced attack, the kind of offense that could be included as a chapter on a training video teaching the fundamentals of basketball: “Share the Rock, Reap the Rewards.”
Doc Rivers doesn’t have to rely on one horse to win the race. In the early going of the season, he has used a nine-man rotation — Rondo, Allen, Pierce, Garnett, Perkins, Wallace, House, Marquis Daniels and Shelden Williams. The lowest scorer of the group is Daniels, who’s averaging 6.3 points per game.
When Glen Davis returns, Rivers will have 10 players at his disposal, and the Celtics’ second unit probably could beat some starting fives. Not too many teams have that kind of depth. Not too many teams can afford to sit their big guns for extended periods of time.
The Celtics have that luxury, and it could pay big dividends once the calendar turns to 2010. Provided everyone stays healthy, all those thirty-something legs will be rested and fresh come playoff time.
In other words, beware of Ray Allen and Boston.
