Lose weight. Learn to drive stick. Get fluent in Portuguese.
Whatever the goals might be, we've all fallen short before, and it's not a good feeling. But for the Boston Celtics, two years removed from an NBA championship, these plans should be taken seriously. Glory in June depends on being goal-oriented in January. Winning is all about preparation.
With that in mind, what are the C's New Year's resolutions? What does this team need to do better to remain one of the NBA's best?
Here's the top five.
1. Beat the injury bug
This one won't be easy — the Celtics are hurting up and down the roster. Rajon Rondo is still battling a sore hamstring, Paul Pierce still hasn't returned after his recent knee surgery, Kevin Garnett is missing a couple weeks with a hyperextended knee and Marquis Daniels still has a long way to go on his recovery from thumb surgery.
That's four of the C's top seven. Managing a depleted roster presents unique challenges — not only do you need to be cautious with your star players who are on the mend, but you need to seamlessly bring new guys into the rotation, keeping your roster fresh and dynamic. J.R. Giddens, Shelden Williams, Lester Hudson — suddenly these are big names. Doc Rivers has to make sure his lineup is ready to win, no matter what talent he's working with.
2. Travel better
OK, at first glance, this one's crazy. 13-4 on the road is not bad at all. In fact, it's the NBA's best. But there's still room for improvement — just last week, the Celtics got shellacked in three West Coast cities in four days, and the energy just wasn't there. Grueling road trips are the most challenging part of regular-season NBA basketball — and the Celtics have a couple more toughies awaiting them.
The middle of February brings the toughest road trip of them all — West again to Sacramento, the Lakers, Portland and Denver, all in six days. Series like this one will be big — if you can't travel and win now, how will you handle the rigors of a deep playoff run?
3. Work on shot selection
These are the Celtics' NBA ranks in 3-point percentage over the past four seasons: sixth, fifth, first, 15th. They've still got the personnel in Ray Allen and Eddie House, but the dazzling numbers aren't there anymore. And we're past the point this season where we can blame crooked rims and bad bounces. Something needs to be done — the Celtics need to work hard to create better shots. No settling for jumpers anymore. Move, get open, make that extra pass to the open man — when one man creates a better shot, the whole team wins. That's ubuntu in action.
4. Rebound better
Especially on the offensive end, the C's are starting to lag in that department. You know what Rasheed Wallace, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen have in common? They're all averaging career-lows in rebounds per game. KG's not far off — this is his second-worst season, right after his rookie year. Sure, it's a team effort, but the team's stars have to step up. Crashing the offensive glass is crucial to creating second-chance shots, and the Celtics just aren't doing that this year.
5. Pace themselves
This last one's simple but important — it's a long season, and sometimes, the postseason seems even longer. It's not about winning the most games in February and March, or about piling up the gaudiest numbers — it's about being prepared for the long haul. The goal is a championship, and to win one, you've got to have plenty of energy left for June, when the games matter most. Every game counts, but it's the ones at the end that no one ever forgets.
We're months away from seeing any of the Celtics' hard work pay off. But if the C's want to win it all, they had best start working at it now.
