Reality Not as Stark as Celtics Nation Seems to Think

by

Feb 2, 2010

Reality Not as Stark as Celtics Nation Seems to Think Take a good look at some of the headlines that donned the Boston sports pages on Monday morning.


Hardly the Sight for Fans’ Sore Eyes.

Are Celtics Still Contenders?

Getting Cold Outside.

Celtics Can’t Handle Hawks, Which Doesn’t Bode Well for Postseason. (That one’s from us at NESN.com.)

And here’s the most ridiculous: Rumor: Danny Shopping Ray.

Taken together, they spell one general sentiment present across much of Celtics Nation: Fear. Indeed, a poll on CelticsBlog.com shows only 18 percent now believe the Celtics will win the NBA title this season.

No doubt, that fear is justified — to an extent.

Kevin Garnett
, for one, looks hobbled. I have a mini-stroke every time Rajon Rondo lobs him an alley-oop (seriously, does Rondo not understand that the old man’s knees just aren’t capable of that any more? Or at least not at this point in his recovery).

Ray Allen, meanwhile, is shooting 34 percent from beyond the arc (he’s 40 percent lifetime) and missed badly on a potential game-winner against the Lakers, raising concerns that, at 34 years old, he’s in the steeper portion of his decline (hence the insane suggestions that Danny Ainge could trade him).

Rondo is still shooting 60 percent from the free-throw line.

And last, Boston is 7-11 over its last 18 games and has now been swept by the Hawks, a potential playoff opponent.

There's reason for some concern, certainly. But here’s some perspective-taking: We’re only halfway through the NBA season. Much can — and will — change between now and the postseason. Other teams will suffer injuries; confidence and momentum will shift a number of times; clubs will trade places in the seedings.

As for the Celtics, those problems above can be addressed in reverse order.

Yes, the Hawks have Boston’s number. They’ve not only won; they have won convincingly, by an average of 8.5 points. If the Celts face Atlanta in the playoffs, they’re probably sunk — too much speed from the Hawks, and not enough confidence from the C’s.

But as it stands now, that’s not a problem. Boston and Atlanta will likely finish third and fourth, respectively, in which case their first possible matchup wouldn’t be until the conference finals. Same deal if they finish second and fourth.

Getting too hung up on the Hawks, in other words, is a bit silly. It’s one team.

Second, Rondo’s free-throw-shooting problem is a non-issue, as far as I’m concerned. If teams want to use Hack-a-Rondo, that’s fine. They’ll find themselves in foul trouble, and Rondo will knock down enough freebies to justify driving to the hoop.

And regardless, Rondo will continue to drop double-doubles on his opponents. Check out the youngster’s line on the season: 14 points, 9.7 assists, 4.3 rebounds, 2.4 steals. I think Boston can deal with a sub-par free-throw percentage.

As for Allen, let’s face it: He’s streaky. Do we forget how awful he was in the first two rounds of the 2008 playoffs before erupting against Detroit and Los Angeles en route to a championship? And for all this buzz about Allen missing the buzzer-beater against the Lakers on Sunday, he had come through in a similar situation just more than a week before against Portland, drilling a 3 with 42 seconds left in overtime to take that game 98-95.

In other words, lighten up a bit on Allen. He’s like Dustin Pedroia: When he slumps, he slumps hard. As soon as Allen comes out of it, he’s the greatest 3-point shooter of all time. That’s worth the wait.

KG, finally, simply needs time to heal.

“The only way they’re going to get back is to keeping them on the floor and letting them play through it,” Doc Rivers said of KG, Tony Allen and Glen Davis, all recovering from injuries. “Unfortunately while you’re doing that, your team is going to struggle a little bit.”

Garnett, despite those struggles, is still averaging about 14 points and 5.8 boards in limited minutes over the six games since his return. Even if those numbers improve only incrementally as KG’s knee progresses, you’re looking at a still-dominant one-two punch underneath of Garnett and Kendrick Perkins.

And keep in mind: Even with injuries weighing them down, the C’s went head-to-head with the Lakers, the best team in basketball, losing on a last-second shot that probably wouldn’t fall two times out of 10.

So give it time, Celtics Nation. There’s still an All-Star break and 36 games of basketball to be played. Boston, if nothing else, will be in the postseason as a top-four seed. If they C's are healthy, anything can happen from there.

Previous Article

Capitals’ Mike Knuble Fondly Recalls Formative Years With Bruins

Next Article

Jets Fine Coach Rex Ryan $50,000 for Obscene Gesture

Picked For You