From top to bottom, the easy games are few to none. Each West foe presents its own unique challenge. Here’s a snapshot of the Celtics’ matchups with each ballclub out West:
Dallas Mavericks: The Mavs have a lot of weapons, and the Celtics need to contain them all straight up. Kevin Garnett draws the toughest assignment, having to take on Dirk Nowitzki, but every Celtic will have a challenge, from Rajon Rondo guarding Jason Kidd to Ray Allen taking on old UConn buddy Caron Butler. The C’s need to be prepared for the Mavs’ solid, efficient offensive attack.
Denver Nuggets: This one’s tough to plan for. If Carmelo Anthony is still around, then the whole team will be focused on stopping him — but if not, then the Nuggets will devolve into a sloppy, inefficient team. The C’s should use Rondo’s athleticism to capitalize on every Denver slip-up. Expect 20-plus points and five steals from the All-Star point guard.
Golden State Warriors: The Warriors are built around active, athletic guard play. Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry are a handful for anyone. But Rondo and Allen are up to the task, and the Warriors don’t have the bigs to match up with KG or Shaquille O’Neal. This is a solid matchup for the Celtics.
Houston Rockets: This is a matchup where Jermaine O’Neal can shine, as an active big man that can defend Yao Ming. But aside from Yao, the Rockets are horribly undersized — Shaq and the rest of the C’s offensive weapons can pound the ball inside in the right situations.
Los Angeles Clippers: If Blake Griffin is as good as he’s looked this preseason, it’ll take an entire team effort to stop him. But the Celtics’ calling card is their team defense, and KG will rise to the occasion to lead the C’s against the Clippers’ standout rookie. Meanwhile, the Clips’ defense has holes, and the Celtics will be able to get open shots if they work together.
Los Angeles Lakers: The Celtics lost the Finals because they didn’t have enough bigs to handle the trifecta of Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom. They addressed that problem in the offseason by bringing in the “O’Neal brothers” — but will it be enough? We’ll have to wait and see.
Memphis Grizzlies: The Grizzlies are a high-energy team that generates lots of shots and works hard on the offensive glass. They’ll need young, explosive athletes to hang with this group — expect Rondo to step up and lead the way. Glen Davis and Nate Robinson will have a chance to bring energy off the bench and swing this matchup in Boston’s favor.
Minnesota Timberwolves: The Timberwolves are easily the easiest matchup of the 15, but they still have a few guys that can make plays — most notably Kevin Love, Michael Beasley and the rookie Wesley Johnson. If the Celtics play efficient, unselfish team basketball, though, they should be fine. They’re the older, wiser team in this matchup.
New Orleans Hornets: There’s no tougher matchup in the game for Rondo than Chris Paul. The Celtics’ point guard won’t be able to take a possession off in this one. He’s got to do everything in his power to slow Paul down, not let him score, and not let him make plays. If Rondo has a big game, though, the Hornets are very beatable.
Oklahoma City Thunder: This one’s obvious: Slow down Kevin Durant. Durant killed the Celtics last year, going off for 36 and 37 points in their two meetings, with much of his scoring coming from the free-throw line. The C’s need to stand up to Durant and be physical, but without hacking him. KG will need to shoulder some of this load — and if he fails, he should avoid blaming the refs. It’ll save him 25 grand.
Phoenix Suns: The Suns are another aggressive, high-volume shooting team, led by their aggressive point guard Steve Nash. Even without Amare Stoudemire, the Suns are going to knock down lots of shots, spread the floor, and look for opportunities to drive. Nash still has lots of weapons in his arsenal, and the C’s will need to be on their toes defensively.
Portland Trail Blazers: Brandon Roy is obviously public enemy No. 1, but the Blazers are balanced, and they’re dangerous across the board. Allen will need to handle Roy straight up, because the rest of the Blazers are capable of going off for a big night. LaMarcus Aldridge, Andre Miller and (if healthy) Greg Oden are all tough matchups. This one’s got to be a team effort.
Sacramento Kings: Tyreke Evans is a matchup nightmare — he’s big, he’s physical, he’s fast, and he can score in any number of ways. If Rondo can’t stop the 6-foot-6 Kings guard by himself, then he’ll need Allen or Paul Pierce to step up and give him a hand. The Kings are young and occasionally reckless in their style of play, so the Celtics can force them to make mistakes and outplay them.
San Antonio Spurs: Both teams have an aging Big Three. But do the Spurs have the firepower to match up with the Celtics’ young stars? Do they have an answer for Glen Davis? What about Nate Robinson? There’s no doubting that San Antonio’s starters are among the best in the business, but the Celtics can dip into their deep bench and find a way to outlast these Spurs.
Utah Jazz: The Jazz will play an inside-out brand of basketball led by a former Celtic, big man Al Jefferson. The C’s will look to stop big Al without doubling him — if either KG or one of the O’Neals can handle that task, then the Utah matchup becomes much easier. The other challenge is for Rondo to contain Deron Williams. As anyone who watched the playoffs last spring knows, that’s never easy.
Actually, no one out West is ever easy. The whole conference will be daunting this season, and the Celtics had better be ready.
After all, if the C’s want to return to the Finals and win this time, they’ve got to get past the best of the West. They’ll have all season to learn how.
