The 2009-2010 Boston Celtics aren’t the same obviously dominant team that their 2007-2008 incarnation was. For one, the key players (Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce) were all two years younger and supremely motivated to get the monkey off their collective back and add banner 17 to the Garden rafters.
That team dominated the NBA from wire to wire and finished with a 66-16 record. Kevin Garnett was explosive and the NBA Defensive Player Of The Year. Paul Pierce was consistent the entire year but Ray Allen had some struggles during the season & playoffs though he got hot at the perfect time in the postseason.
Rajon Rondo & Kendrick Perkins were considered the weak links even though they provided youth and much needed toughness at the point guard and center positions. NBA analysts and experts felt that either Perkins or Rondo would hinder the Celtics championship aspirations.
Rondo couldn’t shoot (jumpers or free throws) and Kendrick Perkins was limited offensively and a poor free throw shooter as well. What was completely overlooked was their defensive prowess.
The Boston Celtics have a long history of players that didn’t have gaudy stats or had offensive deficiencies that became champions and Hall Of Famers. Rajon Rondo has lived with the knock of not being able to shoot but that sure didn’t stop reputed former non shooters like Bob Cousy, K.C. Jones or Dennis Johnson from earning rings.
What they all had in common was they were lead guards that pushed the tempo, played tough defense and did whatever it took to win the game. I always hear the argument that the Celtics would be better off with Chris Paul, Deron Williams or Derrick Rose at the point guard position. None of them would run this team like Rondo does so you can keep ‘em. Rondo is willing to run into a brick wall to win a game. He’s a Celtic.
Kendrick Perkins is a reputed scowler that when combined with Kevin Garnett makes sure the paint is a no fly zone. Does Perkins get gaudy scoring and rebounding numbers? No. Is he one of the league leaders in blocked shots and does he have a league wide reputation as a tough defender? Absolutely. The Boston Celtics are known for their scowling defensive minded men in the middle.
Bill Russell began the tradition followed by Dave Cowens, Robert Parish and now Kendrick “The Hulk” Perkins. Also keep in mind that Russell (6’9”), Cowens (6’9”) and Perkins (6’10”) were all undersized and still played 7’ footers extremely tough.
Desire, tenacity, willingness to sacrifice for the betterment of the team,sheer will and mental toughness don’t show up in stat sheets, only in the win column. These parallels between past and present Celtic players aren’t accidents or coincidences. The Boston Celtics aren’t in the business of producing All Stars or media darlings, just NBA champions.
This Celtics team started out the season 25-3 but finished 27-27 in the new year for a disappointing 52-30 overall record. They looked old, lethargic and lost for those four months leading up to the playoffs. The new roster additions of Rasheed Wallace, Marquis Daniels, Nate Robinson & Michael Finley had yet to make a significant impact.
They limped into 4th place in the East and it was widely thought that they wouldn’t last past the opening round. Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen & Paul Pierce were showing their age and noticeable signs of wear and tear from a league high 204 games the previous two seasons (2008 & 2009).
Out of nowhere, the Celtics managed to get it together and play defense and team basketball the way the fans were accustomed to seeing. It was as if all they needed was to get to the postseason before they kicked it into high gear and played with the much needed urgency and defensive intensity necessary to dominate elite teams and win. I wonder if anything like this has ever happened before to a Celtics squad? Hmm.
The point I’m making is you ever wonder why so many past Celtics greats still hang around the franchise? You ever wonder why the Celtics covet so many players but let ones go that seem like they’re obviously better or more talented? There are some attributes and intangibles that make for winners and champions that trump talent and even skill in some cases.
Many questioned the Celtic brass for keeping Rajon Rondo and Kendrick Perkins out of all the talented players they stockpiled before the Ray Allen trade and Kevin Garnett deal. I overstood that they simply knew something everyone else didn’t.
One.
