Green Eighteen

by Ben Barker

Editorial. Photos by AP News.

This just in: the Boston Celtics are good.

But how good? Are they better than they were during the quest for banner 17? Are they better than the 72-10 Bulls? Could they be the best Celtic team of all time? The answer is yes, yes, yes. If the 2009-2010 Boston Celtics can stay relatively healthy all year, we are going to see something very special happen in the city of Boston.

This became very clear to me while I was standing, cheering and screaming during the Celtics home opener against the Charlotte Bobcats. Paul Pierce took the floor before the game and addressing all of Boston gave a speech. A speech, which in a nutshell said, “Hey guys, we’re going to get you another one.” The Celtics went on to literally dismantle the Bobcats, holding them to 59 points in the contest, the same amount of points that the Patriots scored in week six against the Titans. The Green had 100% complete control over that game. It was like nothing I’d ever seen in a professional sports contest before.

This team has what it takes. The fans know it, the NBA knows it, but most of all, the players know it. Pierce, Garnett, and Allen have all played with each other long enough to know each of their roles on this team. Gone are the days of Paul Pierce taking desperation 3-pointers at the buzzer, because nobody else could be trusted. Gone are the days of rookie mistakes costing the Celtics games that they should have won. Even Rajon Rondo and Kendrick Perkins have been in the league long enough to be considered “young veterans.” It just seems that all of the stars have aligned for our boys in green this season.

While the starting 5 are clearly the heart and soul of this team, the biggest upgrade from last year is Boston’s bench. The additions of Marquis Daniels and Rasheed Wallace have allowed Eddie House to become the third option off the bench after being first or second last year. Not to mention Garnett, Wallace, and Perkins providing the most intensity that an NBA court has seen in a long time. I mean that’s just scary.

What the bench has allowed the Celtics to do it play their own game. Rasheed Wallace hasn’t even had to move inside of the paint yet, jacking up three balls with nobody near him. If they do come out on ‘Sheed, Garnett is open down low on the miss-match. Marquis Daniels has been a big presence too, taking a load off of Eddie House. Now that Daniels can control the points, Eddie too gets to stand on the perimeter and do what he does best: shoot.

The Celtics may not win 72 games this year, they may not even win 62 games. But what they will do is clear. The Boston Celtics are going to make a very strong push to win their second NBA Championship in the last 3 years, and they have all of Boston behind them, including Red.