Either you are at least a little bit surprised by what the Boston Celtics have accomplished so far in the playoffs or you weren’t paying attention during the regular season. They won 50 games to finish fourth in the Eastern Conference, but they didn’t earn a lot of style points doing it. Their older players looked really old, the team wasn’t playing with cohesion, and only Rajon Rondo seemed to have taken a step forward from the previous year. Yet here they are. They beat a pretty good Miami team easily, dominated what was widely seen as the best team in the league, and are now in very good shape against the Magic after two games. They’ve faced the toughest path of any team in the playoffs, and come out of it looking brilliant. They have been like a whole new team for bettors as well – they burned bettors’ money by going 33-47-2 ATS during the regular season, but have been a fantastic 10-3 ATS in the playoffs.
This stunning turnaround leads to two obvious questions – how are they doing it, and can they keep doing it? Let’s take a look:
Experience – A team that is stocked with players who have gone all the way in the playoffs before isn’t necessarily going to win it all – they still have to be good enough now. In the case of the Celtics, though, the experience can’t be overlooked. Remarkably, the five starters for the latest game against the Magic were the same five starters that played when the Celtics beat the Lakers to win the NBA title in 2008. Tony Allen and Glen Davis were there as well. Some of the new additions sine that title have championship experience as well – Rasheed Wallace won with Detroit, and Michael Finley was with San Antonio when they won. Of the active players for the Celtics only Nate Robinson, Marquis Daniels, and Brian Scalabrine haven’t played in a championship game, and Scalabrine was with the Celtics but inactive in 2008. This is by far the most experienced team in the East, and that’s making a difference – especially because the core of both Cleveland and Orlando are or were trying to go all the way for the first time.
Rasheed Wallace – Wallace is a controversial character, but when he’s at his best he’s a massive asset. During the season he was often useless and frequently a liability, and the deal he was given seemed like a terrible one. He has flipped a switch in the playoffs, though, and has shown why he is worth all the crap you have to put up with when you have him around. He has done a great job in this Orlando series of frustrating Dwight Howard. Wallace adds a depth and defensive discipline in the front court that is going to be very hard for teams to deal with. Wallace cares right now, and he’s likely to keep caring for the rest of the playoffs. That makes Boston dangerous.
Defense – The cliche is that defense wins championships. If that’s true then they’ll win the East with ease, and have a very good chance of going all the way. They are an elite defensive team, and they are willing to make the sacrifices and commitment required to play strong defense when it matters most. Most importantly, they have the talent to play defense as well.
Depth – There is no surprise on any day who is going to lead the Cavaliers in scoring – or at least who needs to lead the team in scoring if they are going to win a game. The same thing, to a slightly smaller degree, can be said about the Lakers. The Celtics are very lucky, though – there are four players who can lead this team to a win by being the leading scorer on a given night. Pierce, Allen, Garnett and Rondo have all been the leading scorer in playoff wins, and the team is designed around the concept that anyone can carry the load if they get the opportunity. It’s very difficult for an opponent to win a war that they have to fight on four fronts.
Health – More than any other factor, this team is winning because they are healthy. last year they were overwhelmed by injuries, and they couldn’t overcome that. This year the core players are healthy, and the have been for a while now. When you combine the experience, depth and defensive commitment with bodies that are able to do what the players want them to do you have a dangerous combination.
Rajon Rondo – Rondo is the player that is getting the most attention from the media and the public in this playoff run. He deserves it. During the championship run in 2008 Rondo was a role player – he just had to make sure he didn’t make any mistakes. Now he’s the driving force of this team. His points, rebounds, steals and assists are both up over a solid regular season, and he has been fearless in playing against, and outplaying, anyone from the opposing team. He’s been a nightmare matchup, and he’s taking up far too much attention form opposing teams. If Rondo keeps playing like he is – and given that he’s 24 there is no reason to believe that he can’t – then this team has limitless upside.
