Boston Celtics, New York Knicks - NBA teams which will benefit from a shortened season: Part 3
Boston Celtics:
Boston Celtics probably have only one or two more shots left at the title as their “Big Three” Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce are 35, 34 and 36 years old respectively and are likely going to retire soon.
And what’s even worse is that Garnett’s and Allen’s contracts are due to expire at the end of this season that might force them to early retirement. Maybe this will be the last time; the trio will be performing together. We all
know how tough it is for teams to bounce back immediately after suffering losses of such immensely talented individuals so I am of a view, shortened season will aid Celtics big time to have one last shot at glory with current set of Rosters.
If all the three perform like they have been doing over the years, there is absolutely no doubt Celtics will claim the title and with a shortened season and lesser games, they are probably going to come totally fresh in every game
increasing chances of better performance in every game.
Last season, we saw how the old legs eventually ran out of fuel as the season headed forward. With 50 games now, pressure will be less and will help the veterans mentally too.
New York Knicks:
For the first time in many years, New York Knicks look like strong contenders for championship after being blessed with one of the best players in NBA, Carmelo Anthony, Amar’e Stoudemire and Chauncey Billups.
Last season, Knicks performed exceptionally well despite the fact, they were eliminated in the first round. It was Stoudemire’s and Billups first season with the team and naturally they needed some time to acclimatize with the
new team. Billups only managed to feature in a single game because of his late inclusion in the team.
However required chemistry developed within the players in a year’s time and this time, they will be more threatening. New York Knicks would be heavily relying on the trio to carry the team forward as remaining players in the team
are still not too impressive. Loss against Celtics last season that knocked the team out of league was because Stoudemire and Billups did not perform as they were expected which shows the importance of these players in the team.
Both these players have history of injuries that has kept them out of the game for long. With shortened season and less games, probability of catching injuries will be slashed significantly. And if the trio features in all the
games injury free, there is no reason why New York Knicks would not be reaching at least the conference finals and who knows if they manage to reach there, they might end up claiming the title too.
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