Boston Celtics in 2013 – NBA Championship or is it just a dream?
The Boston Celtics may be looking better than last season to their fans but are they good enough to be the Champions? This is something most neutrals will doubt.
No wonder the inclusion of Jason Terry will strengthen their shooting and bench but you just cannot ignore the fact that they do not have Ray Allen in the side anymore. Even worse, they lost it to their biggest competitor in the
Eastern Conference, Miami Heat.
The reloaded bench, and some new pieces in the roster, will certainly help one of the best starting line ups of the league having Rajon Rondo, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Brandon Bass, but the important detail here will be what
they are up against.
A Miami Heat squad with LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh and now Ray Allen is anything but a rollover. Go even further west and Los Angeles Lakers are already being called one of the best sides on paper and as much as Rondo
undermines their strength, you can never underestimate Dwight Howard, Steve Nash, Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol all in one line up.
It is a sin to say the least.
We are not forgetting that they took Miami Heat to seven games last season and that they are a better side than last year; but the fact of the matter is that their competitors in the leagues have also improved in the off season
and if big names are anything to consider, they have improved more than the Celtics did.
Now a look from the inside. As much as a Celtics fan would hate to appreciate it, it is a fact that the great Paul Pierce is not the same player he used to be or at least he is not the leader of the pack anymore. While KG might
still have a few tricks up his sleeve to stall an approaching end, Pierce will have to find his groove, and find it soon.
The biggest positive for the Celtics however is the emergence of Rajon Rondo as the floor general, which he is and promises to stay that way for a few years to come. But Rondo alone cannot steer the ship to the shore. Celtics will
have to find an all out scorer, and in a perfect world it will have to come in the shape of Pierce if they are to materialize their aspirations of a blast through the play-offs.
The Boston Celtics are a good team no doubt but not the best in the business. Being just good does not win you a championship and a team with the strongest championship legacy should know it more than anyone else.
If Celtics are to move anything beyond a team which reaches the play-offs and then sleeps over it, they need to raise their game. Without that, the stands at TD Garden may be flooded with dreamers of another championship but when
the light goes out the number to remember may yet be 17.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article do not represent Bettor.com’s editorial policy.
Tags: