Top Five Seeds in Eastern Conference for 2012-13 NBA Season (Part 2) – NBA Feature
Boston Celtics: Seeded 2
The Boston Celtics have been the most consistent team in the Eastern Conference for the past five seasons. They won the NBA championship in the 2007-08 NBA season, the first season after Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen were acquired by the Celtics to pair with Paul Pierce and form the Celtics “Big Three”, the first big three of the modern era. Since then, the Celtics have been regulars in the Eastern Conference Finals, and lost to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals this past season as well. The Celtics have been title contenders over the past few years but had one major issue to contend with, their team core was getting old. But smartly, the Celtics made the transition from the big three era to the Rajon Rondo era.
Rondo is the Celtics current point guard and one of the best in the league at his position. Over the past few seasons, the Celtics have slowly given more and more control to Rondo as they continued to develop him into the team leader. And Rondo exceeded the team expectations to the point that he is not only regarded as one of the best guards in the league, but has also emerged as the team leader of the Celtics.
The rise of Rondo has given the Celtics hope that their future is secure beyond the big three era, and that they can add pieces around Rondo to build a contender once Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce retire. However, both Garnett and Pierce are very much active at the moment and will be two key players in the Celtics squad next season. Despite their age, both Garnett and Pierce continue to lead their respective team, while at the same time, playing extended minutes.
Last season, the Celtics faced injury issues and in a lockout shortened season with a rough schedule, Garnett and Pierce still played thirty plus minutes on a regular basis. To add to that, Garnett averaged 15.8 points and 8.2 rebounds last season where as Paul Pierce averaged 19.4 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game. Along with Rondo, these two players form the new core of the team and have more than enough talent between themselves to give any team a run for their money on any given day.
The exciting part about the Celtics next season, however, is not their team core. The core has been there for the past 5 seasons and barring the 2007-08 season, the Celtics have not managed to win an NBA championship. This time around, the Celtics have something that they did not have before, something which can take their team to the top seed in the Eastern Conference as well if things work for them. And that something is support from beyond the core.
The Celtics team for 2012-13 is looking better than any Celtics roster in the past five years, with young guns making a return and some veterans adding the pedigree. Jeff Green was acquired by the Celtics in the 2010-2011 season from the Oklahoma City Thunder, where he averaged 15.2 points and 5.6 rebounds per game in that season. After playing only 26 games for the Celtics in the 2010-2011 season, Green missed the whole of the 2011-12 season with a heart condition. After recovering well from heart surgery, Green is making his comeback this year and looking forward to returning to top form in the NBA.
In the first five preseason games for the Celtics, Green averaged 13.4 points and 3.4 rebounds while going 50 percent from the field and 41.7 percent from the distance. He is going to give the Celtics the speed, athleticism and hustle they need in the front court. Similarly, Avery Bradley has been another great find for the Celtics, carrying out shooting guard duties so well for the team last season in the absence of Ray Allen that Head Coach Doc Rivers decided to continue with him even after Allen had recovered from the injury. Bradley will give the support Rondo requires in the back court and replace Allen in the team.
Already having a commendable roster for next season, the Celtics added Jason Terry and Courtney Lee to the team in the offseason. Terry is a great combo guard who has made a reputation for himself as a 6th man in the league, and last played with the Dallas Mavericks where he helped them win the 2010-11 NBA championship.
Courtney Lee is a talented shooting guard who has the ability to make his own plays and score consistently. By adding these two players, the Celtics have strengthened their back court for next season, giving them multiple scoring options and making them a formidable team. The Celtics probably have the second seed on lock for next season, provided Miami are able to stay ahead of them.
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