Welcome Back

Now all of the fair weather Celtics fans will come back to root this team on as they see that the playoffs is a different animal. I don't understand why everyone abandoned ship just because of a 50 win season and a fourth seed. It was easy to see that this team would come alive in the postseason despite all of the shots taken at them: "too old" "too slow" "they suck". These are some of the many things I heard from all places on the Internet and in real life. I knew that this team just needed to work out the inner chemistry issues, get a little bit healthier, and rally together in the postseason. I will say that they should not have laid down so easy at the end of the season as they abandoned any attempt at the three spot in the Eastern Conference. Yet I understand why they thought it was okay to coast to the end of the season.

This is a team of prideful playoff tested veterans (Finley, Garnett, R. Allen, Pierce, Wallace) up and coming stars (Rondo, Davis, Perkins) and plenty of young talent (Robinson, T. Allen, Daniels). A perfect mix of players creating a team as deep as any in the NBA, but in my mind depth and talent were never the questions surrounding this team. The question is can talent on paper translate to a desire to win and a commitment to selfless basketball. Team defense, ball movement, and a true team effort were what won it all in 2007. As Paul Pierce said "when we are healthy we are the most talented team in league". This is why they laid down at the end of the year, because despite what the entire sports world tells them, the Celtics are not afraid of Cleveland.

Now it is time for Pierce and the Boston Celtics to show us what this team is truly made of. This is only the first round of the playoffs against a weak opponent, and to win at the next level against the Cavaliers the C's will need everyone from Shelden Williams to Rajon Rondo to play at a high level.