The Missing Piece

Game 1: Eastern Conference Quarterfinals

The Boston Celtics finished the regular season as the best defensive team in the league (in terms of points allowed per game 91.1). In the Championship season of 2007/2008 defense was the winning formula for the Celtics. Despite again being the NBA's best defense this past season, there has been something missing from this team's defensive effort. Ever since the Kendrick Perkins trade and the injuries to Shaquille O'neal and Jermaine O'neal, this team has desperately lacked defensive production from the center position.

Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinal between the New York Knicks and Boston Celtics was determined by intense defense and clutch shooting. Many are not used to see the Knicks play any sort of defense, but they were a different team on Sunday night (holding Boston to 87 points). As well as New York defended the Celtics had a defensive stopper of their own, and his name was Jermaine O'neal. The much maligned six time all star has been injured nearly all season, but shined through in his first playoff game as a Celtic. O'neal made all six of his shots, grabbed four rebounds, blocked four shots, and in only twenty minutes greatly helped the Celtics in the victory.

This is what had been missing; a defensive presence in the paint to swat shots away and allow Kevin Garnett more free roam. KG is an excellent one on one defender, pressuring the ball, stealing the ball, bothering shots with his length, and is the best defensive communicator in the NBA. He can guard any position effectively, but does operate best with a defensively sound center at his side (which is true for any big man). Garnett and Perkins were so effective because Perk would hold down the fort underneath the basket while KG patrolled the paint. Jermaine backed up KG and was superb in this game and again proving why the Celtic's truly need a solid defensive center.

The Celtics should have no trouble surpassing the Knicks in the first wave of the postseason and will do so within five games (worst case scenario in six). Jermaine played very well in Game 1 and set the defensive tone for the night, but the game still came down to the wire and into the cold blooded hands of Ray Allen. This is why I named him the “Irreplaceable man” a player who you always want taking the big shots in the crucial moments. Ray continues to add to his storied history of hitting clutch shots and his game winning three pointer with 0:11 on the clock was yet another piece of greatness.

The Will of Rajon Rondo, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and Kevin Garnet is at championship strength this year. They will never quit and they will never cease to will their way to victory, but they need a supporting cast to win a title. In Game 1 Jermaine O'neal was nothing short of a star supporter for the Big Four and his contributions from the Center position were invaluable. With, or especially without Shaq, the Celtics need this type defensive intensity from Jermaine. To emerge from the Eastern Conference past the Heat and Bulls they will need strong interior defense; to expose Miami's weakness and to combat Chicago's strength

Sources

http://www.espn.com/

http://www.weei.com/

Photos

ESPN Photo Gallery

Separation Anxiety May be Real:

 When Danny Ainge hastily traded away Kendrick Perkins (and virtually the entire second unit) I chalked it up to be nothing more than separation anxiety. Nervousness spawned in the wake of missing Perkins. This was the only ill effect I thought the trade would cause to the Boston Celtics. However, I could not have been more mistaken about Troy Murphy's ability to contribute, the health of Shaquille O'neal, and the severe damage caused to team chemistry. Making matters seem even worse is Ainge's admission that he never would have made this trade if he could have resigned Perkins long term.

This trade did increase the offensive talent of the team, but the damage done to a championship level team chemistry is now readily apparent. The Celtics have complied a 14-12 record (with one remaining) since the trades happened and have fallen from the Eastern Conference's top seed down to the third. This is not a losing record and the postseason has yet to be told, but this team has looked lost and has been spectacularly inconsistent. One night they lose to the  Charlote Bobcats without their best player (Stephen Jackson) and on another night the defeat the San Antonio Spurs by ten points on the road. This inconsistency is eerily similar to the 2009/2010 Celtics.

At this time last year the Celtics had five less regular season wins, inexplicable problems on their home court, and were the fourth seed in the East. Yet I knew they had an excellent chance to turn up the heat in the playoffs and make a run to the Finals. They had no deficiencies on defense with Kendrick Perkins, Rasheed Wallace, Kevin Garnett and that staring unit had never lost a playoff series. Also, I incessantly refereed to the concept of “the Will of the Big Four”, how they would not let failure happen. This carried them all the way to the brink of an 18th Championship banner, yet in the end was not quite enough. Despite the better regular season this year, it is harder to feel so strongly about this team “flipping the switch” when the postseason begins.

The Celtics have a much tougher road to the finals this time around; as they will not have a push over opponent in the first round , they will have to face the Chicago Bulls, and there will be no Kendrick Perkins. However, the most difficult challenge that awaits the Celtics is competing for a title bout with many new and inexperienced team mates. The will of the Big Four is still strong, but without a supporting cast this will cannot and will not be imposed. Without significant contributions from Jeff Green, Delonte West, Jermaine O'neal, and something from Shaq this team will not even return to the Eastern Conference Finals.

Garnett is an excellent defensive player and a floor general for his defense, but without a brute center he can be exposed. Garnett is tall and lean and not meant to be a physical presences down low (like Kendrick did so well). The greatest risk of trading Perkins was banking on the fact that Shaq would return and that he would combine with Jermaine O'neal to fill the void at center. Now Shaq's health is still a blaring question mark as the playoffs approach. Without Shaq at their disposal, there has to been angst about Boston's championship aspirations. Maybe this team truly and desperately does miss the defensive toughness of Perk, but more importantly they miss the  camaraderie of a team that had been to two Finals in three years.

Keep in mind that the validity of this trade cannot be truly finalized until the Celtics complete their postseason gauntlet run. I was wrong that the trade did not instantly make this team better or instantly more equipped to reach and win the NBA Finals. I was  also wrong that this team's chemistry would not suffer so dramatically. However, until this team is eliminated from playoff contention this situation remains nothing more than separation anxiety.

Sources

http://www.espn.com/

http://www.weei.com/

Photos

Google Images