Boston Celtics: Surprise Team Of NBA Playoffs As the Boston Celtics prepare for another one of those classic East-West, Dynasty vs. Dynasty playoff finals with their longtime rivals the Los Angeles Lakers, many NBA onlookers continue pinching themselves and refusing to believe that the Bostonians reached the finals. Win, lose or draw against Phil Jackson’s defending NBA titlists, the Celtics should be given credit for organizational smarts. In less shrewd hands the team could easily have been an also ran, and almost assuredly never would be currently battling for the top prize in pro basketball. The nucleus of the Celtics is comprised of three veterans headed for the Hall of Fame when their careers end. Paul Pierce is the youngest of the group and will be 33 in October. Injuries played havoc with the Celtics throughout the 2009-10 campaign. Pierce and Kevin Garnett lost significant playing time. With the Celtics struggling due to the absence of personnel and continuity that injuries cause, General Manager Danny Ainge, a Celtic standout in his playing days, along with pragmatic Coach Doc Rivers made a calculated decision. The team might end up looking ragged at times, the overall record would be less than glossy, especially by Celtic lofty historical standards, but if a proper seasonal plan was instituted the team would emerge as healthy survivors. It would then be able to shine when the crucial second season arrived -- playoff time. Rivers bought into the theory. He explained that he always felt good about the team. His reason was togetherness. Rivers was thinking from the standpoint of a veteran coach. It is far better to have a team with peaks and valleys relating to rocky injury status with a healthy attitude than a group of all-stars on their own pages and seeking self-recognition. Despite having three future Hall of Famers in the aforementioned Pierce and Garnett along with Ray Allen, one of the premier three-point shooters in league history, the Celtics would never have driven to post-season success had it not been for the remarkable improvement and leadership role of a young player who made the critical difference. Louisville, and University of Kentucky product Rajon Rondo at 24 is a decade or thereabouts younger than the veteran trio members. Paul Pierce pinpoints a phase when, in place of the threesome and their cohorts setting up Rondo, he began setting them up and they in turn responded. Earlier they had set up Rondo. The translation is that this is the phase wherein the point guard attained full- blown leadership status. Not only has Rondo impressed with his playmaking skills; he has won respect from his teammates and others throughout the league with his toughness. Rondo constantly drives to the hoop and faces defensive threats from players much taller and with considerable girth beyond the 6'1", 170 pounder. As the playoffs have intensified the incidents increased where Rondo was knocked to the floor after charging into the paint. Despite the solidness of the impact or the size of the individual administering the blows, Rondo constantly rises, shakes himself off, and resumes action. This is the personnel mix and strategy that brought the Celtics to the pinnacle of another championship. Many thought that the Dwayne Wade led Miami Heat would evict the Celtics in the first-round. When they endured that hurdle Boston was a decided underdog against both Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, the league’s winningest regular season team, followed afterwards by the Orlando Magic, final round opponent against the Lakers last season. The final round has arrived. All previous hurdles were surmounted. The Celtics are still standing and the defending titlist Lakers furnish the opposition starting Thursday night in Los Angeles’ Staples Center.
amazing run the C's have had so far, everyone wrote them off, they're too old, etc etc, bunch of BS from so called 'analysts'.
You dont like the truth I speak? http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/4289/black-athletes-have-long-seen-boston-as-racist FUCK KG. FUCK BOSTON
I'm not really surprised they were actually my pick to get to the Finals at the start of the season in October and before the playoffs. I was right in thinking they'd beat both Cleveland and Orlando in 6 games I thought they'd beat Miami in 6 also so I was wrong by 1 game on that. I just knew the matchups would favor them with Miami all they had to worry about is Wade, against Cleveland same thing with LeBrob, and with Orlando they had multiple defenders for Howard can because of that they will able to at times neutralize Orlando on both ends of the floor.
bring any article you want dude, just don't curse the whole city, etc, I'm not going to tolerate that, you don't see me coming to laker forum cursing your whole city, fans, etc. We can debate all we want, but don't act gangster with me here just because you're from Cali.
After the tough stretch they went, and lost to some lowly teams, I thought they would lose 2nd round no matter who it was. (either magic or cavs)
Skip Bayless of ESPN First Take was the only "analyst" who picked the Celtics to get to the Finals before the playoffs. He also picked yall to beat the Lakers in 6, hopefully he's wrong on that .
That's what most people said of why Boston was done but I just had a feeling they were just waiting till the playoffs to turn it on, they have a lot of vets who aren't gonna waste all their gas in the regular season I knew they would just wait till the playoffs to turn it on and they did that.
Calm down dude just because he's a Celtics fan or from Massachusetts don't mean you can just talk s***, show some damn respect.
^you and your 30 posts can gtfo if you dont like what I have to say... No respect to the fucking Celtics or their fans Tell that to the bitches in Boston throwing rocks and trying to tip over the team bus after 2008 game 6. Im being tame...this is nothing
Just because I'm new has nothing to do with it. Yeah are there some annoying Celtics fans yeah but CelticKing isn't one of them, there are also some annoying Laker fans as well.
Such a fucking bandwagon attitude.... Woo Go Kobe!...right? ugh....You're not even a Lakers fan, only a Kobe fan....during the months of April and whenever the Lakers lose or win...whatever, doesnt really matter to you....but Im sure you are proud of your 12.99 Lakers car flag you bought at 7-11 a few weeks ago...big pimpin
I'm not a bandwagon dude, I'm a true Laker fans I love everyone who's on the Lakers or whoever has ever played on the Lakers, I hate the Celtics with a passion okay, and I hate some of their or most of their fans especially the bandwagon ones but there are some who aren't bandwagons and are good quality Celtics fans like CelticKing, I'm just saying dude ease up with the disrepesct to a guy who hasn't even done s*** to you.
^dude...reread what I said...all I said was take the sand out of his vagina So which flag did you buy? Did you get the 3peat one on discount?
kobeownslebron, it's not worth replying to this internet-thug, just leave him in his own world (fantasy).
Skip Bayless has picked against the Lakers in almost every round the last three seasons (picked Orlando to come back from a 3-1 deficit against us). He only picked LA against the Thunder, and Boston 2008. He's among the worst they have.
