We may have seen the Big Three in Celtics green for the last time |
It was like somebody flipped a switch and turned off the lights....
Boston's shots stopped falling as Miami's vaunted defense clamped down. A red-hot Chris Bosh, fully recovered from his abdominal strain, started sinking corner threes. King James, who's been something of a Celtic assassin these past two postseasons, did his Kobe Bryant impression by drilling a backbreaking three from what seemed like another area code as the shot clock expired. The crowd exploded into a wild frenzy. The Heat, furiously gathering momentum like a tropical storm in the Gulf just before it develops into a full-fledged hurricane, were clicking on all cyclinders. Boston fans could feel the game, and the season, slipping away. It felt like the Celtics were standing still, and that the Heat were sprinting past them to the finish line. We all hoped that this valiant team, one that had persevered through so much adversity and defied the odds, had one more last-ditch comeback in them. But it was evident that they had nothing left to give, not after 66 regular season games crammed into four months followed by 20 exhausting playoff games. They'd expended all their energy, used up all their bullets, were running on fumes with four flat tires. And so the infinitely younger, more talented and more athletic Miami Heat surged past them and secured a date with the Oklahoma City Thunder, ending Boston's season for the second year in a row in the process. Still, you have to be proud of the way they scratched and clawed to get to that point, on the doorstep of the finals. This team was as resilient as any, and nobody, not even the Heat, can take that away from them. They gave it their all, and in the end it just wasn't enough.
The Celtics lost, but they still have plenty to be happy about |
Four calendar years later, when the Heat pulled away and an emotional Doc Rivers finally removed his exhausted starters from the game, it punctuated the end of an era. They saved basketball in Boston, a city that had been much more concerned with the Red Sox and Patriots throughout the new milennium, but now the team faces an uncertain future. Garnett and Allen's contracts are up, and even if they return this team is clearly too old--Pierce will be 35, KG 36 and Jesus Shuttlesworth 37--to have a serious shot at another title, even with a healthy Jeff Green and Avery Bradley. I feel like they caught lightning in a bottle this year, and that they won't be able to replicate this success next year. Don't get me wrong; I'm not writing off KG and Allen just yet. I think they would like to return, and I'd love to see them both come back in more limited roles--the man who broke Reggie Miller's three point mark would be a potent weapon off the bench. Realistically, they will have a plethora of suitors this offseason, particularly younger teams looking to add experienced, but productive NBA veterans. This summer Ainge has a lot on his plate. He will have to rebuild, regroup, and reload as he looks to build around his star point guard Rajon Rondo,
Of course such talk is premature. Nobody knows the future, and both could be back a few months from now, ready to make another run at banner number 18. Even if they don't, and this is indeed the end, we can take away the following five signs of encouragement.
Doc is a great coach
When Doc speaks, his players listen |
Kevin Garnett's resurgence
The Big Ticket proved that, even at 36 and with 17 NBA seasons (50,000+ minutes including playoffs) under his belt, he still has something left in the tank. KG thrived when Rivers moved him to the five after Jermaine O'Neal went down with knee and wrist injuries, finishing the regular season strong and playing like a beast in the playoffs. He was vintage KG, averaging a cool 19.2 points and 10.3 boards while shooting just under 50 percent from the floor (all right in line with his career averages) and hauling in more rebounds than anybody else throughout the first three rounds, easily his most productive postseason since Boston's 2008 title run. Granted, he will never be the same player he was before the knee strain he suffered during his second season with the Celtics, but like Tim Duncan he is aging gracefully and can still be a monster from time to time. Many have speculated that he will retire, and given the amount of money he's made on top of his lengthy list of achievements (championship, MVP, 14 All-Star nods, Olympic Gold Medal, etc.) that seems entirely likely. He's looked painfully old at times during the last couple years, and he'll need plenty of rest during the regular season to keep his legs fresh for the playoffs.
Rajon Rondo's improvement
Rondo will be back, and could be better than ever |
Avery Bradley's emergence
Ainge, stuck with poor draft positioning because of the team's success since creating the Big Three, has not been able to draft/develop young talent capable of succeeding his trio of stars. Gabe Pruitt, J.R. Giddens, Luke Harangody, Bill Walker and Patrick O'Bryant didn't exactly set the world on fire, you know? That's why the front office was always looking to acquire reinforcements during the midseason and offseason, thus bringing in past their prime Rasheed Wallace, Shaquille O'Neal, Jermaine O'Neal, Stephon Marbury, etc. all of whom came and left through the revolving door. Bradley, whom Ainge drafted from the University of Texas at Austin with the 19th overall pick in a deep 2010 class (John Wall, Evan Turner, Greg Monroe, DeMarcus Cousins, Paul George), has been his lone success story, a formidable wing defender in the same mold as Tony Allen but packaged with a superior offensive game. The 21 year-old made great strides this season, especially in April when he stole the starting shooting guard spot from Ray Allen and averaged more than 15 points a game. Unfortunately, just as AB was gaining confidence he missed the entire Heat series with a dislocated shoulder that needed season ending surgery. I sincerely believe that the Celtics would have won had he been healthy (reminiscent of Perkins two years ago), primarily during the pivotal Game 2 when Dwyane Wade caught fire late in the game and helped stun the C's in overtime. Bradley would have slowed him down and prevented that hot streak.
Brandon Bass fitting in
As I predicted back in December, he was a great fit in Boston and represented a substantial upgrade over Glen Davis. Some were worried that he'd struggle like Jeff Green did after OKC swapped him with Kendrick Perkins last year, but Bass played well right out of the gate and earned Rivers' trust. At 6'8" he's an undersized power forward any way you slice it, but he held his own against opposing bigs and played pretty solid D on LeBron James in Game 7. He's pretty athletic and agile around the room, but at times he relies on his jumper a little more than he has to. Continued to build upon his last season with the Magic, when he finally cracked the starting five. Has his ups and downs, but at the end of the day he's just a rock solid player who doesn't really excel at any particular aspect of the game, but can do everything except shoot threes. He still needs to improve his passing and help defense to become a more polished player.
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