Sunday, February 10, 2008

Beasts of the East


The Celtics are legit. Watching their 98-90 win against the Spurs today (at home, but without KG, while the Spurs were without Parker) I saw a team that was, to a man, outworking a formidable opponent. It got to the point where 3 or 4 Celtics were slamming into each other as they fought to secure an offensive rebound. They dive for balls going out of bounds, fill passing lanes to grab steals, and are relentless in their pursuit of perimeter shooters (they lead the league in 3pt defense). This team is playing hard. Obviously they have their superstars, but the role players, who are the real key to this team, are filling in nicely. Rondo has really found his niche. His defense and distribution on the break has impressed me, and his shot has improved. Big Baby Davis has proved all of his detractors wrong. He has toned his body to the point where he has an excellent NBA power forward body. He's smart, agile, and very good around the rim. James Posey is an oft-overlooked veteran who can shoot from outside and play defense. This is a very, very good team, and with an absolutely stunning 16-0 (16! and 0!) record against the West, you have to say that this is the best team in the NBA.

1 comment:

Rice said...

Rondo's been a big surprise. I actually thought that he would be a weak link when the Celts match up against the PG studs of the west (Parker, Nash, Harris/Terry, Williams, Paul . . . etc). His defense is good enough he should be able to contain all of those guys and with KG, Allen and Pierce to pass to on offense, distributing the ball is turning out to be a very simple task.