The True Class Of The East

They say defense is all about effort. With the intensity the Boston Celtics bring to every possession, you can see why they are by far and away the leaders in points allowed per game (86.5).

But it’s not just on the defensive end. Boston is ridiculously focused from the moment they walk out of the tunnel. Yesterday in Toronto, there was a 14 minute delay to start the 2nd half because of a leak in the roof. Kevin Garnett didn’t so much as smile during the break. He kept going through that layup line along with his ‘mates, time after time until the hardwood was ready.

All you have to do is watch Boston’s bench. If Rajon Rondo pushes the ball and misses a lay in, the bench is screaming out props because he did the right thing. When Tony Allen makes the smart pass, he hears about it. The bench is in playoff form and so is that ridiculously solid defensive 5.

They made a mockery of the Raptors’ fluid offense. Jose Calderon leads full-time point guards by a mile in assist to turnover ratio (5.6), but yesterday he committed 4 turnovers to go along with his 5 assists. The Celtics forced him to take a couple more dribbles and make him generally uncomfortable because they were constantly in front of him. After scoring 29 in Toronto’s previous game, Jason Kapono finished with 8. He got very few good looks and couldn’t out battle a Celtic for a rebound even if the back of his jersey read Rondo. Anthony Parker saw nothing but green and those flailing hands were getting Chris Bosh more rattled then I’ve seen in a very long time.

That tenacity shook most of the Raps. Even when they got open looks, Toronto just didn’t appear right in a 13 point loss where the score flattered the home team. It was a lot more C’s than TR’s. There will be no mid-January Tuesday blah game for this Celtics squad; playing lackadaisical just doesn’t seem in them at all. The methodical offense, the hard fouls; they are unshakable in every facet of the game.

The answer isn’t merely Kevin Garnett. It’s likely the effect of the leaders getting together far earlier than they were supposed to before the pre-season and their attitudes trickling down to the rest of the roster. Paul Pierce and Ray Allen are definitely practicing what KG is preaching and the rest of the team has no choice but to follow suit. I’m not sure Doc Rivers needs to be on the bench at all.

Is this team giving a little too much and maybe peaking a little too early? There is something to be said for that but the benefits of establishing well defined roles should pay off handsomely in the long run. Tony Allen, Kendrick Perkins, Rondo, Big Baby, James Posey… the list is endless. These guys are all doing fine, fine jobs and it is surprising how quickly they’ve come together. Now, bring on the West already.

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By Tas Melas at 1:54 pm on 12.17.2007 — Tags: Rajon Rondo, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, Celtics

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10 Responses to “The True Class Of The East”

  1. Gourmet Spud at 2:40 pm on 12.17.2007

    Couldn’t agree more.

    They get a nice West test at the end of January/February, but the real question is - are you going to put them up top over the Spurs?

    Guess we’ll have to wait until the Jones learns to use a shovel to find out!

  2. Sarge at 2:41 pm on 12.17.2007

    Wow…it must be snowing a lot up there!

  3. Alan at 3:18 pm on 12.17.2007

    I agree with what you are saying, but i don’t think their win/loss record shows that just yet. They have had a pretty easy schedule so far, beating the weaker teams in the Eastern Conference, which is why they are the class of the East. Once they start beating some playoff bound West Coast teams i will start drinking the kool-aid.

    Now how about some love for my blazers?

  4. Nora at 9:59 am on 12.18.2007

    For those saying Boston has had a really easy sch. check out the winning percentagesof the opponants for each team. You will find some interesting results.

  5. Nora at 10:00 am on 12.18.2007

    Boston is 20-2 and has not lost to any really bad team–just about every other team has at least once already.

  6. Alex at 11:29 am on 12.18.2007

    where is skeets and tas?????

  7. josh at 5:17 pm on 12.18.2007

    play some good teams already. i wonder if this schedule was made before or after the big trade. im thinking after so the nba can cash in on some hype. they have played 4 western games so far. 4!

  8. baby at 7:11 pm on 12.18.2007

    Danny Loves Kevin

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blEW8J45RqU

  9. It’s December 18th & Scott’s Saying… : AltRaps Blogs at 8:03 pm on 12.18.2007

    […] showing up on Sunday are still feeling the pain? I think you can finally say that the Celts are the true class of the east. Once again, their defence is what deserves the credit. Many wondered how these guys would share […]

  10. Alex aka new boston big 3 fan at 7:53 am on 12.19.2007

    celtics might not be the best of the nba if some of u think like that , but they are the bst of the east atleast , i hope they winn it all.

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