Let’s Get This Party Started: The FCP Celtics Season Preview
By Mike Martin
Season preview? Sitting here staring at the keyboard, I realize that I don’t think any Celtics fan is properly equipped to preview this season.
How can you do it? The Celtics haven’t been this relevant to the title discussion since the first George Bush was in the White House. This is not meant to take anything away from the Harterball teams of Jim O’Brien, whose competitiveness was a joy to watch even when their style of play at times was not. But in terms of realistic prospects, we haven’t seen this kind of basketball star power in a long time. It’s easy to get carried away.
I am speaking of course of the trio who launched a thousand magazine cover shoots. Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen will bring a level of professionalism and excellence to the floor that we fans haven’t seen in years. NBA preseason games are as uninteresting as any sporting event going but as anyone who has watched the games can already see the electricity that these three players generate.
In the weeks since the Garnett trade sportswriters and bloggers alike have worked overtime on the most pressing issue of the offseason: creating a catchy nickname for the star trio that Bill Simmons will later take credit for. But in the meantime the Celtics front office, players and coaches started taking positive steps to create a team from the hype during the slow NBA news days during the summer.
First came the front office, signing veteran role players like James Posey, Eddie House and Scot Pollard to begin to fill in around the stars. The players took it from there and began voluntary workouts together before the opening of camp, reflecting the urgency and unity of purpose that are necessary for any team to be molded into a title contender. And then as camp commenced in earnest the coaches began to nudge the team in the direction of a playing style, an identity to carry the team to real success beyond just the famous names on the backs of the jerseys in the pro shop.
What can we expect for the season, based on the small sliver we on the outside have been able to see thus far?
One thing is clear: this team will be a far cry from the youthful rosters of the past two years. No longer will the order of the day be absentminded mistakes and general indifference to losing. Instead as anyone who has seen a preseason game this year can tell you, this team has played (and the bench has cheered) with a stretch-run level of intensity. But as heartening as it may be to see the team spirit, it’s not going to go very far if they can’t translate it to the wins that Celtics fans are starved for.
That’s where Kevin Garnett comes in. Like everyone else who only saw him a few nights a year, I knew of him only as a driven superstar who carried increasingly inept teams as far as they could go. But watching his play during this preseason has been an unadulterated joy. The team’s identity seems to feed off his unique focus and willingness to work longer and harder than the last man on the roster. Garnett’s focus is amazing, his intensity infectious, and his skills are eye opening. He wears his drive to win on his sleeve, and that combined with his passing ability has undercut any sense of “there won’t be enough basketballs to go around” with the three prolific scorers.
But it is on the defensive end that the Garnett-led Celtics will break with past editions. Having a mobile seven footer is an incredible asset in this age of perimeter-oriented offenses, and during the preseason games we have all seen flashes of a team concept on defense that will need to grow for this team to get where it wants to go. Combine that defensive leadership with KG’s rebounding prowess and you have a team that will be better at forcing bad shots by the opponent and limiting second chances off the glass.
This focus on Garnett first is by no means a dismissal of fellow newcomer Ray Allen’s talents. Allen has opened a few eyes as well with his versatile offensive game. His #2 ranking all time in three-pointers made drives his reputation as a shooter, but it doesn’t take much time at all for a spectator realize that Allen is more scorer than pure shooter. He can definitely hit from anywhere on the court, but he combines that skill with a veteran’s knowledge of how to get open off of screens and a consistent ability to get into the lane off the dribble to create an impressive multifaceted scoring package.
Finally, a word about Paul Pierce. He has been in Boston long enough that everyone assumes that he has no new surprises for us, but I think the rejuvenation of the new-look roster and his own hunger to succeed will push Pierce to new heights.
The image of last year’s post-injury “Fat Camp Pierce” lingers in the mind, but I think the 2005-06 season is a good guide to how Pierce can elevate his game when his reputation is in question. Celtics fans remember all too well the way Pierce contributed to the meltdown against the Pacers in the 2005 playoffs, but it goes little remarked that the next year Pierce came back lighter and more determined and eventually put on his impressive streak of 30-point games. The team didn’t have the talent to match his efforts that season, but I think we’re about to see a replay of Pierce’s 2005-06 mini-resurgence, only this time with the surrounding pieces to translate his scoring prowess into wins. His attacks on the rim during the preseason, the Knick games in particular, could have jumped from the highlight reels of his best games from that year. The memories of last year’s injury and weight gain seem to fade with each foray into the lane.
But that’s an awful lot of attention on three guys. The game is still 5 on 5, and its up to Doc Rivers and his coaching staff to make it fit together.
While the absence of Scot Pollard and the time given to Kendrick Perkins to nurse his nagging injuries may have accentuated the team’s lack of size during training camp, it seems pretty likely that the Celtics will take on a perimeter-oriented smallball identity once the real games start.
On the offensive end this style of play requires players who can get by their man with the dribble and draw help defense to open up their teammates. Obviously the three stars will be the primary options, but a player like Rajon Rondo will have a great deal of value if he can consistently get into the lane and create scoring opportunities for his teammates. (It would be great if he could finish a few himself as well.) Gabe Pruitt seems like a guy who could grow into this role behind or alongside Rondo, but based on Doc Rivers’ history it will probably be a while before he is trusted enough to play serious minutes.
Aside from Rondo this style of play would fit other players as well. James Posey is made to order for this sort of game with his ability to guard three positions and stretch the defense with his shooting ability. The preseason saw him playing a great deal of power forward as the first player off the bench, and after a rough start he acquitted himself well. With the large number of perimeter PFs drawing significant minutes for Eastern Conference teams (Andres Nocioni, Andrea Bargnani, Rashard Lewis, Antawn Jamison, the list goes on) Posey will prove to be a nice asset off the bench.
Eddie House is another interesting newcomer. At times during the preseason he has shown an all-around game that exceeds his reputation as a one-skill wonder. At other times his struggles at ballhandling and defense make you wish he’d just catch and shoot and nothing else. If he can find a way to be productive both in spelling Rondo as well as alongside other ballhandlers in a designated shooter role House will be as valuable to this team as he was in Phoenix two years ago.
As he has been for several years now, Tony Allen is the x-factor. Rivers has extolled his ability to defend players both smaller and larger than him, a skill that is a key to the team’s ability to dictate tempo and matchups. If Allen can somehow find a way to remind himself of the effective things he did before his inexplicable knee injury, the team will be much better off. But thus far in the preseason it seems he’s either not sure about his knee or forgetful about taking care of the ball, neither of which bode well for the team’s continued reliance on him.
Lastly, while the coaching staff may want to play an up-tempo drive and kick game, it won’t be successful unless there is someone who can go get the ball. It will be up to some combination of Perkins, Pollard, Brian Scalabrine, Leon Powe and Glen Davis to provide rebounding support for Garnett. All have question marks next to their names, but hopefully someone can separate from the pack and fill this role for the club. Early indications are that Powe will be get his shot early on, but once he is healthy the veteran Pollard will be given every chance to win the role. Davis showed a willingness to expend the effort on the defensive end and a nice touch around the rim, but as with Pruitt he will likely see limited time for at least the first part of the season.
So what does it all mean? Hard to say. An 82 game season is predicated on highs and lows, injuries and streaks, all of which could endanger this fragile chemistry experiment. But with the veteran leadership it seems safe to pencil in home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs, and a good chance at watching a team playing its best ball when it counts.
No matter what happens, we’ve already seen enough excitement from this team to drive the painful memories of the recent squads from the head of even the most cynical fan. I think I speak for many Celtics fans when I say that I can’t wait for the season to start. Let the games begin.
