Boys of Winter
With the Fall Classic in the books and another Boston Red Sox World Series Championship banner hanging at Fenway Park, a nation will turn to the Boys of Winter, the Local 5. Well, at least between Sundays they will.
Preseason, thankfully, is over. Normally, I can’t stand preseason. I try and avoid it altogether. For obvious reasons this year, though, I tuned in a few times. I’m actually glad I did. There were some interesting things I saw. First, they had a preseason game called at the half, and then officially stricken from the record by the league. So let me get this straight. The NBA felt it needed to make an announcement that the game that didn’t count, didn’t count, officially? Thanks, David Stern!
Wait, there’s more!
The Celtics were diving on the floor, picking fights with other teams, beating the Knicks by 40 points. And these weren’t just the kids fighting for a roster spot. Pierce almost got suspended for backing up Ray Allen in a meaningless preseason game. This was late-season intensity in October. They capped it off with a Friday night, second-half beat down of the Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers. Good stuff.
But now all of the fake games are over. It’s the start of the season. It’s that special time of year where hope is at its height and expectations can’t be greater. Usually, as a Celtics fan, we reach into our deepest hopes and pray for a fourth seed and a shot at losing in the second round. Not this year.
On to the predictions:
Players who will surprise you:
Leon Powe: You will actually see him playing legitimate minutes in games that matter. Surprise! Powe will be an intricate player off the bench this season whether he is ready or not. A lack of big men on the roster will force the, gulp, 6’ 8” forward into undersized matchups when the foul-prone Kendrick Perkins takes a seat. Powe’s above-average rebounding ability makes him a better choice than the slightly taller Brian Scalabrine.
Rajon Rondo: He will be able to run the offense without killing the team with young mistakes. Surprise! The second-year point guard is the popular pick for “weak link of the starting rotation”, but Rondo has a year under his belt and showed promise and growth, even on a bad team. And at least twice a week last season he made a play that made you think, “Nobody but Rajon Rondo can make that play.” He is going to be fun to watch this season, with this team.
Another review said Rondo has “a good amount of functionality and flexibility for the size and price.” And, “Although Rondo is nothing fancy, Rondo manages to overachieve in many areas.” And finally Rondo is “nimble and filled with clever storage space.” You can read more about it here: http://www.edmunds.com/kia/rondo/review.html
Paul Pierce: He is better than you think. Surprise! With two All-Stars on the team, the floor will seem wide open. People think that with Garnett, Pierce will be taking open jumpers all game. I think he will be shooting less, using the lack of a double team as an opportunity to take his man off the dribble instead of settling for a fade away from deep. Pierce will remain the leading scorer on the team and reach career-highs in points and assists. He won’t start the All-Star game, but this will be considered a snub, as more flashy guards and forwards will get the vote, but by season’s end he’ll be regarded as one of the best players in the game. (who is biased?)
Players who won’t surprise you at all.
Scot “that’s with one T” Pollard: He’s going to say something dumb, and do something dumber with his hair. Surprise!?! Pollard will average from four to seven points, four to seven rebounds, and fourteen to seventeen minutes per game. Just like every other season of his career. WOOO HOOO! Pumped about that guy, let me tell you.
Brian Scalabrine: He’s going to try his hardest, though. Surprise!?! Big Scal. I mean what can you say about the guy? He’s going to dive for balls after the whistle is blown. He’s going to take open threes and either net them, or miss the backboard by four feet. He’s going to raise his hand after fouls. Like any referee could confuse a 6’ 9” pasty redhead with anyone on the Celtics, or anyone in the NBA save for Matt Bonner.
Kevin Garnett: He is going to be one of the most intense, focused, dominant players in the league. Surprise!?! Anyone who has taken a mild interest in the NBA in the last decade knows everything he brings to a game, to a team, to a city. They only surprise you are going to get when you watch KG play is the daily, sweet shock that comes when you realize, once again, that this freak of nature is now playing for your Boston Celtics. Ahh!
Honestly, this number is a little high and I kept trying to talk myself into lowering it, setting low expectations but three things led me away from doing that:
1.) They play in an Eastern Conference that has been compared to the D-League, Junior Varsity, and, gasp, the NFC. (AHHH!). So a team with three proven veteran All-Stars with zero attitude problems can’t dominate? Like, will playing in the Eastern Conference turn KG and Ray Allen into bad ballers? Is it contagious like that?
2.) Western Conference teams will take them lightly. Over the years as the East has gotten worse, the teams in the West have sensed the dichotomy and it is apparent when they come to town. Western Conference teams when coming to Boston tend to sit some of their star players, (I’m looking at you Shaq), knowing that the C’s were an automatic W on the schedule. Even though the C’s picked up two All-Stars from the West, teams will see Lucky the Leprechaun on the calendar and relax. At least the first time around.
3.) KG, Pierce, and Allen (Nunes won’t let me call them the Big Three, and I refuse to call them Lethal Weapon 3 like Steven A. Smith, I mean hopefully they aren’t “too old for this sh..”) aren’t just a collection of has-beens, thrown together with no regard to position, chemistry, or attitude. One pure shooter, one slasher, one athletic big man. They fit together. They all say the right things. They hang out and work out with each other, but not just each other. They spent time with everyone, veterans and rookies, stars and role players. KG even bought the rookies three custom suits each. They are becoming a family. They even took a European Vacation. They’re the Griswolds! Bottom line: for all the fans want this to work out, for the team to relevant, to be good again. They want it more. They want to be great. If you don’t believe me, read the dozens of stories written about them this offseason.
That’s why I am going with 53 wins on the season. Because I can. Finally. That’s why.
Three things I thought of while I was breaking into Jesse Nunes's house to steal his season tickets…
This blogger might want to review your comment before posting it.
