Author Topic: Can this team make noise without KG playing like an MVP?  (Read 2425 times)

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Can this team make noise without KG playing like an MVP?
« on: January 26, 2013, 06:10:08 PM »

Offline LarBrd33

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Last year we were 15-17 on Feb 22nd.  In my opinion, there were 5 reasons why we turned around our garbage season and actually made things interesting.

#1 - It was lockout shortened season.  Most teams had minimal practice.  That tends to favor a veteran team with multiple years experience playing together... hence why the Spurs had the best record in the league and hence why Boston used muscle memory and veteran fumes to go on a respectable 24-10 run to close out the season.

#2 - Our path in the playoffs really couldn't have been any more cushy.  Our size-deprived team lucked out facing Atlanta in the 1st round without Al Horford.  A rusty Horford returned to rip us apart in Game 5 (19 points, 13 boards, 3 blocks, 3 steals in a win), but thankfully it was just too little too late and we knocked them off by 3 points in Game 6 thanks to a MONSTER performance by KG (28 points, 14 boards, 5 blocks, 3 steals).  I honestly believe a healthy Hawks team could have potentially knocked us off in Round 1.  We dodged a bullet there.    In Round 2... we literally couldn't have gotten luckier.  The Bulls had been the top team in the East (many pegged them as title favorites), but the reigning MVP got injured and they were knocked off in Round 1.  That left us facing off against the lowly 8th seeded 76ers.   That garbage team managed to take us to 7 games.  Woof.   Now, I understand we did indeed win 3 games in a row vs Miami (a team we match up better with than any team in the league) before LeBron took us to the woodshed, but we can't deny our path to the ECF was cake.

#3 - Avery Bradley went all early-2006 Delonte West on everyone ( http://espn.go.com/nba/player/gamelog/_/id/2422/year/2006/delonte-west ) ... You know... when Delonte fooled Boston's fanbase into thinking he was the greatest shooter alive for two months by shooting a ridiculous 55%, 50% from three and 80% from the line.    An unknown Avery Bradley used the lockout-shortened element of surprise (what I now call "Stuart Tanner Syndrome") and a Delonte-esque ridiculous shooting streak to shoot absolutely lights out for a month.  Bradleysanity (who all signs point to being a poor shooter) managed to average 15 points in April while shooting an unreal 52%, 54% from three and 78% from the line.  Where the heck did that come from?  There's been no point in his career before or after to suggest that was anything more than a complete aberration. 

#4 - Rondo in the playoffs was sensational.  I understand part of that had to do with the fact he was being defended by Jeff Teague, 21 year old Jrue Holiday and Mario Chalmers... not like he was up against any comparable talents... but you still have to give credit where credit is due.  Statistically during the regular season he was merely the 5th best point guard in the league... but in the playoffs, the dude put up stats that made him look like a top 3 player.  Averaging 17 points, 12 assists, 7 rebounds and 2.4 steals against the Hawks, 76ers and Heat is pretty great.  Yes, his stats were slightly inflated due to the fact that he played 43 minutes a game, but stil...  it was definitely helpful in the playoffs as we squeaked by the Hawks and 76ers.

#5 - Kevin Garnett.  Above all things... the biggest reason we turned our last season was Kevin freakin Garnett.  Way back in his Minny days, KG was arguably the greatest player alive.  He still had most of that left when he lead us to a title in 2008.  He's been on a steady decline since.  Last February he took a 2 game leave of absence for undisclosed "personal reasons".  I dont' know how much of this is rumor or fact, but I've heard it mentioned a couple times Bill Simmons on his podcast that KG was all but finished at that point.  He was cooked.  But something happened.  Something snapped inside of KG and he "regained his love of basketball".   Whatever happened, it was clearly evident on the court.  He was locked in and playing like a top 3 big man... frequently dropping 20 and 10 and dominating defensively.  In the playoffs, he was RIDICULOUS... 4 double-doubles vs Atlanta (averaged 18.7 points, 10.5 rebounds, 1.8 blocks, 1.3 steals)... 5 double-doubles vs Philly (averaged 19.7 points, 11 rebounds, 1.1 blocks, 1.4 steals)  and 4 double-doubles vs Miami (averaged 19.1 points, 9.4 rebounds, 1.4 blocks).  Kevin Garnett arguably carried us from February-onward last year.  He absolutely played like an MVP.  Elite big men make you a contender in this league... and KG was playing as well as any big man in the game.


So now here we are... another dreadful performance by our undersized team in the post-Perkins/Shaq era.  What I'm wondering at this point is... does this team continue to live and die with Kevin Garnett?  He's playing alright, but his stats are down from last year (14.7 points, 7.2 rebounds 1 blocks)...  As far as I can tell, he hasn't yet flipped a switch.   Is he still capable of flipping a switch?   It's important to note that he's turning 37 years old this year.  How much does the guy really have left?   If he's not playing like an MVP (like last year), can we even get out of the 1st round?

I'm starting to think that no matter how many bandaids we attempt to put on this team, this beast is soon to be dead.  Paul Pierce has been our only reliable go-to scorer (who can create his own shot) of this era and he's 35 years old.  If we aren't getting vintage performances from him and Garnett, can this team make any noise at all?  I'd like to add another starting big man next to KG and make a run at it... but isn't the window pretty much closed already if KG can't rise to the occasion?     

   

Re: Can this team make noise without KG playing like an MVP?
« Reply #1 on: January 26, 2013, 06:22:04 PM »

Offline TripleOT

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No. 

Re: Can this team make noise without KG playing like an MVP?
« Reply #2 on: January 26, 2013, 06:24:04 PM »

Offline j804

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but isn't the window pretty much closed already if KG can't rise to the occasion?     
 
Yes, of course if he doesn't get back to a similar form of last year we arent going anywhere. Good thing is the All Star break is right around the corner and I think KG is capable of turning it up with some rested legs. I think we are right there I mean we should have won the game against the Bulls against the Knicks we were a posession or two from snatching that game. I'm not counting this team out just yet...I would like a small move for a big though.
"7ft PG. Rondo leaves and GUESS WHAT? We got a BIGGER point guard!"-Tommy on Olynyk


Re: Can this team make noise without KG playing like an MVP?
« Reply #3 on: January 26, 2013, 06:34:34 PM »

Offline KGs Knee

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I don't think he needs to play like a MVP, but he sure needs to play better than he has been.  I don't know if he is able to get back to the level he was at in the playoffs last year, but it's possible.

I have full faith Rondo will once again dominate the playoffs though.  It's what he does.

As bad as we've been playing, I'm not sure how far off we are from being in the mix.  We need to get back to the level of effort on a consistent basis we played with at the end of last year.  We also do need more interior help though.  A more "respected" perimeter threat couldn't hurt either.

Will any of these come to fruition, who knows?

Re: Can this team make noise without KG playing like an MVP?
« Reply #4 on: January 26, 2013, 06:37:25 PM »

Offline Who

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The team looks very strong when Garnett is on the floor.

The problem (well, one of the problems) is the lack of minutes and a suitable replacement off the bench.

Also, the team will be a better playoff team than the regular season because KG's minutes will be extended to the 36-38 minute range.

Re: Can this team make noise without KG playing like an MVP?
« Reply #5 on: January 26, 2013, 06:59:35 PM »

Offline CelticsFan9

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Without question, KG is literally "The Big Ticket" to a championship run.  I cannot stress how important he is to our success.

When KG is on the floor, we are not only an elite defensive team, but we also have a capable post option.  Despite being 36 years old, KG is still one of the best defenders in the NBA.

Last year, I think KG finally recovered from that knee injury.  This enabled him to attain more lift, which I think sparked his uptick in play during the second half of the season and playoffs.

I'd bet if we made the Finals, not only would we have beaten the Thunder, KG would've been named Finals MVP.  I could see him eating Perkins alive.  Don't get me wrong, Rondo played sensational, but I consider him vs. Westbrook a wash.

If we want to contend, KG needs to play like Da Kid in Minnesota.

Re: Can this team make noise without KG playing like an MVP?
« Reply #6 on: January 26, 2013, 07:04:04 PM »

Offline rondohondo

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Without question, KG is literally "The Big Ticket" to a championship run.  I cannot stress how important he is to our success.

When KG is on the floor, we are not only an elite defensive team, but we also have a capable post option.  Despite being 36 years old, KG is still one of the best defenders in the NBA.

Last year, I think KG finally recovered from that knee injury.  This enabled him to attain more lift, which I think sparked his uptick in play during the second half of the season and playoffs.

I'd bet if we made the Finals, not only would we have beaten the Thunder, KG would've been named Finals MVP.  I could see him eating Perkins alive.  Don't get me wrong, Rondo played sensational, but I consider him vs. Westbrook a wash.

If we want to contend, KG needs to play like Da Kid in Minnesota.
Ibaka would have guarded KG.

Re: Can this team make noise without KG playing like an MVP?
« Reply #7 on: January 26, 2013, 07:22:47 PM »

Offline xmuscularghandix

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KG played well last season but he wasn't playing like young KG... how quickly we forget. He was like a solid old Robert Parish, an efficient scoring threat, with nice passing, plus rebounding, and great defense. Young KG was a DOMINANT force.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjyvHUFHFa8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tgFM64yotE

Re: Can this team make noise without KG playing like an MVP?
« Reply #8 on: January 26, 2013, 07:23:38 PM »

Offline mr. dee

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In order to compete for a ring without KG, we need these things:

1) Defensive Anchor - This is what KG brings on the table, defense and the reason they won banner 17. We need to find someone who the same or at least close to his defensive intensity. A Tyson Chandler or Joakim type would be a close replacement. Hopefully, Fab Melo could be that guy.

2) Go-to scorer - As good has Rondo has become, he is still deferring KG and PP to close out games. As long as those two are on the roster, I don't think Rondo will be aggressive enough to close games.

Re: Can this team make noise without KG playing like an MVP?
« Reply #9 on: January 26, 2013, 07:24:12 PM »

Offline CelticsFan9

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Without question, KG is literally "The Big Ticket" to a championship run.  I cannot stress how important he is to our success.

When KG is on the floor, we are not only an elite defensive team, but we also have a capable post option.  Despite being 36 years old, KG is still one of the best defenders in the NBA.

Last year, I think KG finally recovered from that knee injury.  This enabled him to attain more lift, which I think sparked his uptick in play during the second half of the season and playoffs.

I'd bet if we made the Finals, not only would we have beaten the Thunder, KG would've been named Finals MVP.  I could see him eating Perkins alive.  Don't get me wrong, Rondo played sensational, but I consider him vs. Westbrook a wash.

If we want to contend, KG needs to play like Da Kid in Minnesota.
Ibaka would have guarded KG.

Ibaka's a much better weak-side defender than man defender, or at least he was last year.  OKC would prefer Bass to make open jumpers than having KG score at will on Perk.

Re: Can this team make noise without KG playing like an MVP?
« Reply #10 on: January 26, 2013, 08:46:08 PM »

Online Roy H.

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With our current personnel, probably not.


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Re: Can this team make noise without KG playing like an MVP?
« Reply #11 on: January 26, 2013, 09:40:46 PM »

Offline BballTim

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1) All last year I heard about how the compressed schedule and plethora of back to backs was going to kill a team as old as the Celts.

2) Our path could have been harder in the playoffs, but we were missing Green, Wilcox, JO and Bradley was out for half the playoffs. Your assessment of team health seems to lack all of that.

3) At worst, the jury's still out on Bradley's shooting. He went 0-2 on threes each of his 1st 3 games (not surprising after his layoff) but he's been about 40% since then.

4) Rondo was sensational in the playoffs, that's true. But we played 3 of the top defenses in the league, 2 of which were among the best teams in the league in limiting production of opposing point guards last year. The fact that you can't accept that Rondo faced tough defenses doesn't make it so.

5) It's true that KG was the biggest reason for our turnaround. He spent the first 1/3 or so of the season looking like garbage and then started playing well.

  I think KG will play well in the playoffs. Not necessarily like last year. But last year our big rotation was KG, Bass, an injured Steamer and Ryan Hollins, with PP picking up some minutes. This year will (hopefully) be KG, Sully, Bass, Wilcox, Green and a late-season signing. We'll need Rondo's sensational play to advance (like we did last year) but hopefully we'll be able to play KG fewer minutes because the bigs won't be as awful as they were last year.

Re: Can this team make noise without KG playing like an MVP?
« Reply #12 on: January 27, 2013, 09:58:05 PM »

Offline j804

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1) All last year I heard about how the compressed schedule and plethora of back to backs was going to kill a team as old as the Celts.

2) Our path could have been harder in the playoffs, but we were missing Green, Wilcox, JO and Bradley was out for half the playoffs. Your assessment of team health seems to lack all of that.

3) At worst, the jury's still out on Bradley's shooting. He went 0-2 on threes each of his 1st 3 games (not surprising after his layoff) but he's been about 40% since then.

4) Rondo was sensational in the playoffs, that's true. But we played 3 of the top defenses in the league, 2 of which were among the best teams in the league in limiting production of opposing point guards last year. The fact that you can't accept that Rondo faced tough defenses doesn't make it so.

5) It's true that KG was the biggest reason for our turnaround. He spent the first 1/3 or so of the season looking like garbage and then started playing well.

  I think KG will play well in the playoffs. Not necessarily like last year. But last year our big rotation was KG, Bass, an injured Steamer and Ryan Hollins, with PP picking up some minutes. This year will (hopefully) be KG, Sully, Bass, Wilcox, Green and a late-season signing. We'll need Rondo's sensational play to advance (like we did last year) but hopefully we'll be able to play KG fewer minutes because the bigs won't be as awful as they were last year.
Gah this is sad
"7ft PG. Rondo leaves and GUESS WHAT? We got a BIGGER point guard!"-Tommy on Olynyk