I’m not delusional.
At least that’s what I keep telling myself. Despite the sudden surge in offense against a team they should have worked over anyway, the Celtics still scare me and that is a problem. Not so much that they scare me, but moreover that they don’t really scare anyone else right now.
Sunday’s game against Cleveland will go a long way into alleviating my fears and instilling some into the teams that have written them off as over the hill has-beens. I’m not expecting miracles here, I just want Boston to keep it close. I couldn’t imagine uttering those words at the beginning of the season but the reality of the situation has set in. The Celtic’s window of opportunity is closing rapidly and to the point that I don’t know if they can even reach the 55 win mark on the season.
With LeBron looking stronger than ever and Antawn Jamison really asserting himself into the offense it is going to be hard for the C’s to pay attention to both players if they hang around the paint. Boston needs to be physical on the block on both ends of the floor to even have a chance. Running shooters off the three point line is also going to be a necessity with their plethora of sharpshooters.
What this really will test is the makeup of the bench. After a good productive game they usually tend to slack off. This is why Ainge traded for Robinson, to give that second unit a spark every night. Unfortunately, he has been miss-firing intermittently and hasn’t been the offensive injection he was made out to be, despite some nice nights. I’m still bitter about that trade.
At least they are playing in the Cleve. Yes, you read that right. Boston is the only division leader that has more road wins than home. They are also the only leader that has more home losses then road losses. Pretty weak in my book. Whatever works though, right? Right?
A win for me will be a loss by less than ten points. Pessimistic? Hell yes. Until Boston can show me that they can play with the intensity they displayed against the Pacers when they play elite teams, I will be happy with a moral victory.
Man, I feel like that last line could have been written by a Nets fan. Gross.
Lee Herman covers the NBA and Boston Celtics for North Station Sports.
Find more of his great work here.
