Still Think We Need Rasheed?

With a huge win fueled by the return of Kevin Garnett last night against the Orlando Magic, the Celtics asserted their position as the top team in the Eastern Conference, and reminded the panicking Celtics’ fans all over New England that when everyone on this team is healthy, they are in no need of any trades or acquisitions of washed up players like Rasheed Wallace in order for them to make a successful playoff run. In a game that was practically knotted from start to finish, the Celtics came out on top with 52 big points in the paint against Dwight Howard, another 13 assist night and double-double from Rajon Rondo, and 31 minutes of inspired play from a healthy Garnett as he dropped 19 points, led the defense to battle against a very versatile and dangerous Orlando offense, and got the game winning steal in the final seconds that sealed the victory for Boston. This game was proof that Garnett is the biggest difference maker for the Celtics, as they have not looked this organized or played this tough ever since they lost him to his calf injury. Now that Garnett has returned, the Celtics are back, and should continue asserting their dominance in the conference while they prepare for the return of the other starting big man, Kendrick Perkins.

The Celtics never let up last night, which is why they were able to overcome Orlando’s eleven three pointers and Howard’s 33 point 13 rebound night. All of Boston’s starters scored in double digits, and Big Baby Davis scored 15 points on 6-10 shooting off the bench. Davis is so much better for the C’s when he’s filling in for Shaq or Garnett instead of starting, and I was happy to see him balance the amount of jumpers he was taking with strong post-up moves and drives to the hoops. When he was starting in the nine games that Garnett sat out, his jump shot became the primary scoring option for the Celtics, which led to three losses that could have easily been avoided, as well as several sloppy wins. However, he is a different player when coming off the bench with Nate Robinson, and his energy and offensive ability can spark big runs against opposing second units instead of disrupting the flow of Boston’s offense when he is logging nearly 40 minutes per game as a starter. The Celtics played great last night with the return of KG, and will be a force to be reckoned with come playoff time as there is currently not a team in the NBA that Boston can’t beat in a seven game series. With Perk also coming back in early February, the Celtics have a ton of solid big men, and barring any major injuries, Sheed is definitely going to have to sit this one out.

Guess Who's Back?

The Celtics are set to take on the Orlando Magic at 8:00 pm tonight in Boston, and are looking for revenge after suffering an embarrassing offensive showing and 86-78 defeat to the Magic on Christmas day. However, the major headline in this game is the expected return of starting power forward and defensive leader Kevin Garnett, who will be greatly needed on the floor tonight if Boston wants to hold Orlando's versatile and aggressive offense to a reasonable amount of points. Even though it may take him a quarter or two to get back into the swing of things, I expect KG to be a big difference maker in this one, especially on the defensive side of the ball. As for Boston's offense, don't expect them to get held under 80 points again like they did in December, because this time around the Celtics have Rajon Rondo. Last time these two teams faced, Rondo was injured and Nate Robinson filled in for him by scoring just 7 points and only 4 assists. Not to mention, he was shooting erratically and made just 1-7 attempts from three point range. While I do trust Nate's jump shot, which brings versatility to Boston's point guard position, I trust him much more as Rondo's backup and the point guard for Boston's second unit rather than the starting lineup. Nate's three pointers can do some serious damage to point guards who get too used to slacking off Rondo since he doesn't typically put up three's, but Robinson's shot selection can also do some serious damage to the Celtics when he is playing over 40 minutes a game like he did on Christmas.

With Rondo at the helm of the offense, and KG almost certainly returning tonight, the Celtics will be sporting a starting lineup of five all star players. Rondo won't be able to take over this game with his points since Orlando has one of the best shot blockers in the league down low in Dwight Howard, however he will be able to make a huge impact with his assists since everyone else in Boston's starting lineup has the potential to score 20-30 points on any given night. Orlando has a very solid defense, but no defense can truly stop Boston's offense since they can attack you from so many different angles. Look for Ray Allen and Paul Pierce to knock down some big threes, and for the Celtics to attack the paint if Dwight Howard rests or gets into foul trouble. Also look for Boston's second unit to put up some big points, since the leaders of the bench Glen Davis and Nate Robinson, will be reunited in the second unit, which makes their jump shots big weapons off the bench rather than Boston's main source of offense for majority of the game. I am excited to see how Boston's high powered offense looks against a tough defense like Orlando's, however no matter how well Boston's offense plays, their defense is going to need to come up big against the Magic's offense, which is almost as versatile and dangerous as Boston's.

Luckily KG is supposed to play tonight, which means that the defense should return to form, play very physical, and clamp down on opposing offenses the way they did before Garnett got hurt. Look for Garnett's presence to also result in better overall rebounding for the C's, more hustling, and more Tommy Points. These are all important so that the Celtics truly play their game against a tough Orlando team that is 8-2 in their last 10 games. Shaq is going to have to play very well against his younger nemesis, Dwight Howard, because even though I love Semih Erden and the energy he brings to the court, he is just not experienced enough to handle a guy as athletic, explosive, and dangerous as Howard. On Christmas the C's held Howard to just 6 points on 1-4 shooting from the field, but they cannot expect the same outcome tonight because the big guy has improved his offense dramatically from last season, and has a variety of nifty post moves to get to the hoop instead of only being able to dunk with authority like last year. Orlando's other starting big man Brandon Bass is underrated, but is just no match for Kevin Garnett. The guy rebounds well and is a great shooter for his size, but KG rebounds better and is a better shooter for his size. Hedo Turkoglu also typically comes up very clutch for the Magic when they play against the Celtics, and is a guy that can score from any angle whether he's shooting or driving to the hoop. Paul Pierce needs to shut Turkoglu down if the game gets close, or Hedo will make them pay.

The rest of Orlando's roster loves to put up three pointers, and I'm not exaggerating when I say the rest. The Celtics defense cannot just clog the paint and stop Dwight Howard if they want to win, because Orlando can kill you with the three ball, so Boston's defenders need to stick with their men no matter where they go. Hedo Turkoglu, Jason Richardson, Jameer Nelson, Gilbert Arenas, J.J. Reddick, and the list goes on for Orlando players who can drill three point shots, so the Celtics need to contest these shots and box out because the Magic will be putting up around 30 three pointers tonight, which means there will be the potential for 30 long rebounds. That means that everybody on the court needs to be alert if the ball comes their way, and everybody needs to play hard if they want to win. These are arguably the two best teams in the Eastern Conference, and this could very well be a preview of the Eastern Conference finals. Welcome back Kevin Garnett!

The Bobcats Got Shaq-Attacked

When I said the Celtics were going to have to dig deep to pull out a win tonight, I was expecting a lot of hustling, tough play, and clutch performances from guys like Semih Erden, Luke Harangody, and Marquis Daniels. However, with Semih's nagging groin injury and early foul trouble due to some ambiguous fouls called by the referees, Shaquille O'Neal wound up logging a season high 35 minutes on the court and promptly punished the Bobcats' weak interior defense with 23 points. Shaq also grabbed 5 rebounds in the game, as well as a season high 5 blocks. Kwame Brown and the Bobcats had no answer for O'Neal's size, as Rondo penetrated all game long and was always looking to find Shaq down low for an easy bucket or alley-oop. Rondo played extremely well on offense, as he not only worked his usual dribble, drive, and dish moves, but made some key jump shots as well. Rajon finished the game with 18 points and 13 assists.

The Celtics played tough defense and pulled out a 99-94 point victory despite getting outrebounded 42-29. Boston's field goal percentage and eight three point shots made up for the lost rebounds, while Rondo and Shaq led them to an offensive attack that also featured 19 points each from Paul Pierce and Ray Allen. Luckily the banged up Celtics have a couple days off before they square off on Monday against Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic. We'll all be holding our breath for the good news that KG will return for the game, but if not, Shaq is going to have to come up big again and stay out of foul trouble against his Howard, his younger nemesis. Hopefully Semih's groin will be feeling a little better by then so he can get back on the court with the energy he usually brings to the floor, and help the Celtics to continue playing tight constricting defense with frequent offensive onslaughts led by Pierce, Allen, and Rondo. Also, despite their off game tonight, I still believe the Celtics' bench is one of the most dangerous in the NBA, and luckily there is almost always somebody there to pick up the slack for the Celtics spark them to a win. Tonight, Shaq came up big for them, and was playing more like a 28 year old than a 38 year old. With KG, Perk, and Delonte West all on the way back from injury, this Celtics team is only going to keep getting better.