NBA Games - Will The Boston Celtics Repeat?

I did enjoy when the Utah duo of Stockton to Malone perfected the pick and role play under coach Jerry Sloane and when Larry Bird was "The Man" of the Boston Celtics. And who can forget the hardcourt duel between Boston and Los Angeles, of Bird and Magic Johnson, of Robert Parish and Kareem Abdul Jabbar?

Being someone who once played the sport, I was amazed by both of these teams, the skills of their players, the tactics employed by their coaches and the way they played the game with so much determination and basketball savvy. Such qualities have made both teams the most successful teams in the NBA when it came to the number of championships they have won. The Lakers have 14 with the last one during the last year of the Kobe Bryant-Shaquille O'Neal partnership in th 2001-2002 season while the Celtics won it last year after a drought of 22 years. And being a Celtics fan, that was just a sweet, sweet triumph to savor.

The triumvirate of Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett have showed that superstars can set aside their huge egos, get along rather well, and work for the common goal of the team, that of winning the championship. They have proven their critics wrong, and the big three want more, a lot more. And the man reponsible for bringing them in? Coach Doc Rivers should be credited for having the vision to pull this feat off.

During the start of this season, expectations have been high. Now that they have tasted how it felt to win a championship the next item in their agenda is to successfully defend their title. They started impressively, having accumulated a record of 8-2 during their first 10 games of the season with their last loss coming at the hands of the Denver Nuggets. Then they went on a franchise record 19 game winning streak which ended during Christmas Day when Bryant and the Lakers finally playing well to gain a great basketball result. Boston still owned the best win-loss record in the league with 27-3.

That suddenly changed as the next game, they were beaten by a struggling Golden State Warriors team. It was the first time that Boston suffered back-to-back defeats in the season. It didn't end there though. The team suddenly found themselves unable to get a win as they suffered defeats from low ranked teams like the New York Knicks and Charlotte Bobcats, aside from the losses against possible title contenders like the Portland Trailblazers, Houston Rockets and Cleveland Cavaliers. Now their record is at 31-9 through 40 NBA games.

I cannot believe the misfortune that the team is into lately. Gone is the stingy Boston defense that limits its opponents ability to score. Gone is the Celtic pride that Garnett used to have when the team had its winning streak of 19 games. They seem to be like an average team playing an average game. And I do hope that Rivers can solve the mystery and fast. The season is now on its middle part, when teams grind out wins and team standings are starting to shape up in order to determine which team shall go to the playoffs. And if the Celtics really want to defend their crown and win the title, they better show it on the basketball court day in, day out and not just by plain lip service.

Seed Newsvine

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