Celtics vs. Celtics

After last nights ass whoopin of the 76ers DP had a great idea to compare last years NBA champion Celtics to this years squad. There are many things to look at when making this comparison, so let us begin.

Personel:
--Last Years Squad--
Last year there were some faces on the bench that are no longer here. first of all you have the ageless P.J. Brown whose long reach and strength underneath are still being missed by Boston fans. He came outta retirement to come get a ring, and anyone who underestimates the impact he had was simply not paying much attention. His veteran mindset and aggressive work ethic became a example of how to play with heart for the youth of the Celtics. P.J. we hope you're enjoying retirement and your new jewelry.


Then theres Mr. Posey. James Posey had all the intangible pieces that pull together a championship team. but he also produced on the court. his clutch 3-pointers never got old and he became a go to guy when the Cs needed a big time shot. His clutch shots cant overshadow his defense however. The man can change the culture of a team. Boston fans will never forget James standing at the scoring stand before each game, he would hug each of the starting five and spit some knowledge in their ear. Posey will end up getting another ring before he retires just because of the type of player he is.


--This Years Squad--
The best thing about this years team as opposed to last years in terms of personel in my opinion is Tony Allen...hes back and playing well. With Tony becoming an active member of the team, it takes some of the pressure off the rest of the back court. His speed is nearly back to 100% and his defense is still one of the best parts of his game. Tony Allen is the man.


The next point of notice of this years team is simply the youth, and the role they are begining to play.

Glen 'Big Baby' Davis is getting more minutes then he did last year and is reminding everyone how he took LSU to the final four a couple years ago. His heart is unquestionable when you watch this man play, he wants to win, and he wants to win it by playing hard and playing smart. Did anyone else see him make that 16 ft jumper last night?? Werd up. i wanna be friends with him.


'Hard Work' Leon Powe is banging under the boards more than he had a chnace to last year. After game 2 of the finals last year, he solidified his place in the Celtics gameplan. The alltime Pac 10 leading scorer and personal friend of DP, myself, and my girlfriend is going to turn heads for the next couple of years around the league.
Here he is with my GF in Vegas...im pretty sure they did it.


These three guys are allowing the starters to take more time resting on the bench which is important since the NBA season is a marathon not a sprint. I cant stress enough the importance of Tony, Leon, Big Baby, and not to mention Eddie House to this team. Because of them the Celtics have the best bench in the league and more depth than the grand canyon.

New faces on the team this year include Patrick O'Bryant, J.R. Giddens and Bill Walker. These guys combined with Gabe Pruitt basically compile the Celtics 'C' squad and see about as much minutes as you would expect a C squad to see. They play their part and if nothing else help prepare the rest of the team for games throughout the year in practice.

Winner: This Years Team
Depth Depth Depth. When Doc goes to the bench i dont mind anyone he throws out there this year. This years team has a balance thats really hard to create in todays NBA.


Offensive Power
--Last year--
At the end of the regular season the Celtics were avergaing 100.5 points per game...not too shabby. The leading scorers for this squad are all still starting for Boston. Their PPG were as follows:
Paul:19.6
Ray:17.4
KG:18.8
Rajon:10.6
Simply put, they crushed teams last year. They were the best defensive team in the league, but that doesnt account for all the points they scored. They still got it done on the offensive side of the ball. They finished with a 47%FG rating which is pretty impressive as well. And with Posey still around there were numerous threats from beyond the arch as they were 38% with the deep ball.

--This Year--
Its tough to really compare numbers at this point simply because its so early in the season, but fuck it.
Right now the Celtics are averaging 98.8 PPG and the leading scorers are currently the exact same with Paul, Ray, Kg and Rajon the top four. but the scoring is much more balanced among the rest of the team. I dont want to get much into individual numbers, because they are likely to change by the end of the year. However, check out http://www.nba.com/celtics/stats/ for some exact figures.

This year it may feel like the Celtics arent as offensively strong as they were last year, its a mirage trust me. They are good, if not better than last year. As i stated before, this year the starters get to spend some more time on the bench getting a breath than they did last year, and this is proof of the stability of the offensive from top to bottom.

Winner: This Years Team
Again, depth depth depth
Anyone can score this year, and the name of the game is teamwork. The top 4 leading scorers are still here, and are still the top 4, also the pieces around them are better this year as whole.


Defensive Power
--Last year--
They were the defensive team of the year. No one wanted to fox with the Cs last year.
Opponents averaged just over 90ppg at about 40%FG shooting, they forced 16 TO a game, and had an average of 8.5 steals again.


Nuff said.


--This Year--
They are still playing great defense, but lets be honest, not as good. The celtics are actually giving up the ball more than taking it away. So far they turnover the rock 16.2 times, and force the TO 15.9 times, not a dramatic stat, but reveals the fact that so far...its not as tight as it was last year.
They still get about 8 and a half steals a game, and are holding opponents to 90.5 PTG still which is fine by me. They are still one of the best defensive teams in the league if not the best, dont get me wrong, but they still have to prove at the end of the year that they are as good as last years squad.

Winner: Last Years Champions
Simply put, this years Celtics have a lot to live up to in terms of defensive prowess. So far they look pretty good, but its a long season.


Take a step back and look at these two teams. I truely believe the Celtics are bound to repeat because i believe this years team is better than last years. Argue if you want, i expect nothing less. But they are pulling together with an obvious confidence and prestige that is contageous when wearing those historic uniforms. Last year the Celtics were so hungry they were almost drooling, but this year they are cool, confident, and collected and poised to repeat. They have begun a new dynasty in Boston Celtics history, and you better believe than anything less than a repeat is a dissapointment. They have the swagger of team that knows they are the best, but still goes out every night to prove it.

God damnit I love the Celtics so much.