Celtics Finally Show Some Grit

Bleacher Report

If you had to describe the 2012-2013 Boston Celtics season thus far in just one word, that word would undoubtedly be "lethargy." NBA fans and analysts have speculated that the Celtics have been too old for years now, but the team has always managed to persevere throughout the 82 game season and make long playoff runs despite their aging core. This season, however, their age has really started to show. Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett are still the team's go-to scorers, which would be great if this was 5 years ago, or even two years ago. They're both still effective scorers, and Pierce can still hit shots in the clutch, as their most recent game against the Heat exemplified. However, they're not the consistent or as deadly as they once were.



Passing savant Rajon Rondo missing the rest of the season with a torn ACL doesn't help either (another post about him coming soon). This leaves a group of new and emerging role players to pick up the slack. Jason Terry (who is turning out to be a much less effective version of Ray Allen), Courtney Lee, Leandro Barbosa, Avery Bradley, Brandon Bass, and Jeff Green are left to provide added offense on a team that has been historically bad at that end of the floor during the Big 3 era. If Green continues to play well and continue to develop, that could really provide a spark for a team in need of athletic scorers.



What really impressed me about the Miami win more than anything was their energy level and toughness. The Doc Rivers-era Celtics have been personified by their stringent defense and lackluster offense. Even when their offense was abysmal, they still managed to tough out wins because of their defense. Now, with their defense and energy taking a step back, younger and more athletic teams can run amok at times. The Miami game showed that not only get baskets against an imposing athletic foe, but they could also last into multiple overtimes. The determination they showed gives me hope that this team can still compete for the rest of the season. If the Celitcs bring out the old Kevin Garnett attitude, never backing down and not taking shit from anyone, this team might just have a chance.