Boston Celtics Doc Rivers Will Once Again Have Team Be A Defensive Beast
[picappgallerysingle id="9127500"]Everywhere I turn, I see more so called experts try to cram down my throat that the Boston Celtics will all of a sudden cease to be a great defensive team. A lot of people feel the Boston Celtics without Tom Thibodeau and his defense that the team will lose their great defensive edge. Experts like Sherrod Blakely seem to think that Danny Ainge is trying to outscore opponents with signings like Shaq, Jermaine O’Neal, Delonte West, Von Wafer, and keeping Nate Robinson and Marquis Daniels to replace guys like Rasheed Wallace and Tony Allen. Blakely has a point. The Boston Celtics will be a better scoring team as well. Shaq and Jermaine O’Neal can score in the paint better than Kendrick Perkins can. Nate Robinson should be more explosive with a season in the offense. Free from having to run the second unit offense and with a healthy thumb, Marquis Daniels should flourish offensively. Von Wafer is a talented and athletic scorer if he is the Von Wafer from 09. Delonte West can score from the outside shooting at least 38 percent from beyond the three point line. West can also help set the offense for the second unit. However, the experts are dead wrong. The Boston Celtics will be a better defensive team then they were in 2010.
For starters let’s debunk the Tom Thibodeau theory. Tom was great. His genius is well documented. The problem is Doc Rivers had a hand in that Celtic defence as well. Doc was the man that upon the formation of the Big Three preached the gospel of defence. To give Thibodeau all the credit is ludicrous. The Celtics also signed a very good defensive coach in Lawrence Franks. Franks was the defensive guru on the Nets teams that found their way to the NBA Finals. Franks is no slouch and with the Celtic personnel, he should have zero trouble keeping the defence a well oiled machine.
Danny Ainge knows that defence wins titles. This means the players he picks must fit the defensive system. The theory that guys like Rasheed Wallace and Tony Allen were essential defensive components that cannot be replaced is absurd. If anything, all the new Celtics make the team a better and more defensive team than last season. I loved Rasheed Wallace. However, the man that played like one of the greatest help defenders in the post come playoff time was the human turn style during the regular season. Jermaine O’Neal is the guy that is essentially replacing him. O’Neal is a solid help defender that can block shots with the best in the NBA. He has long arms and great instincts. Playing alongside Kevin Garnett should only enhance his defensive skill set. Shaq is also on board. If you can find me a guy better at clogging the middle off the bench, let me know. Shaq can still block shots. A lot of people document Shaq’s inabilities in pick and roll defence, but he has never had guys around him that are this good at defending it. Pierce, Allen, Rondo, Daniels, West, and Wafer are all great defenders off the pick. This should greatly help Shaq. Tony Allen was nice, but so was James Posey. There is no reason why a healthy Marquis Daniels cannot fill the void. He has the same length and skill set defensively as these other men. Playing in his natural position should allow people to see more of how good Daniels can be defensively. The team is also adding Delonte West and his gritty defence. This also means that Nate Robinson is a better defender. Nate can play the point guard now despite being more a two guard because of Delonte’s ability to guard the shooting guard. Von Wafer proved in Houston he was a valuable defender. His defensive play was noticeably better than Tracy McGrady’s to the point that the Rockets fell out of love with T-Mac. Even the rookies in Luke Harangody and Avery Bradley have a defensive pedigree.
New players to Boston know that the winning begins on the defensive end of the floor. How else does one explain guys like Nate Robinson and Stephan Marbury who were considered less than stellar defensive players all of a sudden playing hustle team defence? After Doc Rivers and the coaches, the team defence starts with the starters. KG demands accountability on the defensive end. Rajon Rondo is a lockdown defender. Paul Pierce is a solid defender. Ray Allen proved that he was a great defensive player with his work on the great Kobe Bryant in the playoffs despite it’s hindrance to his offense. Kendrick Perkins is a Beast in the middle. No one swallows the opposition in the paint quite like Perkins. His wide frame will be missed until his return.
The Boston Celtics have gone to two NBA Finals because of their great defensive play. Danny Ainge knows this. Doc Rivers know this. The players know this. Knowing this, I do not see any changes in philosophy in this great Celtic team. This talented group should be able to take the defence to new heights. This would mean another banner year for Boston.
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All I can say after reading this article is I love you Rob lol.
Right back at ya, Mary.