The Boston Celtics are no better than the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference. Miami, Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, and even Indiana are better teams this season according to one Chris Mannix. On WEEI this morning Mannix made a bleak prediction for the Celtics this season. The good new is Mannix is usually no where near the vicinity of right and in this case that rings more true than ever.
The first mistake Mannix is making is the simple fact that the success of a team’s defense plays a huge part in what teams are good teams and what teams are bad teams. The Celtics last season led the NBA in defensive points allowed. The next two teams were Chicago and Miami. Those teams were the contenders in the East. They will continue to be the ones fighting for the Eastern Conference crown this year.
New York may have signed Tyson Chandler and Baron Davis to go along with studs like Carmelo Anthony and Amare, but Mike D’Antoni is still the coach. This means the team will go no where on the defensive side of the ball and that will spell their doom. The 76ers and Pacers are young teams that are still struggling to play defense. This means plan on them being in the five to eight range come playoff time.
The second mistake is Boston is better than they were last season. The team was the third seed despite getting no help from anywhere for the “Big Four”. The bench is light years better. The team get finally get both defense and points form their bench. Gone are head cases like Delonte West, Von Wafer, and Glen Davis. Keyon Dooling is a healthy option at point guard that can score. Brandon Bass and Chris WIlcox are solid defenders and post players. The rookies like E’Twaun Moore, Gilbert Brown, and JaJuan Johnson look like they can bring something to the table. Avery Bradley is now a dynamic shooting guard that is free to create his own offense. Jermaine O’Neal and Marquis Daniels are healthy and ready to play.
The bottom line is this team is going to surprise a lot of people. They are a veteran cast that knows how to win that have the right pieces around them. They have a great coach in Doc Rivers that knows how to use these pieces as well. One can plan on one of the top three seeds and the team finishing among the leaders on team defense. This means Chris Mannix is once again dead wrong. Remember Go Green Or Go Home!!!!!!
