2011-12 Boston Celtics Predictions
Written by Steve Janus
Things didn’t exactly go the way the Celtics had hoped during the 2010-11 season. Boston finished with the third best record in the Eastern Conference at 56-26, but stumbled into the playoffs with a 10-11 record over their final 21 games. Boston opened up the postseason with an impressive 4-0 sweep of the New York Knicks, but were no match for the Miami Heat in the semifinals. The season seemed to take a turn for the worse when Danny Ainge traded away Kendrick Perkins to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The loss seemed to devastate the players and coaches.
While the core of Paul Pierce, Rajon Rondo, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen are still in Boston, this team will have a much different look to it this season. The Celtics traded away another key contributor in Glen Davis, and decided not to re-sign Nenad Krstic and Delonte West.
They went out and signed Chris Wilcox from the Pistons, while acquiring Brandon Bass and Keyon Dooling via trade. I also like the two draft picks they made in JaJuan Johnson and E’Twaun Moore, but it may take some time before either sees significant playing time.
The additions of Bass and Wilcox are two key additions for the Celtics, as they really needed some help down low. 35-year-old Kevin Garnett and 33-year-old Jermaine O’Neal are both well pass their prime and simply can’t handle playing extensive minutes. Both Garnett and O’Neal struggled to stay healthy last year. Garnett missed 11 games and O’Neal played in just 24. Bass is coming off his best season as a pro. He averaged a career-high 11.2 points and 5.6 rebounds in just 51 starts with Orlando last year. Wilcox averaged just 7.4 points and 4.8 rebounds with the Pistons last year, but should fair better with a lot better talent around him.
Garnett and O’Neal aren’t the only veterans on this team that are starting to get up their in age. Allen is now 36 and Pierce is 34. While both of these players still play at a very high level, the clock is starting to run out on these two future Hall of Famers.
The key to the Celtics getting back to the NBA Finals will be the play of Rondo and Green. Rondo is the glue that keeps this team together. Without him this team would not even be considered a contender to win it all. Rondo averaged 10.6 points and 11.2 assists last season and is also one of the teams best defenders. Green was a major disappointment after coming over from the Thunder last year. He averaged 15.2 points in 49 games with Oklahoma City, but managed to score just 9.8 with the Celtics.
Dooling doesn’t figure to see a whole lot of playing time behind Allen, but the Celtics are going to need him to contribute with the daunting schedule in a shortened season. One player to keep your eye on is second-year point guard Avery Bradley, who Ainge believes can become a key piece to the team in his sophomore season.
Prediction – 1st Eastern Conference Atlantic Division – While I think the Celtics aren’t as strong as they have been in years past, this is still one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference. They will continue to be one of the best defensive teams in the league, which I believe will allow them to hold off the Knicks and 76ers in the division. I think this team is more than capable of putting together one final run at another championship, but for that to happen their aging veterans have to stay healthy and Rondo must continue to show improvement.
Find out where we have all 30 NBA teams finishing in our 2011-12 NBA Predictions article.
If you are looking to make some money this NBA season, be sure to check out what Steve Janus has to offer. Steve finished No. 7 overall in the NBA last year, thanks in large part to a 37-17 run towards the end of last season!
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