Ugh! The Eastern Conference is a disgrace! With the exception of the Indiana Pacers and the Miami Heat, all of the teams in the Eastern conference have losing records at this point in the season. And the lowly Boston Celtics, with a record of 8-12, are in fourth place in the Eastern Conference because they in first place in a division of losers (Toronto, Philadelphia, Brooklyn and New York). Just how did Atlantic division teams get so bad? Unfortunately, the problem is poor management. The Jason Kidd as first-time NBA coach experiment in Brooklyn has clearly failed. The "All You Need is Carmelo Anthony" show in New York has bombed. Philadelphia, after a surprising season start, has returned to its wallowing ways. And Toronto continues to be the NBA backwater that is has historically been. So the Celtics lead their division not because they are a great team, but because their division rivals absolutely suck! The irony is that because the Celtics rivals suck so bad, they are dramatically enhancing their chances of landing top lottery picks in what looks to be a great NBA draft. Let's pray it more hype than reality.
I have to admit that I've been AFK for some time now, but I have been watching most of the Celtics games. I just haven't been inspired to write much about them lately. Should I get excited they they blew out a bad Cleveland team by 20 points? No. Should I get excited that they finally beat the Milwaukee Bucks after three tries this season? Absolutely not. The Bucks are the worst team in the NBA and only have 3 wins this season with 2 of those wins coming at the expense of the Celtics. But to be fair the Celtics are improving as a team. The Celtics have won 4 of their last 6 games. Sure, they haven't been beating great caliber teams (Cleveland, Milwaukee, Atlanta and Charlotte). But winning the games you're supposed to win is a sign that the team is maturing and that their coach and the players themselves are finally starting to figure out what each player's role is on the team. Jordan Crawford has clearly emerged as the team's point guard pending Rondo's return and has been the go to guy in the fourth quarter to help the Celtics close out games. Avery Bradley, now freed from primary ball handling duties, has had some great games shooting the basketball. We all knew he was a great defender, but this season's have been able to showcase his offensive capabilities. The simultaneously wonderful and frustrating Jeff Green seems to be finding a bit more consistency with his aggressiveness and confidence as a scorer. And Jared Sullinger has also has often provided a spark when the team needs it the most. In fact, every player on the team seems to be contributing in some small way toward the team's improvement as a whole. I've enjoyed watching the Celtics get better as the season progresses and have been encouraged by what I've seen.
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