2008 Woodie Awards
Eastern conference 'greening'?
Adam Desanctis
Issue date: 12/3/07 Section: Maine Sports
After finishing a disastrous 2006-2007 season with an abysmal 24-58 record, fans of the Boston Celtics were left wondering if the team would ever be relevant again. Things looked even grimmer when the Celtics lost the NBA Lottery and ended up choosing fifth in the 2007 Draft despite having the worst record in the Eastern Conference. The sighting of Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish cutting down the nets in way-too-short-shorts seemed about as distant as the Boston Tea Party.
On draft day, the Celtics traded the rights to their fifth pick to the Seattle Supersonics for all-star guard Ray Allen. Many fans criticized the trade, considering Allen recently had ankle surgery and the team still hadn't addressed their need for a dominant force beneath the rim. Ironically, powered by team president and former Celtic god Kevin McHale, the Minnesota Timberwolves traded forward Kevin Garnett to the Celtics as part of a seven-player trade in August.
The addition of Garnett and Allen to Boston, along with star Paul Pierce, has led to a NBA-best 14-2 start to the 2007-2008 season. The trio is each averaging 20 points per game and the presence of Garnett on the defensive side has wreaked havoc on opposing guards driving to the basket. Along with the emergence of second-year point guard Rajon Rondo, the Celtics have a formidable top four that rivals the best of any in the league.
Despite their fast start, anything can happen in an 82-game season, and lingering injuries have plagued Pierce and Allen in the past. However, if healthy, a NBA-leading 17th championship draping from the rafters is a definite possibility.
Here's a look at the Celtics' top competitors in the Eastern Conference:
Orlando Magic
The Magic stand at 14-4 and handed the Celtics one of their two losses so far this season. Led by the "man-child" presence of Dwight Howard (22.5 ppg, 14.4 rpg) and the smooth perimeter shooting of forward Rashard Lewis (19.8 ppg), the Magic have a huge advantage on the boards to go along with the speedy backcourt of Jameer Nelson and Hedo Turkoglu. Look for the Magic to continue to punish teams under the rim and win games convincingly against the bottom-feeders of the league.
On draft day, the Celtics traded the rights to their fifth pick to the Seattle Supersonics for all-star guard Ray Allen. Many fans criticized the trade, considering Allen recently had ankle surgery and the team still hadn't addressed their need for a dominant force beneath the rim. Ironically, powered by team president and former Celtic god Kevin McHale, the Minnesota Timberwolves traded forward Kevin Garnett to the Celtics as part of a seven-player trade in August.
The addition of Garnett and Allen to Boston, along with star Paul Pierce, has led to a NBA-best 14-2 start to the 2007-2008 season. The trio is each averaging 20 points per game and the presence of Garnett on the defensive side has wreaked havoc on opposing guards driving to the basket. Along with the emergence of second-year point guard Rajon Rondo, the Celtics have a formidable top four that rivals the best of any in the league.
Despite their fast start, anything can happen in an 82-game season, and lingering injuries have plagued Pierce and Allen in the past. However, if healthy, a NBA-leading 17th championship draping from the rafters is a definite possibility.
Here's a look at the Celtics' top competitors in the Eastern Conference:
Orlando Magic
The Magic stand at 14-4 and handed the Celtics one of their two losses so far this season. Led by the "man-child" presence of Dwight Howard (22.5 ppg, 14.4 rpg) and the smooth perimeter shooting of forward Rashard Lewis (19.8 ppg), the Magic have a huge advantage on the boards to go along with the speedy backcourt of Jameer Nelson and Hedo Turkoglu. Look for the Magic to continue to punish teams under the rim and win games convincingly against the bottom-feeders of the league.
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