Whatever you want to call it - "Switch", "Look" - the Celtics turned the volume to 11 last night at Madison Square Garden and looked like the title contender we had all grown accustomed to as Celtics fans.
Now, no one could ever confuse this years Knicks team with even the late 90's early 00's New York teams (they were always profusely overrated by Knicks fans). This years team has two superstars (Amare, Melo), one good veteran who's slowly fading (Billups), and a whole cast of scrubs, castoffs, and raw players.
With that said, the Celtics efforts last night reminded fans of Miami and Chicago that this team wasn't last years Eastern Conference champs for nothing. While pundits and critics may favor those other two teams, the Celtics should be feared going forward (yes, even without Kendrick Perkins).
Why you may ask? Two reasons come to mind: Defense and Rajon Rondo.
The Celtics have held the Knicks to 43, 35, and 42% from the field in the three games. Last night's 43% easily could have been worse had the Knicks not improved it with a lot of fourth quarter garbage points.
Hounding the Knicks and making every shot difficult is so important against them, especially considering New York's 106.5 ppg were second in the NBA this season. They like to get out, run, and bomb three's. Seemingly unnoticed in last nights game, Boston shut down Carmelo Anthony by throwing double teams at him, squaring up bodies, and fouling Melo hard anytime he had a clear two points. Boston played with the mindset that nothing was going to come easy, and that's the way things seemed to turn out.
The second factor in why teams should fear the green often times comes from the smallest guy on the court, Rondo. Rondo's 20 assists last night tied Magic Johnson's playoff record for most assists in a single game (Johnson did it twice), and Rondo's sixth career playoff triple double tied him with LeBron James. Rondo finished with 15 points, 11 rebounds, and 20 assists, executing the offense to utter perfection. His ability to get his teammates great looks, as well as penetrate the paint with ease makes this Boston offense nearly unstoppable. This is on top of his ability to play shut down defense, create havoc with steals in the passing lanes, and seemingly create one-man fast breaks.
If I were a Knicks fan I would have not only been pissed at my team's effort in its first playoff home game in seven years, but also with the fact that they failed to knock down Rondo even once. At times, Rondo looked like he was just playing around on the school yard, hop-stepping and playing with the ball like a yp-yo on a string.
Rondo's 20 assists can largely be attributed to Paul Pierce and Ray Allen firing on all cylinders from downtown, but somebody has to give them the ball in position to score.
The Celtics have been here and done it before, and what's so scary for other teams is the fact that you may shut down one or two of the big four, but the other two are capable of carrying the team to victory. It's almost a pick your poison proposition. If I were an opposing coach I would focus on the maestro Rondo. Easier said than done.
The Knicks aren't a difficult playoff match up, that's why we're in the first round. The bench, particularly Glen Davis and Delonte West's play have been troubling. They also still need to rebound better as a team.
The Celtics know how to win. They know the difficult road to June. They know that defense comes first. They also know that Chicago and Miami haven't proven anything.
Never underestimate the heart of a champion.
