This game perfectly sums up this team post-Shaq.... not a contender to win anything, but they still make it entertaining and give their opponent all heck. Proud of em. Great 6 years. Bring on the next era! 
post-Shaq 
?
are you kidding me ? Shaq was just a footnote to this team. you might try post-Perkins - sure, Perk was no all-star - but he fit this team and their interior defense has not been the same since and we gave up our physical identity (advantage) and tried to be Miami, for some insane reason.
Tenn-smoothie, it wasn't a typo. I've been following this team obsessively since Pitino was hired.
We were Officially championship contenders from July 31, 2007 (the day we traded for KG) - April 3, 2011 (Shaq's final game) ...
Garnett played his first game on November 2, 2007... so in total we were legitimate threats for a title for about 3 and a half years. It's been over two years since we were a serious title threat. I'm not stuttering here. It's a fact. Granted, we performed admirably over the past 2 years, but we basically just running off residual fumes of once great men. Our tank has been flashing "empty" since April 3, 2011.
Little recent Celtic history for you to catch you up to speed...
We won a 66 games and a title in 2007-09. One of the greatest teams of all time... a defensively dominant team built around the defensive talents of Kevin Garnett (a top 5 talent) with valiant support from post-prime Stars Paul Pierce and Ray Allen. This was supposed to be the "prep year" where everyone learned each others' tendencies... the championship was a bit surprising.
In 2008-09, KG was limited to 57 games, but the talents of Paul Pierce and Ray Allen (along with emerging young star Rajon Rondo) were enough to push us to 62 wins... The defensive culture was embedded...unfortunately, without KG, we were 2nd round losers to Dwight Howard and his band of misfits. Make no mistake, 2008-09 was the year we were supposed to dominate... we were clear league favorites and had KG been healthy, I could have seen this team making a run at 70 wins. No joke. But without KG, this team struggled to even knock off Chicago in the first round (a team that we dominated in the regular season the next year with KG back)
2009-10, a year older. KG back from injury, but his mobility was not what it once was. His worst statistical season as a Celtic (look it up)... rumblings that he was washed up. Limited to 69 games (71 for Pierce)... Still... too much talent to hold down. The starting 5 of Rondo, Ray, Pierce, KG and Perk win 50 games and make it all the way to game 7 of the Finals. Without Perk in Game 7, they fall to Los Angeles Lakers. Boston had absolutely no match for LA's size. We lost the game on the boards.
2010-11 ... KG's mobility is back now a year removed from surgery. Perk misses the first part of the season due to his injury... we replace him with an elderly Shaq. The lineup of Rondo, Ray, Pierce, KG and Shaq dominate early... going 23-4 to start the season. The best our offense EVER looked in the KG era. Boston consistently drops 100+ during that stretch. Perk returns the last week of January 2011... which coincides with Shaq going down in early February with an injury. Perk plays a total of 17 games and gets shipped out to Oklahoma for Jeff Green.
Here's the thing... at the time of the Perk trade, you either fell into two camps. #1 - "We just destroyed our chances of winning a championship" or... #2 - "Presuming Shaq returns from the injury, we're a contender... otherwise, we just destroyed our chances of winning a championship". I personally fell into camp #2. We were outstanding with Shaq. All signs pointed to him coming back. And I
FIRMLY believe that (no matter how much talent Jeff Green has), there is simply no way that Danny Ainge pulls the trigger on that Perk trade unless he was absolutely convinced that Shaq was going to be ready for the playoffs. NO WAY does he make that trade without total confidence that Shaq will be fine.
And so... for the next two months, I kept this fact in mind. Relax, Shaq will be back. Relax, Shaq will be back. Relax, Shaq will be back.
April 3, 2011 (Boston at home vs Detroit): Shaq finally returns. Here we go baby. It's ONN!!! Look out world, Boston's about to make their final stand... Shaq will get a good couple weeks to prep for the playoffs... and then good luck to any sucker who faces Boston in the postseason. Haha!... I knew Danny wasn't crazy! We got Shaq back... everyone's healthy... we got our size, baby. Suck it, Lakers! ...
... Shaq plays a total of 5 minutes... goes 3-3 with 6 points and 1 rebound. He looked good. He looked spry out there. Then he hobbled off the court taking our title hopes with him.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQZJ2pOKc7w&t=20sHe briefly returned to play a few minutes during the Miami series, but he clearly wasn't anywhere near healthy. We haven't been the same team since. We haven't had the size. We were so woefully under sized that we moved KG to center and started Brandon Bass (who was brought in to fill Glen Davis' role as a 3rd string big, but Nenad Krstik staying in Europe during the lockout and our failed attempt to sign David West suddenly thrusted him into the lineup). We won 56 games that season, and got trounced by Miami in the second round.
2011-12, we weren't contenders. We won 39 games in a lockout shortened season (equivalent of 48 wins). We weren't really relevant. A 5th seed team. The contenders were Miami, Chicago, San Antonio and Oklahoma. We lucked into playing a HOrford-less Atlanta in round 1 (he gave us a scare when he came back late in the series and beat us despite 4 months of rust) ... and an 8th seed Philly team in round 2. Then, Celtic pride and residual aura of greatness helped us give Miami a series in the ECF ... until Bosh returned from injury and LeBron flipped a switch.
2012-13, Still not contenders. Barely over .500 team (41 wins). KG and Pierce a year older. KG no longer a top 5 player. Pierce no longer an all-star. Still no size. Lost our 3rd best player in Rajon Rondo. Out in the 1st round.
We stopped being contenders when Shaq went out. But we still had heart... we still fought to the bitter end... despite not having a real chance at glory, we make life tough for whoever we faced... and tonight was PERFECT example of that post-Shaq era. If KG retires, next year we'll more than likely fail to miss the playoffs... 3.5 years of being a contender... an extended victory lap that lasted 2.5 years.... and now, a long-overdo rebuild.
Step 1: Lay the groundwork with a proper tanking.
Topic: Knicks (3-2) at Celtics (2-3) Game 6 5/3 (Read 77083 times)