Punch Your Ticket

After last night’s loss to the Orlando Magic the Celtics sit in third place in the Eastern conference at 54-19, and fourth overall in league standings.  The much anticipated return of Kevin Garnett has seen him play very limited minutes, as it is painfully obvious he’s still pampering that right knee.  Fortunately, you wouldn’t be able to tell because his intensity and production are still on par for the minutes he’s playing.  At this point there are a couple of things that are very evident.  The C’s are obviously in the playoffs, so if your a thinking person, how do you play it?  Do you try and chase down the Cav’s and the Lakers for the best record in the league, or do you try and get healthy for the playoffs?  Bragging rights aside the best record in the league often proves to be a burden.  I’m not saying that it’s not something to strive for, just not the godsend people make it out to be.

Though KG is back in the lineup, we are now missing another one of our big difference makers, Leon Powe.  He along with Tony Allen (as much as I hate to say it) when healthy are integral parts of the plan.  The “plan” being defense, and for Powe that and more.  I’d be remiss if didn’t give a tip of the hat to our big fella Kendrik Perkins, who would seem to be finally “getting it”. Avoiding foul trouble, keeping the ball above his knees, the little essentials of which good big men are made. Which is refreshing because it keeps me from constantly yelling at the tv, and has the added benefit of helping us win games.  Speaking of big men, Dwight Howard is and will be the closest thing to Wilt Chamberlain.  He needs a few more go-to offensive moves in his repertoire, but he’s so physically and athletically dominant around the basket you’d be forgiven for wondering if he’d also have a 100 point game.  But these in-season match up games don’t hold a tremendous amount of weight as we’ve mentioned before, because it’s not a playoff series.  Also not to make excuses KG didn’t even play in the fourth.  Other than that the general outlook for our team is to just get healthy, while playing the best basketball we can.  That means developing our younger inexperienced players, and our veteran trades so that they won’t be a bust and can actually help us in the playoffs (ahem Mikki Moore).  Don’t let the media let-downs sway you into thinking that this team will be easily toppled.  Outside of the Cav’s we’re still the favorites.

But enough of the hum-drum NBA, its March and that means madness!  Madness because most of us are gettin killed in our brckets.  Those of us who aren’t, will probably be excited for tonight where the Garden gets taken over by pure undergrad basketball, at times the best there is.  It’s sweet sixteen time, and tonight at 7:27 it’s Xavier vs. Pitt then 9:57 for the Villanova vs. Duke nightcap.

AngryBlackAle