Blog

Okay, so Game 1 of 82 didn’t go as planned.  We were out of sync defensively, and a team like the Miami Heat will make you pay for such transgressions.  You have to bring your A game if you’re going to compete against a team led by LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, and the Celtics simply didn’t do that last night.

But, you know what?  This team has some serious potential.  Once Doc Rivers gets the kinks ironed out this team is going to be a legit title contender.

Just take a look at the egg we laid last night – Jeff Green is a non-factor, and the Green bashers are already out in full force, saying that Danny Ainge now has a Jeff Green boat anchor tied around his neck.  I say that that’s not the case.  Yeah, Green was a non-factor.  But Green was also having trouble getting the ball with the proper spacing.  The man needs room to operate.  Give him a chance.  You’ll see.

Jason Terry?  Underwhelming to say the least, especially after what we saw in the preseason.  But hey, the Miami Heat aren’t some schmuck team from Turkey.  You’re talking about the read deal, the NBA World Champions.  Terry was having trouble finding his way and getting into a rythym.  It happens.  The season just started.  The games finally mean something.  Terry will be more than fine.  Terry is going to knock it out of the park.

Kevin Garnett made a couple of mistakes, but no one is harder on KG than KG.  He’ll clean that up in a big way, and he’ll use it as fuel for Game 2 of 82.

Jared Sullinger looked out of his element.  But what do you expect?  This is a huge step up in competition.  He’ll fare much better when the opponent is Cleveland, or Washington, or Milwaukee…

And there was plenty of good to hang our hats on.  Paul Pierce looked like he was in great shape, and he played like a man on a mission.  Brandon Bass, what can I say about Brandon Bass?  The man is so underrated, but so vital to what we’re doing this season.  And Courtney Lee?  Nice performance, going to get better as the season goes along.

Rajon Rondo?  He’s the maestro.  He’s our most important player.  He’ll be the one who helps this team get the kinks worked out.

And then there’s Leandro Barbosa – an absolute explosion in the fourth quarter.  Now that Doc knows what he’s got in Leandro, he needs to figure out how to use him to maximum benefit.

So the story is simple – we got beat, but it’s only one loss.  There are bigger challenges ahead.  The Celtics are going to work out the kinks and they’re going to play better, especially on the defensive end of the court.

And when they do, look out….