8-1 or not, the Celtics are overrated
By Steve Greenberg - SportingNews
Steve Greenberg
SportingNews.com
If you're from Boston, where the sky is always blue, the chowder is fresher than anywhere, you can't walk to the corner bar without finding a $20 on the street and your favorite sports teams never, ever lose, chances are you have a fairly bloated opinion about just how good the Celtics are.
Yes, Sean Deveney, I'm talking about you. Last week, my friend Sean's NBA power poll had the Celtics at the top of the heap, which is understandable given their then 7-0 record (now 8-1), the Patriots' then 9-0 start (now 10-0) and the Red Sox's World Series win.
Except those other teams haven't had anything to do with the Celtics' performance.
No, the C's stand on their own. And despite the halfway decent play of Rajon Rondo, Kendrick Perkins, Eddie House and James Posey, the team's Big Three -- Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen -- still, predictably, stand too much on their own. At least when compared with, say, the Spurs' Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, or the Suns' Steve Nash, Amare Stoudemire and Shawn Marion.
You see, folks, those Big Threes -- who are every bit as talented and potent as the trio in Boston -- simply have better supporting casts around them.
To me, the balance of power is as heavily in favor of the Western Conference as ever. Even Sean has eight West teams in his top 10. I don't know for sure which team I think is best. I lean toward the Suns, but I would be extremely confident in either the Suns or the Spurs to outclass and completely wear out the Celtics in a seven-game series.
For that matter, I think the Mavericks are at least the Celtics' equals, and the deep, talented Jazz and the full-strength Rockets might be as well.
I stop before including the Nuggets because, as good as they look, there's still a ton of time left for them to implode.
Here's a thought: I wonder if Kobe Bryant could shoot down the Celtics in a long series if Lamar Odom played well and all those Lakers big guys -- Kwame Brown, Ronny Turiaf, Andrew Bynum, Chris Mihm -- took turns making Garnett earn every inch in the paint. Honestly, I don't see why it couldn't happen.
I'm really looking forward to Friday night's Celtics-Lakers game in Boston. Bryant is better, hands down, than Garnett, Pierce or Allen, and he and LeBron James (who gets the C's in Cleveland on Nov. 27) are probably the only players in the league who could dare try to match the Big Three shot for shot in a fourth quarter and possibly get away with it. You just know Kobe wants that notch on his belt.
And I just know the Celtics are overrated right now. They're the best in a bad Eastern Conference, that's all. And sure as the Red Sox outclassed the Rockies, the C's will be outclassed by a West power -- if they wind up making it that far.
Steve Greenberg is a staff writer for Sporting News. You can e-mail him at sgreenberg@sportingnews.com.
Some of these sports writers must love to say shit for shock value or really love to hear (or in this case see) themselves talk.
By Steve Greenberg - SportingNews
Steve Greenberg
SportingNews.com
If you're from Boston, where the sky is always blue, the chowder is fresher than anywhere, you can't walk to the corner bar without finding a $20 on the street and your favorite sports teams never, ever lose, chances are you have a fairly bloated opinion about just how good the Celtics are.
Yes, Sean Deveney, I'm talking about you. Last week, my friend Sean's NBA power poll had the Celtics at the top of the heap, which is understandable given their then 7-0 record (now 8-1), the Patriots' then 9-0 start (now 10-0) and the Red Sox's World Series win.
Except those other teams haven't had anything to do with the Celtics' performance.
No, the C's stand on their own. And despite the halfway decent play of Rajon Rondo, Kendrick Perkins, Eddie House and James Posey, the team's Big Three -- Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen -- still, predictably, stand too much on their own. At least when compared with, say, the Spurs' Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, or the Suns' Steve Nash, Amare Stoudemire and Shawn Marion.
You see, folks, those Big Threes -- who are every bit as talented and potent as the trio in Boston -- simply have better supporting casts around them.
To me, the balance of power is as heavily in favor of the Western Conference as ever. Even Sean has eight West teams in his top 10. I don't know for sure which team I think is best. I lean toward the Suns, but I would be extremely confident in either the Suns or the Spurs to outclass and completely wear out the Celtics in a seven-game series.
For that matter, I think the Mavericks are at least the Celtics' equals, and the deep, talented Jazz and the full-strength Rockets might be as well.
I stop before including the Nuggets because, as good as they look, there's still a ton of time left for them to implode.
Here's a thought: I wonder if Kobe Bryant could shoot down the Celtics in a long series if Lamar Odom played well and all those Lakers big guys -- Kwame Brown, Ronny Turiaf, Andrew Bynum, Chris Mihm -- took turns making Garnett earn every inch in the paint. Honestly, I don't see why it couldn't happen.
I'm really looking forward to Friday night's Celtics-Lakers game in Boston. Bryant is better, hands down, than Garnett, Pierce or Allen, and he and LeBron James (who gets the C's in Cleveland on Nov. 27) are probably the only players in the league who could dare try to match the Big Three shot for shot in a fourth quarter and possibly get away with it. You just know Kobe wants that notch on his belt.
And I just know the Celtics are overrated right now. They're the best in a bad Eastern Conference, that's all. And sure as the Red Sox outclassed the Rockies, the C's will be outclassed by a West power -- if they wind up making it that far.
Steve Greenberg is a staff writer for Sporting News. You can e-mail him at sgreenberg@sportingnews.com.
Some of these sports writers must love to say shit for shock value or really love to hear (or in this case see) themselves talk.
