If you haven't been scouring the internet constantly today for Celtics updates, then you've missed out on a firestorm of speculation about whether or not Shaquille O'Neal will ever be returning Celtics this postseason. I don't want to take the time to give you the rundown of everything that's been said. Celtics Life has already done a comprehensive write up on it, complete with everything you'll need to get caught up. Check it out.
Look, we've got a lot of people thinking in absolutes here. Unfortunately, there are no absolutes to be found. To my knowledge there's not a medical instrument out there that can tell you whether or not your starting center is going to return for the postseason. What we do know is that as of Saturday, Shaq could not complete a sprint up and down a basketball court. So, he's certainly not able to play right now. We also know that the Celtics trainers don't believe there's anything other than time (how much remains to be seen) that will heal the 39 year old. So, the only thing the Celtics can do to get Shaq back is wait. Nobody can say definitively that he'll be back, and nobody can say definitively that he won't. Nobody actually knows the answer. As of now, there isn't an answer to know.
Now, I don't want this ChatCelts blog to turn into a place where we do nothing but bash Danny Ainge and praise Kendrick Perkins. If you know me, you know that I could carry a blog like that for years. But I won't. I'll just say that the uncertainty about Shaq's return is not terribly surprising. Rather than discussing what the Celtics might have done differently in February, let's talk about what they can do now to improve.
The biggest problem for the Celtics since the Perkins trade has been their offense. While their defensive efficiency has remained relatively consistent, their offensive production has dropped in just about all important categories. They're pace is down, they're less efficient, and their shooting percentages have dropped. This disturbing trend has continued in the first two games of the postseason. John Hollinger did a nice job breaking down the lackluster Celtics offensive numbers.
In his article, Hollinger gives us the following:
"Boston's numbers were so bad even though New York guard Toney Douglas conceded at least four layups to Rajon Rondo in an effort to stay out of foul trouble. In two games, the Celtics are scoring just 100.6 points per 100 possessions against New York -- the league's 21st-ranked defense in the regular season and one that became dramatically worse after the Anthony trade."
Clearly, the Celtics piss-poor performance on the defensive glass has played a role in these disappointing numbers, as they're much better scoring in transition. While being better on the defensive glass will help alleviate their offensive struggles, this is too simple a fix for such a glaring issue. Even in the halfcourt, the Celtics should be having their way with the Knicks defense. If they can't fix turn this around before round 2, Miami's defense is going to feast on them. We need to see a major improvement. A step in the right direction, in my opinion, would be to see Jeff Green starting at the power forward for the Celtics with Kevin Garnett at the 5.
Jeff Green has been conspicuously awful so far in this series. He's clearly lacking confidence and looks lost. Last night he had three looks right around the basket in which he went up so weak that he could neither score nor draw a foul. His benchmates haven't been much better, as the Celtics reserves has been atrocious.
But Green is no stiff. He's been a starter in this league for a very good team. He's an extremely athletic and versatile scorer. We've seen him knock down 3s, we've seen him streak ahead of the defense and throw down easy buckets, we've seen him put it on the floor and get to the rim, and we've seen a nice back to the basket game from him that features a pretty solid mini hook shot. This is a guy who can run with Rondo in transition. This is a guy who can, when he's aggressive, create high percentage shots in the half court. He can help bring pace and explosiveness to this offense. I may not agree with the trade that brought him here, but I really do believe that he can help what currently ails this team.
Both Green and Glen Davis have been especially disappointing off the bench in the first two games. I'm confident that Davis will snap back to form. He's been great off the bench for us all season. However, Green has had a lot trouble negotiating his role on this team. The transition from starter to bench player has not been an easy one for him. Many fans are shrugging this off as an excuse for poor play. But, I've heard too many former player turned analysts acknowledge the difficulty of this transition to simply dismiss it. Working with the starting unit will help Green develop some confidence and consistency working in the Celtics system. With the way those other four starters hold teammates accountable, I imagine Jeff will fall in line quickly. If he's showing too much deference offensively, those guys will let him know. With consistent starters minutes, I believe we could see Jeff Green transform into a key contributor to the Celtics playoff run.
This group of five (Rondo, Allen, Pierce, Green, Garnett) provided one of the few bright stretches in what was an otherwise dark Sunday afternoon against the Heat on April 10th. Seeing how easily they were able to score during that stretch, I instantly felt that this was the lineup that should be starting against Miami in the playoffs (assuming Shaq couldn't go). The matchups make sense against the Knicks as well. Kevin Garnett can easily handle defending any of the big men New York or Miami throw at him. This lineup should give the New York defense fits. Green will relieve the pressure that the Celtics offense currently feels when trying to execute in the half court, and this should allow them to fight through their current first round struggles before they find themselves matched up with Miami.
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