On Sunday, The Celtics dismantled the Heat, a bona fide championship contender, in a game that had postseason implications and energy. But does it matter?
Boston’s victory was lopsided. Rajon Rondo locked down the perimeter while putting up another triple-double, Brandon Bass had a double-double, Paul Pierce chipped in 23 points, Avery Bradley provided instant offense and Kevin Garnett looked like the Kevin Garnett of old. Oh, and they did it without perennial All-Star Ray Allen.
Coming into the campaign, the Celtics were written off. Only one member of their starting five was under the age of 33, their bench was depleted and the big three couldn’t stay healthy.
But then their was Sunday. Boston shot 47.1 percent from the field while holding Miami to just 34.8 percent shooting. LeBron James found ways to score, but couldn’t find ways to create for his teammates, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh appeared bewildered on the offensive end of the ball and the Heat, as a collective, did not fair well when the Celtics forced them to the perimeter.
And it all happened Sunday, the day Celtics’ fans will continue to relive over and over in their heads. This wasn’t a Boston team plagued by injuries or age, it was a Boston team led by Rondo that looked vibrant, efficient and most importantly, young.
The Celtics have won five straight, recaptured first place in the Atlantic Division and now sit amongst the Eastern Conference’s top-four. They are 15-5 since the All-Star break and are daring doubters to continue to count them out.
But how long can the Celtics keep this up. The playoffs are right around the corner and while boasting postseason-savvy veterans is likely to help their cause, can Boston really contend with teams like the Heat, Magic and Bulls over the course of a seven game series?
The answer is no.
One last championship run is about more than a handful of five-game winning streaks that include a victory or two over playoff-bound teams. It is about more than what has transpired over the last month. And it is about more than proving aging vets can still get it done.
We all knew that despite being 35, Garnett could rebound and hit the jump shot. We all knew that the 34-year-old Pierce would continue to score. And we all knew that Allen, even at 36, would be lights out from beyond the arc when he was healthy.
The Celtics recent performance isn’t news, we already knew they had the talent the to beat any given team on any given night.
And that’s what we saw Sunday.
This sudden misconception of Boston as a title contender is not nonsensical, but it is premature. Over the Celtics’ 15-5 stretch, they’ve only beaten two top-four conference teams. So while they may cruise through the first round of the playoffs, a much more athletic team in the Heat or a much deeper team in the Bulls will be waiting for them, just like last year.
Sunday night’s victory over Miami was encouraging. It proved that Boston was legitimate and not the guaranteed early postseason exit they became pegged to be.
However, Sunday night was not a shift in the balance of power.
Rondo can put up as many triple-doubles as he pleases, but it still won’t be enough to propel the Celtics to another championship run. Postseason success dictates a team hold its own over an extended period of time, not just one game, against one struggling opponent.
And in the end, that’s all Sunday’s victory really was, one team, playing better than another team, for just one night.
Dan Favale is a firm believer in the three-pointer as well as the notion that defense doesn’t always win championships. His basketball musings can be found at Bleacherreport.com in addition to TheHoopDoctors.com. Follow @danfavale on Twitter for his latest posts and all things NBA.
