Boston Celtics: Defense Will Determine Success Of Season
By Ben Woodward
When the Boston Celtics won the NBA championship in 2008, they proved defense wins championships. Across the board, they allowed the second fewest points, assists, and rebounds per game to opposing teams.
Because of their defensive prowess, the Celtics boasted a 10.26 margin of victory, and an opponent turnover percentage of 15.2 — both highest in the NBA.
Kevin Garnett led the top-ranked defense and added a Defensive Player of the Year trophy as a cherry on top of a season he had only dreamed about prior to his arrival in Boston. He led a defense consisting of guys like Kendrick Perkins, James Posey and Paul Pierce, names that did not show up in even the top five of any individual stat category such as blocks or steals per game.
The 2007-08 Boston Celtics absolutely played their tails off on the defensive end of the court, they contested every shot, and they had a coaching staff that supported a defensive mindset.
In this 2008 article from Jon Abrams of the Los Angeles Times, he points out that Tom Thibodeau was finally being recognized as a defensive guru, even praising the current Chicago Bulls head coach as a secret weapon.
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The long and short of it is the Celtics won their most recent championship on the backs of players who knew their role and performed on the defensive end.
The reason I’m harping on the keys to the success of Boston’s 2007-08 run is because the 2014-15 Boston Celtics will win games in the same fashion as the championship team now six years gone and fully disassembled.
Before anyone loses their mind, I’m not suggesting Brad Stevens’ crew will piece together 66 wins, or even half that kind of success. But I am suggesting this new-look Celtics will win games with defense.
They may be a lottery team with no true primary scorer and a head coach in only his second year. But if you watched the Boston Celtics during their preseason campaign, you most definitely saw a surprisingly effective defensive display from the young team.
As ESPNBoston.com’s Chris Forsberg points out, a young rebuilding team will accept any form of positivity. Believe it or not, while winning five preseason games, the Boston Celtics managed a league-leading defensive rating of 93.4. In the end, the preseason is meaningless.
But defensive rating is something. It’s not like the C’s led in total successful alley-oops.
When asked about the preseason defensive rating, Brad Stevens was happy to accept the title, but also acknowledges that the games were meaningless. “I would say that it means we’re progressing, but we still have a long way to go.”
Taking a look at the Celtics finalized roster going into their opening night game against the Brooklyn Nets, it seems they may indeed be built to win games with defense. Just last week, Brad Stevens mentioned to media that Jared Sullinger has blossomed into potentially the C’s best scorer, as well as improving on the defensive end.
"“I think he’s gotten better,” Stevens said. “He’s worked hard to improve his skill. He’s worked hard to do a lot of things, especially on the defensive end of the floor that he’s just improved from a technique standpoint.”"
The addition of rookie guard Marcus Smart bulks up Boston’s second unit perimeter defense, taking pressure off Rajon Rondo and Avery Bradley to lock up opposing guards. The Celtics also added size in Tyler Zeller and Dwight Powell. Zeller should provide a slight upgrade in low post offense, while Powell will be looked upon as an athletic, floor-stretching big.
After learning to swim last year, Brandon Bass has optimized his workouts and managed to lose any excess weight that he may have been carrying. One look at him and you’ll notice he looks far more athletic than when he joined the C’s in 2011.
While this takes away from his ability to bang around in the paint with the big power forwards, it makes him a more athletic big, capable of blocking shots and getting up for rebounds more effectively.
Last week HoopsHabit’s own Michael Dunlap put out the very first installation of the 2014-15 NBA Power Rankings.
The Boston Celtics can be found at number 26, and in the description, the good Mr. Dunlap sums it up perfectly: “In six months, we’re either going to look back at the preseason to say ‘that’s why we take it with a grain of salt’ or we’re going to say ‘how did we not see that coming?”
Vegas has the Boston Celtics winning just 27 games in 2014-15. I’m here to tell you to take the over. Brad Stevens’ squad will surprise you with defensive efficiency, and I believe it’s perfectly within reason that this team wins 30-35. Just don’t tell that to the tank-a-palooza enthusiasts.