We often wonder what opposing teams, their beat reporters and bloggers are saying about the Celtics. Here’s a look at some enemy chatter from Miami.
Mnelik Belilgne: Absolutely. The Celtics have vastly improved the overall dexterity of their offense, added youth, athleticism and expanded their rotation. With a designated sixth man in Jason Terry, a healthy Avery Bradley andJeff Green, a solid 2 way guard in Courtney Lee and two low risk high reward big man draft picks in Jared Sullinger and Fab Melo, The Celtics on paper, are legitimate title contenders.
Diego Quezada: If the Miami Heat are fully healthy, the Boston Celtics don’t pose a legitimate threat to the Heat. Chris Bosh was out for much of the series, and Dwyane Wade was at 75 percent then. That’s two of Miami’s top three players, much more valuable than what Avery Bradley could’ve give Boston. And I’m not enamored with Boston’s moves. Fab Melo likely won’t play in a playoff series as a rookie, and Courtney Lee won’t play either if Bradley and Jason Terry are healthy. Rajon Rondo will always cause problems for Miami, but Kevin Garnett won’t be able to roam defensively as much as he did in the 2012 conference finals if Bosh is healthy. The Celtics and Heat will probably be in some dogfights should they meet in the playoffs, but Miami should come out on top.
Diego Quezada is right about one thing, the absence of Chris Bosh was a big factor in the series. But if he wants to drop Dwyane Wade into the injury excuse pool, he should mention Ray Allen and Paul Pierce.
What rubs me raw about his an analysis is the inclusion of Fab Melo. Even most green-teamers agree that Fab will not be much of a factor this season. But to omit the potential contributions of Jeff Green and Jared Sullinger is absurd.
To be fair, two other Hot Hot Hoops bloggers also considered the Celtics a threat. Diego is the lone wolf.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
