It was fitting that the NBA season began with the trick-or-treat season given the play of  the NBA elite so far.  This is not to imply that the pre-season favorites will not pan out; Cleveland still has brand LeBron, and the big “Shaquisition”.  Los Angeles will find away to incorporate the volatile Artest , maybe Vince Carter’s hocus-where –is- the-focus game will help the Magic and the Spurs just like the ‘Alamo’ will force you to keep them in the conversation.

The season is three games old and already the Boston Celtics have gotten an “A” in chemistry.  Doc Rivers plays the part of the mad scientist, and the players are his main ingredients.  There were supposed to be questions about Kevin Garnett’s knees, but the 14 year vet to his credit has not forced the issue.  He is Doc River’s defensive Frankeinstein on the court.  He cajoles his team on the defensive end, diving on the court after loose balls even though the outcome has already been decided.  His message, take no prisoners and take no plays off. 

Garnett is becoming more comfortable on his surgically repaired knee and he is warming up his vocal chords for his trademark primal screams.  Something NBA fans will continue to hear long after this All Hallows Eve weekend.

Throughout the early season prognosticators have the Lakers, Spurs and Cavaliers as the teams who will most likely win the 2009-10 championship.   The Magic and the Celtics have been routinely dismissed.

The Bulls exposed the Spurs lack of viable bodies, by pummeling them on the offensive glass.  The Celtics and the Toronto Raptors kept Shaquille O’Neal away from the paint by involving him in pick and rolls. The result a 1-2 mark with the only win coming over the toothless Minnesota Timberwolves last night.

Kobe and company look like they are fully mired in a championship hangover, losing to Dallas by 14 points. Both the Spurs and Lakers have a record of 1-1.

Boston to its credit has taken no opponent lightly and summarily dismissed the Chicago Bull, who cemented their place in the annals of basketball classics in last year’s bull-run session against the Celtics.

To the average NBA fan the Celtics look to be in mid season form, but this blogger begs to differ.  Big Baby’s loss to a thumb injury has somewhat hampered the boys in green.  Davis gives the second unit a low post threat that Rasheed Wallace because of his age or his love affair with the three point line, refuses to take up residence on the post.

Due to his experience Davis can be penciled in for a guaranteed 11 points on most nights, though he continues to remain earthbound even with his newly sculpted body.  He has never been a great rebounder.  It is his ability to hit the mid-range shot and move his feet on defense that they miss.  Luckily his injury happened at the beginning of the season.

Rebounding is a must if the Celtics are to entertain any championship hopes and at this stage of the game all is well because Pierce, Allen, House and to some extent Rasheed Wallace are drilling the open threes.   Inevitably they will start missing them and the need for a rebounder on the second unit is a need. 

Shelden Williams has done admirably well in Glen Davis’ absence.  He has had a double-double in the last two games.  After his initial shock at how quick Tyrus Thomas and Joachim Noah were in swarming the glass he settled into his role.  As the game progressed, it seemed like Shelden had an “ah-hah” moment.  He became more aggressive and seemed to be getting a clearer understanding of his role on the team.

Davis wasn’t suspended but is now appreciatively lighter in the wallet due to the fines he incurred from his late night tussle.  He will be forced to watch Williams take what was rightfully his and prepare himself to come back with a vengeance.  Once he returns, the Celtics will be able to field a full second five; the second unit will consist of Wallace, Daniels, House, Williams, Davis and possibly Lester Hudson as insurance.  Hudson has shown he can run the offense and rotate defensively, that will keep him on the active roster.

Boston has a solid team that is focused on getting their second tier of players geared for prime-time, for the playoffs.

Believe it or not this team still has some chemistry issues, for a while there in Friday’s game against the Bulls the offense got a little bit stagnant with the second unit. That can be attributed to the second unit learning how to become more effective.  Lester Hudson and J.R. Giddens still have to earn the trust of the veterans, Giddens more so then Lester. 

Yes, the team that grows in Boston has a Molotov cocktail of their own in Garnett, Wallace and Perkins.  Their passion and respect for the game and their teammates keeps them from entering Ron-Ron territory.

They are 3-0 and are the NBA leaders in wins in their Conference and overall standings.  They may not hit that 72 win goal that Wallace has unofficially predicted for them, but they welcome the challenge of coming as close to those wins as they can.

This entry was posted on Saturday, October 31st, 2009 at 3:30 pm and is filed under Most Recommended, News Headlines. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.