Celtics' coach Brad Stevens and point guard Rajon Rondo. (Boston- CBS)
The Celtics start the second half of their season on a west coast swing which will have them facing the Suns, Lakers, Kings, and Jazz. During most seasons a west coast swing would strike fear in a fan's eyes and they would be happy if the team came back with a split. This season things are different for many reasons.
One reason is that the Suns are the only team with a winning record. At the mid-season mark, the Suns are ten games over .500 with a record of 31-21. Amazingly enough they are also the only team of the four to have a winning record when playing at home (17-9). The remaining teams all have records which are similar to the Celtics. In other words, the other teams are all in competition with the Celtics for getting a lottery pick.
The whole lottery pick potential situation is the other reason why this west coast trip will be different than in years' past. Usually, a trip to the west coast meant some tough competition and full-fledged desire by all teams to either get into the playoffs or get a good seed. This year the level of competition has been stifled, sometimes more obviously by certain teams.
Looking at our competitors' records, I wouldn't be surprised to see the Celtics bring back multiple victories. Although this may hurt their lottery chances, in the long run it may serve them better to learn how to win on the road.
TRADE DEADLINE
3 PM tomorrow is the much talked about trade deadline in the NBA. As of yet the Celtics have not made any moves. Rajon Rondo is one player who is attracting some interest from multiple teams. Knowing what Rondo is worth, Danny Ainge has set the bar high for the teams wanting to make a deal. The asking price for Rondo appears to be 2 unprotected first round picks. As a fan, I'm glad that the Celtics have not made any moves and have put Rondo's price tag well out of reach. Last week I blogged about my thoughts on dealing all of the current Celtic players. You can read it here.
The whole lottery pick potential situation is the other reason why this west coast trip will be different than in years' past. Usually, a trip to the west coast meant some tough competition and full-fledged desire by all teams to either get into the playoffs or get a good seed. This year the level of competition has been stifled, sometimes more obviously by certain teams.
Looking at our competitors' records, I wouldn't be surprised to see the Celtics bring back multiple victories. Although this may hurt their lottery chances, in the long run it may serve them better to learn how to win on the road.
TRADE DEADLINE
3 PM tomorrow is the much talked about trade deadline in the NBA. As of yet the Celtics have not made any moves. Rajon Rondo is one player who is attracting some interest from multiple teams. Knowing what Rondo is worth, Danny Ainge has set the bar high for the teams wanting to make a deal. The asking price for Rondo appears to be 2 unprotected first round picks. As a fan, I'm glad that the Celtics have not made any moves and have put Rondo's price tag well out of reach. Last week I blogged about my thoughts on dealing all of the current Celtic players. You can read it here.
RSS Feed
