NBA Games – Will the Boston Celtics repeat?

I enjoyed when the Utah duo of Stockton to Malone perfected the selection and role play under coach Jerry Sloane and when Larry Bird was “The Man” of the Boston Celtics. And who can forget the hard court duel between Boston and Los Angeles, Bird and Magic Johnson, Robert Parish and Kareem Abdul Jabbar?

Being someone who once played this sport, I was amazed by both teams, the skills of their players, the tactics employed by their coaches, and the way they played the game with such determination and skill for basketball. Such qualities have made both teams the most successful teams in the NBA when it comes to the number of championships they have won. The Lakers have 14 with the latter during the final year of the Kobe Bryant-Shaquille O’Neal partnership in the 2001-2002 season, while the Celtics won it last year after a 22-year drought. And being a Celtics fan, it was just a sweet, sweet triumph to savor.

The triumvirate of Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett has shown that superstars can put aside their huge egos, get along quite well, and work towards the team’s common goal of winning the championship. They have proven their critics wrong and the Big Three want more, much more. And the man responsible for bringing them? Coach Doc Rivers should be credited with having the vision to pull off this feat.

During the start of this season, expectations have been high. Now that you’ve had a taste of what it’s like to win a championship, the next item on your agenda is to successfully defend your title. They started off impressively, having gone 8-2 during their first 10 games of the season and their last loss was at the hands of the Denver Nuggets. They then had a franchise-record 19-game winning streak that ended on Christmas Day when Bryant and the Lakers finally played well for a great basketball result. Boston still held the league’s best win-loss record at 27-3.

That suddenly changed in the next game, they were beaten by a struggling Golden State Warriors team. It was the first time Boston suffered back-to-back losses this season. However, it did not end there. Suddenly, the team found itself unable to get a win as it suffered losses from low-ranking teams like the New York Knicks and Charlotte Bobcats, in addition to losses to potential title contenders like the Portland Trailblazers, the Houston Rockets and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Now his record is at 31-9 through 40 NBA games.

I can’t believe the misfortune the team is experiencing lately. Gone is Boston’s stingy defense that limits their opponents’ ability to score. Gone is the Celtic pride that Garnett used to have when the team had its 19-game winning streak. They seem to be like an average team playing an average game. And I hope Rivers can solve the mystery quickly. The season is now in its midst, as teams achieve victories and the team rankings begin to take shape to determine which team will go to the playoffs. And if the Celtics really want to defend their crown and win the title, they better prove it on the basketball court day after day and not just lip service.