This idea that the Celtics are washed up has been a popular storyline for at least the past three seasons.
Funny, though, that it never seems to catch on with their foes.
Consider how Hawks forward Marvin Williams reacted when asked how the Celtics remain formidable in spite of their advanced age.
“Besides the fact they have three [future] Hall of Famers and a potential fourth?” Williams asked rhetorically, eyebrows raised, before the Hawks left for their game Wednesday at Boston. “I don’t know why you would count out Boston, to be honest.”
It was the same thing in Miami, where the Heat were preparing to play host to Boston on Tuesday night. The Heat cited deflected questions about Boston’s age by citing all-time greats Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen, plus All-Star point guard Rajon Rondo.
“I never get into that ‘too old’ mess,” Heat forward LeBron James told reporters. “What’s [so] amazing about it? They’ve got four [probable] Hall of Famers. It doesn’t surprise me.”
The Celtics refuse to fade quietly into irrelevance even as circumstances suggest they might.
Pierce, Garnett and Allen each have played at least 14 NBA seasons and 1,100 games. This season injuries have decimated Boston’s frontcourt, and the lockout-compressed schedule has challenged their weary legs.
Yet Boston has surged since the All-Star break and is in position for its fourth consecutive Atlantic Division title. The Celtics have raised their defensive play to suffocating levels and suddenly look like the kind of tough-minded veteran team that can be difficult to handle in the playoffs.
As it happens, the Hawks could draw the Celtics in the first round. That would be the matchup if the playoffs started now.
“These are guys that have a lot of pride,” Hawks coach Larry Drew said. “They know how to win.”
It started when Boston acquired Garnett and Allen in the summer of 2007. The Celtics won the 2008 NBA championship, beating the Hawks along the way.
When Boston lost to Orlando in the 2009 East semifinals, skeptics figured that was the end of the run. But they were back in the Finals the next year, this time losing to the Lakers in seven games.
The Celtics were written off again when they stumbled into the playoffs last year. They swept the Knicks in the first round before losing to eventual East champion Miami in the semifinals.
The doubts returned when the Celtics posted a 16-17 record in the first half of this season in spite of a relatively easy schedule. Those doubts increased when center Jermaine O’Neal and forward Chris Wilcox were lost to season-ending injuries last month.
But the Celtics were 16-7 since the halfway point before playing Miami on Tuesday. Garnett recently told reporters, yes, they hear the whispers about being over the hill and use such talk as fuel.
“It doesn’t take much to motivate me, man,” he said. “I don’t watch too many of you guys’ interviews. It’s garbage. But the ones I do catch — it’s an opinion and that’s what it is — it puts a spark under me, and I like that.”
Garnett is the heart of a defense that led the league in efficiency entering Tuesday. The Celtics had held their past 13 opponents to less than 100 points, including six below 80 — an amazing streak even for a slow-paced team such as Boston.
The Hawks were among the victims during that stretch, losing 79-76 to Boston at Philips Arena on March 19. The Hawks were depleted by injuries and playing its third game in four nights at the time.
The Hawks are healthier now, and Boston must travel back from Miami to play on consecutive nights, but Drew played down those factors as an advantage for the Hawks.
“They won’t allow fatigue or being tired [to be used] as an excuse,” Drew said.
This could be the last run for the Celtics. Garnett can become a free agent this summer, Pierce has one additional year left on his contract and Rondo was the subject of intense trade speculation at the last deadline.
No one is picking the Celtics to win the title, but neither are their opponents underestimating them.
“You guys write them off,” Heat forward Chris Bosh told reporters. “Players don’t. You’ve got guys who are Hall of Famers and guys who still have a lot of pride. They have their core together. No matter what they’re going through throughout the year, you know eventually they’re going to get it together.”
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