Column: Do Not Count Out the Celtics

For the first time since the Boston Celtics traded for Kevin Garnett in 2007, they enter a first-round postseason series as a heavy underdog.

However, the Celtics still have a decent chance at winning this series against the New York Knicks. The Celtics own their lowest seed in almost a decade, but the veteran-led team will not be scared when stepping onto the Madison Square Garden hardwood as the 2013 NBA playoffs begin on Saturday.

 

There are many reasons why the Celtics will be doubted. The most glaring one is their constantly changing roster. Only four players who had played in Boston’s final game of the 2012 playoffs returned to play for the team this season. Unfortunately for the Celtics, of those four, Rajon Rondo is out for the season, Brandon Bass is inconsistent and the other two are 36-year-old Garnett and 35-year-old Paul Pierce.

 

If the Celtics succeed against the Knicks, it will be mostly because of their aging stars. Boston coach Doc Rivers had played both Garnett and Pierce each of the first 54 games this season, but then found different ways to rest his prized possessions.

Although a few minor injuries cropped up for Garnett and Pierce, Rivers was extremely cautious as he had them sit out a combined 17 games over the last couple of months. Therefore, the Knicks were able to take the season series from the Celtics, as Garnett did not play in two games against them.

There is a reason that the Celtics wanted Garnett and Pierce to get as much of their rest as possible during the regular season. Both statistically and in reality, Garnett is the team’s most important defensive player and Pierce is the Celtics’ most important offensive player.

When Garnett is on the bench, Boston is nine points worse per 100 defensive possessions compared to when he plays. In addition, the Celtics are more than five points worse per 100 offensive possessions when Pierce is sitting.

While Rivers has been able to save up the energy of his hobbled veterans, Knicks coach Mike Woodson struggled to keep his centers healthy. Both of New York's most effective big men, Tyson Chandler and Kenyon Martin, continue to nurse injuries as they head into the series against the Celtics.

Knicks fans must not have been happy to see Chandler miss the last six games of the season as well as 16 of the team’s final 20 contests. Martin, who is no spring chicken, will also need to find his rhythm after playing just 18 minutes in New York’s last eight games of 2012-13.

The Knicks will have to play an extremely small lineup if they are unable to be with Chandler or Martin. Moreover, if Chandler and Martin are able to play, who is to say that they will be as effective as they normally can be for New York?

The Knicks have been able to overcome their recent injury trouble by shooting very well from the field. Carmelo Anthony became just the second winner of the scoring title in franchise history as he made a career-best 2.3 shots from 3-point distance per game this season.

He was a part of the Knicks’ 3-point shooting barrage in 2012-13. Anthony, J.R. Smith, Steve Novak, Jason Kidd and Raymond Felton as well as others helped New York set the NBA’s record for most single-season 3-pointers made and attempted.

The Celtics though have the league’s best defense against the 3-pointer since January 2, the day that Avery Bradley returned from multiple offseason shoulder surgeries to play his first game of 2012-13. Boston has held teams to worse than 33 percent shooting from deep in that span.

The Celtics coaching staff will have to make sure that the team spreads its defense to cover all the Knicks shooters as New York is the only team to make at least 13 shots from downtown against Boston this season. The Knicks have impressively accomplished that feat twice.

Jeff Green, Bass and Bradley, who will mostly likely be starting alongside Garnett and Pierce, will have to accelerate their efforts in defending the hot-shooting Knicks. Green will have to keep up his strong defense against Anthony to put the Celtics in a position to win.

Boston has held Anthony to just 35 percent shooting in four games this season, his worst against any Eastern Conference opponent. If Green and the other Celtics defenders can make one of the league’s best scorers have some inefficient games this series, it bodes very well for Boston.

The Knicks have proven that they were a better overall team in the regular season, but they may not be ready for the Celtics in the playoffs. Keep this in mind: New York has not won a postseason series since 2000.