Boston
Celtics
Atlantic
| Team Rating | |
| Offense | Defense |
| 112.2 | 101.2 |
| 4th Overall | 1st Overall |
Statistics through 1/25/09
W
37
L
9
PCT
.804
GB
--
CONF
27-4
DIV
10-1
HOME
22-2
ROAD
15-7
LinksStatistics | Tickets
|
Category | Grade | ||
 There's not a tougher (or more talkative) starting frontline in the league, but the Celtics lack depth here and wouldn't mind adding another big.
|
a |
||
 It would be nice if Rajon Rondo had a consistent jumper, but Rondo and Ray Allen both deserved All-Star consideration.
|
a |
||
 The Celtics' defensive rating is up slightly from last season, but it's still the best in the league. End of story.
|
a |
||
 Without James Posey, the Celtics' bench is a little thinner than last season, but they still outscore their opponents on a regular basis.
|
b |
||
 Credit Doc Rivers for keeping the Celtics hungry. They came out of the blocks winning 27 of their first 29 games with as much intensity as they had last season.
|
a |
||
a
Summary
The Celtics are on pace to match last year's win total of 66 games, but thanks to improvement from L.A., Cleveland and Orlando, they may need more than that to secure home-court advantage in the playoffs. And that's critical, especially against the Cavs, because the home team has won all 13 games the two teams have played against each other, including in last year's postseason.
The loss of Posey hasn't been a real factor yet, but his value was highest in May and June. Keeping LeBron James or Kobe Bryant under wraps in a playoff series will be tougher to do without their best defensive stopper.
Overall, the Celtics already have proven that they want another title. Their competition looks to be stronger this season, but if healthy, Boston will have the advantage of knowing that they've done it before. -- John Schuhmann
Explanation of Marking System
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