Boston Celtics

2007 Season Preview

by Dj RyB

Boston Celtics 2007 Season Preview

I am extremely excited about the upcoming Celtics season. Not only do the Celtics look like they are going to be very fun to watch, but it appears that they will also be very competitive and be able to stay in most games until the end. Even if they don't win all of these close games, they will still be exciting. I am also looking forward to attending quite a few games this season. Along with three other friends, I have contributed to purchasing a half season ticket package in the second row of the balcony. Second row in the balcony is much better than it sounds, by the way. The TD Banknorth Garden is small enough that each seat gives a fairly decent view of the game, even in the very last row up against the wall. I will not be attending every game, but it will be nice to have the option to see some very good opposing teams.

Before I get into my actual season preview, I wanted to mention a few new things about the TD Banknorth Garden (aka Fleet Center). I was able to attend the last preseason game of the season last Wednesday against the Toronto Raptors. Immediately, I noticed some changes to the arena as soon as we reached the top of the escalator. The concession stands all had a facelift. Scattered throughout, you can find access to more than just the usual fried and grilled foods. They now offer a deli like stand where you can have your choice of cold cut sandwiches and wraps. Dave opted for the Turkey Wrap, which he said was pretty good. I definitely gave him some crap because it came with grapes and a strawberry. A little random, but at least there are more options. He did say he was starving 2 hours later, however. The same stand also featured a wide array of dessert options. It looked like a pastry shop in the North End, with individual servings of cakes, etc.

I went upstairs, closer to our seats, and saw a new option that was more my speed; a pizza and calzone stand. They offered some fairly large calzones, buffalo and bbq wings (on the bone, unfortunately) and of course the personal pizza. I grabbed the latter and was actually surprised at how good it was. On top of that, I was actually full for the low price of $6.50. Pretty impressive for a Celtics game, if you ask me.

Another welcome addition was several stations with a full bar, including top-shelf liquors. We have yet to test this out but look for more information in a future column. You will likely have to re-mortgage your home to buy a drink, but we'll let you know.

The last change I want to discuss briefly was the addition of an enormous HD Jumbotron. I am not a big fan of the Jumbotron in any way. Actually, I hate the thing. It interrupts the game at the worst times and it teaches the fans to look for instructions instead of getting pumped up on their own. I think this has caused the arena to be much less rowdy than it had been in the past and it doesn't give us as much of a home court advantage as we once had. I will admit that the true Celtics fans know when to get fired up and this can be seen in big games and the playoffs. I just don't like the fact that we are teaching young Celtics fans that it is OK to wait for Lucky the Loser to tell you when to make some noise.

The actual screen itself is phenomenal. It's probably the size of half of my house and it is crystal clear. Every replay looked unbelievable and you can even follow along in real time if you are stuck up in the cheap seats. I did not like the change in position for stats, however. It actually looks really nice if you can see it. Personally, I had to squint to read the names and numbers. That is partially bad vision, but I think it is too cluttered and too small. If they could change to Times New Roman and increase it to 82 font, I think we'd be good. This is just a warning to bring your glasses. Also, if you are not the most attractive person in the world, you might want to second guess waving or dancing to get on the Jumbotron during time outs. You are going to look even worse than usual, because every detail will be picked up. I hope this deters some of the ridiculous crap we used to see at games.

Now, let's move on to the actual season preview. As I mentioned, I am very excited about the Celtics in 2007. I expect big things from them this season, because of our nice mix of veterans and young guys. As we have seen in past NBA seasons, this tends to be one of the best mixes when trying to take your team from the lower part of your division back into the playoffs. Many of the critics and analysts don't seem to think that the C's will do much better than they did last season. A lot of this probably has to do with the fact that they haven't spent much time actually watching them play. If they had, they would have seen how great this team is already clicking together, even with the addition of 4 new players.

This will be a very uptempo team that will play very small at times, but they will definitely keep your interest. There will always be a great pass by Telfair or Rondo, a huge dunk by Green, and hustle and smart play by West. Pierce will, of course, be at the top of his game as I expect him to have another incredible season. He is now a REAL veteran on this team and it appears he is stepping into this role nicely by taking some of the young guys under his wing, such as Green. The one player that will be the X-Factor in how far the Celtics can go in my opinion, will be Wally Szczerbiak. If he can stay healthy and start to take more of the scoring load off of Pierce, this team will be much more dangerous than most expected. That is just a brief summary of my thoughts so far, but let's take a look at each player and how they will contribute:

Paul Pierce

Let's face it; Pierce is one of the top 15 players in the league right now, maybe even top 10. I used to have my reservations about him in the past. He wouldn't make smart decisions in big spots of a close game. He would often force shots, especially three pointers, instead of making the right play or the best choice. He can still do this, but of course no one is perfect. He has grown on me enough that he is now my second favorite Celtic next to Larry Bird. That is no small feat, but I think he has earned it. I would like him to be able to hit some more of those free throws at the end of games, but other than that I can't really complain. As I mentioned before, he is teaching the young guys how to play in this league and they respect him for it. He truly has matured by leaps and bounds in just the past 3 seasons. I think he will have is all around best season as he will begin to rack up more assists and rebounds than ever before. I truly feel like he trusts his teammates finally and knows that he doesn't have to put it all on his own shoulders. This could possibly be an MVP season for Pierce if he can help the Celtics win the Atlantic Division and make it back to the playoffs. I think this very possible considering that the Knicks, Raptors, Sixers and Nets are all in the Atlantic.

2007 Stats: 26 PPG; 5 APG; 6.5 APG 1.3 SPG

Wally Szczerbiak

He has looked great in the preseason, capping it off with a 27 point performance on Wednesday. I think he is finally starting to feel healthy and at full strength with his knee. He has never been super athletic, so his game has not had to change much. Just to make sure we all knew he was feeling good, Wally through down a very thunderous dunk over one of the Raptors with authority. I was definitely caught off guard. He is also a nice character player, meaning he will be a good influence on the youngsters on and off the court. There have always been rumblings of another trade involving Wally, but I think we need to give him some time. This will be his first full season in Boston and he has had enough time to get comfortable with his teammates. I expect more of the same from him; nice passes, big threes, solid jumpers and an occasional big hustle play. His defense will always be suspect because of his lack of speed, but he makes up for it with smart decisions.

2007 Stats: 18 PPG; 3.5 APG; 6 RPG; 1 SPG

Delonte West

It is still unclear as to what Delonte's role will be this season. With the addition of Rondo and Telfair, the need for West to play PG will be reduced. This may hurt his playing time at this position, but it may open up some more options for the Celtics to use him in other roles. I have heard grumblings of him coming off the bench as the 6th man but still getting big minutes, just as Ricky Davis did in the beginning of last season. West has already said publicly that he would love this role and had no problem with it. This is a great sign and I expect him to be just as much of a contributor as last season. He will probably see most of his PT at SG when the C's go small with Rondo or Telfair at the point. There was even a lineup of Rondo, Telfair and West all in at the same time during the preseason and it actually worked well. They were super fast and moved the ball up the court at lightning speed. This may not happen often, but it would be a nice change, especially when playing older and slower teams. I expect another career year for D. West as he is quickly becoming one of the most popular Celtic players. He also rocks the number 13, so he gets nothing but love from us here at Thirsty13. Not only is that my favorite number, but his jersey is part of our logo. There is your fun fact for the day.

2007 Stats: 10 PPG; 5 APG; 4 RPG; 1.5 SPG

Kendrick Perkins

Perk is another favorite player of mine because of his hard work and hustle. He has done nothing but improve year-after-year in both his conditioning and offensive game. His rebounding and defense were always his strong points, but they also continue to improve. He just seems like a good kid that wants to get better and will listen to anyone for advice. The recent contract he signed was probably at a hometown discount because other teams would salivate over a young big man with the potential that he still has. I think he will be here for a long time to come and will continue to become one of the more solid young C/PF in the league.

2007 Stats: 8 PPG; 2 APG; 8 RPG; 1.5 BPG

Al Jefferson

Although it isn't really fair because of his young age, this is a make or break season for Al Jefferson. We saw some flashes of greatness over the past few years, but he was never able to put it together on a consistent basis. That is probably isn't fair, considering he has been injured quite a bit, which has slowed down his pace of improvement. I just hope that his isn't one of those injury prone guys that never truly reaches his full potential. He has looked decent in the preseason but I am still not sold on how he will play. Unfortunately, if there is one player that could be dangled in a trade that could interest some teams, it would be Jefferson. Let's hope he makes it so we can't trade him with his play in the first part of the season.

2007 Stats: 10 PPG; 2 APG; 7 RPG; 1 BPG

Sebastian Telfair

Telfair has already created some sparks in his short time in Boston. He has shown some flashes of what we had hoped he would be with his excellent passing, speed and ability to run the fast break. He has even surprised many with his excellent shooting from the three point line. Let's hope this continues. There has also been some negative news surrounding "Bassy". If you haven't heard already, there was an incident in NYC involving him and rapper Fabolous. On their trip to NY for a preseason game against the Knicks, Telfair went out to eat with some "friends" as he made his trip back home for the first time as a Celtic. Details are still sketchy, but Telfair's $50,000 necklace was snatched right off his neck. Some time later, Fabolous was shot in what originally appeared to be a separate incident. Now their is footage of a Bentley speeding away right after the shooting. Let's hope this all gets cleared up soon, or we could find the Celtics stuck in another Tony Allen type situation.

2007 Stats: 8 PPG; 5 APG; 2 RPG; 1 SPG

Rajon Rondo

What can you say about this guy? He has turned out to be even better than the most positive critics had ever thought. Once again, this is only the preseason, but sometimes you can just tell when a player "has it". This kid knows how to play and he has the athletic ability to match. I never saw him play much in college, so I was skeptical about how he would fit in. I have quickly jumped on the Rondo Bandwagon and I might even be driving the bus. If you haven't seen the play he made in New York, then go look it up on YouTube. He had an incredible tip in dunk over two Knicks and then in one motion stole the inbounds pass, made a nice move to the basket and got fouled while still making the bucket. Hopefully that is a sign of things to come. I expect a bunch of great passes and hustle plays each night.

2007 Stats: 6 PPG; 6 APG; 4 RPG; 1.3 SPG

Ryan Gomes

This guy is pure hustle and he knows how to play the game. He will probably be rotated in to the 3 and 4 position throughout the season, but Doc Rivers has said that he will be a "4". We'll see how that plays out. I love the way Gomes hits the boards and makes the little plays. He also has a nice touch on his jump shot, while being able to make low post moves as well. I think he will see increased minutes, especially if Jefferson does not step up right away.

2007 Stats: 7 PPG; 3 APG; 5 RPG; .5 BPG

Gerald Green

I expect Gerald Green to start off fairly slow but see increased minutes once Doc starts to see the negative play of Tony Allen affecting the rest of the team. Although he is still very ripe, I like what Green can already provide. If he can improve on his defense and also learn the system a little bit better, he could be playing at least 15 minutes a game by the middle of the season. His jumper is already sweet and we all know how athletic he is. He better get some minutes just to keep the Celtics fans happy because they will be shouting for him to play and get some of those highlight dunks. We could be looking at one of the best young guards in the league in just a few years. Also, if he enters the Slam Dunk Contest, he will destroy the field!

2007 Stats: 4 PPG; 1 APG; 2 RPG; .3 SPG

Brian Scalabrine, Michael Olowokandi, Allen Ray, Leon Powe, Tony Allen

This is the lower half of the bench in my opinion. Although Tony Allen will probably get some decent minutes in the beginning of the season, I see him playing himself out of the lineup. His inconsistency is just out of control at this point in his career. He hasn't improved his game much and he still looks out of control more often than not. He is good for a few nice dunks a game and an occasional steal.

Allen Ray is too new to have an opinion on. He didn't even get much PT in the preseason. I am hoping he might play in the D-League, because he has some nice potential.

Leon Powe looked nice for a few games. He even had 15 rebounds in one of the games. The kid has struggled through a lot and it would be nice to see him succeed. I think he can be that guy that comes off the bench and sparks the team with some hustle when they are slacking.

Scalabrine...I really don't have much to say about him. I cannot stand "Veal's" game and he proved to be an awful pickup last year. Our chants or "Remy, don't shoot!' will be louder than ever if he gets ANY playing time at all. [If you don't get the "Remy" reference, rent the 1995 classic, "Higher Learning", and you will understand the correlation.]

Olowokandi didn't show much for us last year in his limited time. If he can turn himself around, he would be a nice option as a backup to Perk an Al. I don't expect much.

2007 Season: 44-38; 2nd Place in the Atlantic Division; Potential 1st Round Playoff Win (I can't get too crazy with this prediction yet.)

Starting Lineup on Opening Night: