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Can Celtics flawed offense seriously contend for a Championship?

 NBA Analyst, Sam Mitchell, has pegged the Boston Celtics for a first-round exit from this season's playoffs. Is he correct?


The Celtics have trouble scoring the ball. They rank 18th in the NBA in Offensive Rating at 110.6. The present roster relies heavily on smothering defense to win games, and is that enough to have en extended run in the post season?

Well, the 2003-04 Detroit Pistons did just that - all the way to the 2004 Title. Chauncey Billups and Company had the 2nd-best Defensive Rating for that season, but only the 17th-best Offensive Rating. Yet they took out the potent offensive attack of the Shaquille O'Neal/Kobe Bryant Lakers in five games to take home the trophy.

The Green, despite offensive weakness, possess the top Defensive Rating in the League for the past two months. They have become the team no one wants to play. They deny in the paint, and they restrict at the perimeter. 

Billups was joined by tough-as-nails Ben Wallace, dedicated defender, Tayshaun Prince, Always-moving, Rip Hamilton, and Rasheed Wallace. Analysts gave Detroit little chance to take out the Lakers. But they did just that - by applying stifling defense versus the seemingly-powerful LA offense.

First-round exit for Boston? That could happen, but I prefer the fairy tale story paralleling the victorious 2004 Pistons. Anything can happen in the NBA playoffs, and Al, Jaylen, Jayson, Marcus, Rob, Derrick, Daniel and Grant just may surprise Sam Mitchell.


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