The Celtics came up short this spring. There's no doubt about that. The Heat and the Bulls are playing on, vying for a chance to represent the Eastern Conference this June in the NBA Finals, and the C's are forced to watch from home.
So how exactly did it all go wrong? Who's to blame?
It's time to break it down, piece by piece. Let's delve into the anatomy of the Celtics' doomed 2010-11 campaign.
Offense
The Celtics led the NBA in field goal percentage this season, shooting 48.6 percent as a team. That's pretty good. But there's a lot more to it than that — the C's also didn't make 3s, didn't get to the line and didn't crash the offensive boards to get second-chance points. They also became turnover-happy at times, which killed them on multiple occasions. Rajon Rondo was electrifying at times, and Paul Pierce and Ray Allen both put up tremendous shooting numbers. But on the whole, the C's settled for too many lazy jump shots and failed to meet their full potential. The year left a lot to be desired.
Grade: B-minus
Defense
This was the C's strong point. They had a revitalized Kevin Garnett, a maturing Rajon Rondo and a solid group of role players — think Jermaine O'Neal and Delonte West — making them one of the best defensive teams in the league again in 2010-11. Tom Thibodeau left last summer, taking his defensive schemes to Chicago with him. But the C's were just fine in Coach Thibs' absence, putting up another excellent season defensively.
Grade: A
Starters
Garnett was healthier than he's been since 2008. Allen was his same rock-solid self. Same with Pierce. The Big Three was as big as anyone could have imagined, but there were holes all around them. Rondo was inconsistent, coming out guns-blazing for three months and then slumping in the dog days of winter. The center position was a hodgepodge of two O'Neals, Kendrick Perkins and Nenad Krstic. None of them were wholly satisfying. The C's starters were good, but they weren't quite good enough.
Grade: B
Bench
Glen Davis was one of the best bench players in the league this season. Delonte West was injured a lot, but he was sensational when he actually played. Jeff Green — well, he faced a lot of criticism after coming over in the Perk trade, but his abilities as a wing defender and mid-range scorer went overlooked. The C's bench was better than a lot of people gave it credit for this season. Let's cut these guys some slack.
Grade: A-minus
Coaching
Doc Rivers is as good as they come, and he had another stellar season. He managed personalities in the Celtics' crowded locker room, he designed killer plays out of timeouts, and he kept the C's focused on defense, which has been their hallmark for years. This team may have had its flaws this season, but coaching absolutely wasn't one of them.
Grade: A
Front office
Obviously, it all comes down to the Kendrick Perkins trade and the subsequent realignment that the Celtics underwent in February. Danny Ainge didn't just unload Perk this winter — he got rid of Perk, Nate Robinson, Marquis Daniels, Semih Erden and Luke Harangody, and he brought in Green, Krstic, Troy Murphy, Sasha Pavlovic and Carlos Arroyo. Is that a win? It's really hard to say right now. The deals didn't carry the C's to another championship in 2011, but let's be honest. Against the overpowering talent of LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, nothing could save them this spring. It's unfair to pass judgment on Danny just yet. The future will answer this one for us.
Grade: Incomplete
Intangibles
Last year's Celtics were hungry to win a championship — they were angry about underperforming and finishing fourth in the East in 2010, and they set out to prove they were better. The 2008 team was likewise determined — those guys fought to prove they belonged on top. This year, though? The Celtics flatlined. Maybe they were tired after three deep playoff runs and two Finals. Maybe they weren't motivated anymore. Maybe the frustration of the February realignment got to them. Whatever it was, there was some reason this Celtic team didn't reach its full potential. This season could have been so much more.
Grade: D
Overall
What can you say? This franchise measures success in only one way: championships. The Celtics came up short this year — way short — and there's no excusing that. At least in 2010 they made a deep run and survived to the fourth quarter of Game 7 of the Finals. This year the season ended in early May. It's hard to care about 55-win regular seasons or individual awards or anything like that. What really matters in Boston is getting it done in the postseason, and ultimately, that's where the C's faltered. It's that simple.
Grade: C-minus
