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Okaaay
Pierce says Celtics are NBA's team to beat
Robert Lee
There are very few NBA experts picking the Boston Celtics to win the NBA le this season, but if you ask Paul Pierce who the best team in the league will be this winter, he'll tell you, without a doubt in his mind, that it is the Celtics.
"I like us even better than I did when we won the championship," Pierce said in interview with Celtics.com reporter Peter Stringer. "I think the talent is definitely there. It's about the commitment and just staying healthy."
The Celtics return all five starters from that 2008 championship team. And while aging All-Stars Kevin Garnett (knee) and Ray Allen may or may not have lost a step since then depending on whom you ask, point guard Rajon Rondo and center Kendrick Perkins have improved by leaps and bounds over the past two seasons.
With the additions of forwards Rasheed Wallace and Sheldon Williams, and guard Marquis Daniels, and the re-signing of the much-improved forward Glen Davis, the Celtics are a lot deeper now than they were in 2008.
Even if the Celtics are better than they were when they won their last championship, it doesn't mean they will win the le this season. All of the teams at the top improved by adding at least one additional player, including, but not limited to the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers, whose major addition was All-Star forward Ron Artest, the Cleveland Cavaliers, who signed All-Star center Shaquille O'Neal, the Orlando Magic, who signed All-Star guard Vince Carter, and the San Antonio Spurs, who signed talented guard Richard Jefferson.
"I feel like if we're healthy, we are the team to beat," Pierce said. "I think a year ago, when you look at it, we missed Kevin for 25 games and we were still able to win 62 games. Cleveland won 66 and they'll be better, I believe, with Shaq - from starting [Zydrunas] Ilgauskas to starting Shaq now. Other than that it will be the same lineup and you know how scary LeBron [James] is when he is on the court.
"They are going to be a team to reckon with in the East but I think we have an advantage because we bring our starting five back and we've been together a couple of years, and we've added depth off of the bench and I think that's going to help us tremendously."
The Celtics won't have to wait long to see the new-look Cavaliers. Cleveland hosts Boston in both team's season opener.
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Pierce video interview.
http://www.nba.com/celtics/
Okaaay
Health and chemistry permitting, I agree they are the best team in basketball. Next year, probably not, but this year they have enough injection of new talent and/or returning vets to make another championship run.
If completely healthy...he is correct.
I got no problem. It's been:
1. Celtics
2. Lakers
3. Spurs
4. Kit & kaboodle
since the Spurs restructured after the Mavs calamity.
& fellows don't cite "health". It makes you look foolish & weak.
A. I pray yer right.
B. I pray we ain't gonna buy it nonetheless.
He might be right.
He's still a bag.
They built you a room hereabouts after they kicked yer ass and you went in there. Yer the bag, you bag, you.
Cool.
Figures you'd think that cool, you Massengil suckin' bag, you.
Straight out of the mouth of the greatest in the game.
The Blazers are the team to beat. That will be evident soon enough.
Yeah, losing in six in the first round is really impressive.
Well, at least they didn't get beat by the Mavs like yo....sorry, red, wrong team.
The Cavs are the team to beat.
if the entire league is healthy the clear #1 are the lakers
No, it's the Lakers or the Celtics. The Cavs are behind the Magic and you're both behind the Spurs.
About time the best player in the world let his voice be heard.
And no the Celts are not the team to beat. they aren't even the team to beat in the east. Orlando is. The Lakers are the team to beat. They are the defending champions. Others feel like they (Lakers) deserve an *, but I am not going to pull the health card. Not after beating a Laker team minus 2 starters in 2008.
I thought those guys were traded to those teams?
Depending on Kevin Garnett's health?
This the same Garnett that had to have his ligaments reatatched to his knee cap? One that had VERY VERY serious surgery?
Alrighty then.
well they are the defending champs. I see his point.
That is primarily that stove up bag contingent from San Antonio.
If the entire league is healthy, the Lakers are probably the #1 favorites, but I don't think it's clear. Pierce might be a bag, but his point has merits. Healthy, they stack up against the Lakers very well. Healthy, Celtics probably even have the advantage over the Lakers in a 7 game series. The continued development and progression of Bynum could change that, but there's no certainty in that just like there's no certainty in the Celtics staying healthy. But, if you give the Celtics a certainty of "health," that gives them the edge because of the uncertainty of Bynum's improvement.
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