Written by BC High's Chris Ward
 The Bad
At first glance a 10-4 record is nothing to be terribly concerned about even for a team that is expected to compete into June. And it would be easy to dismiss such pessimism this early in the year as just the typical behavior of spoiled Boston fans. But considering that the Celtics have started the last two seasons a combined 56-5 (29-3 in 07-08 and 27-2 in 08-09), something is different about this team.
But breaking down the schedule through the first 14 games only increases my fear. The Celtics are 2-3 this year against teams with winning records, with defeats coming against both Atlanta and Orlando, who appear to have leapfrogged Boston and Cleveland as the premier teams in the Eastern Conference.
Of the Celtics’ eight wins, two were against the lowly T-Wolves and Knicks ( who have a combined 4 wins) by just a single basket, and are moral defeats. Yeah I said it; a win isn’t always a victory.
Another one of those wins was a 10 point triumph against the winless New Jersey Nets who were sporting an 8 man team the night the Celtics came to town, and the most recent faux win was a 14-point affair against Golden State, who was coming off of a draining game at Cleveland the night before. The Celtics themselves are 2-1 in the dreaded second game of back to backs, and as that is the best indicator for how much old age is affecting the Celtics, it is a statistic worth keeping an eye on.
The story of the season so far has got to be the Celtics’ Mr. Hyde or Dr Jekyll, feast or famine performance from the land of three pointers. In games where they have won, the Celtics are 42% from three; in “defeats” (moral and actual) they shot 26%. In games they win, their three point percentage is the equivalent of the third best team in the NBA.
In games they lose, their three point percentage is lower than the worst 3 point shooting team in the league. Allowing the fate of arguably the most talented team in the NBA to ride on something as fickle as the three-ball is unacceptable, and this is something Doc has got to address.
The Good
I don’t follow the Celtics just because it’s another thing that I get to complain about, and I certainly have seen some encouraging things. The Celtics’ stifling defense of the past two years has not suffered the ill effects of age, but with the additions of top notch perimeter defender Marquis Daniels and excellent defensive big Rasheed Wallace, the Celtics have actually cut their 90.3 points allowed per game last year (good for second best in the association) down to a stifling 89.6 points allowed per game.
 In an encouraging sign for people who yell at their televisions, Paul Pierce has finally complied with the demands I’ve made of him from my living room. He is finally using his ability to slash and get off quality shots with contact, and has fallen out of love with those contested fifteen footers he has been so fond of over the last few years. His points per game have stayed almost exactly the same, but he is doing it at a much more effective .497% from the field, which is a significant improvement over last year’s .464%.
Kendrick Perkins is finally getting the respect he has been deserving of since the championship season of 07-08, and there is no better example of this than Dwight Howard’s appraisal of him as the player he has the most difficult matching up with. He is quietly having a career year, putting up personal bests in points, blocks, and defensive rebounds. His 2.1 blocks per game put him in the top 10 in the league. He is the ideal blue-collar workhorse on a team of superstars, and by season’s end he should be getting serious consideration for All-NBA Second Team.
The Potentially Ugly
 Before I make my final judgment on this team, I need to have some questions answered.
‘Sheed’s Shooting?
Rasheed Wallaces’ shooting woes off the bench have been tolerable, as he is still providing a very solid 9 points per game off the bench, but in games where he struggles, his unwillingness to stop shooting forces memories of Antoine Walker back into my mind. In losses, Wallace is an atrocious 1 for 21 from three, making him the poster child for the fact that if you live by the three you die by the three.
Conduct Woes?
I am still not convinced that last year’s episode surrounding the tardiness of Rajon Rondo and President of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge publicly calling him out is settled, and I don’t think the Celtics as an organization believe Rondo has the maturity to lead a team. Glen “Big Baby” Davis has had some maturity problems in the past, which recently rose to the surface when an altercation with a former high school teammate resulted in a broken thumb and a significant amount of missed time. The Celtics have also been described as an all-star team of complainers, and lead the league in technical fouls with 22.
KG’s Knee?
 The absence of the thunderous jams and rejections we have come to expect from KG, Doc Rivers’ public comments regarding the uncertainty surrounding KG’s knee, and his short stinted removal from the Magic game because of agitation in his knee have me convinced that the Celtics’ defensive and emotional leader is not quite right, and having the old KG back is not a given.
Going forward, I’ll be keeping tabs on the Celtics’ team shooting woes, Rasheed’s individual slump, KG’s knee, and how Big Baby will factor into a rotation that now has more competition for quality minutes from newcomers Wallace and Shelden Williams. I don’t think that there is a single thing wrong with the Celtics that can’t be corrected, and continued tinkering of the rotation from Doc Rivers should lead to improvements as the season progresses and the team congeals. There can be no doubt that this is a considerably better team than the one that won banner 17, and by season’s end no team will want to be the one charged with ending the hunt for banner 18.
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