...Top 10 Celtics Lies....

The following things are not true, but the Celtics, and Celtics fans as a whole, think they are:

1. The Celtics are a 3-Point Shooting Team:
Before the season, and about 8 or 9 games in, I felt like their shooting beyond the arc was by far their biggest strength. I went insane thinking that they could go 72-10 if they kept their shooting up. I didn't realize at the time that they didn't have the players to accomplish that. Which leads me to my next point.

2. Ray Allen is an asset that you cannot lose in order to win a Championship:
Ray is someone who is a hall of famer, but he is not playing at a hall of fame level at all anymore, which isn't a surprise. What will come as a surprise is his 3 pt shooting percentage right now. He is shooting %35 percent and I know a certain Power Forward who led this team to 2 Atlantic Division championships who was destroyed for shooting at a higher % than that.

3. We can win the Eastern Conference and possibly the Finals if we do not make a player acquisition:
Rasheed Wallace is not capable of being the Garnett replacement. He cannot shoot the 3 (See above), and he cannot play help Defense. I don't think the Celtics need to go out and get David Lee, or an All-Star caliber player, however, I do think they need someone who can play with size, who can rebound, and who can play defense. If this team doesn't make a significant player acquisition and/or trade before the deadline, I would not be surprised if they don't make it out of round 1. Yes, round 1.

4. The Celtics can't lose in Round 1:
See above. Toronto, Chicago, Miami, Charlotte...do you really think it is impossible to lose 4 out of 7 to those teams? I give you Atlanta in '08 and Chicago in '09 as proof that anything is frighteningly possible.

5. The Home Court will get them through Round 1:
I've mentioned this before, but this year's crowd has become complacent. I am partially to blame, I am more complacent, but I think we forget that we were actually crucial and a real factor in the 2007-2008 Championship run. Call me nuts, but I was there for Game 6 and there was no chance that the Celtics were losing that game v. LA - the energy was too great, the players were feeding off of it.

6. Rasheed Wallace is a serviceable replacement for KG or Perkins if either are in foul trouble:
He isn't. I think the team, and Doc Rivers specifically, thinks that he is. Maybe I'm wrong, and Doc is just cooking with the groceries he was given, but I saw Scalabrine take Josh Smith completely out of his game. Against certain players, Scalabrine's existence on the court confounds some amazingly athletic opponents. At times, Scals is the answer, and not Rasheed. The C's staff thinks Rasheed is always the answer.

7. Turnovers are our problem:
They are a problem, but not a real problem. I think, I am not sure, but I think the Celtics led the NBA in turnovers the year they won the Championship. It isn't turnovers that is their biggest problem. It is hustle. It is the fact that they let up offensive rebounds b/c they don't hustle and it is because they don't hustle for 48 minutes. If they hustle more, if they simply commit to hustling and playing harder, they will rebound more, and get more stops. That's their #1 problem.

8. Moments of brilliance by Tony Allen are signs of something to come:
We have been waiting for years for this brilliance to show up. It is never coming. Tony Allen is not one of those players that is capable of taking a good game or a good half, or even a good quarter, and letting that continue. Allen may be brilliant for a 5 minute stint, but it is no indication of anything. In other words, 6 straight field goals or 4 straight smart defensive plays can just as easily be followed by crippling lack of thought or foresight. If you rely on Allen, you are in very big trouble.

9. Rondo needs to be conserved to stay healthy and rested:
Rondo is young, and the only way this team wins is if Rondo is on the floor for 44+ minutes per game. I don't see how a backup PG can be played by Tony Allen or Eddie House. There is a coach somewhere out there who will be leading this C's team in 7 or 8 years who is terrified of what wear and tear may do to Rondo - but that isn't Doc's problem. He has to know that he is the most crucial player on this team, and he has to be on the floor at nearly all times. You have the summer off to get yourself back in shape and rested.

10. This isn't the Celtics year:
Wrong. They have maybe the most talented Roster in the game, definitely in the East. This isn't their year if they think they can rest solely on those laurels. This is their year if they get KG adequate help. This is their year if they play 48 minutes early in the playoffs and avoid playing down to the first 2 rounds opponent's levels. This is their year if the ask/force Rasheed to play inside the 3 pt. line offensively. This is their year if they pick up a player and make adjustements.