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The Boston Celtics nearly had their 18th NBA Title in June of 2010, and have spent ever minute since trying to keep their championship window ajar. That’s taken some creative thinking on the parts of president Danny Ainge and coach Doc Rivers. Kevin Garnett has moved to center and young players like Avery Bradley have emerged as major contributors, but since the bench scoring hasn’t offset the decline of starters like Paul Pierce, the Celtics have fallen short in their attempts to return to the NBA Finals. That could change this season. Yes, Ray Allen left for the Miami HEAT, but Courtney Lee will likely start at shooting guard (at least until Bradley returns from shoulder surgery) while Jason Terry gives Boston’s bench a nice scoring boost. The Celtics aren’t as top-heavy as they once were, but they’re undoubtedly deeper.

HOOPSWORLD takes a look at the 2012-13 Boston Celtics:

Five Guys Think…

Just when you think Danny Ainge doesn’t have a choice but to rebuild, he finds a way to come back with a team that is still capable of contending. Re-signing Kevin Garnett before he hit free agency at a reduced rate made it clear that rebuilding wasn’t in the cards from the get go. Losing Ray Allen looked like it hurt at the time, but they’re arguably better since they replaced him with Jason Terry and Courtney Lee, not to mention Avery Bradley was already deserving of more minutes. With a deeper, more talented team than they had last year the Celtics should remain one of the best in the East and the kings of the Atlantic Division.

1st Place – Atlantic Division

– Yannis Koutroupis
 

The Atlantic Division is no joke this season, with all five teams improving and expecting to make the playoffs. Still, with Jason Terry and Courtney Lee in the backcourt the Celtics have done some improving of their own, and have their sights clearly set on winning another championship before Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce are finished. Jared Sullinger and Fab Melo are intriguing additions in the front court, and could turn out to be key contributors come playoff time. The Celtics are bigger, deeper, and even younger as they look to get back to the Eastern Conference Finals and challenge Miami for the championship trophy.

1st Place – Atlantic Division

– Bill Ingram
 

Rather than blowing up their roster and rebuilding, the Boston Celtics spent this offseason retooling. They lost Ray Allen, but were able to add a number of veteran contributors such as Jason Terry, Courtney Lee and Jeff Green as well as promising rookies Jared Sullinger and Fab Melo. Boston is very confident and optimistic about their chances entering this season. They’re a legitimate contender in the Eastern Conference and while the Brooklyn Nets and New York Knicks will try to supplant them as the top team in the Atlantic, the Celtics are in the driver’s seat to win the division again.

1st Place – Atlantic Division

– Alex Kennedy

 
This could have just as easily been the first year in a long, frustrating rebuilding process for the Boston Celtics, but GM Danny Ainge managed to keep together the majority of the old core (Rajon Rondo, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett), while also bringing in enough youth (Courtney Lee, Jeff Green, Jared Sullinger) to still keep this one of the most interesting teams in the Eastern Conference. The Jason Terry signing should help offset the loss of Ray Allen to Miami, and the rest of the roster looks pretty deep, particularly when Avery Bradley comes back healthy. The Celtics were better than they were supposed to be last season, but there are actually some big expectations for this team in 2012-13. Of course, playing in the same conference as the HEAT, those expectations could be tough to live up to.

1st Place – Atlantic Division

– Joel Brigham
 

For at least the third straight season the Celtics will have to endure the question of whether their championship window has closed as Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett drift farther and farther away from their prime years. Hall of Fame bound guard Ray Allen bolted in free agency to join the reigning champion and rival Miami HEAT, but Boston reloaded their backcourt bringing in Jason Terry and Courtney Lee. A healthy Jeff Green should strengthen the frontcourt, but he struggled mightily to adjust to the team when acquired back in 2011. That must change. More than ever the Celtics’ fate will rest on the shoulders of All-Star guard Rajon Rondo. The former University of Kentucky standout should continue to shine and lead the team back to another Eastern Conference Finals appearance.

1st Place – Atlantic Division

– Lang Greene

Top Of The List

Top Offensive Player: We’ll split some hairs here and say that Paul Pierce is the best offensive player and that Rajon Rondo is the top playmaker (see below), but Rondo could just as easily have taken this superlative as well. That doesn’t mean Pierce can’t still kill opposing defenses. After 14 NBA seasons, Pierce is a threat to score 20 or 30 on any given night because he can beat you in so many ways. Last year’s 3-point percentage was slightly below his career mark of 36.6 percent, but he still averaged 1.6 3-pointers per game, which is exactly his career average. Pierce can also beat defenders in the high post, low post and he can drive the lane. And don’t forget that Pierce hits around five free throws per game, so good luck defending this 34-year-old swingman.

Top Defensive Player: Rondo has another argument for this title as well, but there really is only one Kevin Garnett. Now primarily playing center, Garnett’s main job is what it has always been: to float around the paint and create havoc. It seems easy to forget just how good of a help defender Garnett is, even at age 36, but just remember that Garnett typically guards the opposition’s weakest offensive threat for a reason. His quick feet and long stride allow for lightening-fast double teams, so even if it is Pierce who guards HEAT star LeBron James, it’s Garnett that remains the last line of defense.

Top Playmaker: As Rondo goes, so go the Celtics. The 26-year-old point guard finished first in assists per game (11.7), and fourth in assist rate and assist-to-turnover ratio (3.21). Only four players had more turnovers than Rondo did last season, but that group includes John Wall, Russell Westbrook, Steve Nash and Deron Williams, so it goes without saying that the NBA’s best playmakers take the most risks. If Rondo had one area to clean up, it would be his sub-60-percent free throw mark (a primary ball handler hurts the offense if he can’t convert at the line) but even with his shortcomings, Rondo is still the Celtics’ catalyst on offense. A major talent like Pierce is made better by Rondo’s presence and that sort of value is tough to quantify.

Top Clutch Player: Pierce is the ultimate threat when the game is on the line because he can take with the defense gives him. If they’re playing off of him, he’s comfortable taking a jumper, but he’s equally capable of faking, getting the defender in the air and drawing a foul. And if the defense wants to play up tight, Pierce still has enough energy to put the ball on the floor. The fact that Pierce has made over 80 percent of his career free throws only serves to enhance his other strengths because defenses are so fearful of fouling him at the end of games.

The Unheralded Player: Celtics fans already love Brandon Bass (12.5 points, 6.5 rebounds per game in 2011-2012), but national NBA audiences would probably be surprised by all that he offers. Even though he’s just 6-7, Bass is actually quite capable when he plays center (in some ways, he’s more of the starting center than Garnett is). Bass also has a nice mid-range jump shot, can put the ball on the floor and is tough enough to absorb contact and finish at the rim. And given the fact that he cut his turnover rate to just 7.9 last season (it was 10.8 in 2010-2011), it seems Bass is maturing as a player as well.

The Best New Addition: We can debate whether or not Jeff Green is a “new addition,” but the point is he missed the 2011-2012 season because of an aortic aneurysm in his heart and now he’s back with a new contract and a chance to contribute. At 6-9, 235 pounds, Green is a decent athlete who’s capable of matching up with smaller players on the perimeter. He’s used at both forward positions, but most statistical analysis shows he’s better at small forward. After coming over from the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2011, Green had a 6.0 Player Efficiency Rating differential at the three as opposed to a -3.2 mark at power forward. That’s a fancy way of saying that opposing fours outperformed him while the small forwards didn’t. It’s hard to tell how Green will fit in to Rivers’ rotation, but he’s one of the reasons the Celtics will have significantly more depth this year. Terry, Lee, rookies Fab Melo and Jared Sullinger and even veteran center Jason Collins will also contribute.

-Alex Raskin

Who We Like

1. Rajon Rondo: There aren’t many NBA players with Rondo’s toughness. Whether he’s bending his arm in the wrong direction or crashing to the hardwood after challenging a seven-foot center for a layup, Rondo always picks himself back up. Yes, he’s extremely talented, but if the Celtics didn’t have Rondo, they would have a completely different attitude. Rondo, like LeBron James, is one of only a few NBA players that is among the top five players at his position on both offense and defense.

2. Doc Rivers: The Boston media is relentless and the fans are even worse, so it’s really a miracle that Rivers keeps things so mellow. The best thing about Rivers is that he coaches like a man who isn’t scared to lose his job. If that means putting Allen on the bench, as he did last season, Rivers is willing to do it. No idea is out of bounds with Rivers, and even after the departure of assistant coach Tom Thibodeau, the Celtics remained one of the best defensive teams in the NBA. The players still respect Rivers and he always seems to come up with the right answer.

3. Kevin Garnett: We always talk about Garnett’s defense, but his offensive skills haven’t exactly eroded. Garnett hit over 50 percent of his field goals for the fifth consecutive season last year and he’s been doing that primarily with long-range jump shots. It’s Garnett’s ability to hit those jumpers that gives guys like Bradley, Rondo and Pierce the space to drive the lane. Garnett is still a good passer too.

4. Paul Pierce: Pierce scored 23 points in back to back wins over the HEAT in the Eastern Conference Final last season and even though he was playing 40 minutes per game, he never seemed to slow down. He probably wasn’t in game shape when the season began, but that problem was dealt with over the course of the season and by the time the Celtics made it to the playoffs, Pierce was as spry as any 27-year old.

5. Avery Bradley: It’s not yet clear when Bradley’s season will get under way. Bradley’s shoulder took a beating until he went down for the year in the conference semifinals, but when he does return he’ll give Rivers a competent ball handler who can drive the lane and an elite defensive presence on the perimeter. Just 6-2, Bradley has been able to defend both guard spots, which could make him very valuable on a team with combo guards like Terry and Keyon Dooling. Bradley still isn’t a great shooter, but through practice and good shot selection he did hit 22 of 54 3-point attempts last year.

– Alex Raskin

Strengths

Unlike last year, when Boston’s bench ranked 29th in the league in scoring, the Celtics should get a major offensive push from the second unit this season. Terry, Green and possibly even Sullinger (depending on how healthy his back is) could transform the Celtics from a team that lost games in the second quarter (22.8 points per game in the 2nd, 25th in the NBA) to a team that wins in the second quarter.

– Alex Raskin

Weaknesses

Boston ranked 24th in offensive efficiency last season (you read that right), so as Pierce devolves into a secondary scorer, the Celtics will need to find other options. They can probably win with a balanced scoring attack, but guys like Bradley and Terry really have to pick up some of the offensive slack this season. The HEAT’s offense only got better in the offseason, so simply maintaining the status quo is not an option.

– Alex Raskin

What Needs To Be Said On Opening Day….

Make no mistake about it, this team is preparing for nothing short of a championship. With Paul, Kevin and Rajon, we have guys who know it exactly what it takes to get there. As they’ll tell you, we will only get there through our defense. Our goal is to be the best defensive team in the league. For the young guys and newcomers, we expect you to do whatever it takes to get up to speed quickly on that end of the floor. I also know that we will miss Ray’s presence on the offensive end of the floor, but Jason – and hopefully Jared – can help us improve there. If we take good shots and channel our focus on the defensive end of the floor, we will be a very tough team to beat.

– Anthony Macri and Brett Koremenos

The Burning Question

Will the Celtics’ depth benefit them when it matters most?

A deep bench can help win regular season games and it keeps veterans fresh for the postseason, but eventually the playoffs roll around, rotations get shortened and it’s up to a select few to win or lose the game. The Celtics haven’t been up to the challenge against the Heat in the last two postseasons, and it’s not like Miami was significantly deeper or anything like that. January and February are one thing, but Boston’s depth may not be such an incredible advantage in May. Can Rivers find a grouping of five players that can win the biggest games?

– Alex Raskin