When the Boston Celtics parted ways with veterans Gary Payton and Antoine Walker in the offseason, they began a rebuilding plan to get the team back into the playoffs. And judging by the team's recent play, it might not take long.
On Sunday, the Celtics beat their old rivals, the Los Angeles Lakers 112-111 to conclude a 3-1 West Coast trip. Heading into tonight's matchup with the Miami Heat, the team has won five of its last seven games.
On Sunday, it was Paul Pierce doing the damage once again for the Celtics, scoring a team-leading 39 points. The big point came on a free throw with 3.7 seconds left to break a 111-111 tie and give the Celtics the crucial road victory.
Although Kobe Bryant outscored Pierce by one in the game, it has been Pierce putting on the scoring display as of late. He has 30 points or more in eight of his last nine games and was the NBA's leading scorer in February, pouring in 33.5 points per game.
The Celtics have been rumored to be shopping their star all season, but their decision to hold onto Pierce has been a big reason why they were able to knock off the Utah Jazz, Portland Trail Blazers and Lakers out west.
The road trip was made even more impressive by the fact that the Celtics played without big men Al Jefferson and Kendrick Perkins, both of whom are injured. In their place has been young Ryan Gomes, who has filled in nicely. Gomes scored 19 points and nabbed 12 rebounds on Sunday and 13 points and 17 boards on Saturday.
The emergence of Gomes gives the Celtics three quality young big men, a luxury in the NBA. Since being drafted last year, Jefferson has been considered the Celtics' center of the future. But he went down with a sprained ankle on Fe.b 3, just a few days after the team shipped off Mark Blount to Minnesota to make room for Jefferson. With Jefferson sidelined, Perkins stepped right in with a stretch of four double-digit rebound games.
In addition to the young big men, the Celtics also have the blossoming Delonte West at point guard. While West is still learning the ins and outs of the position, he has made vast improvements since the beginning of the season. West scored 19 points and handed out 10 assists in the Lakers game and scored 30 points in a recent loss to the Phoenix Suns. For a guy who did not reach the 20-point mark until the 2006 calendar year, West has now done it five times.
Throw in Wally Szczerbiak, who is still adjusting to the Celtics offense, and Boston now has three solid perimeter players to pair with their group of young inside men.
The rest of the season could be interesting for the Celtics. While the team is 23-33 and is all but out of playoff contention, it will be interesting to see how Boston can develop its young players for next season.
One man who deserves credit for the development is coach Doc Rivers. While Celtics fans often disagree with his decisions, Rivers has a philosophy that involves getting all 12 players on the court in a game. At times this frustrates the rhythm of the team, but it has also allowed Rivers to get some experience for all of his young players. With the rash of injuries lately, that court experience has paid off for guys like Perkins and Gomes.
The Celtics will return home this week to play the Heat, who are indeed on fire right now, before playing the solid, but very beatable Indiana Pacers. After the brief homestand, they will play two other beatable teams, the Toronto Raptors and Washington Wizards.
