Luka’s Corner

As the Celtics near the Playoffs, they are focusing more on getting their depleted roster healthy by the time the postseason tips off than they are on gaining the second, or first, seed in the East. At a 56-19 record as of Tuesday, the C’s have surely had a down year in comparison to last year’s resounding mark of 66-16, but much of the second half of the season has been played without Kevin Garnett. Even Leon Powe, Brian Scalabrine, and Tony Allen have missed considerable amounts of time. This variety of injuries to key role players has opened the door for Stephon Marbury and Mikki Moore, who arrived in February. In my opinion, all of the team’s previous bench woes in terms of scoring and defense have been solved with the arrival of these two. Of course, I am relying on the return of those who have been injured by the Playoffs.

Focusing more on "Starbury", who was the key addition during the season, the Celtics received an explosive guard who can handle the ball in pressure situations, pass the ball with ease, drive to the basket, and rely on his outside jumper. Obviously, some may ask how a guy 3.2 PPG and 2 APG, while only shooting 31% from the floor, can help the Celtics raise an 18th championship banner at the TD Banknorth Garden. This low shooting percentage and scoring output is all due to Marbury’s lack of game experience over the past year. His quickness is there, which he uses to break down the defense and distribute the ball, and his dribbling is extremely reliable. He can obviously shoot the three, evident by his smooth shooting stroke this season and 33% over his career. It is only a matter of playing more and getting into the actual game rhythm.

So far, Marbury’s greatest asset to the team has been his ability to ward off pressure from opposing point guards and distribute the ball to the Paul Pierce and Ray Allen. It is important to note that Eddie House has had a much easier time with Marbury alongside him. Now, he can spot up behind the three-point line without having to worry about bringing the ball up the court, something that he has struggled with over the past two seasons. The decreased pressure on House to perform is shown by his 43.5% from three this season (and nearly 50% over the second half of the year, when Marbury was with the team). Watching Marbury move the ball, it is interesting to see that he hits Allen in his sweet spots better than Rondo does with the starters. While Rondo relies on getting the ball to Pierce and KG more than finding Allen off screens, Marbury looks for Allen on every possession. This is understandable because Allen has been the most consistent Celtic this season.

Overall, with the two new additions to the already solid Boston bench, I truly believe that the Boston bench is up there with Cleveland’s bench, if not better (the Laker bench has been inconsistent all year). Marbury gives Boston a true backup point guard, Moore gives hustle and length, Glen "Big Baby" Davis and Leon Powe give scoring and rebounding, Tony Allen gives another slasher to the basket, and Brian Scalabrine gives solid defense and outside shooting. The C’s now have so many options and, if KG comes back healthy, you have to say that Boston is once again the favorite to win it all.