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| Former Magic Notice Changes in Celtics | 10.11.09 at 5:01 pm ET |
The last time Rafer Alston, Tony Battie, and Courtney Lee played against the Celtics, they sent the C’s packing for the summer. The trio were members of the Magic team that eliminated the Celtics in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. This year they are in a different uniform and noticed the Cs have a different look as well.
Alston, Battie and Lee were traded from the Magic to the Nets over the summer as part of the Vince Carter deal. On Sunday they got their first take at the Celtics with their new team during preseason action at the TD Garden (recap here).
“They got a brand new season,” Battie said. “I mean, you look and [Kevin Garnett] is back and Rasheed [Wallace] is part of it. They got a great steal in getting Marquis Daniels, and you have those three additions coming back in the team. So, I think they’re the team to beat, definitely.”
Last season a hobbled Celtics squad was outscored, outrebounded and burned from the 3-point line by the Magic. Without Garnett on the court and veterans Ray Allen and Paul Pierce overworked, the Celtics bench could not save the season. Now the additions of Wallace and Daniels give the team much-needed depth.
“They get their big guy back and then they add Rasheed Wallace in there now,” Alston said. “I think when you’re trying to take away a lot of their main guys, they have a lot of guys that can step up and stretch the defense or post up on the low block. They have a different dynamic to their team, especially from a defensive aspect for other teams.”
Both Alston and Lee agree the series would have been completely different if the Celtics had so many weapons last season.
“They would’ve been a better team,” Lee said. “They definitely would’ve been harder for a matchup because you can play Marquis at the 1 and you sub in Rasheed, so they keep a shooting big in at all times, so they definitely would have been better.”
Said Alston: “I don’t think we would have been able to roam a lot off of a lot of their guys — [Rajon] Rondo, [Kendrick] Perkins, Big Baby [Glen Davis]. Those guys who really bring more scoring to the offense, especially from the bench standpoint.”
The combination of a healthy Garnett and a revamped second unit has Alston noticing a difference in the 2009-10 Celtics. Although he isn’t as willing as Battie to name them the best in the Eastern Conference, he can’t deny the changes on the court.
“Whenever they have all their guys, they have a swagger,” he said. “When someone goes down they don’t have swagger no more. That’s just how they are.”
18 Comments for “Former Magic Notice Changes in Celtics”
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October 11th, 2009 at 9:19 pm
i think the magic are the team to beat simply because they are the eastern confrence champions period and lets not make excuses yes we did not have kevin garnett but i dont think they had jameer nelson but we dont bring that up so i just think in the playoffs they out worked and outplayed us.Iy also looks like all 3 of this guys are a little sour about being traded so lets not act like there saying this to be truthful….
October 11th, 2009 at 9:50 pm
Yeah, we got our leader back and yeah we added Sheed…But you can’t by into these three guys because they hate the Magic now…The Magic traded their asses and now they are on Boston’s side…Sorry guys that you are on a losing team but, it’s not cool to say the Magic would not have one…That’s the best chance any of you had for a ring! GO BOSTON!!!
October 12th, 2009 at 9:46 am
Boston has no depth. Can you name Boston’s back-up gaurds other than Eddie “no handles” House? They will struggle late in the season the same
way they did last year. I will bet you can’t name the players that back up Pierce or Paul. Here’s the formula:
Old Guys - Deep Bench = Injuries
Orlando on the other hand is deep everywhere. Williams, Reddick, Peitrus, Anderson, Barnes, and Gortat are excellent subs at every position. Can you name 10 legit centers who are better than Gorat? This deam has depth everywhere, an excellent starting line-up, and they added rebounding.
October 12th, 2009 at 10:59 am
Greg you’re an idiot…Boston’s bench is much improved with the additions of Sheed and Daniels, both guys would be starters on a lot of teams. Big Baby avg’d 15 & 8 as a starter after Garnett went down and House is one of the best snipers in the NBA. Peitrus is legit and Barnes and Gortat are good off the bench but Reddick (bust), Anderson (Rookie) and J-Will (not even in the NBA last season) are suspect bench players at best. Also, the statement about Gortat is ridiculous because they’re probably not even 10 legitmate centers in the NBA anymore but the C’s have one in Perk who handles your boy Dwight pretty good. With KG back to lock down Lewis, swapping Hedo for VC is a downgrade and a better matchup for Pierce. The C’s only challenge in the east is Bron Bron and Shaq.
October 12th, 2009 at 11:11 am
Everbody is pulling on Bron-Bron’s jock strap just like you did last year and he went home mad! Same thing is going to happen this year, Bron-Bron and his old broke down ass center are going to have their straps handed to them by Boston!
October 12th, 2009 at 11:54 am
Duke, 1-10 the Magic are the deepest team in the NBA, period.
If you don’t know about Brandon Bass, Matt Barnes, Ryan Anderson, or even J Will, then you will once the season starts. I know you know about MVPietrus…
32-1 is all that needs to be said, oh and we closed your old Garden.
Celtics fans just hate the Magic, and I don’t blame them. GO MAGIC!!!
October 12th, 2009 at 12:05 pm
I laugh at the thought that an eight time NBA All-Star and one of the greatest Dunker’s, if not the best of all-time is a downgrade to Hedo Turkoglu, a career backup prior to playing under Stan Van Gundy and alongside Rashard Lewis.
Hedo is going to disappear up in Canada. Of the games so far in the preseason, I can say that once VC starts hitting his threes, he’ll be putting up 30+ on any given night.
As for Dwight, well he will be 24, which is one year older than he was before he got Finals experience. Jameer Nelson, remember the one that made the All-Star team over Rajon Rondo and Mo Williams. He is back, and playing at just as high of a level he was before he went down last season.
Rashard Lewis is going to be missed the first ten games, because he is playing very well too, but the team is so deep that it shouldn’t matter anyway. I do look for the Celtics to be the team that we play in the ECF, because the Cavaliers are the NBA’s circus team. They will do the same thing as always. Beat up the bad teams, lose to the good ones.
October 12th, 2009 at 1:06 pm
The Celts look strong this year, although I’d worry about their age. The Magic looks deeper this year, although I’m not sure about the chemistry and VC becoming a ball hog which the Magic were not last year. The Turk equation is highly overblown (and he’s my favorite player). Most people didn’t see much of the Magic in the regular season because all that was on the TV were the Celts, Suns, Lakers, San Antonio and the Cleveland LeBrons. Turk was an excellent player but don’t be fooled by the highlights, the team was very balanced and with the loss of Nelson, Turk stepped up.
It will be Boston, Orlando and Cleveland again (but probably not in that order) in the regular season and Boston and Orlando in the Conference Finals.
October 12th, 2009 at 1:34 pm
celtics fans: this isn’t wheelchair bb, how many of your geriatrics will still be walking in may when you have to go through the magic who are 10 younger men deep? if he can still stand kg will be wrestling with bass while rashard drains 3’s over pierce and posts him up off the elbow.
October 12th, 2009 at 2:16 pm
As a Magic fan, I have to say that I can understand Battie’s opinion. If the Celts are completely healthy at the end of the season, they will be the team to beat in the east even if we were the conference champs. Playoffs bring a whole new level of intensity that Celts veterans step up to….with KG. Everyone knows that Perk and KG have D12’s number, we could be a perimeter team; unless Dwight becomes the man we know he is capable of. That doesn’t mean that we will lose, but the Celts will be tough; Lakers even tougher. Magic - 2010 NBA Champs still so don’t go reading into this to much!
October 12th, 2009 at 2:20 pm
Sorry Cavs fans, Shaq will destroy this team and bad mouth them afterwards like he did to the Magic, Lakers, and Suns ultimately leading to Lebrons free pass out of town.
October 12th, 2009 at 5:49 pm
it’s interesting to read all others opinions, but I feel that it will be the Celts that will take the finals again. I DON’T have to put any team down to convey my thoughts, but I STILL feel that the Celts will take down all others on their way to their 18th championship.
October 12th, 2009 at 8:03 pm
Interesting posts. Adding my two cents worth in, I also agree that it comes down to Boston/Magic in the ECF’s. Sorry Cav fans but Bron and Co. wins last year were because they all got out on the break, spaced well, gave the ball to Lebron, and forced teams to pick there poison. Shaq is a half court player at this stage of his career. He trails the break every time now and every team who can run will. As far as the Celts, basically equal bench depth, more experience in their starters, but much older legs. It all depends how much gas they have left in the tank for the playoffs. If last year was any sign, in the end I’d give the edge to the Magic. Should be great fun no matter what!
October 12th, 2009 at 8:31 pm
damn tony, bitter much
October 13th, 2009 at 8:43 am
Greg,
Are you kidding? We have more depth now than ever. We added Daniels, Giddens is 2 years in, you have House, Ray Ray, and Rondo. How many more gards do you need. Down low we have Garnett, Baby, Perk, Sheed, and Williams. Those are5 solid down low threats. Then you have Pierce, Walker, Scal at the three. I think your smokin the funky cheeba man cuz this team is stacked.
October 13th, 2009 at 1:41 pm
Anyone who thinks adding Vince Carter, at 33 years old, makes them a better team because he WAS a great dunker proves they don’t know anything about real basketball. That’s all Vince Carter ever was, a dunker. He can’t play defense. He has no handles. He can’t rebound. He’s not going to pass the ball. There’s a reason he was never good enough to be “the man” on a title team. And for Orlando to give up Lee, Alston, and Battie to get him proves they don’t know what it takes to win a title. Orlando is a joke this year and not even the crooked refs who helped them beat Boston last year will be able to help them this year.
October 13th, 2009 at 10:02 pm
If healthy The Boston Celtics will be hands down the best team in the Eastern Conference. only a complete fool would say otherwise a certin kind of dumb person…….. # 18 june 2010…be there !!!!!
October 14th, 2009 at 2:21 pm
WOW… As a huge Magic fan I am looking forward to this season given how we did last year. Like most postings here I think that the Cavs are way overrated. The east will come down to the Celtics and the Magic. I won’t predict who will win… but I know it will be a great series.
GO MAGIC!