Basketball

Celtics make 11 in a row

No matter the sport, when you are world champions you are clearly a good team but it just means you have to raise your game every time you play as teams are desperate to beat the best. This makes the current run of form being shown by the Boston Celtics all the more remarkable, regardless of how good a team they actually are. Their 93-78 triumph over the Portland Trailblazers was the team’s eleventh victory in a row, a winning streak that the Celtics have not managed since their glorious 1985/86 season. The opportunity for the current squad to further write their name in franchise history will come quickly as the team has the chance to equal the best ever start to a season made by the Boston Celtic.

The defeat of the Trailblazers put the Celtics on 19-2 for the season so far and only twice in the history of the Boston Celtics have the team made it 20-2. This feat occurred way back in 1963-64 and of course, last season when the team eventually went on to become world champions. No Boston Celtics team has ever made 21-2 after 23 games of the season so the chance to make history is driving the team but with two away matches taking the team up to this landmark it is not going to be easy for them but if they maintain their current form, it may just be possible. The strength of the Boston Celtics at the moment was evidenced with the whirlwind start that the team made in blowing Portland away and by the consistent scoring and performances of a number of key players.

Ray Allen managed to bag 19 points while Kevin Garret managed to bag 14 points and picked up 11 rebounds. The teams cause was also strengthened by Kendrick Perkins who managed to notch up 12 points and 12 rebounds which goes to show the importance of having a number of top players performing in a match. Although the team are on a fantastic run at the moment all was not well after the match and some sloppy moments and weak play caused concern for the coach Doc Rivers who was not impressed with the way the Trailblazers came back into the match near the end.

At one point in the final quarter, the Celtics held a 25 point lead over their opponent but the reserves let their opponents back into proceedings and the starters had to reappear to effectively shut the game out for the Celtics. Given that the team would have been looking to preserve some energy for their trip to Indiana this reintroduction would not have been welcomed by the Celtics coaching staff but when you are on a hot run of winning games, you don’t want anything to jeopardize the chances of making history.

Regardless of whether the 2008-09 Boston Celtics manage to equal and then better the best start to a season made by any Boston Celtics team in history is one thing but there can be little debate that the current team are worthy world champions and they are definitely in with a shout of being the team to beat all throughout this campaign too.