Boston On The Brink of Elimination: Is This The End of an Era?

Every single year it’s the same old story: Boston loses in the playoffs and the national media questions whether or not they should blow it up, then they comeback the next year and prove them wrong. This year though it doesn’t feel the same. This year after so many injuries, so many bad breaks it feels like nothing will be the same after this season.

Never before have we witnessed the mortality of our Basketball Heroes(Garnett and Pierce), the limits of their powers have always been a mystery to us but now the mystery has been solved. These guys aren’t playing forever and it’s plausible to think that they may not be around next year. I mean why should they want to stay? Outside of loyalty there’s not much too stick around for. Rondo’s rehab will most likely keep him out for some chunk of next year and even when he comes back he’ll more than likely be a shadow of his former self(ACL injuries are very hard to comeback from taking almost a year to return to 100%). Unless Danny does some major trades we’ll most likely see the same team(14 out of 15 of the players on the team are under contract for next year) as they’re pressed against the cap. Even I would like to see KG and Paul go out on a playoff note and not have to suffer through what will likely be a lottery year.

What used to be a juggernaut in the Eastern Conference is now an old, injured and decayed roster. I knew this was going to happen but part of me wanted to believe the fact that somehow this team would return to their old ways. I took solace in the fact that they still hung on to their defensive ways but at the same time realized that even with their stout defense that a playoff series win was unlikely. They’re outmatched, outgunned and without their best player so a 3-0 deficit to the East’s 2nd best team isn’t so inconceivable. It’s just hard to see KG and Paul so helpless out on the court.

It might be time to start thinking where we go from here but frankly I have no earthly idea where to go from here. The Celtics could always concede next season and let Rondo rest effectively tanking or they could delude themselves and their fans once again that they can contend in a conference that they have no shot to win in. Neither option is preferable but that’s basically what’s on the table. For me I like the first one as it plays it safe with the guy I assume Danny is going to rebuild around for the foreseeable future. It’s also wise to think about that the next year’s draft class is stacked and while it’s improbable we’ll get one it’s loaded with potential superstars(WIGGINS AND PARKER…….just something to think about).It’s just hard seeing this team being any better next year than the team we have right now. Paul and KG will be a year older and granted Jeff will have had a full year under his belt but he isn’t suited to carry a team by himself. We’ve wasted at least two of Rondo’s prime years deluding ourselves into thinking that we were equipped to win a title but now it’s time for Danny to think about the future and how this team is going to look five years from now and not five months from now.