Mar 18, 2013; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Miami Heat forward LeBron James (6) is guarded by Boston Celtics guard/forward Courtney Lee (11) during the fourth quarter at TD Banknorth Garden. The Miami Heat won 105-103. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

Last night, Boston Celtics fans witnessed the torch being passed down to the next generation of players. This is still Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce’s team, but Jeff Green, Avery Bradley, Courtney Lee, Brandon Bass, and Chris Wilcox proved that when the veterans retire, the Celtics future will be in good hands. There have been a lot of questions surrounding the team and what they’ll do when the Big Three era comes to a close, but after last night, fans may have gotten their answer.

Green had a career night scoring 43 points, 26 in the first half alone. This wasn’t against the Charlotte Bobcats or New Orleans Hornets, it was the red hot Miami Heat who are now on a 23 game winning streak. He was a big part of Boston’s 17 point lead in the first half, and when it came to crunch time, he came through with clutch baskets. I’m going to go out on a limb here, but after last night, we witnessed the emergence of Jeff Green, and not just as a good player, but as a franchise player. What he did against Miami was Paul Pierce-like and something that fans haven’t seen from a Celtics player in quite a while. LeBron James had trouble stopping him, and the Heat’s defense couldn’t contain him which lead to Green’s offensive explosion. Last night summed up what Green has done the last two months.

Avery Bradley was sensational against Miami. While he did miss some easy shots throughout the game, his defensive presence was huge. When looking for future franchise players, it’s best to see how they play against championship caliber teams in big games. Bradley is definitely a keeper, and that is stating the obvious, but his defense and hustle showed the heart and soul that is within him. His poise during the game was veteran-like, wasn’t rattled by facing some of the greatest players in the game today, and quite frankly, I think he enjoys the challenge of going up against good teams and players.

Courtney Lee, Chris Wilcox, and Brandon Bass all stepped up in their own way. Lee’s defense last night certainly was overlooked as he had the job of covering Dwyane Wade. Wade only scored 16 points, and Lee was a factor in his performance. Lee also made clutch baskets down the stretch, taking the ball to the rim, and not forcing shots that weren’t there.

Brandon Bass and Chris Wilcox played exceptional defense against both LeBron James and Chris Bosh. Within the last two weeks Bass and Wilcox have really come up big for Boston, and their inside presence has shown. Bass was struggling earlier on in the season, but he’s found his place on the team by being aggressive and grabbing offensive rebounds. Wilcox is playing no different than he did last year before he had heart surgery. His ability to run the floor and get out on the fast break makes him an important piece on the team if the Celtics decide to run the up-tempo offense. His defense is also underrated as he does very well when he gets posted up. They may be undersized, but you cannot measure Bass and Wilcox’s determination and will.

In the upcoming seasons the Celtics will be going through a transition period. It may be starting right now. Jeff Green, Avery Bradley, Courtney Lee, Brandon Bass, and Chris Wilcox were major contributors for Boston last night. We will have to wait and see, but in a year or two, we may look back on last night’s game as the beginning of a new era for the Boston Celtics.

The calling for Brandon Bass’ exile from the starting unit has become common rhetoric among Celtics’ fans. He is averaging 7.7 points per game, and 5 rebounds per game this season. This comes on the heels of his career year last season, in which he gave the Celtics 12.5 ppg and 6.2 rpg.

Despite the struggles though, he remains in the starting five and Doc Rivers has made it a point to say it will remain that way. What is wrong with Bass though? What caused him to go from reliable, to the overpaid and underachieving sore of the Celtics’ starters?

The answer exists with someone who is no longer on the court for Boston.

No one has been more affected by the loss of Rajon Rondo than Bass. Bass received a contract extension worth $20 million this offseason, and much of that can be attributed to Rondo. Bass should probably be sending a portion of his pay check to the Rondo residence every week for his help.

Rondo created countless wide open shots for Bass with his dribble penetration, allowing him to simply catch and shoot. Without a true point guard in the lineup now, Bass has been forced to create shots for himself. That is not a strong suit in Bass’ game, and has led to poor and at times selfish shots.

His lack of offensive production has caused frustration to grow, but unfortunately for fans and the Celtics, there isn’t a better option.

With Jeff Green emerging as a strong component off the bench, many want Green to replace Bass in the lineup. There is a significant problem with that though.

Green would be placed in a difficult role. Coming off the bench, a majority of Green’s time is spent playing small forward. This allows him to use his height and strength against smaller opponents, creating an mismatch advantage for the Celtics.

Moving Green into the starting five also overlooks the benefit on defense, where his speed, length, and quickness make him perfect for guarding other small forwards. While Green has played power foward for small stretches, is it fair to now ask him to cover bigger and stronger players? That will cause him to take a greater physical pounding on a nightly basis, something his body may not be ready for.

After all, Green is still recovering from heart surgery, and just beginning to find his role. Adding Green to the starting unit also places further pressure on Kevin Garnett to anchor the post. Why change things unnecessarily? As the old coaching adage goes, “It’s not about who starts the game, but who finishes it.”

When it’s time to close games out in the fourth quarter, Green should and will be in the game, even if that means playing power forward. There’s no reason to wear him out early in the game though.

If Jared Sullinger wasn’t out for the remainder of the year, then this argument would drastically differ as Sullinger would be starting.

For now though, Bass is, will, and should remain the Celtics’ starting power forward.

February 6, 2013; Toronto, ON, Canada; Boston Celtics head coach Doc Rivers talks to his players during quarter break against the Toronto Raptors the first half at the Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

A few days ago, the case was made for Jeff Green to start instead of coming off the bench. However, with the Boston Celtics struggling throughout this west coast trip, lineup changes should be made, not only to preserve the legs of the veterans, but to give minutes to players who really deserve it. In the last week or so, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett have looked tired at the end of games, and that’s because they’re being relied upon too much, along with Doc Rivers consistently playing them when they should be resting on the bench.

Last night, Rivers made some questionable substitutions late in the fourth quarter against the Portland Trail Blazers. With about six minutes to go in the game, Jeff Green was subbed out for a struggling Brandon Bass who shouldn’t have been put on the floor in that situation. The Celtics desperately needed some defensive stops and rebounds and got neither when it really mattered. Chris Wilcox, who had been playing aggressively in the time that he played, fought for the ball on every possession and rebound. Had he been in the game with five minutes left in the game, the Trail Blazers may not have had second chance opportunities as easily as they did.

The Blazers also exposed a weakness in the Celtics lineup late in the fourth quarter. While Portland played small ball, Doc Rivers went with one of the bigger lineups the team has, but it was to no avail. The Blazers still got second chance opportunities, and their back court was getting open on the perimeter because their quickness was beating Boston’s size. Had Courtney Lee been in the game, Wesley Matthews wouldn’t have been open to take the dagger three point shot with less than a minute remaining.

Situational lineups always vary depending on what is required to get stops or score points, but starting lineups can always be changed. Instead of having Brandon Bass start at power forward, Jeff Green should take his spot as a starter. Boston has to start games better and carry that momentum into the second quarter and having their best offensive unit to start games would benefit the team as the game wears on. The bench is always blamed for giving up leads, but to their defense, this season they haven’t been given a lead to protect. Players like Courtney Lee, Avery Bradley, and Jeff Green all should be playing 40+ minutes a night while Garnett and Pierce rest on the sidelines. The formula to win games for Boston is no longer to have the veterans come in and dominate an entire game, the Celtics must look to the young guys to start carrying the team, and that starts with Doc giving them playing time.

Needless to say, Rivers has to give the young guys playing time. While he’s prone to giving the veterans minutes, they’re not getting the job done. He’s got to stop putting players in who are not having a good shooting night in clutch situations. Last night Courtney Lee, Chris Wilcox, and Jeff Green were all having decent nights and should have been in the game throughout the entire fourth quarter. While Brandon Bass has been effective in the past, he hasn’t been in the last few weeks. The Celtics aren’t winning, and not changing up the game plan has backfired on Doc so far. Injuries have taken a toll, and yes, Rajon Rondo was definitely needed to win last night, but there were other players on the bench who could have easily stepped into that role. Boston is a playoff team, but misusing players in close games like last night is a great way to slowly fall in the standings.