It is that time of the year, here in New England the snow is falling and we are about to wrap up a year and a decade in sports. From a die-hard New England sports fan, it has been a privilage to watch such great sports teams these past ten years. Between the Red Soxs, Patriots, and Celtics we have a total of six total championships, this is something many sports cities can’t say.
Since this is a Boston Celtics website, and the Celtics are my favorite sports team by far, I thought it would be interesting to put together a Boston Celtics all-decade team. This past decade has had many ups and downs for the Boston Celtics organization. Before the 2007-2008 season, and disregarding the 2006-2007 season, the Celtics always seemed to be right there in contention but could never get over the hump. We saw our days with Antoine Walker, Walter McCarty, Ricky Davis, Eric Williams, and Al Jefferson but apparently these guys weren’t enough. Finally in 2007-2008, with the additions of Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett, the Celtics were able to claim their first championship in twenty-two years.
Without further ado, here is our Boston Celtics all-decade team:
Al Jefferson- Center – 2004-2007
The center position was by far the toughest position to decide. I know that by putting Al Jefferson here I am open to any criticism as to why I did not put “The Beast”, Kendrick Perkins, at the spot. The reason I did not put Perkins here is because of his struggles early in his career. The past three years have been great for the big guy, but it took a lot for him to get over the hump. When I think back a couple years I can remember when “Big Al”, Al Jefferson, was getting the starting nod over Perk. Today Al has established himself as a serious threat on the Minnesota Timberwolves. He is an all-star player, and in all reality he is a better overall player than Kendrick Perkins. In his career Al is averaging 17.9 PPG and 9 RPG, compared to Perk who is currently at 12 PPG and 7.8 RPG. If I had to pick a guy to put out on the floor right now in a big game, I would go with the better overall player, Al Jefferson.
Kevin Garnett – Power Forward – 2007-2010
This position was suprisingly one of the hardest positions to decide. For most of this decade we saw a guy at this position who was best known for his “Walker Wiggle”. That guy was Antoine Walker and he will always go down in Celtics history as one of the funnest guys to watch on the court; however, funny does not always win games. Antoine never had what it took to help his partner in crime, Paul Pierce, get to the top. There was one guy who did have what it took to push the Celtics over the top. That guy is known as “Big Ticket”, and he goes by the name of Kevin Garnett. Garnett has been on the Celtics for three years now and us fans have loved every minute of it. His intensity and desire to win is the exact definition of a Boston Celtic.
Paul Pierce – Small Forward – 1998-2010
Is there really anything to argue here? Pierce has been the starting foward for the C’s since he arrived in 1998. Paul Pierce is a Boston Celtics and he will retire as a Boston Celtic. Pierce is averaging 22.7 ppg over his career, he’s a six time all-star, NBA champion, and NBA finals MVP. What more could we really ask for? This guy is a warrior and will go down in Celtics history as one of the best.
Ray Allen – Shooting Guard – 2007-2010
There is really no surprise here, Ray Allen is a future hall-of-famer. Ray has a career average of 20.7 PPG and a career 39.7% three point percentage. During this decade the Celtics have had no other players that even compare to the talent and production that Ray brings, and has brought. His closest competition this decade may be Ricky Davis, who is good, but in no way comparable to Jesus Shuttlesworth. In his three years wearing the green uniform Ray has completely took over games at times. When he is on, he is on, just look at last year’s series against the Bulls for a quick reference. Allen has won many games for the Celtics in clutch moments and is one of the best clutch shooters of all time. Ray Ray is a class act and will hopefully retire in the green uniform that he wore when he won his first ever NBA championship.
Rajon Rondo – Point Guard – 2006-2010
There is really not much to choose from as far as Celtics point guards go during this past decade. The decade started out with Kenny Anderson controlling the point. Kenny was a great point guard to watch, but was far from the player that Rajon Rondo currently is. Rajon Rondo is quickly turning into a Celtics franchise player that we know, and love to watch. The past three years Rondo has improved his game tremendously and is quickly getting noticed league wide. Rondo is young, and if he keeps it up he could also be on our next decade’s all-decade team.
The Bench
Kendrick Perkins (Center) – After snubbing Perkins on the all-decade starting squad I had to give him some honorable mention on the bench. Perk has really established himself as a “true center” during these past few years. It has been a honor to watch his growth as a basketball player. Currently Perk is a perfect fit for the 2009-2010 squad and is one of the top defensive centers in the league.
Antoine Walker (Power Foward)- Could I really do an all-decade team without including Antoine Walker? It really wasn’t possible. Antoine was one of the most well known faces in the Celtics organization during this past decade. “Toine” was a three time all-star and along with Paul Pierce he led the Celtics through some very tough times.
James Posey (Small Forward) – Besides the captain, and “The Truth”, Paul Pierce there really wasn’t much to choose from at the small forward position. I had to go with the guy who played a huge role in bringing the first championship to Boston in 22 years, James Posey. During the 2007-2008 season Pose’ hit many crucial shots and made defensive plays that made dramatic differences in games. If it wasn’t for James Posey we may still have been searching for Banner 17.
Ricky Davis (Shooting Guard) – Ricky Davis was one of the most exciting and funnest players to watch in the past ten years. While in green he didn’t try to play like an all-star, but instead did what he needed to do to help the “player of the decade”, Paul Pierce, win basketball games. Other notable shooting guards include: Delonte West and Eddie House.
Kenny Anderson (Point Guard)- Kenny Anderson was one of the first ever Celtics point guards that I ever had the privilige to watch. Kenny played for the Celtics from 1998-2002. The most notable memory of him was during the classic game three of the 2002 playoff serious against the Nets. Kenny’s performance in the green uniform was good enough to earn him a spot on the bench of our all-decade team.
We hope you enjoyed our Boston Cetlics all-decade team and feel free to drop a comment on the article. Let us know what you think the all-decade team should be, have fun with it and we look forward to bringing in the new decade with our loyal readers.