 "Photo: ESPN.com")
The NBA playoffs are looming closer with every day and the Celtics continue to make strides in several areas. A main question that has constantly been raised is: Are the Celtics' bench players and role players good enough to support Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett.
After Saturday's 101-78 win over the Charlotte Bobcats, the answer to that question is looking more and more like it should be a yes. Doc Rivers completed the work of a genius Saturday when he decided to sit Allen, Pierce and Garnett for the entire game. That meant that James Posey, Leon Powe, Kendrick Perkins, Tony Allen and Rajon Rondo would be the starting five.
The result: A 37-point performance in the first quarter, 22 points and nine rebounds for Powe and a fourth quarter which saw the Celtics hold the Bobcats to just nine points.
Not bad for a bunch of guys who, at the beginning of the year, were supposedly not good enough to support Boston's "Big Three". It's safe to say that after Saturday's game and a season which has seen the Celtics go 61-15, all that talk is officially out the window.
Now it is time to look ahead toward the playoffs. Thankfully for Celtics fans everywhere, Doc Rivers is handling his best season ever the right way by resting his stars to ensure every one will be ready to make a championship run.
As of right now, Boston looks like it will be heading for a first round match up with the Atlanta Hawks. Anyway, does it really matter who they play? The Celtics should sweep their first round series and if not, they should win by five games or else that means Cleveland or Washington will suddenly seem to have a better chance to knock off the NBA's best team in the second round. With everyone contributing, there shouldn't be any first round or second round disappointments come April and May.
Another intriguing topic is whether or not Leon Powe can really keep this little explosion of his up? Powe is averaging a surprising 14 points per game and 4.7 rebounds in April. He is only averaging 7.5 points and four rebounds on the season. Maybe Tommy Heinsohn's rants last season on how good this guy was going to be are starting to come true. The second year "big man", who's LeBron James' 6-8 figure gives the indication he should be taking threes or long-range jumpers, is basically defying odds.
He did play inside during his college days at California, but with all the size down low in the NBA, Powe continues to be looked at as rather small for his position. Just don't tell that to Leon. His play is as important as anyone's at this point in the season and in the future.
God forbid Garnett ever gets in foul trouble in a playoff game. God forbid Kendrick Perk- scratch that. When Kendrick Perkins gets in foul trouble because of his lack of playoff experience in the paint, Powe will be the man to back him up and if he rebounds like he has lately, maybe score here and there, the Celtics will really have no problems come playoff time. Powe is important, but please Doc, keep playing him. The less rest he has, the more the Celtics might have the opportunity to develop a "Big Three-and-a-half" when the need for depth is at its greatest.
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