Since the all star break the Boston Celtics have 18 wins and have re-emerged as a serious contender for the eastern conference and NBA championship.  This is a team that went 15-17 in their first 32 games and were sitting in the 8th spot and barely holding onto a playoff spot.

There were no major moves made by this team at the trade deadline, in fact the Celtics lost several key contributors to injury.  Jermaine O'Neal is done for the year and another reserve big guy Chris Wilcox discovered a situation similar to that of Jeff Green where there were some issues with his heart and he had to shut it down for the year.  The Celtics brought in backup big Ryan Hollins who's contract was bought out by the Cleveland Cavaliers.  Hollins is a big guy who offers some insurance but I don't expect him to have much of an impact the remaining 9 games and into the playoffs unless another big is to go down.

Ray Allen missed 6 games during a stretch in the 2nd half of the season but this allowed Avery Bradley an opportunity to get significant minutes and he made his mark.  Bradley has always been a defensive minded player and has the ability to be a pest to opposing guards because of his ability to play up on the opposing player and take them out of their rhythm.  Bradley was given the opportunity to play alongside Rajon Rondo, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett and that has a great deal in giving him confidence.  He was able to play off the ball and get some good scoring chances.

Once Ray Allen came back Doc Rivers decided to stick with Avery Bradley in the starting lineup and bring Ray Allen off the bench.  I like this move because it gives Bradley more confidence that Doc is willing to stick with him in the starting lineup even though a future hall of famer is healthy and ready to play regular minutes.  I also like this move because it gives the second unit some scoring punch so when Pierce and Garnett go out Ray Allen can be the scoring option off the bench.  Allen will still play the last 6 minutes of the game and when they need buckets he will be in there but it gives him a chance to limit his minutes so that he is fresh for the stretch run.

Kevin Garnett has been moved to center and Brandon Bass has stepped in at the power forward and that has really benefited Garnett's game.  He is scoring more as he has a bit of an advantage against bigger and slower centers.  Garnett has been playing some of the best basketball that he has played in a long time.  Brandon Bass has been a great addition to this team.  He has a good jumpshot and can rebound despite being a bit undersized.  He was a clear upgrade over Glen Big Baby Davis.

Greg Stietsma has been a very pleasant surprise this year.  Undrafted and from the D-League Stietsma has size and a knack for blocking shots.  He doesn't need to score the basketball, he just needs to rebound and block shots because he is very valuable to the basketball team.

The Celtics are heading into the playoffs hot right now and other teams have started to take notice.  They have beaten the Miami Heat twice in the last 10 days including a blowout win at the TD Garden and then an impressive road win last night and were up 18 at one point.  They have a tough remaining schedule with games against the Hawks tonight and before the season ends.  They still have Orlando on the schedule as well as the Heat 1 more time and the New York Knicks.  They have a little bit of a cusion on the Atlantic Division which will lead them to a guaranteed top 4 seed and they can avoid the Bulls and Heat in the first round.  They can still catch Indiana for third which will also be key in giving them an easier opponent in the first round.  There were times this year especially in the first half of the season that I thought they wouldnt be able to contend for a title and that they would maybe win a series and then bow out.  With wins over Miami twice, Indiana recently and them playing the Spurs tough last week I really like the way this team is finishing the season.  I think they have enough in the tank to make 1 last run with this core group and I hope its a long run because it's been a joy to watch.