Posted on
8/15/2007 5:40:34 PM
NBA Betting - NBA Opinion 2007 – Celtics Victims of Karma
By Tim Furious
Ever since Kevin “The Big Ticket” Garnett was traded to Boston, everyone has heralded them as the favorite to win the Eastern Conference. Even the BetUS.com sportsbook is hailing them as the eastern champs by giving them the best NBA betting odds at +225. But can they really win the east?
The obvious answer is “of course”. With Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and KG in town there is absolutely no reason they can not be the beasts of the east. What I love is that these three guys are mega-competitive gamers, and each fill in the gaps in each other’s games. If KG has had trouble closing out games, give the rock to Ray Ray.
So what’s the problem here? Why do I sound like I’m doubting them a little? Because of something I call “championship chasing karma”. My favorite example is Gary Payton and Karl Malone signing to play with Kobe and Shaq in Los Angeles back in 2003, having the world stamp them as champs, and then watching them fail to get past the Spurs in the conference semi-finals. Other examples of CCK include Chris Webber dooming Detroit in 2006 and Michael Finley dragging San Antonio down in 2005.
This is the basic premise of CCK: if a star player from any franchise leaves his team to join a championship caliber team (i.e. Malone departing Utah for LA), that team is destined for failure. When LeBron decimated Detroit in the 2007 playoffs, every team in the east looked to add just one mega-star to the roster. The Celtics added two, and both guys were franchise guys in Seattle and Minnesota respectively.
Does this have major ramifications on the CCK scale? Kind of. The Celtics were not a championship caliber team to begin with, but added two guys who are definitely in a hurry to add one to their resume. The beauty of the CCK is the reality of why it usually works.
The major problem with adding any mega-star to an already functioning team is that it disrupts the rhythm of an already harmonized squad. The problem for the Celtics is the opposite. They have no team rhythm and will be looking to build that throughout the season.
With $56 million wrapped up in three players alone, they will be hard pressed to fill the glaring holes in their roster. Point-guard is a huge concern in Bean Town, as well as depth. The fact remains that you should never bet on a team that has tempted the fates of CCK.
The big GAP (Garnett, Allen, Pierce…wait maybe I should trademark this before The Gap signs these guys?) can’t play all forty-eight minutes and could burn out. And without any lack of depth on the team, this team is one injury away from another lottery pick. None of these guys are spring chickens.
LeBron’s performance against Detroit last year triggered this massive belief that you can win in the East with one or two stars. I dare say that the Cavaliers were the exception to the rule and not the standard. The Chicago Bulls at +300 and the Detroit Pistons at +300 are also threats to Boston’s supposed crown because they play as a team and, like a ninja, can kill you in a variety of ways.
Boston is going to be a fun team to watch, but building chemistry and dealing with so much expectation might be even too much for the GAP to bridge. They are a playoff team, undoubtedly, but they will not be representing the eastern conference in the 2008 NBA Championships. The karma they have stirred up will certainly not please the NBA Gods.
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