Boston Celtics: The Real Deal?

Of course, the immediate answer to the above question is YES!', but many have been too quick to label them an NBA title favorite. At 29-3, the Celtics have been rolling over opponents left and right and are now a 6/5 favorite to win the O'Brien Trophy in June. Doubts about the Big Three's willingness to share the ball and remain content have been toppled, Rajon Rondo continues to improve and Doc Rivers hasn't even sniffed an opportunity to mess things up. However, many questions have presented themselves about a Boston squad that might be peaking far too early

Can they beat the elites?

Better yet, how many elite teams have they played? Their 13.5 point average margin of victory is exceptional. Unimpressive is their opponents' .476 combined winning percentage. The Celtics have played 22 teams this year. Absent from that list are San Antonio, Dallas, New Orleans, Portland, Phoenix, Minnesota and the LA Clippers. Omit those last two and you have five of the top ten teams in the entire league. Victories against Orlando and Denver were home games and the only quality Western Conference opponent they've beaten on the road are the LA Lakers. A stretch of games in late March that includes home games against Utah, Phoenix and New Orleans and a trip through the Texas Triangle will give everyone a better idea of the Celtics' postseason chances against a Western Conference opponent. Their recent win over Detroit at The Palace of Auburn Hills goes a long way toward proving their worth as a legitimate Eastern Conference contender, but the road to the championship runs through the West.

Will the Big Three stay healthy?

Pierce is 30, Garnett is 31 and Allen is 32. Sometimes, when you're thirty-plus and you play in the NBA, you get hurt. When your team's best three players have all logged at least nine seasons in the league, there is significant cause for concern. Rivers' struggles last year were due in part to a stress fracture Pierce suffered in his left foot that caused the star to miss 35 games. Ray Allen missed a third of last season after having surgery on his chronically injured left ankle and has missed 61 games over the last four seasons. Garnett is a rock, but missed six games in each of his last two years with the Timberwolves. The Celtics might be able to weather another injury to Allen, whose role is less pronounced than the other two marquis players, but if either Pierce or Garnett go down in the playoffs,

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