How good are the Celtics?

E-mailer Brian asked me how good the Celtics are now that they have Walker and is it safe to compare them to Miami and Detroit.

It's amazing how much better the Celts are with Walker, but I'm not expecting them to do much in the playoffs. Here's why:

• Point guard. Gary Payton cannot stop good point guards. Marcus Banks can play defense, but he can't run an offense.
• 4th Quarter Half Court Offense. Whenever the Celtics need a basket at the end of a game, four guys stand around as Paul Pierce either ends up forcing a shot against five defender or takes a bad fall away jumper. Playoff basketball comes down to these last possessions and I don't have confidence that the Celtics will covert in these situations.
• Blount and LaFrentz. They need to play well to beat Detroit, Miami, and even Chicago. Sometimes they have good games, usually they don't.

Despite these negatives, the Celtics do have a good collection of talent. Ricky Davis deserves the 6th man award, Walker and Pierce have the talent to matchup with anyone, and the young players on the Celtics often seem to come up big plays.

I like the future of the Celtics, but to even think about a championship they need to have a better point guard, more consistency with their big men, and an improved half court offense.