Garnett, Allen helping Celtics start second half strong

Considering how poorly the Boston Celtics played heading into the All-Star break, fans should be thrilled with their sudden turnaround, which consisted of a 3-1 road trip to start the second half of the season, a rejuvenated post-trade deadline Ray Allen, and most importantly, a suddenly spry-looking Kevin Garnett.The fact remains that there was no trade, nor any free agent acquisition that the Celtics could have gotten that would have the same instant impact as a healthy Garnett, and while Celtics fans have undoubtedly seen the last of the once-dominant KG, the current version of the Big Ticket may be just good enough to put the Celtics back in the championship conversation. For fans looking for proof that the Celtics may in fact be back on track, one needs to look no further than the defensive end of the floor. Fans will remember that it was their hallmark defense that carried the Celtics to the 2008 championship, it was their defense that carried the Celtics to this season’s 21-5 start, and it will be their defense that keeps the Celtics afloat with the younger Cavaliers, Magic, and Lakers.”We don’t really worry about our offense, to be honest,” Garnett said. “I don’t want to make it sound shrewd or whatever, but the defense is what we hang our hat on and momentum-wise we’re getting better at that.”One would be remiss not to also mention the suddenly rejuvenated play of Allen. It was no secret that Allen was the subject of many trade rumors in recent weeks, and with the trading deadline now in the rear-view mirror, the 7-time All-Star is playing refreshed, free and easy. Allen has made it no secret; he wants to retire a Celtic, going as far as to publicly say that he is willing to take drastically less money to remain in green. Following the trading deadline, Allen tweeted simply, “I’m still green!”With Garnett’s sudden health and Allen’s newly found jump shot, Celtics fans once again have reason to hope. While the optimism level is not what it was two years ago, the Celtics players have given their fans a reason to believe that their old legs may have one last run left in them. That run continues against the best the NBA has to offer when LeBron James and his Cleveland Cavaliers invade the Garden tomorrow evening.