Mavericks Vs. Celtics Preview: Five Questions With A CelticsBlog Writer

The kind folks over at SB Nation Dallas (who's emails are littered with AWESOME sayings like "y'all") had me answer a few questions about the Celtics in preparation for tonight's game. Here's an example, and you can read the rest of the interview by clicking this:

2) How has the lockout-compressed season affected Boston's older players? Dirk is just finally getting his legs under him in late February.

According to Doc Rivers, the beginning of the season was hampered by the fact that the team was mostly out-of-shape, which is a horrible thing to announce about one of the league's older teams. This became obvious in the beginning of the season, when the Celtics would regularly fade away in the fourth quarter. Kevin Garnett has looked lethargic this season, which is either a testament to his poor conditioning or the fact that he's a 16-year power forward who rarely enters the paint anymore. Ray Allen is a crazy person when it comes to conditioning, but has held back with an ankle injury. Paul Pierce's numbers have decreased since January -- but whether that's lockout induced, a slump, or age gaining ground is hard to say. Going into the season, one had to think the elderly Celtics would benefit from a shortened schedule, but that really hasn't been the case. It seems age wasn't locked out.

The interview is not as depressing and ominous as this brief snippet is, trust me.