Celtics vs teams with a winning record

[Duke4]

After beating the Chicago Bulls the Celts are back to a .500 record (22-22). What is interesting is the fact that Boston has split with the top teams in each conference (the Bulls and the Suns). At this point the Celts are 10-7 against teams who currently have a winning record. They are 12-15 against teams with a losing record. I think I agree that the Jays, along with Smart and Timelord are the core of this team. I really like Horford as a skilled and veteran leader and I like Williams, Richarson, and Pritchard off the bench. We need veteran shooters, scorers, and leaders to round out the bench ....thoughts..?

[ozgod]

It's been obvious to me for a while now. This team tends to play to the level of the opposition. If it's a game against a good team they will be ready and prepared and competitive. If it's a team of (perceived) no hopers they switch off or are not focused and snatch defeat out of the jaws of victory. That's probably what makes it more frustrating for fans - because they tend to be competitive against good teams (last game against Philly aside) but then lose to teams they should easily beat, either because they fell behind by 20+ points and fell short after making a comeback, or because they choked in the last quarter and gave the game away.

They have definite technical deficiencies, they need a point guard and they are one of the worse shooting teams in the league but it's the top two inches, as well as in their chest, where they've been lacking.

[Celtics2021]

It’s a little bit more nuanced.  Against the true dregs of the NBA, they do just fine.  Vs. the teams with a bottom 5 record, we’re 7-0 with an average margin of victory of 10.5 points.  It’s the teams right around .500 we’re inconsistent against.

[keevsnick]

I'm not really sure where the OP's numbers are coming from.

ESPN has them as 13-15 vs team .500 or above, 9-7 vs teams below .500.

[Surferdad]

Also factor in home/away. Much better record at home. In fact, remove the Philly road game and they are doing real well lately at home regardless of the competition.

[Duke4]

I was using today's records....obviously the teams we play will have a changes in their records as the season progresses....

[Phantom255x]

I'm not really sure where the OP's numbers are coming from.

ESPN has them as 13-15 vs team .500 or above, 9-7 vs teams below .500.

You have to factor in results change daily. So a team that was above .500 three days ago may now be below .500 today if they lost like two in a row and were around .500 to begin with.

[Neurotic Guy]

It’s also possible that better teams play down to the Celtics - believing they can surmount any lead the Cs get.   

It’s impossible to watch this team and not be struck how mercurial they are from game to game and within games.  I believe they have a top team mentality without top team talent or chemistry (in other words they think they are better than they are).  They aren’t a team that can let the foot off the gas knowing they can turn it back on when they decide to. Yet I think they believe that’s who they are.  They get sloppy and cocky with a lead.  They believe they can shoot better than they can; they believe their defense is better than it is.

This is partly an attitude issue and partly a not quite enough talent issue.  I believe they need a leader at the PG position, one who can change the mentality of the team with the talent to guide their offense.  I can’t see how they get that player if not in the draft or by trading a Jay. 

[keevsnick]

I'm not really sure where the OP's numbers are coming from.

ESPN has them as 13-15 vs team .500 or above, 9-7 vs teams below .500.

You have to factor in results change daily. So a team that was above .500 three days ago may now be below .500 today if they lost like two in a row and were around .500 to begin with.

This original post was made this morning, so the shifting records thing isnt really relevant.

But isn't the fact that the record is gonna shift every day kind of indicative of the fact that we probably shouldn't read too much into our record vs above and below .500 teams?

I just bring this up because there seems to be a false narrative going around that the c's are actually better against good teams, and that's not really true. We beat MIL once down three starters. Beta CHI tonight down three starters. We beat CLE also down three starter earlier this year. And yet the C's record against over .500 teams still isn't that good despite three gift wins. 

[Celtics2021]

I'm not really sure where the OP's numbers are coming from.

ESPN has them as 13-15 vs team .500 or above, 9-7 vs teams below .500.

You have to factor in results change daily. So a team that was above .500 three days ago may now be below .500 today if they lost like two in a row and were around .500 to begin with.

This original post was made this morning.

But isn't the  fact that the record is gonna shift every day kind of indicative of the fact that we probably shouldn't read too much into our record vs above and below .500 teams?

Yeah.  Especially since the C’s are 5-9 against teams currently within 2 games of .500, it will fluctuate rapidly depending on how a handful of teams do any given week.  And it’s that 5-9 against those teams that’s really holding us back.  Even having gone 8-6 against them would make us feel considerably better about the team’s standing going forward.

[Roy H.]

Does last night count?  No Lavine or Ball.

[Celtics2021]

Does last night count?  No Lavine or Ball.

Do our losses when we were down players count?

[Roy H.]

Does last night count?  No Lavine or Ball.

Do our losses when we were down players count?

Dunno.  Feel free to subtract them out.

Beating a Chicago team down two key starters isn’t that impressive to me.

[Kiorrik]

Stats in this are super difficult in the last 2 years, due to not just injuries, but also, covid.

How many games have been played with 1-or-many people missing?

How lucky/unlucky have we been in this? How often have fully healthy teams beaten a depleted Celtics team? How often was it end-of-bench vs end-of-bench.

[SparzWizard]

Does last night count?  No Lavine or Ball.

Do our losses when we were down players count?

Dunno.  Feel free to subtract them out.

Beating a Chicago team down two key starters isn’t that impressive to me.

Not to mention the fact that the Celtics almost lost to the Lavine-less or Ball-less Bulls at the TD Garden