The narrative that the Celtics aren’t playing well is nonsense

[Roy H.]

We’ve seen various versions of the same theme: the Celtics are struggling, we’re a major disappointment, etc.  Today, Tim Bontemps repeated that in the latest hit piece aimed at undermining the Celts:

But while Irving said all the right things before this season began, things haven't gone according to plan during it...

Irving is undoubtedly playing the best basketball of his career -- but it hasn't translated to wins. The Celtics are, in theory, more talented than the team that reached Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals without Irving and Gordon Hayward last season. But Boston is in fourth place in the East, getting there only after Friday's win thanks in part to the Indiana Pacers plummeting after losing Victor Oladipo for the season because of a torn quad tendon.

This team was thoroughly mediocre early. A 10-10 record was extremely disappointing.  Since that time, though, we’ve gone 23-9, a .719 winning percentage. In other words, over the past 32 games, we’ve played like a 59 win team.  There’s only one team on pace for 59 wins this season: Milwaukee.  In other words, there isn’t a team in the NBA that we can’t hang with.

The same thing is shown by other metrics. We’ve got the second best point differential in the NBA, despite that slow start and despite playing the third hardest strength of schedule so far.  We’ve got a top-4 defense and a top-10 offense.  Our current starting lineup has the second best Net Rating in the NBA among lineups playing 200+ minutes.

Any way you look at it, the Celts are playing like a top tier team right now. The false narratives about a disappointing season are tired and lazy.

[slamtheking]

I think what keeps giving life to the notion they aren't playing well are the letdowns against inferior teams, the total collapses in at least 1 quarter in almost every game and the inconsistency or crap games by some of our best players every game.

Personally, I'm encouraged with the improvement of Brown as the season has gone on and Hayward looks like he's starting to come around.  if we have our starters, Brown, Hayward and Baynes looking healthy and solid rolling into the playoffs, no reason to thing we can't win it all.

[nickagneta]

It comes down to 4 games, Roy. We beat the Suns, Knicks and Magic twice and everyone is looking at this team differently.

Win those games and Celtics are 37-15, .710 winning percentage, one game in back of Milwaukee and a half game ahead of Toronto with a 5-2 record versus Philly, Milwaukee and Toronto.

4 games.

[ozgod]

We’ve seen various versions of the same theme: the Celtics are struggling, we’re a major disappointment, etc.  Today, Tim Bontemps repeated that in the latest hit piece aimed at undermining the Celts:

But while Irving said all the right things before this season began, things haven't gone according to plan during it...

Irving is undoubtedly playing the best basketball of his career -- but it hasn't translated to wins. The Celtics are, in theory, more talented than the team that reached Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals without Irving and Gordon Hayward last season. But Boston is in fourth place in the East, getting there only after Friday's win thanks in part to the Indiana Pacers plummeting after losing Victor Oladipo for the season because of a torn quad tendon.

This team was thoroughly mediocre early. A 10-10 record was extremely disappointing.  Since that time, though, we’ve gone 23-9, a .719 winning percentage. In other words, over the past 32 games, we’ve played like a 59 win team.  There’s only one team on pace for 59 wins this season: Milwaukee.  In other words, there isn’t a team in the NBA that we can’t hang with.

The same thing is shown by other metrics. We’ve got the second best point differential in the NBA, despite that slow start and despite playing the third hardest strength of schedule so far.  We’ve got a top-4 defense and a top-10 offense.  Our current starting lineup has the second best Net Rating in the NBA among lineups playing 200+ minutes.

Any way you look at it, the Celts are playing like a top tier team right now. The false narratives about a disappointing season are tired and lazy.

It's all about expectation. Expectations were, fairly or unfairly, sky high this season. People were expecting that we bring 2 top scorers back into our team that made the ECF last season and we would win 65 games, sweep all pretenders in the EC aside like dirt on a smooth tile floor, and waltz to the finals. We are being judged for not meeting that expectation. It's also people looking at stat lines and noticing that every player (aside from Tatum and Morris) has regressed from last year. I really think it's hard for people to reconcile that with so many players there's going to be the inevitable player each game who's going to not have touches and will score single digits as a result. Sometimes I feel we expect each player to score 18-20 ppg and it's just not possible with the depth of our team. If someone has a bad game or scores single digits it doesn't mean our team as a whole did bad.

Also we are judged on our overall record which was heavily affected by our 10-10 start. Since then we've gone 23-9 which is a 71% win ratio as you mentioned which stacks up well against the best in the league. And I think we can be better.

[Phantom255x]

They started off 10-10. Since then, they are 23-9 with some quality wins over legitimate playoff teams like IND (w/Oladipo), TOR, PHI, CHA, BKN, MIA. We also lost by just 4 to the Warriors just a week ago in a game where Hayward sucked and frankly in that game, we just killed ourselves with some boneheaded play the last 50 seconds (including like 2 bad turnovers by Kyrie). But we certainly didn't get dominated by the Warriors either.

We've been inconsistent, yes, but we went 11-4 in January with that 3-game road losing streak being the lone negative of it. Hayward's looked better overall as a play-maker and he looks a lot more confident with his aggressiveness the last few games.

The biggest development to me is how Jaylen Brown has looked lately. He just looks like a different player and like the Brown who looked fantastic in the playoffs last year. If we get more of this Jaylen Brown to go along with Kyrie/Tatum/Morris and etc., we're in great shape going forward.

Also, I don't know if people noticed, but Toronto is actually looking a bit iffy themselves these days. I think we're well set to grab the 3 seed relatively soon but the 2 seed is also not out of the question. MIL looks like the team to beat in the East, but if we can go into the playoffs healthy (fingers crossed!), I like our chances against anyone in the East (we'll worry about Golden State when we get there lol).

[ImShakHeIsShaq]

They started off 10-10. Since then, they are 23-9 with some quality wins over legitimate playoff teams like IND (w/Oladipo), TOR, PHI, CHA, BKN, MIA. We also lost by just 4 to the Warriors just a week ago in a game where Hayward sucked and frankly in that game, we just killed ourselves with some boneheaded play the last 50 seconds (including like 2 bad turnovers by Kyrie). But we certainly didn't get dominated by the Warriors either.

We've been inconsistent, yes, but we went 11-4 in January with that 3-game road losing streak being the lone negative of it. Hayward's looked better overall as a play-maker and he looks a lot more confident with his aggressiveness the last few games.

The biggest development to me is how Jaylen Brown has looked lately. He just looks like a different player and like the Brown who looked fantastic in the playoffs last year. If we get more of this Jaylen Brown to go along with Kyrie/Tatum/Morris and etc., we're in great shape going forward.

Also, I don't know if people noticed, but Toronto is actually looking a bit iffy themselves these days. I think we're well set to grab the 3 seed relatively soon but the 2 seed is also not out of the question. MIL looks like the team to beat in the East, but if we can go into the playoffs healthy (fingers crossed!), I like our chances against anyone in the East (we'll worry about Golden State when we get there lol).

Haven't called this a lie on THIS site yet but it is one that has been pedaled a lot. Kyrie had 4 turnovers in that game and 2 in the 4th/2nd half, as you allude to, but both came b2b BEFORE THE 5 MINUTE MARK! Not saying people are intentionally making this up but it has been said and used many times after that game. Because GSW won no one even thinks about the mistakes they made during crunch-time (only after the NBA called it out did many people care about the Curry travel).

[footey]

I think a lot will depend on how we finish next few games before all star game. Baynes out tomorrow v Thunder, which is unfortunate.

[CelticSooner]

The national narrative is always way behind the local. C’s are only behind Milwaukee in point differential. I still want to see them smoke a contender on the road but easier said than done right?

[SHAQATTACK]

We’ve seen various versions of the same theme: the Celtics are struggling, we’re a major disappointment, etc.  Today, Tim Bontemps repeated that in the latest hit piece aimed at undermining the Celts:

But while Irving said all the right things before this season began, things haven't gone according to plan during it...

Irving is undoubtedly playing the best basketball of his career -- but it hasn't translated to wins. The Celtics are, in theory, more talented than the team that reached Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals without Irving and Gordon Hayward last season. But Boston is in fourth place in the East, getting there only after Friday's win thanks in part to the Indiana Pacers plummeting after losing Victor Oladipo for the season because of a torn quad tendon.

This team was thoroughly mediocre early. A 10-10 record was extremely disappointing.  Since that time, though, we’ve gone 23-9, a .719 winning percentage. In other words, over the past 32 games, we’ve played like a 59 win team.  There’s only one team on pace for 59 wins this season: Milwaukee.  In other words, there isn’t a team in the NBA that we can’t hang with.

The same thing is shown by other metrics. We’ve got the second best point differential in the NBA, despite that slow start and despite playing the third hardest strength of schedule so far.  We’ve got a top-4 defense and a top-10 offense.  Our current starting lineup has the second best Net Rating in the NBA among lineups playing 200+ minutes.

Any way you look at it, the Celts are playing like a top tier team right now. The false narratives about a disappointing season are tired and lazy.

well done

[RodyTur10]

It is, but we still can play better than we do. And I don't think that Morris should be a starter, when we enter the playoffs.

However if I had to estimate the teams title chances, I would put the Celtics 3rd:

1. Golden State ~45%
2. Milwaukee ~15%
3. Boston ~10%
4. Denver ~10%
5. Oklahoma City ~5%
6. Houston ~5%
7. Toronto ~5%
8. San Antonio/Portland/Philadelphia/LA Lakers ~5%

[rocknrollforyoursoul]

I think what keeps giving life to the notion they aren't playing well are the letdowns against inferior teams, the total collapses in at least 1 quarter in almost every game and the inconsistency or crap games by some of our best players every game.

Personally, I'm encouraged with the improvement of Brown as the season has gone on and Hayward looks like he's starting to come around.  if we have our starters, Brown, Hayward and Baynes looking healthy and solid rolling into the playoffs, no reason to thing we can't win it all.

Pretty much all of this.

[Moranis]

Those 32 games, Boston played only 10 games with a .500 or better record though and 3 of those games were against the Nets.  In the first 20 games, Boston played 10 games against teams above .500 (so you know a much harder schedule).  Perhaps it is just a schedule thing.  I guess we will find out because 13 of the next 17 games are against teams that are .500 or better with 9 on the road including a 4 game road trip and 3 sets of back to backs (all with travel).

[Kuberski33]

Their defense has picked up and they're playing good D a lot more consistently than at any other time this season.  Offensively their ball movement is much more consistent than it has been and everyone seems to be into sharing the ball.   Also Horford, Smart and Brown have really picked up their games in recent weeks.

They need to, of course, keep it up but there have been lots of positive signs.  Now if Hayward can just raise his game a few notches.....

[PhoSita]

Yes, but those false and lazy narratives sure serve the narrative that Kyrie might want to leave Boston in the off-season which is super clickbaity!

[manl_lui]

looking at the standings this year, i think this year in general, the teams are just a lot more competitive. Record wise

East standing 1st - 5th seed are 30+ win teams, 6 - 8 are a bit over .500
West standing 1 - 7th seed are 30+ win teams, and 8th seed ( clips are 5 games over .500)

I think the Celtics are doing just fine and when the season is over, i think we should be at least top 3 seed