Do you enjoy posting in the Game Threads anymore?

[the_Bird]

I think the game threads are largely a reflection of the site itself.  There's a lot of negativity here.  It's frustrating, but I'm not sure if it's any different than going to a Celtics game when the team is playing poorly.  

I think the toughest part is that negativity is growing and is probably going to be the trend on this board for a while to come. IMO, celticslbog has been mostly positive since the sites inception back in...I can't even remember now.

There's good reason for this; back when it started the team was building young assets that either we all had hope were going to become great players or great trade assets.   The trade happened and they became contenders, and then champions.

For the life of this blog, the team has mostly been on the up and up.  Right now, we are starting to see it on the decline.  Most of its assets are in deterioration, and years of poor draft placement are proving to have little hope for the future.

If Danny doesn't pull off the very lofty goal of signing an absolute superstar this summer, this board could get ugly fast.

There was PLENTY of negativity back in the pre-KG era.

There was also an overabundance of horribly naive optimism regarding some players (G. Green being the most obvious example) that was really just as annoying.  It's one thing to cheer for your guys, it's another to be completely blinded to a player's (or a team's) faults.

[Marcus13]

Yes.  I guess it really pains you optimists to be around realists, doesn't it?

[kgiessler]

I think the game threads are largely a reflection of the site itself.  There's a lot of negativity here.  It's frustrating, but I'm not sure if it's any different than going to a Celtics game when the team is playing poorly.  

I think the toughest part is that negativity is growing and is probably going to be the trend on this board for a while to come. IMO, celticslbog has been mostly positive since the sites inception back in...I can't even remember now.

There's good reason for this; back when it started the team was building young assets that either we all had hope were going to become great players or great trade assets.   The trade happened and they became contenders, and then champions.

For the life of this blog, the team has mostly been on the up and up.  Right now, we are starting to see it on the decline.  Most of its assets are in deterioration, and years of poor draft placement are proving to have little hope for the future.

If Danny doesn't pull off the very lofty goal of signing an absolute superstar this summer, this board could get ugly fast.

There was PLENTY of negativity back in the pre-KG era.

There was also an overabundance of horribly naive optimism regarding some players (G. Green being the most obvious example) that was really just as annoying.  It's one thing to cheer for your guys, it's another to be completely blinded to a player's (or a team's) faults.

Ok, well, I still feel it was mostly positive.

In either case, we all know that the team was progressing over the past few years and now it is regressing.  Negativity will increase because it is now more realistic.  The board has the possibility of becoming a place where many people use it solely for airing grievances/gripes.  

[contramundum]

I just wanted to chime in and express how I use the game threads.  I don't post but I read the threads as they are posted to get an idea how the C's are doing in the game in case I can't watch (usually when I'm at my second job).  I could follow the game in other ways, but the game threads give it a personal touch, kind of like watching the game with my friends.  The people posting had a certain degree of credibility over the bland play by play and stats you might find else where.  However, right around the middle of last season, as we entered a decline, or maybe after Perk got traded the game threads became much more polarizing.  I would be reading a thread and it would sound so negative, almost like the C's were garbage and they were getting blown out... I'd check the score out of curiosity and we would be winning by 10 points!  

In short, I followed the game thread last night on my phone as I actually watched the game and I realized something.  I have a lot of the same negative feelings when I watch this team as some of the negative posters here.  I have those feelings  for a few minutes until that same player who turned it over, makes a 3.  I remember thinking DONT LET RAY HANDLE THE BALL - ARRRRGGGHHH TURNOVER and then minutes later: RAYYYYYY FOR THREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The game threads are Bi-Polar.  I'm Bi-Polar watching my favorite team too.  I don't necessarily think the game threads need moderation as I think that those who post there should moderate there own emotions.  When Ray throws it away, just wait a bit instead of posting "RAY IS SO OLD OMG".  He might do something that gives you hope or helps you to appreciate this team as it is constituted.  

TLDR version:

Think before you post.  You might be overreacting.

[quidinqui33]

This is a very interesting thread.

I've noticed the same rash of negativity increase on Celtic's blog ever since we got the Big 3.  Once people's expectations are championship, they can't let go of that lofty goal which only one team can get every year, and anything short of that is blow the team up time.  You want your players to think championship or nothing, but as fans, we need to think differently. Realistically, with any contender (which we are), a fan's goal should be to root for your team to make the playoffs and then hope things shake out.  Look at the Mavs last year, the Piston in the early 90s, or even us in 2010 when we went to game 7 against the lakers.  The "best" team on paper does not always win the championship and I think sports fans need to remember that.  All you want is a shot, and making the playoffs give you that shot.  If you are rooting for a shot at winning, rather than all or nothing, as a fan, the game is just much more enjoyable to watch.

This team we have this year is still primed to make the playoffs, and can still have a chance at going the distance.  Are the odds stacked against us, yes, but they are stacked against every team.  

Unfortunately, negative fans are a product of a successful team, which is counter intuitive.  I've seen it with my Texas Longhorns as well.  Back in the day, the fans were excited to beat ranked teams and win a bowl game.  Ever since we won the championship if we don't win 10 games every year and play in the national championship game, everyone is completely upset and does ruin the experience even when watching the games in person.

Seeing the same trend with the Celts fans now.  If we are down by 10, it's time to trade our core and start over rather than get behind these guys and lead them back with our support.  Danny already has a plan in place to replace our core at the end of this year, so fans really should enjoy this last season with this team.

One things I can say about celticsblog threads though is that the Mods do a great job at keeping them clean and keeping the racist factor out of the threads which seem to run rampant on some of the sites of my other favorite teams.  Unfortunately, there is probably not much you can do on a game thread to stop negativity.  Even if you had two threads, it would still happen.  Some people are just happier being sad and misery loves company.

[Neurotic Guy]

I admit I am finding the game threads harder to stay with as the C's struggle to sustain credibility as a contender.

Negativity is fine as people reflect upon bad plays, or tough calls, or questionable moves by the coach.  What drives me away from the thread is a few posters who are quieter when the C's are doing well, but who seem to thrive on making 'bold' predictions of doom and gloom as soon as the C's look vulnerable. 

'The season is over' comments are frustrating to read (especially so early in the season), but I can deal with hearing them once.  It is the repetition that frustrates me.   

I feel that there are a few very astute posters here, highly knowledgeable observers of the game -- the rest of us (including me) are regular fans.  The 'season's over' crowd don't seem to know anything more about basketball than anyone else -- they are taking what we all see (yes, all of us know that KG is looking slow, and that we have older guys who are injury prone, and that we don't have enough size/defense in the middle...) and drawing extreme conclusions.  They may be (probably are) correct, but I don't need to hear it after every bad play and it did lead me to close the CBlog tab after the 3rd quarter yesterday.

[Green Hell]

Some people actually come here for open discussion. If people want to be negative, let them be negative. I don't understand how this has any effect on you? In what way does negativity personally harm you or the team to the point where we need to be talking about segregating a section of the community or even restricting their ability to contribute.

I really don't get it hopeless optimist in general. At least pessimist, for the most part, are willing to entertain an optimist's point of view but optimist seem to only want to be around other optimist. What kind of a deepened sense of understanding can that lead to?

[Kane3387]

No the negativity is awful. We as a fan base have become spoiled to the extent that we don't even value what we presently have. 90% of the other NBA fan bases out there would love to have the present team we have. They would love to have the odds at winning it all like we have this year. They would love to get to watch 4 all stars on their team like we get to this year.

The negativity is weak man. It's weak and pathetic. I mean get real. We just played the Knicks and Heat on the road without our best player and potentially our best reserve. Some crappy calls and a few missed shots turned potential Ws into Ls for us. Yet again we didn't have our best guy against two teams that might have very well been at full strength. (Baron Davis might not be the same after this back injury.)

IF and a big if based on recent history we are healthy then we can beat anyone in a 7 game series. NY has no Defense and crappy guard play. Rondo destroys them consistently. They aren't scary. Miami? Keep the turnovers down and play a halfcourt game and you can beat them. In other words if Rondo controls the pace of the game they aren't that scary. Chicago? Force the other players besides D rose to beat you.

No one in the East is head and shoulders better then Boston. It's up for grabs. If we are healthy we can easily be in the finals. None of those teams are scary. As always the only thing that can really beat us is the injury bug. Let's wait until April and see how our health is before we give up.

[Rondo2287]

Also I do think that this happens all over, not just on CB.  Personally I tend to avoid sports radio after the patriots lose a game.  

If the patriots win 30-27 its a great day, but if the lose 27-30 its because the defense is terrible and we are wasting bradys best years and belichick sucks and yada yada yada.

I think people just need to breethe and realize you are never as good as your last win and never as bad as your last loss

[PosImpos]

not to mention, it stinks trying to post something, only to try and re-send it three more times because other people posted.

This problem, at least, is correctable.

1.  Go to your Profile, under the menu in the upper right corner (where it says "Welcome dark_lord")

2.  Navigate to the green box that says "Modify Profile"

3.  Scroll down to "Look and Layout Preferences"

4.  Check the box that says "Don't warn on new replies made while posting"

5. Click the button that says "Change Profile", and enter your password if prompted.

yup.  this used to drive me up the wall in game threads.  thankfully i figured out how to turn the option off.


as for multiple game threads, i don't see the point.  to me doing that would just highlight the division in the community and invite trolling / antagonism.  you encourage people to declare their membership in one group or another.

things are divisive enough when the team is struggling or dealing with bad luck from injuries etc without taking affirmative steps to break up the community here.

i'm of the opinion that this sort of thing is just the inevitable yet nonetheless unfortunate result of a top team gradually declining into an average team again.  the higher you go when things are good, the rougher it is coming down, and this team went as high as it could go a few years ago, and almost as high a year and a half ago, and brought all of us with it.  now the community is coming down with them. 

in other words, i don't think it's that the community has changed for the worse, i just think it's the circumstances.  not much you can do about that.

[slamtheking]

Not to lump people together but it does seem that the most negative of the posters lately are the newcomers.  I'm not saying all the newcomers are negative, just that the I don't see the long-time posters as demonstrating the hardcore negativity that's been popping up here more and more.

There are 2-3  posters who are most vocal and most negative in every game thread...they are old timers...not new members. You can check every game thread in the archives and you'll understand.

I've been coming here since the site was version 1.0 (at least that's what I call it -- back when I had the name Slam before someone else swiped it on the upgrade to version 2.0) -- 2-3 years before the big trades.    My version of old timers are those that I remember from pre-KG days. 
The most vocal and negative of the posters I see are fairly recent (to me) on the site.  that could be people that have joined within the past few years.  it depends on your frame of reference who's an 'old-timer' I guess.

[nickagneta]

Yes.  I guess it really pains you optimists to be around realists, doesn't it?

One, I don't mind being called an optimist or positive. I take that as a compliment.

Two, it does not pain me to be around people who look at things in a realistic way.

Three, there are many posters that over the last season and a half who are labeling themselves as realists and are doing nothing more than spouting doom and gloom prophecies, telling everyone in the thread that the Celtics will lose by 30, that Doc is clueless, that the team will be lucky to ever win a game, blah, blah, blah.

There's a huge difference between a realistic outlook on life and a negative one and the large amount of people, including moderators, that have seen what I am talking about agree it is just negativity, not realism.

Want realism, here is what I said about the Celtics and their defense early on, and I am an "optimist":

C's shooting 47% from field, 60% from 3, 79% from the line yet are losing by 15 and are on pace to give up 70 points this half.

The Celtics defense on the wing and Rondo's defense on his man on the perimeter are just awful right now.

http://forums.celticsblog.com/index.php?action=profile;u=2596;sa=showPosts;start=15

I said their defense was awful. That's realistic. It was.

But realistically the game wasn't even half over. It wasn't time to declare a 30 point loss, that we were a bad team, that we would be lucky to get a 7 seed, that we sucked so bad it was time to sit every starter for the rest of the game because there was zero chance of a comeback or some of the other stuff that went on such as insulting our own players and calling for the team to be dismantled.

That's negativity for the sake of being negative and it was rampant last night.

[jgod213]

Also I do think that this happens all over, not just on CB.  Personally I tend to avoid sports radio after the patriots lose a game.  

If the patriots win 30-27 its a great day, but if the lose 27-30 its because the defense is terrible and we are wasting bradys best years and belichick sucks and yada yada yada.

I think people just need to breethe and realize you are never as good as your last win and never as bad as your last loss

Thanks, Rondo.  I mean this is exactly what it is.

I really don't think many people on either side can be called a realist on this site.  Most of us are homers and bleed green, i honestly don't know why else you would be on here.

Still, I'm not in favor of making 2 threads for the "doom/gloom folks," because there's no need to create a rift like that.  

I do think there are parallels between this atmosphere and the "fantasy sports" era we're in.  In a fantasy football work league that i'm in, one of the kids (who just so happened to make the championship game) i relate to many posters on this site.  Every bounce or play that goes his way (his teams/players) is what was SUPPOSED to happen, but when someone on his team gets hurt or underproduces it's always something like "this schmuck cost me the game..."

You can call it realism, and i guess in a sense it is, but it gets so old to listen to the complaining.  Not every bounce is going to fall your way.  If you must be negative, do it in a witty or sarcastic way, that way it's at least tolerable to the people who have to listen to it.

[PosImpos]

I don't necessarily think the game threads need moderation as I think that those who post there should moderate there own emotions. 

you really nailed it, man.

[GreenFaith1819]

No.

To be honest, I'm actually wary of doing it now.