Celtics News

[Donoghus]

I think the Cs wrapping up the 1 seed super early would be a bad thing. One of the things this team has demonstrated multiple times in recent years is that if they get far ahead, they let their foot off the gas. If these guys clinched really early, they'd become super relaxed and sloppy, then they'd have to "flip the switch" when game 1 of the playoffs rolls around, but by then they'd be rusty and out of rhythm and it would take several games for them to get back in a groove.

This is pure speculation.  Far from fact. 

We don't know what's going to happen. This team is constructed differently than past years.  I think the mentality is there for the most part.  This team looks hungry and feels like a title team.  My suspicion is that this team will step up when the time is ready. 

Keep winning, lockup HCA, and rest guys. 

[rocknrollforyoursoul]

I think the Cs wrapping up the 1 seed super early would be a bad thing. One of the things this team has demonstrated multiple times in recent years is that if they get far ahead, they let their foot off the gas. If these guys clinched really early, they'd become super relaxed and sloppy, then they'd have to "flip the switch" when game 1 of the playoffs rolls around, but by then they'd be rusty and out of rhythm and it would take several games for them to get back in a groove.

Just to be clear, you’d like them to lose a bunch of games in the next few weeks to make the end of the season close?  Because their lead is substantial right now.

Ha, no. I never want them to lose. I'm just saying that, should the rest of the regular season unfold in the way it seems to be heading, I think they won't be as sharp as possible to start the playoffs, because they'll have slacked off due to clinching early.

[Roy H.]

Asked about comments from “Inside the NBA’s” Charles Barkley suggesting the Celtics aren’t tough enough to win a title, Tatum answered diplomatically.

“I mean, you have to give the respect, right?” he asked rhetorically via MassLive’s Nick O’Malley. “Those are the guys that paved the way for the younger players like myself.”

Still, he pushed back gently. “You don’t always have to agree,” said Tatum. “But you have to, in a sense, respect it because of the work that they put in.”

“I understand that in the times that we’re in,” he added. “You can’t win it – nobody can win a championship until you do it.”

“So, nobody’s going to give us the credit until we actually do it, and that’s fine.”

[rocknrollforyoursoul]

I think the Cs wrapping up the 1 seed super early would be a bad thing. One of the things this team has demonstrated multiple times in recent years is that if they get far ahead, they let their foot off the gas. If these guys clinched really early, they'd become super relaxed and sloppy, then they'd have to "flip the switch" when game 1 of the playoffs rolls around, but by then they'd be rusty and out of rhythm and it would take several games for them to get back in a groove.

This is pure speculation.  Far from fact. 

We don't know what's going to happen. This team is constructed differently than past years.  I think the mentality is there for the most part.  This team looks hungry and feels like a title team.  My suspicion is that this team will step up when the time is ready. 

Keep winning, lockup HCA, and rest guys.

I never said it was fact. I said "I think...," meaning it's my opinion.

[Roy H.]

I think the Cs wrapping up the 1 seed super early would be a bad thing. One of the things this team has demonstrated multiple times in recent years is that if they get far ahead, they let their foot off the gas. If these guys clinched really early, they'd become super relaxed and sloppy, then they'd have to "flip the switch" when game 1 of the playoffs rolls around, but by then they'd be rusty and out of rhythm and it would take several games for them to get back in a groove.

Just to be clear, you’d like them to lose a bunch of games in the next few weeks to make the end of the season close?  Because their lead is substantial right now.

Ha, no. I never want them to lose. I'm just saying that, should the rest of the regular season unfold in the way it seems to be heading, I think they won't be as sharp as possible to start the playoffs, because they'll have slacked off due to clinching early.

There's always the "rust versus rest" argument, but I think the complacency issue is (hopefully) overblown.  If getting their butts kicked by a #8 seed didn't teach the team that they can't take things for granted, then nothing will.

[BitterJim]

Asked about comments from “Inside the NBA’s” Charles Barkley suggesting the Celtics aren’t tough enough to win a title, Tatum answered diplomatically.

“I mean, you have to give the respect, right?” he asked rhetorically via MassLive’s Nick O’Malley. “Those are the guys that paved the way for the younger players like myself.”

Still, he pushed back gently. “You don’t always have to agree,” said Tatum. “But you have to, in a sense, respect it because of the work that they put in.”

“I understand that in the times that we’re in,” he added. “You can’t win it – nobody can win a championship until you do it.”

“So, nobody’s going to give us the credit until we actually do it, and that’s fine.”

I'm glad JT gave a nice/diplomatic response to this, but part of me really wishes he'd have responded with something along the lines of "well Barkley is an expert of not winning championships, so you have to take what he says seriously."

[Donoghus]

This may have flew under the radar a bit but love the potshot at the Red Sox here by Celtics twitter.

https://x.com/celtics/status/1757589854160838995?s=20

[rocknrollforyoursoul]

This may have flew under the radar a bit but love the potshot at the Red Sox here by Celtics twitter.

https://x.com/celtics/status/1757589854160838995?s=20

Dang, where's the love, Cs?

Edit: To be clear, the current Sox approach is questionable, I just don't know if I've ever seen one Boston team take another shot at another, even if it's meant in jest.

[gift]

This may have flew under the radar a bit but love the potshot at the Red Sox here by Celtics twitter.

https://x.com/celtics/status/1757589854160838995?s=20

i haven't paid attention to the red sox in about a decade. can you explain what this means?

[Roy H.]

This may have flew under the radar a bit but love the potshot at the Red Sox here by Celtics twitter.

https://x.com/celtics/status/1757589854160838995?s=20

i haven't paid attention to the red sox in about a decade. can you explain what this means?

This year's version of "Fireworks" from Red Sox management, after which they proceeded to do nothing in free agency.

“We know that we have to be competitive next year,” said Werner. “So we’re going to be competitive next year. We’re going to have be full-throttle in every possible way.”

Asked specifically if the Red Sox will pursue high-end starting pitchers on the free agent market, Werner responded: “Let me just say that we don’t have any built-in restrictions.”

[Goldstar88]

Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis said it can be easy to overlook Mazzulla’s contributions because of the talented roster he inherited.

“Just seeing how people view him maybe from the outside a little bit, I think he’s a little underrated. People don’t appreciate who he is and how he coaches because he’s very young and you can always blame it on him and stuff like that.”

“It’s easy to not give him the credit because of the talent we have,” Porzingis added. “But he deserves a lot of credit. He deserves a lot of credit and the rest of the coaching staff also.”



White said he’s noticed a lot of growth from the coach over the past two seasons.

“When I first got here, obviously I was probably with Ime (Udoka) and Will (Hardy) mostly,” White said. “But, I remember them telling me if you need to know anything with the defense, Joe is your guy.”

“So, that was my first introduction to Joe,” White added. “Obviously with him being head coach, it’s been great building that relationship with him on and off the court. Great guy, great coach. I just love playing for him.

[Phantom255x]

This may have flew under the radar a bit but love the potshot at the Red Sox here by Celtics twitter.

https://x.com/celtics/status/1757589854160838995?s=20

i haven't paid attention to the red sox in about a decade. can you explain what this means?

This year's version of "Fireworks" from Red Sox management, after which they proceeded to do nothing in free agency.

“We know that we have to be competitive next year,” said Werner. “So we’re going to be competitive next year. We’re going to have be full-throttle in every possible way.”

Asked specifically if the Red Sox will pursue high-end starting pitchers on the free agent market, Werner responded: “Let me just say that we don’t have any built-in restrictions.”

Even if they've had some letdowns in recent years, I at least appreciate that the Celtics and Bruins actually try to go for it each year. The Red Sox are blatantly not even trying. Breslow in a press conference yesterday literally couldn't even answer a question on "if you think the Sox as built are a playoff team". That's a pretty [dang]ing condemnation of your team and roster.

Frankly even the Pats are falling under this umbrella too. Since Brady left, they really haven't maximized the roster and are pretty low in cash spending over the last 10 years. 2021 was an outlier with the FA spending but otherwise it's mostly been meh. Brady left in 2019 and frankly that season's roster was also mediocre. And they didn't even want to pay Brady (lol) so he left and won it all in Tampa, he wasn't "finished". The lack of spending and poor drafting caught up with them. Time for Kraft to put up or shut up with the financial resources and talent, there's no Belichick anymore to hide behind. And frankly, even with the dynasty in recent past, this team is gonna lose a lot more buzz if they don't get a QB and figure it out ASAP, another 4-13 season is not going to cut it.

[Vermont Green]

More a comment than "News" but at the All-Star break, 2/3 of the way through the regular season, and we are on pace to win 64 games and be the number 1 seed going into the playoffs.  Our point differential is +10.11 per game.  Only 10 teams in history have been better at the end of the season (in terms of point differential).

That is all really good but doesn't it feel like we could be even better?

[Roy H.]

More a comment than "News" but at the All-Star break, 2/3 of the way through the regular season, and we are on pace to win 64 games and be the number 1 seed going into the playoffs.  Our point differential is +10.11 per game.  Only 10 teams in history have been better at the end of the season (in terms of point differential).

That is all really good but doesn't it feel like we could be even better?

I was thinking of starting a thread on this.  Only three teams in Celtics history have won 64 games.  It's a very impressive feat.  The weirdly bad news:  of the five Celtics teams that have won 63+ games, only two of them won the title (1986 and 2008).

[Celtics2021]

More a comment than "News" but at the All-Star break, 2/3 of the way through the regular season, and we are on pace to win 64 games and be the number 1 seed going into the playoffs.  Our point differential is +10.11 per game.  Only 10 teams in history have been better at the end of the season (in terms of point differential).

That is all really good but doesn't it feel like we could be even better?

I was thinking of starting a thread on this.  Only three teams in Celtics history have won 64 games.  It's a very impressive feat.  The weirdly bad news:  of the five Celtics teams that have won 63+ games, only two of them won the title (1986 and 2008).

The good news in the weirdly bad news is that our two recent titles required excellence in the regular season, so perhaps life is different now than it was 50 years ago.