Was it really that painful?

[green_bballers13]

Watching the games and reading posts on this forum gave me two difference reactions. While watching, the Celtics were dominant. Destroyed everyone during the regular season, walking away with the best record by far. They went 4-1, 4-1, 4-0, and 4-1 in the playoffs. On a relative scale (compared to other champions), they faced barely any adversity this year.

When I read game threads, I experienced something else. Panic. Fear. Anxiety. Insecurity.

With less than 24 hours of perspective, was this campaign really that bad?

I enjoyed this squad, and want to see them run it back next year.

[Roy H.]

The game threads are always going to be anxiety ridden.  We could go 97-0 and there would be hand-wringing if the team fell behind in the close out game.

This season had the backdrop of last year, when we underachieved.  Until we won, that was always going to be an understandable narrative.

[Phantom255x]

Yeah it's funny, sometimes I'll be away, join a GDT without looking at the score and think we're down 20. Then I'll quickly check the score and we're actually up 15 

That's just how it is especially the playoffs. Every game feels huge. I'm sort of the same way, I am conditioned to always expect the worst and panic at first signs of trouble

[celticinorlando]

Game threads are real time looks into how folks are taking things. Good, bad, indifferent.

Overreaction is always key.

[green_bballers13]

Game threads are real time looks into how folks are taking things. Good, bad, indifferent.

Overreaction is always key.

A lot of fans called on the Celtics and Joe to do better this year. They did.

Can Celtics fans do better next year, or is this region ok being cranky and pessimistic, like we're from Philly?

The Celtics did their part. Time for us to step up next year.

[BudweiserCeltic]

Just feels that when we give up leads it's mostly been self-inflicted rather than opponents doing something that we can't handle or playing better. So yeah, it's painful to watch when it happens.

[Roy H.]

Game threads are real time looks into how folks are taking things. Good, bad, indifferent.

Overreaction is always key.

A lot of fans called on the Celtics and Joe to do better this year. They did.

Can Celtics fans do better next year, or is this region ok being cranky and pessimistic, like we're from Philly?

The Celtics did their part. Time for us to step up next year.

With fans in the Northeast there's no real separation between Boston, New York or Philly fans.  They're passionate, unrealistic and obnoxious.  I wouldn't expect much of a grace period next season.

[green_bballers13]

Game threads are real time looks into how folks are taking things. Good, bad, indifferent.

Overreaction is always key.

A lot of fans called on the Celtics and Joe to do better this year. They did.

Can Celtics fans do better next year, or is this region ok being cranky and pessimistic, like we're from Philly?

The Celtics did their part. Time for us to step up next year.

With fans in the Northeast there's no real separation between Boston, New York or Philly fans.  They're passionate, unrealistic and obnoxious.  I wouldn't expect much of a grace period next season.

Interesting take. I would have said that about Boston prior to the 01 Patriots/04 Red Sox. I thought there was something to the ?City of champions? run over the last 23 years. I thought things had gotten better since the Pats were kicked off the national telecast. Maybe not.

[angryguy77]

This team had bad habits that would cause them to lose in some heartbreaking ways. Several times we saw those warts during this run.

We all have some pstd that was being treated during this run. I think now while we'll still have some doubt in games where they let the foot of the gas, we will have these playoffs to help mitigate some of the worry.

[keevsnick]

Watching the games and reading posts on this forum gave me two difference reactions. While watching, the Celtics were dominant. Destroyed everyone during the regular season, walking away with the best record by far. They went 4-1, 4-1, 4-0, and 4-1 in the playoffs. On a relative scale (compared to other champions), they faced barely any adversity this year.

When I read game threads, I experienced something else. Panic. Fear. Anxiety. Insecurity.

With less than 24 hours of perspective, was this campaign really that bad?

I enjoyed this squad, and want to see them run it back next year.

I'm an optimistic kind of guy, I try to be positive. A lot of the "anxiety" was becasue we KNEW how good the team was. You watch them this season and they were dominant, but you also know that if they do lose it will be extra painful and the last few seasons ended in ways that were hard to watch. So there was a sense of "if they don't win this year, that might be it." And personally i really like this core, I love Tatum and Brown. Its more fun watching guys you drafted win. And if they didn't, there's a real chance they get broken up. So that was some of it.

Now no matter what happens next Brown and Tatum go down as legends.

[angryguy77]

Game threads are real time looks into how folks are taking things. Good, bad, indifferent.

Overreaction is always key.

A lot of fans called on the Celtics and Joe to do better this year. They did.

Can Celtics fans do better next year, or is this region ok being cranky and pessimistic, like we're from Philly?

The Celtics did their part. Time for us to step up next year.

With fans in the Northeast there's no real separation between Boston, New York or Philly fans.  They're passionate, unrealistic and obnoxious.  I wouldn't expect much of a grace period next season.

Interesting take. I would have said that about Boston prior to the 01 Patriots/04 Red Sox. I thought there was something to the ?City of champions? run over the last 23 years. I thought things had gotten better since the Pats were kicked off the national telecast. Maybe not.

You have to factor in the enormous success and falling short this core has had over the last few years. Combine that with the perception of the team's top 2 guys, it's going to be a recipe for pessimism.

[Moranis]

I mostly ignore those threads. Far too much in the moment commentary.

[jpotter33]

Yeah, you have to realize what the threads are - an avenue to experience the highs and lows of a game, which in a game of runs that is basketball leads to these kinds of reactions.

Outside of a vocal few pessimists on here, I think on the whole the majority of us recognized the team?s greatness and appreciated it. Don?t think you can look at the game threads to really assess the feelings of the fans on this forum.

[tonydelk]

Watching the games and reading posts on this forum gave me two difference reactions. While watching, the Celtics were dominant. Destroyed everyone during the regular season, walking away with the best record by far. They went 4-1, 4-1, 4-0, and 4-1 in the playoffs. On a relative scale (compared to other champions), they faced barely any adversity this year.

When I read game threads, I experienced something else. Panic. Fear. Anxiety. Insecurity.

With less than 24 hours of perspective, was this campaign really that bad?

I enjoyed this squad, and want to see them run it back next year.

I think the past 4 years of letdowns leads to the Panic, Fear, Insecurity.  It's human nature to try to prepare yourself for the worst to happen and be happy when the best happens.  It's the hope that kills you.

It's also why I post before the game and at the end because while I'm watching it the highs are really high and the lows are really low.  If you post emotionally it's easy to vent and say something idiotic in the moment. LOL. 

[rocknrollforyoursoul]

Watching the games and reading posts on this forum gave me two difference reactions. While watching, the Celtics were dominant. Destroyed everyone during the regular season, walking away with the best record by far. They went 4-1, 4-1, 4-0, and 4-1 in the playoffs. On a relative scale (compared to other champions), they faced barely any adversity this year.

When I read game threads, I experienced something else. Panic. Fear. Anxiety. Insecurity.

With less than 24 hours of perspective, was this campaign really that bad?

I enjoyed this squad, and want to see them run it back next year.

I'm an optimistic kind of guy, I try to be positive. A lot of the "anxiety" was becasue we KNEW how good the team was. You watch them this season and they were dominant, but you also know that if they do lose it will be extra painful and the last few seasons ended in ways that were hard to watch. So there was a sense of "if they don't win this year, that might be it." And personally i really like this core, I love Tatum and Brown. Its more fun watching guys you drafted win. And if they didn't, there's a real chance they get broken up. So that was some of it.

Now no matter what happens next Brown and Tatum go down as legends.

EXACTLY. I don't get worked up at all about the Red Sox these days, despite them being basically a .500 team. Why not? Because I know that they don't really have the capability of being better than that. But with the Celtics of recent years, I knew that they had a great level of talent, great potential, capable of winning titles. They were "on the verge" for the last several years but couldn't break through?and the thing is, there's never any guarantee that a team of great potential WILL break through. Consider the Durant/Westbrook/Harden Thunder. Tons of talent, only one Finals appearance?and no title?before it all fell apart. When I saw the Celtics repeatedly fall short despite having the talent and potential for greatness, especially in the '22 and '23 postseasons, and saw them repeatedly make the same mistakes, I wasn't going to "get over" the PTSD of those things until they finally broke through, which they just did. So going forward, I have to give this group the benefit of the doubt. But they had to earn that.