You know what is awesome?

[ma11l]

Don't forget that Ray Allen is back to himself after being a shell of himself during much of last year.  He is healthier and used to the system and his role in it.


It is awesome that we get to watch the best shooter in the game night in and night out.

[Redz]

I don't find it demeaning or irrational to be critical, regardless of record.  Yes, it is awesome that we are the defending champs and have a great record - but we could and should be playing better, dearth of bench talent and all.

I agree with that. No one on here thinks we are the Wizards or Clips. We just realize that there is a very short window that we are going to have Championship talent and want to see us not give away this chance. Our starting 5 is better collectively than anyone in the league. No questions asked. Our bench has a bunch of inconsistent specialists that are dramatically undersized. Think about this. We have a listed 6'1" PG (that is really a 2 guard) in House, 6'4" SG in TA(who can't shoot), No true SF which is why PP or Ray has to be always out there, a 6'8" PF in Powe, and a 6'9" Center in BBD (who can't jump or finish in the low post). Considering that House, BBD and Powe are at best a stretch to be that tall (more likely 1-2" shorter in barefeet), and we don't have a true PG,  is it any wonder that we struggle when the bench comes in?!

No one on here wants them to fail. No one on here thinks that this bench is going to get us through the playoffs though. If we don't upgrade the PG position which Gabe is obviously not trusted to do, and we don't upgrade at either the PF or the C spot, we aren't going to repeat. We ALL want #18. Just because we refuse to rest on our laurels and the 42 wins doesn't mean that we are just being negative. Anything less than #18 this year is a complete utter waste and a failure.

And that's the point where I disagree.  I'd find it impossible to actually enjoy the games with that much at stake.  I'll be really disappointed if/when the Celtics are eliminated from the playoffs and fail to repeat.  But will I consider it a "complete and utter failure"?  Hell no.  (maybe if they get swept in the first round by the Nets or something)

[EJPLAYA]

I don't find it demeaning or irrational to be critical, regardless of record.  Yes, it is awesome that we are the defending champs and have a great record - but we could and should be playing better, dearth of bench talent and all.

I agree with that. No one on here thinks we are the Wizards or Clips. We just realize that there is a very short window that we are going to have Championship talent and want to see us not give away this chance. Our starting 5 is better collectively than anyone in the league. No questions asked. Our bench has a bunch of inconsistent specialists that are dramatically undersized. Think about this. We have a listed 6'1" PG (that is really a 2 guard) in House, 6'4" SG in TA(who can't shoot), No true SF which is why PP or Ray has to be always out there, a 6'8" PF in Powe, and a 6'9" Center in BBD (who can't jump or finish in the low post). Considering that House, BBD and Powe are at best a stretch to be that tall (more likely 1-2" shorter in barefeet), and we don't have a true PG,  is it any wonder that we struggle when the bench comes in?!

No one on here wants them to fail. No one on here thinks that this bench is going to get us through the playoffs though. If we don't upgrade the PG position which Gabe is obviously not trusted to do, and we don't upgrade at either the PF or the C spot, we aren't going to repeat. We ALL want #18. Just because we refuse to rest on our laurels and the 42 wins doesn't mean that we are just being negative. Anything less than #18 this year is a complete utter waste and a failure.

And that's the point where I disagree.  I'd find it impossible to actually enjoy the games with that much at stake.  I'll be really disappointed if/when the Celtics are eliminated from the playoffs and fail to repeat.  But will I consider it a "complete and utter failure"?  Hell no.  (maybe if they get swept in the first round by the Nets or something)

And maybe that is why being a Celtic fan for about 30 years now has been a very tough ride! Even in the heyday of the 80's it was Champs, not the Champs, Champs, not the Champs...

Even the winning streaks this year haven't been all that fun as we haven't been beating very many Elite teams. If we don't blow the bad teams out it is frustrating. If we don't beat the good teams by 10-15 points it is frustrating. If we don't win against the Elite teams... It is very tough to get any enjoyment out of that, you are right. I guess I need to refocus the reason I am watching in order to gain some type of joy out of it! Especially since my second boy who is 10 sits there with me and is starting to live or die by their winning and losing like I used to... Maybe I can save him before it is too late!

[Mr October]

The Celtics are 42 and 11. That's 42 wins mind you. 42 and 11. Rajon Rondo has blossomed into a legitimate triple double threat while playing along side three Hall of Famers. Big Baby has proven to be the epitome of hustle. Leon is back. Eddie is on a tear.

Oh yeah, and this team is the defending world champions.

That is awesome.

Yup. That is awesome. And considering how bad the bench is this year, the Celtics have about 3-4 more wins then i thought they would.

But, we're feeling the downward slide of the team right now. Our main rivals improved and surpassed the Celtics. And our team got a little worse. For a contender, the bench is really bad. That is not awesome.

[BballTim]

The Celtics are 42 and 11. That's 42 wins mind you. 42 and 11. Rajon Rondo has blossomed into a legitimate triple double threat while playing along side three Hall of Famers. Big Baby has proven to be the epitome of hustle. Leon is back. Eddie is on a tear.

Oh yeah, and this team is the defending world champions.

That is awesome.

Yup. That is awesome. And considering how bad the bench is this year, the Celtics have about 3-4 more wins then i thought they would.

But, we're feeling the downward slide of the team right now. Our main rivals improved and surpassed the Celtics. And our team got a little worse. For a contender, the bench is really bad. That is not awesome.

  Nobody's really surpassed us. All of the top 4-5 teams (including us) have gone through stretches where they were playing better than the other contenders.

[Mr October]

Actually here is a positive spin to add... The Celtics are very evenly matched with CLE, LAL, SAN, ORL... and a couple of these games easily could have gone the other way.

When predicting a winner, a person could say it is a 50-50 prospect, a coin flip.

Now if the coin flips against you 3 times in a row, do you then assume that your odds are dropping below the 50-50 split? No.

When the C's meet any of the other contenders in the finals, the coin tossing starts over. Anyone can walk away with 4 wins out of 7.

(of course if the C's have to win that toss on the road, it couldn't hurt to boost our chances with a little help for our bench).

[Redz]

I don't find it demeaning or irrational to be critical, regardless of record.  Yes, it is awesome that we are the defending champs and have a great record - but we could and should be playing better, dearth of bench talent and all.

I agree with that. No one on here thinks we are the Wizards or Clips. We just realize that there is a very short window that we are going to have Championship talent and want to see us not give away this chance. Our starting 5 is better collectively than anyone in the league. No questions asked. Our bench has a bunch of inconsistent specialists that are dramatically undersized. Think about this. We have a listed 6'1" PG (that is really a 2 guard) in House, 6'4" SG in TA(who can't shoot), No true SF which is why PP or Ray has to be always out there, a 6'8" PF in Powe, and a 6'9" Center in BBD (who can't jump or finish in the low post). Considering that House, BBD and Powe are at best a stretch to be that tall (more likely 1-2" shorter in barefeet), and we don't have a true PG,  is it any wonder that we struggle when the bench comes in?!

No one on here wants them to fail. No one on here thinks that this bench is going to get us through the playoffs though. If we don't upgrade the PG position which Gabe is obviously not trusted to do, and we don't upgrade at either the PF or the C spot, we aren't going to repeat. We ALL want #18. Just because we refuse to rest on our laurels and the 42 wins doesn't mean that we are just being negative. Anything less than #18 this year is a complete utter waste and a failure.

And that's the point where I disagree.  I'd find it impossible to actually enjoy the games with that much at stake.  I'll be really disappointed if/when the Celtics are eliminated from the playoffs and fail to repeat.  But will I consider it a "complete and utter failure"?  Hell no.  (maybe if they get swept in the first round by the Nets or something)

And maybe that is why being a Celtic fan for about 30 years now has been a very tough ride! Even in the heyday of the 80's it was Champs, not the Champs, Champs, not the Champs...

Even the winning streaks this year haven't been all that fun as we haven't been beating very many Elite teams. If we don't blow the bad teams out it is frustrating. If we don't beat the good teams by 10-15 points it is frustrating. If we don't win against the Elite teams... It is very tough to get any enjoyment out of that, you are right. I guess I need to refocus the reason I am watching in order to gain some type of joy out of it! Especially since my second boy who is 10 sits there with me and is starting to live or die by their winning and losing like I used to... Maybe I can save him before it is too late!

EJ, Believe me I felt like puking when the Celts lost to the Lakers in 85 & 87, and though I'm probably not as completely fervent a fan at this point in my life (just because I have a lot more going on), I still don't think I'd feel much less like that if they fail to win it all this year. That said, I take a lot of joy in the positives and try not to dwell on the negatives.  Even in the deep lottery years I found a lot to love about the Celtics - hustle, effort, hoping for development of youngsters etc...That's what kept me a fan of the Celtics through the down years.  Now there's legitimately a lot to be excited about.  No, the guys the C's were beating up on during the 12 game win streak weren't likely champion contenders, but there was an awful lot of high level basketball being played by the team I root for.  I find that to be hugely entertaining and I see that as a positive.  Even if they fail to win it all, those positives don't disappear for me. 

This isn't to say I don't swear at the TV, or feel let down when we lose home games to LA & SA...etc...
I guess I've softened. I choose to enjoy the what can I can out of the ride.  There just happens to be a lot more to enjoy these days.

[BballTim]

Actually here is a positive spin to add... The Celtics are very evenly matched with CLE, LAL, SAN, ORL... and a couple of these games easily could have gone the other way.

When predicting a winner, a person could say it is a 50-50 prospect, a coin flip.

Now if the coin flips against you 3 times in a row, do you then assume that your odds are dropping below the 50-50 split? No.

When the C's meet any of the other contenders in the finals, the coin tossing starts over. Anyone can walk away with 4 wins out of 7.

(of course if the C's have to win that toss on the road, it couldn't hurt to boost our chances with a little help for our bench).

  Cleveland swept the Spurs in the regular season 2 years ago.

[EJPLAYA]

I don't find it demeaning or irrational to be critical, regardless of record.  Yes, it is awesome that we are the defending champs and have a great record - but we could and should be playing better, dearth of bench talent and all.

I agree with that. No one on here thinks we are the Wizards or Clips. We just realize that there is a very short window that we are going to have Championship talent and want to see us not give away this chance. Our starting 5 is better collectively than anyone in the league. No questions asked. Our bench has a bunch of inconsistent specialists that are dramatically undersized. Think about this. We have a listed 6'1" PG (that is really a 2 guard) in House, 6'4" SG in TA(who can't shoot), No true SF which is why PP or Ray has to be always out there, a 6'8" PF in Powe, and a 6'9" Center in BBD (who can't jump or finish in the low post). Considering that House, BBD and Powe are at best a stretch to be that tall (more likely 1-2" shorter in barefeet), and we don't have a true PG,  is it any wonder that we struggle when the bench comes in?!

No one on here wants them to fail. No one on here thinks that this bench is going to get us through the playoffs though. If we don't upgrade the PG position which Gabe is obviously not trusted to do, and we don't upgrade at either the PF or the C spot, we aren't going to repeat. We ALL want #18. Just because we refuse to rest on our laurels and the 42 wins doesn't mean that we are just being negative. Anything less than #18 this year is a complete utter waste and a failure.

And that's the point where I disagree.  I'd find it impossible to actually enjoy the games with that much at stake.  I'll be really disappointed if/when the Celtics are eliminated from the playoffs and fail to repeat.  But will I consider it a "complete and utter failure"?  Hell no.  (maybe if they get swept in the first round by the Nets or something)

And maybe that is why being a Celtic fan for about 30 years now has been a very tough ride! Even in the heyday of the 80's it was Champs, not the Champs, Champs, not the Champs...

Even the winning streaks this year haven't been all that fun as we haven't been beating very many Elite teams. If we don't blow the bad teams out it is frustrating. If we don't beat the good teams by 10-15 points it is frustrating. If we don't win against the Elite teams... It is very tough to get any enjoyment out of that, you are right. I guess I need to refocus the reason I am watching in order to gain some type of joy out of it! Especially since my second boy who is 10 sits there with me and is starting to live or die by their winning and losing like I used to... Maybe I can save him before it is too late!

EJ, Believe me I felt like puking when the Celts lost to the Lakers in 85 & 87, and though I'm probably not as completely fervent a fan at this point in my life (just because I have a lot more going on), I still don't think I'd feel much less like that if they fail to win it all this year. That said, I take a lot of joy in the positives and try not to dwell on the negatives.  Even in the deep lottery years I found a lot to love about the Celtics - hustle, effort, hoping for development of youngsters etc...That's what kept me a fan of the Celtics through the down years.  Now there's legitimately a lot to be excited about.  No, the guys the C's were beating up on during the 12 game win streak weren't likely champion contenders, but there was an awful lot of high level basketball being played by the team I root for.  I find that to be hugely entertaining and I see that as a positive.  Even if they fail to win it all, those positives don't disappear for me. 

This isn't to say I don't swear at the TV, or feel let down when we lose home games to LA & SA...etc...
I guess I've softened. I choose to enjoy the what can I can out of the ride.  There just happens to be a lot more to enjoy these days.

All good points! You know as crazy as it sounds, I think I actually enjoyed watching the team more prior to getting KG and Ray in there because my expectations were lower. When we got a win it was all that sweeter. Now we sit here as a group and rip them to shreds when they are 42-11... That really shouldn't be the case.

[KungPoweChicken]

There is nothing fun about applauding your team to the point of flattery. Big Baby is now the epitome of hustle? Let's keep the hyperbole to a minimum.

[KCattheStripe]

There is nothing fun about applauding your team to the point of flattery. Big Baby is now the epitome of hustle? Let's keep the hyperbole to a minimum.

\
Di you watch yesterdays game when he dove to the floor to keep Mason from getting the ball at the end of the 3rd or when he ran left to right under the basket to pick up an offensive rebound. It's not hyperbole, the man flat hustles.

[EJPLAYA]

There is nothing fun about applauding your team to the point of flattery. Big Baby is now the epitome of hustle? Let's keep the hyperbole to a minimum.

\
Di you watch yesterdays game when he dove to the floor to keep Mason from getting the ball at the end of the 3rd or when he ran left to right under the basket to pick up an offensive rebound. It's not hyperbole, the man flat hustles.

Maybe he ought to try hustling away from the plate of chicken wings so he would actually become a better player for the team and his hustle would actually result in something tangible. No one says he doesn't hustle at times. It just isn't as effective as it should be if he'd put that same determination into his physical fitness as he does often times on the floor. Naming him the "epitome" of hustle is a very big stretch though. If you have to exaggerate to make your point it probably isn't as accurate as you think it is... See, even I did it insinuating that it NEVER results in anything tangible...

[celticinorlando]

gotta a feeling this team has another gear nobody has seen and that will kick in during the playoffs...honestly the lakers are playing as good as they can...i don't think boston has yet

[Edgar]

You know what is awesome?








mm.. and one for Dark lord...

[Redz]

gotta a feeling this team has another gear nobody has seen and that will kick in during the playoffs...honestly the lakers are playing as good as they can...i don't think boston has yet