The "Don't Blame it on the Injuries" Mentality?

[Rondo_is_better]

I'd like to address this topic, because I've seen a lot of posts saying not to blame our woes on our injuries.

And I don't get it.

"Don't blame it on injuries, because then we're just like the Lakers".... Ok. But its a totally different situation.

The Lakers losing Bynum is comparable to the Celtics losing Ray Allen (and that's pretty generous). If the only injury our team was Ray Allen out for the playoffs, then I would agree with that mentality, but the fact is we have only 7, MAYBE 8 healthy and actually capable players (I'm looking at you, Mikki). That's a way, WAY more severe injury situation. That's like, truly ridiculous. Plus, our best player is out. A comparable injury situation for the Lakers would be taking away Take away Kobe, Ariza, Farmar, and giving them an unhealthy but playing Gasol or Odom (to compensate for Rondo's playing on one leg). Who would say that it wasn't the injuries that cost them if the Lakers had all of those players out and they lost early in the playoffs? Same thing for the Cavs. Take away Lebron, Ben Wallace, and Varejao, then Put DWest or Mo Williams on one leg. They wouldn't fare too well either.

So blame it on the injuries for the Celtics. Its warranted.

[celticinorlando]

if boston was TOTALLY healthy..things would be quite different from seeding down to play..

[Big Ticket]

I blame it on he a-a-a-a-a-alcohol.

[BigAlTheFuture]

1st place with KG healthy and a 95% chance of repeating. I'm sure.

But we can't blame it on the injuries.  

[Scalablob990]

I wouldn't put it past Powe to have a Bernard king like approach to coming back where he goes psycho in rehabbing hiumself. KG even in the beginning of the season looked like a shadow of himself slightly. I think this team stops permanently when the sand in Pierces hour glass stops...and I don't want to even know what will happen after that day.

[celticinorlando]

it is so hard to repeat....boston to me is so worn out from the long playoff run last season...defending their title...the major injuries....i just think they are tired from it all....

[QuinielaBox]

it is so hard to repeat....boston to me is so worn out from the long playoff run last season...defending their title...the major injuries....i just think they are tired from it all....

None of them played in the Olympics so I am not buying that hypothesis. Yeah losing KG is hurting us right now. Other than that, we ran into a hot club that blew up in our faces.

[ManUp]

Let me just make this as short as possible.

Excuses get you no where and  have the added affect of making you sound like a loser.

If we don't win it all, I'll do my best to avoid excuses... everyone already knows what it is, the Celtics are injured.

[BASS_THUMPER]

on paper, even with key people hurt, we still got a good team

we cant blame injuries. i think it's an excuse. we still got ray and paul who know how to win games and i see this team big time steppin up on D. and rondo boy he has turned in to a leader.

i dont see why we cant get to the eastern finals

[CoachBo]

You go to war with the people you've got, regardless of how they got there or who's missing.

There are a lot of useful faces missing on this team right now, but it's not an excuse. Players need to elevate their game, like Ray Allen, Rondo, Perkins and Davis last night. Maybe some of them need to do a little more than run up and down the floor and look confused. That means you, Ganja Foul Machine.

[twinbree]

KG's absence from the team and the slipping defense has been evident from the start and analyzed ad nauseum. I doubt most fans and the media gave Bynum much thought when the Lakers were cruising through the West. Injuries have certainly hurt the Celtics but I'm not going to be obsess about the what-ifs if KG and the other bigs had not gotten injured because they did. All the team can do now is play on and hope they escape the injury bug next season.

That being said, IMO the Lakers lost because they played with no heart and disappeared at crucial times. They lost the 1st game then proceeded to fall on the wrong side of a 20+ lead in the 2nd. Next chance to tie the series and they completely collapse and fall into a 3-1 hole. Potential clincher where you think they’d learn their lesson and with Perk out once again proceed to lose a big lead. Final chance to tie and force a game 7 they completely fold and get embarrassed on primetime. They were dominated by the mentally tougher team and if Jackson and solid vets like Kobe, Gasol and Fisher could not motivate the team when it mattered, I’m skeptical a young player could have made that meaningful contribution in a series. At best they'd have lost in 7.

[RAcker]

It's obvious that we have the most significant injuries of any contender right now.  However, we still went 18-7 without KG.  Granted, some of those wins were against horrible teams, but you'd still think we could maintain a very respectable record even without key guys in the playoffs. Right now, against a bad matchup athletically (like the Hawks last year) we are 1-1.  We might have to win two 7 games series again.  I guess we shouldn't be surprised. 

Now, if KG can't give minutes against a healthly Cleveland team in the ECF should we get there...it will be hard for me not to see that as a key to us having problems.  I promise I'll try.   

[BASS_THUMPER]

It's obvious that we have the most significant injuries of any contender right now.  However, we still went 18-7 without KG. 

ive said this before...

when kev went down last season scalabrine started and we won 9 out of 11 game..

if scal didnt get hurt when kev went down this time, 23 and 2

[cdif911]

It's obvious that we have the most significant injuries of any contender right now.  However, we still went 18-7 without KG. 

ive said this before...

when kev went down last season scalabrine started and we won 9 out of 11 game..

if scal didnt get hurt when kev went down this time, 23 and 2

I'm not gonna go back and re-evaluate, but someone made this argument a few months ago, and Scal didn't actually contribute to many of those games - yes he started, but he played sparing minutes - best case was San Antonio where I think Baby had a ridiculous game - Powe had a few as well; so yeah they did fine without KG last year in the doldrums of the regular season but it wasn't really Scal who made the impact

[davemonsterband]

The broken record cries once again, without KG this team is nothing.