I have one question for those who doubt the 20009-2010 Celtics

[ScoobyDoo]

Would the addition of a helathy Kevin Garnett, Rasheed Wallace, Shelden Williams and Mauquis Daniels have impacted the Chicago series or the Orlando series, at all?

My point has been made.

If we had these four guys it would have gone 4-0, 4-1 at worst. Chicago simply ran us into the ground, a good strategy. Which made us sort of like a punching bag for Orlando...and they still, just barely beat us.

Oralndo beats Cleveland, if the ball bounced a few different ways ( see Courtney Lee's missed layup ), they may have had enough confidence to have given the Lakers all they wanted.

Trust me when I tell you that staring down a bunch of Chihuahas like Orlando is a completely different experience than staring down Garnett, Perkins, Rasheed, Baby, Shelden and Pierce. I'm not even going to get into our backcourt with Ray, Quisy and Rondo....

We stay healthy this year, which we should at least if you project the odds of staying healthy largely on keeping guys minutes down, we should absolutely crush people, including the Lakers and Cavs.

Don't think the expereince gained by Rondo, Perkins and Baby ( having to carry the load ) isn't going to make those three that much better either.

This team, if healthy, is one of the deepest and scariest teams in some time.

I'm not sure if I've ever seen this many physically and metnally tough guys on one team in a long, long time (Perkins, KG, Sheed, Baby, Pierce, Ray, Rondo ) This is a tough, tough team.         

[guava_wrench]

And if Bynum was healthy in 2008, would we have won?

Ifs are pretty pointless. We don't know if we will ever play a playoff series with KG, Ray, PP, and Sheed healthy. Why should people expect them all to be healthy when we were gimpy last year?

[star18]

Unless Bynum goes for 40 in Game 6, yes we would have won.

We don't even have to stay completely healthy to win the title this year.  All we have to do is stay AS healthy as the other top teams in the league.  Last year we got the worst luck in injuries.  If we trade even as far as injuries go with the other top teams in the league, we will have the advantage.   

[tenor1]

It's funny but I kinda feel that we're on our way to another championship

[ScoobyDoo]

Bynum? That's a joke right? Bynum...KG...Bynum...KG...somehow I miss the connection.

You take Kobe or LeBron off the Lakers or Cavs, or heck, take Mo Williams or Pau Gasol of the lakers for that matter, or Howard or Turkoglu off the Magic for the alst third of the season, they probably sqeak into the playoffs.  

I guess I didn't see us as gimpy last year. KG and Powe got hurt and we got worn down at the end. Ray, Paul, Rondo and Perk were all fairly healthy by NBA standards.

Provided KG comes back at full strength, I expect the starters to be getting alot of rest this year and for us to be relatively healthy. These guys aren't dinasaurs and they've all taken very good care of themselves.  

[ScoobyDoo]

We are.

[jackson_34]

I very much doubt the 20009 Celtics, who knows if we even have a team then?!

[moiso]

Would the addition of a helathy Kevin Garnett, Rasheed Wallace, Shelden Williams and Mauquis Daniels have impacted the Chicago series or the Orlando series, at all?

My point has been made.

If we had these four guys it would have gone 4-0, 4-1 at worst. Chicago simply ran us into the ground, a good strategy. Which made us sort of like a punching bag for Orlando...and they still, just barely beat us.

Oralndo beats Cleveland, if the ball bounced a few different ways ( see Courtney Lee's missed layup ), they may have had enough confidence to have given the Lakers all they wanted.

Trust me when I tell you that staring down a bunch of Chihuahas like Orlando is a completely different experience than staring down Garnett, Perkins, Rasheed, Baby, Shelden and Pierce. I'm not even going to get into our backcourt with Ray, Quisy and Rondo....

We stay healthy this year, which we should at least if you project the odds of staying healthy largely on keeping guys minutes down, we should absolutely crush people, including the Lakers and Cavs.

Don't think the expereince gained by Rondo, Perkins and Baby ( having to carry the load ) isn't going to make those three that much better either.

This team, if healthy, is one of the deepest and scariest teams in some time.

I'm not sure if I've ever seen this many physically and metnally tough guys on one team in a long, long time (Perkins, KG, Sheed, Baby, Pierce, Ray, Rondo ) This is a tough, tough team.         

Good list of mentally/physically tough guys except I totally disagree with having Sheed on the list.  If anything he belongs on the  wimpy guy list.  He doesn't like to bang and he is one of the more mentally fragile guys in the league.  He has played hard only sporatically and is prone to getting ejected at important moments.  Yelling at refs doesn't make him a tough guy.

[lon3lytoaster]

I think we easily beat the Magic if he just had Rasheed last year. Six games at most, even without KG. Then if we lost to the Cavs in the ECF, I still think they beat LA and Kobe goes home crying without a ring again. Kobe's tears are delicious 

[ScoobyDoo]

Yes, that's right. Good call on Rasheed, he probably shouldn't be on that list. But it is interesting, usually a team has maybe one mentally and physically "tough guy", maybe two really mentally and physically tough guys.

Our starting five is unbelievably tough both mentally and physically, 1-5. I don't like the loss of Powe. But even Baby and TAllen ( with all his defificiencies ) are also very tough.

Bill Walker is another tough, physical player.

Ray is probably the elast imposing of our starting five physically at his position, but he's mentally very tough and doesn't back down.

That's why I like this team so much when they're healthy to win it all. If they have a decetn bench, like they do this year, they're just too tough 1-5 to me for anyone else. It's kind of like the 80's Celtics, when they had a bench they really steam rolled everyone ( '86 ). I've always argued if that team had a great bench throughout Bird's career, they may have won 5-7 titles. The problem with that team was they really gone worn down alot, mostly because they didn't have a bench the majority of the time. You saw the same thing last year.

If you're going to put together a starting five like we have, it's almost criminal not to give them a "good" bench. It doesn't have to be "world beating", just good and it can't be bad, like last year. This year, we have a really good, solid bench that may get better depending on who else Ainge signs.       

[moiso]

Yeah I love that we have so many mental assassins and physical tough guys.  It definitely is nice after watching Gerald Green, Raef, Telfair, etc.  And you're right about Walker.  If nothing else he is a very physical tough guy.  And like you, I am going to miss Powe in that regard.  He was a little beast.

[Edgar]

Yeah I love that we have so many mental assassins and physical tough guys.  It definitely is nice after watching Gerald Green, Raef, Telfair, etc.  And you're right about Walker.  If nothing else he is a very physical tough guy.  And like you, I am going to miss Powe in that regard.  He was a little beast.

Wait to se a motivated shelden
that might work

[Edgar]

[Eja117]

I very much doubt the 20009 Celtics, who knows if we even have a team then?!

doubter

[ben]

And if Bynum was healthy in 2008, would we have won?

Ifs are pretty pointless. We don't know if we will ever play a playoff series with KG, Ray, PP, and Sheed healthy. Why should people expect them all to be healthy when we were gimpy last year?

I agree with the OP with every thing except the part about baby being tough.  Since when is baby tough.  He is the player on the team that needs attention and cries when he plays poor.