Author Topic: The Celtics do not care about January! READ ON  (Read 6781 times)

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The Celtics do not care about January! READ ON
« on: February 09, 2010, 01:14:58 AM »

Offline GranTur

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It’s been about 20 games in a row of troublesome effort. Fans and journalists point to this as evidence that the Celts are no longer championship caliber.

Honestly, I firmly believe the Celtics internally don't give a rat’s behind about losing all these games.

Seriously. The problem is playing a full 48 minutes and being focused. Why? Because they don’t care…if they did, they’d show effort to improve.

Our big 3 stars are not stupid. They know what it takes to compete in this game and for a championship. What motivation is there for them to wear their bodies down and risk serious injury in the regular season to play better than .500 ball in January?

Ask ANY elite NBA veteran about how hard January is. Just imagine how hard it is in the middle of a long season to expel yourself physically for a month that means nothing.  This is why guys like Reggie Miller and Kevin McHale have said before the season and now that the Celtics are just saving themselves for the postseason because they shouldn’t care about the regular season. They say this because they know what it feels like to go through a regular season for the millionth time.

Think about it: January doesn’t mean anything. The Celtics don’t have anything to prove to themselves as a team or individually.

Let's not short-change this team. This is the same starting 5 that won in 2008 and though the “big 3” is two years older, our “young 2” have made strides. Perkins and Rondo have had great seasons because they do have a motivation to play hard: to get better.

20 games. If they cared, they’d show effort to change. They haven’t shown effort because they don’t think there is a problem.

When the playoffs come around they will dominate. The Celtics have the talent, leadership, and experience (and rest days between games). Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, and Kevin Garnett are the best clutch performers in the NBA. We’re talking about Ray, Truth, and KG! Rondo is an all-star and Perk going to patrol the paint like the beast he is (and he won’t have to post anybody up lol).


Side note on Rasheed: his 3-pt shooting is legitimately atrocious and his dedication is troubling. That said, his overall effort in defense and rebounding will improve when the time comes. He won’t be a savior, but he‘ll be effective off the bench. Right now he has no motivation considering his age and role on this team. He’s not a bum and he’s well respected by this team and its players for a reason.
"It's not how you play the game. It's whether you win or lose--that's my motto." -Larry Bird

Re: The Celtics do not care about January! READ ON
« Reply #1 on: February 09, 2010, 01:28:01 AM »

Online snively

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It’s been about 20 games in a row of troublesome effort. Fans and journalists point to this as evidence that the Celts are no longer championship caliber.

Honestly, I firmly believe the Celtics internally don't give a rat’s behind about losing all these games.

Seriously. The problem is playing a full 48 minutes and being focused. Why? Because they don’t care…if they did, they’d show effort to improve.

Our big 3 stars are not stupid. They know what it takes to compete in this game and for a championship. What motivation is there for them to wear their bodies down and risk serious injury in the regular season to play better than .500 ball in January?

Ask ANY elite NBA veteran about how hard January is. Just imagine how hard it is in the middle of a long season to expel yourself physically for a month that means nothing.  This is why guys like Reggie Miller and Kevin McHale have said before the season and now that the Celtics are just saving themselves for the postseason because they shouldn’t care about the regular season. They say this because they know what it feels like to go through a regular season for the millionth time.

Think about it: January doesn’t mean anything. The Celtics don’t have anything to prove to themselves as a team or individually.

Let's not short-change this team. This is the same starting 5 that won in 2008 and though the “big 3” is two years older, our “young 2” have made strides. Perkins and Rondo have had great seasons because they do have a motivation to play hard: to get better.

20 games. If they cared, they’d show effort to change. They haven’t shown effort because they don’t think there is a problem.

When the playoffs come around they will dominate. The Celtics have the talent, leadership, and experience (and rest days between games). Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, and Kevin Garnett are the best clutch performers in the NBA. We’re talking about Ray, Truth, and KG! Rondo is an all-star and Perk going to patrol the paint like the beast he is (and he won’t have to post anybody up lol).


Side note on Rasheed: his 3-pt shooting is legitimately atrocious and his dedication is troubling. That said, his overall effort in defense and rebounding will improve when the time comes. He won’t be a savior, but he‘ll be effective off the bench. Right now he has no motivation considering his age and role on this team. He’s not a bum and he’s well respected by this team and its players for a reason.

Disagree.  The players all viewed the past games against the Magic, Lakers and Hawks as big statement games, and they lost all of them.  Our bench, KG's slowness and Ray Allen's shooting have been the biggest culprits in many of these losses.
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Re: The Celtics do not care about January! READ ON
« Reply #2 on: February 09, 2010, 02:48:41 AM »

Offline PosImpos

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Yeah, this is probably true of some of the games against low level opponents (see: Nets), but I don't think you can say all this about games against top quality teams.

The Celtics know it's January and most of the games don't matter, but they know the games against their probable playoff opponents do mean something.  In all of those games, it was evident for significant stretches of those games that they wanted to win. 

The problem seemed to be not one of effort, but rather focus and smart play.  Not to mention their general lack of speed, athleticism, and energy, which hurt them in grabbing rebounds, attacking the basket instead of settling for jumpshots, and defending against players with all three of the aforementioned qualities.
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Re: The Celtics do not care about January! READ ON
« Reply #3 on: February 09, 2010, 02:51:06 AM »

Offline jdpapa3

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I know it's an unpopular opinion around these parts, but I believe it to be true. I'll trust the former champs like McHale and Ainge.

Re: The Celtics do not care about January! READ ON
« Reply #4 on: February 09, 2010, 03:02:28 AM »

Offline Jack_Frost

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I admire you.
« Last Edit: February 09, 2010, 06:01:39 AM by Jack_Frost »

Re: The Celtics do not care about January! READ ON
« Reply #5 on: February 09, 2010, 09:23:29 AM »

Offline vinnie

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I don't want this to happen, but if they tank in the post-All Star game west coast trip, will that mean that they also don't care about February?

Re: The Celtics do not care about January! READ ON
« Reply #6 on: February 09, 2010, 09:42:54 AM »

Offline WeMadeIt17

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This is a load of crap. So what happened they got off to a great start and then coast? Come on. You have to get up for big games against the Hawks and the Magic. Can't let them have the mentality that hey we beat this team 4 times or 3 times we can beat them anytime. I tell you this crap needs to stop. You saw this with the Pistons yeah they got the the ECF a lot but last time I remember those are not that celebrated anymore.. or EVER! 

Re: The Celtics do not care about January! READ ON
« Reply #7 on: February 09, 2010, 09:55:24 AM »

Offline ManUp

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Ummm, no.  Like PosImpos said we wanted those games against the Hawks, Magic, and Lakers yet we lost them all. All were statement games that this team clearly wanted to win. Perk was even running his mouth about how we'd put the clamps on Crawford in ATL. Even if I were to believe this team doesn't care, that in and of itself would be a problem. This team is sadly mistaken if they think they can just flick a mental switch and suddenly be levels better than the top teams.

Re: The Celtics do not care about January! READ ON
« Reply #8 on: February 09, 2010, 10:02:33 AM »

Offline GranTur

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I'm not saying they they don't care about winning those big games.

I'm just saying the adrenaline doesn't pump for our stars in the regular season like it does in the playoffs. In the back of their heads they don't feel so bad about losing these games.

I'd prefer to see wins across the board--who wouldn't? But regardless, when the time comes, our starters will put on a show that people will never forget. What people will forget is this stretch of the regular season.
"It's not how you play the game. It's whether you win or lose--that's my motto." -Larry Bird

Re: The Celtics do not care about January! READ ON
« Reply #9 on: February 09, 2010, 10:18:33 AM »

Offline Bahku

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Sorry, but way, WAY wrong ... despite their age and the circumstances involved, to say this team, and the "Big Three" especially, only care about winning "big" games, is absurd, and just not in touch with the reality of this team and what they believe in. If you've really listened closely to these guys over the last 3 years and even the last few weeks, you would know without question that they approach EVERY game with the same importance and same level of expectation.

To "let down" on any level because a game is against a team like the Nets is completely contrary to what Ubuntu is all about, and contrary to even KG's approach to life itself, let alone basketball. Have they had lackluster games? Of course. Have they had their ups and downs? Of course. They've had injuries, they've had rotational adjustments, they've had new additions to the roster to adapt to, and they've had the same personal, psychological, and emotional issues that EVERYONE has from time-to-time.

That's life, and it's NORMAL. It happens EVERY season to EVERY team, and there are NO exceptions. We are STILL one of the best teams in the NBA with a win/loss record that most teams would love to have, and we are a team with the talent and experience to be able to make the proper adjustments needed to play at their best. I'm sorry to be so strongly opinionated about this, but if you have ever really listened to these guys and understood what their about, then you would know how completely contrary this is to everything they believe in and stand for.

KG especially has made this a cornerstone of his approach to everything, and he has stated it openly throughout his entire career ... to him there ARE no "unimportant" games, and every time he goes onto the floor he goes in to WIN ... PERIOD. Ray and Paul are no different, and EVERY loss is important, every WIN much more so. The Celtics care as much about January as they do any other month of the season ... make no mistake, and when they lose, you'd better believe they feel bad about it ... just as badly as any other loss.
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Re: The Celtics do not care about January! READ ON
« Reply #10 on: February 09, 2010, 10:25:46 AM »

Offline celticinorlando

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i disagree....there is no reason they shouldnt be caring about playing elite teams. if this is the truth then this team is done already

Re: The Celtics do not care about January! READ ON
« Reply #11 on: February 09, 2010, 10:46:33 AM »

Offline GranTur

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Quote
To "let down" on any level because a game is against a team like the Nets is completely contrary to what Ubuntu is all about, and contrary to even KG's approach to life itself, let alone basketball

Don't live in a fantasy world. This is a bunch of mid-30 year-old guys who've played basketball all their lives. They'll be playoff ready.
"It's not how you play the game. It's whether you win or lose--that's my motto." -Larry Bird

Re: The Celtics do not care about January! READ ON
« Reply #12 on: February 09, 2010, 10:56:45 AM »

Offline Bahku

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Quote
To "let down" on any level because a game is against a team like the Nets is completely contrary to what Ubuntu is all about, and contrary to even KG's approach to life itself, let alone basketball

Don't live in a fantasy world. This is a bunch of mid-30 year-old guys who've played basketball all their lives. They'll be playoff ready.

Fantasy world?!? Wow ... have you been listening to these guys over the last three seasons? Lay your idea on the team and get back to me ... I think they might also disagree with you ... vehemently.
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Re: The Celtics do not care about January! READ ON
« Reply #13 on: February 09, 2010, 11:01:23 AM »

Offline kozlodoev

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Blah blah blah. The Pistons of several years ago didn't care for January either, and all that got them was several early playoff exits.

"I don't know half of you half as well as I should like; and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve."

Re: The Celtics do not care about January! READ ON
« Reply #14 on: February 09, 2010, 11:25:12 AM »

Offline WeMadeIt17

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Blah blah blah. The Pistons of several years ago didn't care for January either, and all that got them was several early playoff exits.




Exactly my point they went to the ECF but theat doesn't mean crap