I predict 65 to 70 wins

[Kiorrik]

Oh, I really don't know about this season and the win total we'll get. All I know is that this could become one of the more memorable seasons of basketball we'll enjoy "here in Boston".

[nba is the worst]

I think we'll see something similar to last year.  The team will start out hot, and then will take its foot off the gas to conserve health and energy for the playoffs.  I'm predicting 56 wins and 3rd in the East.

While I agree to some degree, Roy, I also think this team will take the getting Home Court advantage thing a lot more seriously this year because of what happened in The Finals.

Yes, Home Court is not a "must have", but it would be a great luxury with this older team.

It's hard to say.  We got by the Magic and Cavs fairly easily without home court, and won a road game against the Lakers in the Finals (and could have easily won Game 7).

To have home court throughtout the playoffs, the Celts will probably have to win around 65+ games.  That means keeping the team's foot on the gas pedal all year long.  Is it reasonable to push an old team at that pace?  I'm not sure.

We should try to get home court, but not at the expense of the team's health.  Last season we would have won it all had it not been for awful luck and terrible officiating by the zebras.  We did the right thing worrying about health over homecourt and a player you wouldn't expect to get injured as much as the big three did, unfortunately.

Yes, IMO the outcome of the finals would have been different had we had homecourt, but it also would have been different had Perk not gotten hurt and the zebras gave the Lakers a 22-6 free-throw advantage in the fouth quarter.

I totally agree that the overriding priority is to play your own game and manage the regular season for best-case overall health in the post-season, while consistently giving effort.

The team was playing normally when they started 23-5, and then the injury bug took its toll. Certainly the schedule had something to do with that start, but it was on pace for 67 wins...

Predicting the future is merely speculation - but we do know the league has a lot of decent teams this year. Half of the time in the past decade (including last season and the C's championship season) only one team won 60+. We may see no team getting 60 this season, depending on injuries, but as the Atlantic looks to be the weakest division once again, the C's have an excellent chance to get there. My guess is 58 wins.

Last, I have to comment on the consistent BS being posted by several people here about the ft disparity in game 7. Why embellish the actual numbers - weren't they one-sided enough not to require "enhancement"?

I understand feeling that way, but to post inaccurate numbers (like 22-6) repeatedly is irritating to those who like FACTS...

[nba is the worst]

Doc has also been forcing the point of “If game 7 was in Boston we’d be champions”

I think that could make them come out of fire.

Someone should tell Doc that if the team could box out, they'd be champions.  I loved the fight the Celts showed last season, but the rebounding did them in, not lack of homecourt.

That being said, maybe they would not have been in the penalty 2 minutes into the 4th quarter if they had homecourt...

HCA in the Finals IS huge if the teams are evenly matched, so I think the Celtics will try to win more in the regular season unless there is no hope of getting best record vs the west.

Again, please stick to facts (fouls were 2-1 (Bos-LA) at the 9 - minute mark, and fts were 7-4 LA at the 6-minute mark).

Boston wasn't in the penalty (7th foul) until 5:58 remaining...

[drza44]

The wins question all depends on why you think the team was a .500 ballclub for the last 2/3rds of last season and inexplicably lost so many games at home.

If you think it was mostly age, there's no reason to expect them to win more than maybe 52 or 53 games this season.

If you think it was more chemistry (both Rondo becoming the best player on the team and 'Sheed's indifference spreading to other players), this team might be able to win over 60 games.

Mike

I think it was a combo of injury (KG's in particular, followed closely in time by Pierce's) that caused the team to fall too far back in the loss column to catch either the Lakers or Cavs.  And after seeing what happened the year before when KG went down, I think at that point there was some type of realization that health and losses was better than pushing for a HCA that they either couldn't get (Lakers, Cavs) or wouldn't need (Magic).  I really don't buy much into the chemistry rumblings.

This year?  I don't know.  It seems to me that things are shaping up for them to win a lot more, though.  First, the prevailing memory from last year is no longer "KG injury = death", but is instead "if we'd had HCA we're probably champs".  To that end, I think the team will push more to win more.  Also, the extra talent on-paper should allow the vets to rest a bit more even while the team still pushes itself.

I'm setting my personal over-under at 62 wins, and taking the over.  I actually do think there's a legit chance they go for 70, but after beating that drum the last couple of offseasons I'm (at least publicly) being slightly more conservative.  At least for now.  But 70 could definitely happen.

[PosImpos]

55 wins, assuming we don't get totally rocked by injuries.  I think without Rasheed and after the way things went last season the C's won't be quite so lackadaisical during the regular season.  But 55 wins is probably the best optimistic yet realistic prediction you could make.  

The Eastern Conference should be a lot tougher this year than it was when the C's managed 62 wins despite losing KG for the second half.


p.s. 5000


Apparently, I am now Antoine Walker.  Dubious honor?

[max henry2006]

I agree with your prediction! I love the bench this season- I am looking impressed that Doc and the coaching staff have confidence in the guys to let them play the game out against the starters on the opposing teaml. That is a definite confidence builder for the players and the fans. I will be rooting them on tonight!

[Jon Niednagel]

55 wins, assuming we don't get totally rocked by injuries.  I think without Rasheed and after the way things went last season the C's won't be quite so lackadaisical during the regular season.  But 55 wins is probably the best optimistic yet realistic prediction you could make. 

The Eastern Conference should be a lot tougher this year than it was when the C's managed 62 wins despite losing KG for the second half.


p.s. 5000


Apparently, I am now Antoine Walker.  Dubious honor?

TP for 5000. If you do the Walker-Wiggle I'll give you another.

[JBcat]

I think 65 plus is possible.   After the Christmas game last year it seems like we were thrown off by injuries a little bit which if it doesn't happen this year I see a realistic shot at 65.   

Here was the injury bug last season:

Big Baby missed 28 games during the beginning of the season.   That didn't seem to matter too much though as we started out hot.

Pierce missed a 11 games and KG missed 13 during the middle of the season.  It kind of derailed our season as we then went 27 and 27 and both Pierce and KG didn't seem to find their rhythm until the end of regular season getting back in shape.   

TA and Daniels missed a combined 59 games. 

Baby, Pierce, and KG I would bet will play more games this year and be healthier especially KG.

With our increased depth between the 2 and 3 we can suffer losses I think better than when TA and Daniels missed that many games last year.

Performance:

Perk seemed to regress offensively last year.   I'm not sure if he was playing hurt or not but the combo of Shaq and Jermaine should be an upgrade over Perk and Sheed.   Then we will have Perk later on and Erden might be able to help a little to add depth if Shaq or Jermaine are to sit some games. 

Baby should be better than last season.

I think KG will be better than last season.

I don't expect too much of a dropoff between Paul and Ray.

I think this year's Nate will exceed first half of the season House and second half of the season Nate. 

I think West after his suspension will be a more stable player than TA off the bench. 

I thnk this year's version of Daniels has a good chance of being better than last year's version with just soley concentrating on being Paul's backup.

Last but not least I expect continued improvement from Rondo.  I expect him to fully embrace being our best player now. 

Lastly our division seems to be very weak this year.   We should be able to gang up on wins playing those teams multiple times. 

[wahz]

Let me add that I think it REALLY mattters to get home court. Since the 60's, Im pretty sure the only title win won without hc was against Milwaukee. We beat Phoenix with hc, beat Hou twice with hc and we beat LA twice when we had it. I am taking hc in the finals anyway.

In any case if stuff goes wrong with Miami, I think we can get hc throughout if we want it and imho, we should go after it. Its an attitude and it won't require tons of minutes on KG and all

[rr9celtsfan]

I am with the ones saying around 60. I think our team is solid this year and are serious playoff contenders, only if we stay healthy though.

[footey]

I say 55-60. 58. 

[KobeGotRondoD]

I honestly don't think we'll get anywhere near 65 wins. This team is built for the POSTseason, not 81 regular season games...

I don't see us winning more than 53-55 games.. health will be an issue. Shaq and JO are both injury prone and if one of them goes down, we'll be giving Erden heavy minutes with Perk still sidelined. Who knows how Perk will come back, considering his injury was worse than garnett's? We are too injury prone to last 81 games and to pull out 65 wins... i think people are too optimistic

[Edgar]

Perk still sidelined. Who knows how Perk will come back, considering his injury was worse than garnett's?

If its true that we dont know when perk will come back
his age, specially, and his recovering announcements this far make most of us think he will be ready sooner than expected.
I remember mid season was the prognosis to play, lets think he will be ready to play 10 -15 minutes a game with rust in him
that probably makes him still more valuable than Semih on that side of the field.
We will see
JO and Shaq in the other hand are mover made asuming we will NOT going to have him bach, and BBD already show he can play during playoffs if needed.

[Edgar]

55 wins, assuming we don't get totally rocked by injuries.  I think without Rasheed and after the way things went last season the C's won't be quite so lackadaisical during the regular season.  But 55 wins is probably the best optimistic yet realistic prediction you could make. 

The Eastern Conference should be a lot tougher this year than it was when the C's managed 62 wins despite losing KG for the second half.


p.s. 5000


Apparently, I am now Antoine Walker.  Dubious honor?

hurry to 6000

I am going to hate leaving DJ in my past.
I loved being him here for this months

[Phil125]

Depending on health 55-60 wins.  Unless this bench really gels and that fixes those late 3rd quarter nose dives we took every single frickin game aaaaarrggghhhh!!!    Then 60-65 wins.