It amazes me that people don't realize the NBA season is a rollercoaster. It was silly to write off the Lakers when they were struggling earlier this year and it's silly to write off the Celtics now because of their recent poor play.
Sure you can argue than the Lakers didn't make a major trade during the season but we didn't either, we did fine without Perk all year long and the new pieces are fitting pretty well. I guess it comes down to being a full glass or empty glass kind of person but ultimately the objective facts are here to show that every team goes through a slump, at different times, but that the playoffs are a totally different situation than the season and that veteran teams are well-know for thriving when it matters and coasting for long times during the season.
Anyway my point is that if we are healthy for the playoffs, I would consider us favorites against every other team, regardless of seeding or anything else. And I'm confident we will be healthy so I'm just waiting for the playoffs to come sooner.
Love that confidence! I am reasonably confident too, but this slump has been frustrating.
I believe that the C's center position will be healthier, that Rondo will be focused and the team will seethe with energy once the playoffs begin. I also believe that KG, PP and Ray are every bit the players this year that they were last year.
No question the slump has been frustrating, and I'm still mad at the team for letting the #1 seed slip away while we had it in hands. Add to that the fact that the slump comes at a bad time.
However, what surprises me about the negativity is that a lot of factors are overlooked :
1. Had our defense badly regressed I would definitely be worried. However, even if our defense slipped during the slump, it's not cause for worries because Krstic won't be our starting center in the playoffs and will probably play behind JO off the bench too, and most importantly, we've shown (even during the slump) that we could still play lockdown D (as we've seen it during the comeback wins against NO and NY) to close out games or during stretches of the game.
2. The offensive slump is terrible to watch but once again it's not a cause for worries since offensive droughts/slumps are mostly mental. Guys are just falling in love with long jumpers instead of drives to the hoops, they're preserving their bodies for the playoffs and their minds are not really into the games.
3. The team's inability to play very well during 48 minutes is frustrating but once again the fact that they switch between great sequences/quarters of play and then play putrid basketball just show once again that the problem is mental, it's a lack of focus.
4. Rondo is in a terrible slump but I'm confident that he will come back to his true form in the playoffs. I have no statistical datas to back up this fact, just confidence in Rondo (and what he has shown in the past). Also, as a point of comparison, I remember Lakers fans fuming on Gasol earlier this year, when the Lakers were losing. They called Gasol soft, useless and pathetic, and even wanted the Lakers to trade him. Reminds me a lot of what's been said about Rondo lately, and the causes of their poor play are similar (Gasol too was supposed to have ailing injuries coupled to mental problems).
5. We've done very well all year against elite teams. Just like last year, people tend to forget that. I know we lost almost all the games against elite team last year but what people always forgot was that we always got a 10 or 15 point lead against these teams before letting it, along with the win, slip away. I was confident last year because I knew we were beating these teams but simply not finishing them properly, getting bored or whatever.
6. As you said, Ray, KG, and Pierce clearly didn't lost "it" in one year. They've all looked awesome this season but not so good lately, yet they will be performing at their true level once the playoffs start, once again. I would even argue that both KG and Pierce are way better than last year because they're a lot healthier. Ray is still Ray, shooting better but I guess we have to expect his inconsistency.
Topic: The "I Admit that I Gave Up Too Soon" Thread (Read 4061 times)