If the Celtics lose to Miami is their regular season a failure?

[Kuberski33]

People undervalue the role of injuries in sports.  Yes, the Big 4 have remained healthy to date, but their bench has been decimated all season.  If Delonte and Daniels had stayed healthy, Perk would still be with this team and the Celtics would have the best record in the East.

Delonte, Daniels, Semih, even Wafer....not to mention the O'Neals.  With any continuity at all on the bench, we'd be entering the playoffs favored to get to the finals. 

They hung on as long as they could but losing your bench and then rebuilding it on the fly finally caught up with this team.  They did fine in the regular season all things considered.  Just not sure they're going to be able to get their act together in time to win a title.  Right now this team is too soft and going to the bench is like rolling the dice on a nightly basis.

[Vermont Green]

Doc is among those questioning the identity:

It is Doc's job to establish the team identity (whatever that is) not complain about it or use it as an excuse.  I know that is a little harsh and easy for me to simply proclaim as a truth but what is he really talking about when he says that?

I can understand that the second unit hasn't totally figured out their roles and are still adjusting individual games to work better with each other but does that somehow lead to the Celtics not being the Celtics?

No one was complaining about an identity crisis when Erden was starting with the big-4 but now because Jermaine O'Neal is our 5th starter, our problem is our identity?  I know that this is bothering me much more than anyone else but I just feel like for the general media to be writing or talking about the Celtics "identity" is just convenient hyperbole, that is perpetuating a mostly irrelevant sports cliche, and suggest that as fans, don't buy into it and certainly as coaches and players, don't buy into it.

[jv2764]

Hell no.  What if they win today and lose to the Heat in the 2nd round in 6 games.  Then again they could lose today and beat the Heat in the 2nd round. 

[PosImpos]

Finishing with a better seed and a better record than last year?  I guess not a failure.

Finishing without HCA after the first round (again) and without HCA against the Lakers should we meet them in the Finals (again)?  Yeah, kind of a failure in that sense.

[throwedoff]

losing home court vs miami in round two despite winning the series 3-1 is a total failure

3-1? did I miss something is calling losses before the games are played whats hot on celticsblog???

[PosImpos]

losing home court vs miami in round two despite winning the series 3-1 is a total failure

3-1? did I miss something is calling losses before the games are played whats hot on celticsblog???

the premise of the thread assumes a loss this afternoon . . . .