I went into the season assuming the Celtics would probably have the third-best chance to win the title out of the east and maybe sixth-best overall. This team was never going to be improved to the point that pundits declare the Celtics to be at least co-favorites with the Heat to make the NBA Finals. That's not a bad spot to be in. I like Ainge being willing to take risks because there is no safe way to improve this team, but I don't want him to take stupid risks.
This is a team that is a bit of a long-shot title contender, but still a contender. To get there, they probably need someone other than Rondo, KG, Pierce, and Allen to over-achieve, perhaps even over-achieve.
A healthy Jermaine O'Neal in the playoffs (and some people think he does better in the last year of a contract) makes this team dangerous. It's about as reasonable to expect JO to be a contributor as it is to rely on Delonte West to be healthy.