Celtics are a top 5 team in the NBA presently

[tenn_smoothie]

The Cs are a top 5 team in allowing the other team to score in the paint buckets with the ease of a pre-game layup line shot, over and over again, until Celtics fans want to smash their TVs. 

thanks for putting this pain into words for me.

[Kane3387]

I stand by what i said. You put any of those teams you all have mentioned in a 7 game series with us, regardless of HCA, and I got us. GS, Minnesota, Washington? Is that a joke?

The team you saw last night was not the team from the first two games. We are always trash on the second night of a back to back regardless of the opponent. It had nothing to do with them and everything to do with us. Slow rotations, no penetration, no ball movement, and no blocking out. That's 3 games in 4 nights right there. This has been happening since 2010. Pretty sure we were four minutes away from a title that year too.

If you are upset about the Cs losing to a bad team on the second night of a back to back then I don't know what to tell you. Been like that for a while now. I am used to it.

Look at Miami they almost lost to Charlotte last night. They might be the least talented team in the league. We aren't gonna have a better record then Miami or Chicago. I realize that, but seeding isn't important for this team. Health is. As long we are healthy I like us in the playoffs.

At full strength in a 7 game series there are less then a hand full of teams I am afraid to go up against.

[SHAQATTACK]

What the Celtic team was and what it has become since 2008 is a profound difference.  LoL even if the names are the same...

Who you were and what you did is not going to win you games 4 years latter at that advanced age .

Its nice to dream and wish for what was..

No way..not even close.

[Celtics18]

I stand by what i said. You put any of those teams you all have mentioned in a 7 game series with us, regardless of HCA, and I got us. GS, Minnesota, Washington? Is that a joke?

The team you saw last night was not the team from the first two games. We are always trash on the second night of a back to back regardless of the opponent. It had nothing to do with them and everything to do with us. Slow rotations, no penetration, no ball movement, and no blocking out. That's 3 games in 4 nights tight there. This has been happening since 2010. Pretty sure we were four minutes away from a title that year too.

If you are upset about the Cs losing to a bad team on the second night of a back to back then I don't know what to tell you. Been like that for a while now. I am used to it.

Look at Miami they almost lost to Charlotte last night. They might be the least talented team in the league. We aren't gonna have a better record then Miami or Chicago. I realize that, but seeding isn't important for this team. Health is. As long we are healthy I like us in the playoffs.

At full strength in a 7 game series there are less then a hand full of teams I am afraid to go up against.

I agree.

[the_Bird]

typical over-reaction by everyone here. Our starters looked GASSED. we had no energy out of the gate, and that mainly is due to going all out trying to come back against the heat a mere 24hours ago...weve all seen our woes on back to backs against sub .50 teams the past few years. didnt change our playoff success

Doc gambled with trying to go all out against Miami and now he ends up with 2 losses instead of a guaranteed 1(against miami).

we'll be fine in the end. these old teams need some time to get their nba legs back

If we can't handle back-to-backs three games into the season, how is this team even going to make their way to the court by the time March and April roll around?

I'm giving exactly 0% credibility to the "second night of a back-to-back" excuse.  It's too early in the season for that.

[Kane3387]

What the Celtic team was and what it has become since 2008 is a profound difference.  LoL even if the names are the same...

Who you were and what you did is not going to win you games 4 years latter at that advanced age .

Its nice to dream and wish for what was..

No way..not even close.

Nobody even said anything about 2008...

You're right. Rondo is no where near the same player he was then. Sure the big three have dropped off, but that doesn't mean they can't still get it done. KG had his second best season as a Celt last year. Pierce and Ray were all stars and still deadly efficient.

The same stuff was said in 2010 too. Forget 2008. What about 2010 when we were the 4 seed and were 4 minutes away from a title? It's been three games and we lost to Miami and NY by a total of 10 points on the road without Paul Pierce.

The playoffs are about match-ups. We match up well with all the elite teams. Healthy in a 7 game series no one wants to see us. No one. This team might need a tweak at Center, but the core is good enough to get it done.

I wanna see what this squad at full strength looks like before I blow it up. The fact that a lot of people on this board don't is insane.

[vinnie]

A Miami "almost" loss against Charlotte on the second night of a back-to-back is a hell of a lot better than the Celtics getting blown out on the second night of a back-to-back against a team missing its best player and with a bunch of guys just getting to know each other's names.

[kozlodoev]

The playoffs are about match-ups. We match up well with all the elite teams. Healthy in a 7 game series no one wants to see us. No one. This team might need a tweak at Center, but the core is good enough to get it done.

Boy, we really looked like we matched up greatly against the Heat. Or the Knicks for that matter. Or not... 

[theswitch]

A Miami "almost" loss against Charlotte on the second night of a back-to-back is a hell of a lot better than the Celtics getting blown out on the second night of a back-to-back against a team missing its best player and with a bunch of guys just getting to know each other's names.

To be fair, the NBA won the game for the Heat as Wade blatantly traveled. But yeah it is.

[Kane3387]

The playoffs are about match-ups. We match up well with all the elite teams. Healthy in a 7 game series no one wants to see us. No one. This team might need a tweak at Center, but the core is good enough to get it done.

Boy, we really looked like we matched up greatly against the Heat. Or the Knicks for that matter. Or not... 

Without Pierce and Pietrus?

[the_Bird]

The playoffs are about match-ups. We match up well with all the elite teams. Healthy in a 7 game series no one wants to see us. No one. This team might need a tweak at Center, but the core is good enough to get it done.

Boy, we really looked like we matched up greatly against the Heat. Or the Knicks for that matter. Or not... 

Without Pierce and Pietrus?

Realistically, what are the odds we're going to make it into the playoffs with everyone healthy?  It hasn't happened in three years.  Injuries stop being a valid excuse when talking about this team, because it's composed of a lot of players who are known injury risks.

That's not to say Danny should have done anything much different; if Michael Pietrus was fully healthy, he wouldn't be a Celtic right now.  That's the only real way he's been able to flesh out the roster, to gamble that these guys will be able to stay healthy.

I'm just not in the mood for either injuries or "compressed season/back-to-backs" being used as excuses this year. 

[Kane3387]

A Miami "almost" loss against Charlotte on the second night of a back-to-back is a hell of a lot better than the Celtics getting blown out on the second night of a back-to-back against a team missing its best player and with a bunch of guys just getting to know each other's names.

Miami is gonna handle back to backs better then us anyways. NO is better then Charlotte. Landry, Kaman, and Okafor is very solid trio inside too. Something we aren't built to really handle.

I agree it was a poor showing, but that's who we have been in the last two and half years on the second day of back to backs.

Last year we crushed Miami on opening night and the next day lose to Cleveland. It's not that surprising. That was a trap game for sure after the way we played NY and Miami all the way to the finish on the road.

We will get a better idea of how we stand after this home stand.

[Kane3387]

The playoffs are about match-ups. We match up well with all the elite teams. Healthy in a 7 game series no one wants to see us. No one. This team might need a tweak at Center, but the core is good enough to get it done.

Boy, we really looked like we matched up greatly against the Heat. Or the Knicks for that matter. Or not... 

Without Pierce and Pietrus?

Realistically, what are the odds we're going to make it into the playoffs with everyone healthy?  It hasn't happened in three years.  Injuries stop being a valid excuse when talking about this team, because it's composed of a lot of players who are known injury risks.

That's not to say Danny should have done anything much different; if Michael Pietrus was fully healthy, he wouldn't be a Celtic right now.  That's the only real way he's been able to flesh out the roster, to gamble that these guys will be able to stay healthy.

I'm just not in the mood for either injuries or "compressed season/back-to-backs" being used as excuses this year. 

It happened in 2010. Perk wasn't hurt until the second to last game of a 24 game playoff run..

[kozlodoev]

The playoffs are about match-ups. We match up well with all the elite teams. Healthy in a 7 game series no one wants to see us. No one. This team might need a tweak at Center, but the core is good enough to get it done.

Boy, we really looked like we matched up greatly against the Heat. Or the Knicks for that matter. Or not... 

Without Pierce and Pietrus?

Realistically, what are the odds we're going to make it into the playoffs with everyone healthy?  It hasn't happened in three years.  Injuries stop being a valid excuse when talking about this team, because it's composed of a lot of players who are known injury risks.

What the Bird said.

Sure, having Pierce and Pietrus will help in guarding Anthony and James, but I don't think it will solve our issues with the poor interior defense, since our bigs have looked like they had a poor matchup against just about everyone this season.

[Kane3387]

The playoffs are about match-ups. We match up well with all the elite teams. Healthy in a 7 game series no one wants to see us. No one. This team might need a tweak at Center, but the core is good enough to get it done.

Boy, we really looked like we matched up greatly against the Heat. Or the Knicks for that matter. Or not... 

Without Pierce and Pietrus?

Realistically, what are the odds we're going to make it into the playoffs with everyone healthy?  It hasn't happened in three years.  Injuries stop being a valid excuse when talking about this team, because it's composed of a lot of players who are known injury risks.

What the Bird said.

Sure, having Pierce and Pietrus will help in guarding Anthony and James, but I don't think it will solve our issues with the poor interior defense, since our bigs have looked like they had a poor matchup against just about everyone this season.

Yeah Amare and Chandler killed us..   

Who are we worried about inside? Bosh, Boozer, Noah, Joel Anthony? I mean none of those guys are going to dominate a series inside anyway.