in my opinion only team we cant beat is the HEAT

[stylo617617]

chicago remind me of those cleveland teams we beat in the playoffs ,unles they get some serious wing help via trade/buyout 1 player will never ever beat the celtics

the thunder are a great team but something tells me therye built for regalur season success we almost beat them when we were going through tough times early in the year

asides from those 2 teams who cant we beat? portland & denver would also be very tough maybe tougher than the 2 teams above becuase of depth

throw me on the optimist side becuase i still say were a title contender despide what critics say , with celtics giving max effort the 1 team i still say we wont beat is the hear because of our center issue hopefully danny makes something happen soon regarding that ...GO CELTICS

anyone else think celtics are title contenders ?

[PosImpos]

If everything came together, I think the Celtics could perhaps beat just about any team in the league in a 7 game series, even the Heat.  I just don't think it's at all likely to happen 4 series in a row, especially if the C's don't have home court advantage at any point in the playoffs (which seems likely).

[Interceptor]

We can win against any team.

Heat will eventually be unstoppable, but they aren't there yet, so for now they have weaknesses to exploit. Unless you are scared of Eddy Curry or rookies, their tallest Center is 6'9". LBJ and Wade are still not good outside shooters, especially Wade.

Celtics aren't beating the Heat in a triathlon, but we can beat them at basketball.

[GreenFaith1819]

Love the optimism here, even with the Heat.

Can we beat them? All I have to say is one word:

ZONE.

When Dallas (and BOS) went to a Zone, that flustered MIA quite a bit, remember? Left Wade and Lebron scrambling.

I'm sure the better teams will eventually employ that strategy once again vs MIA.

[Celticjay]

We would get crushed on the boards. 

Pietrus, Bass and Bradley all help defensively and bring much needed athleticism.  Still We need a difference maker at the center position to compete in my mind.

[Who]

I think the team needs another impact player to challenge Miami and Chicago for the East.

I don't consider the Celtics a contender.

[j804]

I think the team needs another impact player to challenge Miami and Chicago for the East.

I don't consider the Celtics a contender.

I wish we could have got JR smith but he's going to either of his buddy's teams in NY and LA

[kozlodoev]

That's too bad, because we're going to play them in the first round

[Interceptor]

When Dallas (and BOS) went to a Zone, that flustered MIA quite a bit, remember? Left Wade and Lebron scrambling.

Exactly. It's a good strategy for us against them. Not only does it save the energy of our defense, but it slows Miami's offense down, and stops two of their best guys from playing to their strengths. It means getting back quickly on defense to curb their transition game, but we're better outside shooters and have Rondo to give us quality looks. It won't make us favored, but I say it gives us a fighting chance.

Doc almost snatched victory from the jaws of defeat when he did it against Miami earlier in the season. Now, everyone is clicking and we have Pierce back at 100%.

[Tgro]

That's too bad, because we're going to play them in the first round

If the season ended today we would, but I think we finish the season higher than the 7th seed.

I think we've got a shot at beating pretty much anybody. I wouldn't say we'd be favorites but I think we have it within us to steal it. Especially if these guys keep coming together as a team and players get their minutes and we continue gelling.

I keep thinking our team playing together will be greater than their players expecting to win as superstars.

Not sure we can go all the way but I do think we're going to be in bar fights until the end.   

[wiley]

What will be interesting to see is how much the younger players get to play in the playoffs.  In my opinion the big 3 won't be able to hold up physically, as they've already been borderline with their fatigue level during grueling playoff runs.  So, the flip side is trusting younger guys with no real experience.  I hope to see the balance tilted toward giving the younger guys minutes in big playoff games.  Things don't usually go that way though.  When things get tight in the playoffs teams tend to stick with the veterans no matter how tired they look.  I'd prefer to allow a couple of rookie mistakes and see what happens via energy.  I wouldn't favor this if I thought the dinasaurs had enough left in the tank to carry us through four playoff series.  I don't.  I look forward to seeing them try and I hope a nice balance can be found.....

I tend to agree the Heat right now are the team we're least likely to handle.

[LarBrd33]

In my opinion, there are several teams this team can't beat.

It's encouraging to have some quality wins against a Randolph-less Memphis team, a free-falling Orlando team and a hot Indiana team (despite them beating us twice earlier this season).... but none of those teams are actually contenders.

So far this season we've lost to Miami, we've lost to Chicago, we've lost to Dallas, we've lost to Oklahoma City... and we haven't even played the LA teams.  Sure... in THEORY you can beat any team at any given time... but in my opinion we can't beat a contender in a playoff series.

Not until a starting center drops out of the sky, at least.

[droopdog7]

Haven't thought much about the zone but it would likely be the only chance we have, especially because Ray simply can't handle wade at all. 

[Tgro]

I think unlike previous playoff series, Doc will play the bench big minutes. I think he has to. I think that is why he has been playing and developing the bench more this year then in previous years. The young guys are absolutely critical and key to all of this. I don't think we have a prayer without them. And the way they have contributed has been what has made me at least optimistic about our chances. But I'm only optimistic with the whole team playing big and not just our starters. We need the bench's help the whole way. And I really think Doc knows this and will continue developing the bench in preparation for the playoffs.

[kozlodoev]

That's too bad, because we're going to play them in the first round

If the season ended today we would, but I think we finish the season higher than the 7th seed.

I think we've got a shot at beating pretty much anybody. I wouldn't say we'd be favorites but I think we have it within us to steal it. Especially if these guys keep coming together as a team and players get their minutes and we continue gelling.

I keep thinking our team playing together will be greater than their players expecting to win as superstars.

Not sure we can go all the way but I do think we're going to be in bar fights until the end.   

Our play has picked up a bit recently. I think the old dogs may have one last run left in them, but Rondo has to start taking care of the ball better.