When are some fans going to learn to not dismiss this team?

[indeedproceed]

Define what you mean by "dismiss". That a lot of us are sure that we are not going to win # 18 this year? Only teenagers can dream about it being possible: they also believe in miracles.
But miracles do not happen; those situations have a logical explanation. Magicians do not make people disappear, they create that illusion, but it doesnt happen in real life. Winning it al this year would be one of those miracles. But grownups know miracles do not happen; so whats the beef? Accept reality.

I think the whole idea that people are 'dismissing the team' if they're actively posting here, and watching games, is being pretty liberal with the term 'dismissive'.

However, 'accepting reality' doesn't mean writing these guys off. The games haven't been played yet, and saying a chip is highly improbable is different than saying its impossible. If they lose in the playoffs I'll be just as bummed as I was last year, when it was highly improbable that they could sneak past the Heat.

[Dante]

The only good thing happening this yera is that it appears that we are starting to work on the future Celtic team. Bradley, Stiestsma(sic), Rondo,  #30, Moore, JJJ???,  are jelling quite nicely, much better than expected, so it looks like the transition from our veteran core to the new core, is going nicely; a very pleasant surprise. So this season will not be a total loss. Its being quite enjoyable lately, specially the rapport between Rondo and Avery. Its been "music to my ears", as they say. And Stiestma with a few more pounds, will make you forget Perkins sooner than now. So the future looks promising,it looks like. I dont give anything for granted, of course. What Im sure if is that this team hjas aas much chance of winning it all this year as 10 75yr. old ex-NBA players forming a team and winning it all tghis year. You can say, they could win it cause they havent lost yet, but, lets get real.   

[syfy9]

Define what you mean by "dismiss". That a lot of us are sure that we are not going to win # 18 this year? Only teenagers can dream about it being possible: they also believe in miracles.
But miracles do not happen; those situations have a logical explanation. Magicians do not make people disappear, they create that illusion, but it doesnt happen in real life. Winning it al this year would be one of those miracles. But grownups know miracles do not happen; so whats the beef? Accept reality.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DaY8-Mui0I

[Celtics18]

Define what you mean by "dismiss". That a lot of us are sure that we are not going to win # 18 this year? Only teenagers can dream about it being possible: they also believe in miracles.
But miracles do not happen; those situations have a logical explanation. Magicians do not make people disappear, they create that illusion, but it doesnt happen in real life. Winning it al this year would be one of those miracles. But grownups know miracles do not happen; so whats the beef? Accept reality.

  While the Celtics winning it all this year is somewhat improbable, it wouldn't take a miracle, just a couple of upsets. 

[indeedproceed]

Define what you mean by "dismiss". That a lot of us are sure that we are not going to win # 18 this year? Only teenagers can dream about it being possible: they also believe in miracles.
But miracles do not happen; those situations have a logical explanation. Magicians do not make people disappear, they create that illusion, but it doesnt happen in real life. Winning it al this year would be one of those miracles. But grownups know miracles do not happen; so whats the beef? Accept reality.

  While the Celtics winning it all this year is somewhat improbable, it wouldn't take a miracle, just a couple of upsets. 

16, to be exact. MAGIC NUMBER!

[Jon]

While it's premature to say that this team is a contender (or anything close to it), I do agree with the notion that anyone who has paid attention to the Celtics over the previous two seasons should've known better than to believe that just because the Celtics were playing bad at one point in the season does not mean that bad play was automatically going to continue.

[Chief]

Now if Ray and Doc can check their egos at the door and let Ray be our super sixth man, I think the good times will continue. But If Ray re-enters the starting lineup, I predict the ship will start sinking again.

So Doc starts Ray over Bradley because of ego? Not because Ray's one of the better shooters in the league and teams actually fear him more than they do Bradley?

And while we're talking about the defensive end, it's clear Bradley can be overpowered by bigger 2s. You can't say the same thing concerning Ray.

Ray is a great shooter but that's it. Some players don't ever want to come off the bench. I feel Ray is one of them. As far as backcourts go, Bradley and Rondo are about the same size as Isaiah and Dumars. That team won two championships. Bradley could be the next Joe D.

[birdwatcher]

To the OP: I'm very happy with the turnaround and what hopefully is Rondo truly understanding that this team's success is based on HIM. However, how could you criticize any fan, writer or expert who shut the window on these guys this year?  Even green blooded fans bled red this season. If the rough start to the season wasn't enough, now all the injuries are crushing us. But somehow we're still in it. We're defying odds and logic right now, so calling out fans because they were assessing what was in front of them is a bit harsh, unless you just want someone to pat you on the back and say "Great job, Super Fan! You were right!"

And thank God you were.

[nickagneta]

To the OP: I'm very happy with the turnaround and what hopefully is Rondo truly understanding that this team's success is based on HIM. However, how could you criticize any fan, writer or expert who shut the window on these guys this year?  Even greener blooded fans bled red this season. If the rough start to the season wasn't enough, now all the injuries are crushing us. But somehow we're still in it. We're defying odds and logic right now, so calling out fans because they were assessing what was in front of them is a bit harsh, unless you just want someone to pat you on the back and say "Great job, Super Fan! You were right!"

And thank God you were.

All I saying, and this goes for dante too, is if you were a fan writing this team off as a team that could do something, anything, you made a huge mistake. History has showb that with this assembled team, anything is achievable. But so many people wanted to focus on the negative(age, injuries, slow starts, supposed invincibility of theother teams in the league) and write this team off, dismiss their chances at anything.

Every season is a long season and anything is possible. How many people were giving Dallas a chance last year mid season? How many thought when the Celtics went .500 the last half of 2010 that they would come one bad quarter away from winning another title? How many thought the Red Sox could win a title being down 0-3 to the Yankees in 2004? How many thought the Patriots could win a Super Bowl when they were at 5-5 in 2001?

Here is an indisputable fact: In the world of sports inexplicable results happen all the time and the perceived favorite to win a championship before a season often does not. Possibly the favorite doesn't win a championship more often than they do. These are facts.

So to state ahead of time with absolute surety that this team is destined to not do something given their last four seasons and the amount of time they have shown they can do something, is not being realistic, because realistically, in sports, it is shown every season in every sport that anything is possible. And since this is true, whats the purpose of dismissing the chances of this or any team doing anything. I mean, isn't that why we all watch sports in the first place?

[Dante]

Ok, if you want to be pragmatic, I will not dismiss the chance of Golden State, or the Nets, of winning it all. After all, they are NBA teams: ok, fair enough: its mathematically possible. I can live with that. It could happen.   

[indeedproceed]

Ok, if you want to be pragmatic, I will not dismiss the chance of Golden State, or the Nets, of winning it all. After all, they are NBA teams: ok, fair enough: its mathematically possible. I can live with that. It could happen.   

Well let's not get ahead of ourselves here. Just cuz we're not the team with the best shot doesn't mean we're on par with the teams with the worst.

[Dante]

I agree that we are not a team at a par with those with the worse shot. Got no problem with that. But this site wants me to learn not to dismiss this team this year of having a shot of winning it all. It seems most everybody has been talking of blowing this team up; talking of trading Rondo; talking of trading any number of the big three for younger legs. Almost everybody has seen the writing on the wall. The big three are 4 years older than they were in 2008 and the enemy has gotten stronger and are younger. And we have a lot of physical injuries nagging us constantly. Now Im being told not to dismiss this team cause we can do "something", cause the Red Sox won some years back and the Mavs won it last year without being favorites. Ok. I give up. I agree we can do "something", whatever that "something" you want it it to be, Fine,  EXCEPT....., that "something" being winning it all? Only in anybody's dreams, baby; only in anybody's dreams! I wish it wasnt, but I believe winning our $18,000,000 dollar lottery here next Wednesday is more realistic than winning Número 18 in 2012, and my chances of winning this lottery is about 21,000,000 to 1.

[jdz101]

The NBA refs won't let us upset the group of superstars destined for the finals anyway. 

[Celtics18]

I agree that we are not a team at a par with those with the worse shot. Got no problem with that. But this site wants me to learn not to dismiss this team this year of having a shot of winning it all. It seems most everybody has been talking of blowing this team up; talking of trading Rondo; talking of trading any number of the big three for younger legs. Almost everybody has seen the writing on the wall. The big three are 4 years older than they were in 2008 and the enemy has gotten stronger and are younger. And we have a lot of physical injuries nagging us constantly. Now Im being told not to dismiss this team cause we can do "something", cause the Red Sox won some years back and the Mavs won it last year without being favorites. Ok. I give up. I agree we can do "something", whatever that "something" you want it it to be, Fine,  EXCEPT....., that "something" being winning it all? Only in anybody's dreams, baby; only in anybody's dreams! I wish it wasnt, but I believe winning our $18,000,000 dollar lottery here next Wednesday is more realistic than winning Número 18 in 2012, and my chances of winning this lottery is about 21,000,000 to 1.

 You wouldn't understand.  

[j804]

To the OP: I'm very happy with the turnaround and what hopefully is Rondo truly understanding that this team's success is based on HIM. However, how could you criticize any fan, writer or expert who shut the window on these guys this year?  Even greener blooded fans bled red this season. If the rough start to the season wasn't enough, now all the injuries are crushing us. But somehow we're still in it. We're defying odds and logic right now, so calling out fans because they were assessing what was in front of them is a bit harsh, unless you just want someone to pat you on the back and say "Great job, Super Fan! You were right!"

And thank God you were.

All I saying, and this goes for dante too, is if you were a fan writing this team off as a team that could do something, anything, you made a huge mistake. History has showb that with this assembled team, anything is achievable. But so many people wanted to focus on the negative(age, injuries, slow starts, supposed invincibility of theother teams in the league) and write this team off, dismiss their chances at anything.

Every season is a long season and anything is possible. How many people were giving Dallas a chance last year mid season? How many thought when the Celtics went .500 the last half of 2010 that they would come one bad quarter away from winning another title? How many thought the Red Sox could win a title being down 0-3 to the Yankees in 2004? How many thought the Patriots could win a Super Bowl when they were at 5-5 in 2001?

Here is an indisputable fact: In the world of sports inexplicable results happen all the time and the perceived favorite to win a championship before a season often does not. Possibly the favorite doesn't win a championship more often than they do. These are facts.

So to state ahead of time with absolute surety that this team is destined to not do something given their last four seasons and the amount of time they have shown they can do something, is not being realistic, because realistically, in sports, it is shown every season in every sport that anything is possible. And since this is true, whats the purpose of dismissing the chances of this or any team doing anything. I mean, isn't that why we all watch sports in the first place?

Amen