we're winning too many games lately (bad for tanking)

[KGs Knee]

Yes.  Winning games is bad for tanking, but it's good for the old-fashioned objective of athletic competition which is … well . . . winning.

Yep

I tuned in to a victory tonight.  Glad to see it.

[Mr October]

Irregardless of how it "works" or doesnt work, I am quite certain that Ainge and the Celtics brass would rather see a high pick in this years draft then they would to see 5-8 more victories on the year.

The proof of that statement will reveal itself in April, when the standings are locking down, when the celtics are playing a dregs of the east some more, and possibly sitting a lot of players with 'injuries'.

[csfansince60s]

The celtics won. So did the lakers, so did the cavs, so did the magic. Even bad teams have to win sometimes.

But they haven't won three in a row.... This is a meaningless, counterproductive win streak. This sucks.

[Yoki_IsTheName]

The celtics won. So did the lakers, so did the cavs, so did the magic. Even bad teams have to win sometimes.

But they haven't won three in a row.... This is a meaningless, counterproductive win streak. This sucks.

You mean our young players getting more confident in themselves, resulting into great play is counter productive?

Losing should not be the objective. I understand that losing gets us to a better pick, and actually I'm all right with that. But we should not be playing to lose, we still need to play hard and go for the win. It bodes well to our young guys, their mentality, their drive and desire to to be better.

[Mr October]

The celtics won. So did the lakers, so did the cavs, so did the magic. Even bad teams have to win sometimes.

But they haven't won three in a row.... This is a meaningless, counterproductive win streak. This sucks.

Boston won 4 out of their last 10. So has orlando. So has Utah.

The lakers have won 3 of their last 10.

The rest have still won 2.

Boston was never going to catch philly and Milwaukee. Those teams are an embarrassment. Orlando is actually getting better now that they are healthy. They even beat the thunder tonight!

That leaves Utah, Sacramento, Cleveland and the lakers. These teams are all within a half a game of Boston!!!

[csfansince60s]

The celtics won. So did the lakers, so did the cavs, so did the magic. Even bad teams have to win sometimes.

But they haven't won three in a row.... This is a meaningless, counterproductive win streak. This sucks.

You mean our young players getting more confident in themselves, resulting into great play is counter productive?

Losing should not be the objective. I understand that losing gets us to a better pick, and actually I'm all right with that. But we should not be playing to lose, we still need to play hard and go for the win. It bodes well to our young guys, their mentality, their drive and desire to to be better.

I agree we should not be paying to lose and that Stevens should not be coaching to lose. Those things would be counterproductive .

This is on Ainge to put a crap  team out there so we don't go on pyrrhic 3 game winning streaks.

[Afam]

Deleted.

[pokeKingCurtis]

The celtics won. So did the lakers, so did the cavs, so did the magic. Even bad teams have to win sometimes.

But they haven't won three in a row.... This is a meaningless, counterproductive win streak. This sucks.

You mean our young players getting more confident in themselves, resulting into great play is counter productive?

Losing should not be the objective. I understand that losing gets us to a better pick, and actually I'm all right with that. But we should not be playing to lose, we still need to play hard and go for the win. It bodes well to our young guys, their mentality, their drive and desire to to be better.

I agree we should not be paying to lose and that Stevens should not be coaching to lose. Those things would be counterproductive .

This is on Ainge to put a crap  team out there so we don't go on pyrrhic 3 game winning streaks.

Getting blown out on a nightly basis probably stunts growth.

Fielding a team that is (or appears) competitive but not competitive enough to make the playoffs seems to be optimal right now.

[colincb]

- Players should never tank.

- Coaches should seldom tank.

- GMs are responsible for tanking.

- Outside of Embiid, who is the obvious #1 pick, and a very long shot for us, this draft is very deep with starter potential all the way down to our second pick. The top 5 focus is very overblown.

[sed522002]

We can win three in a row and then lose 6 straight.That's the nature of this game. A lot of "tanking" teams won tonight, as they should.The front office makes the roster,but the players shouldn't have a tanking mentality.

I'm not going to tell anybody how to watch their team, but for me I'll just let the chips fall where they may. I'm not upset when they win or lose (unless it's just a pathetic effort). Instead, I'm watching for growth of some of the players that may be around for awhile (i.e. Sully) and enjoying his development.

[PhoSita]

don't focus so much on the % chance of getting the #1 pick.  that would only be truly important if this were a 1 player draft.  it isn't.

focus on our chance of getting a top 5, top 8, top 10 pick.  right now those chances are still very, very good.

To me it's top 5 or bust. Embid, Wiggins, Parker, Exum, Vonleh. If we can't get one of those 5 we should trade the pick as part of a package for a strong player or trade down for a couple of picks.

I think there are at least 2-3 other names that are high on most mock drafts that plenty of knowledgeable people would argue belong higher than at least one of the guys you mentioned.

There's plenty of talent in the top 10.

[csfansince60s]

don't focus so much on the % chance of getting the #1 pick.  that would only be truly important if this were a 1 player draft.  it isn't.

focus on our chance of getting a top 5, top 8, top 10 pick.  right now those chances are still very, very good.

To me it's top 5 or bust. Embid, Wiggins, Parker, Exum, Vonleh. If we can't get one of those 5 we should trade the pick as part of a package for a strong player or trade down for a couple of picks.

I think there are at least 2-3 other names that are high on most mock drafts that plenty of knowledgeable people would argue belong higher than at least one of the guys you mentioned.

There's plenty of talent in the top 10.

I know that Vonleh is not as high as Randle and Smart and Gordon on most mocks. I still take him at 5 over those guys. Huge upside, 7'3" wingspan . Rebounding machine.

I don't think those other 3 guys are worth using the pick on. I trade down or out if its passed 5.i know that's not the general sentiment out there.

[Yoki_IsTheName]

don't focus so much on the % chance of getting the #1 pick.  that would only be truly important if this were a 1 player draft.  it isn't.

focus on our chance of getting a top 5, top 8, top 10 pick.  right now those chances are still very, very good.

To me it's top 5 or bust. Embid, Wiggins, Parker, Exum, Vonleh. If we can't get one of those 5 we should trade the pick as part of a package for a strong player or trade down for a couple of picks.

I hate that I'm rooting for them to lose. I hate more that they're winning utterly meaningless games. Too good for a top 5, too bad for a playoff spot. This sucks.

C'mon Ainge. Green has to go as does Bass. Hump has value to a contender as a contributor to a stretch run and a big expiring. Start dumping.

It blows my head that people are glad we are winning meaningless games....sounds like big time rationalization too me.

I agree.

Disagree. Look at Cleveland right now. For the past three (or four, cant remember) years they had a top 5 pick, two of them 1st overall and they are still in a mess.

Why? Because no one from that lineup knows how to win, or experienced winning. We can have all the great top 5 talent we want, but if we don't have a winning culture or at least a winner's mentality to approach things, we're only going to get a very god player but not wins.

Out team should still be bad enough to be able to have a chance at a top 5 pick. But let the players indulge on the little wins they get. Losing is never fun for morale. Let the players be competitive, and go for the win. Makes them hungrier for more. Then add to it a great talent, you got a winning team.

[pokeKingCurtis]

don't focus so much on the % chance of getting the #1 pick.  that would only be truly important if this were a 1 player draft.  it isn't.

focus on our chance of getting a top 5, top 8, top 10 pick.  right now those chances are still very, very good.

To me it's top 5 or bust. Embid, Wiggins, Parker, Exum, Vonleh. If we can't get one of those 5 we should trade the pick as part of a package for a strong player or trade down for a couple of picks.

I hate that I'm rooting for them to lose. I hate more that they're winning utterly meaningless games. Too good for a top 5, too bad for a playoff spot. This sucks.

C'mon Ainge. Green has to go as does Bass. Hump has value to a contender as a contributor to a stretch run and a big expiring. Start dumping.

It blows my head that people are glad we are winning meaningless games....sounds like big time rationalization too me.

I agree.

Disagree. Look at Cleveland right now. For the past three (or four, cant remember) years they had a top 5 pick, two of them 1st overall and they are still in a mess.

Why? Because no one from that lineup knows how to win, or experienced winning. We can have all the great top 5 talent we want, but if we don't have a winning culture or at least a winner's mentality to approach things, we're only going to get a very god player but not wins.

Out team should still be bad enough to be able to have a chance at a top 5 pick. But let the players indulge on the little wins they get. Losing is never fun for morale. Let the players be competitive, and go for the win. Makes them hungrier for more. Then add to it a great talent, you got a winning team.

To be fair, they could have gotten Oladipo and Drummond instead of a malcontent in Waiters and Bennett.

But I do think it's a nice testament to there being at least SOME value to a good locker room.

[rondohondo]

don't focus so much on the % chance of getting the #1 pick.  that would only be truly important if this were a 1 player draft.  it isn't.

focus on our chance of getting a top 5, top 8, top 10 pick.  right now those chances are still very, very good.

To me it's top 5 or bust. Embid, Wiggins, Parker, Exum, Vonleh. If we can't get one of those 5 we should trade the pick as part of a package for a strong player or trade down for a couple of picks.

I hate that I'm rooting for them to lose. I hate more that they're winning utterly meaningless games. Too good for a top 5, too bad for a playoff spot. This sucks.

C'mon Ainge. Green has to go as does Bass. Hump has value to a contender as a contributor to a stretch run and a big expiring. Start dumping.

It blows my head that people are glad we are winning meaningless games....sounds like big time rationalization too me.

I agree.

Disagree. Look at Cleveland right now. For the past three (or four, cant remember) years they had a top 5 pick, two of them 1st overall and they are still in a mess.

Why? Because no one from that lineup knows how to win, or experienced winning. We can have all the great top 5 talent we want, but if we don't have a winning culture or at least a winner's mentality to approach things, we're only going to get a very god player but not wins.

Out team should still be bad enough to be able to have a chance at a top 5 pick. But let the players indulge on the little wins they get. Losing is never fun for morale. Let the players be competitive, and go for the win. Makes them hungrier for more. Then add to it a great talent, you got a winning team.

nonsense

they aren't winning because they made awful draft picks, which is why they fired their GM.

Danny is one of the best drafting gm's in the league.