8 games left. I think we finish 5th worst with 29.2% chance of a top 3 pick.

[sadleprechaun]

You know what though? Last night's win was awesome. I'm intellectually on board with tanking, but watching the Celtics blow out a team, instead of the converse, was great.

I was hanging out drinking some beers with some friends of mine for the game, and we were all stoked on the team's play, even though we know that 'it'd be better' if we lost. I would've had a bad night if we lost yesterday, instead the Celtics directly contributed to a good evening. That's more important, in the grand scheme of things, than finishing with 25 wins instead of 26.

You've got to be kidding.  You think that one good night with some bros and beers is more important than our chances at a top draft pick? 

I guess I give you credit for publicly admitting how shortsighted you are, but I couldn't disagree with you more.

I think so, seeing the Celtics having fun on the court is very satisfying. To me, it was the most enjoyable game in a looong time.

It's not a matter of how "enjoyable" the game was.  We're talking about whether that enjoyment is worth giving up a bunch of ping pong balls.  If you think it was, then please promise to never run a franchise that I root for.

[D.o.s.]

You know what though? Last night's win was awesome. I'm intellectually on board with tanking, but watching the Celtics blow out a team, instead of the converse, was great.

I was hanging out drinking some beers with some friends of mine for the game, and we were all stoked on the team's play, even though we know that 'it'd be better' if we lost. I would've had a bad night if we lost yesterday, instead the Celtics directly contributed to a good evening. That's more important, in the grand scheme of things, than finishing with 25 wins instead of 26.

You've got to be kidding.  You think that one good night with some bros and beers is more important than our chances at a top draft pick? 

I guess I give you credit for publicly admitting how shortsighted you are, but I couldn't disagree with you more.

I think so, seeing the Celtics having fun on the court is very satisfying. To me, it was the most enjoyable game in a looong time.

It's not a matter of how "enjoyable" the game was.  We're talking about whether that enjoyment is worth giving up a bunch of ping pong balls.  If you think it was, then please promise to never run a franchise that I root for.

I bet you're a real hit at parties.

How's this: I think you're missing the point of sports, and sports entertainment, and what it means to be a fan of anything entirely if you think that rooting for a team to win is unequivocally a bad thing.

[freshinthehouse]

I've been a loyal supporter of Ainge, and I still have tons of faith in him, but I'm really disappointed that he's allowing the team to finish the year with these counterproductive wins.  It's his job to consider the long-term best interests of this team, and these recent wins are actively destructive to those interests.  Reducing our odds of a top-3 pick is absolutely a bad thing--there's just no way around it.  Ainge could have talked to Brad and made it clear that it was important to lose the last four games of the season.  He could've told Brad to rest players like Sully and Bradley.  The fact that Ainge (apparently) didn't is equivalent to him telling the league to just give some of our ping pong balls to other teams.

If Ainge actually gave away our ping pong balls, wouldn't this place go insane?  How is his (seemingly) complacent acceptance of destructive wins any different?

Again, in the grand scheme of things, I'm a big fan of Ainge, but I think he really blew it on this one.

I think Ainge has done all that he could.  He didn't add anyone this off-season or at the trade deadline that improved the team.

And I think this "Just sit everybody" idea is a bit naïve.  It's not like players are gonna just be yes men and do whatever shady thing a coach tells them to do and be cool with it.  If these guys are healthy they are gonna want to play.  You start benching young guys for no reason except to tank games they are going to Edited.  Profanity and masked profanity are against forum rules and may result in discipline. to their agents and that is gonna leak to the media.  If we start purposely benching a bunch of healthy players and make a mockery of the game I'd bet the league would make an example of us and there would be some kind of punishment. 

And as far as benching players, we had a skeleton crew on the court lately and we are still winning games.  Paul Pressey of all people is having a great run.  Even the scrubs in the NBA are phenomenal basketball players.  They are gonna have the occasional night where they get hot and lead the team to a win.  It happens.

[BleedGreen1989]

You know what though? Last night's win was awesome. I'm intellectually on board with tanking, but watching the Celtics blow out a team, instead of the converse, was great.

I was hanging out drinking some beers with some friends of mine for the game, and we were all stoked on the team's play, even though we know that 'it'd be better' if we lost. I would've had a bad night if we lost yesterday, instead the Celtics directly contributed to a good evening. That's more important, in the grand scheme of things, than finishing with 25 wins instead of 26.

You've got to be kidding.  You think that one good night with some bros and beers is more important than our chances at a top draft pick? 

I guess I give you credit for publicly admitting how shortsighted you are, but I couldn't disagree with you more.

I think so, seeing the Celtics having fun on the court is very satisfying. To me, it was the most enjoyable game in a looong time.

It's not a matter of how "enjoyable" the game was.  We're talking about whether that enjoyment is worth giving up a bunch of ping pong balls.  If you think it was, then please promise to never run a franchise that I root for.

Oh dear god, he used entertainment as...entertainment!? That's ludacris.

Now throw yourself on the train tracks DOS and beg for forgiveness.

[D.o.s.]

Right? I'm sorry that I value my own emotional well-being and happiness over and beyond whether the Boston Celtics,

-who employ people I will never know outside of a professional basis...

-who are owned by people I will never know beyond a professional basis...

-who do not care about me, or my family, or my friends beyond any kind of abstract notion of a 'fan'...

-and who are supported financially by millions of people, or 'fans', I will never know at all...



...pick third or fourth or eight in the draft.

Jeez. I'm the one who's shortsighted all right.

[Rondo9]

You know what though? Last night's win was awesome. I'm intellectually on board with tanking, but watching the Celtics blow out a team, instead of the converse, was great.

I was hanging out drinking some beers with some friends of mine for the game, and we were all stoked on the team's play, even though we know that 'it'd be better' if we lost. I would've had a bad night if we lost yesterday, instead the Celtics directly contributed to a good evening. That's more important, in the grand scheme of things, than finishing with 25 wins instead of 26.

You've got to be kidding.  You think that one good night with some bros and beers is more important than our chances at a top draft pick? 

I guess I give you credit for publicly admitting how shortsighted you are, but I couldn't disagree with you more.

I think so, seeing the Celtics having fun on the court is very satisfying. To me, it was the most enjoyable game in a looong time.

It's not a matter of how "enjoyable" the game was.  We're talking about whether that enjoyment is worth giving up a bunch of ping pong balls.  If you think it was, then please promise to never run a franchise that I root for.

Yes, me enjoying a game is far more important than ping pong balls. Danny's gone on record by saying he doesn't think much of this draft. While I'm sure he would love a top three pick, I'm pretty sure he will satisfied with pick in the 5-7 range.

[Roy H.]

I guess I give you credit for publicly admitting how shortsighted you are

To everyone:  Enough with the comments like this, and the dozens more like it.  You don't have the monopoly on what it's like to be a fan, and you have no right to be rude or condescending to others.

[Celtics39]

You know what though? Last night's win was awesome. I'm intellectually on board with tanking, but watching the Celtics blow out a team, instead of the converse, was great.

I was hanging out drinking some beers with some friends of mine for the game, and we were all stoked on the team's play, even though we know that 'it'd be better' if we lost. I would've had a bad night if we lost yesterday, instead the Celtics directly contributed to a good evening. That's more important, in the grand scheme of things, than finishing with 25 wins instead of 26.

No, no it's not. Not at all.

[D.o.s.]

You know what though? Last night's win was awesome. I'm intellectually on board with tanking, but watching the Celtics blow out a team, instead of the converse, was great.

I was hanging out drinking some beers with some friends of mine for the game, and we were all stoked on the team's play, even though we know that 'it'd be better' if we lost. I would've had a bad night if we lost yesterday, instead the Celtics directly contributed to a good evening. That's more important, in the grand scheme of things, than finishing with 25 wins instead of 26.

No, no it's not. Not at all.

I'll refer you to the last post I made in this thread.

[Celtics39]

Right? I'm sorry that I value my own emotional well-being and happiness over and beyond whether the Boston Celtics,

-who employ people I will never know outside of a professional basis...

-who are owned by people I will never know beyond a professional basis...

-who do not care about me, or my family, or my friends beyond any kind of abstract notion of a 'fan'...

-and who are supported financially by millions of people, or 'fans', I will never know at all...



...pick third or fourth or eight in the draft.

Jeez. I'm the one who's shortsighted all right.

I don't understand this post.

If you are a Celtics fans (which from this post it sounds like you aren't?) then you should be rooting for them to get as high a pick as possible so that we can draft the best player.

Rooting for wins is dumb, and the fact that a meaningless blow out win with 2 games left in the year makes you so happy honestly frightens me. I thought our fan base had a little more intelligence and long-term thinking than that.

The goal is not to win meaningless games, it is to win a Championship. And you should care where we pick. If you don't, then you're not a very smart fan. Sorry chief.

[D.o.s.]

And. Also. For Fun:

I'm not a fan of the tanking, we can win some ball games and be a respectable basketball team and still get a good pick.

how? please explain how all three of those scenarios can co-exist.

Finish with 30 wins, get the 8th best lottery odds. Get a top 10 pick in a draft that is deep, and overrated as hell at the top of the draft. Ainge said it himself that Embiid, Wiggins and Parker are not superstars. The best player in this draft may end up going 10th overall for all we know.

 

[Celtics39]

Unless you're ill or something and don't have much time left on this Earth and this is your last season, then you should be rooting for the long term interest of the franchise.

I get that it was fun for you or whatever to see the Celtics blow out Cleveland. But believe it or not, next season exists. And the year after that and the year after that and the year after that. How we fare in these future seasons depends on us losing these next few meaningless games.

But you don't even care where we are picking in this next draft, so I don't think you're even a real fan.

...pick third or fourth or eight in the draft.

Yes it does matter. If you want to have fun watching the Celtics and throwing down some adult beverages with friends & fam, then you should be rooting for us to get the best player possible to accelerate our rebuilding process and return us to contender status.

Didn't mean to personally attack you. Your draft comment just irked me.

[Roy H.]

How we fare in these future seasons depends on us losing these next few meaningless games.

Let's see how it plays out first.  Who knows, winning these games could result in us getting the winning lottery combination.  It's not likely, but it's certainly a possibility.

But you don't even care where we are picking in this next draft, so I don't think you're even a real fan.

Comments like this will get you suspended, so please stop.

Do not label or challenge fellow posters -- either individually or collectively -- in a way that is likely to provoke a negative response.  Dependent upon context, examples include, but are not limited to, "fake fan", "bandwagon fan", "not a real fan", "hater", "homer", "koolaid drinker" ... etc.

Chances are pretty good that if you're spending hours posting on a Celtics fan board, you're a "real fan".

[Celtics39]

I share this account with my brother so he probably made that comment. I've been on board with tanking since 6/27/13

Get stuffed? Way to keep it classy.

Also, you have yet to address your remark about not caring where we draft.

[D.o.s.]

Sure. I don't really care where we draft.

How's that?

I'm still going to watch the Celtics in 2015. And 2016. And however long I have the ability to do so. Where we draft doesn't move that needle one iota. I will be stoked when the Celtics win, I will be not-so-stoked when the Celtics lose, and at the end of the day, whether we draft fourth or first or eight is pretty immaterial to that fact.

Would I prefer that the Celtics get the #1 overall draft pick? Of course. Will I lose sleep over these games if we end up picking 7th? Absolutely not. I'll shrug my shoulders, say "so it goes" and continue on with the rest of my life.