There's no need to be outraged over losses [edited]

[Donoghus]

I feel like the anti-tankers don't get the mindset.  We want to lose, because we like winning more than you do.

  That mindset ranks right up there with "we don't want to see the Celts lose games because we're bigger fans than you are".

Drives me nuts.

Definitely see a lot of "holier than thou" crap around here these days.

[csfansince60s]

I don't like the way that wins now (and the past couple of months) are characterized as meaningless.

Wins now are NOT meaningless....Wins now are HARMFUL.

They are harmful to the number of ping pong balls we get and therefore harmful of our chances to get an asset (a higher pick) that has a better chance of being more successful/valuable than the asset we could get with fewer ping-pong balls, whether we develop that asset ourselves, or trade it to bring in a strong vet.

I get that no matter what any of us want, it's not going to impact whether we win or lose, but the  harmfulness of winning any games now can't be rationalized away, as hard as many try to.

[Chief]

I mean a lot of it is based on a shaky premise.  THe idea that this draft is "epic" and that the top 4 guys have a chance to be the Wade/Bosh/Bron/Melo of 2014.

Let's pretend for a second that the premise isn't completely ridiculous and that Embiid, Wiggins, Parker and Exum are all allstars in the making.  Let's say there is a massive drop-off after #4.

There are 3 games left in this season.  This win dropped us from #3 to #5.  By the end of the week we could slip to #7... some bad lotto luck will drop us to #9.  IF you like winning, why wouldn't you root for us to lose?  You wouldn't sacrifice a handful of meaningless games for a shot at securing a franchise player?  I don't understand that at all. 

I feel like the anti-tankers don't get the mindset.  We want to lose, because we like winning more than you do.  I don't want 3 wins and then another 26 win season.  I want 3 losses and a decade of 50+ wins.

And yeah, I get the whole "there is no certainty blah blah blah" dance that the anti-tankers throw out.  Whatever.  If we pretend for a second that the experts are right and Embiid, Wiggins, Parker and Exum are beasts... then we should all be 1000% on board with trying to land one of those guys.  If the experts end up being correct and we end up picking 6th thanks to a couple meaningless wins at the tail end of a dreadful 2014 season, I'm pretty certain nobody is going to be happy about it.

BINGO. Some here will never get it. I find it laughable i have only seen a few openly pulling for losses. But some here love to spin things to fit their narrative. They are too ate up to see this season has been lost for quite some time now and the only lining left would be that silver lining of a top draft pick.

100% correct!!! TP

[nickagneta]

I feel like the anti-tankers don't get the mindset.  We want to lose, because we like winning more than you do.

  That mindset ranks right up there with "we don't want to see the Celts lose games because we're bigger fans than you are".

Drives me nuts.

Definitely see a lot of "holier than thou" crap around here these days.

Amen.

I feel tanking should be an internal, you don't discuss these things, type of thing.

Sort of like if you break up with your wife or girlfriend in a bad way. Externally to people in a crowd, the right thing to do is to say "Hey, things didn't work out. I wish her the best and hope eventually we can be cordial and possibly even friendly to each other." when what you really want is for her to hook up with a string of losers who kind ruin and hurt her so she realizes that you were the best thing that could have happened to her.

You say and do the right things but internally hope for the worst.

That's the way I view it. I cheer my team on. I hope they win every game. But in seasons like this if they lose a lot, internally I kind of want that so we can get a better percentage chance in the lottery, but its not something I overtly do because I feel its just wrong. My principles don't allow me to hope my team purposely loses as that's against my idea of what athletic competition is all about. Try your hardest to win and if you lose, learn the lessons that losing teaches and let things fall where they may.

I think that's especially true at the fan, player and coaching level. If Ainge wants to assemble a team that can't win a lot of games, then that is where tanking has to happen. Fans should be cheering for wins, players and coaches should be playing to win. Maybe that's an old fart's view of things but its how I feel.

[Chief]

I feel like the anti-tankers don't get the mindset.  We want to lose, because we like winning more than you do.

  That mindset ranks right up there with "we don't want to see the Celts lose games because we're bigger fans than you are".

Drives me nuts.

Definitely see a lot of "holier than thou" crap around here these days.

me too

[PAOBoston]

I'm one of those people who believe the Celtics are better off this year with getting a top 5 lottery pick. That being said, openly rooting for the Celtics to lose is something I will NOT do. If they win, they win. If they lose, they lose. This team isn't very good so chances are they'll lose more often and occasionally get a win here and there. I mean, they just won their first in like 3 weeks. So be it. For me, it's mission accomplished this year. They are gonna have a top 5 pick in all likelihood in the draft, they let Sullinger/Olynyk/Pressey/etc get experience, found out Stevens is a good coach, Rondo came back from ACL surgery with relatively no set backs, and they have acquired about a zillion picks in the first round as ammunition over the next couple of years. Pretty solid year #1 of a rebuild imo.

This team still plays hard and that's all you can ask for. I'm not sure what some "tankers" in here want them to do. Throw games on purpose? That's cheap (and I think it's bad karma). This team plays hard and doesn't quit. It's a good mentality to have (even if they don't win many games). They, unlike Philly, actually deserve a top 3 pick. Those bums have been torched and blown out so many times in the past 2 months it's embarrassing. In 2007, they had the 2nd worst record and got the 5th pick, this year they might have the 5th worst record and might get the 2nd.  2007 worked out pretty well even with the 5th pick in the end. Who knows what will happen.

[PAOBoston]

delete

[Ogaju]

take the loss don't play hero ball.

Embrace the tank. That is all we ask. Don't make plays like Rondo's dive for the ball in the playoffs. Play hard, but play smart.

That is all we ask

[fairweatherfan]

Thread summary: 



In all seriousness, the results of the games won't change a bit if too many people have the "wrong" opinion.  Brad Stevens isn't going to switch up his rotations based on how many fans think losing games is a good strategy.  Unless there's some management here incognito, none of us have any input at all in what path this team takes.  So why snip at each other all season?  Or act like thinking the way you do makes you a better fan somehow?  Everyone here's a fan, or they wouldn't be here.   Root for what you want to root for and whatever will be, will be. 

[j804]

Can we send Pressey down to Maine?

[BballTim]

Thread summary: 



In all seriousness, the results of the games won't change a bit if too many people have the "wrong" opinion.  Brad Stevens isn't going to switch up his rotations based on how many fans think losing games is a good strategy.  Unless there's some management here incognito, none of us have any input at all in what path this team takes.  So why snip at each other all season?  Or act like thinking the way you do makes you a better fan somehow?  Everyone here's a fan, or they wouldn't be here.   Root for what you want to root for and whatever will be, will be.

  This is why I think the anti-tankers have the right idea, to a certain extent. Root for the team to win every game, hope the team makes the playoffs and if it doesn't work out you'll get to root for the high draft pick when he's on the team next year just like everyone else. Where's the downside?

[fairweatherfan]

Thread summary: 



In all seriousness, the results of the games won't change a bit if too many people have the "wrong" opinion.  Brad Stevens isn't going to switch up his rotations based on how many fans think losing games is a good strategy.  Unless there's some management here incognito, none of us have any input at all in what path this team takes.  So why snip at each other all season?  Or act like thinking the way you do makes you a better fan somehow?  Everyone here's a fan, or they wouldn't be here.   Root for what you want to root for and whatever will be, will be.

  This is why I think the anti-tankers have the right idea, to a certain extent. Root for the team to win every game, hope the team makes the playoffs and if it doesn't work out you'll get to root for the high draft pick when he's on the team next year just like everyone else. Where's the downside?

That's kinda where I wind up - I recognize the value in bottoming out, but I also know there are plenty of teams that have rebuilt without it.  And I'm gonna root for the team to win every game I watch.  It's win-win from a fan perspective, since I see value in both outcomes.  No need to be "right" because what difference does it make?

[D.o.s.]

My guess is that the tanker/anti-tanker divide comes down to one of personality, as often do political differences. For the tanker/anti-tanker split my further guess is that the famous psychology test involving marshmallows and delayed gratification would work as a rough operating proxy.

Nah, that's bogus. This isn't my taxes or my rent or making reasonable purchases with my credit card -- this is sports. I want my team to win. I want my marshmallow now, because I can spend my life being 'responsible' and 'doing the smart thing' in a whole variety of boring ways all the time.

Everyone watches sports to be entertained. Not many people find waiting a handful of seasons to watch your favorite team regain competency to be fun.

[nickagneta]

Shouldn't the new title of the thread be "There's no need to be outraged over wins"?

That was the original intent after all.

[PhoSita]

Shouldn't the new title of the thread be "There's no need to be outraged over wins"?

That was the original intent after all.

Yeah, that confused me.