Playoffs and Lotto Aside, We Got Really Lucky

[RAAAAAAAANDY]

Last season, the Hawks were a sub.500 team that got bounced in the first-round of the playoffs.  Sucks to be them.

Amazing what an all-star defensive center can do for a team, eh? 

i guess the lesson there is that if we can play .500 ball we'll be a franchise big man away from relevance.

The lesson is that we are better than you think.

Al Horford is a top 20 player in the NBA...

This comparison is absurd. And I think the C's are probably a .500 team now, but you don't just go to the Al Horford tree and pick one off in the offseason. They were good before he got hurt last year too.

He's a special player.

[celticsclay]

randy now you are commenting on threads that have nothing to do with the 76ers....  you just may become a celtics fan when embiid blows out his acl

[guava_wrench]

Boston is on pace for just under 34 wins.  Let's not act like this is a good team or even one overachieving all that much.  In fact if you look at the early win predictions on this board they are actually underachieving based on what a large number of people on here thought the team would end up with.  Now granted those win projections were based on Rondo and Green, but the team is performing essentially at the same clip as it was with those two.

Yeah but our record is pretty meaningless as a way to judge our current team as there has been so much turn over (perhaps the most on a team in one season ever- how can I check that?)


As for Rondo's next contract, I still believe in him. Whoever gets him will probably get a really good deal. Maybe I'm wrong- the stats and public opinion seem to say so- But when RR turns it on he gets to a much higher level than almost anyone else in the world is capable of.

Maybe we should sign Jordan or Bird. Have you seen them when they decide to take over games?

Or maybe we should live in the present.

[Greyman]

I agree we are ahead of where many (me included) thought we would be now. A few questions that remain to be answered - Stevens has proven his skill with young players and smaller egos. How will he go coaching bigger egos? His time with Rondo didn't answer this. I think, along with DA, they will target players who won't rock the boat. I feel there is still a question there though as many of the players we should be chasing will bring big egos.

Are we ahead enough to snare the players we want/need to be truly competitive? Having IT will help this and I think it was a smart move. We probably need another signing to really make Boston desirable to players like Love.

Is Smart a player we see as part of the future or a valuable trade piece? In many ways he is more valuable now than he will be down the road if he doesn't improve in the ways people expect. A number of teams would see him as an improvement on what they have now.

[Evantime34]

Boston is on pace for just under 34 wins.  Let's not act like this is a good team or even one overachieving all that much.  In fact if you look at the early win predictions on this board they are actually underachieving based on what a large number of people on here thought the team would end up with.  Now granted those win projections were based on Rondo and Green, but the team is performing essentially at the same clip as it was with those two.

No, it is definitely not performing at the same rate, and is a .500 team since Jeff Green was traded.

We are playing a bit better.  Team still stinks.   We are 10 games under .500.   There are 20 teams in this league with better records.  We're about even with Utah.  Utah has been hotter recently and arguably has better young talent... but they stink too.

We are 6-3 in our last 9 games.

With Thomas we don't "stink."

We've played a bit better.  Let's not lose our heads.  Utah has won 10 of their last 13, seems to have much better young talent, has a slightly better record than us... but I have a feeling most would say they stink too.

I think you judge a team by how they are playing with the players they currently have.

We have stunk early in the year but we certainly do not stink now. 7-3 in the last 10 and a win against the 3rd best team in the league last night. Would you still say we stink if we finish the season in a similar fashion to the way we have played the last 10?

Utah has been very good since they moved Gobert into the lineup, they are one of the best defensive teams in the league in that span, people aren't saying they stink right now.

[Donoghus]

Boston is on pace for just under 34 wins.  Let's not act like this is a good team or even one overachieving all that much.  In fact if you look at the early win predictions on this board they are actually underachieving based on what a large number of people on here thought the team would end up with.  Now granted those win projections were based on Rondo and Green, but the team is performing essentially at the same clip as it was with those two.

No, it is definitely not performing at the same rate, and is a .500 team since Jeff Green was traded.

We are playing a bit better.  Team still stinks.   We are 10 games under .500.   There are 20 teams in this league with better records.  We're about even with Utah.  Utah has been hotter recently and arguably has better young talent... but they stink too.

We are 6-3 in our last 9 games.

With Thomas we don't "stink."

We've played a bit better.  Let's not lose our heads.  Utah has won 10 of their last 13, seems to have much better young talent, has a slightly better record than us... but I have a feeling most would say they stink too.

I think you judge a team by how they are playing with the players they currently have.

We have stunk early in the year but we certainly do not stink now. 7-3 in the last 10 and a win against the 3rd best team in the league last night. Would you still say we stink if we finish the season in a similar fashion to the way we have played the last 10?

Utah has been very good since they moved Gobert into the lineup, they are one of the best defensive teams in the league in that span, people aren't saying they stink right now.

I'd agree with this.  This past stretch of 10 games has shown that this Celtics team is not part of the dregs on the NBA.   They'll finish under .500 but this team is gonna win over 30 games which is certainly more than most people (myself included) were anticipating before the season started. They've opened my eyes  And this certainly isn't looking like a plateau team when you factor in youth & the contract/future draft picks dynamic.    They look more like a team on the road to "up & coming squad" than a team that stinks.   Given the current situation that notion seems nothing more than a "look at me hot sports take".

They just won a game last night against one of Western Conference's elite teams & the Celtics did it without their best offensive player.   That's impressive.    This rebuild certainly seems to be going ahead of schedule. 

[RAAAAAAAANDY]

randy now you are commenting on threads that have nothing to do with the 76ers....  you just may become a celtics fan when embiid blows out his acl

First off all when he goes down its going to be repeated foot and or back injuries. Not an ACL.

Mostly likely sustained during bowling, salsa dancing or lifting Rihanna onto his shoulder(Andrew Bynum precedent).

And 2nd, considering that back to back sub 20 win seasons were an improvement over the post 2001 Sixers I high doubt I'll defect now if I have done so already haha