Celtics Playoffs Standings Watch thread (27-22, tied for 3rd place)

[Ogaju]

TRUE our games do seem like they could go either way we are not overwhelming anyone, and I don't think anyone is overwhelming us. Is that a good place to be? When you are playing with a chip on your shoulder? Yes.

Wonder how CBS would do when he has a decided talent advantage. So far his coaching career at Butler and with Cs has always been as somewhat of an underdog.

[celticsclay]

After yesterday's brutal loss we fell to 7th. I was so disappointed by the effort from everyone in that game. I really didn't view that game as Cleveland being so much better than us, just us being lazy and not playing as good as we normally do with the same effort. We just kept settling for jumpers in the third quarter and we can't do that against any team, let alone the Cavs. It didn't help that Shumpert was draining 3's after each missed jumped we took. Anyways, onwards and upwards hopefully.

Today is a matchup that we are actually viewed as bigger underdogs in than last night's tilt. Detroit is right on our heels and drummond and jackson have been playing really well. In the past the dominant centers have really eaten the celtics alive. I am curious what kind of defense Amir and Sully can offer.

In other relevant games chicago plays a tough test at home against Memphis. They have not been playing well and will be interesting to see if their mediocre play continues with trade rumors starting to swirl.

Charlotte and orlando play in an interesting game to see if charlotte really is a cut above some of the higher end lottery teams.

Indiana plays dallas in a game we want both teams to lose.

Brooklyn also plays Miami.

Celtics could be anywhere from tied for 4th to 10th place after this game. It is a game we really need to have.

[slamtheking]

After yesterday's brutal loss we fell to 7th. I was so disappointed by the effort from everyone in that game. I really didn't view that game as Cleveland being so much better than us, just us being lazy and not playing as good as we normally do with the same effort. We just kept settling for jumpers in the third quarter and we can't do that against any team, let alone the Cavs. It didn't help that Shumpert was draining 3's after each missed jumped we took. Anyways, onwards and upwards hopefully.

Today is a matchup that we are actually viewed as bigger underdogs in than last night's tilt. Detroit is right on our heels and drummond and jackson have been playing really well. In the past the dominant centers have really eaten the celtics alive. I am curious what kind of defense Amir and Sully can offer.

In other relevant games chicago plays a tough test at home against Memphis. They have not been playing well and will be interesting to see if their mediocre play continues with trade rumors starting to swirl.

Charlotte and orlando play in an interesting game to see if charlotte really is a cut above some of the higher end lottery teams.

Indiana plays dallas in a game we want both teams to lose.

Brooklyn also plays Miami.

Celtics could be anywhere from tied for 4th to 10th place after this game. It is a game we really need to have.

here's the positive spin I put on things this year.

I figure the C's to finish in 9th--just missing the playoffs by a 1 or 2 at most.  from that viewpoint, they're overachieving right now so what happened last night is nothing to worry about (an expected loss when considered at the beginning of the season). 

View wins against good teams as a pleasant surprise and any loss as something that was just expected (unless it's Brooklyn or Philly).

[j804]

On pace for another sweep against the Cavs in the first round....we need to make some moves at the deadline

[PhoSita]

On pace for another sweep against the Cavs in the first round....we need to make some moves at the deadline

One way or the other, yeah.

Very little separation among the more-or-less-playoff-caliber teams below Cleveland, so the Celts could have a shot in a series if they don't face Cleveland.

Then again, so long as we're relying on Isaiah Thomas and Avery Bradley for so much of our offense, the ceiling for this team seems low, no matter what the defense does.

Either add another guy who can provide reliable buckets, or sell on some of these guys who probably won't be here next year.

[BDeCosta26]

On pace for another sweep against the Cavs in the first round....we need to make some moves at the deadline

Idk about that. From what I've seen so far, the Celtics look like a top 4 or 5 team in the East. It's so jumbled right now that one win or one loss can take you from 7th to 3rd but it won't stay that way all year. Teams will seperate and were in great position for that. With our defense and depth were bound to be a strong regular season team, and 50 wins isn't out of the question (Though I think 46, 47 is more likely), so I doubt we end up paired with the 1st place Cavs in round 1. And I like our chances against just about anyone else in the East to get to the 2nd round.

I'm all for making a good move at the deadline. Gallo is a guy I'd really like to go after. Considering at this point last year we didn't even look like a 30 win team, plus our Brooklyn pick, I'm super excited about what's happening here anyways.

STK, do you still think Boston just misses the playoffs?  If I thought that, I would've imagined a sub .500 start in their first 25 games. It's starting to seem pretty sure to me that were deff a playoff team. Just curious?

[celticsclay]

After yesterday's brutal loss we fell to 7th. I was so disappointed by the effort from everyone in that game. I really didn't view that game as Cleveland being so much better than us, just us being lazy and not playing as good as we normally do with the same effort. We just kept settling for jumpers in the third quarter and we can't do that against any team, let alone the Cavs. It didn't help that Shumpert was draining 3's after each missed jumped we took. Anyways, onwards and upwards hopefully.

Today is a matchup that we are actually viewed as bigger underdogs in than last night's tilt. Detroit is right on our heels and drummond and jackson have been playing really well. In the past the dominant centers have really eaten the celtics alive. I am curious what kind of defense Amir and Sully can offer.

In other relevant games chicago plays a tough test at home against Memphis. They have not been playing well and will be interesting to see if their mediocre play continues with trade rumors starting to swirl.

Charlotte and orlando play in an interesting game to see if charlotte really is a cut above some of the higher end lottery teams.

Indiana plays dallas in a game we want both teams to lose.

Brooklyn also plays Miami.

Celtics could be anywhere from tied for 4th to 10th place after this game. It is a game we really need to have.

here's the positive spin I put on things this year.

I figure the C's to finish in 9th--just missing the playoffs by a 1 or 2 at most.  from that viewpoint, they're overachieving right now so what happened last night is nothing to worry about (an expected loss when considered at the beginning of the season). 

View wins against good teams as a pleasant surprise and any loss as something that was just expected (unless it's Brooklyn or Philly).

It seems pretty unlikely for the Celtics to finish 9th. There are a number of playoff teams that have really faded this year opening up a lot of spots for us to make it.

Washington - I am pretty close to writing them off, especially after their recent loss of beal to injury. There move to small ball has been a disaster and Porter hasn't taken the leap many expected after last season.

Knicks: They had a really nice start to the season and Porzingas has been a revelation, but they are really struggling right now and are a step below some of the other lower playoff teams because of complete lack of depth.

Bucks - The win over the warriors was great for them, but at the end of the day they are really struggling and last night's loss to the Lakers more than offset the Warriors win. They already have 5 more losses than the Celtics and I am just not seeing a way they suddenly completley reverse course

Philly - in a month they will be mathematically eliminated from playoffs

Nets - I am writing them off as having no chance at playoffs

That right there would be 5 teams it would be very hard pressed to see us finishing behind.

Then you have a clump of teams at the next tier. Atlanta has looked, quite frankly, awful lately.
Charlotte, Orlando, Detroit, Toronto and Indiana all have some nice pieces. We would need to finish behind every single one of those teams (plus the bulls) to miss the playoffs.
You predict that?

[Evantime34]

On pace for another sweep against the Cavs in the first round....we need to make some moves at the deadline

This team looks a lot more like a 3-6 seed to me than the 8th seed that would play Cleveland in the first round.

Yes, we are currently the 7th seed but I expect us to win more games in the second half of year than in the first half (similar to last year). As the year progresses Stevens will get the players to improve.

The C's have played the 11th hardest schedule in the league thus far, despite playing in what is probably the worst division in the eastern conference. That schedule is going to get easier and we are going to get hot.

Personell wise I also expect this team to improve after the deadline.

If we keep up our top 5 defense I don't see any way we finish with a bad enough record to play the Cavs in the playoffs.

[celticsclay]

On pace for another sweep against the Cavs in the first round....we need to make some moves at the deadline

This team looks a lot more like a 3-6 seed to me than the 8th seed that would play Cleveland in the first round.

Yes, we are currently the 7th seed but I expect us to win more games in the second half of year than in the first half (similar to last year). As the year progresses Stevens will get the players to improve.

The C's have played the 11th hardest schedule in the league thus far, despite playing in what is probably the worst division in the eastern conference. That schedule is going to get easier and we are going to get hot.

Personell wise I also expect this team to improve after the deadline.

If we keep up our top 5 defense I don't see any way we finish with a bad enough record to play the Cavs in the playoffs.

I wonder if the user was just using hyperbole after being upset about last night's loss (and i was pretty p---ed myself)

[Evantime34]

On pace for another sweep against the Cavs in the first round....we need to make some moves at the deadline

This team looks a lot more like a 3-6 seed to me than the 8th seed that would play Cleveland in the first round.

Yes, we are currently the 7th seed but I expect us to win more games in the second half of year than in the first half (similar to last year). As the year progresses Stevens will get the players to improve.

The C's have played the 11th hardest schedule in the league thus far, despite playing in what is probably the worst division in the eastern conference. That schedule is going to get easier and we are going to get hot.

Personell wise I also expect this team to improve after the deadline.

If we keep up our top 5 defense I don't see any way we finish with a bad enough record to play the Cavs in the playoffs.

I wonder if the user was just using hyperbole after being upset about last night's loss (and i was pretty p---ed myself)

That's fair. It was absolutely upsetting.

We played essentially the exact same level we did during the series against Cleveland last year. The C's have looked better this year than last year so seeing them revert is absolutely disheartening.

[slamtheking]

After yesterday's brutal loss we fell to 7th. I was so disappointed by the effort from everyone in that game. I really didn't view that game as Cleveland being so much better than us, just us being lazy and not playing as good as we normally do with the same effort. We just kept settling for jumpers in the third quarter and we can't do that against any team, let alone the Cavs. It didn't help that Shumpert was draining 3's after each missed jumped we took. Anyways, onwards and upwards hopefully.

Today is a matchup that we are actually viewed as bigger underdogs in than last night's tilt. Detroit is right on our heels and drummond and jackson have been playing really well. In the past the dominant centers have really eaten the celtics alive. I am curious what kind of defense Amir and Sully can offer.

In other relevant games chicago plays a tough test at home against Memphis. They have not been playing well and will be interesting to see if their mediocre play continues with trade rumors starting to swirl.

Charlotte and orlando play in an interesting game to see if charlotte really is a cut above some of the higher end lottery teams.

Indiana plays dallas in a game we want both teams to lose.

Brooklyn also plays Miami.

Celtics could be anywhere from tied for 4th to 10th place after this game. It is a game we really need to have.

here's the positive spin I put on things this year.

I figure the C's to finish in 9th--just missing the playoffs by a 1 or 2 at most.  from that viewpoint, they're overachieving right now so what happened last night is nothing to worry about (an expected loss when considered at the beginning of the season). 

View wins against good teams as a pleasant surprise and any loss as something that was just expected (unless it's Brooklyn or Philly).

It seems pretty unlikely for the Celtics to finish 9th. There are a number of playoff teams that have really faded this year opening up a lot of spots for us to make it.

Washington - I am pretty close to writing them off, especially after their recent loss of beal to injury. There move to small ball has been a disaster and Porter hasn't taken the leap many expected after last season.

Knicks: They had a really nice start to the season and Porzingas has been a revelation, but they are really struggling right now and are a step below some of the other lower playoff teams because of complete lack of depth.

Bucks - The win over the warriors was great for them, but at the end of the day they are really struggling and last night's loss to the Lakers more than offset the Warriors win. They already have 5 more losses than the Celtics and I am just not seeing a way they suddenly completley reverse course

Philly - in a month they will be mathematically eliminated from playoffs

Nets - I am writing them off as having no chance at playoffs

That right there would be 5 teams it would be very hard pressed to see us finishing behind.

Then you have a clump of teams at the next tier. Atlanta has looked, quite frankly, awful lately.
Charlotte, Orlando, Detroit, Toronto and Indiana all have some nice pieces. We would need to finish behind every single one of those teams (plus the bulls) to miss the playoffs.
You predict that?

I'm not saying I have a widely-accepted viewpoint, just one that helps put yesterday's game into a less-significant perspective.

As for why I think they're a 9th seed, here's how I arrived at that in the preseason.
At the time, all the teams that had finished better than us the previous year figured to still be better than us this year.  (so far Wash and Mil haven't played particularly well and Atlanta has really dropped off from last year)   
Also, Indy was getting PG back so I figured they'd be the team we'd battle for that 8th spot with Indy getting it due to have 2 go-to players down the stretch of close games (PG and Ellis).  we have none. 
I also anticipated NY and Detroit to improve over last year (they have) as well as Charlotte being a dark horse for improvement (they have).

I don't think 9th is out of the question.  At this point, they could finish anywhere from 5th to 10th depending on which teams go on winning streaks, have critical injuries and avoid losses to worse teams.

[celticsclay]

After yesterday's brutal loss we fell to 7th. I was so disappointed by the effort from everyone in that game. I really didn't view that game as Cleveland being so much better than us, just us being lazy and not playing as good as we normally do with the same effort. We just kept settling for jumpers in the third quarter and we can't do that against any team, let alone the Cavs. It didn't help that Shumpert was draining 3's after each missed jumped we took. Anyways, onwards and upwards hopefully.

Today is a matchup that we are actually viewed as bigger underdogs in than last night's tilt. Detroit is right on our heels and drummond and jackson have been playing really well. In the past the dominant centers have really eaten the celtics alive. I am curious what kind of defense Amir and Sully can offer.

In other relevant games chicago plays a tough test at home against Memphis. They have not been playing well and will be interesting to see if their mediocre play continues with trade rumors starting to swirl.

Charlotte and orlando play in an interesting game to see if charlotte really is a cut above some of the higher end lottery teams.

Indiana plays dallas in a game we want both teams to lose.

Brooklyn also plays Miami.

Celtics could be anywhere from tied for 4th to 10th place after this game. It is a game we really need to have.

here's the positive spin I put on things this year.

I figure the C's to finish in 9th--just missing the playoffs by a 1 or 2 at most.  from that viewpoint, they're overachieving right now so what happened last night is nothing to worry about (an expected loss when considered at the beginning of the season). 

View wins against good teams as a pleasant surprise and any loss as something that was just expected (unless it's Brooklyn or Philly).

It seems pretty unlikely for the Celtics to finish 9th. There are a number of playoff teams that have really faded this year opening up a lot of spots for us to make it.

Washington - I am pretty close to writing them off, especially after their recent loss of beal to injury. There move to small ball has been a disaster and Porter hasn't taken the leap many expected after last season.

Knicks: They had a really nice start to the season and Porzingas has been a revelation, but they are really struggling right now and are a step below some of the other lower playoff teams because of complete lack of depth.

Bucks - The win over the warriors was great for them, but at the end of the day they are really struggling and last night's loss to the Lakers more than offset the Warriors win. They already have 5 more losses than the Celtics and I am just not seeing a way they suddenly completley reverse course

Philly - in a month they will be mathematically eliminated from playoffs

Nets - I am writing them off as having no chance at playoffs

That right there would be 5 teams it would be very hard pressed to see us finishing behind.

Then you have a clump of teams at the next tier. Atlanta has looked, quite frankly, awful lately.
Charlotte, Orlando, Detroit, Toronto and Indiana all have some nice pieces. We would need to finish behind every single one of those teams (plus the bulls) to miss the playoffs.
You predict that?

I'm not saying I have a widely-accepted viewpoint, just one that helps put yesterday's game into a less-significant perspective.

As for why I think they're a 9th seed, here's how I arrived at that in the preseason.
At the time, all the teams that had finished better than us the previous year figured to still be better than us this year.  (so far Wash and Mil haven't played particularly well and Atlanta has really dropped off from last year)   
Also, Indy was getting PG back so I figured they'd be the team we'd battle for that 8th spot with Indy getting it due to have 2 go-to players down the stretch of close games (PG and Ellis).  we have none. 
I also anticipated NY and Detroit to improve over last year (they have) as well as Charlotte being a dark horse for improvement (they have).

I don't think 9th is out of the question.  At this point, they could finish anywhere from 5th to 10th depending on which teams go on winning streaks, have critical injuries and avoid losses to worse teams.

Did you also forget that the Nets finished ahead of us last year? There are 4 playoff teams from last year that look way worse this year in Atlanta, Nets, Bucks and Washington. It is really hard to imagine any of them really turning it around dramatically, especially given that Beal has a significant injury. Atlanta still got could turn it around, but they appear to be getting worse not better. You couple the fact that we seem improved from last year (last night aside).

[Evantime34]

After yesterday's brutal loss we fell to 7th. I was so disappointed by the effort from everyone in that game. I really didn't view that game as Cleveland being so much better than us, just us being lazy and not playing as good as we normally do with the same effort. We just kept settling for jumpers in the third quarter and we can't do that against any team, let alone the Cavs. It didn't help that Shumpert was draining 3's after each missed jumped we took. Anyways, onwards and upwards hopefully.

Today is a matchup that we are actually viewed as bigger underdogs in than last night's tilt. Detroit is right on our heels and drummond and jackson have been playing really well. In the past the dominant centers have really eaten the celtics alive. I am curious what kind of defense Amir and Sully can offer.

In other relevant games chicago plays a tough test at home against Memphis. They have not been playing well and will be interesting to see if their mediocre play continues with trade rumors starting to swirl.

Charlotte and orlando play in an interesting game to see if charlotte really is a cut above some of the higher end lottery teams.

Indiana plays dallas in a game we want both teams to lose.

Brooklyn also plays Miami.

Celtics could be anywhere from tied for 4th to 10th place after this game. It is a game we really need to have.

here's the positive spin I put on things this year.

I figure the C's to finish in 9th--just missing the playoffs by a 1 or 2 at most.  from that viewpoint, they're overachieving right now so what happened last night is nothing to worry about (an expected loss when considered at the beginning of the season). 

View wins against good teams as a pleasant surprise and any loss as something that was just expected (unless it's Brooklyn or Philly).

It seems pretty unlikely for the Celtics to finish 9th. There are a number of playoff teams that have really faded this year opening up a lot of spots for us to make it.

Washington - I am pretty close to writing them off, especially after their recent loss of beal to injury. There move to small ball has been a disaster and Porter hasn't taken the leap many expected after last season.

Knicks: They had a really nice start to the season and Porzingas has been a revelation, but they are really struggling right now and are a step below some of the other lower playoff teams because of complete lack of depth.

Bucks - The win over the warriors was great for them, but at the end of the day they are really struggling and last night's loss to the Lakers more than offset the Warriors win. They already have 5 more losses than the Celtics and I am just not seeing a way they suddenly completley reverse course

Philly - in a month they will be mathematically eliminated from playoffs

Nets - I am writing them off as having no chance at playoffs

That right there would be 5 teams it would be very hard pressed to see us finishing behind.

Then you have a clump of teams at the next tier. Atlanta has looked, quite frankly, awful lately.
Charlotte, Orlando, Detroit, Toronto and Indiana all have some nice pieces. We would need to finish behind every single one of those teams (plus the bulls) to miss the playoffs.
You predict that?

I'm not saying I have a widely-accepted viewpoint, just one that helps put yesterday's game into a less-significant perspective.

As for why I think they're a 9th seed, here's how I arrived at that in the preseason.
At the time, all the teams that had finished better than us the previous year figured to still be better than us this year.  (so far Wash and Mil haven't played particularly well and Atlanta has really dropped off from last year)   
Also, Indy was getting PG back so I figured they'd be the team we'd battle for that 8th spot with Indy getting it due to have 2 go-to players down the stretch of close games (PG and Ellis).  we have none. 
I also anticipated NY and Detroit to improve over last year (they have) as well as Charlotte being a dark horse for improvement (they have).

I don't think 9th is out of the question.  At this point, they could finish anywhere from 5th to 10th depending on which teams go on winning streaks, have critical injuries and avoid losses to worse teams.

What you have seen thus far doesn't make you more optimistic than you were in the pre season?

They have certainly played better than I thought they would to start the year.

[Neurotic Guy]

Celts in the lottery with 13th most ping-pong balls.  Now sit at 3, 13, 18, 31 and 35 positions in the draft.

Would be ironic if C's end up in the lottery this year due to stronger East.  Complete non-tank may result in better draft position than last year.  I doubt it though.  This team seems like a playoff team and I think Danny will make a move to strengthen.

[celticsclay]

Celts in the lottery with 13th most ping-pong balls.  Now sit at 3, 13, 18, 31 and 35 positions in the draft.

Would be ironic if C's end up in the lottery this year due to stronger East.  Complete non-tank may result in better draft position than last year.  I doubt it though.  This team seems like a playoff team and I think Danny will make a move to strengthen.

This is an emotional roller coaster to follow. This is the second time in the last 3 weeks we have been out of playoff position. Last time it only lasted 1 game. Hopefully the same this time. We have had a tougher schedule so I think we will start to get a little separation.