Where are the critics that thought this seasons Celtics team had no chance?

[Tr1boy]

I can't believe some of you folks thought/predicted that the Celts were going to be battling for 8th place

I stated before the season started we had a good chance to  finish top 4. After the Cavs anything went.  There is more to it than having one or two superstars.  I guess we can put that topic to bed

Really proud of this team.  Once we get home court adv , nobody will want to play us.

[GreenWarrior]

ummm at the start of the season till about Dec. there were plenty of experts and analysts that said and thought that the east may be stronger than the west this year. 

at the time when they said this, the Celtics were the 7th or 8th seed. just to keep things in perspective just about every team that was ahead of us at that time has fallen apart.

we're playing well, we're in 3rd place, but we have had help. and we could easily still find our way back fighting for the 7th or 8th seed.

[Vermont Green]

I admit it.  I thought that after CLE at the top, TOR, ATL, MIA, IND, and WAS would all be better than the Celtics.  I thought BOS, MIL, DET, CHI and even MIL would be in the hunt for the bottom of the playoffs.

The Celtics are better than I thought and in particular, Thomas is a much better starter than I thought.  But I think I missed more on thinking the other teams would be better.  Bosh is hurt so of course that impacts MIA these other teams really fell off.

So there, you and other told me so.  But tell the truth, who thought CHA would make the playoffs over CHI, WAS, or MIL?

[Lucky17]

With 20 games remaining, the Celtics are closer to the 8th seed than they are to the top of the East.

Which is probably what virtually everyone was expecting earlier this season.

[Rhyso]

Right here, and agreed this team has been fantastic.

However, we are only 5 losses in front of the 8th seed, and 3 losses from the 6th seed, so it's hardly a lock we finish top 4. My premise for predicting us to finish between 7-10 were based on the Hawks who won 60 games last year would be better that they have been, and the Heat to be fighting for the 4th spot (which they are). Outside of that I thought it was anyones guess with the Bucks, Pacers, Bulls, Wizards and Celtics.

Seems like I was wrong, and gladly so 

[Diggles]

Be careful... one of the mods shut down my post like this.  Saying we don't call out others...  I just think he was one of the ones that hated the KG/PP trade.....   

Anyway I'm excited.  Alot of fans that are negative are very quiet.   Our team is playing awesome!  Props to Anige, and Brad.  They are leading this team into battle.   We are set up for success, its on the team to perform now. 

[Tr1boy]

Right here, and agreed this team has been fantastic.

However, we are only 5 losses in front of the 8th seed, and 3 losses from the 6th seed, so it's hardly a lock we finish top 4. My premise for predicting us to finish between 7-10 were based on the Hawks who won 60 games last year would be better that they have been, and the Heat to be fighting for the 4th spot (which they are). Outside of that I thought it was anyones guess with the Bucks, Pacers, Bulls, Wizards and Celtics.

Seems like I was wrong, and gladly so 

Even though you may have predicted wrong, you win

[Tr1boy]

With 20 games remaining, the Celtics are closer to the 8th seed than they are to the top of the East.

Which is probably what virtually everyone was expecting earlier this season.

When will the naysaying end?? Celtics are finishing top 4 . heart stop

[greenrunsdeep41]

Right here, and agreed this team has been fantastic.

However, we are only 5 losses in front of the 8th seed, and 3 losses from the 6th seed, so it's hardly a lock we finish top 4. My premise for predicting us to finish between 7-10 were based on the Hawks who won 60 games last year would be better that they have been, and the Heat to be fighting for the 4th spot (which they are). Outside of that I thought it was anyones guess with the Bucks, Pacers, Bulls, Wizards and Celtics.

Seems like I was wrong, and gladly so 

Even though you may have predicted wrong, you win

5.5**** losses from the 8th seed. 6.5 from the 1st. Lets not forget that little tidbit.

[mef730]

I'll fess up. I thought that it would be a struggle among five teams for 7-8. Chicago, Atlanta, Miami and Indiana have all massively underperformed where I thought they would be, combined with our good health for the year. But if you had told me that we would have been in third place with twenty games to go, I would have slapped you and called you Suzy.

It is true that we are only in third place by two games, and I do want to point something out: We do not have the easiest schedule in the world through the beginning of April, culminating in GS on April 1. Miami, two games behind us, has a game remaining against each of Toronto, Cleveland, San Antonio to challenge them. That's it. In their remaining 19 games, they only have four against teams with winning records (Portland, 2XDetroit, Charlotte).

I'm very happy with where we are now, though, and would never have predicted that we would be this good. I think 3rd or 4th place, absent a big injury, is looking good.

Mike

[csfansince60s]

Be careful... one of the mods shut down my post like this.  Saying we don't call out others...   

Not speaking for the OP, but he didn't call anyone specific out. Rather, what he did was to ask people to fess up and call themselves out.........so.......

In answer to the OP, I for one am still here... The same place that I have been for the past 56 years, rooting for the Green laundry.

For a bunch of reasons, I thought we would be a 38-40 win team.

I'm ecstatic I was wrong. Go Cs!!!

[Lucky17]

With 20 games remaining, the Celtics are closer to the 8th seed than they are to the top of the East.

Which is probably what virtually everyone was expecting earlier this season.

When will the naysaying end?? Celtics are finishing top 4 . heart stop

How is that naysaying? I also like the little strawman in the clickbaity title you set up.

"no chance" =/= fighting with other teams for the 8th seed

[PhoSita]

With 20 games remaining, the Celtics are closer to the 8th seed than they are to the top of the East.

Which is probably what virtually everyone was expecting earlier this season.

Right.


I thought the Celts would be in the mix for a bottom 4 seed in the East along with another 8-10 teams.  The East is lacking in really good teams but deep in teams that are theoretically competitive for the playoffs this year.

A few of the teams I thought would definitely be ahead of the Celts, such as the Hawks, Bulls, Heat, and Wizards, have all been worse than expected.  I was wrong about those teams clearly having an advantage on the Celts. 

I thought the Celts were at best a 45 win team, and they're most likely gonna beat that easily, too.  I was wrong to think they couldn't win games over the course of this regular season at a pace similar to what they did toward the end of last season.

In any case, the Celts have been easily the best of the next group below the Cavs and Raps, which is still a deep group. 

I think the Celtics are better than a lot of people here thought they'd be -- and I'm absolutely one of those people.  That said, I can't think of really anybody who thought they'd have "no chance" of being good this year, just maybe not this good.

[Denis998]

I predicted 52 wins. Hope we get there.

[Lucky17]

With 20 games remaining, the Celtics are closer to the 8th seed than they are to the top of the East.

Which is probably what virtually everyone was expecting earlier this season.

Right.


I thought the Celts would be in the mix for a bottom 4 seed in the East along with another 8-10 teams.  The East is lacking in really good teams but deep in teams that are theoretically competitive for the playoffs this year.

A few of the teams I thought would definitely be ahead of the Celts, such as the Hawks, Bulls, Heat, and Wizards, have all been worse than expected.  I was wrong about those teams clearly having an advantage on the Celts. 

The Celts have been easily the best of the next group below the Cavs and Raps, which is still a deep group.

Yep.

With nearly a full 25% of the sched still remaining, I'm not quite ready to celebrate being the home team in a playoff series. Way too much ball left to play.