Celtics clinch playoff berth!

[jbpats]

We all knew it was coming but now it's official.
Celtics Clinch a playoff berth! Now we just need to wait and see where it lands.

No matter what I am extremely proud of this team this year, they have exceeded my expectations and made it an extremely enjoyable season to watch. I am a man who admits when he is wrong and I believe I predicted a 32-35 win season this year.. I'm glad I was wrong!

Hopefully they can focus and wrap up the three seed!

What is everyone's realistic expectations going into the playoffs? I am seeing a round 1 win and a round 2 loss (likely against Toronto in 6).

 

[dreamgreen]

Exciting for sure. We need to avoid the Cavs that IMO is the team we just don't match up well with.

[Chris22]

Danny and Brad have done a good job, and it's only going to get better with all our draft picks.

[Rosco917]

We all knew it was coming but now it's official.
Celtics Clinch a playoff berth! Now we just need to wait and see where it lands.

No matter what I am extremely proud of this team this year, they have exceeded my expectations and made it an extremely enjoyable season to watch. I am a man who admits when he is wrong and I believe I predicted a 32-35 win season this year.. I'm glad I was wrong!

Hopefully they can focus and wrap up the three seed!

What is everyone's realistic expectations going into the playoffs? I am seeing a round 1 win and a round 2 loss (likely against Toronto in 6).

32 to 35 wins?...I'm glad you were wrong too. Like most, I guess you fail to weigh in the value of players that hang their hat on playing hard, honest defense. When I look at all the NBA rosters, with "stars" that don't live up to their glamour, as far as actual wins are concerned, I feel even better.

Look at Detroit, Sacramento, Milwaukee, Dallas, etc,  all with rosters supposedly superior to ours. We definitely played beyond all expectations. 

As far as the playoffs go, pace will be our challenge, a slow playoff type of pace isn't our strong suit. But I can see a first round win. Should be fun. 

[Tr1boy]

No surprise

Now just need to nail home adv and win a fee playoff games as a start

[sofutomygaha]

I still can't believe Chicago is going to miss the playoffs. It just looks like such an awesome team on paper.

I'd feel pretty good about matching up in the first round against Charlotte or Miami. Look's like we're headed that way!

[greenhead85]

I still can't believe Chicago is going to miss the playoffs. It just looks like such an awesome team on paper.

I'd feel pretty good about matching up in the first round against Charlotte or Miami. Look's like we're headed that way!

Might miss. Chicago still has a chance to make the playoffs. Indy and Detroit are not yet fully assured of making the postseason play.

[LGC88]

I was one of the people last summer who seriously consider the Celts will win 50 games. Celtics fan are not very optimistic people and we were treated borderline delusional. Haha...

Anyway, my thinking is, great FO, great coach and great chemistry will make you a top 5 team in your conference. It's so rare to align all the stars that way.
Having say that, I believe upsets can be made this season in the playoff.
Cleveland vs Detroit is not a given.
Indiana would have much experience facing Toronto.
If Cleveland is out, I can see us win the ECF.
I honestly don't see us winning vs GS in a 7 games series. But I'm sure our boys will take their chances.

So, there you have it, call me delusional thinking Celtics can win ECF

[jbpats]

I was one of the people last summer who seriously consider the Celts will win 50 games. Celtics fan are not very optimistic people and we were treated borderline delusional. Haha...

Anyway, my thinking is, great FO, great coach and great chemistry will make you a top 5 team in your conference. It's so rare to align all the stars that way.
Having say that, I believe upsets can be made this season in the playoff.
Cleveland vs Detroit is not a given.
Indiana would have much experience facing Toronto.
If Cleveland is out, I can see us win the ECF.
I honestly don't see us winning vs GS in a 7 games series. But I'm sure our boys will take their chances.

So, there you have it, call me delusional thinking Celtics can win ECF

Is that assuming we don't face Toronto either? Toronto has had our number all season.. Our win against them was without Lowry and we just barely won.

[LGC88]

I was one of the people last summer who seriously consider the Celts will win 50 games. Celtics fan are not very optimistic people and we were treated borderline delusional. Haha...

Anyway, my thinking is, great FO, great coach and great chemistry will make you a top 5 team in your conference. It's so rare to align all the stars that way.
Having say that, I believe upsets can be made this season in the playoff.
Cleveland vs Detroit is not a given.
Indiana would have much experience facing Toronto.
If Cleveland is out, I can see us win the ECF.
I honestly don't see us winning vs GS in a 7 games series. But I'm sure our boys will take their chances.

So, there you have it, call me delusional thinking Celtics can win ECF

Is that assuming we don't face Toronto either? Toronto has had our number all season.. Our win against them was without Lowry and we just barely won.

As Paul Pierce said last year : "Toronto is not a team that scares you". 

[kozlodoev]

I still can't believe Chicago is going to miss the playoffs. It just looks like such an awesome team on paper.

You realize that the Chicago roster is full of sad broken toys, right? I mean, Noah had nothing this season, Mirotic is not good enough, Rose is a shell of the player that he once was, and they are giving major minutes to ETwaun Moore and Tony Snell. Yeah, Butler is great, but your frontcourt is essentially Taj Gibson and a 35-year-old Pau Gasol right now. Not optimal.

[PhoSita]

More wins than last year, back in the playoffs again.  Base objectives achieved.  Now to the next objective: win a playoff game.

[PhoSita]

I still can't believe Chicago is going to miss the playoffs. It just looks like such an awesome team on paper.

I'd feel pretty good about matching up in the first round against Charlotte or Miami. Look's like we're headed that way!

Not enough wing depth (missing Dunleavy most of the year hurt), point guard play just not consistent enough.

Biggest problem is probably that Noah is pretty much used up and missed a lot of the year, and then Pau, Taj, and Mirotic don't really fit together.

I disagree with Koz on those three -- each one of those is a quality player.  Pau is still really good.  They just don't fit well together, especially when Chicago is giving big minutes to lesser wings that can't make up for defensive weakness inside.

[jbpats]

I'm more surprised about Milwaukee, had a promising season last year, added Monroe and fell off a cliff.
Chicago has been on a steady decline, it doesn't really surprise me they're on the bubble.

In all honesty the East has so many teams that are pretty even there would clearly be some teams that are surprises this year (Charlotte and Detroit).

[Alleyoopster]

I was one of the people last summer who seriously consider the Celts will win 50 games. Celtics fan are not very optimistic people and we were treated borderline delusional. Haha...

Anyway, my thinking is, great FO, great coach and great chemistry will make you a top 5 team in your conference. It's so rare to align all the stars that way.
Having say that, I believe upsets can be made this season in the playoff.
Cleveland vs Detroit is not a given.
Indiana would have much experience facing Toronto.
If Cleveland is out, I can see us win the ECF.
I honestly don't see us winning vs GS in a 7 games series. But I'm sure our boys will take their chances.

So, there you have it, call me delusional thinking Celtics can win ECF

Is that assuming we don't face Toronto either? Toronto has had our number all season.. Our win against them was without Lowry and we just barely won.

As Paul Pierce said last year : "Toronto is not a team that scares you". 

They haven't been respected for quite some time even though they've had the best Atlantic Division record for the past three seasons. What's interesting is that they keep getting better. They've made a number of smart trades. If they are healthy I doubt they'll be one and out again. 

Funny thing about Pierce's remarks...the Nets only beat Toronto by one point in the 7th game of 2013-2014 playoffs. The next year Toronto never fully recovered after Derozan came back from his injury or from Lowry's back spasms. This year Lowry may still be a question mark? Lately, I noticed he has been rested for a couple games.