Anything under 65 wins will shock me

[CelticPride2016]

I saw the first game. Our starting lineup is stacked. I'm also fairly sure we win that game if Olynyk and Green were available.

Marcus Smart has improved. Bradley was piling up assists. Who saw that coming? Horford and Amir looked they have been teamed up for a decade. And Jae Crowder? And what about Jaylen Brown taking over in the fourth quarter?

If Smart played a good chunk as a rookie, I think it's clear Brown will too. He is that good.

I was shocked James Young looked good. Yes, I heard he has worked hard over the off-season. I just thought he was finished. RJ Hunter looked awful. The last spot seems to be a direct competition between them, but maybe Mickey is no longer safe. Someone has to get the boot.

People are acting scared about the Golden State Warriors. I don't think so. There are three teams who can win it all this year, perhaps four if San Antonio is still producing.

The three best teams are GS, the Cavs and ........... the Boston Celtics.

I don't see many with green goggles, so I am taking that spot and predicting 65+ wins.

Basketball has always for the most part been an arm-wrestling contest. The best teams usually win against inferior teams. In baseball an opposing pitcher can equalize the game. That doesn't really happen in basketball and we are equipped defensively to neutralize hot shots on the other teams.

We are going to run opponents off the floor. We won't be watching Mickey, RJ and James Young thrown into the fire. We are going to watch very good to great players win most of their games. 65-17 sounds about right for our team. We will get out of the gate fast. We'll be 16-4. We'll be 32-9. We'll be 55-14. We'll end up at 65-17. People will link to this prediction and give me tommy points. They will ask for further predictions, but I will tell them it is not that easy.

Some teams will have no chance at all of beating us unless we get the team flu. That is the benefit of being a top three team. You could pick five to ten teams that we will dominate every time or still beat them. So we are basically going into the season starting out 30-0 if we consider the bottom third of the league.

Stevens is too committed and the players are too selfless and buying into the whole atmosphere. Horford probably has a good chip on his shoulder. Everyone is cowering to Golden State because they got Durant and crying about what's the point of even playing.

We won 48 games and added Horford, yet that is not enough to make us a title contender? I disagree.

[RAAAAAAAANDY]

Bartender, I'll have what he's having!

[jpotter33]

I can legitimately see 60 with as fluid as our starters looked last night, but 65 is a bit overly optimistic I think.

I do think we're just as good as SAS, though. I think we match up pretty well with them overall with Horford now. I think Cleveland is still a bit better, and so is GS, though it remains to be seen by how much.

[The One]

Typo.

You meant 56 wins.

[Donoghus]

Bartender, I'll have what he's having!

Make it 2 if RAAAAAAANDY's buying. 

[spikelovetheCelts]

I saw the first game. Our starting lineup is stacked. I'm also fairly sure we win that game if Olynyk and Green were available.

Marcus Smart has improved. Bradley was piling up assists. Who saw that coming? Horford and Amir looked they have been teamed up for a decade. And Jae Crowder? And what about Jaylen Brown taking over in the fourth quarter?

If Smart played a good chunk as a rookie, I think it's clear Brown will too. He is that good.

I was shocked James Young looked good. Yes, I heard he has worked hard over the off-season. I just thought he was finished. RJ Hunter looked awful. The last spot seems to be a direct competition between them, but maybe Mickey is no longer safe. Someone has to get the boot.

People are acting scared about the Golden State Warriors. I don't think so. There are three teams who can win it all this year, perhaps four if San Antonio is still producing.

The three best teams are GS, the Cavs and ........... the Boston Celtics.

I don't see many with green goggles, so I am taking that spot and predicting 65+ wins.

Basketball has always for the most part been an arm-wrestling contest. The best teams usually win against inferior teams. In baseball an opposing pitcher can equalize the game. That doesn't really happen in basketball and we are equipped defensively to neutralize hot shots on the other teams.

We are going to run opponents off the floor. We won't be watching Mickey, RJ and James Young thrown into the fire. We are going to watch very good to great players win most of their games. 65-17 sounds about right for our team. We will get out of the gate fast. We'll be 16-4. We'll be 32-9. We'll be 55-14. We'll end up at 65-17. People will link to this prediction and give me tommy points. They will ask for further predictions, but I will tell them it is not that easy.

Some teams will have no chance at all of beating us unless we get the team flu. That is the benefit of being a top three team. You could pick five to ten teams that we will dominate every time or still beat them. So we are basically going into the season starting out 30-0 if we consider the bottom third of the league.

Stevens is too committed and the players are too selfless and buying into the whole atmosphere. Horford probably has a good chip on his shoulder. Everyone is cowering to Golden State because they got Durant and crying about what's the point of even playing.

We won 48 games and added Horford, yet that is not enough to make us a title contender? I disagree.

Green Kool aid is good. 55 is a safe number. If we make a trade life could be real good.

[walker834]

I think we'll have some ups and downs especially with Zeller in there.  Rozier might have some rocky patches as well.  I think Bradley is going to be money this year and Crowder is healthy.  Brown gives us a legit star on our bench just on talent level although he is still developing his shots. Not many teams have that.  GS doesn't even have that.   It's like having pierce as a rookie on our bench though.  Smart is a stabalizing force with the second unit and Green and KO for offense.  Jerebko is a nice fill in.  We don't have much weakness.  Isaiah and Horford go perfectly together. Horford is going to be big for this team.  We lack some depth for big men and have some consistency issues on our bench but as the season goes we should be really hard to beat. 

I say we lose 20 games. Maybe 25.  56-62 wins is about right.  We could lose as little as 15 and get above 65. 

I don't see how this team loses more than 25 games.

[walker834]

Rozier is being asked to do a lot right off the bat in comparison to last year.  He'll be fine but might have some ups and downs. I also think Zeller isn't really with the program.  He's getting paid and will just be him and his usual average self.   We lack a defensive big man off our bench unless mickey does something. If Mickey comes on and KO plays well and Rozier doesnt miss a beat. I don't see what our weakness is except Amir isn't the greatest starter in the world but with 5 guys he's really fine.  We are really going to go small anyways.

[OhioGreen]

Can we pump the brakes here just a bit!?  We're gonna have a high energy team that plays maniacal defense.  They never quit, and a coach that gets every bit out of each and every player.  In reality, however, skill wise, we really have one player in the top 50 players in the league in Al Horford.  Even AH is not near the top 15-20.  Our PG and SG are very undersized, and IT gives up almost as much on D as he gets on offense.  JC is a very good player and could start on most teams.  AJ is a journeyman.  MS plays insane D with great intangibles, but very limited offensively.  Players 7-15 are nothing special (yet-when talking about rookies and 2nd year players)!
They'll be fun to watch, but I think 50 wins is about right.  Great D not withstanding, these opponents are pros and hustling and scrapping is not gonna beat good teams as can be done in college.  Fun to watch doesn't mean I wouldn't trade teams with GS, or the Bird teams of old!
Fun is one thing, winning another!  We'll have a modicum of both, but we still need much better players overall. So, have fun, but let's keep it real!

[LarBrd33]

Yeah, it should be a 55 win team...

But let's just point out the team just lost to a 10 win team... and it wasn't the team's starters it lost to.  Our bench got decimated by a lineup that had 1 player in the NBA last year.  Most of them undrafted scrubs.   We essentially got beat by a D-League team.

[Donoghus]

Yeah, it should be a 55 win team...

But let's just point out the team just lost to a 10 win team... and it wasn't the team's starters it lost to.  Our bench got decimated by a lineup that had 1 player in the NBA last year.  Most of them undrafted scrubs.   We essentially got beat by a D-League team.

Let's not forget that it was a preseason game which people in their right minds should give zero worth a darn about.

[showtime]

Prepare to be shocked!!

[green_bballers13]

Can we pump the brakes here just a bit!?  We're gonna have a high energy team that plays maniacal defense.  They never quit, and a coach that gets every bit out of each and every player.  In reality, however, skill wise, we really have one player in the top 50 players in the league in Al Horford.  Even AH is not near the top 15-20.  Our PG and SG are very undersized, and IT gives up almost as much on D as he gets on offense.  JC is a very good player and could start on most teams.  AJ is a journeyman.  MS plays insane D with great intangibles, but very limited offensively.  Players 7-15 are nothing special (yet-when talking about rookies and 2nd year players)!
They'll be fun to watch, but I think 50 wins is about right.  Great D not withstanding, these opponents are pros and hustling and scrapping is not gonna beat good teams as can be done in college.  Fun to watch doesn't mean I wouldn't trade teams with GS, or the Bird teams of old!
Fun is one thing, winning another!  We'll have a modicum of both, but we still need much better players overall. So, have fun, but let's keep it real!

I think AH is close to being a top 20 player and most likely is a top 25 player and a top 10 big. He plays defense, can shoot, and can score down low. The guy is above average at his position in almost every category. He might not have the name recognition of Dwight Howard or Kevin Love, but I think he impacts winning on both sides of the court to make him a somewhat unique, versatile player that is underappreciated.

[Ilikesports17]

Prepare to be shocked.

65 wins is a crazy amount of wins

[SHAQATTACK]

Call the doctor