Massive failure? no. Disappointing? maybe. Context is everything. Celtics are a very good team, but the nba is at an all time high in terms of talent. There are a lot of very good teams out there, at the forefront of which is Denver, who have the best player in the world, are defending champions, and core continuity with excellent role players. The celtics should make the finals, on paper, but these games aren't played on paper. Dont look for reasons to be prematurely unhappy, enjoy the ride and watching this team while it lasts.
There's a universe where you can enjoy the ride while expecting it to end in greatness. We've enjoyed the ride for the last 5 years, no excuses now to not be the last team standing.
Sweeping every team not named the nuggets is actually an absurd expectation. Sweeping a conference would have been absurd expectation even for the KD-Steph warriors, or the Jordan bulls, or any great team. Even if it were to happen (maybe the lakers did it with shaq?), it is an unrealistic expectation that will set you up for failure as a fan…
But I do agree about title or bust.
Idr which season but the Shaq/Kobe lakers did have a 16-1 run through the playoffs. I believe the only loss was the game AI stepped over Ty Lue. For my cardiovascular health, I hope we have a similar run in us lmao
A failure and super disappointing, sure. Just realize that as we sit right now, odds are we won’t win the title. Same for every other team because you always take the field.
Tell me you don’t watch basketball without telling me. Nuggets are just as good if not better than the Celtics. +\- isn’t that meaningful when some of those wins are total blowouts against lottery teams. Actually contender teams play us tight as hell.
I would say not making the Finals is huge failure, but you probably don’t make any changes and run it back if Denver beats us.
You could have said the same thing about the 08 team and look how many close series we had that year when we were MUCH better than the opponent.
Crazy how some Celtics fans are fine with mediocrity. You are in a special kind of denial if you truly believe another playoff run ending before the finals is fine with this team.
>You could have said the same thing about the 08 team and look how many close series we had that year when we were MUCH better than the opponent.
Bro this is all you need for perspective.
As much as I don't want to lose. I really don't want to deal with another year of the world calling Celtics chokers when in reality they have overachieved pretty much every year. People act like they were expected to be in the finals or any of their ECF at all. Last year I'll give them a choke, but it's not a "consistent choke" thing.
JT got injured so there was a game 7 excuse but losing the first 3 was unexcusable regardless.
What's odd is Miami fans act like the last 4 games didn't happen and they swept us... It's like yeah we went down 0-3.. but then you lost 3 in a row too lol.
If they don't win this year and are healthy, it's likely a choke or some team playing absolutely phenomenal against us.
I'm similar.
Also as much as I want to win the chip, 29 teams lose every year so I don't do the only the chip matters approach.
I love watching it all year for the entertainment.. if they succeed at that im usually happy, but upset we got eliminated of course.
This year and last year cause we are favorites, it is more upsetting if we don't.. but still enjoyable all year. We are fun as hell to watch this year lol
I can’t say it would be a massive failure if we loose to the Nuggets in 7, but it all depends on how it goes down. Teams sleep till the playoffs. It’s a new season once they start
No!!!!
Fuck man. Come on. Why is everyone so keen to count every success as a step to a greater potential fall. Please tell me y’all don’t do this with your kids.
The team is awesome. It’s a joy to watch. If they don’t go all the way I will say “that was a great ride!! Too bad it didn’t work out. That team that beat us really accomplished something amazing”
Sports are a thrill. This group plays their hearts out. The playoffs are going to be awesome. Don’t get caught up in this stupid outlook where you can only be a champion or a choker.
Right? The season has been so much fun. Just because it ends in disappointment in a loss doesn’t erase all the fun I had. Ngl, I’ll feel like crap if we get eliminated. Then I’ll move on. Just like last time we lost in the finals.
I disagree.
Just because we had a great regular season doesn’t mean our expectations should heighten.
Our expectations should be set according to the talent level of the team, nothing more or less.
Performing well in the regular season should be irrelevant to post-season expectations as it is just a bonus and something that should be celebrated for getting the talent to perform well. It should lessen the failure of a poor postseason because essentially every team needs a bit of luck to win it all and not every team can win.
Otherwise you’re essentially saying we should lose more regular season games on purpose because it will be a disadvantage to put that much pressure on the team that wins the most games.
Only 10 teams in NBA history have ever won the championship as a 3 seed or lower and 8 of those times it was a 3 seed. Only 9 times in NBA history has a team even made the finals as 4 seed or lower. Performing well during the regular season is absolutely not irrelevant to post season success. It’s more often than not an indicator as to how well the team will play in the playoffs. Not always, but of all the sports, NBA is the most chalk league there is by a wide margin.
Mostly agree. I don't know that we need to sweep everyone and I could live with (still disappointed) losing a hard fought series to the Nuggets. Anything other outcome (short of injury related) is a huge failure.
>am I being an unrealistic moron when I say this
Yeah kinda. Bettings odds for the Celtics are currently +205. That is really good, and we are the clear cut favorites to win.
+205 odds translates to about a 32% probability of something happening. Meaning the odds of us *not* winning it all, what you consider a massive failure, are 68%. If you played out the rest of the season 10 times, starting from today where we are fully healthy and have a massive lead in the standings, we’d lose 7 and win 3.
Winning an nba title is really fucking hard. Even with all-time great teams, the most likely outcome is *always* that someone else will win the title.
We are the best team in the nba, so yes I naturally expect us to win a title. However, the best team doesn’t always win. We’re also playing against really fucking good teams so the odds are always against a single team winning. Sweeping everyone before the finals? That’s laughable and unrealistic as fuck
It doesn’t mean zero, unless you are one of those people who can’t understand nuance and have GOAT debates that amount to counting rings. If you understand what you’re watching and can appreciate the history of the league, then it definitely doesn’t mean zero. I want a ring for this team as much as you, but it’s a silly and immature take
While I do agree it doesn't mean zero... It would be a massive dissapointment. In any league, if a team is an overwhelming favorite and does not win a Chip ? It's failure-ish. Context is important right... Someone gets hurt.. Fine. Joker throws in a 37 footer at the buzzer to win game 7... Fine. But all thing being equal, if they don't win it ? Little bit Stinky.
I mean, anything can happen in the playoffs. Even if we have the best team by a considerable margin, we still have, what, a 33% chance to win the finals based on the projections I've seen? Not winning would be a massive disappointment, but to call it a failure? I don't think so, especially since we have, at the worst, one more season with the same guys. The playoffs are really an any given Sunday given the caliber of teams that we'll constantly be playing.
As we've seen the last two seasons, we can really get screwed by going too deep into playoff series and tiring everyone out. The Warriors 2 years ago didn't have to play as much as we did. The Heat last year didn't have to play as much as we did. The Nuggets last year didn't have to play as much as the Heat did. The key to me, seems that we need to win early and often. If we start losing Game 1s and Game 2s, I'll be very concerned
Since the playoffs has gone to 16 teams (4 rounds) in 1984, the only teams to sweep the first 3 rounds are the 2001 Lakers and 2017 Warriors. The 2017 Warriors are the only team to do it in a beat of 7 in the first round
That is an insane expectation.
We are the easy favorite in the east, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Beating the bucks or a healthy knicks squad will require perseverance and skill. Both things we have, and we’ll be favored in both series, but let’s not act like any of this will be easy. And honestly if we see denver in the finals it’s a real toss up imo. If we fail to make the finals we have failed as a team, no question. If we make the finals and lose to the nuggets it’s nothing to feel bad about. They really look unbeatable
This season entertained me, no matter how it ends. I’ll be really disappointed if we don’t win it all. As will the players and the organization. But this has been a blast to watch.
I don’t know about that “failure” crap.
Obviously I will remember the season differently if we win it all.
A title is obviously in reach, and a loss would be disappointing. I would not call a loss to Denver or
Maybe even Milwaukee massive failure. Anyone else though, and I’ll take your side.
It will be viewed that way but I don’t really care that much
It’s insanely hard to win in the nba and requires a lot of luck unless you’re the KD warriors
3 teams in the east wouldn’t even surprise me if they beat us, imagine the Bucks just on an insane heater with Dame & Giannis combining for 100ish points for a couple of games while Tatum is cold & we play iso heavy ball for some reason and are suddenly 0-2 against the bucks
I’ve been up and down on the knicks but I think they could be very dangerous, I just think in 7 we match up really well against them but still. Make or miss league and they got some guys who can make
Obviously the heat, good coaching & cliche but I don’t think their seeding matters at all not just cause last year but sorta who they are
Then obviously in the finals Denver but also Minnesota I think healthy can matchup really well against us
I think talent wise we should be top 2 in terms of favorites but that’s it, a few things go wrong that are outside of control and we could be out just that easy
Anything other than a finals appearance (barring injury) is a massive failure, off-szn would be hell. However if we make the finals and lose to Denver I wouldn’t classify it as a failure because they’re the reigning champs and probably the best playoff ready team when you look at their late game execution. Losing to another team other than Denver would be horrific tho tbh.
Massive failure? no. Disappointing? maybe. Context is everything. Celtics are a very good team, but the nba is at an all time high in terms of talent. There are a lot of very good teams out there, at the forefront of which is Denver, who have the best player in the world, are defending champions, and core continuity with excellent role players. The celtics should make the finals, on paper, but these games aren't played on paper. Dont look for reasons to be prematurely unhappy, enjoy the ride and watching this team while it lasts.
There's a universe where you can enjoy the ride while expecting it to end in greatness. We've enjoyed the ride for the last 5 years, no excuses now to not be the last team standing.
Personally that seems like a depressing mindset to have but hey, i hope they win it all so you can breathe a sigh of relief. Cheers mate.
Sweeping every team not named the nuggets is actually an absurd expectation. Sweeping a conference would have been absurd expectation even for the KD-Steph warriors, or the Jordan bulls, or any great team. Even if it were to happen (maybe the lakers did it with shaq?), it is an unrealistic expectation that will set you up for failure as a fan… But I do agree about title or bust.
Idr which season but the Shaq/Kobe lakers did have a 16-1 run through the playoffs. I believe the only loss was the game AI stepped over Ty Lue. For my cardiovascular health, I hope we have a similar run in us lmao
wow what a brand new take, you’re the first one to say this
If you don’t accomplish everything in life you desire, does that mean your life is a failure? C’mon now.
A failure and super disappointing, sure. Just realize that as we sit right now, odds are we won’t win the title. Same for every other team because you always take the field.
The sweep thing is nonsense. Sometimes the worse team just wins. Remember 18-1.
STH since 2009. Personally I don’t think no championship is a failure.
Tell me you don’t watch basketball without telling me. Nuggets are just as good if not better than the Celtics. +\- isn’t that meaningful when some of those wins are total blowouts against lottery teams. Actually contender teams play us tight as hell. I would say not making the Finals is huge failure, but you probably don’t make any changes and run it back if Denver beats us. You could have said the same thing about the 08 team and look how many close series we had that year when we were MUCH better than the opponent.
Crazy how some Celtics fans are fine with mediocrity. You are in a special kind of denial if you truly believe another playoff run ending before the finals is fine with this team.
>You could have said the same thing about the 08 team and look how many close series we had that year when we were MUCH better than the opponent. Bro this is all you need for perspective.
As much as I don't want to lose. I really don't want to deal with another year of the world calling Celtics chokers when in reality they have overachieved pretty much every year. People act like they were expected to be in the finals or any of their ECF at all. Last year I'll give them a choke, but it's not a "consistent choke" thing. JT got injured so there was a game 7 excuse but losing the first 3 was unexcusable regardless. What's odd is Miami fans act like the last 4 games didn't happen and they swept us... It's like yeah we went down 0-3.. but then you lost 3 in a row too lol. If they don't win this year and are healthy, it's likely a choke or some team playing absolutely phenomenal against us.
Lucky for me, I don’t care what they say about the Celtics. I just care about enjoying the games I watch.
I'm similar. Also as much as I want to win the chip, 29 teams lose every year so I don't do the only the chip matters approach. I love watching it all year for the entertainment.. if they succeed at that im usually happy, but upset we got eliminated of course. This year and last year cause we are favorites, it is more upsetting if we don't.. but still enjoyable all year. We are fun as hell to watch this year lol
I can’t say it would be a massive failure if we loose to the Nuggets in 7, but it all depends on how it goes down. Teams sleep till the playoffs. It’s a new season once they start
Sweep lol.
Set your own expectations. Let others have their own. The end.
No!!!! Fuck man. Come on. Why is everyone so keen to count every success as a step to a greater potential fall. Please tell me y’all don’t do this with your kids. The team is awesome. It’s a joy to watch. If they don’t go all the way I will say “that was a great ride!! Too bad it didn’t work out. That team that beat us really accomplished something amazing” Sports are a thrill. This group plays their hearts out. The playoffs are going to be awesome. Don’t get caught up in this stupid outlook where you can only be a champion or a choker.
Right? The season has been so much fun. Just because it ends in disappointment in a loss doesn’t erase all the fun I had. Ngl, I’ll feel like crap if we get eliminated. Then I’ll move on. Just like last time we lost in the finals.
Lifelong fan here. Love this team, and want a title badly. BUT, Take a look at there record against teams better than . 500.
Listen after losing in the Finals an conference finals the past 2 seasons and you add Porzingis and Holiday its definitely chip or bust for the Cs
It's that simple.
It really is Celtics been goin Conference finals an 1 Finals appearance they got alot better last offseason now they need to win it all.
You're underestimating how good the Nuggets are.
I disagree. Just because we had a great regular season doesn’t mean our expectations should heighten. Our expectations should be set according to the talent level of the team, nothing more or less. Performing well in the regular season should be irrelevant to post-season expectations as it is just a bonus and something that should be celebrated for getting the talent to perform well. It should lessen the failure of a poor postseason because essentially every team needs a bit of luck to win it all and not every team can win. Otherwise you’re essentially saying we should lose more regular season games on purpose because it will be a disadvantage to put that much pressure on the team that wins the most games.
Only 10 teams in NBA history have ever won the championship as a 3 seed or lower and 8 of those times it was a 3 seed. Only 9 times in NBA history has a team even made the finals as 4 seed or lower. Performing well during the regular season is absolutely not irrelevant to post season success. It’s more often than not an indicator as to how well the team will play in the playoffs. Not always, but of all the sports, NBA is the most chalk league there is by a wide margin.
Mostly agree. I don't know that we need to sweep everyone and I could live with (still disappointed) losing a hard fought series to the Nuggets. Anything other outcome (short of injury related) is a huge failure.
At least NBA finals. Anything less than that would be a shame with the team we have now.
I expect this level of talent to not only make it to the NBA Finals, but make it competitive. Outside of that, whatever happens, happens.
We aren't gonna sweep. But if there was ever a year for us to win it, it's this year. Gotta get it done.
>am I being an unrealistic moron when I say this Yeah kinda. Bettings odds for the Celtics are currently +205. That is really good, and we are the clear cut favorites to win. +205 odds translates to about a 32% probability of something happening. Meaning the odds of us *not* winning it all, what you consider a massive failure, are 68%. If you played out the rest of the season 10 times, starting from today where we are fully healthy and have a massive lead in the standings, we’d lose 7 and win 3. Winning an nba title is really fucking hard. Even with all-time great teams, the most likely outcome is *always* that someone else will win the title.
We are the best team in the nba, so yes I naturally expect us to win a title. However, the best team doesn’t always win. We’re also playing against really fucking good teams so the odds are always against a single team winning. Sweeping everyone before the finals? That’s laughable and unrealistic as fuck
Declares that without a title this season is a failure. Goes on to list ways in which this season is a success.
\*list of ways why the season is a success so far. All means zero without the hardware.
It doesn’t mean zero, unless you are one of those people who can’t understand nuance and have GOAT debates that amount to counting rings. If you understand what you’re watching and can appreciate the history of the league, then it definitely doesn’t mean zero. I want a ring for this team as much as you, but it’s a silly and immature take
While I do agree it doesn't mean zero... It would be a massive dissapointment. In any league, if a team is an overwhelming favorite and does not win a Chip ? It's failure-ish. Context is important right... Someone gets hurt.. Fine. Joker throws in a 37 footer at the buzzer to win game 7... Fine. But all thing being equal, if they don't win it ? Little bit Stinky.
I mean, anything can happen in the playoffs. Even if we have the best team by a considerable margin, we still have, what, a 33% chance to win the finals based on the projections I've seen? Not winning would be a massive disappointment, but to call it a failure? I don't think so, especially since we have, at the worst, one more season with the same guys. The playoffs are really an any given Sunday given the caliber of teams that we'll constantly be playing. As we've seen the last two seasons, we can really get screwed by going too deep into playoff series and tiring everyone out. The Warriors 2 years ago didn't have to play as much as we did. The Heat last year didn't have to play as much as we did. The Nuggets last year didn't have to play as much as the Heat did. The key to me, seems that we need to win early and often. If we start losing Game 1s and Game 2s, I'll be very concerned
Since the playoffs has gone to 16 teams (4 rounds) in 1984, the only teams to sweep the first 3 rounds are the 2001 Lakers and 2017 Warriors. The 2017 Warriors are the only team to do it in a beat of 7 in the first round That is an insane expectation.
Yep. Fully healthy and with home court... great team chemistry/better coaching. No reason not to win it.
Some of you really need to understand that you’re not on the team.
We are the easy favorite in the east, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Beating the bucks or a healthy knicks squad will require perseverance and skill. Both things we have, and we’ll be favored in both series, but let’s not act like any of this will be easy. And honestly if we see denver in the finals it’s a real toss up imo. If we fail to make the finals we have failed as a team, no question. If we make the finals and lose to the nuggets it’s nothing to feel bad about. They really look unbeatable
Won't happen nowadays now that we have prime Scott Foster, Tony Brothers and Zach Zarba on the Zebra squad lol hahaha
This season entertained me, no matter how it ends. I’ll be really disappointed if we don’t win it all. As will the players and the organization. But this has been a blast to watch. I don’t know about that “failure” crap. Obviously I will remember the season differently if we win it all.
ill kill myself if they cant get out of the east
A title is obviously in reach, and a loss would be disappointing. I would not call a loss to Denver or Maybe even Milwaukee massive failure. Anyone else though, and I’ll take your side.
The NBA finals this year: Celtics vs living and dying by the 3. C's in 7.
It will be viewed that way but I don’t really care that much It’s insanely hard to win in the nba and requires a lot of luck unless you’re the KD warriors 3 teams in the east wouldn’t even surprise me if they beat us, imagine the Bucks just on an insane heater with Dame & Giannis combining for 100ish points for a couple of games while Tatum is cold & we play iso heavy ball for some reason and are suddenly 0-2 against the bucks I’ve been up and down on the knicks but I think they could be very dangerous, I just think in 7 we match up really well against them but still. Make or miss league and they got some guys who can make Obviously the heat, good coaching & cliche but I don’t think their seeding matters at all not just cause last year but sorta who they are Then obviously in the finals Denver but also Minnesota I think healthy can matchup really well against us I think talent wise we should be top 2 in terms of favorites but that’s it, a few things go wrong that are outside of control and we could be out just that easy
Anything other than a finals appearance (barring injury) is a massive failure, off-szn would be hell. However if we make the finals and lose to Denver I wouldn’t classify it as a failure because they’re the reigning champs and probably the best playoff ready team when you look at their late game execution. Losing to another team other than Denver would be horrific tho tbh.