<div class="quote_poster">Quoting shapecity:</div><div class="quote_post">#1 Detroit #2 Miami #3 Indiana #4 New Jersey #5 Cleveland #6 Chicago #7 Philly #8 Milwaukee #9 Washington #10 Orlando #11 Boston #12 New York #13 Charlotte #14 Toronto #15 Atlanta</div> I can't believe these standings our boy Shape has for the east. I'm a little disappointed in you, young Buck, and honestly, I'm a little hurt. All this clownin' like you were my boy, and then you stab me in the back with this?! Kidding aside, I cannot wait for the C's to show what they're about. Needless to say, there's a lot of room to grow for them, and they do look like they're chewed full of holes, but this is going to be a fun season, and I think this Celtics team has awoken to smell the roses. Nobody is going to tell them they're a transition team, they're just going to go about their business, but in the mean time, let me drop a little knowledge on my poor, beleaguered, misguided (albeit well-intentioned) friend Shape. 1. Miami 2. Indiana 3. New Jersey 4. Detroit 5. Cleveland 6. Chicago 7. Boston 8. Milwaukee 9. Washington 10. Philadelphia 11. New York 12. Orlando 13. Toronto 14. Charlotte 15. Atlanta What do the rest of you Celtics fans think? Playoffs? No Playoffs? Winning record? I doubt anybody is quite as optimistic as myself. But I have my reasons, and one of them is confidence. This team won't be playing like a team with its back to the wall, a team recovering, they are going to play as capably as last year, maybe not with as many wins, but this is going to be one heck of a stepping stone for this team.
Im wit you Crywalker, but I think that there is no way that Detroit will finish behind New Jersey, I mean, from position 1-3, they may have the best tandem in Kidd, Carter and Jefferson, but I still cant see them doing THAT well, I could see them finishing 5th at the highest (based on their record, not if they take the Atlantic), besides from that though, i think it is pretty much right, if boston can youngsters can show us something, then they would finish 7th, but I can also see them finishing as low as 12th....thats just my opinion though, and I hope that they make the playoffs! All i know is that I cant wait for this season to start up, as you said, this season is going to be a huge stepping stone, we can only get better and that excites me!
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting BigDave31:</div><div class="quote_post">Im wit you Crywalker, but I think that there is no way that Detroit will finish behind New Jersey, I mean, from position 1-3, they may have the best tandem in Kidd, Carter and Jefferson, but I still cant see them doing THAT well, I could see them finishing 5th at the highest (based on their record, not if they take the Atlantic), besides from that though, i think it is pretty much right, if boston can youngsters can show us something, then they would finish 7th, but I can also see them finishing as low as 12th....thats just my opinion though, and I hope that they make the playoffs! All i know is that I cant wait for this season to start up, as you said, this season is going to be a huge stepping stone, we can only get better and that excites me!</div> Division winners get the first three spots in the playoffs. So even if Detroit won 55 games and New Jersey won 45, New Jersey will be third by default if Indiana beat Detroit to the Central Division title. I think that the Celtics will be one of the teams fighting for the last two playoff spots. All the teams that Crywalker had from 6 to 12 are all capable of making a playoff push and we might even see all seven teams having records in the 38-43 win range. It's definitely a toss up on predicting the Celtics' position right now, and it probably won't be until January that we can make somewhat sureheaded decisions.
Why so down on Philly my friend? They have the talent to win the Atlantic, and should definitely make the playoffs with or without Chris Webber. I'd like to say I wasn't sure about 9,10,11 so I just listed them in reverse alphabetical order. However, the Celtics are the least predictable out of that group so I put them behind the Wizards and Magic.
The C's are relying on one too many young guys to take them to the Playoffs. Pierce is not a leader. Not vocal whatsoever, that's where Celtic fans might wish they had Walker back because he could get everyone going. Ricky Davis seems to be the leader of this squad now that the shimmy is gone and while it's good to see Ricky back that transition from being a disgruntled player and not focused to now focused and being much more mature and taking guys under his wing, that will not cut it. Pierce & Rivers have too much rugrats on their hands for him to handle. If there were some bonafied vets, things will look much better. A veteran player that can help on and off the court, at least Gary Payton but even he is no longer here. Roster Tony Allen 1 yr Marcus Banks 2 yr Mark Blount 5 yr Curtis Borchardt 2 yr Will Bynum Rookie Ricky Davis 7yr Dan Dickau 3yr Ryan Gomes Rookie Gerald Green Rookie Orien Greene Rookie Al Jefferson 1 yr Raef LaFrentz 7yr Kendrick Perkins 2yr Paul Pierce 7yr Justin Reed 1yr Brian Scalabrine 4yr Delonte West 1yr Just look at the amount of players that has less than 3yrs of experience under their belt. In a way this a poor man All-Rookie team. Do you really think a team like that could beat former MVP's(A.I), Championship coach(Larry Brown), All-Stars(VC, RJ , Kidd) and so on? Not to mention players like Justin Reed can still be considered a rookie in a way because he hasn't played enough games last season to get that full blown NBA experience and I can almost guarantee that he will make rookie like mistakes. I'm not saying he should be a vet or anything because guys like Emeka, Gordon will continue to make rookie mistakes. But I think you know what I'm saying. The roster stands at 17 players so I know there are many cuts to be made, but still, for the most part this team will still have too much youth, too many unproven guys. And what makes matters worse is that Tony has off the court issues, Dickau is injured from what I know and Banks is also out for a considerable amount of time. So there go three players that had that full blown NBA experience under their belt now gone for the moment. This has to be one of the Top 5 youngest teams in the NBA and judging from past those teams doesn?t relatively do well. I'm not saying all hope is lost for the C's but I honestly can't see them over NY, Philly, Mil and maybe Washington. Also, I have a question Iggy, does Doc have the starting lineup and rotation panned out yet? I'm just curious. I'm guessing it's... C- Raef PF- Al/Blount? SF- Pierce SG- Ricky PG- Delonte ???
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Avery:</div><div class="quote_post">The C's are relying on one too many young guys to take them to the Playoffs. Pierce is not a leader. Not vocal whatsoever, that's where Celtic fans might wish they had Walker back because he could get everyone going. Ricky Davis seems to be the leader of this squad now that the shimmy is gone and while it's good to see Ricky back that transition from being a disgruntled player and not focused to now focused and being much more mature and taking guys under his wing, that will not cut it. Pierce & Rivers have too much rugrats on their hands for him to handle. If there were some bonafied vets, things will look much better. A veteran player that can help on and off the court, at least Gary Payton but even he is no longer here. Roster Tony Allen 1 yr Marcus Banks 2 yr Mark Blount 5 yr Curtis Borchardt 2 yr Will Bynum Rookie Ricky Davis 7yr Dan Dickau 3yr Ryan Gomes Rookie Gerald Green Rookie Orien Greene Rookie Al Jefferson 1 yr Raef LaFrentz 7yr Kendrick Perkins 2yr Paul Pierce 7yr Justin Reed 1yr Brian Scalabrine 4yr Delonte West 1yr Just look at the amount of players that has less than 3yrs of experience under their belt. In a way this a poor man All-Rookie team. Do you really think a team like that could beat former MVP's(A.I), Championship coach(Larry Brown), All-Stars(VC, RJ , Kidd) and so on? Not to mention players like Justin Reed can still be considered a rookie in a way because he hasn't played enough games last season to get that full blown NBA experience and I can almost guarantee that he will make rookie like mistakes. I'm not saying he should be a vet or anything because guys like Emeka, Gordon will continue to make rookie mistakes. But I think you know what I'm saying. The roster stands at 17 players so I know there are many cuts to be made, but still, for the most part this team will still have too much youth, too many unproven guys. And what makes matters worse is that Tony has off the court issues, Dickau is injured from what I know and Banks is also out for a considerable amount of time. So there go three players that had that full blown NBA experience under their belt now gone for the moment. This has to be one of the Top 5 youngest teams in the NBA and judging from past those teams doesn?t relatively do well. I'm not saying all hope is lost for the C's but I honestly can't see them over NY, Philly, Mil and maybe Washington. Also, I have a question Iggy, does Doc have the starting lineup and rotation panned out yet? I'm just curious. I'm guessing it's... C- Raef PF- Al/Blount? SF- Pierce SG- Ricky PG- Delonte ???</div> They are youngsters, no doubt. I just can't wait to see how they perform, it's going to be fun to watch. And no, Doc is definitely still up in the air. He is having a tough decision with the rotation it seems, but things will be worked out in another week. It looks right now like this: Starting: West, Allen, Pierce, Raef, Blount 2nd Unit: Greene, Davis, Gomes, Al, Perk Scrubs: Scalabrine, Dickau, Reed Non-dressed: Banks, Bordchardt I know the Allen part looks a little nuts, but they definitely want Ricky in the second unit. We may well Gomes jump up to starting three and move Pierce to the 2, but we'll have to wait and see on that.
I see Boston just missing playoffs. With their great drafting though, they will be one of the Easts best teams in the future.
EDIT: I see Boston just missing playoffs. With their great drafting though, they will be one of the Easts best teams in the NEAR future.
I may just be looking through rose-colored glasses, but im on the same boat as CryWalker. I know the C's are built for the "future" and I hope it isn't just wishful thinking, but I have a strong feeling the Celts will be a much better team this year. Yes, without Gary Payton, and yes with a very young bunch. But this young bunch has one thing on their mind, and that's winning. I think that we have enough talented vets to pull the youngsters along. I may be going out on a limb by saying this, but I truly believe the Celts will win over 50 games this season, and (hopefully) make it past the first round of the playoffs. In the end (at this point) I see Detroit taking the East again, but I also like Indiana and wouldn't be surprised to see them take a run at it.
Celtics are 1-2 so far, after two heart breaking losses to Detroit and the Charlotte Tarheels. Here are two questions I have for the C's... 1)How long can they count on Mark Blount showing up? 2)When will they figure out their PG shuffle? So far the 76ers (1-3) and Orlando Tragic (0-3) are killing my predictions.
IMO it will be: 1--Detroit 2--Pacers 3--Miami 5--Cleveland 6--Nets 7--Milwakuee 8--Bulls 9--Washington 10--Raptors 11--New York 12--Boston 12--Charlotte 14--Orlando 15--Atlanta
They are just three games into the season and the C's are currently in second place. There is no predicting how any team will manage for the next 79 games. Look at the Miami Heat for instance, when they were 1-2, I didn't see anyone giving up on them. Denver is 1-3, and I see them making the playoffs. Though they Celtics are only 1-2, they lost a heartbreaker, but a good solid game to Detriot, and an overtime game, so it's not like they have been blown out or anything. So before anyone gets all worried- Lets get a few more games under our belts.
I'm not even a Wizards fan, but after what they accomplished last year I think they deserve more credit than you guys are giving them? Why are Milwakee and Philly ranked above the Wizards??!! Sure they lost Hughes and Kwame (haha). AD, and Caron easily make up for the loss of Hughes. This is the first time in a while that the Wiz have had a solid backup at pg, and bench scoring.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Jurassic:</div><div class="quote_post">I'm not even a Wizards fan, but after what they accomplished last year I think they deserve more credit than you guys are giving them? Why are Milwakee and Philly ranked above the Wizards??!! Sure they lost Hughes and Kwame (haha). AD, and Caron easily make up for the loss of Hughes. This is the first time in a while that the Wiz have had a solid backup at pg, and bench scoring.</div> I have Washington finishing better than Philly, and so far both are doing just what I expect of them. I don't think Philly is all their cracked up to be.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Crywalker:</div><div class="quote_post">I have Washington finishing better than Philly, and so far both are doing just what I expect of them. I don't think Philly is all their cracked up to be.</div> 5 straight wins, should be 6 after tonight, as long as Chris Webber can stay healthy the 76ers will keep winning. Plus Sammy has yet to grace the courts for the team. I have to admit, Washington is playing much better than I expected. I didn't think they had the frontcourt players to put together a string of victories. So far their bench is making a difference with Ruffin, Butler, and Etan.
