Remember who really believed when the stories change

[Roy Hobbs]

I will say in the summer of '07, some of the loss of skepticism came after we signed Posey and House.  Right after the KG trade we really had a skeletal bench; adding those two was when some of the pundits started to become optimistic about us.  I think that was reasonable. 

Yeah, that's where I was.  Immediately following the trade, when our bench consisted of guys like Jackie Manuel and Brandon Wallace, I wasn't convinced we would win in year one.  However, after the Posey signing, I was pretty confident.

[drza44]

Lol.  75 wins and Fo fo fo fo would be over the top...but I wouldn't be shocked if it happens.  That's the point.  By next summer the majority of the articles will be about how they always knew this when right now it's not like that.

I think next up I'll find one of the articles talking about how Sheed is possibly a head case or possibly washed up (I guess I could reference the Simmons article again, but I don't want to overkill that one).  Because guaranteed, by June there'll be articles calling him either the 4th Hall of Famer or the fifth All Star like adding such a star guaranteed a great Celtics team.  

[Edgar]

congratulations for a very good OP

and yes as roy i really really think that this team healthy is THE best one on the NBA

[Cman]

TP.
But I don't necessarily agree with your predictions.  I think the Cs will be a playoff team, but I really think we are going to see more injury problems cropping up during the season.  How Doc handles the playing time for his vets, IMHO, will determine how the Cs do when they eventually make it to the playoffs.  If they make it to the playoffs with all the main players in decent health, then they have a decent shot at the championship.

[drza44]

I actually bookmark articles that interest me at work, but I'm at home for the weekend so to get a Sheed article (which I've read lots of in the last couple of months) I just ran a quick Google search.  So I don't know who "The Big Lead" is, but here is what they had to say in their article "Aging Celtics Grab Grumpy Fossil Rasheed Wallace" ( http://thebiglead.com/?p=15470 ) :

"To alleviate the potential loss of a 2008 playoff hero (Powe) and a 2009 playoff savior (Davis), Boston put the full court press on soon-to-be 35-year-old Rasheed Wallace. This weekend, they finally landed him. Let’s hear it: Boston’s the team to beat in 2009-2010. Wrong."

"Wallace, as we’ve mentioned, is coming off a terrible season (though some will surely attribute that to the new coach, Iverson, injuries, etc). How is he going to like coming off the bench? And really, would he even play down the stretch in the fourth quarter? Not with the way Kendrick Perkins defends Dwight Howard; Perkins is also probably a better defensive matchup against Shaq. Where will his minutes come from? Will a guy with an ornery history be content with 20 minutes a night?"

Now, whoever "The Big Lead" is isn't really important, he just happened to be the lucky winner of the Google search.  I've seen the same sentiment, several times, from I'm sure writers with a bigger name.  The particulars of his content aren't even important outside of the fact that he follows the formula.  I'm telling you, I've seen a bunch of random articles like this and the formula is the same:

1) The Celtics were already old
2) Sheed is old
3) Sheed has an attitude
4) Sheed isn't as good as he used to be
5) Therefore, Celtics aren't really any better with him

You see, I read a lot of the same articles with the exact same formula in 2003 when the Wolves added 67 years worth of Cassell and Spree.  The articles would point out that Sam and Spree were old, that they weren't impact players like they used to be, that they had attitude problems, that there was no way they could help make the Wolves contenders, etc.  A couple of months later they were with KG on the cover of Sports Illustrated.

Just remember, when the pundits are looking back on how the addition of a Hall of Famer like Sheed (get used to hearing that.  You never hear much about Sheed and the Hall of Fame right now, but just wait till next summer...you'll think it was always a given) guaran-Sheed (you like what I did right there?) that the Celts were going to be outstanding.  Just wait.  It's coming.

[adam8]

TP, I look at this Celts team and see something special, maybe not as special as you see but I see a team that if they are playing well and healthy when the playoffs come they should win.

I looked through their early schedule the other day and think 18-1 through 19 is possible but I see this team winning in the 66 area again but getting through the first 2 rounds of the playoffs much easier than 2 years ago therefore making them look like a much more dominant team.

[drza44]

TP, I look at this Celts team and see something special, maybe not as special as you see but I see a team that if they are playing well and healthy when the playoffs come they should win.

I looked through their early schedule the other day and think 18-1 through 19 is possible but I see this team winning in the 66 area again but getting through the first 2 rounds of the playoffs much easier than 2 years ago therefore making them look like a much more dominant team.

Excellent point, and one of (IMO) the under-looked aspects of last year's team.  I've heard some people suggest that since the championship team went 7 games in the first 2 rounds of 08 and last year's team also went 7 games the first 2 rounds there really wasn't much difference.

Well, not only isn't that true (all 7 games series are NOT created equal), but also it overlooks the fact that last year's team would have been MUCH better prepared to ease through the playoffs than the previous incarnation.  To my eyes, last year's team was pretty much coasting for much of the season but they never got the chance to prove me right or wrong in the playoffs because it all changed when KG went down.

This year?  It's on.  They've still got the championship experience, they still have the confidence of knowing what they can do in the postseason, and now you add significantly more talent and motivation to the squad as well?  Oh, snap!  Even if you asked Dylan who the top 5 of all time are, he'd have to answer...

"Dylan, Dylan, Dylan, Dylan, and ... the 2010 Celtics.  I spit hot fire, mon!"  We're going to be THAT good.

[thirstyboots18]

tp.  I agree totally!!! And if this goal is reached, maybe it wasn't set high enough? 

As far as injuries, they are as apt to beset other teams as our Celtics, so don't project that curse on us....what will happen will happen.  I couldn't be happier with our team if "Larry Bird came through that door,"    .

[Roy Hobbs]

Well, here's one guy who sees it our way:

http://realgm.com/src_feature_pieces/825/20091021/leroux%5Cs_2009_10_prediction_thread/

Celtics win the title, KG is DPOY and Finals MVP.  I'll take it.

[ChainSmokingLikeDino]

Amen! TP! I have absolute confidence in this team. The naysayers will eat their words come those 16 extra wins at the end of the too-long playoffs. 

[cons]

I know it was just preseason, but the other day when they were playing the cavs - ray allen and KG weren't playing, and it looked like they weren't missed at all. Daniels was owning Moon, the Celtics were winning kind of easily, and that was the first time this year that I'd say I felt the same way the OP does. There IS a chance that this team could be scary good. Injuries or in-fighting would be the only things that I can see that might derail them.

[Jon]

Yes, this is a good topic.  Though I think it does bear mentioning that though many of us think the C's might be historically good this year, an injury could derail that.  And I don't just say that because of age: look at Big Al in Minnie. 

Still, I like the gist of this post.  And in all honesty, none of them really follow this team closely enough to make anything but broad, sweeping statements.  Still cracks me up that some C's previews talk about how Shelden Williams helps provide size upfront.  I wasn't aware size mattered when sitting on the bench. 

[Spilling Green Dye]

I see the same:  We're on the cusp of witnessing one of the most dominant teams in NBA history.  I don't think 75 wins, but I do see 68.

Speaking of the media coming up with ridiculous "analysis" and backtracking, does anyone else remember when like half of the ESPN "experts" picked the Chicago Bulls to win the championship last year.  THE NBA CHAMPIONSHIP!!  End result?  Bulls get the 8th seed and lose in the 1st round. 

I really wish we could pull up all of the old predictions, compare them to what happened, and develop a trend for certain "experts" lol

[drza44]

Well, here's one guy who sees it our way:

http://realgm.com/src_feature_pieces/825/20091021/leroux%5Cs_2009_10_prediction_thread/

Celtics win the title, KG is DPOY and Finals MVP.  I'll take it.

Here's another, as Ian Thompsen is picking the Cs to beat the Lakers in the Finals.  So, not ALL media are off...

[Drucci]

Great thread, I'm all in! I don't see the 72 wins record reached, and honestly I don't care, but I definitely believe this team is the best in the league and that it will be crowned NBA Champion next June.