This team is not winning a championship this year. Period. Only one team in nearly twenty years came out of the gate this poorly and went on to win the Title. The 94-95 Rockets while Jordan was playing baseball. Right Now we would be the seventh seed.
Now I am sure everyone here will say that there are 63 games left and that we can end up higher. Fine, does anyone think we are catching New York? There is not a shred of evidence to say we will. If we finish second in the East, we would need help to at best be the third seed. Otherwise we would be the fifth seed which also has not won a title in over twenty years.
I am sorry but I do not see it. Pierce is clearly a full step slower. His shooting percentage is awful, opposing small forwards are torching us. Evan Turner had his best game of the season last night. Coincidence? I think not.
Jason Terry may get better but is not really a good fit on this team. They need to drastically reshape the way they play him. Particularly by letting him come off the bench and have the ball in his hands like he prefers to play.
I will admit it looks like Green is getting better. In fact I would argue we may want to think about starting him at the small forward position. I know this may get me tarred and feathered in Boston but Pierce over the last five games is averaging 18 per game on 37% shooting along with 16% from three. The man has no legs. The three point percentage is a dead give away. Green over the same span is putting up 13 per game on 52% and 50% from three. Green gets 12 minutes less per game.
Let me repeat, Pierce is averaging sixteen percent from three over the last five games. His shooting percentage overall is the worst of his career.
At twenty games (As of tonight) we should not have this nonsense being spouted that they "Need to get used to each other". Seriously? Is that the best argument anybody has?
Here is another one: They are slow as molasses at small forward, undersized at power forward and shooting guard and have a player playing out position at the center. One of the shooting guards (Courtney Lee) looks lost and another (Jason Terry) is a bad fit for the system we run. Thus we are one game over .500.
Look, I love the Celtics, I have been a fan for thirty years. I just want to be able to have a reasonable discussion about them. I want them to win desperately. I just do not see it happening this year. Sorry.