Author Topic: Remember when we were tough?  (Read 5696 times)

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Re: Remember when we were tough?
« Reply #15 on: February 25, 2013, 08:36:05 AM »

Offline Lightskinsmurf

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The days of boston being feared are long gone. Everybody feels like they can beat this celtics team, even the bobcats.

They've never been feared.

Bull, people knew in the past beating boston would be a very tall task. They knew we weren't soft and weren't going to be pushed around. They knew we were an elite team in the league and if they didn't bring it they would get crushed. Now, nobody feels any of that towards us now nor should they.

Re: Remember when we were tough?
« Reply #16 on: February 25, 2013, 08:41:58 AM »

Offline ScottHow

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Honestly I think the toughest guy on our team stands 6'1" and is injured.

Re: Remember when we were tough?
« Reply #17 on: February 25, 2013, 08:52:44 AM »

Offline scaryjerry

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The days of boston being feared are long gone. Everybody feels like they can beat this celtics team, even the bobcats.

They've never been feared.

Bull, people knew in the past beating boston would be a very tall task. They knew we weren't soft and weren't going to be pushed around. They knew we were an elite team in the league and if they didn't bring it they would get crushed. Now, nobody feels any of that towards us now nor should they.

eh, that's the bull...professional athletes didn't fear the Celtics...they got up to play us actually...the only year you have a case is the year we won a title, yet somehow the mighty hawks and cavs took us to 7 and I'm positive the pistons didn't"fear"us...otherwise the likes of the bobcats have always been a tough task for us....one year there rookie guard even called us out saying if a team pushes back we just quit.

Never been feared...we were just better

Re: Remember when we were tough?
« Reply #18 on: February 25, 2013, 08:57:55 AM »

Offline Lightskinsmurf

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The days of boston being feared are long gone. Everybody feels like they can beat this celtics team, even the bobcats.

They've never been feared.

Bull, people knew in the past beating boston would be a very tall task. They knew we weren't soft and weren't going to be pushed around. They knew we were an elite team in the league and if they didn't bring it they would get crushed. Now, nobody feels any of that towards us now nor should they.

eh, that's the bull...professional athletes didn't fear the Celtics...they got up to play us actually...the only year you have a case is the year we won a title, yet somehow the mighty hawks and cavs took us to 7 and I'm positive the pistons didn't"fear"us...otherwise the likes of the bobcats have always been a tough task for us....one year there rookie guard even called us out saying if a team pushes back we just quit.

Never been feared...we were just better

Not sure what being a professional athlete has to do with fearing someone. What you said is just touching on what I said. "They knew if they didn't bring it they would get crushed" So yes alot of teams brought it. Yes we were better, and maybe "Fear" isn't the best word to use but you know what I mean. We aren't the big bad celtics anymore. We're just another NBA team.

Re: Remember when we were tough?
« Reply #19 on: February 25, 2013, 09:48:01 AM »

Offline BballTim

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Honestly I think the toughest guy on our team stands 6'1" and is injured.

  No kidding. Teams can now push KG around with impunity.

Re: Remember when we were tough?
« Reply #20 on: February 25, 2013, 10:12:10 AM »

Offline LEHGOCELTICS

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We don't have those 'tough' players anymore; we've lost our tough identity.


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Re: Remember when we were tough?
« Reply #21 on: February 25, 2013, 11:36:10 AM »

Offline TripleOT

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In the NBA, there's physical toughness, and then there's mental toughness.  The 2008 team had both, in droves.  They had three physical bench bigs (Powe, BBD, and PJ Brown) who created a meat grinder affect in the paint  Those guys, along with KG and Perk, were a handful for opposing bigs.

The bench littles, House, Posey, and Cassell, were guys you could go to war with. That team had a lot of tough minded players in it, and that's why they could overcome huge playoff leads to win playoff games.

Regarding the Celtics bigs, they've been very soft in the paint the last few years.  Opposing teams know they can get easy buckets by crashing the offensive boards. You can criticize Perkins for not being a great rebounder, but one thing he does consistently is box out, which besides keeping a top rebounder from the opposing team off the boards, allows his team's littles to swoop in for rebounds.  Not having at least one big body who consistently boxes out really hurts a team trying to protect their glass. Sullinger was doing a decent job before he was lost for the season.

I don't know how anyone can watch this Celtics team and not thing that they're soft, both mentally and physically.     

Re: Remember when we were tough?
« Reply #22 on: February 25, 2013, 11:48:32 AM »

Offline kgainez

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I think this team does desperately need a swagger, an identity. Things like talent, cohesiveness, they breed play you might call 'tough', because they can consistently play through adversity.

We also are desperately missing an enforcer. Perkins is tough. So is Zach Randolph. Nik Pekovic is tough. But so is James Johnson, and he's buried on the Sacramento bench. Toughness isn't necessarily brutish play, it's refusing to bend to adversity. Miami is 'tough', and their best rim protector was once called 'ru-Paul' by Shaq. But they're tough because they stroll into your house with a target on their back night after night and win more games than they lose, and don't apologize for it.

i'm not sure how a team that's 9-4 without their best player, finally found a way to win in the West, and is seeing multiple individuals step up is considered soft.

are they stupid? absolutely...they do some dumbbbbbb things and I blame maybe 1-2 players (get Bass off my team, I think things move MUCH smoother).

but we're soft?
ok!

Re: Remember when we were tough?
« Reply #23 on: February 25, 2013, 11:50:57 AM »

Offline kgainez

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The days of boston being feared are long gone. Everybody feels like they can beat this celtics team, even the bobcats.

i mean...would u fear a team that has continued to be very close to .500?
it's like saying we should be scared of the Bucks or the Mavs or something.
that's not happening not because of the personnel, but because of that record.

why would i be scared of you for something you did a year or so ago?

Re: Remember when we were tough?
« Reply #24 on: February 26, 2013, 02:35:21 AM »

Offline Scottie

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Interestingly enough, despite our apparent softness (not my sentiments). There does seem to be a general consensus that nobody wants to face us in the first round of the playoffs.

Re: Remember when we were tough?
« Reply #25 on: February 26, 2013, 02:53:34 AM »

Offline Bahku

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Yeah, I remember ... it was a couple of hours ago.
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Re: Remember when we were tough?
« Reply #26 on: February 26, 2013, 03:07:50 AM »

Offline tarheelsxxiii

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I think this team does desperately need a swagger, an identity. Things like talent, cohesiveness, they breed play you might call 'tough', because they can consistently play through adversity.

We also are desperately missing an enforcer. Perkins is tough. So is Zach Randolph. Nik Pekovic is tough. But so is James Johnson, and he's buried on the Sacramento bench. Toughness isn't necessarily brutish play, it's refusing to bend to adversity. Miami is 'tough', and their best rim protector was once called 'ru-Paul' by Shaq. But they're tough because they stroll into your house with a target on their back night after night and win more games than they lose, and don't apologize for it.

Again, these things really seem like narratives that are driven by observers.

The Heat lacked mental toughness when they first came together.  Then they won, and they were tough and had swagger.

Dirk was soft.  Then he carried his team to a title over the Heat and that talk stopped.  In retrospect, some people say Tyson Chandler brought the Mavs the toughness they needed to win.

KG was a soft guy who just trash talked a lot.  Then he won a title with the Celtics and he was legit tough.

Pau Gasol was soft in Memphis, then joined the Lakers and got beaten around by the physical, tough, trash-talking Celtics.  Then he helped the Lakers win a title in 2009 and was the most important player in the 2010 Finals repeat.  Suddenly he wasn't soft anymore.

But then the Lakers started having trouble and losing, and Pau started to have some injuries, and just like that he was soft again.

Your last post was incredibly condescending. I encourage you to define words if you feel they are relevant to your responses.

Please explain what a "narrative driven by an observer" is. I can't fathom a scenario in which sports are qualitatively analyzed otherwise. If you are interest in quantification (which I am not, as I believe it is silly more often that not, as a sports fan), please provide more information.

The Heat never lacked mental toughness. Please provide evidence.

Do you question Chandler's contribution to that team? If he isn't there as the enforcer (that's called "tough,") and Terry & co. don't play out of their minds (beyond their abilities), they don't win a championship. That series did not define Dirk as "tough."

Pau Gasol is a good player that was in the right place at the right time. I can't believe... are you suggesting Pau Gasol is not soft? Please clarify.

KG was far from soft.  He got "soft" when he became old and started playing 20 feet from the basket on offense. And the man is still a warrior. You can't fathom what how he must train and rehab in order to continue to play at the level he is playing at despite his age.
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Re: Remember when we were tough?
« Reply #27 on: February 26, 2013, 03:51:13 AM »

Offline GreenFaith1819

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Yeah, I remember ... it was a couple of hours ago.

Haha - TP.

"Tough" teams pullout OT wins - on the road, no less - vs playoff teams in hostile environments.....

...like our Celtics just did in Utah.

This team STILL has a lot of fight left in them.

Re: Remember when we were tough?
« Reply #28 on: February 26, 2013, 03:38:53 PM »

Offline Q_FBE

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Yeah, I remember ... it was a couple of hours ago.

Haha - TP.

"Tough" teams pullout OT wins - on the road, no less - vs playoff teams in hostile environments.....

...like our Celtics just did in Utah.

This team STILL has a lot of fight left in them.

See, that is why I say there is a lot of basketball to be played and the Division Title is a worthy goal to be accomplished. After what this team has been put through, this would demonstrate toughness in itself. And then backing it up with two more series wins.
The beatings will continue until morale improves

Re: Remember when we were tough?
« Reply #29 on: February 26, 2013, 05:44:56 PM »

Offline kozlodoev

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The days of boston being feared are long gone. Everybody feels like they can beat this celtics team, even the bobcats.

They've never been feared.
Make no mistake, everyone was pretty much ready to fold against the 2008 Celtics before the game even started - which is a function of the tone they set starting with the first preseason game that season.

I don't think this was a function of any "toughness", perceived or otherwise -- I'd hazard a guess that the NBA didn't expect a team with three superstars to play so unselfishly (the most recent example of how such teams pan out was the horrible failure of the Kobe-Malone-Payton Lakers). The unexpected teamwork was what made the Celtics feared.
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