making the playoffs could be the better plan

[Evantime34]

A quote from the Forsberg article about the C's trying to make the playoffs

Consider this: The Celtics own the easiest remaining schedule in the league, according to Elias Sports Bureau. Boston's remaining opponents own a .451 winning percentage. Compare that to the teams around them in Brooklyn (11th most difficult, .516); Orlando (16th, .496); Charlotte (17th, .492); Detroit (20th, .483); and Indiana (25th, .474).

http://espn.go.com/blog/boston/celtics/post/_/id/4717393/playoffs-not-unfathomable-for-surging-cs

[Fafnir]

If Atlanta is playing close to the same level they are now we'd be lucky to get a game off them. Too much shooting and too much ball movement for the C's to keep up.

Remember no one thought Atlanta had a shot against Indy last year and almost pulled the upset off without Horford.

The Pacers were slumping so badly that multiple pundits, analysts, and stats guys picked it to a close 6 or 7 game series. Several thought the Hawks would win it in fact.

[Celtics18]

A quote from the Forsberg article about the C's trying to make the playoffs

Consider this: The Celtics own the easiest remaining schedule in the league, according to Elias Sports Bureau. Boston's remaining opponents own a .451 winning percentage. Compare that to the teams around them in Brooklyn (11th most difficult, .516); Orlando (16th, .496); Charlotte (17th, .492); Detroit (20th, .483); and Indiana (25th, .474).

http://espn.go.com/blog/boston/celtics/post/_/id/4717393/playoffs-not-unfathomable-for-surging-cs

That's good news . . . I think. 

[Fafnir]

TP.  I think we could push them to six as well.

We have split with them but they are 37 and 8.   We are 16-27.   Given this fact, I doubt we could play with them in the playoffs.   All these we match up do not account for Korver to a satisfactory conclusion and Horford, for all the spin here is a better player than Sullinger and Milsap is better than Bass.   This doesn't even account for Teague and all the experience they have playing together.

We also played them both times before Horford got healthy and they started truly kicking but.

[Eja117]

I think the value of Marcus Smart, KO, Sully, T Zeller, and Brad Stevens being in the playoffs is at least 5 times the value of getting the 10th pick instead of the 14th.

[tstorey_97]

As it is a "sport" and success is measured in "wins" I hope they win 35 games...even though they won't.

A playoff appearance is a good thing, not an "omg we missed a 19 year old potential star."

Yes, the three vets are "helping" this team win. In the NBA vets show up and "help young teams win" all the time. It is a key teaching moment for the young guys....it will stay with them for the rest of their careers.

 Yes, this team isn't much, really just ten solid bench players, but, hope is a tonic for all of us and these guys are going toe to toe with so called "better teams" with their leader Brad "the college guy Stevens" barking out every play at each end every night. I agree, these sentiments are just that, but, they are one of the few things that have meaning for anyone in Boston in effing February so I'm going with the sentiment thing.

Screw the great young center at #3 in the draft who will bring us to the promised land, kill the effing Timber pups tonight...all of'em. I hope they kill'em so bad the ASPCA holds the team bus at the airport.

[Celtics18]

As it is a "sport" and success is measured in "wins" I hope they win 35 games...even though they won't.

A playoff appearance is a good thing, not an "omg we missed a 19 year old potential star."

Yes, the three vets are "helping" this team win. In the NBA vets show up and "help young teams win" all the time. It is a key teaching moment for the young guys....it will stay with them for the rest of their careers.

 Yes, this team isn't much, really just ten solid bench players, but, hope is a tonic for all of us and these guys are going toe to toe with so called "better teams" with their leader Brad "the college guy Stevens" barking out every play at each end every night. I agree, these sentiments are just that, but, they are one of the few things that have meaning for anyone in Boston in effing February so I'm going with the sentiment thing.

Screw the great young center at #3 in the draft who will bring us to the promised land, kill the effing Timber pups tonight...all of'em. I hope they kill'em so bad the ASPCA holds the team bus at the airport.

Yay!!

[jonaslopes]

As it is a "sport" and success is measured in "wins" I hope they win 35 games...even though they won't.

A playoff appearance is a good thing, not an "omg we missed a 19 year old potential star."

Yes, the three vets are "helping" this team win. In the NBA vets show up and "help young teams win" all the time. It is a key teaching moment for the young guys....it will stay with them for the rest of their careers.

 Yes, this team isn't much, really just ten solid bench players, but, hope is a tonic for all of us and these guys are going toe to toe with so called "better teams" with their leader Brad "the college guy Stevens" barking out every play at each end every night. I agree, these sentiments are just that, but, they are one of the few things that have meaning for anyone in Boston in effing February so I'm going with the sentiment thing.

Screw the great young center at #3 in the draft who will bring us to the promised land, kill the effing Timber pups tonight...all of'em. I hope they kill'em so bad the ASPCA holds the team bus at the airport.

Post of the Month.

[Tr1boy]

TP.  I think we could push them to six as well.

We have split with them but they are 37 and 8.   We are 16-27.   Given this fact, I doubt we could play with them in the playoffs.   All these we match up do not account for Korver to a satisfactory conclusion and Horford, for all the spin here is a better player than Sullinger and Milsap is better than Bass.   This doesn't even account for Teague and all the experience they have playing together.

I think 6 also. 2 blowout type losses at atlanta. Then celtics win one or two etc at home.

CBS will figure out how to get out of the atlanta trap for a game or two plus fans going wild will help

[wiley]

I do find it fun to watch my team in the first round of the playoffs, even as the massive
underdog, but overall
I'm not that interested in being a playoff team with a losing record. 
Why pester the Hawks? 

[Rosco917]

I think when DA unloads Prince, Bass, and Thornton, we will not be thinking so much of the playoffs. Especially Prince, that guy has much more in the tank than I thought. (He settles this team down like a 6'7"piece of Zanex.)

Why the Clippers and others are waiting on him I have no idea.

Making the playoffs gets us out of the lottery, you never know what the roll of the ping pong balls we produce.

[mctyson]

I completely agree with the OP.

I have no idea why Celtics fans would rather see this team get 20 wins this year than 35.  The response typically is something like "why win with vets when we can lose and develop our youth"....or "we need a star and we can only get that in the Top 3 of the draft"....which completely ignores the fact that if we are winning that means our young players are GOOD.  This is an excellent thing for the club moving forward. 

[jpotter33]

Yeah, I've had to come over to this side of the debate, too. I was full on for tanking, but not if we were doing it half-way. We're just too good/mediocre and others are just too terrible for us to tank this season without harming ourselves.

That being said, I want all in for the playoffs this year, then. No more trading off our expirings for not-very-valuable 2nd rounders, as long as we can still build Young some playing time. No matter what people say about Boston and free agents, I think this summer and next will really detail how we fair with free agents. We won't be the most attractive place this summer, but having space to sign two really good players, playing in the weak East, having the Celtic tradition, and making the playoffs as a pesky 8th seed will make us at least attractive.

[Moranis]

Star Players who were drafted ouside top 10:

Kobe Bryant
Steve Nash
Joe Johnson
Klay Thompson
Al Jefferson
Clyde Drexler
Karl Malone
Shawn Kemp
John Stockton
Jermaine O'neal
Reggie Miller


Most of them are alpha-male stars. The point is chance of getting a star player in that range is close to top 10.

Consider, though, all the players drafted outside the top 10 that didn't become stars.

Consider also all the teams that spend years in the lottery and get multiple top ten picks and still never are any good.

Mike

Timberwolves, Kings, 76ers... umm...

Is that it?

Pitino Celtics
Pre-Ujiri Raptors
Cavs outside LeBron
Pistons
Bobcats
Nets
Knicks
Bucks

those teams were all run by idiots
pitino for instance literally gave away joe johnson and chancey billups. those were franchise-killing moves.
teams that draft well and strategize well shouldn't have so much trouble.

um Pitino didn't trade Joe Johnson.

[Moranis]

I think the value of Marcus Smart, KO, Sully, T Zeller, and Brad Stevens being in the playoffs is at least 5 times the value of getting the 10th pick instead of the 14th.

Boston is currently the 9th pick and if you make the playoffs you pick no worse than 15 not 14.