Author Topic: Enjoying yourselves Anti-Tankers?  (Read 12755 times)

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Re: Enjoying yourselves Anti-Tankers?
« Reply #75 on: April 26, 2015, 07:58:20 PM »

Offline Thruthelookingglass

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Awesome!  I was very pleased to root for my favorite team during the late season run and the unfortunately abbreviated (but still fun!) first round.

You know, the tank vs. anti-tank debate was fine until we made the playoffs.  I was hoping then that we'd all be Celtics fans again.   :-\

Re: Enjoying yourselves Anti-Tankers?
« Reply #76 on: April 26, 2015, 08:01:31 PM »

Offline Dino Pitino

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Quote
"It’s not my objective to be an eighth seed in the playoffs,” Ainge told the Herald. “My objective is to win championships, and we’re a long way from that.”

If the 8th seed were his objective, he would fire himself. Of course being a low playoff seed isn't his objective. That does not mean he didn't enjoy making these playoffs as a low seed. I might prefer a mushroom pizza, but I'll still gladly enjoy a plain cheese pizza. His preference for missing the playoffs had to have been weak, otherwise he wouldn't have traded for any talent whatsoever that would help the team this year. Instead, when he traded away his two expiring best players, he got back and kept Crowder and Jerebko. Plus he traded a 1st for Isaiah. Real tankers don't do that. He was hedging, and it was a win-win for him either way, with a minor preference for lottery positioning, but an appreciation for the progress demonstrated and side benefits gained by a playoff appearance. He's a great GM. He had put himself in a place where he couldn't really lose. We wound up barely making the playoffs, instead of barely missing them. The difference is small. The effect on his strategy is tiny. His asset pile was barely affected. If he had agreed with the one-track tank brigade, then we would have really tanked. We didn't. He doesn't. If he had agreed with anti-tankers that making the playoffs was an imperative, then we would've used more assets to add more win-now talent.  We didn't. He doesn't. He appreciates both angles. Because he's smart. Which is why he doesn't have to tank.

What's stupid about this tank/anti-tank divide is that there are people who think our long-term success hinges completely on one or the other. No. It's both, or, rather, it's either, or neither. It's whatever circumstances make more favorable. Inflexibility is what dooms teams. We have nothing to worry about there, Danny will always keep things flexible enough to capitalize on opportunities, until we get #18.

Everybody should be enjoying themselves.
« Last Edit: April 26, 2015, 08:08:09 PM by Dino Pitino »
"Young man, you have the question backwards." - Bill Russell

"My guess is that an aggregator of expert opinions would be close in terms of results to that of Danny." - Roy H.

Re: Enjoying yourselves Anti-Tankers?
« Reply #77 on: April 26, 2015, 08:01:52 PM »

Offline Eja117

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Tanking is something the French do when a German army shows up. If I were an owner I wouldn't hire a coach associated with tanking. I'd hire ones associated with winning.

Re: Enjoying yourselves Anti-Tankers?
« Reply #78 on: April 26, 2015, 08:15:59 PM »

Offline CoachBo

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Enjoying the four-game advertisement for Brad Stevens and how hard an outmanned team played against the Almighty and his cronies?

Yeah, I am. Can't buy publicity like that for this summer.
Coined the CelticsBlog term, "Euromistake."

Re: Enjoying yourselves Anti-Tankers?
« Reply #79 on: April 26, 2015, 08:18:29 PM »

Offline mef730

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Had a blast, thanks for asking!

Mike

Re: Enjoying yourselves Anti-Tankers?
« Reply #80 on: April 26, 2015, 08:29:40 PM »

Offline Fred Roberts

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Was it worth it? Did the crew gain "valuable playoff experience!" Newsflash, nobody on this team will be here when we are back to a championship level so it won't matter. We could be crossing our fingers for a top 3 pick right now to help speed up the rebuild but nope. Sorry. Try again next time. At least we have the Brooklyn pick next year to rely on. Ainge is so bad at tanking maybe someone else can do it for him.

(Sorry in advance, this thread was just too easy NOT to make)

Danny DID TANK! Ha. He sold off everyone and kept turning over the roster so much he broke some records. The TEAM AND COACHES would not tank. Bunch of scrappers going for it was a joy to watch. I enjoyed all of it.

We've got a keeper Doc replacement, several interesting parts to hold or trade,  cap room,  8 1st rounds picks in the next 4 drafts,  a billion second rounders .... etc.

Having a top 5 pick would be nice but Stevens proved he's far too good for that.

Re: Enjoying yourselves Anti-Tankers?
« Reply #81 on: April 26, 2015, 08:32:46 PM »

Offline PhoSita

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What reaction do you predict from tankers if the Pacers get a top three pick?  I think it will be incredibly entertaining.

I really don't understand why you'd root for this to happen.
You’ll have to excuse my lengthiness—the reason I dread writing letters is because I am so apt to get to slinging wisdom & forget to let up. Thus much precious time is lost.
- Mark Twain

Re: Enjoying yourselves Anti-Tankers?
« Reply #82 on: April 26, 2015, 08:33:24 PM »

Offline Eja117

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I am 100% sure I am enjoying this more than the Philly fans and the Knicks fans. And the LA fans.

They'll all be sending to the lottery in NJ....let's guess....Tim Hardaway Jr (he gets to find out who his replacement will be), Jeannie Buss who'll be all like "Gosh darn it Phil Jackson STILL won't marry me!", and the ghost of Pat Croce (he's alive. That's not my point).  They'll sit there sweating and hyperventilating till the 2nd pick goes to ....Denver! and the first pick goes to....Sacramento!

"Let's go quick to Jahil Okafor and Karl Anthony Towns.....hey....what are you guys doing?"

"Nothing"

"No seriously. What are you doing?"

"We're hiring lawyers to get us back into college and challenge these rules at the Supreme Court because there is no way on Earth we are going to Denver and Sacramento. Plan B is double suicide murder pact."


Yes. I will enjoy watching that almost as much as I enjoyed these playoffs.

Re: Enjoying yourselves Anti-Tankers?
« Reply #83 on: April 26, 2015, 08:35:31 PM »

Offline AB_Celtic

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Got 4 free games of hard-fought Celtics basketball and maintained a culture of winning at the expense of picking a few spots later in a draft that people always seem to forget is a crapshoot.

Very happy.

Re: Enjoying yourselves Anti-Tankers?
« Reply #84 on: April 26, 2015, 08:37:17 PM »

Offline saltlover

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I had a great time.  I get extra pleasure of seeing the heartbreak of the tanking crowd.

Re: Enjoying yourselves Anti-Tankers?
« Reply #85 on: April 26, 2015, 09:56:25 PM »

Offline Smokeeye123

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This thread should be titled

"Enjoying yourselves Tankers?" because a lot of the tankers on this board were pulling hard for a sweep here and now they are reaping the benefits.

I mean OP is basically giddy that we got swept.

I know, right? It's pretty sad. OP was probably rooting for the Cavs all series long just so he could hop on here and make this thread. Great job, dude. Congratulations.

Of course I wasn't I would have loved the Celtics to beat the Cavs. Heres the problem. There is literally a zero percent chance that would ever happen. The NBA is not the NHL or NFL or even Baseball. Low seeds do not beat high seeds. Low seeds almost NEVER get past round 2 or wint he championship. The NBA is a star driven league where only the top 3 or 4 seeds (MAYBE) have a shot at winning the title. Couple the lack of stars with the refs favoring the few that actually exist and it makes it impossible for a low seed to win.

I love the Celtics and want them to be a championship team again. However, nobody on this team is championship quality. Smart is not close...he has a chance but a very small one. Thomas is a nice player but he is a 4th option at best. The rest is a modge podge of roleplayers that will be gona in two years time.

Re: Enjoying yourselves Anti-Tankers?
« Reply #86 on: April 26, 2015, 10:02:13 PM »

Offline Smokeeye123

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Quote
That was one example. Every draft has at least one or two franchise players. Last year was Parker and Wiggins, year before that was Nerlens Noel, Year before that was Anthony Davis, Damian Lilliard, and Andre Drummond. You cant win championships drafting Kelly Olynyks every year.It also doesnt matter if the actual player is valuable.

A top 3 pick is inherently very very valuable in the NBA. You can use it to trade for a Kevin Love.

Are you actually a fan of the Celtics, you know, the franchise that won a championship in 2008 after its GM traded for Kevin Garnett (a much more valuable player than Love) using a package centered on a player picked 1st 2nd 3rd 15th? Do you follow some other team, or do you just have amnesia? Yes, a higher pick is usually more valuable, in general. But it's quite possible to score a franchise player without using your own pick to draft at the top of the lottery. If your premise says otherwise, then everything else you argue on top of that premise is wrong. Proven wrong, by recent history, the recent history of this same franchise, led by the same GM.

Anyway, none of the players you just mentioned there have even sniffed a Finals yet. They are evidence of nothing so far. In fact, there are only six teams in the entire league that've won a championship since 1999. Spurs, Lakers, Pistons, Heat, Celtics, Mavs. Only stars on those teams drafted higher than ninth by the team they won a title with: Duncan, Wade. That's it. 16 years of championships, and only two players fit your paradigm of The Only Way to Win a Championship. Your paradigm fails.

There are multiple paths to building a championship roster, because there are multiple paths to acquiring championship talent. Not just drafting high.

Yeah and the other teams that one either signed those top picks in free agency or traded lottery picks for the stars.

And how did we get Ray Allen Dino? Being a gritty 7th seed or tanking?

Re: Enjoying yourselves Anti-Tankers?
« Reply #87 on: April 26, 2015, 10:03:09 PM »

Offline celtics2030

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LOL What is funny is that no matter what anyone wanted dictated nothing on what happened.

So if everyone wanted playoffs, can you really hate them for being a fan?

Either way it would not make a difference.

Sometimes I think to myself, tanking has to be some kind of myth, yes coach's can do it..

But players do not tank, they are playing for money , for contracts, for records , things like this, even veterans who know they are set for the next year or 2 or 3....

Tanking is a weird thing....Miami and Philly both made game winning plays during there game...no tanking there when in reality they should have.