That's the famous Rick Pitino quote.
I don't write or even read much here anymore because there is nothing worse in my honest opinion than unfounded negativity.
I am not concerned about the Celtics' present or future. I am not giving up on winning this series. It was extremely bad luck to not get at least the #4 seed. There have already been plenty of good things that occurred this season that it won't matter if Atlanta wins in game six. I don't think they will, but I am still waiting for the crystal ball to arrive from UPS.
My two favorite posters here Chambers and Rollie pretty much articulate my view. Our team is decimated from losing Bradley and having too many other key players banged up at the same time.
The only player I have given up on is Jared Sullinger. Just look at him. This is not the professional softball league where you could hide him at first base.
That's my negativity.
I think it is amazing that we didn't get swept. If we do win game six, that will be gravy. We had problems early in the season winning home games. It was too bad because it forced us to go on a huge run which came up just short of home court advantage.
I remember quite a number of great games this year. I liked the Houston game. We destroyed them completely. Of course the win over Golden State meant that no matter what, this season had proved something. We weren't expected to go far anyway and at a minimum the Celtics have put up a much stronger showing than last year against the Cavs.
This is what I see posted too often that is flat out wrong:
* Injuries are no excuse.
The doubts on Crowder are irrational. He is not at full strength. The same applies to Kelly Olynyk and Amir during the year due to plantar fasciitis. Remember Isaiah in last year's playoffs? Injuries are no excuse? Okay, so when he shoots badly playing on a broken butt he had no excuses, but when he plays great when healthy, that means he figured it out?
Health is everything.
We are a team on the upswing. We are very lucky to be in the top ten of teams in regards to the future.
Rozier made a play last night that was amazing. It was extremely acrobatic. In general, he has really turned it on and surpassed all young players except for Marcus Smart.
And I will end by addressing the Marcus Smart situation. I can't believe how down people are on him for offense. Thankfully such people at least admit he is one of the best defenders in the league.
Smart is the best example of how injuries skew stats. Ask Butch Hobson about that. He was making an error per game or every other game. He was Chuck Knoblach throwing the ball away way too often.
How about this for hope for Smart's offense and potential as a starter on a contending team. I am looking at his per 36 minute stats.
Most people point at his low percentage shooting as an insurmountable flaw. He shot 33.5% his rookie season for three pointers. Isn't that about the minimum that one must shoot for them to be effective?
Marcus didn't come into the league as an offensive force. Look at his free throw percentage and attempts. This year he averaged one more attempt and bumped his % from 64.6 to 77.7. He figured out how to drive to the basket and get fouled. He is not Rondo at the free throw line. Was the 77.7% a fluke?
People want to box in Marcus Smart as the worst shooter in the league. That is unfounded negativity. The worst shooters do not shoot 33.5% on threes and 77.7% at free throws. I admit to cherry picking his stats.
His two point percentages are bad, but they are not extremely bad. With better shot selection, picking up fouls because he's not afraid like Rondo to shoot free throws, if he can actually be allowed to complete a third year of NBA play, all these things point towards Marcus Smart not being a long-term liability on offense.
He shot two point field goals at 41 and 42.7 his first two years. Sure, he needs to practice, practice, practice shooting. He can do it. He could still end up as the best player drafted in his year.
For rebounding, he came up with 4.4 and this year 5.5. Those are great numbers.
His assist to turnover ratio has been 4.1 to 1.8. He also averages two steals and half a block. And for all the great defense Marcus Smart provides, he rarely fouls out.
I don't understand the negativity. We are a major player going into the off-season. We might even win the next two games and then what will the naysayers say? Will they expect people to forget what they tend to say in general and mostly after a loss or a tough stretch of games?
I picture us all in a huge bar talking sports. A few people I like what they have to say because over time they have been more right than wrong and you can always expect from them a thoughtful pu pu platter of Celtics basketball knowledge.
Last night was awful. It was shall we say, painful. However, it was just one game. These guys aren't going down without a fight.
Topic: "And all the negativity that's in this town sucks!" (Read 5632 times)