Reminder: We are rebuilding not contending

[CFAN38]

Regardless of the future assets that the team has, they're a one seed playing an eight seed.

They're a top ten offense playing a bottom five offense.

They're supposed to be a well coached team with great chemistry playing a team with lousy chemistry and an embattled coach.

They were supposed to be the team with something to play for, the team that had motivation to win a game for their bereaved leader.

None of that showed tonight. None of it.

The 1-seed looked like a 5-seed tonight. The 8-seed looked like a 4-seed. The Celtics have got to capitalize all 48 minutes man. Nobody is injured, IT4 is playing, there was no excuse in losing this game. Can't blame the refs either for the p----poor effort tonight.

Your comment that the Cs where a 1 seed looking like a 5 seed is true and a real reflection on the Cs and the east in general. The Celtics currently have a great regular season team. They are deep, gritty, well coached and who with a few exceptions play with consistent effort. The Cs depth and roster make up allowed them to become a statistically weak #1 seed. If we are being honest as fans we should recognize that most years this team is a 3-5 seed.

When compared to the legit contenders of the league Cavs, Spurs, Warriors and for the sake of conversation the Rockets its clears the Cs are not at the level to compete. All 4 of those teams have a player who is consistently capable of being the best player on the court on any given night. For all the greatness that is IT he is not on that level. He currently fills the role of STAR on this team and his offensive prowess and the availability of shots have meshed perfect.  DA has built an amazing cast of supporting players who are exceeding expectation but are not to the level needed to be a true contender. I think its safe to say DA originally envisioned a team where Smart was given the ruins at PG early and IT was the Terry/Crawford like 6th man spark plug. IT blew up that plan and rose to an allstar level and brought this team with him.

I honestly think DA, BS and the ownership know they have something special in a rebuilding team that fought for a #1 seed. I expect this team to pull together and handle the Bulls in this round. I also expect DA to keep his eyes on the prize and only make moves that get the Cs to a talent level where a Banner is a possibility. This is why short sited trades to get to the ECF ( like Ibaka) did not happen at the deadline.

As fans we need to enjoy this playoff run and hope for the unexpected but also be prepared for some hard truths in this and next offseason. I ultimately expect the Cs to go hard after Hayward in the offseason and if he cant be had look to upgrade the roster with a cap friendly deal. Unless George changes his tune about the lakers I also expect the Cs to draft a player with the Nets pick. The acquisition of Fultz or Ball with likely lead to a mid season IT trade.

[Celtics4ever]

Seeding does not matter once the game starts.  We never get a home court advantage from the refs.I

[biggs]

Sorry buddy, but once we traded for IT, we ended rebuild mode and entered "compete" mode. Teams that are rebuilding build through the draft, not pulling their team in two directions to please ownership.

Bad loss, bad team. No excuses.

Bradley/Crowder/Amir are horrible starters and excellent bench players. Unfortunately, ownership is greedy and ruined our rebuild by forcing the IT trade, leaving IT to drag around this misfit team of bench players.

If we were rebuilding, we would have two lottery picks this year, with one being our own.

This is wrong on so many levels. IT became an all star last season while playing for the Celtics... when we traded for him he could barely break the Suns guard rotation of Bledsoe and Knight. Your response made it seem like we traded for an all star when we actually created one and this year he continued to grow and is now an MVP candidate.

Secondly, one star doesn't create a contender... see OKC, Bulls, Pacers and unfortunately us.

I think you read "compete" and your brain saw "contend." Slightly different to be a favorite for the finals and trying to win as a lottery team.

Please explain the many levels of wrong, because your only point is that IT was not a star when we got him, therefore we had no idea he would submarine our rebuild. Ainge is on record saying that they could have waited until the summer to make that move. Why else would he want to delay that move other than a fear that aquiring a scorer with a chip on his shoulder might light a fire under a tanking team in a weak conference?

And just because IT was burried in the rotation in Phoenix, it doesn't mean he couldn't play.  You make it sound like he was some unknown commodity from the D league.

If we had no idea that IT could play then why did we aquire him? The only other reason is to sell tickets, and either way ownership is to blame for their impatience.

I admit that my reaction to the original post was a bit kneejerk/emotional, but it irks me when people say we're​ rebuilding as a 50 win #1 seeded team, and I just woke up 

I'm happy that we have another lottery pick coming, but it's hard to deny that it's at least unconventional to try and rebuild while you compete.

[liam]

Seeding does not matter once the game starts.  We never get a home court advantage from the refs.I

I think we get better calls on the road...

[Ilikesports17]

Seeding does not matter once the game starts.  We never get a home court advantage from the refs.I

I think we get better calls on the road...

we are 30-11 at home, 23-18 on the road.
Chicago is 25-16 at home, 16-35 on the road.

home court matters.

[Celtics4ever]

I think we get better calls on the road...

Me too.

[More Banners]

Sorry buddy, but once we traded for IT, we ended rebuild mode and entered "compete" mode. Teams that are rebuilding build through the draft, not pulling their team in two directions to please ownership.

Bad loss, bad team. No excuses.

Bradley/Crowder/Amir are horrible starters and excellent bench players. Unfortunately, ownership is greedy and ruined our rebuild by forcing the IT trade, leaving IT to drag around this misfit team of bench players.

If we were rebuilding, we would have two lottery picks this year, with one being our own.

This is wrong on so many levels. IT became an all star last season while playing for the Celtics... when we traded for him he could barely break the Suns guard rotation of Bledsoe and Knight. Your response made it seem like we traded for an all star when we actually created one and this year he continued to grow and is now an MVP candidate.

Secondly, one star doesn't create a contender... see OKC, Bulls, Pacers and unfortunately us.

I think you read "compete" and your brain saw "contend." Slightly different to be a favorite for the finals and trying to win as a lottery team.

Please explain the many levels of wrong, because your only point is that IT was not a star when we got him, therefore we had no idea he would submarine our rebuild. Ainge is on record saying that they could have waited until the summer to make that move. Why else would he want to delay that move other than a fear that aquiring a scorer with a chip on his shoulder might light a fire under a tanking team in a weak conference?

And just because IT was burried in the rotation in Phoenix, it doesn't mean he couldn't play.  You make it sound like he was some unknown commodity from the D league.

If we had no idea that IT could play then why did we aquire him? The only other reason is to sell tickets, and either way ownership is to blame for their impatience.

I admit that my reaction to the original post was a bit kneejerk/emotional, but it irks me when people say we're​ rebuilding as a 50 win #1 seeded team, and I just woke up 

I'm happy that we have another lottery pick coming, but it's hard to deny that it's at least unconventional to try and rebuild while you compete.

Might've been a bit rash calling Bradley a non starting quality player. He has established himself quite solidly as a premier role player in the league.

The trades that brought Crowder and IT were, my guess on Ainge's mind here, about acquiring pieces. Neither was who they are. But to be in position to shoot for a marquee player, it takes a lot of ammo. Trading a pick to get IT does suggest DA had some expectation that Isaiah was a player, though nobody expected him to develop into an allstar. Picking him up wasn't a contend-now move. It was more likely to be a classic Ainge pump-and-dump.

It's hard to rebuild while competing because it's hard to get unprotected future firsts. We've done it before. It didn't work out so well last time when Red dealt the starting SG on a title team for a future first, but many things could've gone differently in the '80's. We were champs with the #2 overall, what could go wrong?

[mctyson]

I understand that this is—technically—still a rebuilding team, and that Boston finds itself in a very good situation—being already a good team while still having some top-notch assets like this year's BKN pick.

But can a No. 1 seed really be considered, for all practical purposes, a rebuilding team? I agree that they're not true contenders—they're nowhere close to beating the Cavs or Warriors in a 7-game series—but at the same time, I'm not sure they can be considered a true rebuilding team at this point.

But however one chooses to describe them, they shouldn't lose game 1 at home to an 8 seed.

Yes, because they are not a #1 seed in the NBA and their management is stressing rebuilding (draft picks and player development) versus unloading future assets.

The league is basically three tiers right now:  [1] GSW, SA, Lebron.  [2] HOU, BOS, TOR, LAC, UTAH, WAS, MIL, ATL, OKC, POR, maybe IND, MEM and CHI...teams that could beat any of each other in a 7-game series, and [3] everyone else

[GreenWarrior]

this whole thread is a joke. Celtics fans want this team to get the respect that comes with getting the 1 seed but none of the pressure and expectations that comes with it.

[Rosco917]

I agree that Crowder, Bradley and Amir are not of the quality that will get us to the next level. But they are fine complementary players, that play hard. 

Crowder and Bradley are both undersized, 3 and D players, not to mention both are inconsistent. Bradley gets hurt too much. Both would be solid reserves on a contender.

Amir at this stage of his career is strictly a reserve on most NBA clubs. Amir as a starter is an example of just how weak we are in the front court.

All said and done, this is what a team looks like that grows from rebuilding to play-off them.

[Sketch5]

this whole thread is a joke. Celtics fans want this team to get the respect that comes with getting the 1 seed but none of the pressure and expectations that comes with it.

No I think we want acknowledgment for Stevens and IT, and how during a rebuilding period they got the team to the point were they can hang with teams that are further along. We should be just now fighting with Chi,Indy,Mil for the bottom four spots, but Stevens and IT have us in the top 4. So some acknowledgement for their work should be given.

The Bucks and Indy should be fighting for the 4th spot, which shows Stevens coaching ability. WE are still a rebuilding team, Stevens has said we aren't as good as our record, and DA and Wyc both have said we need pieces. A scorer, and a rebounder would be nice. The scorer is the easy part, a big that rebounds, not so much.

[zubi.anaba]

this whole thread is a joke. Celtics fans want this team to get the respect that comes with getting the 1 seed but none of the pressure and expectations that comes with it.

QFT

[GreenWarrior]

this whole thread is a joke. Celtics fans want this team to get the respect that comes with getting the 1 seed but none of the pressure and expectations that comes with it.

QFT

i'm not up on my internet lingo, what does "QFT" mean?

[GreenWarrior]

this whole thread is a joke. Celtics fans want this team to get the respect that comes with getting the 1 seed but none of the pressure and expectations that comes with it.

No I think we want acknowledgment for Stevens and IT, and how during a rebuilding period they got the team to the point were they can hang with teams that are further along. We should be just now fighting with Chi,Indy,Mil for the bottom four spots, but Stevens and IT have us in the top 4. So some acknowledgement for their work should be given.

The Bucks and Indy should be fighting for the 4th spot, which shows Stevens coaching ability. WE are still a rebuilding team, Stevens has said we aren't as good as our record, and DA and Wyc both have said we need pieces. A scorer, and a rebounder would be nice. The scorer is the easy part, a big that rebounds, not so much.

  I don't even know what to make of this post? IT and Stevens have gotten the credit they deserve with All Star selections and peers and media. what the eff more do they need? do we need to role out red carpets everywhere they step?

anyway that garbage is another subject for another thread.

[zubi.anaba]

this whole thread is a joke. Celtics fans want this team to get the respect that comes with getting the 1 seed but none of the pressure and expectations that comes with it.

QFT

i'm not up on my internet lingo, what does "QFT" mean?

QFT= Quoted For Truth