Who is the Most Overrated Team in the East ..aka.. Why Boston Sux.

[Demographic Shift]

You keep misdiagnosing why the Celtics are good. It is not their offense, it is their defense.

The fact that they shot 32% and STILL WON is to their credit. If they had shot 60% you could say, maybe they just had a hot shooting night. But the fact that they are grinding out wins on bad shooting nights is the opposite of smoke and mirrors.

Not to mention that they are the 3rd youngest team in the NBA by weighted-minutes played, meaning they have runway for growth. (We are 14th.)

It sucks, but it is what it is. This is why objectively assessing ceilings is important. Another example is Philly... They have two, possibly three franchise-level players/prospects and they have only $60 million on the books next year. There's a very real possibility they lap us next year. Bucks could too.

We can use this year to poke around and see how we stand come playoff time, and see whether any trade opportunities open up, but if we wash out again we'll need to take a serious look at where we stand. At that point a coaching change is going to be too little, too late imo.

This is the mirror opposite of the Carlyle Leafs...They got outshot by 10 or 12 shots a game yet won a ton of games with a really good offence. That was the year of the 18 wheeler falling off a cliff as the no defense eventually caught up to them.

The Chowders are playing good defense. They are quick and pressure the ball all game long. It’s working. Good god is it ever working. But sustainability is based off balance. What you do really well isn’t going to be spot on every single night or for stretches of every game. Maybe in video games it does but in a real game against other real high end athletes who are busting their ass to win too there are flat spots you hit. It’s at those times .. when your strength isn’t clicking that other aspects of the game come into play. Like offence. It’s going against the grain right now...but how many teams play at an 800 plus win percent shooting less than 35% from the field. I’d venture not many.

Like Icarus the Chowders will revert to the mean. To say they will play like this for another 70 games is a bet against mathematical probability.

[Shaolin Fantastic]

They remind me of a young version of the 2001 Sixers.

Hopefully DeMar hits the jumper that VC missed...

[LJ2]

Thank-you Billy King, you jackass of a GM.

[planetmars]

Jaylen Brown is really good. Thought that pick was a laugher when Ainge made it last year. But he's been their best player this season in my opinion.

[S.R.]

Re: the thread title - still not entirely off. They were hyped preseason largely because of their new big 3. Kyrie's very good, Horford fits perfectly with what they're doing, but what's putting them over the top is the young guys + Brad Stevens. I didn't see a single pre-season Boston hype article pumping their defence. Not one.

[Deems]

I don't believe the hype yet. I do like Tatum and Brown though they are going to be great players. Which makes me think what are they going to do with Hayward.

[Other Scott]

I didn't think the Celtics were the most overrated team at the start of the season, as second best team in the East with mid-50s wins seemed about right for them, but now I think they are.

People are now talking about the Celtics being the favourite to come out of the East and they can compete in a series with the Warriors. Neither of those things are true. The Cavs aren't playing significantly worse now then they were in the second half of last season, so I'm not getting overly worried yet, and let's be real, the Warriors would steamroll this Celtics team in a playoff series.

This run has been fun, a la the Atlanta Hawks 3 years ago, but people are getting way too carried away with a (pretty unsustainable) first 15 games of the season.

[MixxAOR]

this Celtics team is all time great. Just gotta learn to accept that I guess

[S.R.]

I didn't think the Celtics were the most overrated team at the start of the season, as second best team in the East with mid-50s wins seemed about right for them, but now I think they are.

People are now talking about the Celtics being the favourite to come out of the East and they can compete in a series with the Warriors. Neither of those things are true. The Cavs aren't playing significantly worse now then they were in the second half of last season, so I'm not getting overly worried yet, and let's be real, the Warriors would steamroll this Celtics team in a playoff series.

This run has been fun, a la the Atlanta Hawks 3 years ago, but people are getting way too carried away with a (pretty unsustainable) first 15 games of the season.

Yes, we'll see how things play out but a run like this is not an automatic trip to the Finals.

Look at the longest winning streaks from the past 15-20 years. You have a bunch from teams that were championship calibre from the get go, where the team ends up winning 60-ish games and ofte the championship - Duncan's Spurs, Big 3 Heat, Warriors. Then you have a bunch from teams that never were top tier, they were very good though, but those long streaks led to 60ish win regular seasons but playoff flameouts in any of the first 3 rounds, teams like the Hawks, Rockets, Clippers, Suns. I'd put this Boston team in that latter group.

That's no knock - they're playing great and their ceiling is high, best days are ahead. I just wouldn't be punching their Finals ticket in November, that's all.

[MixxAOR]

Avery Bradley and Jae Crowder were actually holding Celtics back. Now that they are gone they have elite defense.

[raptors999]

Yes, we'll see how things play out but a run like this is not an automatic trip to the Finals.

Look at the longest winning streaks from the past 15-20 years. You have a bunch from teams that were championship calibre from the get go, where the team ends up winning 60-ish games and ofte the championship - Duncan's Spurs, Big 3 Heat, Warriors. Then you have a bunch from teams that never were top tier, they were very good though, but those long streaks led to 60ish win regular seasons but playoff flameouts in any of the first 3 rounds, teams like the Hawks, Rockets, Clippers, Suns. I'd put this Boston team in that latter group.

That's no knock - they're playing great and their ceiling is high, best days are ahead. I just would be punching their Finals ticket in November, that's all.

Celtics might not take a championship run this year but they are establishing an enviable culture, where players are held accountable on defense and move the ball on offense, while still letting a player like Kyrie do his thing to help with dry spells

[MixxAOR]

It's so sad we have this thread on Celtics but Celtics fans don't even think about Raps. To them we're irrelevant T.T

[golden]

Normally if you shoot 32% against the Warriors, you lose by 40. This is ridiculous.. it's like bizarro world.

Warriors have the best offense in NBA history and Celtics only fouled them 15 times, holding them under 90? Celtics went to the line 24 time,and their offense is below average. Curry and Klay had 5 fouls. I hate to be one of those NBA conspiracy guys, but.......

[MixxAOR]

We’re 15 games in, so whatever, but I was kind of struck by this. This is Kyrie’s last season before LeBron arrived compared to this year. pic.twitter.com/OBlGtsao2r

— Hardwood Paroxysm (@HPbasketball) November 17, 2017

[S.R.]

It's so sad we have this thread on Celtics but Celtics fans don't even think about Raps. To them we're irrelevant T.T

I couldn't care less what anybody in Boston thinks about literally anything.