That Was Easy

by Jeff Clark on Nov 8, 2007 7:11 PM EST in Boston Celtics Articles

Hear that? That's the deafening silence of thousands of Celtics fans with nothing left to complain about.

This blog had fewer visitors last year, but there was a lot more in-depth discussion. There was more to worry about, more to debate, more armchair GMs convinced that they knew the best way to make this team better. Now the heavy lifting is done. The course has been set, the bandwagon is gassed up, and all there is left to do is strap in and enjoy the ride.

Coming into the season there were at least a couple of issues we could still wring our hands over. Would the team gel together? Would the team be deep enough? Who will take the last shot?

Funny how much less we are worried about those things after 3 games isn't it? I am one that figured (before Rome) it would take this team a little while to come together as a unit. It only makes sense with that many new faces. Well, if this isn't gellin' like Dr. Scholls, I don't know what is. Right from that first preseason game, you could tell that this team was going to love playing together.

The one big key on offense is ball movement. If this team is making the extra pass, there's simply no stopping them. When the support players are contributing (like Rondo and Perkins were in Denver), forget about it. When Paul Pierce is giving up open threes to rifle passes into Perkins for an open dunk, you know things have changed for the better.

Now, there still may be speed bumps over the course of the year, but none of them seem all that immediately pressing. Injuries are something all teams fear. We could still use some depth at the center and point guard spots, but there's still a roster spot open for either a mid-season pickup or a 1-for-2 trade. By then we'll have a better feel for what we have in Scot Pollard, Tony Allen, and even Gabe Pruitt.

Nobody is going to compare Celtics fans to the pre-2004 Red Sox Nation. But this still seems like new ground for us. Today there was a thread started in the forms about Doc's decision to use Rondo to break the press at the end of the last game. As of this post it was 5 pages long.

There's just nothing left to complain about (for now). We all knew this team would be good, but we didn't know it would so soon. We didn't know it would be this easy.

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The team has gelled beautifully at home. But the offense was a mess against Toronto. Maybe that was Toronto’s D, maybe it was Rondo’s foul trouble. But it wasn’t pretty.

The team looks great, and I couldn’t be more excited. But if the C’s are going to unseat the Spurs, there are issues to be addressed. Discussing those issues needn’t take the form of “complaining”— nor should it always be labelled as such— but there are negatives. No team is perfect.

by PJ Martinez on Nov 8, 2007 8:25 PM EST reply actions

There’s still a ways to go, Jeff. I still need to see more from Rondo on the offensive end, and more from Perkins in total, to think we can make a serious run at the title.

But … the end of the youth movement is like an overdue bowel movement. Now we can actually talk about winning basketball issues, not hopes and dreams about players that didn’t make it.

by CoachA on Nov 8, 2007 9:18 PM EST reply actions

no rain on the parade because it’s 3 and 0, but it’s easy to make the extra pass when denver played the no look defense. 20 games in is the first time we will have a real good guess as to how far we can go. chicago is off to their typical poor start and you know they will be a force. but boston this year is a wild and special place. go revolution.

by nazzbo on Nov 8, 2007 10:28 PM EST reply actions

I think I did know how easy it would be. I’ve said 58W before the season started. I’ve said we will look like the Globetrotters (and we did last game) many games this season. I have said before the season, we will probably represent the east and have a good chance of winning in the finals even though we may be an underdog. I predicted before the season we will win the banner. I’ve also said we have as good or better chance to be in the finals than any other team in the NBA.

As with any team, if we lost a star player for the year (like KG) we are very catchable. Nobody has a crystal ball and can predict those things. If they happen, they happen. I had no clue for example Oden would go down for the season.

I also am not the least bit surprised that the former Celts players on Minny and Seattle are on teams that will struggle mightly all year. Long live the Big 3.

by bceltfan on Nov 8, 2007 11:48 PM EST reply actions

This team will have its off nights where it lays an egg. This team will probably have a mini 3-game losing streak at some point this year.

More predictions: I’ve said at least a 6-2 start and at least 14-6 first 20 games. No deviation.

Last year I predicted and told how horrible we would be with Telfair’s trade and we would 36 games max. This board was way too optomistic last year. I’ve said 58W before the season. I know many fans were snake bit from the youth deal last season but as I said prior to the season, it is safe to again be an optomist.

Bob Ryan can eat his heart out. The day of reckoning is coming to those doubters and the thing is I think they know it.

by bceltfan on Nov 8, 2007 11:53 PM EST reply actions

Agreed – very little to complain about. But I don’t think it came as a suprise to everyone. The gap between our roleplayers and that of other teams is smaller then people made it out to be – and we have more star power at the top of the roster then almost any other team..

Quite a few bloggers saw this coming. I still think we win 60 games and are a threat for a championship. Danny made lemonade out of a few lemons.

Pete

by Sweet17 on Nov 9, 2007 1:04 AM EST reply actions

3 games in? how ridiculous!

by NBAspaceLAZER3000 on Nov 9, 2007 8:02 AM EST reply actions

ok ok, perhaps the tone of my article is a little over-confident, I admit it

but I really haven’t given up the 20 game rule – you never know what could happen, it just is going so well so far – and the key is so far

by Jeff Clark on Nov 9, 2007 8:09 AM EST reply actions

this is a 5 yrs marathon as long as Garnett stays healthy and we’ll add pieces and have ending contracts to work with as time goes on…we will be serious players for a long time…that’s nothing to complain about…lol

by Motown on Nov 9, 2007 8:10 AM EST reply actions

Much of the silence you hear is from people like me, holding their breath. As much as I might like to, I can’t forget strongly opposing trading for Garnett. My argument was, the first month of having Garnett, Allen and Pierce, would be their best, and then, due their ages, it would all be downhill from there because of the onset of lingering injuries.

So while I’m almost giddy in watching the team play, I have this tiny dark cloud of foreboding hanging a foot or two above and behind my head. I want it to go away, but it just hangs there. And I can’t be sure, but with the news of Posey’s back problem, the cloud may have just grown a tiny bit bigger.

by no kidding on Nov 9, 2007 8:21 AM EST reply actions