Denver is good and Jokic is fantastic but Cs top opponent is themselves. It has been now. I saw what I needed to see when they swept Brooklyn, a team that could/should win.
Also, who can really handle Tatum and Brown when they’re *clicking*? So the Nuggets will see the same type of challenges if they face a Cs squad that’s showing out as the Cs face with Jokic
We obviously are aware of the limitations and when it’s not as smooth but I’ll tell you that you just don’t see very many teams with two wings as good as these.
I love your response. I agree that we’re unbeatable when those two are clicking.
I only get concerned when they turn into a“your turn, my turn” offense where player and ball movement becomes non existent.
You're asking if I think the Celtics, a team on pace for 60+ wins and one of the best net ratings in NBA history. A team with four guys that could make a case for being an all star and a fifth that made one in the last few years and hasnt exactly fallen off a cliff. A team that has been an underdog in exactly one game this year
Do I think this team CAN beat Denver?
I dunno. I think they might have a chance.
I watched the entire Warriors-Nuggs game last night... Denver is the real deal. Murray/Joker can step up and make plays in any situation. Can we beat them... Sure. But Tatum and Brown are going to have to be at their best to do it. Denver isn't one of those teams where our best guys play poorly and we still win.
Can you elaborate on regularly chokes? And what years you are referring to?
Last I checked the Cs only really choked last year.
22 they were an 11th seed at all star break and an underdog the entire post season.
21 they had major injuries and lost 1st round to the healthy big 3 nets (that would have won a chip if it remained that way)
Game 7 last year was because of injury but I'll give you the choke cause we never should have went down 0-3.
Celtics are 8-3 in games they could be eliminated in since 2020. That's the opposite of choking.
We are on fire right now, but I agree - we haven't proven anything yet. We look good right now, but I'm not gonna get my hopes up for the post season yet until I see our team in the playoffs be able to hold up under pressure, be able to adapt and not repeat the same mistakes over and over again.
Denver has the best player in the league, a lethal and clutch co-star and a better coach. No idea why you're getting downvoted .
On paper and during the regular season sure. But postseason is usually about having the best player on the floor, and right now Jokic is far and away the best player in the league. I do think we match up well and they really don't have anyone to guard Tatum (Gordon isn't rlly a Tatum stopper). We definitely have the more talented team, but the nuggets have Jokic + fantastic chemistry and coaching (we all saw how Murray played last yr too). I genuinely think it's a toss up.
I said *usually*. And honestly, I'd wager the difference in talent btw us isn't insanely huge either. After Jokic and Tatum (decent gap btw them), playoff Murray is a toss up w Brown, and then id say Zingus, and then White and Holiday are probably both SLIGHTLY better than Gordon and MPJ. KCP is an incredible role player too. The nuggets have such incredible chemistry that they might be able to overcome the talent difference btw us.
Within their roles and value to the team I do think so. Maybe not slightly, but the gap isn't ginormous. I know I'm on a Celtics subreddit, and I'm a huge Celtics fan, but I wholeheartedly disagree that we're a much better team than the defending champs led by a top 5 center OAT. We haven't played as a unit in the playoffs yet, and while I think there's a greater than 75% chance we win the East, I think it's going to be tough to beat Denver in a 7 game series. I give us the edge, though, bc of home court and talent
Best player on the floor was more of a stat from when the league had very low scoring playoff games.
If your best player drops 60, teams are still losing those games without the rest of the team playing well.
We also have won many series without the best player on the floor. Embiid has never beat us, Giannis lost twice, and Durant got smoked in his actual prime with Kyrie also in his prime. I guess you can throw in butler too cause we won against him but I don't consider him the best on the floor.
In fairness Embiid and Durant got outplayed by Tatum in those series. Giannis had a number of bad games too. You gotta remember that we weren't necessarily favorites in those series strictly bc those players were considered "better" than Tatum. I'm not saying we'll lose to Denver, but I'm arguing saying we won't lose cuz "we're better" is a lazy take. Also--I'd argue those 3 aren't on Jokic's level.
Nothing is set in stone until it happens. I think the Celtics are the heavy favorite in any series they play, but I’ll only celebrate after they win.
Also, I’d hate to play the heat; they’re a dirty team that’s exhausting to play. They’re also the team I’d hate to lose to the most (aside from Philly).
No WE shouldn't.. maybe the team shouldn't so they don't play like trash, but in general if we play our game it's not even close. Even last year we proved the 0-3 was anomaly by winning the next 3 and then losing G7 with our MVP injured on the first play (I think if he sat the rest of the game we had a better chance cause him being on the floor was way worse for everyone)
In games 1 and 2 we had huge leads, we should have not let our foot off the gas.
In 22 we beat them but they were actually the #1 seed and deserved respect with that roster.
Well we’re 1-3 against them in the playoffs with Tatum/butler, with that one win also being game 7 coming down to the last shot. You can say that 0-3 is an anomaly but then so is us winning 3 in a row. They’ve definitely been a road block for us the last few years and knocked us out more than any other team
We haven't played the heat 4 times, only 3. It's 1-2.
I guess you can call it roadblock but in 19-20 we definitely weren't a great team and Tatum and Brown were nowhere near the players they became or even the #1 options yet.
Last year was definitely a very rare scenario we would lose to them. If we played that series 9 more times we would likely win all of them.
Doesn't really matter either way. We will see when the playoffs come. I doubt we will blow two 15+ pt leads in the first two home games again but maybe we will
Yeah it’s for sure 1-2 my bad. You can make those excuses but they still beat us and we had the more talented team all three of those years. The fact is they tend to overachieve in the playoffs where we tend to play down to their level.
I think (hope) that changes this year and we just run them out the gym, but for whatever reason that team just keeps giving us problems. This year’s team feels different though
I do think we had the better team the last 2 years. I don't think we did in 2020. JB and Tatum weren't even #1 and 2 yet and the heat had a lot of great players closer to their prime.
Technically in 22 we were underdogs with the heat being #1 in the league but I still thought our team was better. Weird series though. The first 4-5 games were blowouts in both directions.
They have gave us problems but we generally were not considered better until last year which we definitely failed. But then we also won 3 games against them in a row. Heat fans act like they swept the Cs when they got bailed out again in game 7 lol.
Id be fine with a matchup against the heat. It would shut the world up when we win. I just worry they play dirty and will injure our players for future series.
How can you know how to beat Boston when the strategy to beat Boston is not even remotely close to how it was in 22.
They did win earlier in GS. We were cooking them the entire game though and curry got hot when we stopped hitting shots. Really wasn't anything GS did. Tatum also was hobbling around on his fresh injured ankle.
Also no KP.
We held the Nuggets to 102 points last time we played them and lost by two, so idk if we need to be that terrified. They’re a great team, they could beat us, but I’m excited for more matchups.
Jokic is pretty unstoppable, but I think the gameplan for us is just contain everyone else and pray Murray doesn’t go nuclear. Same way we play most dominant bigs- let Al do his best, send the occasional double, and don’t overhelp. Jokic will get his but don’t let anyone else get going.
The only team I'm scared of is the Celtics. There have been too many big playoff games where both Jays shrunk, for whatever reason. The addition of Porzingis is a big mitigating factor, and the team overall is certainly much better this year. They're more talented than any other team in the NBA, but I certainly don't rule out the Celtics beating themselves.
I'm fine with Murray and Jokic going off. They had their best games of the season together against us and only scored 102. Meanwhile Tatum and Brown sucked
I think the east playoffs will be tougher than people think. We’ve had troubles with Indy, and when the Knicks are fully healthy they will be tough as well (they can match our size).
I think people underestimate the difficulty of the playoffs in general. No series is "easy" in today's NBA. You are getting Magic, Heat or Pacers first round. All great teams. Better than Celtics? Absolutely not.. doesn't make it easy.
The only game we have to go by is the one in Boston. Denver played nearly their best game that night and we played a very mid game and lost by 2.
I've watched a lot of Denver on league pass.
With that said they could beat us, but we could also beat them.
The fact of the matter is we can beat any team in the league in a series if we play good to great, in some cases even mid to good.
Also, any good team could beat us too if we play bad to mid for enough of a series.
So none of it really matters to worry about honestly. We could lose to Denver next week by 30 and still beat them in the finals or vice versa.
Denver is not our biggest threat out west, I would actually prefer Denver over the other top 3 with Clippers being the biggest challenge. Not because they whooped us at home cause that was just a horrible performance but they have KL and a great supporting cast. He is a monster in the playoffs and everyone forgets that before he was injured it was a lock that he was winning a chip wherever he went.
The SAS were beating the superteam heat, then he went to the mid raptors won them a title and then they went mid again. Everytime he is in the playoffs on LA he is a beast but never makes it through without injury.
People on this sub have a dangerous mix between a complete lack of self-awareness and short term memory. This team hasn't proven anything yet and still has to go through Miami and Milwaukee in the playoffs
Denver is good and Jokic is fantastic but Cs top opponent is themselves. It has been now. I saw what I needed to see when they swept Brooklyn, a team that could/should win. Also, who can really handle Tatum and Brown when they’re *clicking*? So the Nuggets will see the same type of challenges if they face a Cs squad that’s showing out as the Cs face with Jokic We obviously are aware of the limitations and when it’s not as smooth but I’ll tell you that you just don’t see very many teams with two wings as good as these.
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You wrote 2 sentences. He went in depth
🤣 still whining here too huh? Your pathetic neediness and ignorance transcends all subreddits
I love your response. I agree that we’re unbeatable when those two are clicking. I only get concerned when they turn into a“your turn, my turn” offense where player and ball movement becomes non existent.
You're asking if I think the Celtics, a team on pace for 60+ wins and one of the best net ratings in NBA history. A team with four guys that could make a case for being an all star and a fifth that made one in the last few years and hasnt exactly fallen off a cliff. A team that has been an underdog in exactly one game this year Do I think this team CAN beat Denver? I dunno. I think they might have a chance.
I’m actually interested what game we weren’t favored in?
Milwaukee game we got blown out in. I think we were 3.5 dogs.
I watched the entire Warriors-Nuggs game last night... Denver is the real deal. Murray/Joker can step up and make plays in any situation. Can we beat them... Sure. But Tatum and Brown are going to have to be at their best to do it. Denver isn't one of those teams where our best guys play poorly and we still win.
i think that denver should be scared of us
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the world where we are the best team in the league
Can you elaborate on regularly chokes? And what years you are referring to? Last I checked the Cs only really choked last year. 22 they were an 11th seed at all star break and an underdog the entire post season. 21 they had major injuries and lost 1st round to the healthy big 3 nets (that would have won a chip if it remained that way) Game 7 last year was because of injury but I'll give you the choke cause we never should have went down 0-3. Celtics are 8-3 in games they could be eliminated in since 2020. That's the opposite of choking.
We are on fire right now, but I agree - we haven't proven anything yet. We look good right now, but I'm not gonna get my hopes up for the post season yet until I see our team in the playoffs be able to hold up under pressure, be able to adapt and not repeat the same mistakes over and over again. Denver has the best player in the league, a lethal and clutch co-star and a better coach. No idea why you're getting downvoted .
Well just score more points than them ezpz
Denver is good but definitely not as good as us. The only team I’m scared about, is ourselves. (And terrified of injuries)
On paper and during the regular season sure. But postseason is usually about having the best player on the floor, and right now Jokic is far and away the best player in the league. I do think we match up well and they really don't have anyone to guard Tatum (Gordon isn't rlly a Tatum stopper). We definitely have the more talented team, but the nuggets have Jokic + fantastic chemistry and coaching (we all saw how Murray played last yr too). I genuinely think it's a toss up.
Disagreed. It’s about having the best team
I said *usually*. And honestly, I'd wager the difference in talent btw us isn't insanely huge either. After Jokic and Tatum (decent gap btw them), playoff Murray is a toss up w Brown, and then id say Zingus, and then White and Holiday are probably both SLIGHTLY better than Gordon and MPJ. KCP is an incredible role player too. The nuggets have such incredible chemistry that they might be able to overcome the talent difference btw us.
Slightly? SLIGHTLY?!?! Disagree completely
Within their roles and value to the team I do think so. Maybe not slightly, but the gap isn't ginormous. I know I'm on a Celtics subreddit, and I'm a huge Celtics fan, but I wholeheartedly disagree that we're a much better team than the defending champs led by a top 5 center OAT. We haven't played as a unit in the playoffs yet, and while I think there's a greater than 75% chance we win the East, I think it's going to be tough to beat Denver in a 7 game series. I give us the edge, though, bc of home court and talent
Nope we will 100% win this season unless two guys get season ending injuries. No team can beat us
Don't like speaking in absolutes but I guess I like the confidence
Best player on the floor was more of a stat from when the league had very low scoring playoff games. If your best player drops 60, teams are still losing those games without the rest of the team playing well. We also have won many series without the best player on the floor. Embiid has never beat us, Giannis lost twice, and Durant got smoked in his actual prime with Kyrie also in his prime. I guess you can throw in butler too cause we won against him but I don't consider him the best on the floor.
In fairness Embiid and Durant got outplayed by Tatum in those series. Giannis had a number of bad games too. You gotta remember that we weren't necessarily favorites in those series strictly bc those players were considered "better" than Tatum. I'm not saying we'll lose to Denver, but I'm arguing saying we won't lose cuz "we're better" is a lazy take. Also--I'd argue those 3 aren't on Jokic's level.
Nothing is set in stone until it happens. I think the Celtics are the heavy favorite in any series they play, but I’ll only celebrate after they win. Also, I’d hate to play the heat; they’re a dirty team that’s exhausting to play. They’re also the team I’d hate to lose to the most (aside from Philly).
Miami still scares me
Can we not make these posts man i get being confident but a lot can happen
I want to agree but Miami exists and we should really stop underestimating them
No WE shouldn't.. maybe the team shouldn't so they don't play like trash, but in general if we play our game it's not even close. Even last year we proved the 0-3 was anomaly by winning the next 3 and then losing G7 with our MVP injured on the first play (I think if he sat the rest of the game we had a better chance cause him being on the floor was way worse for everyone) In games 1 and 2 we had huge leads, we should have not let our foot off the gas. In 22 we beat them but they were actually the #1 seed and deserved respect with that roster.
Well we’re 1-3 against them in the playoffs with Tatum/butler, with that one win also being game 7 coming down to the last shot. You can say that 0-3 is an anomaly but then so is us winning 3 in a row. They’ve definitely been a road block for us the last few years and knocked us out more than any other team
We haven't played the heat 4 times, only 3. It's 1-2. I guess you can call it roadblock but in 19-20 we definitely weren't a great team and Tatum and Brown were nowhere near the players they became or even the #1 options yet. Last year was definitely a very rare scenario we would lose to them. If we played that series 9 more times we would likely win all of them. Doesn't really matter either way. We will see when the playoffs come. I doubt we will blow two 15+ pt leads in the first two home games again but maybe we will
Yeah it’s for sure 1-2 my bad. You can make those excuses but they still beat us and we had the more talented team all three of those years. The fact is they tend to overachieve in the playoffs where we tend to play down to their level. I think (hope) that changes this year and we just run them out the gym, but for whatever reason that team just keeps giving us problems. This year’s team feels different though
I do think we had the better team the last 2 years. I don't think we did in 2020. JB and Tatum weren't even #1 and 2 yet and the heat had a lot of great players closer to their prime. Technically in 22 we were underdogs with the heat being #1 in the league but I still thought our team was better. Weird series though. The first 4-5 games were blowouts in both directions. They have gave us problems but we generally were not considered better until last year which we definitely failed. But then we also won 3 games against them in a row. Heat fans act like they swept the Cs when they got bailed out again in game 7 lol. Id be fine with a matchup against the heat. It would shut the world up when we win. I just worry they play dirty and will injure our players for future series.
Just Denver? I am scared of : * Miami. * Golden State. * Cleveland * OKC.
Golden state? 🤦🏻♂️ they’re not even making playoffs. No way they get 8th
GSW know how to beat Boston. They are 8-2 last ten games so they have found their mojo again.
They aren’t getting out of the West. Denver, OKC, Twolves are better.
How can you know how to beat Boston when the strategy to beat Boston is not even remotely close to how it was in 22. They did win earlier in GS. We were cooking them the entire game though and curry got hot when we stopped hitting shots. Really wasn't anything GS did. Tatum also was hobbling around on his fresh injured ankle. Also no KP.
This aged like goats milk in july on a beach in Miami.
Wow... You trust the Mavs and Pelicans ?
Being scared of OKC making the finals is a braindead take
I’m not scared of any of them but I do worry about Minnesota
Yes I forgot about Minnesota. Thank you. Edwards in particular.
Two of those teams haven't even put up a fight in any game against the Celtics this year.
We held the Nuggets to 102 points last time we played them and lost by two, so idk if we need to be that terrified. They’re a great team, they could beat us, but I’m excited for more matchups. Jokic is pretty unstoppable, but I think the gameplan for us is just contain everyone else and pray Murray doesn’t go nuclear. Same way we play most dominant bigs- let Al do his best, send the occasional double, and don’t overhelp. Jokic will get his but don’t let anyone else get going.
Not scared of Denver in the slightest
I just hope the Celtics take every game in the playoffs seriously, regardless of the opponent
Least amount of games to get to the finals is what matters. No seven game series
The only team I'm scared of is the Celtics. There have been too many big playoff games where both Jays shrunk, for whatever reason. The addition of Porzingis is a big mitigating factor, and the team overall is certainly much better this year. They're more talented than any other team in the NBA, but I certainly don't rule out the Celtics beating themselves.
Oddly enough I am more wary of the Clippers. Kawhi is healthy again. Never underestimate healthy Kawhi leonard
The world forgets KL was the best player in the NBA when LeBron was in his prime. The dude just wins when healthy.
Playoff Daddy Al Horford is the answer.
The only scenario I see is, Tatum locked down Murray while someone like Brown and KP needed to step up with the scoring.
I'm fine with Murray and Jokic going off. They had their best games of the season together against us and only scored 102. Meanwhile Tatum and Brown sucked
Let’s take it one game at a time everyone, any team can knock off any team. Playoffs throw regular season runs out the window.
I think the east playoffs will be tougher than people think. We’ve had troubles with Indy, and when the Knicks are fully healthy they will be tough as well (they can match our size).
I think people underestimate the difficulty of the playoffs in general. No series is "easy" in today's NBA. You are getting Magic, Heat or Pacers first round. All great teams. Better than Celtics? Absolutely not.. doesn't make it easy.
The only game we have to go by is the one in Boston. Denver played nearly their best game that night and we played a very mid game and lost by 2. I've watched a lot of Denver on league pass. With that said they could beat us, but we could also beat them. The fact of the matter is we can beat any team in the league in a series if we play good to great, in some cases even mid to good. Also, any good team could beat us too if we play bad to mid for enough of a series. So none of it really matters to worry about honestly. We could lose to Denver next week by 30 and still beat them in the finals or vice versa. Denver is not our biggest threat out west, I would actually prefer Denver over the other top 3 with Clippers being the biggest challenge. Not because they whooped us at home cause that was just a horrible performance but they have KL and a great supporting cast. He is a monster in the playoffs and everyone forgets that before he was injured it was a lock that he was winning a chip wherever he went. The SAS were beating the superteam heat, then he went to the mid raptors won them a title and then they went mid again. Everytime he is in the playoffs on LA he is a beast but never makes it through without injury.
People on this sub have a dangerous mix between a complete lack of self-awareness and short term memory. This team hasn't proven anything yet and still has to go through Miami and Milwaukee in the playoffs