The Celtics are a winning team. They are one of the 5 best teams in the NBA right now. Is this post an exercise in absurdism?
No. I define a winning team as a team that has a legitimate chance at winning a title.
Many here think that basketball is the exact opposite of the other sports, in that the regular season results are meaningless other than seeding, and talent is only shown in playoff series. I'm not sure I would go as far as some do with that line of thought, but until this core actually wins a playoff series or two, it's a valid criticism of them.
That doesn't make them any less fun, enjoyable, or "winning" right now. But I assume that's where RR is coming from.
Thank you for giving me the benefit of the doubt. This is part of my thinking.
I'm only trying to parse what RR is saying, because it is nonsensical on its face unless you limit it strictly to "in the playoffs" - and I've seen many posts here saying the C's can win in the regular season with IT starting, but won't win in the playoffs, so he's certainly not alone.
I've made that claim, and I stand by it. Teams in the NBA don't have much by way of practice time for in season games. There is no real incentive to spend 3 hours designing/planning for the exploiting of IT's weakness on defense. Come playoffs that statement is no longer true and every facet of his defensive weakness will be exploited. I hope I'm wrong, but I don't believe I am.
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When Ainge took over the team originally he looked at the team he had which was winning some regular season games and said to the media and fans (paraphrasing) - don't be fooled, this team is fun and is winning some games but as constituted it can't win a championship. His perspective seems to be that there are two states in the NBA - capable of winning it all and not. He also seems to be of the opinion that the Celtics should only be interested in Championships - anything else is a fools errand. I'm of the same opinion. I'm willing to be patient while he walks that path and enjoy watching the kids develop and even the sensation that is IT. I'm not willing to fool myself into thinking that this team has a snowballs chance at a championship this season. Winning a playoff round or two sure. Growing from that - sure. But short of the Cavs AND the Warriors losing two major pieces each - there is no way the Celtics can compete for a championship this year. Just my opinion - but one I suspect is shared by the Celtics front office.
From THAT perspective, trading Bradley doesn't makes sense if you view him as a winning piece (unless you think his peak doesn't align with what you hope/project your actual competitive window to be). From THAT perspective, I am biased against IT (a wonderful regular season player). [As an aside, I'm not sure IT is enough of a team player to accept the necessary role on a winning team at this point either. I base that on media statements that were borderline critical of Stevens earlier in the year, and his "give me the ball' approach. I admire an athlete wanting the ball, it just has to be balanced with what the team needs.]
Nothing mean or absurd about my perspective (I don't think). I'm not spoiled either - I'm simply aligned with Ainge or what I perceive his perspective to be on winning versus competitive for a championship win.
[My apologies if this post seems preachy or over bearing or simply douchy - I'm rushed for time and am trying to respond in a timely manner to reasonable reactions to my post(s) earlier in the thread. I don't have time to soften up any 'absolutes' or poor choices of words.]
Edit: In the future I will use "Championship caliber" team instead of winning. It should clarify things - and I might look a bit less like a horses as.