Random Thoughts as the Playoffs Begin

 It's funny because it seems like it's been forever since the Celtics were in the playoffs.   But,  they only missed one season.   When Danny traded Pierce and Garnett and began the rebuild, I had visions of those 22 years of futility that the Celtics went between championships.  The championships seemed very far off at that time.

I mean,  look at how many years the Sixers have been in the lottery.  The Celtics seemed heading for years of lottery picks.  But along with trading Pierce and Garnett. Danny also hired Brad Stevens as his coach and after just one year in the lottery,  the Celtics are back in the playoffs.  In spite of 11 trades this season and 41 different names on the roster and 22 players taking the court for the Celtics,  Brad Stevens has them playing much better than anyone could have thought.

The Celtics finished the season playing as well as any of the teams in the playoffs.  And their reward for fighting hard and making the playoffs is the chance to face the Cleveland Cavaliers that have been put together with the sole purpose of winning the championship this season.  LeBron himself has recruited players in order to have the strongest team possible toward that end. 

Only Mike Gorman has said that he expects the Celtics to upset the Cavs in 6 games.   Everyone else expects the Celtics to be swept or at most to win one game.  They have no all stars and win by effort and grit and heart.  The Celtics have a total of 141 games of playoff experience among them.  LeBron James has 158 games of playoff experience alone.  The deck is stacked against the Celtics but who knows, they may end up holding the ace in the person of Brad Stevens.

I wrote earlier how this team reminds me of the Island of Misfit Toys.  They were either flawed players who slipped in the draft for one reason or another or they were castoffs from previous teams.  But under Brad Stevens' tutelage, this rag tag group that have only been together for a month or so came together to fight for, and win, a playoff spot.  No matter what happens in this first round matchup with the Cavs,  this Celtics group should be proud of what they accomplished. 

Danny Ainge was on WEEI and had some things to say about the Celtics and their accomplishment of making the playoffs. To him, it's not really about these players being future Celtics. He's happy that other teams will have a higher opinion of our players as trade chips. This is what he had to say about the Celtics in the market for free agents this off season.

"We will be in the game. Yes, absolutely, if those players become available, and if the teams happen to like the (Celtics) players. And that's why it's important for us to (develop) our young players, and (control) what we can control. Winning games, I think, is important because it sheds a better light on the players that we currently have that might become more attractive."

I love this group of players. They are young, hungry and have room to grow. I'm a bit sad that Danny will be trading some of them to bring in a "star" player who may or may not buy into the selfless team ball system that Brad Stevens has instilled in every one of these players. I'd really like to see this core group given the chance to stay together for another season. I think we have players who have the talent to become stars with a bit of experience. The playoffs will give them great experience. Whether they win a game or not, it will help each player on this team to grow and the amazing chemistry that they have shown this season to grow as well. Here's a bit more from Danny's interview on WEEI.

"If we're winning 25 games or 20 games, nobody really respects your team or your players. And I think that where our team is right now, there's two reasons, for the players that we want to keep, to develop our players for their futures with the Celtics, and to make them look good for their own careers (and) future, whether they're free agents or whether we can use them to trade for star-quality players."

So, Danny does see some of these players as keepers for the future. I would guess that Marcus Smart and Avery Bradley are definite keepers. He didn't sound all that happy with Jared Sullinger when he went out with the foot injury, but you have to think that Sully has the talent to become a star if he can win the battle with his weight and conditioning. The fact that he came back this season 20 pounds lighter has to speak to the fact that he's at least working hard towards that end.

As for the free agents and new guys that came in, we know that Isaiah Thomas is a keeper. I really hope that Danny will "Sign the Swede" as Mike Gorman has been calling for. I love his tenacity and effort. I'd also hope that he makes bringing back Jae Crowder a priority. I just love how he competes hard ever minute he's on the court. He can defend 5 different positions well and is just going to get better. I love that with Smart, Bradley, and Crowder on the court, the Celtics have one of the best defensive trios in the game. And we all know that defense wins championships. Evan Turner would make a great player coming off the bench. He's versatile and can handle the ball and would be an excellent shooting guard for the second unit along with Isaiah Thomas at the point and Jae Crowder at the three.

As for what free agent stars the Celtics bring in, I'd like to see Danny get a small forward who is a knock down scorer and who can also play defense. Someone like Jimmy Butler or Kwahi Leonard would be nice. I'd also like to see a rim protector who can also score in the post. Whether in the draft or as a free agent, those are the Celtics' two biggest needs and hopefully Danny can address them this off season. And whatever happens, this season has been an absolutely fun season to be a Celtics fan.

Whenever a Celtics team faces steep odds in the playoffs, I remember back to the Celtics team that won me over as a fan. That was the 1969 Celtics and they had just about everything going against them. That team was too old. That team had injuries all year. Their window was closed. That team came into the playoffs with the worst record of any team and no home court advantage in any series. Yet, despite all odds, they won the championship that season, beating a Lakers team that was filled with stars, had home court advantage and was expected by everyone to win it all. That team always gives me hope, no matter how steep the odds are for the current team to win.

As I type this, I am watching the start of the Wizards/Raptors game. Paul Pierce maybe shouldn't have opened his mouth about their opponents, saying they didn't have anything to make the Wizards fear them. The crowd is energized to boo Pierce and chant against him. It more than likely has given the Raptors some bulletin board material and a bit of extra motivation to get a win.  But Pierce is playing well and so maybe he was motivating himself with the comments as well.  Now he has to back them up.  And knowing the Truth,  he will do just that.   Hopefully the Celtics are nice and complementary about the Cavs as they don't need any additional motivation at this point.

I can't wait for the Celtics playoff games. I know that there are very few expectaions for the Celtics to succeed in this series. They may get swept, but I don't think so. The Cavs have to be confident because of all their experience and the stars on their team. They also can be confident because the only time these two teams faced each other at close to full strength, the Cavs came away with a 31 point win. But, don't underestimate heart and effort. This young team has both and I have a feeling that they are going to make it very difficult for the Cavs, even if they don't win the series. Go Celtics!!!!

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