Oct.8 at 2:25 pm

jbn74sb says:
Pruitt can play. Caught about the first 15 minutes of the Celts-Raps game from Rome on Saturday. On paper, the Cs are intimidating. But they did not look good at all at the start of that game. Either way, will be exciting to watch the Celts this year. They have to be the favorite coming out of the East.

Oct.8 at 2:32 pm

white hot eboy says:
I heard Hubie Brown say something very prophetic yesterday during the Raptors exhibition game telecast. When he was asked about the Celts chances he said, not sure about the exact wording, “They have the three big guns, alright, three strong guys at their spots, their problems coming from players 4-10. Can they step up? Can they gel with the superstars. They have to beat someone first. And then you can start talking about where they’ll finish. They have a great chance to build a cohesivness for the following season and they can make noise this year. But there’s no guarrantees, ok?” Something like that.

Oct.8 at 2:33 pm

Cheryl says:
they have to stay healthy. lose either one of the three and there goes the season. i watched about 2 qtrs. of the raps game and i thought they (Jesus’ truth ticket) played well together. This will be a fun team to watch.

Oct.8 at 2:39 pm

Bryan says:
They have SO.MUCH.UPSIDE.

Oct.8 at 2:41 pm

vmcb says:
KG, Pierce, and Allen played pretty well (except Ray Ray, I guess) against the Raptors. Although, all three of them played over 30 minutes.
It seemed to me like KG was their go-to guy.

Oct.8 at 2:43 pm

jj says:
Am I the only one who thinks they’ll totally implode at some point during midseason? Allen’s ankles are scary…….. and Brian Scalabrine
Kendrick Perkins
Tony Allen
Rajon Rondo
Leon Powe
James Posey
Jackie Manuel
Scot Pollard
Gabe Pruitt
Glen Davis
Brandon Wallace …. are not

Oct.8 at 2:43 pm

Myles Brown says:
As much as Id love another Celtics Lakers Final, the next best thing would be Celtics v. Spurs. KG & Tim, let’s settle this once and for all….

Oct.8 at 2:57 pm

jbn74sb says:
That would be a good matchup Myles. Bowen and Ginobli vs. Pierce and Allen, Rando to guard Parker, KG and Duncan. If anything, Perkisabeast would be the Celts best matchup.

Oct.8 at 3:12 pm

white hot eboy says:
I hope this preview takes off this evening because 7 comments in an hour is just ridiculous for an actual contender.

Oct.8 at 3:14 pm

Ryan Jones says:
Celtics in 6.

Oct.8 at 3:14 pm

BETCATS says:
I thought that they signed Dante Jones and if not what was he doing yesterday playing for them against the raptors

Oct.8 at 3:15 pm

Ryan Jones says:
Also, eboy, I’m guessing part of the reason no one’s commenting is because all the Beantown folks have their heads up Manny Ramirez’s goofy ass right now. Once baseball’s over, the Bahston fans can come out and play again.

Oct.8 at 3:16 pm

Sam Rubenstein says:
Columbus Day. Slow. Nice job Sammy! The Boston big 3 is somewhat more impressive than the 3 people in the T-Wolves photo preview.

Oct.8 at 3:19 pm

H to the izzo says:
Eboy.Contender?I mean they’ll impress in the East but that will be it

Oct.8 at 3:24 pm

white hot eboy says:
Izzo they’ll be top 4 in the East. That qualifies as a contender. They’re chances at getting to the Finals rely on the matchups they get. Let’s say the Heat barely make the playoffs and the Celts get the #1 seed. That’s a tough out for the Celts. If they advance and play,let’s say, the Raptors in the 2nd round, that’s another long series. And let’s say they paly Detroit or Chicago in the ECF’s. They’ll be lucky to get through that series with the minutes logged on the Big Three’s bodies. But they are contenders for sure.

Oct.8 at 3:25 pm

jbn74sb says:
Izzo - If healthy, Boston is a contender.

Oct.8 at 3:25 pm

Troy says:
Doc Rivers is still the coach, yes? I notice most of this piece tries to avoid that unpleasant reality.

Oct.8 at 3:28 pm

Ken says:
Well, it was only a 2 paragraph write-up, and most of it has been said already.

Oct.8 at 3:34 pm

Bryan says:
This could really be a boston sports year..that’s scary but seriously.The Red Sox could win the World Series,it’s pretty much a foregone conclusion the Pats are gonna win and it really is at the least possible that the Celtics can win the NBA title..

Oct.8 at 3:47 pm

Lz - Cphfinest3 says:
Barring injury, I think the Celtics will be in the finals.. Garnett finally has All-Star talent around him and is simply too good and hungry to let this opportunity slip away. With RayRay, PP, House and even Posey on the wings, Rondo won’t have to shoot too much and the rest of his game is fine, so I think he’ll be allright running the show. Winning the finals is however a whole nother story.

Oct.8 at 3:58 pm

andrew says:
they’re here in London!!!

Oct.8 at 4:08 pm

Ben Osborne says:
Nice work, Sammy. But why didn’t they sign Brevin Knight???

Oct.8 at 4:09 pm

h-town nick says:
I’m not gonna beleive it until i see it…the Kobe-shaq-glove-mailman lakers show that a team with a bunch of superstars and mediocre roleplayers can get by on talent a lot of the time, but a more cohesive, well disciplined, and well balanced team (detroit) can beat them. Detroit is still around, and chicago plays sort of like like a (sheedless) version of that detroit team. The celts will only win if they really gel…and it may take until next year for that to happen.

Oct.8 at 4:25 pm

Jeff of InsideHoops says:
Second

Oct.8 at 4:25 pm

jbn74sb says:
I am shocked that a preview for a run-of-the-mill Lakers team has generated over 280 comments, while a preview for brand new, contending Celtics team is slower than Shaq in a race away from an all-you-can-eat buffet.

Oct.8 at 4:25 pm

Allenp says:
People always bring up the Payton and Malone Lakers as an example that a bunch of all stars mean nothing, but that’s stupid. That team had injuries to Shaq, Kobe and Malone, yet still managed to make the Finals. Come on, this was with Kobe and Shaq openly feuding. That Lakers team didn’t fail because it didn’t have the talent, it failed because of injuries and chemistry problems between Shaq and Kobe. I don’t see the latter as a problem for the Celtics. Barring injury, the Cs should come out of the East.

Oct.8 at 4:30 pm

Ryan Jones says:
Ditto Allenp. Beyond having a bunch of tall, mostly black guys in matching uniforms making a lot of money, this Celtics team has nothing in common with that Lakers team.

Oct.8 at 4:36 pm

Ben says:
x- factor to win it all: ROOOOONDO!!!

Oct.8 at 5:09 pm

Keith says:
Hands up who’s jealous I’m going to be watching the Celtics take on the T-Wolves on Wednesday…

Oct.8 at 5:36 pm

jbn74sb says:
Also ditto allenp. Chauncey’s abuse of Payton in the Finals aside, the Lakers would have won that series if Malone were healthy.

Oct.8 at 5:38 pm

albie1kenobi says:
the big 3s are gonna need log 40+ minutes everynight during the 82, so my question is if they can still hold up when/if they get to the Finals. granted they didn’t log a lot of playoff minutes in their career, but they’ve all been in the L for a minute now so their minutes are what i’d be looking out for.

Oct.8 at 6:18 pm

Tarzan Cooper says:
hubie is smart

Oct.8 at 6:37 pm

Permaculture (akaJustMe) says:
“gel with their superstars”: hubie, I think this threesome gives hope since none of them seem like divas. KG and Ray must be deeply humble and starrrrvved at this point in their careers. Celts are a HUGE question mark for all the reasons mentioned. But what a fun storyline this season.

Oct.8 at 6:42 pm

Captain America says:
The “3″ are gray beards, no back up, no dynasty. Injury?

Oct.8 at 6:43 pm

Captain America says:
The trade can’t be judged until after the two draft FR draft choices.

Oct.8 at 6:57 pm

wassup says:
i dont think there gunna do that great. actually im predicting them to come 3rd in the atlantic behind the nets and behind the raptors at the top of the division. and i expect the pistons to come out on top in the east.

Oct.8 at 7:16 pm

Joel O's says:
“Gray beards”? MJ didn’t win his first until he was in his late 20s, and he won his last when he was on the wrong side of 35. The Celts got at least a 5 year window, which is a long time considering the Kobe-Shaq Lakers only held it together for about that long before things fell apart.

Oct.8 at 9:28 pm

RV says:
i think 5 years is a stretch, Allen is 32, his legs won’t hold up until he’s 37. Paul Pierce has never been known for being in great shape, I don’t see him sustaining this level for more than 3 years, he’ll still be good but it won’t be the same. If they get more help, then maybe 5 years, not if things stay the same

Oct.8 at 9:44 pm

Russ Bengtson says:
The Celtics are talented.

Oct.8 at 10:01 pm

SMK says:
plus they have UBUNTU - can Tutu play the point?

Oct.8 at 10:02 pm

chronically_ill says:
Pierce has never been known for being in shape? Umm, i think being stabbed multiple times has something to do with that

Oct.8 at 10:37 pm

Sammy says:
Brevin Knight huh. They could have afforded to sign a veteran pg, not quite sure why they didn’t. I think the signing of Posey kind of took that place. Also have heard of Knight as a problem in the locker room, not sure if it’s true though.

Oct.8 at 10:51 pm

Chad says:
Russ, three of the Celtics are talented. Do people really believe this team can win an NBA title? Seriously? With Rajon Rondo and Kendrick Perkins in the starting lineup? And that bench? And Doc Rivers as coach? I just… I really can’t see it. I think this is a second-round team at best, and one Allen or Pierce injury away from imploding.

Oct.8 at 11:55 pm

Russ Bengtson says:
Here’s the thing. Their 1-3 are REALLY good. As good as any 1-3 in the L. And I think it’s premature to write off Rondo and Perk as starters. They’re both very young, and playing with KG, Ray and Pierce may force them to improve in a hurry. Doc Rivers, though. Yeah. That might be tough to overcome.

Oct.9 at 12:13 am

bootlace says:
I think this team is fine without either Paul Pierce or Ray Allen. Both can score at will, while Ray Allen is the easily the better shooter making him a better fit alongside KG. I would trade Paul Pierce for Josh Howard/Shawn Marion in a flash. Or trade Ray Allen for Kapono+TJ Ford. Didnt check if salary cap worked out but I just think Boston dont really need two amazing perimeter scorers. It’s like making a pasta dish with two types of great pasta but no sauce.

Oct.9 at 12:18 am

bootlace says:
(KG’s the water boiling the pasta to make sure its edible in the first place)

Oct.9 at 1:12 am

RV says:
I didn’t say PP wasn’t known for being in shape, i said GREAT shape, which means he’s not likely to age and stay in top shape, he aint Kevin Willis…

Oct.9 at 1:21 am

TC says:
I like this Boston team, but I am curious as to what KG would do if this team goes out of the 1st round. This team better at least make it to the East final or a lot of people would be pissed off.

Oct.9 at 2:22 am

c-note says:
Maybe it’s a slow day because it’s Canadian Thanksgiving. Perhaps Slam has more fans from the North than everyone thought.

Oct.9 at 3:25 am

Russ Bengtson says:
P Squared has never been the kind of player to rely strictly on his athleticism, though. He’s not dunking on dudes every day. He can play at a high level for a long time.

Oct.9 at 4:08 am

Young Chris #3 says:
TC, what CAN he do? He signed a 5-year extension after the trade.

Oct.9 at 4:39 am

black pinoy says:
…i still think that they should get a veteran point guard…i mean deep in the playoffs do you guys think you can relay on rondo to hit open jumpers just like kerr did during the bulls campaign.. his good and all but athleticism doesnt cut it..

Oct.9 at 7:26 am

karan says:
celtics should sign the glove

Oct.9 at 8:00 am

Bryan says:
Glad I didn’t miss much yesterday..

Oct.9 at 8:55 am

white hot eboy says:
Shia, I’m guessing not too many people outside of Boston really gives a sh*t about the new look Celts. It’s probably more of the unknown surrounding the team that keeps people’s minds from wondering what they might do. They’ll be the darlings of the SLAM commentors around the All-Star break. They’ll be 500 different people saying “The Celtics rule” “Best. Team. Ever. Period.” and other rah rah type comments like that.

Oct.9 at 8:57 am

Bryan says:
I had to train a new employee yesterday so I could get some days off so I wasn’t around to BS with you f*ckers.Which admittedly made it a very boring day.

Oct.9 at 9:05 am

Hisham says:
no rubenstein morning post?

Oct.9 at 9:09 am

Hisham says:
plus, i really hope for garnetts sake that he gets to win a title in the near future.. i just don’t think the celts will get it done this year. Fot all KG has been through (years of losing, the death of two teammates/friends) his championship will be one of the sweetest first championships for a player ever, i think.

Oct.9 at 9:09 am

Hisham says:
all he needs to do now is win it haha

Oct.9 at 9:34 am

James says:
brilliant pasta analogy

Oct.9 at 12:03 pm

nug boy blue says:
I doon’t know who will stop the Celtics in the East now, Garnett becomes the best power forward in the East and Ray Allen is the best 2 in the east! I don’t see who can stop them now

Oct.9 at 6:59 pm

Steve says:
I see what youre saying in this article, but the thing is that is the RIGHT thing to do, and on his new team (which is the best he has ever been on) with Ray Allen and Paul Pierce him (kg) playing that way will be the BEST THING to do. Theyre gonna be an unbelievable team, theyre basically an elite top 3 western team placed out east in the titanic division. They will completely dominate the east, no one on that side will be even close. I hate Boston, but I am happy for KG and Ray (I’ve been a Blazer fan for over 3 decades, diehard nba fan, and those are 2 of the West’s star players and true A+ All-nba superstars that are loyal, unselfish, high character, veteran leaders that play THE RIGHT WAY and are TEAM PLAYERS while still dominant, KG especially is EVERYTHING.) and Im even happy for Paul Pierce (another great player and seems to be great guy and loyal) as well. I’ll tell you one thing, in over 30 years of diehard nba fandom i’ve never rooted for any team but the blazers, and I HATE boston fans, but this team is the near sole reason I purchased LeaguePass for the first time EVER this season. Theyre gonna be a great team, and could win the whole thing not just the east. 60 wins and winning the East is a given in my mind (and if you disagree with them being 50+ wins and elite you are either lying to yourself or completely out of your mind.)

Oct.9 at 7:09 pm

Steve says:
Also I watched that game the other day and KG was such a monster in the post, opens up everything. And they played very good defense, and Eddie House looked good at backup pg. Ray Allen looked very good driving to the hoop and with his playmaking but missed his open shots (probably got thrown off being that open, since he hasnt been that open in over a decade), and Paul Pierce was his Vintage Pierce self. The stepback’s, the slashing, attacking the rim, finishing, posting up, outside shot, passing, rebounding, everything. All 3 played good d and are all great passers that can do so much, but KG opens up everything. He is the 7foot anchor on both ends that is just completely unstoppable in the post, go ahead and double if you want and then he finds pierce or allen slashing to the cup or set up for an open outside….. plus on the other end him and kendrick perkins are great on d and shut the lane down. DOMINANT……………. Their 2nd unit of House, T Allen, Posey, Scalabrine, and Pollard is very underrated as well. Theyre gonna be a POWERHOUSE, no one in the east can stop them, period. They will win the East without a doubt, and will be a SPECIAL team for the next 3 or 4 years.

Oct.9 at 7:15 pm

Charlie says:
ALLEN WOULD BE 37 AT THE END OF THE 6TH FULL SEASON, 36 AT END OF 5TH

Oct.9 at 7:19 pm

Charlie says:
Black Pinoy I bet Eddie House can hit those shots in the playoffs like Kerr did, I actually know he can.

Oct.14 at 10:57 am

Swizz Beatz says:
Nice review xcept 4 tha 3peat thing. not gonna happen. rockies r gonna win & chargers r gonna win but im still cheering 4 tha celtics?

Mar.17 at 11:42 pm

Kate Gosslins says:
546768456415456479776879878486788778182525412585244454487468867867878787897786 SPURS FAN SAY CELTICS SUCK AND IT IS AL LTHAT DUMB BOY’S FULT WHO WAS WARING A CELTICS JERSEY AND JUPPINS UP AND DOWN THE ATT AND T CENTER 10 MIN BEFORE THE GAME STARTES I THING WE NED TO CHANGE THE SCORE ASAP FOR TODAY’S GAME NO MORE CELTICS FAN IN THE AT&T CENTER

Mar.19 at 12:01 am

Kate Gosslins says:
hey well the C TEAM NEVER SAYS NO