Can The Celtics Repeat As NBA Champions In 2009???

[The Franchise]

Time to move forward.:king

[DazedAndConfused]

Will the Rockets make it out of the 1st round?

[Mr.Bottomtooth]

Assuming they do(knock on wood), no.

[The Franchise]

Eventually.

[Ghazi]

They CAN, will they... I don't think so since the Dallas Mavs will be ready to make a push next year :D

[Spurs da champs]

No,The celtics are old KG is 32,Ray Allen 32,and Paul Pierce is 30. The chances of them repeating are slim to none. If I was forced to pick who would be in the finals if the spurs make major signs and draft picks then there chances of making it to the finals are good. If they don't then I'd have to pick the Magic making it to the finals for the east. i really don't know about the west with out a doubt the toughest division.

[tlongII]

No effing way. The Blazers begin their 10 year reign as NBA champs next season.

[SenorSpur]

Shouldn't we wait until they actually WIN the thing before we talk about a repeat?

[Ghazi]

There's no way the Magic catch the Celtics next year. Howard/Lewis/Turkoglu <<< Garnett/Pierce/Allen this year, and next... AND the Celtics have more depth.

[DazedAndConfused]

Absolutely. I am willing to bet money the Celtics will make it back to the Finals next year. There is nobody in the EC that is going to challenge them, and I think they will be even better next year with Rondo getting another year under his belt.

I just don't see the Spurs making it to the Finals in '09. Too much experience will leave the team, and the Spurs are a team that relies as much on mental toughness as they do on talent. Their FO screwed the pooch by getting rid of Scola and not being able to sign Splitter, both of those players would have put SAS over the top next season IMHO. It remains to be seen what FA would even want to go to SAS when BOS and LAL are clearly more attractive destinations.

I see the Hornets, Jazz, Lakers, and Rockets vying for the top seeds next year. The Suns, Mavs, and Spurs will be on the decline from here on out. If I had to pick the two teams in the WCF it would be the Rockets and the Lakers. If the Rockets can somehow by some miracle get T-Mac and Yao into the playoffs both healthy they will be one hell of a team to reckon with.

[daslicer]

[QUOTE=DazedAndConfused;2600174]Absolutely. It remains to be seen what FA would even want to go to SAS when BOS and LAL are clearly more attractive destinations.
QUOTE]

:lol I would say Boston is an attractive place to go for FA's because of the big 3 and east being relatively easy to play in but LA isn't. Fact is most players hate Kobe and that alone is a reason why the Lakers will struggle to pick up good FA's. Hell KG didn't want to get traded to the Lakers last summer because he didn't want to play with Kobe.

[lefty]

Will the Spurs get rid of Finley and Oberto ?

[DazedAndConfused]

[QUOTE=DazedAndConfused;2600174]Absolutely. It remains to be seen what FA would even want to go to SAS when BOS and LAL are clearly more attractive destinations.
QUOTE]

:lol I would say Boston is an attractive place to go for FA's because of the big 3 and east being relatively easy to play in but LA isn't. Fact is most players hate Kobe and that alone is a reason why the Lakers will struggle to pick up good FA's. Hell KG didn't want to get traded to the Lakers last summer because he didn't want to play with Kobe.

That's completely wrong. KG did not want to go to LA because the Laker FO was perceived to be in shambles at the time. Man you are fucking stupid, please don't ever procreate.

The Lakers have never had trouble attracting free agents in the offseason and I see no reason why that would change. Especially now that they are on the verge of a championship.

[InRareForm]

I will give someone 4 to 1 odds on Celts winning the finals in '09

[Ghazi]

Absolutely. I am willing to bet money the Celtics will make it back to the Finals next year. There is nobody in the EC that is going to challenge them, and I think they will be even better next year with Rondo getting another year under his belt.

I just don't see the Spurs making it to the Finals in '09. Too much experience will leave the team, and the Spurs are a team that relies as much on mental toughness as they do on talent. Their FO screwed the pooch by getting rid of Scola and not being able to sign Splitter, both of those players would have put SAS over the top next season IMHO. It remains to be seen what FA would even want to go to SAS when BOS and LAL are clearly more attractive destinations.

I see the Hornets, Jazz, Lakers, and Rockets vying for the top seeds next year. The Suns, Mavs, and Spurs will be on the decline from here on out. If I had to pick the two teams in the WCF it would be the Rockets and the Lakers. If the Rockets can somehow by some miracle get T-Mac and Yao into the playoffs both healthy they will be one hell of a team to reckon with.

Mavs will be a contender next year, blee dat. Don't let da media fool ya ;)

[JamStone]

No more hunger pains. Leaders one year older and more likely satisfied with finally winning one. Ray Allen will get injured.

[peskypesky]

Spurs in '09.

[DazedAndConfused]

No more hunger pains. Leaders one year older and more likely satisfied with finally winning one. Ray Allen will get injured.

Yea, but who in the EC is going to challenge them next year?

CLE - depends on what they do in the offseason
DET - ???? who knows what's up with this team
ATL - no
ORL - no
WAS - no
TOR - no

They pretty much win by default.

[J.T.]

KG and Ray Allen will probably be traded back to their old teams.

[JamStone]

Yea, but who in the EC is going to challenge them next year?

CLE - depends on what they do in the offseason
DET - ???? who knows what's up with this team
ATL - no
ORL - no
WAS - no
TOR - no

They pretty much win by default.

Fair point, except we can't see the future and know what all those teams will look like next year with what a summer of more changes might bring. LeBron nearly beat the Celtics by himself this year. Atlanta might be a few depth players away from making it interesting. A healthy Washington Wizards squad can give Boston problems. Didn't they beat Boston three times this year?

I think there are teams that will have a very good chance to rising to the top in the East with the right personnel moves, whether it's adding, subtracting, or tweaking.

[Condemned 2 HelLA]

That's completely wrong. KG did not want to go to LA because the Laker FO was perceived to be in shambles at the time.

True.



The Lakers have never had trouble attracting free agents in the offseason and I see no reason why that would change. Especially now that they are on the verge of a championship.

False.

[DazedAndConfused]

True.



False.

Shaquille O'neal, Karl Malone, Gary Payton, Ron Harper, Brian Shaw, Rick Fox.......I can go on and on here.

The bottomline is LAL has never had a problem attracting quality veteran players. They haven't done so in the past 4 years because they have been in rebuild mode.

[Brutalis]

I doubt it. Recent Spurs teams that have been better couldn't even repeat.

[bresilhac]

Shaquille O'neal, Karl Malone, Gary Payton, Ron Harper, Brian Shaw, Rick Fox.......I can go on and on here.

The bottomline is LAL has never had a problem attracting quality veteran players. They haven't done so in the past 4 years because they have been in rebuild mode.

Bullshit. They haven't signed so-called quality players with the exception of Gasol, whose acquisition was very dubious, because players don't want to be on a team with Bryant calling all the shots. Bryant is a ballhogging, super-egotistical, cancerous boil latched onto the Lakers that should have been traded long ago for quality, younger talent.

[The_Game]

No,The celtics are old KG is 32,Ray Allen 32,and Paul Pierce is 30. The chances of them repeating are slim to none. If I was forced to pick who would be in the finals if the spurs make major signs and draft picks then there chances of making it to the finals are good. If they don't then I'd have to pick the Magic making it to the finals for the east. i really don't know about the west with out a doubt the toughest division.

You are a moron

celtics won'y repeat because they are old? yet you say the spurs will make it? please...

pierce and KG are still in their prime and playing at a very high level and ray allen hasn't showed much sign of slowing down either

with an improved rondo and powe the celtics will be even stronger next season...along with who they add this summer...

magic? until they get a backcourt they have no shot

[endrity]

Unless Cleveland improves their team next year, the Celtics have a highway to the Finals next year as well.

In the West, no one knows what will happen. I don't think the Mavs and Spurs are done yet, but the Suns seem like they don't have a clear idea of what to do next. Lakers, Jazz, Hornets should all be better next year as well. We'll see about Portland, I still think they are at least a year away from making some real noise. You don't just make it to the playoffs and become an instant contender in the league.
Houston, well it all depends on the health of Yao and T-Mac, which judging on what's gone on I don't think it's a great scenario to put your hopes on.

[NBA Junkie]

They have a great chance of repeating.

Two of the big three in Pierce and Garnett will give them at least 3-4 more strong seasons. Pierce gets by on strength and guile more than athleticism. Garnett, is a physical freak of nature who will continue to be effective even when his game starts to decline because he's a smart player.

Allen may have his career prolonged since he's now a spot-up shooter and guys like that can have long careers. Rondo, will continue to improve and could eventually become the third star that replaces Allen.

Look for this team to continue to sign bargain players with the MLE and the LLE.

Not only can they repeat next season, they could possibly run off a few more before Garnett and Pierce hang it up.

[remingtonbo2001]

It's an odd year.

Are you serious?

History says Spurs in 09'.

[Spurs da champs]

You are a moron

celtics won'y repeat because they are old? yet you say the spurs will make it? please...

pierce and KG are still in their prime and playing at a very high level and ray allen hasn't showed much sign of slowing down either

with an improved rondo and powe the celtics will be even stronger next season...along with who they add this summer...

magic? until they get a backcourt they have no shot
Retard can you read? I said if the Spurs make major free agent signings and do well in the draft, They are defiantly back in the title hunt.
Pierce is the only one much in his prime.

The magic do have a shot, They were cheated out in game 2 that billups three pointer should not have counted.

And no the celtics will be weaker next season.

[Magic_Johnson]

they'll probably be in the finals again (the east sucks). So they have a good chance

[Banzai]

Bullshit. They haven't signed so-called quality players with the exception of Gasol, whose acquisition was very dubious, because players don't want to be on a team with Bryant calling all the shots. Bryant is a ballhogging, super-egotistical, cancerous boil latched onto the Lakers that should have been traded long ago for quality, younger talent.
Even if Kobe were traded where would he go? Bulls? Pistons? Spurs?

[daslicer]

Shaquille O'neal, Karl Malone, Gary Payton, Ron Harper, Brian Shaw, Rick Fox.......I can go on and on here.

The bottomline is LAL has never had a problem attracting quality veteran players. They haven't done so in the past 4 years because they have been in rebuild mode.

Actually all those guys came because of SHAQ and not Kobe. Brian Shaw off the court is one of Shaq's closet friends. Shaq recruited those other guys Payton, Malone, Harper, and Fox. Kobe is just hateable prima dona nobody who is above average will come there if they have other teams throwing money in their face. You guys could attract a talented headcase player like Ricky Davis that nobody wants market but no bargain players.

[DazedAndConfused]

Actually all those guys came because of SHAQ and not Kobe. Brian Shaw off the court is one of Shaq's closet friends. Shaq recruited those other guys Payton, Malone, Harper, and Fox. Kobe is just hateable prima dona nobody who is above average will come there if they have other teams throwing money in their face. You guys could attract a talented headcase player like Ricky Davis that nobody wants market but no bargain players.

Wrong, and I'm not going to bother arguing with you anymore. Kobe has nothing to do with FA's not coming to LA. No ring chasing vet is going to go to a team that is in rebuilding mode, it's that simple.

If Shaq was such a good recruiter why couldn't he get Tyron Lue to sign with the Suns? It's because FA's go where they think they have the best chance of winning.

[daslicer]

Wrong, and I'm not going to bother arguing with you anymore. Kobe has nothing to do with FA's not coming to LA. No ring chasing vet is going to go to a team that is in rebuilding mode, it's that simple.

If Shaq was such a good recruiter why couldn't he get Tyron Lue to sign with the Suns? It's because FA's go where they think they have the best chance of winning.

:lol The bottom line is majority of players 98 percent hate Kobe. Shaq is damn good recruiter you have gotta to be 10 years old. This is the same guy who convinced Horace Grant to leave Chicago all the way back in the summer of '94 for a smaller one year contract while chicago offered him around 4 years 32 mil and the contract he got from the magic was around the 3-5 mil range. Grant would a year later on get a big deal that would have pay him more money but to walk away from sure thing to uncertain situation is rare among nba players and because of that you have to give Shaq a lot of credit for his recruiting.

How old are you walking vagina 13-15 year old. Hell a few years ago it was Shaq who called up Gary Payton and Malone to take less money to play for the lakers. They didn't come because they were cool with Kobe they came because they were boys with Shaq. Also back to the Lue situation no matter how great of recruiter you are you can attract all FA's but if you can attract a good share of above average players then you are doing a good job.

Hell Duncan's recruiting skills are better then Kobe. You know Duncan is the one who brought in Stephen Jackson in the summer of '01. It was Duncan who got Brent Barry, Michael Finley, and NVE to commit to the spurs.

Nobody likes Kobe he hasn't been able to get anybody to come to LA since the Post-Shaq era. Name me one good FA the Lakers have signed during the offseason that occured during the last 4 years. Players hate Kobe the only way they get a good FA is if there is no other place for that quality FA to go other then LA. LA will end up signing some loser FA that is like Marko Jaric quality player.

[DazedAndConfused]

:lol The bottom line is majority of players 98 percent hate Kobe. Shaq is damn good recruiter you have gotta to be 10 years old. This is the same guy who convinced Horace Grant to leave Chicago all the way back in the summer of '94 for a smaller one year contract while chicago offered him around 4 years 32 mil and the contract he got from the magic was around the 3-5 mil range. Grant would a year later on get a big deal that would have pay him more money but to walk away from sure thing to uncertain situation is rare among nba players and because of that you have to give Shaq a lot of credit for his recruiting.

How old are you walking vagina 13-15 year old. Hell a few years ago it was Shaq who called up Gary Payton and Malone to take less money to play for the lakers. They didn't come because they were cool with Kobe they came because they were boys with Shaq. Also back to the Lue situation no matter how great of recruiter you are you can attract all FA's but if you can attract a good share of above average players then you are doing a good job.

Hell Duncan's recruiting skills are better then Kobe. You know Duncan is the one who brought in Stephen Jackson in the summer of '01. It was Duncan who got Brent Barry, Michael Finley, and NVE to commit to the spurs.

Nobody likes Kobe he hasn't been able to get anybody to come to LA since the Post-Shaq era. Name me one good FA the Lakers have signed during the offseason that occured during the last 4 years. Players hate Kobe the only way they get a good FA is if there is no other place for that quality FA to go other then LA. LA will end up signing some loser FA that is like Marko Jaric quality player.

I guess we'll find out this off-season now that LAL is a contender again.

[The_Game]

Retard can you read? I said if the Spurs make major free agent signings and do well in the draft, They are defiantly back in the title hunt.
Pierce is the only one much in his prime.

The magic do have a shot, They were cheated out in game 2 that billups three pointer should not have counted.

And no the celtics will be weaker next season.

How can the spurs make major changes with only the MLE? it's just not going to happen....

Pierce is the only one in his prime? what are you on? KG has been a monster this year and his defense is the best in the league..how the hell can you say he isn't in his prime? idiot

KG is still a top 5 player and a top 2 PF......he is going to be this good for quite a few more years yet.

they were cheated out of game 2? not just it was a last sec shot that went in..it was a shot to end the 3rd quarter.........hardly the same

orlando have no backcourt so therefore..no they won't win the east

it think it is laughable you think celtics will be weaker next season..they simply won't be.

[Ghazi]

top 5 is a tad generous for KG

[The_Game]

I don't think so

he is still a consistant 20 and 10 guy or close to it with amazing defense....not many players can say that are that.