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If I have to be the guy who asks it (and get mocked for it), then so be it...

Are we contenders THIS season? Nay or yay? Make your case.

No, but they are going to be a heck of a lot of fun this postseason.

I still lean no, but Tatum's leap is definitely planting seeds of doubt.

I'm almost ready to think they are. Almost.

I don't they are "legit contenders" - but neither were the Raptors last season and look how it turned out. It could happen.

I'm not ready to go that far yet, but the fact that this is a question is a great thing.

When fully healthy, this team has the potential to beat anybody. So I guess my answer would depend on how healthy they are going into the playoffs. Sure we don't really have an answer for Giannis (or even worse Middleton!!!!), but then again, they don't really have an answer for a healthy Tatum / Brown / Hayward combined attack, or a locked in Kemba.
As long as we don't have to play the Houston Referees... I mean Rockets in the finals, I think this team can beat any other team out there.

Yes of course. To anyone who says no: who are the legit contenders, and why—despite the Celtics having beaten them all (some very soundly)—do you think the Celtics are not in this class?

The Celtics are third in the NBA in net-rating and have somewhat coasted this year in an attempt to keep everyone healthy.

In all of the 30 Teams in this League, the Celtics are in the Top 4.
That's Contender status.

The Playoffs are a-whole-nother animal.
Any team, has to win 4 out of 7.

So . . . Let's see it.

Yes but I’m not confident we get past the Raptors if we’re the 3 seed and while I think we’d give MIL a much better series this year compared to last year I’d only give us a punchers chance to knock them off.

That said in honor of the OP .... CHAMPIONSHIP$$!!!!!

We need another leap from Tatum to be a legit contender. I love the team but the ceiling this season is the ECF.

IMO, the poll needed more granularity. At least three options:

"Legit" contenders
"Fringe" contenders
Not contenders

Might have even split "fringe" into two tiers, just to get a more precise read on the forum's temperature. For example, I would call us "upper fringe".

"Legit" contenders (i.e. primed for a serious title run)
Upper "Fringe" (i.e. a title is unlikely but would not be completely shocking)
Lower "Fringe" (i.e. a title is possible but would be shocking)
Not contenders (i.e. a title is just not realistically possible)


Well, three options is probably tidier. Upper and Lower fringe would probably just steal votes from one another, and not from either of the endpoints.

I was firm for awhile that they weren't, but I've now budged, and have them as a fringe contender at this point.

Now if Tatum keeps up this play into the playoffs? May be closing in on legitimate title contender.

How do you define "legit contender"? I have been beating this drum for a while, but there have been a bunch of well-rounded teams from the last 20 years that made a good run at the championship without always having an MVP-level talent, like the Blazers, Pistons, Spurs, and Kings. I think we could absolutely be one of those types of teams come playoff time, especially if we are reasonably healthy and we see continued progress from Tatum and Brown. Actually winning a championship would probably require at least two large upsets though, so is very unlikely, but not entirely impossible.

I think that every team we'd face in the playoffs would have to have a significant player to be missing (Lowry, Middleton, Harris etc from the East) and then a big time player from the West teams (AD, Kawhi, Jokic) for us to really have a chance to be a legit contender....

We are too inexperienced and young with no Vet bench, I think we can really take it to teams currently but that's about it... if we make the ECF i'll be surprised.

I really don't know. Hello Darkness my Old Friend *knocks on wood all over the place*.



However, interesting how last year people believed the Celtics were in a situation where they WERE a contender to play the Warriors based on preseason expectations that they should win the east since the talent they believed could just flip the switch. People are obsessed with talent and experience as talking points, but sometimes just good team chemistry can be important too in the playoffs and a team that just meshes well together.

Now this year people are more hesitant and in a way we should embrace a more underdog role.

I really like this team though and the vibes they give off. And I like how multiple guys on this team can get hot in any game and score a boat load of points and make plays. It also helps when your starting PG isn't obsessed with being a focal point and getting the most shots every game on the team since he feels it's his right.

I don't know, I saw a Knicks fan say days ago on the GB he wasn't sure about this years Boston team either in terms of how far they could go but he said they had that certain "je ne sais quoi" that made the Celtics a really interesting dark horse that could play spoiler.

Lastly this team has shown they can beat anyone at home. Not so sure about road games, yet. Which means it's going to be tough if they do advance in the playoffs the farther they go.

Maybe having an All-NBA player is a requirement. Maybe not. But here's a stat/fact...

38 of the last 40 finalists have had at worst one All-NBA teamer on their roster (usually 1st team or 2nd team). The exceptions were the 2010 Celtics and the 2000 Pacers.

Contenders, maybe, Legit Contenders? no. I mean last year the Raptors were contenders, but not legit contenders, then the entire GSW team went down with injury. So in that manner, we can for sure get to the Bucks, and we can beat the bucks, but not in a 7 game series on the road in the playoffs where the NBA wants Giannis to be the next face of the NBA after Lebron. He will foul out our entire team, elbow guys out of the way for dunks, and shoot free throws after.

Sure, we won't have our PG forcing a switch to pick him up at half court, but without a huge injury to Giannis and Lebron/Kawhi we really aren't there yet. Even the GSW who's main young pieces when they won the first time were Curry 27, Green 25, Klay 25, Barnes was 23ish as the 4th wheel. Iggy and Bogut were the 30 year old plus vet all stars.

Now, Kemba is more than Iggy or Bogut ever where and will be 30, Hayward is probably still ahead of Iggy at the same age even with injury, but Tatum is turning 22 (or is it 18?), JB is 23, Smart 25. Give it two more years if Hayward stays and we can afford it.

Tatum 24, JB 25, Smart 27, Hayward/Kemba at 31 and which young guys sort themselves out in this rotation (williams and williams? Romeo?) and I think we got a shot for multiple years of being a true contender. Lebron will be 38, Bucks will be broken up because of money. Raptors left with Siakam and Van Fleet. Simmons still just trying for rookie of the year.

No. Talk to me next year when Tatum and Brown have another year under their belts as well as the youthful bench. They are ahead of schedule though and Tatums rapid development changes everything

No. Whenever you need to rely on injuries or luck with playoff seeding to maximize how far your team can go you aren’t a true contender IMO.

why? I don’t feel our bench is deep enough and I don’t think you can rely on guys like Williams (grant) to get calls in the post season even though he’s been good in the regular season and Same for Wanamaker. I don’t think we have a guy who can guard Giannis and I don’t think the guard him by committee approach will work with our bigs- regardless of any regular season stat.

I think we can get to an ECF with the right seeding but that’s the limit. Nothing wrong with that either.