Is the pressure on you guys to win it all in 2008-2009?

JordansBulls · Post #1 » by **JordansBulls** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 3:39 pm

I think for last season in 2007-2008 that you guys were the target of the NBA and had all of the pressure on you to win the title.
However, you responded well and ended up winning the NBA Championship.

Although you guys won the championship, I'm sure you want to win it all again next year. With that in mind, I have a question though for you:

Do you guys think all the pressure is on you again going into the 2008-2009 season to win it all, or has the pressure now shifted to another team like the Lakers or Spurs?

Thoughts!!!

Tricky Ricky · Post #2 » by **Tricky Ricky** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 3:48 pm

I go with no, if we had lost this season all the pressure would be on us but I just dont think theres that much pressure to win. I do believe the players will want it and I also think that we will be back to back champions come next June.

tombattor · Post #3 » by **tombattor** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 4:15 pm

Of course there is pressure to win. Not the same as if we hadn't won this year, but the Celtics have a pretty short window to get back to the top, so they have to get there again. That's what's going to separate this generation of Champion Celtics from the flashes in the pan like Heat and the Pistons.

BillessuR6 · Post #4 » by **BillessuR6** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 4:20 pm

There would be a lot more pressure if we hadn`t won this year. Everybody would say they can`t play together, they are too old, they are career losers...

But now Pierce, Ray and KG have their rings. They know they can win and how to win. I expect to see an even more confident team next season!

Can`t wait! Let`s get banner 18!

DJToLarry · Post #5 » by **DJToLarry** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 4:23 pm

I think it will be a big weight lifted off the shoulders of Pierce, Garnett and Allen. If they would have lost the pressure would increased next year. I compare it to winning on the PGA tour. Getting that first win is tough. You have to put yourself in position a few times, feel the pressure, and even fail before getting the job done. But once golfers get that first win they play with a lot more confidence in pressure situations. I think you will see that with the Big Three.

Post #6 » by **sully00** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 4:34 pm

This is Boston and there will be plenty of expectation but repeating in the NBA is extremely difficult especially for an older veteran team.

While there will be some expectation put on the Lakers, I think that everyone knows that they kind of overachieved and there window is a lot larger than other contenders.

The Suns and Spurs are up against it as is DET though time may have already passed them by. Spurs and DET can retool the Suns have gone for broke.

CLE is under a lot of pressure because they know that if they can't improve the cast around LeBron he is headed towards the door.

That said I don't think this season was that hard for the Celtics the decade of basketball that these three had played to get to this point was hard. They may not win 60 some odd game again but I think that they will cruise to the Conference Finals and likely be the favorites to win again.

MyInsatiableOne · Post #7 » by **MyInsatiableOne** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 4:50 pm

Nope, no pressure. We will probably be favored again, or up there with, say, the Spurs, but not crippling pressure the way there is on Cleveland/LeBron, LA/Kobe, etc. Anything now would be gravy...that being said, I wanna win #18!

eris · Post #8 » by **eris** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 5:05 pm

I want the Boston Celtics to win the Championship every year! I expect all of the players, coaching staff and management to want that, too. So as far as I'm concerned, yes, there certainly is pressure on the C's to win it all in 2008-2009, 2010, 2011, 2012....

celticfan42487 · Post #9 » by **celticfan42487** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 5:35 pm

No, and I don't think the pressure was on us last year either. We were supposed to fail our first year, and possibly win one in our second and third tries.

We weren't favored in the ECF or NBA Finals. We were suppose to fail in one of those areas and when we came to both that's what was predicted by the big media.

Now, during the regular season we were "the story" especially after we blew out Houston after their 22 win streak and everyone knew the excuses had ran up and we'd be by far the best team in the regular season.

Now we'll get respect and some favoriship in the playoffs. Year after the upcoming one if we don't win it there will be some pressure. After that there will be a lot of it as most will expect us to end our run with Ray Allen's ankles.

Kefa461 · Post #10 » by **Kefa461** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 5:39 pm

Not so much pressure...but a need to repeat......to stamp their name in Celtic history...... 8-)

MyInsatiableOne · Post #11 » by **MyInsatiableOne** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 6:15 pm

^^I agree...let's repeat...do it again!!!

bruno sundov · Post #12 » by **bruno sundov** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 7:23 pm

I say there is pressure with being the champs. Just look at the pats. It seemed after they won their third superbowl and second of back to back, that next year everyone was wanting a piece of them. The media hated them especially. the national media that is.

tombattor · Post #13 » by **tombattor** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 7:34 pm

bruno sundov wrote:I say there is pressure with being the champs. Just look at the pats. It seemed after they won their third superbowl and second of back to back, that next year everyone was wanting a piece of them. The media hated them especially. the national media that is.

Well, that's always the case. In most cases, the neutral fans/media will pull for the underdogs. Only one exception is the Brazil's national soccer team.

MyInsatiableOne · Post #14 » by **MyInsatiableOne** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 8:04 pm

bruno sundov wrote:I say there is pressure with being the champs. Just look at the pats. It seemed after they won their third superbowl and second of back to back, that next year everyone was wanting a piece of them. The media hated them especially. the national media that is.

The Pats also got jobbed by the NFL that year with one of the toughest schedules in the history of the league for the 2005 season.

The national media will surely turn on the C's this coming season the way they did on the Pats and Sox...it seems only if a dominant team is either in LA or NYC, or has a star that reporters (like Peter King) man-crush on, like he does with Breet Favre, Peyton Manning, or Ben Roethlesberger (to name a few) will the national media give them loads of unconditional love...ah well...I'd rather be hated and respected than loved and mocked!

campybatman · Post #15 » by **campybatman** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 9:14 pm

I say no, because the Spurs never won it back-to-back during anyone of the four championship seasons they'd had.

Athanacropolis · Post #16 » by **Athanacropolis** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 9:18 pm

Of course there's pressure to win the championship next season. This is the Boston Celtics we're talking about!

I voted yes!

captain_cheapseats · Post #17 » by **captain_cheapseats** » Wed Jul 16, 2008 1:06 am

JordansBulls wrote:Do you guys think all the pressure is on you again going into the 2008-2009 season to win it all, or has the pressure now shifted to another team like the Lakers or Spurs?

I'd say Pierce, Allen and KG have more than proven their championship pedigree, and face essentially no pressure to repeat (though I think the hyper-competitive nature of those guys will keep them going strong). The organization as a whole faces immense pressure to repeat however, arguably more so than any other franchise. Bibby was right when he said that Boston has bandwagon fans, and another title would really help to consolidate the gains they made in fan support last year. I'm sure they are very anxious to make sure that ridiculous 60% increase (or whatever it was) in the number of people watching the games on tv doesn't slowly evaporate over the next 3-4 years.

NashtyNas · Post #18 » by **NashtyNas** » Wed Jul 16, 2008 5:11 am

Yes AND No, if they do win, they prove all the so called nay-sayers wrong and are happy. If they don't, they still are happy. Like they say "the more the merrier" but banner 18 doesnt have to come up next year. there's not as many haters on their backs anymore (other than the kobe and LA homers, but they hate everyone anyways)..

Truthiracy · Post #19 » by **Truthiracy** » Wed Jul 16, 2008 11:20 am

We'll keep the title east.

MyInsatiableOne · Post #20 » by **MyInsatiableOne** » Wed Jul 16, 2008 12:44 pm

^^Yeah! I hope we never let up and win #18 next year...wouldn't it be great if we're up to 18 or 19 flags by the time this team is gone???