[steviechillzParticipant]

Since the Olympics have ended, I am having a tough time with a VERY SLOW August in the NBA. So, I’d thought it would be a good time to start a Over/Under post series for all 30 NBA teams. I will start with the Eastern Conference teams(by division), team by team, and then finish w/ the West.

Steviechillz’s Over/Under – EC – Atlantic Division: 16-17 Boston Celtics

– Over/Under: The Boston Celtics nab 50 wins in the revamped Eastern Conference – Under(I love the boys in green, but they overachieved last season and pretty much every contending team in the East got better. I see them winning 48 games this upcoming season)

– Over/Under: Jaylen Brown averages 23 MPG – Over(I think Brown fits Brad Stevens’ offensive and defensive gameplan so well with his athleticism, strong 6’7 frame, and his improving jump shot. To get playing time w/ the C’s defensive effort comes first, and Brown seems like a guy ready to shutdown the opposing team’s best player)

– Over/Under: Gerald Green lasts 40 games w/ the team – Hopefully Over(Green has had quite the career w/ more ups and downs than any NBA player I can remember. Hoping that his immaturity and questionable play last year doesn’t lead to him getting released or traded with the team that he started it all with)

– Over/Under: Isaiah Thomas averages 20 PPG – Under(This one is tricky…the C’s upgraded at the Center position for sure w/ fellow all star, Al Horford. They also grabbed two wing players in J Brown and Gerald Green. Considering this team can probably go nine deep in the depth chart makes me think that Thomas is going to shoulder way less of the scoring this year and he will actually be more efficient surrounded by shooters/improved players. I see Thomas in the 18.5 PPG range)

– Over/Under: Marcus Smart cracks 13 PPG – Under(This is similar to Thomas’s situation where there is so much depth on this team! Even if Smart gets 30 MPG, the guard spots will be shared by Smart, Thomas, Bradley, Green, and Rozier. I see him slightly improving to 12 PPG compared to the 9.1 PPG last year)

– Over/Under: Horford drops three triple-doubles this regular season – Over(IMO, Horford’s game is tailor-made for Coach Steven’s offense. Horford is the perfect hybrid center that can rim-protect and move his feet on defense, but on offense he can pretty much do it all: shoot the three, handle the ball at the five, pass to cutters and shooters on the wings, and take a 3-5 second high post play. Things going against him dropping triple-doubles is that he only has one career regular season triple-double, but he hasn’t been in this type of offense before and he is going to be counted on more than any other Celtic on the roster to create on offense. I say he puts up four triple-doubles)

– Over/Under: Celtics finish the season 15th in three-point percentage – Under(So, the 15-16 Celtics were atrociously bad at making three’s, but that didn’t stop them from taking them. The Celtics finished the season, 28th in the NBA in 3P% at 33.5%, but 26.1 three-point shots a game, about five less than trigger-happy GSW. And that’s not surprising considering Coach Stevens is a numbers guy; statistically it makes way more sense to shoot more three’s than long two’s, but it helps even more if your guys can make them! Bradley, Jerebko, Olynyk, Hunter, and Horford all should help raise that 33.5%, but I really think it will be dependent on guys who are kind of question marks when it comes to three-point shooting: Smart, Rozier, Thomas, Green, and rookie J Brown. Either way, I definitely think they will continue to be in the top 15 for three-point shots attempted as long as Coach Stevens is there)

[Dazzling Dunks and Basketball BloopersParticipant]

 I don’t foresee horford getting more than 3 triple-doubles or brown getting over 23 mpg this season. Other than that I agree with most of your predictions though.

I think this current Celtics roster should top out right around 50 wins, provided they stay healthy. They should be one of the better defensive teams in the league but I still think they lack the overall offensive firepower to really challenge the Cavs. I’d say they have as good a chance as any team in the east to grab the second seed though.

 

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