Ainge On T&R: Celtics 'Can Beat Anybody On Any Given Night'
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Celtics' playoff run did not last quite as long as anybody in Boston hoped for, but heading into the 2015-16 season, there's reason to believe another trip to the postseason should be on tap for next spring.
While expectations may vary, the hope is certainly for the Celtics to improve upon their 40-42 record from last season.
Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge joined Toucher & Rich on Thursday morning, and he offered some cautious optimism toward that end.
"I don't know. I think our team, we don't have a lot of room for error. I feel like we're a team that can beat anybody on any given night, and so consistency is going to be a big issue," Ainge said. "Having our players buy in to the depth that is the strength of our team is not an easy task for Brad, and I think that there's a lot of questions to still be answered about our team. But I'm really excited about them, and really excited about our training camp and our practices and our preparation. I can't wait for the season to start."
With Isaiah Thomas being considered unanimously as the team's best scorer, Rich asked Ainge why the team is so resistant to putting him in the starting lineup.
"That's a legitimate concern, but Isaiah at his size has to expend a ton of energy to score often. And I think that it's a lot more demanding to be a scorer in our league, and I think that we're just concerned a little bit like San Antonio did with [Manu] Ginobili. They brought their best scorer off their bench. And I think that you've seen that happen. Kevin McHale was the second-best scorer on a team when the Celtics won a championship. I think that with Isaiah, we need him, and we also need him fresh down the stretch of games. And fourth-quarter scoring is the hardest thing to find in our league, and we don't want Isaiah to go into that part of the game with any fatigue whatsoever," Ainge said. "Part of it is just preservation of trying to shorten the game and strategically utilizing him at the most crucial times and having him fresh at the most crucial times."
Ainge also talked about the room for Jared Sullinger to still improve, the depth of the team, the Blue Jays' playoff run, and more. Listen below: