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Rich Gotham: Celtics Expect To Be Playoff Team In 2015-16

BOSTON (CBS) -- After an impressive run in the second half of last season, the expectations are high for the 2015-16 Boston Celtics.

There were no big "fireworks" this offseason, but the Celtics did add more depth to their roster with the acquisitions of forwards Amir Johnson and David Lee, along with drafting guards Terry Rozier and R.J. Hunter. Add them to a team that went 20-11 after acquiring Isaiah Thomas at last season's trade deadline, and it's not crazy to expect Boston to be back in the postseason next spring.

Celtics president Rich Gotham joined Adam Kaufman on 98.5 The Sports Hub's Celtics @ 7 on Saturday morning, and while he didn't want to make any predictions, said making another playoff run is on everyone's minds on Causeway Street.

"I expect we'll be a playoff team. I'd say [the fourth through 10th seed in the Eastern Conference] is anyone's game and I don't see why we can't be closer to the four-seed than the 10-seed," said Gotham. "That's the hope; I'm not making any predictions, but we have expectations to be a good, competitive playoff team."

Gotham said of all the offseason additions, the 6-foot-9 Johnson is his favorite. He said Johnson, who averaged 9.3 points and 6.1 rebounds for the Raptors last season, will bring an energy to the team the Celtics are very familiar with.

"I think he's going to bring something to us that we haven't had in a little while as an interior defender who plays really hard and is good on both ends of the floor. We play Toronto four times a season and I have seen a lot of Amir Johnson," noted Gotham. "I think he's a very underrated player and will really help our team this year in a lot of ways."

With Johnson and Lee in the mix, it has created quite the logjam in Boston's frontcourt. Jared Sullinger and Tyler Zeller will be fighting for minutes with the newcomers, along with second-round pick Jordan Mickey. In general, the Celtics have a pretty crowded roster with 16 players under contract, so someone will have to go before the regular season starts.

But Gotham said the team has given "very little" thought to what others may see as a roster crunch.

"The way we look at it is depth is a problem of prosperity," said Gotham. "It creates competition and motivation for everyone to be at their best. A good, competitive training camp is going to help us be a better team and it shakes out from there. You hope people are happy and accept their roles."

While Danny Ainge didn't land Brad Stevens a super star to plug into the lineup, Celtics fans are still feeling very confident about the team. According to a recent survey on the New England sports teams, the Celtics topped all other local franchises when fans were asked which team was "changing for better" with 67 percent agreeing with the statement.

"Boston fans pay attention, our fans in particular," said Gotham. "They are avid fans who live and breathe this stuff, and they saw how the team turned last year. I think people have confidence that we have the capability to get back to where we need to be. Danny Ainge has shown in the past an ability to put together a championship caliber team, to take it from Point A to Point B. Fans have a lot of confidence in Brad Stevens; he inspires a lot of confidence that this team will continue to go in the right direction under him.

"Those are contributing factors, but you can never underestimate winning games," he added. "That's really the barometer. We won at the end of the last year, and I think the lightbulb went off for people to say, 'Hey, this is coming into focus. Some of the things these guys have talked about for the last 16-18 months are starting to happen and they're starting to deliver on the plan.'"

Check out Adam Kaufman's full interview with Rich Gotham on Saturday's Celtics @ 7 here.

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