OT: 2022 NBA Playoffs

[HuskyHawk]

Celtics imposed their will last night in a dominating performance. Let's see what happens in game 3. Some are discovering what I already knew, Payton Pritchard can play. No, he can't be the main defender on Jimmy Butler, but he's a really good shooter and is quick with the ball.

 

[JustbrewitMan]

Celtics imposed their will last night in a dominating performance. Let's see what happens in game 3. Some are discovering what I already knew, Payton Pritchard can play. No, he can't be the main defender on Jimmy Butler, but he's a really good shooter and is quick with the ball.

Heat are gonna get cooked with Boston at full strength unless they make some major adjustments.

Granted, Celts likely can’t sustain 50% shooting from 3, but they don’t need to do that to win the next 3 games outright.

 

[tzznandrew]

Heat are gonna get cooked with Boston at full strength unless they make some major adjustments.

Granted, Celts likely can’t sustain 50% shooting from 3, but they don’t need to do that to win the next 3 games outright.

There's really only one quarter that the Heat looked good, and that was without Smart and Horford.

Boston has dudes who can create and dudes who can shoot. I really only trust Tatum to (almost) always show up, but Brown and Smart are very good, and their role players are much better than the Heat. Without a healthy Lowry, Heat are forced into really difficult choices because they have small dudes who can shoot but can't defend or good defenders who can't shoot. And if Bam is going to be passive, it's a wrap.

 

[UConn990411]

There’s no reason to start Klay over Poole at this point. I really don’t get what Kerr is doing there.

 

[superjohn]

Refs in this game are garbage.

 

[M.S.G.]

Celtics didn't deserve to win that game last night, shameful performance.

That Miami Heat bench is fascinating to me. Herro/Robinson actually take steps backward, and guys like Gabe Vincent and Max Strus become key players - what a world.. A Morris brother, one of the Martin twins, fascinating..

Warriors/Heat finals would be an absolute bore

 

[traitor71]

Quite a turnaround from game 2. Miami loses Butler, the Celtics got a huge assist from the officials, yet Miami still won. This is why I never gamble.

 

[Scoe]

Lol at anyone thinking NBA playoffs are better then March Madness.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

There’s no reason to start Klay over Poole at this point. I really don’t get what Kerr is doing there.

Because Thompson is a first ballot Hall of Famer and still a very good player. Poole may be younger and faster at this point in Klay Thompson's career, but Thompson has a ton of experience and Poole will never be as good as Thompson was at his best. Poole is also still getting a ton of playing time so it doesn't matter all that much who starts.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Celtics didn't deserve to win that game last night, shameful performance.

That Miami Heat bench is fascinating to me. Herro/Robinson actually take steps backward, and guys like Gabe Vincent and Max Strus become key players - what a world.. A Morris brother, one of the Martin twins, fascinating..

Warriors/Heat finals would be an absolute bore

While people in the northeast may want the Celtics, the Warriors or the Heat are two of the most recognizable franchises in the NBA, with one of them having played in every NBA Finals from 2011 through 2020.

If the Warriors win this year, and it looks likely that they will, their run from 2015 through this year will be as impressive as any run in NBA history. 4 championships and 2 other appearances in 8 years is amazing, and the only two years in that stretch when they didn't make the finals will have been because of serious injuries to their stars. They will have beaten the greatest player of their era, Lebron, THREE times in the NBA Finals.

They will have done this during a period when the NBA was probably at its peak in terms of talent and popular appeal.

 

[superjohn]

Worst conference finals I can remember across the board.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Worst conference finals I can remember across the board.

I blame the refs. Not enough fouls called on offense or defense, tends towards low shooting percentages, injuries, and brutal play. But Miami and Boston are both defense first teams as well.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

Al Horford is still so damn good.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Al Horford is still so damn good.

He's bringing so much stability, leadership and consistency. Never having a bad game. Even when he's not scoring he's rebounding, defending and making passes. His sister says he's very focused on making his first Finals.

Hard to see Boston blowing it at home on Friday. They have the better team. But betting on anything in these playoffs is fool's gold.

 

[aceboon]

Nothing would surprise me for game 7 at this point, close win or blowout for either side.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

This Boston team just isn't an NBA Finals caliber team. They play reasonably hard and smart, but they just aren't one of the best teams in the NBA. This season is a once in a lifetime opportunity for the Celtics, because they will be lucky to get out of the first round next year when everyone in the league is healthy and rested after a full offseason for the first time in 3 years. The Celtics have to beat Miami in game 7, because I don't think this Celtics team, as constituted, can win a title in a normal season, even with a few tweaks.

Heat, Bucks, 76ers, and probably the Nets were all better than the Celtics this season, but none of those teams were healthy in the playoffs. The Warriors are going to be tough in the next round, but they look tired and the Celtics have a shot against them.

 

[UConn990411]

This Boston team just isn't an NBA Finals caliber team. They play reasonably hard and smart, but they just aren't one of the best teams in the NBA. This season is a once in a lifetime opportunity for the Celtics, because they will be lucky to get out of the first round next year when everyone in the league is healthy and rested after a full offseason for the first time in 3 years. The Celtics have to beat Miami in game 7, because I don't think this Celtics team, as constituted, can win a title in a normal season, even with a few tweaks.

Heat, Bucks, 76ers, and probably the Nets were all better than the Celtics this season, but none of those teams were healthy in the playoffs. The Warriors are going to be tough in the next round, but they look tired and the Celtics have a shot against them.

Lol, a once in a lifetime opportunity for a core group of players that’s been to three Eastern Conference Finals.

The king of overreactions, everybody!

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Lol, a once in a lifetime opportunity for a core group of players that’s been to three Eastern Conference Finals.

The king of overreactions, everybody!

To paraphrase Rick Pitino, Isaiah Thomas, Kyrie Irving, Kemba Walker and Gordon Hayward are not walking through that door, and Horford is old.

The Celtics core group of players is just not that good, and the core on the Heat, 76ers and Bucks is a lot better. The Celtics lose in 5 or 6 to the Bucks if Middleton is healthy.

The Celtics need to make this season count.

 

[HuskyHawk]

To paraphrase Rick Pitino, Isaiah Thomas, Kyrie Irving, Kemba Walker and Gordon Hayward are not walking through that door, and Horford is old.

The Celtics core group of players is just not that good, and the core on the Heat, 76ers and Bucks is a lot better. The Celtics lose in 5 or 6 to the Bucks if Middleton is healthy.

The Celtics need to make this season count.

I think you’re completely wrong here. Butler is really the only guy on the Heat better than most of Boston’s core, and he’s not better than Tatum. You can argue Bam and Williams are similar, maybe slight edge to Bam for his flashes on offense. Al is better than PJ Tucker. Smart is better than Lowry. Brown is better than whoever Miami is throwing out as a shooting guard.

But it’s a young group and Miami is a veteran team. Miami is the team about to see its window closing. Celtics self destructed or beat the Bucks in 5. They were clearly better.

 

[aceboon]

Great Finals matchup on deck, I felt GSW was the best team in the first half of the season before the Draymond injury and Bos was the best team in the 2nd half. If GP2 is healthy and can play extended minutes uncompromised he is gonna give Tatum and Brown hell on the defensive end, especially Brown with how loose his dribble is.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

To paraphrase Rick Pitino, Isaiah Thomas, Kyrie Irving, Kemba Walker and Gordon Hayward are not walking through that door, and Horford is old.

The Celtics core group of players is just not that good, and the core on the Heat, 76ers and Bucks is a lot better.

This is an absurd take. It reads like trolling; that’s how ridiculous it is.

 

[HuskyHawk]

This is an absurd take. It reads like trolling; that’s how ridiculous it is.

The Celtics blew it by waiving Max Strus, but that he's their starting SG isn't impressive. Herro is a fantastic shooter but doesn't start, I assume because his defense is meh and he's streaky. I think they should play Oladipo more, but they don't. It's two guys, Butler and Bam, and a deep cast of quality role players, including the overweight and past his prime Lowry. It's amazing they are as good as they are. Credit to Spoelstra for that.

Philly has some nice players, but they can't seem to build a team. Maxey was a nice find later in the draft. Maybe Harden will learn how to be a team player and show up in big moments. Embiid is so good it wouldn't take much to make them better, but hunting big names like Harden isn't the answer.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

This is an absurd take. It reads like trolling; that’s how ridiculous it is.

The Bucks were missing a first ballot Hall of Famer who is in the prime of his career for their series against the Celtics, but in Celtics fanboy land that apparently didn't matter. Jimmy Butler was almost non-functional in some games by the Celtics own scouting. Lowry was useless. Harden hit a wall midseason and Embiid missed playoff games. The West was just as bad. This injury problem is not some deep insight. Anyone that is not a genius can see it.

The Celtics are a young team so they didn't get hit as hard by the wear and tear. Good for them. Calling back to past conference finals appearances that had key players that are no longer on the Celtics is kind of silly.

 

[UConn990411]

The Bucks were missing a first ballot Hall of Famer who is in the prime of his career for their series against the Celtics, but in Celtics fanboy land that apparently didn't matter. Jimmy Butler was almost non-functional in some games by the Celtics own scouting. Lowry was useless. Harden hit a wall midseason and Embiid missed playoff games. The West was just as bad. This injury problem is not some deep insight. Anyone that is not a genius can see it.

The Celtics are a young team so they didn't get hit as hard by the wear and tear. Good for them. Calling back to past conference finals appearances that had key players that are no longer on the Celtics is kind of silly.

The Bucks are the only team on that list that is clearly better than everyone else when healthy.

Philly is a massive question mark going forward even if they sign Harden long term. It’s possible that Harden has a major bounce back next season, but there’s a realistic chance he’s on the downside of his prime.

Miami won’t be going anywhere, and they will certainly be better with a healthy Herro, but they just don’t seem to have the top-end talent to win a championship. Meanwhile, Brooklyn is Brooklyn, and I’ll believe they won’t self-destruct when I see them put it together for an entire season.

I don’t think the Celtics are as good as a healthy Bucks team, but they’re certainly in the conversation with the rest of those teams. Dismissing their historically good defense as a flash in the pan is a terrible take, even for this board.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Thought this was a really good article.

How Ime Udoka’s Brutal Honesty Turned the Celtics Into Contenders

Boston’s first-year head coach made it a mission to turn lottery picks into accountable grinders. After plenty of pushback and a downright disastrous start, his young stars eventually bought in. Now the results speak for themselves.

www.theringer.com

 

[nelsonmuntz]

The Bucks are the only team on that list that is clearly better than everyone else when healthy.

Philly is a massive question mark going forward even if they sign Harden long term. It’s possible that Harden has a major bounce back next season, but there’s a realistic chance he’s on the downside of his prime.

Miami won’t be going anywhere, and they will certainly be better with a healthy Herro, but they just don’t seem to have the top-end talent to win a championship. Meanwhile, Brooklyn is Brooklyn, and I’ll believe they won’t self-destruct when I see them put it together for an entire season.

I don’t think the Celtics are as good as a healthy Bucks team, but they’re certainly in the conversation with the rest of those teams. Dismissing their historically good defense as a flash in the pan is a terrible take, even for this board.

The NBA can never do what it did with the last two offseasons ever again. If there is ever a long shutdown, either cut the playoffs or shrink the following season down so that players get several months off.

The end of this season and this playoffs are a bad joke with all the injuries and teams blatantly packing it in for the night when they get down in the first half. The fatigue and wear and tear has been brutal and I think it will extend beyond this season. I think some of these injuries are going to turn into chronic problems for a few of the players, and will probably shorten careers.

It looks like it is finally catching up with the Celtics with Smart’s injury.

 

[HuskyHawk]

The Bucks were missing a first ballot Hall of Famer who is in the prime of his career for their series against the Celtics, but in Celtics fanboy land that apparently didn't matter. Jimmy Butler was almost non-functional in some games by the Celtics own scouting. Lowry was useless. Harden hit a wall midseason and Embiid missed playoff games. The West was just as bad. This injury problem is not some deep insight. Anyone that is not a genius can see it.

The Celtics are a young team so they didn't get hit as hard by the wear and tear. Good for them. Calling back to past conference finals appearances that had key players that are no longer on the Celtics is kind of silly.

Khris Middleton isn't an any ballot hall of famer, let alone first ballot. Basketball Reference gives him a 0.3% change at getting into the hall of fame. Get out of here with that absurdity. In 13 seasons he's been to 3 All Star games. He's definitely a very good player but good grief, he's no Kobe Bryant.

I do agree that every team was banged up. Boston included. They were missing two starters in several games. The one day between games cannot happen again. They need to shorten the season if they are going to stick with the play in round. Because it produced too much ugly basketball.

 

[Dove]

Celtics steal game 1 tonight in Cali!!

Down 15 in the third, the Warriors really shot their load that quarter.

Celtics curb stomped them in the 4th led by huge play by Hereford and D. White.

Unbelievable. Currently up 15 points!

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

The Bucks were missing a first ballot Hall of Famer who is in the prime of his career for their series against the Celtics, but in Celtics fanboy land that apparently didn't matter. Jimmy Butler was almost non-functional in some games by the Celtics own scouting. Lowry was useless. Harden hit a wall midseason and Embiid missed playoff games. The West was just as bad. This injury problem is not some deep insight. Anyone that is not a genius can see it.

The Celtics are a young team so they didn't get hit as hard by the wear and tear. Good for them. Calling back to past conference finals appearances that had key players that are no longer on the Celtics is kind of silly.

I’ll give you credit, you’ve taken this trolling to new heights.

Anyway, nice win for the Celtics. Most lopsided fourth quarter in Finals history. Anxiously waiting for Nelson to explain why it doesn’t count. Off night for first ballot Hall of Famer Kevon Looney maybe.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Celtics in the 4th quarter. “I am not left handed”