OT: NBA Playoffs

[CardiacAndre7]

Heck of a coaching decision to play him in the 4th. Remember when that clown said Stevens was getting out coached by Nick Nurse?

Two of the best coaches in the game either way

 

[huskiesNhoos]

Heck of a coaching decision to play him in the 4th. Remember when that clown said Stevens was getting out coached by Nick Nurse?

Theis picked up his 5th foul...wasn't so much a decision as a requirement to put a 5th body on the floor

Dude played great D though. Didn't realize how short he was (only 6'6"). A little adrien-esque minus the wingspan

 

[Scoe]

Taking a lot of mid-range shots maybe isn't ideal long-term, but they still have huge value in late game situations against tough defenses and probably always will. Kemba can't hit anything from three and gets swallowed at the rim, but you still get the sense he can get to his spot and drill that pull-up whenever he wants.

He had some pretty good looks at the basket and passed them up, well next series hes gonna need to be more consistent, too many pts left on the line too, both teams look tired.

 

[aceboon]

Theis picked up his 5th foul...wasn't so much a decision as a requirement to put a 5th body on the floor

Dude played great D though. Didn't realize how short he was (only 6'6"). A little adrien-esque minus the wingspan

Robert Williams was getting the backup C minutes before Stevens went with Grant Williams in the 4th

 

[ClifSpliffy]

beautiful celtics basketball. mr. walker sez 'kiss my butt' while playing 44 minutes to lead the C's over the defending champs in game seven. noice.

 

[Scoe]

Celtics will have 3 days off much needed especially for Kemba.

 

[champs99and04]

- A lot of these game 7s in recent history seem to turn into rock fights. I don't know if it's nerves, fatigue, looser officiating, or some combination of, but it feels like we've built too large a sample at this point to chalk it up to variance alone. We'll see if teams start tweaking their crunch-time offenses a bit to help neutralize the strain these things seem to have on players - we can call it the James Harden effect.

- Kemba was pretty bad the last two games, but Miami should be a friendlier match-up for him. Between Siakam, Anunoby, and Ibaka Toronto was one of the few teams that could switch pretty liberally 1-5 without giving up much. The Celtics seemed intent on getting the ball to Tatum whenever a guard (particularly VanVleet) switched onto him - and while Tatum was sensational in the series overall, he often looked uncomfortable with smaller guys on him. That's one area he can still grow his game. With Miami being so stacked to the brim with traditional wing guys (Butler, Crowder, Iguodala) better equipped to hound Tatum, I wonder if Stevens might shovel more of those crunch-time duties Kemba's way.

- That Smart block might go down as an all-timer. I can't endorse the flopping but must admit he's turned into a far better player than I thought he'd be. This Celtics team in general is a lot more balanced than most of the teams that have won titles recently. They remind me a bit of the 2014 Spurs with Tatum playing the role of a young Kawhi.

 

[HooperScooper]

That Smart block might go down as an all-timer.

 

[auror]

He needs to even attempt to beat his defender 1 on 1. He can go past anyone in the league but has no confidence right now. It’s unfortunate but Boston is almost playing 4v5 when he’s on the floor.

They were getting three guys in the paint on his drives. He had to kick. Celtics were missing wide open 3s. Shot quality for Celtics was >>>>> Toronto. He mostly made the right plays, but did press at times when he had the barest of space and forced up a few bad ones. But he settled down down the stretch and took some nice jumpers from mid range and canned a couple at big times.

Next series will be friendlier. Dragic/Robinson can't guard him like Lowry/Van Vleet/OG.

 

[jkfer98]

What a strange series. Really had no business going 7 games, and yet Toronto was still in it until the very end. What a frustrating team to play.

 

[superjohn]

I didn't like Smart at Okie State but as Barkley always says there are too many dudes in the nba who think they are good at everything and don't specialize. Smart specialized as a lockdown bulldog and it turns out he's good at a lot of stuff that he always showed signs of being pretty good at. His defensive mentality led him to where he is right now which is a pretty great player. You win championships with that kind of player.

 

[Mr. French]

They were getting three guys in the paint on his drives. He had to kick. Celtics were missing wide open 3s. Shot quality for Celtics was >>>>> Toronto. He mostly made the right plays, but did press at times when he had the barest of space and forced up a few bad ones. But he settled down down the stretch and took some nice jumpers from mid range and canned a couple at big times.

Next series will be friendlier. Dragic/Robinson can't guard him like Lowry/Van Vleet/OG.

That box and 1 shows how important he is to their offense...Tatum played well and scored, but Kemba is their main creator and when he’s stunted by packing in the help, it creates frustration.

It was a great move by Nurse and most importantly, the Raptors D moves and rotates so things like that work.

He started to also get in his head, and the compact lane and rim protection made him second guess his attacks. That alone was worth them playing box and 1.

Ultimately Tatum Smart and Brown made enough shots, but they did take some bad, forced ones esp Tatum.

 

[the Q]

I like Cole Anthony in this draft as a Wannamaker replacement if available. He is an electric player when he's hot. He was dealt a tough hand at UNC this year.. but that finishing ability is BAD. I think his score-first mentality as a guard compliments Brad's egalitarian style. We dont really need a traditional PG.

Also like Kira Lewis. He's only 19 until December I believe. Younger than most freshman prospects despite 2 years in college. Shoots well. Really quick. The TOs are the big concern.

Not sold on Poku. He is super soft and has a terrible frame. Bad decision making in a bad league. But he COULD end up an all star. So if you want to swing big he's your man.

I also like Bey. Decent enough as ballhandler and defender. He'll struggle athletically but I think he's passable. Hard for me to think of turning down a 6'7 volume 45% shooter.

Wouldn't mind precious as a Theis protege either. He could be fine as an athletic finisher and defender. If the staff thinks they could get him to 35% on catch n shoots in 2 years it would be worth it.

Lewis is a guy who eveyone likes except for his frame. I get it.

Poku is basically allowed to do whatever he wants in his league, something he won’t be able to do under Brad. But poku is at least a 1 year stash, but no one else at 14 will have his upside.

Anthony is interesting. He was awesome in the elite hs league. But his analytics at unc were bad.

Bey as a stretch 4 fits them pretty well. Right now he seems to be mocked to go ahead of Boston. Barely. Just like Langford last year.

Theis is a fa after next year so getting his replacement makes sense. Him and Bob give you talent now so precious can get acclimated year 1.

But we know they will not be carrying 3 rookies next year unless they clean out a lot of the bottom of the roster in a trade.

I’m also hopeful they get a milsap for the mle.

 

[superjohn]

This is stunning. Two straight games where the Clippers are up 20 or so in the third quarter to close the series out and the Nuggets just blow them off the court in the late 3rd and 4th quarters to force a game 7.

 

[MilliniumPrince]

This is stunning. Two straight games where the Clippers are up 20 or so in the third quarter to close the series out and the Nuggets just blow them off the court in the late 3rd and 4th quarters to force a game 7.

It is mindblowing. You gave to place it on the Coach, but I think Doc is a pretty good.

 

[HanDurley]

Hard to remember that Tatum and Brown are just 22 and 23. Smart is only 26 too. I really hope they keep that core together. These guys won't even be in their prime for 3 or 4 years.

And we need to draft better. I'm not sure we've drafted a contributing player other than potentially Robert Williams in years. G Williams, Langford, Semi, Edwards look like busts to me.

Been to ecstatic about the win to check this thread. You know I usually agree with you all the time, but your take on Grant is wrong. He will be a fine NBA player and is exactly what the Celtics need off the bench. His defense against Siakim won them the game. Tremont Waters and Romeo Langford will have big years next year with Semi and Wanamaker gone.

 

[husky429]

Been to ecstatic about the win to check this thread. You know I usually agree with you all the time, but your take on Grant is wrong. He will be a fine NBA player and is exactly what the Celtics need off the bench. His defense against Siakim won them the game. Tremont Waters and Romeo Langford will have big years next year with Semi and Wanamaker gone.

Certainly hope you're right. I don't have a lot of faith in the Celtics upper management to draft well outside the top 10 right now. Any one or two of those guys becoming solid contributors would change my mind though.

I think Grant has the best shot if he can start hitting his 3s at a higher clip--which he seems to be lately. Kind of a 3 and D type ish.

I don't see how Edwards does much of anything at his size with no real PG skills. Requires way too many shots to play well.

Tremont is tough. Brilliant G-League player. Great PG. But I don't know if he'll get minutes at his size.

Langford just had such a horrendous year with injuries that it's hard to even evaluate him. If he can finish at a high level like he has in the G-League and in college, plus add a semblance of a 3 pt shot he'll be great. Shooting will be key.

I do think that RWilliams will be good next year. Maybe even very good. My gut says he has the best chance of being an NBA starter. He doesn't fit the stretch-5 type that teams love these days, but he's a sneaky good passer, crazy athletic, blocks shots. His foul rate will come down with more minutes as he's forced to be a little more conservative. I'm thinkin he could be kind of like a Bam Abedayo-lite (very lite).

 

[huskiesNhoos]

I'd love to see my guy Mamadi Diakite hook up with the Celtics. Solid, albeit not great, player on both ends who would be a very useful guy off the bench for them and with the C's lineup he could backup the 4 and 5.

better yet he'll be available late 2nd round or more likely undrafted so there's very little risk

 

[nelsonmuntz]

This is stunning. Two straight games where the Clippers are up 20 or so in the third quarter to close the series out and the Nuggets just blow them off the court in the late 3rd and 4th quarters to force a game 7.

You can see that the Clippers are not on the same page as a team. So much of basketball is about chemistry, and the Clippers don't seem to have it despite all their talent. I think part of this is that the Nuggets are really good and just one or two pieces away from challenging for an NBA title. I want the Clippers to win because I think they have a better shot against the Lakers, but maybe a young, energetic team like the Nuggets will give the Lakers a battle.

 

[Ratso]

this should be fun

 

[the Q]

Certainly hope you're right. I don't have a lot of faith in the Celtics upper management to draft well outside the top 10 right now. Any one or two of those guys becoming solid contributors would change my mind though.

I think Grant has the best shot if he can start hitting his 3s at a higher clip--which he seems to be lately. Kind of a 3 and D type ish.

I don't see how Edwards does much of anything at his size with no real PG skills. Requires way too many shots to play well.

Tremont is tough. Brilliant G-League player. Great PG. But I don't know if he'll get minutes at his size.

Langford just had such a horrendous year with injuries that it's hard to even evaluate him. If he can finish at a high level like he has in the G-League and in college, plus add a semblance of a 3 pt shot he'll be great. Shooting will be key.

I do think that RWilliams will be good next year. Maybe even very good. My gut says he has the best chance of being an NBA starter. He doesn't fit the stretch-5 type that teams love these days, but he's a sneaky good passer, crazy athletic, blocks shots. His foul rate will come down with more minutes as he's forced to be a little more conservative. I'm thinkin he could be kind of like a Bam Abedayo-lite (very lite).

Grant can be a decent role player.

Edwards can be instant offense off the bench. The one thing I see that Danny sees in him was a cool tweet before the draft. Based on his college stats you would’ve expected Edwards to have been like 6-6. It was one of the biggest disparities in the draft, meaning he plays bigger than his size. But yeah, not a superstar.

Langford, man I was ok with him at that spot until sekou fell there (I also badly wanted okeke but that was more at 20). But really any of the 3 would’ve been ok for me. But man he’s been bad. With the roster crunch I wonder if Danny doesn’t work out a trade with him and some of the other bench guys for another player. Maybe a PJ tucker if Hou blows it up, or a more legit backup pg. they also may need a c with kanter a fa and frenchy being completely useless.

Danny botching the 2016 draft a bit hurt as well. His best move was the deal of a 2nd rounder for this Memphis pick. Reportedly those 2 foreigners were seen very highly before the the 2017 draft (like top 10ish). Danny probably could’ve cashed them in for a pretty good pick in a draft that produced some good guys outside the top 10.

Williams ceiling is a capela type. And he can get there.

 

[Ratso]

the bubble court media person is fiiine

 

[UConn990411]

Kemba still can’t create anything, and it’s becoming a bit concerning.

 

[CardiacAndre7]

Kemba still...

 

[Ratso]

it’s the future with all the young players. nobody’s imposing

butler is old school guy