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Post by Admin on Mar 5, 2022 22:59:49 GMT -5
Post #148,000 .... WOW!!!
Brooklyn Nets at Boston Celtics Game #66 3/6/22 The Celtics close out their home stand with a visit from Kyrie Irving and the Nets. By flceltsfan
Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
The Celtics complete their three-game home stand with a visit from the Brooklyn Nets in a Sunday matinee. This is the fourth and final meeting between these two teams this season.
The Celtics have moved up to 5th in the East. They have won their last 2 games and are 8-2 in their last 10 games. They are 22-11 at home. They are 27-16 against other Eastern Conference teams and 8-6 against Atlantic Division opponents. The Celtics are 1.5 games behind 3rd place Milwaukee and 4th place Chicago. They are 2 games behind 2nd place Philadelphia. They are 1 game ahead of 6th place Cleveland and 3 games ahead of 7th place Toronto.
The Nets are 8th in the East. They have lost their last 3 games and are 3-7 in their last 10 games. They are 19-14 on the road. They are 22-17 against other Eastern Conference teams and 7-5 against Atlantic Division opponents. The Nets are 2.5 games behind 7th place Toronto, 4.5 games behind 6th place Cleveland and 5.5 games behind 5th place Boston. They are half a game ahead of 9th place Atlanta, 1 game ahead of 10th place Charlotte, and 3 games ahead of 11th place Washington and the lottery.
The Nets have looked different each time the Celtics have played them. They have used 35 different starting lineups this season with 18 players getting at least one start. On 11/24, they started Harden, Mills, Durant, Bambry and Aldridge. On 2/8, they started Mills, Brown, Bembry, Edwards and Griffin. On 2/24, they started Mills, Curry, Brown, Johnson and Drummond. Kevin Durant returned on Thursday from a 21 game absence and should be available for this game. Kyrie Irving missed all 3 of the games so far, but should be available for this game.
The Celtics are finishing up a 3 game home stand. They will play at Charlotte on Wednesday, after a 2 day break and then will return to Boston for home games against Detroit and Dallas. They will then head out on a 4 game western road trip. This is the first of a 3 game road trip for Brooklyn which will also include Charlotte and Philadelphia. They will return home to face the Knicks before a road game against the Magic.
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Post by cole on Mar 5, 2022 23:10:43 GMT -5
Post #148,000 .... WOW!!!
Let's go Boston Home Court! We're gonna get to 200k tonight at this rate.
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Post by kyceltic on Mar 6, 2022 10:51:12 GMT -5
Post #148,000 .... WOW!!!
Yay us!!
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Post by kyceltic on Mar 6, 2022 10:55:20 GMT -5
Last time Kyrie was here, he stomped on the logo! I hope our players don't kiss his ass today!! Smart and White need to play him real physical all game!!
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Post by cole on Mar 6, 2022 12:17:09 GMT -5
Brown is available
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Post by Admin on Mar 6, 2022 12:27:31 GMT -5
Nik Stauskas could get early opportunity with Celtics amid wing injuries and a need for shooting
(Gus Chan / The Plain Dealer) By Brian Robb | brobb@masslive.com
While Jaylen Brown (sprained ankle) is day-to-day with his recoverable, Nesmith’s absence looks like it could be far longer according to head coach Ime Udoka.
Boston’s depth at the wing was already weakened after moving Josh Richardson and Romeo Langford at the trade deadline. Derrick White has been a great fit so far in return for the duo but his size (6-foot-3) makes Boston a little bit vulnerable at that position.
The team already signed a pair of shooters in the last month, inking Matt Ryan to a two-way deal while promoting Sam Hauser to the 15-man roster. However, Stauskas gives the team a proven NBA commodity that has been one of the best players in the G-League this year. In 26 games with the Grand Rapids Gold, Stauskas has posted 23.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game. He’s also shooting 41.6 percent from 3-point range which is among league leaders.
The 28-year-old also became just the second player in G-League history to score 100 points over a two-game stretch last week after scoring a franchise-record 57 points on March 1st and following it up with 43 points in Grand Rapid’s next game.
As a six-year NBA veteran who also saw limited time with the Miami Heat this year on a 10-day deal, Stauskas will give Ime Udoka one more veteran option he can turn to at the end of Boston’s bench if injuries hit. The head coach has largely stuck with an eight-man rotation since the start of 2022 but if Jaylen Brown and Nesmith remain sidelined, his options on the wing are incredibly thin after White.
Udoka has the luxury of some added depth in the frontcourt with Daniel Theis, but that’s not necessarily going to work well against small-ball lineups that come up on Boston’s schedule. Stauskas is not known for his defense but his size and 3-point shooting could help the Celtics keep pace against uptempo teams looming on the schedule this week such as the Nets and Hornets.
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Post by petey62 on Mar 6, 2022 12:45:16 GMT -5
JB should start out strong as should JT. The Nets will start 6'2" Kyrie, 6'2" Curry, and 6'4" Bruce Brown with Durant and Drummond.
We should punish that starting lineup.
No excuses today. Every game in this series this season has been a blowout by the visiting team.
This game will be a measure of just where we are.
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Post by Admin on Mar 6, 2022 12:52:00 GMT -5
Forget Kyrie, Tatum and Durant take center stage in Celtics-Netsby Chris Forsberg Unknown Source
I think how you earn the respect of people that you look up to is you've got to compete against them. You got to go at them for them to give you that respect that you looking for.”I
That was Jayson Tatum back in October, still basking in the glow of his gold-medal summer, reflecting on what it was like to hear Kevin Durant repeatedly sing his praises.
Durant repeatedly gushed about Tatum in the aftermath of the Celtics-Nets playoff series, the one in which Tatum produced a 50-point night in Boston’s only postseason win. Durant joked how he hated that the two players were in the same conference and punctuated his praise by noting, “[Tatum is] that elite level of a player already at 23 and I can see where this is going. It was an honor to play against him.”
Later in the summer, Durant openly wondered when Tatum might pass him as Team USA’s all-time leading scorer given his youth. In the aftermath of the Tokyo experience, Tatum wore the Durant praise with almost as much pride as the gold medal.
Yes, Kyrie Irving is back in Boston and that will steal many of the headlines when the Nets visit TD Garden on Sunday. The Celtics haven’t seen the part-time playing Irving since last year’s playoffs when he was stomping on the Lucky logo during Brooklyn’s gentleman’s sweep.
But the feature attraction should be the Tatum-Durant matchup. Durant returned from a 21-game absence on Thursday night against the Heat and showed little rust by putting up 31 points. Tatum is coming off a spellbinding week in which he seemingly went up a level while competing against fellow young stars in Trae Young and Ja Morant.
Sunday is an opportunity for Tatum to assert himself as one the NBA’s elite while going against one of his veteran idols.
“It means a lot [to hear Durant’s praise]. I mean he's definitely somebody I looked up to growing up,” said Tatum. “Getting to have that matchup with him during the playoffs and then being his teammate and having conversation with him overseas, is something I will always remember.”
What is one thing Tatum might try to steal from Durant’s toolbox?
“He's so gifted but I think how fast he moves. Like when he catches the ball, it's really no wasted dribbles, no wasted motions,” said Tatum. "He gets to a spot and he’s nearly 7-feet tall, he can shoot over anybody. And just how quick he makes his decision and moves is something I really noticed.”
In typical Tatum fashion, Boston’s All-Star forward has shifted into another gear in the second half of the season. Playing without Brown this week, he’s been forced to shoulder more of an offensive burden but has carved up opponents with both his aggressive drives at the basket and with his blossoming playmaking skills.
But a matchup with Durant is a lot different than going up against a couple of high-scoring point guards. Tatum is going to be challenged at both ends of the floor. And, while the Nets have tumbled down the East standings without Durant, Sunday’s game still feels like as much of a measuring-stick game for Boston as they’ve played lately (even if Boston is 9-0 in their last nine games against playoff-picture teams).
Sunday’s showdown is another chance for Tatum to show he’s in the conversation with one the NBA’s elite in Durant. It’s another chance for the Celtics to show they are a legitimate contender in a crowded Eastern Conference.
It’s another chance for Tatum and the Celtics to earn the respect they so clearly covet.
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Post by Admin on Mar 6, 2022 13:03:03 GMT -5
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Post by Admin on Mar 6, 2022 13:15:17 GMT -5
Q1:C's open with a Tatum alley-oop to Rob ...
Irving a turn over on a bad pass ... Tatum draws a foul on KD ... makes 1-3
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Post by Admin on Mar 6, 2022 13:17:14 GMT -5
No rust on KD ...
Smart draws a foul on Drummond ... makes 1-2
Al > JT for a corner 3 ... 7-7
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Post by Admin on Mar 6, 2022 13:18:41 GMT -5
Irving booed on every touch of the ball! Rob an alley-oop from Smart ... 10-9 Nets
Brown blocked by Rob!
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Post by Admin on Mar 6, 2022 13:20:38 GMT -5
Smart a floater ...
Al a corner 3 ... 14-13 C's
Al fouls Irving on a made 3 ... 16-14 BKN
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Post by cole on Mar 6, 2022 13:24:04 GMT -5
Just catching up. Immediately KD blatantly lies to the refs.
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Post by Admin on Mar 6, 2022 13:25:36 GMT -5
KD picks up his 2nd PF ... Tatum makes both
Celtics lineup change (Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown, Robert Williams III, Grant Williams, Jayson Tatum)
Smart a steal from KD ... he misses a layup ... Grant an OR but also misses the putback then Tatum corrals it and he makes the putback +1 converted
TIME OUT CELTICS (19-16 c'S)
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Post by Admin on Mar 6, 2022 13:31:14 GMT -5
Celtics lineup change (Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown, Robert Williams III, Grant Williams, Derrick White) Rob a layup from Smart (no look behind the back dump off) ...
JB a layup from Smart ...
Brown a J from Smart ... 25-24 C's
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Post by kyceltic on Mar 6, 2022 13:33:35 GMT -5
Marcus my man!!
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Post by cole on Mar 6, 2022 13:35:26 GMT -5
Celtics lineup change (Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown, Robert Williams III, Grant Williams, Derrick White) Rob a layup from Smart (no look behind the back dump off) ... Brown a J from Smart ... 25-24 C's It's a good sign they didn't jump us. As the game goes on if it's close, we should have the advantage. Or maybe KD is ready to go 36? I guess we'll find out. Bet not on the defensive end
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Post by Admin on Mar 6, 2022 13:35:53 GMT -5
Smart a corner 3 +1 ... 28 All
TIME OUT NETS Smart converts the +1 ... 29-28 C's Under 3 minutes left in Q1
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Post by Admin on Mar 6, 2022 13:42:07 GMT -5
Rob a block ... C's 3 consecutive misses ... Now a steal by Nets ... C's run the clock then turn it over again as the time expires on the Nets final attempt. 34-29 BKN
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Post by cole on Mar 6, 2022 13:42:18 GMT -5
There's a lid on our basket
Their bench was good
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Post by Admin on Mar 6, 2022 13:47:43 GMT -5
Q2: Celtics lineup change (Payton Pritchard, Jayson Tatum, Al Horford, Derrick White, Daniel Theis)
White a pair of FTs ... Tatum B2B threes ... 37-34 C's
TIME OUT NETS
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Post by kyceltic on Mar 6, 2022 13:48:36 GMT -5
JT heating up!
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Post by cole on Mar 6, 2022 13:49:56 GMT -5
The lid is off now!
Bad defense as JT has time to square up like a shooting video on consecutive possessions
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Post by petey62 on Mar 6, 2022 13:55:08 GMT -5
Unbelievable that Kyrie is guarding Theis down low and we're not punishing him.
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