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Post by Admin on Apr 8, 2023 0:10:47 GMT -5
Celtics will face Miami Heat or Atlanta Hawks in first round of 2023 NBA Playoffs By Brian Robb | brobb@masslive.com
The Celtics got one big step closer to narrowing down their first-round playoff opponent on Friday night after defeating the Toronto Raptors at TD Garden despite playing without Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart. That victory combined with a Brooklyn Nets win locked the Miami Heat (No. 7) and Atlanta Hawks (No. 8) into the play-in game that will determine Boston’s first-round opponent in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
The Heat will host the Hawks on Tuesday night with the winner of that game facing Boston in Game 1 of the first round at TD Garden either next Saturday or Sunday.
Miami has split the season series with Boston this year 2-2 in a matchup that would be especially intriguing considering it’s a rematch of last year’s Eastern Conference Finals. This year’s Heat squad is a far cry from that top-seeded group with some serious struggles on the offensive end (25th in offensive efficiency) along with injuries that have kept them closer to .500. With Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo healthy for the matchup, they could provide a stiff challenge to Boston in their road back to the NBA Finals.
The more favorable opponent for Boston on paper would appear to be the eight-seeded Hawks who are set to face the Celtics in their regular season finale. The Celtics are 2-0 against Atlanta this year, winning both games on the road in comfortable fashion. The Hawks have been a very inconsistent group for much of the year, failing to move above a game over .500 for a two-month stretch that led in part to the team’s firing of Nate McMillan. Former Jazz coach Quin Snyder took over the team in February and the group has gone 11-9 since he took over in February.
The Celtics will likely rest most of their regulars in the team’s regular season finale on Sunday against Atlanta which will have no impact on the playoff seeding for both teams. Despite that, Joe Mazzulla wants Boston to play quality basketball in the team’s final tuneup before a week off.
“I mean, regardless of who’s playing, I want to win,” Mazzulla said Friday night. “And, to me, it’s more of a compliment to our team as a whole. And so, to me, regardless of who’s playing, because of our locker room and our roster, I feel like we always have a great chance to win. So when I say I want to win that means I have faith in whoever we have on the team and on the court. And so that’s the most important thing. That to me is the goal is to win. I understand that this time of the year of rest and health is important. So I’m not going to compromise that. But at the same time I want to win and we’ll do what we have to do to do that, while understanding health and rest are important.”
The NBA play-in tournament will take place from April 11-14 with the playoffs officially kicking off on April 15.
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Post by Admin on Apr 8, 2023 1:14:14 GMT -5
Tues will be the deciding day for whom the Celtics will meet in the 1st round of their playoffs - either the Miami Heat or the Atlanta Hawks.
Once that game is decided, the Celtics will meet that opponent on either Saturday or Sunday (TBD).
Till that happens, you can use this space to discuss anything leading up to the 1st round next weekend (4/15 or 4/16).
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Post by Admin on Apr 8, 2023 11:42:12 GMT -5
Top Six, Play-In Tournament Now Set For Eastern Conference by Rory Maher
The Eastern Conference’s postseason picture is much clearer after Friday night’s games, though we’ll still have to wait until next week’s play-in tournament to determine who will emerge as the Nos. 7 and 8 seeds.
The top six seeds are now set after Brooklyn defeated Orlando:
Milwaukee Bucks Boston Celtics Philadelphia 76ers Cleveland Cavaliers New York Knicks Brooklyn Nets
Two first-round playoff matchups are finalized: Philadelphia will face Brooklyn, and Cleveland will face New York.
As for the bottom end of the postseason picture, Toronto lost to Boston tonight, which means the play-in tournament has been finalized for the East.
No. 7 Heat will host No. 8 Hawks on April 11 — the winner advances as the No. 7 seed to face Boston.
No. 9 Raptors will host No. 10 Bulls on April 12 — the winner advances to face the loser of Miami vs. Atlanta.
Loser of the Heat/Hawks matchup plays the winner of the Raptors/Bulls on April 14 — the winner advances as the No. 8 seed to face Milwaukee.
The first round starts on April 15, according to the NBA. The Bucks have locked up the best record in the league and will have home court advantage throughout the playoffs.
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Post by Admin on Apr 8, 2023 12:01:07 GMT -5
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Post by elvissurfs on Apr 8, 2023 14:42:00 GMT -5
Celtics will face Miami Heat or Atlanta Hawks in first round of 2023 NBA Playoffs By Brian Robb | brobb@masslive.com
The Celtics got one big step closer to narrowing down their first-round playoff opponent on Friday night after defeating the Toronto Raptors at TD Garden despite playing without Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart. That victory combined with a Brooklyn Nets win locked the Miami Heat (No. 7) and Atlanta Hawks (No. 8) into the play-in game that will determine Boston’s first-round opponent in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
The Heat will host the Hawks on Tuesday night with the winner of that game facing Boston in Game 1 of the first round at TD Garden either next Saturday or Sunday.
Miami has split the season series with Boston this year 2-2 in a matchup that would be especially intriguing considering it’s a rematch of last year’s Eastern Conference Finals. This year’s Heat squad is a far cry from that top-seeded group with some serious struggles on the offensive end (25th in offensive efficiency) along with injuries that have kept them closer to .500. With Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo healthy for the matchup, they could provide a stiff challenge to Boston in their road back to the NBA Finals.
The more favorable opponent for Boston on paper would appear to be the eight-seeded Hawks who are set to face the Celtics in their regular season finale. The Celtics are 2-0 against Atlanta this year, winning both games on the road in comfortable fashion. The Hawks have been a very inconsistent group for much of the year, failing to move above a game over .500 for a two-month stretch that led in part to the team’s firing of Nate McMillan. Former Jazz coach Quin Snyder took over the team in February and the group has gone 11-9 since he took over in February.
The Celtics will likely rest most of their regulars in the team’s regular season finale on Sunday against Atlanta which will have no impact on the playoff seeding for both teams. Despite that, Joe Mazzulla wants Boston to play quality basketball in the team’s final tuneup before a week off.
“I mean, regardless of who’s playing, I want to win,” Mazzulla said Friday night. “And, to me, it’s more of a compliment to our team as a whole. And so, to me, regardless of who’s playing, because of our locker room and our roster, I feel like we always have a great chance to win. So when I say I want to win that means I have faith in whoever we have on the team and on the court. And so that’s the most important thing. That to me is the goal is to win. I understand that this time of the year of rest and health is important. So I’m not going to compromise that. But at the same time I want to win and we’ll do what we have to do to do that, while understanding health and rest are important.”
The NBA play-in tournament will take place from April 11-14 with the playoffs officially kicking off on April 15.
Sounds like a description of the Celtics also...
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Post by Cabutan on Apr 8, 2023 18:19:16 GMT -5
I think Miami wants to face us. Atlanta doesnt. Bad matchup for us. They somehow intimidate our guys.
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Post by DaCeltics on Apr 9, 2023 18:07:45 GMT -5
Bring on Miami! FU Perk!
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Post by DaCeltics on Apr 9, 2023 18:08:23 GMT -5
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Post by cole on Apr 9, 2023 18:43:36 GMT -5
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Post by Cabutan on Apr 9, 2023 19:10:48 GMT -5
we have the roster, depth and tools to beat Miami. It depends on us. No excuses.
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Post by puddin on Apr 9, 2023 19:41:31 GMT -5
we have the roster, depth and tools to beat Miami. It depends on us. No excuses. The only team that can stop these Cs in the playoffs is the Beantown home team... by failing to play up to their potential.
Absolutely no excuses.
Pud
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Post by DaCeltics on Apr 9, 2023 20:29:51 GMT -5
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Post by Cabutan on Apr 9, 2023 22:56:02 GMT -5
🤦🏽♂️
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Post by Admin on Apr 9, 2023 23:23:48 GMT -5
TWolves in trouble ... Gobert punched Anderson during a TO and he was sent home.
Then McDaniels breaks his hand ...
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Post by Admin on Apr 10, 2023 15:47:24 GMT -5
Go figure!
Attachments:
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Post by Admin on Apr 11, 2023 12:50:04 GMT -5
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Post by DaCeltics on Apr 11, 2023 20:58:48 GMT -5
Oh, I'm scared of Miami! (Perk, Max)
Dum da dum dum.
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Post by jdm894g on Apr 11, 2023 21:01:26 GMT -5
Bring on the birds!!!
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Post by DaCeltics on Apr 11, 2023 21:08:18 GMT -5
Gallinari, Brown and Horford reunion series.
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Post by cole on Apr 11, 2023 21:32:59 GMT -5
Now lets hope we DO see Miami!
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Post by Admin on Apr 12, 2023 12:05:44 GMT -5
Why Celtics shouldn't want to face Hawks: The Hawks have their flaws, but scoring isn't one of them. With seven players averaging double figures, Atlanta is a deeper offensive team than Miami: Young and Murray are one of the league's most talented backcourts; Bogdan Bogdanovic is an excellent outside shooter; Clint Capela is a dynamic rim-runner; and Hunter and John Collins both are long, offensive-minded wings averaging north of 15 points per game. When the Hawks are fully healthy and fully motivated (and that's a big if), they're capable of scoring in bunches and would test Boston's at-times-inconsistent defense. Why Celtics should want to face Hawks: Why are the Hawks .500 if they have such a good offense? You know the answer: Their defense. Atlanta's D hasn't improved under new head coach Quin Snyder, and it allowed 120 points or more in half of its games (41 of 82) this season. Three of those games were against the Celtics, who cruised to double-digit victories in both of the games they played with most of their starters on the floor.
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Post by Admin on Apr 15, 2023 11:30:26 GMT -5
Brian Robb @ masslive.com
Sam Hauser having the highest defensive rating is a misleading number. It’s a stat that is tied into how well the Celtics perform defensively when Hauser is on the floor which obviously is only tied into Hauser’s performance minimally. There’s no doubt that Hauser is not one of the best defenders on the Celtics and he’s certainly a guy that will be targeted if he sees some run in a postseason series. That is an indicator that his defensive rating shouldn’t be read into much but it’s a positive sign for the Celtics I guess that the team can still play well defensively as a whole with Hauser on the floor. Given how useful his 3-point shooting could be in a playoff series, I’d expect him to get some chances against Atlanta off the bench.
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Post by cole on Apr 15, 2023 12:16:54 GMT -5
Brian Robb @ masslive.com
Sam Hauser having the highest defensive rating is a misleading number. It’s a stat that is tied into how well the Celtics perform defensively when Hauser is on the floor which obviously is only tied into Hauser’s performance minimally. There’s no doubt that Hauser is not one of the best defenders on the Celtics and he’s certainly a guy that will be targeted if he sees some run in a postseason series. That is an indicator that his defensive rating shouldn’t be read into much but it’s a positive sign for the Celtics I guess that the team can still play well defensively as a whole with Hauser on the floor. Given how useful his 3-point shooting could be in a playoff series, I’d expect him to get some chances against Atlanta off the bench.
Hmmm...now where did I just hear that?
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Post by dfries13 on Apr 15, 2023 14:03:09 GMT -5
Brian Robb @ masslive.com
Sam Hauser having the highest defensive rating is a misleading number. It’s a stat that is tied into how well the Celtics perform defensively when Hauser is on the floor which obviously is only tied into Hauser’s performance minimally. There’s no doubt that Hauser is not one of the best defenders on the Celtics and he’s certainly a guy that will be targeted if he sees some run in a postseason series. That is an indicator that his defensive rating shouldn’t be read into much but it’s a positive sign for the Celtics I guess that the team can still play well defensively as a whole with Hauser on the floor. Given how useful his 3-point shooting could be in a playoff series, I’d expect him to get some chances against Atlanta off the bench.
I like Hauser at least he gives an effort on D... For what he's making he's a bargin I also take any number generated by ESPN or any sports media with a grain of salt.. My eyes don't lie but the numbers often do...
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Post by Admin on Apr 15, 2023 14:27:51 GMT -5
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