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Post by Admin on Nov 21, 2018 22:25:37 GMT -5
New strategy cabby ... we tank ... Fierce always wanted that and this could be the season to sneak into a FRDP ala the Spurs for Duncan ... 1 yr tank and finals bound the following season.
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Post by Cabutan on Nov 21, 2018 22:33:19 GMT -5
New strategy cabby ... we tank ... Fierce always wanted that and this could be the season to sneak into a FRDP ala the Spurs for Duncan ... 1 yr tank and finals bound the following season. 😨
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Post by kyceltic on Nov 21, 2018 22:34:10 GMT -5
While opposing teams guards are killing us, Smart and Rozier combined for 2 points in 36 minutes of action!!
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Post by Cabutan on Nov 21, 2018 22:35:54 GMT -5
While opposing teams guards are killing us, Smart and Rozier combined for 2 points in 36 minutes of action!! yea but Irving had to shoot 25 to get his 22. Atrocious.
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Post by Admin on Nov 21, 2018 22:43:40 GMT -5
Noah Vonleh (MA Native) owning the paint with 16pts - 10 rbds - 3 blks We passed on Vonleh (#9 pick 2014) for Smart (#6 pick 2014) ... www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/draft/2014/06/12/team-needs-boston-celtics-no-6-pick/10358119/Draft priorities 1. Power forward: Brandon Bass' oversized contract expires after the season, and he is a much better fit in a reserve role. Jared Sullinger and Kelly Olynyk both can play either big man spot, but pairing them would make for weak interior defense. Because this draft is light at the center position after potential No. 1 pick Joel Embiid, the Celtics should consider Indiana's Noah Vonleh with their No. 6 pick. Vonleh has a wide range of offensive skills but also is a ferocious rebounder with a lot of potential to develop into a great defender. Vonleh, Olynyk and Sullinger all are capable long-range shooters who also can score inside, setting up matchup nightmares for defenses. Kentucky's Julius Randle also could be a good contrast player because he's a more aggressive paint scorer. 2. Shooting guard: Bradley might be too expensive to keep, in which case this need becomes No. 1 for the Celtics. The best shooting guard prospects in the draft are UCLA's Zach LaVine, Michigan State's Gary Harris, Michigan's Nik Stauskas and Kentucky's James Young. LaVine is the only one with enough upside to consider at No. 6, but there's a good chance one of the latter three could be around at No. 17. The Celtics also could pursue Oklahoma State's Marcus Smart at No. 6 and convert him from point guard to shooting guard to play alongside Rondo.
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Post by kyceltic on Nov 21, 2018 22:44:54 GMT -5
While opposing teams guards are killing us, Smart and Rozier combined for 2 points in 36 minutes of action!! yea but Irving had to shoot 25 to get his 22. Atrocious. and 13 assists!!
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Post by Admin on Nov 21, 2018 22:52:23 GMT -5
6 rbds, 3 stls & 1 blk too ...
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Post by Admin on Nov 21, 2018 22:58:00 GMT -5
Go ahead, someone tell me how good Tatum was and how he's miles ahead of Brown ... Fierce, anyone? Peeps remember his good games but its crickets on nights like tonight where he's having problems just as Brown is. 4-12 15pts 8rbs for Tatum 4-10 11pts 5rbs, 2 stls, 2 blks for Brown
one guy plays both ends of the court ...
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Post by Cabutan on Nov 21, 2018 23:02:24 GMT -5
yea but Irving had to shoot 25 to get his 22. Atrocious. and 13 assists!! thank God. Isnt he the point guard?? I dont believe in PGs let alone those that love to hold the team to make plays and love to shoot. Bad combination. We have seen it before havent we? Most importantly not the style of these Cs.
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Post by Admin on Nov 21, 2018 23:03:05 GMT -5
While opposing teams guards are killing us, Smart and Rozier combined for 2 points in 36 minutes of action!!
Why? Where did our energy & toughness go ... thru the shredder with Smart's old contract?
Rozier is our quickest guard yet I saw opposing guards slip past him like he was standing still on their way to the rim!
Is he asking to be traded dispite his words to the contrary?
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Post by Cabutan on Nov 21, 2018 23:06:00 GMT -5
While opposing teams guards are killing us, Smart and Rozier combined for 2 points in 36 minutes of action!!
Why? Where did our energy & toughness go ... thru the shredder with Smart's old contract?
Rozier is our quickest guard yet I saw opposing guards slip past him like he was standing still on their way to the rim!
Is he asking to be traded dispite his words to the contrary?
we had good chemistry last season. I read today that the mood is not good anymore. Team broken apart. I am still positive on this one. We should have never blown air on Irving ass. This team should be Haywards period.
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Post by Admin on Nov 21, 2018 23:14:53 GMT -5
Seems to me that the yutes were having fun last season playing off one another and backing each other with mental & physical toughness. I see very little of that now though they talk a good game. Maybe the vets (Kyrie & Gordon) have wrecked that youth chemistry of nothing to lose and now they feel under pressure ...
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Post by Cabutan on Nov 21, 2018 23:19:53 GMT -5
Seems to me that the yutes were having fun last season playing off one another and backing each other with mental & physical toughness. I see very little of that now though they talk a good game. Maybe the vets (Kyrie & Gordon) have wrecked that youth chemistry of nothing to lose and now they feel under pressure ... just ran into this. Its old but a few points being made here. Once again, skilled, one of a kind, crafty. Add anything you want to the list because he deserves some props but he is an ISO guy period. He wants to be the focal point. This team was none of that. None of it. He still is our best trading piece.
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Post by Admin on Nov 21, 2018 23:33:08 GMT -5
He's the one piece that could help land Davis.
One has to wonder if Ainge doesn't see a need to abandon the win now & in the future for a win in the future for years and years by moving either Irving or both him & Hayward (esp if it becomes apparent that Gordon will never be the player he was or would become) and developing the youth core with a few additions.
Danny is ruthless and if he sees a chance to make a move to win a championship or two now or a bunch in the future he will trade anyone.
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Post by Cabutan on Nov 21, 2018 23:37:07 GMT -5
He's the one piece that could help land Davis. One has to wonder if Ainge doesn't see a need to abandon the win now & in the future for a win in the future for years and years by moving either Irving or both him & Hayward (esp if it becomes apparent that Gordon will never be the player he was or would become) and developing the youth core with a few additions. Danny is ruthless and if he sees a chance to make a move to win a championship or two now or a bunch in the future he will trade anyone. the way the pelicans are playing, i dont see davis going anywhere.
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Post by Admin on Nov 22, 2018 0:08:44 GMT -5
It wasn't too long ago he was unhappy with losing or doing all the work himself. Mirotic was injured, maybe he's back to help with the scoring along with Holiday. Has Randle worked out as replacement for Cousins?
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Post by Cabutan on Nov 22, 2018 0:40:15 GMT -5
last I saw, Randel had a triple double.
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Post by Admin on Nov 22, 2018 0:43:52 GMT -5
Boston Celtics Lose to the New York Knicks, 117-109, Drop to .500 on Season by Mujeeb Ahmed
The Boston Celtics put on deflating performance against the New York Knicks at home falling to 9-9 after a 117-109 loss.
The Boston Celtics returned home to TD Garden after one of their better performances, albeit a loss, against Kemba Walker and the Charlotte Hornets, looking to get back in the winning column against the 4-14 New York Knicks.
Surely they won’t lose to the Knicks, most Celtics fans probably thought to themselves before the game. A twenty-point deficit in the first half, not for the Celtics most Celtics fans would have thought.
The Celtics starting five being outscored by the Knicks bench in the first half? Kyrie Irving being thoroughly outplayed by Trey Burke the entire night? A wire-to-wire win for losers of their past six games, New York Knicks?! There isn’t anyone in the Andromeda Galaxy that would have believed any of that would actually happen.
Yet that is exactly what happened, as the New York Knicks defeated the Boston Celtics, 1171-09, at the TD Garden Wednesday night.
The Celtics played the Knicks close in the first quarter, but once the second quarter began the Celtics fell apart and the Knicks took full advantage. Falling behind as much as twenty in the first half, the TD Garden faithful boo’d the Celtics in efforts to get their beloved team to get back on track.
The Celtics would make multiple runs to get the lead back to a reasonable number and the energy was definitely in the building after the Celtics reduced the deficit to single digits with this fast break, starring Kyrie Irving and Jaylen Brown.
The Knicks got contributions from their entire roster tonight, especially from guys like Trey Burke, Noah Vonleh and Mitchell Robinson, en route to their victory tonight. Vonleh and Robinson provided the Knicks with variety on the offensive end with Vonleh doing his work from the perimeter and Robinson punishing the Celtics inside the painted area.
But the performance of the night is undoubtedly Trey Burke, who came into Wednesday’s game on a bit of a hot streak. Burke scored 29 points, off of the bench, with 11-of-20 from the field. He put a full stop to the Celtics hopes for a comeback victory with this cold-blooded three pointer to put the Celtics away for good.
While the season is STILL young, this is not the start the Celtics fans nor anyone in the Celtics organization envisioned.
The Celtics season long struggle in the first half continues
It’s been excessively difficult for the Celtics to score, or to defend, or both on most nights on the basketball court in the first half of games this year.
Against New York?
It was the same old song and dance. Poor execution offense in conjunction with poor effort on defense led to the Celtics falling to .500 on the year.
The Celtics were a step slow on both ends of the court as they just could not convert on looks on the offensive end, shooting just 39.2 percent from the field.
As of late, Kyrie Irving has carried the Celtics offense on his own two shoulders but Wednesday he had an off game, scoring just 22 points on an inefficient 9-of-25 shooting from the field as well as going 2-for-9 from distance. As Kyrie goes, so go the Celtics it would seem because it seems on nights where Irving can not score over twenty-five on mind blowing efficiency, the struggle for offense becomes even more pronounced.
With as many weapons on offense as the Celtics have, relying so heavily on Irving to carry them is unacceptable. Terry Rozier III has been anything but his regular self this year and tonight, the only noteworthy statistic he registered was a singular rebound. Rozier was a minus-15 in the 16 minutes he played tonight and was largely invisible during his time on the court.
Jaylen Brown looked disinterested for the first half and although he picked up his energy in the second half, the Knicks had already grasped control of the game by that point. The guard play of the Celtics was expected to be one of the Celtics strengths this year, but it has been anything but a strength outside of Irving thus far.
On defense, the Celtics could were unable to bother the Knicks. The Knicks were able to get the looks they wanted and took full advantage of them. Whether it was on screen and roll plays on the sideline, offensive rebound and put backs, running off of screens or taking advantage of the Celtics switch heavy defense – the Knicks scored and scored often.
It’s worth noting that the Celtics offense and defense appears to perform significantly better with Aron Baynes in the game, but Baynes’ inability to play extended minutes prevents Brad Stevens to be able to lean on that while the Celtics sort out these issues.
The Celtics need to find and commit to some sort of consistency on both ends of the court. One way the Celtics can find consistency on offense is to consistently run in transition to take advantage of their length on the secondary break by establishing deep post position. On defense, the Celtics must decide whether the are able to intelligently play a switch heavy defense – otherwise a more man-to-man strategy may be beneficial.
Has Brad Stevens finally had enough? (Photo by Kathryn Riley/Getty Images)
At what point does head coach Brad Stevens have to reassess his approach?
The Celtics are 9-9 and despite having a strenuous schedule, this has not been an ideal start to the 2018-19 NBA season.
Nearly everyone on the active roster has disappointed outside of Kyrie Irving and Marcus Morris Sr. But the blame can not be solely on the shoulders of the players, the coaching staff needs to be held responsible as well. It seems as Brad is nearing his boiling point as he told the team in a timeout that they will not see the court if they are not willing to commit on the defensive end.
The Celtics offense has unnecessarily struggled this season. With a viable starting five as their bench unit and what appeared to be, a behemoth of a starting unit, the Celtics should not be finding putting the ball in the basket as hard as they have found it to be.
Brad Stevens has done right by Gordon Hayward thus far, he’s given him the time on the court that he needs to gauge where he’s at and the opportunity to play with different lineups – and although he may be able to perform well individually, like he did tonight, I do not believe Hayward playing 30+ minutes at this stage is a good thing for a basketball club looking for wins.
Hayward has been ice cold from the perimeter and with his reduced speed and willingness to attack the paint, he can’t do much offensively to help the Celtics. His passes were often fumbled tonight because they were poorly timed or inaccurate which ended up forcing his teammates into difficult shots on a night where the Celtics couldn’t throw a rock into the ocean.
Brad’s substitution pattern has left me scratching my head often as he’ll sub out a player who appears to be finding his rhythm for the sake of rest and getting everyone their minutes.
It’ll be interesting to see what further lineup and strategic changes Stevens makes in efforts to get the Celtics to where they need to be. If past seasons are any indications, Stevens is sure to concoct the perfect recipe for the Celtics success.
The Boston Celtics must have been happy to see Gordon Hayward play better, even in a loss. (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images)
Gordon Hayward comes off the bench and gives the Celtics a chance.
After a (expected) sluggish start to his season, Gordon Hayward has embraced his removal from the starting unit to the second unit with grace and a team first attitude. The Celtics have a tradition of embracing the sixth man role and if Hayward can continue to regain pieces of his All-Star identity – the Celtics will have the spark they need to avoid falling behind teams when the starting unit takes a breather on the bench.
Hayward scored a season-high 19 points and grabbed 7 rebounds in 31 minutes and got his first raucous TD Garden roar after swishing a three pointer late in the game to cut the Knicks’ lead down to just 4. While Hayward was not very efficient tonight (nobody else on the Celtics was either), he was trying to help his club in other ways than scoring – which is definitely something his teammates can look to learn from.
Gordon’s return to form can not come soon enough for this Celtics team, as they are in dire need of a consistent contributor outside of Kyrie Irving.
The Celtics will continue to search for who they thought themselves to be this Friday night at 7:30pm EST in the State Farm Arena against rookie sensation, Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks.
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Post by Admin on Nov 22, 2018 1:10:55 GMT -5
Celtics knocked down by the Knicks 117-109 Celtics turn in disappointing effort while debuting City Edition jerseys. By Andrew Doxy
Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports
The Boston Celtics avenged their Monday night loss to the Charlotte Hornets with a . . . 117-109 loss against the New York Knicks. The Celtics were led by Kyrie Irving who posted 22 points and 13 assists (one shy of his career-high). Trey Burke, of all people, led the Knicks with 29 points and 11 assists off the bench.
This game did not start well. For the second game in a row, the Celtics started a lineup with Kyrie Irving, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Al Horford and Aron Baynes, but the team continued to jump into a first-quarter deficit. Tatum started the game aggressive, attacking the rim and trying to make things happen. Boston started to gain momentum toward the end of the first, managing to just go down 26-18 after shooting just 33% in the opening frame.
The Knicks, somehow, shot even worse despite their 8-point lead with a FG% of 32.1%. The second quarter didn’t get off to a better start. The Celtics didn’t make their open shots. They let the Knicks get open . . . a lot. The Knicks didn’t miss those opportunities. It wasn’t pretty. When the Celtics needed jumpshots, they forced the issue at the basket. When they needed paint points, they settled. When they got mismatches? Midrange fadeaway shots.
Toward the end of the first half, it was unexpectedly Gordon Hayward who put the team on his back. After being benched, Hayward put together an excellent stretch of 3 straight possessions of fantastic defense to spur the Celtics to a run to cut the deficit to 65-49 at the halftime break.
Hayward posted 13 points and 5 rebounds in just the first half, leading the Celtics back from a 26-point deficit down to just 16 at the end of the half. If anything positive came from this game, it was Hayward’s emergence as a positive player on both ends. Hayward ended the night with a season-high 19 points.
The second half started with Brown and Baynes on the bench, replaced by Morris and Hayward. It took 1 minute and 10 seconds for Jayson Tatum to be subbed out for Brown after taking an early-shot clock midrange jumpshot. I’m not sure whether the next fact is related, but the Celtics cut the lead to 11 after a few defensive stops and attacks in transition.
Jaylen Brown ended up being a big boost in the third frame, attacking the basket willfully, making the right play and defending well. For a team starved for reliable options, the Celtics were able to ride his hustle to cut the lead down. This highlight was a part of the energy that gave the Celtics momentum:
Unfortunately, the energy didn’t translate to anything on the scoreboard. They ended the quarter facing an 84-69 deficit despite all of the progress that they made in the third.
The deficit jumped out to 20 once again early in the fourth before a couple of triples between Hayward and Horford brought Boston back into the game. Brad found a lineup that worked with Marcus Smart, Horford, Irving, Hayward and Morris, but Brad only left them out there for a couple of minutes.
New York deserves a ton of credit. They had 5 players score in double figures, led by Trey Burke off the bench. Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 21, though it felt like more because it seemed as if he made every tough shot that the Celtics contested. Rookie Kevin Knox chipped in 11 points on 3/5 shooting, and Noah Vonleh threw up a similarly tidy line with 16 points on 6/9 shooting with 10 rebounds. 2 more players scored 8 for New York.
Boston tried desperately in the last 4 minutes. If they had started the game with this intensity, they would have won handily by double digits. Marcus Morris (21 points) ignited a run with a couple of tough shots. This happened, which was kinda fun:
And then everything crashed and burned. The Celtics are now 9-9. They play the Atlanta Hawks on Friday at 7PM EST.
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Post by fierce on Nov 22, 2018 1:20:25 GMT -5
The problem is not Kyrie, Tatum, or Hayward.
Yes, Tatum is light years ahead of Jaylen Brown. But against NY, Tatum didn't play well.
Time to stop making excuses or blaming Kyrie.
Every time Kyrie has a great game, Celts win.
Right now the Celts have too many good players and not enough great ones.
Rozier was a non-factor because he didn't get to play significant minutes. That means the Celts are clearly too deep. This is not the right mix of players.
Celts are having a hard time scoring. Only 49 points at the half against NY. This is why I want TJ Warren.
What the Celts need is less depth and more inside presence and scoring.
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Post by fierce on Nov 22, 2018 1:23:48 GMT -5
Some of the fans here don't want Vucevic or TJ Warren.
Fine!
As long as Ainge makes a move to upgrade this team.
The saying "see you in April" is BS because if this continues, the Celts season will end in April.
Time to stop pretending the Celtics are the next GSW.
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Post by fierce on Nov 22, 2018 1:27:50 GMT -5
Hayward comes off the bench twice and Celts end up losing twice.
The point is rearranging the chairs ain't the solution.
We need new chair/s!
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Post by Cabutan on Nov 22, 2018 6:09:00 GMT -5
Opposition PGs are usually killing us scoring at will. Last night it was Burke, the other night Kemba, the night before Rubio had his fair share with 20, mccollum and Lilliard combined for 37, 48 by jamal murray. Those are 5 of our 9 loses. We have to fix that too.
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Post by fierce on Nov 22, 2018 6:14:36 GMT -5
Opposition PGs are usually killing us scoring at will. Last night it was Burke, the other night Kemba, the night before Rubio had his fair share with 20, mccollum and Lilliard combined for 37, 48 by jamal murray. Those are 5 of our 9 loses. We have to fix that too. If you can also score at will then you will be able to offset big performances by opposing PGs. What's the difference between this year and last year? A new NBA rule for freedom of movement. This year the refs will be quick to blow the whistle on cheap fouls. The point is the NBA wants more scoring. If you can't score on a regular basis then you'll be like the .500 Celtics.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 22, 2018 8:06:15 GMT -5
Go ahead, someone tell me how good Tatum was and how he's miles ahead of Brown ... Fierce, anyone? Peeps remember his good games but its crickets on nights like tonight where he's having problems just as Brown is. 4-12 15pts 8rbs for Tatum 4-10 11pts 5rbs, 2 stls, 2 blks for Brown
one guy plays both ends of the court ...
Not me were the only two in the world who believe Brown will turn out to be better than Tatum. Lets not fool ourselves however. This team has many issues,They start and end with Stevens. Theis had a decent game before this one and got only 4 minutes. No one gets in a grove with the constant substitutions and lineup changes. Name one collage coach that has made it in the NBA and never played at that level. None . Butler isn't Boston . Stevens is the biggest issue. Tank ? Does it matter? We have a 0 shot at a title this year.
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