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Post by Admin on Mar 11, 2023 16:27:58 GMT -5
This guy Adam Taylor must be an alias for our own Drewski otherwise he's been hanging out here eatin' what Drew's been cookin' !!!!!!!
Is it time for the Celtics to dump the double-big lineup before the playoffs?
The Celtics have played better with just one big on the floor.
By AdamTaylorNBA
Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images
Cast your mind back to the early months of the season, when the Boston Celtics were dominating on the offensive end and playing one of the most aesthetically pleasing styles of basketball in the NBA.
Players were cutting without the ball. The rock was oftentimes made to be the fastest player on the floor, and the shots the Celtics generated weren’t just wide-open; they were all within the flow of the offense and designed to punish a defender for ever attempting to help off on the perimeter.
Those early games were based on having a five-out offensive system (all players positioned around the perimeter) with a rotation of players who could all handle the ball, create for themselves and/or others, score on multiple levels, and create mismatches with screening actions while playing at pace.
Yes, the defense was porous at times, but the Celtics came into every game looking like they could outscore the opposition and played with a swagger that came from understanding their talent and depth could match up with the best the NBA had to offer.
However, since the return of Robert Williams, Boston has gone back to playing with a double-big lineup, where they often operate with a ‘four out, one in’ design, placing Williams in the dunker spot. Theoretically, this shouldn’t be a problem. Williams provides vertical spacing and can step out to the perimeter and operate as a pivot point for the team's ball movement.
Yet, by sliding Williams back into the starting five, Boston gave up one of their ball-handlers, and the balance of their offensive movements had to change. Suddenly, teams could feel comfortable sending a double, or a hard hedge toward a ball-handler, knowing that their low helpline defense can rotate over to tag Williams roll or pick up his relocation, and that fluid movement we had become accustomed to slowly started to freeze over.
What’s interesting is that out of Boston’s five most-used lineups that boast a positive points differential, only one of them contains a double-big tandem, with the rotation of Derrick White, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Al Horford, and Robert Williams registering a +46 over 138 possessions (just enough to quantify a per 100 statistic).
The other lineups feature either Tatum or Grant Williams at the 4, both of whom are not what we would classify as a big in the general sense. According to the Cleaning The Glass, the lineup of Marcus Smart, White, Brown, Tatum, and Horford is the one Mazzulla has used the most, accounting for 662 possessions throughout the season and amassing an impressive +13.2 point differential in the process.
With Robert Williams currently sidelined due to injury, the Celtics have started to give teams more looks at their five-out lineup from earlier this season, and for the most part, we’ve begun to see signs of the impact it can make. When you look at how the team performed against the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday night, you can see that they were penetrating more, hunting paint touches, and moving without the ball, all while throwing different screening looks at the Blazers' defense.
In the above play, we can see the Celtics go to Derrick White as an inverted screen and roll man, where the guard sets a ball screen for Tatum before slipping into a short-roll, engaging the Blazers' low defense before redirecting the rock to Horford who is left unchecked on the low post.
Guarding these types of actions is incredibly difficult, especially when teams are trying to shut down a star scorer and the inverted action takes them by surprise. This season, White is converting 65% of his looks around the rim and 44% in the short mid-range (which I term as the floater area) which ensures the defense has to step up to challenge him in the paint.
Herein lies the benefit of moving away from a double-big lineup. The Celtics as currently constructed are a nightmare matchup when sticking to a single big man playing above the perimeter — they can run delay actions, their stagger screen series is more fluid, and defenses can’t cheat off their man, put simply, they’re a nightmare to defend and contain.
Sure, if you’re facing off against the Joel Embiids, Nikola Jokics, or Cleveland Cavaliers of the world, then by all means, throw two bigs onto the floor and make life difficult for them. Yet, as we’ve seen on so many occasions this season, there’s value in having a multitude of decision-makers sharing the court and letting them operate with a certain amount of autonomy in a read-and-read system.
Mazzulla started this season with his own style of play, his own system, and a new set of offensive principles, but recently, it feels like he’s trying to create a hybrid from Ime Udoka’s Celtics and his own, and for the most part, it’s been a clunky mess. Maybe now is the time to go back to what worked for the final few weeks of the season, and start rebuilding a genuine identity on the offensive side of the floor before the playoffs roll when every game starts to carry extra weight.
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Post by dfries13 on Mar 11, 2023 17:41:02 GMT -5
Adam Taylor is a bloke from Birmingham, England.
Name one Brit who knows NBA basketball?
Anyone with a twitter handle is now an expert?
Moot point. Rob is hurt and we have no one that can replace him.. We don't have another center except the Statue of Liberty who still stands tall but is frozen in time..
Did i say no one? Yep
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Post by kyceltic on Mar 11, 2023 19:07:01 GMT -5
This guy Adam Taylor must be an alias for our own Drewski otherwise he's been hanging out here eatin' what Drew's been cookin' !!!!!!!
Is it time for the Celtics to dump the double-big lineup before the playoffs?
The Celtics have played better with just one big on the floor.
By AdamTaylorNBA
Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images
Cast your mind back to the early months of the season, when the Boston Celtics were dominating on the offensive end and playing one of the most aesthetically pleasing styles of basketball in the NBA.
Players were cutting without the ball. The rock was oftentimes made to be the fastest player on the floor, and the shots the Celtics generated weren’t just wide-open; they were all within the flow of the offense and designed to punish a defender for ever attempting to help off on the perimeter.
Those early games were based on having a five-out offensive system (all players positioned around the perimeter) with a rotation of players who could all handle the ball, create for themselves and/or others, score on multiple levels, and create mismatches with screening actions while playing at pace.
Yes, the defense was porous at times, but the Celtics came into every game looking like they could outscore the opposition and played with a swagger that came from understanding their talent and depth could match up with the best the NBA had to offer.
However, since the return of Robert Williams, Boston has gone back to playing with a double-big lineup, where they often operate with a ‘four out, one in’ design, placing Williams in the dunker spot. Theoretically, this shouldn’t be a problem. Williams provides vertical spacing and can step out to the perimeter and operate as a pivot point for the team's ball movement.
Yet, by sliding Williams back into the starting five, Boston gave up one of their ball-handlers, and the balance of their offensive movements had to change. Suddenly, teams could feel comfortable sending a double, or a hard hedge toward a ball-handler, knowing that their low helpline defense can rotate over to tag Williams roll or pick up his relocation, and that fluid movement we had become accustomed to slowly started to freeze over.
What’s interesting is that out of Boston’s five most-used lineups that boast a positive points differential, only one of them contains a double-big tandem, with the rotation of Derrick White, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Al Horford, and Robert Williams registering a +46 over 138 possessions (just enough to quantify a per 100 statistic).
The other lineups feature either Tatum or Grant Williams at the 4, both of whom are not what we would classify as a big in the general sense. According to the Cleaning The Glass, the lineup of Marcus Smart, White, Brown, Tatum, and Horford is the one Mazzulla has used the most, accounting for 662 possessions throughout the season and amassing an impressive +13.2 point differential in the process.
With Robert Williams currently sidelined due to injury, the Celtics have started to give teams more looks at their five-out lineup from earlier this season, and for the most part, we’ve begun to see signs of the impact it can make. When you look at how the team performed against the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday night, you can see that they were penetrating more, hunting paint touches, and moving without the ball, all while throwing different screening looks at the Blazers' defense.
In the above play, we can see the Celtics go to Derrick White as an inverted screen and roll man, where the guard sets a ball screen for Tatum before slipping into a short-roll, engaging the Blazers' low defense before redirecting the rock to Horford who is left unchecked on the low post.
Guarding these types of actions is incredibly difficult, especially when teams are trying to shut down a star scorer and the inverted action takes them by surprise. This season, White is converting 65% of his looks around the rim and 44% in the short mid-range (which I term as the floater area) which ensures the defense has to step up to challenge him in the paint.
Herein lies the benefit of moving away from a double-big lineup. The Celtics as currently constructed are a nightmare matchup when sticking to a single big man playing above the perimeter — they can run delay actions, their stagger screen series is more fluid, and defenses can’t cheat off their man, put simply, they’re a nightmare to defend and contain.
Sure, if you’re facing off against the Joel Embiids, Nikola Jokics, or Cleveland Cavaliers of the world, then by all means, throw two bigs onto the floor and make life difficult for them. Yet, as we’ve seen on so many occasions this season, there’s value in having a multitude of decision-makers sharing the court and letting them operate with a certain amount of autonomy in a read-and-read system.
Mazzulla started this season with his own style of play, his own system, and a new set of offensive principles, but recently, it feels like he’s trying to create a hybrid from Ime Udoka’s Celtics and his own, and for the most part, it’s been a clunky mess. Maybe now is the time to go back to what worked for the final few weeks of the season, and start rebuilding a genuine identity on the offensive side of the floor before the playoffs roll when every game starts to carry extra weight.
Can you smell what the Drew's been cooking?? |
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Post by kdp59 on Mar 12, 2023 7:49:29 GMT -5
article is too long for me to read....LOL.
but I agree , we are a better team over all with one big along with Tatum, Brown, White and Smart.
IF Rob gets healthy he can replace Blake as Horford's back up in the rotation.
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Post by Admin on Mar 12, 2023 10:47:40 GMT -5
Adam Taylor is a bloke from Birmingham, England. Name one Brit who knows NBA basketball? Anyone with a twitter handle is now an expert? Moot point. Rob is hurt and we have no one that can replace him.. We don't have another center except the Statue of Liberty who still stands tall but is frozen in time..
Did i say no one? Yep
Blake to the rescue ...
Blake Griffin strengthens hold on surprise role in Celtics win over Hawks (AP Photo/Charles Krupa) By Brian Robb | brobb@masslive.com
When the Celtics were at their best offensively early in the 2022-23 season, Blake Griffin was a regular contributor in the team’s rotation. With Rob Williams recovering from knee surgery early in the year, Griffin saw some minutes some night and starting roles on games when Al Horford got a night off on back-to-backs. The Celtics thrived in many of those bigger opportunities for Griffin but his role largely faded in recent weeks as Boston got healthy and added Mike Muscala for big man insurance at the trade deadline.
Understandably, he was at the bottom of Boston’s bench big depth chart coming off the All-Star Break with Grant Williams, Muscala, and Luke Kornet all getting bench minutes over him. After five DNP-CDs in six games in February, the equation has quickly changed. Griffin gave Joe Mazzulla good minutes in Cleveland despite Boston’s loss and with his big bench mates struggling, the head coach has made the veteran Boston’s sole big off the bench against Portland as he’s tightened the rotation in the wake of the team’s three-game losing streak.
The move has produced immediate dividends on Saturday night in Atlanta as Griffin played one of his best games of the year. He finished with eight points and five rebounds (three offensive) while tallying a block, steal and assist in his 15 minutes during Boston’s 134-125 win over the Hawks.
After the game, Joe Mazzulla highlighted what has led to Griffin jumping up the depth chart.
“His emotional, mental and physical toughness,” Mazzulla told reporters in Atlanta. “His ability to keep plays alive, his ability to make the toughness plays, whether it’s charges, deflections, loose balls, offensive rebounds, screening.
While Griffin has not put together the most impressive lines in his box score, his hustle has been fuel for his teammates when he gets his chances and that’s been notable on a team that has struggled with cohesiveness in recent weeks at times.
“He had three offensive rebounds, he does a great job on the offensive end of screening,” Mazzulla said. “Those short rolls, he had a couple of those tonight. Defensively, he’s got active hands, he’s always getting deflections, knocking balls alive, keeping balls alive on both ends of the floor so we can get those. I just like his overall mental, physical, emotional toughness that he brings to our team. I feel like he makes the guys better when he’s on the floor.”
Robert Williams is expected to return to the court for the Celtics during this six-game road trip so it’s unclear just how long Griffin’s time in the rotation will last. It’s possible that the athletic big man could come off the bench for Boston and take Griffin’s spot before the postseason. Until then, it’s evident that Griffin has enough left in the tank from an intangibles standpoint to help get the Celtics to the finish line in the regular season.
Seeing him get minutes over Grant Williams at this stage of the year is a bit of a shocking development but it’s also a tribute to his sacrifices on the floor for setting up his teammates, an area that has stood out to Mazzulla.
" There are certain people — he’s one of them — that when he’s on the floor, everyone else is better and because of his experience, his toughness and the way he plays, he does that,” Mazzulla said of the 34-year-old.
With Boston opting to go small more and lean into their offensive strengths as this road trip continues, Griffin is proving his worth in helping his teammates find their stride.
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Post by Admin on Mar 12, 2023 10:54:18 GMT -5
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Post by elvissurfs on Mar 12, 2023 11:13:05 GMT -5
Blake needs to be playing more...
A strong veteran presence who brings a lot of experience and toughness to the floor...
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Post by kdp59 on Mar 12, 2023 13:16:32 GMT -5
GULP!!!
lets keep the hype in check please on Blake.....LOL
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Post by cole on Mar 12, 2023 13:19:00 GMT -5
GULP!!! lets keep the hype in check please on Blake.....LOL I think it's deserved |
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Post by elvissurfs on Mar 12, 2023 22:25:21 GMT -5
GULP!!! lets keep the hype in check please on Blake.....LOL Yeah, just keep his strong skilled veteran presence on the bench...you and Mazzulla...wear our starters out...this conversation gets old...if you don't believe in Blake I dont know what you can believe in...he gives his all and he is quite good... |
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Post by kdp59 on Mar 13, 2023 8:35:41 GMT -5
I'm not hating on Blake, I am just saying he is what he is. Much like other Celtics legends this year like Kornet and Muscala.
they can all help in a game or two, but lets not get carried away here.....LOL
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Post by cole on Mar 13, 2023 8:37:29 GMT -5
I'm not hating on Blake, I am just saying he is what he is. Much like other Celtics legends this year like Kornet and Muscala. they can all help in a game or two, but lets not get carried away here.....LOL I like him over either of those two and probably Grant too. |
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Post by kyceltic on Mar 13, 2023 9:42:39 GMT -5
I'm not hating on Blake, I am just saying he is what he is. Much like other Celtics legends this year like Kornet and Muscala. they can all help in a game or two, but lets not get carried away here.....LOL I like him over either of those two and probably Grant too. I'm trending that way! |
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Post by cole on Mar 13, 2023 9:54:36 GMT -5
I'm finding the board glitchy today
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Post by hedleylamarr on Mar 13, 2023 13:02:33 GMT -5
Adrian Wojnarowski: ESPN reporting with @petethamel: Boston Celtics assistant Damon Stoudamire is finalizing a deal to become Georgia Tech’s head coach. Stoudamire has informed the Celtics that he’s accepting job and making the leap to the ACC. – via Twitter wojespn
Top Rumors, Coaching, NCAA, Damon Stoudamire, Boston C
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Post by Admin on Mar 13, 2023 16:55:37 GMT -5
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