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Post by elvissurfs on Feb 27, 2024 23:10:50 GMT -5
We've turned our 3rd quarter woes around lately! Yes indeed, nice to do better in the third...been a wonderful change...just as Petey commented before...
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Post by cole on Feb 28, 2024 0:54:37 GMT -5
JT could have kissed the rim on that one! Manute took out his whole upper grill
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Post by elvissurfs on Feb 28, 2024 9:54:55 GMT -5
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Post by kyceltic on Feb 28, 2024 10:11:23 GMT -5
Great article! Porgie for MVP!
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Post by kyceltic on Feb 28, 2024 10:57:59 GMT -5
Celtics lost 1 game in February!
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Post by hedleylamarr on Feb 28, 2024 12:52:02 GMT -5
So, with a few games to go, this is what we are - we are a 1-6 strong team. We are a team that relies on players 1-6 to score 90% of our points, and players 7 - 13 to "hold the fort while we rest."
It's a budget thing, and it's a confidence thing. We have huge money invested 1-6, so they SHOULD be producing. 6 is good because one can be off, and we'll still have 5 in double figures.
We basically have a bench (after Al) filled with marginal NBA players. Hauser and PP are sometimes good on O, Brisett and Kornet are sometimes good on D.
It's not ideal, and a major injury screws us. But, it's who we are. Not being negative here, I think we have the best team in the league. Just being realistic. I think the Hauser experiment should be over at the end of the year. 3 points and 4 fouls in 21 minutes? Sorry, not good enough on this team. PP and Hauser last night - 36 minutes, 5 points, -30.....combined! Again, not good enough. Play X and Brissett....
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Post by Admin on Feb 28, 2024 13:11:20 GMT -5
During the game I mentioned that the C's had taken few 3pt shots vs their usual 45/gm. I wondered to myself if this wasn't a plan or just because Philly was playing smallball ... apparently it was some of both! Celtics use 76ers as crash test dummies in latest potentially unintentional experimentJoe Mazzulla went into the All-Star break looking for games in which to test improvements, and the 76ers played right into his hand.By Jack Simone
“So I have a list of 10 to 12 things that we need to get better at as a team,” Mazzulla said just before the All-Star break. “And so, I’ll go through the calendar of the games and figure out when those things become thematic. “When we need to institute them, and how we can approach [them], whether it’s a practice or a shootaround, making those themes important to where we’re trying to get to. So, I’ll definitely plan that.” Mazzulla was planning experiments.In so many words, the Celtics coach slyly admitted to looking at the team’s upcoming schedule, seeing which games could work best for certain lessons, and prepared accordingly. Three games into the post-All-Star schedule, and the Celtics are already in the lab.Boston’s wins against the Chicago Bulls and New York Knicks were more adjustment-focused than experimental. They identified issues and fixed them as the game went on, troubleshooting the post dominance of Nikola Vucevic and the pick-n-roll nuance of Jalen Brunson. In each game, they patched up the holes, and they earned two victories. Their win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday night provided the clearest picture of the Mazzula trials. Boston shot just 22 threes - their lowest total of the season by seven - yet managed to earn an 18-point win over the Sixers. Yes, Philadelphia did everything they could to prevent Boston from raining down haymakers themselves and playing small without Joel Embiid. But while the gameplan may have called for a light three-point night, setting a season-low by seven full attempts signaled a willingness to adapt. Moreover, an eagerness to do so. “I think it’s good to get teams that are going to play us different ways,” said Jaylen Brown. “Like you said, tonight, they took away the three-point line. Next game, other teams might go zone and try to slow you down. Other teams might switch everything. As a student of the game, you embrace the challenge” Led by Brown, who finished the night a whopping 10-of-11 in the paint, Boston shot 24-of-30 (80.0%) in the restricted area. They earned 12 more shots at the rim than the 76ers did. Boston also shot 37 free throws, tying their season-high. But what’s most interesting about their charity-stripe success is that the other 37-free-throw night was the same game as their previous season-low in three-point attempts - the November 24 loss to the Orlando Magic. Even if Mazzulla didn’t go into the 76ers game ready to experiment, Nick Nurse and company provided him with an opportunity to. Boston is most comfortable driving and kicking. They shoot a lot of threes because they have the talent for it, and with the likes of Kristaps Porzingis, Derrick White, Jrue Holiday, and Sam Hauser roaming the arc, opposing teams often struggle to keep up. Mazzulla has become synonymous with three-pointers. From his back-and-forths with reporters about the team’s high attempt numbers to the social media backlash the team gets when they have a rough night from distance. But a three-point-heavy offense has never been the goal. “He’s never told us shoot 44 threes a night,” Tatum said with a smile. “But it’s all about taking the right shot and respecting each other’s space” Threes are obviously a crucial part of offense in today’s game, but Mazzulla loves quality looks above all else. It just so happens that the Celtics are elite at generating threes.
Heading into Tuesday night, the Celtics were 0-3 when they made 10 or fewer threes. But after making just five, they broke that spell. They proved capable of winning without the three-ball, likely ticking off one of the 10-12 Mazzulla’s inventory items.“I think it’s rewarding that we have a balanced enough team, a good enough team that we can win physical games, we can win fast-paced games, we can out-think other teams,” Tatum said. “So, we got to be well-rounded. There are a bunch of different ways to win a basketball game, and we got to be able to do it in every which way.”
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Post by kyceltic on Feb 28, 2024 13:27:39 GMT -5
During the game I mentioned that the C's had taken few 3pt shots vs their usual 45/gm. I wondered to myself if this wasn't a plan or just because Philly was playing smallball ... apparently it was some of both! Celtics use 76ers as crash test dummies in latest potentially unintentional experimentJoe Mazzulla went into the All-Star break looking for games in which to test improvements, and the 76ers played right into his hand.By Jack Simone
“So I have a list of 10 to 12 things that we need to get better at as a team,” Mazzulla said just before the All-Star break. “And so, I’ll go through the calendar of the games and figure out when those things become thematic. “When we need to institute them, and how we can approach [them], whether it’s a practice or a shootaround, making those themes important to where we’re trying to get to. So, I’ll definitely plan that.” Mazzulla was planning experiments.In so many words, the Celtics coach slyly admitted to looking at the team’s upcoming schedule, seeing which games could work best for certain lessons, and prepared accordingly. Three games into the post-All-Star schedule, and the Celtics are already in the lab.Boston’s wins against the Chicago Bulls and New York Knicks were more adjustment-focused than experimental. They identified issues and fixed them as the game went on, troubleshooting the post dominance of Nikola Vucevic and the pick-n-roll nuance of Jalen Brunson. In each game, they patched up the holes, and they earned two victories. Their win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday night provided the clearest picture of the Mazzula trials. Boston shot just 22 threes - their lowest total of the season by seven - yet managed to earn an 18-point win over the Sixers. Yes, Philadelphia did everything they could to prevent Boston from raining down haymakers themselves and playing small without Joel Embiid. But while the gameplan may have called for a light three-point night, setting a season-low by seven full attempts signaled a willingness to adapt. Moreover, an eagerness to do so. “I think it’s good to get teams that are going to play us different ways,” said Jaylen Brown. “Like you said, tonight, they took away the three-point line. Next game, other teams might go zone and try to slow you down. Other teams might switch everything. As a student of the game, you embrace the challenge” Led by Brown, who finished the night a whopping 10-of-11 in the paint, Boston shot 24-of-30 (80.0%) in the restricted area. They earned 12 more shots at the rim than the 76ers did. Boston also shot 37 free throws, tying their season-high. But what’s most interesting about their charity-stripe success is that the other 37-free-throw night was the same game as their previous season-low in three-point attempts - the November 24 loss to the Orlando Magic. Even if Mazzulla didn’t go into the 76ers game ready to experiment, Nick Nurse and company provided him with an opportunity to. Boston is most comfortable driving and kicking. They shoot a lot of threes because they have the talent for it, and with the likes of Kristaps Porzingis, Derrick White, Jrue Holiday, and Sam Hauser roaming the arc, opposing teams often struggle to keep up. Mazzulla has become synonymous with three-pointers. From his back-and-forths with reporters about the team’s high attempt numbers to the social media backlash the team gets when they have a rough night from distance. But a three-point-heavy offense has never been the goal. “He’s never told us shoot 44 threes a night,” Tatum said with a smile. “But it’s all about taking the right shot and respecting each other’s space” Threes are obviously a crucial part of offense in today’s game, but Mazzulla loves quality looks above all else. It just so happens that the Celtics are elite at generating threes.
Heading into Tuesday night, the Celtics were 0-3 when they made 10 or fewer threes. But after making just five, they broke that spell. They proved capable of winning without the three-ball, likely ticking off one of the 10-12 Mazzulla’s inventory items.“I think it’s rewarding that we have a balanced enough team, a good enough team that we can win physical games, we can win fast-paced games, we can out-think other teams,” Tatum said. “So, we got to be well-rounded. There are a bunch of different ways to win a basketball game, and we got to be able to do it in every which way.”
I said it at the start of the season, pick your poison, and we have a lot of poison!
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Post by petey62 on Feb 28, 2024 13:45:20 GMT -5
Against a good team, that's not a recipe for success. In the playoffs, if we make just 5 3-pointers along with 14 turnovers, we will not win.
Heck, we played a PHI team without a strong interior presence (see loss to ORL).
If we play like last night against Allen and Mobley (CLE) or Giannis and Brook (MIL), two east potential playoff opponents, we'll be hard-pressed winning making only 5 3-pointers. AND WE WOULD NOT be as effective as last night attacking the paint.
A strategy's success depends in large part on the opponent you're using that strategy against.
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Post by petey62 on Feb 28, 2024 14:07:34 GMT -5
Honestly, it bothers me when I read Mazzulla "testing" strategies based on what the opponent throws at us. We have 24 games left in the season and, to me, now is not the time to experiment with strategy.
What good is this strategy when two of our bench rotation players rely SOLELY on the 3-point shot? If we implement an offense that makes the 3-point shot a secondary option, what good are PP and Hauser (and Horford for that matter)?
That strategy works just fine for our starting 5, but outside of that, Horford, PP and Hauser can't "eat" operating in the paint. Obviously, this is not an approach to offense that we can expect to see in the playoffs. Why see it now?
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Post by dfries13 on Feb 28, 2024 14:25:56 GMT -5
Honestly, it bothers me when I read Mazzulla "testing" strategies based on what the opponent throws at us. We have 24 games left in the season and, to me, now is not the time to experiment with strategy. What good is this strategy when two of our bench rotation players rely SOLELY on the 3-point shot? If we implement an offense that makes the 3-point shot a secondary option, what good are PP and Hauser (and Horford for that matter)? That strategy works just fine for our starting 5, but outside of that, Horford, PP and Hauser can't "eat" operating in the paint. Obviously, this is not an approach to offense that we can expect to see in the playoffs. Why see it now? Pete Joe is just talking shit he's not testing anything. The 76ers played with 4 guards and reduced our 3 attempts . Mazz forgot to tell Tatum he was 1/ 7
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Post by elvissurfs on Feb 28, 2024 19:17:37 GMT -5
Honestly, it bothers me when I read Mazzulla "testing" strategies based on what the opponent throws at us. We have 24 games left in the season and, to me, now is not the time to experiment with strategy. What good is this strategy when two of our bench rotation players rely SOLELY on the 3-point shot? If we implement an offense that makes the 3-point shot a secondary option, what good are PP and Hauser (and Horford for that matter)? That strategy works just fine for our starting 5, but outside of that, Horford, PP and Hauser can't "eat" operating in the paint. Obviously, this is not an approach to offense that we can expect to see in the playoffs. Why see it now? Pete Joe is just talking shit he's not testing anything. The 76ers played with 4 guards and reduced our 3 attempts . Mazz forgot to tell Tatum he was 1/ 7LOL, can always count on you to come thru with some zinger...
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Post by elvissurfs on Feb 28, 2024 23:59:35 GMT -5
Fakers going down hard to Clippers...gotta love it...LeQueen can bitch about the umpires again...
96-77 start of the 4th
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Post by Admin on Feb 29, 2024 1:13:41 GMT -5
Honestly, it bothers me when I read Mazzulla "testing" strategies based on what the opponent throws at us. We have 24 games left in the season and, to me, now is not the time to experiment with strategy. What good is this strategy when two of our bench rotation players rely SOLELY on the 3-point shot? If we implement an offense that makes the 3-point shot a secondary option, what good are PP and Hauser (and Horford for that matter)? That strategy works just fine for our starting 5, but outside of that, Horford, PP and Hauser can't "eat" operating in the paint. Obviously, this is not an approach to offense that we can expect to see in the playoffs. Why see it now?
Here's some Hauser stat info for February:
Hauser's eye-opening February stats reinforce his value to Celtics Sam Hauser has been one of Boston's best reserves this season. By Chris Forsberg
... there’s a very good chance that Sam Hauser will quietly top the NBA in net rating this month.
Amid a February that started with plenty of speculation about what the Celtics might do at the trade deadline, including the potential to add a big wing who could have bitten into Hauser’s playing time, Hauser only cemented his case to be a big part of Boston’s playoff rotation.
Entering the Celtics' final game of the month, Hauser owns an NBA-best +26.7 net rating in February. Maybe more notable: He’s shooting 49 percent from the floor, 46.5 percent beyond the 3-point arc, and 100 percent at the free-throw line this month.
Hauser’s net rating is best in the league among the 248 players logging at least 15 minutes per night with at least five appearances this month. In fact, his mark is 4 points per 100 possessions better than the nearest challenger (Denver’s Kentavious Caldwell-Pope at +22.7). His closest teammate is Jayson Tatum at +16.0 (10th overall among qualifiers).
Hauser is tied for 21st in the NBA in 3-point percentage at 41.9 percent overall. Among the 83 high-volume 3-point shooters with 250 or more attempts this season, Hauser is eighth on that list.
Hauser is +96 in plus/minus for the month of February, juiced by a +40 night in a thrashing of Brooklyn. But it was just one of four games he's been at +14 or better. In fact, Hauser was a single-game negative just one time in February, finishing minus-1 in Saturday’s win in New York.
The Celtics’ top six has gotten a lot of attention this season, and deservedly so, but as Boston’s starters have struggled to dominate quite the way they did at the start of the season, it’s been boosts from bench pieces like Hauser and fellow net rating darling Payton Pritchard that have helped the Celtics stockpile wins.
Hauser as a shooting threat helps open the court for Boston’s core players. What’s more, he’s held up well defensively, making it easier to keep him on the court.
Hauser has to keep making shots and show that he can defend if teams target him in the postseason, but the stats show just how impactful Hauser has been this year. For the season, the Celtics have a +11.9 net rating with Hauser on the court — the second best mark among regulars, tied with Pritchard and trailing only Derrick White (+12.5).
What's most notable about that number is it includes a 107.6 defensive rating in Hauser’s 1,187 minutes of court time. That’s the best mark among any Celtics regular, and 3.1 points lower than Boston’s defensive rating for the season (110.7).
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Post by hedleylamarr on Feb 29, 2024 8:36:56 GMT -5
Fakers going down hard to Clippers...gotta love it...LeQueen can bitch about the umpires again... 96-77 start of the 4th Hope you didn't blink!
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Post by dfries13 on Feb 29, 2024 9:24:07 GMT -5
Fakers going down hard to Clippers...gotta love it...LeQueen can bitch about the umpires again... 96-77 start of the 4th Hope you didn't blink! He did. They won and James only got one FT. I see no reason why anyone is concerned about James and Lakers There are at least 3 teams in the West that will give us more problems than the Lakers
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Post by dfries13 on Feb 29, 2024 9:29:50 GMT -5
Honestly, it bothers me when I read Mazzulla "testing" strategies based on what the opponent throws at us. We have 24 games left in the season and, to me, now is not the time to experiment with strategy. What good is this strategy when two of our bench rotation players rely SOLELY on the 3-point shot? If we implement an offense that makes the 3-point shot a secondary option, what good are PP and Hauser (and Horford for that matter)? That strategy works just fine for our starting 5, but outside of that, Horford, PP and Hauser can't "eat" operating in the paint. Obviously, this is not an approach to offense that we can expect to see in the playoffs. Why see it now?
Here's some Hauser stat info for February:
Hauser's eye-opening February stats reinforce his value to Celtics Sam Hauser has been one of Boston's best reserves this season. By Chris Forsberg
... there’s a very good chance that Sam Hauser will quietly top the NBA in net rating this month.
Amid a February that started with plenty of speculation about what the Celtics might do at the trade deadline, including the potential to add a big wing who could have bitten into Hauser’s playing time, Hauser only cemented his case to be a big part of Boston’s playoff rotation.
Entering the Celtics' final game of the month, Hauser owns an NBA-best +26.7 net rating in February. Maybe more notable: He’s shooting 49 percent from the floor, 46.5 percent beyond the 3-point arc, and 100 percent at the free-throw line this month.
Hauser’s net rating is best in the league among the 248 players logging at least 15 minutes per night with at least five appearances this month. In fact, his mark is 4 points per 100 possessions better than the nearest challenger (Denver’s Kentavious Caldwell-Pope at +22.7). His closest teammate is Jayson Tatum at +16.0 (10th overall among qualifiers).
Hauser is tied for 21st in the NBA in 3-point percentage at 41.9 percent overall. Among the 83 high-volume 3-point shooters with 250 or more attempts this season, Hauser is eighth on that list.
Hauser is +96 in plus/minus for the month of February, juiced by a +40 night in a thrashing of Brooklyn. But it was just one of four games he's been at +14 or better. In fact, Hauser was a single-game negative just one time in February, finishing minus-1 in Saturday’s win in New York.
The Celtics’ top six has gotten a lot of attention this season, and deservedly so, but as Boston’s starters have struggled to dominate quite the way they did at the start of the season, it’s been boosts from bench pieces like Hauser and fellow net rating darling Payton Pritchard that have helped the Celtics stockpile wins.
Hauser as a shooting threat helps open the court for Boston’s core players. What’s more, he’s held up well defensively, making it easier to keep him on the court.
Hauser has to keep making shots and show that he can defend if teams target him in the postseason, but the stats show just how impactful Hauser has been this year. For the season, the Celtics have a +11.9 net rating with Hauser on the court — the second best mark among regulars, tied with Pritchard and trailing only Derrick White (+12.5).
What's most notable about that number is it includes a 107.6 defensive rating in Hauser’s 1,187 minutes of court time. That’s the best mark among any Celtics regular, and 3.1 points lower than Boston’s defensive rating for the season (110.7).
Hauser is the most improved player sans White on this team. White always had talent just took hi a year to fit in a . Hauser was a one trick pony till this year. So maybe we are 7 deep. Can't remember one team 7 deep that won a title perhaps you can refresh my memory?
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Post by drewski6 on Feb 29, 2024 9:33:14 GMT -5
Here's some Hauser stat info for February:
Hauser's eye-opening February stats reinforce his value to Celtics Sam Hauser has been one of Boston's best reserves this season. By Chris Forsberg
... there’s a very good chance that Sam Hauser will quietly top the NBA in net rating this month.
Amid a February that started with plenty of speculation about what the Celtics might do at the trade deadline, including the potential to add a big wing who could have bitten into Hauser’s playing time, Hauser only cemented his case to be a big part of Boston’s playoff rotation.
Entering the Celtics' final game of the month, Hauser owns an NBA-best +26.7 net rating in February. Maybe more notable: He’s shooting 49 percent from the floor, 46.5 percent beyond the 3-point arc, and 100 percent at the free-throw line this month.
Hauser’s net rating is best in the league among the 248 players logging at least 15 minutes per night with at least five appearances this month. In fact, his mark is 4 points per 100 possessions better than the nearest challenger (Denver’s Kentavious Caldwell-Pope at +22.7). His closest teammate is Jayson Tatum at +16.0 (10th overall among qualifiers).
Hauser is tied for 21st in the NBA in 3-point percentage at 41.9 percent overall. Among the 83 high-volume 3-point shooters with 250 or more attempts this season, Hauser is eighth on that list.
Hauser is +96 in plus/minus for the month of February, juiced by a +40 night in a thrashing of Brooklyn. But it was just one of four games he's been at +14 or better. In fact, Hauser was a single-game negative just one time in February, finishing minus-1 in Saturday’s win in New York.
The Celtics’ top six has gotten a lot of attention this season, and deservedly so, but as Boston’s starters have struggled to dominate quite the way they did at the start of the season, it’s been boosts from bench pieces like Hauser and fellow net rating darling Payton Pritchard that have helped the Celtics stockpile wins.
Hauser as a shooting threat helps open the court for Boston’s core players. What’s more, he’s held up well defensively, making it easier to keep him on the court.
Hauser has to keep making shots and show that he can defend if teams target him in the postseason, but the stats show just how impactful Hauser has been this year. For the season, the Celtics have a +11.9 net rating with Hauser on the court — the second best mark among regulars, tied with Pritchard and trailing only Derrick White (+12.5).
What's most notable about that number is it includes a 107.6 defensive rating in Hauser’s 1,187 minutes of court time. That’s the best mark among any Celtics regular, and 3.1 points lower than Boston’s defensive rating for the season (110.7).
Hauser is the most improved player sans White on this team. White always had talent just took hi a year to fit in a .Hauser was a one trick pony till this year. So maybe we are 7 deep. Can't remember one team 7 deep that won a title perhaps you can refresh my memory? Wrong, he was held back by U-joke-a and his love for 2 centers.
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Post by dfries13 on Feb 29, 2024 9:38:29 GMT -5
Hauser is the most improved player sans White on this team. White always had talent just took hi a year to fit in a .Hauser was a one trick pony till this year. So maybe we are 7 deep. Can't remember one team 7 deep that won a title perhaps you can refresh my memory? Wrong, he was held back by U-joke-a and his love for 2 centers. U joke wasn't here last year and we are still playing 2 bigs usually Kornet and Horford.
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Post by drewski6 on Feb 29, 2024 9:43:46 GMT -5
Wrong, he was held back by U-joke-a and his love for 2 centers. U joke wasn't here last year and we are still playing 2 bigs usually Kornet and Horford. Yeah, want to repharse. Should have went with a "yes and" as opposed to a disagree. Apologies. There is truth to what you say, but also part of it was Ujokea White has been on the team 3 years. First year , when we got him midseason, we had Ujokea - who was too committed to playing 2 centers at all times and thats why GS destroyed us in transition and why we couldnt defend the 3 pt line in the finals. White didnt have a great first season. Part of that was adjusting (like you point out), also gaining confidence, but also part of it was Ujokea Last year , he was very good This year he is excellent.
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Post by elvissurfs on Feb 29, 2024 9:51:40 GMT -5
He did. They won and James only got one FT. I see no reason why anyone is concerned about James and LakersThere are at least 3 teams in the West that will give us more problems than the Lakers Because any Lakers loss is a wonderful thing...Clippers are pathetic...just read that they blew a 19 point lead against the Lakers this year also...last night they went up by 21 before they blew it...
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Post by dfries13 on Feb 29, 2024 9:55:32 GMT -5
U joke wasn't here last year and we are still playing 2 bigs usually Kornet and Horford. Yeah, want to repharse. Should have went with a "yes and" as opposed to a disagree. Apologies. There is truth to what you say, but also part of it was Ujokea White has been on the team 3 years. First year , when we got him midseason, we had Ujokea - who was too committed to playing 2 centers at all times and thats why GS destroyed us in transition and why we couldnt defend the 3 pt line in the finals. White didnt have a great first season. Part of that was adjusting (like you point out), also gaining confidence, but also part of it was Ujokea Last year , he was very good This year he is excellent. I agree with this exception being Horford was and is more of a PF. Tatum now has taken his place. Was Tatum ready 2 or 3 years ago? I doubt it.
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Post by drewski6 on Feb 29, 2024 10:06:46 GMT -5
KP 29.6 mins/game in 43/58 games = 22 Al - 27 mins/game in 48/58 = 22.3 Kornet - 14.7/game in 42/58 = 10.6 Q - 4.9 in 23/58 = 2
That sums to 57
In Imes year
Al 29.1 mins / game * 69/82 games played= 24.5 RWill 29.6 in 61/82 = 22 Theis 18.7 in 21/82 = 4.8 Kanter 11.7 in 35/82 = 5 Kornet 7.1 in 12/82 = 1 GWill 24.4 in 77/82 = 23
That sums to 80.3
Theres a big difference regarding how many minutes the bigs got under Ime vs under Mazz.
Ujokeas lineups were just too slow, too bad at defending the 3 pt line, too turnover prone.
Mazz uses more normal lineups. Where sure, sometimes you have 2 bigs in there, but theres more flexibility and more logic with it vs a stubborn must have 2 bigs in (not including Tatum) at all times.
And thats partly why you are seeing White play better, why our winning % is better, why we are better at defending the 3 pt line, why we arent getting smoked in transition as badly.
The love for cramming as much size into the lineup as possible held us back for years. Even last year, Joe played RWill too much (remember when RWill came back from injury last year nad we started playing like crap). RWil was second worst on the team last year in playoff +/- (Brog was worst). Ime played RWill way way way too much.
But now you're seeing us play normal lineups, and we're flourishing.
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Post by drewski6 on Feb 29, 2024 10:11:50 GMT -5
Yeah, want to repharse. Should have went with a "yes and" as opposed to a disagree. Apologies. There is truth to what you say, but also part of it was Ujokea White has been on the team 3 years. First year , when we got him midseason, we had Ujokea - who was too committed to playing 2 centers at all times and thats why GS destroyed us in transition and why we couldnt defend the 3 pt line in the finals. White didnt have a great first season. Part of that was adjusting (like you point out), also gaining confidence, but also part of it was Ujokea Last year , he was very good This year he is excellent. I agree with this exception being Horford was and is more of a PF. Tatum now has taken his place. Was Tatum ready 2 or 3 years ago? I doubt it. Sure, maybe Tatum wasnt strong enough to play like a big 2-3 years ago. But thats a lesser evil than being so f'ing committed to RWill and having no spacing on offense, bad 3 pt defense, bad in transition defense, super turnover prone. Id take a team that has a PF is slightly below average in strength over a team that cant get back on D, cant defend the 3 pt line and these flaws are why we lost to GS. But you do have a good point here. I guess it was a bit of a pick your poison. But in my opinion, Ujoka picked the wrong poison. Its like the mentality was "first and foremost I want to make sure the frontcourt is solid" vs "first and foremost, I want to put us in the best position to win"
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Post by drewski6 on Feb 29, 2024 10:24:15 GMT -5
Yeah, want to repharse. Should have went with a "yes and" as opposed to a disagree. Apologies. There is truth to what you say, but also part of it was Ujokea White has been on the team 3 years. First year , when we got him midseason, we had Ujokea - who was too committed to playing 2 centers at all times and thats why GS destroyed us in transition and why we couldnt defend the 3 pt line in the finals. White didnt have a great first season. Part of that was adjusting (like you point out), also gaining confidence, but also part of it was Ujokea Last year , he was very good This year he is excellent. I agree with this exception being Horford was and is more of a PF. Tatum now has taken his place. Was Tatum ready 2 or 3 years ago? I doubt it. Hear you on that. Al and Rob were fine together offensively. Not ideal, because we are seeing the advantage of having Porgie as your primary big who can shoot. Its dangerous when all five guys can shoot, and I can show you this video of how Celtics are straight embarassing teams this year because of so many things the can do on offense. Like when Porgie is your C and he sets a high screen, he can then hook around for a 3 or roll to the hoop for the PnRoll. But the option of being able to do either has defenses lost. Side note: what an f'ing acquisition he has been! So this is an advantage over Rob who can only roll. And can only beat you one way offensively. But Porgis is a unicorn. Actually, hes the unicorn, so not really fair to use him as the standard. So Rob and Al were fine on offense, but Porgie is better. But there were issues even on the offensive end with Rob and Al, turnovers, not the best spacing (even if you dont have Porgie , plenty of centers in the league at that time can space). So it was solid offensively but not spectacular (the combo of both) Defensively there were issues. And boy were they on display against GS in the finals. We just couldnt keep up with GSW when they had the ball. We werent fast to rotate (when they used Draymond to screen), we got smoked in transition, and even though Al back then could play PF on offense. He was always better at defending the rim than defending the 3 pt line. Hes actually one of the most underrated rim protectors ever. He was better than RWill. RWill was flashier, but Al's opposing fg% for shots attempted at the rim was always better than RWills. So with RWill and Al out there, you are playing Al out of position on defense because RWill cant play defense away from the basket at all. So you have Al - who is an A+ defender at the rim, and a C+ defender away from it playing away from it so you can play RWill who is an A- defender at the rim but an F- defender away from it. And youre just compromising too many areas (playing Al at a position he was weaker at defensively, slow in transition, bad 3 pt defense, not as much spacing, not as much offensive versatility)....All of this just because we were too committed to playing too many bigs for years. And this year, we're flourishing.
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