Vegas Summer League - Game 1 vs Sixers

I tried to stay awake and pop into the Game On! Thread but it was late in Cairo and I don't have Berlin's stamina and night owl tendencies (plus it was a travel day for me, which is tiring just in itself).


Gary Washburn @GwashburnGlobe
about 3 hours ago
Summer #Celtics beat the Summer #76ers 96-82. Edwards 20 (7-for-17 FG, 5-for-12 3pt), G. Williams 12 (2-for-4 3 pt), R. Williams 9 pts, 9 rebs. Yabusele 0 (0-for-4 in 16 min.)

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Brian Robb @BrianTRobb
about 3 hours ago
Morrison thought Yabusele was pressing a little bit.

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Brian Robb
Brian Robb @BrianTRobb
about 3 hours ago
Scott Morrison was impressed with Carsen Edwards’ toughness on the defensive end.

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Jay King @ByJayKing
3 hours ago
Grant Williams interested in more than his own aspirations while developing a 3-point shot: "It’s not only important for my development, but it’s important for this team. Being able to space the floor for guys like Kemba."

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Jay King
Jay King @ByJayKing
4 hours ago
Grant Williams has been in character today as an extremely solid player. A couple of 3-pointers for him, a promising sign after he hit just 15 during his final college season.

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Jared Weiss @JaredWeissNBA
4 hours ago
Rob Williams is really going to need a left hand if he’s going to be a post-up scorer. He doesn’t have much angle variety with his right hand and these centers with matching length are smothering him.

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bob


.

https://www.nba.com/celtics/news/sidebar/post-sl-070619-day-1-takeaways-from-vegas-after-win-over-sixers?f&sf215395561=1



Day 1 Takeaways from Vegas After Win over 76ers




By Marc D'Amico |  @Marc_DAmico
Celtics.com
July 6, 2019



LAS VEGAS – The Summer Celtics are off and running after their 96-82 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers in their Summer League debut.

Boston dominated the contest after stumbling out of the gates during the opening minutes. After falling behind 12-4 in the early goings, the C’s outscored Philly 92-70 the rest of the way.

There were many positives to take away from the team’s first performance in Las Vegas, particularly after downing a team in the Sixers that had already taken the court together for a game Friday night. Below are some of the top takeaways and observations from the victory.


Carsen Edwards’ Range is Legit

Carsen Edwards waited all of two minutes and 48 seconds to prove that his range travels to the NBA level. He looked exactly like the guy everyone saw dominate the NCAA tournament, except this time, he was firing from even farther from the basket.

Edwards started in Boston’s backcourt and scored a game-high 20 points on 7-for-17 shooting. He accounted for five of Boston’s nine 3-pointers made in the game, and two of those 3-pointers were at least a few feet beyond the 3-point line.

The keys to Edwards opening himself up for 3-pointers at this level will be his off-ball movement and the effort with which he makes cuts. He showcased a great understanding of those areas Saturday afternoon, which freed him up for many of his looks.


Tacko is a Fan Favorite

One would have thought that Kemba Walker entered the building just a few minutes into Boston’s opener against the 76ers, as the crowd broke into sudden and loud cheers.

The cheers were not for Walker, the team’s star free-agent signing, however. They were for Tacko Fall. And they didn’t stop – literally the rest of the day.

Every time Fall stood up from the bench to check in, or made a play while on the court, the crowd released its loudest cheers of the afternoon. Without exaggeration, Fall undoubtedly elicited at least 90 percent of the game’s loudest cheers for either team.

The 7-foot-6 center finished the afternoon with six points, four rebounds and a blocked shot in 10 minutes of action. It was abundantly clear that the fans wanted him on the court for far longer than that.


Javonte Green Has Hops

I walked down to the court to watch the Celtics warm up before tip-off. One thing that immediately became very clear is that Javonte Green can JUMP!

Green, who is listed at 6-foot-4, was throwing himself alley-oops off the backboard for monster dunks during warm-ups. The dunk show continued after tip-off, as he threw down two loud slams during game action as well.

You may be watching these games to see Edwards, Grant Williams, Robert Williams and Tacko Fall, but don’t be surprised if this is the guy who makes your eyes pop.


This Team Plays with Maximum Effort

Edwards and Grant Williams both said Friday that the best way to overcome not knowing their teammates’ tendencies is to play hard. The Celtics did plenty of that Saturday afternoon.

Boston’s players were flying all over the place, including onto the floor. Multiple players dove to the floor to recover balls, or dove out of bounds to save balls. It was everything the coaching staff wanted to see.

“It’s something we’ve talked about since the first meeting,” said Summer Celtics head coach Scott Morrison. “Coach Stevens came in and talked about how we want Celtics basketball to look, and that starts with out-working the opponent, taking charges, diving on the floor for loose balls.

“I was really happy with the guys, their hard work, their effort, their multiple efforts, and their sharing the ball offensively I thought was really good.”

Maintaining those effort levels will be a key to the team’s continued success in the tournament



bob



.

Tacko with the blocko! What I'd really like to know is who hit the 3 at the opposite end? Edwards?

https://www.facebook.com/8725012666/posts/10157231297267667/?sfnsn=mo&s=100000918046731&w=y


bob


.

Hi Bob, as-salamu alaykum!

It was Edwards, but I believe he missed that one.

Berlin-T

3:29 Tacko Fall blocks Haywood Highsmith 's 9-foot jumper 22 - 19
3:24 Javonte Green defensive rebound 22 - 19
3:21 Carsen Edwards misses three point jumper

Carson Edwards with NBA range AND defense.  He's a pest on defense.





bob


.

Giddy up Carson Edwards. This guy can play. May start calling him Kit Carson.

Edwards plays like he has no doubt he belongs in the NBA. This kid really could be a steal.

Edwards knows what he's good at and he knows what he needs to do.  He knows he can score, that is obvious, and that confidence fuels his scoring.  He knows he needs to be a disruptor on defense ala Shane Larkin and he can't just let their offense just run over him.  Will that work in the real NBA at his size?  We'll see, but he plays high energy on defense.  He could be our Fred Van Fleet.


bob


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Recorded the game last night because I went to a Boney James concert.  The great thing about watching a recording is moving ahead past  all the non basketball stuff.

Looks like Boston has found a replacement for Terry Rozier.  Carsen Edwards can help Boston this year.  

Grant William made 2 three point shots.  He looked more like a wing player than a PF but there he is with 6 rebounds and 12 points.

Robert Williams was 9 points  and 9 boards (4 offensive) but he also had 2 blocks and 3 steals.  The most impressive was near the end of the first half were he jumped the passing lane, made the steal, dribbled down the right side then cross over to his left and back to his right for a layup.  I think he is going to help this team and be part of the rotation.  He also shot 2 air balls but I was actually happy that he took them.  I see a lot of quickness from him.  He will be a defensive factor for the Celtics this year.

Takco Fall can play.   I was impressed with how well he moves in the post.  His height and length are out of this world.  I think if he continues to work on his stamina and agility along with his non foul shot he can also help this team down the road.  

Not the best outing for Yabusele.  

That kid Green plays pretty good D and he has hops.

Waters took a lot of shots but shot poorly 3-13.  Pretty good defender (2 nifty on the ball steals)

Wonder how many "not the best" performances will Yabusele get before Ainge begins to look for a replacement? I see Fall as a better bottom-of-the roster choice right now.

Cow, that would make for some interesting bball viewing, watching Fall and RW playing side by side. Twin Towers++.

Yes an R W and TF pairing would be fun to watch. It's the Summer so why not try that?

I think I saw Tacko dunk without actually leaving the ground. He might have stood on his toes, but I could swear he didn't actually jump.

You can't teach height.

Edwards is sturdy too. He won't be pinballed attacking the hoop and he can fight through screens.

Plus Edwards has ATTITUDE!

Elbow jumpers by The Time Lord.



A. Sherrod Blakely
@ASherrodblakely
Robert Williams is looking to be more than just an above-the-rim player following #Celtics practice.ttps://twitter.com/i/status/114797083092142899



bob


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Edwards beating his man to the spot on defense was impressive. Straight outa “Finding Forrester” my favorite basketball related movie. Williams is improved but I think gets his minutes from defense so it remains to be seen if he can perform at the NBA level (obvious statement but given how lost he was last year reasonable to temper expectations). I like the other new little guard too. G Williams looks small for a PF. Taco looked like a project learning the sport but is well coordinated. Lastly, it was a fun game to watch.

Summer league.

Saw some of the game. I'll pass (pun intended).

It is baseball season, anyway, and we're on the road a lot. Maybe I can get a YouTube highlight compilation. There's time to fit it in between innings.

I liked the pick in Edwards and surprised he didn't go a little sooner. He played well first game but the one thing I didn't like was he had ZERO assists. On defense he let his man get to the right and finish a few layups. The shots actually went over Fall too so maybe they were just good shots. Like to see him play defense as hard as he does to get his shot off.