Post Game Spurs away

by **cowens/oldschool** Sat Nov 09, 2019 8:04 pm

We put on a clinic right from the start, bad news GH out indefinitely with a fractured left hand. Glad it’s not his shooting hand, guy can’t get a break and he was rolling as is the entire team. Otherwise we looked great, Jaylen in attack mode, RW making big impact with defense and boy does he fly and finish on alley opps!!! This team has so much talent, JT Smart and Kemba with routine good games, giving us just what we needed. Everyone sharing the ball, great movement always getting open looks all over floor. Green starting to earn minutes and contributing....

by **dboss** Sat Nov 09, 2019 8:19 pm

They de-molished the Spurs.

Jaylen with a signature, you can't check me game. The Timelord flying high. Wow. Kemba, Tatum and our very own Marcus Smart balled.

GH fractured hand. Not good. He has been playing so well.

Wannamaker solid off the bench.

Grant with 3rd straight game with zero points.

Theis played well.

Time to bring Romeo back.

7-1 and looking like a team not to be ignored.

by **RosalieTCeltics** Sat Nov 09, 2019 8:25 pm

He is a rookie, I think we got spoiled with Grant. He is a smart player, will learn on the fly.

One man down, more minutes for the bench. Green showed that he can be counted on. What a high flyer. Robert Williams is learning real fast, as I said earlier, he will be the starting center in a couple of months.
I love what Daniel Theis brings to this team.

They are going to have their hands full Monday, it is really terrible news that Gordon won’t be around for a while. Very depressing

by **dboss** Sat Nov 09, 2019 9:00 pm

Figure a minimum of 4 weeks missed by GH.

You could slide Marcus into the starting lineup. That would move either Tatum or Jaylen to PF. Or you could go with a bigger lineup and get RW minutes at the 4. Grant Williams at the 4 is another possibility. Probably a better fit than him at the 5.

I would call up Romeo and also get Green into the regular rotation.

You could also start Theis at PF when Kanter returns. There are a lot of options available. Both Jaylen and Jason are young enough to log more minutes.

There are no perfect replacements for what GH brings to the table. Brad will just have to experiment.

I am starting to become more concerned about Grant Williams. He is too small to be an effective low post scorer and he cannot seem to make an outside shot. That pretty much makes him null and void in terms of scoring. His intangibles do not = significant rotation minutes. I would really try to play him at the 4 and hope that his defense can keep him on the floor.

The 7-1 start is tempered with the loss of GH who had been playing as well as anyone on this team.

by **cowens/oldschool** Sat Nov 09, 2019 9:01 pm

I just want to add I love the way Kemba has fit in, makes great decisions, big shot ability and let’s others get there’s too. He knows he’s playing with alot of talent, and he’s gets it, knows how to play with and off everyone. So much of a better fit than....

by **cowens/oldschool** Sat Nov 09, 2019 9:07 pm

dboss wrote:Figure a minimum of 4 weeks missed by GH.

You could slide Marcus into the starting lineup. That would move either Tatum or Jaylen to PF. Or you could go with a bigger lineup and get RW minutes at the 4. Grant Williams at the 4 is another possibility. Probably a better fit than him at the 5.

I would call up Romeo and also get Green into the regular rotation.

You could also start Theis at PF when Kanter returns. There are a lot of options available. Both Jaylen and Jason are young enough to log more minutes.

There are no perfect replacements for what GH brings to the table. Brad will just have to experiment.

I am starting to become more concerned about Grant Williams. He is too small to be an effective low post scorer and he cannot seem to make an outside shot. That pretty much makes him null and void in terms of scoring. His intangibles do not = significant rotation minutes. I would really try to play him at the 4 and hope that his defense can keep him on the floor.

The 7-1 start is tempered with the loss of GH who had been playing as well as anyone on this team.

A lot of interesting combinations will be further explored, J Green can play and has earned minutes at the 2, he can take a bigger load. Smart starting in backcourt is fine or Theis as a 4 with RW at the 5 can work too....we’ll see and Kantor is coming back soon too.

by **dboss** Sat Nov 09, 2019 9:24 pm

Jaylen Brown has pushed his scoring average over 18 per game.

Green can definitely play and should see an uptick in his minutes.

Kanter should come off the bench when he returns. No need to screw up the chemistry.

It is a long season

by **dbrown4** Sun Nov 10, 2019 8:34 am

Cowens/oldschool,

Great point about further combinations to be explored. While loss of GH is a blow, if you equate his recent near triple double outings with any of your Top 10's regular performances in the league, if one of them goes down, the season is over. With this minor "break", we will get to see something that needs to be addressed immediately...our bench coming to life. Baptism by fire with an underdog attitude!

I think while we have become amazed and bedazzled by GH's performances, we've become a little spoiled as well. The bench has been trying to find itself and not very well vs. other benches in the league. This next month or so will really bring that to a head.

Great news is, it's his non-shooting hand. Doesn't make it any less tragic but this isn't a season ending, 2-year recovery injury. He'll be rehabbing right out of the gate. And knowing Gordon and the way he trained over the summer I'd be very surprised if we don't see him back sooner rather than later.

Oh wait, there's still Kanter and Romeo, throw in a few Tacko's, come on guys. We can drop the long faces. It's bench development time on steroids...(figuratively, of course, not literally!) This could not have happened at a more opportune time.

db

by **wideclyde** Sun Nov 10, 2019 9:52 am

Hayward's biggest area to see if the other guys can pick up will be his ability to facilitate the ball in the team's offense. This part of his game has been far better than at any other time in his career even to include his time in Utah after I did some (very unusual for me) research by watching a couple (OK, so not too much research) his Jazz games.

by **cowens/oldschool** Sun Nov 10, 2019 10:45 am

Right guys GH and Kemba never played with elite 2 way wings like 2 J’s before, throw Smart into that mix, I love our swarming defense led by the wings, and they can facilitate better than before because they are playing with elite talent. Make no mistake 2 J’s are playing better than ever and it’s early, they will be better later in season and I see them as budding multiple all stars....they can do it all.

by **RosalieTCeltics** Sun Nov 10, 2019 11:28 am

this is going to be fun. Watching Brad use his bench, giving guys time in meaningful games so they can get the lay of the land, so to speak. Grant Williams has slipped a little because I think he is trying to do too much. This will be addressed in the coming weeks. With Green putting on a show last night, Edwards has slid down the lineup a bit but just for a while. The kid can shoot. If he goes too long without meaningful minutes, watch for a trip up north for a couple of games, especially if Langford is recallled

I am so disappointed that this injury happened to Gordon, but let's see how he reacts to it and if he will comeback and pickup where he left off. He is a vital member of this team, he does so much and handles the ball so well. His rebounding will be missed, so others will have to pick up the slack

by **bobheckler** Sun Nov 10, 2019 12:24 pm

I have to admit I never saw this coming. We haven't won in San Antonio since March, 2011. 8 1 /2 years is a long road drought and is a testament to Pop and GM RC Buford's system. Pop's teams might not always be contenders but they are never doormats either. A strong offensive start by us, 39 points in the 1st quarter, put us in the catbird seat but they scored 30 in that quarter too, so they weren't bad on both ends. We won 3 out of 4 quarters and every quarter we won we won by more points than the number of points the Spurs won their quarter. When each quarter you win is bigger than the one they won, that's domination.

Hayward breaking his hand is an obvious downer. The good news, such as we can find it here, is that Javonte and Romeo should get minutes, and there are 32 now available to spread around. Hayward is seeing a hand specialist in Boston today, we should know more later.

Marc D'Amico @celtics
yesterday
#NEBHInjuryReport Brad Stevens says Gordon Hayward will see a specialist and decide whether or not surgery is necessary, but if he does undergo surgery, it may shorten the timeline for him to return.

Despite Hayward only playing 15 minutes and scoring 9 points we still had 5 players in double digits and Theis with 9. We shot 51.1% from the floor, took 94 fgas and only had 8 TOs. Unless your defense is a revolving door you are going to win a lot of games with numbers like those. 135 points ties the record for most Celtic points scored by a Brad Stevens team.

Jaylen took over, he was physically dominating the Spurs players. What I liked the most was his 9-10 from the line. That's good for another 4-5 points. He is now up to 79.2% from the line for the season. Some of that is lack of attempts, he has only taken 24 ftas this season-to-date and so 9-10 will have a significant impact on the average, but I've always said his poor frito % has always been mental, there is nothing wrong with his shooting mechanics, so him going 9-10 last night should help his mental approach. If you look at All-Star players almost every one of their paths to the All-Star team goes through the frito line.

Kemba always seems to have quiet nights, until you look at his boxscore and see he scored 26 on 9-20 and had 8 assists. We always knew when Kyrie had 26 points, we saw it in spectacular real-time ME-ball fashion, but Kemba just goes about his business and takes what the defense gives him. Kyrie would never have been happy just catch-and-shooting, he would have gotten bored or been insulted because he was being used as the off-the-ball decoy, while Kemba is happy as a clam, and so am I.

Grant Williams needs to try something other than taking 3s. He has had a couple of underwhelming games in a row. I know this is just his 8th pro game but his offense has been without a doubt the worst part of his game. With Hayward out we need more offense from someone/somewhere and GWill has nowhere to go but up. Sooner, rather than later, would be preferred.

This was the best game of The Time Lord's career. None other even close. He still made some mistakes but overall he was extremely impactful. 5-5 for 11 points, 7 rebounds and 6 blocks. At about the 7 minute mark of the highlight film, which has the San Antonio announcers (including Sean Elliott) RWill threw down a dunk and the announcer says "Good Lord. This guy has been chewing on the rim tonight!". If you have 9:47 that you don't have penciled in for something else it's fun to watch this highlight film and see all the good things we did, that RWill did. The block, the save, the quick dribble up court, the pass and then the 2nd pass to Green for the finish of a classic fast break. It's all there, in that film. Beautiful stuff if you're a hoop junkie which we all are.

LaMarcus Aldridge with a 1-4, 3 point, 4 rebound night. We did a lot well, but let's not underestimate the absence of the Spurs' best player in the equation.

The Spurs have the 13th ranked offense by ppg (112.6). With this 135 point explosion we now have the 11th (113.1). Given the 20 point difference in last night's score we were very close before the game yesterday. We have the 2nd best Margin of Victory in the NBA with a +9.4 point MOV (Lakers 10.5, Milwaukee 3rd with 8.eight). We are #1 in turnovers, 11.8pg, Orlando is #2 with 13.4pg. We are 2nd in the league in blocks. Imagine that. After all the concerns we have had about our lack of height and we are 2nd in blocks. We lead the league in giving up the fewest points off of turnovers. This is partly because we don't turn it over much but also we don't have many "live" turnovers. Losing it out of bounds or offensive charges don't start fast breaks. We are 2nd in opponent's points off of fast breaks, giving up only 9.3ppg in fast break points. We are 3rd in opponent points in the paint. Once again, it appears the prediction of our front court getting overwhelmed seems to have been a bit premature. We have the 5th ranked defense, in ppg. Whole lotta stats here, and it's still early in the season, but there's a whole lot to like here too.

Toronto 1.0 games back. Miami 1.5 back and Philly, the darling of the pre-season pundits, is 2.0 games back, has a 3 game losing streak going and is only 3-3 on the road.

Sean Grande
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One last note of perspective on what just happened...

In the last 30 years, the Celtics had five wins in San Antonio.

Five wins, by a TOTAL of 20 points.

Saturday, they won there BY 20 points.
Post Game Spurs away EI-gpf-WkAAM-ar

https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=401160769

bob

.

by **bobheckler** Sun Nov 10, 2019 1:47 pm

Holy Crap.

Post Game Spurs away Robert_williams

bob

.

by **dboss** Sun Nov 10, 2019 2:40 pm

bobheckler wrote:Holy Crap.

bob

.

Bob this kid has unreal hops. All he needs is more playing time. He will make a few errors out there but I really believe they are more mental and also related to limited reps. Aside from his elite athleticism he does a great job setting screens and not picking up offensive fouls. He does that better than any of our bigs. He makes quick decisions passing the ball. I think he has earned more than 16 MPG. I think 18-20 MPG is well deserved. I would cut back on the minutes that Grant is getting to around 12-14 per game. Grant is playing very good positional defense. His offense however does not look good at all. He is now 0-12 from deep but shoots a respectable 8-17 or 47% on two pointers. No one should be surprised. Grant only averaged 1 three point attempt per game in college and shot only 29%. Now he is in the NBA with a deeper 3 point arc and he has no touch from there.

While he is a very strong and physical player becoming a post scoring threat against NBA size and athleticism will be abig challenge.

I think you can get him minutes at PF where he can develop into a reliable defender. He looks completely lost on the perimeter.

by **RosalieTCeltics** Sun Nov 10, 2019 3:20 pm

When I went to the Milwaukee game, I really watched Williams (Rob) play closely. I remarked to my son that I felt he would be the starter before the end of this year. He passes the ball well, has good court vision, and has matured so much in this past year. The starters love playing with him. No matter who he is on the court with, it seems that something good happens. He dropped in the draft last year after predicitons that he would go in the top 10. Danny took the chance on him that others wouldn't and it looks like it is paying off.

Green is another player who, with sufficient playing time, could be a huge asset for this team. God, can get up there. With Haywards injury I believe he will gain more minutes if he continues to improve. Edwards is probably the one who will suffer in this time squeeze. Brad is doing his best to keep everyone involved and happy. For most talented players, there are never enough minutes for everyone. With the way Theis is playing, Kanter will be off the bench when he finally returns.

What a problem it is.....to have so many talented players to keep happy.

by **worcester** Sun Nov 10, 2019 3:29 pm

RWill added to the rest of our stars...what a combo. What a future!
Danny has really put together a great team for many years to come. And then we get the Memphis pick, a plum. In two years.
Sweet.

by **dboss** Sun Nov 10, 2019 3:55 pm

With the loss of Gh, I think I may be missing something.

Danny has put together a team with multiple interchangeable parts. Their offense and defense is in many respects plug and play. They play team defense and they play team offense.

We are going to miss Gordon but I do not expect a significant drop off in the overall play on this team.

Gordon will be back. Not making any bets here but I predict he will return by Xmas day.

In the meantime, the overall depth of this team will be used to play competitive basketball.

by **RosalieTCeltics** Sun Nov 10, 2019 4:01 pm

I truly feel this team is built now to survive an injury or two. My only feeling about the loss of GH is.....damn, he was playing so well, affecting all parts of the game, scoring, rebounding, assisting other players, just all around great facilitator. Sure, they will survive, I bet he is back before Christmas unless they find some weird thing wrong there. He is determined to be the guy the Celtics traded for. It is just a bump in the road that he certainly did not need or want.

No way do I feel they are going to fall apart because of this. They are just beginning

by **RosalieTCeltics** Sun Nov 10, 2019 4:01 pm

I truly feel this team is built now to survive an injury or two. My only feeling about the loss of GH is.....damn, he was playing so well, affecting all parts of the game, scoring, rebounding, assisting other players, just all around great facilitator. Sure, they will survive, I bet he is back before Christmas unless they find some weird thing wrong there. He is determined to be the guy the Celtics traded for. It is just a bump in the road that he certainly did not need or want.

No way do I feel they are going to fall apart because of this. They are just beginning

by **dboss** Sun Nov 10, 2019 4:25 pm

RosalieTCeltics wrote:I truly feel this team is built now to survive an injury or two. My only feeling about the loss of GH is.....damn, he was playing so well, affecting all parts of the game, scoring, rebounding, assisting other players, just all around great facilitator. Sure, they will survive, I bet he is back before Christmas unless they find some weird thing wrong there. He is determined to be the guy the Celtics traded for. It is just a bump in the road that he certainly did not need or want.

No way do I feel they are going to fall apart because of this. They are just beginning

Rosalie when a team has 2-3 main guys and they loose one it can effect the way the team plays.

The Celtics still have 4 high end players.

I am targeting Xmas as the date GH returns to the fold.

In the interim, It will be a next man up solution.

by **tardust** Sun Nov 10, 2019 5:56 pm

Taken for granted is Tatum's play this year. I read the Game thread after the game and usually the only time his name is mentioned is when he makes a mistake. Started off struggling with his shot this year but is shooting 50% from the field in November. Averaging 21.3 point per game with is high game of only 25. Pretty consistent if you ask me. Gets about 7-8 rebound every game and stroking it from the 3 pt line at a 44% clip. His 3 point shot helps open the lane for slashers like Jaylen. His plus minus has been great as well for each game. Throw in tied for 6th in league in steals and I think we have just come to expect what he does each game.

I would like to see him get to the line more and hopefully the assists will increase with GH down for a while.

Lose Horford, Morris, Kyrie, and Rozier and that a lot of shots that is now moving to Brown, Tatum, Walker, and Hayward. We had a season high 29 assists against Charlotte and followed it up with 28 against Spurs. Lets hope we keep this part going.

by **BingBang!** Sun Nov 10, 2019 6:09 pm

tardust wrote:Taken for granted is Tatum's play this year. I read the Game thread after the game and usually the only time his name is mentioned is when he makes a mistake. Started off struggling with his shot this year but is shooting 50% from the field in November. Averaging 21.3 point per game with is high game of only 25. Pretty consistent if you ask me. Gets about 7-8 rebound every game and stroking it from the 3 pt line at a 44% clip. His 3 point shot helps open the lane for slashers like Jaylen. His plus minus has been great as well for each game. Throw in tied for 6th in league in steals and I think we have just come to expect what he does each game.

I would like to see him get to the line more and hopefully the assists will increase with GH down for a while.

Lose Horford, Morris, Kyrie, and Rozier and that a lot of shots that is now moving to Brown, Tatum, Walker, and Hayward. We had a season high 29 assists against Charlotte and followed it up with 28 against Spurs. Lets hope we keep this part going.

Allow me add something I wanted to say on the game thread but did not at that time. JT made a snaking drive to the hoop that ended in a cool reverse layup. The way he snaked to the rim reminded of Hondo who did similar drives. JT is now much stronger and sturdier than when he arrived and is handful. You're right, the guy is paying great overall. While they won't run the offense through him like they can with GH at point forward, his passing and court awareness is blossoming as well. Similar on defense, anticipating passes and getting steals. Overall big leap forward toward all star play.

by **cowens/oldschool** Sun Nov 10, 2019 6:17 pm

worcester wrote:RWill added to the rest of our stars...what a combo. What a future!
Danny has really put together a great team for many years to come. And then we get the Memphis pick, a plum. In two years.
Sweet.

Agreed worse, what a great young piece to add with 2 J’s. I see 3 C’s on future all defensive, Smart is there, Jaylen will be there as will RW once he earns more minutes. How many franchises would love to have 2 J’s and RW...??? Amazing how many teams passed on Robert Williams, who I’m sure gets motivated everytime he goes to practice and sees how the 2 J’s and GH all work.

by **gyso** Mon Nov 11, 2019 3:16 am

Game flow.

Once we created separation, we maintained it (and then some, at the end.)

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