PLAYOFFS 2023 - EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS GAME #5 - POST GAME MIAMI HEAT - HOME

Celtics Wrap: Boston Stuns Heat With Dominant Win To Force Game 6
The C's live to play another day!


NESN by Gio Rivera

BOSTON — The Celtics kept their season alive yet again, in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals, defending their home floor and defeating the Heat, 110-97, on Thursday night at TD Garden.

Boston cut Miami’s series lead to 3-2.


ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
The history-setting chase (and season) remains alive for the Celtics!

Undefeated in elimination games entering a pivotal Game 5 matchup, the Celtics continued their unbeaten trend, bringing their momentum all the way from Miami to Boston. And it didn’t take very long for Joe Mazzulla’s squad to do it either. In the first quarter, the Heat committed six turnovers and only connected on two 3-pointers to Boston’s seven in the frame, setting for a season-saving foundation that the C’s built upon until they reached the end of the finish line.

Most importantly, the Celtics never took their foot off the gas, flipping the pressure on Jimmy Butler and Miami despite being the team playing catch-up with their season hanging on the edge of a cliff. Boston pulled the rug out from underneath Miami head coach Erik Spoelstra, setting a defensive tone to amplify the discomfort in Butler and the Heat offense as a whole.

The Celtics forced Miami into an outside-shooting drought, refusing to let the Heat replicate their prior 3-point outpours. Instead, all Miami starters registered a negative plus-minus while holding the heat to zero second-chance points. Boston had an 18-point lead to start the fourth and never let go of the rope. In fact, the Heat never even held a lead.

STARS OF THE GAME
— Derrick White came through for the Celtics, finishing with a game-leading 24 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the field and 6-of-8 from beyond the arc. White also recorded three rebounds and two steals while ending the night a game-high plus-22.

— Jayson Tatum followed White’s efficient lead, notching a double-double with 21 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists. Tatum, although, did struggle from the outside, knocking down just 1-of-6 3-point attempts.

— Duncan Robinson did his part off the bench, scoring 18 points while shooting 7-for-10 from the field with four rebounds and nine assists. The 29-year-old sharpshooter put forth a strong campaign to be inserted in Miami’s starting lineup, with Gabe Vincent’s status unknown, in Game 6.

WAGER WATCH
FanDuel Sportsbook set the over/under on Al Horford’s rebound total at 5.5 with +140 odds on the Over, but he excelled those expectations early. Horford grabbed seven rebounds in the first half, to lead all players at that point. A $100 wager placed on the 36-year-old would’ve resulted in a $240 total payout.

UP NEXT
The series heads back to Miami where the Celtics will have an opportunity to secure a winner-take-all Game 7 in Boston. The Celtics and Heat meet for Game 6 on Saturday night at Kaseya Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. ET.

112288

We have what it takes to win if we play focused.  Game 7 this Saturday. I am asking for one more angry effort.

I....WILL....NOT....BE....SILENCED!!!!

I told you I was coming.  But first off, before I launch, I...HATE....LIVE....TV!!!!!  I don't know how you true hardcore Celtics fans do it.  I can't watch TV that way!!!  Commercials drive me insane!!!  More than the Celtics!!!

OK, hold on everybody.  I took notes.  

First off, the NBAPA will be rejecting the union card membership and all playing rights, contracts, etc. of one KYLE LOWRY effective IMMEDIATELY!!  OMG!!  How AWFUL and PATHETIC is this TOTAL IDIOT LOSER?!!!!!!  What a complete idiot.  He really looked like I would have looked had I been placed in that game today.  Seriously, how is this guy even in the league?  Please save yourself any further embarrassment and retire before G6.  But if you don't retire after this series, you could possibly be THE MOST STUPID PERSON ON THE PLANET because you can't play basketball.  How did you even get in the league?!!!

Next.  OMG!!  How big was the early T on JT?!!!  I LOVED IT!!!  Guess who shut his effing mouth and complaining the rest of the game and just PLAYED BASKETBALL?!  Please pay the refs to call that T early in the first quarter every time.  Priceless.  

Next.  DW, MS JT raining 3's early.  White had ICE WATER in his veins.  Game ball no question, no argument, goes to him.  Steady as a rock.  Thank you, Pop.  When we pull all this off, we all need to go to San Antonio and give him a personal thank you for Derrick White.  Period.  

Next.  The man behind the curtain Coach Joe Mazulla with the timely TO's.  Are we done with the criticism there?  Lesson learned.  No more bitchin' here.  Done.  4 times.  Once at 47-32, at 67-51 in the third, once with :32 seconds left in the 3rd,  and then last with 8:24 left in the fourth.  Yeah, Shannon Sharp is right to mention him in the same breath with Red Auerbach.  

Next.  The reports of Jaylen Brown's death were highly exaggerated.  Nice breakout game by him.  Needs to do it one more time Saturday.  

Next.  Marcus Smart - The Steal Master.  This dude is big time.  Just keep being Marcus.  
Next.  4th Quarter.  FT's up until then were a little shaky.  But then GW, JT and MS all hit both of their FT's in succession.  Nice.

Next.  Oh Reggie Miller.  Don't you EVER say anything about Joe Mazulla going forward.  Don't try to come back and say anything positive about him now.  You have not nor will ever earn that right.  

Next.  Very subtle.  With the 4 fouls before getting to the penalty, we were going to the line.  MIA was fouling us in the act which means we were driving to the hole.  

Next.  Talking heads tomorrow.  Not expecting much but they will begin to cover their tracks.  It's still 0-150 and will still probably (now) be 0-151 in their minds.  Nothing has changed.  MIA will regroup and win G6.  Blah, Blah, Blah.  But there will be a little nervousness in their tones.  Holy Crap!!  This may actually happen!!!  

Next.  Didn't get to see much of The Smug One's post game interview.  If anyone can find it, please post it here.  I want what's coming to him more than anything.  More than food after not eating for a month. The prestigious tag that is coming for him.  2 games to go.  Eric, you're down to a two-legged stool, you pompous ASS!  It's going to be easier just to not show up than to try to sit in that seat.  Just quit.  Save yourself the humiliation.  This will end his career.  That's how embarrassing this is going to be.  A person like him with that large of an ego can in no way handle or make room in his bloated Serengeti head what is coming after all his success.  It's the one title no coach ever wants in the NBA.  Losing record?  Being fired?  No problem.  Nothing will be more devastating nor humiliating than the 0-3 Award.  Nothing.  It is and will be career ending.    

Guess what?  I'm completely calm.  Never been more calm in my life about the Boston future.  

Anyone else with me yet?!  There's plenty of room on the db 4-0 bus!!  Plenty of seats.  All are welcome.  Tickets are free!!  Just say the word!!  

db

prakash wrote:We have what it takes to win if we play focused.  Game 7 this Saturday. I am asking for one more angry effort.

This Saturday will be game 6 in Miami, not game 7.

112288

SINUS007

The answer to your question, we are a disfuctional team that will exhibit irrational behavior from time to time in the cource of playing basketball. You can tribute this unusual behaivior to some of the core group of players that have multiple personal agenda's beyond focusing and winning a basketball champioship in today's NBA.

112288

This is the team we've seen more often than not this season.  Over 82 games we saw this one about 57 times.  What changed these last two games?  What flipped the switch?  Well, for one thing, they knew they were embarrassing themselves.  A second thing?  Celtic assistant coach Matt Reynolds, not known for being very vocal, gave a locker room speech in which he told the team that "The season is 9 months long.  We had a bad week", and 'poof', morale shot up.  Perspective and Context, it's all about Perspective and Context (whenever it isn't about Credit and Connections, but that's in a completely different arena).


Sean Grande @SeanGrandePBP
9 hours ago
Three teams in NBA history have forced a 7th game after trailing three games to none. The 2003 Blazers (Vs. Dallas) The 1994 Nuggets (Vs. Utah) The 1951 Knicks (Vs. Rochester) None had Game 7 at home.

When we wake up Sunday, there will be.

The team we saw last night is damn near unbeatable.  The question, as we all know, is "when do we get to see those guys?".  I swear, I'm beginning to think this team was built for younger fans because they are tough on my heart.

They shot 51%, but only 39% from 3 and only 78 fgas.  Maybe that's how we beat them?  If they execute so well we struggle to stop them from scoring then we need to reduce the number of shots they take and take away their 3s.  How do we do that?  With scrambling defense.  Challenge the arc, shoot the passing lanes, play your defensive schemes well so that when they penetrate the weak side defender is close enough to reach in for a strip but not so far as to be disconnected from their man.  That's what we did last night. In the first three games we were playing passive defense. In the last two games our defense has been aggressive and physical and that's what it has to be the next game, and the game after that (and at least 4, a maximum of 7, after that).

Obviously we started the game like a house on fire but we won the 2nd and 3rd quarters too, and we lost the 4th quarter only by 5 because Joe started subbing out the starters with 3:20 left in the 4th with a 19 point lead.  We lost 6 points off an insurmountable lead to end +13, but the game wasn't that close.    

Only 4 Celtics in double-digits, but all of them had 20+.  That's hard to defend.  Our starters were 35-64, 54.6%, and 14-28, 50% from 3.

Tatum with only 21, but a solid 8-16.  11 assists and only 4 turnovers.  There ya go, kid!  Making the offense work.

Al was magnificent.  He was all over the place, 36 going on 26.  We need 6 more like this, Al.  Just 6.  11 rebounds, 5 of them offensive!  5 assists and zero turnovers, a block and a steal.  We can point to Tatum's assists and Smart's steals and Derrick's shooting but nobody brought more energy than the old guy.

We got the good Marcus Smart last night.  We all know his scoring is catch-as-catch-can but last night we got 7-12, 4-6 from 3.  23 points from our 4th or 5th scoring option.  5 steals.  

Jared Weiss @JaredWeissNBA
yesterday
Jaylen Brown: “Marcus was a beast tonight.”

Jared Weiss @JaredWeissNBA
yesterday
Marcus Smart said the Heat snuck up on them in this series. So why did it take 3 games for them to figure it out? “That’s the thing about sneaking up on somebody. You’re not supposed to know they’re coming.”


But Derrick!  Holy Guacamole!  What a game by Derrick!  24 points on 8-11, 6-8 from 3, 2 steals but his defense was fantastic.  There were multiple times when he guarded Jimmy Butler one-on-one and Jimmy started backing him down into the paint and then just stopped and passed out.  I don't expect Jimmy to be that passive in Game 6 but in Game 5 he didn't want none of Derrick White.


Our starting back court of Marcus Smart and Derrick White scored one more point than the entire Heat starting 5.


Jaylen with 3 steals.  Solid defense.  He came into the league primarily as an elite defender, received his All-NBA accolades this year because of his scoring but last night he went back to his roots.

We scored 27 points off of their 16 turnovers.  They had 19 points off of our 9 turnovers.  There's 8 points right there.

13 steals for us vs 6 for them.  They don't provide stats for scores off of steals but they're usually higher than scoring off of turnovers.

They took 78 fgas, we took 79.  So "volume" wasn't it, not unless you're talking about the volume of 3s.  23 3pt fgas for them vs 39 for us.  HALF of our shots were 3s.  16 3pt fgm for us vs 9 for them = 21 points.  When you consider how many more turnovers they had, how many more steals we had and how many more points off of 3s with virtually the same number of fgas the truth is we should have won this by 30+.  They had 4 more fast break points than us.  That's the only category they beat us in and they didn't do that by much neither.

Kyle Lowry, 30 minutes, 5 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 4 turnovers.  Didn't even show up.  Sit your whiny ass down.

Souichi Terada @SouichiTerada
yesterday
Jayson Tatum: "When all hope seems to be lost, when the game is on the line or our backs are against the wall, everybody's going to go down fighting, giving everything they have -- and that's contagious."

Hell yeah.  Just ask DBrown.


Souichi Terada @SouichiTerada
yesterday
Jayson Tatum: "You can see the true character of a person or team when things aren't going well. Our ability to come together, figure things out is unlike anything I've ever seen. Being able to respond. That's a testament to our togetherness and obviously how bad we want it."

Ganas, baby.  Ganas.


Souichi Terada @SouichiTerada
yesterday
Jayson Tatum: "We got the best fans in the league. Up until today, this series, we haven't given them much to cheer for at home. I'm glad our performance matched the energy they were giving us."

You bring it, we'll give it.


On Saturday the Boston Celtics will go for their 4th straight elimination win on the road.  We have won 4 straight elimination games and 7 of our last 8 going back to last season.  To say winning 3 straight, in Miami, is far-fetched is, well, far-fetched.  It appears to be who we are and what we do.


https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/_/gameId/401547675








Bob


.

Amazing turnaround the last 2 games, don’t know how Joe did it, but he did something right, his time outs are perfect to stop any bleeding right away and team has even went on runs. Also amazing how we did this the last 2 games with minimal contribution from Brogdon. We really are deep, hopefully the team will still maintain this energy and edge. Grant Williams getting PT has been huge, guy is a mini tank wondering around banging people. The White starting move has worked great, White dominated that game, more kudos to Joe. Our defense is flying around again.

It's not a complicated formula, playing defense with high intensity is the key. The Celtics need this same intensity on defense for 48 minutes in game 6 and let the chips fall.

My concern is losing Malcolm Brogdon. We were able to get by the last two games without him, but losing his usually consistent production is going to make this more difficult. D White and Smart were tremendous last night so we didn't miss Malcolm. However, we can't count on that kind of shooting again. I am hoping PP can step up. As I've said he matches up pretty well with Lowry, if he can find his stroke it could be huge.

We have better players than Miami, but we dug ourselves into a huge hole. Game 6 is likely game 7 for the Heat. If the Celtics win tomorrow they are in very good shape. They will need to play the best defense they have played all year.

Post Game Posperity:




So confident was I that our beloveds were going to take no jive and get #5, I went to water class, got back to the crib, took a warm bath and headed up to the cave. Diet Coke and shelled peanuts were on the menu.
Turned on the Telly and its the ending of quarter #1

My knees began to squeeze.
My liver starts to quiver!

-Up 15 at the end of one and for some reason my confidence began to wane and nerves started getting shaky.
We’re up big at the end of one and suddenly  I’m scared to death!
Why? Wha wrong wit me?

-“Past performances are indicative of future results”.

Like Marvin used to sing: “I’ve been hurt so many times before”.

But not tonight.

C’s shut off the Heat 110-97 and it wasn’t even that close.
Once again Joe out coached Spo.
Coach Joe was superb once again. Call off the dogs ( But keep em on a leash))

Ohhh it’s on now!

We’re on to Game 6!

-Errbody in Yo-ami will be Tight. Tight Like Prom night

-Err- very player on the Heat will be tight. Tighter than a camels a$$ in a sand storm.

-Will Limp wrist Herro break out of his locker, put on his cape and help save the day?

-Will lil Lame Lamont aka Gabe damn his Kankle and give it a go?

Let’s face it The Heat are in trouble.
Thank DBrown for the script

-Riley’s getting so nervous he may have Alonzo suit up.

Let’s set the scene:

“ Hey Lonzo. For years you’ve been coming to games getting in free, sitting by me disguised as a Heat Employee. It’s time you put in some work.
I need you to go to Spo and tell him your suiting up. If he asks for who, tell him your taking Haslem’s spot.

That lames been getting in free and he’s been retired for the past 10 years.
Send him up here. He can sit next to me in your seat.”

-So. Here we are. It’s Saturday night. Game 6.

The Heat will be tight.

Our Beloveds will be as
Loose as a newborns head.

It is now 3-2 and visions of Curt Schillings bloody sock are dancing in my head.
Can we do it? Yes we can!

Box Score Bigs:

In my Tommy voice: “I Love Derrick”!

-4 Celts’s score 20 or more

-Al with 11 boards

-Tatum dishing out 11 assists
-Total team turnovers -9

Boxer Shorts:

-Stunt Double Kyle Lowry
5 pts / 4 Turnovers

-Scissors Hand Bam
6 turnovers


Notable/Quotable’s:



Joe on Smart:

“When He’s locked in and playing both sides of the ball at a different pace…Kinda gives us our identity in our life”

Say What?

Scal on game 6:

“I don’t need them to make shots, I just need them to play hard. Hey I don’t know but they gotta play hard”

Guess will have to figure out a way to play hard, win and not make any shots.

TNT on the Heat:

Ernie: “Do you think their confidence is shaken”?
Kenny Smith: “Not shaken..but stirred up”.

“We got a room full of tough guys”
-Tatum

Let’s not get carried away JT.

”We can and we will win this series“
-Jimmy Butler

“Now HE might be poking the bear”
-Eddie House





Ktron’s Cliche’ Corner: “One Game at A Time”

-“We have to look at it one game at a time”-Tatum

-“We cant think like we gotta win the next 2. We have to win one on Saturday. It’s one game at a time”.- Smart


-“We just gotta take it one game at a time and keep playing”-Jaylen


More “Backs and Walls”:

-“Going  on the road, backs against the wall. Nobody but us” Our Backs against the wall we are gonna  go down fighting”-Tatum

“Our Backs against the wall. We’re sticking together Playing at high level and giving ourselves a chance”-Joe

“Our backs are against wall. Obviously we didn’t think it’d be like this”-Jaylen
                       
Post Game Pettiness:


-Reggie Miller wishes his 7 yr old daughter Happy Birthday on National TV.

Nobody cares about your daughters birthday Reggie and she didn’t hear the shout out because she can’t stand listening to you either.


-God is too busy with more important stuff

“We just gotta come and play our game, have fun and let God do the rest”
-Pastor Jaylen Brown.

That Reminds me of the late Richard Pryor’s standup when he said

“Jesus wasn’t crucified. People begged him to death”

-We cannot see any more Duncan Robinson Lay ups. If one must McKale his a$$ then so be it. I’ll say it again.
No.More.Duncan.Robinson.Layups!

We’re on to Game #6. Yo-Ami, Here We Come!

dbrown4 wrote:I....WILL....NOT....BE....SILENCED!!!!

I told you I was coming.  But first off, before I launch, I...HATE....LIVE....TV!!!!!  I don't know how you true hardcore Celtics fans do it.  I can't watch TV that way!!!  Commercials drive me insane!!!  More than the Celtics!!!

OK, hold on everybody.  I took notes.  

First off, the NBAPA will be rejecting the union card membership and all playing rights, contracts, etc. of one KYLE LOWRY effective IMMEDIATELY!!  OMG!!  How AWFUL and PATHETIC is this TOTAL IDIOT LOSER?!!!!!!  What a complete idiot.  He really looked like I would have looked had I been placed in that game today.  Seriously, how is this guy even in the league?  Please save yourself any further embarrassment and retire before G6.  But if you don't retire after this series, you could possibly be THE MOST STUPID PERSON ON THE PLANET because you can't play basketball.  How did you even get in the league?!!!

Next.  OMG!!  How big was the early T on JT?!!!  I LOVED IT!!!  Guess who shut his effing mouth and complaining the rest of the game and just PLAYED BASKETBALL?!  Please pay the refs to call that T early in the first quarter every time.  Priceless.  

Next.  DW, MS JT raining 3's early.  White had ICE WATER in his veins.  Game ball no question, no argument, goes to him.  Steady as a rock.  Thank you, Pop.  When we pull all this off, we all need to go to San Antonio and give him a personal thank you for Derrick White.  Period.  

Next.  The man behind the curtain Coach Joe Mazulla with the timely TO's.  Are we done with the criticism there?  Lesson learned.  No more bitchin' here.  Done.  4 times.  Once at 47-32, at 67-51 in the third, once with :32 seconds left in the 3rd,  and then last with 8:24 left in the fourth.  Yeah, Shannon Sharp is right to mention him in the same breath with Red Auerbach.  

Next.  The reports of Jaylen Brown's death were highly exaggerated.  Nice breakout game by him.  Needs to do it one more time Saturday.  

Next.  Marcus Smart - The Steal Master.  This dude is big time.  Just keep being Marcus.  
Next.  4th Quarter.  FT's up until then were a little shaky.  But then GW, JT and MS all hit both of their FT's in succession.  Nice.

Next.  Oh Reggie Miller.  Don't you EVER say anything about Joe Mazulla going forward.  Don't try to come back and say anything positive about him now.  You have not nor will ever earn that right.  

Next.  Very subtle.  With the 4 fouls before getting to the penalty, we were going to the line.  MIA was fouling us in the act which means we were driving to the hole.  

Next.  Talking heads tomorrow.  Not expecting much but they will begin to cover their tracks.  It's still 0-150 and will still probably (now) be 0-151 in their minds.  Nothing has changed.  MIA will regroup and win G6.  Blah, Blah, Blah.  But there will be a little nervousness in their tones.  Holy Crap!!  This may actually happen!!!  

Next.  Didn't get to see much of The Smug One's post game interview.  If anyone can find it, please post it here.  I want what's coming to him more than anything.  More than food after not eating for a month.  The prestigious tag that is coming for him.  2 games to go.  Eric, you're down to a two-legged stool, you pompous ASS!  It's going to be easier just to not show up than to try to sit in that seat.  Just quit.  Save yourself the humiliation.  This will end his career.  That's how embarrassing this is going to be.  A person like him with that large of an ego can in no way handle or make room in his bloated Serengeti head what is coming after all his success.  It's the one title no coach ever wants in the NBA.  Losing record?  Being fired?  No problem.  Nothing will be more devastating nor humiliating than the 0-3 Award.  Nothing.  It is and will be career ending.    

Guess what?  I'm completely calm.  Never been more calm in my life about the Boston future.  

Anyone else with me yet?!  There's plenty of room on the db 4-0 bus!!  Plenty of seats.  All are welcome.  Tickets are free!!  Just say the word!!  

db

(Hand raised) SAVE ME A SEAT! :>))

Pumpsie Green wrote:We have better players than Miami, but we dug ourselves into a huge hole. Game 6 is likely game 7 for the Heat. If the Celtics win tomorrow they are in very good shape. They will need to play the best defense they have played all year.

Good point about D. Last night the Celtics played 3 quarters of D. Then they forgot D and traded baskets through the 4th. If Miami had managed to get some stops in the 4th, it could have been a different outcome. I believe you are on target; 4 quarters of solid D Saturday.

Ktron, you were already the first one on the damn bus!! But come back on! You must have stepped out for a drink!! I can't drink and drive!

db

I’m not sure what impresses me more, the Celtics resilience or the length and depth of some of the posts here.

It’s good stuff, but where do you guys find the time?

112288 wrote:

prakash wrote:We have what it takes to win if we play focused.  Game 7 this Saturday. I am asking for one more angry effort.

This Saturday will be game 6 in Miami, not game 7.

112288

I know.  The way I see it, it is Game 7.  Whoever wins, wins the series!

As many posters have already written our defense was the difference maker in the last two games.
But what is really amazing is the game called by Joe. I find it hard to believe that he did it by himself. Does Brad have a secret phone line hooked up with Joe? Would that even be legal?

Berlin-T

Celtics 17

remarked "It's not a complicated formula, playing defense with high intensity is the key. "

I want to add that the defense impacts the way the Celtics play on the offensive end.  

The Celtics offense is centered around volume 3 point shooting and accuracy.

In their 3 losses they shot:  (10-29) 34.5%: (10-25) 28.6% and (11-42) 26.2%.

In their 2 wins they shot (18-45) 40% and (16-39) 41%.

I am very happy that they have put themselves in a better position.

I do not believe they will finish the deal.  We would not only need to shoot the 3 ball at a high level but we would need another A game from Al Horford who played his butt off last night.

I do not think they they will win game 6 in Miami.  Both Jimma and Bam had crappy game fives. Look for them to close the Celtics out tomorrow night.  Of course I hope that the Celtics win but I think they have played with a false sense of entitlement throughout the playoffs and it will bite them on the buttocks.

Clearly, Jimmy Butler is delusional and in denial. He said yesterday, this is not who we are or the way we play. Yes, Jimmy, this is the way you play. You made a whole season of it. There is no such thing as Playoff Jimmy. You don't play shitty all season, rip your fans off who spent good money over 82 games and then sustain what you have done in these playoffs beyond a certain time before things go back to normal. You are an 8th seed for a reason. Your stripes are showing. Those don't change. Get used to them. Return to normal. It never fails in the NBA. Ever.

We, however, thrive on being inconsistent. It's just when it gets to this point in a series, we are locked in and know what to do. You, unfortunately, don't know Jack.

db

dboss,

I have to admit, I'm shocked a bit and hope you are completely wrong. You have before you every bit of evidence that this team has reached it's inconsistency point so many times that one of these times it is going to backfire. They do like playing with matches.

This is what makes a horserace...a difference of opinion. I see it as this can't end any other way. I'm convinced MIA is an 8th seed team at best, playing way above their paygrade and they will now continue to return to the norm with just as violent a swing as the whole season vs. playoff display back to the norm.

You've seen far more Celtics than I have. This team is like no other. We all keep trying to compare this team to past Celtic teams to get some normalcy. If this team pulls it all off, it may become the most memorable of all time.

This team is consistently inconsistent. But they still win when it counts. And now it counts. They had the 2nd best record in the league by one game. You still have to win a lot to do that and Coach Joe actually won more games in his first frame than Ime did when all was said and done.

I respect your view. I hope you are pulling a db!!

db

db

I expected the Celtics to win game 4 because they were beaten down and quit in game 3 and they have not lost 4 games in a row in 2 years.

They were due to win game 5 at home having already squandered the first 2 games.

game 6 is a different animal because the Heat will be fully motivated at home with a great opportunity to close out this series.

You never know if Boston will make their 3 pointers.  And if they start missing they are likely to fold up.  A close game favors the Heat and I think it will be a 1 or 2 possession game.  

CJ has made noticeable strides but I think it is too late.

I hate to say this but I am feeling like the Celtics are going down in 6.

dboss wrote:db

I expected the Celtics to win game 4 because they were beaten down and quit in game 3 and they have not lost 4 games in a row in 2 years.

They were due to win game 5 at home having already squandered the first 2 games.

game 6 is a different animal because the Heat will be fully motivated at home with a great opportunity to close out this series.

You never know if Boston will make their 3 pointers.  And if they start missing they are likely to fold up.  A close game favors the Heat and I think it will be a 1 or 2 possession game.  

CJ has made noticeable strides but I think it is too late.

I hate to say this but I am feeling like the Celtics are going down in 6.

I could see it play out that way too, if we are cold from 3 we are in big trouble; but I also agree with Barkley, if both teams are playing at their best, we are the superior better more talented team. When Butler or Bam go to the bench who’s carrying them? We can have one J always on the floor and we can have one of Timelord or Big Al on the floor or play them together and now Grant has been freed/unleashed and can contribute both ends. It’s almost as if Joe was limiting his own team with so many bad rotation and strategy decisions that contributed heavily to the first 3 losses. If Joe had called time outs on the first lackadaisical play to refocus and used the rotation better and got the defense to fly around attack/hustle hard throughout the game to key our offense, maybe this would be a different series and that’s alot of ifs. On offense I also like the way we are also moving the ball and attacking favorable match ups. We have 3 guys that can cover Butler in Brown, Tatum and the rejuvenated and freed Grant, we also have Smart and White that can do some mop up duty until bigger guys body him up. I particularly like the way Jaylen and Grant have defended Jimmy last 2 games. Now how many guys can Heat throw at Jaylen and Jayson? Butler can’t defend both and Strus, Robinson and Highsmith don’t scare me, in fact I like those match ups. If Butler is going to go for 40, he will have his work cut out for him; if he can do it, he will have earned it and more power to him, but we are equipped to defend him. So all things being equal, if Joe doesn’t help Miami, and we play hard and intense and run off the defense I like our chances.

Cow

They cannot defend the Jays man to man.

Their zones stiffle our offense.  The Celts looked a little better trying to find openings but their best shot is the 3 pointer.  When Boston shoots the 3 ball well they usually win.  When they miss and are slow to get back on defense they lose.

No one knows what is going to happen.  Will Boston play great defense against the PNR or will they be in drop coverage.  Will they sag to the middle and be late rotating out to shooters.

I just do not know.

I am feeling a loss tonight.  I think the Celtics spotted them one too many games.