Post Game Portland - Away

How did this happen? How could this woefully depleted team possibly beat the red hot Blazers in Portland? No Hayward, Brown, Smart, Theis, and Irving, and they still win?

I did not see the game. Only read the box score. Thirty-eight points in the 4th quarter? What does Brad have these guys smoking? When did Marcus Morris reincarnate as a Super shooter, hitting 5 of 6 from beyond the arc? How can tiny Shane Larkin be so effective? What business does Tatum have making two steals. Since when does Big Al go 2-2 from 3? Greg Monroe with ten rebounds? Seriously, WTF?

worcester wrote:How did this happen? How could this woefully depleted team possibly beat the red hot Blazers in Portland? No Hayward, Brown, Smart, Theis, and Irving, and they still win?

I did not see the game. Only read the box score. Thirty-eight points in the 4th quarter? What does Brad have these guys smoking? When did Marcus Morris reincarnate as a Super shooter, hitting 5 of 6 from beyond the arc? How can tiny Shane Larkin be so effective? What business does Tatum have making two steals. Since when does Big Al go 2-2 from 3? Greg Monroe with ten rebounds? Seriously, WTF?

I think we have to turn to Brad Stevens for an answer to that question Worcester. Or I’d just say Brad Stevens is the answer.

I have seen many gritty Celtic teams, but this one ranks right up there with the best of them. I didn't think they had a chance against Portland, but they thought otherwise.

Kudos to CBS and the team, they deserve all the respect in the world.

Berlin-T

I thought I could not be any prouder of a team than of these guys and the whole Celtics organization - until I read this article in the Boston Globe about my own alma mater, which describes how college basketball can be played properly at its highest level:

https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2018/03/23/espn-endorsement-deals-problem-for-amherst-college-basketball-champs/Q9trtON2LAy1eV353088ZP/story.html?et_rid=1941633599&s_campaign=todaysheadlines:newsletter

did I read correctly that Baynes and Monroe combined for 19 pt, 19 reb and 7 assists and that Monroe had 4 blocks?

thats one nice game for the two big men, now just bring it every night!

Mercurial Morris may have been the star of the game but the game ball goes to Danny. Brad wouldn't be able to work his magic if he didn't have the right people to work with. This team is so much better and deeper than last year's team.

Speaking of the mercurial one, wanna bet that every night he goes to sleep and dreams that he is the primary offensive weapon? How about when he needs to make that last shot? Every time, right over his twin.

Who does Tatum remind me of? Right now it's Jaylen Brown. Jaylen had several different phases to his first year and so has Jayson. Unlike Brown, Tatum started out hot, hit his wall, and is now, like Brown last year, starting to come into form. He isn't quite there yet but he is starting to make that transition to no longer being a rookie. Considering how often it looks like he plays with a certain maturity and polish, he hasn't even really started to scratch the surface of his potential yet. Great pick Danny!

What can you say about Shane Larkin other than he may be Danny's best pick up last year not named Theis? He has flat out won a few games for the Celtics and influenced a few more. Every young player wants to have that opportunity but few really capitalize on it.

It's taken almost the whole season but finally I'm getting some glimpses of the Dancing Bear. Guersch isn't tearing it up but he is setting good screens, grabbing rebounds, keeping his hands active on D, and playing solid. He still has a long way to go but he is clearly more comfortable now. He needs a breakout game and if he is going to get more regular minutes, he will get it.

It can be tough to go through the whole season thinking there might be a "puncher's chance" to get to the Finals and pull off the upset. But I'm not disappointed with this season at all. After all, we still have players willing to put it all on the line. Next man up has become next men instead. But these guys don't quit. Danny gave Brad guys to work with and he has made them into a team.

We're not done yet. We will beat last' years win total. We will go deep.

People talk about Pyrrhic victories, how some victories so deplete an army's strength that they eventually lead to the loss of the war. This season is turning into one with many Pyrrhic defeats which in the long run may very well lead to us winning the war - that is #18. Yes, if we'd had our squad at full strength we could have been a contender for #18 this year with a slim to mediocre chance of winning it all. However, our numerous injuries have given several players - Tatum, Jaylen, Rozier, Shane, Morris, Theis, Yabu, Nader, Semi - an opportunity they sorely needed to develop which they otherwise would never have fully received. Next year's squad will be MUCH more ready to win that this year's. We have one remarkably talented and now experienced group of players ready to march on to victory for years to come.

Mike Antoni of the NBA best Houston Rockets or maybe Dwayne Casey of the streaking Toronto Raptors will probably win Coach of the Year, but Brad has to be #3.  He prepared to have a team that had Horford, Irving AND Hayward being a point forward and taking some of those responsibilities off of Kyrie and he just beat the team with the 5th best record in the NBA, who had won 13 of their previous 14 games, and was healthy and playing at home while he was without an All-Star starter (two, if you include Hayward) and our #1 scorer, our back court defensive starter and our #2 scorer, our 6th man and defensive backbone, and our back up center.  Furthermore, the player who started instead of the All-Star shot 4-14 and one of the scoring options we though we needed to compete, Jayson Tatum, shot 4-11.  Al Horford, our lone remaining All-Star player, had an invisible 11 point, 3 rebound game.  And we won going away anyway.  That's elite coaching.

I didn't watch the game (I think that's my first of the season) but I listened to Sean and Max on and off and checked in on the Game On! thread.

We lost every quarter, except the last one.  That one we won 38-23 and that was a back-breaker despite starting the 4th down 10.  We were down 12 after Portland's 1st possession of the 4th.  We were tied, 96-96, with just 1:42 left in the 4th.

I said Horford had an invisible game, and I pointed out Rozier and Tatum's poor shooting night but listening to the game I heard how Horford had big blocks and Rozier hit big 3s and Tatum awoke in our 38 point 4th quarter.  Before that it was Monroe and Monroe that kept us in the game.  It is obvious why Monroe's nickname is 'Moose'.  Over the radio you could hear Sean describing him pounding people inside, and Nurkic is a load-and-a-half, but Nurkic can't box out Moose and Baynes.  Credit where credit is due, Monroe and Morris took a combined 2fgas in the 4th quarter, with Morris taking both and making both (both 3s and one of them the back-breaker).  That means our 4th quarter production was all the players who were in some other time zone for the first 3 quarters.

We shot 11-18 from 3 and 35-77 overall.  That means we shot 24-59 from 2.  40.7%.  That is HORRIBLE 2-point shooting.

26 ftas for us vs 15 for them.  We hit 24, they hit 15.  There's the game right there.  We had 77 fgas vs their 91, their fg% was close to ours, they had 8 TOs we had 13.  The difference in the game, statistically, was our superior 3pt shooting and ftas.  Morris 7-7, Tatum 5-67 and Rozier 6-6.  18-19 and 3/4 of our ft points.  Tatum and Rozier didn't shoot well, but they were still working hard and got to the line.

Morris bitched about not starting early on, and he's starting now because of injuries, but otherwise he must think he's died and gone to heaven.  He's a shooter, far more than he is anything else, and Brad has given him carte blanche to fire away anytime anywhere.  The video provided that shows the last 1:42 shows his big 3 with the clock going down with a defender in his face.  SVG, in Detroit, would be grimacing at that shot.  Brad acted like it just a walk in the park.  Speaking of that video, Dame Lillard was the recipient of two phantom foul calls, one on TRo and one on Monroe.

The Magic Number to secure the #2 playoff seed is now 5, in spectacular hard-to-believe fashion.  As Max said after we beat OKC in Boston in a nail-biter the previous game "you cannot kill this team unless you stab'em in the heart, burn'em, and see their dead, cold body in the morning".  PRIDE.

http://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=400975832












bob



.

mulcogiseng wrote:Mercurial Morris may have been the star of the game but the game ball goes to Danny. Brad wouldn't be able to work his magic if he didn't have the right people to work with. This team is so much better and deeper than last year's team.

Speaking of the mercurial one, wanna bet that every night he goes to sleep and dreams that he is the primary offensive weapon?  How about when he needs to make that last shot? Every time, right over his twin.  

Who does Tatum remind me of? Right now it's Jaylen Brown. Jaylen had several different phases to his first year and so has Jayson. Unlike Brown, Tatum started out hot, hit his wall, and is now, like Brown last year, starting to come into form. He isn't quite there yet but he is starting to make that transition to no longer being a rookie. Considering how often it looks like he plays with a certain maturity and polish, he hasn't even really started to scratch the surface of his potential yet. Great pick Danny!

What can you say about Shane Larkin other than he may be Danny's best pick up last year not named Theis? He has flat out won a few games for the Celtics and influenced a few more. Every young player wants to have that opportunity but few really capitalize on it.

It's taken almost the whole season but finally I'm getting some glimpses of the Dancing Bear. Guersch isn't tearing it up but he is setting good screens, grabbing rebounds, keeping his hands active on D, and playing solid. He still has a long way to go but he is clearly more comfortable now. He needs a breakout game and if he is going to get more regular minutes, he will get it.

It can be tough to go through the whole season thinking there might be a "puncher's chance" to get to the Finals and pull off the upset. But I'm not disappointed with this season at all. After all, we still have players willing to put it all on the line. Next man up has become next men instead. But these guys don't quit. Danny gave Brad guys to work with and he has made them into a team.

We're not done yet. We will beat last' years win total. We will go deep.

Not understanding why you refer to Morris as mercurial.

Love the way young players with an off game, Rozier and Tatum had the poise to put it behind them and make key plays down the stretch. Those are the kind of players you can go to war with, they can score, but they can also make intangible signature plays, like the Rozier steal, then he was a blur going end to end, but got fouled.

What can I say about Marcus Morris? He carried us, hit big shots in the clutch and he put up 30 points on 13 shots....who does that? 5 out of 6 from 3 was actually Bird like, didn’t know he could hit zones like this? Yabu showed me enough that I think he can find a place in this league, he’s got the talent, has to learn how to play team ball. Love how Al made some great plays in 4th and love the little guy Larkin and the Moose, how can you not love a guy named Moose?

Great game, amazing win by a very very short handed team!! Can you imagine how deep we will be once healthy? We are going to rule the league, it’s coming, if not this year....next year look out.

cowens/oldschool wrote:Love the way young players with an off game, Rozier and Tatum had the poise to put it behind them and make key plays down the stretch. Those are the kind of players you can go to war with, they can score, but they can also make intangible signature plays, like the Rozier steal, then he was a blur going end to end, but got fouled.

What can I say about Marcus Morris? He carried us, hit big shots in the clutch and he put up 30 points on 13 shots....who does that? 5 out of 6 from 3 was actually Bird like, didn’t know he could hit zones like this? Yabu showed me enough that I think he can find a place in this league, he’s got the talent, has to learn how to play team ball. Love how Al made some great plays in 4th and love the little guy Larkin and the Moose, how can you not love a guy named Moose?

Great game, amazing win by a very very short handed team!! Can you imagine how deep we will be once healthy? We are going to rule the league, it’s coming, if not this year....next year look out.

Cow,

He's not just named Moose, he plays like one. I couldn't watch the game but I watched his highlights on youtube just now. He just overpowered people, just flat out out-muscled them. A real throwback, he is. Made a great bounce pocket-pass from the high post to a cutting Al Horford too. Love that. Love bigs who are great high post passers.


bob


.

Ben Rohrbach
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@brohrbach
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Find someone who looks at you the way Brad Stevens looks at Marcus Morris





Since losing Kyrie Irving, Marcus Smart and Daniel Theis in the same game, the Celtics are now 3-2.


Sean Grande @SeanGrandePBP
about 9 hours ago
Without their starting backcourt Friday, The Celtics got this in the 4th quarter from Shane Larkin, Terry Rozier and Jayson Tatum... 28 points 6 rebounds 5 assists/1 turnover +39 Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum and Evan Turner? 20 points 4 rebounds 0 assists/1 turnover -35


Adam Himmelsbach @AdamHimmelsbach
about 12 hours ago
Including the Hornets game in which Kyrie played less than two minutes, the Cs are now 10-4 this season without him.

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Sean Highkin
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Insightful answer from Shane Larkin, asked about the Celtics’ mindset playing shorthanded:



Tom Halzack @TomHalzack
about 5 hours ago
Portland Coach Terry Stotts on the most recent theft: I know we absolutely had it in our possession with just a few minutes remaining. I saw it there with my own eyes. The Federales: What exactly was taken from you, Mr Stotts? Coach: a big fat W

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The Cardiac Kids won ALL of these games:





bob



.

Monroe's ability to move men around is amazing. He is getting more and more comfortable on this team. He was very engaged last night when they were making the run in the 4th quarter.

I am so impressed with the way Shane Larkin comes into a game, one that they looked like they were going to lose by double digits, and gets the team to start believing, bit by bit, that they could win this game. It is infectious. He is a fighter, a pit bull. He has been terrific for this team.

Brad has these guys believing in themselves and in him. I don't know how he does it, but it is obvious they are proud to go to battle for him. Last night was just one example, Portland could not believe, at the end of the game, that they had lost to this group of pit bulls!

Great game from a gritty bunch. Love this team.

Yes.. give Stevens credit, but damn, give the players some credit too. Rozier and Tatum have grown. Morris has taken a leadership role. Horford and Monroe have been solid, too. Larkin has his moments when he's playing prudently.



KJ

bobheckler wrote:

cowens/oldschool wrote:Love the way young players with an off game, Rozier and Tatum had the poise to put it behind them and make key plays down the stretch. Those are the kind of players you can go to war with, they can score, but they can also make intangible signature plays, like the Rozier steal, then he was a blur going end to end, but got fouled.

What can I say about Marcus Morris? He carried us, hit big shots in the clutch and he put up 30 points on 13 shots....who does that? 5 out of 6 from 3 was actually Bird like, didn’t know he could hit zones like this? Yabu showed me enough that I think he can find a place in this league, he’s got the talent, has to learn how to play team ball. Love how Al made some great plays in 4th and love the little guy Larkin and the Moose, how can you not love a guy named Moose?

Great game, amazing win by a very very short handed team!! Can you imagine how deep we will be once healthy? We are going to rule the league, it’s coming, if not this year....next year look out.

Cow,

He's not just named Moose, he plays like one.  I couldn't watch the game but I watched his highlights on youtube just now.  He just overpowered people, just flat out out-muscled them.  A real throwback, he is.  Made a great bounce pocket-pass from the high post to a cutting Al Horford too.  Love that.  Love bigs who are great high post passers.


bob


.

He definitely plays like a Moose with soft hands, the commentators I heard last night were saying that it’s amazing that he hadn’t found a home, that this is the way he has always played, that he does so many things that you would think a team would want....glad we got him, he’s still young.

From the Portland Oregonian.

http://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/index.ssf/2018/03/portland_trail_blazers_boston_celtics_rapid_reacti.html

dboss wrote:

mulcogiseng wrote:Mercurial Morris may have been the star of the game but the game ball goes to Danny. Brad wouldn't be able to work his magic if he didn't have the right people to work with. This team is so much better and deeper than last year's team.

Speaking of the mercurial one, wanna bet that every night he goes to sleep and dreams that he is the primary offensive weapon?  How about when he needs to make that last shot? Every time, right over his twin.  

Who does Tatum remind me of? Right now it's Jaylen Brown. Jaylen had several different phases to his first year and so has Jayson. Unlike Brown, Tatum started out hot, hit his wall, and is now, like Brown last year, starting to come into form. He isn't quite there yet but he is starting to make that transition to no longer being a rookie. Considering how often it looks like he plays with a certain maturity and polish, he hasn't even really started to scratch the surface of his potential yet. Great pick Danny!

What can you say about Shane Larkin other than he may be Danny's best pick up last year not named Theis? He has flat out won a few games for the Celtics and influenced a few more. Every young player wants to have that opportunity but few really capitalize on it.

It's taken almost the whole season but finally I'm getting some glimpses of the Dancing Bear. Guersch isn't tearing it up but he is setting good screens, grabbing rebounds, keeping his hands active on D, and playing solid. He still has a long way to go but he is clearly more comfortable now. He needs a breakout game and if he is going to get more regular minutes, he will get it.

It can be tough to go through the whole season thinking there might be a "puncher's chance" to get to the Finals and pull off the upset. But I'm not disappointed with this season at all. After all, we still have players willing to put it all on the line. Next man up has become next men instead. But these guys don't quit. Danny gave Brad guys to work with and he has made them into a team.

We're not done yet. We will beat last' years win total. We will go deep.

Not understanding why you refer to Morris as mercurial.

dboss

Just me being silly. For some reason when he signed I was thinking of Mercury Morris the old scatback for the Dolphins. That, added to his ever changing play within the game, gave me mercurial. Probably time to retire this, eh?

Mercurial Morris as an extremely apt term. I do not understand why anyone would question that.

cowens/oldschool wrote:

bobheckler wrote:

cowens/oldschool wrote:Love the way young players with an off game, Rozier and Tatum had the poise to put it behind them and make key plays down the stretch. Those are the kind of players you can go to war with, they can score, but they can also make intangible signature plays, like the Rozier steal, then he was a blur going end to end, but got fouled.

What can I say about Marcus Morris? He carried us, hit big shots in the clutch and he put up 30 points on 13 shots....who does that? 5 out of 6 from 3 was actually Bird like, didn’t know he could hit zones like this? Yabu showed me enough that I think he can find a place in this league, he’s got the talent, has to learn how to play team ball. Love how Al made some great plays in 4th and love the little guy Larkin and the Moose, how can you not love a guy named Moose?

Great game, amazing win by a very very short handed team!! Can you imagine how deep we will be once healthy? We are going to rule the league, it’s coming, if not this year....next year look out.

Cow,

He's not just named Moose, he plays like one.  I couldn't watch the game but I watched his highlights on youtube just now.  He just overpowered people, just flat out out-muscled them.  A real throwback, he is.  Made a great bounce pocket-pass from the high post to a cutting Al Horford too.  Love that.  Love bigs who are great high post passers.


bob


.

He definitely plays like a Moose with soft hands, the commentators I heard last night were saying that it’s amazing that he hadn’t found a home, that this is the way he has always played, that he does so many things that you would think a team would want....glad we got him, he’s still young.

I got it.  Makes sense to me.

I would say to Terry Stotts, yes, the game looked very winable for his team except that your have to play a full 48 minutes for a win. This group of Celtics, fighters at heart, were not ready to let Portland win without a fight. So, Mr Stottts, leason learned for your young, talented team, from our young, talented team. Go up against fighters and even when they look like they are going to go down, they still need that last punch to floor them, and your team couldn't do that.

These Celts have become masters at taking the game one play at a time.