These Celtics Are Already Doing Something Kyrie's C's Wouldn't

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2860585-these-celtics-are-already-doing-something-kyries-cs-wouldnt




These Celtics Are Already Doing Something Kyrie's C's Wouldn't




GRANT HUGHES
OCTOBER 30, 2019





Adam Glanzman/Getty Images



Few teams needed refreshing more than the 2018-19 Boston Celtics.

Kyrie Irving's brooding and philosophizing, young players failing to develop in line with expectations, and a general joylessness defined last year's squad. So even if this season's edition is without a pair of veteran All-Stars (don't forget about Al Horford, who's now with the Philadelphia 76ers), it's making up for those losses by rediscovering the unity it'd been missing.

The Celtics are playing together, and it seems to be working for them.

Boston erased a 19-point deficit against the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday, blitzing one of the Eastern Conference's theoretical title contenders with a 38-18 third quarter that turned the tide and resulted in a 116-105 win. As an invigorated Celtics team shook off its second straight lackluster first half, the sense of pleasant surprise was undeniable.


Kevin O'Connor

@KevinOConnorNBA
Feels like a Celtics game from the Isaiah Thomas days. Never-give-up attitude. Team is clearly having fun. Last year's Celtics would have folded.

2,151
6:49 PM - Oct 30, 2019


That's taking things back a little further than 2018-19, but the point stands. Boston won plenty of games in the brief Irving era, but those victories lacked the exuberance we saw Wednesday. When adversity hit those past versions of the Celtics, the Celtics rarely hit back.


Paul Flannery
@Pflanns
I don't know what the Celtics ceiling is, but they would have quit on this game last season.

151
6:45 PM - Oct 30, 2019


Kemba Walker, whose game isn't so different from Irving's but whose reputation and attitude are, led the way with 32 points. He punished Milwaukee's drop coverage, hitting pull-up threes or hesitating before attacking the lane to create for teammates. His competitiveness, undimmed by an ugly first half, was key to sparking Boston's run.

He even reserved a little flair for the fourth quarter, essentially putting the exclamation point on the comeback story.


SportsCenter

@SportsCenter
Kemba had too much sauce for Giannis

https://twitter.com/i/status/1189724863012818944
5,711
7:04 PM - Oct 30, 2019


Marcus Smart was his unashamedly irritating (and therefore lovable) self throughout, frustrating Giannis Antetokounmpo with his physicality. Late in the game, he and the reigning MVP got locked up and toppled to the floor, with Smart completing a textbook pancake block. The angle below won't show it. But on the broadcast, Smart was unmistakably smirking as Giannis took him down.


ESPN

@espn
The way Giannis looked at Marcus Smart

https://twitter.com/espn/status/1189727240558432256
4,176
7:14 PM - Oct 30, 2019


He knew he'd needled Antetokounmpo past his breaking point. He knew he'd won.

Jayson Tatum was also part of the second-half momentum swing, shaking off a rough shooting season so far to finish with 25 points on 22 attempts. Boston's dialed-in third-quarter defense produced several runouts and semi-transition looks, many of which concluded with a Tatum bucket.


NBA

@NBA
Jayson Tatum in transition WITH AUTHORITY! #Celtics

: @ESPNNBA

https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1189720827492745216
1,646
6:48 PM - Oct 30, 2019


Not to be forgotten, Gordon Hayward calmly conducted the offense, racking up 21 points and seven assists. Though he appeared hesitant in the first half (and for the entirety of his post-injury career, for that matter), he looked renewed during the game-altering surge.


Michael Pina

@MichaelVPina
This is my third Gordon Hayward-related tweet in the past 5 minutes but the dude hasn't looked this good in two years. It's an All-Star performance.

11
6:55 PM - Oct 30, 2019


Most importantly, all of Boston's most impactful players contributed without friction. It wasn't as though Walker's buckets came at the expense of Tatum's touches. Boston had plenty of listless, disjointed losses last year, but even some of its wins came in unsatisfying ways. Irving could take over a quarter as well or better than Walker, but there was always a sense that his brilliance existed independently. It set him apart.

Walker, Tatum, Smart, Hayward and the rest of the Celtics seemed, in contrast, to feed off one another.

You can't quantify spirit or togetherness. But it sure seems like this year's Celtics have more of those qualities than last year's. The result is a newly resilient team that has the potential to be more than the sum of its parts.

Granted, the Bucks have had their issues in the early going. This is their second supersized blown lead, they lack a reliable secondary creator, and if the full book is not out on how to stop one of the league's more predictable offenses, well, the cheat sheet is in circulation.


Jay King

@ByJayKing
Brad Stevens on the defense: “We had to swarm the paint. You kind of pick your poison and challenge as well as you can.”

65
7:27 PM - Oct 30, 2019


Still, the Celtics fought and, more importantly, fought together.

Meanwhile, Irving is off to a terrific statistical start with his new team, which happens to be 1-3 after Wednesday's loss to the Indiana Pacers. The post-loss talk coming out of Brooklyn is eerily familiar to Boston fans who know what it looks like when one player's success comes at the cost of organizational and schematic unity.


Kristian Winfield

@Krisplashed
Kenny Atkinson on Nets offense: “We’re not really running anything.. we’ve kinda lost a little bit of our structure and organization.”

208
7:11 PM - Oct 30, 2019 · Brooklyn, NY


This doesn't need to be an Irving takedown. He's where he wants to be, and the Celtics are enjoying their fresh start. Everybody wins.


It's just that some wins, like the one Boston secured against Milwaukee, are a little more satisfying than others.



bob



.

Another thread to dis Kyrie.  

The nail has already been hammered into the coffin.  The corpse lays silent.

But the bulldog media remains on the front porch with a porkchop in its' mouth.  Just refuse to let go.  The dead horse is beaten so drop the whip.

Kyrie's Nets are starting to look a little like Kyrie's Celtics last year. He is playing some of the best basketball of his life, but the team is losing. The team that was winning last year, but essentially swapped its over-performing PG for the 'clearly superior' Irving, is losing. I haven't looked, but I would bet the numbers this year show that the Nets are better when Irving is on the court, just like they did last year for the Celtics. That was the rallying cry for the Kyriepologists last year - "the Celtics play better when he is on the court than when he sits". That, and "we will need him to take over in the playoffs - he is playoff proven". I think the Bucks series pretty much nullified the latter point. The first point is more interesting. How can a player be detrimental to team play when the numbers show that the team is better when he is on the court than when he sits? I don't know. One interesting thing is if you look at games when he didn't even dress, then the Celtics were actually much better. Higher win percentage, higher assist percentage, more balanced scoring, faster pace, etc, etc. The only thing I can think of is that when Kyrie dresses, he dominates the pace and flow of the game. The ball is always in his hands, and he is deciding to score or pass, so he sets the pace. Once a flow is established, it wouldn't be easy for it to suddenly change when Irving goes to the bench, especially since he rarely sat for long stretches. The way the IT teams played, and the way this year's team has played so far is contagious, but it isn't simple to just turn it on at will. I am sure the real explanations for last year's disappointing team are more complicated, but Kyrie is a stubborn guy, and I could easily see him believing that the best chance for the team winning would be for him to control the pace and flow of the game. Given his status in the league and his 1st pick, established-champion pedigree, I could see a team filled with young guys and mellow vets like Al following. Until KD gets back, it looks like it might be a similar situation in Brooklyn. Will be interesting to see what happens when KD does return - he is not exactly mister sunshine and emotional stability himself....

dboss wrote:Another thread to dis Kyrie.  

The nail has already been hammered into the coffin.  The corpse lays silent.

But the bulldog media remains on the front porch with a porkchop in its' mouth.  Just refuse to let go.  The dead horse is beaten so drop the whip.

Sorry Dboss - sent my horse-beating post before reading your plea for peace. Intent was not to ignore or over-ride your diplomatic post.

Shamrock1000 wrote:

dboss wrote:Another thread to dis Kyrie.  

The nail has already been hammered into the coffin.  The corpse lays silent.

But the bulldog media remains on the front porch with a porkchop in its' mouth.  Just refuse to let go.  The dead horse is beaten so drop the whip.

Sorry Dboss - sent my horse-beating post before reading your plea for peace. Intent was not to ignore or over-ride your diplomatic post.

Hey rock, Not a problem at all.  For us Celtics fans we are blessed that Kyrie is gone.

We do not need verification at this point.  But just think.  We have 2 games coming up in November and the media will be out in force.  I do not think that they understand that it is not about disliking Kyrie.  It is about loving the Celtics and what they represent.   The media will frame those games as the Celtics vs Kyrie Irving.

Lets go Celtics!

dboss wrote:

Shamrock1000 wrote:

dboss wrote:Another thread to dis Kyrie.  

The nail has already been hammered into the coffin.  The corpse lays silent.

But the bulldog media remains on the front porch with a porkchop in its' mouth.  Just refuse to let go.  The dead horse is beaten so drop the whip.

Sorry Dboss - sent my horse-beating post before reading your plea for peace. Intent was not to ignore or over-ride your diplomatic post.

Hey rock, Not a problem at all.  For us Celtics fans we are blessed that Kyrie is gone.

We do not need verification at this point.  But just think.  We have 2 games coming up in November and the media will be out in force.  I do not think that they understand that it is not about disliking Kyrie.  It is about loving the Celtics and what they represent.   The media will frame those games as the Celtics vs Kyrie Irving.

Lets go Celtics!

Here is my attempt to shift the narrative: instead of talking about how bad Kyrie is/was, let's talk about how good Kemba is. Man that guy is quick! That stop-on-a-dime step-back is something to see. No way to defend it. I am beginning to think he has been seriously under-rated because he played for a bad small market team. He could really shine here.

I imagine some of us will be beating that "dead horse" for quite a while.  No amount of rationalization will remove our dislike for that dick face loser.

I do not think that time will heal that wound to Celtics Nation.

gyso wrote:I imagine some of us will be beating that "dead horse" for quite a while.  No amount of rationalization will remove our dislike for that dick face loser.

I do not think that time will heal that wound to Celtics Nation.

Don't hold back Gyso - tell us what you really think of Kyrie.

gyso wrote:I imagine some of us will be beating that "dead horse" for quite a while.  No amount of rationalization will remove our dislike for that dick face loser.

I do not think that time will heal that wound to Celtics Nation.

Gyso

Hopefully sooner or later the Kyrie thing will disappear like a fart in the wind.

I just do not feel any wound.   I only feel a blessing.  He's gone and I'm moving on.

I think what does bug me a bit is the persistent notion that all that went wrong last year falls on the shoulders of one rather ecentric teammate.  That is what has been playing out.  Yes he was a horrible fit but we have a new exciting PG along with returning guys that we really like.

I think Celtics fans feel gilted.  He left for Brooklyn.  He did not want to be here.  He falsly embraced the Celtics culture and then he left.

I have been rolling with the green for 60 years.  I have been very disappointed and also ecstatic.  To be honest the only wounds that will never heal is the loss of Len Bias and Reggie Lewis.

Kyrie Irving is irrelevant. I say let go and embrace what we have now.

gyso wrote:I imagine some of us will be beating that "dead horse" for quite a while.  No amount of rationalization will remove our dislike for that dick face loser.

I do not think that time will heal that wound to Celtics Nation.

ouch.....I don't think I've ever heard that type of ......um...critic? .......from you before....LOL

and I think Celtics fans will enjoy beating on the corpse of Irving every chance they get.

For many, Irving joined such players as Wick, Rowe, Blount and others as well as non players like Pitino and J.Y. Brown in the most disliked category. I am sure there are other names that can be added here.

I don't think many felt jilted upon his leaving. Relieved is more like it. Once we understood that he played us all along, we wanted him to leave. We just had to wait until he made his announcement. Good bye.

Last year's failure didn't all fall on his shoulders, and I don't think anyone here said that was the case. That sounds like the media pushed that narrative.

But whatever. Forgive and forget? Not likely.

Perfect GYSO, I was going to post I ain’t letting it go and the names Wicks, Rowe and Blount came to my mind as well. I dislike Kyrie possibly more than any other Boston athlete in my 60 years......

That said, I have no intention of harping on him but will bring his name up from time to time. I d like to say that I’m above Schadenfreude, but that is not the case.

I bear no malice toward the guy, but his play against the Bucks was the worst performance I have ever seen by a gifted player in a playoff series. That said, I'm with dboss. I would rather watch these guys play with enthusiasm and joy than contemplate last year's meltdown. Smart Hayward and Tatum were outstanding and everybody played their roles