Bubble Talk

cowens/oldschool wrote:

bobheckler wrote:Chris Forsberg @ChrisForsberg_
4 hours ago
Inside a Celtics bubble practice with @Enes Kanter: "Jaylen and Jayson, man, if they’re on the same (scrimmage) team, God, you got like no chance." "Let me tell you something about Grant [Williams], he is making 3s like crazy. I promise."


bob


.

This team has so much young talent, besides the dynamic 2 J’s, this playoff could be a coming out party for some of our young role players, GWill RW and even Romeo has the look of a playa according to my eye test.

I don't think Romeo is ever going to be a starter, not on this team, not as long as Jaylen is with us (which will be for a very long time, I hope) but he could be a very dangerous bench player.  I see him as a "Kelly Oubre" type of player (it's not just the hair).  He's an active multi-position defender and an opportunistic, but not smooth, offensive player.  Brad Stevens says basketball comes easy to him and I think you can see that when you watch him.  He has a "Smart-like" nose for the ball and seems to be in the right place at the right time often.

I'm not as sanguine about The Time Lord.  I know he's young, I'm not throwing him on the trash heap quite yet, but he has to stop blowing defensive rotations.  Settle down, young'un, you don't have to kneejerk respond to everything.

If Grant Williams is hitting 3s then he has taken that step up.  His defense is quite good already, his BBIQ is on full display when he's on the court.  He has excellent court vision and passing skills for a big (especially a rookie big).  He rotates on defense but doesn't overreact on defense like Robert Williams.  GWill hitting 3s in this bubble could make him a HUGE X-factor, because you know Brad likes him a lot and will likely give him minutes, win or lose. It's either going to be GWill or Semi (if Brad goes with the more experienced player, or if we're playing Milwaukee and Brad wants Semi on The Freak).

James Harden will be 31 next month.  Russell Westbrook will be 32 in November.  I know Tatum isn't considered a backcourt player, he's more of a wing, but our pair are Jayson at 22 and Jaylen will be 24 in October.  Neither have hit their prime.  Neither is near their ceiling, in my opinion, and Tatum's already an All-Star (and Jaylen was robbed, once again in my opinion, because they didn't want 3 Celtics on the All-Star team so they threw Jimmy Butler a bone).  


bob


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Dboss.  That is one cute little guy there!!!!!  My God, how big was he at birth???  He is growing fast!!!!

RosalieTCeltics wrote:Dboss.  That is one cute little guy there!!!!!  My God, how big was he at birth???  He is growing fast!!!!

I think he was not that big.  Around 7lbs 6 ounces.  He's our Newest Celtics Fan and has the gear to prove it.  I guess his converses are still too big for him.  He'll get there soon.

Thanks Rosalie.

7/17/20:



Brian Robb @BrianTRobb
1 minute ago
Jayson Tatum on getting back to the level he was at during February: "I know what I'm capable of and what I think I'm capable of. I step on the floor and think I'm the best player every night."

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Marc D'Amico
Marc D'Amico @celtics
2 minutes ago
Jayson Tatum: “This is the most I’ve enjoyed practice since I’ve been in the NBA.”



Boston Celtics Twitter
Tweets
Photos & videos
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Chris Grenham
Chris Grenham @chrisgrenham
1 minute ago
First zoom appearance for Romeo Langford in the bubble pic.twitter.com/2upppQ6VkL



Marc D'Amico
Marc D'Amico @celtics
4 minutes ago
Coach Stevens says tonight’s practice will feature a 24-minute scrimmage with each player playing 18-20 minutes. “This is a night where we sleep easy because we’ll be exhausted.”

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John Karalis
John Karalis @RedsArmy_John
about 6 minutes ago
It's going to be fun watching all these guys wearing tank tops with their golfer's tans

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Chris Forsberg
Chris Forsberg @ChrisForsberg_
about 6 minutes ago
Jayzoom Tatum pic.twitter.com/CGj85ntlAf

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Brian Robb
Brian Robb @BrianTRobb
about 7 minutes ago
Celtics plan on going hard in tonight's practice with 24 minutes of scrimmaging.

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Jay King
Jay King @ByJayKing
about 7 minutes ago
Brad Stevens said the Celtics will play 24 minutes of scrimmage tonight with each guy playing between 18 and 20 minutes.

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Chris Grenham
Chris Grenham @chrisgrenham
about 8 minutes ago
Brad Stevens: "We feel good about the way our guys stayed in shape during the hiatus."

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Jay King
Jay King @ByJayKing
about 8 minutes ago
Brad Stevens: “You’re rebuilding habits.” Said the Celtics for the most part were really good with their habits before the NBA shutdown. He thought that would have carried over to a playoff run, but now teams need to build those back up.

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Jared Weiss
Jared Weiss @JaredWeissNBA
about 9 minutes ago
Brad Stevens says right now he's focused on the team building up habits and said the team was really good with having positive habits during the season. Noted he felt that even though they stumbled in march, they had the habits to build momentum heading into the playoffs.


bob


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More 7/17:




Chris Grenham @chrisgrenham
about 6 minutes ago
Romeo Langford says things really slowed down for him defensively before the season was suspended.

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Jared Weiss
Jared Weiss @JaredWeissNBA
about 6 minutes ago
Romeo Langford rebuilt his jumpshot with coach Joe Mazzulla when he came to the Celtics. He's confident he won't fall back into his old habits even after the layoff. "I might shoot one or two like my old shot, but it's much more fluid and natural for me now." pic.twitter.com/DUbvG728r5



bob


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Romeo with his D , his moves to the rim, and a J. What a beautiful thing to contemplate.

It'll be very interesting to see how Romeo and Grant have progressed since the break. In a very real way, the break has been like an off-season for players. For rookies, it's almost like they're starting their sophomore season and if any contending team could benefit from that, it's the Celts. Williams and Langford, joining Smart and Kanter/Williams off the bench could be more productive for this team now than it was before the break.

Hard for our 2nd unit to be less productive offensively.

Maybe but remember they did not have access to coaches, trainers and the training facility. Grant was with Kemba, with could have been a blessing in disguise.

RosalieTCeltics wrote:Maybe but remember they did not have access to coaches, trainers and the training facility. Grant was with Kemba, with could have been a blessing in disguise.

I couldn't tell from yesterday's Langford article whether he was referring to working with assistant Joe Mazzulla this summer or last summer. From context, it seemed to be this summer.

Gary Washburn @GwashburnGlobe
about 3 hours ago
#Lakers coach Frank Vogel said he would vote for Brad Stevens as Coach of the Year if he had a vote. #Celtics

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bob


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NBA shortens quarters for first exhibition games at Disney restart

https://sports.yahoo.com/nba-shortens-quarters-for-first-exhibition-games-at-disney-restart-193814266.html

Cassandra Negley
Writer - Yahoo Sports
Jul 18, 2020, 3:38 PM

NBA exhibitions will look different in the restart at Disney World. The league is cutting the usual 12-minute quarters to 10 minutes for the first set of exhibition games for each team, the Associated Press reported.

NBA shortens exhibition games

Every team in the bubble scenario will play three exhibitions beginning this week. The first exhibition game will have the shortened quarters, and the last two games will be played with regular rules.

The change, per the AP, is for “several reasons” related to the COVID-19 pandemic and finalizing rosters around positive cases or opt outs.

“... among them, not wanting to overly tax players’ bodies after they went more than four months without games, and because some teams do not have their full rosters at Walt Disney World yet because of coronavirus and other issues.”

Players have yet to arrive in the bubble due to positive COVID-19 tests, leaving holes in team’s rosters. Others have left the bubble, such as New Orleans Pelicans rookie Zion Williamson, to attend to emergency family matters.


NBPA’s Chris Paul unaware of changes

Oklahoma City guard and NBA Players Association president Chris Paul was unaware of the shortened quarters for the first set of games, which will begin Wednesday.

“I don’t know about that yet,” Paul said, via the AP. “So, I’ll find out.”

The league is also considering other changes. It is reportedly unsure if it will require teams to wear their regular uniforms or allow them to wear practice gear. New jerseys featuring social justice messaging chosen by individual players will not be unveiled until the official regular-season restart on July 30.

The NBA is also considering using three referees in a rotating system.

Some coaches are taking different approaches with the health of their athletes in mind. Erik Spoelstra told the AP he’s speaking with the coaches of teams his Miami Heat will face in the exhibition to see if there’s anything specific the groups want to work on.

When does the NBA return to TV?

The exhibition games will begin Wednesday with a four-game slate. All 33 exhibition games will be televised on a combination of local TV, national TV, NBA TV or NBA League Pass.

The regular season, which consists of eight games for each team in the ramp-up to a postseason, will begin on July 30.

Opening night will be broadcasted on TNT beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET with the Utah Jazz against the Pelicans. The Los Angeles Clippers and Los Angeles Lakers will follow at 9 p.m. ET.

bob


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If once a decade I could make a 3 point shot like any of those guys were doing, my life would be complete.

https://www.masslive.com/celtics/2020/07/brad-stevens-excited-by-boston-celtics-bench-so-far-guys-have-made-the-right-strides.html



Brad Stevens excited by Boston Celtics bench so far: ’guys have made the right strides’



Updated 8:41 PM; Today 8:41 PM



By John Karalis | JKaralis@masslive.com



The Boston Celtics average 113 points per game. Of those, 105.3 are scored by the starters and Marcus Smart, who started 39 of the 53 games he’s played this season.

The Celtics in one sense, are deep. Their top five players are very good and at least four are worthy of at least some All-Star consideration.

In another sense, they are not deep at all. The drop off in production once they get past their sixth man is precipitous. While it seems like having six guys average 105.3 points per game, is fine, the Celtics have played precious few games where they’ve all been available. Smart has started 39 times because other players have been hurt. He himself has missed 11.


The Celtics lack of scoring punch off the bench has been problematic, and Danny Ainge’s lack of movement at the trade deadline to address the issue caused a bit of a stir. His lack of moves has always meant that Boston would either need full health to succeed, or someone on the bench to find a postseason groove.

Maybe the Celtics will get both.

“Our guys have done a good job thus far in practice,” Brad Stevens said after the team’s Monday night practice. “I think the most encouraging thing has been the play of our second unit, per se, would be what I’m really excited about. I think guys have made the right strides to be really impactful.”

The second unit would certainly be boosted by Smart regularly serving as Boston’s sixth man. He can find his way to the basket and his 34.8% 3-point shooting is a decent percentage. But if Boston loses anyone, like when Gordon Hayward leaves for the birth of his son, someone will have to step up off the bench.

Robert Williams singled out Romeo Langford and Carsen Edwards after practice, saying he’s noticed “more aggressiveness, more realizing what they’re capable of.” Williams will get his chance too. He says his hip is healthy now, which could give Stevens a backup center option when the matchups don’t favor Enes Kanter.


“I feel like I have a big defensive presence and my teammates tell me if you see something on the court on defense speak up,” Williams said. “People will listen to you because of your presence. So that just comes with the motivation from them.”

Practices can be an odd mix of motivation from teammates but also competition between them. The Celtics have been splitting into 5-on-5 groups for scrimmages to get some continuity between units.

“As far as the second group, you got that chip on your back, on your shoulder, when you’re playing against the first group,” Williams said. “So you always want to bring it. I feel like maybe in previous practices, before the season ended, the second group would be getting down on themselves and just stop competing. But, now, we’re fight back. Lot of trash talk, makes it more competitive. Like I said, the second group is just starting to show more effort.”

Tacko Fall, who has been allowed to travel and play with the team even as a two-way player because of the new COVID-19 rules, agrees.

“We have just been bringing it every day, trying to push the guys because that’s what we need, we need to push each other and it really starts with us,” he said. “We’ve got to make it hard in practice so when they go into the game, it’s going to be easier for them. I feel like both groups have been doing that, us and the other group. We just need to keep pushing each other. It’s been great. Every day we’ve been bringing the energy, trying to push each other, and that’s what we really need to accomplish what we want to accomplish.”


bob


.

Jared Weiss @JaredWeissNBA
2 hours ago
Rob Williams spent the hiatus running two miles a day and doing sprints. Says the hip is great now, even after he feels he was laboring a bit when he returned just before the shut down.


Jared Weiss @JaredWeissNBA
2 hours ago
Rob Williams says Romeo Langford and Carsen Edwards have shown improvement in their athleticism and command of their games on the floor, as well as their ability to take criticism.

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Brian Robb
Brian Robb @BrianTRobb
2 hours ago
Robert Williams on what he's seeing out of Carsen Edwards and Romeo Langford: "More aggressive and realizing what they are capable of."


bob


.

bobheckler wrote:

cowens/oldschool wrote:

bobheckler wrote:Chris Forsberg @ChrisForsberg_
4 hours ago
Inside a Celtics bubble practice with @Enes Kanter: "Jaylen and Jayson, man, if they’re on the same (scrimmage) team, God, you got like no chance." "Let me tell you something about Grant [Williams], he is making 3s like crazy. I promise."


bob


.

This team has so much young talent, besides the dynamic 2 J’s, this playoff could be a coming out party for some of our young role players, GWill RW and even Romeo has the look of a playa according to my eye test.

I don't think Romeo is ever going to be a starter, not on this team, not as long as Jaylen is with us (which will be for a very long time, I hope) but he could be a very dangerous bench player.  I see him as a "Kelly Oubre" type of player (it's not just the hair).  He's an active multi-position defender and an opportunistic, but not smooth, offensive player.  Brad Stevens says basketball comes easy to him and I think you can see that when you watch him.  He has a "Smart-like" nose for the ball and seems to be in the right place at the right time often.

I'm not as sanguine about The Time Lord.  I know he's young, I'm not throwing him on the trash heap quite yet, but he has to stop blowing defensive rotations.  Settle down, young'un, you don't have to kneejerk respond to everything.

If Grant Williams is hitting 3s then he has taken that step up.  His defense is quite good already, his BBIQ is on full display when he's on the court.  He has excellent court vision and passing skills for a big (especially a rookie big).  He rotates on defense but doesn't overreact on defense like Robert Williams.  GWill hitting 3s in this bubble could make him a HUGE X-factor, because you know Brad likes him a lot and will likely give him minutes, win or lose.  It's either going to be GWill or Semi (if Brad goes with the more experienced player, or if we're playing Milwaukee and Brad wants Semi on The Freak).

James Harden will be 31 next month.  Russell Westbrook will be 32 in November.  I know Tatum isn't considered a backcourt player, he's more of a wing, but our pair are Jayson at 22 and Jaylen will be 24 in October.  Neither have hit their prime.  Neither is near their ceiling, in my opinion, and Tatum's already an All-Star (and Jaylen was robbed, once again in my opinion, because they didn't want 3 Celtics on the All-Star team so they threw Jimmy Butler a bone).  


bob


.

The game has not slowed down yet for RW, except one great performance against the Spurs, but if he can ever stay on the floor, become durable, when/if the game does slow down....look out. I wouldn’t give up on him yet.

https://www.masslive.com/celtics/2020/07/how-to-watch-boston-celtics-scrimmages-on-tv-online-schedule-live-stream-as-nba-restarts-in-orlando.html



How to watch Boston Celtics scrimmages on TV, online: Schedule, live stream as NBA restarts in Orlando



Updated 12:24 PM; Today 11:09 AM




How to watch the Celtics' upcoming scrimmages. (AP Photo/Mary Schwalm)AP



By Tom Westerholm | twesterh@masslive.com




The Boston Celtics resume their season on Friday with a scrimmage against the Oklahoma City Thunder at 5 p.m., their first live inter-squad game since the league shut down due to the coronavirus on March 11.

The Celtics will play three scrimmages to help prepare for the seeding games, which begin on July 31. The three games will air on NBC Sports Boston and be streamed live via NBC Sports Online, fuboTV or Hulu + Live TV.


Here is the list of the scrimmages and how you can watch them both on TV and online.


FRIDAY, JULY 24

Opponent: Oklahoma City Thunder

Start time: 5:00 p.m.


TV: NBC Sports Boston

Online: NBC Sports Online | fuboTV | Hulu+ Live TV | League Pass (with subscription)


SUNDAY, JULY 26

Opponent: Phoenix Suns

Start time: 1:30 p.m.

TV: NBC Sports Boston

Online: NBC Sports Online | fuboTV | Hulu+ Live TV | League Pass (with subscription)


TUESDAY, JULY 28

Opponent: Houston Rockets

Start time: 8:00 p.m.

TV: NBC Sports Boston

Online: NBC Sports Online | fuboTV | Hulu+ Live TV | League Pass (with subscription)

Here’s the full info on how to watch the scrimmages.

TV channel: NBC Sports Boston (Channel finder: Verizon Fios, AT&T U-verse, Comcast Xfinity, Spectrum/Charter, Optimum/Altice, DIRECTV, Dish, Sling.)

Live stream: If you have a cable subscription, you can use it to watch the games via NBC Sports Online. If you don’t have cable and you’re in the Boston-area TV market, you can watch the games online with fuboTV and Hulu+ Live TV, both of which have free seven-day trials.


The Celtics open their seeding games against the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday, July 31. The game will be broadcast on NBC Sports Boston and ESPN.

Brad Stevens was asked how he will prepare for the scrimmages during his Zoom call with the media on Monday evening.

“We’re really going to be focused on us,” Stevens said. “We’ll play three good teams and they’ll challenge us in unique ways and make us add to what we’re working on, but it will be more off film after the game than before the game. We’re not going to spend a lot of time on opponents yet.”


The Celtics have scrimmaged now against each other as well, and the reviews that returned were mixed -- some players said the games were sloppy as the Celtics tried to shake off four months of rust, but others were encouraged by the progress.

“We got to play harder,” Jaylen Brown said. “We got to get more ball pressure. We got to play fast and we just got to continue to move forward and get better as a team. I think that we’re in a good spot and we have great potential. We got to continue to develop that every single day. Every practice is important for us, every time we get together, every meeting and every time we watch film is crucial. We are just getting into that mindset is more than anything of just being a great dominant team every single night.”




bob
MY NOTE: Friday 7/28. That's just 3 days from now, and we'll have some live Celtics B-ball. I am SO excited!


.

Bob, you must mean July 24.

worcester wrote:Bob, you must mean July 24.

worcester,

Thanks. Tripped on my own poncho there...



bob


.

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/celtics-tacko-fall-blessing-around-013435617.html



Celtics' Tacko Fall: It's a blessing to be around this team every day


Justin Leger
NBC Sports Boston

July 20, 2020, 6:34 PM


Tacko Fall is embracing every minute spent with his Boston Celtics teammates down in the Orlando bubble.

Fall, who signed a two-way contract with the C's last summer, spoke Monday about how much he is enjoying the opportunity to bond with the team each day heading into the NBA season restart.

"It's a blessing just to be around [the team] and practice with them every day," Fall told reporters on a Zoom call. "All of them are great players. I've been fortunate to be on a great team. Every single one of them brings a lot to the game and I'm just trying to learn as much as possible from them.

"For me, just focusing on what my job really is when I step on the court, especially right now. I have to be the best rim protector I can possibly be, and being around these guys, all of them are good players. It's been great. I'm seeing myself getting even better through these last few practices."

Fall and the C's are making the most out of their days at Disney World, as evidenced by the videos of them racing in the pool and facing off in volleyball. Chemistry certainly won't be an issue for Boston when play resumes.

While we likely won't see much of Fall outside of scrimmages and garbage time, it's encouraging to hear the 7-foot-5 phenom say he's noticing an improvement in his game. If Fall can continue to develop as a rim protector, we can count on there being many more "We Want Tacko!" chants in the future.

The Celtics are set to resume their campaign July 31 with a matchup against the first-place Milwaukee Bucks.


bob


.

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/celtics-rookie-tremont-waters-concussion-003854157.html



Celtics rookie Tremont Waters in concussion protocol


Justin Leger
NBC Sports Boston

July 20, 2020, 5:38 PM


Boston Celtics rookie Tremont Waters suffered a concussion and has yet to clear concussion protocol, C's head coach Brad Stevens announced on Monday.

"Tremont has a concussion from three or four days ago, so he's at the latter stages of concussion protocol with his stuff, but he hasn't been cleared," Stevens told reporters on a Zoom call.

Waters, a second-round pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, signed a two-way contract with the C's last summer and was sensational for the Maine Red Claws. The 22-year-old averaged 18 points, 7.3 assists and 1.9 steals per game while earning the G League Rookie of the Year award and finishing third in the G League MVP race.

In 10 games with Boston, Waters averaged 3.3 points and 1.2 assists.

Waters isn't the only Celtics guard recovering from injury, as Kemba Walker continues to recover from a bothersome left knee.


bob



.

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/2020-nba-restart-celtics-benefitting-144902614.html



2020 NBA Restart: Celtics benefitting from Marcus Smart's improved offense



A. Sherrod Blakely
NBC Sports Boston

July 20, 2020, 7:49 AM



This entire season has been a referendum of sorts on those who for years felt Marcus Smart wasn't much of a scorer in the NBA.

Will he ever be confused with Steph Curry or James Harden or some other elite-scoring guards in the NBA?

Uh … nope.

But this season, Smart has shown the kind of growth as a scorer that only adds to the Celtics' bullish beliefs that they can be among the last teams standing when all is said and done following the NBA's restart which officially begins at the end of this month.

When league play was suspended March 12, Smart was in the best scoring rhythm of his NBA career. He's averaging a career-high 13.5 points per game this season, and enters the league re-start having scored 10 or more points in 11 straight games - a first for the sixth-year guard.

In that 11-game span in which he filled in for injured starters Kemba Walker or Jaylen Brown, Smart averaged 18.7 points, 5.2 assists and 4.9 rebounds per game.

But more telling than the raw data is the raw impact he has made in big games.

Look no further than Boston's last game, a 114-111 win at Indiana on March 10 in which Smart had 16 points on 6-for-14 shooting. More important than his scoring numbers, he made clutch plays offensively.

Smart's off-balance jumper with less than a minute to play helped restore some semblance of Celtics control after Boston blew a 19-point lead. And it was a pair of Smart free throws with seven seconds to play that gave Boston a 3-point lead and would prove to be the final points scored for the game.

Already a well-established defender, Smart's improved scoring late in the season will be worth keeping an eye on.

The challenge for Smart offensively is to do so in a more efficient manner. During those 11 starts, Smart shot 38.3 percent from the field and 33.7 percent from 3-point range with only one game in that span in which he shot 50 percent or better from the field.

Still, Smart's confidence as a scorer is without question on the rise which bodes well for both him and the Celtics long-term.

Because if Smart's defense remains at an elite level - which is expected - he and the Celtics become a much tougher matchup for teams if they now have to start paying more attention to Smart as a scorer and not just a defensive-minded facilitator.


bob



.

How did Tremont get the concussion? He may have banged his head against Tacko's knee cap.

FYI, we are all set up in the Game On! Forum

Check out the game schedules:

https://samcelt.forumotion.net/t17315-2020-boston-celtics-nba-bubble-schedule#271792

Thanks to Bob Heckler for some of the info!

Bubble Scrimmage Game 1:

https://samcelt.forumotion.net/t17316-game-on-celtics-vs-thunder-july-24-2020-bubble-scrimmage-game-1

Game On!

Go Celtics!!!