What Gordon Hayward’s Impending Return Means For The Boston Celtics In Eastern Conference Finals

sinus007 wrote:Hi,
I hope today the Celtics will be at least 5-7 points ahead so there's no need for the "last shot".

AK

The way Stevens uses his rotations, don’t bet on it, did you see the clinching lead disappear in game 7?

Time for the players to take some of the heat here, they need to play smarter basketball, protect the ball and not make turnovers. I am tired of arm chair quarterbacks crapping all over Stevens. These guys are given certain plays and then go out on the floor and decide to play hero ball. Grow up, you are not "kids" anymore, you want big contracts, go out and earn them. They just have to play smarter

RosalieTCeltics wrote:Time for the players to take some of the heat here, they need to play smarter basketball, protect the ball and not make turnovers.  I am tired of arm chair quarterbacks crapping all over Stevens.  These guys are given certain plays and then go out on the floor and decide to play hero ball.  Grow up, you are not "kids" anymore, you want big contracts, go out and earn them.  They just have to play smarter

I agree, you tell 'em, Rosalie!!

It is the players who decided to go iso-ball, not the coach. Move the ball and look for the opportunities, dang the shot clock. Just score and then trust that your defense will hold.

Hi,
Here's a different opinion:
https://www.yahoo.com/sports/kevin-garnett-wonders-gordon-hayward-150744461.html
With all due respect to KG, I don't agree.

AK

It will be weird to put him back in a mix that is really working well when on all cylinders (sans Gordon).

History has shown it is more of a disaster than a winner. We just need some relief from the bench. What we don't want Brad doing is reverting to Butler days and put OG right back in the starting line up.

He has to come off the bench and go nuts to get the starting role back. Get us to the finals and we can reset at that time.

He's just thinking out loud. He's right for the most part. Coming off the bench makes the most sense for now. Least disruptive. Just enough to throw MIA off the track and disintegrate.

db

RosalieTCeltics wrote:Time for the players to take some of the heat here, they need to play smarter basketball, protect the ball and not make turnovers.  I am tired of arm chair quarterbacks crapping all over Stevens.  These guys are given certain plays and then go out on the floor and decide to play hero ball.  Grow up, you are not "kids" anymore, you want big contracts, go out and earn them.  They just have to play smarter

Rosalie

I do not think anyone is crapping all over coach Stevens. Both him and the players have earned criticism for the way they played just like they get high praise when they play the right way. Game one looked eerily similar to games 3 and 6 losses against Toronto. I do agree that the players need to play the right way but keep in mind that calling the right play is one thing and getting your team to run the right play is another. Ultimately the coach is responsible for making decisions AND holding players accountable when they go off the reservation. We have lost 3 games mainly because the players did not execute and if not for 2 remarkable game 7 plays we would not be having this conversation. Coach Stevens was part of those losses and part of the wins.

I think they will come out tonight with a renewed determination to stay inside the lines.

GH returning could mean
1. The Celtics don't get swept by the Heat.
2. Brad Stevens retains his job.
3. Danny does not get another heart attack.
4. Jayson decides to renew a contract with the Celtics.

Following tonight's loss without Gordon I think all the above could happen in the negative otherwise. Brad should kiss Gordon's ankle if he can return and save the day and the series for the Celts.

worcester wrote:GH returning could mean
1. The Celtics don't get swept by the Heat.
2. Brad Stevens retains his job.
3. Danny does not get another heart attack.
4. Jayson decides to renew a contract with the Celtics.

Following tonight's loss without Gordon I think all the above could happen in the negative otherwise. Brad should kiss Gordon's ankle if he can return and save the day and the series for the Celts.

My guess is that's a fairly accurate list.

I am sorry, there is no way Brad loses his job, it just is not going to happen

You are probably correct Rosalie, but methinks all options should be considered when in pursuit of excellence.

Gordon could be huge. His outside shooting and high BBIQ will help the Celtcs break the zone Miami is using and we will have another decent player coming off the bench. As it is, our bench is so weak that when the team starts getting tight or tired, Brad has no options to counter the other team's run.

Just the respect they are going to have to show him and the fact that it is one more guy on the floor who can rebound at the offensive end, handle the ball, and shoot when necessary. If he can come back anywhere near decent condition, it changes the whole way the Celtics play

Chris Grenham
@chrisgrenham
·
1h
"I'm told the Celtics were talking about the possibility, perhaps even likelihood, that they'll get Gordon Hayward back Saturday night for Game 3."

Good stuff from Woj just now on
@SportsCenter
detailing the Celtics' last 24 hours:

https://twitter.com/i/status/1307081949274570752


bob


.

GH is probably going to play tonight. He is still listed as questionable but I would bet that he suits up.

Don't expect a lot as Brad will ease him back into the mix. The Celtics have no time to waste. We have to get back in the series beginning with a win tonight.

I can only imagine how Hayward feels with the way things have gone up to this point, knowing that he could be such a big help.

my guess is he comes back with restricted minutes, 20? of something like that The time is now

RosalieTCeltics wrote:I can only imagine how Hayward feels with the way things have gone up to this point, knowing that he could be such a big help.

my guess is he comes back with restricted minutes, 20? of something like that  The time is now

Rosalie

I think 15-20 minutes. We do not know how he will play. He is a rhythm guy and not playing for 5 weeks may impact that. If he has a smooth flow, look out. Watching him sitting on the bench the other night, you could see how badly he wants to get in there and help his teammates.

At the very least him being in uniform should be inspirational to his teammates.

If Gordon could give us 20 good minutes that would be a Willis Reed boost for us now.

The Celtics despite their flaws have enough talent to beat the Heat without GH.  The 0-2 start does not change that but GH is in fact the best all around player for the Celtics.  He is better than everyone on the team because he is not a selfish hero ball player and all of our other stars deviate into hero basketball.

Basically his decision making is on another level as compared to (JT, JB, KW and MS) He seems mentally more able to restrain himself from doing stupid things.

100% coorect dboss

Just being on the floor for how many minutes, it makes the Heat have to use a guy to cover him. They have been leaving Smart wide open, daring him to shoot. Sure, it worked to our advantage in the first game, but in the second, he missed alot of open shots. They are not afraid of him, UNTIL HE STARTS HITTING!!!! Gordon will draw a defensive player who would be doubling Kemba and maybe, just maybe, the offense will open up. Tatum has to get his head together, he could have a big game tonight

RosalieTCeltics wrote:Just being on the floor for how many minutes, it makes the Heat have to use a guy to cover him. They have been leaving Smart wide open, daring him to shoot. Sure, it worked to our advantage in the first game, but in the second, he missed alot of open shots. They are not afraid of him, UNTIL HE STARTS HITTING!!!!  Gordon will draw a defensive player who would be doubling Kemba and maybe, just maybe, the offense will open up. Tatum has to get his head together, he could have a big game tonight

This so true.. They will need to do a much better job passing out of traps.

Tatum is a tremendous young player but he is still only 22. Every year he has taken another step up the ladder.

GH is that veteran guy who has the maturity, instincts and ability to make his teammates better.

31 SOLID MINUTES. Hayward is a calming influence, and the most fundamentally sound player on the team.

Boy, that is true!

In reference to the title of this thread, Game 3...THAT is what his impending return means.  

We have to be reticent at this point now to remember and invoke Mr. Wolf's comments in the Bonnie Situation scene of Pulp Fiction about getting ahead of ourselves (that are too offensive to write on this site!), but this is a good start in the right direction.

MIA couldn't solve the OG problem.  The good news is ...they can't and won't.  Gordon knows his spot on the floor, can find it and hit it.  Kemba Walker knows his spot on the floor, can find it and hit it more regularly than OG.  OG opens all that up with his roaming.  It almost forces them out of the zone from the start, which it did as we saw last night.  Mostly man-to-man by the Heat.  And Brad even threw a little zone back at them.  Nice!  A little gamesmanship from Brad showing the Monty Python-like "I'm not dead yet!" look.  Still kinda almost blew the lead again, but I think those days are over with OG playing those kind of minutes.  It was like he was just floating around the whole game wreaking havoc.  From a stat line, he didn't do anything spectacular, that's obvious.  But from an intangible and mental perspective, this was just about as good as a comeback OG you could get.    

I won't write much on this (I know, haha) but let's be honest.  If we come out and blow G4, it might as well be 3-0.  It's over.
We'd still be alive but on life support.  Winning G4 needs to be treated and played like we are still down 0-2.    

MIA has seen NO adversity in the whole playoffs.  Still nothing has changed for them vs. their first two rounds.  We did see Herro become a bricklayer in the 2nd half.  Unfortunately it was after he had already put up 20 in the first.  I don't care how good he is.  He's a rookie and in the playoffs.  He will break down eventually and break down hard.  100% guaranteed, Charles. Only question? Will it be on our watch or LAL's watch? Hopefully, this is the start of that and good news for us.  What is that I hear ever so faintly knocking on the door?  Ah yes, it's the Grim Reaper looking and asking for MIA.    

Bam is probably the LeBron James of this series for us.  Not going to be anything you can do to stop him.  Just keep fouling the crap out of him and try to contain him.  

Nice to see Drajic cool off as well.  This might be a case where our offense disrupted their offense.  

I don't know if/how we can get rid of losing the big leads at the end against MIA.  Just who they are.  I know it's not who we are.  But again at the end, we did not panic.  Chalk that one up to Brad and his demeanor. We're going to need that 3 more times.

All around, I'll give us a B-/C+ for G3 only because of how dangerous it is for us to keep blowing big leads.  We should be able to hold big leads.  We've done it all season and in the playoffs up until this series.  It's a rite of passage usually with a closed door and yet we seem to keep trying to open it back up this round with much higher stakes.  

Looks like our "friends" at ESPN now want a MIA vs. LAL finals since MIL stunk everything up with their horrendous/humiliating performances.  ESPN has already thrown up the stat that MIA has never lost a series when they go up 2-0.  I may have read it wrong but will confirm when I watch the game a 2nd time, but it said they were 16-0.  Now I don't know if that is 16 series or 4 series where they swept the opponent.  They haven't been around long enough for 16 series and starting off 2-0 I don't think.  Anyway.  Regardless, I'm willing to bet my wife's paycheck plus mine that none of those games/series were outside of the first two rounds where you usually get the riff-raff.  That's their signal for the Celtics not to get their hopes up and we're not welcome in the Finals.  See Virginia Cavaliers the last couple of years.    

To be even more persistent and to the point, we need to win AT LEAST the next two games.  I still believe Larry Bird's words when he said G5 is THE most pivotal game in a series TIED 2-2.  For us to even get in that position, G4 is a must.  Anything short of that and we will be the darlings of the ECF and always the bridesmaid.    

So in summary, anything less than 2 more straight wins, and I believe we will have to start packing.  Could we win G6 & G7 if we were down 3-2?  Or win 3 games if down 3-1?  Yes, any great Celtic team CAN do that, but that's a lot of work and we usually don't EVER put ourselves in that position in the first place.

"No!!  Try not!!  Do or do not!!  There is no try!"
 
                                                         Yoda

db