ECF Game 6 vs Heat

Looks like it's going to be very crowded in the East next year.  

db

dbrown4 wrote:Looks like it's going to be very crowded in the East next year.  

db

hard to say before Free agency, but the Nets should be better and I think Toronto will take a step back after losing some vet players.

other than that the top 8 still look like the top 8 right now.

LOTS of good comments so far.

Saying we "need a good big" to have won this game ignores the fact that Miami really only has one, Bam.  Kelly played a small number of minutes.  Bam averaged about 38mpg, not too crazy for a starter this late in the playoffs.  Last night he was hitting frito line jumpers.  He is extremely tough to guard when he hits those because if you come up on him he'll blow right past you.  They just out-small balled us.  Why?  How?

Well, for one thing, our starting point guard sucked.  I'm not just talking about this game but almost the entire playoffs.  He averaged 19.7ppg in the ECF series vs Miami.  His season average is 20.4.  He shot 34.6% from 3 this series, 30% in this critical Game 6.  His season average is 38%.  Defensively he's a less feisty IT.

Another washout was Gordon Hayward.  While I'm inclined to cut Gordon more slack than Kemba because he's coming back from an ankle sprain he did play and he played like shit.  He was 5-12 for 12 points last night, but 2 of those 5 buckets were when the game was already over.  He was 3-10, 8 points, in 27 minutes after 3.  That sucks for a max player.  Period.  He blew a bunny and a gimme.  

Tatum 9-26.  Yeah he had 24 points, but look at how many empty possessions we had from him.  3-10 from 3.  To be fair to him he did have 11 assists.  That made him a better point guard than our 3 points guards.  Kemba had 5 assists, Smart had 2 and Wanny had 1.

Smart started out hot but, being Smart, doesn't know when to push himself away from the table.  I can never fault Marcus Smart for his heart, his effort and his Celtic Pride, but I can fault him for going 8-22.  That's 5 more fgas than Jaylen Brown took and that's just plain nuts.

Jaylen was a bright spot.  Other than Theis, who was 2-for-only-3, Jaylen was the only Celtic who shot > 50%.  A great game by the young man.  Efficient.  There were people who were asking why Jaylen wasn't getting more touches, why he wasn't taking more shots, why more plays weren't being run for him.  Ask last night's Chuckmeister Marcus Smart, with 22 fgas, why he took 5 more fgas than Jaylen Brown.

In today's NBA you MUST hit your 3s.  We shot 32.6%.  They shot 48%.  We took more of them, 46-27, but they hit theirs.  Tatum and Kemba, supposedly our 3pt snipers, were a combined 6-20.

Some critical eyes are looking at Brad Stevens as well.  Well, basketball is a team sport and he is the leader of the team, so that's fair, but how do you tell players to stop taking open shots?  Smart took a lot of open shots, and missed.  He could have been told to not take them so early in the shot clock, to be more of a floor general.  That's a fair criticism of the coach, but Hayward blew bunnies.  Tatum was leaving shots short on the rim or just way the hell off in the 1st half.  Tatum and Kemba were a combined 1-7 in the 1st quarter (Tatum was 0-5).  At halftime Tatum was 5-15.  What does Brad say to Tatum?  "Stop shooting"?!  Nonsense.

I'll do a more complete "season review" at a later time, but this is it for this game and for our run this year.

https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=401247147


bob


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Kdp,

The Heat are better coached. That's why they won. They play well as a unit. We're a professional basketball team that cant figure out a zone defense and is too deeply enamored with the 3 point shot.

Kj

Always interesting reading through the post-mortems.

I'll stick with...

Miami is a better team.

The Celtic roster isn't quite finished. An inside-game capable big or two are needed due to the wing-heavy lineup. The need to use Grant Williams to slow Bam Adebayo points up the fact that Theis isn't the answer. Hard to say if RWIII is at this time, but I still think he has some potential.

An understudy to Walker, one who can also defend, is needed.

Some added quality depth is needed, perhaps via a FA signing or two.

Stevens is still learning. He came up against a more playoff experienced coach in this last round. He should have another season or two left on his life-line to get there. Ron Roenicke; now there's a guy you knew would get sent packing. Kept my Orioles from the basement by a game, so thanks Ron. Doc Rivers, if you look at the roster he had, him too. Not Stevens. Not yet.

Coaching opportunities among the current roster exist. I think the twin weaknesses in execution that were exposed against both Toronto and Miami were poor shot selection and poor clock management (as I think KJ may have alluded to; too many 3s, too early in the clock). Those two go hand-in-hand and point to the youthful inexperience on the floor. Coaching and floor time are needed to improve there.

Boston did better than many would have expected this year. My guess is they'll make some needed tweaks and come back even stronger in January. The East will be tougher and the Celtic front office knows that. Look for some helpful roster changes from some combo-platter among the draft, trade(s) and free-agency. Danny's smart enough to know he can't sit still this off-season.

Yes, Brad, chastened, will be back next year. Danny, sobered, will get a big man, at long last, and some help at PG. Jaylen will emerge as team captain unofficially, if Brad does not give him the official title outright . We will improve next year. Gordon will be playing for a new contract. He will be better too, because he can't be worse.

Astute analysis TJ.

worcester wrote:Yes, Brad, chastened, will be back next year. Danny, sobered, will get a big man, at long last, and some help at PG. Jaylen will emerge as team captain unofficially, if Brad does not give him the official title outright . We will improve next year. Gordon will be playing for a new contract. He will be better too, because he can't be worse.

Well Danny boy makes moves every year.  He should be under less pressure this off season than last year.

I don't know.  Things sure have changed.  My only Boston reference is the 80's.  I know Brad was somewhat of an unknown coming from Butler who splashed onto the college NCAA Finals scene.  Now he's in his 7th season and Danny has doubled down on his Butler bet.

The two title winning coaches from the 80's for the Celtics, Bill Fitch and KC Jones had no more than 5 year stints winning one and two titles respectively.    

Looking at Bird and Magic coming in, there was no "waiting" for players to develop into superstars or coaches for that matter.  Both Larry and Magic hit the ground running with Magic winning a title his rookie season.  Larry immediately followed on his heels in '81.  

We've been on a seven year upward climb now and we appear to be stuck at the ECF gate unable to clear security for the last 4 years.  This next season has to be followed up with a trip to the Finals or Brad can hang it up.  Not even necessarily a win but a trip.  The pressure will be tremendous on him.  Can he do it?  That is what we will find out.  Brad needs the ECF and Finals Championship monkey off his back very soon.  We also have to think if we do eventually get to the Finials with Brad let's say next season, will we be going 0-4 there over the next 4 season given our performance to date in the ECF?  I don't think Celtic fans can take that especially with our 80% historical hit ratio in the Finals.  Now if we go in there and actually improve our percent and go 4-0, then, well, we can all live with that!  

Danny may also be on that same hot seat.  Over 17 years, he's been to the Finals twice and is 1-1.  Should have been 2-0, but I'll take 1-1.  Yes still bitter!  That's a good chunk of time for ANY GM in the NBA.  But for a Boston GM going 1-1 in an organization that demands championship contenders year in and year out, I'm not so sure.  Jury is still out.  

The moves Danny makes in the off season will tell all.  dboss to your comment, Danny will be under less pressure than Brad, but a lot less I'm not too sure.  I'm thinking more neck and neck.  I see what you are saying.  It's tweaking time.  He did the yeoman's work last season getting rid of you know who and blasting to doors open.  

Not worried about Kemba.  He needs to get patched up and refer to Tiny Archibald on how to survive and thrive as a vertically challenged player in the NBA.  No further questions, your honor.  

I'll agree with MIA has a better coach.  Better team?  Nowhere close.  Brad was taken to the woodshed resulting in our team playing very inconsistently and even looking pedestrian at times.  

Also remember none of us seem to be willing to bet the mortgage on what Danny will actually do.  Experience reflected upon is our best teacher there.  We all look at the obvious needs but I don't recall Danny ever doing the obvious. Ever.

Like I said, if the next 4 years we go 4-0 in the Finals, I'm good.  I'll even take 5-0.

Draft is in November, right?!

db