Post Game Rockets - Home, 11/22/21

No defensive intensity at all for the first quarter.  Not that much more in the 2nd quarter either, for that matter.  In the end talent told and they don't have enough.

Tatum came out smoking hot.  He has had a habit of starting slow, counting on Jaylen to light the fuse, but not last night.  This is his 4th straight 30+ point game.  In those 4 games he has shot 46-92, 50%.  He's 16-42, 38%, from 3 in those games but, most importantly, he's 26-29, 89.6%, from the line.  It's not the high frito percentage that I like, although just under 90% is really good, it's the 7.25 ftas/game.  The road to the All-Star game goes through the frito line.  He's attacking more than he had earlier this season.  He also averaged 8.5rpg in those 4 games.  If you watch this highlight film you'll see Tatum doing a lot of his "Dirk wrong-legged fadeaways", more than he normally does.  This game he was hittin them.  You'll also see him get a lot of trips to the line off of motion.  He moved without the ball a lot last night and that is what Ime wants them all to do.  




Jaylen with a slow return, but he exploded in the 3rd.  He had a 12 point 3rd quarter.  When he's fully back, we are a different team.  Schroder goes to the bench, like he did last night, and that provides great depth.  With JB our bench is Schroder, JRich, Kanter (who has been playing well now that he's being given minutes), Romeo (who has been solid) and Grant (who has also been playing very well).

John Karalis @RedsArmy_John
yesterday
Jaylen Brown says he didn't feel tightness leading up to the game, but then he felt it at the start. He says it stayed consistent throughout the game and didn't get any worse, which he says is a good sign.

Jay King @ByJayKing
yesterday
Jaylen Brown said meditation has helped him take his game to the next level.




The Time Lord didn't lose much time remembering how to rebound.  15 last night.  You cannot score if you do not have the ball and rebounding is all about wanting, and getting, the ball.

We started the season wondering and worrying what 35 year old Al Horford had left in his tank.  Last night he dominated Christian Wood.  Would he be a drag on the roster by consuming minutes he can no longer play?  Now we're wondering and worrying that he won't be able to play those minutes.  He is such a great glue player.  He's not an All-Star anymore but he's helping to elevate his teammates.  Remember all our conjecture about whether he'd get traded because he's only guaranteed $14M next year?  It's starting to look more and more like he's not going anywhere.  Brad loves him, Ime loves him (obviously!) and the fans are loving him again because he's getting the job done.  His play, and his temperment, are Steadiness personified.

The first play of this highlight film is great.  Tatum cuts without the ball and Horford hits him for a gimme.  Beautiful basketball.  I'm seeing more movement from this team than we saw from the Brad Stevens teams.


We outrebounded them 58-41.  In a particular moment of joy for me we out-offensively rebounded them 11-4.  Horford, Kanter and RWill all with 3 offensive rebounds each.  If they do nothing else but this we're doing ok.

We listened to Brad in the timeouts for years.  Here's what his successor sounds like.  Very similar, it sounds like to me.  Calm and positive.




I (still) Like Theis, but the War on Theis is still going on.  It's nice to be on the other side of that referreeing prejudice.


Sean Grande
@SeanGrandePBP
You can make the math as complicated as you want in today's NBA.

But the Celtics' turnaround, 8-3 over the last three weeks, isn't too hard to figure out.



The Houston Rockets are not a good measuring stick of anything, other than as a trap game.  Brooklyn, however, is.

Jay King @ByJayKing
yesterday
Al Horford on the coming road trips: “This next stretch is going to tell us a lot. … This stretch here we’ll learn a lot more about our group.”

https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/_/gameId/401360080


Bob



.

Yeah, this article assesses things very well.  Not a whole lot to add.  The first two quarters I was just waiting for the breakout to begin.  HOU has some talent, but it looks like what the SAC Kings have been for most of their existence.  Poor Thies.  I still like the guy.  But it has to absolutely unbearable to play in HOU right now.  Throw in a post-apocalyptic James Harden world and you get what you pay for...1-16.  

We came around.  RWIII is a rebounding machine.  Of course you pad that with all the bricks HOU was throwing up.  Al, too.  JT's shot is looking as of old now.  All is calm and returning to a sense of normalcy.  A run for tops in the East is a little better in sight now.  Very glad to see JB back and not missing a stroke.  

39 points from the bench!!  Wow!  Don't think I've typed that much in the last few years.  18-19 FT's?!!
Excellent!  Good news is we've remembered the inside game.  Menace always driving to the hoop.  JT driving more.  You'll rack up fouls that way and that's exactly what we did.  Total board domination, but you get that when your opponents shoot 37%.  Lots of opportunities.  MS a little off numbers-wise but still diving after balls when it counts providing the intangibles and off-stat sheet dominance.  Ime's going to have to make a decision there soon on him starting vs. first off the bench.  He may have already made it.
This game it didn't matter much.  

Overall, I'd put this game at the top of the forgettable pile.  But that win leads us to a 3-game win streak, first of the season, nonetheless!  Things are looking up...very up!          

Which brings us to what I'd like to call our first major inflection point of the season coming up tomorrow.  The best way to move up in the East standings is beating those above you every chance you get.  Well, here we are.  

It is clear that BKN is not ready for prime time as the Warriors provided BKN with a humiliating kick in the crotch this past week.  They also just skirting by ho-hum Cavs last night. (Thank you, Sting.)  So this gives us a chance with a home game and an opportunity to really build on our most recent successes and team ball play.  

No game in the season is a must win.  And I'm not going to call tomorrow night's game a must win.  But if you want the target securely placed upon your backs for the Celtics, winning tomorrow's game decisively will tie that up in a nice bow to at least put the Celtics in the conversation.  A loss throws us back on the average heap.  The same, "We're good, but we have work to do" bs. We've been on a steady ride up for a good while going 8-3 over the last 11 games.  We crushed the Heat in MIA.  Now it's showtime to the Brooklyn people.  (Thank you, Eddie Murphy.)  

I think it should be a very competitive game with a playoff-type atmosphere, to beat a dead horse.  I have to admit, I'm surprised how quiet the one who's name we cannot mention on the site has been over the last month or so.  The complete lack of attention to nothing must be killing him.  Anyway, I digress.  

This will be a memorable game.  We will have to play it out to see in which memorable slot it will fall.  If I were Vegas, I wouldn't go much either way on the spread.  No more than +/- (2) either way.

Definitely interested in everyone's pre-game views!  

Go Celtics!!

db

Love the direction team is heading with 2 of our core athletes back. Timelord a rebounding machine and we know how much Jaylen means to this team. I know I was harsh on Ime, but really love the way the team has improved all around recently, even Smart is playing smarter with less fga and his usual game. With 2 J’s rolling we won’t need much offense from Smart. Love the defense and ball movement and Kanter getting 8-12 minutes a game seems perfect to help keep Al and RWill fresh. We are suddenly very deep and athletic and jelling as a unit.

JB had a forgettable game, his first game back. I am not focused on hos scoring. I just want the ball movement and player movement to keep happening. It got a little better as the game progressed but we had to go to multiple post ups to start the game.

Tatum has really elevated his floor game. Love it. Once JB also gets that part we will be special.

dbrown4 wrote:Yeah, this article assesses things very well.  Not a whole lot to add.  The first two quarters I was just waiting for the breakout to begin.  HOU has some talent, but it looks like what the SAC Kings have been for most of their existence.  Poor Thies.  I still like the guy.  But it has to absolutely unbearable to play in HOU right now.  Throw in a post-apocalyptic James Harden world and you get what you pay for...1-16.  

We came around.  RWIII is a rebounding machine.  Of course you pad that with all the bricks HOU was throwing up.  Al, too.  JT's shot is looking as of old now.  All is calm and returning to a sense of normalcy.  A run for tops in the East is a little better in sight now.  Very glad to see JB back and not missing a stroke.  

39 points from the bench!!  Wow!  Don't think I've typed that much in the last few years.  18-19 FT's?!!
Excellent!  Good news is we've remembered the inside game.  Menace always driving to the hoop.  JT driving more.  You'll rack up fouls that way and that's exactly what we did.  Total board domination, but you get that when your opponents shoot 37%.  Lots of opportunities.  MS a little off numbers-wise but still diving after balls when it counts providing the intangibles and off-stat sheet dominance.  Ime's going to have to make a decision there soon on him starting vs. first off the bench.  He may have already made it.
This game it didn't matter much.  

Overall, I'd put this game at the top of the forgettable pile.  But that win leads us to a 3-game win streak, first of the season, nonetheless!  Things are looking up...very up!          

Which brings us to what I'd like to call our first major inflection point of the season coming up tomorrow.  The best way to move up in the East standings is beating those above you every chance you get.  Well, here we are.  

It is clear that BKN is not ready for prime time as the Warriors provided BKN with a humiliating kick in the crotch this past week.  They also just skirting by ho-hum Cavs last night. (Thank you, Sting.)  So this gives us a chance with a home game and an opportunity to really build on our most recent successes and team ball play.  

No game in the season is a must win.  And I'm not going to call tomorrow night's game a must win.  But if you want the target securely placed upon your backs for the Celtics, winning tomorrow's game decisively will tie that up in a nice bow to at least put the Celtics in the conversation.  A loss throws us back on the average heap.  The same, "We're good, but we have work to do" bs.  We've been on a steady ride up for a good while going 8-3 over the last 11 games.  We crushed the Heat in MIA.  Now it's showtime to the Brooklyn people.  (Thank you, Eddie Murphy.)  

I think it should be a very competitive game with a playoff-type atmosphere, to beat a dead horse.  I have to admit, I'm surprised how quiet the one who's name we cannot mention on the site has been over the last month or so.  The complete lack of attention to nothing must be killing him.  Anyway, I digress.  

This will be a memorable game.  We will have to play it out to see in which memorable slot it will fall.  If I were Vegas, I wouldn't go much either way on the spread.  No more than +/- (2) either way.

Definitely interested in everyone's pre-game views!  

Go Celtics!!

db

dbrown,


"Yeah, this article assesses things very well.  Not a whole lot to add."


Thanks,

Bob


.

bobheckler wrote:

dbrown4 wrote:Yeah, this article assesses things very well.  Not a whole lot to add.  The first two quarters I was just waiting for the breakout to begin.  HOU has some talent, but it looks like what the SAC Kings have been for most of their existence.  Poor Thies.  I still like the guy.  But it has to absolutely unbearable to play in HOU right now.  Throw in a post-apocalyptic James Harden world and you get what you pay for...1-16.  

We came around.  RWIII is a rebounding machine.  Of course you pad that with all the bricks HOU was throwing up.  Al, too.  JT's shot is looking as of old now.  All is calm and returning to a sense of normalcy.  A run for tops in the East is a little better in sight now.  Very glad to see JB back and not missing a stroke.  

39 points from the bench!!  Wow!  Don't think I've typed that much in the last few years.  18-19 FT's?!!
Excellent!  Good news is we've remembered the inside game.  Menace always driving to the hoop.  JT driving more.  You'll rack up fouls that way and that's exactly what we did.  Total board domination, but you get that when your opponents shoot 37%.  Lots of opportunities.  MS a little off numbers-wise but still diving after balls when it counts providing the intangibles and off-stat sheet dominance.  Ime's going to have to make a decision there soon on him starting vs. first off the bench.  He may have already made it.
This game it didn't matter much.  

Overall, I'd put this game at the top of the forgettable pile.  But that win leads us to a 3-game win streak, first of the season, nonetheless!  Things are looking up...very up!          

Which brings us to what I'd like to call our first major inflection point of the season coming up tomorrow.  The best way to move up in the East standings is beating those above you every chance you get.  Well, here we are.  

It is clear that BKN is not ready for prime time as the Warriors provided BKN with a humiliating kick in the crotch this past week.  They also just skirting by ho-hum Cavs last night. (Thank you, Sting.)  So this gives us a chance with a home game and an opportunity to really build on our most recent successes and team ball play.  

No game in the season is a must win.  And I'm not going to call tomorrow night's game a must win.  But if you want the target securely placed upon your backs for the Celtics, winning tomorrow's game decisively will tie that up in a nice bow to at least put the Celtics in the conversation.  A loss throws us back on the average heap.  The same, "We're good, but we have work to do" bs.  We've been on a steady ride up for a good while going 8-3 over the last 11 games.  We crushed the Heat in MIA.  Now it's showtime to the Brooklyn people.  (Thank you, Eddie Murphy.)  

I think it should be a very competitive game with a playoff-type atmosphere, to beat a dead horse.  I have to admit, I'm surprised how quiet the one who's name we cannot mention on the site has been over the last month or so.  The complete lack of attention to nothing must be killing him.  Anyway, I digress.  

This will be a memorable game.  We will have to play it out to see in which memorable slot it will fall.  If I were Vegas, I wouldn't go much either way on the spread.  No more than +/- (2) either way.

Definitely interested in everyone's pre-game views!  

Go Celtics!!

db

dbrown,


"Yeah, this article assesses things very well.  Not a whole lot to add."


Thanks,

Bob


.

Win the games that you are suppose to win.

At 10-8 Boston has an identical record to last season through 18 games.

This team needs to build on their +.500 record and they will be faced with a brutal schedule.

Sorry, bobh, you write so professionally I thought this was one of the already written articles! Very well written!

db