Joe Mazzulla remained reactive in Game 1. That attitude could cost the Celtics this series.

Joe Mazzulla remained reactive in Game 1. That attitude could cost the Celtics this series.


By Gary Washburn Globe Staff,Updated May 18, 2023, 8 minutes ago



The game slipped away in the third quarter.

The Celtics were a mess offensively and couldn’t get stops defensively. The Miami Heat began the quarter with a run and ended it with a run. Joe Mazzulla decided to rely on television timeouts to stop the momentum.

Of course, the Celtics’ 123-116 Game 1 loss to the Miami Heat is on the players. They were a step slow defensively and the Heat buried a lot of shots they didn’t during the regular season or even the Knicks series.

But Mazzulla has to counter Miami’s surge with something — an adjustment, a strategy. If not, if Mazzulla sits on his hands and allows this to play out, the Celtics will lose this series.

They have already lost home-court advantage to the eighth-seeded Heat, thanks to a 46-point Miami third quarter in which Mazzulla did not call a timeout..

Mazzulla is back to his figure-it-out-on-the-fly philosophy and that failed miserably at the most crucial time. The Celtics watched a 9-point halftime lead wither away in the first 3 minutes, 36 seconds of the third quarter and never had any control of the game after that.


Behind the brilliance of Jimmy Butler and clutch 3-point shooting from Max Strus, the Heat overwhelmed the Celtics in the third because of the same relentless style that has been synonymous with Miami basketball for more than a decade. The Celtics were neither relentless nor poised in response.

Mazzulla defended his team and himself postgame. He reiterated that his team was prepared, which they were. He stressed that his team played harder in the first half, which they did. And he repeated the Celtics won three out of the four quarters. That hardly matters.

They lost the game in the third quarter. They played putrid defense. They were clobbered on the boards. They failed to run down the floor with any vigor. They relented in the middle of the Eastern Conference finals.


“We were prepared,” Mazzulla said. “We played harder than them in the first half. And they outplayed us for one quarter. So we were prepared for it. We had the right mindset heading into the game. No, we had the right mindset heading into the game. We played harder than they did, and we were prepared and we did a great job.”


But Joe, the third quarter was the difference. This isn’t the Continental Basketball Association; you don’t get points for winning quarters.

“It did [make the difference],” he responded. “But we were prepared, and then we let go of the rope. There’s two story lines here: it’s, one, we were ready to play and we did a great job executing on both ends of the floor in the first half, and it’s about the consistency of, they’re going to continue to play. So we have to be prepared for when we do outplay them that they’re going to respond and we have to respond.

“So we were prepared. We just let go of the rope.”

Let the record show the Celtics were prepared. Mazzulla said that several times, perhaps enough to convince a few people, but it means little. He disliked the perception that the Celtics weren’t ready for the Game 1 of the conference semifinals against the Philadelphia 76ers without Joel Embiid. But all that preparation means nothing when the passion and desire subsides after building a double-digit lead. That’s the sign of a mentally fragile team, and that’s been the story of the 2022-23 Celtics.


They have to taste their own blood to get motivated. It would have been too easy to build off their 12-point lead early in the third quarter and coast to a victory. They lost their way, couldn’t guard Butler — who hit big shot after big shot, including two 3-pointers. He hit one in five games against the Knicks.

The Celtics asked for it. They are playing a team brimming with confidence that has no fear of their opponent. They sense vulnerability and weakness. Mazzulla and his players were easy prey because they relented when pushed with physicality.


“We came out too cool,” forward Jaylen Brown said. “It was almost like we were playing a regular-season game. Like it’s the Eastern Conference finals. Come on, we’ve got to play with more intensity than we did today. And we’ve just got to be better, including me.”

There’s definitely a disconnect between how Mazzulla wants his team to play and how they play at times. And when he sees the disconnect, Mazzulla makes the questionable decision to see if that can change in the middle of an intense game. He has to take more control of his team’s fate because there are times they aren’t capable of such a drastic response when they’re being dominated.

The Heat shot 65 percent in the third quarter. They took advantage of the Celtics’ sloppiness and poor offensive spacing. They contained Jayson Tatum, who made just two shots in the second half. And the Celtics have nothing to blame but their own lackadaisical style. They were unable to build a big enough lead to relax, but relaxed anyway.


And when Joe Mazzulla was seeing it unfold in front of his eyes, a ghastly quarter, he did nothing besides hope it would change.

But hey, the Celtics won three of the four quarters. Let’s find out how satisfying that is when these porous stretches cost them this series.


Bob
MY NOTE:  Remember how Al Horford stopped practice and told his teammates to "tighten it up"?  What Al was talking about the sights and sounds of complacency.  


.

He didn't call a timeout the entire third quarter of the 45 point barrage. He said he used two in the first quarter. No excuse. As soon as Love hit that three to cut the lead to 3, he should have called time. Marcus had his back on this, but it still makes no sense.

As I mentioned in a previous thread why was Marcus on the bench from the middle of the third quarter to the middle of the fourth quarter? Marcus was dissecting the Miami D, why sit him for that long?

I hate to keep blaming Joe, but these are basic things

This is a pretty accurate account of the game last night as well as a profile that was very much a part of the season.  

CJ's 3 QTR argument was pathetic and utterly defensive as is often the case when he finds himself in the hot seat

The theme of Washburn's article is clear.  CJ needs to do a better job managing the game by managing the players.  Still too many deer in the headlights occurrences.

At times this team really shows a tendency that reflects being mentally soft.  Not all the time, but who can predict how they are going to play?  

I want to see CJ take more control when things start heading sideways.

I posted this on the Post Game thread too.

Here's Joe saying that the Celtics "lost their sense of urgency".

And who's job is it to grab their attention of that and bring them back to where they need to be?





Bob


.

bobheckler wrote:I posted this on the Post Game thread too.

Here's Joe saying that the Celtics "lost their sense of urgency".

And who's job is it to grab their attention of that and bring them back to where they need to be?





Bob


.

It seems to me that when there were TOs, and the camera and audio went to the bench, Mazzulla was trying to get them to re-focus and light a fire on a few occasions.

I put that failing on the players. Smart's comments said the same; player issue. To think a coach has the liability when professional players can't keep their sense of urgency while on the floor in a conference final misses the mark. Not if he's at least reminding them of what aspects to focus on. Mazzulla isn't perfect, but seemed to be doing his part. These aren't 12-year olds playing CYO league.

NYCelt wrote:

bobheckler wrote:I posted this on the Post Game thread too.

Here's Joe saying that the Celtics "lost their sense of urgency".

And who's job is it to grab their attention of that and bring them back to where they need to be?





Bob


.

It seems to me that when there were TOs, and the camera and audio went to the bench, Mazzulla was trying to get them to re-focus and light a fire on a few occasions.

I put that failing on the players. Smart's comments said the same; player issue. To think a coach has the liability when professional players can't keep their sense of urgency while on the floor in a conference final misses the mark. Not if he's at least reminding them of what aspects to focus on. Mazzulla isn't perfect, but seemed to be doing his part. These aren't 12-year olds playing CYO league.

Then why do they often play as if they were?

Berlin-T

Berlin,

If you're asking why at times they looked like 12-year olds playing CYO ball...

Great question. I have no idea.

Regards

NYCelt wrote:

bobheckler wrote:I posted this on the Post Game thread too.

Here's Joe saying that the Celtics "lost their sense of urgency".

And who's job is it to grab their attention of that and bring them back to where they need to be?





Bob


.

It seems to me that when there were TOs, and the camera and audio went to the bench, Mazzulla was trying to get them to re-focus and light a fire on a few occasions.

I put that failing on the players. Smart's comments said the same; player issue. To think a coach has the liability when professional players can't keep their sense of urgency while on the floor in a conference final misses the mark. Not if he's at least reminding them of what aspects to focus on. Mazzulla isn't perfect, but seemed to be doing his part. These aren't 12-year olds playing CYO league.

Totally agree it’s not all on Mazulla, although it’s easy to see his shortcomings when we have 2 all NBA players and consensus by all the pundits knows we have the superior talent. Now I’m wondering if the players have heard it all from Joe and are already freezing him out somewhat? In game 6 the sideline reporter said there was little communication between coach and players during the TO, that the players were all speaking and talking/shouting among themselves. I already pointed out Grant is being frozen out and it’s a shame as he has defensive versatility skills that can help stonewall on Jimmy and Love and during last years run to Finals he had some great scorching moments from 3, so why would Joe eliminate that? The players may have desire/motivation, but it can backfire if not positioned right. You still need to put them in the right positions with the right strategy. I’m seeing guys trying, but not smart enough to know how to attack on the fly, thus leading to some bad turnovers and sloppy play. They don’t have PJ Tucker anymore who can somewhat defend both J’s, Butler can only defend one of them, why aren’t we going out of our way to attack that match up with our strength, either J? If 2 J’s don’t pick it up significantly, we are in trouble. Jaylen is avg 22 ppg I think last series, we need much more out of him. Jaylen needs to stop the dumb turnovers and get going, closer to 30 ppg this series. Can Joe get him going? Look at all the ways Spolstra uses Butler, then wonder why we don’t ever do that with our guys consistently, just maybe one quarter or 2, then they disappear? Oh I forgot Joe did a great job using Tatum in game 7, okay Joe do it again.

Red would often say the 3rd Q was the most important, because that was when he'd had a chance to figure out what his opponents were doing and then make proper adjustments.

Losing the 3rd Q is a sign the coach has not made proper adjustments at halftime. Winning the 3rd Q is a sign the coach made the right calls at halftime in preparation. Spo over Joe in game 1.

I looked for Red's quote on the 3rd quarter but couldn't find it. However, I did find these beauties:

“The most important thing in coaching is communication. It's not what you say as much as what they absorb.”
-- Red Auerbach



“They said you have to use your five best players but I found you win with the five who fit together the best.”
-- Red Auerbach

“You don't win games as a coach during games. You win games as a coach before games. Players win during games, not coaches”
-- Red Auerbach

“Just do what you do best.”
-- Red Auerbach

“Basketball is like war in that offensive weapons are developed first, and it always takes a while for the defense to catch up.”
-- Red Auerbach


“To a father, when a child dies, the future dies; to a child when a parent dies, the past dies.”
-- Red Auerbach


“It's not what you tell your players that counts. It's what they here.”
-- Red Auerbach


“An acre of performance is worth a whole world of promise.”
-- Red Auerbach

“Everyone is born with a certain potential. You may never achieve your full potential, but how close you come depends on how much you want to pay the price.”
-- Red Auerbach

“The only correct actions are those that demand no explanation and no apology.”
-- Red Auerbach

“Many, many times, the kids with the less talent become the better athletes because they're more dedicated to achieving their full potential.”
-- Red Auerbach

“To be a successful coach you should be and look prepared. You must be a man of integrity. Never break your word. Don't have two sets of standards. Remember you don't handle players-you handle pets. You deal with players. Stand up for your players. Show them you care-on and off the court. Very important-it's not 'how' or 'what' you say but what they absorb.”
-- Red Auerbach

“All records are made to be broken.”
-- Red Auerbach

“I can't stand a ballplayer who plays in fear.”
-- Red Auerbach

“And I have been very blessed, having coached some of the greatest that have ever played the game. But if I had to start a team today, the greatest player and the one guy I would take would be Larry Bird.”
-- Red Auerbach

“You can't win without the ball.”
-- Red Auerbach

“You've got to avoid overcoaching. You've got to avoid talking too much. You've got to avoid showing players that you're the boss every time. You don't have to do that. They know you're in charge.”
-- Red Auerbach


“If they think we've got an edge, we've got an edge.”
-- Red Auerbach

“Take pride in what you do. The kind of pride I'm talking about is not the arrogant puffed-up kind; it's just the whole idea of caring - fiercely caring”
-- Red Auerbach

“If you want to be a Champion, you've got to feel like one, you've got to act like one, you've got to look like one.”
-- Red Auerbach

“You handle animals. You deal with people.”
-- Red Auerbach

“Any coach needs talent. You start with talent. Without talent, we're all in the soup.”
-- Red Auerbach

“You see, in sports you have so many things that aren't expected. There's so much uncertainty. So when players find themselves in a situation where management has a great deal of integrity and they can depend on my word or anybody else's word in the organization, they feel secure. And if the players feel secure, they don't want to leave here. And if they don't want to leave here, they're going to do everything they can on the court to stay here.”
-- Red Auerbach

“If I'm going to coach the players, I want some say on who they're going to be.”
-- Red Auerbach

“I've turned down a lot of trades where I might have gotten a better player, but I wasn't totally sure of the chemistry of that new player coming in. Even though he might possess golden ability, his personality and the way he gets along with teammates might be things you just don't want to cope with.”
-- Red Auerbach


“I have two college degrees, but the only way I could make a living was by showing kids how to put a ball in a hole.”
-- Red Auerbach

“I can't stand a ballplayer who plays in fear. Anybody who has a good shot has got to take it and keep taking it. So he misses...so what?”
-- Red Auerbach

“He has the players too happy.”
-- Red Auerbach


“I never took a position we were going to be a good ball club. I took the position we were going to be a winning ball club.”
-- Red Auerbach


“The Boston Celtics are not a basketball team, they are a way of life.”
-- Red Auerbach

The are a lot of reasons why coaches call time outs.  It is not just about setting up a scoring opportunity.

Time outs are called to run specific actions on offense, adjust coverage situations on defense, give a player or two a blow, advance the ball, break the momentum of the opponent that is on a run, challenge a call, make a substitution immediately instead of waiting for the next dead ball or even to coach the team up by reiterating game plan strategies and tactics.

There are clearly a lot of valid reasons for a coach to take timeouts.

CJ will continue to be criticized at times when his game management initiatives are lacking.  Not calling timeouts is still an issue.

Letting the guys play through all the tough patches will not work given the Celtics track record this year.  5- 8 in games decided by 3 points or less and 4-7  in OT games

The Celtics are in a battle against a team that knows how to win close games.  14-8 in games decided by 3 points or less and 3-2 in OT games.

I am not blaming the coach this time. Yes, one could say that if he had his finger on the pulse, he would have called a TO very early in Q3.

But it was a double whammy. Lackadaisical Celts and an inspired Heat team. That was the combo that sent them reeling.

This one is on the players. Tatum not demanding the ball, traveling on the pump fake, and such. He just lost his nerve.

I am hoping that the Celts remember that embarrassment and come out determined from here on in the series.

It’s on both, sure it’s on the players, but the coach has a long list of shortcomings that have been pointed out already here over and over. It’s so bad now, the players have to even coach among themselves, because the coach sure doesn’t have a lot of basics down himself. They were pining for more of RWill before he actually did it in game 6. He has no ATO’s, the players are on their own to figure it out, usually leads to a Tatum drive with bad spacing and no place to go leading to a Smart 3, that’s all he’s got. Pathetic. Spolstra uses Jimmy Butler so many different ways, back cuts, post ups, pnr. Way too many times I see Jaylen standing on a side/corner doing nothing. Then it’s your turn, my turn. They have no names making huge contributions, we freeze out GWill. We switch really well, but also switch too much on our own putting Al on a point or Pritch on Jimmy Butler. This coach is utterly lacking both ends, we win on superior talent winning match ups, that’s it. Joe get Tatum and Brown to put on their Superman capes, it’s on the players; if a team can figure out creative ways to double them at key times, it usually works as the coach is always unprepared….remember how the zone got us without Embid in game 1? As the playoffs has gone longer Jaylen is scoring less and less, because the coach took away his cape, can’t figure out how to use him like Spolstra regularly does with heavy doses of Jimmy. I got alot more too….the players have won in series that should have went in less games on their own, despite the coach constantly getting in their way which is stilll going on.

I am 100% in agreement Cow.

We are going to find out really fast what’s wins and works in this league. Remember it’s not the 5 best players that always win, it’s the 5 best players that work together as a unit that wins. We will see if our superior talent with an unprepared unqualified coach can win or a superior coach with a methodical working system can win? I dare anyone to challenge me by saying Joe is qualified when he’s never been a head coach before at any level and only got the job on unique circumstances. Some will say I’m being negative on clueless Joe, but I’m going by what my eye test is showing me. You could say Jaylen has had a turnover history already, right so you need better coaching to awaken him and get him right, not worse coaching and worse spacing and worse positioning. So it’s on both, but you’d be fooling yourself if it’s not on inept Joe, who couldn’t come up with anything in that bad ugly 3rd quarter that cost us the game. Okay Joe, let’s see what you got for tonight?

There also has been a delicate balance that might be too late to overcome. I would love to be wrong on this. By freezing out GWill, who avg 25 minutes during last years playoffs, he may have burnt out Al who I love and who has lost his 3 point stroke. Al has been an iron man and played more minutes than RWill and Grant combined, but has it effected his shooting? Hope it’s not too late and Al’s stroke can come back. Shame he has frozen out GWill to this extent!! Wouldn’t it be better to have 2 guys that can effectively spread the floor, Joes puzzling moves bottomline have weakened our 3 point shooting. One he has taken away all by himself, the other has been weakened by way too many minutes….

cowens/oldschool wrote:There also has been a delicate balance that might be too late to overcome. I would love to be wrong on this. By freezing out GWill, who avg 25 minutes during last years playoffs, he may have burnt out Al who I love and who has lost his 3 point stroke. Al has been an iron man and played more minutes than RWill and Grant combined, but has it effected his shooting? Hope it’s not too late and Al’s stroke can come back. Shame he has frozen out GWill to this extent!! Wouldn’t it be better to have 2 guys that can effectively spread the floor, Joes puzzling moves bottomline have weakened our 3 point shooting. One he has taken away all by himself, the other has been weakened by way too many minutes….

Cowens

I just don't understand what has happened to Grant. I'm sure there is something that we as fans just don't see, but he was an effective player. You are absolutely right his size and versatility would have given Al some much needed rest. Grant played hard, defended well, got tough rebounds and shot the three ball well. I just don't get why he isn't playing, and to call his number now who knows what you will get. I'm sure Grant will be ready if called upon, but he hasn't played much in so long he has to be rusty.

worcester wrote:I looked for Red's quote on the 3rd quarter but couldn't find it. However, I did find these beauties:

“The most important thing in coaching is communication. It's not what you say as much as what they absorb.”
-- Red Auerbach



“They said you have to use your five best players but I found you win with the five who fit together the best.”
-- Red Auerbach

“You don't win games as a coach during games. You win games as a coach before games. Players win during games, not coaches”
-- Red Auerbach

“Just do what you do best.”
-- Red Auerbach

“Basketball is like war in that offensive weapons are developed first, and it always takes a while for the defense to catch up.”
-- Red Auerbach


“To a father, when a child dies, the future dies; to a child when a parent dies, the past dies.”
-- Red Auerbach


“It's not what you tell your players that counts. It's what they here.”
-- Red Auerbach


“An acre of performance is worth a whole world of promise.”
-- Red Auerbach

“Everyone is born with a certain potential. You may never achieve your full potential, but how close you come depends on how much you want to pay the price.”
-- Red Auerbach

“The only correct actions are those that demand no explanation and no apology.”
-- Red Auerbach

“Many, many times, the kids with the less talent become the better athletes because they're more dedicated to achieving their full potential.”
-- Red Auerbach

“To be a successful coach you should be and look prepared. You must be a man of integrity. Never break your word. Don't have two sets of standards. Remember you don't handle players-you handle pets. You deal with players. Stand up for your players. Show them you care-on and off the court. Very important-it's not 'how' or 'what' you say but what they absorb.”
-- Red Auerbach

“All records are made to be broken.”
-- Red Auerbach

“I can't stand a ballplayer who plays in fear.”
-- Red Auerbach

“And I have been very blessed, having coached some of the greatest that have ever played the game. But if I had to start a team today, the greatest player and the one guy I would take would be Larry Bird.”
-- Red Auerbach

“You can't win without the ball.”
-- Red Auerbach

“You've got to avoid overcoaching. You've got to avoid talking too much. You've got to avoid showing players that you're the boss every time. You don't have to do that. They know you're in charge.”
-- Red Auerbach


“If they think we've got an edge, we've got an edge.”
-- Red Auerbach

“Take pride in what you do. The kind of pride I'm talking about is not the arrogant puffed-up kind; it's just the whole idea of caring - fiercely caring”
-- Red Auerbach

“If you want to be a Champion, you've got to feel like one, you've got to act like one, you've got to look like one.”
-- Red Auerbach

“You handle animals. You deal with people.”
-- Red Auerbach

“Any coach needs talent. You start with talent. Without talent, we're all in the soup.”
-- Red Auerbach

“You see, in sports you have so many things that aren't expected. There's so much uncertainty. So when players find themselves in a situation where management has a great deal of integrity and they can depend on my word or anybody else's word in the organization, they feel secure. And if the players feel secure, they don't want to leave here. And if they don't want to leave here, they're going to do everything they can on the court to stay here.”
-- Red Auerbach

“If I'm going to coach the players, I want some say on who they're going to be.”
-- Red Auerbach

“I've turned down a lot of trades where I might have gotten a better player, but I wasn't totally sure of the chemistry of that new player coming in. Even though he might possess golden ability, his personality and the way he gets along with teammates might be things you just don't want to cope with.”
-- Red Auerbach


“I have two college degrees, but the only way I could make a living was by showing kids how to put a ball in a hole.”
-- Red Auerbach

“I can't stand a ballplayer who plays in fear. Anybody who has a good shot has got to take it and keep taking it. So he misses...so what?”
-- Red Auerbach

“He has the players too happy.”
-- Red Auerbach


“I never took a position we were going to be a good ball club. I took the position we were going to be a winning ball club.”
-- Red Auerbach


“The Boston Celtics are not a basketball team, they are a way of life.”
-- Red Auerbach

Thanks Worcester.

Every single one of these should be plastered throughout the locker room and practice facility’s

Here’s a few comments from the other side- Twitterville

Celtics17 wrote:

cowens/oldschool wrote:There also has been a delicate balance that might be too late to overcome. I would love to be wrong on this. By freezing out GWill, who avg 25 minutes during last years playoffs, he may have burnt out Al who I love and who has lost his 3 point stroke. Al has been an iron man and played more minutes than RWill and Grant combined, but has it effected his shooting? Hope it’s not too late and Al’s stroke can come back. Shame he has frozen out GWill to this extent!! Wouldn’t it be better to have 2 guys that can effectively spread the floor, Joes puzzling moves bottomline have weakened our 3 point shooting. One he has taken away all by himself, the other has been weakened by way too many minutes….

Cowens

I just don't understand what has happened to Grant. I'm sure there is something that we as fans just don't see, but he was an effective player. You are absolutely right his size and versatility would have given Al some much needed rest. Grant played hard, defended well, got tough rebounds and shot the three ball well. I just don't get why he isn't playing, and to call his number now who knows what you will get. I'm sure Grant will be ready if called upon, but he hasn't played much in so long he has to be rusty.

Grant is by no means the perfect player, but he had huge big moments/3’s in 2 of our 4 wins vs Milwaukee last year. He is a hard nosed defender and has a physical presence, why you take that contribution out of our rotation and thus ruin 2 birds with one stone totally befuddles me…??? Thanks Joe, your rotation seems to have eliminated 2 effective 3 point shooters from our roster.

cowens/oldschool wrote:

Celtics17 wrote:

cowens/oldschool wrote:There also has been a delicate balance that might be too late to overcome. I would love to be wrong on this. By freezing out GWill, who avg 25 minutes during last years playoffs, he may have burnt out Al who I love and who has lost his 3 point stroke. Al has been an iron man and played more minutes than RWill and Grant combined, but has it effected his shooting? Hope it’s not too late and Al’s stroke can come back. Shame he has frozen out GWill to this extent!! Wouldn’t it be better to have 2 guys that can effectively spread the floor, Joes puzzling moves bottomline have weakened our 3 point shooting. One he has taken away all by himself, the other has been weakened by way too many minutes….

Cowens

I just don't understand what has happened to Grant. I'm sure there is something that we as fans just don't see, but he was an effective player. You are absolutely right his size and versatility would have given Al some much needed rest. Grant played hard, defended well, got tough rebounds and shot the three ball well. I just don't get why he isn't playing, and to call his number now who knows what you will get. I'm sure Grant will be ready if called upon, but he hasn't played much in so long he has to be rusty.

Grant is by no means the perfect player, but he had huge big moments/3’s in 2 of our 4 wins vs Milwaukee last year. He is a hard nosed defender and has a physical presence, why you take that contribution out of our rotation and thus ruin 2 birds with one stone totally befuddles me…??? Thanks Joe, your rotation seems to have eliminated 2 effective 3 point shooters from our roster.

Cow,

64 3pt fgas over two games = 32/game. We averaged 42.6 3pt fgas/game during the season. That's almost 11 fewer 3pt fgas/game. Even at 31% that's 3+ more points/game more than we're averaging.

Joe being 3-happy has driven me crazy this season, I'll admit it, but if that's the game he wants the players to play then why has he moved away from his own game plan?


Bob

.

bobheckler wrote:

cowens/oldschool wrote:

Celtics17 wrote:

cowens/oldschool wrote:There also has been a delicate balance that might be too late to overcome. I would love to be wrong on this. By freezing out GWill, who avg 25 minutes during last years playoffs, he may have burnt out Al who I love and who has lost his 3 point stroke. Al has been an iron man and played more minutes than RWill and Grant combined, but has it effected his shooting? Hope it’s not too late and Al’s stroke can come back. Shame he has frozen out GWill to this extent!! Wouldn’t it be better to have 2 guys that can effectively spread the floor, Joes puzzling moves bottomline have weakened our 3 point shooting. One he has taken away all by himself, the other has been weakened by way too many minutes….

Cowens

I just don't understand what has happened to Grant. I'm sure there is something that we as fans just don't see, but he was an effective player. You are absolutely right his size and versatility would have given Al some much needed rest. Grant played hard, defended well, got tough rebounds and shot the three ball well. I just don't get why he isn't playing, and to call his number now who knows what you will get. I'm sure Grant will be ready if called upon, but he hasn't played much in so long he has to be rusty.

Grant is by no means the perfect player, but he had huge big moments/3’s in 2 of our 4 wins vs Milwaukee last year. He is a hard nosed defender and has a physical presence, why you take that contribution out of our rotation and thus ruin 2 birds with one stone totally befuddles me…??? Thanks Joe, your rotation seems to have eliminated 2 effective 3 point shooters from our roster.

Cow,

64 3pt fgas over two games = 32/game.  We averaged 42.6 3pt fgas/game during the season.  That's almost 11 fewer 3pt fgas/game.  Even at 31% that's 3+ more points/game more than we're averaging.

Joe being 3-happy has driven me crazy this season, I'll admit it, but if that's the game he wants the players to play then why has he moved away from his own game plan?


Bob

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With all the other utter ineptitude that I am seeing out of clueless Joe, missed that one bob. I’d say we have alot more problems that that, but with our percentages so low, after he grinded Al into the ground and took away Grant (his decision) maybe he doesn’t know how to maintain his teams strengths, which used to be 3’s. What’s our record when we shoot 40%, I think it’s pretty good….

John Karalis @John_Karalis
about 13 minutes ago
Marcus Smart with a clipboard diagramming something... New wrinkle for tonight?

https://twitter.com/John_Karalis/status/1660306520733626368?s=20


Bob
MY NOTE:  Smart isn't waiting for Joe and his coaches to make adjustments, he's grabbing the bull by the horns himself. What does that say, that a player is coaching the coaches?



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