Re: Celtics Playoffs 2024

by **RosalieTCeltics** Wed May 29, 2024 2:25 pm

Dboss, Johnny taught me all about basketball as I sat in my bed, transistor radio on, and Johnny describing play by play. I envisioned every play in my mind. I swear to God, this is the truth. When they finally started putting a few games on television, the radio always stayed on, no way I was giving up on Johnny. I am a self proclaimed HOMER, I will not deny it. But there is nothing like listening to your own guys doing the games. This i why we will miss Mike so much

by **dbrown4** Wed May 29, 2024 3:42 pm

OK. Let's end this here altogether. And this not pointing the finger at anyone on this site. This is all the media and what they are NOT saying with their tilt on this perceived Celtic "easy" path to the Finals bs. And since they never admit the error of their ways as Rosalie so astutely puts, the ESPN's of the world catch themselves with their own pants just about down every single time. They never fess up and just ride out the Titanic after hitting iceberg after iceberg like it's not going to sink. But here's the statement these clowns will never make on this particular topic of the Celtics having an easy ride to the Finals...

THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO HAVE THE EASIEST PATH TO THE FINALS!!! They're the #1 OVERALL SEED! Did you want them playing DEN or OKC or MIL or NYK in the first rounds?! And for whatever reason(s), they will never admit they don't like the Celtics. Period. As the #1 overall seed, we're supposed to have the easiest route to the FINALS for the love of God!!! That's the way the brackets line up!! MIA, CLE nor IND nor anyone else in the East would have prevented us from making it to the Finals this year. I'll go on to say the path of the #1 overall seed is not easy enough. We should get to play the 7th & 8th seeds in the first two rounds or get a bye for a round or two. If you bust your ass and win the most games in the NBA league, the greatest basketball players in the world, you deserve a little better than 8th, 4th/5th, and 2nd/3rd opponents in the traditional bracket. I'm just sayin'. But I digress.

I can also predict the following with great accuracy. The media is about to make the same huge mistake again with DAL or MIN coming out of the West and jumping on that horse. Steven A. kind of emotionally got caught up in all this with his Knicks ECF's prediction falling through, then jumping the Celtics ship for the MIN prediction (although that is not yet in the books) and once MIN bows out, he'll jump on the DAL train. Now he's a bit emotive, so I'll cut him some slack. He likes basketball and wants to see the best play the best. Don't we all?!! He just wears his heart on his sleeve. Nothing wrong with that. It's "E"ntertaining.

I think you can safely say here that I love picking on the media and I would not be the least bit offended with anyone making that statement about me. I just know they are an historic, almost 100% trainwreck so it almost appears to everyone else as though I am cheating with my predictions. Not only in the sports world but everywhere else. Let's just say it's better than pocket Aces heads up. You, too, can slam the media and be right almost all the time!! I use my 2nd amendment rights every day just as they do. Glad to have it and very happy to live in a country where I can do this freely and unimpeded. But with the freedom comes responsibility and the media is the biggest abuser of this privilege and right. But that's just them.

Well, anyway. That needed to be said! Thank you for listening and reading! Comments agreeing or dissenting from the greatest class of people here on earth and Celtic fans is always welcome!!

db

by **dboss** Wed May 29, 2024 9:02 pm

KP pledges to be back for the finals. That's good news. The not so good news is that he plans to play for Lithuania in the Olympics.

Also, AH may retire. He just put his Brookline residence on the market for around $9 million. He purchased it in 2021 for $7.5 million.

He turns 38 on June 3rd. He has nothing more to do except win a championship.

Do not be shocked if he hangs up his sneakers.

by **worcester** Wed May 29, 2024 9:16 pm

Lithuania or Latvia?

by **dboss** Wed May 29, 2024 9:26 pm

Latvia

by **worcester** Wed May 29, 2024 9:58 pm

I think Lonzo's brother played in Latvia for a while. I had a Latvian girlfriend for three years - 2003 thru 2005 - and would visit Riga often. Once we saw The Latvian and Lithuanian National teams play. They were fierce rivals. Avid hoopers. Latvians love basketball, an ideal indoor sport for a country with long winters.

by **dboss** Wed May 29, 2024 10:51 pm

I can only think if Gallo

by **jrleftfoot** Wed May 29, 2024 10:54 pm

dboss wrote:Celtics17

The Celtics earned the best regular season record while going a 64-18. Although regular season does not mean that you win during the playoffs it should at least give pause to anyone that embraces a dismissive attitude about the Celtics. Great habits were built throughout the season and have carried over into the playoffs. The Celtics have no control over who they play. We had a double digit point differential in the regular season and are a +10 through 14 playoff games.

I guess the big criticism from all the talking heads begins and ends with our 3 point shooting volume. Not all of their attempts are good shots. As the Celtics wait for their next opponent they are #1 in scoring now that Indy is gone and we are #1 in 3PA and #1 in 3PM and percentage. We are #1 in FT shooting and #1 in rebounding.

The Celtics will not be morphing into something that they are not but they have proven an ability to win big, small or in between. Contrary to some opinions, the Indy series pushed us to play faster on both offense and defense. We closed them out in 3 of 4 games when we were behind. That is a sign of championship iron.

100%.Sometimes JT dribbles around too much and ends up taking an off balance , onelegged falling backwards shot. Other than that, I have no problem with our shot selection.The fact that our guys have pretty much free reign to shoot threes leads to a lot of late game clutch makes from guys who were struggling earlier.The talking heads are, I think , underestimating the difference KP will make, streching the floor on O and guarding the rim on defense.

If you cannot win the 3 point shooting battle you cannot beat the Celtics.

by **worcester** Thu May 30, 2024 9:04 am

Does it make sense for us to sign Gordon Hayward next season for something close to the vet minimum?

by **worcester** Thu May 30, 2024 9:04 am

Does it make sense for us to sign Gordon Hayward next season for something close to the vet minimum?

by **dboss** Thu May 30, 2024 11:31 am

Only if it allows the Celtics to recoup all the $$$ they paid him.

by **bigpygme** Thu May 30, 2024 12:18 pm

bobheckler wrote:https://www.masslive.com/celtics/2024/05/brad-stevens-aggressive-gamble-pays-dividends-with-celtics-sweep-robb.html

Brad Stevens aggressive gamble pays dividends with Celtics sweep

Published: May. 28, 2024, 6:00 a.m.

By Brian Robb | brobb@masslive.com

INDIANAPOLIS — Brad Stevens did his best to stay out of the limelight as usual after the Celtics clinched their second trip to the NBA Finals under his watch on Monday night. The team president of basketball operations greeted players in a side hallway on their way to the locker room, staying out of view of most cameras.

Wyc Grousbeck gave Stevens a shoutout during the trophy presentation but Stevens otherwise succeeded in keeping a low profile after the win, just the way he prefers to operate. This was a night for the players and coaches, not for him. Make no mistake, Stevens fingerprints was all over this win as Boston overmatched their third straight East opponent on their way to securing the franchise’s first title in 18 years.

Boston had plenty of luck go their way when it came to shorthanded opponents in the past few weeks. However, this team created some of its own luck with the way it was built last offseason.

Building a roster to withstand injury

The path to the NBA Finals couldn’t have been much easier for the Celtics but it’s easy to forget Boston cruised despite not having Kristaps Porzingis available for their last ten games. A lot of that is a credit to Stevens and his front office for building a front court to withstand that possibility. A variety of low priced options fortified Boston’s pricy top talent all year long coming off the bench and those pieces came through during the postseason. Luke Kornet came through with multiple big games off the bench as a backup center while Payton Pritchard was a net positive in a sixth man role all postseason long. Even deep reserves Oshae Brissett and Xavier Tillman had their moments during the Pacers series.

More important than the bit players, Stevens built a core of starting talent capable of withstanding the absence of a player like Porzingis on the postseason stage. Jrue Holiday and Al Horford were able to slide into bigger offensive roles without taking away anything from their defensive contributions. All year long, Boston’s front office brushed off any declarations that the team needed flashier depth behind Porzingis and Al Horford. Through three rounds, that calculation looks the proper one.

Nailing the big gambles

Stevens wasted no time putting his fingerprints on this roster when taking over in the summer of 2021. He brought back Al Horford with a first round pick and proceeded to value veteran production over future draft assets by sending out a first round pick and a highly unprotected pick swap for Derrick White in 2022.

Horford has served as a rock for the team in the middle since his return, with the added bonus of Boston re-signing him on a discount extension after his max deal expired. His fit next to Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown had always been ideal and bringing him back as a supplemental piece has put this group in position to succeed. The same can be said for betting on White two years ago who has surpassed the offensive upside even the most positive pundits probably had him pegged for in San Antonio. Finding a guy with his durability and defensive versatility has taken some pressure off Boston’s top talent, even if it took Joe Mazzulla an extra year to give him the role he deserved.

Stevens fixed that problem though this offseason by sending Marcus Smart and Malcolm Brogdon out the door to bet on White and sizable upgrades in Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis. The window of opportunity was clearly here and now with this group with supermax salaries set to kick in a mere two years from now for Brown and Tatum. It was now or never for the Celtics to push all their chips in and they did so in a way that put them above the pack talent wise for the rest of the NBA. Betting on Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum to fill a leadership void opened by Smart’s departure was also a calculated gamble that worked well for Stevens as both stars have showed their improved maturity during this playoff push.

Placing faith in Joe Mazzulla

After a tumultuous run last postseason, year two of the Joe Mazzulla has been a far smoother ride. Stevens placed a ton of faith in the young coach in the wake of Ime Udoka’s suspension and he showed plenty of warts managing a top-tier contender in his first year on the job.

Stevens stuck with Mazzulla through the turmoil and a full offseason of preparation worked wonders for the 35-year-old in year two. His growth was apparent as he was able to put more of his stamp on the team day in and day out. With simpler lineups choices for crunch time and a dynamic offensive lineup, Mazzulla had his team playing consistently and was able to manage minutes and personality well. It was a boring 64-win season in a way that Stevens likely loved. No drama, no long losing streaks, just steady play for the better part of 82 games with guys enjoying doing it for Mazzulla.

One more test

This team has not completed the job yet after cruising past an undermanned Eastern Conference but Boston will be the heavy favorites no matter what happens out West. With Porzingis expected to be ready for the NBA Finals, the Celtics will be well rested and have their full arsenal of weapons to go against their toughest test of the season. Stevens has put this group in the best possible position to succeed and it’s now on the players to finish the job.

Bob
MY NOTE: Danny earned his nicknamed 'Trader Danny' because he would pull off blockbuster coups, but how many trades did he actually make? I remember a lot of seasons where Danny would just sit pat at the trade deadline even though we all saw needs. He wanted to cut someone's throat and, when they didn't oblige, he just waited. Brad Stevens waits for no man. Brad the Barterer doesn't have the same ring but that's who he is. In previous years how far did we go when we lost a key player like The Time Lord? Brogdon? Isn't having much of an impact this year. We're down our 3rd scoring option and we're in cruise mode and only some of that can be attributed to luck. Jimmy Butler or no Jimmy Butler we were going to win that series. Same with Cleveland, Jarrett Allen or no Jarrett Allen. The only game that threw any scare into us in this series was Game 1 and Halliburton played that game. Turns out Brad Stevens is pretty good at this GM-ing stuff. Who knew? Wyc did..

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by **dboss** Thu May 30, 2024 12:47 pm

It took me a while to wrap my head around 2 things related to Brad Stevens as the Coach/GM

by **bigpygme** Thu May 30, 2024 12:57 pm

db, dboss, dbrown, Rosalie, Celt17, Worcester, BobH, dbrown4, the whole group here -
It is a delight to read / soak in all the very well-informed, sharp and thoughtful reflections i get to see ead here. Back in the day, on a visit back to Boston, I got to meet a few of you in person (and Sam too) in a little neighborhood spot; it was the highlight of that trip, head and shoulders.

like dboss, I expect Big Al to hang em up if (after) we win Banner 18 this year. KP off the bench? Mazzula’s just not gonna do that. Hayward back? Lord, I hope not.

In my view, Stephen A is out to promote Stephen A. Whatever horse is going to get him the most attention is the one he jumps on. He doesn’t much care about being right -he cares about making waves. Unfortunately - or not, depending on your point of view - JJ Redick did much the same, using. Perk as a foil. It worked for him too, but to better propose. He ‘s smart and knows a lot, so I welcome him as a network announcer. (I shudder to imagine Perk in that role)

MVP is a tough call here. Maybe impossible to get right. Because this. Is a Team. A Celtics Team. It’s night by night. Heck, It’s play by play. I couldn’t even pick Most Valuable of just our backcourt, between D White and Jrue. Can you?

Some of you (us) know #’s and cap stuff. I don’t. So if you have any idea how Brad could. pay for all of D White and Tatum and Jrue to stay on - is is even possible ?
But I’m future-tripping big time there.

Mikl

by **worcester** Thu May 30, 2024 1:18 pm

Mikl, whoever gets the 10 year vet minimum gets paid $3.1M but that only counts for $2M against the cap. GH is an unrestricted free agent and a good friend of Brad. He could contribute more than $2M worth of value, but the locker room dynamic might turn sour. I don't know how the three J"s would get along with him. Also, he plays on average 50 games a year since his horrible leg injury. Food for thought.

by **dboss** Thu May 30, 2024 1:44 pm

With the exception of the Bird era, the Celtics won titles with a traditional PG running the offense.

Brad Stevens changed that and the underlying reason was a belief in position-less basketball. You could not really get there until your roster reflected multi-positional players. The main reason why Rajon Rondo was traded is because he did not fit Brad's vision. Going away from a double digit assist guy who really knew all the plays and how to run an offense seemed like a very odd choice to me.

The second thing relates to the evolution of NBA offenses and how the 3 point shot has become the single most important factor in scoring more points.

In our 2007-08 championship run the Celtics were a very traditional NBA ballclub. Their offense was slow and methodical. Their defense was suffocating. I remember emphatically stating that the Magic would never win because they took an outrageous number of 3 point shots (25.3) The Celtics averaged 19.3 3PA per game while making 7.3 and in the playoffs they took only 16.8 3 pointers with 6 makes per game.

Brad as the coach seemed to overlook the value of 2 point shots but that really was not the whole picture. I learned that a long 2 point attempt is considered a bad shot. I also learned that the value of taking a high volume of 3 pointers must be rooted in the disciple of playing with pace and creating great spacing on the floor. It is pretty clear to all of us that when the Celtics execute their offense they are pretty much unbeatable.

Yes we have seen more than our share of 3 point attempts that do not enhance our offense and our top overall player has been the main perpetrator at times. However when you look at both sides of the equation there should be little doubt that the Celtics historic offense this year was driven by 3 point shooting volume and efficiency and doing all the other things that makes that possible.

Brad choose CJ to coach because their basketball philosophy runs parallel to each other.

It was left up to Brad to enhance his team by adding more position-less basketball players that could pass, screen, space the floor and score at all 3 levels AND play defense with a heavy dose of switching.

Every NBA team recognizes how difficult the Celtics are to defend. It is damn near impossible to close out on the perimeter when the man you are trying to guard can and will take you off of the bounce.

by **dboss** Thu May 30, 2024 2:34 pm

bigpygme wrote:db, dboss, dbrown, Rosalie, Celt17, Worcester, BobH, dbrown4, the whole group here -
It is a delight to read / soak in all the very well-informed, sharp and thoughtful reflections i get to see ead here. Back in the day, on a visit back to Boston, I got to meet a few of you in person (and Sam too) in a little neighborhood spot; it was the highlight of that trip, head and shoulders.

like dboss, I expect Big Al to hang em up if (after) we win Banner 18 this year. KP off the bench? Mazzula’s just not gonna do that. Hayward back? Lord, I hope not.

In my view, Stephen A is out to promote Stephen A. Whatever horse is going to get him the most attention is the one he jumps on. He doesn’t much care about being right -he cares about making waves. Unfortunately - or not, depending on your point of view - JJ Redick did much the same, using. Perk as a foil. It worked for him too, but to better propose. He ‘s smart and knows a lot, so I welcome him as a network announcer. (I shudder to imagine Perk in that role)

MVP is a tough call here. Maybe impossible to get right. Because this. Is a Team. A Celtics Team. It’s night by night. Heck, It’s play by play. I couldn’t even pick Most Valuable of just our backcourt, between D White and Jrue. Can you?

Some of you (us) know #’s and cap stuff. I don’t. So if you have any idea how Brad could. pay for all of D White and Tatum and Jrue to stay on - is is even possible ?
But I’m future-tripping big time there.

Mikl

Miki

The NBA salary CAP has a max 10% increase per year. I think this past year it only went up by less than 4%. The new TV deals is projected to generate $7-8 billion in revenue for the NBA. Spotrac estimates that the Celtics will have a tax bill next year in the $54 million range. JT and DW are still under contract. I expect that they will both get extensions over the summer but the new money will not kick in during the 24-25 season. I would expect to see dramatic growth in the CAP and luxury tax thresholds (Aprons) This should help to offset some of the increased luxury taxes for the team.

The other windfall that should be coming will be NBA expansion. The commissioner has already indicated plans to add 2 additional teams within the next 2 years. the entrance fee is probably going to be at least $2.5 billion on the low side per franchise. That money would then be distributed to all 30 teams. i.e 3 billion X 2 new teams equals 6 billion divided by 30 at $200 million per team.

You are correct that keeping JT and DW are future considerations but I think the owners will find a way to make that happen provided we are contenders.

We cannot even imagine what the NBA will look like 10 to 20 years down the road. Global expansion are long term goals.

by **RosalieTCeltics** Thu May 30, 2024 7:44 pm

I love watching Derrick take those floaters close to the basket, a sure 2 most of the time. I wish more and more would develop that too. Jrue uses it at times himself. I know the way of the world is the 3 pt shot, but, it can truly kill a team if they are off. As far as GH is concerned, I see no chance for him to return here. If Al does retire, it will leave a big hole, and not one that can be filled by anyone here. So Brad will have his hands full searching for the right guy. That is one tall task, I will truly miss Al, but if we win, he will ride off into the sunset, no doubt. Either that or they will make him a big man coach?????

There has to be someway that Zarren will be able to figure out how to sign DWhite and Tatum, they are a vital part of this team. Many many unhappy fans if White is traded away, they will regret it. Brad is too smart for that

by **bobheckler** Sun Jun 02, 2024 11:08 am

Jay King: Kristaps Porzingis did everything with the Celtics at practice today, said Joe Mazzulla. Mazzulla said today was relatively light and the team will do more tomorrow, so seems like that could be a bigger test for him physically.
Source: Twitter @ByJayKing

Bob
MY NOTE: Don't push it, Z, we're really close. NO setbacks, PLEASE!!! Having said that, though, this is good news.

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by **Celtics17** Sun Jun 02, 2024 11:22 am

RosalieTCeltics wrote:I love watching Derrick take those floaters close to the basket, a sure 2 most of the time. I wish more and more would develop that too. Jrue uses it at times himself. I know the way of the world is the 3 pt shot, but, it can truly kill a team if they are off. As far as GH is concerned, I see no chance for him to return here. If Al does retire, it will leave a big hole, and not one that can be filled by anyone here. So Brad will have his hands full searching for the right guy. That is one tall task, I will truly miss Al, but if we win, he will ride off into the sunset, no doubt. Either that or they will make him a big man coach?????

There has to be someway that Zarren will be able to figure out how to sign DWhite and Tatum, they are a vital part of this team. Many many unhappy fans if White is traded away, they will regret it. Brad is too smart for that

Rosalie

There will be a huge increase in revenue when the new TV deals are finalized. There should be ample money to give D White what he deserves and keep him in a Celtics uniform. Unless ownership gets very stingy, they can keep the core of this team together for at least 3-5 years. Ownership has never been stingy. These home playoff games are pure profit for the owners. My guess is with the new TV money the Celtics will be able to pay their players and stay profitable.

by **RosalieTCeltics** Sun Jun 02, 2024 11:36 am

Celtic17....I cannot imagine, after building this team, that Wyc would pull back on the purse strings. The one thing he loves is winning. And hates losing. i am of the firm belief DWhite is here for the long haul, he loves it here, loves Joe, and the team. Same with Tatum. I personally think they like being on the dark side of all these reporters and their comments. It bothers ME alot more than it bothers them because they are in charge of their own destiny and they know this is their year to shut them all up

by **worcester** Sun Jun 02, 2024 4:33 pm

Al Horford has one more year left on his contract for $9,500,000 guaranteed. I sure hope he stays. Where could we find someone at that pay scale to replace what Al does for us? I know there are rumors Al is planning to sail of into the sunset if he wins a ring, but consider this. Although he has earned $257,000,000 so far, he is married with four children, and his net worth is reported (probably unreliably) by celebritynetworth.com as $60M. Adding another $9,500,000 to his family's nest egg is not inconsequential for Al.

My good friend Stan Smith was the press agent and public spokesman for Wayne Huizenga when Wayne owned the Florida Marlins, and Stan was standing right next to him when the Marlins won the World Series. Wayne turned to Stan at the end of the ninth inning and said, "We lost $14,000,000 this year owning the Marlins. Are we having $14,000,000 worth of fun yet?" Wayne sold the team shortly thereafter.

I can imagine Al's beautiful wife Amelia turning to Al at the end of the season and asking him, "Are we going to have $9,500,000 worth of fun next season if you retire from the Celtics now?"

by **steve3344** Sun Jun 02, 2024 7:19 pm

worcester wrote:Al Horford has one more year left on his contract for $9,500,000 guaranteed. I sure hope he stays. Where could we find someone at that pay scale to replace what Al does for us? I know there are rumors Al is planning to sail of into the sunset if he wins a ring, but consider this. Although he has earned $257,000,000 so far, he is married with four children, and his net worth is reported (probably unreliably) by celebritynetworth.com as $60M. Adding another $9,500,000 to his family's nest egg is not inconsequential for Al.

My good friend Stan Smith was the press agent and public spokesman for Wayne Huizenga when Wayne owned the Florida Marlins, and Stan was standing right next to him when the Marlins won the World Series. Wayne turned to Stan at the end of the ninth inning and said, "We lost $14,000,000 this year owning the Marlins. Are we having $14,000,000 worth of fun yet?" Wayne sold the team shortly thereafter.

I can imagine Al's beautiful wife Amelia turning to Al at the end of the season and asking him, "Are we going to have $9,500,000 worth of fun next season if you retire from the Celtics now?"

Al has to be worth WAY more than $60 million. If he made $257 million in salary since he's been a pro (and that doesn't include endorsements or commercials) how could he have spent $200 million and not made a penny on any investments? That celebrity net worth number makes zero sense.

by **worcester** Mon Jun 03, 2024 12:29 am

Al is one smart man, and his wife is a fashion icon. So you are probably right Steve. They are probably worth way North of $60M. Still, he enjoys the game as does his family. I hooe they persuade him to stay another year.

by **bobheckler** Fri Jun 07, 2024 11:06 am

https://celticsgreen.blogspot.com/2024/06/espn-experts-and-their-picks.html

ESPN "Experts" and Their Picks

For anyone concerned about all the ESPN "experts" picking the Mavericks to win the series. Here are the ESPN "Expert"Picks from the 2008 Finals and we all know how that one ended. Just thought you might like a reminder.

Celtics Playoffs 2024 - Page 6 Fail

Bob

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