Boston Celtics News (2024-2025)

bygone wrote:Not sure how many more seasons I get to watch this legendary team, but all you guys and gal above have put a big sh**ty grin on my face in anticipation of the upcoming season. Mahalo to all of you and much love for our players, coach, GM and all the Celtic's staff.

Cousy was/is priceless too.

bygone,

Glad you've been with us for this fabulous ride.


Bob


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Bobby Manning @RealBobManning
2 days ago
Tatum shot 10.4% on tightly contested 3s in the playoffs. Cutting out bad shots has to be a focus for him this season while balancing being that threat to make tough attempts.


Bob
MY NOTE:  He has no excuses for this anymore.  He's old enough, he's certainly seasoned enough.  He's got to abandon the KoME-ball mentality.  We saw more of that last year, he tried to be more of a facilitator, but he has to go up one more notch.  He has to dribble less, go into his set sooner.  A lot of his contested 3s are NOT because the ball doesn't get passed to him until there's only 1-2 seconds left on the clock and he has to take the shot.  They're caused by him running down the clock with his one-on-one dribbling routine out beyond the arc.  It's ok for him to do that early in the halfcourt offense but not with < 8-10 seconds left.  That let's the defense gamble because the clock becomes their ally.


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Tatum hit a big shooting slump from 3 all during our playoff run. A blessing that he is on such a deep team that really wins big on defense and a blessing that coach Joe finally gave the green light to Jaylen to get his share of clutch situations with the ball this playoff run. Jayson was still a dynamic force with his post ups and drives and passing and defense. I just know he can play alot better and has in previous playoff series/games with monster 40-50 point games.

JT is a very skilled basketball player.  Over the past few seasons we have witnessed his propensity for taking ill advised shots.  His signature step to the side, fadeaway 3 pointer is a dreadful shot.  During the playoffs Tatum shot 28.3% from deep.  Jaylen also struggled at only 32.7%.

The difference between these players on offense comes down to the ability to score with a high level of efficiency.

While Tatum shot 42.7% from the field during the Playoffs, Jaylen Brown shot an eye popping 51.6%.  JB was a bucket getter for the Celtics and stepped up to defend the top scorer on the other teams that we faced.

His Larry Bird ECF MVP award and the treasured Bill Russell finals MVP award was achieved by Jaylen because he was simply the best overall player on the court throughout our finals run.

JT is no longer some up and coming kid trying to make his mark.  He is an experienced playoff tested guy who should know by now what a bad shot is.  

While JT was 'grandfathered in' for an Olympic spot on the roster,  Jaylen was actually snubbed.   Again and then again after KL  could not play.  All the lame excuses in the world cannot account for keeping him off the team.  It simply defies logic so it has to be something else at work here.

A long time ago I learned that money talks and BS walks.  The NBA sold out to Nike owner, Phil Knight.  Nike was the major sports apparel company during the Olympics and they also inked a new contract with the NBA to be the Brand for the NBA.  All players will wear Jerseys with the swoosh.  The cost for this privilege?  A Cool 1 billion dollars to the NBA.  As we already know Jaylen called out Nike after they severed ties with Kyrie Irving.  JB is really an NBA union rep in conjunction with him being a VP of the NBA Players Association.  JB basically pointed out Nike's hypocrisy given their less than ethical business practices.

The NBA should take note that when you crater 'For A Few Dollars more'  you compromise your integrity.  The NBA has been a significant advocate for social justice issues.  The JB situation flies in the face of that significant advocacy.

Ramp to Camp: What is Celtics' biggest obstacle in quest to repeat?

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/ramp-camp-celtics-biggest-obstacle-134211114.html

Chris Forsberg
Mon, September 2, 2024 at 9:42 AM EDT·4 min read

Ramp to Camp: What is Celtics' biggest obstacle in quest to repeat? originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

September is here and a new season of Celtics basketball isn’t far behind.

The NBA champion Celtics being their title defense when training camp opens later this month, and a preseason trip to Abu Dhabi means Boston gets an early jump on most of its rivals.

The Celtics worked quickly to bring back much of their championship roster at the start of the offseason, and aside from the recent addition of Lonnie Walker IV, it’s been very quiet in CelticsLand lately. But it’s time to start thinking about basketball again.

Welcome to our Ramp To Camp 2024 series. We asked members of our NBC Sports Boston staff to ponder 15 topics aimed at setting the table for Boston’s 2024-25 campaign.

In the first installment of our late-summer forecast, we asked our staff to identify the biggest obstacle the Celtics might encounter in their quest to repeat as champions.

When we first pondered the subject last month, we landed on four primary pitfalls: Health, complacency, beefed-up competition, and the general burden of being a champion.

Not surprisingly, health was the most common response from our panel. The Celtics are set to start the 2024-25 season with big man Kristaps Porzingis, who is sidelined after offseason leg surgery. And yet this is a team that steamrolled through the 2024 playoffs even with Porzingis hobbled by his leg ailment.

The Celtics leaned into their depth last season, and even if their biggest strength was the totality of talent in their top six, it was a bench full of net rating darlings that helped Boston stay afloat regardless of who was available.

Which is why our vote for biggest obstacle lands on the general burden of defending champions. Don’t misconstrue. This doesn’t seem like a team that will get content after reaching the mountaintop. But it’s simply difficult to stay up there.

Defending champs have to fight any bit of complacency that might creep in. They have to deal with a perpetual target on their back. They can’t skip steps, even if there’s only one acceptable outcome to the season which can’t truly be achieved until June.


There’s a reason why the NBA hasn’t seen a repeat champion in the past half decade. (The Warriors were the last to go back-to-back in 2017 and 2018). The Celtics have all the potential to end that repeat drought but they have to manufacture the same sort of desperation that fueled their blitz to Banner 18.

The good news is that Boston’s key pieces ought to embrace that challenge. Coach Joe Mazzulla has consistently pushed his team to be mentally tough throughout his two seasons at the helm. The All-Star tandem of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown got a little fuel from Team USA this summer and seem perpetually motivated to show the rest of the NBA that they deserve to be considered among the elite (and they have the trophy to prove it now).

The Celtics faced similar obstacles in their quest to secure Banner 18. They rarely tripped on those hurdles. Now they just need to do it again.

Here are some other obstacles our NBC Sports Boston panel identified:

John Tomase: Size

Center isn't supposed to matter in today's positionless NBA, but between Porzingis's health and Al Horford's age, the C's are so thin up front, it's fair to wonder what toll it will take if the Celtics go small all year. Every possession that Tatum or Jrue Holiday has to lean on Joel Embiid comes with a cost that might come due in June.

Tom Giles: Health

It was a short offseason already with the Celtics playing well into June, and an even shorter offseason for Tatum, Holiday and Derrick White, who were part of Team USA.  Managing the 82-game regular season while ramping up for another 16 playoff wins will be key.

Mark Hazlett: Bad luck

The NBA is so deep now, even the most talented teams need some breaks. Margins are way thinner than we like to admit. That's why we've had six different champs over the last six years. Thankfully, the Celtics' mascot is Lucky.

Darren Hartwell: Health

The Celtics shouldn't have to worry about the championship complacency curse -- they have two extra-motivated superstars and a head coach who's never had a complacent day in his life. The only thing that can derail Banner 19 is a significant injury to Tatum, Brown, White or Holiday, as Boston already proved it can win without Porzingis.

Justin Leger: Health

Can the Celtics overcome the loss of Porzingis for an extended period? I'm not scared of anyone in the East, even with the Sixers adding Paul George and the Knicks acquiring Mikal Bridges. Health is the only potential roadblock on the quest for Banner 19.

Nick Goss: Health

Kevin Miller: Health of Porzingis

This article shows how the league has changed and how the stakes have changed drastically.  

Back 40 years ago during the 80's with Bird and Magic, after each team won a championship and looked to repeat the following season, I'm going to put up dboss's paycheck again and say injuries never made the list of potential derailers.  Certainly not what I recall.  Of course, we all remember the NBA was just coming out of survival mode from the 70's and Bird vs. Magic or Magic vs. Bird was the only marketing plan.  It worked.  Through the roof.    

But as a result of those two alone and the league's we're going down like the Titanic, all-in/all or nothing marketing plan, the much bigger, more valuable chess pieces of today create a mood of protectionism of the players from the owners on down to #15 on the bench.  Without Bird and Magic, there is no Michael.  No Kobe.  No Shaq.  No Curry.  No JT.  Somehow the athletes of today are much better physically and have everything at their fingertips, yet they appear WAY more injured.

What did the 80's generation know about injuries that this generation does not?  Or is there anything of substance regarding different generations of injuries at all?  Players in the 80's were injured, but either time and memories erase what we (well at least me!) remember or some things have changed drastically. 

You had to beat it and drag it out of the Larry's and Kevin's of the 80's that they were injured.  Today we just go to ESPN Injury Report before every game to see who's in and who's out.

The league is not desperate anymore.  It is thriving.  No one or two players are "saving" the league.  Now there are multiple matchups we all want to see on a daily basis.  LP allows us to see whatever games we want to see, whatever matchups we want to see.  It's a beautiful world!!  And Boston is WINNING!!    

db

dbrown4 wrote:
The league is not desperate anymore.  It is thriving.  No one or two players are "saving" the league.  Now there are multiple matchups we all want to see on a daily basis.  LP allows us to see whatever games we want to see, whatever matchups we want to see.  It's a beautiful world!!  And Boston is WINNING!!    
db

Truer words may have never been spoken.

db,

Injuries have always played a role in ending potential playoff runs, even before the 80's.  The reason that many "played through the pain" was mostly due to a combination of poor medical advice, inadequate medical science and an unequal power equation between management and players.

Modern medical science can pinpoint exactly is going on, and the decision can be made how better to go forward.  "Will playing now affect playing in the future?"  Before, it was more like, "tape it up, let's see how it goes", which often led to future failure and a shortened career. (McHale)

Both Bird and McHale did stupid things that affected their careers; roof installation (back) and playing hurt (McHale), right?  Back then, a knee injury was a career ender, now it is fixed arthroscopically, with less down time and less career-ending sadness.

Now, players sit out more, return from injuries quicker and healthier, have maternity leave (even during the playoffs!), etc. on the one hand.  On the other, players are introduced to the grind of the NBA season much earlier, and many of them haven't allowed their bodies to mature due to their youth (something about the bone caps, ends, whatever, Worcester can better define that aspect) and they rack up more mileage in the youth leagues.

I imagine some of the older fans on this site can elaborate more, but in the single hole in the '60's championship resume was due to injuries.  There was no internet then, but I can imagine the narrative towards the end of that season (1968) was about health, as it was the very next season (1969).

I don't think trying to suggest that back then, "the players were made of stronger stuff", will serve as a rational argument as to why the injury list appears to be larger.  Did they even publish an injury list prior to each game back then?

Things change, the world moves on.  For good or bad, who can say?

Bobby Manning @RealBobManning
yesterday
Pritchard, Hauser, Walker, Springer, Brissett trajectory. Defense (right) is why Springer still intrigues. pic.x.com/meaxkc59lg





Bob
MY NOTE:  DARKO means "Daily Adjusted and Regressed Kalman Optimized", which means absolutely nothing to me.  DPM means "Daily Plus-Minus".  DPM is similar to the Defensive Rating on basketball-reference.com.  It's the difference in points allowed per 100 possessions when the player is on the court vs points allowed when he's off the court.  So the difference is that it also compares his contributions to defense vs his team and not just as a standalone metric.  This makes sense to me.  You could put a great defender on a lousy defensive team and his career DefRtg will suffer, but if you look at how he's doing vs the rest of his teammates he's still the best defender on the floor by far.   Marcus Smart's DefRtg last year with Memphis was the worst of his career, but how much of that was his fault and how much was the tepid defense by other players on his team dragging him down?


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