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David Lee explains how much playoff experience can help, calls Boston Celtics a team to watch in the next couple of years
by bobheckler Tue Mar 03, 2015 6:29 pm
http://www.masslive.com/celtics/index.ssf/2015/03/boston_celtics_playoffs_golden.html#incart_story_package
David Lee explains how much playoff experience can help, calls Boston Celtics a team to watch in the next couple of years
FILE: Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens during the first quarter of an NBA basketball game in Boston, Friday, Feb. 27, 2015. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Print Jay King | mjking@masslive.com By Jay King | mjking@masslive.com
on March 03, 2015 at 5:30 AM, updated March 03, 2015 at 6:16 AM
CLEVELAND -- If Monday night's NBA results said one thing to the Boston Celtics, it would be this: even for an improving team in the lowly Eastern Conference, coming from behind to reach the playoffs will not be easy.
The Brooklyn Nets improbably outlasted the Golden State Warriors, the Miami Heat pushed past the Phoenix Suns, and the Celtics fell just a little further away from the eighth seed they have determined to capture.
Elsewhere in the East, the surging Indiana Pacers await Paul George's return. The bottom of the conference has struggled all season, but in the race for the final two playoff slots, six teams sit within three games of each other. For the rest of the season, things could get crazy.
Chris Mannix ✔ @ChrisMannixSI
Follow
Yes, bottom of the Eastern Conference playoff bracket is weak. But w/six teams fighting for two spots, it's going to be a fun stretch run.
7:11 PM - 2 Mar 2015
Yet for at least the past month, head coach Brad Stevens' club has been loud about its playoff aspirations. Even before the trade deadline the Celtics becoming a confident bunch, and the Isaiah Thomas acquisition only solidified a growing internal belief. They are young, small and no longer deep, yet they have banded together to become a dogged, ball-movement-heavy team that thinks it can win any game. It used to be trendy to hope the Celtics would tank for a lottery pick, but it's becoming clear that even if they miss the playoffs, their odds of landing a top-three selection will be slim.
Maybe a postseason push would do more for the club's development. Golden State's David Lee recalled how competing in important games forged his team's obvious togetherness. Before two seasons ago, the Warriors had reached the playoffs once in the previous 18 years.
"You saw it (in Boston) when they had (Kevin) Garnett and (Paul) Pierce and those guys," he said Sunday in Boston. "When it's close games and you have trust in nine or 10 guys on the team because they've all been through it together, whether in the playoffs or even big games in the regular season, it really helps things. So that's what we're experiencing right now."
"We're banking on that this year, that we've had that experience with this core of guys that we're with right now playing a few years in the playoffs," the power forward added. "It is a process. And I know (the Celtics are) going through it right now, acquiring a lot of guys that play well together. And this Boston team's going to be a team in the next couple of years to watch.
"That's what we went through. We were awful. And from when I got there, it's just me and Steph (Curry) that are left. We've acquired a lot of good players and most importantly built with character and chemistry, with guys that want to be on this team together and guys that want to play team ball. And we have a coaching staff right now that really feeds into that, and it's been a great success story."
The Celtics aren't the Warriors, of course. But early on, Thomas has transformed the offense, and his teammates include a group of intriguing young contributors. Likely with five first-round picks in the next two drafts plus a chunk of cap space this summer, Boston looks very much like a team on the rise.
One key, of course, will be finding the right group with which to move forward.
"(Playoff experience is) huge," Lee said. "But the other thing it does, and the Spurs are the hallmark of this, when you win, you can keep the core of your team together. When you lose, as we had it in New York, you shuffle nine guys out every single summer. But when you win, you can bring the core of your team back, and having that familiarity matters."
"This is the best chemistry in the NBA," Lee said of the Warriors. "I don't know if we're the best team in the NBA but I will be 100 percent sure that we have the best chemistry of any team in the league. Once again, that trust has to be built over time."
The way Lee sees it, the Celtics have already notched an organizational win by competing every night. During a year that could have turned sour, they have grown, scrapped and committed to making a playoff push.
As the Warriors have shown, achieving that mentality matters.
"We've got guys whose roles have changed this year, myself included," Lee said. "We've got guys that have gone from being really good players in the league to now superstars, with Steph and Klay (Thompson). But one thing is most important: everybody's about winning here. They put that first. So when you do that, it makes things a lot easier. That tough stretch that would be a three-game losing streak stops at one game. When you find something that works, you're consistent enough to stick with it. And it makes going to work every day a lot more fun."
To a lesser degree, the Celtics are finding their own consistency and having their own fun. They might be playing too well for any legitimate chance of a top lottery pick, but the heat of a playoff race can help to forge a winner too.
bob
MY NOTE: This what I've been saying about making the playoffs all along. The only way to get playoff experience is by getting in the playoffs and players that have been in the playoffs and looked good cost a lot of money if you want to acquire them. If we make the playoffs everybody who is still on the roster after Danny makes his moves will have playoff experience which will make next year's team better. If we want to reduce roster turnover in order to achieve chemistry and cohesiveness, we need to field a team that can compete and that means playoffs.
All Roads Lead To, and THROUGH, The Playoffs.
.
David Lee explains how much playoff experience can help, calls Boston Celtics a team to watch in the next couple of years
FILE: Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens during the first quarter of an NBA basketball game in Boston, Friday, Feb. 27, 2015. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Print Jay King | mjking@masslive.com By Jay King | mjking@masslive.com
on March 03, 2015 at 5:30 AM, updated March 03, 2015 at 6:16 AM
CLEVELAND -- If Monday night's NBA results said one thing to the Boston Celtics, it would be this: even for an improving team in the lowly Eastern Conference, coming from behind to reach the playoffs will not be easy.
The Brooklyn Nets improbably outlasted the Golden State Warriors, the Miami Heat pushed past the Phoenix Suns, and the Celtics fell just a little further away from the eighth seed they have determined to capture.
Elsewhere in the East, the surging Indiana Pacers await Paul George's return. The bottom of the conference has struggled all season, but in the race for the final two playoff slots, six teams sit within three games of each other. For the rest of the season, things could get crazy.
Chris Mannix ✔ @ChrisMannixSI
Follow
Yes, bottom of the Eastern Conference playoff bracket is weak. But w/six teams fighting for two spots, it's going to be a fun stretch run.
7:11 PM - 2 Mar 2015
Yet for at least the past month, head coach Brad Stevens' club has been loud about its playoff aspirations. Even before the trade deadline the Celtics becoming a confident bunch, and the Isaiah Thomas acquisition only solidified a growing internal belief. They are young, small and no longer deep, yet they have banded together to become a dogged, ball-movement-heavy team that thinks it can win any game. It used to be trendy to hope the Celtics would tank for a lottery pick, but it's becoming clear that even if they miss the playoffs, their odds of landing a top-three selection will be slim.
Maybe a postseason push would do more for the club's development. Golden State's David Lee recalled how competing in important games forged his team's obvious togetherness. Before two seasons ago, the Warriors had reached the playoffs once in the previous 18 years.
"You saw it (in Boston) when they had (Kevin) Garnett and (Paul) Pierce and those guys," he said Sunday in Boston. "When it's close games and you have trust in nine or 10 guys on the team because they've all been through it together, whether in the playoffs or even big games in the regular season, it really helps things. So that's what we're experiencing right now."
"We're banking on that this year, that we've had that experience with this core of guys that we're with right now playing a few years in the playoffs," the power forward added. "It is a process. And I know (the Celtics are) going through it right now, acquiring a lot of guys that play well together. And this Boston team's going to be a team in the next couple of years to watch.
"That's what we went through. We were awful. And from when I got there, it's just me and Steph (Curry) that are left. We've acquired a lot of good players and most importantly built with character and chemistry, with guys that want to be on this team together and guys that want to play team ball. And we have a coaching staff right now that really feeds into that, and it's been a great success story."
The Celtics aren't the Warriors, of course. But early on, Thomas has transformed the offense, and his teammates include a group of intriguing young contributors. Likely with five first-round picks in the next two drafts plus a chunk of cap space this summer, Boston looks very much like a team on the rise.
One key, of course, will be finding the right group with which to move forward.
"(Playoff experience is) huge," Lee said. "But the other thing it does, and the Spurs are the hallmark of this, when you win, you can keep the core of your team together. When you lose, as we had it in New York, you shuffle nine guys out every single summer. But when you win, you can bring the core of your team back, and having that familiarity matters."
"This is the best chemistry in the NBA," Lee said of the Warriors. "I don't know if we're the best team in the NBA but I will be 100 percent sure that we have the best chemistry of any team in the league. Once again, that trust has to be built over time."
The way Lee sees it, the Celtics have already notched an organizational win by competing every night. During a year that could have turned sour, they have grown, scrapped and committed to making a playoff push.
As the Warriors have shown, achieving that mentality matters.
"We've got guys whose roles have changed this year, myself included," Lee said. "We've got guys that have gone from being really good players in the league to now superstars, with Steph and Klay (Thompson). But one thing is most important: everybody's about winning here. They put that first. So when you do that, it makes things a lot easier. That tough stretch that would be a three-game losing streak stops at one game. When you find something that works, you're consistent enough to stick with it. And it makes going to work every day a lot more fun."
To a lesser degree, the Celtics are finding their own consistency and having their own fun. They might be playing too well for any legitimate chance of a top lottery pick, but the heat of a playoff race can help to forge a winner too.
bob
MY NOTE: This what I've been saying about making the playoffs all along. The only way to get playoff experience is by getting in the playoffs and players that have been in the playoffs and looked good cost a lot of money if you want to acquire them. If we make the playoffs everybody who is still on the roster after Danny makes his moves will have playoff experience which will make next year's team better. If we want to reduce roster turnover in order to achieve chemistry and cohesiveness, we need to field a team that can compete and that means playoffs.
All Roads Lead To, and THROUGH, The Playoffs.
.
bobheckler- Posts : 61378
Join date : 2009-10-28
Re: David Lee explains how much playoff experience can help, calls Boston Celtics a team to watch in the next couple of years
by Sam Wed Mar 04, 2015 5:11 am
Inexperienced teams don't make adjustments on the fly nearly as well as their more experienced counterparts. That's why both the Warriors, after the first quarter, and the Cavs, after the first few minutes, were able to make adjustments and get momentum of their sides for the rest of the game.
Think about it. Brad has to devise the best game plan he can for each game, and that's the only plan put into the heads of players. When things start to go awry, they have to wait for timeouts so Brad can tell them how to adjust; they can't do it on their own. Hopefully, by the time the season ends, they'll be playing together more instinctively and at least beginning to react more spontaneously to moves by their opponents.
Sam
Think about it. Brad has to devise the best game plan he can for each game, and that's the only plan put into the heads of players. When things start to go awry, they have to wait for timeouts so Brad can tell them how to adjust; they can't do it on their own. Hopefully, by the time the season ends, they'll be playing together more instinctively and at least beginning to react more spontaneously to moves by their opponents.
Sam
Sam- Admin
- Posts : 22663
Join date : 2009-10-10 -
Re: David Lee explains how much playoff experience can help, calls Boston Celtics a team to watch in the next couple of years
by RosalieTCeltics Wed Mar 04, 2015 10:46 am
If, by chance, they make the playoffs is there any possibility that Sully would be okay to play? I read an interview with Ainge where he called his injury minor. Could he be a dark horse here or do I just have wishful thinking.
112288-nice to see you here, I have missed your insight. I am sure you have been watching from the sidelines, but, HI.
Rosalie
112288-nice to see you here, I have missed your insight. I am sure you have been watching from the sidelines, but, HI.
Rosalie
RosalieTCeltics- Posts : 40075
Join date : 2009-10-17
Age : 76
Re: David Lee explains how much playoff experience can help, calls Boston Celtics a team to watch in the next couple of years
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