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Post by millar70 on May 19, 2021 19:42:00 GMT
The good news: Tatum pulled a Tatum and dropped 50, we get the #7 seed. The bad news: Tatum will probably pull a Tatum and disappear for the next three games. And hey, it won't be his fault alone if they lose. But there's no reason a Tatum/Brown/Walker/Smart team should be a 7 seed and have such an awful record. All year long we heard the same commentary ad nauseum, "We believe in ourselves/we just need to find consistency/we need to play with a sense of urgency/guys need to compete." Fournier was even saying it and he's only been here since March. Well it starts at the top. If Tatum and Brown are our two best players, they need to act like it and show up every night. They never did, and here we are. I said the other day that Tatum couldn't win without a super team around him. Hardly a fair criticism, nobody wins alone-- hell, my guy Pierce didn't win it all until he had real help either. But Pierce was on some bad teams, and nobody ever questioned his willingness to compete. It's a problem when your superstar only shows up for every third game. Some nights the shooting touch might not be there, you still have to compete. None of this sliding to the basket and horribly missing some hybrid layup/finger roll then putting your hands up in front of the ref. Finish with authority. Tatum needs to ball out these playoffs and show me he wants to win. They're playing the Nets, I'm not expecting a miracle here. But he better not be the reason the C's lose playoff games, like he was in the Raptors series last season that should've been a sweep instead of a 7 game dogfight. Not sure if it really means anything, and yes they were playing the Wizards, but last night the Celtics looked as good as I've seen them basically all season. They were actually playing defense (Gee, who knew?) and Kemba looked like he was actually serious about winning. Does it mean anything in the big picture? Probably not, but it does show how potentially good this team could, and should, have been. |
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Post by Rey Kahuka on May 19, 2021 19:55:09 GMT
The good news: Tatum pulled a Tatum and dropped 50, we get the #7 seed. The bad news: Tatum will probably pull a Tatum and disappear for the next three games. And hey, it won't be his fault alone if they lose. But there's no reason a Tatum/Brown/Walker/Smart team should be a 7 seed and have such an awful record. All year long we heard the same commentary ad nauseum, "We believe in ourselves/we just need to find consistency/we need to play with a sense of urgency/guys need to compete." Fournier was even saying it and he's only been here since March. Well it starts at the top. If Tatum and Brown are our two best players, they need to act like it and show up every night. They never did, and here we are. I said the other day that Tatum couldn't win without a super team around him. Hardly a fair criticism, nobody wins alone-- hell, my guy Pierce didn't win it all until he had real help either. But Pierce was on some bad teams, and nobody ever questioned his willingness to compete. It's a problem when your superstar only shows up for every third game. Some nights the shooting touch might not be there, you still have to compete. None of this sliding to the basket and horribly missing some hybrid layup/finger roll then putting your hands up in front of the ref. Finish with authority. Tatum needs to ball out these playoffs and show me he wants to win. They're playing the Nets, I'm not expecting a miracle here. But he better not be the reason the C's lose playoff games, like he was in the Raptors series last season that should've been a sweep instead of a 7 game dogfight. Not sure if it really means anything, and yes they were playing the Wizards, but last night the Celtics looked as good as I've seen them basically all season. They were actually playing defense (Gee, who knew?) and Kemba looked like he was actually serious about winning. Does it mean anything in the big picture? Probably not, but it does show how potentially good this team could, and should, have been. They look very good at times, which only makes it that much more frustrating when they go through the motions. They have deficiencies as a roster, but the talent is there to be much greater than a #7 seed. I just wish they could keep their focus throughout the season. And yeah it's tough to read too much into last night's game; Beal was nowhere near 100%. I don't know whose fault it is. Did they tune Brad out? Are Tatum and Brown just not that passionate about basketball? Were they ruined by their early career experiences with Kyrie? Is it just a bad mix with a laid back guy like Tatum, a bulldog like Smart and a quiet presence like Brown? I've talked it to death, but their lack of identity has to be tied to their vocal leader (Smart) not being the best player on the team (Tatum). Who does the team look to for inspiration, who do they follow? Who sets the example for what kind of team they are? They don't know what kind of team they are, hence the inconsistency. Some moves have to be made this offseason, one way or the other. They'll never get equal value in a Tatum trade and he's too talented offensively for them to let him go. Anyone else is on the block I think.
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Post by screamingtreefrogs on May 19, 2021 19:59:49 GMT
Not sure if it really means anything, and yes they were playing the Wizards, but last night the Celtics looked as good as I've seen them basically all season. They were actually playing defense (Gee, who knew?) and Kemba looked like he was actually serious about winning. Does it mean anything in the big picture? Probably not, but it does show how potentially good this team could, and should, have been. They look very good at times, which only makes it that much more frustrating when they go through the motions. They have deficiencies as a roster, but the talent is there to be much greater than a #7 seed. I just wish they could keep their focus throughout the season. And yeah it's tough to read too much into last night's game; Beal was nowhere near 100%. I don't know whose fault it is. Did they tune Brad out? Are Tatum and Brown just not that passionate about basketball? Were they ruined by their early career experiences with Kyrie? Is it just a bad mix with a laid back guy like Tatum, a bulldog like Smart and a quiet presence like Brown? I've talked it to death, but their lack of identity has to be tied to their vocal leader (Smart) not being the best player on the team (Tatum). Who does the team look to for inspiration, who do they follow? Who sets the example for what kind of team they are? They don't know what kind of team they are, hence the inconsistency. Some moves have to be made this offseason, one way or the other. They'll never get equal value in a Tatum trade and he's too talented offensively for them to let him go. Anyone else is on the block I think. Sounds like quite the mess.
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Post by Rey Kahuka on May 19, 2021 20:05:03 GMT
They look very good at times, which only makes it that much more frustrating when they go through the motions. They have deficiencies as a roster, but the talent is there to be much greater than a #7 seed. I just wish they could keep their focus throughout the season. And yeah it's tough to read too much into last night's game; Beal was nowhere near 100%. I don't know whose fault it is. Did they tune Brad out? Are Tatum and Brown just not that passionate about basketball? Were they ruined by their early career experiences with Kyrie? Is it just a bad mix with a laid back guy like Tatum, a bulldog like Smart and a quiet presence like Brown? I've talked it to death, but their lack of identity has to be tied to their vocal leader (Smart) not being the best player on the team (Tatum). Who does the team look to for inspiration, who do they follow? Who sets the example for what kind of team they are? They don't know what kind of team they are, hence the inconsistency. Some moves have to be made this offseason, one way or the other. They'll never get equal value in a Tatum trade and he's too talented offensively for them to let him go. Anyone else is on the block I think. Sounds like quite the mess.
To be fair, they didn't really have an identity last year and they still went to the conference finals. At the end of the day, things could be a lot worse.
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Post by millar70 on May 19, 2021 22:20:06 GMT
Sounds like quite the mess.
To be fair, they didn't really have an identity last year and they still went to the conference finals. At the end of the day, things could be a lot worse. That's true, I mean you could be a Sixers fan who has never seen his team win a championship in his lifetime. That would really suck..... |
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Post by NJtoTX on May 20, 2021 3:16:35 GMT
Warriors defense has them up 55-42 on the Lakers at the half.
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Post by Rufus-T on May 20, 2021 4:30:50 GMT
Very close game between the Lakers & Warriors. I kind of would like the Lakers to be eliminated.
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Post by Winston Wolfe on May 20, 2021 4:42:00 GMT
Some....let's call them, "questionable"... calls there late that went the Lakers' way.
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Post by You_Got_A_Stew_Goin_Baby on May 20, 2021 4:42:40 GMT
Caldwell-Pope is so lucky that Lebron made that shot. He almost fumbled away the Lakers' last chance.
Bad win. Lakers should've killed them.
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Post by You_Got_A_Stew_Goin_Baby on May 20, 2021 4:44:54 GMT
Some....let's call them, "questionable"... calls there late that went the Lakers' way.  We got those checks out to the refs just in time.
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Post by screamingtreefrogs on May 20, 2021 7:22:22 GMT
Spurs go home
Good. They bore me to tears
Ja vs. Steph
I need Steph in the playoffs
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Post by NJtoTX on May 20, 2021 10:07:51 GMT
Steph tried to sell a lean-in 4 point play at the end instead of shooting a straight up 3 to tie and the miss cost him.
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Post by screamingtreefrogs on May 20, 2021 18:48:42 GMT
Pacers at Wizards tonight Do or Die! 8pm  |
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Post by TutuAnimationPrincess on May 20, 2021 23:35:25 GMT
Pacers at Wizards tonight Do or Die! 8pm “Win” sounds good, but we’re probably gonna “die”. Those Wizards have had our number all season. That said, we are currently playing the best basketball we have all year. |
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Post by screamingtreefrogs on May 21, 2021 10:55:28 GMT
Last game before the playoffs start to determine the #8 seed in the West - Grizz at Warriors 9pm Go Steph |
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Post by NJtoTX on May 21, 2021 14:01:21 GMT
Last game before the playoffs start to determine the #8 seed in the West - Grizz at Warriors 9pm Go Steph Kendrick Perkins: "Steph should be the MVP because that team would be in the lottery without him." Also Kendrick Perkins: "I've got the Grizzlies tonight." So, the Warriors will be a lottery team with him. |
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Post by Rey Kahuka on May 21, 2021 15:03:42 GMT
Last game before the playoffs start to determine the #8 seed in the West - Grizz at Warriors 9pm Go Steph Kendrick Perkins: "Steph should be the MVP because that team would be in the lottery without him." Also Kendrick Perkins: "I've got the Grizzlies tonight." So, the Warriors will be a lottery team with him. I'd like to take this opportunity to issue an apology to Steph. They'd be in the playoffs already without this dumb tournament thing. He carried a bad team to a winning record and essentially a playoff birth despite all the injuries in what was a very competitive conference. They won 8 of their last 9 down the stretch and finished on a 6 game win streak. This isn't a full retraction; I still think he's soft and one-dimensional, but I have to give credit where it's due. He balled out this year and kept the team afloat through what could've been a disastrous season. More importantly, he finished strong, when the playoffs were on the line.
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Post by screamingtreefrogs on May 21, 2021 15:06:22 GMT
Kendrick Perkins: "Steph should be the MVP because that team would be in the lottery without him." Also Kendrick Perkins: "I've got the Grizzlies tonight." So, the Warriors will be a lottery team with him. I'd like to take this opportunity to issue an apology to Steph. They'd be in the playoffs already without this dumb tournament thing. He carried a bad team to a winning record and essentially a playoff birth despite all the injuries in what was a very competitive conference. They won 8 of their last 9 down the stretch and finished on a 6 game win streak. This isn't a full retraction; I still think he's soft and one-dimensional, but I have to give credit where it's due. He balled out this year and kept the team afloat through what could've been a disastrous season. More importantly, he finished strong, when the playoffs were on the line. One dimensional?
You called him a generational talent along with Klay
If Steph is '1 Dimensional' - I hate to ask your views on your other generational talent you provided - Klay Thompson
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Post by Rey Kahuka on May 21, 2021 15:15:15 GMT
I'd like to take this opportunity to issue an apology to Steph. They'd be in the playoffs already without this dumb tournament thing. He carried a bad team to a winning record and essentially a playoff birth despite all the injuries in what was a very competitive conference. They won 8 of their last 9 down the stretch and finished on a 6 game win streak. This isn't a full retraction; I still think he's soft and one-dimensional, but I have to give credit where it's due. He balled out this year and kept the team afloat through what could've been a disastrous season. More importantly, he finished strong, when the playoffs were on the line. One dimensional?
You called him a generational talent along with Klay If Steph is '1 Dimensional' - I hate to ask your views on your other generational talent you provided - Klay Thompson We've had this conversation like 7 times already. Steph and Klay are generational talents by today's standards, despite the fact that I think they'd be role players in other eras. The current era of the NBA values three point shooting above all other aspects of the game, and it's essentially all either of those guys do on the offensive end. The thing is, they're both elite shooters in the history of the game. So that skillset makes them a generational talent in the current era. Kind of surprised you don't remember having this conversation, it couldn't have been more than two months ago. You were laughing at my comparisons of Klay with other three point shooting role players from previous eras, only to tell me I was off base when praising him the other day. I assumed it was just you being you, but evidently you don't remember that earlier conversation.
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Post by screamingtreefrogs on May 21, 2021 15:19:02 GMT
One dimensional?
You called him a generational talent along with Klay If Steph is '1 Dimensional' - I hate to ask your views on your other generational talent you provided - Klay Thompson We've had this conversation like 7 times already. Steph and Klay are generational talents by today's standards, despite the fact that I think they'd be role players in other eras. The current era of the NBA values three point shooting above all other aspects of the game, and it's essentially all either of those guys do on the offensive end. The thing is, they're both elite shooters in the history of the game. So that skillset makes them a generational talent in the current era. Kind of surprised you don't remember having this conversation, it couldn't have been more than two months ago. You were laughing at my comparisons of Klay with other three point shooting role players from previous eras, only to tell me I was off base when praising him the other day. I assumed it was just you being you, but evidently you don't remember that earlier conversation. They're 'Generational Talents' but would be 'Role Players' in other eras? 
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We got those checks out to the refs just in time.
