Do teams really fight for seeding? They've played 80 games over 6 month. At best you're getting a robotic performance at worst they are sitting/limiting Rose, Noah, and Butler.Ed Hillel said:Chicago is fighting Toronto for seeding, so hopefully the Bulls can clinch it for us tonight, then we can hope for the 8.
HomeRunBaker said:Do teams really fight for seeding? They've played 80 games over 6 month. At best you're getting a robotic performance at worst they are sitting/limiting Rose, Noah, and Butler.
I'm gonna point out this is partially a victory for RPM and its ilk, which rated Rondo as a below average player, and Jeff Green as one of the worst big-minutes players in the league at the time they were traded. (Also, a minor win for my earlier post, projecting the Celtics for 42 wins and the 7-seed in mid-November, though there's obviously a lot of misses on that post too).ivanvamp said:I can't believe we are talking about the Celtics (last year's 4th worst team) being the #7 seed *after trading Rondo*, while the Bruins (last year's President's Trophy-winning team) miss the playoffs entirely.
The mind boggles.
So RPM passes the eye test is what you're saying?bowiac said:I'm gonna point out this is partially a victory for RPM and its ilk, which rated Rondo as a below average player, and Jeff Green as one of the worst big-minutes players in the league at the time they were traded.
22 minutes later and they're up 13. Still 3+ min in the 3rd tho. Should know for sure around 10...jmcc5400 said:Bulls up 9. T minus 22 minutes until playoffs.
I love it. I wish I was in Las vegas in September and asked what odds they could give me on a 2 result parlay of the Bruins not making it and the Celtics making it.JCizzle said:Yes! Truly crazy this team has made the playoffs, I love it.
Cue nighthob and his bench vs starters rantEd Hillel said:The Celtics have the third best record in the NBA over the past 2-3 months. It would not take a "miracle" for them to take a series with anyone to 5 games. Them winning a 7-game series is another story, but let's give them some credit.
Agreed. It will be a great learning experience for Stevens and I'm excited to see what adjustments he makes over the course of a series.I'm really excited to see Stevens, a film junkie, coaching in the NBA playoffs. Realistically, he's never really had this kind of feedback loop of a 7 game series where he can make adjustments day to day against the same team. Like everyone, I think it will be incredibly hard for them to win even 2 games but I think it's awesome for the coach and awesome for the team to get this experience now.
From a team perspective, playoff basketball is so different. Lebron gets most calls in the regular season, but he's going to get every call and more in a playoff series. How do you defend? Where does your intensity level need to be? How do you adapt to a changing game and survive the runs? I was not confident they could handle the remaining schedule but I'm honestly ecstatic they got in. I think this type of experience will pay dividends down the line for both the players and the coach.
In March Boston's bench scoring differential (per game) was +14, the starters were -13. You do the math.swingin val said:Cue nighthob and his bench vs starters rant
He doesn't start because he can be a defensive liability in the starting five and that's mitigated by having him come off the bench. Again, it's a lot different when Kyrie Irving is playing 40 minutes a night.Rudy Pemberton said:So much of that is driven by Thomas, though- he doesn't start but leads the team in scoring and still plays a ton of minutes. It's not as if the C's rotation is that deep or whatever and that they are winning that way. Sure they will be a huge underdog but it's because they will be playing better teams, not that some bench advantage is suddenly out the meow when the playoffs start and teams shorten their rotations.
Meh how so? This has been fun watching this team overachieve but surely you can't believe this is any more of a long-term indication of success than last year when Charlitte and the Nets were among the best second half records, can you?Rudy Pemberton said:Such a downer, HRB.
Yeah, I agree they're the most likely team to get swept. You're going to have IT as the late game option against LeBron and Kyrie. IT has been getting calls at a good rate, but I don't think the refs will be putting him on the line with a minute left driving against LBJ. They just have a massive advantage late in games, in my opinion.swingin val said:Too annoying to look it up on my phone, but I remember seeing that there is pretty much at least 1 first round sweep every year in the NBA playoffs.
If we were betting folks, I couldn't imagine a "better" bet than the Celts to be that team this year.
Does he? Does he really?nighthob said:They don't have any choice with Turner, either he or Lil Zeke need to be in the game at all times.
I mean I'm hoping that I'm not going to be seeing Phil Pressey initiating the offense in the playoffs.Cellar-Door said:Does he? Does he really?
Could always sink or swim with Smart. Kyrie is such a poor man defender still that it might work.nighthob said:I mean I'm hoping that I'm not going to be seeing Phil Pressey initiating the offense in the playoffs.
CreightonGubanich said:
but I don't think they can risk putting Turner on Love.
I agree with this. Listen, we can't play this series straight up and expect to get anything out of it. It's these type of higher risk unconventional matchups that we must try and dictate. Having a less than thrilled Love posting up is something i want us forcing rather than Kyrie using a screen to create a matchup vs Olynyk or LeBron creating a matchup against anyone.wade boggs chicken dinner said:
Why? Do you think CLE's going to start posting up Love on Turner for multiple possessions in a row? And even if they did, wouldn't you rather see that than some of the other matchups?
wade boggs chicken dinner said:
Why? Do you think CLE's going to start posting up Love on Turner for multiple possessions in a row? And even if they did, wouldn't you rather see that than some of the other matchups?
It began two years ago and was discussed in-depth on another board at the time. I don't have the specific numbers handy but it showed that his interior efficiency took a severe hit in the '12-'13 season which resulted in Love taking a career high perimeter shots in '13-'14 which mirrors this seasons numbers. The difference is that this year it's being talked about more however per 82games Love took 68% of his FGA as jump shots compared to 66% the year prior when he's been in the mid-50% for his career up to that point.CreightonGubanich said:
If we defended Love with Evan Turner, yes, I think they would do that. And it's a terrible matchup for the Celtics -- Love is one of the top players in the league in post up efficiency. David Blatt may be marginalizing Love by making him a glorified stretch four, but even he's smart enough to let Love go to work on the block if we're going to defend him one-on-one with Evan Turner.
Edit: Seriously, where did this idea that Kevin Love is a bad or reluctant post player come from? That's not directed at the poster above, I've seen it a lot recently. Just because he shoots threes doesn't make him Ryan Anderson. Love is a fantastic post player, and his entire gripe with Blatt's system is that he's expected to just spot up outside the three point line instead of posting up.
HomeRunBaker said:It began two years ago and was discussed in-depth on another board at the time. I don't have the specific numbers handy but it showed that his interior efficiency took a severe hit in the '12-'13 season which resulted in Love taking a career high perimeter shots in '13-'14 which mirrors this seasons numbers. The difference is that this year it's being talked about more however per 82games Love took 68% of his FGA as jump shots compared to 66% the year prior when he's been in the mid-50% for his career up to that point.
Love isn't the same low post threat he was 3-4 years ago is what I'm getting at.
Yes of course he is when you pick and choose a small handful of opportunities per game. That's like saying DeAndre Jordan is a great interior scorer because he's so efficient with his 70% FG%. Love also benefits by defenses focusing on LeBron and Kyrie so when he does receive his opportunities he is catching the defense off guard.CreightonGubanich said:
He's not the same threat because he's not getting the same opportunities. Blatt and Cleveland like to use him as a three point shooter, but that's more about floor spacing than it is about Love's effectiveness as a post player. Per Synergy, as of January 30, Love was leading the NBA in points per post-up possession among players with 4 or more attempts per game. I don't know where that number has gone since then, as Synergy's numbers are subscription only, but I feel pretty safe in concluding that Love on Turner is not a matchup the Celtics should be trying to create. It's a moot point anyway, as Bass isn't likely going to defend LeBron for any significant duration.
Edit: NBA.com has post-up efficiency stats. Love is tied for second in the NBA among players with 200+ post up possessions:
http://stats.nba.com/playtype/#!/post-up/?dir=1&sort=PPP&CF=Poss*GE*200