2022-2023 General Celtics thread

benhogan · Dec 26, 2022

The Celtics are moving to the stage where the opponent is almost irrelevant. If the JAYs play well, they win. Brad has surrounded them with a collection of high-level role players that only enhance their play & continued development.

Maybe I'm alone on this but thought Blake showed some resistance to Giannis bull rushes. One more body to throw at the nail versus him.

InstaFace said:
I don't think anyone can watch that game last night and think "we need more firepower", but our great strength last year was D that always hustled and communicated really well, and such team talents don't have "bad nights" the way that 3 shooting does. It seems to me that we have long stretches where we basically can't even force them to make a tough shot, and they score easily on every possession until we get our wits back together. Am I off-base? Is there something we were doing under Ime that we're not doing under Mazzulla?

The double BIGz of Horford/TL was the backbone of their defense last season. TL is still out of sorts defensively, looking to block everything/undisciplined. Give him a month to regain his feel, things are probably moving fast for him after limited court time post surgery. More of a player thing, than IME issue in my opinion.

Offensive firepower doesn't seem to be a problem. The recent December offensive slump, while annoying, isn't the worst thing for these guys to experience. An overreliance on immediately launching 3s, led to sloppy play. Feels like they are getting back to multiple passes to find a great shot instead of the first 3. They have three rotation players in the TOP10 in 3pt% (AH, MB, GW) plus Hauser who has defenses concerned/aware of his whereabouts. This opens up a lot of lanes for the JAYs who are the primary scorers. Frankly, the offense is an embarrassment of riches at this point. Really enjoy watching the player screens/cutting/movement that CJM has instilled in them and hope they avoid the JAY- dribble-fest/iso-ball (unless its to run the clock at the end of quarters)

wade boggs chicken dinner · Dec 26, 2022

InstaFace said:
I don't think anyone can watch that game last night and think "we need more firepower", but our great strength last year was D that always hustled and communicated really well, and such team talents don't have "bad nights" the way that 3 shooting does. It seems to me that we have long stretches where we basically can't even force them to make a tough shot, and they score easily on every possession until we get our wits back together. Am I off-base? Is there something we were doing under Ime that we're not doing under Mazzulla?

I'll take the other side and suggest that some of what we think of the Cs "defensive woes" are from incomplete information. Yes the Cs were not great on defense in October and through November but according to StatMuse, they are #4 in DRtg during December (109.6 behind MEM, CLE, and NYK at 104.5, 108.3, and 109.5). https://www.statmuse.com/nba/ask/nba-team-defensive-rating-leaders-in-december-2022. Yes that's the overwhelming #1 they were last year but to me it's not surprising that going with one of Al/Blake/UniKornet at the #5 would make them much better offensively but not as good defensively.

This article (from the 20th) - https://www.nba.com/celtics/news/sidebar-prac-20221220-celtics-making-strides-on-defense-despite-offensive-slump - has some other stats, such as:

Through the end of November, Boston had been ranked 20th leaguewide in defensive rating with a mark of 112.4.
Among the top 10 teams in fewest fast-break points allowed this season
Allowed the fewest points per game off turnovers
Allowed the fewest assists per game (21.8)
Have been a top five team in defensive 3-point field-goal efficiency over the past month (assume article means December but doesn't say what "past month" means exactly.

TL looks to be getting his legs back. I will very interested in seeing if JoeMazz elevates TL to the starting lineup once he is fully up to game speed. If he does, and assuming he also staggers TL and Al's minutes, a second unit of Brogdan / White / Grant / Hauser / TL is pretty darn good unit.

wade boggs chicken dinner · Dec 26, 2022

Mooch said:
The problem for the Bucks is that they have such mismatch issues when playing the Celtics. In order to maximize the open looks with Giannis on the court, you need Connaughton and/or Allen on the court. But the Celts fucking TORCHED those guys on switches in the second half, going 9 of 11 when going against either as a primary defender.

That’s a major issue for Milwaukee against us and it won’t get any better in a postseason series.

Middleton might help although the way JB and JT were playing yesteday, not even prime Scotty Pippen might have mattered. I mean I thought Jrue was playing really good defense and JB/JT went 6-9 against him (including 1-2 from 3P).

I don't know what Keith Smith is watching but in his article on yesterday's game, he said: "Lopez might be the Defensive Player of the Year. His rim protection has been elite all season." Maybe that's true but at this point of their respective careers, Lopez basically has not shot of guarding either JB or JT and I wonder how much he will play in any playoff series between the two teams.

So I agree with you; MIL has a ton of matchup issues.

benhogan · Dec 26, 2022

wade boggs chicken dinner said:
Middleton might help although the way JB and JT were playing yesteday, not even prime Scotty Pippen might have mattered. I mean I thought Jrue was playing really good defense and JB/JT went 6-9 against him (including 1-2 from 3P).

I don't know what Keith Smith is watching but in his article on yesterday's game, he said: "Lopez might be the Defensive Player of the Year. His rim protection has been elite all season." Maybe that's true but at this point of their respective careers, Lopez basically has not shot of guarding either JB or JT and I wonder how much he will play in any playoff series between the two teams.

So I agree with you; MIL has a ton of matchup issues.

Good point. Lopez is the same old story. Another BIG getting played off the floor when spread out to the perimeter. Jaylen took him to the rim going half-speed at one point.

It's weird to still see Jokic or Embiid ranked higher than Tatum when those two can be played off the floor in Playoff games. The direction of the league will only emphasize this point further in the future

The Lopez DPOY narrative probably needs to be abandoned.

NomarsFool · Dec 26, 2022

I was surprised they went with Griffin instead of Kornet as much as they did yesterday. On occasion seemed like the Bucks could just shoot over Griffin/Grant.

Five Cent Head · Dec 26, 2022

benhogan said:
It's weird to still see Jokic or Embiid ranked higher than Tatum when those two can be played off the floor in Playoff games. The direction of the league will only emphasize this point further in the future

Embiid? The only way he gets played off the floor is because of injury, isn't it? He certainly has a reputation as being a top player at both ends of the floor.

PedroKsBambino · Dec 26, 2022

Mooch said:
The problem for the Bucks is that they have such mismatch issues when playing the Celtics. In order to maximize the open looks with Giannis on the court, you need Connaughton and/or Allen on the court. But the Celts fucking TORCHED those guys on switches in the second half, going 9 of 11 when going against either as a primary defender.

That’s a major issue for Milwaukee against us and it won’t get any better in a postseason series.

agreed. Celtics biggest advantage is the number of legit two way players they can field—Smart, Brogdon, Grant, Horford, TL, Jays, White. Several of those guys have offensive limitations but none are one-way guys. No one else in NBA can go that deep without creating a hole at one end (healthy Clippers sort of come close). In playoffs, I think that really matters.

Just a bit outside · Dec 26, 2022

NomarsFool said:
I was surprised they went with Griffin instead of Kornet as much as they did yesterday. On occasion seemed like the Bucks could just shoot over Griffin/Grant.

This was totally matchup dependent. They wanted Griffen’s strength against Giannis. They are fine with him shooting over Blake or Grant rather than driving through Kornet.

benhogan · Dec 26, 2022

Five Cent Head said:
Embiid? The only way he gets played off the floor is because of injury, isn't it? He certainly has a reputation as being a top player at both ends of the floor.

Hyperbole on my part...neither Jokic or Embiid are getting pulled off the floor, they are way too valuable offensively to their teams. Embiid is definitely a +++ defender around the rim, on the perimeter he's a foul machine

meanwhile, Tatum is one of the 5 best perimeter defenders in the NBA.

wade boggs chicken dinner · Dec 26, 2022

Five Cent Head said:
Embiid? The only way he gets played off the floor is because of injury, isn't it? He certainly has a reputation as being a top player at both ends of the floor.

We've kind of gone through PHI's defensive problems a lot here so I won't re-hash them. But to echo Ben Hogan, while Embiid is a great rim protector, he and PHI have problems when he's forced to defend PnR or play perimeter defense. I don't think anyone is worried about running into PHI in the playoffs.

benhogan · Dec 26, 2022

wade boggs chicken dinner said:
We've kind of gone through PHI's defensive problems a lot here so I won't re-hash them. But to echo Ben Hogan, while Embiid is a great rim protector, he and PHI have problems when he's forced to defend PnR or play perimeter defense. I don't think anyone is worried about running into PHI in the playoffs.

Embiid can always adopt The Eclipse

to challenge those pesky shooters

It seems to work for Kornet, who calls it the ‘Eclipse,’ because he’s 7-foot-2. Porzingis is 7-foot-3, so he is a logical candidate to employ it himself. And, according to Porzingis, Oliver says it’s effective. “I actually works, yeah,” Porzingis said. “I mean, we don’t have a lot of examples, but as much as we have, while Kornet’s been doing it, it’s been working. So, we’re trying it also. I don’t know what our numbers are, but at least from my feeling on the court, I feel like they have missed a bunch of threes when I have done the Kornet jump. So, I’ll keep doing it.

wade boggs chicken dinner · Dec 26, 2022

benhogan said:
Embiid can always adopt The Eclipse to challenge those pesky shooters

It seems to work for Kornet, who calls it the ‘Eclipse,’ because he’s 7-foot-2. Porzingis is 7-foot-3, so he is a logical candidate to employ it himself. And, according to Porzingis, Oliver says it’s effective. “I actually works, yeah,” Porzingis said. “I mean, we don’t have a lot of examples, but as much as we have, while Kornet’s been doing it, it’s been working. So, we’re trying it also. I don’t know what our numbers are, but at least from my feeling on the court, I feel like they have missed a bunch of threes when I have done the Kornet jump. So, I’ll keep doing it.

Hope Kornet is getting royalties on the Kontest!

Fishy1 · Dec 26, 2022

wade boggs chicken dinner said:
Hope Kornet is getting royalties on the Kontest!

This really is wild. A roleplayer who was in the G league last year is changing the way bigs play defense. I love it.

Five Cent Head · Dec 26, 2022

wade boggs chicken dinner said:
We've kind of gone through PHI's defensive problems a lot here so I won't re-hash them. But to echo Ben Hogan, while Embiid is a great rim protector, he and PHI have problems when he's forced to defend PnR or play perimeter defense. I don't think anyone is worried about running into PHI in the playoffs.

How much worse would Tatum look as a defender if he had to play next to Harden and Maxey? How much better would Embiid look if he played alongside Smart, White, et al.? Or maybe the relevant question is, how would interchanging Tatum and Embiid hurt or help each team's defense, if you could magically wave away the fact that they play different positions? I am not convinced that it would change very much, but I'm also have nowhere near the basketball expertise of many of the other people who post here. (In contrast, if you interchanged Tatum and Doncic, it would have clear impacts on the two teams' defenses.)

Fishy1 · Dec 26, 2022

Five Cent Head said:
How much worse would Tatum look as a defender if he had to play next to Harden and Maxey? How much better would Embiid look if he played alongside Smart, White, et al.? Or maybe the relevant question is, how would interchanging Tatum and Embiid hurt or help each team's defense, if you could magically wave away the fact that they play different positions? I am not convinced that it would change very much, but I'm also have nowhere near the basketball expertise of many of the other people who post here. (In contrast, if you interchanged Tatum and Doncic, it would have clear impacts on the two teams' defenses.)

I think the comparison obscures the challenges each player has faced in their career. The problem for Embiid teams has never been the defense. He's helmed some of the best defenses in the league. The problem has always been that the Philly teams have middle-of-the-road offenses. They get into rock fights on both ends of the floor.

It seems like their offense should be better but it's not. They have plenty of good three point shooting, they've got a talented stars. Maybe the offense struggles because Embiid and Harden turn the ball over nearly eight times a game between them. Maybe they get bogged down isolating and taking tough shots.

The Celtics, on the other hand, are much better at protecting the ball and keeping the ball moving and getting easy buckets. They hunt good shots and score at lead-leaguing efficiencies inside and outside the arc in part because they're playing a better system with buy-in from everybody.

So I think part of the answer is it's not so simple as just plopping one way player onto another team. These players are who they are in part because of the culture of their teams and organizations.

Euclis20 · Dec 27, 2022

Five Cent Head said:
Embiid? The only way he gets played off the floor is because of injury, isn't it? He certainly has a reputation as being a top player at both ends of the floor.

Defensive issues aside (already covered above), Embiid always seems completely out of gas by the end of the playoffs each year, which is unfortunate because he's never even gotten out of the 2nd round. Since 2018 he's played a total of 11,812 minutes, compared with Tatum whose played 16,206 minutes over the same period. That's basically two additional seasons, with Tatum only really appearing run down for one series in his playoff career. In the unlikely event that the Sixers get to the conference finals and beyond, what are the odds that Embiid has the energy to remain effective? Slim to none.

Five Cent Head · Dec 27, 2022

Euclis20 said:
Defensive issues aside (already covered above), Embiid always seems completely out of gas by the end of the playoffs each year, which is unfortunate because he's never even gotten out of the 2nd round. Since 2018 he's played a total of 11,812 minutes, compared with Tatum whose played 16,206 minutes over the same period. That's basically two additional seasons, with Tatum only really appearing run down for one series in his playoff career. In the unlikely event that the Sixers get to the conference finals and beyond, what are the odds that Embiid has the energy to remain effective? Slim to none.

Right, I should have said “injury or conditioning.”

Jimbodandy · Dec 27, 2022

HomeRunBaker said:
I don’t think it’s a lack of experience or it getting to Hauser’s head as every shooter is going to have brief cold stretches…..especially when it is occuring during a long road trip. Not much to see here imo with the exception of defenses becoming more aware of where he is on the floor.

Yeah I'm inclined to agree with you there. Even Hauser has to know that the ball giveth and taketh away. And as he's not killing them at the other end, he's still wing depth even if his shot isn't great. In a lot of ways, he's valuable like Grant. He does little things, helps on D, rebounds a little, and also shoots. Hard to complain about paying peanuts to a guy like that. The shot is real...it's just not there every game.

As far as the joyful Milwaukee game goes, damn it's nice having bigs that can cover. Such a great reminder of how lucky we are that we don't have to resort to drop for long stretches unless both Al and PTL are out.

DeJesus Built My Hotrod · Dec 27, 2022

The Rockets are on the back end of a B2B after beating the Bulls in Chicago last night. That said, this team is not your typical tanking squad as they have beaten the Suns twice this month -one at home and one in Phoenix- as well as the 76ers and Bucks in Houston.

In short, Houston can get feisty so it won't be a complete shock if this game is closer than some might expect. Just getting ahead of some of the same comments we saw around the Orlando games.

128 · Dec 27, 2022

DeJesus Built My Hotrod said:
The Rockets are on the back end of a B2B after beating the Bulls in Chicago last night. That said, this team is not your typical tanking squad as they have beaten the Suns twice this month -one at home and one in Phoenix- as well as the 76ers and Bucks in Houston.

In short, Houston can get feisty so it won't be a complete shock if this game is closer than some might expect. Just getting ahead of some of the same comments we saw around the Orlando games.

Good points. These games often worry me more than the ones against elite opponents.

jmcc5400 · Dec 27, 2022

128 said:
Good points. These games often worry me more than the ones against elite opponents.

And, let's be honest, a prime let down candidate for the Cs.

DeJesus Built My Hotrod · Dec 27, 2022

jmcc5400 said:
And, let's be honest, a prime let down candidate for the Cs.

Others have noted it around these parts but the Cs are now one of the teams that everyone wants to show out against. You & @128 are likely spot on that these are precisely the sorts of matchups that look easy on paper but can end up with tears - or at least irritation- in a gamethread.

MyDaughterLovesTomGordon · Dec 27, 2022

DeJesus Built My Hotrod said:
Others have noted it around these parts but the Cs are now one of the teams that everyone wants to show out against. You & @128 are likely spot on that these are precisely the sorts of matchups that look easy on paper but can end up with tears - or at least irritation- in a gamethread.

I think Tatum, in particular, is a player that other players want to match up with to see just how good he is. Usually to their detriment.

PedroKsBambino · Dec 27, 2022

Quick game summary, pre Eddie Jurak:

1..Jaylen best scorer on court

2. Tatum best player on court

3. TL back to pre injury form and impact.

That is all

DeJesus Built My Hotrod · Dec 27, 2022

PedroKsBambino said:
Quick game summary, pre Eddie Jurak:

1..Jaylen best scorer on court

2. Tatum best player on court

3. TL back to pre injury form and impact.

That is all

#3 is such a welcome development. What a game by Williams.

InstaFace · Dec 27, 2022

TimeLord didn't enter until partway through the 2nd quarter, but he immediately had a visible impact.

- Guys were not taking shots, or were altering their entire approach, because he was there
- He was timing jumps exquisitely, and ripping away rebounds he had no earthly right to get to
- There were a few lobs, a tip-in off a miss, some blocks, and made 3/4 FTs, he was very present on offense

It was like the Celtics had unchained the monster they'd kept in their basement. "OK guys, we didn't want to have to do this, but you left us no choice..."

Fewer sloppy turnovers than in the past few games, too (from all players). Not that there weren't a few - including an embarrassing intercepted pass from midcourt by TimeLord himself - but while our 3 point shooting was terrible, we didn't give up a lot of turnovers and they didn't get a lot of points off them, so I consider that a win. Houston also had (what felt like) zero second-chance points.

DGreenwood · Dec 27, 2022

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GeYJ_IFJaxc&t=325s&ab_channel=NBA

Eddie Jurak · Dec 28, 2022

Tatum, Brown, and Rob were indeed the story in this one.

The Rockets hung close for a while because the Celtics were missing threes in the first half (8 of 29).

Brown scored 39 and Tatum 38. I'm not sure if they have ever each scored 40 before or how often in league history 2 teammates have scored 40 each in a game.

Until very late in the game, Brown was on track to set the record for most points without a rebound or assist - he has at least 33 points before getting his only rebound or his first of 2 assists. Brown shot 14-26, including 6 of 15 from three and 9 of 11 from 2. His shooting from two wan't all at the rim, it also included some midrange jumpers, most from around the free throw line. He was also a perfect 5-5 from the line.

Tatum shot a bit worse (12 of 25, including 6 of 16 from three and 6 of 9 from 2), but was 8-8 from the line to bring himself within a point of Brown. He also added 8 rebounds and 4 assists.

Rob Williams played only 21 minutes, but he scored 11 points (4-4 from the field, 3- from the line), had 15 rebounds, 2 assists, and a blocked short. Clearly he has shaken off the rust. One of his assists was tipping an offensive rebound out to Smart, wide open, who buried a three. The other was a nice pass to a cutting Tatum for an easy basket.
View: https://twitter.com/ChrisForsberg_/status/1607928049659510784?s=20&t=sFMmVIAih4tRVg6gbWNadA

Chris Forsberg: Rob knowing Smart would still be there

View: https://twitter.com/ChrisForsberg_/status/1607908846550269953?s=20&t=sFMmVIAih4tRVg6gbWNadA

Chris Forsberg: Dimelord

I'm worried now about Hauser. He and White seem to have the yips. Hauser was 0-3 from three yesterday until he buried one in garbage time. In his last 14 games, he is shooting 27.5%, 14 of 53. White innhis last 12 is shooting 19.0%, 8 of 42.

BringBackMo · Dec 28, 2022

I really enjoyed this look in today’s Globe at Damon Stoudamire getting his first shot at coaching an NBA team, and earning his first win. I didn’t know much at all about the back story. He and the team appear to have stuck with each other after the Udoka decision, and he comes across as admirably humble and willing to pay his dues, qualities we don’t always associate with star athletes. Great story for those who may be interested.
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/12/28/sports/with-joe-mazzulla-out-damon-stoudamire-was-his-element-coach-celtics/

bosockboy · Dec 28, 2022

Eddie Jurak said:
Tatum, Brown, and Rob were indeed the story in this one.

The Rockets hung close for a while because the Celtics were missing threes in the first half (8 of 29).

Brown scored 39 and Tatum 38. I'm not sure if they have ever each scored 40 before or how often in league history 2 teammates have scored 40 each in a game.

Until very late in the game, Brown was on track to set the record for most points without a rebound or assist - he has at least 33 points before getting his only rebound or his first of 2 assists. Brown shot 14-26, including 6 of 15 from three and 9 of 11 from 2. His shooting from two wan't all at the rim, it also included some midrange jumpers, most from around the free throw line. He was also a perfect 5-5 from the line.

Tatum shot a bit worse (12 of 25, including 6 of 16 from three and 6 of 9 from 2), but was 8-8 from the line to bring himself within a point of Brown. He also added 8 rebounds and 4 assists.

Rob Williams played only 21 minutes, but he scored 11 points (4-4 from the field, 3- from the line), had 15 rebounds, 2 assists, and a blocked short. Clearly he has shaken off the rust. One of his assists was tipping an offensive rebound out to Smart, wide open, who buried a three. The other was a nice pass to a cutting Tatum for an easy basket.
View: https://twitter.com/ChrisForsberg_/status/1607928049659510784?s=20&t=sFMmVIAih4tRVg6gbWNadA

Chris Forsberg: Rob knowing Smart would still be there

View: https://twitter.com/ChrisForsberg_/status/1607908846550269953?s=20&t=sFMmVIAih4tRVg6gbWNadA

Chris Forsberg: Dimelord

I'm worried now about Hauser. He and White seem to have the yips. Hauser was 0-3 from three yesterday until he buried one in garbage time. In his last 14 games, he is shooting 27.5%, 14 of 53. White innhis last 12 is shooting 19.0%, 8 of 42.

Hauser seems to have Nesmith-itis. I’m sure he’ll get some rope to shoot his way out of this, but it’s concerning.

HomeRunBaker · Dec 28, 2022

Eddie Jurak said:
Rob Williams played only 21 minutes, but he scored 11 points (4-4 from the field, 3- from the lineI'm worried now about Hauser. He and White seem to have the yips. Hauser was 0-3 from three yesterday until he buried one in garbage time. In his last 14 games, he is shooting 27.5%, 14 of 53. White innhis last 12 is shooting 19.0%, 8 of 42.

I miss the days when we used to discuss White’s new shot that he’d been working so hard on.

We are entering the dog days of the season now where some players find themselves with opportunity and others have to fight past the mental strain of the long grind. Hopefully we are laughing at these numbers in the spring or at a parade in June.

NomarsFool · Dec 28, 2022

Great win after a so so first half (it was weird to see them up by 7 I think at the half because it was mostly tied for the first 24).

To pick some nits I get a little upset when they get a little Harlem Globetrottery with the passes that lead to turnovers. There’s no extra points for trying to make it more entertaining. Just make a good pass that doesn’t get picked off, please.

White’s shooting from 3, as mentioned. Brogdon seems a little less impactful than I would expect as of late.

But, glad to get a comfortable win.

Jimbodandy · Dec 28, 2022

Eddie Jurak said:
Tatum, Brown, and Rob were indeed the story in this one.

The Rockets hung close for a while because the Celtics were missing threes in the first half (8 of 29).

Brown scored 39 and Tatum 38. I'm not sure if they have ever each scored 40 before or how often in league history 2 teammates have scored 40 each in a game.

Until very late in the game, Brown was on track to set the record for most points without a rebound or assist - he has at least 33 points before getting his only rebound or his first of 2 assists. Brown shot 14-26, including 6 of 15 from three and 9 of 11 from 2. His shooting from two wan't all at the rim, it also included some midrange jumpers, most from around the free throw line. He was also a perfect 5-5 from the line.

Tatum shot a bit worse (12 of 25, including 6 of 16 from three and 6 of 9 from 2), but was 8-8 from the line to bring himself within a point of Brown. He also added 8 rebounds and 4 assists.

Rob Williams played only 21 minutes, but he scored 11 points (4-4 from the field, 3- from the line), had 15 rebounds, 2 assists, and a blocked short. Clearly he has shaken off the rust. One of his assists was tipping an offensive rebound out to Smart, wide open, who buried a three. The other was a nice pass to a cutting Tatum for an easy basket.
View: https://twitter.com/ChrisForsberg_/status/1607928049659510784?s=20&t=sFMmVIAih4tRVg6gbWNadA

Chris Forsberg: Rob knowing Smart would still be there

View: https://twitter.com/ChrisForsberg_/status/1607908846550269953?s=20&t=sFMmVIAih4tRVg6gbWNadA

Chris Forsberg: Dimelord

I'm worried now about Hauser. He and White seem to have the yips. Hauser was 0-3 from three yesterday until he buried one in garbage time. In his last 14 games, he is shooting 27.5%, 14 of 53. White innhis last 12 is shooting 19.0%, 8 of 42.

I'm not worried about Hauser. He has had a couple of weird misses, but most of them are 3/4 of the way down. White is missing badly. Hope he can fix it.

Not that concerned about the stupid forced passes either. They're testing the fences like the velociraptors. Some of them will look awful of course, but others work out great. I would like to see a little more killer instinct, but it's a fine line too. Going hardo for 82 isn't good either.

wade boggs chicken dinner · Dec 28, 2022

bosockboy said:
Hauser seems to have Nesmith-itis. I’m sure he’ll get some rope to shoot his way out of this, but it’s concerning.

The league adjusted to him. He's not getting as many wide-open looks and when he does, he's (IMO) rushing his shot.

He needs to adjust back somehow. Sticking a couple of contested 3Ps would help I'm sure.

Fishy1 · Dec 28, 2022

Despite their struggles, Hauser is still at 41% and White is at 37%, which would be a career high for him. White appeared to make a correction and hit 2 of 3 against the Bucks after missing his last twelve straight. I'm not super worried about either of them. If White's shooting continues to regress, there's plenty of shooting on the team.

Jimbodandy · Dec 28, 2022

Fishy1 said:
Despite their struggles, Hauser is still at 41% and White is at 37%, which would be a career high for him. White appeared to make a correction and hit 2 of 3 against the Bucks after missing his last twelve straight. I'm not super worried about either of them. If White's shooting continues to regress, there's plenty of shooting on the team.

He's a career 34%, which is fine enough for his role. I'm not expecting him to stay at 37% either. It just looks awful right now. I think that he caught a couple of backboards last night.

benhogan · Dec 28, 2022

Jimbodandy said:
I'm not worried about Hauser. He has had a couple of weird misses, but most of them are 3/4 of the way down. White is missing badly. Hope he can fix it.

Not terribly concerned about Hauser either
but White looks off from the beginning of the season when his stroke was fluid.

White will play more high-leverage minutes, so fixing him is important.

https://www.bostonsportsjournal.com/2022/09/29/nba-notebook-new-shot-guiding-derrick-white-into-second-celtics-season

Leon Trotsky · Dec 28, 2022

They all seem to still be working on things, which will hopefully be a good thing in the long run. Grant for awhile was refusing to catch and shoot and kept going nearly every time to a drive, leaving many open 3's in the dust. Last two games he seemed a little better about picking and choosing where he would do that, and hit several spot up shots.

Deathofthebambino · Dec 28, 2022

Eddie Jurak said:
Brown scored 39 and Tatum 38. I'm not sure if they have ever each scored 40 before or how often in league history 2 teammates have scored 40 each in a game.

Been done 11 times in regular season history, last was in 2012 with Durant/Westbrook in OKC. They did it twice that year. Don't think 2 Celtics have ever done it though:

https://www.allaboutbasketball.us/basketball-records/list-of-nba-teammates-that-scored-40-points-or-more-in-same-game.html

TrapperAB · Dec 28, 2022

Was at the game last night — I agree that it looks like Hauser is rushing his shot. The Rockets D was clearly coached up to run out with arms up. Even when they weren’t really close to contesting, Hauser released early and didn’t look balanced.

White, on the other hand, had a ton of open looks. Of the “everyone has collapsed into the lane to stop a driving Tatum” variety. And White hesitated. I think he’s deeeeeeeep inside his own head. Thinking way too much. Just shoot, kid!

Fishy1 · Dec 28, 2022

Missing twelve threes in a row will do that someone with his history of shooting. He's played in every game this season. A game off to clear his head might be a good thing.

Saints Rest · Dec 28, 2022

Deathofthebambino said:
Been done 11 times in regular season history, last was in 2012 with Durant/Westbrook in OKC. They did it twice that year. Don't think 2 Celtics have ever done it though:

https://www.allaboutbasketball.us/basketball-records/list-of-nba-teammates-that-scored-40-points-or-more-in-same-game.html

Mitchell and Levert did it against the Celtics this year.

Deathofthebambino · Dec 28, 2022

Saints Rest said:
Mitchell and Levert did it against the Celtics this year.

Yeah, I think that article I posted was older. I thought I heard yesterday it had been done like 17 times (but not sure if that included playoffs too). I did completely forget Mitchell and Levert did it to us this year. Feels like years ago at this point. Actually forgot the C's even started the season 4-3. If you eliminate that start, and the 5 of 6 recent stretch that they lost, the C's are 20-2.

It's a season of runs...

nighthob · Dec 28, 2022

Deathofthebambino said:
Been done 11 times in regular season history, last was in 2012 with Durant/Westbrook in OKC. They did it twice that year. Don't think 2 Celtics have ever done it though:

https://www.allaboutbasketball.us/basketball-records/list-of-nba-teammates-that-scored-40-points-or-more-in-same-game.html

Didn’t Mitchell and LaVert do it against Boston earlier this year? Or did Mitchell miss by a point or two?

EDIT: I was right, apparently.

DJnVa · Dec 28, 2022

EDIT: Duplicate.

Does anyone else have an issue on SoSH around 7:05 pm every night?

DJnVa · Dec 28, 2022

Pritchard drawing some trade interest

Not surprisingly, Pritchard’s new situation has other teams sniffing around. Clubs have been investigating whether he might be worth pursuing in a trade (he makes $2.2 million this year and $4.0 million next).

It's an interesting spot to be in, because the deep seems so deep that I'm not sure how someone like Pritchard could bring back an asset that would crack the rotation or be anything more than he is now.

JerBear · Dec 28, 2022

DJnVa said:
EDIT: Duplicate.

Does anyone else have an issue on SoSH around 7:05 pm every night?

One of the twice daily backups run at 12:00 UTC.

https://sonsofsamhorn.net/index.php?threads/upgrades-coming.37901/

DJnVa · Dec 28, 2022

Gracias.

nighthob · Dec 29, 2022

DJnVa said:
It's an interesting spot to be in, because the deep seems so deep that I'm not sure how someone like Pritchard could bring back an asset that would crack the rotation or be anything more than he is now.

I mean you could take back a first (hopefully) which they could use in the offseason to add some depth.

2022-2023 General Celtics thread

Granite Truther

Member

Member

Granite Truther

Member

64th note

Well-Known Member

Member

Granite Truther

Member

Granite Truther

Member

Head Mason

64th note

Head Mason

Member

64th note

Member

Member

Well-Known Member

Member

Member

Well-Known Member

Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

The Ultimate One

Member

canderson-lite

Member

Member

bet squelcher

Member

Member

Member

Head Mason

Member

Granite Truther

Member

Drive Carefully

Member

Head Mason

Well-Known Member

Drive Carefully

Member

Dorito Dawg

Dorito Dawg

Member

Dorito Dawg

Member