The biggest problem with the new flopping rules is that it gives the refs even more things to think about and more ways to mess things up.
I'd prefer the refs focus on not sucking. If they see a flop, don't fall for it. Move on.
These clowns don't need even more influence on the game. It's bad enough as it is.
The one called against the Knicks came on a play where it looked to me like a Knick put up a three, landed on a Celtic's foot and went down, and ended up getting called. Since a league point of emphasis in past years has been allowing shooters to land, this feels like it was a bad missed call compounded by the ref deciding it was a flop.
I guess the league still misses too many elbows to the head and the like for me to be confident that we're not going to see things like Tatum getting elbowed in the head (not seen) and then whistled for a flop.
Jaylen has always looked less instinctual and more mechanical than Tatum (and definitely more than Holiday or Porzingis), it makes sense that it will take him longer to adjust to the new offense than the others. We've got plenty of time.
In the preseason game thread someone asked who would be considered the 2nd best player on this team. I'm not sure who that will be, but I do know that Porzingis should be involved in every crunch time action because his mere presence creates mismatches. Him and Tatum are going to be excellent together offensively, health permitting.
This was not a good game for anyone thinking the Celtics bench depth will be fine (4 points outside of the top 6 guys, 2 of which were the closing free throws by Pritchard). If Hauser and Pritchard aren't hitting their open 3s, they are both deeply negative players. It's not that they can't provide anything else (Pritchard can run the offense a bit and Hauser is great for spacing), but when they aren't scoring, it's clear just how big of a downgrade it is going from Brogdon/Grant those two (Kornet also provided almost nothing).
I think they need 2 things:
1. Run some actual plays for Brown, esepcially early in games, to get him involved.
2. More ball movement on offense, to create more open catch and shoot looks.
I agree that the bench needs work. Whether changes in personnel, or groups that play toghether, or whatever it mostly did not do the job. White and Horford getting into early foul trouble might have messed up some of the rotations.
Horford did have a key stretch in the 3rd, when KP went out with his 4th foul and Al hit a couple of threes.
Smart play by Pritchard at the very end, when the Celtics needed to inbound the ball. Pritchard went to the backcourt to take a defender with him, but the Knicks had good coverage on the other three Celtics. Pritchard went to the ball, giving Tatum an option, and was immediately fouled.
NYK crashing for rebounds lead to more than a few OReb but also lead to several run-outs.
Someone should do a study on Oreb vs. fast break points given up and figure out whether "crashing the glass" makes sense.
At a glance, being outshot 97-77 at least suggests that the lack of defensive rebounding was a problem.
I LOVED that game from JT. The added strength and post up game gives him a real weapon when teams put a smaller guy on him and try to take away his space on the perimeter. I also thought he was excellent as picking his spots to be aggressive and when to defer to others. Looked very engaged on defense. A very mature game.
I liked parts of it. His first basket came when, in transition, a smaller guy picked him up around the free throw line and Tatum just bullied him. The rest of it looked more like Tatum from last year. (Not a bad thing by any means).
The best part of this game for me was, still, KP at both ends of the floor. I think they would have been beaten easily if not for what KP did to the Knicks in the defensive end.