5/29 - The Last Of Us

Ale Xander

Hamilton
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Oct 31, 2013
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We all know the best coach for this team is busy picking the groceries. He should have stepped in over the Townie.
If this team is coached by Bird or in their coaching prime (time hypothetical) Russell/Tommy/KC, (i.e. someone with understanding of Celtic Pride) they win every playoff game by 20+

f even ML/Fitch/Fordcoached wins a title
 

Kenny F'ing Powers

posts way less than 18% useful shit
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Nov 17, 2010
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At least the troll didn't go anti-semite on us after a night of drinking.

Disappointing ending to a very enjoyable season.
What a weird thing to say.

I'm pissed at Tatum, so you expect me to be anti-semitic?

Care to expound? I assume not, because you're trying to drive by with a pretty serious accusation. Par for the course, unfortunately. "Don't agree with his take - call him racist/anti-semitic/sexist."

But I'm all ears. Not even knowing if I'm Jewish, why would I make anti-semitic comments?
 

teddykgb

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Tatum was clearly and materially injured tonight—-what do you want from the guy? He outplayed Butler overall in the series. If what he did this playoffs overall isn’t an ‘alpha’ than who is—-Curry, who went out early? Lebron, who was swept? Embiid, who Tatum beat very clearly and decisively in the ‘alpha’ seventh game? Lillard, who couldn’t even max the playoffs? Giannis, who disappeared in 5 games this year and was defeated mano a mano by Tatum last year? Tatum was the best player on the floor in two elimination games last year and one this year vs the MVP this year and the past MVP last year…not many guys in NBA history can say that. if the standard is “always answers the bell in a big game” you’re all-time list of alphas is, I believe two: Bill Russell and Michael Jordan. I agree-—Tatum is neither of those guys. And neither is anyone else playing the NBA in the last 20 years (including LeBron). Everyone else loses sometimes.

I get that Tatum may be a half-level below the top (I’m someone who said I could see dealing him for Doncic for precisely this reason) but I just don’t see how you watch this series, or tonight, and conclude he’s the issue. It’s easy to blame the star but seriously—-who would you rather have? It’s a damn short list.
I used the word variance for a reason. And I’m not talking about tonight only. The truth is I think Tatum is fully capable of having a game nearly as bad as tonight without an injury and that’s what’s scary about him. I’m not overly focused on outcomes, great players will have bad nights and lose series but I can’t imagine you watch some of the other guys you name and think they have the same variance as Tatum. Giannis rips defenses apart every night, moves them and abuses them and yes sometimes misses and loses. Curry? Like you can’t possibly be making that comparison. That guy brings it almost every night and isn’t going to be stymied by a zone for 7 games regardless of who his coach is.

Again, I think Tatum deserves to be coached by someone who changes his usage and how they ask him to be that bellwether guy. But I guess I just don’t agree that he’s on par with other lead dogs on serious contenders. He is still young and maybe that consistency comes with age, but I think it’s a really important question facing Stevens
 

PedroKsBambino

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What I saw tonight was a desperate need for shot creation…so I believe seeing if Brogdon could provide it was appropriate and debate able if they should have tried him for a couple minute in third as well.

with Tatum hurt and Jaylen off they Needed offensive zip. Smart didn’t do it, White tried, and Brogdon is next option. A healthy Gallo maybe helped (if not run off court defensively). They had worst point total of season—trying guys on offense was appropriate. It jus didn’t work
 

Auger34

used to be tbb
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Apr 23, 2010
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Still upset about the Brogdon minutes. Not so much that they gave him a try but that they let him play for 7 + minutes. He is useless defensively anyways but can add value with his shot making when he is on. It was fairly clear he wasn’t close to on pretty early. He played for about 6 minutes too long and it may have cost them. Game sort of turned around at that point when he was in there.
Bingo.

The dude was cooked. That air balled open 3 was all anyone needed to see. I was stunned that he brought him back in at the beginning of the 2nd quarter.

but really…this is moot. They got absolutely trampled.
 

Light-Tower-Power

ask me about My Pillow
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Jun 14, 2013
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What I saw tonight was a desperate need for shot creation…so I believe seeing if Brogdon could provide it was appropriate and debate able if they should have tried him for a couple minute in third as well.

with Tatum hurt and Jaylen off they Needed offensive zip. Smart didn’t do it, White tried, and Brogdon is next option. A healthy Gallo maybe helped (if not run off court defensively). They had worst point total of season—trying guys on offense was appropriate. It jus didn’t work
Yeah I’m not really upset about the Brogdon minutes. Just really sucks he got hurt and literally couldn’t shoot this entire series. His three point shooting was needed these last two games.
 

luckiestman

Son of the Harpy
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Jul 15, 2005
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Guys, Caleb Martin toasted us, Caleb Martin. And then they didn’t even give him the Bird trophy. Caleb Martin, I can’t believe it.
 

bankshot1

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Feb 12, 2003
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where I was last at
I'm disappointed but not surprised. This team has played sloppy, undisciplined, turn it on as needed ball for almost 5 months. And they ran out of gas and after playing back to the wall ball for too long.

I blame Ime's dick.

Ultimately Imes dick fucked us all.
 

PedroKsBambino

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Yeah I’m not really upset about the Brogdon minutes. Just really sucks he got hurt and literally couldn’t shoot this entire series. His three point shooting was needed these last two games.
timing of his injury awful—-there are a bunch of games all year he was a 2/1a scorer and they needed it tonight
 

luckiestman

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Jul 15, 2005
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It doesn't make a lot of sense. 82 games and 8 months to run into a red hot Caleb Martin and lose at home to an 8 seed is a bitter pill.
View: https://twitter.com/LawMurrayTheNU/status/1663386058137153536
look at this shit, and it wasn’t a fluke. Every shot looked beautiful out of his hand.

65448

edit: 11/ 16 and 4/6 from three on the road in a game 7! Caleb Martin ladies and gentleman. I’m taking this to my grave. I would love this story if this asshole didn’t do this to me. Out of the league to this. Blah blah blah Heat Culture. Take a culture of this guys spit cause I want whatever these guys are on. Caleb Martin.
 

Light-Tower-Power

ask me about My Pillow
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Jun 14, 2013
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timing of his injury awful—-there are a bunch of games all year he was a 2/1a scorer and they needed it tonight
To be frank I’m a little surprised no one has really talked about his injury more. Even though he played the rest of Game 1 and in Games 2 and 3 he was essentially useless. Pretty big deal to lose the 6MOTY in the first game of the conference finals. His defense was not good but man oh man could they have used his shooting.
 

Auger34

used to be tbb
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Apr 23, 2010
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He was erratic in finals—23 PPG, but 43% shooting and as many turnovers as assists. He didn’t show in games 2 and 5 of finals. He was their best one on one scorer in finals and remains an elite guy for that. I’m happy to have him. So, to be clear, n like JB, and I am very much not in the “trade him, loser’ camp.

But there’s no getting around that tonight was an awful performance, and that his ball handling is a problem vs the very teams this Celtics core needs to figure out how to beat….he has not fixed it. He hasn’t figured out how to be a playmaker when Tatum is off (though he has, generally, been a good scorer when Tatum sits). So I am not dogging the guy, but I also do think we need to consider how to change what has befuddled them in last year and this year’s ECF and last year’s finals. We’re talking about how an elite team becomes a title team—-it’s in part about small adjustments or growth.

Also—-to be clear—-we have no real idea what’s up with his hand. It wouldn’t surprise me if he has surgery and we find out this was a big deal. But his problems with handle are not about that injury, they go back longer.
I hope that my post didn’t come off as combative because I was honestly asking. You’re one of the more rational people here and I respect your opinion…

I agree with everything you said. Tonight was an unmitigated disaster. He was absolutely putrid…unfortunately so were 6 of the 8 players that dressed (Tatum was hurt obviously). What makes it worse was that he had so many empty possessions…I think he shot about 3 early clock 3 pointers.

also agree with you about the handle. It’s a problem. I think he’s made meaningful strides as a playmaker, especially late in the year…but the handle is just not there.
 

Auger34

used to be tbb
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Apr 23, 2010
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I'm disappointed but not surprised. This team has played sloppy, undisciplined, turn it on as needed ball for almost 5 months. And they ran out of gas and after playing back to the wall ball for too long.

I blame Ime's dick.

Ultimately Imes dick fucked us all.
100000000%
 

scottyno

late Bloomer
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Dec 7, 2008
11,653
Jesus fucking Christ, dude. Butler’s got twice as many points today. Tatum couldn’t hit a cow in the ass with a shovel. Sucks that he hurt his ankle.

What is it that compels grown ass men to these heights of public delusion? There is no universe in which Tatum outplayed Butler today.
He also took more than twice as many shots
 

Bone for your jar

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Nov 2, 2013
54
Soon as Tatum rolled his ankle I had a sick feeling -not just regarding the injury’s effect on him, but its impact on the rest of the team. There was no bloody sock bravado rallying vibe but rather the sense of sudden weakness, doubt, and the fear —superstitious even— that such a misfortune right at the start signaled a kind of foreordained doom. I honestly feel it spooked them and prevented them from ever finding their legs or their mojo.
 

TrapperAB

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Nov 25, 2002
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Sad truth: I will never trust this core.

Maybe they pull it together next year, but the odds are long. They are who they are.

Brad’s gonna just run it back. Supermax Jaylen. Joe keeps the job.

Sigh.
 

teddykgb

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Smarts interview really irritated me and I’m generally a Marcus Smart guy. In the end post game interviews aren’t the place to find deep analysis but there was just something missing in what he was saying. I can’t even place my finger on it but it just didn’t feel right. Started with talking about Ime and just felt like there wasn’t an acknowledgment that they never really seemed able to be a complete team post the first month of the season
 

Nick Kaufman

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A Lost Time
We all know the best coach for this team is busy picking the groceries. He should have stepped in over the Townie.
I keep thinking that when the Spurs were tanking for Duncan, Popovich was the GM and he fired his coach for underperformance in order to replace him with himself.
 

DeJesus Built My Hotrod

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Great 3 1/4 game run by you. No shame
I'm just bummed we get no more Celtics basketball this year.

And Jaylen had a bad game which happens. These guys are in rough shape this time of year. You don't give up on him.

As for his views beyond hoops, I prefer to think he is a young person capable of evolving. I also don't perceive him to be looking to offend or worse but who knows.

I just know that when the dude is right he is one of the most fun guys to watch cook. To me his hand/elbow was a huge factor in this series. He couldn't get comfortable with seemingly any of his shots.

Team run it back.
 

Just a bit outside

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Is there a reason Hauser was buried on the bench in the playoffs? I get the sense if he were on the Heat’s roster, he would have been a useful piece.
This is my biggest issue with Mazzula. The regular season is for figuring out rotations for the playoffs and Hauser played 80 games at 15 minutes a game and then couldn’t play in the playoffs. If that is the case he shouldn’t have played all,that time in the regular season. I also don’t understand what happened with Grant. I know he sucked but it was clear he was going to be needed and he got buried the 2nd half of the season. It was all very confusing.
 

dhellers

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Oct 31, 2005
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I'm just bummed we get no more Celtics basketball this year.

And Jaylen had a bad game which happens. These guys are in rough shape this time of year. You don't give up on him.

As for his views beyond hoops, I prefer to think he is a young person capable of evolving. I also don't perceive him to be looking to offend or worse but who knows.

I just know that when the dude is right he is one of the most fun guys to watch cook. To me his hand/elbow was a huge factor in this series. He couldn't get comfortable with seemingly any of his shots.

Team run it back.
I agree. I really wonder if bam? falling on his elbow was a real set back.

But that doesn't absolve the team as a whole from not taking care of business against atl/phil. Those extra games meant no rest -- I was wondering how long Brogdon could go at this clip, and the answer seems to be "about 13 games".