I agree this will happen in the first 5ish minutes of game time, but like game 2 I expect the C’s to stay the course, play their game and end up making it a game by Q4I expect the Nets will come out with a ton of energy in game three, feed on the home crowd and shoot the ball well while the Celtics go cold. I won’t be surprised if they win the game by a large margin. I will be glad to be wrong.
+ a bunch of ticky tack fouls on the Celtics in the first half.I expect the Nets will come out with a ton of energy in game three, feed on the home crowd and shoot the ball well while the Celtics go cold. I won’t be surprised if they win the game by a large margin. I will be glad to be wrong.
I thought so too, but I am not a lawyer.Wouldn't him not playing strengthen his case?
If they find themselves in a big hole like they did Wednesday night, its going to be a lot harder to dig themselves out of it on the road.I agree this will happen in the first 5ish minutes of game time, but like game 2 I expect the C’s to stay the course, play their game and end up making it a game by Q4
It’s Brooklyn though. There will be a lot of C’s fans there.If they find themselves in a big hole like they did Wednesday night, its going to be a lot harder to dig themselves out of it on the road.
I expect the Nets will come out with a ton of energy in game three, feed on the home crowd and shoot the ball well while the Celtics go cold. I won’t be surprised if they win the game by a large margin. I will be glad to be wrong.
If they find themselves in a big hole like they did Wednesday night, its going to be a lot harder to dig themselves out of it on the road.
I think k-factory has the right of this. Brooklyn may win game 3, but they have not yet shown themselves capable of sustaining the effort-level needed to beat the Celtics for the full 48 and I am not sure there is any reason to expect that to change.It’s Brooklyn though. There will be a lot of C’s fans there.
From a physical endurance standpoint the C’s have proved they can outlast the Nets and they don’t quit while the Nets have looked tired in both games. So no lead seems out of reach.
It is not like they have been calling a loose game so far. The real question is whether they call a "look at Durant the wrong way and it is a foul" game.I’ll be interested to see how the start of Game 3 is officiated — not just because Durant is likely to get the early whistles given the physicality of Boston’s defense (which is wearing Durant down and contributing to his second half shooting woes), but because Tatum is getting bodied pretty hard, too. In Game 2, seemed pretty obvious that Brooklyn’s scheme was to double Tatum and be physical about it. Tatum did a good job passing out of it, but still wasn’t having a great shooting game (which made that dagger three in the fourth all the more impressive).
If the refs decide to call a tighter game, and they’re at all equitable about it, then Tatum should be going to the line a lot, too. Not as much as Durant, maybe, but it should still be a parade. And a whole lotta guys on both teams will be in foul trouble.
This makes sense. The Nets are "physical" as a substitute for overall great defense. The Celtics play overall great defense and are playing more "physical than usual." The only way this goes south is if only one team is allowed to play "physcial." I dont think the Nets can play above-average defense without committing fouls.It is not like they have been calling a loose game so far. The real question is whether they call a "look at Durant the wrong way and it is a foul" game.
Durant had 20 free throws last game. How many more can he realistically have? 30? 40?I’ll be interested to see how the start of Game 3 is officiated — not just because Durant is likely to get the early whistles given the physicality of Boston’s defense (which is wearing Durant down and contributing to his second half shooting woes), but because Tatum is getting bodied pretty hard, too. In Game 2, seemed pretty obvious that Brooklyn’s scheme was to double Tatum and be physical about it. Tatum did a good job passing out of it, but still wasn’t having a great shooting game (which made that dagger three in the fourth all the more impressive).
If the refs decide to call a tighter game, and they’re at all equitable about it, then Tatum should be going to the line a lot, too. Not as much as Durant, maybe, but it should still be a parade. And a whole lotta guys on both teams will be in foul trouble.
If the refs/league decide that there were a lot of uncalled fouls despite KD’s 20 free throw attempts (and there’s a lot of footage from Game 2 where KD was abused attempting to go through screens), maybe Dwight Howard should worry about his record (39)…Durant had 20 free throws last game. How many more can he realistically have? 30? 40?
9 am eastern on game day.Have they reported the ref assignments for game 3? Expecting Tony Brothers or Scott Foster - hopefully both to take them out of the running for game 4.
They could call a tighter game, resulting in more fouls earlier, which would cause the Celtics to have to be more careful down the stretch. The number of fouls doesn't have to be drastically different in order for there to be a significant impact.Durant had 20 free throws last game. How many more can he realistically have? 30? 40?
Curious as well: as you note doesn’t look like they are assigned yet.We sure about that? Referee assignments aren’t posted til 9.
In spite of all the data supporting it?I cannot think of a more useless expenditure of energy than worrying about who the specific refs are going to be, and how the league is going to RIG the game to favor the Nets.
I agree that the rigging angle is dumb but I would like a more experienced crew than we got on Wednesday, and I think we do.I cannot think of a more useless expenditure of energy than worrying about who the specific refs are going to be, and how the league is going to RIG the game to favor the Nets.
and we're just the crowd that will expend that energyI cannot think of a more useless expenditure of energy than worrying about who the specific refs are going to be, and how the league is going to RIG the game to favor the Nets.
Eastern Conference scout
You’ve got the best defensive team in the league. … They’re equipped to deal with Durant and Kyrie (Irving) probably better than most. Then you look at their physical makeup. Marcus Smart is built like a fucking linebacker. (Jayson) Tatum and (Jaylen) Brown both are so much bigger and stronger. They’re not the guys they were two, three years ago. … Those are physical monsters.
Then you get to Al Horford, who’s always been built like Adonis. And then Robert Williams, who’s not even playing in this series, but who is just a monster now and had gotten a lot bigger and filled out and matured since his early years. (Williams, who tore his meniscus in late March, could play in Game 3 or 4.) (So) they are monsters, right? They’re all big. They’re all strong and long. They can all guard multiple positions. Then, because they’re all so big and strong and physical, they can all switch everything and hand off guys to the next guy. There’s no disadvantage. Even without Robert Williams, they were built for this type of matchup.
You look at that starting lineup, and there’s not one weak link defensively. I’d say all five of those guys are ranked probably in the top 25 defenders in the league, or certainly in the top 50. And so you’ve got five guys who are all above-average defenders and physical specimens on top of it.
But I also don’t think what we’re witnessing is vintage Durant. And what we are witnessing is Tatum and Brown and that group entering their prime, whereas (Durant) is on the back end of the prime. Those guys are not chopped liver, man. I mean, I’ll tell you right now, obviously, I think most people think if you (evaluate) his career that Durant is a better player than (the 24-year-old) Tatum. I mean, if nothing else, it’s the track record. But if you gave me a choice of which one I would take from this point forward, it’s not even close to me. … To me, if you’re watching the game and you didn’t know who these guys were, I’m not watching Durant (and saying), “That’s the best player on the floor.” I’m not so sure Tatum’s not (the best).
And at the end of the day, with the exception of completely egregious screwjobs like Kings-Lakers, it doesn't affect the eventual champion.and we're just the crowd that will expend that energy
half the game threads are dedicated to blown calls, ref bias, relitigating the whistles
You and I have been the Tatum fanclub lately, but it's nice to see the national narrative about his D catch up with his performance. Dude should be perennial all-Defense.
This. There are always going to be some ticky tack fouls (Horford's #6 on Brown for instance) but the Celtics were committing a foul on Durant just about every time down the floor.The Celtics are getting called for a lot of fouls on Kevin Durant because they're fouling him a lot. It's part of an effective strategy to beat him up over the course of 1 game and a series. But you're going to hear whistles when you go with that strategy.
Thanks for posting.You look at that starting lineup, and there’s not one weak link defensively. I’d say all five of those guys are ranked probably in the top 25 defenders in the league, or certainly in the top 50. And so you’ve got five guys who are all above-average defenders and physical specimens on top of it.
No kidding. It's his 5th year, he's made 3 all-star teams, he's played in over 50 playoff games. Nothing Tatum is doing right now should be surprising to someone who watches NBA games for a living.How can Tatum's length surprise a professional scout? Does he ever watch Celtics games?
Is it possible the scheme is helping cover for some of Jaylen’s defensive shortcomings? He is known for falling asleep a bit, missing a rotation, etc, but to my eye the way this switching/handoff scheme works seems to actually simplify things a bit. A lot of little decisions to make, but easier and more clearly defined decisions because it’s really about everyone being able to cover anyone and winning individual matchups all over the floor, which is better for JB’s skillset on D.Thanks for posting.
It's amazing to me that Jaylen Brown - who is off the charts athletically and in this series is tasked with guarding KI straight up at time, chasing around Curry and Mills, going mano-a-mano against KD, and guarding bigs like Drummond and Claxton and keeping them off the boards (JB had a couple of key rebounds down the stretch in G2) is considered the "worst" defender of the Cs starting five. Particularly on a lot of teams he might be considered the best defender.
I know at the beginning of the year people were pointing out that JB sometimes fell asleep on defense or missed rotations. That's not happening very much these days if at all.
Amazing what happens when you put five of the best 25-50 defenders in the NBA together, they might really be able to shut down opponents.
The starting 5 when TL is in reminds me of the 2000 Ravens.
It’s the perfect defensive scheme for Jaylen.Is it possible the scheme is helping cover for some of Jaylen’s defensive shortcomings? He is known for falling asleep a bit, missing a rotation, etc, but to my eye the way this switching/handoff scheme works seems to actually simplify things a bit. A lot of little decisions to make, but easier and more clearly defined decisions because it’s really about everyone being able to cover anyone and winning individual matchups all over the floor, which is better for JB’s skillset on D.
I can understand when he is talking about in context of covering Durant though. Nobody blocks Durant's midrange or bothers his shot as much as Tatum did these past two games. That is shockingNo kidding. It's his 5th year, he's made 3 all-star teams, he's played in over 50 playoff games. Nothing Tatum is doing right now should be surprising to someone who watches NBA games for a living.
That last game was one of Jaylen's best defensive games ever.It’s the perfect defensive scheme for Jaylen.
I'm sorry for not verifying. I guess referee assignments is what you worry about, getting impatient with two days between games.