3/28 - @ Hawks
- Thread starter Curtis Pride
- Start date
I had no idea Murray missed so many shots. Seemed like every shot contested by KP went in. D looked lackluster.
Yup. For a team that as supremely talented as they are and who win 80% of their games by double digits, can so routinely lose OT and close games. And have done so for two years.
But as I was told last year, nothing to worry about.
I had to work late and only caught the final seven minutes or so. Not sure Murray missed more than once when I was watching.
I think I saw that makes them 2-4 in OT games. Not good. (for the best team in the league)
I thought off his hands this one was banking in. Like that horrendous shot in the bubble against the Bucks.
Good look?
View: https://twitter.com/NoaDalzellNBA/status/1773536456142692471
Joe Mazzulla on Jayson Tatum’s last play in regulation: “Give JT the ball and have him make a play for us. He got a shot off — got a good look — but it didn’t go.” Said he took a different approach on the last shot in OT because the Celtics were trailing rather than tied
Also said he liked Jrue on Murray one on one at the end, didn't draw up a double.
View: https://twitter.com/NoaDalzellNBA/status/1773536456142692471
Joe Mazzulla on Jayson Tatum’s last play in regulation: “Give JT the ball and have him make a play for us. He got a shot off — got a good look — but it didn’t go.” Said he took a different approach on the last shot in OT because the Celtics were trailing rather than tied
Also said he liked Jrue on Murray one on one at the end, didn't draw up a double.
I feel like they have actually been quite good from like 90 seconds to 20 seconds left but it falls apart under 20 when it comes down to one play.
KP looks a little rusty with all the extra rest (same with Jrue)
I was probably swayed by Murray's made shots in OT
the good news: They had White initiating on offense with the JAYs in horns which was effective in OT. More of that, please. The potted plant ISO from the top is a relic of the past
And iirc they were 4-10 in OT games last year. Almost inexplicable for a team as good as they are.
It sucks losing but I think the Celtics benefit more from the last 2 games, than 20pt blowout wins
When I'm at the Garden in June I wonder if I'll be thinking about these two games against Atlanta and their ramifications should it be close late.
FWIW, Joe said they intentionally had KP switching onto Murray on the perimeter in OT to get KP some reps switching 1-5. It’s frustrating to watch them lose and to watch the Hawks act like they actually won something, but Joe’s running scrimmages and we have to live with it for three more weeks.
They actually played well close and late today, absent that 1 Tatum shot to end regulation. They scored on 5 of their last 6 possessions to end regulation after going behind by 4 with 4 minutes left and 4/7 in overtime not counting the .1 second possession. Unless you think that for some reason the defensive rebounding was bad because it was close and late then I'd actually be encouraged by their play in the last 10 or so minutes of the game.
They need to get used to getting roughed up and not getting the whistle. They’re not going to be able to play the beautiful game in the playoffs. Much better to get these reps now.
This post? Because it's hard to figure out what it would be otherwise.. a loss when you have clinched the EC and have a 6 game lead on the WC leader with 9 games to go? WGAF?
YEah.. they've only won 65% or so of the games that are close and late. But sure... this is the exact same team as last year, too.
Edit: also.. look up the word routinely, because as far as I can tell you don't know what it means... unless I guess you exclude every game they win between the games they lose?
I guess it's better to be Milwaukee? Who hasn't clinched anything and was up early and then was never close late to lose to the Pelicans?
Edit: they lost by (over) twice as many points as the Celts lost both games to ATL... or more points than 12 of Boston's 16 losses.
You tell me, man. Last time I went and thought about it and wrote things out at length, and all I got out of you or anyone was a shrug.
So I think I'm just on to NOLA.
Sorry I don't enjoy watching them lose close games to bad teams
Edit: you also seem to really have a bug up your you-know-what over people criticizing this team. Whatever man.
OK.. but what part of that is embarrassing? Because that's what you said. They lost on a shot with .1 seconds left in a meaningless game where they were up even though they didn't play their best game... a game that really didn't matter at all at the end of the day. And they lost by one. HTF is that embarrassing?
Edit: like I said.. guess it's better to be Milwaukee in second who never made it close late tonite and lost by seven. Guess that'd be less embarrassing because it wasn't close?
Well, that’s somewhat encouraging, I guess, because otherwise it looked like total incompetence.
Doesn't it stand to reason that if a game gets to OT, then luck/variance kicks in and it's more of a crapshoot? Something like one-run games in baseball.
The NBA standings are here: NBA Team Standings & Stats | NBA.com .
BOS is 2-4 in OT as mentioned. MIL is 2-2. DEN is 0-1. MIN is 1-3. CHI, of all teams, is 7-3 (maybe having a guy who is really good at mid-range shots helps in OT, that would be an interesting study to do). CLE and OKC are 3-1. PHO is 3-0; SAC is 5-1; LAL is 4-1; PDX is 5-3.
If the Cs were great at late game execution they'd probably would win 70+ games and be the best team in NBA history. They aren't that.
But hopefully they will be good enough to win a title - maybe by not having to play many close games!
Lars
My focus was on the OT over the past 2 years and not the crunch time nail biters or games which ended up 1 possession games but were really not closely contested. It would for example exclude the recent losses to the Hawks (the first game this week in Atl) and the Cavs 1 point loss. OT games pretty clearly define themselves as close and late.
In any case,
in 2022-23 the Celts were 4-8 in OT games for a winning % 33.3
in 2023-24 the Celts are 2-4 in OT games for a winning % of 33.3
two year total 6-12 33.3%
Or it could be SSS, and just bad luck.
There appears to be a consistency here, one that I find both puzzling and troubling. And one that I certainly hope does not become routine.
I posed this question last year, when I believe was the first to notice and discuss this anomaly.
Since that time others seem to have grasped the point.
and some haven't.
How does an elite NBA team that blows away most teams and win 75-80% of their games lose 2/3 of the OT games? I would suspect that most teams OT games are 50/50, but for some reason the Celts appear disadvantaged or do not play up to their abilities.
Last year I said it was a problem and unless corrected would hurt us in the post-season when tight games are the rule not the exception.
This year I haven't said much on the topic, but its still there.
Most of these OT games seem to have been leads they have blown late, and we all know how sports momentum works.
I'm not going to revisit the 18 OT games, but yup losing late leads is not a good sign nor the hallmark of championship teams.
this is more of a response than my post deserved, and I’ll read it more fully later.
i wonder if we did a similar analysis of most teams or championship teams if we’d find that much of a difference though.