I'm not sure there were all that many times when they would have gotten a foul call today.. I think the Celts played really good D on both of them... often doubling Embiid and just staying in Harden's way without reaching. You could see Joe at one point yelling to Brogdon to keep his hands back.. because half of Harden's fouls are from ripping through a players outstretched arm. If you don't give him the opportunity he has to make a tough shot more often than not.Philly was 2-3 players short. Harden's wildly inconsistent performances, from being the best player on the floor to being an afterthought, is impressive but also predictable.
I think in a Game 7, with a looser whistle, building a team around two guys who get to the free throw line a ton isn't as good of a strategy in practice as it sounds on paper. Harden and Embiid thrive on rip-throughs and soft contact that aren't going to fly in some playoff settings.
Always kinda sucks that player have to answer any serious questions right after they got beat in game 7.
Unless you’re Devin Booker.Always kinda sucks that player have to answer any serious questions right after they got beat in game 7.
Ben Simmons' TV is centered as accurately as his free throws.
I think this game pretty clearly demonstrated that the Celtics don't need to worry too much about offense. They just need to maintain defense intensity and not get frustrated with the refs, with stagnant offense, with defense not turning into transition points. It will happen eventually and the defense will ensure that they are always stay within striking distance. The first two quarters were a test but they hung tough.too, but I think these Celtics are going to win or lose based on their defense.
Fireplace!Ben Simmons' TV is centered as accurately as his free throws.
Philly was an overwhelming underdog in this series and took it to 7 games. I wouldn't call that anything to be embarrassed about or called losers for.It's funny that the Sixers aren't just habitual losers, with an habitually losing coach and GM, they are whiny habitual losers, with a whiny habitually losing coach and GM.
Getting Woj to tweet that pre-game is pretty up there in loser-ness.
This.I think this game pretty clearly demonstrated that the Celtics don't need to worry too much about offense. They just need to maintain defense intensity and not get frustrated with the refs, with stagnant offense, with defense not turning into transition points. It will happen eventually and the defense will ensure that they are always stay within striking distance. The first two quarters were a test but they hung tough.
The Truth speaks the truth.Pierce keeps putting up Ws. So many on the internet are broken people. This was a good response
View: https://twitter.com/paulpierce34/status/1657885897986310144?s=46&t=WNUE08imv33kOt1BO6WMzQ
Although they've run through Embiid/Simmons/Reddick, then +Butler/ then -Butler +Horford and Harris/and now double MVPs with Embiid/Harden and have zero conference final appearances. Meanwhile the Celtics have been to five ECF since The Process started and the Tatum C's have eliminated the Embiid-6'ers three times culminating in Jayson raining threes over the MVP today.Philly was an overwhelming underdog in this series and took it to 7 games. I wouldn't call that anything to be embarrassed about or called losers for.
I'm referring to this one series not their history of fucking up the draft. I don't agree with the popular idea that Miami is low on talent. At the end of the day they will likely have 3 HOFers on that roster with two of them still in their prime, and a HOF Head Coach.Although they've run through Embiid/Simmons/Reddick, then +Butler/ then -Butler +Horford and Harris/and now double MVPs with Embiid/Harden and have zero conference final appearances. Meanwhile the Celtics have been to five ECF since The Process started and the Tatum C's have eliminated the Embiid-6'ers three times culminating in Jayson raining threes over the MVP today.
At some point, in toto, it is embarrassing.
Edit - Or compare them to the Heat, who, over the past five years, never had the talent to match Philly .
This one series, I agree with you. Any one series, I agree with you. And sure, if Philadelphia had been coached by Spoelstra all this time I don't think we would be discussing this at all.I'm referring to this one series not their history of fucking up the draft. I don't agree with the popular idea that Miami is low on talent. At the end of the day they will likely have 3 HOFers on that roster with two of them still in their prime, and a HOF Head Coach.
Were they overwhelming underdogs? ESPN had 17 experts predict this series. 6 of them picked the Sixers. Only 7 of them picked the series to go less than 7 games. All 7 of those people picked the series to go 6.Philly was an overwhelming underdog in this series and took it to 7 games. I wouldn't call that anything to be embarrassed about or called losers for.
Yes they were. Prior to the series beginning the Celtics were as high as -360 at some books and over -325 everywhere.Were they overwhelming underdogs? ESPN had 17 experts predict this series. 6 of them picked the Sixers. Only 7 of them picked the series to go less than 7 games. All 7 of those people picked the series to go 6.
I thought what was nice about it was a couple things 1. Tatum was saying.. I'm not scared of you.. beyond that I WANT to go up against you. 2. It made Embiid have to make a choice.. does he put a ton of effort into guarding Tatum with possible ramifications to offense.. or does he try to play somewhere in the middle.One thing I did not expect was the adjustment to just have Tatum attack Embiid. They were hunting that matchup tonight and Tatum just kept blowing by him or shooting over him. When you’re as hot as Tatum was, it’s very hard for anyone to stop you, but they made Embiid work so much harder tonight than they did earlier in the series
Sure, Embiid was hurt.Yes they were. Prior to the series beginning the Celtics were as high as -360 at some books and over -325 everywhere.
The numbers barely changed during the course of the series even with Embiid playing. Every game in Boston prior to G7 the Sixers were +7.5/+8 dogs which is similar to what the Heat will be next week.Sure, Embiid was hurt.
Touché.The numbers barely changed during the course of the series even with Embiid playing. Every game in Boston prior to G7 the Sixers were +7.5/+8 dogs which is similar to what the Heat will be next week.
Dunking on the team that drafted him before the much better player they passed up (Jaylen Brown), who is a major player on the team that beat the Sixers, is an interesting flex. Comfort game is on point though, with the red wine and a nice blanket.
Simmons melted down in that playoff series loss versus the Hawks, but Doc and Embiid threw him under the bus. I’m not surprised he’s trolling Doc and the Sixers. The Sixers checked out on Simmons, so Simmons checked out on the Sixers and the NBA, content to cash checksDunking on the team that drafted him before the much better player they passed up (Jaylen Brown), who is a major player on the team that beat the Sixers, is an interesting flex. Comfort game is on point though, with the red wine and a nice blanket.
The TV is about fifty feet away from him on the other side of the living room or hotel lobby... and he's probably not listening to the announcers.The close captioning is a bit odd, no?
Why hasn't he had any of the water yet though?Dunking on the team that drafted him before the much better player they passed up (Jaylen Brown), who is a major player on the team that beat the Sixers, is an interesting flex. Comfort game is on point though, with the red wine and a nice blanket.
He has a deal with Smartwater, so he just threw it in the picture to do promoWhy hasn't he had any of the water yet though?
I dunno.. it's kind of fun listening to Thibodeau's son do his version of highlightsTurn down the volume and enjoy the Celtics' offensive highlights
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7TPDnKdlTg
It has Morey all over it.This is a franchise that was convinced they could like litigate themselves to conference finals. And I say this as someone who likes and is entertained by Embiid.
I was referring to litigating game 6 fouls via Woj right before game 7.Philly was an overwhelming underdog in this series and took it to 7 games. I wouldn't call that anything to be embarrassed about or called losers for.
I love that video so much I want to take it behind the middle school and get it pregnant.These possessions where Horford just gets out of the way to let Harden drive and he passes it anyways are nuts. Everyone was terrified of Rob.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSzqzNQi_A8
Philly generated wide-open Harris and Tucker 3s during the Cs big run, and if those had gone down, things might have gone a lot differently.I need to rewatch the game but I felt that the Sixers were having lots of success early with the Embiid/Harden pick and roll, collapsing the C’s defense and then spraying it out for open 3s. It seemed like they totally got away from that after the 1st quarter and the ball only went to one of those two guys from there on, with the other one effectively standing around out of the play.
Edit: yes and no. On rewatch, it's clear that Phil gets much better looks from P-n-R sets with Embiid than with any of the other crap they're running But I was wrong that they stopped running it during the C's run. They are still trying to run it, but the C's are applying so much pressure that it's happening too far from the basket to have the same effectiveness as earlier in the game.
I figuured he would have been ejected, but that there was reluctance from Scott Foster because he missed the play originally. Like, once the initial call was a T on Brown, he wasn’t going to walk it back any further than double-tech.I was kind of stunned that Niang grabbing Brown from the Sixers bench ended up being merely a double technical.That's a dangerous play that doesn't remotely equate to taunting (what Brown was called for). And if Brown just plays through it Niang gets away with it. I hope there is some supplemental discipline coming for Niang - IMO he ought to be suspended for a couple of games next year.
Agreed. Really weird decision after watching the video. I thought there was a possibility they'd correct it at halftime, and rescind Brown's tech. What exactly is Brown supposed to do? He didn't go back & punch or shove Niang, he called out the intentional grab of his knee from the 76ers bench. Foster is never going to autocorrect a T, but a really bad job by Secaucus.I was kind of stunned that Niang grabbing Brown from the Sixers bench ended up being merely a double technical.That's a dangerous play that doesn't remotely equate to taunting (what Brown was called for). And if Brown just plays through it Niang gets away with it. I hope there is some supplemental discipline coming for Niang - IMO he ought to be suspended for a couple of games next year.