I LOLed at this line near the beginning: "The Bucks and Damien Lillard in particular does what he does a lot which is make a lot of 3s when the game is over."
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The NBA Media has completely slammed the Celtic bench this entire season. BUT I don't think anyone around here has "bashed PP" all that much?
Rondo with a shot would have been a perennial all nba guy and a lock HOFer. So no
He's making it harder to be skeptical that he could give 10-15 good minutes if needed. The Bucks were playing with playoff intensity, and couldn't find a way to hunt him. Obviously no Giannis, but Giannis doesn't play 48 minutes.
Yea I heard Pat and immediately thought of Connaughton, and not Bev. Is this the first pair of teammates with that first name?
Presumably.
Al Horford isn't a star (if that's who you're identifying as the 6th), but your point stands.
I was about to say “How dare you suggest that ALFRED J HORFORD isn’t a star?” – and then I realized I wanted to know if that is his real full name.
Anyone who has made an all-star or all-nba team in the last three seasons. For Boston, this is Tatum/Brown/Holiday, that's it.
Kind of crazy that Porzingis wouldn't be considered a star, but it is what it is.
He had a weird career arc, where if he had had his Wizards season on the Knicks or Mavs, he would have made it, and then this year there's a perception that he misses a lot of games (true) and also that he's being dragged along by his co-stars.
Reminds me a lot of the argument that Brady/Belichick weren't the GOATs because they had each other. Having so many guys who are good that the media doesn't know who to credit, while Luka Dončić gets lauded for his 2017 James Harden tribute act is fine by me.
Jackson was one of the first famous “players coaches” who understood how to appease his stars while still getting the best out of them….and maybe or maybe not throwing Doug Collins under the bus. Steve Kerr is another. There is no magical potion in being a great leader except getting your top people to follow you.
Somehow I feel like the extra scouting that comes with playoff games will have coaching staffs see that hunting Hauser is actually a pretty bad strategy, generally. I anticipate PP and Porzingis getting attacked much more than Hauser.
People scoff at the FVV comp, but I've been making it for awhile too. They have nearly identical bodies and athleticism, and are both very strong, with strong bases. FVV can run an offense much better (Pritchard is catching up there), and PP is a better shooter and finisher near the rim (where FVV is really bad).
Pritchard has made a leap this year no doubt. He’ll still be hunted and be the weak link in our halfcourt defense but unlike last season I don’t think this will make him unplayable. Comparing him to FVV just isn’t fair though. That’s the old why can’t MarShon Brooks be like Kobe, why can’t Bol Bol be Wemby….to a lesser degree but FVV is a step ahead of PP pretty much everywhere. He’s real real good at basketball.
I can't find it now, but the Boston Phoenix, of all papers, did a great feature on Jackson in the mid 80s when he was coaching (and occasionally driving the bus for) the Albany Patroons in the CBA. His approach was very different, and foreshadowed how he was able to get a buy-in (while also tolerating the friction) from great players.
Yes, there's a reason FVV makes $40M+/year, and why PP is still trying to show that $7 will be justified. However, I think that defensively the gap isn't that huge.
I've always thought -- and said so -- that he appeared to be both really strong and quick (at least quick offensively). The bolded is where the benefits of strength and quickness is now paying off. It appears he now "has an idea what to do next."
He still has the habbit of picking the ball up too often in the paint. I wish he would keep his dribble alive... maybe that is a reflection on his speed of decision making.
PP does keep the dribble alive more often in the paint. He also nashes his way across the paint on the baseline now with his dribble, something he seldom did before. Some of the paint weapons he’s shown recently, like the fadeaway and the up and under, I don’t remember seeing before. PP is not reticent going into the paint against bigger defenders now. He either picks up his dribble or he can shoulder or out quick a defender for a layup, or keeps dribbling with his low base until he sees an opportunity. He does a solid job spraying the ball into the corner to Hauser or Horford
FVV isn't a bad comp but it's been a super optimistic comp - it would mean that PP is both adding to his physical abilities at a late age (which, while not unheard of is also not that common) plus being on a type of team that can help cover for his weaknesses.
VanVleet is and pretty much always has been a decently good positive on the defensive end. Like one of the best point guards, at least according to Raptor and EPM. Pritchard still is a negative even if he has improved his strength and quickness
Does DARKO account for so many of PPs minutes being with 20+ pt leads playing against 2nd and 3rd units while FVV is going up against starting PG’s the majority of the time? These two are the definition of levels so number can easily be twisted (not saying intentionally which DARKO clearly doesn’t care one way or the other).
