Celtics in 18-19

mcpickl

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Jul 23, 2007
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Would be nice to know if this one is a 1+1 with a non-guaranteed second year...
It's not. Just signed through the rest of the season.

I think they might actually have Early Bird rights on him, which would be a really slippery move by Ainge, since he finished the last two seasons with them without playing for any other NBA team. Not positive if you have to play a full season in second year. Been trying to find that out, no luck so far.
 

TripleOT

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Jul 4, 2007
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I just saw this

Kyrie has the highest playoff winning percentage in NBA history at .764 (minimum 50 games played).

He has a 1.000 winning percentage when he doesn't have to carry that bum LeBron (minimum 4 games played).
 

DJnVa

Dorito Dawg
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Dec 16, 2010
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Scal on NBA Radio this morning:

If Celtics can beat Bucks, they can roll the Sixers, but doesn't see them beating Toronto.

If Bucks win, sees them winning the East.
 

wade boggs chicken dinner

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Mar 26, 2005
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Scal on NBA Radio this morning:

If Celtics can beat Bucks, they can roll the Sixers, but doesn't see them beating Toronto.

If Bucks win, sees them winning the East.
MIL is giving up the most 3P shots and 3P makes in the league this year (13 for 36.2). This is a product of the PnR defense they play - drop coverage.

In the first game the Cs won, the Cs shot 55 3P at .436 clip (24-55). They are going to be tough to beat if they shoot like that.

In the second game where the Cs got blown out, the Cs shot 10-34 from 3P land (.294). Baynes, Horford, and Morris didn't play in that game. KI, TR, Smart, and GH went 2-16 (MIL's defense is predicted on not allowing guards to shoot 3Ps).

In the third game (MIL 98-97), BOS shot 14-40 from 3P land. Al went 2-6; Morris went 3-10. Note Baynes and GH did not play in this game.

If Al and MM are shooting 40% from 3P land by the time the series is done, BOS will win this.
 

lovegtm

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Apr 30, 2013
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MIL is giving up the most 3P shots and 3P makes in the league this year (13 for 36.2). This is a product of the PnR defense they play - drop coverage.

In the first game the Cs won, the Cs shot 55 3P at .436 clip (24-55). They are going to be tough to beat if they shoot like that.

In the second game where the Cs got blown out, the Cs shot 10-34 from 3P land (.294). Baynes, Horford, and Morris didn't play in that game. KI, TR, Smart, and GH went 2-16 (MIL's defense is predicted on not allowing guards to shoot 3Ps).

In the third game (MIL 98-97), BOS shot 14-40 from 3P land. Al went 2-6; Morris went 3-10. Note Baynes and GH did not play in this game.

If Al and MM are shooting 40% from 3P land by the time the series is done, BOS will win this.
Gordon’s improved shooting/having his legs under him could help a LOT in this series. If the Celtics are willing to go crazy launching threes, they have the exact personnel to counteract Mil’s defensive system. It’s a terrible matchup for the Bucks, even without Smart, IF the threes fall at a reasonable rate.
 

Blue Monkey

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Not really sure where to ask this... my Google fu is failing me. Wasn’t there a famous quote from someone on the 80’s Celtics... something along the lines of “do you want to back to fucking your wives?” Which was used as motivation before an elimination game? Maybe I’m mis-remembering?
 

Phil Plantier

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Meanwhile, the old Hellenic Flu has claimed its first victim: Hellenic College

Hellenic College Holy Cross, a Greek Orthodox school in Brookline, received a stern warning from the state last month about grave financial concerns, and on Tuesday it was publicly put on notice by regional accreditors about the same problems.

The college has been running an operating deficit for nearly eight years, has borrowed money from its endowment, and suffers from declining enrollment and poor planning, the state’s letter said.
 

Phil Plantier

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Off topic but the higher ed bubble is going to be ugly over the next 10-15 years.
You betcha. Folks, check your school's endowment and their plans to stay relevant. The first big failure is not far away (My guess: Bard College)

I have two friends at small schools (one public) who used to teach 6 classes/year, and were told this Fall "it's 8 classes/year now."
 

Phil Plantier

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So, what am I missing here?
Not sure. It's a story of three parts:

1. Celtics used to use Hellenic College as their practice facility.
2. The "Hellenic Flu" was a term for when a player was put on the injured list with a dubious injury
3. Once the regional accreditor says something in public, the school is pretty much toast, barring some miraculous funding appearing from alumni
 

Jimbodandy

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around the way
Not sure. It's a story of three parts:

1. Celtics used to use Hellenic College as their practice facility.
2. The "Hellenic Flu" was a term for when a player was put on the injured list with a dubious injury
3. Once the regional accreditor says something in public, the school is pretty much toast, barring some miraculous funding appearing from alumni
Regarding point 2, a lot of folks probably don't remember the 12 man roster size. Teams used to stash a couple of extra players by making up injuries, so they wouldn't lose a guy to another team. Red was famous for it. The league eventually got sick of it and expanded to 15. Hence Hellenic flu. Everyone knew it was bullshit.
 

Red Averages

owes you $50
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Apr 20, 2003
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Off topic but the higher ed bubble is going to be ugly over the next 10-15 years.
You betcha. Folks, check your school's endowment and their plans to stay relevant. The first big failure is not far away (My guess: Bard College)

I have two friends at small schools (one public) who used to teach 6 classes/year, and were told this Fall "it's 8 classes/year now."
Can we break this out into a V&N thread? Seems really interesting to dig into.
 

DJnVa

Dorito Dawg
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Dec 16, 2010
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Not sure. It's a story of three parts:

1. Celtics used to use Hellenic College as their practice facility.
2. The "Hellenic Flu" was a term for when a player was put on the injured list with a dubious injury
3. Once the regional accreditor says something in public, the school is pretty much toast, barring some miraculous funding appearing from alumni
I understand all that. I guess I was wondering why it was in a Celtics thread, but maybe I have so many folks on ignore I missed something or skimmed over something.

Mentioning the Celtics used to practice there kind of ties it in now. Thanks.
 

amarshal2

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Oct 25, 2005
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Serious question: why did we even bother to watch the regular season?

It feels like the Celtics didn’t bother trying on defense for a single game until the post season.
 

lovegtm

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Apr 30, 2013
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Serious question: why did we even bother to watch the regular season?

It feels like the Celtics didn’t bother trying on defense for a single game until the post season.
The NBA regular season should be 50 games long. It’s good for teams figuring out what they are and how pieces fit, but it frustrates me to no end when people put too much weight on regular season performance.
 

DJnVa

Dorito Dawg
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Dec 16, 2010
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Serious question: why did we even bother to watch the regular season?

It feels like the Celtics didn’t bother trying on defense for a single game until the post season.
82 games to lose home court advantage. 1 game to get it back.
 

Salem's Lot

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The NBA regular season should be 50 games long. It’s good for teams figuring out what they are and how pieces fit, but it frustrates me to no end when people put too much weight on regular season performance.
The same could be said of the NHL or MLB. You could start the NHL season on January 1st, play 40 games then go to the playoffs. The other 42 (45 with preseason games that they charge STH face value for) are played simply to generate revenue.
 

tims4wins

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The same could be said of the NHL or MLB. You could start the NHL season on January 1st, play 40 games then go to the playoffs. The other 42 (45 with preseason games that they charge STH face value for) are played simply to generate revenue.
I disagree on MLB. With 5 man rotations and a limited playoff field, you need to earn your spot (especially a division title). When half the league makes the playoffs like in the NHL and NBA, the regular season loses meaning.
 

Montana Fan

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The NBA regular season should be 50 games long. It’s good for teams figuring out what they are and how pieces fit, but it frustrates me to no end when people put too much weight on regular season performance.
The strike shortened 66 game season was the most exciting regular season I recall. Unfortunately, they'll never shorten the RS.
 

DJnVa

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Kyrie said: It's go time.

“I feel like he just brought us closer together and put everything that we went through during the season aside and made sure everybody understands the importance of the ultimate goal,” Rozier said. “That helped us all, and we’re all on the same page right now.”
 

tims4wins

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This is neither here nor there, but I've seen the word "disaster" thrown around a bunch regarding the 2018-2019 Celtics. Was it a disappointing season? Yes. Was it an abysmal second round? Yes. Was it a "disaster"? Hardly. If anything it may give us more clarity on Kyrie. The Lakers season was a disaster. The Celtics season wasn't fun, or fulfilling, but "disaster" is a bridge too far IMO.
 

Bosox1528

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Dec 22, 2017
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This is neither here nor there, but I've seen the word "disaster" thrown around a bunch regarding the 2018-2019 Celtics. Was it a disappointing season? Yes. Was it an abysmal second round? Yes. Was it a "disaster"? Hardly. If anything it may give us more clarity on Kyrie. The Lakers season was a disaster. The Celtics season wasn't fun, or fulfilling, but "disaster" is a bridge too far IMO.
Have to say, this is pretty absurd, as is all of the whiners saying we’re better off without Kyrie Irving, one of the top offensive players in the league.

This season has consisted of the Kings pick flopping, Gordon Hayward looking like a shell of his former self, and Kyrie likely to leave. If Kyrie leaves, not only can we classify this season as a complete and total disaster, but we can also kiss any hopes of a championship anytime soon goodbye. The only reason you should be happy to see Kyrie go is if you’d rather be “loveable losers” than have any chance at winning anything
 

Big John

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Have to say, this is pretty absurd, as is all of the whiners saying we’re better off without Kyrie Irving, one of the top offensive players in the league
The Bucks just proved to us, painfully, how incorrect that statement is. He's marketed as a "top offensive player" but against a good playoff team he couldn't put the ball in the basket.

Playing with LeBron masked his flaws at both ends. He's Robin, and when he tries to be Batman it doesn't work. He might have value to a contender as instant offense off the bench, like Lou Williams. Unfortunately Kyrie isn't as good as Lou Williams.
 

bigq

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The Bucks just proved to us, painfully, how incorrect that statement is. He's marketed as a "top offensive player" but against a good playoff team he couldn't put the ball in the basket.

Playing with LeBron masked his flaws at both ends. He's Robin, and when he tries to be Batman it doesn't work. He might have value to a contender as instant offense off the bench, like Lou Williams. Unfortunately Kyrie isn't as good as Lou Williams.
I was following along until the Kyrie isn’t as good as Lou Williams part. I think there may have been sarcasm intended.
 

Big John

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Dec 9, 2016
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We're comparing Irving and Williams as offensive players, yes? Look at the numbers in 2018-19. Their regular season scoring number per 36 are pretty similar, but Williams was far better in the playoffs-- and he did it against Golden State.

I'm just waiting for the excuses to dribble out for Kyrie's miserable playoff performance. His knee was bothering him. He was constipated. Whatever.
 

Big John

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Dec 9, 2016
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MIL is a better defensive basketball team than GSW, so not sure what your point here is
My point is simply that Irving's "superstardom" is an artifact of NBA and Celtics PR. He hasn't played like a superstar in Boston, that's for sure. And there are plently of players who make less money that I'd rather have on the team.

He's flashy, that's all. Rafer Alston and Jayson Williams were flashy too.
 

the moops

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My point is simply that Irving's "superstardom" is an artifact of NBA and Celtics PR. He hasn't played like a superstar in Boston, that's for sure. And there are plently of players who make less money that I'd rather have on the team.

He's flashy, that's all. Rafer Alston and Jayson Williams were flashy too.
Kyrie is going to be on the 2nd team all NBA this year
 

CreightonGubanich

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Good grief. I'm kind of out on the whole Kyrie Experience, there's a small, irrational part of me that hopes he doesn't re-sign in Boston, and I'm not sure he can be the best player on a championship team (though I do think he can be the primary offensive option).

But this ret-conning of Irving as some kind of manufactured, not-really-a-superstar is ridiculous. He ranked 12th in PER this season, right ahead of Kevin Durant, despite his defensive shortcomings. He set a career high in assists and put up a really nice, efficient offensive season. He's somewhere around the 12th-17th best offensive player in the league, depending on what metric you're looking at (14th in Offensive Win Shares, 17th in scoring per 36, 12 in assists per game, etc).

He's a superstar coming off perhaps the best season of his career. He just might not be the right superstar for this team.
 

Big John

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Dec 9, 2016
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Superstars make their teammates better. Kyrie makes them worse. If he ranked 12th in PER then there is something wrong with PER.
If's he's second team all-NBA that's an insult to quite a few guys, starting with Curry, Westbrook and Lillard but certainly not ending there.
 

DJnVa

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Dec 16, 2010
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Superstars make their teammates better. Kyrie makes them worse.
They actually have stats for this now--they tell you how payers did with certain players on or off the floor. Here's what they show: YOU ARE REALLY FUCKING WRONG.