The Celtics are listed as the favorite by virtually...everyone. And have been since before the season. So obviously the consensus is they are the best team and not at all lucky to be in the ECF. The idea they are some sort of media victim is just silly.
I will never bet against the Celtics.
I get that Vegas and most of us here believe the Celtics are the best team. I just don't see that kind of consensus at all among the media. In fact, many media have discounted what the Cs have accomplished and many until tonight argued that the Celts will go down to the Nuggets and some have said they'd be lucky to win a single game against them. That's all I was pointing out. I don't see where I'm wrong.
Exactly. And the same can/should be said of the Nuggets last year (except for the fact that they weren't the favorite by most, if anyone, before the season). But this thread has shown multiple opinions otherwise.
I don’t think anyone has said that the Celtics are lucky to be in the ECF….your second paragraph is 100% right
Yes to all of this.
I never said their title didn’t count or wasn’t earned. What I said was I didn’t understand why they were considered this unstoppable force like the Bulls or the Warriors given that they have never had a dominant season. Just look at the all time net rating leaders.
I think we have to be fair to KOC though.. the Celtics aren’t going to be able to beat Denver in the finals.
Yeah game 7 was Jokic and Murray and pray for rain. Hard to imagine what evidence anyone has that some JAG would have been more effective than a gassed Jokic. Nobody else on that team was doing jack.
I think Malone will look back and wish he'd given Joker a few more minutes off. He was probably hoping they could keep the lead around 10-12 despite the runs in the 3Q and that might break Minnesota. For all we know he tried during one of the TOs and Joker told him no.
Agree that it would have been hard to get Jokic out in the 3Q but Malone subbed out Jokic at 2Q / 9:14 with DEN up 30-19 and then subbed him back in at 2Q / 7:50 w DEN up 33-22 (Murray was in the middle of hitting 2 FTs). Maybe a couple of more minutes here helps Jokic in the 2H. Who knows?
Yeah that was jumping the gun. Give him a few more minutes, ok, what's the worst that happens, the Wolves tie the game? So what.
I think that's fair. Folks keeping pointing to the short time the Nuggets were up 20, but they had a comfortable lead for much of the game -- at least from early in the 2nd Q. I have no problem with Malone "riding his horses" -- I hear DeAndre Jordan isn't what he once was.
And it's definitely 20/20 hindsight to see Jokic barely making it up and down the court at the end of the game and say that should have been anticipated. Malone's a good coach and presumably knows Jokic's endurance as well as anyone and god knows Thibs has run his players well past most understandings of what is advisable, and yet they played through it (different question as to whether or not that led to injury propensity), so what do any of us know?
I mean, Belgrade in the spring is a very very nice place. I don't blame him.
Looks like he played 38-40 minutes in the other wins in the series but maybe some of that was garbage time.I think that's fair. Folks keeping pointing to the short time the Nuggets were up 20, but they had a comfortable lead for much of the game -- at least from early in the 2nd Q. I have no problem with Malone "riding his horses" -- I hear DeAndre Jordan isn't what he once was.
But, knowing what we saw of Jokic over the last 6 or 8 minutes of the game, I think it's fair to surmise that a few minutes more of rest throughout the game may have been advisable.
Particularly when we just saw 2 games in one series with 5-6 point comebacks in the last 30 seconds.
He did manage to put up 28/5/6 on 61% true shooting. He is no MJ, but he played really really well this series
I may be one of the few saying this (and definitely no one in the national media would agree), but Boston can win the title without KP, or at least with him at less than 100%. That's what Denver losing means - they weren't an unstoppable offensive juggernaut, but their late game execution and Jokic personally were just terrible matchups for Boston. Without Porzingis, the current Celtics are a more top heavy version of last year's team (weaker bench, stronger closing five) that made it to game 7 of the ECF. Both Dallas and Minnesota have major weaknesses of their own, especially if Ant is coming back down to earth.
Jokic just got mucked up with KAT who is completely unpredictable. He was cooking Gobert but the moment KAT took Joker and Gobert could move back to Gordon, everything shut down. Ant was awful especially the first half of the game last night. He was bailed out by the centers.
Yeah, good points on KAT and Ant. I was shocked when they flashed Ant's first half stats.
Yea, it works real well having Gobert cleaning up everyone's messes on the back line, rather than KAT trying to do that.
You can only pull that KAT off against the 76ers, Lakers, Orlando, and Nuggets. Maybe against the Celtics with KP. Without a ball dominant big, that KAT is just a foul machine ready to unleash. the moops is right, KAT is awful at cleaning up in the back court.
It is amazing how Ant stans like Simmons will defend how awful Ant was and say it was good even. Tatum one functional leg had a better game 7 last year against Miami.
Yep, he and Russillo spent a lot of time comparing Ant to Kobe — influencing the game with defense and kick outs.
Eh, it’s the heat of the moment when emotions are super high. Most competitors wouldn’t like that kind of disrespect, especially in the moment when the emotions are raw.
Eh.. I don’t think it’s too much to ask your opponents not to be dicks.. Jokic isn’t disrespectful.. Ant talks a lot of junk for someone who hasn’t won anything and only had 8 points into the third quarter.
This. The Nuggets were happy to dish it out. Not so happy to have one of the biggest Game 7 chokes in history rubbed in their face.
Dang, Billy B -- that's a blast from the past! Took me a sec to even remember that was my former handle here...I'm amazed you remembered. But, hey, it's been many (too many) years.
