Right. Steph too. Also proves the point that my reading comprehension needs work.Two guys on that list aren't playing this year. Kinda proves nighthob's point.
Right. Steph too. Also proves the point that my reading comprehension needs work.Two guys on that list aren't playing this year. Kinda proves nighthob's point.
One of those guys didn't play at all last year and suffered an injury that's likely to greatly reduce his game. Another barely played. Get back to me on Luka when he can stop a sneeze from reaching the paint and scoring. Yes, Tatum is a top ten player today. And still getting better.Just cause I love lists.
Giannis, AD, Lebron, Kawhi, Harden, Luka, Jokic, Lillard, Steph, Durant
Or as the roadkill left in his wake might say, #DefenseSplatters .With or without Durant, JT is top 10 now
#defense matters
I mean I’m as biased as anyone & this is just laughable. I love Tatum but he is nowhere near the player of Luka. He also isn’t a top 10 player. He is not better then anyone on that list or even close to any of them. Stop.One of those guys didn't play at all last year and suffered an injury that's likely to greatly reduce his game. Another barely played. Get back to me on Luka when he can stop a sneeze from reaching the paint and scoring. Yes, Tatum is a top ten player today. And still getting better.
I'm definitely guilty of being bias BUTI mean I’m as biased as anyone & this is just laughable. I love Tatum but he is nowhere near the player of Luka. He also isn’t a top 10 player. He is not better then anyone on that list or even close to any of them. Stop.
I hope he gets there someday.
I mean....yeah he is close to them. And yeah it’s debatable that he is a top ten player. Recent best player lists from ESPN.com, nba.com, and bleacher report all had him top 13 I believe.I mean I’m as biased as anyone & this is just laughable. I love Tatum but he is nowhere near the player of Luka. He also isn’t a top 10 player. He is not better then anyone on that list or even close to any of them. Stop.
I hope he gets there someday.
the 2nd half of the season he was firmly in the top 10 across the board...I mean....yeah he is close to them. And yeah it’s debatable that he is a top ten player. Recent best player lists from ESPN.com, nba.com, and bleacher report all had him top 13 I believe.
Add that in with the fact that he finished the season 11th in RPM, 8th in PIPM, 7th in RAPM, 10th in RAPTOR, and 11th in VORP.
If anything he's even better now. He's added an absolutely deadly floater to his drive game:the 2nd half of the season he was firmly in the top 10 across the board...
and that's the player he is right now
Quite happy to be wrong about this. Grant’s just better than Semi at everything except shooting, and his superior screening and help defense, in particular, more than make up for whatever marginal upgrade in spacing Semi provides. The play where he sets a high screen for Tatum, then rolls down to seal off Horford’s contest with his big badonk was awesome. Should get an assist for that.Yikes, Grant has nearly triple the career blocks the Semi has (36/13) despite playing about a third of the minutes. Better steal rate, better passer, better on the boards, better screen-setter. But when looking strictly at how they perform in their respective roles, Semi’s probably the choice in most instances. Grant’s a better player when things break down, and I think he’ll be a better player overall soon enough, but Semi is the more reliable piece now.
I’d personally have him about 8th the way he is playing, but I may be overtly bullish.the 2nd half of the season he was firmly in the top 10 across the board...
and that's the player he is right now
Maybe below average invisibAL Horford will have a pulse.Is there any reason to believe G3 or G4 will be any more competitive than this one?
Given Embiid's expression on bench in the fourth quarter I'd say that he's already thinking about his next team.Is there any reason to believe G3 or G4 will be any more competitive than this one?
I think some of this depends on rating this season v. everyone healthy. For this season/right now, Tatum is clearly in the top 10. For overall, he’s still a “top 10 player” in that he’s one of the 12 or 13 best talents in the game, but it’s very close as to whether he sneaks into the top 10.I’d personally have him about 8th the way he is playing, but I may be overtly bullish.
Hayward is out, so Tatum has to take on more of a playmaking role. And he puts up 33/5/5 with no turnovers, was under control basically every second of the game.
I mean maybe Tobias Harris plays better and they luck into some outside shooting? I don’t think Embiid’s conditioning is improving in the next two days and Al isn’t getting any younger or more mobile. Still probably doesn’t matter unless the Celtics straight up lay an egg.Is there any reason to believe G3 or G4 will be any more competitive than this one?
The C's won't have 9 different guys make threes in those games.Is there any reason to believe G3 or G4 will be any more competitive than this one?
I think he may actually be in the top five since the calendar turned. He is in the top five of net rating since the first of the year with three others - Giannis, Lopez and Bledsoe - on one team. Tatum is also eighth in D rating (for lack of a better easy D metric) for the same period.With or without Durant, JT is top 10 now
#defense matters
They’ll have 3 guys each make 9 3sThe C's won't have 9 different guys make threes in those games.
Is there any reason to believe G3 or G4 will be any more competitive than this one?
The Sixers have no one who can guard Jason, Jaylen, or Kemba. Plus, Brown is reduced to using that stupid drop defense because asking Embiid to go out on the perimeter and guard people constantly means he'll get winded even earlier in the game.As great as Embiid is, Tatum is currently the best player in this series. He is unguardable with no qualifiers. He is that good.
They’re in Philly?Is there any reason to believe G3 or G4 will be any more competitive than this one?
Well......virtually they will be.They’re in Philly?
No, wait.
Defense is a thing, man.I mean I’m as biased as anyone & this is just laughable. I love Tatum but he is nowhere near the player of Luka. He also isn’t a top 10 player. He is not better then anyone on that list or even close to any of them. Stop.
I hope he gets there someday.
There are maybe a handful of guys with the size, strength and athleticism to kind of hang with Tatum right now. None of them are in this series. And some aren't even in the bubble. This isn't even a criticism of the 76ers or at least not the current organization.The Sixers have no one who can guard Jason, Jaylen, or Kemba. Plus, Brown is reduced to using that stupid drop defense because asking Embiid to go out on the perimeter and guard people constantly means he'll get winded even earlier in the game.
So to answer the first question, the only way that the series becomes more competitive is if the Cs have a bad shooting night. It's possible but doubt it's going to happen more than once.
The hilarious claim is that Tatum is not even as close to good as guys out injured. One day Tatum might have nearly as much impact as someone not even playing! (Secretly he’s a huge net negative and none of us realized it.)Defense is a thing, man.
celtics shot 44% from 3, 76ers shot 23%. If both shoot near 30% that’s a much closer game. It’s a make or miss league and as we’ve seen things can change quickly when you’re ice cold and your opponent isn’t.Is there any reason to believe G3 or G4 will be any more competitive than this one?
yeah, the Sixers really miss Simmons in this matchup.There are maybe a handful of guys with the size, strength and athleticism to kind of hang with Tatum right now. None of them are in this series. And some aren't even in the bubble. This isn't even a criticism of the 76ers or at least not the current organization.
What can you do when a player realizes that they can get whatever they want, whenever they want.
Philly will still give Boston a fight but it feels like they have no answer. Philly Iguodala is not walking through that door.
That's a little misleading because the Sixers were taking mostly contested three pointers and the Cs had a ton of wide open shots. When the Sixers went zone in the 3Q, the Cs got multiple wide open shots.celtics shot 44% from 3, 76ers shot 23%. If both shoot near 30% that’s a much closer game. It’s a make or miss league and as we’ve seen things can change quickly when you’re ice cold and your opponent isn’t.
Aside from Thybulle, the Sixers have no real wing defenders. Richardson looks lost on D and the rest of their wing group simply lacks the athleticism needed to slow Tatum and Brown.yeah, the Sixers really miss Simmons in this matchup.
If I'm Brown, I have to be trying to blitz Tatum to get the ball out of his hand. Not that the Sixers seem to be able to play any kind of scramble defense.
Sixers have a lot more problems than answers.
And “wide open” is almost an understatement:That's a little misleading because the Sixers were taking mostly contested three pointers and the Cs had a ton of wide open shots. When the Sixers went zone in the 3Q, the Cs got multiple wide open shots.
Did this post set some sort of speed record for aging poorly?I mean I’m as biased as anyone & this is just laughable. I love Tatum but he is nowhere near the player of Luka. He also isn’t a top 10 player. He is not better then anyone on that list or even close to any of them. Stop.
I hope he gets there someday.
Agree. Brown virtually has to dust off Mike Scott to see if he has anything left in his tank. i wouldn't be surprised if Scott starts game 3.Aside from Thybulle, the Sixers have no real wing defenders. Richardson looks lost on D and the rest of their wing group simply lacks the athleticism needed to slow Tatum and Brown.
They can still pull this out but it's looking pretty bleak.
According to Kemba, Philly’s drop coverage on the pick and roll is creating a ton of space for his mid-range game:Kemba has been dismal from 3 (1/10 so far, and not a lot of them hotly contested) but the flip side of that is that he's been excellent from inside the arc. His season 2p% is .476, and he's 14/22 so far (.636). If he's all the way back on offense that will go a long way towards replacing Hayward on that end.
I found video footage of his post...Did this post set some sort of speed record for aging poorly?
I am struggling to recall a Boston player that was this tough/impossible to guard but not seeing any recent examples.
Kemba is clearly back physically. If Embiid wants to start coming up to contest 3s and midrangers, Kemba will just blow by to the rim. He's fast again. When the 3s start falling...Kemba has been dismal from 3 (1/10 so far, and not a lot of them hotly contested) but the flip side of that is that he's been excellent from inside the arc. His season 2p% is .476, and he's 14/22 so far (.636). If he's all the way back on offense that will go a long way towards replacing Hayward on that end.
And Tatum made Thybulle his son this game. He just went right at him.Aside from Thybulle, the Sixers have no real wing defenders. Richardson looks lost on D and the rest of their wing group simply lacks the athleticism needed to slow Tatum and Brown.
I wonder if Embiid is more hurt than we know.The answer is to either fight through the screen (hard to do forever) and/or the big man (usually Embiid) needs to play up and either push the ballhandler back to where the original defender can pick them up, or switch. I have to assume it's by design that they are having Embiid just sit in the paint, since it keeps happening. Philly has to realize that Tatum and Kemba are more than happy to bomb away from 3 or from midrange (a wide open pull up J for Kemba from the elbow feels like a layup). If they're holding Embiid back in the paint either to protect the rim or to keep him rested for offense. Either way Philly's defense is incredibly lazy - it's quite clear who the best player on that end of the floor is for them, and it's not the guy with multiple [2nd team] all defense nods.
Looks like he is playing through pain, but the bigger reasons are probablyI wonder if Embiid is more hurt than we know.
Agreed all the way around.Everything I thought Brad would do in Game 2 was wrong; he really upped his game. I think the guy loves being an underdog and trying to solve specific matchups.
One fascinating wrinkle is that Embiid's deep drop is letting the Celtics play 2-3 non-shooters at once: they played a Kanter/Grant/Romeo lineup at one point. All they have to do is let the center keep re-screening for Tatum and Kemba until something opens up.
Brown eventually tried zone to counter that, but then the Celtics just did the same thing to let one guy collapse the defense, and got it to the secondary driver (Kemba or Brown preferred, but Smart and Wanamaker are fine in this role).
Stevens' creativity against the specific defense was impressive--I definitely didn't think more non-shooters was the answer, and expected a lot of Semi.
I’m cool if Embiid is hurt and decides to pack it in after two monster efforts.Agreed all the way around.
I am also now wondering if Kanter will play a bigger role going forward. His minutes went from ~eight in game one to 21+ tonight. His defense cannot be measured by any available technology but he had his way on offense. Embiid is typically tougher on Kanter than today which also suggests that the drop is, at least partially to disguise/protect some sort of injury (ankle). I am not married to this theory and it could be something else entirely. I just don't recall Embiid sagging this much. Stevens took full advantage.
Re the last part: people don't do a great job pricing young players vs. older ones. Not sure of the reason; maybe the success of going all vet in 2007 and seeing the guys/picks traded be nothings affected Celtics fans forever....
For what it’s worth, I think Tatum is better than Doncic right now, but wouldn’t think someone was obviously wrong for disagreeing. For the list posted earlier, Lillard is also in Tatum’s tier, but so are Butler and Gobert and Chris Paul remains a bit of a wildcard depending on how you rate health as a skill. Durant, as others have noted, is basically impossible to rank. I think once you get past those guys, there is a legit gap to the next tier of guys. But, I can also remember a year ago when people thought I was crazy for saying Tatum was better than Towns and Embiid.
Won't Philly have last change? Ooops, wrong Philly team.Is there any reason to believe G3 or G4 will be any more competitive than this one?
A pre-series article on Liberty Ballers suggested what we all think is true: PHI can't have Embiid hedge on too many screens because he'd simply be gassed even sooner: https://www.libertyballers.com/2020/8/17/21371829/sixers-observations-from-seeding-games-philadelphia-76ers-nba-orlando-bubble.Looks like he is playing through pain, but the bigger reasons are probably
1. He has to conserve energy for the offensive end: he's getting gassed there even with the low-energy defensive scheme.
2. They're (correctly) worried that Kemba will dust him repeatedly for layups if he plays up to touch.
This drop attack is a possible preview of a Bucks series, although the Bucks guards/forwards are much better/more aggressive at the point of attack, so the open space isn’t as endless.