If the C's are up 25+ in Games 2-5 (not going 6 then) Jimmy Butler will be roundhousing half of the Heat's roster
Nesmith is next year's business and may have trouble keeping Hauser from jumping him.
Celtics vs. Heat, Round 3 Discussion
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Nesmith is next year's business and may have trouble keeping Hauser from jumping him.
First time seeing "Hauser" and "jumping" in the same sentence. Sounds like a newsroom bet.
you've astutely pointed out that jumping probably isn't necessary to get over the Nesmith bar
I think Dedmon sees very little time in this series. I bet we see Tucker playing most of the non-Bam minutes
They will start with Dedmon and see how he does. You are correct that Dedmon might not hold up. But MIA with PJ at the 5 is awfully small given the Cs length.
Maybe we can see GW post up PJ at the 5 spot.
So my gambit, of riffing off a prior post to increase coherence, was ill advised ?
https://www.ft.com/__origami/service/image/v2/images/raw/https://d1e00ek4ebabms.cloudfront.net/production/624e73e6-dbef-4a36-842b-6c539a3a838d.jpg?dpr=1&fit=scale-down&source=next&width=700
Haha, this prompted me to look him up and note that he's in the G league and was up with the Heat on a 10-day contract due to COVID earlier this season.
Guessing this is not actual 'protocols' meaning 'exposure' but means tested postive, right? I have not tracked the NBA's approach
Horford was out 5 games and 10+ days in December, the last time he went into health and safety protocols.
Yeah, McAvoy played in game 3 on a Friday, then returned on Tuesday for game 5. Not sure if his situation was ever announced publicly or how the NHL and NBA differ on their protocols.
Hopefully a false positive, if its like the NHL and he tests negative 2 days in a row he's good to go immediately
Ugh. Hopefully no one else on the team - that's really what we should be worried about. Because the disaster scenario is Tatum, Brown end up missing some games and we are starting Nesmith.
What an absolute gut punch. All it takes now is a couple more Celtics to test positive and their season is effectively over.
View: https://twitter.com/BrianTRobb/status/1526701939194462209?s=20&t=iWqL7MzishIVB3HeXxTaZg
Brian Robb: Celtics Game 1 depth chart vs. Heat Guards: Brown, White, Pritchard, Stauskas Forwards: Tatum, G. Williams, Nesmith, Fitts, Morgan Bigs: R. Williams, Theis, Kornet OUT: Horford (health and safety protocols), Smart (foot), Hauser (shoulder)
Rob
Grant
Tatum
Brown
White
----
Theis
Pritchard
----
Nesmith
Kornet
----
Statuskas
Fitts
Morgan
I think they will try to go with a 7 man rotation:
C: Rob 32, Theis 16
PF: Grant 32, Theis 16
SF: Tatum 40, Grant 8 (that's 8 minutes of Rob/Theis/Grant big frontcourt)
SG: Brown 40, Pritchard 8
PG: White 40, Pritchard 8
If Pritchard is really good he'll get time from one of the centers. If Pritchard is really bad (hunted on defense) Nesmith will get a look.
If people get into foul trouble we are looking at Kornet, Nesmith, and even Stauskas.
View: https://twitter.com/BrianTRobb/status/1526701939194462209?s=20&t=iWqL7MzishIVB3HeXxTaZg
Brian Robb: Celtics Game 1 depth chart vs. Heat Guards: Brown, White, Pritchard, Stauskas Forwards: Tatum, G. Williams, Nesmith, Fitts, Morgan Bigs: R. Williams, Theis, Kornet OUT: Horford (health and safety protocols), Smart (foot), Hauser (shoulder)
Rob
Grant
Tatum
Brown
White
----
Theis
Pritchard
----
Nesmith
Kornet
----
Statuskas
Fitts
Morgan
I think they will try to go with a 7 man rotation:
C: Rob 32, Theis 16
PF: Grant 32, Theis 16
SF: Tatum 40, Grant 8 (that's 8 minutes of Rob/Theis/Grant big frontcourt)
SG: Brown 40, Pritchard 8
PG: White 40, Pritchard 8
If Pritchard is really good he'll get time from one of the centers. If Pritchard is really bad (hunted on defense) Nesmith will get a look.
If people get into foul trouble we are looking at Kornet, Nesmith, and even Stauskas.
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The Celtics announced him as a starter a half hour ago.
Maybe Woj misspoke? Hopefully?
Must have - it is the Williams twins who are starting.
View: https://twitter.com/celtics/status/1526708754191994882?s=20&t=tZn7iCirdC72ctUfeYhRBg
Boston Celtics: Game 1 starters
Team didn't score their first FG until 7+ minutes into the 3rd quarter. They managed to make a small run after that, but then Miami blew the game open and the C's could never recover.
The first half was wonderful. Hopefully they are at full strength for game 2 because they looked exhausted.
The first half was wonderful. Hopefully they are at full strength for game 2 because they looked exhausted.
Exhausted and lazy.
16 turnovers.
won the first quarter by 3, the second by 5 and the 4th by 6… and lost by double digits.
That’s on Ime. The players were awful in the 3rd quarter he he didn’t stop the multiple runs on lazy efforts.
we’re onto game 2. I’m actually encouraged. They won 3 of 4 quarters with 2 of their 5 starters missing and on short rest. Celtics could easily have won this game. Get healthy and win this series. Way too much praise for the Heat when the short handed Celtics beat themselves. Unless we expect Nesmith to have multiple crippling errors moving forward.
16 turnovers.
won the first quarter by 3, the second by 5 and the 4th by 6… and lost by double digits.
That’s on Ime. The players were awful in the 3rd quarter he he didn’t stop the multiple runs on lazy efforts.
we’re onto game 2. I’m actually encouraged. They won 3 of 4 quarters with 2 of their 5 starters missing and on short rest. Celtics could easily have won this game. Get healthy and win this series. Way too much praise for the Heat when the short handed Celtics beat themselves. Unless we expect Nesmith to have multiple crippling errors moving forward.
They seriously miss Marcus and Al on both sides of the ball. White isn’t a good enough PG to settle the team down with Miami’s continuous jumping of the passing lanes. Pritchard, left unprotected, got hunted like a baby seal. Hopefully Wolverine is ready for game 2, because they’re not winning the series without him.
Heat are a tough and resilient team with a great coach and got a surprising lack of respect for a one seed. I don’t really understand how they win, but seeing Gabe F-ing Vincent play so well and watching what they did coming out of the time outs in the second half makes me realize they are a little more than the sum of their parts.
They are going to be a tough out but the Celtics have shown that they can punch you back in the mouth hard, and they need to do that in game 2.
They are going to be a tough out but the Celtics have shown that they can punch you back in the mouth hard, and they need to do that in game 2.
I wouldn’t say the Heat got too much praise. Today was not only an awful rest/travel/scheduling spot but also an adjustment game as they just came off 7 games against the Bucks who don’t jump the passing lanes or trap up top. The Heat’s 3Q defense deserved all the accolades it received as it got the Celtics completely out of their offense. Game 2 should be a much different game from both a rest and a preparation standpoint as they have now seen the Heat’s defensive after the 7 Bucks games.
The Celtics go 9 deep, plenty deep enough to win a title. But not deep enough beat elite teams missing 2 of the top 5.
Theis is a good backup big and I like PP a lot as a bench guard. But they will be exposed in bigger roles, as expected. Duds from understudies White and Williams didn't help matters, but can't expect them to turn into Smart and Al every night either.
Tatum also can't play the entire game, create everything on offense, and be one of the anchors on D (rather than just a piece). I hope Ime finds a way to get him 4 minutes of rest each half game 2.
Overall not a surprising result, but we need to get healthy quickly.
Theis is a good backup big and I like PP a lot as a bench guard. But they will be exposed in bigger roles, as expected. Duds from understudies White and Williams didn't help matters, but can't expect them to turn into Smart and Al every night either.
Tatum also can't play the entire game, create everything on offense, and be one of the anchors on D (rather than just a piece). I hope Ime finds a way to get him 4 minutes of rest each half game 2.
Overall not a surprising result, but we need to get healthy quickly.
Exhaustion leads to what looks like laziness. I'm willing to bet that JT isn't stripped by Oladipo again.
JT looked super gassed in 3Q.
Cs were in BOS on Wednesday; MIL on Friday; BOS on Sunday; and MIA tonight. During that stretch they played 3 super physical, tough, emotional games. 3Q they stopped moving the ball, moving without the ball, and really had the wheels fall off. I think they had a let down but this team has shown themselves to be pretty tough. Win tomorrow and G1 is forgotten.
View: https://twitter.com/KeithSmithNBA/status/1526775854172364800
I can't imagine this is accidental, and if it's not, that's surprising to me.
I imagine rest and (hopefully) the return of Al and Marcus will make a big difference in game 2.
I can't imagine this is accidental, and if it's not, that's surprising to me.
I imagine rest and (hopefully) the return of Al and Marcus will make a big difference in game 2.
Khris Middleton, an All-Star who's regularly torched the Celtics, missed the entire second-round series.
With the exception of covering Tyler Herro, who torched them, and hitting free throws, the Celtics played a great first half. Tatum was getting into the paint at will to score or to dish, Rob looked as good as he has all playoffs, and even Nesmith got in and made some plays (great block without fuling on a 3 on 1 fast break, offensive rebounds at the other end). The lead was only 8 because the Celtics had no asnwer for Herro, and because Pritchard missed a three he could have hit after a good quarter, but everything else looked good.
Then came the disastrous third quarter. The Heat cranked their intensity up a notch and the Celtics were just... done. Not a shred of toughness, physical or mental. Miami outscored them 39-14 in the quarter, and that alone doesn't capture how badly they played.
After a stellar first half where Jayson Tatum had 21 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, and a block, he was a Bucks game 3 level disaster in the third. Tatum played the full third quarter, but could not create his own shot (0 for 2 from the field, both missed threes), scored 5 points on 5-6 shooting from the line, didn't really rebound (just two), had no assists. To his credit he did have 3 steals, but these were more than offset by his SIX turnovers in the quarter. They went over 6 minutes into the quarter before hitting from the field. Aaron Nesmith played 3 minutes in the quarter and came up with 2 more blocks. That, and Rob scoring 5 points, were probably the only sort-of-positives to be taken from this game.
They were better in the 4th but I don't credit that. The game was gone, everyone on the floor knew it and wasn't contesting it, and Jaylen Brown had a "clean up my stat line" 15 point quarter. But Brown, like most of his teammates, was MIA when it mattered. Pritchard had 8 points, but he did it on poor shooting.
Watching the first half to second half transition, and the team's abject failure to resond to 2 third quarter time outs called by Ime, I think Miami had a decided coaching edge in this series.
I also think Miami has the series edge in wanting it more. The Celtics desire to win is erratic - sometimes they care, other times it is more important to bitch at officials and they cannot be bothered to make good (not lazy) passes.
The Celtics lost nothing by dropping game 1, and they did play a mostly solid half (Herro defense was a disaster even then) even without 2 starters, but the lack of fight in the second half highlights the team's major flaw - they still have a glass jaw. Punch them hard enough in the mouth and they get caved in. We saw it against Milwaukee in games 3 and 5 and again tonight. They seem to need to have their backs up agaisnt the wall in order to power through that, and they simply are not in road game 1.
The only Celtics I would say anything good about are Rob, who looked as good as he has since the regular season, and Nesmith, who at least tried (and had 3 blocks in 11 minutes) even though his shooting still sucked.
No reason to think the Celtics are destined to win this or cannot win this. But if it is a tough, hard fought series like the Bucks one, I think the Celtics will be toast - the Heat are just better coached and more mentally tough. The Celtics have to hope to make up that difference with better talent - hopefully they will get their guys back soon and that will help.
Then came the disastrous third quarter. The Heat cranked their intensity up a notch and the Celtics were just... done. Not a shred of toughness, physical or mental. Miami outscored them 39-14 in the quarter, and that alone doesn't capture how badly they played.
After a stellar first half where Jayson Tatum had 21 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, and a block, he was a Bucks game 3 level disaster in the third. Tatum played the full third quarter, but could not create his own shot (0 for 2 from the field, both missed threes), scored 5 points on 5-6 shooting from the line, didn't really rebound (just two), had no assists. To his credit he did have 3 steals, but these were more than offset by his SIX turnovers in the quarter. They went over 6 minutes into the quarter before hitting from the field. Aaron Nesmith played 3 minutes in the quarter and came up with 2 more blocks. That, and Rob scoring 5 points, were probably the only sort-of-positives to be taken from this game.
They were better in the 4th but I don't credit that. The game was gone, everyone on the floor knew it and wasn't contesting it, and Jaylen Brown had a "clean up my stat line" 15 point quarter. But Brown, like most of his teammates, was MIA when it mattered. Pritchard had 8 points, but he did it on poor shooting.
Watching the first half to second half transition, and the team's abject failure to resond to 2 third quarter time outs called by Ime, I think Miami had a decided coaching edge in this series.
I also think Miami has the series edge in wanting it more. The Celtics desire to win is erratic - sometimes they care, other times it is more important to bitch at officials and they cannot be bothered to make good (not lazy) passes.
The Celtics lost nothing by dropping game 1, and they did play a mostly solid half (Herro defense was a disaster even then) even without 2 starters, but the lack of fight in the second half highlights the team's major flaw - they still have a glass jaw. Punch them hard enough in the mouth and they get caved in. We saw it against Milwaukee in games 3 and 5 and again tonight. They seem to need to have their backs up agaisnt the wall in order to power through that, and they simply are not in road game 1.
The only Celtics I would say anything good about are Rob, who looked as good as he has since the regular season, and Nesmith, who at least tried (and had 3 blocks in 11 minutes) even though his shooting still sucked.
No reason to think the Celtics are destined to win this or cannot win this. But if it is a tough, hard fought series like the Bucks one, I think the Celtics will be toast - the Heat are just better coached and more mentally tough. The Celtics have to hope to make up that difference with better talent - hopefully they will get their guys back soon and that will help.
I really don't think the above is at all correct. The degree of difficulty for the Celtics last night, missing 2 key starters and having a 48 hour turnaround time after a hugely emotional win in a tough, physical series, and playing the team with the best home record in the conference, would be almost impossible for any amount of coaching or physical toughness to overcome.
It may sound like excuse making, but it's also reality. How many times have we seen Smart or Horford knock down a critical 3 or make a key steal or some other big play? Celtics were 4-7 without Smart this season, and 5-8 when Horford sat. And I really need to see how the Celtics adjust in Game 2 before making a judgment on Ime's coaching ability.
Lots of goats (not the good kind) in this one. While White played pretty well on defense and I like how he pushes the ball up the floor (who knew it’s possible to start your offense with 18 seconds on the clock instead of 12?) he still looks very tentative to shoot and I think it shows.
As was mentioned, Pritchard should file a police report for how the Heat treated him on the defensive end. It may be difficult for him to get much PT this series.
That third quarter must be some of the worst basketball I’ve ever seen. They looked like an elementary school team.
Rob had a lot of great plays and certainly didn’t look rusty at all with a couple of exceptions. The strips were ridiculous. I don’t know if the Heat do that much more than other teams or being susceptible to that is a mental rust thing - no idea - but that was ridiculous. Rob was also dropping WAY back all the time on defense, more so than I feel like he usually does.
Grant Williams followed up his epic game with a complete stinker.
Marcus Smart’s outfit set the tone for the game - retired boomer boarding a cruise ship in Miami.
As was mentioned, Pritchard should file a police report for how the Heat treated him on the defensive end. It may be difficult for him to get much PT this series.
That third quarter must be some of the worst basketball I’ve ever seen. They looked like an elementary school team.
Rob had a lot of great plays and certainly didn’t look rusty at all with a couple of exceptions. The strips were ridiculous. I don’t know if the Heat do that much more than other teams or being susceptible to that is a mental rust thing - no idea - but that was ridiculous. Rob was also dropping WAY back all the time on defense, more so than I feel like he usually does.
Grant Williams followed up his epic game with a complete stinker.
Marcus Smart’s outfit set the tone for the game - retired boomer boarding a cruise ship in Miami.
Tatum, used in more or less his regular playoff usage, is not a good enough basketball player to avoid a 6 turnover quarter, sometimes because he struggles to make a routine pass? This was a team that took a lead into the second half and then laid down meekly.