I'll be surprised if he's back for Game 2. That seems overly optimistic.Did Ime say anything about how long Al might be out? I've looked but haven't found anything.
I'll be surprised if he's back for Game 2. That seems overly optimistic.Did Ime say anything about how long Al might be out? I've looked but haven't found anything.
Turnovers can be a function of the intended recipient as well, especially on a night when 2 regular recipient of Tatum passes were not playing. And a better rested and fully staffed Celtics team probably would have forced a couple of turnovers of their own during that 3rd quarter, which could have made a big difference.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.
The NHL sort of "waived" their standard procedures for McAvoy. I think the NBA will be under a lot of pressure to get key players back on the floor. Horford is vaccinated, and if asymptomatic I would not be surprised if the league allows him back after his first negative.I'll be surprised if he's back for Game 2. That seems overly optimistic.
Huh?Another thing: which one player in this series most wants to win? Obviously, that is Jimmy Butler. If it comes down to Tatum vs Butler, mano a mano, Tatum is the more talented player but Butler is the guy who wants it more. So, advantage Butler.
How they lost is a bigger deal than that they did. Miami gave them one pop on the glass jaw and they threw in the towel.It stinks to lose after having a decent sized lead but honestly, losing game 1 on the road while missing Al and Smart is not THAT big a deal for this team.
Not seeing anything on Twitter regarding this report.Just heard on a local radio station out of Providence that ESPN is reporting "several" Celtics training/medical staff have also tested positive for COVID.
Sorry, I do not have a direct link to the report, again just being reported on a local Providence radio station.
I'm not sure how the NHL differs from the NBA but the NHL tests when a player is symptomatic. If positive, the player must isolate for 5-days after the onset of symptoms (this is key), and produce two negative tests 24-hours apart to be removed from the protocol. Where it got hazy for McAvoy was the Bruins were able to to back date the onset of symptoms to Thursday, prior to game 3 so that's when his 5-day clock started, despite not testing positive and actually isolating until until Sunday. That allowed him to produce the two negative tets and return on Tuesday for game 5, the 6th day from the onset of symptoms date. Whether or not the league allowed the Bruins to fudge the onset of symptoms date or he really did have symptoms and tested negative from Thursday-Saturday that week, who knows.The NHL sort of "waived" their standard procedures for McAvoy. I think the NBA will be under a lot of pressure to get key players back on the floor. Horford is vaccinated, and if asymptomatic I would not be surprised if the league allows him back after his first negative.
We get it, you think this group doesn't have killer instinct or isn't mentally strong or doesn't want it enough or however you want to phrase it. You've banged that drum over and over, from the Nets series, to games and 1 and 5 of the Bucks series, to last night.How they lost is a bigger deal than that they did. Miami gave them one pop on the glass jaw and they threw in the towel.
Yes, sir. Just happy talk from me from here on out.We get it, you think this group doesn't have killer instinct or isn't mentally strong or doesn't want it enough or however you want to phrase it. You've banged that drum over and over, from the Nets series, to games and 1 and 5 of the Bucks series, to last night.
Maybe you'll end up being right.
For the time being, would it be too much to ask you to just refrain from these types of posts? Everyone here knows your opinion on the matter. It's getting tiresome reading the same damn thing after every loss, and even after some of the wins. You're a broken record.
Understood, we'll see how this plays out.Not seeing anything on Twitter regarding this report.
How about rational talk. Miami is damn good. I'm pretty sure they're the number one seed. The beat the Celtics down in the third quarter and deserve credit for that. It sucked to watch. But the Celtics didn't throw in the towel, or turtle, or quit. They got beat badly in a quarter. First quarter the Celts had lost in a while and the only one last night.Yes, sir. Just happy talk from me from here on out.
C'mon. Nobody says or wants that. Your post games are well regarded, as far I I can tell.Yes, sir. Just happy talk from me from here on out.
And this is the same team that lost game five in heartbreaking fashion at home against the defending champs, and then turned around and won two must-win games to take the series.C'mon. Nobody says or wants that. Your post games are well regarded, as far I I can tell.
But your "hit....glass jaw" conclusion is somewhere between wildly over critical and just wrong.
They went down by 20. "Glass jaw" teams would then go down by 30 and 40. The Celtics got it down to 8 or 9 when it was still a game. They didn't recover from the 3rd, but they hardly folded up the tent.
Correct. Nothing that occurred last night should have been unexpected. Actually my honest assessment was that the Celtics outperformed their expectation with that lineup under the turnaround, travel, and adjustment to Miami’s jump and trap after 7 games of Bucks drop coverage. If we get healthy I’m as confident if not more that we end this before a Game 7. People have to realize that’s Miami’s offense dies when Butler can’t beat his man to his spots. Smart’s health will decide this series.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.
Well, at this point the Heat would be close contacts too!Posted this in Gambling thread but info is relevant for here….
*** Careful guys!
Msg from Telegram source who often gets good info prior to news hitting.
“I’m hearing that COVID is worse than they said. Not sure.”
A little cryptic but I wouldn’t touch Boston in G2 right now. Considering buying back if I hear anything else. Probably should already.
Technically there shouldn’t be a game on Thurs bc nobody would be eligible. This is so freakin ridiculous in May, 2022 with vaccinations and boosters in place. YvmvWell, at this point the Heat would be close contacts too!
Well, you do have a hyper-contagious variant (China's lockdowns have failed miserably) that readily spreads from asymptomatic carriers, combined with the fact that Horford reportedly practiced with the team Tuesday morning. Basically, unless Al's was a false positive, it's likely that both teams would have multiple players testing positive by Thursday. And probably all will be at worst mildly symptomatic.Technically there shouldn’t be a game on Thurs bc nobody would be eligible. This is so freakin ridiculous in May, 2022 with vaccinations and boosters in place. Yvmv
I think his point might just be it’s time to treat it like any other illness and move on. Severity numbers probably support that at this point. Jordan played with the flu, after all.Well, you do have a hyper-contagious variant (China's lockdowns have failed miserably) that readily spreads from asymptomatic carriers, combined with the fact that Horford reportedly practiced with the team Tuesday morning. Basically, unless Al's was a false positive, it's likely that both teams would have multiple players testing positive by Thursday. And probably all will be at worst mildly symptomatic.
If that happens, it certainly wouldn't be as difficult to postpone Game 2 by a couple of days as the media types would have you believe.
I'm not sure. The finals schedule is already set, so any postponements would likely mean a shuffling of the finals schedule as well. I'm not sure what the league is going to do if this turns into some kind of outbreak situation, but having decimated COVID rosters during the conference finals cannot be the answer.Well, you do have a hyper-contagious variant (China's lockdowns have failed miserably) that readily spreads from asymptomatic carriers, combined with the fact that Horford reportedly practiced with the team Tuesday morning. Basically, unless Al's was a false positive, it's likely that both teams would have multiple players testing positive by Thursday. And probably all will be at worst mildly symptomatic.
If that happens, it certainly wouldn't be as difficult to postpone Game 2 by a couple of days as the media types would have you believe.
Rather have COVID-laced droplets blasted into my eyeballs than rewatch that shit.3Q made him that ill, eh?
Smart is critical but Horford out sucks. Timelord looked pretty tired at times out there and played 28 mins. Also Horford has been great as the guy who can get you a few "just hold on" buckets when everybody else is in Poop Mode.
I think the strategy was to give Vincent the 3P as he was shooting under .300 in the playoffs from 3P. I don't know how many pull-up 28 footers Vincent will make in the rest of series - hopefully none - but if he starts shooting like Grant Curry, it could be a looooong series.Rather have COVID-laced droplets blasted into my eyeballs than rewatch that shit.
Seemed like Vincent thoroughly dominated White. Literally running circles around him a few times. I don’t expect much from a scoring standpoint - and he passed up some open looks which I still think does more harm than good in the big picture - but he was lousy all around after an ok first quarter.
Yeah, true. He had a lousy series shooting against Philly. Good against Atlanta. He’s 37% on the season on ok volume so you maybe live/die with that… but I thought he was getting into the interior of the defense as well.I think the strategy was to give Vincent the 3P as he was shooting under .300 in the playoffs from 3P. I don't know how many pull-up 28 footers Vincent will make in the rest of series - hopefully none - but if he starts shooting like Grant Curry, it could be a looooong series.
I’ll bet DRS’s $10 the league is scrambling behind the scenes right now. If Al is missing Game 2, that means he wasn’t merely a close contact, there had to have been a positive test. And now Ime, who traveled with Al and was just on the court with him, is missing a press conference because he’s sick.
It’s not really speculation if Al is out game 2 that he had a positive test. Unless you think the Celtics are willingly holding him out. Close contacts can return after 2 days if they are negative.Since we are in full blown speculation mode, it was Hauser, with a wet sneeze, in the locker room pantry.
Your ‘analysis’ of the Celtics is the most consistently negative I read.. and it always contains intangible things like ‘heart’ ‘mentally tougher’ etc. Things that can not be proven or disproven but you claim as clearly ‘facts’ or obvious. I mean.. after all those turnovers and laying down meekly or whatever.. at one point the Cs got it back to down 3? Missing two of their best starters.. having to play one guy that isn’t even in the rotation for pretty significant minutes after just finishing a seven game series… the reason the Celts lost is because the got out coached and Miami is mentally tougher… ok. What happened during the regular season? When the Cs won by 20? Was Spoelstra not coaching? Were they not mentally tough?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.
wtf does this even mean? How could this even be proven to be remotely true? Butler just coasted against two teams that were riddled with injury.. Tatum and his team just beat two of the best players in the NBA.. and he was the main reason for the majority.Another thing: which one player in this series most wants to win? Obviously, that is Jimmy Butler. If it comes down to Tatum vs Butler, mano a mano, Tatum is the more talented player but Butler is the guy who wants it more. So, advantage Butler.
It seems excessive but the NFL completely ignored it during the playoffs when dozens of players likely played while positive. Not sure which is better.In a maskless society that no longer socially distances players getting Covid is almost inevitable. There is literally nothing players can do to prevent it or protect themsesves except get the vaccine which in Horford's case, he did! What a message this sends to people. Shame on the NBA.
What could the NBA do differently?? This variant is too contagious to contain.In a maskless society that no longer socially distances players getting Covid is almost inevitable. There is literally nothing players can do to prevent it or protect themsesves except get the vaccine which in Horford's case, he did! What a message this sends to people. Shame on the NBA.
I agree. On balance, I thought Celtics winning/breaking even for three quarters was a pretty solid performance given all the barriers they were facing. That doesn't change how putrid and depressing Q3 was (especially the last 6 or so minutes).Correct. Nothing that occurred last night should have been unexpected. Actually my honest assessment was that the Celtics outperformed their expectation with that lineup under the turnaround, travel, and adjustment to Miami’s jump and trap after 7 games of Bucks drop coverage. If we get healthy I’m as confident if not more that we end this before a Game 7. People have to realize that’s Miami’s offense dies when Butler can’t beat his man to his spots. Smart’s health will decide this series.
I think the NBA is going to have to start doing the same thing. They don’t want postponements and they also don’t want key players missing gamesIt seems excessive but the NFL completely ignored it during the playoffs when dozens of players likely played while positive. Not sure which is better.
At this point, let them play.What could the NBA do differently?? This variant is too contagious to contain.
It seems like the Celtics have a little bit of trouble stemming the tide DURING the game but there’s no question that they’ve responded incredibly well to adversity by the next game.8 anticipate the same thing to happen here.I agree. On balance, I thought Celtics winning/breaking even for three quarters was a pretty solid performance given all the barriers they were facing. That doesn't change how putrid and depressing Q3 was (especially the last 6 or so minutes).
I am less pessimistic than Ed Jurak on the team's "jaw" but I agree with the overall direction---I'd reframe as they can go down easily becasue of the glass jaw, and they have consistently shown they get back up and get tougher as the round continues. But they did collapse in both game 1s and part of the reason was physicality.