Well, it’ll be tomorrow morning. But I’d be fine with some buffering or having to switch to gamecast. I’ve watched some big games in weird places through a variety of technologies. At least with current phone technology, things are a bit easier.
How worried are you about Celtics closing this out?
- Thread starter BigSoxFan
- Start date
I think I’m not terribly worried about the Celtics closing it out, but that’s weighted by how devastating it would be if they didn’t win. For so many reasons, this is an incredibly likable team and has improbably grown more and more so over the last three years. And then last year when Tatum rolled his ankle to start G7 ECF, it was like, FFS, all the time living and dying with this team for that to happen?? If they lose this year at this point, it will be more like when the Empire blew up Alderaan.
That said, I think the people who point out that from the outside, we’d think the Celtics should have this make a solid point. It took three games for the Mavs to make significant enough adjustments. I posed the question in the Public Discourse thread about what the other elite athletes of the playoffs must think of hearing that the Celtics didn’t play anyone or that Dallas somehow slid in by luck. The Mavericks are a very good professional basketball team; we should not be surprised that they made adjustments. So the concern becomes: Can the Celtics make sufficient adjustments in response or have the Mavs decisively “solved” the Celtics in some way that cannot be countered?
The latter strikes me as highly unlikely. Like, I’m not sure that’s how basketball works, and CJM has shown himself to have a very plastic and adaptable basketball mind along with a starting five who can all do a lot of things, so the tools and resources are there. In this vein, one thing that jumped out at a lesser basketball mind such as my own was that the Celtics were hesitating; like, there would be a slight hesitation on receiving what would normally be a catch and shoot, just long enough for the defender to close, so they’d often have to make another pass instead (or take the contested shot). Well, we’ve all seen the numbers on C&S versus other shots, especially from three. That hesitation would seem to be a function of being taken off guard.
I don’t expect them to be taken off guard again tonight, not by the same adjustments anyway. And I do expect the Celtics to have adjustments of their own. But we’ll see; I’m excited to see.
Is it game time yet??
That said, I think the people who point out that from the outside, we’d think the Celtics should have this make a solid point. It took three games for the Mavs to make significant enough adjustments. I posed the question in the Public Discourse thread about what the other elite athletes of the playoffs must think of hearing that the Celtics didn’t play anyone or that Dallas somehow slid in by luck. The Mavericks are a very good professional basketball team; we should not be surprised that they made adjustments. So the concern becomes: Can the Celtics make sufficient adjustments in response or have the Mavs decisively “solved” the Celtics in some way that cannot be countered?
The latter strikes me as highly unlikely. Like, I’m not sure that’s how basketball works, and CJM has shown himself to have a very plastic and adaptable basketball mind along with a starting five who can all do a lot of things, so the tools and resources are there. In this vein, one thing that jumped out at a lesser basketball mind such as my own was that the Celtics were hesitating; like, there would be a slight hesitation on receiving what would normally be a catch and shoot, just long enough for the defender to close, so they’d often have to make another pass instead (or take the contested shot). Well, we’ve all seen the numbers on C&S versus other shots, especially from three. That hesitation would seem to be a function of being taken off guard.
I don’t expect them to be taken off guard again tonight, not by the same adjustments anyway. And I do expect the Celtics to have adjustments of their own. But we’ll see; I’m excited to see.
Is it game time yet??
I watched the Thinking Basketball YouTube video of game 4 and I think one adjustment is for the Celtics to just be more aggressive. They passed up some open threes. They didn't go up strong on some layup attempts. Dallas put in taller guys, but that can be countered with speed and aggressiveness.
And taking this a step further, the Celts have played 100 games this year. They've not lost 3 in a row all year, let alone 4 in a row. After 100 games, they have finally been solved, by a good but not great Dallas team? This Dallas team has the perfect blueprint and personnel to beat them four straight times? Logically I find that extremely hard to believe.
But, this is sports.
Just to put this out there... should the Cs find themselves trailing by 20 sometime in the first half tonight, they are still likely to win. It's the NBA.
My little guy went to day 1 of Sports Camp today in a Tatum Jersey. He's pumped to see the trophy, he'll watch the first few minutes then do something else and come back to it later if the game is close or C's are up.
I went out to the bar to watch for the first time during the playoffs on Friday night. Tonight I am opting to stay at home once again. Get the duckboats ready.
This is wildly unscientific and fan-ish, but I feel like the first loss the other night only ticked up the pressure a tiny bit. But if they lose tonight I'm going to feel like they're totally screwed. The Mavs would be home in front of a wild crowd for game 6 and game 7 would be just an unreal amount of pressure on a team that I absolutely wouldn't trust under that pressure.
Win it tonight, please.
Win it tonight, please.
I was concerned that we allowed Dallas to now believe that they can execute against us which alleviates the psychology hurdle that was hampering then. Now after hearing Tatum downplaying G5 I’m much more concerned if that is his actual approach to this critical game on this stage.
It’s clearly coming from the coach. They all said it.
I’m fine with it. Joe knows them well.
It's completely irrelevant, but I can't get the atmosphere of G6 ECF 2012 and G7 ECF 2022 out of my head. The stunned, quiet Garden crowd in a big game is the worst.
Tony Brothers, and his home court friendly whistle, would be calling G6 in Dallas. Which is not great.
We need Holiday, Horford, and White to play well tonight in the 1Q to steady the team.
Tony Brothers, and his home court friendly whistle, would be calling G6 in Dallas. Which is not great.
We need Holiday, Horford, and White to play well tonight in the 1Q to steady the team.
Not sure how I feel about them downplaying this game to the media either. You rarely hear guys essentially say "it would be great to win at home but it's ok if we lose". Maybe it's the right mindset for this group but for a team that has been so locked it feels strange.
For whatever it is worth (very very little), I was on a call with two Dallas colleagues this morning (casual fans) and they were very much in the "at least we won a game" mindset. I doubt Luka and Kyrie feel that way, but hey, you never know.
There's nothing Tatum can say that makes me feel better or worse about an upcoming game. He's said the right things so many times and then melted in the next game.
He's either going to close this series out and put the nerves and meltdowns behind him, or he's going to become the first NBA superstar to lead a team that blew a 3-0 lead, and have to deal with a level of scrutiny and doubt that few great players have ever seen. I don't think it's overstating it to say that this series is now guaranteed to be an inflection point in his career.
He's either going to close this series out and put the nerves and meltdowns behind him, or he's going to become the first NBA superstar to lead a team that blew a 3-0 lead, and have to deal with a level of scrutiny and doubt that few great players have ever seen. I don't think it's overstating it to say that this series is now guaranteed to be an inflection point in his career.
I am a little worried. If they start slow again and the shots are not falling early it has the chance of spiraling with both the fans and players feeling the pressure. That said, they are 100% due for one of those games where they go completely off. Feel like we are going to know pretty early which direction it’s going to go.
The one thing with Lively is I can't see the refs letting Lively maul people like he did Game 4. If he gets two quick fouls, it would spell trouble for the Mavs. My guess is he going to get called at least once on his two handed jam of a screener in the first half. He sent White and Pritchard flying a couple of times and he will get called once for a loose ball foul under the net. If he and Luka go off complaining after the two series achievement fouls, it is over for the Mavs especially with Zarba.
I sure hope this is the case that they are feeding info contradicting how they are approaching today. It is dangerous even having these words come out of your mouth though and not represent their true feeling. We will find out shortly.
The same? The correct approach is that this is the biggest game of their lives….not “We’ll have more changes if we fail.”
How many times have we seen player(s) give a mealy-mouthed "it's just another game" type response to the media... and then we see behind the scenes footage later where they're screaming pre-game that they're going to rip off the opponent's head and shit down his neck?
More than a few times is the answer.
What the Cs say to media means less than nothing. What they say to each other in private is what matters.
Agreed. And I think anything you can do to tell yourself to not 'grip the stick' as tight as possible is important.
It's a balance. There's no sports psychologist that would tell you that you should spend the day before a huge game telling yourself how huge it is. They'd tell you to approach all games with the same mindset - something along the line of trusting your preparation and playing your normal game.
But I also can't imagine it's great to go out there in a situation like this actively telling yourself it's fine, there's another game if you lose.
As others have noted, what matters is what is happening between his ears, not what he's telling the media.
But I also can't imagine it's great to go out there in a situation like this actively telling yourself it's fine, there's another game if you lose.
As others have noted, what matters is what is happening between his ears, not what he's telling the media.
So far in the finals, if the Sox win that day, so do the C's. The Sox lost on Friday. Please beat Toronto today!
Yeah.. even just one example. And they lose one game in the finals and game five is the inflection point in his career? Or is it just this series?
Celtics are being masterful at making the Mavs think they are being too relaxed and over confident. Just like Kidd’s comments after G1 regarding Brown being the team’s best player.
I have a weird feeling that the C’s are gonna play super tight tonight and lose and then do that two more times. I also have a five day old so all of my feelings are weird and tired and a little grimy.
I’m hoping I wake up on the couch and see confetti, but the vibes feel weird.
I’m hoping I wake up on the couch and see confetti, but the vibes feel weird.
Normally I would agree with you, but Mazzula watched the same tight as fuck team that we all saw Friday night. Guys couldn’t make a layup or hold on to a rebound they were so geared up. This is the coach trying to dial them back a little bit so they can get their heads out of their asses. And I’m good with it.
We got up at 5AM this morning to give offerings to the monks. I was hoping one of them would bless my Celtics hat but they’re really only out their to collect food from people (which you can buy from local women to turn around to give to the monks). No monk touched the hat.
At very least it ends the narrative that they can't win. Shutting up the naysayers matters to me more than it should.
I'm not relitigating this, let alone with a notorious homer, on the day I hope he stops doing it.
But go ahead and look up his Finals stats over what is now 10 games if you need more information.
But that's not what you said, you said that he melts in big games, not that he's playing poorly in the finals. We have a number of examples of Tatum showing up in big games (Milwaukee, Sixers, Nets) - it's not like it's a consistent thing in his career that he doesn't meet the moment.
It’s funny that that’s all you got… because he’s producing pretty well .. just not shooting well this series.
And why would I care about being a homer on a fuckin’ Celtics board?
Turns out we didn’t leave town until after the game was over but I missed a good chunk of the 3rd and most of the 4th because we couldn’t have phones in the National Museum.
I was in celebration mode at the Kuang Si waterfall and only needed my phone for pics. There was no service.
Tuesday morning update: Crazy as it sounds, I really do think they are going to be able to hang on to this one. 
I am really concerned about how they haven't won a single game 6 this post season. How will they perform with their backs to the wall?!?Tuesday morning update: Crazy as it sounds, I really do think they are going to be able to hang on to this one.
They move on to the Mon-stars now, right? What will Jayson and Jayden's relationship be like after they play hoops against literal aliens?