Round 3: Celtics vs Pacers

koufax32

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Not sure how TH could go from limping to full throttle in 46 hours. Maybe P. Manning’s wife still has the HGH guy’s phone number?
 

Euclis20

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Anyone who doesn't like when the media talks about the Celtics having the easiest road to the finals ever...it's gonna be a rough couple days. IDGAF.
 

Ed Hillel

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If Halliburton is out for a bit, this is an easy sweep.
I don’t agree with this, Indy is a crazy good offensive team and very good at home. Wouldn’t take too much for Indy to win a game or two.
 

jasail

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Couple knee jerk thoughts after tonight:

1) I love the player JB is becoming this year. Great all around game from him.
2) JT had a bad first half and a great 3Q and folks will only talk about his first half. That said, he needs to find it from 3p.
3) Great game from Jrue and DWhite.
4) If the C's can break even or win the bench minutes, this is an easy series. Great bench minutes tonight from the C's.
5) I hope Kornet is healthy, but I also hope he doesn't play again the rest of this series.

Extra Credit: Myles Turner is soft and credit to Joe for exposing that.
 

Mystic Merlin

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Anyone who doesn't like when the media talks about the Celtics having the easiest road to the finals ever...it's gonna be a rough couple days. IDGAF.
Yep, doesn’t matter, they’re the best team and frankly have had some shit injury luck in prior playoff runs (Tatum in Game 7 last year, RW in 2022, Hayward/Kyrie a few years before that) so everyone can fuck right off.
 

Light-Tower-Power

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Yep, doesn’t matter, they’re the best tram and frankly have had some shit injury luck in prior playoff runs (Tatum in Game 7 last year, RW in 2022, Hayward/Kyrie a few years before that) so everyone can fuck right off.
And it’s not like KP hasn’t been out since Game 3 of the first round so the Celtics haven’t avoided the injury bug either. They’re just too good even without him.
 

the moops

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Yep, doesn’t matter, they’re the best tram and frankly have had some shit injury luck in prior playoff runs (Tatum in Game 7 last year, RW in 2022, Hayward/Kyrie a few years before that) so everyone can fuck right off.
That is sort of normal injury luck over a 9 year contender window more so than shit luck. Shit luck is what happened to the Knicks this year
 

Deathofthebambino

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Folks are going to talk about this game from JB as if he was playing with a chip on his shoulder. And he probably was.

But it's more of the same really. I've said for years, full speed Jaylen is the best Jaylen. He is is an instinctual scorer and player. When he simply puts his head down and decides, "I'm going to fucking beat this dude," he is at his best. It's what makes him so great as an on ball defender and an ok defender off ball. It's why he struggles from the free throw line, then buries a fallaway 18 footer on the next possession.

From the opening tip, he simply went full speed. He knew these guys can't guard him and he didn't worry about making the right read, waiting for the right matchup, he just fucking got in his bag and beat dudes. It's who he is, it's who he's always been, it's why he buried that 3 the other night. He's a dude you just let eat.

And as bad as Tatum looked, I think he deserves credit for recognizing it tonight and getting out of the way.

I fucking love this team.
 

CaptainLaddie

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Folks are going to talk about this game from JB as if he was playing with a chip on his shoulder. And he probably was.

But it's more of the same really. I've said for years, full speed Jaylen is the best Jaylen. He is is an instinctual scorer and player. When he simply puts his head down and decides, "I'm going to fucking beat this dude," he is at his best. It's what makes him so great as an on ball defender and an ok defender off ball. It's why he struggles from the free throw line, then buries a fallaway 18 footer on the next possession.

From the opening tip, he simply went full speed. He knew these guys can't guard him and he didn't worry about making the right read, waiting for the right matchup, he just fucking got in his bag and beat dudes. It's who he is, it's who he's always been, it's why he buried that 3 the other night. He's a dude you just let eat.

And as bad as Tatum looked, I think he deserves credit for recognizing it tonight and getting out of the way.

I fucking love this team.
Dude, I love this post. I couldn't agree more.
 

Euclis20

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Folks are going to talk about this game from JB as if he was playing with a chip on his shoulder. And he probably was.

But it's more of the same really. I've said for years, full speed Jaylen is the best Jaylen. He is is an instinctual scorer and player. When he simply puts his head down and decides, "I'm going to fucking beat this dude," he is at his best. It's what makes him so great as an on ball defender and an ok defender off ball. It's why he struggles from the free throw line, then buries a fallaway 18 footer on the next possession.

From the opening tip, he simply went full speed. He knew these guys can't guard him and he didn't worry about making the right read, waiting for the right matchup, he just fucking got in his bag and beat dudes. It's who he is, it's who he's always been, it's why he buried that 3 the other night. He's a dude you just let eat.

And as bad as Tatum looked, I think he deserves credit for recognizing it tonight and getting out of the way.

I fucking love this team.
It seems like all year (especially this year), everyone on the court including JB recognizes that Brown in transition is their most dangerous offense, and they always look for him to run, and he's been happy to oblige. He can do it in the halfcourt too, but with a full head of steam against a defense that isn't set, he's as good as anyone in recent history that isn't prime Lebron. It's unfortunate that Tatum's slump continues, but this Pacers team is a perfect matchup for Brown - they are full of below average defenders, and just never seem ready even after made baskets to check Brown on his drives into the paint.
 

Cellar-Door

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They seem to have had those for several games in a row now. Still possible but I think they are more likely to have an off shooting night.
They have not had them, they are just a really good shooting team.
The Pacers have hit exactly their regular season average from 3 by percentage on fewer 3PA per game than the regular season.

An outlier shooting night is making 45%+ of your 3s on high volume or 50% plus on over 40 shots (like the Heat round 1, or the Pacers did in game 4 against the Bucks )
 

Over Guapo Grande

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Even though the first half was Bad Tatum, I don't think that it was BAD TATUM. It wasn't dribble for 10 seconds and take step back contested 3's. He missed a bunch of open looks, which you want him (or really anyone on the court) taking. He didn't seem to be forcing things, which I took as a positive.
 

The Mort Report

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Gonna need some more info on this
Legler is doing what he's supposed to do and play both sides, and he is doing it really well without sounding like an ass with legit commentary

edit: people can't seem to understand national media needs to at least try to pander to both fan bases
 

Auger34

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And as bad as Tatum looked, I think he deserves credit for recognizing it tonight and getting out of the way.

I fucking love this team.
This is a very good point. Jaylen had the ball at the end of the 1st and 2nd quarter. I think that’s growth.
 

Justthetippett

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Aug 9, 2015
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Folks are going to talk about this game from JB as if he was playing with a chip on his shoulder. And he probably was.

But it's more of the same really. I've said for years, full speed Jaylen is the best Jaylen. He is is an instinctual scorer and player. When he simply puts his head down and decides, "I'm going to fucking beat this dude," he is at his best. It's what makes him so great as an on ball defender and an ok defender off ball. It's why he struggles from the free throw line, then buries a fallaway 18 footer on the next possession.

From the opening tip, he simply went full speed. He knew these guys can't guard him and he didn't worry about making the right read, waiting for the right matchup, he just fucking got in his bag and beat dudes. It's who he is, it's who he's always been, it's why he buried that 3 the other night. He's a dude you just let eat.

And as bad as Tatum looked, I think he deserves credit for recognizing it tonight and getting out of the way.

I fucking love this team.
Full speed JB also means he's taking it to the hoop where he's really good (and had really improved) at using his size and strength, finishing with both hands, etc. Everybody also loves the decel now and he's using that too. He really does seem to have taken over as the emotional leader too.
 

snowmanny

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Even though the first half was Bad Tatum, I don't think that it was BAD TATUM. It wasn't dribble for 10 seconds and take step back contested 3's. He missed a bunch of open looks, which you want him (or really anyone on the court) taking. He didn't seem to be forcing things, which I took as a positive.
I blame Drew Hanlon. What a waste of money.
 

Auger34

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Apr 23, 2010
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Even though the first half was Bad Tatum, I don't think that it was BAD TATUM. It wasn't dribble for 10 seconds and take step back contested 3's. He missed a bunch of open looks, which you want him (or really anyone on the court) taking. He didn't seem to be forcing things, which I took as a positive.
The shooting process wasnt bad. Everything else was. He looked lazy and disinterested. It was one of the worst overall halves I’ve ever seen from him
 

the moops

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Legler is doing what he's supposed to do and play both sides, and he is doing it really well without sounding like an ass with legit commentary

edit: people can't seem to understand national media needs to at least try to pander to both fan bases
OK I don't watch national media so was just curious what you were talking about. And as you say, they need to offer commentary that appeals to a wide range of fans. Not sure why everyone gets so upset about that
 

HomeRunBaker

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They seem to have had those for several games in a row now. Still possible but I think they are more likely to have an off shooting night.
Not really. They have shot pretty much at their season average these first two games. This is who they are.
 

dhellers

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Yep, doesn’t matter, they’re the best team and frankly have had some shit injury luck in prior playoff runs (Tatum in Game 7 last year, RW in 2022, Hayward/Kyrie a few years before that) so everyone can fuck right off.
You forgot Brogdon last year (along with several others)

And JB is at his best when he is attacking AND recognizing when bulling his way in won't work. When on (when not nursing some leg injury), his ability to stop & manuerver AND get off a balanced shot is remarkable.
 
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Jimbodandy

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Anyone who doesn't like when the media talks about the Celtics having the easiest road to the finals ever...it's gonna be a rough couple days. IDGAF.
Anyone who feels bad about national media saying such things deserves to feel bad.

Whatever Joe and staff did to collect the defense, especially the bench, was fantastic, and kudos to those guys for digging in.
 

Euclis20

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Not really. They have shot pretty much at their season average these first two games. This is who they are.
Ideally they'd be a bit below their season average, given that they're playing the 2nd best defense in the league and haven't had much rest time in the last couple of weeks.
 

HomeRunBaker

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Ideally they'd be a bit below their season average, given that they're playing the 2nd best defense in the league and haven't had much rest time in the last couple of weeks.
The schedule has played to their advantage imo. Playoff “rest” really isn’t a thing unless their are injuries that need time to heal since their are no B2B. Playing every other day is the optimal schedule for a basketball players rhythm and catching Boston with some rust and timing issues defensively has really played into their hands.
 

The Mort Report

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OK I don't watch national media so was just curious what you were talking about. And as you say, they need to offer commentary that appeals to a wide range of fans. Not sure why everyone gets so upset about that
Sorry that wasn't at you if it came across that way. I rarely watch mational media and I didn't pose the original ask, but people can't seem to grasp the concept that national media personalities have to appease both fanbases and water it down for soundbites. People let it bother them way too much, especially on broadcasts. I've actually enjoyed staying out of gamethreads recently because people get too toxic/upset about such little things
 

slamminsammya

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Not really. They have shot pretty much at their season average these first two games. This is who they are.
The average is hiding some wonkiness with the shot distribution. They were 16/23 from the long midrange (ie outside the paint) tonight, which is both a large volume of middies and also a pretty strong outlier in terms of shotmaking.
 

wade boggs chicken dinner

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When Brissett was on the court, the Cs were +18 (in 12 minutes). He certainly didn’t seem to be unplayable and hopefully he’ll get run in the next games. Seems to me that if BOS can get stops and into transition, his relative lack of shooting won’t matter.
 

Justthetippett

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The average is hiding some wonkiness with the shot distribution. They were 16/23 from the long midrange (ie outside the paint) tonight, which is both a large volume of middies and also a pretty strong outlier in terms of shotmaking.
This is what I was trying to get at but much less skillfully. If they go nuclear from 3 that will obviously make up the difference in a reversion to their average on these mid-range shots, but they've definitely been on a heater on them since G7 in MSG.
 

reggiecleveland

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Anyone who doesn't like when the media talks about the Celtics having the easiest road to the finals ever...it's gonna be a rough couple days. IDGAF.
It is amazing to me that in 80s the media never discussed the disparity of the Celtics dealing with DrJ/Moses Sixers, loaded Bucks teams, a rising MJ and the Bulls, the bad Boy Pistons, Nique and the Hawks, Bernard Kings Knick's, while the Lakers sleepwalked to the finals. Once the Rockets seemed poised to take over in the West the NBA went hard after the Rockets. Karma owes the Celtics about five years of playing Purdue in the ECF to make up for the cakewalk the Lakers have had so often.
 

riboflav

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Looking forward to watching this in a bit. I wonder if he addresses Carlisle sitting his starters with 9 minutes to go. I'm on the outside but would love to know what factored into that decision. It's curious on several levels. What message is he sending (or maybe trying to send) to his team? Why did he think game 2 was over only down about 13 at that point.. and against a team with a reputation of playing with their food? It also allowed Horford to rest (did he play in the 4th?). If the Pacers played in Boston, the number one story for the next 48 hours wouldn't be the Haliburton injury, it would be this decision.
 

bankshot1

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It is amazing to me that in 80s the media never discussed the disparity of the Celtics dealing with DrJ/Moses Sixers, loaded Bucks teams, a rising MJ and the Bulls, the bad Boy Pistons, Nique and the Hawks, Bernard Kings Knick's, while the Lakers sleepwalked to the finals. Once the Rockets seemed poised to take over in the West the NBA went hard after the Rockets. Karma owes the Celtics about five years of playing Purdue in the ECF to make up for the cakewalk the Lakers have had so often.
Exactly. While the Celts got pounded playing very physical teams, the Lakers perfected showtime . The Lakers were great but put them in East and no fucking way do they win 5 titles. And KAJ would have retired by '85 rather than take that beating
 

lovegtm

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First 2 games encapsulate the math problem the Pacers have. They shot moderately better than us in Game 1 and lost a close game. We shot moderately better than them in Game 2 and it was a blowout. The Pacers need to significantly outshoot us because we are likely to continue to win the turnover and FT battles.
Celtics have exacerbated the math problem by getting into these switch-everything lineups. Fewer easy layups, fewer quality 3s, nowhere for Indy to really attack.

Even with Halliburton, I think Boston has figured out the Pacers now. Not going to predict a sweep, and there might be shooting variance, but the Cs are going to roll from here.

This all would have been true even if the Game 1 miracle hadn't happened. We'd be looking at a 1-1 series, where the better team had adjusted to the speed/gimmicks of the inferior one.
 

lovegtm

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The average is hiding some wonkiness with the shot distribution. They were 16/23 from the long midrange (ie outside the paint) tonight, which is both a large volume of middies and also a pretty strong outlier in terms of shotmaking.
The Pacers were extremely lucky to score what they did. Their shot profile sucked relative to Game 1's layup line, and nobody can sustain 70% on contested middies.
 

reggiecleveland

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Exactly. While the Celts got pounded playing very physical teams, the Lakers perfected showtime . The Lakers were great but put them in East and no fucking way do they win 5 titles. And KAJ would have retired by '85 rather than take that beating
Imagine if he had to take an asskicking from Moses 6 times year in the regular season. And make no mistake Moses beat Kareem like a rented mule from 1981 onward.
 

joe dokes

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Sorry that wasn't at you if it came across that way. I rarely watch mational media and I didn't pose the original ask, but people can't seem to grasp the concept that national media personalities have to appease both fanbases and water it down for soundbites. People let it bother them way too much, especially on broadcasts. I've actually enjoyed staying out of gamethreads recently because people get too toxic/upset about such little things
Complaining about espn and other talking heads is like complaining about mcdonalds. Just keep driving.
 

joe dokes

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It is amazing to me that in 80s the media never discussed the disparity of the Celtics dealing with DrJ/Moses Sixers, loaded Bucks teams, a rising MJ and the Bulls, the bad Boy Pistons, Nique and the Hawks, Bernard Kings Knick's, while the Lakers sleepwalked to the finals. Once the Rockets seemed poised to take over in the West the NBA went hard after the Rockets. Karma owes the Celtics about five years of playing Purdue in the ECF to make up for the cakewalk the Lakers have had so often.
The 80s media consisted of 100 people on a fixed cycle of reporting. They had neither the time nor space to engage in that sort of stuff. And to the extent any of them did talk about that stuff -- and there probably were a few -- who outside of locals were reading the great writers in Boston, LA, and NY?
 

HomeRunBaker

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When Brissett was on the court, the Cs were +18 (in 12 minutes). He certainly didn’t seem to be unplayable and hopefully he’ll get run in the next games. Seems to me that if BOS can get stops and into transition, his relative lack of shooting won’t matter.
Was this the first time all season we have not had one of Horford, Kristaps, Kornet, Queta or Tillman not on the floor? (Discount final minutes of blowouts but even then I think we have)

Pro Joe’s: “Brilliant adjustment! I told you this guy knows what he’s doing.”

Anti Joe’s: “The guys so stupid he waited this long to do this? Where was this all season from dumbo?”