Winning At Home is Possible on May 19, 2023

Ale Xander

Hamilton
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Oct 31, 2013
80,789
JM is fine as an interim tag, but the contract extension was crazy. Imagine if they could go out in this market and get a new coach in the offseason.
Need to get Ben Affleck to volunteer to come in in a negligee, perhaps?
 

lexrageorge

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Jul 31, 2007
20,229
These guys continue to play like the Celtics hold a lottery pick or have some superstar with a broken ankle rehabbing to rejoin the team. There are no reinforcements this time. This team is its final form. And unfortunate instead of Voltron, they’re more like a Volvo. 1988. Red DL.
Exactly. There is no room for further organic growth from the roster, especially w/ Horford in obvious decline and Smart probably just past his own peak. And no real trade assets to speak of. This is the team for the long term, and it's always going to fall short. The proof is there in front of us.
 

The Mort Report

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Aug 5, 2007
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Yes. At least partially. The team is completely broken on offense and are trying to do too much to compensate. Their offensive system and players together aren’t creating consistent good looks. It is the job of the coach to set them up. That’s practice and film and understanding that Miami has made your life incredibly difficult at times with a zone 3 years running now and somehow this same group of players still don’t have a good way to attack it. It’s doubling Butler at times or playing a zone yourself so he can’t dribble to his spots with no resistance time after time after time. I’m so tired of reading all these takes as if the coach is just a poor victim of players who aren’t doing things when the things they’re being asked to do aren’t working. Most of the arguments you all are making are tantamount to saying there’s no need for a coach. The coach is supposed to watch with the clarity of not playing and help his team make adjustments and understand where things are going wrong
Fair, but I'm more making them in defense of Joe. He can set these plays up but when the players trying to force things, and I'm sure Joe doesn't like low probability passes, it's not his fault when Marcus tries to thread the needle
 

Light-Tower-Power

ask me about My Pillow
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Jun 14, 2013
16,567
Nashua, NH
But....who chose to play those guys over the alternatives? (JB aside, no argument there)
This is where I’m at. Absolutely no feel for the game. The timeout stuff is dumb, but his rotations are atrocious. Fire him and his fucking weirdo personality into the sun and hire someone with experience to guide this group. They need it.
 

ifmanis5

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Sep 29, 2007
66,365
Rotten Apple
How is it his fault the team can't play basic basketball when it matters?
Well coached teams play good basketball. They usually go together.

Joe after the game today on the 4th qtr tonight: "We got good looks but they didn't go down." I really hope he's being diplomatic.
On not doubling Butler: "We just have to get rebounds." He is lost.
 

TripleOT

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Jul 4, 2007
8,425
Yeah, Grant woke up Jimmy Butler, who never has big fourth quarters and never dominates in crunch time.
 

JCizzle

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Dec 11, 2006
22,469
yeah.. can't believe he didn't bench his All-NBA SG..... btu really coaches don't bench their key guys that often.
I agree players lose games, but I feel like you're basically saying that he has no control over basically anything if you're not dinging him for Al and Smart. It's his job to have a feel for who has it in any given game aside from the "untouchables" like JT and JB. People have been pointing out the failure to have White in late-game situations for basically the entire season, this isn't new. If he can't deal with benching Marcus Smart, he shouldn't be an NBA coach.
 

Auger34

used to be tbb
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Apr 23, 2010
11,878
And Jaylen is the whipping boy around here but the biggest issue with this team right now is that Horford provides nothing. He can’t rebound and he can’t shoot
 

Light-Tower-Power

ask me about My Pillow
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Jun 14, 2013
16,567
Nashua, NH
Well coached teams play good basketball. They usually go together.

Joe after the game today on the 4th qtr tonight: "We got good looks but they didn't go down." I really hope he's being diplomatic.
On not doubling Butler: "We just have to get rebounds." He is lost.
He’s Joe Prunty. Successful assistant on multiple staffs but a complete net negative as the head coach. See you later. Addition by subtraction.
 

Auger34

used to be tbb
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Apr 23, 2010
11,878
I’m not going to quibble about this game. But I now 100% believe that Joe lost them Game 1
 

Cellar-Door

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Aug 1, 2006
37,882
I agree players lose games, but I feel like you're basically saying that he has no control over basically anything if you're not dinging him for Al and Smart. It's his job to have a feel for who has it in any given game aside from the "untouchables" like JT and JB. People have been pointing out the failure to have White in late-game situations for basically the entire season, this isn't new.
I'm dinging him a small amount, but mostly it's on the guys to execute and because of how the NBA works very few if any coaches are in a position where they can pull their "stars". I also think TL came out because he was gassed, he hasn't played big minutes basically ever.
 

Return of the Dewey

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Aug 17, 2001
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They have been through 3 different coaches, but the shortfalls have remained the same. Bad ball handling, stupid passes, bad late game offense, missed rebounds…this is who they are. Their talent needs to, and can, overcome that, but not always. This team could end up winning championship someday. But they could also end up being the Blazers from the 90s…super talented team that came up short
 

Cellar-Door

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Aug 1, 2006
37,882
My fear is that Brad won’t have the stones to make a change at coach.
I think the coach did exactly what Brad would have. If anybody thinks Brad Stevens in that spot benches "Love and Trust" Marcus Smart, they didn't pay much attention to him when he was the coach.
 

Lazy vs Crazy

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Jul 18, 2005
6,631
My fear is that Brad won’t have the stones to make a change at coach.
More likely Wyc won't let him - ownership has not been willing to spend over the last few years, I doubt they eat multiple years of his contract(and they may still be paying Ime as well). The extension was a stupid move.
 

Stu Nahan

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Apr 23, 2003
5,763
I’m just worn out watching this group do the same dumb shit over and over to lose games. There’s so much blame to go around. Barring a miracle, what a waste of a championship window by just playing dumb, soft, and sloppy basketball.
 

soxin6

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Apr 23, 2010
7,056
Huntington Beach, CA
I think the coach did exactly what Brad would have. If anybody thinks Brad Stevens in that spot benches "Love and Trust" Marcus Smart, they didn't pay much attention to him when he was the coach.
And this is why I think Smart needs to go. They need a facilitator and Smart has shown he won’t do that consistently.
 

The Mort Report

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Aug 5, 2007
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Well coached teams play good basketball. They usually go together.

Joe after the game today on the 4th qtr tonight: "We got good looks but they didn't go down." I really hope he's being diplomatic.
On not doubling Butler: "We just have to get rebounds." He is lost.
This team played the same under Ime last year, blowing leads and playing dumb in the playoffs. So both coaches are bad, the players are just following their leader?
 

TripleOT

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Jul 4, 2007
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Playoff games need to be played and coached possession by possession. It doesn’t matter if AL closed every game this season. Rob needed to be in there. Miami had three defender boxing up Tatum 30 feet from the basket. In the third quarter, Tatum dumped the ball to Rob, who scored or made the right pass most of the time.
 

bankshot1

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Feb 12, 2003
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where I was last at
And Jaylen is the whipping boy around here but the biggest issue with this team right now is that Horford provides nothing. He can’t rebound and he can’t shoot
Jaylen is 2nd team NBA. Al is old and plays off/on. Jaylen was horrendous I almost hope he's hurt as there is almost no other explanation for his game tonight.
 

Just a bit outside

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Apr 6, 2011
8,578
Monument, CO
Do you think that made a scintilla of diference? That Butler wouldn't have reached into his reserves and finished strong? Perhaps you haven't watched that last dozen or so Heat games?
This is where I am. Do people think Butler decided to try harder because Grant said something? I don’t care to watch it but it makes no difference.
 

8slim

has trust issues
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Nov 6, 2001
28,225
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White was scorching and then didn’t get a shot for the last 2 1/2 quarters. But Brown took 23. How the hell does that happen? Such a dumb team.
 

Ed Hillel

Wants to be startin somethin
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Dec 12, 2007
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My fear is the Stevens won’t blow this team up. They have had their chances and can’t get it done. Something has to change and coach isn’t enough.
Blow it up how? Trade Tatum? No. Get rid of Brown and his Bird rights? I don’t see how it makes them better.

Smart they should dump probably as a try, and Joe, but we’ll be lucky to get one of the two.
 

DennyDoyle'sBoil

Found no thrill on Blueberry Hill
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Sep 9, 2008
44,146
AZ
No argument here. Just that the Celtics were also supposed to be really fucking good. Instead they are being badly outmatched in 2 straight games.
Yeah. What I think is being clarified is that there are no great teams this year. What has been revealed in the playoffs is that there are two teams that have proven really fucking hard to beat. The Heat go kicking and screaming and do not let you win without a fight and if you do eek one out, it takes a lot. The other teams have nights where they lose a little too easily.

It’s not the narrative we thought, but the story is getting clearer and clearer about what we are actually looking at here. The Heat are a tough out every night. Hard to imagine them going 1-4 but they still have to play the games.

The Celtics have lost more games in the playoffs than the Heat and Nuggets combined.
 

twibnotes

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Jul 16, 2005
21,064
I think the coach did exactly what Brad would have. If anybody thinks Brad Stevens in that spot benches "Love and Trust" Marcus Smart, they didn't pay much attention to him when he was the coach.
I’m saying Stevens won’t have the stones to fire mazzulla
 

Helmet Head

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Jul 18, 2005
5,210
Central Mass
All they win is blowouts and lose every single close game. You aren’t going to win a championship without being able to close out close games. I have 0 confidence in this core at this point. I do blame some of this on coaching just for the simple fact that if the coaching roles were reversed I don’t think Miami would be winning.

But the players deserve a lions share of the blame. Brown was awful tonight.
 

Jed Zeppelin

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Aug 23, 2008
53,026
Humbly, one of the worst 2 vs 8 performances you’ll ever see. Congrats though on being the thousandth team to beat a Doc Rivers team and thinking that meant the job was done. Pathetic.
 

Pilgrim

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Mar 24, 2006
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This team played the same under Ime last year, blowing leads and playing dumb in the playoffs. So both coaches are bad, the players are just following their leader?
I don’t think it’s really the same. They were pretty banged up and had crappy depth last year and still managed to beat three good to very good teams, and lost to a team that was flat out more talented than them. There really isn’t anything positive to take away from this years run.
 

Auger34

used to be tbb
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Apr 23, 2010
11,878
Jaylen is 2nd team NBA. Al is old and plays off/on. Jaylen was horrendous I almost hope he's hurt as there is almost no other explanation for his game tonight.
Ok, this actually cuts into my whole problem with the discourse. Tatum blows ass in the finals last year and he must have a wrist that needs to be disconnected from his body.
we watch jaylen get stepped on by Bam and Lowry and there’s nothing even close to what Tatum got last year.

im sorry but that sucks