Winning At Home is Possible on May 19, 2023

BigSoxFan

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May 31, 2007
49,068
Someone needs to explain to me why this team chokes so hard at home in close playoff games. It’s unreal.
 

RG33

Certain Class of Poster
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Nov 28, 2005
7,664
CA
PBS is not firing his chosen one boy wonder 34 year old coach who was put in a tough spot and came up small when it mattered most. It will be a learning curve for him.

There, I said it.

Celtics in 7.

I said that too.
 

bankshot1

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Feb 12, 2003
25,918
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Brad was in brutal position re the coaching situation. He opted for an inexpensive fix rather than hire a name or more experienced coach who may have demanded years and dollars the Celts did not want to commit to. That's my speculation.

The decision going forward is what is the opportunity cost of CJM and can he become a good NBA coach that can win with this Team?


Right now IMO he is not a good NBA coach. With time he may become one.
 

stp130

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Jul 16, 2005
1,597
Smart turnovers
Tatum turnovers
Cant get a defensive rebound in key moments
Cant turn it off and on when they want. I do not see how people can make any excuses about this team.
Tatum 0 FG in the 4th quarter. That can't happen.
 

twibnotes

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Jul 16, 2005
21,064
PBS is not firing his chosen one boy wonder 34 year old coach who was put in a tough spot and came up small when it mattered most. It will be a learning curve for him.

There, I said it.

Celtics in 7.

I said that too.
i hope you’re half right at least

I don’t know how you bring mazzulla back if and when they lose this series. He’s clearly in way over his head

maybe he’ll become a good coach but this team is too talented for a coaching project

Ime really fucked this team
 

Jed Zeppelin

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Aug 23, 2008
53,026
Could not give less of a fuck about veteran/winner excuse. Nobody on the Heat has won shit except for two guys who went 0 for the game tonight.

The players are simply no more than conference finals good.
 

kieckeredinthehead

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Jun 26, 2006
8,691
Someone needs to explain to me why this team chokes so hard at home in close playoff games. It’s unreal.
The Celtics had one of the worst records in the league in close games this year. The Heat had the best. Whether that’s due to random chance or the coaches doesn’t really matter at this point because the Heat only need to do it two more times in the next five games.
 

lexrageorge

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Jul 31, 2007
20,229
Brad was in brutal position re the coaching situation. He opted for an inexpensive fix rather than hire a name or more experienced coach who may have demanded years and dollars the Celts did not want to commit to. That's my speculation.

The decision going forward is what is the opportunity cost of CJM and can he become a good NBA coach that can win with this Team?

Right now IMO he is not a good NBA coach.
I don't believe there was even an option to find a more experienced coach from the outside at the time of Ime's suspension/firing.

It's an interesting conundrum this coming offseason. CJM has by far the smallest and least experience assistant staff in the league, and that does matter. But there are some big names available (no, not Doc Rivers). So it will be interesting.
 

Auger34

used to be tbb
SoSH Member
Apr 23, 2010
11,863
Love the optimism of you guys and not trying to be a Debbie Downer but as objectively as possible, I just do not see any way that this team takes 4 of 5 from Miami
Honestly, I just can’t wrap my head around a team with the talent of the Heat making the finals.

But they also have the best coach in the NBA and their best player is there for it.
 

LesterFan

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Dec 12, 2010
15,389
Boston, MA
I must be a fucking masochist because I still think they win this series.
I've felt good in the past when they were down 3-2 to Philly and Milwaukee last year, but this comeback would require something we haven't seen this team do. Stay focused and play great for 48 minutes in 4 of the next 5 games? Against Miami who is well coached and doesn't go away when they go down double digits? I'm not seeing it.
 

Jed Zeppelin

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Aug 23, 2008
53,026
Can’t believe we keep losing close games with our “shrug and hope they miss shots” defense and “shrug and hope iso works” offense.

Amazing stuff.

The rest of the series is irrelevant they would face the same problem next series except against better talent.
 

Light-Tower-Power

ask me about My Pillow
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Jun 14, 2013
16,566
Nashua, NH
They’re going to lose badly to Strus, Robinson, Vincent, and Martin. Butler is great and Adebayo is solid, but losing to this same team from last year minus three critical rotation players in Herro, Oladipo, and Tucker is beyond inexcusable. There is no fucking chance Joe Mazzulla is back next year if they complete this collapse. He’s going to be the scapegoat and he’s going to get shitcanned so fast his head is going to spin.
 

Bob Montgomerys Helmet Hat

has big, douchey shoulders
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When Brad removed the interim tag from CJM, that removed any chance that this would be his only season, in my opinion. I hated the idea of removing the interim tag until after the season, because it seemed totally unnecessary to me. Having said that, I'm a big believer that the wins and losses are almost totally on the players. There is something missing in close and late games.
 

twibnotes

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Jul 16, 2005
21,064
When Brad removed the interim tag from CJM, that removed any chance that this would be his only season, in my opinion. I hated the idea of removing the interim tag until after the season, because it seemed totally unnecessary to me. Having said that, I'm a big believer that the wins and losses are almost totally on the players. There is something missing in close and late games.
“Totally” on the players?

If getting a team straight in key moments isn’t a key part of what a coach needs to do, I’m at a loss. They either need the right strategies and points of emphasis or some armchair psychology to overcome their head trash. All of that is coaching
 

DennyDoyle'sBoil

Found no thrill on Blueberry Hill
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Sep 9, 2008
44,146
AZ
It feels like there are always one of two possessions in these close and late games where they need a big stop and the other team just keeps coming up with offensive rebounds.
 

Ale Xander

Hamilton
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Oct 31, 2013
80,733
Brad was in brutal position re the coaching situation. He opted for an inexpensive fix rather than hire a name or more experienced coach who may have demanded years and dollars the Celts did not want to commit to. That's my speculation.

The decision going forward is what is the opportunity cost of CJM and can he become a good NBA coach that can win with this Team?


Right now IMO he is not a good NBA coach. With time he may become one.
That’s my frustration

why extend him before the playoffs then?
 

Auger34

used to be tbb
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Apr 23, 2010
11,863
They’re going to lose badly to Strus, Robinson, Vincent, and Martin. Butler is great and Adebayo is solid, but losing to this same team from last year minus three critical rotation players in Herro, Oladipo, and Tucker is beyond inexcusable. There is no fucking chance Joe Mazzulla is back next year if they complete this collapse. He’s going to be the scapegoat and he’s going to get shitcanned so fast his head is going to spin.
This is very hard to argue against.

personally, it seems like 90% of the board thinks you have to blame either the coach or the players and stick up for the other.

I think it’s abundantly clear they are both to blame. I also think it’s very clear that it’s much easier to find a coach with different motivation tactics instead of replace all NBA talent.

I also know that there’s a small group of posters here who refuse to blame the coach for literally anything. I think we are well beyond that. Mazzulla lost all benefit of the doubt when he willingly played a player for 12 minutes that he’s spent all year putting on ice. That’s fucking moronic and inexcusable
 

OnWisc

Microcosmic
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Apr 16, 2006
8,337
Chicago, IL
Watching this team is like being at a Grateful Dead concert. Nobody has a plan, sometimes it’s awesome, sometimes it sucks, and CJM won’t call a timeout so shit goes on way longer than it’s supposed to.
 

Ale Xander

Hamilton
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Oct 31, 2013
80,733
i hope you’re half right at least

I don’t know how you bring mazzulla back if and when they lose this series. He’s clearly in way over his head

maybe he’ll become a good coach but this team is too talented for a coaching project

Ime really fucked this team
Phrasing
 

twibnotes

Member
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Jul 16, 2005
21,064
Watching this team is like being at a Grateful Dead concert. Nobody has a plan, sometimes it’s awesome, sometimes it sucks, and CJM won’t call a timeout so shit goes on way longer than it’s supposed to.
and it’s hard to watch when not high
 

Cellar-Door

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Aug 1, 2006
37,882
They went to the finals last year and were up 2-1 at least. Going backwards this year.
They're all of 1 game worse than last year honestly, they went 7 in round 2 both time, dropped game 1 to the Heat, only difference so far is they lost game 2 instead of winning. People really rose-tinted the run last year, they fucked around for7 full games against 2 teams they had a talent edge on last year too.
 

Auger34

used to be tbb
SoSH Member
Apr 23, 2010
11,863
They're all of 1 game worse than last year honestly, they went 7 in round 2 both time, dropped game 1 to the Heat, only difference so far is they lost game 2 instead of winning. People really rose-tinted the run last year, they fucked around for7 full games against 2 teams they had a talent edge on last year too.
Does this team have more talent than they had last year? Full stop, yes or no?

Joe nets more blame than je should. But it’s also fucking comical to pretend that he has the same exact team that Ime had.
 

Ale Xander

Hamilton
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Oct 31, 2013
80,733
And to make matters worse I forgot to turn tnt off and there’s some dumb Dwyane Wade show on to remind me how much I really hate the Heat
 

Jed Zeppelin

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Aug 23, 2008
53,026
They're all of 1 game worse than last year honestly, they went 7 in round 2 both time, dropped game 1 to the Heat, only difference so far is they lost game 2 instead of winning. People really rose-tinted the run last year, they fucked around for7 full games against 2 teams they had a talent edge on last year too.
Two absolute sweetheart draws to the Finals back to back when you account for the Middleton injury. Kind of unbelievable to come away from the sweeter of the draws without even a title appearance, barring something unexpected the rest of this series, such as not playing like morons.
 

Cellar-Door

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Aug 1, 2006
37,882
Does this team have more talent than they had last year? Full stop, yes or no?
yes, as they have a bit more in depth (Al is worse, but Brogdon makes the bench better), but the bigger thing is... all the reasons they went 7 last year in those series is the reasons they are losing this year.. their top 3-5 players get lazy and/or melt under pressure... like adding Brogdon doesn't change Marcus' tendency to try and be the guy late and turn it over or take bad shots, it doesn't change Jaylen's off-ball D, or his tendency to decide it's his turn on offense, it doesn't change Tatum's mercurial 4th quarters (red hot or no shots), it doesn't change the team wide tendency to coast with leads..... the roster and rotation are 6/7th the same, the top 3 guys are the same, and they keep doing the same things over and over.
 

Jed Zeppelin

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Aug 23, 2008
53,026
The Grant stuff is irrelevant. Does anyone actually think they weren’t going to turtle on both ends down the stretch either way?
 

bigq

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Jul 15, 2005
11,789
Watching this team is like being at a Grateful Dead concert. Nobody has a plan, sometimes it’s awesome, sometimes it sucks, and CJM won’t call a timeout so shit goes on way longer than it’s supposed to.
I can’t wait for the endless drum solo in the rain.
 

bankshot1

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Feb 12, 2003
25,918
where I was last at
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
JT was playing hurt and had a poor finals. It happens. JB played like a zombie tonight. It was if he was not there. I'm not passing judgment on JBs character, just that he sucked tonight and was a big reason for the loss.

As I do not understand your point, ymm or mnv.
 

Ale Xander

Hamilton
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Oct 31, 2013
80,733
Anytime the 8th/9rh guy who has been kicked out of the rotation can shit talk the other teams best player, you have to do it. All upside baby
Man you must not remember 30-40 years ago, when it was Scott Wedman, Jim Paxson, and Mark West doing the taunting.
 

scottyno

late Bloomer
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Dec 7, 2008
11,653
Heat's rotation players (6-8) outscored Boston's 42-33. Agree that Boston's starters sucked as well.
Probably because they took a lot more shots. But still, that isn't the Celtics losing because their bench was bad, that's their bench being good and Miami's bench being even better. They didn't lose because of their bench.