Boston Celtics 2016-17 Season Discussion

Wow Hayward 21 points in the 1st quarter. Im not sure if i should be Happy about this or not.

lol yeah sure thing man.

That being said, I certainly hope Jaylen is the type of guy who will respond to this "learning opportunity".

A few more tactical thoughts:

-Loved them finding Horford as the roll man on pick-and-rolls more often last night. The Celtics can spread the floor with shooters and put Horford in a p-n-r with a dangerous ball-handler in Thomas, which should open up the lane for Horford. He can then finish at the rim or pass to shooters/cutters. It also opens up the pick-and-pop. An open Horford 20-footer is not the sexiest shot, but he converts it at a high-enough rate, and it's something they should go to more often, especially when Thomas is off the floor.

-Shooting (or the threat of shooting) is really important in today's game. Guys like Olynyk and Jerebko can be pretty one-dimensional, but that one dimension can really juice up this offense. It opens up everything else. One thing they did better last night-- cut to the basket. Jerebko, Crowder and Bradley got a few wide-open shots at the rim by making smart cuts off the ball.

-One of the reasons Bradley's defensive advanced stats have lagged his reputation is because of his limited size. He gives it a game effort, but he's just not tall or long enough to be able to lock up Butler or similarly-sized wings. Those guys can shoot over him fairly easily and can also give him trouble in the post.

-If the Bulls are going to keep starting Mirotic, the Celtics should keep going small. Mirotic is a non-factor in the post or as a rebounder.

This is a big reason why I don't think Bradley is a good long term compliment with Thomas. That being said if you had a bigger wing than Crowder then maybe it can work. Small ball is one thing but being undersized all over the place is another.

Assume you mean Brown.

I actually disagree with this somewhat (though not entirely).

I look at it this way, I believe my young daughters will grow up to be strong confident women. Doesn't mean that I can't totally screw that up by ruining their confidence

I get there is a difference between a 4 yr old, a 5 month old and a 20 yr old professional athlete. But I also feel that coaches (like any teacher) has to understand what will motivate the player to be better. I'm sure Stevens knows Brown better than I do.

I was surprised at Green starting but it was the right move. If Bulls are going to play Mirotic at PF you can play Crowder at PF. I loved the energy that Green played with.

Thomas was at his best last night as a passer in my opinion. He didn't have a great offensive game, as he didn't even get to the line. Thing is he got players like Horford and Crowder easy baskets at the rim with his driving and passing.

This team just needs to play team Basketball and the key like all year is ball movement. When they move the ball they look great, when they don't they look horrible.

Like I have said forever Bradley is a SG that is elite at guarding PG. He tried as hard as he could to stop Butler, but he got any shot he wanted. Butler had an off night, but it really wasn't because Bradley was awesome. It was just Butler missing shots he normally makes.

Rozier was impressive, he's inconsistent like Smart but when he's playing well his upside is massive. He's an elite athlete, that one handed dunk was a thing of beauty. I had to rewind the game and watch it a second time. His shot also looks really good, as all his makes are nothing but net. Also his D on Wade one on one on that turnover was great. Not many guys are going to stop Wade one on one in the open court like that.

Smart helps this team, but I just don't see an elite defender when I watch him. He's just not an elite athlete like a Tony Allen. He's very good as a help defender and has quick hands that get him some steals. He just can't stop people from driving though because he lacks great quickness and athletic ability. He looks more like a good defender, than an elite one. Also while he's an OK passer, he has to try and make risky passes because he can't drive and draw in defense like Thomas can.

Advanced stats are great at pointing out players' strengths and weaknesses, but they're not good at measuring a player's overall value (compared to WAR in baseball). For instance, Smart's versatility on defense allows the Celtics to get away with lineups that they ordinarily wouldn't be able to. Advanced stats aren't great at capturing something like that, which is why they need more context for basketball than they do for baseball.

Isaiah is an even better example of this. Obviously he's a great offensive player, and the numbers bear that out. But what they don't always show is how much better he makes his teammates on offensive even when he isn't racking up assists. Would Crowder or Bradley be as effective offensively if not for Isaiah drawing so much attention? Probably not.

This isn't baseball - if you don't provide the proper context around advanced stats for bball, they're not always as accurate.

What's wrong with being a great 6th man? I don't think anyone is trying to anoint him much more than that.

He's a much better one on one defender than it seems like you are giving him credit for. He's strong down low on the post one on one and what he lacks in elite quickness he mostly makes up for with his strength and intelligence and body position. Also, it's not like he's this slow a foot guy that can't stay in front of anyone. He beats guys to spots all the time and cuts them off. Are there some guys that are quicker and can beat him off the dribble? Sure, but his entire package is of a top defensive guard in the NBA. So yes I think he's an excellent defender. I think that claim that he get blown by on a regular basis is incorrect.

As for the 6th man thing, you said he had to make major offensive strides to be more than a 6/7 guy on a true contender. To mean if you are a 6th man on a true contender you're a "great" sixth man. You know
Like how someone is a great utility player doesn't make them a great player? No one is trying to annoying Smart a starter. The defense of him is that he's a good player in his role. Not a perfect guy but a young developing player who we like.

Agree to disagree that's fine.

Just because you're​ a 6th man on a true contender doesn't mean you're great. So Cleveland's 6th man is great?

Smart is a PG. So while his post D is great for a PG, that's not saying much. If his quickness and athletic ability wasn't an issue and he was excellent defender, why isn't he guarding Butler? He can't stay with him, that's why. Instead the use the smaller Bradley because at least he can stay with him. If you can't see this watching the games I don't know what to say to you. You have blinders on watching Smart. You only see his good plays like steals, blocks and hustle plays. All season long guys have driven by him. It's the same exact reason he can't drive to the basket on a regular basis. He doesn't have the quickness and athletic ability.

Timeout would be good about 3 minutes ago