2019-20 Boston Celtics Season

His first few years here, we seemed to overachieve and it was pretty universal talk of him being the next great, HOF-level coach. Then, once the team had the talent and was expected to go far, they started going not quite as far as it seemed they should. The whispered questions about how good Stevens was started. I suspect hose whispers might start getting louder soon.

The hope has to be that he can develop his skills just like his young players are. But if things don't change, my opinion would be that next year should be something of a make or break one. 

No no, they got back in the game with the Heat playing zone with Smart at the FT line. They found a solution to break the 2-3 zone, they just need guys moving better around and for Smart to make better reads. Then Kemba makes an absolutely terrible pass that leads to a Miami fastbreak and the team goes back to scrambling mode.

Also, that LAZY inbounds pass by Wanamaker JFC. I'm still salty about it.

It’s easy for me to forget this team is playing without Hayward when I’m getting pissed off. We forget how good he is on this team. He’s taken a back seat to our top 3 but he’s every bit as good as the guys non named Tatum. He was a beast against Miami this year. I know some of you don’t think he’s good defensively but this is the exact type of team he’s great against. All the switches and rotations you needs he’s on point with and offensively he doesn’t turn it over and is so smooth. We’d be able to run the offense thru him with these leads and we wouldn’t be sloppy and the right play would be made.

It’s a big time piece to be short. Meanwhile Miami is full strength.

Don I'm not trying to go nuclear on Stevens, yet the Raptors ran a ton of zone and it killed us. The Heat of course have done the same thing and it killed us. It took Stevens eight quarters against the Heat to insert Smart and let's not act like even with that there were great. Both teams played zone to start the third quarter and how did that go? The Heat gave you a clinic how to destroy it, they just moved there guys around and had Bam cutting against Walker. I'm screaming at the TV put in Robert Williams, who is actually perfect for zone D. He sticks to his game plan and inserts Kanter. The Heat coach seems to have 100 different lineups and game plans ready. He switches on the fly based by what we do, Stevens sets a game plan and takes forever to adjust it. Just look at our third quarters in the playoffs. A few you can chalk up to something, yet not every single one. I don't see how every third quarter is on the players and not the other team adjusting while Stevens doesn't. Like he seems very good after games of looking at the tape and adjusting, he saw what I did and inserted Kanter. Yet couldn't quickly adjust when they did. Two games in a row late they pressure Tatum and Walker on the three point line, zero adjustments. People need to cut when that happens, not just run our basic offense from the three point line.

I'm not saying he's horrible, he easily out coached Brown. Yet he's going to be fired if he hasn't already. He's great at things like developing young talent and overall isn't a bad coach. Yet his in game adjustments have been horrible the last two series and he's being out coached easily. He needs to learn from this and get better. Just like we say with the players. 

For me the blame on TOs is Tatum, Walker and Smart as they had 16 of the teams 20 TOs. I also felt this wasn't the Raptors who created a ton, just them making stupid plays.

I really don't think Brad got outcoached by either Nurse or Spo. I think he clearly belongs in that group, he had his team in position to win both games and it didn't happen for a lot of reasons. Including himself, but not to the point where we can say he's the main cause. He's not getting outclassed like Brown did, or like guys like Nate McMillan, D'Antoni or old friend Doc Rivers frequently do. He's an elite coach, those do not grow on trees. He needs to get better? Yes, but thankfully he's still ridiculously young.

Point is, and I'm going to be very blunt here, I think we lost both games because guys had the shits when it counted. Still a very young team that is missing a starter. You had a tough quarter and Olynyk hits THAT 3? Any team would be shook.

You're just blaming the players and not the coach. The Raptors had a much older team, the Heat don't. They are playing a rookie, a second year guy in Robinson and a third year guy in Bam. We have the more experienced team with more playoff experience and in my opinion much more talented. Which is why the Heat and Raptors can't blow us out, yet we can't win the close games. Which for me comes down to coaching.

The refs literally accounted for a 6-0 run in less than a minute when they inexplicably reset the shot clock before the Crowder 4-point play. The Celtics were up 10 before that happened.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s on the Celtics for letting that call affect them to the point of falling apart. But these types of momentum-changing calls are unacceptable considering how much NBA refs are paid. And that’s without even mentioning the call Brad had to use his challenge for, and the ridiculous inconstancy on blocks/charges. It’s about time they actually have some accountability when they screw up as badly as they have been this postseason.

I'm blaming everyone equally. I'm not sure how much more Stevens could have done and it's telling that every fan has a different theory. Play Grant! Don't play Grant! Play Timelord! Don't play Timelord! I just don't see the egregious mistake in coaching, he has his team in a good position to win and that hasn't happened. Some of it is his fault, but not the majority of it. Lack of depth and youth are the main culprits. I know the Heat have a pretty young core as well, but maybe that will also cost them at some point (series is far from over) and they have more vets to rely on like Dragic, Butler and Jae. The oldest guy we have on the court is Kemba and he's the one feeling the pressure the most. I mean, I know Wanamaker is technically older, but he's a sophomore player in the league.

I'm not making excuses. They should not be down 0-2, but it is what it is.

Okay I see now, we aren't talking shockingly bad type stuff, it's the little stuff. The stuff that makes the best coach. It's the stuff that makes Stevens top five or top ten, not if he's good or not. He's still one of the better coaches.

Like I can't get over the third quarters, game after game. I don't see how that's the players.

The thing is before that shot they had already lost seven straight 3rd quarters. I do think it affected Walker who finally just busted out.

Couldn't it also be Stevens just runs out the same game plan to start the third and the other team adjusts? Then by the fourth Stevens adjusts again. You saw that last game with Kanter, it worked first half. Other team adjusts, he rolls him out again and then has to quickly pull him. That's why everyone was saying insert one of the Williams because Bam was acting like it was a dunk contest. 

I'd love for him to do something in the third that makes the other team adjusts and not the other way around. Like maybe don't insert Kanter in the first half which allows them to adjust, do it in the second half. Just something because like I said I don't see how it's on the players every game and it certainly wasn't the players last game.

A crazy idea save full court press for the second half of a game, yet only use it in small spurts. Like I said something. That's what the Heat do, Butler even talked about how they save things for late in the games so the other team isn't ready for it.

The Celtics are terrible at moving into passing lanes and giving good angles.

Here we go