Boston Celtics 2021-2022 Season

They need to be winning this sort of game bigger/more easily. but...back over .500

I thought this was a good quote from Karalis in his article this morning. It can apply to a lot of things:

“I’m amused by how we love to nitpick the finer details in games like this one but we can be very dismissive of other teams going through similar issues.

When it’s the other team, it’s “oh, they were missing two starters and were on a back-to-back? Okay, that OKC comeback makes a little more sense.”

When it’s your team, it becomes a referendum on each player and coach’s personality. The lesson, I guess, is that when we’re watching these guys so intently every single day, it’s easy to get too close. Getting too close can produce some exaggerated results.”

www.bostonsportsjournal.com/2021/11/21/karalis-random-thoughts-on-the-celtics-who-now-finally-have-a-winning-record

Much like Marcus Smart, Karalis is 100% correct but probably chose the wrong night to say it.

Well that's what happens when you focus mostly on D, play small rotations when healthy and aren't getting your bench guys ready. At the same time I feel some of our more impressive games have been with people out, it changes his crazy rotations.

Look what Schroder has been doing, yet Ime has already said he's going back to the bench when they are healthy. I'll give Smart some love for 7.6 assists over the last 5 games, his best stretch of the year. I've made my thoughts well known.

I might very well be doing that, I'm not giving Ime the benefit of the doubt till he's earned it though.

Was there anything like last night? Take your starters out with 50 seconds left, put them back in 40 seconds later? 

As I said before the Knicks would be my #1 worry. Fournier and Walker have boasted their offense, yet D went from #1 to #17. Kemba Walker is going to the basket even less than last year and his FT are down yet again. I'd say Minnesota is #2, he'd be a nice upgrade over Beverley.

Yet to look at the whole picture, you need to look at sign and trades, along with teams with trade exceptions.

seems like he was the singular big a lot last season - he's been playing well as a 4 this year - a corner shooter and a dynamic defender when he has someone like al or rob williams as backup behind him.

He's played center, when he'd be the singular big 6%, 7% and 6% of the time the last three years. His defensive ratings 108, 114, and 110. The teams defensive rating for the last three years 107.0, 112.5 and 106.4. So he was minus one, minus 1.5 and this year minus 3.6. He's a little quicker,  yet I still don't see a good individual defender, yet he's a good smart team defender. 

The massive difference? Effective FG%, .469, .534 and. 657. Points per 36 minutes 8.2, 9.3 and 13.1. Ime is playing so many non shooters that Grant is getting more looks and hitting them at a crazy high rate. Which is great if he can maintain that, he's also cut his TOs given his new role of just sitting on the 3 point line. Yet also career lows in rebounds, assists, steals and blocks per 36 minutes.

I'm not trying to slam Grant either, because I know that's coming, so let's make that clear. I said years ago his best way forward on offense was to become a great 3 point shooters, so let's see if he can maintain it. It's just playing him more, as an every game main piece has also exposed his D. I certainly don't see how it's helped it. Yet those big lineups with limiting shooting sure do help him get more open three point shots.

Not quite the same, but there were 2 games where the garbage squad came in the 4th and one of them for sure the starters had to come back, not sure about the other. Ime is a rookie coach and probably got a bit cocky there, but I feel you here, he hasn't earned any lenience yet.

He'll have his first official trap game tonight. Let's see how he does!

Rockets are so bad lol

The Rockets are absolutely atrocious, but they have some guys who can get somewhat hot and the Celtics kept them all at bay.