Eastern Conference | Round 1 | (2) Boston Celtics vs. (7) Brooklyn Nets

[PD28]

I know Nets fans are new to the Ben Simmons experience but you gotta understand Celtics fans are coming from a place where we've eliminated him in the playoffs multiple times and very rarely (if ever) seen him even have a good game against us. So maybe it will be different on the Nets but he's just not a guy we get worried about.

I feel like Nets fans are lost in the Legend that is Ben Simmons. Just because we haven't seen him play in a year doesn't mean he's not going to be that liability on offence we've seen him be, year after year.

I feel like Nets detractors want us to believe their limited view of Ben Simmons. What minimal stat line will Ben need for you to come on here and say you were wrong?

Ben is NOT the same Player he was in Philly.

Ben is NOT in the same head space he was in Philly.

Ben will NOT be required to do what they required him to do in Philly.

Ben does NOT have the pressure to perform the way it was in Philly.

We all know Ben has all world talent, however psychologically he holds himself back. For the better part of a year he's gotten treatment for whatever blocks his potential. The problem with people like you (detractors) you want him to stay at that low level, and that is your problem. He is human, meaning he has the capacity overcome any mental block. He is now in a more nurturing environment and I'm rooting for him.

I know this is all antithetical to the macho sports persona but these athletes are human first and do not all have the same mental makeup. Ben doesn't need Michael Jordan's mentality succeed with these Nets.

Nets in 6.

I love the homer glasses and the optimism but let's wait till he steps on the court before we assume he's a 100% changed man. This isn't Dragon Ball Z for someone to magically unlock his potential and he becomes unstoppable. The next time he takes the court, and he's open at the 3 pt line and his defender is in the paint angling towards denying KD- let's see how he handles it. This isn't the first time a team has had his back, Philly nurtured him for many years before turning on him.

But once again, let's see how he performs under playoff pressure (and yes he will be under pressure whether or not you want to admit it).

[PierceFan4ever]

Nets finna win this, KD is vastly superior to anyone one the Celtics and Irving can play as well or better than either Jay

Should be an exciting series along with the Sixers/Raps, East is getting spoiled this year with fun 1st round matchups

Irving can play as well or better than either Jay but Jayson Tatum can’t play as well or better than Durant? Last I checked Tatum has multiple 50’s against him and a 40 point performance all in the past year.

[Vampirate]

Fwiw I voted Celtics in 6.


Let me address something though.

Ben is NOT the same Player he was in Philly.

He's still the exactly same player with the same flaws. The fact is he's very limited offensively and that's never going to change. He has never shot 70% from the FT line once, has never attempted on average more than 0.02 three point attempts a game.

Ben is NOT in the same head space he was in Philly.

Of course, the expectations for him have plummeted, he's yet to play a single game for you guys.

Ben will NOT be required to do what they required him to do in Philly.

You're basically saying you are not having any expectations on Ben Simmons being an All Star offensively.

Ben does NOT have the pressure to perform the way it was in Philly.

The expectations on his game offensively have dropped dramatically, the only expectation you really have is for his defense and passing at this point.

He hasn't gotten better at any point in the 4 years he's played.

If you expect Ben to be an All Star scoring wise, especially in the playoffs at any point in the future prepare to be very disappointed.

[Jadoogar]

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Absolutely agree with this. First game in 10 months, with completely new team, in the most pressure filled games is not a recipe for success.

[strokerace]

Nets finna win this, KD is vastly superior to anyone one the Celtics and Irving can play as well or better than either Jay

Should be an exciting series along with the Sixers/Raps, East is getting spoiled this year with fun 1st round matchups

Irving can play as well or better than either Jay but Jayson Tatum can’t play as well or better than Durant? Last I checked Tatum has multiple 50’s against him and a 40 point performance all in the past year.

You are missing the fact that basketball is a game of offense and defense and Irving stinks on defense. Tatum and Brown will hunt him down constantly. I just don't see your logic. And if Simmons really does take the floor the C's will foul him until the nets take him out. He is a mental midget.

[kuclas]

Nets finna win this, KD is vastly superior to anyone one the Celtics and Irving can play as well or better than either Jay

Should be an exciting series along with the Sixers/Raps, East is getting spoiled this year with fun 1st round matchups

Irving can play as well or better than either Jay but Jayson Tatum can’t play as well or better than Durant? Last I checked Tatum has multiple 50’s against him and a 40 point performance all in the past year.

You are missing the fact that basketball is a game of offense and defense and Irving stinks on defense. Tatum and Brown will hunt him down constantly. I just don't see your logic. And if Simmons really does take the floor the C's will foul him until the nets take him out. He is a mental midget.

Defense is all about effort. Irving kinda of shocked me when he played defense vs Harden in sixers game which the nets blew out the sixers. When he actually tries, Irving is very servicable. That's the key to a lot of these offensive minded players. Their effort on defense vs trying to conserve energy on offense. With at least one day off each game, guys should be able to play defense.

Like Jaylen Brown took off a ton of plays on defense earlier this season to pad his stats on offense when Celtics were losing a bunch of games.

Now a guy like Seth Curry who is atheltically challenged, no matter what he does, he's still not a good defender.

[Zetsword]

Nets finna win this, KD is vastly superior to anyone one the Celtics and Irving can play as well or better than either Jay

Should be an exciting series along with the Sixers/Raps, East is getting spoiled this year with fun 1st round matchups

Irving can play as well or better than either Jay but Jayson Tatum can’t play as well or better than Durant? Last I checked Tatum has multiple 50’s against him and a 40 point performance all in the past year.

You are missing the fact that basketball is a game of offense and defense and Irving stinks on defense. Tatum and Brown will hunt him down constantly. I just don't see your logic. And if Simmons really does take the floor the C's will foul him until the nets take him out. He is a mental midget.

Kyrie, Mills, and Curry are gonna get roasted, it's why they need to take whatever version of Ben Simmons they can get out there, can't have two of those three guards out there against the Celtics without great perimeter defense and length in the other three positions.

[dWadeOwnzYou]

I'm so looking forward to Ben Simmon's coming back only to get roasted by the Celtics offensive juggernault. The Nets will be lucky to win 1 game IMHO. The Celtics are the most complete and balanced team in the league. Best defense with a top 5 offense.

[hippesthippo]

Kyrie doesn’t have to fast. Why is this being brought up? Islam excuses him for traveling

I didn't know he converted. Last I heard he was a "Satanist."

I'm not here to make fun of religion, only Kyrie. Has he chosen a new name yet?

EDIT: Celtics in 7. Gotta stay on topic.

[KamikazeK]

As a Celtics fan, I hope Simmons comes back tomorrow. Being able to play 5 on 4 defensively will definitely help Boston cope with the absence of the Timelord.

So how many points does Ben have to score to invalided you your 4 on 5 theory? I know your coach is 10x smarter then you and will not employ such a silly strategy.

As a Nets' fan, I hope Boston sees Ben as a non factor on offence, because leaving him wide open to play 5 on 4 defensively will definitely help Boston lose in 5 or 6..

Umm, what's Simmons gonna do if they leave him open? Is he gonna shoot the ball?

[KIRAG]

Irving can play as well or better than either Jay but Jayson Tatum can’t play as well or better than Durant? Last I checked Tatum has multiple 50’s against him and a 40 point performance all in the past year.

You are missing the fact that basketball is a game of offense and defense and Irving stinks on defense. Tatum and Brown will hunt him down constantly. I just don't see your logic. And if Simmons really does take the floor the C's will foul him until the nets take him out. He is a mental midget.

Defense is all about effort. Irving kinda of shocked me when he played defense vs Harden in sixers game which the nets blew out the sixers. When he actually tries, Irving is very servicable. That's the key to a lot of these offensive minded players. Their effort on defense vs trying to conserve energy on offense. With at least one day off each game, guys should be able to play defense.

Like Jaylen Brown took off a ton of plays on defense earlier this season to pad his stats on offense when Celtics were losing a bunch of games.

Now a guy like Seth Curry who is atheltically challenged, no matter what he does, he's still not a good defender.

The bolded part. Kyrie actually plays decent defense when he tries but I am not quite confident he won't be gassed doing both D and Offense on a high level at the same time for 6-7 straight games especially the Nets rely heavily on both him and KD on offense.

[KIRAG]

Just my speculation. The Nets will bring Ben back depending if they win or lose the first few games in this series

[ITYSL]

He has 2 assists and 1.5 blocks per game this year.

What do you mean by "he"? What do you mean by "year"?

You're obviously not talking about either Williams' or Drummond's stats for the season.

Drummonds stats
SUMMARY
2021-22

G
73
PTS
7.9
TRB
9.3
AST
1.8
Block
1.5
Tov
1.6

That's weird, from what link did you get the 1.5 blocks per game for this year? BBREF, ESPN and NBA.com all show 0.9 blocks per game. The numbers you posted are all the same as BBREF/ESPN/NBA, except for blocks.

https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/d/drumman01.html
https://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/6585/andre-drummond
https://www.nba.com/stats/player/203083

[Eyeamok]

No big deal, I just wrote "no it wouldn't" to correct your error.

That did not correct my "error" because you provided no substance to back up your statement. I just gave you the benefit of the doubt because it was important to you to be right.

Bro they have REPEATEDLY said they're ready to go in toronto or anywhere. Stop spreading bull man.

Yo Bro I don't make the news. But speak up I don't think these articles or authors can hear you. And either Charles, Kenny or Shaq said the same thing after the Wolves game the other night. So you need to start making the rounds to "corect" everyone.

https://hardwoodhoudini.com/2022/04/08/boston-celtics-key-players-unvaccinated/

https://www.audacy.com/weei/sports/celtics/boston-celtics-star-players-are-unvaccinated-per-report

https://hoopshype.com/rumor/two-frontline-celtics-players-unvaccinated/

[GTR11]

As a Celtics fan, I hope Simmons comes back tomorrow. Being able to play 5 on 4 defensively will definitely help Boston cope with the absence of the Timelord.

So how many points does Ben have to score to invalided you your 4 on 5 theory? I know your coach is 10x smarter then you and will not employ such a silly strategy.

As a Nets' fan, I hope Boston sees Ben as a non factor on offence, because leaving him wide open to play 5 on 4 defensively will definitely help Boston lose in 5 or 6..

Umm, what's Simmons gonna do if they leave him open? Is he gonna shoot the ball?

Dunk

Try to stop 6.10 all star and good playmaker going to the rim. You know after trade we top shooting team right. Sound like you going to leave that lane wide open to me.

Who's going to stop him? Washed up trash C you got

[KamikazeK]

So how many points does Ben have to score to invalided you your 4 on 5 theory? I know your coach is 10x smarter then you and will not employ such a silly strategy.

As a Nets' fan, I hope Boston sees Ben as a non factor on offence, because leaving him wide open to play 5 on 4 defensively will definitely help Boston lose in 5 or 6..

Umm, what's Simmons gonna do if they leave him open? Is he gonna shoot the ball?

Who's going to stop him? Washed up trash C you got

I recommend you start watching basketball games

[GTR11]

We got best closers in the game right now. All we need to do is to keep it close.

Oh by the way they choke to close games.

They switch a lot? Let me see PowerGuard go dunk it or make a play to open Curry-Kyrie-KD-Patty I'll take that all day.

[GTR11]

Umm, what's Simmons gonna do if they leave him open? Is he gonna shoot the ball?

Who's going to stop him? Washed up trash C you got

I recommend you start watching basketball games

I recommend you to understand the game.

[GTR11]

PowerGuard from Boston, watch out for that kid to step up. Dude shot nearly 50% from 3 since trade.

Oh yes he playing for that contract too.

Just watch.

[GoCeltics123]

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