Celtics 2023-24, Season Thread, (con't)

[Fierce1]

I'm traveling so haven't seen the last few games (but will catch up on all of them in a few weeks).

BUT.

Anyone comparing JT to Bird is nothing less than brain dead. They are different animals entirely.

You need to catch up more because apparently you're way behind.

Here:
https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nba/news/larry-bird-trophy-eastern-conference-finals-mvp/sszhav0xlv5p5i5lxmifxaaq#:~:text=The%20Larry%20Bird%20Trophy%20is,in%20the%202022%20NBA%20Finals.

What is the Larry Bird Trophy?

The Larry Bird Trophy is awarded annually to the MVP of the Eastern Conference Finals.

The trophy was introduced last season as a part of the NBA's 75th-anniversary celebrations. The inaugural award, fittingly, went to Celtics star Jayson Tatum, who helped lead his team to an appearance in the 2022 NBA Finals.

Brain dead.

[fallguy]

You need to catch up more because apparently you're way behind.

Here:
https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nba/news/larry-bird-trophy-eastern-conference-finals-mvp/sszhav0xlv5p5i5lxmifxaaq#:~:text=The%20Larry%20Bird%20Trophy%20is,in%20the%202022%20NBA%20Finals.

What is the Larry Bird Trophy?

The Larry Bird Trophy is awarded annually to the MVP of the Eastern Conference Finals.

The trophy was introduced last season as a part of the NBA's 75th-anniversary celebrations. The inaugural award, fittingly, went to Celtics star Jayson Tatum, who helped lead his team to an appearance in the 2022 NBA Finals.

Brain dead.

Literally two different species of players. At least right now. I like Tatum but Bird would eat Tatum alive.

[Fierce1]

Brain dead.

Literally two different species of players. At least right now. I like Tatum but Bird would eat Tatum alive.

Yeah, I agree.

Larry Bird is too smart.

But I never said Tatum is better than Bird.

Jayson Tatum is on the same level as Larry Bird, but not better.

Tatum has surpassed Paul Pierce, so the next level is Bird's level.

JT is the first home grown Celtic since Bird to make 1st Team All-NBA more than once.

Even the great Kevin McHale only had one 1st Team All-NBA award.

[fallguy]

Literally two different species of players. At least right now. I like Tatum but Bird would eat Tatum alive.

Yeah, I agree.

Larry Bird is too smart.

But I never said Tatum is better than Bird.

Jayson Tatum is on the same level as Larry Bird, but not better.

Tatum has surpassed Paul Pierce, so the next level is Bird's level.

JT is the first home grown Celtic since Bird to make 1st Team All-NBA more than once.

Even the great Kevin McHale only had one 1st Team All-NBA award.

You think JT is on the level of one of the ten best ever players to play the game?

[Fierce1]

Literally two different species of players. At least right now. I like Tatum but Bird would eat Tatum alive.

Yeah, I agree.

Larry Bird is too smart.

But I never said Tatum is better than Bird.

Jayson Tatum is on the same level as Larry Bird, but not better.

Tatum has surpassed Paul Pierce, so the next level is Bird's level.

JT is the first home grown Celtic since Bird to make 1st Team All-NBA more than once.

Even the great Kevin McHale only had one 1st Team All-NBA award.

You think JT is on the level of one of the ten best ever players to play the game?

Not ten best players in league history.

But one of the ten best in Celtic history, yes!

[Fierce1]

Some you guys are Gen X, but your patience is Gen Z.

Just be careful in June because some you guys might end up with indigestion after JT and Joe feeds all of you with crows.

[fallguy]

Yeah, I agree.

Larry Bird is too smart.

But I never said Tatum is better than Bird.

Jayson Tatum is on the same level as Larry Bird, but not better.

Tatum has surpassed Paul Pierce, so the next level is Bird's level.

JT is the first home grown Celtic since Bird to make 1st Team All-NBA more than once.

Even the great Kevin McHale only had one 1st Team All-NBA award.

You think JT is on the level of one of the ten best ever players to play the game?

Not ten best players in league history.

But one of the ten best in Celtic history, yes!

So he's NOT on Larry Bird's level then?

[Fierce1]

You think JT is on the level of one of the ten best ever players to play the game?

Not ten best players in league history.

But one of the ten best in Celtic history, yes!

So he's NOT on Larry Bird's level then?

Larry Bird is what the mainstream media call a 1st tier NBA superstar.

JT already has reached that level.

2nd tier NBA superstars are guys like Paul Pierce.

Maybe you're referring to ability.

No way I'm going to say Tatum is better than Bird.

We're talking about status here.

And JT is a 1st tier NBA superstar right now.

[fallguy]

Not ten best players in league history.

But one of the ten best in Celtic history, yes!

So he's NOT on Larry Bird's level then?

Larry Bird is what the mainstream media call a 1st tier NBA superstar.

JT already has reached that level.

2nd tier NBA superstars are guys like Paul Pierce.

Maybe you're referring to ability.

No way I'm going to say Tatum is better than Bird.

We're talking about status here.

And JT is a 1st tier NBA superstar right now.

LOL - you said JT is on Larry Bird's level. This is patently absurd.

It's okay to admit you said something silly. JT is really good but he's not in Larry's stratosphere.

[fallguy]

Nobody in NBA media is dopey enough to say Tatum is on Larry's level.

Okay, maybe Perk. But Perk is a moron.

[Fierce1]

So he's NOT on Larry Bird's level then?

Larry Bird is what the mainstream media call a 1st tier NBA superstar.

JT already has reached that level.

2nd tier NBA superstars are guys like Paul Pierce.

Maybe you're referring to ability.

No way I'm going to say Tatum is better than Bird.

We're talking about status here.

And JT is a 1st tier NBA superstar right now.

LOL - you said JT is on Larry Bird's level. This is patently absurd.

It's okay to admit you said something silly. JT is really good but he's not in Larry's stratosphere.

Like I said, JT is a 1st tier NBA superstar.

That's same with Bird, Kobe, Magic, and Lebron.

The NBA, according to mainstream media, is composed of 1st tier stars, 2nd tier stars, All-Stars, and role players.

I base my standard on what is generally accepted by the public.

[Fierce1]

Nobody in NBA media is dopey enough to say Tatum is on Larry's level.

Okay, maybe Perk. But Perk is a moron.

If Perk is a moron and you're not then why is Perk getting the big bucks from ESPN and you're here talking to me in a Celtics forum?

[fallguy]

Larry Bird is what the mainstream media call a 1st tier NBA superstar.

JT already has reached that level.

2nd tier NBA superstars are guys like Paul Pierce.

Maybe you're referring to ability.

No way I'm going to say Tatum is better than Bird.

We're talking about status here.

And JT is a 1st tier NBA superstar right now.

LOL - you said JT is on Larry Bird's level. This is patently absurd.

It's okay to admit you said something silly. JT is really good but he's not in Larry's stratosphere.

Like I said, JT is a 1st tier NBA superstar.

That's same with Bird, Kobe, Magic, and Lebron.

The NBA, according to mainstream media, is composed of 1st tier stars, 2nd tier stars, All-Stars, and role players.

I base my standard on what is generally accepted by the public.

You are not helping yourself but okay.

[BK_2020]

The Cs' closer is Tatum, and everyone in the NBA knows it, even though Tatum's closing stats suck. Per ESPN:

"Tatum's clutch-time stats aren't pretty. This season, he has shot 15-for-46 (32.6%) in clutch time this season, including 0-for-2 on Tuesday. Among the 27 players who have taken at least 45 clutch-time shots this season, Tatum ranks last in field goal percentage.
And Tatum's clutch-time woes are not isolated to this season. His clutch field goal percentage over the past three seasons ranks in the bottom 10 among more than 70 players with at least 100 attempts."

A good HC gets a (non-tanking) team to overperform. Last year's team underperformed in all three series. OTOH, Ime's 2022 team over-performed. Maybe Joe's good in practice and teaching, but I cannot comment on that. However, I don't see much from Mazzulla during games, and there are a lot of current NBA HCs I'd rather have. My opinion too.

Ime's 2021-22 team was tied for 1st in net rating with +7.5 and had a pythagorean win rate of 59 wins but only 51 actual wins. Despite being a rested team due to playing only 5 playoff games the season before, it was one of the most underperforming teams of all time. They had to sweat Jimmy Butler missing a wide open three to advance to the finals.

Points worth raising, but there were weirdnesses. The regular season was like a tale of two seasons, and I'm not sure what the significance of postseason rest is the year before to the postseason a year later, nor why one would exclude the Olympics from such a calculation anyway.

Abbreviated offseason because of COVID-19.
Olympics is an extended all-star weekend compared to the NBA playoffs.

[Fencer reregistered]

You think JT is on the level of one of the ten best ever players to play the game?

Not ten best players in league history.

But one of the ten best in Celtic history, yes!

So he's NOT on Larry Bird's level then?

Tatum is not on Jokic's level as an overall player.

Bird was at least on or very near Jokic's level. (An overwhelming majority of people who know what they're talking about would agree. A not-so-overwhelming majority, including me, would say Bird was yet a tier above.)

[Curmudgeon]

One thing seems likely: this team will find a way to break our hearts. They've done it every year since 2018.

[zoyathedestroya]

Read on Twitter

Congrats to the Boston Celtics for making the Play-In Tournament! We've come so far from 2014 season when we didn't make the playoffs.

[fallguy]

Nobody in NBA media is dopey enough to say Tatum is on Larry's level.

Okay, maybe Perk. But Perk is a moron.

If Perk is a moron and you're not then why is Perk getting the big bucks from ESPN and you're here talking to me in a Celtics forum?

Fair point. Every time we discuss something, I wonder why I bother talking to you.

[Fierce1]

One thing seems likely: this team will find a way to break our hearts. They've done it every year since 2018.

'Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.

Alfred Lord Tennyson

[zoyathedestroya]

Read on Twitter

I've already expressed my concerns about the mismatch-hunting. Thin line between being intentional and predictable. It can sometimes lead to slow and stagnant offense esp when other team has lengthy, physical guys who can switch and hold their own.