Celts Go Full Grinch, Steal The Pacers' Christmas! Victory Cigar vs IND 12/22

[bucknersrevenge]

Also really impressed by Luka Garza right now. He's been blasted quite a bit early on this season and rightfully so for being limited defensively. And we started playing better when he got pulled from the rotation. But he hasn't bitched. He hasn't complained. He's continued to work. And when he got called upon these last couple of games he's showed up. There's a degree of respect I have for how he's handled things here.

Again this speaks highly to Joe and the entire staff. If there's strife internally, it remains internal. Nothing gets out. Guys just handle business. Huge credit to all the players on this roster and the coaching staff for being one collective. There are a lot of guys with reasons to go out for themselves. A lot of guys who'd have reasons to come at Joe for lack of minutes. But that doesn't happen here.

Truth is, I'm not sure what to make of Garza.. He looks like he could be the top offensive Rebounder in the whole league.. but I also wouldn't trust him in a serious tough game because of his defensive liabilities. Does this mean Boston doesn't trade two first round picks to get a player like Zubac?? If given that choice, I would rather play Garza. And keep our first round picks...

There's definitely an argument to be made for keeping the picks. This team needs young talent to offset the higher salaries that they have. And eventually some of the guys they'll wanna keep may need bumps too. Having said that, they do seem flush with young talent right now as is. If trading a FRP gets them a roster upgrade that's signed for more than one year (like a Zubac or Claxton for example) It might be worth the consideration if it completely plugs a hole in the roster for the next 4 years. In the best of times, that's what you want from any draft pick. How much do they consider any potential growth by Garza or even Amari Williams over the next couple of years? Lots of things for Brad to think about.

[Floody100]

What a great job by Brad by drafting the rookie of the year..

And definitely congrats on Joe, beating a top 5 worst team in the league. No one can do it better than him.

Am I doing that right b*thes

98% of our fan base would trade joe for Rick Carlisle and the flavor of the month.
As well as the other flavor of the month in 2023

Except for 2 posters..

The inconsistencies are fascinating to say the least.

Paces lose Haliburton & Turner, all Carlisle can do is lead them to a 6-23 record so far
We lose Tatum, Jrue, KP, Kornet & Al, Joe has us at 18-11.

If your so willing to say Carlisle is so ahead of Joe then why is it that Carlisle has his team as a “top 5 worst team in the league” while Joe has a team you thought were going to be a lottery team at 18-11 ?

[ParticleMan]

Again this speaks highly to Joe and the entire staff. If there's strife internally, it remains internal. Nothing gets out. Guys just handle business. Huge credit to all the players on this roster and the coaching staff for being one collective. There are a lot of guys with reasons to go out for themselves. A lot of guys who'd have reasons to come at Joe for lack of minutes. But that doesn't happen here.

Yeah, this is so important. In the NBA the biggest job as a head coach is not x's and o's or rotations, it's getting guys to play for each other and for the team. Joe has shown the ability to do that when the team is full of superstars, and he's shown the ability to do that when the team is full of guys playing for their NBA careers. No matter who is there, this team always seems to have a great locker room under Joe. Credit to Brad also who brings in high character guys but it's Joe who has to shape that into a team day in and day out.

We don't win games likes this unless we have that locker room unity and belief in each other.

[Fierce1]

[Smart2Nesmith43]

Celtics are the only team that blows big leads.
Mazzulla can't coach.
Mazzulla doesn't play rookies.
Celtics only win when they shoot well from three.

Pretty sure some posters bingo cards are empty tonight

[Fierce1]

Celtics are the only team that blows big leads.
Mazzulla can't coach.
Mazzulla doesn't play rookies.
Celtics only win when they shoot well from three.

Pretty sure some posters bingo cards are empty tonight

[doogie_hauser]

Celts are now comfortably in 3rd place in the East Standings going into the Christmas break. .

Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays everyone !

[doogie_hauser]

Celtics are the only team that blows big leads.
Mazzulla can't coach.
Mazzulla doesn't play rookies.
Celtics only win when they shoot well from three.

Pretty sure some posters bingo cards are empty tonight

I have a theory that some posters/fans have pitched their anti Joe/Joe can't coach camp too deeply, and they too embarrassed to admit they were wrong and keep on fighting a losing battle lol

[Fierce1]

Got me thinking.

Pacers lost their star player and their starting Center and now they have the 2nd worst record in the league.

Celtics are missing their star player and their top 3 Centers are all gone and they're the #3 seed in the east.

Interesting.

[165bows]

Going Hugo for VC tonight 6/11 with 1 stl and 2 blks +21 but the stats don't really paint an accurate picture of how this kid changed the energy late in the 3rd and 4th. Again, he just sees things before they happen. He's going to be a legit HIGH END elite role player and that's his floor right now. If he develops his handle and continues to work on his shot, who knows? Jaylen gets the Consolation Prize for coming back in the 4th after getting pulled and understanding the assignment. All downhill for him like it was Sugarloaf. Didn't play with his food. And that shot in the corner against the shot clock was just magic.

In related news, I have to coninue to give the staff and organization overall for the development we're seeing in several players. Last year I thought we had become kind of an old team that looked old at times. But we are now youthful and athletic and exuberant and beginning to put it together. I'm even low-key starting to see the vision with Amari Williams who I wasn't sure about when we drafted. Put together another nice statline in his last game. Looks like an excellent passer. Ron Harper Jr, I think is an NBA player soon. We gotta make some moves to streamline some stuff soon and I expect Brad to be all over it. But there is a lot to like about where we are right now and we should be by the end of this season.

Great post with a lot of great observations here.

[BillessuR6]

Love the energy on this team. Chemistry seems great as well. Props to Joe, everybody is playing hard and enjoying it.

Sent from my SM-A536B using RealGM mobile app

[Green89]

I didnt like what i saw with jb in the first half because he was low energy and walking around. He was great in the 4th and qas getting downhill. I feel JB is an extension of Joe and love his development as a leader

He had a great second half, and especially in Q4. However, that 3 on 1 we had where instead of passing to two wide open guys, he chose to take it at the defender himself, causing a turnover. That was cringeworthy.

Hugo and Luka were both superb. Hugo jerseys are selling out and his trading cards are skyrocketing. The sky's the ceiling for this kid!

[Parliament10]

The Joe haters will find something to complain about.

Or they just go quiet because they have nothing else to say other than complaining. Makes for a much better game thread experience though I must say.

No dufas.. I watched the game in replay. I am one of the more consistent posters win or lose, unlike you two who only come on to make your one line comments ..oh joy joy joy.

You have a long list of various levels of personal attacks.
You've been Banned a number of times. Yet you continue.

We have no choice, but to seek a longer-term Ban for you.

~ Parl

[CelticFaninLBC]

Celtics are the only team that blows big leads.
Mazzulla can't coach.
Mazzulla doesn't play rookies.
Celtics only win when they shoot well from three.

Pretty sure some posters bingo cards are empty tonight

I have a theory that some posters/fans have pitched their anti Joe/Joe can't coach camp too deeply, and they too embarrassed to admit they were wrong and keep on fighting a losing battle lol

This is reminiscent of the Jaylen haters a few years ago who were more vested in being right.

[Jammer]

Lucky that although the Pacers were on Fire in the 1rst Half they poured water on themselves in the second half. Despite Jaylen Brown's tenacious heroics, the Celtics would not have won without spectacular performance from Luka Garza (9 Rebounds in 24 minutes, 2-2 FG, 2-2 FT, 3 Assists) and a glimpse of a future NBA starter from Hugo Gonzalez, who led the team with 37 minutes and who also provides tenacious defense while on the floor. Neemias Queta was also extremely productive in his 23 minutes (8 Rebounds, 8 Points, 2 Assists).

An Alternative Perspective:

Pts. + Rebounds + (0.5 x Assists) + Steals + (0.5 x Blocks) - Missed Field Goals - (0.5 x Missed Free Throws) - Turnovers - (0.5 x Fouls)

+26 Jaylen Brown 33 minutes
+17 Luka Garza 24 minutes

+15 Derrick White 32 minutes
+13.5 Hugo Gonzalez 37 minutes
+11.5 Neemias Queta 23 minutes

+6 Payton Pritchard 33 minutes
+3 Sam Hauser 20 minutes
+2.5 Anfernee Simons 17 minutes (not a $27.5 Million dollar a year player)
+1.5 Josh Minott 9 minutes
+1 Baylor Scheierman 12 minutes

[Half-Full]

He had a great second half, and especially in Q4. However, that 3 on 1 we had where instead of passing to two wide open guys, he chose to take it at the defender himself, causing a turnover. That was cringeworthy.

Oh man! Totally cringe worthy! Jaylen does have a turnover problem, which can be maddening. All mitigated by the remarkable run he has been having. Over his last 11 or so games, he has scored at least 30 points, with one exception. In that game, only 19 points, but he also had a triple double! So, I will live with his maddening turnovers as long as he keeps playing at such a high level.

[Half-Full]

I handed out victory cigars to coach/team/other. Joe's decision to put in the bench for the majority of the 3rd quarter, was decisive. Their energy closed the scoring gap, and changed the trajectory of the game. Special shout outs to Hugo, and Luka. Baylor Scheierman has not seen quite so many minutes as Hugo and Walsh, but I like what he brings. I think Joe does too. It sure is nice to have young players who are showing that they are capable contributors, and to see Joe taking advantage of that. Nice to see Jaylen come in charged up after being benched, to nail down the victory.

[Fierce1]

Pacers attempted more 3s than the Cs.

Cs only attempted 37 while the Pacers 40.

Maybe that's because some of the players who played a lot in the 2nd half, like Hugo and Garza, were not 3-pt shooters.

I think this proves that the narrative of the Celtics are always hunting 3s is not really true.

When guys like Al, KP, and Jrue were the supporting cast, they would shoot a lot of 3s.

But now with guys like Hugo, Walsh, Garza, Mynot, and Queta, we see more drives to the basket and less settling for 3s.

So I think shooting 3s has more to do with personnel than Mazzulla-Ball.

Of course Joe would insist that you have to shoot the 3 if you're open, but I don't think the Cs are hunting 3s anymore.

[return2glory]

Nice win.

Went with Brown and White for VC. Hugo and Garza were close.

Brown with a quiet 31 and 9. White with 19, 5 and 4.

Hugo with his 3rd straight game with career highs in rebounds. His defense in the 2nd half on Siakam was huge.

Garza with back to back big games. At the start of the season, I was in the minority when I said our centers are going to be better than expected.
All the so called experts around the NBA were saying we were going to have one of the worse bigs in the league. I was high on both Queta and Garza.
I said Queta was going to surprise people around the league and he has so far.

Good coaching job by Joe, once again. One of my beefs with Joe in the past was in lack of in game adjustments. This season, he has improved a lot in that area. This game was a great example of that.

[Fierce1]

Nice win.

Went with Brown and White for VC. Hugo and Garza were close.

Brown with a quiet 31 and 9. White with 19, 5 and 4.

Hugo with his 3rd straight game with career highs in rebounds. His defense in the 2nd half on Siakam was huge.

Garza with back to back big games. At the start of the season, I was in the minority when I said our centers are going to be better than expected.
All the so called experts around the NBA were saying we were going to have one of the worse bigs in the league. I was high on both Queta and Garza.
I said Queta was going to surprise people around the league and he has so far.

Good coaching job by Joe, once again. One of my beefs with Joe in the past was in lack of in game adjustments. This season, he has improved a lot in that area. This game was a great example of that.