E. CONF. FINALS – Gm 5: Heat (3) @ Celtics (1) – 8:30PM, Thurs, May 25, 2023

playa-hater · Post #61 » by **playa-hater** » Thu May 25, 2023 2:26 pm

If Al is just going to chuck up 3s, he really needs to make them early. Otherwise Miami will again Sag in on defense. Regardless I like RW and his impact on defense > Al right now. Actually thought RW stepped up close enough to bother shooters while still protecting the paint a bit.

Regardless of sucking at home, I feel pretty confident about this game.

zoyathedestroya · Post #62 » by **zoyathedestroya** » Thu May 25, 2023 2:33 pm

Read on Twitter

This is big in our favor, unless our guys let Lowry go off.

I thought Gabe would give it a go but maybe they’re thinking it’s better for him to recover for game 6.

Triple7 · Post #63 » by **Triple7** » Thu May 25, 2023 2:36 pm

playa-hater wrote:If Al is just going to chuck up 3s, he really needs to make them early. Otherwise Miami will again Sag in on defense. Regardless I like RW and his impact on defense > Al right now. Actually thought RW stepped up close enough to bother shooters while still protecting the paint a bit.

Regardless of sucking at home, I feel pretty confident about this game.

If they lose another home game, then its time to actually blow this team up.

Triple7 · Post #64 » by **Triple7** » Thu May 25, 2023 2:38 pm

zoyathedestroya wrote:

Read on Twitter

This is big in our favor, unless our guys let Lowry go off.

I thought Gabe would give it a go but maybe they’re thinking it’s better for him to recover for game 6.

Yup. They are saving him for game 6. The heat are pretty thin if vincent is out. Our guys better run and not settle to walk the court. Butler should be tired in the 4th

The_Ghost_of_JB · Post #65 » by **The_Ghost_of_JB** » Thu May 25, 2023 2:48 pm

zoyathedestroya wrote:

Read on Twitter

This is big in our favor, unless our guys let Lowry go off.

I thought Gabe would give it a go but maybe they’re thinking it’s better for him to recover for game 6.

In most cases this would be good news for Boston but unfortunately Miami has no shortage of rando undrafted guys that can score 25 on Boston LOL

Post #66 » by **Froob** » Thu May 25, 2023 2:58 pm

celticfan42487 · Post #67 » by **celticfan42487** » Thu May 25, 2023 3:02 pm

zoyathedestroya wrote:

Read on Twitter

This is big in our favor, unless our guys let Lowry go off.

I thought Gabe would give it a go but maybe they’re thinking it’s better for him to recover for game 6.

Just need Jimmy Butler to also be out tonight for me to start of have some confidence in the Celtics at home.

celticfan42487 · Post #68 » by **celticfan42487** » Thu May 25, 2023 3:05 pm

playa-hater wrote:If Al is just going to chuck up 3s, he really needs to make them early. Otherwise Miami will again Sag in on defense. Regardless I like RW and his impact on defense > Al right now. Actually thought RW stepped up close enough to bother shooters while still protecting the paint a bit.

Regardless of sucking at home, I feel pretty confident about this game.

Hell I think even if Al is hitting 3s.

RW's impact on offense in the pick and roll is better than Al while he's hitting 3s in this series right now.

And RW's impact on defense is much better.

The fact that Stevens went out and his #1 target was an: injury prone, no defense playing, unathletic, PF instead of prioritizing a defensive C for a team with RW out for half or more of the year and Horford being one of the oldest Centers in the league that plays major minutes (maybe the oldest) is one of the biggest GM blunders we've seen in a long time.

But it is what it is.

Next off season getting a C/PF that can protect the rim has to be our #1 priority. We can't rely on Al for major minutes.

He needs to be reduced to 15 mpg and hope his body can last with that workload to return to max effectiveness in the playoffs on both offense and defense. He'll be a 37 year old big.

The_Ghost_of_JB · Post #69 » by **The_Ghost_of_JB** » Thu May 25, 2023 3:12 pm

celticfan42487 wrote:
zoyathedestroya wrote:

Read on Twitter

This is big in our favor, unless our guys let Lowry go off.

I thought Gabe would give it a go but maybe they’re thinking it’s better for him to recover for game 6.

Just need Jimmy Butler to also be out tonight for me to start of have some confidence in the Celtics at home.

You want Butler out as well? You must really want Boston to take this game as seriously as a pre-season game.

lon3lytoaster · Post #70 » by **lon3lytoaster** » Thu May 25, 2023 3:15 pm

The_Ghost_of_JB wrote:
celticfan42487 wrote:
zoyathedestroya wrote:

Read on Twitter

This is big in our favor, unless our guys let Lowry go off.

I thought Gabe would give it a go but maybe they’re thinking it’s better for him to recover for game 6.

Just need Jimmy Butler to also be out tonight for me to start of have some confidence in the Celtics at home.

You want Butler out as well? You must really want Boston to take this game as seriously as a pre-season game.

I've seen this story enough this year to know when a player is out, this crew plays down

we'll see what happens.

zoyathedestroya · Post #71 » by **zoyathedestroya** » Thu May 25, 2023 3:15 pm

I already know the script. This is also a blowout win for the Cs. Then it’s either we lose a close one in game 6 (narrative being we still can’t win close games) or Cs win in game 7 (narrative being we have overcome our inability to win at home twice in a row and inability to win in the clutch).

The latter is my preference. Then we go down 0-3 to the Nuggets, losing HCA again, with having to win two in high altitude where Denver is undefeated (cos we never learn.)

ThePigeon · Post #72 » by **ThePigeon** » Thu May 25, 2023 3:18 pm

zoyathedestroya wrote:

Read on Twitter

This is big in our favor, unless our guys let Lowry go off.

I thought Gabe would give it a go but maybe they’re thinking it’s better for him to recover for game 6.

Oh oh
We are doomed
Players will take it light

Still, Celtics in 7

Post #73 » by **bisme37** » Thu May 25, 2023 3:20 pm

Read on Twitter

The_Ghost_of_JB · Post #74 » by **The_Ghost_of_JB** » Thu May 25, 2023 3:32 pm

bisme37 wrote:

Read on Twitter

That explains why he's been looking the way he has been.

Kalela · Post #75 » by **Kalela** » Thu May 25, 2023 3:36 pm

I hope the Celtics players don't find out about this. lol They always play as if the win is given when the other team has key players out.

Post #76 » by **bisme37** » Thu May 25, 2023 3:45 pm

Without Vincent playing we gotta be ready for that Haywood Highsmith dude. Pretty sure I remember him killing us in an RS game and I was simultaneously scratching my head and shaking my fist.

fallguy · Post #77 » by **fallguy** » Thu May 25, 2023 3:52 pm

I've run through a half dozen potential ways tonight's game could go and they all seem plausible to me.

Celts17Pride · Post #78 » by **Celts17Pride** » Thu May 25, 2023 3:55 pm

The_Ghost_of_JB wrote:
bisme37 wrote:

Read on Twitter

That explains why he's been looking the way he has been.

Still doesn't explain why he can't move his feet on defense and stay in from of his man or why he falls asleep and let's his man wander to an open spot.

fallguy · Post #79 » by **fallguy** » Thu May 25, 2023 3:58 pm

White and Smart can play more. And Grant. Just deprioritize Brogdon.

zoyathedestroya · Post #80 » by **zoyathedestroya** » Thu May 25, 2023 3:59 pm

Wanna see a White-Tatum-Hauser-Grant-Rob lineup at some point. Tatum + bench lineups killed opposing teams all season. Throw something at Spo he hasn’t seen before in this series. Would need White to be aggressive cos they’re going to double JT for sure.

Maybe a reason why Hauser hasn’t played much is cos he can’t do much with the ball other than shoot it. At this point in his development, he’s not Duncan Robinson yet who has a straight line drive and can make that pocket pass to Bam.