BostonCouchGM wrote:I'm sure my thoughts will be real popular per usual but here goes:
That was as blatant an attempt at fixing a game (for us) as I've seen in quite awhile. Absolutely disgusting. I felt dirty watching this game. Before the end of game FT dance we had a 30-5 advantage at the FT line. Tatum and Brown got away with pushing off on almost every drive. Them plus Grant, Horford and Smart were hacking everyone. Despite the refs best efforts we still couldn't get it done. Crazy.
Jaylen Brown continues to have horrible BBIQ and handle. 7 TOs is pathetic. He is a very limited player but what he does do well he does at an elite level. Get him C&S threes, curl him off screens and ISO on defensive liabilities. That's all he should ever do. Any play with him dribbling the ball should be taken out of the playbook unless he has a major advantage like against Strus and Herro. You can get him 15 shots a game under those circumstances and it would almost completely eliminate the turnovers and maybe he'd also have energy to be the good defender he was a couple of years ago. It's a shame too because it ruined what could have been (and maybe still is tbh) a career night.
Tatum wilted under the increased intensity. He forced it too much and had wide open guys open all night due to his penetration. I know this is part of his maturity but he's seasoned enough to not still making those types of mistakes. Him, Smart and Brown have to take care of the ball. I don't care what the lead is at half-time. Without their best player, we should have been able to pull that game out but those three were just terrible with the ball.
Another example of how overrated Spoelstra is. Your team is hot from three, we are throwing the ball away at will and you build a 26 point lead and his lineups and refusal to call timeouts made the game way too close. Ime has impressed me more these playoffs than anything I've ever seen from Spoelstra.
This Heat team with Lowry matches our talent and depth like no other team in the Eastern Conference. That first half was the first healthy great team we've faced in 2022. No hyperbole. And look at the result
But out luck continues with Butler going out. If he doesn't play and we win we seriously need to accept the asterisk that would come with a Finals appearance. Tonight is what Bam is capable of and only Spoelstra prevents it from happening more often. And if Lowry was healthy enough to play tonight he should have been playing the first two games.
Marcus Smart is an absolute warrior. I can't stand him but there's no denying that he plays as hard as anyone ever and is tough as nails. I thought for sure when he came back we were going to win after he hit that three but in typical Smart fashion he bricked others and committed some fouls and had turnovers that prevented us from closing the deal. It was a nice moment that could have been legendary had we won.
With how blatant they tried to get us to win I still think we win this series because future games there won't be such a huge lead for them to have to make up for. On to Game 4. LFG!
Most of the points I am in agreement. The calls tilted in the favor of the C's. I have never disagreed with your primary assessment of Jaylen (though I would say I likely am more willing to let him continue trial and error to improve as a playmaker). Eye test has me thinking I'm seeing a greater frequency of him looking to cut, which I'll state to offer a little positivity balance.
Clearly Tatum merits criticism. Smart had a couple head-scratching high risk pass attempts. Though, specifically, the one pass attempt to White in the 2nd quarter (I think) was understandable, White started to cut and stopped. Grant's lazy inbounds pass late was something that should be a point of emphasis and paired with the overall message about reducing these instances of unfocused care for the ball. Not just the turnovers, but the near turnovers, tipped passes, and off-target passes that mess up rhythm and timing of possessions. It's a positive trait about Rob Williams that I periodically extoll that he mostly is great at placement of his passes and snap his puts on them.
Overall though, I'm as pissed about the result as anyone on here. I'm highly-competitive and tend to be hyper-critical by nature. But I always felt this was going to be a very difficult series and a slightly uphill battle. Bam is a really tough matchup against our roster options. Lowry should forever be respected, even if people believe he's on fumes, due to his guile, competitiveness, and intelligence. I'm really trying to not lean into the White criticism as I said I'd let it run it's course this year and probably at least through the offseason if he doesn't shine the remainder of the playoffs.
Thanks Brad for answering my ad,
"Boston Celtics Barbershop, cutters wanted."
But after KP, your C play? You broke my heart Fredo.
ajones9219 wrote:Is handsome Squidward playing?
