No Cheesesteaks For Us! Game 4 Loss vs PHI 5/7 (Series tied 2-2)

[BK_2020]

Two close losses, one comfortable win, one utter blow out. It's pretty obvious we are the superior team. I don't see us losing this series or the next series against the Heat.

[The_Ghost_of_JB]

The reality is if Boston wants to win a championship at some point they're going to have to win a couple close games(I'm not talking a six-point game I'm talking winning a game by a point or two to show they can execute down the stretch) which clearly isn't their strong suit.

[Green89]

You cant sit here and be the person who blames Tatum for getting the ball to Smart late (instead of just shooting it him self) but ignore the fact that Smart got the **** ball to Tatum at 7 seconds almost 50 feet from the hoop in the first place.

Those people aren't being honest about Smart.

There not much Tatum can do with that amount of time, while being doubled. The fact is, Smart wasted too much time crossing half court, and he didn’t really set up any plays. He just passes the ball to Jt expecting him to do something. Mazulla **** this game by not calling a timeout, and setting up a play. This guy will cost us this season. It’s one thing not calling a timeout and seeing your players push the ball before the D can set up, but walking the ball like we are not down, and being ok with that? **** Joe!

I don't know why everyone is so hyperobsessed with crossing the halfcourt line quickly. It was the final shot. We were going to dribble out the clock so the Sixers don't get the ball back with time to score. Every NBA team does that.

Definitely not. We're the only ones who did that, no other coaches would. They had no timeouts left. You try and score quickly. Then take someone off the inbounder and try to steal a pass, as they have no timeouts. Even if you don't score, and don't get the steal or 5 second call, you can have a chance to tie if they make both free throws and you're now down 3.

1. Get a quick shot off.
2. Attempt to steal the inbounds or get a 5 second count. If not, foul immediately.
3. Get one more shot to at worst tie the game.

Let's say you made the shot, then you just play D and repeat #2 above, just don't foul, play defense.

[Feed Your Head]

Celtics crunch time usage.

Smart: 31.4%
Tatum: 20%
Brogdon: 19.4%
Jaylen: 8.6%
White: 4.8%

Tatum and especially Jaylen do not have the ball enough in crunch time. Tatum is one of the best advantage creators in basketball, and Jaylen is a really good tough shot guy. The coaches need to get Jaylen more involved, but he’s also being passive and struggling to get open.

Celtics crunch time scoring numbers.

Smart: 21 points, 7-11 (2-6) and 5-5 from the line, 4 turnovers.
Tatum: 17 points, 5-9 (2-5) and 5-7 from the line, 0 turnovers.
Al: 10 points, 4-8 (2-6).
Rob: 8 points, 4-5.
Jaylen: 3 points, 1-4 (1-3), 1 turnover.
Brogdon: 3 points 1-5 (1-3), 1 turnover.

[lon3lytoaster]

Watch on YouTube

;pp=ygUQYnJhZCBzdGV2ZW5zIGF0bw%3D%3D

Hey Joe, maybe talk to this guy

I miss Brad. I don’t even think I’ve heard Scal say “ATO” all season, let alone say anything positive about our execution. He loves slinging basketball jargon

Brad the coach was a failure with this version of the Celtics.

Unfortunately, Brad the GM hired a Brad clone as coach who is well on his way to being a failure himself.

I don't think so. Brad as coach was handed inexperience and bad luck and definitely got the short end of the stick in that regard. Danny filled a lot of his rosters with absolute trash on the bench as well.

I do agree Mazzulla is the worst of Udoka and Stevens rolled into one, with almost none of their positives though.

[BK_2020]

There not much Tatum can do with that amount of time, while being doubled. The fact is, Smart wasted too much time crossing half court, and he didn’t really set up any plays. He just passes the ball to Jt expecting him to do something. Mazulla **** this game by not calling a timeout, and setting up a play. This guy will cost us this season. It’s one thing not calling a timeout and seeing your players push the ball before the D can set up, but walking the ball like we are not down, and being ok with that? **** Joe!

I don't know why everyone is so hyperobsessed with crossing the halfcourt line quickly. It was the final shot. We were going to dribble out the clock so the Sixers don't get the ball back with time to score. Every NBA team does that.

Definitely not. We're the only ones who did that, no other coaches would. They had no timeouts left. You try and score quickly. Then take someone off the inbounder and try to steal a pass, as they have no timeouts. Even if you don't score, and don't get the steal or 5 second call, you can have a chance to tie if they make both free throws and you're now down 3.

1. Get a quick shot off.
2. Attempt to steal the inbounds or get a 5 second count. If not, foul immediately.
3. Get one more shot to at worst tie the game.

Let's say you made the shot, then you just play D and repeat #2 above, just don't foul, play defense.

It's at the very least a defensible decision by Joe. A game on the road, down 1, you can try to get a good shot without a potential riposte or take two bad shots while fouling in the interim, giving them something like 80% chance to go up 3.

[pac213up]

My concern after game 1 was the learning curve for Joe. I am less concerned because the Celtics look like they have significantly more talent than the 76ers. Still, at some point in close games the coaching needs to be better. Not only was the clock management horrible the offense needs to run through the 2 best players more in the critical moments.

[The_Ghost_of_JB]

There not much Tatum can do with that amount of time, while being doubled. The fact is, Smart wasted too much time crossing half court, and he didn’t really set up any plays. He just passes the ball to Jt expecting him to do something. Mazulla **** this game by not calling a timeout, and setting up a play. This guy will cost us this season. It’s one thing not calling a timeout and seeing your players push the ball before the D can set up, but walking the ball like we are not down, and being ok with that? **** Joe!

I don't know why everyone is so hyperobsessed with crossing the halfcourt line quickly. It was the final shot. We were going to dribble out the clock so the Sixers don't get the ball back with time to score. Every NBA team does that.

Definitely not. We're the only ones who did that, no other coaches would. They had no timeouts left. You try and score quickly. Then take someone off the inbounder and try to steal a pass, as they have no timeouts. Even if you don't score, and don't get the steal or 5 second call, you can have a chance to tie if they make both free throws and you're now down 3.

1. Get a quick shot off.
2. Attempt to steal the inbounds or get a 5 second count. If not, foul immediately.
3. Get one more shot to at worst tie the game.

Let's say you made the shot, then you just play D and repeat #2 above, just don't foul, play defense.

Yeah I agree with this. Boston took way too long to get into their set to the point where they couldn't even get a shot off.

Down by one with two timeouts they should have taken a quicker shot. (Any shot would have been better than no shot.) If Boston misses worst case if they can't get a steal you foul.

Even if Philly hits both free throws, Boston can call a time out, advance the ball and hopefully draw up a decent play.

There's just no defending that last possession. They had 18 seconds and they didn't even get into the play until smart passes Tatum the ball with 7.8 seconds left.

Tatum holds the ball until there is 5 seconds left in the game, Tatum drives smart gets the ball with .3 seconds and obviously can't get the shot off. Just completely awful clock management and awareness.

[Lee Van Cleef]

We have the best talent and the worst coach. It's hard to guess where we are gonna end up. We can win the title, or get eliminated by Sixers. Neither would surprise me.

[Fantaxp7]

I wonder with all the statistics teams use nowadays is Joe looking at the probability of our guys running a play and scoring without giving the opposing team time to talk things over more successful vs him coming up with a good play with a time out?

It would seem the probability of us scoring has to be dropping...Or he is just bad at drawing up a good play.

Again a number of things to be mad at last night. JB doubling is a tough one to get over. Missing all those free throws in a 1 point loss...obviously the time out thing...offensive rebounds...

Another long day and a half in between games.

[Celts17Pride]

Celtics crunch time usage.

Smart: 31.4%
Tatum: 20%
Brogdon: 19.4%
Jaylen: 8.6%
White: 4.8%

Tatum and especially Jaylen do not have the ball enough in crunch time. Tatum is one of the best advantage creators in basketball, and Jaylen is a really good tough shot guy. The coaches need to get Jaylen more involved, but he’s also being passive and struggling to get open.

Celtics crunch time scoring numbers.

Smart: 21 points, 7-11 (2-6) and 5-5 from the line, 4 turnovers.
Tatum: 17 points, 5-9 (2-5) and 5-7 from the line, 0 turnovers.
Al: 10 points, 4-8 (2-6).
Rob: 8 points, 4-5.
Jaylen: 3 points, 1-4 (1-3), 1 turnover.
Brogdon: 3 points 1-5 (1-3), 1 turnover.

Celtics always have Tatum/Smart doing a two man game with Jaylen Brown standing in the corner in the last few minutes of the game. It should be the other way around. Tatum/Brown two man game and have Smart standing in the corner. Makes no sense to me. I mean Brown is a better shot maker and Smart is a better off the ball hustler.

You think the Suns would do a Durant/Payne and stick Booker in the corner?

This has very little to do with Brown being passive and struggling to get open. It has to do with Smart taking over and freezing out Brown and you know I'm a huge Smart fan.

That's my opinion.

Read on Twitter

Give me more Tatum/Brown two man game!

[JR Hawks]

Celtics crunch time usage.

Smart: 31.4%
Tatum: 20%
Brogdon: 19.4%
Jaylen: 8.6%
White: 4.8%

Tatum and especially Jaylen do not have the ball enough in crunch time. Tatum is one of the best advantage creators in basketball, and Jaylen is a really good tough shot guy. The coaches need to get Jaylen more involved, but he’s also being passive and struggling to get open.

Celtics crunch time scoring numbers.

Smart: 21 points, 7-11 (2-6) and 5-5 from the line, 4 turnovers.
Tatum: 17 points, 5-9 (2-5) and 5-7 from the line, 0 turnovers.
Al: 10 points, 4-8 (2-6).
Rob: 8 points, 4-5.
Jaylen: 3 points, 1-4 (1-3), 1 turnover.
Brogdon: 3 points 1-5 (1-3), 1 turnover.

Lol at offensively limited Smart with the most crunch time usage.

What a dysfunctional team and coach.

[London2Boston]

Just hope we don’t live to regret that low effort Game 1.

[Celticsfan100]

After the game 1 performance we responded with 3 strong games. When we lost the first game no way this series wasn’t going back to Boston 2-2. Any close game you lose in the playoffs hurts as this does. But we are in the drivers seat with 3 games left to play. And what do you think is going to happen if we play another 2 series? A lot up and down emotions. It’s the playoffs

[31to6]

Celtics crunch time usage.

Smart: 31.4%
Tatum: 20%
Brogdon: 19.4%
Jaylen: 8.6%
White: 4.8%

Tatum and especially Jaylen do not have the ball enough in crunch time. Tatum is one of the best advantage creators in basketball, and Jaylen is a really good tough shot guy. The coaches need to get Jaylen more involved, but he’s also being passive and struggling to get open.

Celtics crunch time scoring numbers.

Smart: 21 points, 7-11 (2-6) and 5-5 from the line, 4 turnovers.
Tatum: 17 points, 5-9 (2-5) and 5-7 from the line, 0 turnovers.
Al: 10 points, 4-8 (2-6).
Rob: 8 points, 4-5.
Jaylen: 3 points, 1-4 (1-3), 1 turnover.
Brogdon: 3 points 1-5 (1-3), 1 turnover.

Lol at offensively limited Smart with the most crunch time usage.

What a dysfunctional team and coach.

I know it's easy to think just about the Celtics, but no doubt the other team wants Marcus to shoot and is very happy to funnel the ball towards him in these situations. It's pretty easy when Tatum just dribbles until the double comes almost every single time -- and I think even 'bad' defenses are good enough to know who to leave open as they scramble to recover from the double.

[BK_2020]

Celtics crunch time usage.

Smart: 31.4%
Tatum: 20%
Brogdon: 19.4%
Jaylen: 8.6%
White: 4.8%

Tatum and especially Jaylen do not have the ball enough in crunch time. Tatum is one of the best advantage creators in basketball, and Jaylen is a really good tough shot guy. The coaches need to get Jaylen more involved, but he’s also being passive and struggling to get open.

Celtics crunch time scoring numbers.

Smart: 21 points, 7-11 (2-6) and 5-5 from the line, 4 turnovers.
Tatum: 17 points, 5-9 (2-5) and 5-7 from the line, 0 turnovers.
Al: 10 points, 4-8 (2-6).
Rob: 8 points, 4-5.
Jaylen: 3 points, 1-4 (1-3), 1 turnover.
Brogdon: 3 points 1-5 (1-3), 1 turnover.

Celtics always have Tatum/Smart doing a two man game with Jaylen Brown standing in the corner in the last few minutes of the game. It should be the other way around. Tatum/Brown two man game and have Smart standing in the corner. Makes no sense to me. I mean Brown is a better shot maker and Smart is a better off the ball hustler.

You think the Suns would do a Durant/Payne and stick Booker in the corner?

This has very little to do with Brown being passive and struggling to get open. It has to do with Smart taking over and freezing out Brown and you know I'm a huge Smart fan.

That's my opinion.

Read on Twitter

Give me more Tatum/Brown two man game!

The thing is Jaylen Brown was involved a lot in the OT and in the final minutes of the 4th and he did jack. I think some of the blame for Jaylen's tendency to disappear in big moments has to go to him.
I do wonder what a Tatum/Brown 2 man game would look like but honestly it'll be a disaster. Jaylen sucks at setting screens and he's worse at using screens. He might improve but right now he's perfectly used as a volume scorer in non-pressure situations.

[Green89]

Celtics crunch time usage.

Smart: 31.4%
Tatum: 20%
Brogdon: 19.4%
Jaylen: 8.6%
White: 4.8%

Tatum and especially Jaylen do not have the ball enough in crunch time. Tatum is one of the best advantage creators in basketball, and Jaylen is a really good tough shot guy. The coaches need to get Jaylen more involved, but he’s also being passive and struggling to get open.

Celtics crunch time scoring numbers.

Smart: 21 points, 7-11 (2-6) and 5-5 from the line, 4 turnovers.
Tatum: 17 points, 5-9 (2-5) and 5-7 from the line, 0 turnovers.
Al: 10 points, 4-8 (2-6).
Rob: 8 points, 4-5.
Jaylen: 3 points, 1-4 (1-3), 1 turnover.
Brogdon: 3 points 1-5 (1-3), 1 turnover.

This is not surprising, because ever since Bud or Spo (not sure who started it against us) a few years ago in the playoffs, started forcing the ball to Smart late in games, every other opposing coach, and obviously now Doc, plays off Smart in an effort to get the shots to him. It's textbook defense, it works against us, and we do nothing to change it. Even this year, having two capable people to put on the floor late in White and Brogden, we're still not picking up on it and falling right into the defense's gameplan.

[Feed Your Head]

Celtics crunch time usage.

Smart: 31.4%
Tatum: 20%
Brogdon: 19.4%
Jaylen: 8.6%
White: 4.8%

Tatum and especially Jaylen do not have the ball enough in crunch time. Tatum is one of the best advantage creators in basketball, and Jaylen is a really good tough shot guy. The coaches need to get Jaylen more involved, but he’s also being passive and struggling to get open.

Celtics crunch time scoring numbers.

Smart: 21 points, 7-11 (2-6) and 5-5 from the line, 4 turnovers.
Tatum: 17 points, 5-9 (2-5) and 5-7 from the line, 0 turnovers.
Al: 10 points, 4-8 (2-6).
Rob: 8 points, 4-5.
Jaylen: 3 points, 1-4 (1-3), 1 turnover.
Brogdon: 3 points 1-5 (1-3), 1 turnover.

Lol at offensively limited Smart with the most crunch time usage.

What a dysfunctional team and coach.

I know it's easy to think just about the Celtics, but no doubt the other team wants Marcus to shoot and is very happy to funnel the ball towards him in these situations. It's pretty easy when Tatum just dribbles until the double comes almost every single time -- and I think even 'bad' defenses are good enough to know who to leave open as they scramble to recover from the double.

1

While I don’t buy that Smart freezing Jaylen out is a realistic thing, I do think Smart (and Brogdon) are the two biggest culprits of how much the ball slows down late in these playoff games.

Tatum’s job is to draw the double, the rest of the team is supposed to be ready to make a quick play off of that, against a disadvantaged defense. That does reflect coaching, because the players are just standing still.

[Triple7]

Spo designed a play for butler with a second remaining, while Joe can’t design a proper end of game play in game 1, and totally won’t call a time out last night. We are toast with this stubborn clueless ass coach.

[31to6]

Lol at offensively limited Smart with the most crunch time usage.

What a dysfunctional team and coach.

I know it's easy to think just about the Celtics, but no doubt the other team wants Marcus to shoot and is very happy to funnel the ball towards him in these situations. It's pretty easy when Tatum just dribbles until the double comes almost every single time -- and I think even 'bad' defenses are good enough to know who to leave open as they scramble to recover from the double.

1

While I don’t buy that Smart freezing Jaylen out is a realistic thing, I do think Smart (and Brogdon) are the two biggest culprits of how much the ball slows down late in these playoff games.

Tatum’s job is to draw the double, the rest of the team is supposed to be ready to make a quick play off of that, against a disadvantaged defense. That does reflect coaching, because the players are just standing still.

Don't leave JT off of the list of 'ball slowers'. If anything I hope yesterday's loss can prompt some reflection on behalf of Jayson, Marcus, and whomever else that YOU CAN GET GOING BEFORE 3 SECONDS REMAIN

I 100% agree about the strategy and the role of coaching. But Joe is saying those are the shots he wants -- just missed one, and got the other off too late. For a 34-year-old in his first rodeo, I'm fine with that. If they players get it into their head now that going before 3 seconds remain is helpful, then we might not be having this same convo like midway through the NBA Finals.