Celts Enjoy Raptor, Lettuce & Tomato Sandwiches! VC vs TOR 11/11

[Fierce1]

Porzingis sending the message that we need to move the ball more.

Only one player needs that message to be received.

Fortunately, JB and KP seem to get along both on and off the court.

That's a good thing.

JB just needs to wake up.

Back in 2021 it was 1a and 1b, but right now, JT is light years ahead of JB.

It's now clear that it's Batman and Robin.

[BK_2020]

lol

[KillahGhostface]

One thing I’ve very clearly noticed so far, and maybe it’s playing into the +41.3 on/off, is that Tatum is perfectly content letting the bench crew try to cook. He will go multiple possessions in a row where he’s just a floor spacer, or cutting off ball to open up looks for other guys.

This is something zoya has harped on for years, it gives those guys confidence, and builds trust both ways.

[BrianFitz]

If the bench (Pritchard, Hauser, Horford) can score 20+ each night, Jaylen plays within the offence & Joe shows improvements in late game management we’re going to be pretty damn hard to beat this year.

Thing is, the bench needs to play well in close games. Not just in the games that the starters have built huge leads and everyone is playing free and loose.

PP in particular plays much better with big leads it seems. Which leads me to believe a lot of his issues are mental and he plays too tight on most nights. I want him to do the opposite of what I want Brown to do. I want Pritchard to not be afraid to make a pass that COULD be a turnover, and not be afraid to just blast to the rim even if he gets blocked.

[BrianFitz]

JT has finally added the final piece to his arsenal and that is the power game.

The guy is just very strong now.

Last season I was laughed at when I said he's on the same level as Larry Bird.

Right now it's very clear JT belongs on Larry's level.

Scoring, yes. Rebounding, yes. Playmaking not really close. JT's playmaking has improved and likely will continue, Bird's was natural and was elite from his rookie season.

And add in the tear your heart out, killer instinct from LB that hopefully Tatum can improve on.

[zoyathedestroya]

This is admittedly to push my agenda of having JB play offball more and dribbling less.

1st eight games:
• Average second per touch: 4.02
• Average dribbles per touch: 3.51
• Points per touch: 0.442 (this is actually already elite)

Last night:
• Average second per touch: 3.26
• Average dribbles per touch: 2.71
• Points per touch: 0.622 (mindblowingly good)

One-game sample and it did seem the Raptors kinda let go of the rope in the 4th Q, but I wanna see this type of shot profile from JB again esp against tougher D. His usage was very high, largely a function of him taking a ton of shots / finishing plays. Catch-and-shoot, rip-and-go, come off curls, handoffs, corner crashes, baseline cuts, transition buckets. He can still get to his 22-25 ppg but hopefully on higher efficiency and reduced chances to turn it over. Added benefit of not having to throw the remote at the television.

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EDIT: This was JB's 2nd most efficient game (TS%) and 3rd best turnover ratio game. His most efficient was his heater game vs. the Wizards (which, if we're being honest, is not really sustainable/replicable).

[Fencer reregistered]

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That play was fantastic.

Yep. Porzingis was closer to the basket on every touch. On his third one, the Raptors were more worried about him than the perimeter guys they were defending, and a corner 3 for Hauser ensued.

[zoyathedestroya]

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Aaron Gordon of the Orlando Magic could put up good stats, even as they tried to mold him as an onball playmaker. But they never won ****. Aaron Gordon of the Denver Nuggets is putting up similar/better numbers at higher efficiency with a shift in his role/utilization surrounded by better talent and was maybe their 2nd or 3rd most impactful player en route to a title.

[KillahGhostface]

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Weiss a dork, but last night is all I’ve ever wanted lol. His usage was super high because of two stretches where he really wanted to dribble, but otherwise? Perfection.

[Homerclease]

Celtics made it look easy last night, which is what they’ve done so far against lesser teams and that’s a positive sign. They still have to figure out the riddle of what to do with Tatum on the bench though and so far they haven’t found an answer. I’m not sure what it is without adding another piece with the Grant TPE, and I’m not sure what that piece is quite yet either

[Bad-Thoma]

lol

That's some floor balance right there.

[lon3lytoaster]

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Weiss a dork, but last night is all I’ve ever wanted lol. His usage was super high because of two stretches where he really wanted to dribble, but otherwise? Perfection.

Yeah I was really happy with Jaylen in the second half. He should be playing like young Avery Bradley. He'll still get his half court opportunities because of his status but cuts and digging for transition opportunities, some some catch and shoot makes him a much better player.

[bisme37]

Porzingis became the first Celtic since Kevin Garnett with 175 points and 50 rebounds in his first nine games with Boston

[bisme37]

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[31to6]

Am I too late to vote Tatum?

I was not.

JT driving for layups was the foundation of this win.

He's playing like the best player on the court almost every night now, which is great, because he is.

[31to6]

JT has finally added the final piece to his arsenal and that is the power game.

The guy is just very strong now.

Last season I was laughed at when I said he's on the same level as Larry Bird.

Right now it's very clear JT belongs on Larry's level.

Tatum still needs to improve his leadership and passing ability to get near Bird's level. Tatum is great.
Bird was at a different level.

Yeah, not saying he's already as good as Larry, but clearly JT is on that level.

That level is certainly above Paul Pierce's level.

I'll consider Tatum above Pierce's level when he wins a 2nd title in Boston. I hope that is soon. But he isn't there yet. For now, for me, Paul's clutch scoring prowess evens out the All-NBA selections that Tatum has in his favor.

To be on Larry's level? That's 3 MVPs and 3 rings -- I hope Tatum gets there, but there's not many players in the history of the sport on that level!

Russell, Larry, Magic, Jordan, Kareem, LeBron are the only players with at least 3 MVPs and at least 3 titles.

Wilt (2 titles, 4 MVPs), Duncan (5 titles, 2 MVPs), Steph (4 rings, 2 MVPs), and Moses (3 MVPs, 1 ring) are varying degrees of 'close'.

If you don't want to count things like MVPs or rings, then just put them on a court together at age 26 each and I guarantee you Larry is the better player by a country mile. I love Tatum but it's true. If you saw Larry, you know this.

And FWIW Tatum is only occasionally playing 'strong'. Just as often he's splaying out, falling backwards, and/or falling down, then (still!) looking at the ref for a call.

Sorry for the rant. I believe Celtics fans have an awesome history to be aware of and to cherish. And to be realistic about as we evaluate our current stars.

[Fierce1]

Tatum still needs to improve his leadership and passing ability to get near Bird's level. Tatum is great.
Bird was at a different level.

Yeah, not saying he's already as good as Larry, but clearly JT is on that level.

That level is certainly above Paul Pierce's level.

I'll consider Tatum above Pierce's level when he wins a 2nd title in Boston. I hope that is soon. But he isn't there yet. For now, for me, Paul's clutch scoring prowess evens out the All-NBA selections that Tatum has in his favor.

To be on Larry's level? That's 3 MVPs and 3 rings -- I hope Tatum gets there, but there's not many players in the history of the sport on that level!

Russell, Larry, Magic, Jordan, Kareem, LeBron are the only players with at least 3 MVPs and at least 3 titles.

Wilt (2 titles, 4 MVPs), Duncan (5 titles, 2 MVPs), Steph (4 rings, 2 MVPs), and Moses (3 MVPs, 1 ring) are varying degrees of 'close'.

If you don't want to count things like MVPs or rings, then just put them on a court together at age 26 each and I guarantee you Larry is the better player by a country mile. I love Tatum but it's true. If you saw Larry, you know this.

And FWIW Tatum is only occasionally playing 'strong'. Just as often he's splaying out, falling backwards, and/or falling down, then (still!) looking at the ref for a call.

Sorry for the rant. I believe Celtics fans have an awesome history to be aware of and to cherish. And to be realistic about as we evaluate our current stars.

I became a Celtic fan because of Larry Bird.

I'm an 80's kid.

While JT has no rings and MVP awards, it's also true Bird is not as athletic as JT.

JT also has better handles.

You also don't see Bird dunk like JT.

It's just a matter of time, when JT gets that ring, every Celtic fan will acknowkedge JT's greatness.

Robert Horry has more rings than Kobe.

That doesn't mean Horry is the better player.

[Fierce1]

Let's not equate achievements with abilities.

What you've done is different from how good you are.

[return2glory]

JT has finally added the final piece to his arsenal and that is the power game.

The guy is just very strong now.

Last season I was laughed at when I said he's on the same level as Larry Bird.

Right now it's very clear JT belongs on Larry's level.

Tatum still needs to improve his leadership and passing ability to get near Bird's level. Tatum is great.
Bird was at a different level.

Yeah, not saying he's already as good as Larry, but clearly JT is on that level.

That level is certainly above Paul Pierce's level.

Tatum isn't as good as Bird, so they aren't at the same level. To say Tatum is at the same level as Bird is unfair to Tatum.
As a rookie, Bird lead his team to a title. The year before the got there, I think the Celtics won only 29 games.

Bird is the only one of 3 players to win back to back to back MVPs. The other 2 players were Russell and Wilt.

Tatum is the best player the Celtics have had since Bird retired. I agree he is above Pierce. And Pierce was really really good.

[LeonPowe2004]

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Jrue is great, but according to Dan Greenberg, no Celtic ever gets scored on, ever. How did the Raptors get to 94 if everyone went 0 for 300?