GT: Knicks @ Celtics , Game 1 Monday 7:00pm ET

[MrDollarBills]

I think I go

OG on Tatum
Hart on Brown
Mikal on White

White is such a swing player for them.

Brunson guards Holiday since he is there worst offensive player.

And then KAT on KP...but they have to do more switching and live with the results. We can't come out with drop coverage and get Tatum and KP open 3's. If Tatum is matched up a lot vs KAT in switches so be it...just tell KAT to keep him in front (easier said then done) and then try your best to close out on step back 3's.

Boston will get the matchups they want. You can't go under with Pritchard or Tatum handling the ball in particular. Brunson's man can also act as the screener in the PNR to bring him in the action, which I expect will be a staple of their offense.

Brunson and KAT will need to step up defensively and put up a fight. There is nowhere for them to hide against the Celtics.

I agree with your point about drop coverage. It would be borderline suicidal to rely heavily on it.

They are going to put KAT and Brunson in P&R coverage just like DET did we all know that.

If Holiday comes to screen for Tatum then Brunson needs to show and recover back to Holiday. If he's beating us from 3 so be it. You have to pick your poison. Holiday shooting volume 3's like THjr or Beasley is probably a win for us (they want there bulk 3's coming from Tatum/KP/White ect...

If KP is bringing KAT over to screen then that needs to be a switch 100% of the time. OG goes to KP (that is not advantage BOS). So Tatum then is going to go 1 on 1 with KAT. Honestly we just have to live with those results. We can't be giving up open 3's to there best shooters.

If we need to rotate...rotate off Jaylen Brown.

ORL kept games relatively tight because they switched everything and let WCjr defend Tatum 1 on 1 he had success driving on that matchup but you will live with BOS making 2's...games will get out of hand if they get comfortable from 3.

The difference is ORL doesn't have a closer like we do with Brunson so our job is to keep the game close...put the pressure on BOS to make shots late and then give it to Brunson to take over.

Yep.

If Tatum drops 50 shooting contested threes, God bless him. But I'm not letting anyone else get an open look from three.

[TheGreenArrow]

If the knicks can steal 1 on the road ,that will change everything. Gives the knicks confidence they can defeat the defending champions. Pacers just won on the road, I think we can as well.

The only thing I am holding on to is that we were never at full strength against them. Outside of that, I see no way we win this series or even a game or two. Thibs really needs to expand the rotation and we have no reason to believe he will. None. We will not win playing 6-7 man rotations. Thibs is the biggest obstacle we have. That gives me very little confidence moving forward.

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Thankfully it seems like if this series goes awry things will change and it starts with thibs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[3toheadmelo]

look nothing we do defensively is going to take away from the fact is they have the ability to bring KAT or Brunson into the action and simply we don't have a great counter for that.

What we can't do and why the ORL/BOS series was somewhat close (even though ORL can shoot) in terms of the score was because ORL switched all the KP action. KP murdered us this year and ORL held KP in check. Derrick White murdered us this year and outside of Game 1 vs ORL they held him in check as well. They both shot the sh*t out of the ball because we gave them wide open C&S 3's.

Tatum is going to score whatever we do against him...what we can't allow is for KP and White to get hot from 3. If they do we have no chance.

No solution is going to work...and ultimately it will be our offense that needs to carry us in this series...we can't have stretches of stagnant offense.

We don't have the size and speed on defense to blitz the screens and recover to there shooters. We don't have a bunch of long twitchy athletes to blitz and recover to there shooters they will just move the ball around enough and find an open shooter.

Just live with the Tatum ISO...if he beats us he beats us.

KP shot 45.5 from 3 on 11 attempts
White shot 54.3 from 3 on 8.8 attempts

we can't allow that...the series will be over before we can even play a game in NY.

Tatum is going to score and we are just going to have to live with that.

I'm not saying it’s a great solution I'm saying it’s the best we have for what we can run out there. If you blitz Tatum and make him into a winning passer and there secondary players hit a bunch of open 3's and get into rhythm we have absolutely no chance.

I don’t disagree, but I still think we should try blitzing him. Guarding him 1 v 1 allowed him to put up insane numbers against us this year and it gave us no shot. I rather limit him and let guys like white beat us. If we lose to Derrick white then it is what it is.

I guess we’ll see what happens

I think Tatum is at his best when he's getting 7-10 assists like he was when BOS was making that there run to winning the finals.

If we blitz with KAT to get the ball our of Tatums hands its going to be shooting practice for one of the best high volume shooting 3 pt teams in the NBA. Tatum is so big he can make nearly every pass out of a blitz like Luka can. PPP would say blitzing a big wing that can pass usually is a nightmare for the defense.

We need to copy what ORL did and basically switch everything. Yes that means leaving a WCjr on Tatum (who Tatum did a great job against) and probably will do a similar job vs KAT. But ORL was able to keep BOS in the 100-105 pt range for the majority of the series...if we can do that we have a shot even if Tatum scores big.

We should certainly switch our defense up against them to keep them from just pre-determining reads. But I believe our best bet is to switch nearly everything outside of Brunson...you can't switch Brunson onto Tatum because the height will be too much to overcome...but Brunson can hopefully show and recover back to Jrue or Pritchard like we were doing with THjr and Beasley.

We both know our odds of defending them will be challenging whichever route we go so I don't want to sit here and say its going to work because Tatum might just kill us on every switch...but I can' play drop against him...and blitzing has value I just don't think we rotate well enough (especially KAT) to know when to get back and find his guy. Rather just say hey KAT if KP sets a screen you switch...and just do your best to keep Tatum in front of you. He's actually not half bad sliding his feet...it’s all the other stuff KAT is a disaster in when trying to guarding in space.

Yeah I don’t disagree. It’s just a tough situation for whatever way we try to defend them. Either we let Tatum go off or we give up raining 3s. What a sht situation to be

Oh well.. here’s to hoping the Knicks shock the world

[mpharris36]

I don’t disagree, but I still think we should try blitzing him. Guarding him 1 v 1 allowed him to put up insane numbers against us this year and it gave us no shot. I rather limit him and let guys like white beat us. If we lose to Derrick white then it is what it is.

I guess we’ll see what happens

I think Tatum is at his best when he's getting 7-10 assists like he was when BOS was making that there run to winning the finals.

If we blitz with KAT to get the ball our of Tatums hands its going to be shooting practice for one of the best high volume shooting 3 pt teams in the NBA. Tatum is so big he can make nearly every pass out of a blitz like Luka can. PPP would say blitzing a big wing that can pass usually is a nightmare for the defense.

We need to copy what ORL did and basically switch everything. Yes that means leaving a WCjr on Tatum (who Tatum did a great job against) and probably will do a similar job vs KAT. But ORL was able to keep BOS in the 100-105 pt range for the majority of the series...if we can do that we have a shot even if Tatum scores big.

We should certainly switch our defense up against them to keep them from just pre-determining reads. But I believe our best bet is to switch nearly everything outside of Brunson...you can't switch Brunson onto Tatum because the height will be too much to overcome...but Brunson can hopefully show and recover back to Jrue or Pritchard like we were doing with THjr and Beasley.

We both know our odds of defending them will be challenging whichever route we go so I don't want to sit here and say its going to work because Tatum might just kill us on every switch...but I can' play drop against him...and blitzing has value I just don't think we rotate well enough (especially KAT) to know when to get back and find his guy. Rather just say hey KAT if KP sets a screen you switch...and just do your best to keep Tatum in front of you. He's actually not half bad sliding his feet...it’s all the other stuff KAT is a disaster in when trying to guarding in space.

Yeah I don’t disagree. It’s just a tough situation for whatever way we try to defend them. Either we let Tatum go off or we give up raining 3s. What a sht situation to be

Oh well.. here’s to hoping the Knicks shock the world

Its certainly a long shot for sure. I just want to see competitive games...if we are getting blow out left and right I will be disappointed.

[Jalen Bluntson]

Brunson/Deuce
Mikal
Hart
OG
KAT/Mitch

Is not gonna get it done against Boston. I really hope Thibs knows this. If he pulls this BS again this series we are getting run off the court. Precious should be playing a lot in this series.

[rajajackal]

if mikal finally arrived then the celtics have never played this knicks team

Oh were crazy talking ourself into this sht.

LFG!!!

i'm going braveheart on this series fk it

[Guano]

if mikal finally arrived then the celtics have never played this knicks team

Oh were crazy talking ourself into this sht.

LFG!!!

i'm going braveheart on this series fk it

Im in!

[spree8]

Jesus, Celtics have a damn chess master helping the coach and players. Why can’t we have nice things like this?

The Boston Celtics have added former chess prodigy Josh Waitzkin as a consultant, a move that was never publicly announced until now. Waitzkin, whose childhood was portrayed in the 1993 Oscar-nominated film "Searching for Bobby Fischer," has been working closely with head coach Joe Mazzulla since the 2022-23 season.

Their relationship intensified after Boston's Game 7 loss to Miami in the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals. Following the defeat, Mazzulla spent eight days at Waitzkin's secluded Costa Rican home in what the coach described as a "cave process" designed to break him down and build him back up.

"I need Josh to make me better so I can help the team be better," Mazzulla told the Globe. "That's how it's always been."

Waitzkin's unorthodox approach included having Mazzulla surf powerful Pacific waves and hike barefoot through mountainous jungle terrain with dangerous wildlife present. The purpose was to expose mental vulnerabilities through physical discomfort.

"The heartbreak and the brokenness are what lead to the strength," Waitzkin explained. "How do you train for it? You learn to hunt for pain, hunt for adversity."

Waitzkin officially joined the Celtics as a consultant after Jeff Van Gundy departed for the Clippers last summer. He now spends approximately one week per month with the team and plans to remain throughout the playoff run.

The former chess prodigy helps coaches identify psychological tells in opponents and provides unique perspectives drawn from his background in chess and tai chi. Derrick White noted that Waitzkin offered valuable advice about connecting with referees to better understand their mindsets during games.

"One thing I've seen Joe do is exquisitely embrace adversity, learn to love tension, learn to love the battle," Waitzkin said, "as opposed to having a little piece of you that wants a way out."Via Adam Himmelsbach/Boston Globe

[spree8]

Oh were crazy talking ourself into this sht.

LFG!!!

i'm going braveheart on this series fk it

Im in!

More like

[Jeff Van Gully]

Close your legs.

nice to see you around.

Why wouldn't I be? I took game 6 off like I said I would. Saw the replay of the Brunson game winning shot and that was all I needed to see. Thibs still sucks. I have no confidence in what is about to happen tonight. Hope I am absolutely dead wrong about everything. I have to try to watch at least game one to find out.

[Jeff Van Gully]

Oh were crazy talking ourself into this sht.

LFG!!!

i'm going braveheart on this series fk it

Im in!

i **** with y'all. this the crash out.

[Guano]

i'm going braveheart on this series fk it

Im in!

i **** with y'all. this the crash out.

All gas. No brakes.

Let's send this sht!

[Jeff Van Gully]

Im in!

i **** with y'all. this the crash out.

All gas. No brakes.

Let's send this sht!

Watch on YouTube

don't get me started

[MrDollarBills]

Brunson/Deuce
Mikal
Hart
OG
KAT/Mitch

Is not gonna get it done against Boston. I really hope Thibs knows this. If he pulls this BS again this series we are getting run off the court. Precious should be playing a lot in this series.

Precious, Payne, and Shamet absolutely should be playing. It's ridiculous that they're not.

Thibs needs to stop playing Josh 40+ mins.

[Guano]

Jesus, Celtics have a damn chess master helping the coach and players. Why can’t we have nice things like this?

Waitzkin's unorthodox approach included having Mazzulla surf powerful Pacific waves and hike barefoot through mountainous jungle terrain with dangerous wildlife present. The purpose was to expose mental vulnerabilities through physical discomfort.

Damn, why cant we have the crazy coach who surfs and hikes barefoot.

[Gant]

Jesus, Celtics have a damn chess master helping the coach and players. Why can’t we have nice things like this?

The Boston Celtics have added former chess prodigy Josh Waitzkin as a consultant, a move that was never publicly announced until now. Waitzkin, whose childhood was portrayed in the 1993 Oscar-nominated film "Searching for Bobby Fischer," has been working closely with head coach Joe Mazzulla since the 2022-23 season.

Their relationship intensified after Boston's Game 7 loss to Miami in the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals. Following the defeat, Mazzulla spent eight days at Waitzkin's secluded Costa Rican home in what the coach described as a "cave process" designed to break him down and build him back up.

"I need Josh to make me better so I can help the team be better," Mazzulla told the Globe. "That's how it's always been."

Waitzkin's unorthodox approach included having Mazzulla surf powerful Pacific waves and hike barefoot through mountainous jungle terrain with dangerous wildlife present. The purpose was to expose mental vulnerabilities through physical discomfort.

"The heartbreak and the brokenness are what lead to the strength," Waitzkin explained. "How do you train for it? You learn to hunt for pain, hunt for adversity."

Waitzkin officially joined the Celtics as a consultant after Jeff Van Gundy departed for the Clippers last summer. He now spends approximately one week per month with the team and plans to remain throughout the playoff run.

The former chess prodigy helps coaches identify psychological tells in opponents and provides unique perspectives drawn from his background in chess and tai chi. Derrick White noted that Waitzkin offered valuable advice about connecting with referees to better understand their mindsets during games.

"One thing I've seen Joe do is exquisitely embrace adversity, learn to love tension, learn to love the battle," Waitzkin said, "as opposed to having a little piece of you that wants a way out."Via Adam Himmelsbach/Boston Globe

I read that article this morning, which was really well done by Adam Himmelsbach. Here's a few more paragraphs about Josh Waitzkin.

After high school, Waitzkin traveled through Eastern Europe and began a period of self-exploration. He studied tai chi as a form of meditation and progressed to tai chi push hands, a mix of psychological and physical combat in which competitors attempt to disrupt their opponent’s balance.

Waitzkin won several national championships and in 2004 captured a push hands world title. It is extremely hard to be among the best in the world at one thing, and almost unfathomable to be among the best at two. But Waitzkin concluded that he was not necessarily born a gifted chess player or martial artist; he was an elite learner.

“This guy beat the Russians in chess and then went into Taiwan and beat the natives in tai chi, so he’s able to take on things,” Mazzulla said. “If you’re going to coach the Celtics you must be able to take on the type of stuff he did … I just felt he could take us to another level.”

[MrDollarBills]

Jesus, Celtics have a damn chess master helping the coach and players. Why can’t we have nice things like this?

The Boston Celtics have added former chess prodigy Josh Waitzkin as a consultant, a move that was never publicly announced until now. Waitzkin, whose childhood was portrayed in the 1993 Oscar-nominated film "Searching for Bobby Fischer," has been working closely with head coach Joe Mazzulla since the 2022-23 season.

Their relationship intensified after Boston's Game 7 loss to Miami in the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals. Following the defeat, Mazzulla spent eight days at Waitzkin's secluded Costa Rican home in what the coach described as a "cave process" designed to break him down and build him back up.

"I need Josh to make me better so I can help the team be better," Mazzulla told the Globe. "That's how it's always been."

Waitzkin's unorthodox approach included having Mazzulla surf powerful Pacific waves and hike barefoot through mountainous jungle terrain with dangerous wildlife present. The purpose was to expose mental vulnerabilities through physical discomfort.

"The heartbreak and the brokenness are what lead to the strength," Waitzkin explained. "How do you train for it? You learn to hunt for pain, hunt for adversity."

Waitzkin officially joined the Celtics as a consultant after Jeff Van Gundy departed for the Clippers last summer. He now spends approximately one week per month with the team and plans to remain throughout the playoff run.

The former chess prodigy helps coaches identify psychological tells in opponents and provides unique perspectives drawn from his background in chess and tai chi. Derrick White noted that Waitzkin offered valuable advice about connecting with referees to better understand their mindsets during games.

"One thing I've seen Joe do is exquisitely embrace adversity, learn to love tension, learn to love the battle," Waitzkin said, "as opposed to having a little piece of you that wants a way out."Via Adam Himmelsbach/Boston Globe

Joe is a complete lunatic but there is a brilliance behind his madness. I'll give him that much. When you see him talk he's always talking about "enjoying the pain". He said he was glad to see KP bleeding

But embracing adversity head on is a good life lesson in general. Running away when things get difficult or shrinking when things are tough is never the answer. You gotta center yourself in the moment and push through.

[Jalen Bluntson]

nice to see you around.

Why wouldn't I be? I took game 6 off like I said I would. Saw the replay of the Brunson game winning shot and that was all I needed to see. Thibs still sucks. I have no confidence in what is about to happen tonight. Hope I am absolutely dead wrong about everything. I have to try to watch at least game one to find out.

Nah B. It's called being realistic. Thibs has been embarrassingly out coached all year long by Boston among other teams. This team looked like they had no business being on the same court every game. That has to change before there is any reason to have hope.

You can suck his binky if you want to.

[B8RcDeMktfxC]

Jesus, Celtics have a damn chess master helping the coach and players. Why can’t we have nice things like this?

Waitzkin's unorthodox approach included having Mazzulla surf powerful Pacific waves and hike barefoot through mountainous jungle terrain with dangerous wildlife present. The purpose was to expose mental vulnerabilities through physical discomfort.

Damn, why cant we have the crazy coach who surfs and hikes barefoot.

Damn, why cant the Knicks have the crazy GM who surfs and hikes barefoot?

[MrDollarBills]

Jesus, Celtics have a damn chess master helping the coach and players. Why can’t we have nice things like this?

Waitzkin's unorthodox approach included having Mazzulla surf powerful Pacific waves and hike barefoot through mountainous jungle terrain with dangerous wildlife present. The purpose was to expose mental vulnerabilities through physical discomfort.

Damn, why cant we have the crazy coach who surfs and hikes barefoot.

Tom is crazy too but Mazzulla is like crazy to the point where I wouldn't be surprised if he has murdered someone at some point in his life.

Dead ass.