Knicks (25-26) at Celtics (25-26) Game #52 4/7/21

[footey]

Tatum had 8 turnovers tonight.

8 turnovers.

[Somebody]

Tatum had 8 turnovers tonight.

8 turnovers.

It isn't exactly news - his game isn't very playmaking friendly.

[Somebody]

Stevens has a lot of confidence in Langford. I could see Pritchard and the Grant/Semi tandem losing minutes because Stevens wants to play Langford.

Missed this game but he couldn't be any worse than those guys, his defence is impressive.

Stevens started him and Romeo was also on the floor in the final minutes when the game was being decided.

That says a lot.

Sounds great, we can always use another good wing defender. The upside that Romeo brings as a raw wing who'll improve the more playing time he gets is an excellent bonus.

[radiohead]

I’m excited to see how Romeo improves as the season goes on. He doesn’t seem to be rattled easily, and that three that he hit with NY up by 5 was clutch!

[Quetzalcoatl]

Had to step out after halftime but a feel good win at least. Surprised that Timelord is a -17 or whatever while Kardashian was a +22. Will have to look at the DVR but this was an absolute must win and we won it. Friday will be another absolute must win.

Yeah the final tally was TimeLord -21 and Tristan Thompson +24

[celts55]

Stevens has a lot of confidence in Langford. I could see Pritchard and the Grant/Semi tandem losing minutes because Stevens wants to play Langford.

Could be right. Not a big fan of Semi or Grant, so fine with him taking their minutes. As for Pritchard, I think he has talent, but isn't aggressive enough. To many games where he takes few or zero shots. I'd like to see him and handle the ball more. Drive to the hoop. Take good 3's. I don't know that it's all his fault, as I've seen Tatum demand the ball from him a number of times. Maybe Brad should have a chat with him and let him know he's a point guard. He's got to have the ball in his hands.

Of topic, why can't Brown hit free throws. 3-7 last nigh alone. It's concerning.

[footey]

Tatum had 8 turnovers tonight.

8 turnovers.

It isn't exactly news - his game isn't very playmaking friendly.

Isn’t news? Has any player in this team made 8 turnovers in a game this entire season? Or last season?  That is a ridiculous number. Brad is putting him at the point on a lot of possessions and it cost us 8 possessions. Need a better plan.

[Goldstar88]

Tatum had 8 turnovers tonight.

8 turnovers.

It isn't exactly news - his game isn't very playmaking friendly.

Isn’t news? Has any player in this team made 8 turnovers in a game this entire season? Or last season?  That is a ridiculous number. Brad is putting him at the point on a lot of possessions and it cost us 8 possessions. Need a better plan.

Maybe Brad should let the Smart and Pritchard bring the ball up since they are the point guards? Pritchard was passing the ball much better in the beginning of the season and for whatever reason Brad isn’t letting him handle the ball. Smart seems more than capable as well. He has 9 assists and only 2 TO yesterday. The coach needs to do a better job.

[seancally]

Tatum had 8 turnovers tonight.

8 turnovers.

It isn't exactly news - his game isn't very playmaking friendly.

Isn’t news? Has any player in this team made 8 turnovers in a game this entire season? Or last season?  That is a ridiculous number. Brad is putting him at the point on a lot of possessions and it cost us 8 possessions. Need a better plan.

Maybe Brad should let the Smart and Pritchard bring the ball up since they are the point guards? Pritchard was passing the ball much better in the beginning of the season and for whatever reason Brad isn’t letting him handle the ball. Smart seems more than capable as well. He has 9 assists and only 2 TO yesterday. The coach needs to do a better job.

Let’s not forget that when we say we need to play young guys and let them make mistakes so they can get better (not saying that’s your point here but it is something folks have called for, and I agree), that should include Tatum as well. He and Brown are young players who have imperfect games. For Tatum, playmaking and point-forward decision-making is the final frontier. He needs to be able to read the double, pass out of the trap, create opportunities through his gravity as a scorer. He’ll absolutely get there because he has the vision, IQ, length and skill. I fully support putting the ball in the hands of your best player and asking him to make plays. This is exactly what we should be doing. The TOs are a growing pain, but he’s so good that I honestly think he’ll have improved in this department as soon as the playoffs.

[jambr380]

Tatum had 8 turnovers tonight.

8 turnovers.

It isn't exactly news - his game isn't very playmaking friendly.

Isn’t news? Has any player in this team made 8 turnovers in a game this entire season? Or last season?  That is a ridiculous number. Brad is putting him at the point on a lot of possessions and it cost us 8 possessions. Need a better plan.

There were a couple of possessions to start out the 4th where if one of our guys didn't dive to the floor to get the ball or if the ball didn't get tipped out of bounds, he would have at least 3 more. I am glad he got to keep that number to an under double -digit one, because the rest of the 2nd half he played exactly how we want him to.

[seancally]

I’m excited to see how Romeo improves as the season goes on. He doesn’t seem to be rattled easily, and that three that he hit with NY up by 5 was clutch!

I love this about him. He’s made a few stupid mistakes since returning (errant pass, out of bounds, whatever) and it hasn’t shaken him. He’s stepped up and made plays. He’s always cool and collected even when he screws up. Not a given for young players especially those with such an up-and-down start to their career. It’s a valuable attribute. Brad trusts him.

[jambr380]

What are the chances this off-season that the Knicks, having whiffed on max free agents, inquire about Kemba?

I would say there is a pretty decent chance. I doubt we would get much in return (they don't have much to offer), but a fringe All-Star level scoring PG could really help that team. Him being from NY and only having two years left on his contract should only help the cause.

They could go in a different direction, but if they do whiff, I don't know why they wouldn't be interested. I doubt they want to go backwards in the standings.

[Celtics4ever]

Romeo did show some talent.

Decent effort from all the guys.

Stevens has a lot of confidence in Langford. I could see Pritchard and the Grant/Semi tandem losing minutes because Stevens wants to play Langford.

We can only hope, because in 25min we got 3 rebounds, 1 Assist and 3 PF and decent D from Grant.    6 Pts and zero rebounds, 1 Assist and 3 PF
from Semi

That is why I think upgrading PF is a priority in the off season.  Move Tatum to SF, and all the sudden we are a lot taller and lengthy and have some physical matchups for the other team to worry about.

It was against NYC and they are bad and everyone is acting like they are decent.   They play as hard as our guys used to do so.

[Birdman]

Still don’t know how Grant & Semi are still in NBA

[Goldstar88]

Still don’t know how Grant & Semi are still in NBA

Well, they both shoot the 3 ball at 40%. Semi is a 3 and D player, can guard multiple positions which is very useful. Grant is a 3
Point shooter and nothing else. He’s constantly at a disadvantage defensively due to his lack of height and athleticism. His lateral speed is laughable.

Would prefer If the PF rotation was Tatum and Thompson with a C rotation of Timelord, Thompson and Kornet.