What have we learned from this series?

[Jferrari401]

I don't think that anybody was expecting us to go very deep in the playoffs and this has been an even matched, tough series that we are still very much in. No matter what happens, I think that more than anything else we are learning which players are keepers going forward.

Despite the fact that this is somehow still a controversial statement around here, Isaiah has clearly proved that he belongs among the NBA's stars. I'm not saying he's top 10 or a superstar but he is being keyed on by Atlanta every game, sometimes with double or triple teams and he has put together some incredible performances. He's been uneven because it is a near impossible task, but if we can add another consistent offensive player to take away some of the pressure, he will be lethal.

Turner has shown that he is absolutely one of our best players and a keeper going forward. I think he is easily the number one priority in resigning players this offseason, and should no longer be viewed as a stop gap.

Smart has been up and down all season but how can you watch his play this series and not think he is part of the future of this team. He has been fantastic on the big stage and is only 22 years old.

Other players like Amir Johnson and Jerebko have stepped up but I am less clear on their futures with the team.

It's also hard to make a judgment on Crowder because he has been good all year and is still hurting. His performance is disappointing but doesn't change my opinion of him. Bradley is hard to judge because he hasn't played but we are definitely missing his shooting on offense. I like the two of them going forward.

We have seen that  the rest of our roster could use some serious improvements. Our bigs are simply not that good. I've been a Sullinger fan all his career but he just looks overmatched. Olynyk doesn't look like a good NBA player to me and I have felt this way for a while. He has no mental or physical toughness and is not skilled enough to make up for it. He was absolutely brutal last night, and theres only so much you can blame on injury. We definitely need to add bigs and shooters this offseason.

We stil have a chance in this series and I'm pretty sure we are going to force it to seven and I'm excited to see how we respond. Still, it is a building year and we have made great improvements. Let's use these playoffs to learn more about the players we have, and find ways to make the team better suited for a run next season.

[Atzar]

If everyone has been paying attention, then we have learned very little from this series. This thread is littered with things we all already knew and nothing that we didnt already know.

We knew this team was tough but lacking frontcourt talent and offensive talent. We knew Brad Stevens was a great coach. We knew health was paramount for any team's success in the playoffs. We knew Atlanta wasnt the best match up for this team. We knew just about everything mentioned in this thread that discusses the minutae regarding this team.

For me, about the only thing that I learned is that Marcus Smart has a much higher ceiling than I thought he did if he can ever get his shot to fall at 45/35/80 rates across the board and if he can play with more intelligence doing so on a consistent basis. For me, thats about all I have learned from this series that I didnt already know.

Agree with this post, though it seems I had a higher opinion of Smart coming into this series than you did.

If I learned anything from this series, it's that Millsap may be one of the most underrated defensive players in the league. 

[walker834]

Due to injuries to bradley, ko and crowder . Smart, Turner, jerebko are our lone depth.  Along with Rozier who stevens has shown confidence in.  Rj and Young, and mickey are not near ready to step on the court in a playoff series apparently.  Zeller is our lone backup to Amir which is not good.   We need more talent because besides isaiah we are showing our weaknesses.  We can't rely on 3 or 4 guys to contribute. We need contributions from a lot of guys. Injuries and just lack of contributions from some players has really derailed us so far this series.   We also have to be ready when the playoffs start and know we are going to get punched in the  mouth at some point. This last game and game 1 and 2 we really just let our guard down in spots.  We lack consistant scoring besides Isaiah if a lot of guys aren't contributing.

Isaiah is Ainge's binky.  I am 100 percent certain of this. He is the gm and doesn't have emotional attachments to players like that but if he has one it's Isaiah.

[Moranis]

I've learned nothing from the series.

[slamtheking]

1) IT isn't a primary option on offense, though I think most of us already knew this

2) Sully needs to go

3) KO will never be a legit starter, too soft , can't play when hurting.

4 ) Amir and Jerebko can  contribute  in big games

5) AB and Smart are a very solid combo at the SG spot .

We need a go to guy and starting PF or c  who can control the paint .

first and foremost, I think the only people who've learned something from this series are the ones that had high expectations for this team and didn't see the warts.

1.  Completely agree.  been saying this all year.  he's ideally a 3rd option or scorer off the bench. 
2. disagree.  No one has looked good this series.  No one.  Dismissing our top rebounder and a solid scorer around the basket based on this series is not a smart move.  his contract requirements may hinder keeping him but this series is not an indicator of how he's played this year.  look back to the playoffs against Cleveland last year and he was our best big.  it's a matchup issue this series (and everyone else is losing their matchup as well).
3. KO's soft.  real soft.  nothing new but he's been absolutely useless this series.  either his shoulder is worse than we're being told or he's having his worst confidence regression since joining the club. 
4.  They've stepped up their games this series but they're still not players we should be considering starters.  ideally they'd be coming off the bench.  Solid D but they're not the scorers we need.
5. AB and Smart are solid players but tbh, I'd like a better scorer at SG than either of them.  someone that can shoot with range, create their own shot and fascilitate the offense a bit.  neither fits that bill.

6. reinforced my opinion that this is a team of role players.  they overachieved in the regular season but the playoffs are exposing them.  they're supposed strength was the depth of the roster and that's being exposed as a myth in this series.
7. Rozier wasn't necessarily a blown pick.  he may turn into a decent bench player. 
8. Hunter hasn't looked as good as the beginning of the season or preseason when he got some burn. 
9. Zeller's time with the C's is likely over after the C's are eliminated from the playoffs. 
10. Danny needs to acquire better talent to move the franchise forward.  whether that's using the draft, free agency or trades, C's are going about as far as they can with the current level of talent on the roster.

[Rakulp]

1.  Injuries can kill championship dreams.

2.  Next man up is more than a slogan in the playoffs.

3.  It's 4 out of 7, not 3 out of 7...nothing outrageous in believing in a 2 game winning streak.

4.  This isn't last year and neither is this team the same as last year.

5.  Boston fans are going to be loud tomorrow night no matter the result..."LET'S GO CELTICS!"

Rak

[nickagneta]

Regarding Olynyk, this is the second consecutive playoff series where he has been softer than melted butter and a massive net negative for this team. He has confidence issues, that we knew. He isnt tough, that we knew. But is he one of these players that shrink and play worse once the pressure and limelight get ratcheted up? Is he like the opposite of what Rondo once was? Rondo shined brightest on the biggest stages and at times shrank during the mundacity of the regular season. Is KO one of those players that shines when its not important and falls apart when the stakes are highest?

[Rondo9]

1. That home court advantage means a lot in the playoffs
2. That the Hawks are a bad matchup
3. That Giannis would've been a better pick than KO.

I agree with all this especially #3.

Or Schroader

Are we STILL on this?!

[mctyson]

1) IT isn't a primary option on offense, though I think most of us already knew this

2) Sully needs to go

3) KO will never be a legit starter, too soft , can't play when hurting.

4 ) Amir and Jerebko can  contribute  in big games

5) AB and Smart are a very solid combo at the SG spot .

We need a go to guy and starting PF or c  who can control the paint .

1) LOL. Was leading the playoffs in scoring until last night. LOL.

2) He doesn't need to go anywhere.

3) k.

4) They can contribute in all games.

5) Glad you learned that from this series.