Celtics 2024 Playoff Run Thread

[DefenseWinsChamps]

Frankly, we don't need JT or JB to be elite yet. We should be able to coast into the ECF without either of them dominating. One of them needs to dominate and the team needs to play well to beat NY (if we get Zinger back).

Then, to beat OKC/Min, both of them need to play well. Which they should be rested and able to do.

They completely ran out of steam against the Warriors two years ago, partially because they had such a difficult path. This year, they need to be as healthy and rested going into the finals as possible, then lay it all out.

[blink]

The slander on JT is getting out of hand on SM. Just casuals who think offense is the only aspect of the game that matters. They have a pick your poison team for opposing defenses.

Every single hater would be telling their kid to play like JT right now if they were getting doubled and tripled.

The mark of a great player is how they can affect the game without scoring. JT has done that in spades so far.

Yeah, JT's shot isn't falling, but he's doing the things we need:  rebounding, moving the ball, playing defense.  I'd like to see him drive to the hoop a bit more, but I have no major complaints.

If we look back over the last couple of seasons, we've lost games because JT / JB / Smart tried to do too much.  On this team, White and Jrue are fully capable of running the offense, which takes the pressure off of Tatum and Brown.

The bolded is so important.  Tatum and Brown don't really even need to initiate offense, other than maybe to switch things up to give the opp team a different look.  When Brown and Tatum aren't static away from the ball, when they screen, move, screen before they get the ball and are in motion when they receive the initial pass they are both really good as scorers from all 3 levels. 

It makes me frustrated when I see Tatum (or Brown) iso his guy the whole shot clock, but that hasn't happened much at all in this post-season, just once last night I remember.  Tatum's 2nd biggest asset to us as a team is as a decoy from the gravity he draws from other players, it makes the other def players move.  If JT gives us 18/10/7 a night with great def and making all the right reads, he still might be our MVP of the playoffs because it is making the team better.   It is so nice to see a different guy every night as the leading scorer, because it means we are feeding the open man and going to the guy that has a hot hand that night.

[Vermont Green]

Frankly, we don't need JT or JB to be elite yet. We should be able to coast into the ECF without either of them dominating. One of them needs to dominate and the team needs to play well to beat NY (if we get Zinger back).

Then, to beat OKC/Min, both of them need to play well. Which they should be rested and able to do.

They completely ran out of steam against the Warriors two years ago, partially because they had such a difficult path. This year, they need to be as healthy and rested going into the finals as possible, then lay it all out.

I think the part about Tatum being drained by the time he got to the finals against Golden State is true. He wasn’t quite ready for that at that time. I think he is pacing himself to some degree. He wants to be ready for the finals.  He is perfectly happy to defer to others in these early rounds. I think you will see him be more assertive when he needs to be.

[SparzWizard]

Frankly, we don't need JT or JB to be elite yet. We should be able to coast into the ECF without either of them dominating. One of them needs to dominate and the team needs to play well to beat NY (if we get Zinger back).

Then, to beat OKC/Min, both of them need to play well. Which they should be rested and able to do.

They completely ran out of steam against the Warriors two years ago, partially because they had such a difficult path. This year, they need to be as healthy and rested going into the finals as possible, then lay it all out.

They were playing with their food in the ECSF and ECF. There was no reason to throw away Game 5 at home against the Bucks when the series was still at 2-2. And against the Heat, the C's were firing in all cylinders after Game 2. They could have closed it out in 5, but ended up losing two home games.

[Neurotic Guy]

WT

[Phantom255x]

[libermaniac]

Frankly, we don't need JT or JB to be elite yet. We should be able to coast into the ECF without either of them dominating. One of them needs to dominate and the team needs to play well to beat NY (if we get Zinger back).

Then, to beat OKC/Min, both of them need to play well. Which they should be rested and able to do.

They completely ran out of steam against the Warriors two years ago, partially because they had such a difficult path. This year, they need to be as healthy and rested going into the finals as possible, then lay it all out.

I think the part about Tatum being drained by the time he got to the finals against Golden State is true. He wasn’t quite ready for that at that time. I think he is pacing himself to some degree. He wants to be ready for the finals.  He is perfectly happy to defer to others in these early rounds. I think you will see him be more assertive when he needs to be.

That’s a great point. Hadn’t thought about that. TP

[Who]

Oops. Sorry, wrong thread.

[Who]

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[Who]

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[Moranis]

Frankly, we don't need JT or JB to be elite yet. We should be able to coast into the ECF without either of them dominating. One of them needs to dominate and the team needs to play well to beat NY (if we get Zinger back).

Then, to beat OKC/Min, both of them need to play well. Which they should be rested and able to do.

They completely ran out of steam against the Warriors two years ago, partially because they had such a difficult path. This year, they need to be as healthy and rested going into the finals as possible, then lay it all out.

I think the part about Tatum being drained by the time he got to the finals against Golden State is true. He wasn’t quite ready for that at that time. I think he is pacing himself to some degree. He wants to be ready for the finals.  He is perfectly happy to defer to others in these early rounds. I think you will see him be more assertive when he needs to be.

That’s a great point. Hadn’t thought about that. TP

and let's be honest the closest game Boston has had in the playoffs was the 10 point loss to the Heat in which Tatum was 10 of 20 and scored 28 poiints (and was +6 in 41 minutes). They haven't needed maximum effort Tatum

[keevsnick]

Frankly, we don't need JT or JB to be elite yet. We should be able to coast into the ECF without either of them dominating. One of them needs to dominate and the team needs to play well to beat NY (if we get Zinger back).

Then, to beat OKC/Min, both of them need to play well. Which they should be rested and able to do.

They completely ran out of steam against the Warriors two years ago, partially because they had such a difficult path. This year, they need to be as healthy and rested going into the finals as possible, then lay it all out.

I think the part about Tatum being drained by the time he got to the finals against Golden State is true. He wasn’t quite ready for that at that time. I think he is pacing himself to some degree. He wants to be ready for the finals.  He is perfectly happy to defer to others in these early rounds. I think you will see him be more assertive when he needs to be.

I will always believe that a significant part of the reason he struggled so much in the Finals was being tired. The C's had a long playoff run, but also they were so bad the first half of the regular seaosn that they had to play very hard down the stretch to secure their seeding. Tatum shot great from three in the finals, it was at the rim he struggled and that to me is more likely to be a "dead legs" situation.