Celtics (10-6) at Spurs (9-8) Game #17 1/27/21

[jambr380]

Let's also give our appreciation to Gregg Popovich, who's 71, and has lost his Parker/Ginobili/Duncan dynasty and Leonard afterwards. Nonetheless he has a roster that's on the turning point of a full rebuild (with DeRozan, Aldridge, Gay, Mills on expiring contracts), but surprisingly has that team in the playoff battle in the tough West. That dedication to basketball and ability to adapt to the changing league and his roster is quite remarkable.

I hope Theis indeed gets the start over Thompson, as I don't expect Thompson and Theis both to start (which forces Smart to be the 6th man again). Considering the players available (Pritchard and Langford out) that may be a better balanced move, but I think Smart is going to be a fulltime-starter from now on. It does bring up the question what Thompson's role on this team is going to be as we have a promising young center in Robert Williams who needs lots of minutes as well.

The center system is a bit of a trap for the C's.

Theis and Thompson can both play our switchable defensive scheme but Robert Williams struggles with it. After struggling at the start with a different role, Theis appears to have proven he is a significantly better player than Thompson, who has been disappointing.

When we got him, some posters warned that Thompson could be unmotivated for stretches. He also can turn it on, especially in the playoffs, and having a second center to plug in is important.

The problem is what to do with Williams. Despite his defensive issues, he's pretty dynamic and the team needs to give him the space to improve. He will probably outplay Thompson.

So what happens if Thompson can't win consistent minutes? We brought him in for certain matchups and physicality in the playoffs, but it may not be possible to bury him on the bench in favor of Theis/Williams, then expect that he will wake up and deliver come playoff time.

Theis and Williams deserve the minutes more, and splitting 48 minutes 3 ways isn't a good idea. None of them are workable power forwards for any serious minutes. Thompson may end up as a stranded asset on this team.

I agree with this. I was previously in favor of giving each of them one game off every three days. Centers take a beating in the NBA and with the condensed schedule, it would be great to have two fresh Centers for every game. Of course if there is an injury, then the other two are a go as usual, but this might help better balance the minutes and give each player the motivation to go out and play hard, as they know they will always be getting big minutes.

The only problem with my above thought is that Theis has clearly proven himself to be the best of the group, so I am not sure sitting him every three games makes sense. However, TL was just out for a couple of weeks and there is bound to be another injury at some point, so I guess we'll just have to see how things play out.

[Vermont Green]

Sounds like we will have all of our top players.  Only Langford and Pritchard listed as "Out".  I believe this is the first time all season that is the case.  Means that one of the "starters" is going to have to sit.  Most seem to think it is Thompson or Theis that will sit.  Not sure if anything has been announced.  I prefer they bring Smart off the bench and start:

Walker
Brown
Tatum
Theis
Thompson

They will certainly play some with small or 1 big line ups.   Down the stretch in a close game, they can do offense defense substitutions where maybe they sit Walker for the defensive possessions and sit Thompson for the offensive possessions.

Theis has been improving steadily playing as more of a PF.  He is averaging 16.5 pts in the last 4 games in about 25 min.  He had 23 and 10 rebs against Philly.  I suspect this is his ceiling but let's see if he can keep it up.

Smart has said in the past that he actually likes starting the game on the bench.  I forget his exact words but something along the line of he thinks he plays better after getting a chance to watch the game some from the bench.

[Darth_Yoda]

Sounds like we will have all of our top players.  Only Langford and Pritchard listed as "Out".  I believe this is the first time all season that is the case.  Means that one of the "starters" is going to have to sit.  Most seem to think it is Thompson or Theis that will sit.  Not sure if anything has been announced.  I prefer they bring Smart off the bench and start:

Walker
Brown
Tatum
Theis
Thompson

They will certainly play some with small or 1 big line ups.   Down the stretch in a close game, they can do offense defense substitutions where maybe they sit Walker for the defensive possessions and sit Thompson for the offensive possessions.

Theis has been improving steadily playing as more of a PF.  He is averaging 16.5 pts in the last 4 games in about 25 min.  He had 23 and 10 rebs against Philly.  I suspect this is his ceiling but let's see if he can keep it up.

Smart has said in the past that he actually likes starting the game on the bench.  I forget his exact words but something along the line of he thinks he plays better after getting a chance to watch the game some from the bench.

That 2 big lineup sucks and Smart has earned the start. Him beside Kemba so that Smart provides the playmaking that Kemba doesnt.

Kemba
Smart
Brown
tatum
Theis

Bench
Teague
Nesmith
Green
Semi
Thompson

[LilRip]

Let’s go C’s! Hopefully Spurs buy out Derozan and he’s so impressed by our team in this game that he inks a deal with us

[footey]

Any update on Spurs ability to suit up min required roster for tonight? Who is out?

[Vermont Green]

That 2 big lineup sucks and Smart has earned the start. Him beside Kemba so that Smart provides the playmaking that Kemba doesnt.

There is no statistical basis for that statement.  In fact, the 5 man unit you suggest sucks, Thompson, Theis, Tatum, Brown, Walker have not been on the court together this season according to NBA.com stats.  Your proposed unit has not either.  Tatum and Walker overall have not played together this season from what I can tell.

The line up of  Thompson, Theis, Brown, Smart, Walker (still a 2 big unit) has played 28 min and is +13.  That does not suck and I don't think putting in Tatum for Smart will make it suck.  The 3 man unit of Thompson, Theis, Walker has played a total of 30 min and is a +18.

I don't disagree that Smart has played at a starter level but he can help the team off the bench also, will play starter minutes, and will still see plenty of important minutes.  We will see how they decide to play this.  I am just offering my opinion with supporting statistics, where they exist.  I am sure you will see some of your proposed small line up also, just not that much.

[Jiri Welsch]

Any update on Spurs ability to suit up min required roster for tonight? Who is out?

I came looking for the same info! Shockingly busy day at work and haven’t been able to lurk lol

[Boris Badenov]

First game this year with Kemba, Brown and Tatum in the lineup...which virtually guarantees that Smart will lead the team in FGA tonight.

[Neurotic Guy]

First game this year with Kemba, Brown and Tatum in the lineup...which virtually guarantees that Smart will lead the team in FGA tonight.

While I continue to cringe any time Marcus shoots, I have to say his midrange shooting has seemed more consistent lately.  That’s eye test assessment not real stats so I’m probably wrong.  Despite those occasional games that he just kills it from 3, I think I’d be happy if Marcus never shot another 3 - except desperation buzzer shots.  Marcus should focus on penetrating and kicking out or taking open shots/lanes that become available.  His inconsistent shooting hurts the team’s momentum more often than his shooting streaks help. 

But...  I’m pretty ecstatic about seeing Kemba and the Jays together — finally. 

[byennie]

That 2 big lineup sucks and Smart has earned the start. Him beside Kemba so that Smart provides the playmaking that Kemba doesnt.

There is no statistical basis for that statement.  In fact, the 5 man unit you suggest sucks, Thompson, Theis, Tatum, Brown, Walker have not been on the court together this season according to NBA.com stats.  Your proposed unit has not either.  Tatum and Walker overall have not played together this season from what I can tell.

The line up of  Thompson, Theis, Brown, Smart, Walker (still a 2 big unit) has played 28 min and is +13.  That does not suck and I don't think putting in Tatum for Smart will make it suck.  The 3 man unit of Thompson, Theis, Walker has played a total of 30 min and is a +18.

I don't disagree that Smart has played at a starter level but he can help the team off the bench also, will play starter minutes, and will still see plenty of important minutes.  We will see how they decide to play this.  I am just offering my opinion with supporting statistics, where they exist.  I am sure you will see some of your proposed small line up also, just not that much.

I don't know about "sucks", but Thompson and Theis together are -3 on the season in 150+ minutes. if they are +18 with Walker, then they are -21 without him. I think it's a little early to be sure they aren't scapegoats, but 16 games in the pairing has not been a success.

[ETNCeltics]

Sounds like we will have all of our top players.  Only Langford and Pritchard listed as "Out".  I believe this is the first time all season that is the case.  Means that one of the "starters" is going to have to sit.  Most seem to think it is Thompson or Theis that will sit.  Not sure if anything has been announced.  I prefer they bring Smart off the bench and start:

Walker
Brown
Tatum
Theis
Thompson

They will certainly play some with small or 1 big line ups.   Down the stretch in a close game, they can do offense defense substitutions where maybe they sit Walker for the defensive possessions and sit Thompson for the offensive possessions.

Theis has been improving steadily playing as more of a PF.  He is averaging 16.5 pts in the last 4 games in about 25 min.  He had 23 and 10 rebs against Philly.  I suspect this is his ceiling but let's see if he can keep it up.

Smart has said in the past that he actually likes starting the game on the bench.  I forget his exact words but something along the line of he thinks he plays better after getting a chance to watch the game some from the bench.

That 2 big lineup sucks and Smart has earned the start. Him beside Kemba so that Smart provides the playmaking that Kemba doesnt.

Kemba
Smart
Brown
tatum
Theis

Bench
Teague
Nesmith
Green
Semi
Thompson

To me, it's become a no-brainer. Do we want Tatum or Brown defended by a Blake Griffin or Kevin Love, or do we want them defended by a smaller more athletic wing or forward? IMO, there is no reasonable argument for a 2 big lineup, unless we suddenly find ourselves with much better bigs.

[RodyTur10]

Sounds like we will have all of our top players.  Only Langford and Pritchard listed as "Out".  I believe this is the first time all season that is the case.  Means that one of the "starters" is going to have to sit.  Most seem to think it is Thompson or Theis that will sit.  Not sure if anything has been announced.  I prefer they bring Smart off the bench and start:

Walker
Brown
Tatum
Theis
Thompson

They will certainly play some with small or 1 big line ups.   Down the stretch in a close game, they can do offense defense substitutions where maybe they sit Walker for the defensive possessions and sit Thompson for the offensive possessions.

Theis has been improving steadily playing as more of a PF.  He is averaging 16.5 pts in the last 4 games in about 25 min.  He had 23 and 10 rebs against Philly.  I suspect this is his ceiling but let's see if he can keep it up.

Smart has said in the past that he actually likes starting the game on the bench.  I forget his exact words but something along the line of he thinks he plays better after getting a chance to watch the game some from the bench.

Am I the only one who thinks that Thompson and Theis have switched roles?

It looked to me that Theis was accommodating Thompson during the first stretch of games, where Thompson was constantly in the paint on both sides of the court. But the last two games I saw Thompson defend on the perimeter and Theis was playing his natural game (albeit shooting a bit more from deep).

I think Stevens has seen that the interior defense is lacking with Thompson as the last line of defense with his limited ability to defend the rim. So despite Thompson's superior rebounding the coach has more trust in Theis to read plays and his athletic ability to block shots. Thompson has become the hustle guy to rebound and bring toughness, but without the responsibilty to anchor the defense. And on offense Thompson just has to set screens and go for offensive rebounds. They  don't want him to post up or be the rim runner anymore, because of his bad finishing.

At least this is what I saw against Chicago.

[liam]

Sports guy on local news just said everyone was healthy for the Celtics but of course he was wrong. Pritchard and Romeo are still injured.

[liam]

GAMETIME!!!!!

[coco]

Romeo has played like 5minutes in two seasons.

...I am not sold.