Nuggets (46-22) at Celtics (43-27) Game #71 3/18/19

[tenn_smoothie]

Im truly ready to embrace AD.

No way Tatum is going to be a superstar. At the same age KD was tearing it up with his scoring.

What Kyrie need is a true superstar next to him and that is definitely not Tatum.

Everyone else are just good ball players.

I agree about AD, but I don't think he's going to magically solve all the team's problems. It runs a little deeper than that.

good point

[ozgod]

Its too much all Kyrie

Nobody else gets a chance to score it seems like

Look at the Nuggets basketball

And their defense plays with energy because of it

LOL.

My god. I was at least waiting for the game to have finished before this nonsense takes came to play

It’s not Kyrie. JB and JT are 4-17 and we have made it too easy for Denver eg their most recent possession

The Kyrie apologists just don't get it.

Part of the reason the other players do not shoot well is because they are so out-of-rhythm because the ball is not moving, they spend too much time standing around watching Irving dribble the shot clock away. That is Irving's style and it clashes with the coach's style and with the other players. Also, as triboy mentioned, this also leads to an overall lack of activity by the team as a whole. They are not as involved and it carries over to the defense.

People point out gaudy stats for Irving and say, "See, not his fault, he is playing great".  This misses the point. When Irving is dominant, the rest of the team is less involved - yes, even when he has big assist numbers, it often just means he dominated the ball, made a penetration and then ONE pass that led to a basket. That's fine once in awhile, but over the course of the entire game, it puts Tatum, Brown, etc. to sleep - on both ends.

I'm not a Kyrie apologist, but the stats don't bear that out. A lot of the shots that JB and JT missed happened when Kyrie was off the floor, on the bench.

Also the stats don't bear out that Kyrie dribbles the shot clock away. If you look at NBA.com he's not even in the top 30 when it comes to dribbles/touches (among players who play at least 20 mins). Apologies for it being a little small it's the only way I could fit Kyrie into the first page:



Also, if one player on the court makes other players play like shrinking violets, I'm not sure if it's the fault of the one player. I would have thought that the other players need to bear some responsibility for playing better.

I think the bottom line tonight is that the team didn't shoot well, JB and JT and Kyrie were combined 15-41 from the floor and when Brad's timeout with 1 sec left (which he said he was using because it was a free timeout and to simulate a situation where they may have to do that when it really counted) backfired when Mook threw the ball out of bounds and then JB wasn't looking at his defender on the subsequent Nuggets play. That and the inability to close out the 3 point line defensively was where they fell short tonight I think.

[liam]

Its too much all Kyrie

Nobody else gets a chance to score it seems like

Look at the Nuggets basketball

And their defense plays with energy because of it

LOL.

My god. I was at least waiting for the game to have finished before this nonsense takes came to play

It’s not Kyrie. JB and JT are 4-17 and we have made it too easy for Denver eg their most recent possession

The Kyrie apologists just don't get it.

Part of the reason the other players do not shoot well is because they are so out-of-rhythm because the ball is not moving, they spend too much time standing around watching Irving dribble the shot clock away. That is Irving's style and it clashes with the coach's style and with the other players. Also, as triboy mentioned, this also leads to an overall lack of activity by the team as a whole. They are not as involved and it carries over to the defense.

People point out gaudy stats for Irving and say, "See, not his fault, he is playing great".  This misses the point. When Irving is dominant, the rest of the team is less involved - yes, even when he has big assist numbers, it often just means he dominated the ball, made a penetration and then ONE pass that led to a basket. That's fine once in awhile, but over the course of the entire game, it puts Tatum, Brown, etc. to sleep - on both ends.

And when Kyrie is not on the floor? Are they distracted by him from the bench?

Once again, a lack of understanding of how this works.......... It is the games when Irving is a DNP that the team usually wakes up and looks like a different group - ball moving, active on defense, playing together more. When Irving is playing the tone is set - they can't turn a switch on when the guy goes to the bench for a few minutes of rest. That's impossible.

I guess I'm misremembering but I thought all our biggest wins against top teams were with Kyrie playing....

[tenn_smoothie]

Its too much all Kyrie

Nobody else gets a chance to score it seems like

Look at the Nuggets basketball

And their defense plays with energy because of it

Not sure if you're aware, but Kyrie was leading the league in assists this month coming into tonight's game

If he is racking up assists, he is dominating the ball, which is a minus for this team. Need to look for assists spread across the box score - that is when this team is at their best.  Watch the difference in the team's entire energy when Irving is DNP.

[tenn_smoothie]

Its too much all Kyrie

Nobody else gets a chance to score it seems like

Look at the Nuggets basketball

And their defense plays with energy because of it

LOL.

My god. I was at least waiting for the game to have finished before this nonsense takes came to play

It’s not Kyrie. JB and JT are 4-17 and we have made it too easy for Denver eg their most recent possession

The Kyrie apologists just don't get it.

Part of the reason the other players do not shoot well is because they are so out-of-rhythm because the ball is not moving, they spend too much time standing around watching Irving dribble the shot clock away. That is Irving's style and it clashes with the coach's style and with the other players. Also, as triboy mentioned, this also leads to an overall lack of activity by the team as a whole. They are not as involved and it carries over to the defense.

People point out gaudy stats for Irving and say, "See, not his fault, he is playing great".  This misses the point. When Irving is dominant, the rest of the team is less involved - yes, even when he has big assist numbers, it often just means he dominated the ball, made a penetration and then ONE pass that led to a basket. That's fine once in awhile, but over the course of the entire game, it puts Tatum, Brown, etc. to sleep - on both ends.

And when Kyrie is not on the floor? Are they distracted by him from the bench?

Once again, a lack of understanding of how this works.......... It is the games when Irving is a DNP that the team usually wakes up and looks like a different group - ball moving, active on defense, playing together more. When Irving is playing the tone is set - they can't turn a switch on when the guy goes to the bench for a few minutes of rest. That's impossible.

I guess I'm misremembering but I thought all our biggest wins against top teams were with Kyrie playing....

Same with the losses.

[bdm860]

I see that Jaylen only played 20 minutes again...how surprising that we got smacked.

Ya, I've been constantly perplexed by Jaylen's minutes all season long.

No Hayward and Jaylen still only gets 19 minutes, while every starter goes 33+?

This is coming off of 3 straight 20+ point games, but has also been happening all year.

12/21 Jaylen has 21 in 30 mins, next game on 12/23 plays only 15 mins.

1/9 Jaylen has 22 in 29 mins, next game on 1/10 plays only 14 mins.

Was only half watching the game, was he playing bad while he was in?  Somebody give me some explanation.   Brown's leash seems so short especially compared to Tatum's and Morris's.

[gouki88]

Its too much all Kyrie

Nobody else gets a chance to score it seems like

Look at the Nuggets basketball

And their defense plays with energy because of it

Not sure if you're aware, but Kyrie was leading the league in assists this month coming into tonight's game

If he is racking up assists, he is dominating the ball, which is a minus for this team. Need to look for assists spread across the box score - that is when this team is at their best.  Watch the difference in the team's entire energy when Irving is DNP.

That would explain why we went 5-2 in games with Kyrie over the period coming into tonight's game

[gouki88]

Its too much all Kyrie

Nobody else gets a chance to score it seems like

Look at the Nuggets basketball

And their defense plays with energy because of it

LOL.

My god. I was at least waiting for the game to have finished before this nonsense takes came to play

It’s not Kyrie. JB and JT are 4-17 and we have made it too easy for Denver eg their most recent possession

The Kyrie apologists just don't get it.

Part of the reason the other players do not shoot well is because they are so out-of-rhythm because the ball is not moving, they spend too much time standing around watching Irving dribble the shot clock away. That is Irving's style and it clashes with the coach's style and with the other players. Also, as triboy mentioned, this also leads to an overall lack of activity by the team as a whole. They are not as involved and it carries over to the defense.

People point out gaudy stats for Irving and say, "See, not his fault, he is playing great".  This misses the point. When Irving is dominant, the rest of the team is less involved - yes, even when he has big assist numbers, it often just means he dominated the ball, made a penetration and then ONE pass that led to a basket. That's fine once in awhile, but over the course of the entire game, it puts Tatum, Brown, etc. to sleep - on both ends.

And when Kyrie is not on the floor? Are they distracted by him from the bench?

Once again, a lack of understanding of how this works.......... It is the games when Irving is a DNP that the team usually wakes up and looks like a different group - ball moving, active on defense, playing together more. When Irving is playing the tone is set - they can't turn a switch on when the guy goes to the bench for a few minutes of rest. That's impossible.

I guess I'm misremembering but I thought all our biggest wins against top teams were with Kyrie playing....

Same with the losses.

Almost as if almost all the players and the coaches are wildly inconsistent

[ozgod]

Its too much all Kyrie

Nobody else gets a chance to score it seems like

Look at the Nuggets basketball

And their defense plays with energy because of it

LOL.

My god. I was at least waiting for the game to have finished before this nonsense takes came to play

It’s not Kyrie. JB and JT are 4-17 and we have made it too easy for Denver eg their most recent possession

The Kyrie apologists just don't get it.

Part of the reason the other players do not shoot well is because they are so out-of-rhythm because the ball is not moving, they spend too much time standing around watching Irving dribble the shot clock away. That is Irving's style and it clashes with the coach's style and with the other players. Also, as triboy mentioned, this also leads to an overall lack of activity by the team as a whole. They are not as involved and it carries over to the defense.

People point out gaudy stats for Irving and say, "See, not his fault, he is playing great".  This misses the point. When Irving is dominant, the rest of the team is less involved - yes, even when he has big assist numbers, it often just means he dominated the ball, made a penetration and then ONE pass that led to a basket. That's fine once in awhile, but over the course of the entire game, it puts Tatum, Brown, etc. to sleep - on both ends.

And when Kyrie is not on the floor? Are they distracted by him from the bench?

Once again, a lack of understanding of how this works.......... It is the games when Irving is a DNP that the team usually wakes up and looks like a different group - ball moving, active on defense, playing together more. When Irving is playing the tone is set - they can't turn a switch on when the guy goes to the bench for a few minutes of rest. That's impossible.

I posted this on another thread, but I also think we need to take their performance when Kyrie is a DNP with a grain of salt. The majority of teams we faced were teams with a sub-500 record:

Code: [Select]

Game # Opponent Record at time Win % H/A Tm Opp W L

12 Utah Jazz 6-6 0.500 AWAY 115 123 1
26 New Orleans Pelicans 14-15 0.483 HOME 113 100 1
37 Minnesota Timberwolves 17-21 0.447 HOME 115 102 1
38 Dallas Mavericks 18-20 0.474 HOME 114 93 1
43 Brooklyn Nets 22-23 0.489 AWAY 102 109 1
48 Cleveland Cavaliers 9-40 0.184 HOME 123 103 1
50 Brooklyn Nets 27-24 0.529 HOME 112 104 1
51 Charlotte Hornets 24-26 0.480 HOME 126 94 1
54 Cleveland Cavaliers 11-43 0.204 AWAY 103 96 1
57 Philadelphia 76ers 36-21 0.632 AWAY 112 109 1
58 Detroit Pistons 26-30 0.464 HOME 118 110 1
66 Sacramento Kings 32-32 0.500 AWAY 111 109 1

Certainly not intending to diminish their achievements as wins in the NBA are hard regardless of who they are against. I will see if I can find the assist distribution of the team when Kyrie is a DNP vs when he does (should be in the Assist Ratio stats on the NBA site). I'm just not sure how to exclude a player in the Advanced Stats window but I will post it when I figure it out.

[cltc5]

This team loves shooting threes but as far as Im concerned, only Kyrie can shoot the three really...once our team bricks threes, they are doomed and will not even bother driving to the basket.

its just really frustrating how Danny could not draft players that can shoot...Hield was available in the draft and he opted for an athlete who can't even make 65% of his FTs. He is always obsessed with jack of all trade type players that can do most stuff but are technically average to below ave. shooters.

He missed on gary harris too

[Fierce1]

Its too much all Kyrie

Nobody else gets a chance to score it seems like

Look at the Nuggets basketball

And their defense plays with energy because of it

LOL.

My god. I was at least waiting for the game to have finished before this nonsense takes came to play

It’s not Kyrie. JB and JT are 4-17 and we have made it too easy for Denver eg their most recent possession

The Kyrie apologists just don't get it.

Part of the reason the other players do not shoot well is because they are so out-of-rhythm because the ball is not moving, they spend too much time standing around watching Irving dribble the shot clock away. That is Irving's style and it clashes with the coach's style and with the other players. Also, as triboy mentioned, this also leads to an overall lack of activity by the team as a whole. They are not as involved and it carries over to the defense.

People point out gaudy stats for Irving and say, "See, not his fault, he is playing great".  This misses the point. When Irving is dominant, the rest of the team is less involved - yes, even when he has big assist numbers, it often just means he dominated the ball, made a penetration and then ONE pass that led to a basket. That's fine once in awhile, but over the course of the entire game, it puts Tatum, Brown, etc. to sleep - on both ends.

And when Kyrie is not on the floor? Are they distracted by him from the bench?

Once again, a lack of understanding of how this works.......... It is the games when Irving is a DNP that the team usually wakes up and looks like a different group - ball moving, active on defense, playing together more. When Irving is playing the tone is set - they can't turn a switch on when the guy goes to the bench for a few minutes of rest. That's impossible.

I guess I'm misremembering but I thought all our biggest wins against top teams were with Kyrie playing....

So true.

Those who can't appreciate what Kyrie does must dislike Kyrie or just doesn't understand NBA basketball.

[Somebody]

I see that Jaylen only played 20 minutes again...how surprising that we got smacked.

Ya, I've been constantly perplexed by Jaylen's minutes all season long.

No Hayward and Jaylen still only gets 19 minutes, while every starter goes 33+?

This is coming off of 3 straight 20+ point games, but has also been happening all year.

12/21 Jaylen has 21 in 30 mins, next game on 12/23 plays only 15 mins.

1/9 Jaylen has 22 in 29 mins, next game on 1/10 plays only 14 mins.

Was only half watching the game, was he playing bad while he was in?  Somebody give me some explanation.   Brown's leash seems so short especially compared to Tatum's and Morris's.

I definitely agree, if Brad has an agenda against Jaylen I'd like to know lol, that way I can call for him to get the sack.

[blink]

I see that Jaylen only played 20 minutes again...how surprising that we got smacked.

Ya, I've been constantly perplexed by Jaylen's minutes all season long.

No Hayward and Jaylen still only gets 19 minutes, while every starter goes 33+?

This is coming off of 3 straight 20+ point games, but has also been happening all year.

12/21 Jaylen has 21 in 30 mins, next game on 12/23 plays only 15 mins.

1/9 Jaylen has 22 in 29 mins, next game on 1/10 plays only 14 mins.

Was only half watching the game, was he playing bad while he was in?  Somebody give me some explanation.   Brown's leash seems so short especially compared to Tatum's and Morris's.

So I missed the game tonight.  Does anyone know why Brown is only getting 19 minutes when in the previous 3 games he went for more than 20 points each game?  No Gordon tonight and Brad still can’t get Jaylen 30 min?  What gives?  I have been on team Brad, but stuff like this just seems idiotic.  Did Jaylen do something to p--- off Brad?

[ozgod]

I see that Jaylen only played 20 minutes again...how surprising that we got smacked.

Ya, I've been constantly perplexed by Jaylen's minutes all season long.

No Hayward and Jaylen still only gets 19 minutes, while every starter goes 33+?

This is coming off of 3 straight 20+ point games, but has also been happening all year.

12/21 Jaylen has 21 in 30 mins, next game on 12/23 plays only 15 mins.

1/9 Jaylen has 22 in 29 mins, next game on 1/10 plays only 14 mins.

Was only half watching the game, was he playing bad while he was in?  Somebody give me some explanation.   Brown's leash seems so short especially compared to Tatum's and Morris's.

I think it's a precursor to the playoffs. The starters are all going to play 35+ and everyone else off the bench will play less.

[gouki88]

This team loves shooting threes but as far as Im concerned, only Kyrie can shoot the three really...once our team bricks threes, they are doomed and will not even bother driving to the basket.

its just really frustrating how Danny could not draft players that can shoot...Hield was available in the draft and he opted for an athlete who can't even make 65% of his FTs. He is always obsessed with jack of all trade type players that can do most stuff but are technically average to below ave. shooters.

He missed on gary harris too

Tatum, Brown and Smart are all shooting from 3 better than Harris is this season. Tatum has a better career percentage, and Brown has the same career percentage.

Also lol, Hield is four years older than Brown, and up until this season had only been a shooter. He's still miles behind Brown on defence