Let Me Tell You A Story

[PhoSita]

Let me tell you a story.

Brad Stevens sucks. Being down 0-2 sucks. Blowing 17-point lead sucks. Holding the ball with final possession in regulation just to brick a terrible 27-foot 3-pointer sucks. Paying your starting point-guard $141M max money to put up cold hard numbers in the playoffs sucks. Paying your other starting wing $128M max money just to sit out each year and esp during significant events sucks. Lack of an average-level bench sucks. The Lakers rolling their way to the Finals sucks.

The End.

Horrible.

Lol well if you're determined to be mad / sad I can't stop you.



A lot of people are responding to this as though I said that Jayson Tatum = Kevin Durant. 

That's uh, not what I said.


The point is that the Celtics are young, this roster wasn't constructed to go deep in the playoffs this season, and there's lots of reason to think that they will be back, and better, in the next few years.


Try to think back to a year ago.  What were your expectations for the Celtics after Kyrie and Horford left in free agency?  How did you feel when Enes Kanter was the big name free agent signing for the off-season?


I for one thought it was going to be a bridge year and that the best we could hope for is that Tatum and Brown would look the part as the #1 and #3 scoring option on the team.  I figured they would probably win a first round series if they got the right opponent, but after that it would be tough sledding.

I'm pretty happy with how this season has worked out, all things considered, and I don't think there's any shame in getting beaten by a much older team with a championship proven coach that made win-now moves this season.  Remember that Miami traded Justise Winslow, a young player under long term contract, to get Jae Crowder and Andre Iguodala.  They leveraged assets to be in a position to make the Finals.  The Celtics stuck with their young guys.  If they knew they'd be in the ECF, I'm 100% certain they would have made moves. 


But hey, sports is about narratives, like I said.  If you need the narrative to be "Stevens sucks! The Celtics choked!  This is embarrassing!  How many times are they gonna make the ECF and not make the Finals!?" then have at it.  Hope it brings you joy, I guess.

[PhoSita]

This is what I'm thinking about tonight, with the Celts down 0-2 to Jimmy B, Bam, and the Miami White Boys.  The Celts are ahead of schedule. No matter what happens in the next couple of games, I believe in Tatum, Brown, and Smart.  I believe that Ainge will find ways to improve the firepower coming off the bench and give the Celts more of a paint presence.  I believe that Brad will gather lots of valuable information (noting the ways Spo is out-coaching him), and use it to win future playoff series.

This is where you lost me, Pho. When was the last time Ainge acquired some real firepower for the bench? House and Posey a decade ago? And when was the last time he got the team a real paint presence? Kanter (whom I like) is a great offensive presence in the paint, but weak defensively. Rob Williams has some potential but is a bit of a project (and Brad doesn't even always play him). Theis gets owned by real bigs.

Danny mainly likes small "bigs," and combo guards who can't shoot. So we have a great wing rotation, and a point guard who's solid (until about a week ago, that is), but little firepower in the middle or off the bench. And I don't see Danny changing his ways in those regards anytime soon.

I mean they had more of a bench just a couple seasons ago.  There isn't a Marcus Morris or an Aron Baynes on this team.  There isn't even a Terry Rozier.


Even in years past when the bench wasn't amazing but the team planned on making a run, they had veterans like Keyon Dooling, Mickael Pietrus, Marquis Daniels, etc.  Danny doesn't always select the best choice when it comes to veteran reinforcements, but in the years when the team was going for it he at least tried.

You're not gonna convince me that Danny Ainge really thought they were going to contend for a title with Brad Wanamaker, Semi Ojeleye, Romeo Langford, Grant Williams, and Enes Kanter / Rob Williams coming off the bench.  Out of all those names, Kanter is the only one who has played a significant role on a playoff team before this season, and his flaws have been well chronicled on this message board and everywhere else in the known universe.

[mef730]

Another difference being is that Miami isn't a team of veterans. They have players, just as young and more inexperienced than the Celtics torching us.
Tyler Herro is just 20 years old
Duncan Robinson has only been in the league for a few years.
Bam is young as well

This is an inexperienced, hungry Heat team going against a young (but experienced) Celtics team. This is their 3rd ECF in 4 years. We should be the Mavericks in this scenario shouldn't we?

I was really sorry that we didn't get a shot at Herro in the draft. Even more sorry now.

Mike

[PhoSita]

Another difference being is that Miami isn't a team of veterans. They have players, just as young and more inexperienced than the Celtics torching us.
Tyler Herro is just 20 years old
Duncan Robinson has only been in the league for a few years.
Bam is young as well

This is an inexperienced, hungry Heat team going against a young (but experienced) Celtics team. This is their 3rd ECF in 4 years. We should be the Mavericks in this scenario shouldn't we?

I was really sorry that we didn't get a shot at Herro in the draft. Even more sorry now.

Mike

Agreed.  Getting Langford (who may eventually be solid) instead of Herro hurts.



I don't think it makes sense to call the Heat inexperienced just because they have some important supporting players who are young.


Goran Dragic was lighting it up in the fourth quarter of playoff games a decade ago.  Remember him on the Suns?  He's been in a million battles, even if he hasn't made it this far in a long time.  He's also done a lot in international play.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLWjQ7nZTkI&ab_channel=maikonas


Jimmy Butler had his first deep playoff run in 2013.  How many players on the Celtics right now were even in high school in 2013?


Not to mention Crowder and Iguodala.

[rocknrollforyoursoul]

This is what I'm thinking about tonight, with the Celts down 0-2 to Jimmy B, Bam, and the Miami White Boys.  The Celts are ahead of schedule. No matter what happens in the next couple of games, I believe in Tatum, Brown, and Smart.  I believe that Ainge will find ways to improve the firepower coming off the bench and give the Celts more of a paint presence.  I believe that Brad will gather lots of valuable information (noting the ways Spo is out-coaching him), and use it to win future playoff series.

This is where you lost me, Pho. When was the last time Ainge acquired some real firepower for the bench? House and Posey a decade ago? And when was the last time he got the team a real paint presence? Kanter (whom I like) is a great offensive presence in the paint, but weak defensively. Rob Williams has some potential but is a bit of a project (and Brad doesn't even always play him). Theis gets owned by real bigs.

The Celtics had a super deep bench last season. Ainge did acquire some real firepower for the bench 2 years ago.

In a similar note, Baynes was a real paint presence. He is a legit starting 5 in the NBA.

I guess we have different definitions of what constitutes "a deep bench" or "bench firepower." For example, it's been many years since the Cs had a 3pt assassin, someone along the lines of House, Posey, Redick, or Korver.

And I'll grant you that Baynes is missed, but he didn't explode on offense until this year with Phoenix; for Boston he was a defensive stalwart (a very good thing to have) who did very little in the way of scoring. Plus, he started for Boston, so if they'd kept him, that means Theis would be coming off the bench, plus Rob/Grant, and those three don't exactly scream "bench firepower."

[Rondo9]

Let me tell you a story.

Brad Stevens sucks. Being down 0-2 sucks. Blowing 17-point lead sucks. Holding the ball with final possession in regulation just to brick a terrible 27-foot 3-pointer sucks. Paying your starting point-guard $141M max money to put up cold hard numbers in the playoffs sucks. Paying your other starting wing $128M max money just to sit out each year and esp during significant events sucks. Lack of an average-level bench sucks. The Lakers rolling their way to the Finals sucks.

The End.

Horrible.

Lol well if you're determined to be mad / sad I can't stop you.



A lot of people are responding to this as though I said that Jayson Tatum = Kevin Durant. 

That's uh, not what I said.


The point is that the Celtics are young, this roster wasn't constructed to go deep in the playoffs this season, and there's lots of reason to think that they will be back, and better, in the next few years.


Try to think back to a year ago.  What were your expectations for the Celtics after Kyrie and Horford left in free agency?  How did you feel when Enes Kanter was the big name free agent signing for the off-season?


I for one thought it was going to be a bridge year and that the best we could hope for is that Tatum and Brown would look the part as the #1 and #3 scoring option on the team.  I figured they would probably win a first round series if they got the right opponent, but after that it would be tough sledding.

I'm pretty happy with how this season has worked out, all things considered, and I don't think there's any shame in getting beaten by a much older team with a championship proven coach that made win-now moves this season.  Remember that Miami traded Justise Winslow, a young player under long term contract, to get Jae Crowder and Andre Iguodala.  They leveraged assets to be in a position to make the Finals.  The Celtics stuck with their young guys.  If they knew they'd be in the ECF, I'm 100% certain they would have made moves. 


But hey, sports is about narratives, like I said.  If you need the narrative to be "Stevens sucks! The Celtics choked!  This is embarrassing!  How many times are they gonna make the ECF and not make the Finals!?" then have at it.  Hope it brings you joy, I guess.

You're the one giving up on them.

[Rondo9]

Disagreed

Tatum and Brown have been here before. Smart’s been here before. Butler has never. Dragic has never. Bam Adebayo, Herro and Duncan Robinson have all never been here before.

If anything, we’re the team on schedule. We’ve taken our playoff losses and lost to LeBron and Giannis and the other superstars. Just because Fire and Ice are young doesn’t mean they’re inexperienced.

Agreed which makes the showing even more disappointing. Durant, Westbrook and Harden never been to a Conference Finals before where as guys like Tatum reached the Conference Finals in his rookie year and was one win away from the NBA Finals. Is this pathetic showing is why people are upset, they're playing like they've never been to a conference finals.

[Ogaju]

Let me tell you a story.

Brad Stevens sucks. Being down 0-2 sucks. Blowing 17-point lead sucks. Holding the ball with final possession in regulation just to brick a terrible 27-foot 3-pointer sucks. Paying your starting point-guard $141M max money to put up cold hard numbers in the playoffs sucks. Paying your other starting wing $128M max money just to sit out each year and esp during significant events sucks. Lack of an average-level bench sucks. The Lakers rolling their way to the Finals sucks.

The End.

Horrible.

Lol well if you're determined to be mad / sad I can't stop you.



A lot of people are responding to this as though I said that Jayson Tatum = Kevin Durant. 

That's uh, not what I said.


The point is that the Celtics are young, this roster wasn't constructed to go deep in the playoffs this season, and there's lots of reason to think that they will be back, and better, in the next few years.


Try to think back to a year ago.  What were your expectations for the Celtics after Kyrie and Horford left in free agency?  How did you feel when Enes Kanter was the big name free agent signing for the off-season?


I for one thought it was going to be a bridge year and that the best we could hope for is that Tatum and Brown would look the part as the #1 and #3 scoring option on the team.  I figured they would probably win a first round series if they got the right opponent, but after that it would be tough sledding.

I'm pretty happy with how this season has worked out, all things considered, and I don't think there's any shame in getting beaten by a much older team with a championship proven coach that made win-now moves this season.  Remember that Miami traded Justise Winslow, a young player under long term contract, to get Jae Crowder and Andre Iguodala.  They leveraged assets to be in a position to make the Finals.  The Celtics stuck with their young guys.  If they knew they'd be in the ECF, I'm 100% certain they would have made moves. 


But hey, sports is about narratives, like I said.  If you need the narrative to be "Stevens sucks! The Celtics choked!  This is embarrassing!  How many times are they gonna make the ECF and not make the Finals!?" then have at it.  Hope it brings you joy, I guess.

Maybe we wouldnt be that disappointed if Danny explaoned what you just did that this is a bridge year and Cs were only hoping toget to the second round. That would have prompted the question, 'how long for this rebuild'?