Author Topic: Have we officially turned the corner and back in business ? We are killing teams  (Read 8940 times)

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Online green_bballers13

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I don't think we've played a single team above .500 during this 7 game streak.  Let's see how we do against the Bucks on the 21st.

But wouldn't Minnesota and New Orleans both be at or above .500 if we hadn't beat them?
None of the teams we've faced have been above .500 when we faced them.  I said before this stretch that even if we played mediocre basketball we would have a chance of going on a 10 game win streak before playing the Bucks.  Just one bad team after another.  The only team above .500 during this entire stretch is the Pistons and they just sunk down to .500 as well...

We are playing better and these wins will help morale, but until I see us winning against good teams with Hayward consistently playing like an all-star and Brown playing above average basketball, I can't pretend like we're the team we expected before the season.

What was your expectation? I'll admit that I think the Celtics were a top 5 NBA team preseason, but that's about it. Making it to the ECF with a young core is a win in my book.

Online ozgod

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We all knew that we were entering the easiest part of the schedule, and we needed it at 10-10. My fear was that the malaise had set so deep that even against these teams we would find a way to lose games, given that the majority of the games we lost during that 10-10 stretch were against .500 and under teams. That told me it was an effort and mental thing. That's why these games were banana skins for me.

But if we were to make any ground on the likes of TO, MIL, PHI we would have to beat these teams and so far we have done that. Much bigger tests lie ahead and we've seen lapses like the first half against Washington when they tossed up bad threes and didn't move the ball and run back in transition. So not quite back in business yet but we're getting there. Each game is a step in the right direction. We want to be peaking in April.
exactly


Even if we can’t beat good teams like we should, we are beating the bad teams that we are expected to beat. That itself is hugely important considering how bad we looked a few weeks ago

That was always our problem. Because even when we were playing bad the losses were because we hoisted too many 3s in the first half and fell behind by 20+ against bad teams and then would mount a furious comeback but would just fall short. Against the good teams we played (PHI, MIL, TOR, DET) they were switched on from the beginning.

So they needed some humiliation from the scrub teams to make them realize that they cant take any team for granted and now with Smart and Morris in the lineup there are 2 players that won't be taking it easy in the beginning of the game. It's no surprise that when they come out with effort and focus they win, even if they miss shots like they did tonight.
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Offline LarBrd33

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I don't think we've played a single team above .500 during this 7 game streak.  Let's see how we do against the Bucks on the 21st.

But wouldn't Minnesota and New Orleans both be at or above .500 if we hadn't beat them?
None of the teams we've faced have been above .500 when we faced them.  I said before this stretch that even if we played mediocre basketball we would have a chance of going on a 10 game win streak before playing the Bucks.  Just one bad team after another.  The only team above .500 during this entire stretch is the Pistons and they just sunk down to .500 as well...

We are playing better and these wins will help morale, but until I see us winning against good teams with Hayward consistently playing like an all-star and Brown playing above average basketball, I can't pretend like we're the team we expected before the season.

Those teams would be at 500 if they had beaten us and we beat Toronto, Milwaukee, OKC and Philly all this year.
Wait, so are you saying the creampuff opponents we have been facing in this stretch would be even bigger creampuffs had they not already beaten us earlier this year?

You want to see cream puffs look at the 76ers winnstreak at the end of the last year. Easiest 18 game stretch in nba history per Elias. This has not been a murderers row but pelicans are solid. See their game tonight against the thunder. The wolves and wizards also both have talent and issues. The biggest takeaway though is we are beating these teams with our backups. Let’s just enjoy that.

Well that's weird... Larbrd33 has pretty much crowned Philly based on their win streak vs the easiest lineup in NBA history (I mean, it probably wasn't based on the playoffs, right?) and yet, when we have a win streak against less than stellar talent, he's quite critical.

It's just not that consistent.
I haven't crowned Philly.  I'm saying they are probably frontrunners to win the East if fully healthy.  Hard to beat a team with 3 all-stars.   It's clear they are still figuring things out, though. 

Our problem is that unless Hayward returns to form, it's still probably a 1 all-star team.

Offline nickagneta

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When the Celtics had a very difficult schedule to start the year(tons of road games, an early season west coast trip of 5 games in 9 days in 5 states and three different time zones, one of the hardest strength of schedules in the league) and struggled through slumps and players not fitting into their roles, almost everyone complained. The sky was falling.

Now we enter an easier part of the schedule, get the offensive synergy going, find everyone a roll, have a bunch of players come out of their slumps, go on a winning streak, beat scrub teams convincingly even with a slew of injuries and yet, we should discount all those positives just because it's an easier schedule? But the really hard schedule at the beginning of the year didn't contribute to how the team played?

Sounds hypocritical to me. You can only play the schedule they give you. You're going to have to make the best out of both the easy and tough schedules. You can't complain when the team drops some games because of a hard schedule and then discount wins when the schedule loosens up.


Online trickybilly

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I don't think we've played a single team above .500 during this 7 game streak.  Let's see how we do against the Bucks on the 21st.

But wouldn't Minnesota and New Orleans both be at or above .500 if we hadn't beat them?
None of the teams we've faced have been above .500 when we faced them.  I said before this stretch that even if we played mediocre basketball we would have a chance of going on a 10 game win streak before playing the Bucks.  Just one bad team after another.  The only team above .500 during this entire stretch is the Pistons and they just sunk down to .500 as well...

We are playing better and these wins will help morale, but until I see us winning against good teams with Hayward consistently playing like an all-star and Brown playing above average basketball, I can't pretend like we're the team we expected before the season.

Those teams would be at 500 if they had beaten us and we beat Toronto, Milwaukee, OKC and Philly all this year.
Wait, so are you saying the creampuff opponents we have been facing in this stretch would be even bigger creampuffs had they not already beaten us earlier this year?

You want to see cream puffs look at the 76ers winnstreak at the end of the last year. Easiest 18 game stretch in nba history per Elias. This has not been a murderers row but pelicans are solid. See their game tonight against the thunder. The wolves and wizards also both have talent and issues. The biggest takeaway though is we are beating these teams with our backups. Let’s just enjoy that.

Well that's weird... Larbrd33 has pretty much crowned Philly based on their win streak vs the easiest lineup in NBA history (I mean, it probably wasn't based on the playoffs, right?) and yet, when we have a win streak against less than stellar talent, he's quite critical.

It's just not that consistent.
I haven't crowned Philly.  I'm saying they are probably frontrunners to win the East if fully healthy.  Hard to beat a team with 3 all-stars.   It's clear they are still figuring things out, though. 

Our problem is that unless Hayward returns to form, it's still probably a 1 all-star team.

a) who is the third all-star? Butler? Nah...

b) all-star is based purely on stats and usage.

c) interesting that you think Hayward still might sneak in. Marcus Morris might even have a chance  :o
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Offline LarBrd33

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I don't think we've played a single team above .500 during this 7 game streak.  Let's see how we do against the Bucks on the 21st.

But wouldn't Minnesota and New Orleans both be at or above .500 if we hadn't beat them?
None of the teams we've faced have been above .500 when we faced them.  I said before this stretch that even if we played mediocre basketball we would have a chance of going on a 10 game win streak before playing the Bucks.  Just one bad team after another.  The only team above .500 during this entire stretch is the Pistons and they just sunk down to .500 as well...

We are playing better and these wins will help morale, but until I see us winning against good teams with Hayward consistently playing like an all-star and Brown playing above average basketball, I can't pretend like we're the team we expected before the season.

What was your expectation? I'll admit that I think the Celtics were a top 5 NBA team preseason, but that's about it. Making it to the ECF with a young core is a win in my book.
I expected them to make the ECF.  Now I just see them as one of the 4 teams in the mix.

I still expect whoever comes out of the East to get curb-stomped by the Warriors... that hasn't changed.

Offline iadera

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People just don't realize that it wasn't about the schedule. We sucked and our play sucked at both ends of the court. We have ''easier'' schedule now but I'm 100% sure that with this current atitude and form, we would have never lost games against Knicks and Magic in this first-20-games-streak. We were struggling so far in most of the games and that's not case any more, starting from that away win against Pelicans. Chemistry is back! That's all it matters.

Offline mef730

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I'm a natural-born pessimist. It's what I do best. So until we beat some real teams, I'm not counting on anything. Having said that...

Right now, our second team consists of Baynes, Rozier, Hayward and Brown. Think about that. Most teams would kill to have that as their first team.

A nine-deep rotation may not be a big deal in December, but it sure as hell will be in May.

Mike

Online GreenEnvy

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I'm a natural-born pessimist. It's what I do best. So until we beat some real teams, I'm not counting on anything. Having said that...

Right now, our second team consists of Baynes, Rozier, Hayward and Brown. Think about that. Most teams would kill to have that as their first team.

A nine-deep rotation may not be a big deal in December, but it sure as hell will be in May.

Mike

Yeah I really need to see them beat Milwaukee or Toronto before I buy into them.

Oh wait...
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Offline droopdog7

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I'm a natural-born pessimist. It's what I do best. So until we beat some real teams, I'm not counting on anything. Having said that...

Right now, our second team consists of Baynes, Rozier, Hayward and Brown. Think about that. Most teams would kill to have that as their first team.

A nine-deep rotation may not be a big deal in December, but it sure as hell will be in May.

Mike

Yeah I really need to see them beat Milwaukee or Toronto before I buy into them.

Oh wait...
We just beat Toronto, when we were struggling. I know they’ve beat some bad tread lately but we were losing to them before.  Now they’re anihilating teams.  They’ve definitely turned a corner.

Offline nickagneta

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People just don't realize that it wasn't about the schedule. We sucked and our play sucked at both ends of the court. We have ''easier'' schedule now but I'm 100% sure that with this current atitude and form, we would have never lost games against Knicks and Magic in this first-20-games-streak. We were struggling so far in most of the games and that's not case any more, starting from that away win against Pelicans. Chemistry is back! That's all it matters.
The early schedule definitely played a factor in the first 20 games. Yes, everyone was in a slump and the team had horrid efforts and chemistry, but they also played an extremely tough schedule and that took it's toll as well.

In their first 18 games they played 10 road games including a 5 game Western trip. They played Toronto, OKC, Detroit, Indy, Utah, Portland and Charlotte on the road in those 10 road games. They had a 4 games in six nights stretch. They had 2 back to backs. Of the 8 home games they played Philly, Detroit, Milwaukee, Toronto and Utah. They had very little practice time during that stretch and I think the 2nd or 3rd highest strength of schedule in the league during as well. 

Even if they were playing much better, they might have only won 2-3 more games. It's not like with that schedule they were going to start out 15-3,14-4 or 13-5 to start the season.

Offline fairweatherfan

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People just don't realize that it wasn't about the schedule. We sucked and our play sucked at both ends of the court. We have ''easier'' schedule now but I'm 100% sure that with this current atitude and form, we would have never lost games against Knicks and Magic in this first-20-games-streak. We were struggling so far in most of the games and that's not case any more, starting from that away win against Pelicans. Chemistry is back! That's all it matters.
The early schedule definitely played a factor in the first 20 games. Yes, everyone was in a slump and the team had horrid efforts and chemistry, but they also played an extremely tough schedule and that took it's toll as well.

In their first 18 games they played 10 road games including a 5 game Western trip. They played Toronto, OKC, Detroit, Indy, Utah, Portland and Charlotte on the road in those 10 road games. They had a 4 games in six nights stretch. They had 2 back to backs. Of the 8 home games they played Philly, Detroit, Milwaukee, Toronto and Utah. They had very little practice time during that stretch and I think the 2nd or 3rd highest strength of schedule in the league during as well. 

Even if they were playing much better, they might have only won 2-3 more games. It's not like with that schedule they were going to start out 15-3,14-4 or 13-5 to start the season.

It's a mix - we did ok against the good teams we played, but had a few duds in there. Where we really sucked was losing to inferior teams. Hard to say what role the schedule itself played vs just figuring things out as a team, but if so it's stuff like this - road trips and closely bunched games, more than just playing a tough batch of teams.

Online ozgod

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When the Celtics had a very difficult schedule to start the year(tons of road games, an early season west coast trip of 5 games in 9 days in 5 states and three different time zones, one of the hardest strength of schedules in the league) and struggled through slumps and players not fitting into their roles, almost everyone complained. The sky was falling.

Now we enter an easier part of the schedule, get the offensive synergy going, find everyone a roll, have a bunch of players come out of their slumps, go on a winning streak, beat scrub teams convincingly even with a slew of injuries and yet, we should discount all those positives just because it's an easier schedule? But the really hard schedule at the beginning of the year didn't contribute to how the team played?

Sounds hypocritical to me. You can only play the schedule they give you. You're going to have to make the best out of both the easy and tough schedules. You can't complain when the team drops some games because of a hard schedule and then discount wins when the schedule loosens up.

Certainly wasn’t denigrating any of their current victories. You can only play who is in front of you and you can only judge them on their effort and results on who they play. Winning games they had been losing due to lack of effort and poor shot selection is a huge positive but as Kyrie said the challenge is how to be great every single day against good teams or bad.

The effort and approach over the past 2 weeks has been consistently at the level they need to be at when we get to the business end of the season but bigger challenges lie ahead so they can’t rest on their laurels and think we’re back and thrashing teams we can take it a bit easy and lapse back into bad habits - particularly against teams we are expected to beat.

Those are the banana skin games to me - this team rises to the challenge of playing the elite, they elevate their game to a high level. It’s the also rans where they need to be able to replicate that focus and intensity they bring against the contenders.
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Offline cman88

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using the eye test, yes we are....8 game win streak. And i'm not evaluating the talent they are playing just the effort they are playing with on defense, the passing and the shooting.

Celtics are playing some beautiful basketball right now.

Offline Big333223

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using the eye test, yes we are....8 game win streak. And i'm not evaluating the talent they are playing just the effort they are playing with on defense, the passing and the shooting.

Celtics are playing some beautiful basketball right now.

That was a rough second quarter last night. But they came out in the third and basically put Atlanta away. They couldn't be stopped.
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