Stevens this game is on you

[apc]

Getting this injured broken team to the ECF game 7 is also on Stevens

[green_bballers13]

Although he does get a fair share of blame for Game 7 (misuse of timeouts), I'll rather have Brad Stevens than Tyronn Lue, Dwane Casey, Scott Brooks or Doc Rivers as my head coach.

Rozier, Brown, Smart, Morris had rough performances. Tatum was the only one who came in to play. Horford helped but demonstrated his "Average Al" at best against LeBron James.

How many players look really good vs Lebron?

I would think we should take a guy that can be average against the best player in the world. Most would look well below average.

[kozlodoev]

i also think we are hurt because this was doable. we were far closer to beating this team than our 2012 last hurrah.

Yup. We had the Cavaliers against the wall both in Game 6 and in Game 7, and then we almost looked like we're too afraid we might win this thing. While not entirely unexpected, it was still extremely aggravating -- and the worst part is that our coach watched both of those sequences unfold and did nothing. 

[SparzWizard]

Although he does get a fair share of blame for Game 7 (misuse of timeouts), I'll rather have Brad Stevens than Tyronn Lue, Dwane Casey, Scott Brooks or Doc Rivers as my head coach.

Rozier, Brown, Smart, Morris had rough performances. Tatum was the only one who came in to play. Horford helped but demonstrated his "Average Al" at best against LeBron James.

How many players look really good vs Lebron?

I would think we should take a guy that can be average against the best player in the world. Most would look well below average.

Tatum looked like he was good against LBJ. I mean that one poster and all  Morris was a pretty decent LeBron stopper the first two games, but he just suddenly disappeared the rest of the series.

[Redz]

i also think we are hurt because this was doable. we were far closer to beating this team than our 2012 last hurrah.

Yup. We had the Cavaliers against the wall both in Game 6 and in Game 7, and then we almost looked like we're too afraid we might win this thing. While not entirely unexpected, it was still extremely aggravating -- and the worst part is that our coach watched both of those sequences unfold and did nothing. 

The sheer quantity of inept 3 point shooting by both the Celtics and Rockets in Game 7’s was almost unfashionable.  It’s one thing to miss them because of the increased pressure, it’s another to continue digging a deeper hole by repeating the problem over and over.  Just ashame.

[Who]

i also think we are hurt because this was doable. we were far closer to beating this team than our 2012 last hurrah.

Yup. We had the Cavaliers against the wall both in Game 6 and in Game 7, and then we almost looked like we're too afraid we might win this thing. While not entirely unexpected, it was still extremely aggravating -- and the worst part is that our coach watched both of those sequences unfold and did nothing. 

The sheer quantity of inept 3 point shooting by both the Celtics and Rockets in Game 7’s was almost unfashionable.  It’s one thing to miss them because of the increased pressure, it’s another to continue digging a deeper hole by repeating the problem over and over.  Just ashame.

Every team in the league does it. It is the new NBA.

The Spurs have done it a bunch of times and they regarded as the best coached and best run team in the league.

It is what the league is nowadays. For better and worse.

[PhoSita]

I think perhaps the ascendance of "analytical" thinking has resulted in the league overlooking the fact that in a single all-or-nothing game, the variance of the three pointer can kill your chances of winning just as easily as it can win you the game.  A great team has to be able to switch gears and manufacture good looks closer to the basket when the outside shot isn't falling.

It's easy to look at the math and say three pointers make the most sense and you should try to take 40+ shots from outside every game.  But you gotta remember human nature as well.  Missing shots when your season in on the line, with the whole nation watching, can perhaps have a snowball effect where each miss makes the next shot less likely to go in as you get tighter and press harder.

Even absolutely fantastic teams can fall victim to this.  Look at what happened to Golden State in the 4th quarter of Game 7 in 2016.  They couldn't get a three pointer to fall in the same situations that the three had gotten them out of all season long, and they didn't have a good fallback.  They just kept chucking.

In a single game, when a dozen possessions or so are all that you have left to save your season, you need to be able to get the most out of each possession.  You can't afford to take a big picture, big sample size approach.

[footey]

I think perhaps the ascendance of "analytical" thinking has resulted in the league overlooking the fact that in a single all-or-nothing game, the variance of the three pointer can kill your chances of winning just as easily as it can win you the game.  A great team has to be able to switch gears and manufacture good looks closer to the basket when the outside shot isn't falling.

It's easy to look at the math and say three pointers make the most sense and you should try to take 40+ shots from outside every game.  But you gotta remember human nature as well.  Missing shots when your season in on the line, with the whole nation watching, can perhaps have a snowball effect where each miss makes the next shot less likely to go in as you get tighter and press harder.

Even absolutely fantastic teams can fall victim to this.  Look at what happened to Golden State in the 4th quarter of Game 7 in 2016.  They couldn't get a three pointer to fall in the same situations that the three had gotten them out of all season long, and they didn't have a good fallback.  They just kept chucking.

In a single game, when a dozen possessions or so are all that you have left to save your season, you need to be able to get the most out of each possession.  You can't afford to take a big picture, big sample size approach.

TP, great point.

[GreenEnvy]

I think perhaps the ascendance of "analytical" thinking has resulted in the league overlooking the fact that in a single all-or-nothing game, the variance of the three pointer can kill your chances of winning just as easily as it can win you the game.  A great team has to be able to switch gears and manufacture good looks closer to the basket when the outside shot isn't falling.

It's easy to look at the math and say three pointers make the most sense and you should try to take 40+ shots from outside every game.  But you gotta remember human nature as well.  Missing shots when your season in on the line, with the whole nation watching, can perhaps have a snowball effect where each miss makes the next shot less likely to go in as you get tighter and press harder.

Even absolutely fantastic teams can fall victim to this.  Look at what happened to Golden State in the 4th quarter of Game 7 in 2016.  They couldn't get a three pointer to fall in the same situations that the three had gotten them out of all season long, and they didn't have a good fallback.  They just kept chucking.

In a single game, when a dozen possessions or so are all that you have left to save your season, you need to be able to get the most out of each possession.  You can't afford to take a big picture, big sample size approach.

“Live by the three, die by the three” has been a saying long before analytics became ever-so-popular.

[green_bballers13]

Getting this injured broken team to the ECF game 7 is also on Stevens

Exactly. A lot of ungrateful Celtics fans around these parts.

[Redz]

i also think we are hurt because this was doable. we were far closer to beating this team than our 2012 last hurrah.

Yup. We had the Cavaliers against the wall both in Game 6 and in Game 7, and then we almost looked like we're too afraid we might win this thing. While not entirely unexpected, it was still extremely aggravating -- and the worst part is that our coach watched both of those sequences unfold and did nothing. 

The sheer quantity of inept 3 point shooting by both the Celtics and Rockets in Game 7’s was almost unfashionable.  It’s one thing to miss them because of the increased pressure, it’s another to continue digging a deeper hole by repeating the problem over and over.  Just ashame.

Every team in the league does it. It is the new NBA.

The Spurs have done it a bunch of times and they regarded as the best coached and best run team in the league.

It is what the league is nowadays. For better and worse.

It’s almost like doubling up after a losing bet.  Except you can’t sink a 12 pointer after missing 4 straight 3’s.

Lol@spellcheck making unfathomable unfashionable

[Phantom255x]

Not at all saying this is what cost us Game 7, but it was irritating watching the Cavaliers make that run in the 2nd quarter to come all the way back and CBS never called a timeout in that stretch. Almost felt like Brett Brown in Game 2 of the Celtics-Sixers series not calling a TO as Boston cut a 25 point deficit to 4 right before halftime. Rather CBS have burned another timeout to stem the Cavaliers run. Once they got back in it, you just had a feeling a loss was coming and we blew it.

But again, it wasn't the only reason we lost Game 7 and it wasn't CBS's fault that the C's just shot bricks all night long. CBS deserves a ton of credit for even getting us here to begin with (and for the C's to have been playing in May 27 despite missing two all-stars and a great bench player is remarkable)

[Redz]

Getting this injured broken team to the ECF game 7 is also on Stevens

Exactly. A lot of ungrateful Celtics fans around these parts.

Very grateful for the run and the future, but it make losing in a big old choke job any more excusable.  Maybe a little easier to get over.  The two are not mutually exclusive.

[green_bballers13]

Getting this injured broken team to the ECF game 7 is also on Stevens

Exactly. A lot of ungrateful Celtics fans around these parts.

Very grateful for the run and the future, but it make losing in a big old choke job any more excusable.  Maybe a little easier to get over.  The two are not mutually exclusive.

The premise of this thread is off. Stevens was coaching an incomplete team. He had to rely on young players to win a big game 7 against a veteran team. His young players choked.

[droopdog7]

I think perhaps the ascendance of "analytical" thinking has resulted in the league overlooking the fact that in a single all-or-nothing game, the variance of the three pointer can kill your chances of winning just as easily as it can win you the game.  A great team has to be able to switch gears and manufacture good looks closer to the basket when the outside shot isn't falling.

It's easy to look at the math and say three pointers make the most sense and you should try to take 40+ shots from outside every game.  But you gotta remember human nature as well.  Missing shots when your season in on the line, with the whole nation watching, can perhaps have a snowball effect where each miss makes the next shot less likely to go in as you get tighter and press harder.

Even absolutely fantastic teams can fall victim to this.  Look at what happened to Golden State in the 4th quarter of Game 7 in 2016.  They couldn't get a three pointer to fall in the same situations that the three had gotten them out of all season long, and they didn't have a good fallback.  They just kept chucking.

In a single game, when a dozen possessions or so are all that you have left to save your season, you need to be able to get the most out of each possession.  You can't afford to take a big picture, big sample size approach.

Yet, it is very likely that in BOTH games the better team won.  GS clearly better than Houston.  And while we had more good players, Cleveland had the only start that could be counted on when it counted.