2021-22 Celtics Playoffs Discussion

[Celtics2021]

So we have our final four.  At the start of the season, I did not foresee the Celtics in the ECF.  Now, I am feeling like I will be disappointed if they don't win it all.  It is very strange how this season has played out.

Miami is such a different match up than MIL.  On paper, I look at MIA and I say we got this, no problem, we are the better, deeper team, but Miami the last few years just seems to have a way winning.  Always very tough defense, nothing easy.  MIA has not played since Thurs May 12. About what we sat prior to the first MIL game.  It is counterintuitive but I think this actually favors the Celtics in Game 1.   I don't have actual stats for this but my anecdotal experience tells me that the team coming off the big game 7 win, even with less rest, has an edge that first game.

Depending on the condition of Lowry, their top line up may include Max Struss and Gabe Vincent.  And PJ Tucker.  Not exactly a scary line up.

Yeah, you look at a "big three" of Butler / Bam / Herro and there's a tendency to say that they're good, but not great.  And yet, they keep winning. 

I think the Heat are successful for the same reason the Celtics turned it around this year:  great coaching, "grit and grind", and a lot of cohesiveness.  They're better than the sum of their parts.

We'll be playing against a top-5 defense and a top-10 offense, and in my opinion, a top-3 coach.  Remember when people thought Spoelstra was a Riley puppet?  How wrong they were.

Yeah, I will readily admit to being wrong about Spo.  He’s an absolutely terrific coach.  There will likely be a game that the Heat win because Spoelstra out-coaches Udoka (and that’s not a swipe at Ime, who has made some terrific adjustments this postseason.)

[Boston Garden Leprechaun]

The nba playoffs are such a grind.  I mean I am exhausted after two series just watching and cheering.
If we somehow get to the finals we will have played the Nets (KD+Kyrie) Bucks (GIannis) Heat (butler+ bam) and then whomever from the west probably GSW (curry + thompson).  What difficult run to the title if we make it.

Gotta feel good about BOS chances against GSW given how they have played in the playoffs so far. Hardly setting the world on fire. Unable to replicate their early season form.

Who do you think moves on between GSW and Dallas?

It would be shameful to lose to Dallas. GSW have so much more talent on their team than the Mavs do.

I expect GSW to come out of that series.

well they are going to be shamed because Dallas is going to beat them and for much of the same reason they beat Phoenix i.e. they won't be able to stop Luka.  Luka is just going to torch the Warriors and the Warriors don't have the size to make the Mavs pay down low. 

I think Boston and Miami have the horses to beat the Mavs, not the Warriors.  The eastern teams have the defenders needed for Luka and have a big (or 2) that can make the Mavs pay down low. 

I felt the Boston/Milwaukee winner was going to win the championship entering the playoffs, and I see no reason to alter that.  Boston is going to beat Miami and then beat Dallas in the Finals to win the title.

[Vermont Green]

So we have our final four.  At the start of the season, I did not foresee the Celtics in the ECF.  Now, I am feeling like I will be disappointed if they don't win it all.  It is very strange how this season has played out.

Miami is such a different match up than MIL.  On paper, I look at MIA and I say we got this, no problem, we are the better, deeper team, but Miami the last few years just seems to have a way winning.  Always very tough defense, nothing easy.  MIA has not played since Thurs May 12. About what we sat prior to the first MIL game.  It is counterintuitive but I think this actually favors the Celtics in Game 1.   I don't have actual stats for this but my anecdotal experience tells me that the team coming off the big game 7 win, even with less rest, has an edge that first game.

Depending on the condition of Lowry, their top line up may include Max Struss and Gabe Vincent.  And PJ Tucker.  Not exactly a scary line up.

Yeah, you look at a "big three" of Butler / Bam / Herro and there's a tendency to say that they're good, but not great.  And yet, they keep winning. 

I think the Heat are successful for the same reason the Celtics turned it around this year:  great coaching, "grit and grind", and a lot of cohesiveness.  They're better than the sum of their parts.

We'll be playing against a top-5 defense and a top-10 offense, and in my opinion, a top-3 coach.  Remember when people thought Spoelstra was a Riley puppet?  How wrong they were.

Yeah, I will readily admit to being wrong about Spo.  He’s an absolutely terrific coach.  There will likely be a game that the Heat win because Spoelstra out-coaches Udoka (and that’s not a swipe at Ime, who has made some terrific adjustments this postseason.)

In 2020 playoffs, we had a very hard time with Miami's zone defense if I remember correctly.  I wonder if we will see some of that this time (and if we will be ready for it).  Spoelstra is a good coach but he also definitely did and still does benefit from Pat Riley being in the mix.  Nothing wrong with that.  But what we know is that Miami is not going to do anything to make this easy on us.

[slamtheking]

So we have our final four.  At the start of the season, I did not foresee the Celtics in the ECF.  Now, I am feeling like I will be disappointed if they don't win it all.  It is very strange how this season has played out.

Miami is such a different match up than MIL.  On paper, I look at MIA and I say we got this, no problem, we are the better, deeper team, but Miami the last few years just seems to have a way winning.  Always very tough defense, nothing easy.  MIA has not played since Thurs May 12. About what we sat prior to the first MIL game.  It is counterintuitive but I think this actually favors the Celtics in Game 1.   I don't have actual stats for this but my anecdotal experience tells me that the team coming off the big game 7 win, even with less rest, has an edge that first game.

Depending on the condition of Lowry, their top line up may include Max Struss and Gabe Vincent.  And PJ Tucker.  Not exactly a scary line up.

Yeah, you look at a "big three" of Butler / Bam / Herro and there's a tendency to say that they're good, but not great.  And yet, they keep winning. 

I think the Heat are successful for the same reason the Celtics turned it around this year:  great coaching, "grit and grind", and a lot of cohesiveness.  They're better than the sum of their parts.

We'll be playing against a top-5 defense and a top-10 offense, and in my opinion, a top-3 coach.  Remember when people thought Spoelstra was a Riley puppet?  How wrong they were.

Yeah, I will readily admit to being wrong about Spo.  He’s an absolutely terrific coach.  There will likely be a game that the Heat win because Spoelstra out-coaches Udoka (and that’s not a swipe at Ime, who has made some terrific adjustments this postseason.)

In 2020 playoffs, we had a very hard time with Miami's zone defense if I remember correctly.  I wonder if we will see some of that this time (and if we will be ready for it).  Spoelstra is a good coach but he also definitely did and still does benefit from Pat Riley being in the mix.  Nothing wrong with that.  But what we know is that Miami is not going to do anything to make this easy on us.

you can probably bank on that zone showing up when Miami needs to shift momentum or shut down the C's offense until the C's show they can break that zone consistently.  it's not one of our strong points

[trickybilly]

The nba playoffs are such a grind.  I mean I am exhausted after two series just watching and cheering.
If we somehow get to the finals we will have played the Nets (KD+Kyrie) Bucks (GIannis) Heat (butler+ bam) and then whomever from the west probably GSW (curry + thompson).  What difficult run to the title if we make it.

Curious what the record for HOFers got through to win a title is.

Not sure if Bam makes HOF, but quite possibly

[Roy H.]

The nba playoffs are such a grind.  I mean I am exhausted after two series just watching and cheering.
If we somehow get to the finals we will have played the Nets (KD+Kyrie) Bucks (GIannis) Heat (butler+ bam) and then whomever from the west probably GSW (curry + thompson).  What difficult run to the title if we make it.

Curious what the record for HOFers got through to win a title is.

Not sure if Bam makes HOF, but quite possibly

By Opponent's Regular Season Winning Percentage, the toughest route to the title was the 1995 Rockets, apparently. 

They played the 60-22 Jazz (Stockton / Malone), 59-23 Suns (Barkley), 62-20 Spurs (Robinson), and 57-25 Magic (Shaq).

In terms of the most Hall of Famers, I've got no idea.  The 1967 Sixers?  (Jerry Lucas, Oscar Robertson, Bill Russell, John Havlicek, Bailey Howell, K.C. Jones, Don Nelson, Satch Sanders, Sam Jones, Rick Barry, Nate Thurmond)

[BitterJim]

So we have our final four.  At the start of the season, I did not foresee the Celtics in the ECF.  Now, I am feeling like I will be disappointed if they don't win it all.  It is very strange how this season has played out.

Miami is such a different match up than MIL.  On paper, I look at MIA and I say we got this, no problem, we are the better, deeper team, but Miami the last few years just seems to have a way winning.  Always very tough defense, nothing easy.  MIA has not played since Thurs May 12. About what we sat prior to the first MIL game.  It is counterintuitive but I think this actually favors the Celtics in Game 1.   I don't have actual stats for this but my anecdotal experience tells me that the team coming off the big game 7 win, even with less rest, has an edge that first game.

Depending on the condition of Lowry, their top line up may include Max Struss and Gabe Vincent.  And PJ Tucker.  Not exactly a scary line up.

Yeah, you look at a "big three" of Butler / Bam / Herro and there's a tendency to say that they're good, but not great.  And yet, they keep winning. 

I think the Heat are successful for the same reason the Celtics turned it around this year:  great coaching, "grit and grind", and a lot of cohesiveness.  They're better than the sum of their parts.

We'll be playing against a top-5 defense and a top-10 offense, and in my opinion, a top-3 coach.  Remember when people thought Spoelstra was a Riley puppet?  How wrong they were.

Yeah, I will readily admit to being wrong about Spo.  He’s an absolutely terrific coach.  There will likely be a game that the Heat win because Spoelstra out-coaches Udoka (and that’s not a swipe at Ime, who has made some terrific adjustments this postseason.)

In 2020 playoffs, we had a very hard time with Miami's zone defense if I remember correctly.  I wonder if we will see some of that this time (and if we will be ready for it).  Spoelstra is a good coach but he also definitely did and still does benefit from Pat Riley being in the mix.  Nothing wrong with that.  But what we know is that Miami is not going to do anything to make this easy on us.

you can probably bank on that zone showing up when Miami needs to shift momentum or shut down the C's offense until the C's show they can break that zone consistently.  it's not one of our strong points

We have way better personnel for breaking it that we did 2 years ago, though. Adding Horford and the huge playmaking improvements from Smart and Tatum should be able to beat it.

It'll definitely show up as a change of pace, though. I have no doubt that we can beat it well enough that they can't run it as their primary D, but I can definitely see us struggling for a couple possessions if/when they just throw it in randomly

[slamtheking]

So we have our final four.  At the start of the season, I did not foresee the Celtics in the ECF.  Now, I am feeling like I will be disappointed if they don't win it all.  It is very strange how this season has played out.

Miami is such a different match up than MIL.  On paper, I look at MIA and I say we got this, no problem, we are the better, deeper team, but Miami the last few years just seems to have a way winning.  Always very tough defense, nothing easy.  MIA has not played since Thurs May 12. About what we sat prior to the first MIL game.  It is counterintuitive but I think this actually favors the Celtics in Game 1.   I don't have actual stats for this but my anecdotal experience tells me that the team coming off the big game 7 win, even with less rest, has an edge that first game.

Depending on the condition of Lowry, their top line up may include Max Struss and Gabe Vincent.  And PJ Tucker.  Not exactly a scary line up.

Yeah, you look at a "big three" of Butler / Bam / Herro and there's a tendency to say that they're good, but not great.  And yet, they keep winning. 

I think the Heat are successful for the same reason the Celtics turned it around this year:  great coaching, "grit and grind", and a lot of cohesiveness.  They're better than the sum of their parts.

We'll be playing against a top-5 defense and a top-10 offense, and in my opinion, a top-3 coach.  Remember when people thought Spoelstra was a Riley puppet?  How wrong they were.

Yeah, I will readily admit to being wrong about Spo.  He’s an absolutely terrific coach.  There will likely be a game that the Heat win because Spoelstra out-coaches Udoka (and that’s not a swipe at Ime, who has made some terrific adjustments this postseason.)

In 2020 playoffs, we had a very hard time with Miami's zone defense if I remember correctly.  I wonder if we will see some of that this time (and if we will be ready for it).  Spoelstra is a good coach but he also definitely did and still does benefit from Pat Riley being in the mix.  Nothing wrong with that.  But what we know is that Miami is not going to do anything to make this easy on us.

you can probably bank on that zone showing up when Miami needs to shift momentum or shut down the C's offense until the C's show they can break that zone consistently.  it's not one of our strong points

We have way better personnel for breaking it that we did 2 years ago, though. Adding Horford and the huge playmaking improvements from Smart and Tatum should be able to beat it.

It'll definitely show up as a change of pace, though. I have no doubt that we can beat it well enough that they can't run it as their primary D, but I can definitely see us struggling for a couple possessions if/when they just throw it in randomly

we had problems with it this year with the current personnel.  those issues aren't a thing of the past.  we should be able to pick a zone apart but what we should be able to do and what we actually do aren't the same thing

[slamtheking]

The nba playoffs are such a grind.  I mean I am exhausted after two series just watching and cheering.
If we somehow get to the finals we will have played the Nets (KD+Kyrie) Bucks (GIannis) Heat (butler+ bam) and then whomever from the west probably GSW (curry + thompson).  What difficult run to the title if we make it.

Curious what the record for HOFers got through to win a title is.

Not sure if Bam makes HOF, but quite possibly

By Opponent's Regular Season Winning Percentage, the toughest route to the title was the 1995 Rockets, apparently. 

They played the 60-22 Jazz (Stockton / Malone), 59-23 Suns (Barkley), 62-20 Spurs (Robinson), and 57-25 Magic (Shaq).

In terms of the most Hall of Famers, I've got no idea.  The 1967 Sixers?  (Jerry Lucas, Oscar Robertson, Bill Russell, John Havlicek, Bailey Howell, K.C. Jones, Don Nelson, Satch Sanders, Sam Jones, Rick Barry, Nate Thurmond)

would have thought it'd be one of the Celtic, Sixers or Laker title winners in the early 80's -- C's and Sixers in particular since they almost always had to play each other and they had to go through the Bucks too. 

[Roy H.]

The nba playoffs are such a grind.  I mean I am exhausted after two series just watching and cheering.
If we somehow get to the finals we will have played the Nets (KD+Kyrie) Bucks (GIannis) Heat (butler+ bam) and then whomever from the west probably GSW (curry + thompson).  What difficult run to the title if we make it.

Curious what the record for HOFers got through to win a title is.

Not sure if Bam makes HOF, but quite possibly

By Opponent's Regular Season Winning Percentage, the toughest route to the title was the 1995 Rockets, apparently. 

They played the 60-22 Jazz (Stockton / Malone), 59-23 Suns (Barkley), 62-20 Spurs (Robinson), and 57-25 Magic (Shaq).

In terms of the most Hall of Famers, I've got no idea.  The 1967 Sixers?  (Jerry Lucas, Oscar Robertson, Bill Russell, John Havlicek, Bailey Howell, K.C. Jones, Don Nelson, Satch Sanders, Sam Jones, Rick Barry, Nate Thurmond)

would have thought it'd be one of the Celtic, Sixers or Laker title winners in the early 80's -- C's and Sixers in particular since they almost always had to play each other and they had to go through the Bucks too.

I think part of it is that in 1981 and 1986, we didn't end up playing the Lakers in the Finals, and in 1984 we didn't play the Sixers.  The one year the Sixers won the title over the Lakers, they didn't play the Celtics.

But, the 1989 Pistons had an impressive run: Celtics, Bucks, Bulls, Lakers

No Larry that year, though.

[bdm860]

The nba playoffs are such a grind.  I mean I am exhausted after two series just watching and cheering.
If we somehow get to the finals we will have played the Nets (KD+Kyrie) Bucks (GIannis) Heat (butler+ bam) and then whomever from the west probably GSW (curry + thompson).  What difficult run to the title if we make it.

Curious what the record for HOFers got through to win a title is.

Not sure if Bam makes HOF, but quite possibly

By Opponent's Regular Season Winning Percentage, the toughest route to the title was the 1995 Rockets, apparently. 

They played the 60-22 Jazz (Stockton / Malone), 59-23 Suns (Barkley), 62-20 Spurs (Robinson), and 57-25 Magic (Shaq).

In terms of the most Hall of Famers, I've got no idea.  The 1967 Sixers?  (Jerry Lucas, Oscar Robertson, Bill Russell, John Havlicek, Bailey Howell, K.C. Jones, Don Nelson, Satch Sanders, Sam Jones, Rick Barry, Nate Thurmond)

I'll always toot '95 Houston's horn when talking about impressive playoff runs.

They beat the 4 teams with the best records in the NBA.*  They beat the 3, 2, 1, 1 seeds who had 60, 59, 62, and 57 wins. Never had home court in any series. 

*Seattle was tied with Orlando for 4th best record, so technically Houston beat the 3 best records + 1 of the 2 teams tied for the 4th best record.

They beat teams that had the players who finished 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 6th, 8th, 10th in MVP voting that year.  They beat 7 of the 15 All-NBA selections, including 4 of the 5 1st team selections.

In the first round they overcame a 2-1 deficit (in a best of 5) and then a 3-1 deficit in the 2nd round, winning both series in the final game on the road.

Their 3rd leading scorer and emotional leader Vernon Maxwell quit on the team 1 game into the playoffs.

That's just impressive.

[trickybilly]

Giannis hit what from the field and 3pt land for the whole series? Did he even hit 40/20/60? We didn't really even need to overhaul our defense - we probably doubled Durant more. Like,  if we run Payton pick and roll, every play, he probably has a similar box score.

He's very good, and top 3 in the league, but I wish some of the hyperbole was turned down a tiny bit.

[Moranis]

The nba playoffs are such a grind.  I mean I am exhausted after two series just watching and cheering.
If we somehow get to the finals we will have played the Nets (KD+Kyrie) Bucks (GIannis) Heat (butler+ bam) and then whomever from the west probably GSW (curry + thompson).  What difficult run to the title if we make it.

Curious what the record for HOFers got through to win a title is.

Not sure if Bam makes HOF, but quite possibly

By Opponent's Regular Season Winning Percentage, the toughest route to the title was the 1995 Rockets, apparently. 

They played the 60-22 Jazz (Stockton / Malone), 59-23 Suns (Barkley), 62-20 Spurs (Robinson), and 57-25 Magic (Shaq).

In terms of the most Hall of Famers, I've got no idea.  The 1967 Sixers?  (Jerry Lucas, Oscar Robertson, Bill Russell, John Havlicek, Bailey Howell, K.C. Jones, Don Nelson, Satch Sanders, Sam Jones, Rick Barry, Nate Thurmond)

would have thought it'd be one of the Celtic, Sixers or Laker title winners in the early 80's -- C's and Sixers in particular since they almost always had to play each other and they had to go through the Bucks too.

I think part of it is that in 1981 and 1986, we didn't end up playing the Lakers in the Finals, and in 1984 we didn't play the Sixers.  The one year the Sixers won the title over the Lakers, they didn't play the Celtics.

But, the 1989 Pistons had an impressive run: Celtics, Bucks, Bulls, Lakers

No Larry that year, though.

Pistons did have a bit of a gauntlet

Kareem, Magic, Worthy in Finals
Jordan, Pippen in ECF
Sikma, Moncrief in ECS
McHale, Parish, DJ in 1st

so 10 HOFers dispatched of. 

How about this sneakily good recent run i.e. the 19 Raptors

Orlando in round 1 was blah, but the Butler/Embiid/Simmons Sixers in round 2, Giannis/Middleton Bucks in round 3, and then because Durant played in 1 game in the Finals, they got KD, Curry, Klay, and Dray (along with AI)


Despite only have 3 rounds, the 67 Sixers still have to be up there because they beat the Celtics and their 50 HOFers (Bill, Hondo, Sam, KC, Howell, and contributors Sanders and Embry and coach Nelson).  Lucas and Oscar in round 1 and then Barry, Thurmond and contributor Attles in the Finals.  So I guess it depends if you count the guys that got in for more than playing or not. 

15 Warriors also with a lot of HOFers because a team like the Grizzlies had not only Gasol and Conley but also Vince Carter.  They also had the Davis/Holiday Pelicans in the 1st round, Harden and Dwight Rockets in the WCF, before beating the Lebron/Kyrie Cavs. 

2012 Heat also pretty solid opponents based on HOF status (or at least likely HOFers)

Knicks - Carmelo/Amar'e
Pacers - George
Celtics - KG/PP/Ray/Rondo
Heat - Durant/Westbrook/Harden

[angryguy77]

Midfoot Sprain
Midfoot injuries come from broken bones in the midfoot or torn ligaments of the foot. Sometimes, these injuries are mistaken for just a sprain, but they can definitely be more complex. If there are multiple bones and/or ligaments that are involved, it can be severe and can last months to heal and possibly require surgery.

Ime said Smart is questionable for gm 1. If the above description is true, I don't think we'll see him for awhile.

[Ed Monix]

The Threeeeee Amigos