Bucks (0-0) at Celtics (0-0) Game #1 12/23/20

[ozgod]

Missed the game  Sounds like it was an epic win  I'm going to watch it on DVR later today, but can anyone tell me why Nesmith didn't play? Is he injured?

I'm seeing a pattern, he doesn't start either of the preseason games and plays less than Pritchard overall, and then doesn't play at all in this game. I wonder if they are seeing something in him that suggests he's not ready, either defensively or maybe he's not quite picking up the Celtics sets yet?

Pritchard seems more composed and ready to contribute right away. That said, if Kemba was fit I wonder how many minutes Pritchard gets.

because Kemba is not available,looks like he will limited from now on ,  they see an immediate need to get another ball handler in there ASAP to help Teague. Doesn't seem intimidated being thrown in the mix and has confidence in his shot and confidence of his team to makemthe right play or pass.   That was a ruff first NBA game against that bunch , only the Lakers would have been more brutal test.  He did as good as many journeyman we ve had would have done. Decent first game .

Thanks Shaq, TP!

[nickagneta]

Watching and reading about the game on ESPN, Giannis and Tatum are the players talked about ad nauseum. Brown, the best player on the floor on either team last night is barely mentioned in print and not mentioned in highlights.

[Vermont Green]

I have a very strong stats background and from what I've seen there's no definitive statistical answer as to hot hands and stopping runs.

But aren't stats in this respect somewhat of a self fulfilling prophesy?  Meaning you say that statistically, deviations hot and cold are normal in any statistical analysis.  But if a shooter is hot, he brings up his average, so then the being hot doesn't end up being as much of a deviation.

I have played enough basketball to know the feeling of "hot".  I think it is real.  There is muscle memory or something where you just feel like you found a slot.  The same with golf.  Eventually, the shooter will cool off, for me, it lasts about 5 shots or so and then I loose the feel, usually after I end up forcing a shot or something like that.  Good shooters stay hot longer, they can stay in that groove longer.  Statistics do prove out but I am not sure you can say which is chicken or which is the egg.

[DefenseWinsChamps]

Did we hit buckets on the last possession of every quarter? That's a good way to close quarters.

[SHAQATTACK]

Watching and reading about the game on ESPN, Giannis and Tatum are the players talked about ad nauseum. Brown, the best player on the floor on either team last night is barely mentioned in print and not mentioned in highlights.

unfortunately this is typical media spin ,  Bron is always the hero , win or loose .  Media never does due research ,  just control the narrative today.  If they actually reviewed the game honestly, you are 100 % correct.  Why i don't put any stock on TV news of any type .  Its written to sell clicks , not truth.

[Kuberski33]

Just a couple of observations on the game - Teague was every bit the guy who the Celtics struggled to guard when he played for those good Atlanta teams. He looks like a great pick up - granted he won't make all his 3's every game but he was excellent - and he was on the court at the end (following a Smart turnover when he was the PG).

Thompson also looks like a great pick up - the Bucks being one of those teams he was picked up for.
The 3 headed center of Theis, Thompson and Time Lord worked really well.

Great start to the season.

[gift]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8TqVFkEi7g

[Vermont Green]

To me, the most interesting strategic item was that the Celtics started with two bigs (something I have posted a lot about) and played most of the game with two bigs.  That could be a specific reaction to the Bucks' match ups but I think it is more telling then that.  To me, Smart, Brown, Tatum, Theis, Thompson is the way to start the game.

They did play with some pretty small 2-big units at times.  I think for example the line up of Teague, Smart, Brown, Ojeleye, and another big worked pretty well.  This was a reaction to Teague being "hot" (even though not a statistically validated term) and also to Ojeleye playing well.

Our bench played OK, thanks mostly to Teague but Semi also chipped in well.  Neither Williams looked great but Robert played well enough to be a serviceable back up center and we only need one of Grant or Semi to play well on any given night so we were OK.

In summary, yes, we did get lucky, but the game wasn't close at the end by accident, it was close because we played well.  Way to go Celtics.  They are officially over-achieving so far this season.

[ChillyWilly]

If Middleton played every game against the Celtics he'd be in the HoF.

[hpantazo]

Teague brings everything that we had lost in Hayward. A vet playmaker who can create his own shot and serve as the 4th option. He also fits better into that role than Hayward did.

[tarheelsxxiii]

frist

[86MaxwellSmart]

Watching and reading about the game on ESPN, Giannis and Tatum are the players talked about ad nauseum. Brown, the best player on the floor on either team last night is barely mentioned in print and not mentioned in highlights.

unfortunately this is typical media spin ,  Bron is always the hero , win or loose .  Media never does due research ,  just control the narrative today.  If they actually reviewed the game honestly, you are 100 % correct.  Why i don't put any stock on TV news of any type .  Its written to sell clicks , not truth.

TRUTH.

[kraidstar]

I have a very strong stats background and from what I've seen there's no definitive statistical answer as to hot hands and stopping runs.

But aren't stats in this respect somewhat of a self fulfilling prophesy?  Meaning you say that statistically, deviations hot and cold are normal in any statistical analysis.  But if a shooter is hot, he brings up his average, so then the being hot doesn't end up being as much of a deviation.

I have played enough basketball to know the feeling of "hot".  I think it is real.  There is muscle memory or something where you just feel like you found a slot.  The same with golf.  Eventually, the shooter will cool off, for me, it lasts about 5 shots or so and then I loose the feel, usually after I end up forcing a shot or something like that.  Good shooters stay hot longer, they can stay in that groove longer.  Statistics do prove out but I am not sure you can say which is chicken or which is the egg.

TP

A lot of this talk is semantics.

One thing is for sure: confidence and choking are real conditions. So many pitchers visibly panic in baseball. There is now an official "leverage index" in MLB to tell us when guys have faced mentally taxing situations.

I remember too when tbe Patriots were in OT during their epic comeback against the Falcons. There was no doubt in my mind the Pats would score. The Falcons looked totally deflated, going through the motions, while Brady and Co were focused and relaxed. The comeback had started with just some solid plays for New England. But at some point in the game the situation started to snowball for Atlanta, and they came unglued while the Pats found a marvelous rhythm.

IMO it's the same in basketball. When one team starts to execute, the possibility that the other team becomes demoralized is very real. A good shooter falls out of rhythm because he is questioning himself due to fear. This can lead to wild swings. Sometimes a run is indeed just luck; sometimes there is a psychological aspect as well.

IMO timeouts help more in the second scenario.

[liam]

 I don’t know if it was mentioned but Pritchard looked like an NBA player in limited minutes last night. I know he will most likely only see garbage time when Kemba gets back. Teague adds a high level of shooting and scoring off the bench. It’s nice to see that we have some end of rotation players that can actually play. PP doesn’t look like he’s afraid of anything. Tough kid.

[colincb]

I have a very strong stats background and from what I've seen there's no definitive statistical answer as to hot hands and stopping runs.

But aren't stats in this respect somewhat of a self fulfilling prophesy?  Meaning you say that statistically, deviations hot and cold are normal in any statistical analysis.  But if a shooter is hot, he brings up his average, so then the being hot doesn't end up being as much of a deviation.

I have played enough basketball to know the feeling of "hot".  I think it is real.  There is muscle memory or something where you just feel like you found a slot.  The same with golf.  Eventually, the shooter will cool off, for me, it lasts about 5 shots or so and then I loose the feel, usually after I end up forcing a shot or something like that.  Good shooters stay hot longer, they can stay in that groove longer.  Statistics do prove out but I am not sure you can say which is chicken or which is the egg.

TP

A lot of this talk is semantics.

One thing is for sure: confidence and choking are real conditions. So many pitchers visibly panic in baseball. There is now an official "leverage index" in MLB to tell us when guys have faced mentally taxing situations.

I remember too when tbe Patriots were in OT during their epic comeback against the Falcons. There was no doubt in my mind the Pats would score. The Falcons looked totally deflated, going through the motions, while Brady and Co were focused and relaxed. The comeback had started with just some solid plays for New England. But at some point in the game the situation started to snowball for Atlanta, and they came unglued while the Pats found a marvelous rhythm.

IMO it's the same in basketball. When one team starts to execute, the possibility that the other team becomes demoralized is very real. A good shooter falls out of rhythm because he is questioning himself due to fear. This can lead to wild swings. Sometimes a run is indeed just luck; sometimes there is a psychological aspect as well.

IMO timeouts help more in the second scenario.

I'm all for using timeouts to stymie runs, but you can take any position you want without being contradicted by pesky statistics at this point in time.