Simmons on the Eastern Conference / Celtics

[wiley]

in short...i dont think it is the players on their own who are winning, even if intermittently. stevens evidently has gotten the team to buy into a new way of playing. i am impressed since he has coached exactly 22 regular season nba games in his life and is learning on the fly.

I think what Stevens has done is identify the individual skills that the players bring to the table and put those skills together in a way that allows the players to synergize and succeed individually and as a group.

So the players are playing well, but the interesting thing is that none of them is necessarily doing anything that they never seemed capable of before.  They're just doing things well in a way that fits into a strategy that makes the team competitive.

well stated and it seems to fit with what my eyes tell me so far. but, as simple as this may appear to be, obviously not all nba coaches are up to the task.

I agree and also think our players were a bit underrated.  They are smart, hardworking guys who are probably still seeing through the lens of KG's intensity and sacrifice.  And they've seen the playoffs and some have played a good deal in them....I think Brad and the players are comlementing each other very well at the moment.  Kudos to Crawford and any role Brad has played in getting consistent high level play from him...

[MBunge]

So the concern is that the Celtics regularly punch above their weight in the regular season but have trouble putting together the pieces to make a really good playoff team, in part because they win more games in the regular season.

I don't think that's something you need to worry about until you have a team that regularly prospers in the regular season and then falls short in the playoffs.  Like, it happens at least 2 years in a row.  Worrying about that in Game 20 of Year 1 of a new era is pushing it.

And I don't see this team having the problem you're talking about, which is usually the result of team's outworking others in the regular season and then not being able to match the increased intensity of other teams in the playoffs.

Mike

[D.o.s.]

We're kinda right where we expected to be.  10th worst record in the league... Brooklyn and New York aren't supposed to be this bad.  Presumably when D-Will and Chandler come back, those teams will start rolling.  That pushes us to 8th worst record in the league.  A Top 8 pick is what I expected.

Unfortunately, 8th worst record in the league might mean the playoffs for us with how lopsided the conferences are right now.  Which would mean nothing better than the #15 pick.

Maybe we keep winning and get above .500.  Who knows.  I think Simmons wrote that 3 wins ago.

  We're currently on a pace to win 37 games, with the 13th worst record in the league. That's right where you thought we'd be?

Yes, as soon as Sullinger and Bradley went from constituting "our trash" to being decent players in his eyes....last week sometime.   

Surely we're all able to re-evaluate our opinions when the games start?

[PhoSita]

So the concern is that the Celtics regularly punch above their weight in the regular season but have trouble putting together the pieces to make a really good playoff team, in part because they win more games in the regular season.

I don't think that's something you need to worry about until you have a team that regularly prospers in the regular season and then falls short in the playoffs.  Like, it happens at least 2 years in a row.  Worrying about that in Game 20 of Year 1 of a new era is pushing it.

And I don't see this team having the problem you're talking about, which is usually the result of team's outworking others in the regular season and then not being able to match the increased intensity of other teams in the playoffs.

Mike

I guess my point is that your team's record (which determines the draft picks you get) will be better than your team's ability to compete in the playoffs.  So it hurts you in terms of adding the talent that would make it easier to compete with the best teams.

I think that has hurt Denver.

But the caveat, as I said, is that at least Stevens has his team play a style that has been proven to work in the playoffs, so once the team finds a way to add the right talent, I trust Stevens to maximize it.  Stevens is kind of like Thibs in that way.

[Celtics18]

I expect the current Celtics may do better during the regular season against teams like Dallas, Atlanta, San Antonio, Chicago, Memphis, Clippers and even Indiana or Miami, than younger teams like Golden State, Washington, MInnesota or New Orleans, who can match our energy/depth with their own.

Then of course things change in the playoffs, which brings me to the question of how Brad Stevens will use depth in the playoffs.

This is the thing that sticks out in my mind.  We've seen in recent seasons that young teams with depth can punch above their weight in the regular season, especially if they are well coached.  The Nuggets are the most prominent example of that, followed by the Sixers.

Those teams typically are much less competitive in the playoffs, however. 

I think that may be the biggest challenge for Brad Stevens; he's already shown that he can translate the success he had in college with making underdog teams more competitive than expected -- in the regular season.  But I'm not sure that it can work in the playoffs, when rotations tighten up and the more experienced, more talented teams typically step it up a level or three.

So the concern is that the Celtics regularly punch above their weight in the regular season but have trouble putting together the pieces to make a really good playoff team, in part because they win more games in the regular season.


The biggest difference between the Celtics and the Nuggets, however, is that they play a slow pace and emphasize defense, which is the opposite of what the Nuggets do.  Playing a slow, defensive style definitely correlates with greater post-season success.

I don't think a good defensive team has to play at a slow pace offensively.  I do think, however, that good defensive teams will by nature of playing good D and forcing the opposition to take time off the shot clock end up having a slower pace as measured as an estimate of possessions per 48 minutes. 

I have read quotes where Stevens has said he would like this to be an up-tempo team.  Granted, those were earlier in the season, and he could have changed his mind.  He's certainly shown that he's flexible. 

I do think, though, that running is a good idea for this team, particularly once Rondo returns.  I have always seen Rondo as being in the slightly unfortunate (for the fans) position of being an up-tempo offensive point guard, playing in a not so up-tempo style.

We'll see what happens once Rondo returns.  I like transition buckets, but I agree that it can be a risky way to play. 

[LooseCannon]

I expect the current Celtics may do better during the regular season against teams like Dallas, Atlanta, San Antonio, Chicago, Memphis, Clippers and even Indiana or Miami, than younger teams like Golden State, Washington, MInnesota or New Orleans, who can match our energy/depth with their own.

Then of course things change in the playoffs, which brings me to the question of how Brad Stevens will use depth in the playoffs.

This is the thing that sticks out in my mind.  We've seen in recent seasons that young teams with depth can punch above their weight in the regular season, especially if they are well coached.  The Nuggets are the most prominent example of that, followed by the Sixers.

Unlike Denver, my poster child for the dreaded treadmill of mediocrity, I don't think Ainge is going to be handing out a lot of those long-term $4-7 million/year contracts to non-special talent.

[Fafnir]

I expect the current Celtics may do better during the regular season against teams like Dallas, Atlanta, San Antonio, Chicago, Memphis, Clippers and even Indiana or Miami, than younger teams like Golden State, Washington, MInnesota or New Orleans, who can match our energy/depth with their own.

Then of course things change in the playoffs, which brings me to the question of how Brad Stevens will use depth in the playoffs.

This is the thing that sticks out in my mind.  We've seen in recent seasons that young teams with depth can punch above their weight in the regular season, especially if they are well coached.  The Nuggets are the most prominent example of that, followed by the Sixers.

Unlike Denver, my poster child for the dreaded treadmill of mediocrity, I don't think Ainge is going to be handing out a lot of those long-term $4-7 million/year contracts to non-special talent.

Jordan Crawford and Bradley suddenly got sad for a moment.

[Celtics18]

I expect the current Celtics may do better during the regular season against teams like Dallas, Atlanta, San Antonio, Chicago, Memphis, Clippers and even Indiana or Miami, than younger teams like Golden State, Washington, MInnesota or New Orleans, who can match our energy/depth with their own.

Then of course things change in the playoffs, which brings me to the question of how Brad Stevens will use depth in the playoffs.

This is the thing that sticks out in my mind.  We've seen in recent seasons that young teams with depth can punch above their weight in the regular season, especially if they are well coached.  The Nuggets are the most prominent example of that, followed by the Sixers.

Unlike Denver, my poster child for the dreaded treadmill of mediocrity, I don't think Ainge is going to be handing out a lot of those long-term $4-7 million/year contracts to non-special talent.

Jordan Crawford and Bradley suddenly got sad for a moment.

On the other hand, Courtney Lee and Brandon Bass are smiling.