How will you remember this past period of Celtics basketball? (2016-19)

[PhoSita]

I’ll remember it as the era of PGs, specifically as the King In The Fourth versus the Beta Flake.

I love that characterization.  Perfect contrast.

[SparzWizard]

I'll remember Al Horford for his selfless, teamwork and leadership. Exciting young players like Jaylen, Tatum and Rozier playing alongside Al and leading this team to the ECF. Smart, of course, next to Horford, as a beacon of leadership and hustle.

I won't remember Kyrie much at all. He was forgettable.

I won't remember IT much either. Not that he did anything wrong. Just never connected him. Undersized score-first PG who don't play defense don't thrill me.

Olynyk and Sullinger were more memorable. Solid role player bigs. Olly with his great skills but unfortunate lack of assertiveness in using them. Sully for his good skills and rebounding but bad coaching (getting him to shoot 3s) and bad weight management did him in.

'16-17 didn't do anything for you?  That was arguably the greatest season by a Celtic since the Bird era.   Certainly one of the most remarkable & entertaining runs by a Celtic in franchise history.

If Rondo didn't get hurt in the first round of the playoffs, the celtics would've been swept by an 8th seed lol.

To think that Rondo made THAT much of a difference that series is absolutely ludicrous given how lopsided it was after Game 2. Are you forgetting that IT lost his sister and that perhaps the miserable performances by the team in Games 1 and 2 may have had something to do with that?

The Celtics hammered the Bulls in Games 3 through 6. They absolutely would have won that series whether or not Rondo was playing.

Celtics were like the 2015 Hawks that year in overachieving. Rondo was the key guy shutting down IT4, and that was basically the Celtics' only offense they went to that year. I'll give the Celtics Game 3 but that series could have easily been 3-1 after G4 and finished off in Boston had Rondo played. Brad Stevens was almost on the hotseat at one point for having a 2-10 playoff record (swept by CLE 2015, lose 4-2 to ATL 2016, started 0-2 at home to #8 Bulls 2017).

[chiken]

Start of the Jay's Era... Super excited to see where these kids take us.
Reminds me of when We first got Paul...  You just knew something special was coming down the road with him. Just had to be patient.

Same feeling...  (Hated the Kyrie speed bump)

[RockinRyA]

I'll remember Al Horford for his selfless, teamwork and leadership. Exciting young players like Jaylen, Tatum and Rozier playing alongside Al and leading this team to the ECF. Smart, of course, next to Horford, as a beacon of leadership and hustle.

I won't remember Kyrie much at all. He was forgettable.

I won't remember IT much either. Not that he did anything wrong. Just never connected him. Undersized score-first PG who don't play defense don't thrill me.

Olynyk and Sullinger were more memorable. Solid role player bigs. Olly with his great skills but unfortunate lack of assertiveness in using them. Sully for his good skills and rebounding but bad coaching (getting him to shoot 3s) and bad weight management did him in.

'16-17 didn't do anything for you?  That was arguably the greatest season by a Celtic since the Bird era.   Certainly one of the most remarkable & entertaining runs by a Celtic in franchise history.

If Rondo didn't get hurt in the first round of the playoffs, the celtics would've been swept by an 8th seed lol.

To think that Rondo made THAT much of a difference that series is absolutely ludicrous given how lopsided it was after Game 2. Are you forgetting that IT lost his sister and that perhaps the miserable performances by the team in Games 1 and 2 may have had something to do with that?

The Celtics hammered the Bulls in Games 3 through 6. They absolutely would have won that series whether or not Rondo was playing.

Celtics were like the 2015 Hawks that year in overachieving. Rondo was the key guy shutting down IT4, and that was basically the Celtics' only offense they went to that year. I'll give the Celtics Game 3 but that series could have easily been 3-1 after G4 and finished off in Boston had Rondo played. Brad Stevens was almost on the hotseat at one point for having a 2-10 playoff record (swept by CLE 2015, lose 4-2 to ATL 2016, started 0-2 at home to #8 Bulls 2017).

Rondo didn't shut down IT. He disrupted our offense a bit but you know something was wrqong with their body language. There was no "fire". You could tell his teammates do not know how to deal with whatever was IT feeling then. They were still in shock.

[CelticsPoetry]

As a disappointment and the beginning of the treadmill. 

The conference was there for the taking and Ainge's consistent hesitation really cost the team.  Plus, the one major move he made completely backfired and set back the growth of the young guys as well as cost another real asset.

Lol. Ainge's "consistent hesitation" cost the team? Not Gordon Hayward breaking his leg in half and Kyrie having to have knee surgery last year?

Those two things don't happen, the Celtics are in back-to-back finals and win a championship.

But yeah. Ainge ruined it. Lol.

You make it sound like it's Hayward's fault

[CelticsPoetry]

I’ll remember it as the era of PGs, specifically as the King In The Fourth versus the Beta Flake.

I love that characterization.  Perfect contrast.

Robb Stark vs Loras Tyrell, that's the comparison I see 

[Somebody]

How we had an amazing player who played his heart out for us in IT, the ultimate utility man in Al Horford, and a team that grinded out wins whenever a certain narcissistic self-proclaimed basketball genius wasn't playing for sabotaging us.

[Celtics4ever]

Fun teams, save last seasons, that had no chance because of management, that thinks small ball is the only style instead of a tactical option in a game.

[RockinRyA]

Fun teams, save last seasons, that had no chance because of management, that thinks small ball is the only style instead of a tactical option in a game.

You play your best players. Our best players were mostly wings, plus that is today's basketball. We also played 2 big lineups.

You don't play guys just because they are big. The Pelicans played big with two of the best centers in the game,didnt even reach playoffs. The warriors with a 6-8 dude playing cneter won 3 championships. This is a different era where skill>height.

[CF033]

Mostly for IT4's king of the fourth year and the improbable ECF run by the young guys. Two very entertaining basketball runs.

[Somebody]

Fun teams, save last seasons, that had no chance because of management, that thinks small ball is the only style instead of a tactical option in a game.

You play your best players. Our best players were mostly wings, plus that is today's basketball. We also played 2 big lineups.

You don't play guys just because they are big. The Pelicans played big with two of the best centers in the game,didnt even reach playoffs. The warriors with a 6-8 dude playing cneter won 3 championships. This is a different era where skill>height.

When that 6'8 player has a rare combination of length, motor, strength and skill, his lack of size is mitigated at the center spot. They also have a 6'7 SG, a 6'9 SF/PF and a 7'0 freak who can play all three frontcourt spots in a pinch, as well as the greatest shooter of all time to bolster their offense. We don't have that combination of offensive firepower and defensive versatility, and we played three guard lineups when Golden State played one guard with 3 wings and 1 forward/center as "going small". You don't have to play huge, but you can't play tiny either.

[Celtics4ever]

You play your best players. Our best players were mostly wings, plus that is today's basketball. We also played 2 big lineups.

You don't play guys just because they are big. The Pelicans played big with two of the best centers in the game,didnt even reach playoffs. The warriors with a 6-8 dude playing cneter won 3 championships. This is a different era where skill>height.

Yet Baynes and Horford together were one of our best defensive options and allowed us to hang with Philly.   So it is not as simple, as you make it out to be.   The trouble is we don't nor have we had enough good bigs aside from Al.      Al is a two way player, Baynes was not.   We also don't have the shooters to offset the bigs like Golden State has on their team.   Durant also had plenty of size, and is a great deal bigger than 6-8.   

So once, again a generalization, is shown to be as full as holes as Swiss Cheese.

I would also point out that the Warriors can go big most of that era if they needed too.   Small ball was not their only option.   That is the problem with management here, they do not see as a tactical option in a game but rather a foundation to build the team on.   Against Big teams like the Bucks we were exposed.   A team ought to have options for both and we are going to see that this year because we don't have Al did a lot of things to mitigate this weakness.

When that 6'8 player has a rare combination of length, motor, strength and skill, his lack of size is mitigated at the center spot. They also have a 6'7 SG, a 6'9 SF/PF and a 7'0 freak who can play all three frontcourt spots in a pinch, as well as the greatest shooter of all time to bolster their offense. We don't have that combination of offensive firepower and defensive versatility, and we played three guard lineups when Golden State played one guard with 3 wings and 1 forward/center as "going small". You don't have to play huge, but you can't play tiny either.

I know,  it was a gross simplification, and your post, which I noted after posting mine,   Pointed those things out admirably.

[Androslav]

I'll remember it by Danny masterfully assembling a solid big 3 with the good supporting cast and further flexibility to improve the roster if needed. It was a well-conceived plan that, now looking back, failed because of Gordons unfortunate injury and Kyries lack of leadership.
It didn't help that Kyrie went out before playoffs the first year. That led to our young pups growing up in the playoffs and naturally them wanting more after that success. Players clashed after he came back. If perhaps Kyrie was healthy his 1st year here, our pecking order would be resolved sooner, rather than being unsolved during the whole year later. That was another bit of unluck we had to swallow.

But even with all these crazy dynamics, I think we pivoted well and we can be optimistic about going forward.

[Fafnir]

Yeah Danny is so committed to small ball he only had 4 Centers on the roster. A real visionary would have had 6.

[BringToughnessBack]

I will remember it as us taking the Roast out of the oven too early and then complaining about how it is too rare and to throw it out instead of putting it back in and giving it another hour to become just right. But hey, there is a new roast now cooking but it will take a little longer to get just right. So, all will hopefully be good and tasty.