Mavericks (24-21) at Celtics (23-24) Game #48 3/31/21

[ozgod]

I had to step out at halftime, I see they did their usual "wake up when 20 pts down and do a last minute charge that falls short" again. Haven't watched the 2nd half on DVR yet but watched Post Game and Perk really got stuck into Mo Wagner, saying he did "absolutely nothing but pick up crazy fouls and mess up everyone's positioning" and questioning when Wagner was bumbling through the 3rd qtr "at what point does Brad look at this and say 'maybe I need to take Wagner out and put Kornet in'...at what point does he stop being passive and actually do something when the game is slipping out of reach?"

Was Wagner really that bad? He was pretty bad in the first quarter, I didn't know how he could end up being even worse. And was Brad too passive (again)?

[RJ87]

why dont they do this all game?

It’s on Brad, too little too late per usual

Completely agree. Others may disagree, but I think this is absolutely a failure of the coaching staff to push the right buttons to get their guys to play hard and smart. That's the coaching staff's job - to manage the guys and get them motivated in these situations.

100% letting Smart, Kemba, Tatum chuck all game long. Not getting PP and Fournier involved. Not benching guys when they’re not playing hard.

6 mins of hard play at the end is so inexcusable it’s not even funny. Got to love those moral victories.

Eh. It's on the players, imo. These aren't little leaguers or high schools athletes. These are grown men, legitimate multimillionaires who need to stop being coddled so much. They show these glimpses where they're capable of playing at a high level, they're making a choice not to do it all game long. As some point, we have to take off the kid gloves and hold them accountable.

You’re not wrong but sometimes messages do need to be sent.

But... They already know what they need to do. What other message is there? Sure, Brad could bench guys and make posters here happy, then they players can really tune him out and decide to get him fired. Again, this isn't a young team. They've seen success and know what it takes. It's up to them to earn the tens of millions per season, and right now they're not committed to doing that. Stop giving these guys an excuse by blaming the coach.

What exactly is the coach’s job then?

Imo, a coach's job is to design the offense and defense - basically act as the architect of how the team functions on the court. When it comes to "motivating" players, I think that's 100% silly and nonsensical. Again, these aren't little leaguers. Playing at a high effort level shouldn't be a conversation if you're getting paid millions of dollars. If you can't show up and do the bare minimum for a premium paycheck, why are you here?

I'm just tired of people wanting to lay the blame all on the coach and letting these guys off the hook. Does this team need a coach or a babysitter?

The coach needs to use playing time as the carrot and the stick. If you play the way he wants you get time, if you don't you sit. That's a constant at ever level of basketball. Brad just keeps giving time to certain guys and just doesn't to guys who are on the bench that come in they bust a gut playing hard! If Smart wants to coast until the 4th don't play him until the 4th.

You have players on this roster making as much as much as $34m a season. If you have to use a carrot stick of any type to get effort, you're in trouble in a way the coach can't fix.

I have a hard time believing you’re serious right now. Coaching is so much more beyond X’s and O’s and calling fancy out of timeout plays. He’s in a leadership position on the team. He needs to lead. Don’t buy in to the Kyrie-koolaid of “we don’t even need a coach, really”

I think there's this fictionalized idea of what a coach should be. People watch Remember the Titans or Friday Night Lights and think coaches give big inspirational speeches at halftime and the team comes out and rallies and yay! I just don't buy into that all. Ultimately, players set the tone. It's why the Clippers still don't strike fear in anyone despite the coaching change - there's something off with Kawhi/PG dynamic from a leadership standpoint.

Ty Lue benched his starters the other night and his bench came in and lead a come back against the Hawks!

So Doc and Ty both have issues with key players being motivated? Hmm. I'm glad it worked for them for one gam though, but ultimately it doesn't change the fundamental issue. It's why they traded for Rondo, because the front office knows there's a leadership deficit that their best players can't fix.

Sure, there are stopgaps coaches could try but if the key players aren't committed to making it work, it's not going to work.

Didn't both those coaches win championships?

On different teams with entirely different personnel. You think Doc had to motivate Kevin Garnett?

[liam]

I had to step out at halftime, I see they did their usual "wake up when 20 pts down and do a last minute charge that falls short" again. Haven't watched the 2nd half on DVR yet but watched Post Game and Perk really got stuck into Mo Wagner, saying he did "absolutely nothing but pick up crazy fouls and mess up everyone's positioning" and questioning when Wagner was bumbling through the 3rd qtr "at what point does Brad look at this and say 'maybe I need to take Wagner out and put Kornet in'...at what point does he stop being passive and actually do something when the game is slipping out of reach?"

Was Wagner really that bad? He was pretty bad in the first quarter, I didn't know how he could end up being even worse. And was Brad too passive (again)?

I would've played Tacko over Wagner. Tacko could've had 10 quick layups against the Mavs! Brad seems to make up his mind what he's going to do and is really late to adjust in the game. If he had gone small from the get go it might've been a different game. Kornet was way better than Wagner but only played 16 minutes.

[gouki88]

I had to step out at halftime, I see they did their usual "wake up when 20 pts down and do a last minute charge that falls short" again. Haven't watched the 2nd half on DVR yet but watched Post Game and Perk really got stuck into Mo Wagner, saying he did "absolutely nothing but pick up crazy fouls and mess up everyone's positioning" and questioning when Wagner was bumbling through the 3rd qtr "at what point does Brad look at this and say 'maybe I need to take Wagner out and put Kornet in'...at what point does he stop being passive and actually do something when the game is slipping out of reach?"

Was Wagner really that bad? He was pretty bad in the first quarter, I didn't know how he could end up being even worse. And was Brad too passive (again)?

Perk is, after all, the expert at doing absolutely nothing besides getting in the way and picking up fouls

[ozgod]

I had to step out at halftime, I see they did their usual "wake up when 20 pts down and do a last minute charge that falls short" again. Haven't watched the 2nd half on DVR yet but watched Post Game and Perk really got stuck into Mo Wagner, saying he did "absolutely nothing but pick up crazy fouls and mess up everyone's positioning" and questioning when Wagner was bumbling through the 3rd qtr "at what point does Brad look at this and say 'maybe I need to take Wagner out and put Kornet in'...at what point does he stop being passive and actually do something when the game is slipping out of reach?"

Was Wagner really that bad? He was pretty bad in the first quarter, I didn't know how he could end up being even worse. And was Brad too passive (again)?

Perk is, after all, the expert at doing absolutely nothing besides getting in the way and picking up fouls

Tonight we had Sad Brad at the podium...

"The most frustrating part is we let adversity take us out of what we're doing for too long," Stevens said. ... "It's just the same old story. It's like, 12-minute droughts because we don't respond. ... "We've got to respond better in the middle of the game, and we just haven't. That's the bottom line. I feel bad that the new guys are hearing this because they don't deserve it, because they haven't been a part of it, but it's been the same old script. ...

"They took us out of it and they forced us, because that's probably our reputation to not respond for 10 to 12 minutes,"  Stevens added. "And that changed the game."

https://youtu.be/P8i_Pjs3E1Q

[gouki88]

I had to step out at halftime, I see they did their usual "wake up when 20 pts down and do a last minute charge that falls short" again. Haven't watched the 2nd half on DVR yet but watched Post Game and Perk really got stuck into Mo Wagner, saying he did "absolutely nothing but pick up crazy fouls and mess up everyone's positioning" and questioning when Wagner was bumbling through the 3rd qtr "at what point does Brad look at this and say 'maybe I need to take Wagner out and put Kornet in'...at what point does he stop being passive and actually do something when the game is slipping out of reach?"

Was Wagner really that bad? He was pretty bad in the first quarter, I didn't know how he could end up being even worse. And was Brad too passive (again)?

Perk is, after all, the expert at doing absolutely nothing besides getting in the way and picking up fouls

Tonight we had Sad Brad at the podium...

"The most frustrating part is we let adversity take us out of what we're doing for too long," Stevens said. ... "It's just the same old story. It's like, 12-minute droughts because we don't respond. ... "We've got to respond better in the middle of the game, and we just haven't. That's the bottom line. I feel bad that the new guys are hearing this because they don't deserve it, because they haven't been a part of it, but it's been the same old script. ...

"They took us out of it and they forced us, because that's probably our reputation to not respond for 10 to 12 minutes,"  Stevens added. "And that changed the game."

https://youtu.be/P8i_Pjs3E1Q

Can't imagine that feels good as a player to hear. Hopefully they wake up!

[Alec14]

Maybe you should call a timeout during those '12 minute droughts' instead of staring gormlessly at the product on the floor hoping they figure it out themselves.

[Celtics Mike]

I had to step out at halftime, I see they did their usual "wake up when 20 pts down and do a last minute charge that falls short" again. Haven't watched the 2nd half on DVR yet but watched Post Game and Perk really got stuck into Mo Wagner, saying he did "absolutely nothing but pick up crazy fouls and mess up everyone's positioning" and questioning when Wagner was bumbling through the 3rd qtr "at what point does Brad look at this and say 'maybe I need to take Wagner out and put Kornet in'...at what point does he stop being passive and actually do something when the game is slipping out of reach?"

Was Wagner really that bad? He was pretty bad in the first quarter, I didn't know how he could end up being even worse. And was Brad too passive (again)?

Perk is, after all, the expert at doing absolutely nothing besides getting in the way and picking up fouls

Tonight we had Sad Brad at the podium...

"The most frustrating part is we let adversity take us out of what we're doing for too long," Stevens said. ... "It's just the same old story. It's like, 12-minute droughts because we don't respond. ... "We've got to respond better in the middle of the game, and we just haven't. That's the bottom line. I feel bad that the new guys are hearing this because they don't deserve it, because they haven't been a part of it, but it's been the same old script. ...

"They took us out of it and they forced us, because that's probably our reputation to not respond for 10 to 12 minutes,"  Stevens added. "And that changed the game."

https://youtu.be/P8i_Pjs3E1Q

Can't imagine that feels good as a player to hear. Hopefully they wake up!

These comments from Brad will not encourage Evan Fournier to re-sign. If Brad knows there is a problem about lack of response what is he doing to fix it ?

[ozgod]

I had to step out at halftime, I see they did their usual "wake up when 20 pts down and do a last minute charge that falls short" again. Haven't watched the 2nd half on DVR yet but watched Post Game and Perk really got stuck into Mo Wagner, saying he did "absolutely nothing but pick up crazy fouls and mess up everyone's positioning" and questioning when Wagner was bumbling through the 3rd qtr "at what point does Brad look at this and say 'maybe I need to take Wagner out and put Kornet in'...at what point does he stop being passive and actually do something when the game is slipping out of reach?"

Was Wagner really that bad? He was pretty bad in the first quarter, I didn't know how he could end up being even worse. And was Brad too passive (again)?

Perk is, after all, the expert at doing absolutely nothing besides getting in the way and picking up fouls

Tonight we had Sad Brad at the podium...

"The most frustrating part is we let adversity take us out of what we're doing for too long," Stevens said. ... "It's just the same old story. It's like, 12-minute droughts because we don't respond. ... "We've got to respond better in the middle of the game, and we just haven't. That's the bottom line. I feel bad that the new guys are hearing this because they don't deserve it, because they haven't been a part of it, but it's been the same old script. ...

"They took us out of it and they forced us, because that's probably our reputation to not respond for 10 to 12 minutes,"  Stevens added. "And that changed the game."

https://youtu.be/P8i_Pjs3E1Q

Can't imagine that feels good as a player to hear. Hopefully they wake up!

Maybe this Friday, if they show the mental strength of a goldfish against Houston who are 13-34, we will see Mad Brad ...one can only hope

[Celtics Mike]

 Shake up the starting roster against the rockets. Play Pritchard Koronet and Fournier. Feed off their energy and positivity. Bench the misfiring Smart. No more hero ball from Jayson Tatum. If Celtics can't get a confidence boosting win against the Houston Rockets I have zero confidence that they will even make the play offs.

[Celtics4ever]

If Celtics can't get a confidence boosting win against the Houston Rockets I have zero confidence that they will even make the play offs.

At this point, and I know it is not the Celtics way, but I almost think we'd be better off in the lottery.

[100% Celt]

What was the purpose of Smart deliberately missing the last free throw? I get he was trying to hit the rim and missed but what would the purpose of hitting the rim be? Only logic I can think of is so that somebody else could catch it and move out to have a shot at three?

[jambr380]

What was the purpose of Smart deliberately missing the last free throw? I get he was trying to hit the rim and missed but what would the purpose of hitting the rim be? Only logic I can think of is so that somebody else could catch it and move out to have a shot at three?

They were down three at the time. With no timeouts left, it made more sense to try and get the offensive rebound and a 3 than to hope the Mavs miss one of theirs and we are able to hit a half-court shot to tie the game. I have no idea why Marcus Smart messed that up so much, but the game was pretty much over at that point anyway...so whatever.

[Celtics2021]

What was the purpose of Smart deliberately missing the last free throw? I get he was trying to hit the rim and missed but what would the purpose of hitting the rim be? Only logic I can think of is so that somebody else could catch it and move out to have a shot at three?

They were down three at the time. With no timeouts left, it made more sense to try and get the offensive rebound and a 3 than to hope the Mavs miss one of theirs and we are able to hit a half-court shot to tie the game. I have no idea why Marcus Smart messed that up so much, but the game was pretty much over at that point anyway...so whatever.

NBA players are generally very bad when trying to miss a free throw on purpose.  They’re not used to aiming for the rim, and they often throw it really hard so that if it works it will carom back to the shooter quickly, as having a tip drill at the rim on a softer miss will run out the clock.  No one practices it, because even if well executed it’s still a low-probability of success, and occurs only a few times a year.

[jambr380]

What was the purpose of Smart deliberately missing the last free throw? I get he was trying to hit the rim and missed but what would the purpose of hitting the rim be? Only logic I can think of is so that somebody else could catch it and move out to have a shot at three?

They were down three at the time. With no timeouts left, it made more sense to try and get the offensive rebound and a 3 than to hope the Mavs miss one of theirs and we are able to hit a half-court shot to tie the game. I have no idea why Marcus Smart messed that up so much, but the game was pretty much over at that point anyway...so whatever.

NBA players are generally very bad when trying to miss a free throw on purpose.  They’re not used to aiming for the rim, and they often throw it really hard so that if it works it will carom back to the shooter quickly, as having a tip drill at the rim on a softer miss will run out the clock.  No one practices it, because even if well executed it’s still a low-probability of success, and occurs only a few times a year.

Oh, totally, but he basically threw it above the square. It is almost as if he didn't know that he actually needed to hit the rim. It was really off. For somebody who is actually a decent shooter when he has space/time, as well as very good passer, this attempt was...not great.