Celtics (32-28) at Hornets (29-30) Game #61 4/25/21

[SHAQATTACK]

There are several players important to team.   

These games are really more difficult without Time Lord .  His interior defense sparks the team and is sorely missed IMO .

[footey]

40:18

That's not a quote from the Bible, either.

[liam]

For all the complaints about Stevens, you know what he didn't do?

He didn't shoot 38% from the field.
He didn't missed close to 20 shots at the rim.
He didn't decide to go iso all game
He didn't turn the ball over 13 times.
He didn't decide not to get back in transition.
He didn't allow Charlotte to shoot wide open threes all game.
He didn't play some of the most pathetic half court defense all year in this game.

At some point, it's on the players, not the coach. This game was all on the players. They were the ones that decided not to show up and stink up the joint.

This is such a bad argument lol The only thing you're really saying is a descriptive statement that he's not actually a player - that's it. But that's a very naive and narrow conception of how coaching affects the game, and by this kind of logic there's no role whatsoever for coaching in the NBA.

Sure, if players are just missing shots, that's unfortunate but it doesn't necessarily involve coaching. Turnovers? Same kind of argument can be made. But you know how coaching does relate to  poor play, either wholly or at least in part?

(a) Not coming out prepared to start the game - coaching staff not having guys ready to start the game
(b) Not playing motivated or with hustle throughout the game - poor in-game management of players by coaching staff
(c) Consistently missing defensive assignments/not communicating defensively/implementing a poor overall defensive help strategy - coaching staff futility in defensive gameplan management and preparation and instilling defensive discipline and accountability
(d) Team consistently relies too heavily on jumpshots and isolation offense - coaching staff futility in offensive gameplan management and preparation and instilling offensive discipline and accountability
(e) Inconsistent rotation/regular freezing or benching of the hot player/poor TO calling - poor in-game management by coaching staff
(f) Stars with awful body language and motivation throughout the game - poor leadership and accountability instituted by coaching staff

Brad and the coaching staff are not wholly responsible for the team's problems, but acting like they have minimal impact on the team's poor play today and this season and aren't a major driving factor of the poor play is asinine.

What's asinine is coming into every game and predetermining that everything that goes wrong is on the coach. What's asinine is blaming the coach for every turnover, every run the opponents make, every time a player gives a bad effort, every time a player does something he shouldn't. What's asinine is thinking that the players win every game and the coach loses every game.

It's been a tough season. For both the players, the coach and the GM. This season has been a breakdown from Ainge all the way to Tacko.

Brad has had some awful games coaching this year. His inability to get these guys to show up on matinee games is pathetic. But this game...this game....this was on the players.

Players come out flat and disinterested and they still play the same amount of minutes. Why can't it ever be the coach's fault? He decides who plays. If the guys he plays aren't playing hard it's his job not to play them. WHY IS THAT SO HARD TO GET?

So if he benched the starters and played the bench you really think this team wins the game? You really think more time for Pritchard, Nesmith, Langford, Parker, Kornet, Semi, Waters and Tacko and less for the starters is going to win you more games?

How quickly do his players run to Ainge to b!tch about the coach when they are sitting watching the bench players lose games while his stars are sitting? How quickly do those stars start asking to be traded because the bench guys are getting time over them?

This isn't high school basketball.

Why is that so hard to understand?

Did we win this with those guys phoning it in? Are you building a team-first culture when guys aren't playing hard but still getting minutes and almost all of the shots? This isn't about one game. Do you think KG or Bird just shrug and say well the Hornets just played well. Where's the anger and sense of urgency and pride. The reason I love Pritchard isn't that he's so good but that he plays so hard with way less talent than any of our starting 5. Same for Nesmith and Kornet. Holding players responsible isn't just for high school. Look at POP. Look what Thibs is doing with a far less talented Knicks team. You only think you're a star if you don't play hard every game. Winning and competing makes you a star, not the all-star game. The players aren't in charge of the team. That's the coach's job. It's no coincidence that the best coaches in the league win the championships every year. You think letting players play with not effort is making them feel good about themselves or perform better?

It's a tough season but playing hard can be done every game no matter the circumstances. Highschool teams play harder than what we saw today. This team thinks it can play a good 12 minutes and win and that's just not going to happen. Bird was horribly injured at the end of his career and he always played hard. Always. If your best players don't always play hard it ruins team culture. It's not excusable.

If Brad can't affect winning then we should save 7 million a year and just let Jay Larranaga coach.

[liam]

Aw well, on to the next one....

[hardlyyardley]

39 assists for them 18 for us....absolutely disgusting

[Bostonborn62]

This is not a knee jerk reaction to this game, I've been watching this team all year and if Brad is supposed to be preaching Ball movement, cutting , boxing out, communication on D, cohesiveness on offence which as ballers, have been taught these things all their hoop lives. Brad needs to command and demand their focus which he don't seem to have. So, my question is, have they tuned him out? I think it's either that or he too weak and doesn't have the personality to handle NBA players. I think Brad needs to go and he should go back to College where he has more influence on young impressionable minds. Time to move on from Brad. IMO   

[Ogaju]

For all the complaints about Stevens, you know what he didn't do?

He didn't shoot 38% from the field.
He didn't missed close to 20 shots at the rim.
He didn't decide to go iso all game
He didn't turn the ball over 13 times.
He didn't decide not to get back in transition.
He didn't allow Charlotte to shoot wide open threes all game.
He didn't play some of the most pathetic half court defense all year in this game.

At some point, it's on the players, not the coach. This game was all on the players. They were the ones that decided not to show up and stink up the joint.

What exactly is the coach’s job?

It's not to play the game.

Not play guys who play hard and bench guys that are phoning it in or get a tech to fire up his team or rem a guy out for horrid lazy play. See Pop! Coaching is an active participation job! Not sit and hope guys do something.

Sure. Yeah. Let's bench Tatum, Brown, Kemba and Smart because a lineup of Pritchard, Besmith, Langford, Parker and Kornet are going to win sooooooooo many games. 

It may be the spark and change of pace you need during a game.

ha ha ha...if CBS ran this line up out during real game time this place would demand his head....again....as usual. 

Not if they produce and take the other team out of their flow.

pretty big if isnt it? you seem to take it for granted that that line up would produce, when nothing else seems to support your argument.

You don’t know if you don’t try. You can coach this team and do no worse than Brad. All you have to do is NOTHING.

[Ogaju]

Maybe the Celtics are on strike,  want better benefits or something ?

This game was a wire-to-wire blowout at least get Fournier more than 3 shots. The Celtics had 26 free throws in this game and could barely clear 100. Squandered this one.

I confess,   I fell sleep and missed 98% of the game ,  obviously some things went wrong for our side.

Now if only Brad would confess like you.

[Vermont Green]

We had 88 shots with 26 free throw attempts which is plenty of possessions.  They had 93 shots and 11 FTA.  That means it wasn't rebounding or turnovers that was the issue, it was converting possessions into points.  They were much better at that compared to us or probably more accurately, we were bad compared to them.

Yes, ball movement, people movement, led to them getting more assists but they made more shots.  Tough to get that many assists when you only make 34 shots

I am not sure what to make of this team, today or in general.  I still feel the pieces are there but then they go out and lay an egg like this.  You can't ignore the coach's role in this but I am not sure exactly what he could do.  Tatum, Brown, and Walker are the key more than the coach I believe.  They shouldn't need a coach to "mind-game" them into playing with intensity on a consistent basis.

[jambr380]

39 assists for them 18 for us....absolutely disgusting

I just looked at the stats and they confirm that CHA had 39 assists, so they must have totally gotten ripped off on that last one in garbage time on the kick out for a 3. 40 is a much nicer sounding number, too.

[SHAQATTACK]

Maybe the Celtics are on strike,  want better benefits or something ?

This game was a wire-to-wire blowout at least get Fournier more than 3 shots. The Celtics had 26 free throws in this game and could barely clear 100. Squandered this one.

I confess,   I fell sleep and missed 98% of the game ,  obviously some things went wrong for our side.

Now if only Brad would confess like you.

I don’t have answers anymore .   I grew up in a different time with different rules,  i was coached different ,  if you played poor teammates didn’t hug you , much less the coach  .  I just watch to see how coach’s overcome the job of coaching without acting like coach and players  acting like emotionless robots ....lol.   

it’s a unique position to be in ...a coach today...meeting expectations  and without  exerting some amount of authority or being vocal to some extent.

[gouki88]

Feel like this was a pretty good game to miss out on

[liam]

Feel like this was a pretty good game to miss out on

That's what all the Celtics starters thought too!

[liam]

“We have to play with better pace up the floor, there’s no question about it,” related head coach Brad Stevens after the loss."-


Can you tell what game this is a quote from?

[Celtics4ever]

Feel like this was a pretty good game to miss out on

100% right, downright embarrassing effort.