Boston Celtics at Brooklyn Nets Round 1 Game 1 5/22/21

[liam]

I put this loss on the fact that in the second half the Nets kept smacking the Celtics around and we didn't smack back. The refs were calling the second half very one-sided after we got a pretty fair shake in the first half but you still have to smack back. good learning series for the Celtics but The Celtics could've won this game. If you're going to lose make it as hard on the Nets as you can.

Just amazing how a team can come out of half-time and just tank. Classic, Nets decided to come out and get physical in the second half and Cs did not adjust to their adjustment.

Not quite true. Game was played much the same, just teams started regressing/progressing to the mean. They hit more shots, we hit less.

Didn't see a huge difference in play-styles.

You didn’t? Which game did you watch?

Oh dagnabbit I watched the Pacers game from yesterday.

That explains a lot....

 

[colincb]

Jared Weiss@JaredWeissNBA
·
Rob Williams joined Hakeem, Duncan, Dwight, Mourning, Bynum and Coleman as the only players with 10+ points, 9+ rebounds and 9+ blocks in a playoff game per @Sportradar. Only one to do it without a TO.  He’s the 1st player ever with 9 blocks in under 25 minutes in a playoff game.

[Rikibellevie]

Waked up at 3 am to watch the full match. After going to bed again, I woke up just now with a little disapointment. It was a very winable match, maybe the only one. We had good focus in the match in the first, we had the good attitude. Even if it wasn't that much an intense game, our collective defense, esp on the 3 where we collapsed, was quiet good again. I told me at the end of the half that the team maybe could give much more than in the RS and upgrade enough to challenge them, but it is also what we thought after game 1 ag Bucks 2 years ago.  We played colletively better in first half than in most RS match, in 2d I don't think our defense collapsed that much (just at the begening of the 3rd and 4th quarters but it was also KD and Irving time).
Finally with a correct match of Walker and a good one from Tatum, we could have won it. I guess we allready lost our chance to put them a headake, but I still want to see the reaction of Tatum and hopefully Kemba next match.

The good points to stay positive :
_ looseing against one of the favorite by quiet a few margin with our 3 best players or out or bad...
_ it is just one match but I don't feel we faced the futur winner of the NBA... And that is already a good news, as watching them loosing will already reconfort me a little. Watching Irving killing us was and will be quiet painfull.
_ Even with 0 offensive leader, we stayed in the match until 6 mn to the end
_ Brad coached well I guess; in game preparation, the def schems, rotations, timeouts ... Just didn't understand why he put Tatum out after 5 mn when he was 7 points and 3/4. Also not sure about the switch all...
_ Timelord if he can stay healthy will be something huge and maybe also a typical PO impacting guy, Nesmith seems to have it even with a bad offensive match, he isn't shamed and have the intensity.
_ Smart did an OK match, even with some dumb plays and our bench gave good implication. Parker will be a usefull bench player next year for cheap

The bad points :
_ Kemba was superbad, just going out from the best period of the year, he comes out in PO with such a putrid performance. He is already a def liability and plays all year half injured, I guess if he breaks out mentally (don't think it was just the fault concern, it was also the Irving matchup and context). Hope he does at least 2 very good matchs, I still think his trade value may not be so negative some thinks. Whatever the team played better when he was out the floor
_ again we had an horrible quarter, this time again the third, which put us in big difficulties
_ Fournier did some good team defense, but his offensive production in PO is still in question -last years he collapsed-
_ Pritchard intensity and capacity to create breach in PO seems questionable. Maybe he won't be the player some saw in him (I still believe he can be a correct sub, but never felt a big upside on him)




Finally we missed it by ourselves. But still promising things for next year. Now Tatum and Kemba have to show they are the leaders. Sad we missed this one.

[86MaxwellSmart]

Timelord was the BEST player on the floor tonight....Most impactful I should say...Gave The Nets fits. Blocked 9 shots, but changed at least 6-7 others--an Airball 3 pointer from Durant too.

[Somebody]

I put this loss on the fact that in the second half the Nets kept smacking the Celtics around and we didn't smack back. The refs were calling the second half very one-sided after we got a pretty fair shake in the first half but you still have to smack back. good learning series for the Celtics but The Celtics could've won this game. If you're going to lose make it as hard on the Nets as you can.

Just amazing how a team can come out of half-time and just tank. Classic, Nets decided to come out and get physical in the second half and Cs did not adjust to their adjustment.

Not quite true. Game was played much the same, just teams started regressing/progressing to the mean. They hit more shots, we hit less.

Didn't see a huge difference in play-styles.

Not really. The Nets adjusted by defending Tatum and Kemba more tightly (think they switched up some coverages as well although I can't quite recall them) and we couldn't respond to that even though Smart and Parker were viable options to take advantage of Brooklyn's guards in the post. Obviously post scoring doesn't drive great offence sustainably in general, but Brooklyn's interior defence is so bad that players who know how to post up with a size and strength advantage can really strain their defence - especially when Smart is a very good passer who can take advantage of collapsing defences.

[LilRip]

I put this loss on the fact that in the second half the Nets kept smacking the Celtics around and we didn't smack back. The refs were calling the second half very one-sided after we got a pretty fair shake in the first half but you still have to smack back. good learning series for the Celtics but The Celtics could've won this game. If you're going to lose make it as hard on the Nets as you can.

Just amazing how a team can come out of half-time and just tank. Classic, Nets decided to come out and get physical in the second half and Cs did not adjust to their adjustment.

Not quite true. Game was played much the same, just teams started regressing/progressing to the mean. They hit more shots, we hit less.

Didn't see a huge difference in play-styles.

Not really. The Nets adjusted by defending Tatum and Kemba more tightly (think they switched up some coverages as well although I can't quite recall them) and we couldn't respond to that even though Smart and Parker were viable options to take advantage of Brooklyn's guards in the post. Obviously post scoring doesn't drive great offence sustainably in general, but Brooklyn's interior defence is so bad that players who know how to post up with a size and strength advantage can really strain their defence - especially when Smart is a very good passer who can take advantage of collapsing defences.

Yeah, Nets had better focus on Tatum in the 2nd half, I thought. On Kemba, I don’t know. Maybe. I thought Kemba was just either getting contained by his man or missing his stepbacks. But the Nets defense succeeded in getting Tatum to play more passively.

On a semi-related note, we have actually done that to Embiid a few times in the past aka getting him to be passive, having him take long shots, etc. That said, this year’s version of Embiid has taken it to another level and isnt as susceptible in getting discouraged in imposing his will on the game anymore. Tatum needs to develop that and I am fairly confident he will.

Just maybe not in time for this series

[RockinRyA]

rewatched the game and I think I saw good signs. We did defend very well. Now we have to make shots

[Sophomore]

Put down the crack pipe ?? A little personal and over the top, don't you think ?

The guy made an observation that wasn't entirely wrong and Smart regularly hurts us with his shooting - as many have stated on this board repeatedly.

I mean, it's a common and obvious over the top statement, so in what way is it "personal" - unless he/she's really into that stuff, at which point my advice to put it down is actually really good advice. 

But, no, it is a really bad take. They're trying to argue that their theory of Smart shooting more than 11 times as a barometer of the team's success is a good argument based on tonight's game - even though the context from tonight's game is exactly the opposite and disproves the argument. Without Smart the team is blown out by 30 tonight, so trying to make this kind of argument without any consideration of the context is absolutely a bad take.

Just thought the guy was getting roasted over some criticism of Smart that is constant on this board. Smart gets lambasted regularly here. Yeah, I know it was about this specific game, but he did shoot badly during the 3d when we lost the lead, Didn't think he deserved such harsh responses.

I am just so amazed with how people responded on this theory with just emotional outburst.

I made an argument that first 8 minutes of the 3rd quarter is what cost us the game. And Smart took a big part there.

I am actually intrigued by how  strong is the correlation between his shoot attempt and wining/lose. Maybe it is just a correlation, but maybe there is some truth in what Perk said, that Smart action may deflate the morale of  the players during the course of the game.

Well, like it or not, I will keep monitoring this stat. Might as well use it for betting. 😁

With 7 minutes left in the game, Boston was down 3 with the ball. They missed a shot, and from there the Nets then went on a 17-3 run. I’d say that’s where they lost the game. Marcus Smart took zero shots during the Nets run; the team suffered because almost every offensive possession was pure iso-ball. That Durant pick-six happened because everybody in the stadium knew the Cs would try to force a handoff to JT. They made it way too easy for the Nets D.

[Birdman]

Proud of this team..If Brown was playing, might be closer..Nets just got too much firepower

[SHAQATTACK]

I wasn’t expecting a win ,  and I wasn’t at all shocked 

Brown might have made the diff.

[Celtics4ever]

I wasn’t expecting a win ,  and I wasn’t at all shocked

I was rooting for to win but shared your expectation.   At least we came out swinging.

I too thought with Brown it would have been even closer.

The real question is did we defend well or they they shoot poorly.   I know guys like Rob played well on D.

[Somebody]

I put this loss on the fact that in the second half the Nets kept smacking the Celtics around and we didn't smack back. The refs were calling the second half very one-sided after we got a pretty fair shake in the first half but you still have to smack back. good learning series for the Celtics but The Celtics could've won this game. If you're going to lose make it as hard on the Nets as you can.

Just amazing how a team can come out of half-time and just tank. Classic, Nets decided to come out and get physical in the second half and Cs did not adjust to their adjustment.

Not quite true. Game was played much the same, just teams started regressing/progressing to the mean. They hit more shots, we hit less.

Didn't see a huge difference in play-styles.

Not really. The Nets adjusted by defending Tatum and Kemba more tightly (think they switched up some coverages as well although I can't quite recall them) and we couldn't respond to that even though Smart and Parker were viable options to take advantage of Brooklyn's guards in the post. Obviously post scoring doesn't drive great offence sustainably in general, but Brooklyn's interior defence is so bad that players who know how to post up with a size and strength advantage can really strain their defence - especially when Smart is a very good passer who can take advantage of collapsing defences.

Yeah, Nets had better focus on Tatum in the 2nd half, I thought. On Kemba, I don’t know. Maybe. I thought Kemba was just either getting contained by his man or missing his stepbacks. But the Nets defense succeeded in getting Tatum to play more passively.

On a semi-related note, we have actually done that to Embiid a few times in the past aka getting him to be passive, having him take long shots, etc. That said, this year’s version of Embiid has taken it to another level and isnt as susceptible in getting discouraged in imposing his will on the game anymore. Tatum needs to develop that and I am fairly confident he will.

Just maybe not in time for this series

I don't think Tatum needs to impose his will on anyone, he needs to develop counters to respond to these adjustments from teams or get his teammates involved with the attention he's getting from defences. I think we should've really went at the Nets in the post with Smart/Parker setting picks for whoever Brooklyn's non-Harden guards were defending to force the switch and attack.

[footey]

Was glad to see Jabari get those minutes, and unsurprised that he did well.  He showed this in last regular season game vs Knicks, and obviously Brad saw something there, including defensively, where he is putting in a lot of effort. He just gives us more skill at the back up 4 and small ball 5.  We need as many guys who can make plays as possible.

I doubt we will be the ones to do it, but feel the Nets will be extremely vulnerable in later rounds.  Starting to reconsider my pre-season prediction (before Harden trade) that they would go all the way.

Proud of our team's effort.  Rob particularly.  Thought Jason had a real good mind set, and that this season's experience (including this play off run) will really help him get to the next level. 

Go Celtics!!

[colincb]

I wasn’t expecting a win ,  and I wasn’t at all shocked

I was rooting for to win but shared your expectation.   At least we came out swinging.

I too thought with Brown it would have been even closer.

The real question is did we defend well or they they shoot poorly.  I know guys like Rob played well on D.

Indeed, he did.

Chris Forsberg @ChrisForsberg_about 1 hour ago

Nets in Game 1 when defended by Robert Williams, per NBA’s tracking data: 1-13 FG 7.7 FG% 0-4 3PT 9 BLK 2 TO Celtics defensive rating was 93.2 with Rob on floor. He contested 14 shots, next closest on team: Marcus Smart at 10.

I think we might want to use him on the perimeter more than defending the Nets 'bigs". He gave KD and Harden problems. Griffin's toast as is Jordan and the rest aren't imposing.

[Tr1boy]

I wasn’t expecting a win ,  and I wasn’t at all shocked 

Brown might have made the diff.

Doubt it

Too much 1 on 1 ball/iso in the 4th... its the same gameplan since Heat series

Brown would have just collected dust in the corner

Celtics just keep beating a dead horse instead of moving the ball and bodies.

Dislike the mentality of "you cant stop me 1 on 1"