Celtics (16-17) at Timberwolves (15-17) Game #34 12/27/21

[Phantom255x]

I'm pretty much done with this team for this season. There's literally no joy in watching them and there's nothing to be excited about.

You basically lost to a PICKUP basketball team that was assembled not long before the game even started. Embarrassing.

Also, Jaylen with yet again another confusing postgame comment. Sometimes it feels like Jaylen tries to be the smartest guy in the room.

Idk what they should do, but it's just not working with this group. I don't sense consistent passion and hustle with most of this team, especially the stars. This definitely isn't just on coaching.

[Redz]

Greg Monroe looked like some kind of mad genious out there!  Like he'd been prepping for this moment his whole life.  He made all the right plays.

Doesn't need to be a complicated game.

[LilRip]

Greg Monroe looked like some kind of mad genious out there!  Like he'd been prepping for this moment his whole life.  He made all the right plays.

Doesn't need to be a complicated game.

And he did it on a ten-day contract with a bunch of other ten-day contracts. Not even vet min guys! JB+Horford and a rotation of NBA guaranteed contracts got beat by essentially summer leaguers and a has-been. Not really a shining moment for this team.

[footey]

My perspective of last night's game, after sleeping on it:

We had fantastic ball movement in the first quarter.  I felt that losing Rob early to foul trouble really set us back.  also we only committed two turnovers in the first quarter, but early in the 2nd quarter, Jaylen went into his brain freeze and turned it over carelessly a few times, and that led to easy transition buckets and loss of scoring opportunities for us. Their bigs played very confidently and aggressively.  And we did not defend the 3 point line very well in the first half.  Yet managed to take a double digit lead with a late burst led by Jaylen and Payton just before the half.

I thought that until the 4th quarter, Payton was actually doing a good job of leading the team.  He simply ran out of gas, it was so obvious, as his shots fell short, and progressively so, as the game wore on. 

IMO, Ime should commit to starting Payton as our point guard, and let him make plays. The guy I have seen play the last few games reminds me of the brilliant PG we saw during summer league when he dominated.  He has not been a net defensive liability. In fact he shows quick hands, and often ends up with the ball on the defensive end, at which point he accelerates transition to offense.  More Payton, not less. 

[ozgod]

Any body got the link to the positivity only thread

People get worked up after losses here 

I missed this one, all they're showing here in LA are Fakers games but I guess by all accounts it was pretty bad. Another missed opportunity where we controlled the game but let it slip through lack of concentration and execution. This team really has some serious collective mental issues dating back a couple of years now. They really struggle to win these tight games or to hold on to leads. Either they make bad decisions in the clutch, or they execute poorly, or they don't trust each other...probably all of the above.

And they clearly didn't respect Minny, given how many players were out. There's too many of these games, where we play down to the level of the opposition. It makes me think there's too many players here who think they are better than they really are, just because they went to the Finals in 2018 and 2020 and to the semifinals in 2019. Too many who think they are secure. I think this team needs a jolt, they need the fear of God to be put in them, to be made a little uncomfortable.

But let's be honest, we all knew going into the season that they were going to be mediocre. As fans do we get lulled by the occasional sublime performance where it looks like we can hang with the big boys, like the game vs the Fakers or vs the Sixers or the earlier ones vs the Bucks...only to be brought down to earth. But let's be honest, this is who they are. They're a .500 team. They win one, they lose one. I've reset my expectations so I don't get as disappointed by these performances as I did earlier in the season.

Ime should forget about playoffs this year, if we scrape in we won't last long. The focus should be to get rid of all these bad habits and Brad should be prepared to offload the players who can't, or won't, improve. That's what keeps me tuning in right now, to see where Ime will take the team by the end of the year and if he has added any value at all for his entire year. We can cry about why it's yet another rebuilding year and that Wyc should do something but this is the reality of where we are right now. There's still value in observing the journey even if it seems like it's a journey to nowhere right now 

[Surferdad]

My perspective of last night's game, after sleeping on it:

We had fantastic ball movement in the first quarter.  I felt that losing Rob early to foul trouble really set us back.  also we only committed two turnovers in the first quarter, but early in the 2nd quarter, Jaylen went into his brain freeze and turned it over carelessly a few times, and that led to easy transition buckets and loss of scoring opportunities for us. Their bigs played very confidently and aggressively.  And we did not defend the 3 point line very well in the first half.  Yet managed to take a double digit lead with a late burst led by Jaylen and Payton just before the half.

I thought that until the 4th quarter, Payton was actually doing a good job of leading the team.  He simply ran out of gas, it was so obvious, as his shots fell short, and progressively so, as the game wore on. 

IMO, Ime should commit to starting Payton as our point guard, and let him make plays. The guy I have seen play the last few games reminds me of the brilliant PG we saw during summer league when he dominated.  He has not been a net defensive liability. In fact he shows quick hands, and often ends up with the ball on the defensive end, at which point he accelerates transition to offense.  More Payton, not less.

That’s a decent take. My morning-after thought is that poor defense was the main problem.  Al looked like a statue out there compared to the young Nathan Knight…Rob in foul trouble….two of their best defenders (Smart & Richardson) did not play…Romeo played decent defense but was putrid on the offense…Juancho is another front-court statue…Jaylen arguing with refs instead of running back on defense.

I’m also puzzled about losing big leads.  Why does that happen?  It suggests to me that talent is not the problem with this team.  Yes, I think it’s likely a trade is made before the deadline.  That decision will be made under duress, which usually is a mistake.

[Kuberski33]

My perspective of last night's game, after sleeping on it:

We had fantastic ball movement in the first quarter.  I felt that losing Rob early to foul trouble really set us back.  also we only committed two turnovers in the first quarter, but early in the 2nd quarter, Jaylen went into his brain freeze and turned it over carelessly a few times, and that led to easy transition buckets and loss of scoring opportunities for us. Their bigs played very confidently and aggressively.  And we did not defend the 3 point line very well in the first half.  Yet managed to take a double digit lead with a late burst led by Jaylen and Payton just before the half.

I thought that until the 4th quarter, Payton was actually doing a good job of leading the team.  He simply ran out of gas, it was so obvious, as his shots fell short, and progressively so, as the game wore on. 

IMO, Ime should commit to starting Payton as our point guard, and let him make plays. The guy I have seen play the last few games reminds me of the brilliant PG we saw during summer league when he dominated.  He has not been a net defensive liability. In fact he shows quick hands, and often ends up with the ball on the defensive end, at which point he accelerates transition to offense.  More Payton, not less.

Here's my view after sleeping on it.  Pritchard played 45 minutes.  Of course he was going to run down. They were short handed to begin with. No back up PG. Al and Grant were returning after long enough absences where their stamina wasn't going to be what it should be.  Romeo was effective defensively in the first half - then he ran out of gas and wound up with a -32, which is hard to do. That's beyond bad.

Rob stunk. And Ime couldn't adjust to a simple (but effective obviously) 2-3 zone. Romeo literally stood in the corner against it - which if you're the team playing the zone is exactly what you want to see.

They're better off just flushing the game away and forgetting about it.

But you do have to wonder - why couldn't Jaylen take over that game when he was - by far - the most talented player on the court -and he knew he had to play well for them to win? 

I also wish some reporter had the guts to ask Ime why he couldn't adjust to a simple zone - and maybe give a - by then - very ineffective Romeo, a rest and maybe try Joe Johnson or at least Parker.  And also whether he thinks that standing around is a good way to attack a 2-3 zone?

[Atzar]

After sleeping on it, this is where I'm at with this team.

We're 34 games in.  We have 44 games left.  As far as I'm concerned, this team has that many games to demonstrate improvement.  I'm done caring about the results of any single game.  That has just been a recipe for frustration.  But IMO this group needs to finish the season with a winning record.  Another season at or below .500 would show that this team is not moving in the right direction and cannot be expected to compete at an elite level at any point in the future. 

If that happens, go nuclear.  Tatum, Brown, Smart, R Williams.  Gone.  If somebody wants Richardson or Horford or is high on Nesmith or whatever, cool; take them.  Get whatever future-minded assets we're able to get and enter a new era.  I'm not interested in waiting around until guys start demanding trades, or until impending free agency pressures us into mistakes.  I'm especially not interested in investing further assets trying to add to a group I don't believe in.  So as far as I'm concerned, the clock is ticking.  Show me something. 

[Who]

Also, Jaylen with yet again another confusing postgame comment. Sometimes it feels like Jaylen tries to be the smartest guy in the room.

What did Jaylen say?

[kraidstar]

Greg Monroe looked like some kind of mad genious out there!  Like he'd been prepping for this moment his whole life.  He made all the right plays.

Doesn't need to be a complicated game.

And he did it on a ten-day contract with a bunch of other ten-day contracts. Not even vet min guys! JB+Horford and a rotation of NBA guaranteed contracts got beat by essentially summer leaguers and a has-been. Not really a shining moment for this team.

It is not hyperbole to suggest that a g-league team might beat the Boston Celtics many nights.

This is a lazy, selfish team, and Nike/espn hype doesn't matter once the ball is tossed up and there are hungry pros on the other side. The difference between an NBA and a G-league player isn't nearly as great as many would think. Style of play matters more than talent most nights at the pro level. We are going to do a lot more losing until our players finally figure that out.

[Neurotic Guy]

At least Payton had a pretty good game.

He was good till he got tired. He did have to play a lot of minutes.

I think his last 4 3’s hit front rim. But the guy is a shooter. Use him when the team is healthy.

[footey]

Also, Jaylen with yet again another confusing postgame comment. Sometimes it feels like Jaylen tries to be the smartest guy in the room.

What did Jaylen say?

When a reporter asked him for his thoughts on Horford's post game take that they all needed to take a look at themselves in the mirror, JB replied "no comment."  His other answers were pretty honest, and took a lot of blame, so I don't think what he said re Al is a big deal. 

[moiso]

Also, Jaylen with yet again another confusing postgame comment. Sometimes it feels like Jaylen tries to be the smartest guy in the room.

What did Jaylen say?

When a reporter asked him for his thoughts on Horford's post game take that they all needed to take a look at themselves in the mirror, JB replied "no comment."  His other answers were pretty honest, and took a lot of blame, so I don't think what he said re Al is a big deal.

I believe the full quote was "Searching and looking in the mirror?  Nah.  No comment."  Doesn't sound great.

[SDceltGuy]

Unfortunately I was at the game and this is what stuck out to me.

1. They take lots of bad lazy selfish shots.  They dont work hard to get themselves/others good shots.  A lot of my turn/your turn.  Parker noticeably last night.
2. JB got blocked a lot - 6x at least.  He doesnt really impact the game the way he should.
3. Pritchard is my fav guy and I root for him, but he didnt play that well and he doesnt create for others other than spacing.
4. Seems like No leadership.  When going gets tough, nobody on they team steps up.
5. They switch too much.  PP got switched onto Monroe in post several times.

[sgrogan]

Unfortunately I was at the game and this is what stuck out to me.

1. They take lots of bad lazy selfish shots.  They dont work hard to get themselves/others good shots.  A lot of my turn/your turn.  Parker noticeably last night.
2. JB got blocked a lot - 6x at least.  He doesnt really impact the game the way he should.
3. Pritchard is my fav guy and I root for him, but he didnt play that well and he doesnt create for others other than spacing.
4. Seems like No leadership.  When going gets tough, nobody on they team steps up.
5. They switch too much.  PP got switched onto Monroe in post several times.

We can't seem to do whats called for in the moment.
No big shot/stop to stop the other teams run, no dagger moment to put them away.