What went wrong last year?

[jpotter33]

Coaching change was huge, especially on the defensive end and ball sharing. Certainly health and fatigue were major factors.

One thing with regard to roster changes that I don't think has been mentioned is the replacement of Kemba in the starting lineup WITH SMART. Clearly there's obvious defensive upgrades going to Smart from Kemba, but I think just as much change has occurred to our offense.

Believe it or not, Smart is much more of a traditional point guard than Kemba, and he's much less ball dominant. I think this change - in conjunction with the addition of the good passing/playmaking Horford - has allowed Tatum and Brown's playmaking to really develop, which has opened up their games so much more.

[jambr380]

Defensive rating  20-21 season 111.8 13th ranked, 21-22 season 106.2 #1 ranked.  The biggest single factor was getting rid of Kemba.

Sure, maybe in terms of injury, but not in terms of impact. Kemba only played in 43 out of 72 games in 2020-21. In 2019-20, he played in 56 out of 62 games and the Cs were 48-24. Al Horford is a good spot-up shooter and is unselfish, but doesn't draw anywhere near the level of defensive attention that Kemba did.

So many people are just dismissing Kemba's impact and simply saying that his poor defense is the biggest reason the Celtics sucked last year and are so awesome now. No, that's not why at all. It was because of his availability - especially due to the condensed schedule.

[JohnBoy65]

Coaching change was huge, especially on the defensive end and ball sharing. Certainly health and fatigue were major factors.

One thing with regard to roster changes that I don't think has been mentioned is the replacement of Kemba in the starting lineup WITH SMART. Clearly there's obvious defensive upgrades going to Smart from Kemba, but I think just as much change has occurred to our offense.

Believe it or not, Smart is much more of a traditional point guard than Kemba, and he's much less ball dominant. I think this change - in conjunction with the addition of the good passing/playmaking Horford - has allowed Tatum and Brown's playmaking to really develop, which has opened up their games so much more.

Not only that, but Smart is playing the best basketball of his career. Of course, you could say he's now playing his true position that allows him to play that way. 4 of our key starters are playing at a level they've never played before.

Smart: Just mentioned
Tatum: MVP Conversation
Timelord: DPOY consideration/Anchor of the defense
Horford: Playing at his highest level in quite a few years.

Then, you go down the bench.
Pritchard: Unconscious shooting
Grant: Best basketball of career

There's 6 guys that have all taken it up a level. I'd say that is the reason for our improvement. Notice Brown is missing. I love Jaylen, and he's playing fine and helping us win. However, I am still disappointed in his tunnel vision and lack of playmaking.

[liam]

Coaching change was huge, especially on the defensive end and ball sharing. Certainly health and fatigue were major factors.

One thing with regard to roster changes that I don't think has been mentioned is the replacement of Kemba in the starting lineup WITH SMART. Clearly there's obvious defensive upgrades going to Smart from Kemba, but I think just as much change has occurred to our offense.

Believe it or not, Smart is much more of a traditional point guard than Kemba, and he's much less ball dominant. I think this change - in conjunction with the addition of the good passing/playmaking Horford - has allowed Tatum and Brown's playmaking to really develop, which has opened up their games so much more.

Not only that, but Smart is playing the best basketball of his career. Of course, you could say he's now playing his true position that allows him to play that way. 4 of our key starters are playing at a level they've never played before.

Smart: Just mentioned
Tatum: MVP Conversation
Timelord: DPOY consideration/Anchor of the defense
Horford: Playing at his highest level in quite a few years.

Then, you go down the bench.
Pritchard: Unconscious shooting
Grant: Best basketball of career

There's 6 guys that have all taken it up a level. I'd say that is the reason for our improvement. Notice Brown is missing. I love Jaylen, and he's playing fine and helping us win. However, I am still disappointed in his tunnel vision and lack of playmaking.

Jaylen has been playing while fasting all month. That will be over on Sunday.

[SHAQATTACK]

First thing and right thing Brad did was get rid of one legged Kemba and brings back a fully refreshed , confident and ready to hoop Big Al.   

A lot of guys made personal commitments to get healthy, get in weight room  and practice on stuff.  Grant and Marcus are two different guys .

Pritchard got his swag back,  after his face was bashed in he seemed so off.

Tatum seemed finally overcome long covid symptoms after Christmas .

Ime and crew got their message across and the team came together .

Kemba and the bubble ball  and poor personal health was not a good for the young guys needing a leader and inspirational team spirit

[JohnBoy65]

Coaching change was huge, especially on the defensive end and ball sharing. Certainly health and fatigue were major factors.

One thing with regard to roster changes that I don't think has been mentioned is the replacement of Kemba in the starting lineup WITH SMART. Clearly there's obvious defensive upgrades going to Smart from Kemba, but I think just as much change has occurred to our offense.

Believe it or not, Smart is much more of a traditional point guard than Kemba, and he's much less ball dominant. I think this change - in conjunction with the addition of the good passing/playmaking Horford - has allowed Tatum and Brown's playmaking to really develop, which has opened up their games so much more.

Not only that, but Smart is playing the best basketball of his career. Of course, you could say he's now playing his true position that allows him to play that way. 4 of our key starters are playing at a level they've never played before.

Smart: Just mentioned
Tatum: MVP Conversation
Timelord: DPOY consideration/Anchor of the defense
Horford: Playing at his highest level in quite a few years.

Then, you go down the bench.
Pritchard: Unconscious shooting
Grant: Best basketball of career

There's 6 guys that have all taken it up a level. I'd say that is the reason for our improvement. Notice Brown is missing. I love Jaylen, and he's playing fine and helping us win. However, I am still disappointed in his tunnel vision and lack of playmaking.

Jaylen has been playing while fasting all month. That will be over on Sunday.

I get it. However, to me it looks like he's played the same way all year. Forced shots, head down, missing open cutters, etc. Again, I don't want to turn this into a dump on Jaylen Brown thread, because he's a net positive for this team, and I love him on our team. I just wish I'd see more improvements from him that's all.

[Roy H.]

Coaching change was huge, especially on the defensive end and ball sharing. Certainly health and fatigue were major factors.

One thing with regard to roster changes that I don't think has been mentioned is the replacement of Kemba in the starting lineup WITH SMART. Clearly there's obvious defensive upgrades going to Smart from Kemba, but I think just as much change has occurred to our offense.

Believe it or not, Smart is much more of a traditional point guard than Kemba, and he's much less ball dominant. I think this change - in conjunction with the addition of the good passing/playmaking Horford - has allowed Tatum and Brown's playmaking to really develop, which has opened up their games so much more.

Not only that, but Smart is playing the best basketball of his career. Of course, you could say he's now playing his true position that allows him to play that way. 4 of our key starters are playing at a level they've never played before.

Smart: Just mentioned
Tatum: MVP Conversation
Timelord: DPOY consideration/Anchor of the defense
Horford: Playing at his highest level in quite a few years.

Then, you go down the bench.
Pritchard: Unconscious shooting
Grant: Best basketball of career

There's 6 guys that have all taken it up a level. I'd say that is the reason for our improvement. Notice Brown is missing. I love Jaylen, and he's playing fine and helping us win. However, I am still disappointed in his tunnel vision and lack of playmaking.

Jaylen has been playing while fasting all month. That will be over on Sunday.

I get it. However, to me it looks like he's played the same way all year. Forced shots, head down, missing open cutters, etc. Again, I don't want to turn this into a dump on Jaylen Brown thread, because he's a net positive for this team, and I love him on our team. I just wish I'd see more improvements from him that's all.

I think it's fair to say that JB hasn't taken a huge step forward this year, but that's largely because he has taken large leaps in other seasons.  It's not necessarily reasonable to expect big improvements every year.  I think he has improved, though.  In particular, his FTAs are up, and I think his defense was improved as well. 

He had one "bad" month in February, when I assume he was dealing with some injuries.  And, despite struggling a bit with his shot and his overall scoring, he averaged 4.5 assists.  So, he has demonstrated some growth, in that even when he wasn't playing his best he adjusted his game to benefit the team.

And hey, if the last two years are the best we get, I'll take it.  A two-way player who averages 24 ppg on good efficiency is nothing to sneeze at.

[timpiker]

1. Coaching-The players seemed to tune Brad out and apparently they needed a new voice. Stevens is a smart guy, but he’s sort of a nerd and I think the players respect Ime a lot more since he’s played in the league and is willing to call players out.

2. personnel: There was no way to have an elite defense when one of your starters in Kemba needed help all the time. It was painful watching Spolestra capitalize on that, having his players attack Walker on every possession, which resulted in a basket or someone having to come over to help and then the Heat would get a wide open 3…Adding Horford while cutting bait with Kemba made a huge difference.

3. Effort and Chemistry seemed to come with the coaching change.

4. I think if everyone was healthy last year, that team still wasn’t going anywhere.

I think I agree.  I think they might have quit listening to Brad.  Kemba was no longer a star.  And Covid disrupted everything.

[JohnBoy65]

I hear you, Roy, and for the most part I agree. I think Jaylen is a perfect number 2. Like you said, if he's at his ceiling right now I will take it. However, I'd still like to see some more improvement in his playmaking abilities.

I think what makes this team special offensively right now is the multiple players able to create for others. Smart, Tatum, Horford, and RWIII are all elite or borderline elite playmakers for their positions. If we can add Jaylen to that list I seriously think we can go up another level.

[kraidstar]

The biggest problem with this team was maturity, leadership, and trust.

Something happened behind the scenes in the meltdown in game 3 against the Raptors in the bubble. It was reported there was a fight in the locker room after the game.

Before that the C's were playing beautiful basketball in the bubble. They lost trust in one another. After winning their first 6 bubble playoff games we lost 7 of our last 11.

The energy on this team has swung wildly.

Think about the first Kyrie year vs the second. Or the bubble year vs the following year. The first half this year vs the second. Yes, there have been injuries. Yes, there us a more streamlined roster now.


But don't tell me that a team led by Tatum and Brown is losing to a g-league team because our 7-10 guys aren't great. That is nonsense. The effort wasn't there. The cohesiveness wasn't there.

Smart and the Jays famously buried the hatchet this year. Ime got their attention and they started playing for each other once again. It shouldn't have been a huge surprise. We saw it in 2018 and in the bubble prior to The Meltdown.

The missing ingredients have been maturity, leadership,  and trust.

[jambr380]

The biggest problem with this team was maturity, leadership, and trust.

Something happened behind the scenes in the meltdown in game 3 against the Raptors in the bubble. It was reported there was a fight in the locker room after the game.

Before that the C's were playing beautiful basketball in the bubble. They lost trust in one another. After winning their first 6 bubble playoff games we lost 7 of our last 11.

The energy on this team has swung wildly.

Think about the first Kyrie year vs the second. Or the bubble year vs the following year. The first half this year vs the second. Yes, there have been injuries. Yes, there us a more streamlined roster now.


But don't tell me that a team led by Tatum and Brown is losing to a g-league team because our 7-10 guys aren't great. That is nonsense. The effort wasn't there. The cohesiveness wasn't there.

Smart and the Jays famously buried the hatchet this year. Ime got their attention and they started playing for each other once again. It shouldn't have been a huge surprise. We saw it in 2018 and in the bubble prior to The Meltdown.

The missing ingredients have been maturity, leadership,  and trust.

Yes, I agree with all of this. Thank you for not blaming the whole thing on Kemba sucking and Al being a monster - that narrative was getting old. Not saying Al didn't positively affect our defense or that Kemba being injured didn't allow us to play to our full potential, but it seemed so much more complicated than that and I think you did a great job expressing some of the issues. I had never thought about post game 3 vs TOR in the bubble - it's an interesting take and one that likely has some merit.

[sgrogan]

The biggest problem with this team was maturity, leadership, and trust.

Something happened behind the scenes in the meltdown in game 3 against the Raptors in the bubble. It was reported there was a fight in the locker room after the game.

Before that the C's were playing beautiful basketball in the bubble. They lost trust in one another. After winning their first 6 bubble playoff games we lost 7 of our last 11.

The energy on this team has swung wildly.

Think about the first Kyrie year vs the second. Or the bubble year vs the following year. The first half this year vs the second. Yes, there have been injuries. Yes, there us a more streamlined roster now.


But don't tell me that a team led by Tatum and Brown is losing to a g-league team because our 7-10 guys aren't great. That is nonsense. The effort wasn't there. The cohesiveness wasn't there.

Smart and the Jays famously buried the hatchet this year. Ime got their attention and they started playing for each other once again. It shouldn't have been a huge surprise. We saw it in 2018 and in the bubble prior to The Meltdown.

The missing ingredients have been maturity, leadership,  and trust.

This is all true, but it's all related.
The core of this team has been to 3 ECFs.

Trust is earned and fleeting. Maturity and Leadership maintain trust through adversity. This years team has shown some of this, but there is still a ways to go.

[Chief]

No more small ball

[Big333223]

Per basketball-reference, the Celtics defense the last 3 seasons was #4, #14, #2. Their offense those years was #4, #10, #7. Defense was the biggest slippage.

And I think what everyone is getting at is that it was a combination of many things.

Kemba being in and out all season hurt continuity and then when he was in, everything was such a struggle for him. And it was like the team was trying ignoring how much of a struggle it was.

It's been mentioned about what having Kemba come off the bench would've done. For one thing, it would've officially handed the team to Tatum and Brown. Having Kemba as a relatively high usage starter muddied the waters for everyone.

Tatum trying to live up to the new hype (he had made his first all star game the season before), Jaylen trying to match him, Kemba not being able to produce like he did but everyone pretending like he was, Tristan Thompson not fitting, COVID, bubble burnout... And some young stars trying to figure things out.

It feels like they figured something out this season.

The thing is, both Tatum and Brown had better statistical seasons last year then they had this year.  Tatum and Brown weren't the problem, it was everyone else.

I'm reminded of Bob Ryan talking about Isiah Thomas, saying he thought Thomas took too long to get to his peak but that he "got it" in 1987. You know what happened in the '87-88 season? Thomas' stats dropped. He averaged his lowest apg in 5 years and his lowest ppg in 6 years. But what Ryan was talking about was that Thomas figured out how to integrate his talent with the team to maximize not just his own impact but his teammates as well.

I think Tatum's improvement from last year to this year was similar. Tatum's numbers aren't much better but I thought this season he was making more of those numbers and making his teammates efforts more impactful than he has in past. Ditto Jaylen.

Is that the biggest reason for the Celtics improvement from last year to this? Probably not. But it's definitely a factor.

[Surferdad]

The flip-side to "What went wrong last year?" is "What went right this year?" for the reason that the C's had a mediocre 1st half this year which was arguably a continuation of last year's problems.  Gary Washburn has posted an interesting article that centers around that loss to the Knicks in which the C's blew a huge lead and then got beat by an impossible banked-3 from RJ Barrett. We all remember that and Washburn argues it was a blessing in disguise.  Sometimes you have to hit absolute bottom before climbing out of the rut.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nba/a-loss-to-the-knicks-was-the-low-point-for-the-celtics-here-s-how-they-rebounded-into-a-title-contender/ar-AAWJPBF?ocid=winp1taskbar&cvid=4f79f6acb99b4d9a8afe32512dfb6932