Celtics (2-1) at 76ers (1-2) Round 2 Game #4 5/7/23

[Phantom255x]

We lamented last year about certain guys like Tatum probably feeling fatigued, and others getting hurt + developing nagging injuries due to some long series (MIL, MIA). Well, unfortunately we're screwing ourselves the same way this postseason. Having to go 6 games against Atlanta, now 6 games minimum against PHI. More minutes the guys have to play and further risk someone gets hurt.

We've been fortunate with the injuries so far, but we better not push our luck. Idk how much longer Timelord can stay standing in particular. We've had some scares already with the two Williams' and also Smart + Tatum on separate occasions. These extra games aren't ideal, we don't need to be "battle-tested" we just need a smoother path to the Finals. 

[celticinorlando]

We lamented last year about certain guys like Tatum probably feeling fatigued, and others getting hurt + developing nagging injuries due to some long series (MIL, MIA). Well, unfortunately we're screwing ourselves the same way this postseason. Having to go 6 games against Atlanta, now 6 games minimum against PHI. More minutes the guys have to play and further risk someone gets hurt.

We've been fortunate with the injuries so far, but we better not push our luck. Idk how much longer Timelord can stay standing in particular. We've had some scares already with the two Williams' and also Smart + Tatum on separate occasions. These extra games aren't ideal, we don't need to be "battle-tested" we just need a smoother path to the Finals.

Frustrated they are slumming around with inferior teams. They are their own worst enemy.

[libermaniac]

Not gonna win this series, never mind an nba championship if this is the peak level Tatum is going to get to. He ended up with 25, but the complete no show in the first half, the lack of urgency and impact in the defining moments is pretty brutal.
Glad he made everything in the all star game though.

Unfortunately in too many games Tatum is inconsistent. Disappears for long stretches and then tries to make up for it late. If he has 5 points in the first half Celtics probably win.

Two of the four games Tatum’s been a no show for a half or for the game

Ya. He’s terrible. 18 boards. 4 blocks. Makes the go ahead 3 with 35 seconds. Find Marcus for the wide open look to end regulation. He’s downright awful. 🙄

Had we won, this would be called a monster game for JT. He led the comeback and made the right plays. Imagine if Al made that three to put us up 4? Or if Smart actually made that three at the end of regulation? But that’s how basketball is. I’m disappointed with the loss yes, but I still think we get this series.

but ultimately, they lost. if JT wants to be great, a winner, a champion, monster games don’t get him there; winning does. specifically, winning in the big moments.

And game 4 when you are up 2-1 qualifies as the "big moments".  This series is not over.  We can wait to write the narrative.  Of course, if would be great if he made 1/2 of his first 8 shots, but he didn't and he rebounded to play a masterful second half.  I'm ok with that performance.

a masterful second half is not what makes champions. tatum needs to play the full game and stop disappearing. if he showed up in the first half, this is a double digit win and the starters get some rest. remember this team running out of gas in the finals? yeah, if tatum didn’t disappear for long stretches in last year’s playoffs, they don’t play as many games or minutes on their way to the finals.

so yeah, these are big moments, particularly when you have the chance to go up 3-1 in the series that sends the winner to the ECF.

stop making excuses for tatum. based on his contract, his status as team leader, leading scorer, all star, wannabe kobe…he’s not judged on stats but on winning.

I’m not making excuses. I’m just not so short sighted that I think every superstar scores 35 points on 60% shooting every game. This board seems to overlook when other teams/superstars aren’t dominant 100% of the time. Sorry. It doesn’t work that way. After a cold shooting start Tatum did plenty to win this game. They came up short. It happens. If you can’t see it maybe you should stop rooting for any sports teams - because there are no guarantees in sports.

How about the GOAT Tom Brady. He was hrronile for 3 quarters against Atlanta. Was he overrated?

[Mahk E Mahk]

Not gonna win this series, never mind an nba championship if this is the peak level Tatum is going to get to. He ended up with 25, but the complete no show in the first half, the lack of urgency and impact in the defining moments is pretty brutal.
Glad he made everything in the all star game though.

Unfortunately in too many games Tatum is inconsistent. Disappears for long stretches and then tries to make up for it late. If he has 5 points in the first half Celtics probably win.

Two of the four games Tatum’s been a no show for a half or for the game

Ya. He’s terrible. 18 boards. 4 blocks. Makes the go ahead 3 with 35 seconds. Find Marcus for the wide open look to end regulation. He’s downright awful. 🙄

Had we won, this would be called a monster game for JT. He led the comeback and made the right plays. Imagine if Al made that three to put us up 4? Or if Smart actually made that three at the end of regulation? But that’s how basketball is. I’m disappointed with the loss yes, but I still think we get this series.

but ultimately, they lost. if JT wants to be great, a winner, a champion, monster games don’t get him there; winning does. specifically, winning in the big moments.

And game 4 when you are up 2-1 qualifies as the "big moments".  This series is not over.  We can wait to write the narrative.  Of course, if would be great if he made 1/2 of his first 8 shots, but he didn't and he rebounded to play a masterful second half.  I'm ok with that performance.

a masterful second half is not what makes champions. tatum needs to play the full game and stop disappearing. if he showed up in the first half, this is a double digit win and the starters get some rest. remember this team running out of gas in the finals? yeah, if tatum didn’t disappear for long stretches in last year’s playoffs, they don’t play as many games or minutes on their way to the finals.

so yeah, these are big moments, particularly when you have the chance to go up 3-1 in the series that sends the winner to the ECF.

stop making excuses for tatum. based on his contract, his status as team leader, leading scorer, all star, wannabe kobe…he’s not judged on stats but on winning.

I’m not making excuses. I’m just not so short sighted that I think every superstar scores 35 points on 60% shooting every game. This board seems to overlook when other teams/superstars aren’t dominant 100% of the time. Sorry. It doesn’t work that way. After a cold shooting start Tatum did plenty to win this game. They came up short. It happens. If you can’t see it maybe you should stop rooting for any sports teams - because there are no guarantees in sports.

How about the GOAT Tom Brady. He was hrronile for 3 quarters against Atlanta. Was he overrated?

the difference: brady won that game, his sixth super bowl of seven, and every playoff game that season. try again.

[libermaniac]

Not gonna win this series, never mind an nba championship if this is the peak level Tatum is going to get to. He ended up with 25, but the complete no show in the first half, the lack of urgency and impact in the defining moments is pretty brutal.
Glad he made everything in the all star game though.

Unfortunately in too many games Tatum is inconsistent. Disappears for long stretches and then tries to make up for it late. If he has 5 points in the first half Celtics probably win.

Two of the four games Tatum’s been a no show for a half or for the game

Ya. He’s terrible. 18 boards. 4 blocks. Makes the go ahead 3 with 35 seconds. Find Marcus for the wide open look to end regulation. He’s downright awful. 🙄

Had we won, this would be called a monster game for JT. He led the comeback and made the right plays. Imagine if Al made that three to put us up 4? Or if Smart actually made that three at the end of regulation? But that’s how basketball is. I’m disappointed with the loss yes, but I still think we get this series.

but ultimately, they lost. if JT wants to be great, a winner, a champion, monster games don’t get him there; winning does. specifically, winning in the big moments.

And game 4 when you are up 2-1 qualifies as the "big moments".  This series is not over.  We can wait to write the narrative.  Of course, if would be great if he made 1/2 of his first 8 shots, but he didn't and he rebounded to play a masterful second half.  I'm ok with that performance.

a masterful second half is not what makes champions. tatum needs to play the full game and stop disappearing. if he showed up in the first half, this is a double digit win and the starters get some rest. remember this team running out of gas in the finals? yeah, if tatum didn’t disappear for long stretches in last year’s playoffs, they don’t play as many games or minutes on their way to the finals.

so yeah, these are big moments, particularly when you have the chance to go up 3-1 in the series that sends the winner to the ECF.

stop making excuses for tatum. based on his contract, his status as team leader, leading scorer, all star, wannabe kobe…he’s not judged on stats but on winning.

I’m not making excuses. I’m just not so short sighted that I think every superstar scores 35 points on 60% shooting every game. This board seems to overlook when other teams/superstars aren’t dominant 100% of the time. Sorry. It doesn’t work that way. After a cold shooting start Tatum did plenty to win this game. They came up short. It happens. If you can’t see it maybe you should stop rooting for any sports teams - because there are no guarantees in sports.

How about the GOAT Tom Brady. He was hrronile for 3 quarters against Atlanta. Was he overrated?

the difference: brady won that game, his sixth super bowl of seven, and every playoff game that season. try again.

He won because ATL imploded. Otherwise his team wouldn’t have been in a position to win. You forget that other players are out there too. I’m not trying to put Tatum on Brady’s level. Far from it. But you are insisting that a great player can’t have a bad half. That’s just wrong. If Smart makes that shot the Cs win this game. That has nothing to do with Tatum. But does that suddenly make Tatum great? Your argument makes no sense. Brady had a horrible 3 quarters and he’s obviously great.

[Boston Garden Leprechaun]

We lamented last year about certain guys like Tatum probably feeling fatigued, and others getting hurt + developing nagging injuries due to some long series (MIL, MIA). Well, unfortunately we're screwing ourselves the same way this postseason. Having to go 6 games against Atlanta, now 6 games minimum against PHI. More minutes the guys have to play and further risk someone gets hurt.

We've been fortunate with the injuries so far, but we better not push our luck. Idk how much longer Timelord can stay standing in particular. We've had some scares already with the two Williams' and also Smart + Tatum on separate occasions. These extra games aren't ideal, we don't need to be "battle-tested" we just need a smoother path to the Finals.

Frustrated they are slumming around with inferior teams. They are their own worst enemy.

water is wet

maybe play high energy backups like pp, hauser....maybe even muscala.  keep the rest fresher.

[radiohead]

Not gonna win this series, never mind an nba championship if this is the peak level Tatum is going to get to. He ended up with 25, but the complete no show in the first half, the lack of urgency and impact in the defining moments is pretty brutal.
Glad he made everything in the all star game though.

Unfortunately in too many games Tatum is inconsistent. Disappears for long stretches and then tries to make up for it late. If he has 5 points in the first half Celtics probably win.

Two of the four games Tatum’s been a no show for a half or for the game

Ya. He’s terrible. 18 boards. 4 blocks. Makes the go ahead 3 with 35 seconds. Find Marcus for the wide open look to end regulation. He’s downright awful. 🙄

Had we won, this would be called a monster game for JT. He led the comeback and made the right plays. Imagine if Al made that three to put us up 4? Or if Smart actually made that three at the end of regulation? But that’s how basketball is. I’m disappointed with the loss yes, but I still think we get this series.

but ultimately, they lost. if JT wants to be great, a winner, a champion, monster games don’t get him there; winning does. specifically, winning in the big moments.

And game 4 when you are up 2-1 qualifies as the "big moments".  This series is not over.  We can wait to write the narrative.  Of course, if would be great if he made 1/2 of his first 8 shots, but he didn't and he rebounded to play a masterful second half.  I'm ok with that performance.

a masterful second half is not what makes champions. tatum needs to play the full game and stop disappearing. if he showed up in the first half, this is a double digit win and the starters get some rest. remember this team running out of gas in the finals? yeah, if tatum didn’t disappear for long stretches in last year’s playoffs, they don’t play as many games or minutes on their way to the finals.

so yeah, these are big moments, particularly when you have the chance to go up 3-1 in the series that sends the winner to the ECF.

stop making excuses for tatum. based on his contract, his status as team leader, leading scorer, all star, wannabe kobe…he’s not judged on stats but on winning.

I’m not making excuses. I’m just not so short sighted that I think every superstar scores 35 points on 60% shooting every game. This board seems to overlook when other teams/superstars aren’t dominant 100% of the time. Sorry. It doesn’t work that way. After a cold shooting start Tatum did plenty to win this game. They came up short. It happens. If you can’t see it maybe you should stop rooting for any sports teams - because there are no guarantees in sports.

How about the GOAT Tom Brady. He was hrronile for 3 quarters against Atlanta. Was he overrated?

the difference: brady won that game, his sixth super bowl of seven, and every playoff game that season. try again.

For me the play that really cost us the game was JB’s double on Embiid. I mean even if Embiid scored on that play, the worst outcome would have been a second OT. To say that JT lost the game by doing nothing in the first half is just a really bad take in my opinion. I’m sure each and every NBA team would love to have JT (and JB for that matter) on their side. It’s just sad that they seem to be under appreciated here at times, specially after a painful loss.

[Boston Garden Leprechaun]

Not gonna win this series, never mind an nba championship if this is the peak level Tatum is going to get to. He ended up with 25, but the complete no show in the first half, the lack of urgency and impact in the defining moments is pretty brutal.
Glad he made everything in the all star game though.

Unfortunately in too many games Tatum is inconsistent. Disappears for long stretches and then tries to make up for it late. If he has 5 points in the first half Celtics probably win.

Two of the four games Tatum’s been a no show for a half or for the game

Ya. He’s terrible. 18 boards. 4 blocks. Makes the go ahead 3 with 35 seconds. Find Marcus for the wide open look to end regulation. He’s downright awful. 🙄

Had we won, this would be called a monster game for JT. He led the comeback and made the right plays. Imagine if Al made that three to put us up 4? Or if Smart actually made that three at the end of regulation? But that’s how basketball is. I’m disappointed with the loss yes, but I still think we get this series.

but ultimately, they lost. if JT wants to be great, a winner, a champion, monster games don’t get him there; winning does. specifically, winning in the big moments.

And game 4 when you are up 2-1 qualifies as the "big moments".  This series is not over.  We can wait to write the narrative.  Of course, if would be great if he made 1/2 of his first 8 shots, but he didn't and he rebounded to play a masterful second half.  I'm ok with that performance.

a masterful second half is not what makes champions. tatum needs to play the full game and stop disappearing. if he showed up in the first half, this is a double digit win and the starters get some rest. remember this team running out of gas in the finals? yeah, if tatum didn’t disappear for long stretches in last year’s playoffs, they don’t play as many games or minutes on their way to the finals.

so yeah, these are big moments, particularly when you have the chance to go up 3-1 in the series that sends the winner to the ECF.

stop making excuses for tatum. based on his contract, his status as team leader, leading scorer, all star, wannabe kobe…he’s not judged on stats but on winning.

I’m not making excuses. I’m just not so short sighted that I think every superstar scores 35 points on 60% shooting every game. This board seems to overlook when other teams/superstars aren’t dominant 100% of the time. Sorry. It doesn’t work that way. After a cold shooting start Tatum did plenty to win this game. They came up short. It happens. If you can’t see it maybe you should stop rooting for any sports teams - because there are no guarantees in sports.

How about the GOAT Tom Brady. He was hrronile for 3 quarters against Atlanta. Was he overrated?

the difference: brady won that game, his sixth super bowl of seven, and every playoff game that season. try again.

For me the play that really cost us the game was JB’s double on Embiid. I mean even if Embiid scored on that play, the worst outcome would have been a second OT. To say that JT lost the game by doing nothing in the first half is just a really bad take in my opinion. I’m sure each and every NBA team would love to have JT (and JB for that matter) on their side. It’s just sad that they seem to be under appreciated here at times, specially after a painful loss.

bingo. said the same

[Mahk E Mahk]

Not gonna win this series, never mind an nba championship if this is the peak level Tatum is going to get to. He ended up with 25, but the complete no show in the first half, the lack of urgency and impact in the defining moments is pretty brutal.
Glad he made everything in the all star game though.

Unfortunately in too many games Tatum is inconsistent. Disappears for long stretches and then tries to make up for it late. If he has 5 points in the first half Celtics probably win.

Two of the four games Tatum’s been a no show for a half or for the game

Ya. He’s terrible. 18 boards. 4 blocks. Makes the go ahead 3 with 35 seconds. Find Marcus for the wide open look to end regulation. He’s downright awful. 🙄

Had we won, this would be called a monster game for JT. He led the comeback and made the right plays. Imagine if Al made that three to put us up 4? Or if Smart actually made that three at the end of regulation? But that’s how basketball is. I’m disappointed with the loss yes, but I still think we get this series.

but ultimately, they lost. if JT wants to be great, a winner, a champion, monster games don’t get him there; winning does. specifically, winning in the big moments.

And game 4 when you are up 2-1 qualifies as the "big moments".  This series is not over.  We can wait to write the narrative.  Of course, if would be great if he made 1/2 of his first 8 shots, but he didn't and he rebounded to play a masterful second half.  I'm ok with that performance.

a masterful second half is not what makes champions. tatum needs to play the full game and stop disappearing. if he showed up in the first half, this is a double digit win and the starters get some rest. remember this team running out of gas in the finals? yeah, if tatum didn’t disappear for long stretches in last year’s playoffs, they don’t play as many games or minutes on their way to the finals.

so yeah, these are big moments, particularly when you have the chance to go up 3-1 in the series that sends the winner to the ECF.

stop making excuses for tatum. based on his contract, his status as team leader, leading scorer, all star, wannabe kobe…he’s not judged on stats but on winning.

I’m not making excuses. I’m just not so short sighted that I think every superstar scores 35 points on 60% shooting every game. This board seems to overlook when other teams/superstars aren’t dominant 100% of the time. Sorry. It doesn’t work that way. After a cold shooting start Tatum did plenty to win this game. They came up short. It happens. If you can’t see it maybe you should stop rooting for any sports teams - because there are no guarantees in sports.

How about the GOAT Tom Brady. He was hrronile for 3 quarters against Atlanta. Was he overrated?

the difference: brady won that game, his sixth super bowl of seven, and every playoff game that season. try again.

He won because ATL imploded. Otherwise his team wouldn’t have been in a position to win. You forget that other players are out there too. I’m not trying to put Tatum on Brady’s level. Far from it. But you are insisting that a great player can’t have a bad half. That’s just wrong. If Smart makes that shot the Cs win this game. That has nothing to do with Tatum. But does that suddenly make Tatum great? Your argument makes no sense. Brady had a horrible 3 quarters and he’s obviously great.

lol, you’re the one who brought up brady. he had three bad quarters, which was highly unusual for him, AND he won the game/super bowl (plus six more). he didn’t disappear in big moments, he dominated. plus, he was an extremely strong leader who demanded excellence, discipline, consistency from his teammates.

don’t put words in my mouth in order to salvage your argument. i never said a great player can’t have a bad half. unlike brady, tatum has them far too often. and if smart makes one of those game winners, i would still criticize jt for another disappearing act, making the game far closer than it should have been.

regarding tatum, we’re not discussing a single game outlier; we’re discussing another disappearing act, which led to another loss - a playoff loss, which would have put the C’s up 3-1, and in the driver’s seat to advance to the ECF. the C’s were gassed in the finals last year because they didn’t put opponents away and, consequently, played more games/minutes than necessary. much of the blame for this was on JT for disappearing in big games, allowing lesser teams to hang around.

brady had the killer instinct; tatum does not.

[celticinorlando]

Not gonna win this series, never mind an nba championship if this is the peak level Tatum is going to get to. He ended up with 25, but the complete no show in the first half, the lack of urgency and impact in the defining moments is pretty brutal.
Glad he made everything in the all star game though.

Unfortunately in too many games Tatum is inconsistent. Disappears for long stretches and then tries to make up for it late. If he has 5 points in the first half Celtics probably win.

Two of the four games Tatum’s been a no show for a half or for the game

Ya. He’s terrible. 18 boards. 4 blocks. Makes the go ahead 3 with 35 seconds. Find Marcus for the wide open look to end regulation. He’s downright awful. 🙄

Had we won, this would be called a monster game for JT. He led the comeback and made the right plays. Imagine if Al made that three to put us up 4? Or if Smart actually made that three at the end of regulation? But that’s how basketball is. I’m disappointed with the loss yes, but I still think we get this series.

but ultimately, they lost. if JT wants to be great, a winner, a champion, monster games don’t get him there; winning does. specifically, winning in the big moments.

And game 4 when you are up 2-1 qualifies as the "big moments".  This series is not over.  We can wait to write the narrative.  Of course, if would be great if he made 1/2 of his first 8 shots, but he didn't and he rebounded to play a masterful second half.  I'm ok with that performance.

a masterful second half is not what makes champions. tatum needs to play the full game and stop disappearing. if he showed up in the first half, this is a double digit win and the starters get some rest. remember this team running out of gas in the finals? yeah, if tatum didn’t disappear for long stretches in last year’s playoffs, they don’t play as many games or minutes on their way to the finals.

so yeah, these are big moments, particularly when you have the chance to go up 3-1 in the series that sends the winner to the ECF.

stop making excuses for tatum. based on his contract, his status as team leader, leading scorer, all star, wannabe kobe…he’s not judged on stats but on winning.

I’m not making excuses. I’m just not so short sighted that I think every superstar scores 35 points on 60% shooting every game. This board seems to overlook when other teams/superstars aren’t dominant 100% of the time. Sorry. It doesn’t work that way. After a cold shooting start Tatum did plenty to win this game. They came up short. It happens. If you can’t see it maybe you should stop rooting for any sports teams - because there are no guarantees in sports.

How about the GOAT Tom Brady. He was hrronile for 3 quarters against Atlanta. Was he overrated?

the difference: brady won that game, his sixth super bowl of seven, and every playoff game that season. try again.

For me the play that really cost us the game was JB’s double on Embiid. I mean even if Embiid scored on that play, the worst outcome would have been a second OT. To say that JT lost the game by doing nothing in the first half is just a really bad take in my opinion. I’m sure each and every NBA team would love to have JT (and JB for that matter) on their side. It’s just sad that they seem to be under appreciated here at times, specially after a painful loss.

Just pure stupidity by brown.

[Mahk E Mahk]

Not gonna win this series, never mind an nba championship if this is the peak level Tatum is going to get to. He ended up with 25, but the complete no show in the first half, the lack of urgency and impact in the defining moments is pretty brutal.
Glad he made everything in the all star game though.

Unfortunately in too many games Tatum is inconsistent. Disappears for long stretches and then tries to make up for it late. If he has 5 points in the first half Celtics probably win.

Two of the four games Tatum’s been a no show for a half or for the game

Ya. He’s terrible. 18 boards. 4 blocks. Makes the go ahead 3 with 35 seconds. Find Marcus for the wide open look to end regulation. He’s downright awful. 🙄

Had we won, this would be called a monster game for JT. He led the comeback and made the right plays. Imagine if Al made that three to put us up 4? Or if Smart actually made that three at the end of regulation? But that’s how basketball is. I’m disappointed with the loss yes, but I still think we get this series.

but ultimately, they lost. if JT wants to be great, a winner, a champion, monster games don’t get him there; winning does. specifically, winning in the big moments.

And game 4 when you are up 2-1 qualifies as the "big moments".  This series is not over.  We can wait to write the narrative.  Of course, if would be great if he made 1/2 of his first 8 shots, but he didn't and he rebounded to play a masterful second half.  I'm ok with that performance.

a masterful second half is not what makes champions. tatum needs to play the full game and stop disappearing. if he showed up in the first half, this is a double digit win and the starters get some rest. remember this team running out of gas in the finals? yeah, if tatum didn’t disappear for long stretches in last year’s playoffs, they don’t play as many games or minutes on their way to the finals.

so yeah, these are big moments, particularly when you have the chance to go up 3-1 in the series that sends the winner to the ECF.

stop making excuses for tatum. based on his contract, his status as team leader, leading scorer, all star, wannabe kobe…he’s not judged on stats but on winning.

I’m not making excuses. I’m just not so short sighted that I think every superstar scores 35 points on 60% shooting every game. This board seems to overlook when other teams/superstars aren’t dominant 100% of the time. Sorry. It doesn’t work that way. After a cold shooting start Tatum did plenty to win this game. They came up short. It happens. If you can’t see it maybe you should stop rooting for any sports teams - because there are no guarantees in sports.

How about the GOAT Tom Brady. He was hrronile for 3 quarters against Atlanta. Was he overrated?

the difference: brady won that game, his sixth super bowl of seven, and every playoff game that season. try again.

For me the play that really cost us the game was JB’s double on Embiid. I mean even if Embiid scored on that play, the worst outcome would have been a second OT. To say that JT lost the game by doing nothing in the first half is just a really bad take in my opinion. I’m sure each and every NBA team would love to have JT (and JB for that matter) on their side. It’s just sad that they seem to be under appreciated here at times, specially after a painful loss.

blaming a loss on one play is typically very myopic, particularly when the loss comes against an inferior opponent. was jb’s play boneheaded? absolutely. in fact, it’s unacceptable from a player of jb’s ability. but blaming the loss on that one play is foolish, as the game never should have been close enough to lose based on one shot.

tatum wants to be the man, the leader of this team, an all star, the next kobe. consequently, the buck stops with him in losses, especially playoff losses in which he disappears (again) for more than a half. heck, tatum boasted in the offseason he was going to win the mvp award this season. he’s positioning himself to be an elite, generational player. if you want to be that guy, you have to consistently show up in big games. can you have bad games? of course. but you can’t disappear for entire quarters and halves repeatedly in the playoffs.

truly elite, generational players smell blood in the water and step on the neck of an opponent. they don’t allow teams to consistently hang around and steal wins or turn 20+ point wins into nail biters. tatum has yet to demonstrate the killer instinct necessary to win championships. if everyone is happy with him being karl malone, charles barkley, allen iverson, carmelo anthony, et al., cool. i’m not.

[tenn_smoothie]

Not gonna win this series, never mind an nba championship if this is the peak level Tatum is going to get to. He ended up with 25, but the complete no show in the first half, the lack of urgency and impact in the defining moments is pretty brutal.
Glad he made everything in the all star game though.

Unfortunately in too many games Tatum is inconsistent. Disappears for long stretches and then tries to make up for it late. If he has 5 points in the first half Celtics probably win.

Two of the four games Tatum’s been a no show for a half or for the game

Ya. He’s terrible. 18 boards. 4 blocks. Makes the go ahead 3 with 35 seconds. Find Marcus for the wide open look to end regulation. He’s downright awful. 🙄

Had we won, this would be called a monster game for JT. He led the comeback and made the right plays. Imagine if Al made that three to put us up 4? Or if Smart actually made that three at the end of regulation? But that’s how basketball is. I’m disappointed with the loss yes, but I still think we get this series.

but ultimately, they lost. if JT wants to be great, a winner, a champion, monster games don’t get him there; winning does. specifically, winning in the big moments.

Mahk, we got a real Tatum apologist on board with us tonite.

There have been a lot of stat stuffers in the NBA who didn't have inside of them what Bird, Russell, Cowens, DJ, Garnett all had.
Tatum wants to win. These guys needed to win. That is your difference.

I kinda feel badly for Tatum, he is extremely talented and appears to be a good person (which counts a lot with me).
But that desperate need to win just ain't in him, it is not his nature. Really not his fault.
Management needs to recognize that this team needs to add a player with the competitive fire required to win titles.
Look what Kevin Garnett did for Paul Pierce and the entire culture of the franchise.
Marcus and Jaylen are competitive, but they both continue to make so many dumb, destructive plays that they disqualify themselves.
I am not suggesting a trade like this, but to make my point, imagine Jimmy Butler on this team instead of Jason.
Combine him with Smart and Brown and all the other talent, a more aggressive GM who would have added that big, physical post player, then hire a solid head coach and we would be hanging banners again.

[radiohead]

Nice. Disagree with one’s opinion and you’re an apologist.

[Mahk E Mahk]

Not gonna win this series, never mind an nba championship if this is the peak level Tatum is going to get to. He ended up with 25, but the complete no show in the first half, the lack of urgency and impact in the defining moments is pretty brutal.
Glad he made everything in the all star game though.

Unfortunately in too many games Tatum is inconsistent. Disappears for long stretches and then tries to make up for it late. If he has 5 points in the first half Celtics probably win.

Two of the four games Tatum’s been a no show for a half or for the game

Ya. He’s terrible. 18 boards. 4 blocks. Makes the go ahead 3 with 35 seconds. Find Marcus for the wide open look to end regulation. He’s downright awful. 🙄

Had we won, this would be called a monster game for JT. He led the comeback and made the right plays. Imagine if Al made that three to put us up 4? Or if Smart actually made that three at the end of regulation? But that’s how basketball is. I’m disappointed with the loss yes, but I still think we get this series.

but ultimately, they lost. if JT wants to be great, a winner, a champion, monster games don’t get him there; winning does. specifically, winning in the big moments.

Mahk, we got a real Tatum apologist on board with us tonite.

There have been a lot of stat stuffers in the NBA who didn't have inside of them what Bird, Russell, Cowens, DJ, Garnett all had.
Tatum wants to win. These guys needed to win. That is your difference.

yeah, a lot of blindly biased folks, which is understandable. we’re C’s fans, so we want JT to be the guy. heck, i want him to be the guy. there’s no doubt the dude is talented and can fill up a box score, so the hope is warranted. however, based on objective evidence to-date, he’s not the guy, and i’m beginning to worry that he’s more concerned with stats and individual accolades than banners. again, i really hope i’m wrong.

[Indocelts]

I blame Joe for gifting Tatum with the ASG MVP. It had gone downhill, ever since. 😩