Heat (3-3) at Celtics (3-3) ECF Game 7 5/29/23

[LilRip]

Tatum played all year with a bad wrist/thumb. Played this game on one leg. Dude is tough.

He’s your alpha.

We need to build around him. Tatum is a clear future HoF. He might never win MVP but he’s a perennial allstar and all-NBA talent

[jpotter33]

Now that this season is over, I want to get some things off of my chest.

There's a big part of me that is just happy this is over. I'll always root for the Celtics, but I never really believed in this group and I never connected with them the way I usually do.  This isn't the time to get into why - frankly I want to get away from this team for a while - but this is easily the fewest games I've watched in a season in the past 15 years.  When I did watch them, they were a much greater source of frustration than they were of enjoyment.  Feels strange to say that about a team with two All-NBA players, the 6MOTY, and the previous DPOY.  Yet here we are. 

I don't know what moves Brad will make this offseason regarding the coaching staff and the roster.  Perhaps even more importantly, I don't know what players will do to come back better next season.  But whatever happens, I sincerely hope I can get back to enjoying Celtics basketball come October.

Yeah, same here. It really was a chore to watch this team this year, and it was hard to connect with and enjoy them.

Everything from the inept coaching to the inconsistent effort and entitlement made this team joyless - very similar vibes to the 2019 Kyrie season and the 2021 giving up on Brad season.

This team needs a strong leader to get the best out of them. Joe isn't it. But I do think it's time to move on from Brown. Take advantage of some desperate teams in Portland, Atlanta, and/or Toronto. Simply too flawed to devote that much money to him.

[jpotter33]

I’m disappointed but oddly relieved. This team is so exhausting to follow

Yep. I have some of that too.

Similar to that Kyrie year - both seasons of wasted opportunities. Real chances to win titles blighted by a failure to work together. Not enough discipline. Not enough teamwork. Not enough focus.

High levels of frustration.

I get recency bias and all that, but I feel like some people are retconning a bit.

We started out the season with a scandal that could've really blew up our locker room but it didn't. We sidelined a coach all the players loved with little warning or insight provided by management and its clear a lot of the players didn't agree with it (for the record, the team had to hold Ime accountable). This thing had potential to be a real dumpster fire. Still came out firing and was the #1 seed for most of the season. Most folks were happy as clams to start.

Eh, true, but there were still quite a few of us here who were ringing the bell from the get-go that the offense (or at least shooting) was unsustainable, the defense was a problem, and that Joe looked in over his head.

Any reasonable fan could see the issues we had when the shots stopped falling and a gameplan so focused on making jumpshots and deprioritizing the defense.

[Phantom255x]

Now that this season is over, I want to get some things off of my chest.

There's a big part of me that is just happy this is over. I'll always root for the Celtics, but I never really believed in this group and I never connected with them the way I usually do.  This isn't the time to get into why - frankly I want to get away from this team for a while - but this is easily the fewest games I've watched in a season in the past 15 years.  When I did watch them, they were a much greater source of frustration than they were of enjoyment.  Feels strange to say that about a team with two All-NBA players, the 6MOTY, and the previous DPOY.  Yet here we are. 

I don't know what moves Brad will make this offseason regarding the coaching staff and the roster.  Perhaps even more importantly, I don't know what players will do to come back better next season.  But whatever happens, I sincerely hope I can get back to enjoying Celtics basketball come October.

Yeah, same here. It really was a chore to watch this team this year, and it was hard to connect with and enjoy them.

Everything from the inept coaching to the inconsistent effort and entitlement made this team joyless - very similar vibes to the 2019 Kyrie season and the 2021 giving up on Brad season.

This team needs a strong leader to get the best out of them. Joe isn't it. But I do think it's time to move on from Brown. Take advantage of some desperate teams in Portland, Atlanta, and/or Toronto. Simply too flawed to devote that much money to him.

Yeah call me a bad fan but I need a break from this team. They put me through a lot of stress and heart attacks the past few weeks lol, and some of it shouldn’t have happened (played with their food all postseason). My parents were even joking this weekend that I was more silent than usual which was me being nervous about the C’s in the back of my mind lol.

It was a bad sign when they blew Game 5 against ATL, then Game 1 against PHI (both at home while other team is missing a star player). They played with their food all postseason and it cost them. Frankly they probably could have been eliminated earlier, even in the Sixers series Game 6

[jpotter33]

Tatum played all year with a bad wrist/thumb. Played this game on one leg. Dude is tough.

He’s your alpha.

The fractured wrist goes back to last season. He reinjured it earlier this season. So really, its 2 seasons of him playing with a messed wrist. Still refused to be load-managed.

Dude's a baller.

The problem is we don't run through our best player enough, which was seemingly instilled in Brad's tenure with his "equal opportunity" offense.

But, hell, even his IT teams seemed to feature the ball in IT's hands more than JT now.

[SparzWizard]

It was Boston that never got over game 6

Typical. This team lets their guard down more than any team I’ve ever seen. Doubt them? They will make you pay. Back them? They will burn you.

That's what happens when the coaching and playoff experience difference is huge. Eric Spoelstra got his guys ready to kill for Game 7. Mazzulla can't even keep his guys disciplined.

Bad coach, but also a bad decision to let Brad promote him to head coach midseason.

[Phantom255x]

Easiest path to the Finals, mostly healthy throughout the playoffs (until Brogdon later), and they blew it big time.

I don’t know if their path is going to be any easier.

We played 20 postseason games and still didn’t reach the finals. Never made it easy on ourselves like Golden State, Miami and Denver have in recent years where they mostly coasted on their runs to make the Finals

[Mahk E Mahk]

Now that this season is over, I want to get some things off of my chest.

There's a big part of me that is just happy this is over.  I'll always root for the Celtics, but I never really believed in this group and I never connected with them the way I usually do.  This isn't the time to get into why - frankly I want to get away from this team for a while - but this is easily the fewest games I've watched in a season in the past 15 years.  When I did watch them, they were a much greater source of frustration than they were of enjoyment.  Feels strange to say that about a team with two All-NBA players, the 6MOTY, and the previous DPOY.  Yet here we are. 

I don't know what moves Brad will make this offseason regarding the coaching staff and the roster.  Perhaps even more importantly, I don't know what players will do to come back better next season.  But whatever happens, I sincerely hope I can get back to enjoying Celtics basketball come October.

excellent post. TP.

[radiohead]

The post game interviews of JT and JB were hard to watch. JT said it was very important to give JB his extension. JB on the other hand seemed lost and dare i say noncommittal when asked about the possibility of an extension. He just kept saying that “he failed” and would take it one day at a time. This is gonna be an interesting off season.

[SparzWizard]

The post game interviews of JT and JB were hard to watch. JT said it was very important to give JB his extension. JB on the other hand seemed lost and dare i say noncommittal when asked about the possibility of an extension. He just kept saying that “he failed” and would take it one day at a time. This is gonna be an interesting off season.

After these playoff performances from JB, idk if he's worth the supermax. JB, this is year 7 and you still haven't worked on your handles and BBIQ. This sounds like a move Kyrie would make.

Brad, start getting on the phone with Portland for Lillard or Minnesota for Towns.

[SparzWizard]

Easiest path to the Finals, mostly healthy throughout the playoffs (until Brogdon later), and they blew it big time.

I don’t know if their path is going to be any easier.

We played 20 postseason games and still didn’t reach the finals. Never made it easy on ourselves like Golden State, Miami and Denver have in recent years where they mostly coasted on their runs to make the Finals

Next year will be much harder with Nurse coaching the 76ees and Giannis fully healthy. Hawks, Cavs, Knicks will be stronger. And don't be surprised if Miami is back...never sleeping on them until they go away.

[CelticSooner]

Winning a championship is never easy, title teams take care of their business though. They don’t go 6-7-7 against inferior teams especially when they have this much playoff experience. They win titles owning teams like Denver is currently doing.

[Phantom255x]

On the bright side, at least the Lakers lost too

Hope Denver wins but even if Miami does I won’t lose sleep. Don’t hate either team and love Jokic and Butler

[Boston Garden Leprechaun]

Easiest path to the Finals, mostly healthy throughout the playoffs (until Brogdon later), and they blew it big time.

I don’t know if their path is going to be any easier.

We played 20 postseason games and still didn’t reach the finals. Never made it easy on ourselves like Golden State, Miami and Denver have in recent years where they mostly coasted on their runs to make the Finals

BLOW THIS CORE UP

HAS DENVERS CORE BEEN TO 4 WCF LIKE THIS ONE ALBEIT ECF?

NO. THEY DONT PLAY AROUND. WE AR WASTING YEARS. THIS EXPERIMENT IS OVER.

[Boston Garden Leprechaun]

Easiest path to the Finals, mostly healthy throughout the playoffs (until Brogdon later), and they blew it big time.

I don’t know if their path is going to be any easier.

We played 20 postseason games and still didn’t reach the finals. Never made it easy on ourselves like Golden State, Miami and Denver have in recent years where they mostly coasted on their runs to make the Finals

ONLY BE HARDER FROM HERE ON OUT EFFING MORONS. BLEW IT

NEXT YEAR U HAVE NURSE AND GIANNIS AGAIN

GROUNDHOG DAY LAST 8 YEARS

WHEN DOES THIS EXPERIMENT END?