Celtics News

[angryguy77]

The free throw disparity in the 4th was a joke as well as Sheed not being in shape.   It felt about as real as a WWF match in terms of being legit.

Yep, pretty much.  The Trailblazers (2000), Kings (2002) and Celtics (2008) all got jobbed in the 2000s when facing the Lakers in the playoffs.

Imagine my life. My celtics ad vikings got robbed in b2b years by what I believe were league mandates.

[BudweiserCeltic]

Proof that Joe Mazzulla can smile:

https://x.com/FadeAwayMedia/status/2036245690054001087

[Goldstar88]

What are we thinking Quetas extension will look like? Hopefully Brad can get him locked into a Pritchard/Hauser type contract.

[Celtics2021]

What are we thinking Quetas extension will look like? Hopefully Brad can get him locked into a Pritchard/Hauser type contract.

He is eligible for an extension that would start in the $20-21 million range in 2027, and would wind up between $90-94 million over four years.  I do not think he will get every penny he is allowed to get, but I do expect him to get much more than Pritchard (who had yet to break out) and Hauser (who he is currently outperforming, and is also outperforming at the time of his extension).  Perhaps is $16-18 million annually, which would exceed the MLE at the time he would hit free agency.  So somewhere between the MLE and his max value is my ultimate guess, compared to Hauser, who came in under the MLE.

[Goldstar88]

What are we thinking Quetas extension will look like? Hopefully Brad can get him locked into a Pritchard/Hauser type contract.

He is eligible for an extension that would start in the $20-21 million range in 2027, and would wind up between $90-94 million over four years.  I do not think he will get every penny he is allowed to get, but I do expect him to get much more than Pritchard (who had yet to break out) and Hauser (who he is currently outperforming, and is also outperforming at the time of his extension).  Perhaps is $16-18 million annually, which would exceed the MLE at the time he would hit free agency.  So somewhere between the MLE and his max value is my ultimate guess, compared to Hauser, who came in under the MLE.

Thanks for the info, TP. I think the best comp for Queta is Gafford who signed an extension which has him at $18M per year on average. Quite a bit more than Pritchard/Hauser but it seems fair for a starting caliber center.

[Celtics2021]

What are we thinking Quetas extension will look like? Hopefully Brad can get him locked into a Pritchard/Hauser type contract.

He is eligible for an extension that would start in the $20-21 million range in 2027, and would wind up between $90-94 million over four years.  I do not think he will get every penny he is allowed to get, but I do expect him to get much more than Pritchard (who had yet to break out) and Hauser (who he is currently outperforming, and is also outperforming at the time of his extension).  Perhaps is $16-18 million annually, which would exceed the MLE at the time he would hit free agency.  So somewhere between the MLE and his max value is my ultimate guess, compared to Hauser, who came in under the MLE.

Thanks for the info, TP. I think the best comp for Queta is Gafford who signed an extension which has him at $18M per year on average. Quite a bit more than Pritchard/Hauser but it seems fair for a starting caliber center.

Yep, Gafford is a decent comp.  Keep in mind that a Queta extension would start a year later so there could be some inflationary pressures on it taking it 5-10% higher, but that is in my expected range of the MLE to the maximum allowed.

Also, the other choice would be for the Celtics and Queta to work out something in advance, decline his option next year, and sign him to a 5-year deal with more money up front.  For example, rather than a Gafford-style 4-year extension at $72 million starting in 2027, a 5-year deal for $75 million starting in 2026 (so $72 million plus his $2 million salary next year, with rounding to make my post easier).  This would shift money from the later years to next year, lowering future tax bills/creating more room to stay under the tax.  On the other hand, it probably means Vooch is gone unless he takes the minimum, the Simons TPE goes unused, and the MLE also is unused.  So it is unlikely, but technically another option for the Celtics if it saved them enough long-term.

[Phantom255x]

Lot of talk about the 2 vs. 3 seed. I won't lie, I don't really care about it because of how postseasons have gone for the Celtics in the past decade. Hell, even last year, they went 1-2 at home in the Knicks series. They've also had brutal losses at home to eliminate them (ex. 2022 Finals Game 6, 2023 ECF Game 7, etc. etc.)

And I'm usually someone who wants HCA, but this team has proven it can win big games on the road, and also lay duds at home in the playoffs. I think the best thing for this team for their long term goals is to just get Tatum acclimated and for the team to stay mostly healthy going in. We can still beat NY even without HCA, as long as Tatum is close to 90-100% and everyone else is mostly healthy too.

I do think there's a decent chance we'll be the 3 seed, because the Knicks remaining schedule is very easy. But I won't really be panicking unless guys get hurt or in a few weeks Tatum still looks rough. The main downside might be a first round series with Orlando instead of MIA/ATL, but then again ATL has looked red hot lately and I still think ORL will have trouble scoring at will given some of their issues, although it'd be a grind. Who knows, maybe TOR slips to 6 and ORL moves up?

[SparzWizard]

Lot of talk about the 2 vs. 3 seed. I won't lie, I don't really care about it because of how postseasons have gone for the Celtics in the past decade. Hell, even last year, they went 1-2 at home in the Knicks series. They've also had brutal losses at home to eliminate them (ex. 2022 Finals Game 6, 2023 ECF Game 7, etc. etc.)

And I'm usually someone who wants HCA, but this team has proven it can win big games on the road, and also lay duds at home in the playoffs. I think the best thing for this team for their long term goals is to just get Tatum acclimated and for the team to stay mostly healthy going in. We can still beat NY even without HCA, as long as Tatum is close to 90-100% and everyone else is mostly healthy too.

I do think there's a decent chance we'll be the 3 seed, because the Knicks remaining schedule is very easy. But I won't really be panicking unless guys get hurt or in a few weeks Tatum still looks rough. The main downside might be a first round series with Orlando instead of MIA/ATL, but then again ATL has looked red hot lately and I still think ORL will have trouble scoring at will given some of their issues, although it'd be a grind. Who knows, maybe TOR slips to 6 and ORL moves up?

It's really a toss up between the 5-10 seeds. They're all within 2.5 games. The Celtics' first-round opponent would be just as difficult as the Knicks in the second round.

Toronto- would be an interesting matchup.
Atlanta and Charlotte- hella hot, esp the latter.
Orlando- a physical team and a rematch with them could boil things.
Miami- that bully team that seems to always play Boston tough as long as Eric Spoelstra is leading that squad.
Philadelphia- A healthy Embiid, Paul George, and VJ could pose a threat. That iconic duo just exploded for 63 points in their first game back together.

I don't see Cleveland dropping that badly nor would they overtake the 3 seed.

[Phantom255x]

Lot of talk about the 2 vs. 3 seed. I won't lie, I don't really care about it because of how postseasons have gone for the Celtics in the past decade. Hell, even last year, they went 1-2 at home in the Knicks series. They've also had brutal losses at home to eliminate them (ex. 2022 Finals Game 6, 2023 ECF Game 7, etc. etc.)

And I'm usually someone who wants HCA, but this team has proven it can win big games on the road, and also lay duds at home in the playoffs. I think the best thing for this team for their long term goals is to just get Tatum acclimated and for the team to stay mostly healthy going in. We can still beat NY even without HCA, as long as Tatum is close to 90-100% and everyone else is mostly healthy too.

I do think there's a decent chance we'll be the 3 seed, because the Knicks remaining schedule is very easy. But I won't really be panicking unless guys get hurt or in a few weeks Tatum still looks rough. The main downside might be a first round series with Orlando instead of MIA/ATL, but then again ATL has looked red hot lately and I still think ORL will have trouble scoring at will given some of their issues, although it'd be a grind. Who knows, maybe TOR slips to 6 and ORL moves up?

It's really a toss up between the 5-10 seeds. They're all within 2.5 games. The Celtics' first-round opponent would be just as difficult as the Knicks in the second round.

Toronto- would be an interesting matchup.
Atlanta and Charlotte- hella hot, esp the latter.
Orlando- a physical team and a rematch with them could boil things.
Miami- that bully team that seems to always play Boston tough as long as Eric Spoelstra is leading that squad.
Philadelphia- A healthy Embiid, Paul George, and VJ could pose a threat. That iconic duo just exploded for 63 points in their first game back together.

I don't see Cleveland dropping that badly nor would they overtake the 3 seed.

I think as long as we don't play Charlotte first round, we're good lol. ORL/PHI/ATL can give us some fits but I don't worry about losing a series to them. We won't lose to Charlotte either but CHA also feels like a team that'd play with nothing to lose and push us to 6 or maybe even 7

[Phantom255x]

This is a small thing, but in his last 5 games Jaylen is 57-63 from the FT line (91%). His season average this year is also 80%, highest in his career.

That's pretty big in the grand scheme of things if he's become a more reliable FT shooter especially late in close games. If he can stay around 85-90%+, huge.

Oh, and his complaining worked lol. He's definitely getting the calls now often compared to earlier in the season.

[Celtics2021]

This is a small thing, but in his last 5 games Jaylen is 57-63 from the FT line (91%). His season average this year is also 80%, highest in his career.

That's pretty big in the grand scheme of things if he's become a more reliable FT shooter especially late in close games. If he can stay around 85-90%+, huge.

Oh, and his complaining worked lol. He's definitely getting the calls now often compared to earlier in the season.

Since the ridiculous ejection against San Antonio, he is averaging over 11 FTAs per game, shooting 91.4% from the line.  I love that he is not wasting these new opportunities.

[Goldstar88]

"I like the fact that we brought the physicality," Boston coach Joe Mazzulla said. "I like the fact that we brought our offensive organization. I like the fact that we executed. I like the fact that we took it to a different level defensively. And so now it's OK, where can we get better? How do we apply it to Friday's game (against the Hawks)? They're playing really well, they're going to challenge us in different ways, and how do we get better?"

[Redz]

Any word on Vucevic?

[Phantom255x]

Any word on Vucevic?

He said before the Memphis game he felt he was progressing well, and Mazzulla + Vucevic both seemed to imply he's on track and should be back in about 2 weeks (2nd week April), hopefully being able to play a few games to tune up for the playoffs.

[Phantom255x]

Lot of talk about the 2 vs. 3 seed. I won't lie, I don't really care about it because of how postseasons have gone for the Celtics in the past decade. Hell, even last year, they went 1-2 at home in the Knicks series. They've also had brutal losses at home to eliminate them (ex. 2022 Finals Game 6, 2023 ECF Game 7, etc. etc.)

And I'm usually someone who wants HCA, but this team has proven it can win big games on the road, and also lay duds at home in the playoffs. I think the best thing for this team for their long term goals is to just get Tatum acclimated and for the team to stay mostly healthy going in. We can still beat NY even without HCA, as long as Tatum is close to 90-100% and everyone else is mostly healthy too.

I do think there's a decent chance we'll be the 3 seed, because the Knicks remaining schedule is very easy. But I won't really be panicking unless guys get hurt or in a few weeks Tatum still looks rough. The main downside might be a first round series with Orlando instead of MIA/ATL, but then again ATL has looked red hot lately and I still think ORL will have trouble scoring at will given some of their issues, although it'd be a grind. Who knows, maybe TOR slips to 6 and ORL moves up?

It's really a toss up between the 5-10 seeds. They're all within 2.5 games. The Celtics' first-round opponent would be just as difficult as the Knicks in the second round.

Toronto- would be an interesting matchup.
Atlanta and Charlotte- hella hot, esp the latter.
Orlando- a physical team and a rematch with them could boil things.
Miami- that bully team that seems to always play Boston tough as long as Eric Spoelstra is leading that squad.
Philadelphia- A healthy Embiid, Paul George, and VJ could pose a threat. That iconic duo just exploded for 63 points in their first game back together.

I don't see Cleveland dropping that badly nor would they overtake the 3 seed.

I think as long as we don't play Charlotte first round, we're good lol. ORL/PHI/ATL can give us some fits but I don't worry about losing a series to them. We won't lose to Charlotte either but CHA also feels like a team that'd play with nothing to lose and push us to 6 or maybe even 7

Toronto is currently the 6 seed. If we end up 3, I would LOVE that matchup, that series really wouldn't worry me