Celtics (20-5) at Warriors (12-14) Game #26 12/19/23

[SHAQATTACK]

I would have laid money Celtics were going to loose this game.  All these west coast teams are laying in wait of pummeling the Celtics.

Could easily go 0-4

[Vermont Green]

Back on the road.  We have the 7th best road record (6-5) but we have played appreciably worse in most road games.  Currently, we are shooting 32.6% from 3 on the road (vs. 40.1% at home).  42.7 3PA on the road, 42.1 3PA at home, so we are actually taking slightly more 3s on the road.

My key to success is to rely less on the 3, take it to the hoop more, post up more.  Win this with say <35 3PA and >35% 3P%.  (I doubt very much they will take this few 3s, but I thought it was "catchy" to use 35 twice   ).

So we go out and take 58 3s, making only 29.3%.  That percentage is below our already terrible road 3P%.  Even Hauser, who has been the one steady shooter for the most part, goes 0-6.  If we make 2 more 3s, we would have at least matched our season road 3P% of 32.6% and probably win the game.  But we didn't and now we are 6-6 on the road.

Interesting that the Suns also blew a big lead on the road with terrible 3-Point shooting.    I think the Suns were up 22, but shot only 21.7% from 3 (only took 23 3PA though), and lost to a worse team than GSW.  NOP blew a big lead (23 pts I think), and that was at home.  NOP was 11-25 from 3.  Morant really was fantastic down the stretch in that game.

This game shows the importance of Porzingis.  Without him, we rely on the 3 even more than when we have him.  That is not an excuse though, for taking 58.  We shoot appreciably worse on the road, yet continue to take even more 3s on the road.  I think Mazzulla is being stubborn here but this is on the players too.

[Vermont Green]

I would have laid money Celtics were going to loose this game.  All these west coast teams are laying in wait of pummeling the Celtics.

Could easily go 0-4

Yesterday there were predictions that we would go 5-0 on the trip (tongue in cheek on that one) and now the predictions are that we will go 0-4, after a bad game.

I predict we go 2-2, we appear to be a 0.500 team on the road.  This trip, we play some good teams though.  We'll see.

I just hope we don't go 0-5  .

[SparzWizard]

I would have laid money Celtics were going to loose this game.  All these west coast teams are laying in wait of pummeling the Celtics.

Could easily go 0-4

Yesterday there were predictions that we would go 5-0 on the trip (tongue in cheek on that one) and now the predictions are that we will go 0-4, after a bad game.

I predict we go 2-2, we appear to be a 0.500 team on the road.  This trip, we play some good teams though.  We'll see.

I just hope we don't go 0-5  .

If we go 0-5 which includes losing to the Detroit Pistons someone needs to be fired immediately

[Donoghus]

Just keep going back to that 4th quarter.

So frustrating.  Questionable shot selections, couldn't hit the broad side of a barn shutting, defensive lapses.  It just snowballed and snowballed.  Joe didn't help matters much either but a lot of this was on the players. 

Just awful.  Hopefully they just put it behind them and gather themselves for Sacramento.

[liam]

I missed it but it looks like if Hauser hits his average on those 3s we win this one. Correct me if I'm wrong.

that’s an interesting perspective from the box score. what i’m certain you also read in the stats was 15 points on 29% FG & 22% 3pt in 41 minutes from our mvp; 58 three pointers hoisted but only 17 made; and an eleven point swing in the 4Q by giving up 35pts to a team whose best player played with five fouls for the final 23 minutes of the game.

that said, i’m also certain you were being sarcastic. well played, liam, well played.

Sounds like it was a winable game even with the bad shooting. On to tonight. 

[Atzar]

Just keep going back to that 4th quarter.

So frustrating.  Questionable shot selections, couldn't hit the broad side of a barn shutting, defensive lapses.  It just snowballed and snowballed.  Joe didn't help matters much either but a lot of this was on the players. 

Just awful.  Hopefully they just put it behind them and gather themselves for Sacramento.

We watched JB absolutely kill GS in transition in the third.  They were hemorrhaging points, their best player was in foul trouble, their other old players didn't want to run.  Then we just... stopped.

I can't understand Tatum's mindset in this game.  He saw JB do that in real time, right in front of his face, and decided that he would help by grinding the offense to a halt and letting their defense set while he faces up for six seconds and then hoists contested sidestep threes.  And yeah, I get that the ankle was probably bothering him, but he's been doing the same stuff for a month now. 

The guy is good - really good - but there are some alarming trends in his game that probably deserve their own thread at this point. 

[johnnygreen]

been saying it for years: the C’s never win a chip with the Jays. they’re mentally soft, have no killer instinct, and possess the lowest bbiq i’ve ever witnessed by so called stars. we’re six years in and absolutely nothing has changed.

Oh come on. They lost a game when a team got white hot.  Stuff happens. Do you realize that a 60 win season is generally championship level? That’s 22 losses to criticize. They lost because they couldn’t hit very good open shots. It happens. Stop searching for a reason for every loss.

no, they lost to a far inferior team because they lack the discipline to play winning basketball. six years into the jay’s tenure, third coach, another roster overhaul, and the same results. mentally soft, zero killer instinct, and brutally low bbiq.

keep making excuses for their failures and enjoy your moral victories because these chumps aren’t winning a banner.

They got 4 offensive rebounds in a row with a minute to go. That’s effort and typically leads to good results. Shots didn’t fall. Good teams lose. Do you ever watch other teams? Relax and stop being so dramatic. This loss is frustrating as heck but to completely give up hope after a single loss is a joke.

I think you're kind if making Mahk's point. During that four offensive rebound sequence with about a minute left in a tie game, the Celtics miss three 3 point attempts and a (yet another) volleyball attempt at a tip. The three was simply not a reliable shot all game and did any of those lame tip attempts go in all night. The Warriors had Chris Paul and Curry on the floor, yet there was no attempt during that sequence to create a mismatch against one of those guys down low.

What's also unbelievable to me is I find myself a lot of the time, having to do a double take towards the end of games, to see if Brown is still in the game. Is it me or does Jaylen disappear late in games?

[ozgod]

I missed it but it looks like if Hauser hits his average on those 3s we win this one. Correct me if I'm wrong.

that’s an interesting perspective from the box score. what i’m certain you also read in the stats was 15 points on 29% FG & 22% 3pt in 41 minutes from our mvp; 58 three pointers hoisted but only 17 made; and an eleven point swing in the 4Q by giving up 35pts to a team whose best player played with five fouls for the final 23 minutes of the game.

that said, i’m also certain you were being sarcastic. well played, liam, well played.

Sounds like it was a winable game even with the bad shooting. On to tonight. 

Definitely a winnable game…that probably turned on Klays 3 before the end of regulation and Steph’s miracle 3 with 10 sec to go at the end of OT. That’s why the frustration from folks is greater probably   

The good thing is we only had one night to feel miserable and raged…team has a chance to go from zero to hero tonight 

[ozgod]

been saying it for years: the C’s never win a chip with the Jays. they’re mentally soft, have no killer instinct, and possess the lowest bbiq i’ve ever witnessed by so called stars. we’re six years in and absolutely nothing has changed.

Oh come on. They lost a game when a team got white hot.  Stuff happens. Do you realize that a 60 win season is generally championship level? That’s 22 losses to criticize. They lost because they couldn’t hit very good open shots. It happens. Stop searching for a reason for every loss.

no, they lost to a far inferior team because they lack the discipline to play winning basketball. six years into the jay’s tenure, third coach, another roster overhaul, and the same results. mentally soft, zero killer instinct, and brutally low bbiq.

keep making excuses for their failures and enjoy your moral victories because these chumps aren’t winning a banner.

They got 4 offensive rebounds in a row with a minute to go. That’s effort and typically leads to good results. Shots didn’t fall. Good teams lose. Do you ever watch other teams? Relax and stop being so dramatic. This loss is frustrating as heck but to completely give up hope after a single loss is a joke.

I think you're kind if making Mahk's point. During that four offensive rebound sequence with about a minute left in a tie game, the Celtics miss three 3 point attempts and a (yet another) volleyball attempt at a tip. The three was simply not a reliable shot all game and did any of those lame tip attempts go in all night. The Warriors had Chris Paul and Curry on the floor, yet there was no attempt during that sequence to create a mismatch against one of those guys down low.

What's also unbelievable to me is I find myself a lot of the time, having to do a double take towards the end of games, to see if Brown is still in the game. Is it me or does Jaylen disappear late in games?

Eddie House made an interesting comment on the Celtics Post Game on NBC Sports Boston last night…he said that he felt that the Celtics focus changed after Curry got his 5th foul with 5 min to go in the 3rd and had to sit, he thought that during the 4th the Cs went away from what had been working for them, moving the ball, and starting hunting that matchup too much and started getting too static and iso focused to try and get that 6th foul.

That said they could have definitely done more to pick on him given his foul situation, within the flow of the offense.

[Donoghus]

been saying it for years: the C’s never win a chip with the Jays. they’re mentally soft, have no killer instinct, and possess the lowest bbiq i’ve ever witnessed by so called stars. we’re six years in and absolutely nothing has changed.

Oh come on. They lost a game when a team got white hot.  Stuff happens. Do you realize that a 60 win season is generally championship level? That’s 22 losses to criticize. They lost because they couldn’t hit very good open shots. It happens. Stop searching for a reason for every loss.

no, they lost to a far inferior team because they lack the discipline to play winning basketball. six years into the jay’s tenure, third coach, another roster overhaul, and the same results. mentally soft, zero killer instinct, and brutally low bbiq.

keep making excuses for their failures and enjoy your moral victories because these chumps aren’t winning a banner.

They got 4 offensive rebounds in a row with a minute to go. That’s effort and typically leads to good results. Shots didn’t fall. Good teams lose. Do you ever watch other teams? Relax and stop being so dramatic. This loss is frustrating as heck but to completely give up hope after a single loss is a joke.

I think you're kind if making Mahk's point. During that four offensive rebound sequence with about a minute left in a tie game, the Celtics miss three 3 point attempts and a (yet another) volleyball attempt at a tip. The three was simply not a reliable shot all game and did any of those lame tip attempts go in all night. The Warriors had Chris Paul and Curry on the floor, yet there was no attempt during that sequence to create a mismatch against one of those guys down low.

What's also unbelievable to me is I find myself a lot of the time, having to do a double take towards the end of games, to see if Brown is still in the game. Is it me or does Jaylen disappear late in games?

Eddie House made an interesting comment on the Celtics Post Game on NBC Sports Boston last night…he said that he felt that the Celtics focus changed after Curry got his 5th foul with 5 min to go in the 3rd and had to sit, he thought that during the 4th the Cs went away from what had been working for them, moving the ball, and starting hunting that matchup too much and started getting too static and iso focused to try and get that 6th foul.

That said they could have definitely done more to pick on him given his foul situation, within the flow of the offense.

They certainly looked like a different team out there in the 4th. The aggressiveness seemed to disappear and they continued trying to go to the well with the 3 ball when it was a struggle.  We’ve seen that story before.

[Mahk E Mahk]

been saying it for years: the C’s never win a chip with the Jays. they’re mentally soft, have no killer instinct, and possess the lowest bbiq i’ve ever witnessed by so called stars. we’re six years in and absolutely nothing has changed.

Oh come on. They lost a game when a team got white hot.  Stuff happens. Do you realize that a 60 win season is generally championship level? That’s 22 losses to criticize. They lost because they couldn’t hit very good open shots. It happens. Stop searching for a reason for every loss.

no, they lost to a far inferior team because they lack the discipline to play winning basketball. six years into the jay’s tenure, third coach, another roster overhaul, and the same results. mentally soft, zero killer instinct, and brutally low bbiq.

keep making excuses for their failures and enjoy your moral victories because these chumps aren’t winning a banner.

They got 4 offensive rebounds in a row with a minute to go. That’s effort and typically leads to good results. Shots didn’t fall. Good teams lose. Do you ever watch other teams? Relax and stop being so dramatic. This loss is frustrating as heck but to completely give up hope after a single loss is a joke.

I think you're kind if making Mahk's point. During that four offensive rebound sequence with about a minute left in a tie game, the Celtics miss three 3 point attempts and a (yet another) volleyball attempt at a tip. The three was simply not a reliable shot all game and did any of those lame tip attempts go in all night. The Warriors had Chris Paul and Curry on the floor, yet there was no attempt during that sequence to create a mismatch against one of those guys down low.

What's also unbelievable to me is I find myself a lot of the time, having to do a double take towards the end of games, to see if Brown is still in the game. Is it me or does Jaylen disappear late in games?

Eddie House made an interesting comment on the Celtics Post Game on NBC Sports Boston last night…he said that he felt that the Celtics focus changed after Curry got his 5th foul with 5 min to go in the 3rd and had to sit, he thought that during the 4th the Cs went away from what had been working for them, moving the ball, and starting hunting that matchup too much and started getting too static and iso focused to try and get that 6th foul.

That said they could have definitely done more to pick on him given his foul situation, within the flow of the offense.

i think house makes a good point, but we’ve witnessed offensive stagnation plenty of times from this team, particularly late in games when the C’s are up. anyone who has watched the jays for the past six years saw this coming in the 4Q. the ball stopped moving to the open man and the j’s went into their infuriating iso games. losing basketball.

[Redz]

Lots of ways to slice up how things went wrong last night but I kept coming back to 3 things:

1) We’ve come to rely on Hauser, and when he is bricking open shots, that hurts.

2) Just call a [dang] timeout and set up a play.  The “just wing it and try to catch the defense off guard” method very seldom ends up well.

3) When Curry is on he is just Flippin ridiculous.

[Atzar]

i think house makes a good point, but we’ve witnessed offensive stagnation plenty of times from this team, particularly late in games when the C’s are up. anyone who has watched the jays for the past six years saw this coming in the 4Q. the ball stopped moving to the open man and the j’s went into their infuriating iso games. losing basketball.

I'm not really blaming the Jays as a duo for this game, to be honest.  Just one of them.  I'm good with the way Jaylen is playing lately and I'm good with the way he played last night.  When he touched the ball late in the game, it was with the intent to drive.  He missed a couple of easy layups, and he got a dunk blocked by Trayce Jackson-Davis (I'm about 85% convinced that we didn't even have him on the scouting report, because our guys acted like they didn't have the slightest idea what his skillset was).  But guys miss good shots.  It happens.  If they're the right shots, I'm fine with that.

Instead I'm going in on Tatum specifically.  These contested stepback threes have to go.  I read that he's the worst in the league at that particular shot among players who take a lot of them, and I believe it.  His shot selection is ass.  He doesn't move on either end of the court.  He's second only to Embiid in terms of slowest average speed in the entire league.  He rarely moves off ball.  When he's on ball, he stops and squares up his man for several seconds on the catch, so any crisp passing that got the defense into rotation goes right in the toilet because now they've caught up.  Too often, he's an observer on the glass - great at corralling the uncontested ones that anybody can go get, but he doesn't want to get involved if there's any traffic.  When GS was sending their whole team to the offensive glass early in the fourth quarter, Queta was battling alone (and losing, but at least he was battling) but Tatum wouldn't stick his nose in there to help.  And I know he was hurting last night but this is a trend from the last month, so the ankle isn't the only problem here.

I don't know what's going on but I've been getting more and more frustrated with the guy.  He's REALLY GOOD.  But he needs to get back to playing the right way.

[SCeltic34]

Very frustrating loss of course.  It's entertaining to hear the narrative on the talk shows in the Bay Area here and how now there's optimism.  It's like they didn't truly understand or watch the game.  The C's got any shot they wanted all night.  If they shoot at, or even slightly below their average from 3, that game is a blowout win.  In other words, the C's win that game 8 or 9 times out of 10 because Golden State can't defend us.  They just were fortunate that we bricked a ton of wide open 3's.

Golden State sucks.  They're pretenders because their defense is lousy, and it starts with Curry.  It was comical to hear some of the sports radio people in this area talk about this team competing for a championship this year before the season started.  Delusional.

So yeah, frustrating loss, but not one I am concerned about.  The game against Sacramento tonight will be tougher.  I can't wait to stomp Curry and this Warriors team into the ground at TD Garden.