Pistons (2-28) at Celtics (23-6) Game #30 12/28/23

[RPGenerate]

I love Tingus Pingus. A Brad Stevens masterclass of a trade. Got the best player in the trade, while also getting multiple picks.

[Silas]

KP vs Smart...that's the difference this year and why they didn't lose this game.

[SCeltic34]

There was a fan in the crowd that was wearing a shirt that said "I flew down from Canada to watch Detroit lose 28 games in a row", or something similar to that.

I honestly feel bad for this Detroit team.  They're not devoid of talent.  And they made some really good plays on both sides of the ball this game, including some good ball movement.  They just seem to lack overall cohesion and had costly turnovers.  I hope they break the losing streak soon.

[tenn_smoothie]

Even though Tatum and Jaylen are our Top-2 players, White + Porzingis IMO are our most important pieces if we want to win it all. Those two bring skillsets that complement the Jays well and they tend to make very smart decisions. They also calm things down well when things go a bit awry

Brad. Credit to him. This is the differnce between now and the past couple of seasons. Hate to say it but also credit to Joe for not screwing this up. It's working and the coaching staff has played a role in that.

Well, let's not go too far there. He still has them shooting WAY too many threes and relying too heavily on the three point shot to win games. He's a big reason we've had some of the (admittedly few) struggles in games that we've had this year. Only when our backs are absolutely against the wall like tonight during halftime has he shown any willingness to emphasize a more efficient gameplan at the rim instead of being so heavily reliant on the three.

He's better than last year, and he did a great job in emphasizing this change in gameplan tonight at halftime. But he still has a long way to go.

The problem is that Joe still thinks his 3-point philosophy is right and he will learn nothing from the 2nd half tonight.

[RJ87]

I love Tingus Pingus. A Brad Stevens masterclass of a trade. Got the best player in the trade, while also getting multiple picks.

But folks were ready to riot because Marcus was the "heart and soul" of the team even though they were questioning whether or not this team had heart...

[Silas]

I love Tingus Pingus. A Brad Stevens masterclass of a trade. Got the best player in the trade, while also getting multiple picks.

But folks were ready to riot because Marcus was the "heart and soul" of the team even though they were questioning whether or not this team had heart...

Don't miss Smart one bit....love KP.

[Boston Garden Leprechaun]

KP player of the game.  That switch mismatch where we post KP up in the middle of the floor is gold.  That's going to create all kinds of problems for teams in the playoffs.



KP broke Detroit in the 2nd half.  We'd have been screwed if he didn't have a strong shooting game.

[Boston Garden Leprechaun]

did not joe say we were gonna play a more inside out game this year?

if we ever do that on a consistent basis we will be unstoppable

[Atzar]

Survived the mother of all trap games.  Not upset about that.  Still frustrated with Tatum though.

yeah, but 31 points plus 7 rebounds 10 assists and 5 steals ain't bad.

If you're a Celtics fan, it is because the fanbase is spoiled and super entitled. When a player isn't perfect, he's trash. There's no in between. We're supposed to be one of the smartest fanbases in the league but nuance is a far off concept to a huge portion.

You know who'd love to have that player on their team? The Detroit Pistons.

You’re here talking about nuance while acting like I said he’s trash, lol.  Never crossed my lips.  I said I’m frustrated.

It’s fair to be frustrated with the guy who took 31 shots to get 31 points, I feel.  That’s dreadful efficiency, and it’s been a problem for over a month now.  I’m glad he did other things to help us win and generally had a much better second half than first.  Still frustrated though. 

[SparzWizard]

I really wanna know if all the posters who carried on before this game even started about how "we're going to lose, we're gonna play down to the competition" can come in and acknowledge that they were wrong. Yeah, this team probably would've lost this game in seasons' past, but they came out after a lackluster 1st half and got it together.

I bet it'll be *crickets*

Not that I'm defending them, but fact of the matter is, they got blown out at home in the first half by a now 28 losing-streak Pistons. They should be firing in all cylinders all four quarters against this Pistons team, who had no business going into OT with.

[SparzWizard]

KP vs Smart...that's the difference this year and why they didn't lose this game.

Smart would've made the costly turnovers for sure

[hpantazo]

KP vs Smart...that's the difference this year and why they didn't lose this game.

Smart would've made the costly turnovers for sure

White and Holliday too. Let's not underestimate the play where Holliday got fouled, scored, and drew the 6th foul on Ivy in OT who had been killing us on the offensive glass.

[Atzar]

I really wanna know if all the posters who carried on before this game even started about how "we're going to lose, we're gonna play down to the competition" can come in and acknowledge that they were wrong. Yeah, this team probably would've lost this game in seasons' past, but they came out after a lackluster 1st half and got it together.

I bet it'll be *crickets*

Not that I'm defending them, but fact of the matter is, they got blown out at home in the first half by a now 28 losing-streak Pistons. They should be firing in all cylinders all four quarters against this Pistons team, who had no business going into OT with.

In fairness, the game after a big road trip is a well-known stumbling block for teams, and this Detroit team is playing with desperate intensity trying to get out from under that streak.  This was a gigantic trap game that we just dodged. 

The first half sucked but I’m happy with the team overall.  That was not an easy win but they got it done.

[SparzWizard]

I really wanna know if all the posters who carried on before this game even started about how "we're going to lose, we're gonna play down to the competition" can come in and acknowledge that they were wrong. Yeah, this team probably would've lost this game in seasons' past, but they came out after a lackluster 1st half and got it together.

I bet it'll be *crickets*

Not that I'm defending them, but fact of the matter is, they got blown out at home in the first half by a now 28 losing-streak Pistons. They should be firing in all cylinders all four quarters against this Pistons team, who had no business going into OT with.

In fairness, the game after a big road trip is a well-known stumbling block for teams, and this Detroit team is playing with desperate intensity trying to get out from under that streak.  This was a gigantic trap game that we just dodged. 

The first half sucked but I’m happy with the team overall.  That was not an easy win but they got it done.

Expectations are just at its highest for the best team in the NBA. Plus, they had two days off and played a home game. I feel like a trap game would have been an away game being favored.

Agreed on the second line. Onto the Raptors.

[RJ87]

I really wanna know if all the posters who carried on before this game even started about how "we're going to lose, we're gonna play down to the competition" can come in and acknowledge that they were wrong. Yeah, this team probably would've lost this game in seasons' past, but they came out after a lackluster 1st half and got it together.

I bet it'll be *crickets*

Not that I'm defending them, but fact of the matter is, they got blown out at home in the first half by a now 28 losing-streak Pistons. They should be firing in all cylinders all four quarters against this Pistons team, who had no business going into OT with.

What team is firing on all cylinders constantly all season long? Even the 73-9 Warriors lost when it mattered most. The regular season is a series of ebbs and flows. We've seen that constantly throughout multiple seasons for multiple franchises. I'm not gonna be pressed about the C's almost losing in December against the ultimate goal. That's wasted energy to me.