Celtics (16-3) at Cavaliers (17-3) Game #20 12/1/24

[celticinorlando]

Cavs don't have the wings to beat Boston in a series. Mitchell has to carry them to keep them close to the Cs.

Get home and take out the Heat. I wonder if both Al and KP sit tomorrow. I hope not.

[SparzWizard]

Cavs the team to beat in the East. I have no doubt Mitchell can carry them all 7 games in a playoff series.

C's need to play with a killer mindset whether they're fully healthy or missing key players. Offense needs to be tweaked.

[jpotter33]

I hate to say this, but mentally JT is not as clutch as PP. Need to give PP the ball more in crunch time.

I mean, come on lol That's pretty easy to say when one gets three times the amount of defensive attention as the other lol

I stand by my comment. You're ok to disagree.

I mean, but you have to make these kinds of comments in context. When one is the primary/sole focus of the defense with the best defender on him and regularly getting double-teamed, it's kind of hard to fairly make that kind of comparative statement when PP (as well as the team as a whole) is benefitting so greatly from Tatum's gravity. And what about PP's brain fart at the free throw line, or the previous brain fart where he didn't go up with the shot to get three free throws when that was clearly the play?

Now all that said - I'm in complete agreement that it doesn't need to be Tatum iso every end of quarter scenario, and we should run more actions that are misdirections away from Tatum or even Brown to our other good shooting role players.

[celticinorlando]

Cavs the team to beat in the East. I have no doubt Mitchell can carry them all 7 games in a playoff series.

C's need to play with a killer mindset whether they're fully healthy or missing key players. Offense needs to be tweaked.

I see you still are on your schtick. If you only believed half of the junk you post.

[jpotter33]

Cavs the team to beat in the East. I have no doubt Mitchell can carry them all 7 games in a playoff series.

C's need to play with a killer mindset whether they're fully healthy or missing key players. Offense needs to be tweaked.

Lol like clockwork.

[celticinorlando]

Cavs the team to beat in the East. I have no doubt Mitchell can carry them all 7 games in a playoff series.

C's need to play with a killer mindset whether they're fully healthy or missing key players. Offense needs to be tweaked.

Lol like clockwork.

Not sure if he is just a miserable fan or just enjoys being that guy on the board. Tomorrow he will be praising the Heat.

[Boston Garden Leprechaun]

have to learn to win with players out

no excuses. we had this and blew it

[Surferdad]

Tatum failed his last 2 possessions in crunch time.
Should've given the ball to other hot hands, like PP

Yeah, but those were two lay-ups. He definitely choked them, but that's exactly what you want there. Tatum was also awesome this game.

It doesn't help that Mitchell went unconscious from 3 to the end the game and Jrue might have just had his worst game yet as a Celtic on both sides of the ball.

Annoying loss, but I'm not particularly worried. We're missing two [should be] All-Stars and managed to squeak out a loss at the last second.

Came here to say that. It was not just a mediocre game from Jrue, it was consistently terrible on both sides of the ball.

[scaryjerry]

Celtics are the better team but this is a really good win for a Cavs team coming off 2 deplorable losses to the hawks. I would give the Celtics a pass for missing 2 key players, but they don?t get that pass when they?re up 12 in the 4th and find a way to lose.

[celticinorlando]

Celtics are the better team but this is a really good win for a Cavs team coming off 2 deplorable losses to the hawks. I would give the Celtics a pass for missing 2 key players, but they don?t get that pass when they?re up 12 in the 4th and find a way to lose.

Seems we have seen this before in Cleveland. Last time it was Dean Wade. Tonight Mitchell. I want to see how they respond to the Heat tomorrow. My guess is they will be focused in on that game.

[Billz401]

Jrue was garbage and has had a pretty mediocre year so far. He hasnt been hitting his threes like last year and his defense is hit or miss. Tonight his defense on mitchell particularly in the 4th was awful. Left mitchell open to run mobley off the 3 and the next possession he gambled on the screen wrong and gave up another open 3. Those 2 were back breakers along with Tatums choke job on those 2 layups

[Surferdad]

I hate to say this, but mentally JT is not as clutch as PP. Need to give PP the ball more in crunch time.

I mean, come on lol That's pretty easy to say when one gets three times the amount of defensive attention as the other lol

I stand by my comment. You're ok to disagree.

I mean, but you have to make these kinds of comments in context. When one is the primary/sole focus of the defense with the best defender on him and regularly getting double-teamed, it's kind of hard to fairly make that kind of comparative statement when PP (as well as the team as a whole) is benefitting so greatly from Tatum's gravity. And what about PP's brain fart at the free throw line, or the previous brain fart where he didn't go up with the shot to get three free throws when that was clearly the play?

Now all that said - I'm in complete agreement that it doesn't need to be Tatum iso every end of quarter scenario, and we should run more actions that are misdirections away from Tatum or even Brown to our other good shooting role players.

I know the debate topic is Tatum, but those 2 mistakes by PP cost us the game, especially not getting the 3-pt shot up since Cavs were not going to foul, but even if they did it would have been 3 free throws.

[scaryjerry]

Jrue was garbage and has had a pretty mediocre year so far. He hasnt been hitting his threes like last year and his defense is hit or miss. Tonight his defense on mitchell particularly in the 4th was awful. Left mitchell open to run mobley off the 3 and the next possession he gambled on the screen wrong and gave up another open 3. Those 2 were back breakers along with Tatums choke job on those 2 layups

Predictable from jrue if you ask me?older player who played straight thru and had a great season for us and jumped right into the Olympics and did the same?barely had an offseason and was due for a lull

[scaryjerry]

I hate to say this, but mentally JT is not as clutch as PP. Need to give PP the ball more in crunch time.

I mean, come on lol That's pretty easy to say when one gets three times the amount of defensive attention as the other lol

I stand by my comment. You're ok to disagree.

I mean, but you have to make these kinds of comments in context. When one is the primary/sole focus of the defense with the best defender on him and regularly getting double-teamed, it's kind of hard to fairly make that kind of comparative statement when PP (as well as the team as a whole) is benefitting so greatly from Tatum's gravity. And what about PP's brain fart at the free throw line, or the previous brain fart where he didn't go up with the shot to get three free throws when that was clearly the play?

Now all that said - I'm in complete agreement that it doesn't need to be Tatum iso every end of quarter scenario, and we should run more actions that are misdirections away from Tatum or even Brown to our other good shooting role players.

I know the debate topic is Tatum, but those 2 mistakes by PP cost us the game, especially not getting the 3-pt shot up since Cavs were not going to foul, but even if they did it would have been 3 free throws.

Anything from PP is gravy?blame has to be on our mvp candidate missing 2 key game determining layups. Frankly it?s why he will never actually win it (mvp)

[Silas]

I could understand losing tonite with 2 starters out, but this was inexcusable.

We blow a 10-pont 4th quarter lead because we have no offense.
Infuriating to watch us do the same iso-Tatum again and again down the stretch.
Just nothing else, no movement, no passing, no off-ball screens, no cuts to free a shooter.
Just four guys standing around watching Tatum dribble.

This loss is on Joe's awful non-offense, plain and simple.

[/b]

No question the Cs fell apart in the 4th with very little working on offense, especially the two layups that JT missed.  However, let's not forget that coming into this game the Celtics were the top offensive team in the league.  So clearly Joe knows offense.