Rockets (30-14) at Celtics (32-14) Game #47 1/27/25

[jpotter33]

I?m seeing blame for every one other than our ?mvp candidate? who made 5 shots.
I?m not trying to defend Jaylen by any stretch, he?s a bum this season with a bad attitude, just find it funny

Maybe if you actually watched the game instead of just pushing your narrative you would know that Tatum was *by far* the best player in the second half, yet we inexplicably stopped having him initiate the offense and it became the "JB Show" to try and show up Brooks. Poor *shooting* first half, but he was still an outright positive and is the only starter who actually had a two-possession or more positive +/- out there with a +11.

So, yeah, there's a reason Joe and JB and others are catching the blame, because they were awful down the stretch when it mattered.

You?re right, our nba all star stater and supposed mvp candidate, solid job there with 5 buckets.
Not defending brown if you actually read my post instead of just going with your narrative, brown was awful and shouldn?t even be an all star this season, just plain bad, terrible weird attitude and I?m not defending him or the dumb coach?.tatum needs to be better

Again, if you actually watch the game instead of just the box score, you'll understand why your post makes no sense. Poor shooting first half, absolutely. But Tatum breaking down the D and playmaking for others and himself in the second half was the entire reason this was even a game. We win this if we didn't go away from Tatum and what was working.

K, 5 buckets is acceptable for our mvp candidate in a 1 possession game. dude just gets the ultimate pass.
Again. Not putting this game on him, he?s just gotta be better and you can?t just admit that lol

Good Lord, Tatum. Can you just stop being so reliant on bad stepback threes and take it to the dang rim? You'd be so much better if you just started games looking to penetrate first instead of jacking up bad threes.

Yes, Tatum. Let's keep shooting threes when you're clearly off and not try and look for better looks. Come on, use your brain for better shot selection!

Would be nice if our best player decided to show up tonight.

What's hilarious about Tatum's awful scoring half is that he's actually still having the most positive impact for the Celtics with a +11 to lead the team when we're -2 on the game. While not scoring, his gravity and playmaking is really helping setting up others to get good looks with 5 assists already.

But, yeah, time for him to start scoring and looking for shots beyond stepback threes. If they continue to collapse hard on you when penetrating, then just hit the open man.

Tatum is just playing with them when he's actually looking to attack the paint. He's absolutely killing them when they're swarming and doubling him and getting us great looks.

This is what's holding him back from being a legitimate contender for MVP - his shot selection. If he'd be more consistent about attacking and not settling for tough jumpshots and threes, he'd be so much more consistent and efficient as a scorer and playmaker.

This entire run we've put on now is due to him starting to attack more.

Well, if you actually contributed throughout the thread instead of your usual schtick of waiting until the end of losses to come here and spout your anti-Tatum narrative, you'd know that I and many others consistently criticized Tatum's shot selection throughout the game - which legitimately happens every single game. Not sure what else you want, bro. It's almost like you don't really care about what's actually being said and are only trying to push a specific narrative.

[scaryjerry]

I?m seeing blame for every one other than our ?mvp candidate? who made 5 shots.
I?m not trying to defend Jaylen by any stretch, he?s a bum this season with a bad attitude, just find it funny

Maybe if you actually watched the game instead of just pushing your narrative you would know that Tatum was *by far* the best player in the second half, yet we inexplicably stopped having him initiate the offense and it became the "JB Show" to try and show up Brooks. Poor *shooting* first half, but he was still an outright positive and is the only starter who actually had a two-possession or more positive +/- out there with a +11.

So, yeah, there's a reason Joe and JB and others are catching the blame, because they were awful down the stretch when it mattered.

You?re right, our nba all star stater and supposed mvp candidate, solid job there with 5 buckets.
Not defending brown if you actually read my post instead of just going with your narrative, brown was awful and shouldn?t even be an all star this season, just plain bad, terrible weird attitude and I?m not defending him or the dumb coach?.tatum needs to be better

Again, if you actually watch the game instead of just the box score, you'll understand why your post makes no sense. Poor shooting first half, absolutely. But Tatum breaking down the D and playmaking for others and himself in the second half was the entire reason this was even a game. We win this if we didn't go away from Tatum and what was working.

K, 5 buckets is acceptable for our mvp candidate in a 1 possession game. dude just gets the ultimate pass.
Again. Not putting this game on him, he?s just gotta be better and you can?t just admit that lol

Good Lord, Tatum. Can you just stop being so reliant on bad stepback threes and take it to the dang rim? You'd be so much better if you just started games looking to penetrate first instead of jacking up bad threes.

Yes, Tatum. Let's keep shooting threes when you're clearly off and not try and look for better looks. Come on, use your brain for better shot selection!

Would be nice if our best player decided to show up tonight.

What's hilarious about Tatum's awful scoring half is that he's actually still having the most positive impact for the Celtics with a +11 to lead the team when we're -2 on the game. While not scoring, his gravity and playmaking is really helping setting up others to get good looks with 5 assists already.

But, yeah, time for him to start scoring and looking for shots beyond stepback threes. If they continue to collapse hard on you when penetrating, then just hit the open man.

Tatum is just playing with them when he's actually looking to attack the paint. He's absolutely killing them when they're swarming and doubling him and getting us great looks.

This is what's holding him back from being a legitimate contender for MVP - his shot selection. If he'd be more consistent about attacking and not settling for tough jumpshots and threes, he'd be so much more consistent and efficient as a scorer and playmaker.

This entire run we've put on now is due to him starting to attack more.

Well, if you actually contributed throughout the thread instead of your usual schtick of waiting until the end of losses to come here and spout your anti-Tatum narrative, you'd know that I and many others consistently criticized Tatum's shot selection throughout the game - which legitimately happens every single game. Not sure what else you want, bro. It's almost like you don't really care about what's actually being said and are only trying to push a specific narrative.

Didn?t realize I had to post the entire game.

No idea why you have a problem with my saying Tatum needs to be better if you agree, kinda weird especially considering im agreeing Brown was awful, Joe is an idiot, but our best player certainly needs more than 5 baskets in a 1 possession game?even bothering to argue that is bordering on harassment

[Phantom255x]

They were up 101-89, and then let HOU go on a 25-11 run to end the game.

Unfortunately I'm just not seeing it with this team this year. The main problem among other things to me is the 4th quarter defense. In close games against good teams, they struggle big time. And idk if it's age, injuries or off-court drama, but it seems Jaylen and Jrue have both regressed on the defensive end and aren't the same. Horford is already 38 years old as well.

I mean that game-winner by Thompson was filthy, but Jaylen looked lost and frankly he looked lost on defense most of the 2nd half. This team just can't get stops when it matters most.

Last year's team would be up 101-89 and just go on another 10-0 run to ice it. Or if it did come down to the final minute, they'd lock in on both ends. This year's team? Not so much.

Tatum had a better 2nd half but was horrendous in the 1st half. Needed more.

Oh and also, Dillon Brooks having 36 at TD Garden? EMBARASSING. I guess I could see it like Reaves coming in last year and putting up 35 on us without Lebron + AD, but this team has had a handful of other bad losses too so it's worrisome.

[tenn_smoothie]

Why wasn't Springer in for defense? Joe, should've gone small at the end of the game. Live and learn.

That's the joke of the year ............... Joe doesn't learn from bad coaching decisions.
He just gets more stubborn.

[rocknrollforyoursoul]

Wow. Cs lost to Amen Thompson and Dillon Brooks. At home. Well done, fellas.

[Phantom255x]

Unfortunately we let Team Rocket win

[liam]

Take away the cheap fouls, the fake travel Q, the Dillion flop and we win this game...

[Roy H.]

Take away the cheap fouls, the fake travel Q, the Dillion flop and we win this game...

Or, just execute skills that are taught in middle school and we win.

[Phantom255x]

Take away the cheap fouls, the fake travel Q, the Dillion flop and we win this game...

I'm going to go out on a limb and say, if we just subtracted 3 points from Houston's total, we'd win the game 

[tenn_smoothie]

Take away the cheap fouls, the fake travel Q, the Dillion flop and we win this game...

Or, just execute skills that are taught in middle school and we win.

Sums this team up perfectly.
Joe is too busy with his process to teach and demand fundamental basketball.

[Phantom255x]

Another concern, on a macro level, is Tatum simply hasn't been good the last month. Idk if he let the whole Brandon Jennings drama get to him, but he's been mostly mediocre since then for his standards. Even today, he only had like 2 points halfway into the 3rd, that's atrocious. He doesn't have to put up 35+ every night but for this month he's averaging 24 PPG (3-5 PPG less than usual) and frankly I think even the 24 is a bit skewed as he had two games where he had 33 and 38 points. He's mostly only around the 18-24 point range, with some 16s. And he's only shooting like 42%, which isn't terrible but again, it's lower than usual for him by a decent enough margin.

[ozgod]

Take away the cheap fouls, the fake travel Q, the Dillion flop and we win this game...

I'm going to go out on a limb and say, if we just subtracted 3 points from Houston's total, we'd win the game 

If we subtracted Dillon Brooks and pretended he didn't cook Jaylen for 48 minutes then we'd have not only won but thrashed them 

[ozgod]

Talk about getting cooked...Brooks scored 6/6 from 3 against Jaylen. He got flambeed 

(click to enlarge)

[ozgod]

Gary Washburn has gotten stuck into Joe for his stubbornness after Joe admitted to to mea culpa for the last two possessions.

Joe Mazzulla took responsibility for Monday?s last-second Celtics loss to the Houston Rockets. It was an admirable move because he is the head coach and he?s supposed to have his players in the right places at the right times.

Houston?s last two offensive possessions exposed a lack of communication and confusion that cost the Celtics the game. Mazzulla, trying to patchwork matchups with three rotation players out, put the onus on Luke Kornet to be in the right place ? and the Rockets capitalized with two baskets.

?Those lose two plays were on me, those were my fault,? Mazzulla said. ?I didn?t put us in the best matchups. I saw the plays they were trying to run and tried to change the matchups and put our guys in a tough spot. That?s a tough one because I thought our guys did everything to win the game.

?Our guys played great for 47 minutes and 30 seconds, and I didn?t help them close it at the end. I have to be better.?

He brought up Joe's being excessively dogmatic in terms of sticking to his game plan and not adjusting, comparing him unfavorably to his predecessor Ime, who Gary says constantly made adjustments throughout the game.

The 114-112 loss wasn?t completely on Mazzulla. But it does expose a stubbornness that may need to be adjusted.

Thompson, the second-year guard, scored a career-high 33 points and got any shot he wanted because of his first step. Dillon Brooks, who made 88 3-pointers in his first 41 games, made a career-high 10 Monday and boosted his 3-point percentage by nearly two points.

And this is hardly the first time an unheralded player or secondary scorer registered a career night against Boston this season. There?s Caleb Martin, Keegan Murray, Kevin Porter Jr., and Dejounte Murray, players who have punished the Celtics but weren?t primary on the scoring report.

Mazzulla?s philosophy is to let the numbers ride, bank that eventually those players will play to their percentages. Brooks made five 3-pointers in the first half ? his career high for a game was six ? so it was unlikely he would hit five more in the second half, but he did.

Thompson, who did not play in the Jan. 3 meeting in Houston, was an issue from the opening tip because of his speed. The Celtics had no one who could guard him individually but yet he kept getting open for buckets against single coverage.

And he scored 10 of his points in the fourth quarter and Mazzulla has to adjust to that.

This season?s reached a point where the Celtics have to realize that some role player is going to play over his head, and there are too many examples to call it happenstance. The Celtics have to adjust defensively. They should have paid more attention to Brooks, or shade another defender onto Thompson. They combined for 18 of the Rockets? 29 points in the fourth quarter.

Ime Udoka, who knows Jayson Tatum well, implemented a defense that was key in keeping him scoreless in the first half.

Tatum responded with 15 points in the third. In the fourth, Udoka decided to blitz Tatum each time he had the ball, limiting him to two shots in the final period.

He put the pressure on Brown and Jrue Holiday to beat them, and they finished 2 for 11 in the final period for 7 points. Brooks and Thompson had 51 points on 18 field goals after the third quarter, and Mazzulla needed to make some serious adjustments to ensure they didn?t get those same looks in the final period.

Instead, they went 8 for 10 in the fourth. That was the difference. Once Tatum got into a rhythm, Udoka decided to take the ball out of his hands. That caused the Celtics? offense to sputter. The former Celtics coach put the onus on the Celtics to score in a sped-up offense and they faltered.

Mazzulla stuck with his pre-game strategy and it cost him.

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2025/01/28/sports/celtics-analysis-rockets-joe-mazzulla/

[scaryjerry]

Take away the cheap fouls, the fake travel Q, the Dillion flop and we win this game...

I'm going to go out on a limb and say, if we just subtracted 3 points from Houston's total, we'd win the game 

If we subtracted Dillon Brooks and pretended he didn't cook Jaylen for 48 minutes then we'd have not only won but thrashed them 

I mean unfortunately the game-plan was to stop other players and make Dillon brooks beat them.
Backfired id say.