Boston was down 3-1 and going to lose this series whether Tatum got hurt or not. I get Porzingis has some mystery illness and Brown was a bit banged up, but they both played in every game (and Brown played heavy minutes and he was really good against the Magic the prior round). It is fun to play the what if game, but in the reality world I live in, Boston was a 2nd round team this year. Same as the 64 win Cavs, but at least the Cavs have Mobley still ascending (and maybe Garland) and every key player in their 20's.
Boston is only going to get worse going forward because of the money, the age, and the health of the main players. It isn't sustainable and we all knew this. Look at all the chatter about how this team had till the end of next season before it would become too expensive. And injury to Tatum doesn't push that back, it should in fact move it up to now. Delaying just puts off the inevitable and makes players far less valuable in trades. Tatum's injury changes everything (or at least it should).
Great to have you back. You were missed (by most!).
Your analysis is negative so a touch away from realistic but not too far off IMO. Brown had a torn meniscus which is worse than a little banged up. Though he had some good games, his lift was not as it was and he couldn?t play at the high level consistently. KPs illness took him from all-star caliber center to basically a third string center. So you are correct that the Cs probably would have lost the series if JT hadn?t been injured, but 40% of the starting lineup wasn?t right. Therefore I?m not as much in the *it?s only getting worse from here* camp as you are. I?m not convinced the current base isn?t capable of another run. But I?m good with Brad making the call - continue this as the Jays team with DWhite, KP, PP and maybe Jrue. Or, big moves including JB on the market, maybe DWhite, and see what youth, draft capital, and cap engineering could be done to plan a second wave with JT as center piece. Obviously that means Jrue and KP gone. Pritchard, given value and age is probably a keeper. Fingers crossed that Schierman can be as valuable someday as Nesmith is turning out to be (wish he was here but I don?t regret getting Jrue which wouldn?t have happened without the Nesmith trade).
Brown was actually better in the playoffs against the Knicks than he was in the regular season. The Knicks are just a horrible matchup for Brown and frankly the C's overall. They built a team designed to beat Boston. They have 3 big wing defenders in Bridges, Hart, and OG, they have great rim protection with Robinson, one of the most skilled offensive big men in the sport with Towns, and an incredible offensive engine at their point of attack in Brunson. They like to play hardnosed and slow it down. If you were designing the type of team to beat Boston, it would be the Knicks. I know Boston beat them every game in the regular season, but the playoffs are just a different animal. Even getting by the Knicks, I'm not sure how well they would have handled the Pacers pace. They are a much better team than they were last year and those games were all close tough wins.
All that said, even if you thought with good health, Boston was winning the title this year (I don't think they would have beaten OKC even if they came out of the East), it would have been harder than it was last year, and the team is only going to get worse while other teams will continue to improve. Boston has no flexibility given the age, health, and cost of the roster. And all of that is only going to compound. With Tatum getting hurt and the team having no shot at winning the title next year, they have to make moves if they want to compete for titles any time over the next several seasons. Taking a gap year next year only to come back with a similar team that is now 2 years older and still in cap hell, just doesn't make sense.
