If this year is a wash then let's go out with a 3 pt barrage

[TitleMaster]

Ok, it's been proven that an average team can simply jack up 3 pointers, all game long, and eventually, some of the games will be a win. That's the Jim O'Brien, J.O.B., philosophy of coaching. And one year, yes, it even led to us to the ECF.

I recommend we do the same again.

This time, when it's clear that there's no penetration possible, jack the 3, and everyone gets back home on defense. The C's put in zero effort on the O-boards during a J.O.B. play.

[dark_lord]

u got to be kidding me.  two of our best young talent are post players (KO and Sully)....we need them to get real nba experience

[Surferdad]

Not interested in going back to Jim O'Brien's coaching style and besides, this team doesn't have the right personnel for a 3-pt strategy.

As I recall, O'Brien took that approach because he felt it was the only way to compete with the roster he had. Walker, Pierce, McCarty were all decent 3 point shooters and perhaps a few others.

Beyond that, what purpose would it serve to make this team play that style?  Just curious on your logic.

[LilRip]

this makes little to no sense. win or lose, it's best to play to our players' strengths and have them playing the right way rather than forcing them to become chuckers. win or lose.

can you imagine, Rondo dribbling down the court and hoisting up a 3 with 19 seconds on the shot clock ala Agent Zero? smh

[billysan]

Much rather see an athletic running team that plays tough matchup defense.

Rebound, outlet pass and get out on the break.

[Celtics18]

Much rather see an athletic running team that plays tough matchup defense.

Rebound, outlet pass and get out on the break.

Agreed . . . and spot up for threes in transition when the opportunities are there.

[TitleMaster]

Much rather see an athletic running team that plays tough matchup defense.

Rebound, outlet pass and get out on the break.

Well yes, the above is the ideal scenario. And when it works, it works.

Otherwise, I don't see why they can't J.O.B. it. The surgical half court game, of the big three (either Bird's or Pierce's era) required star level players at each position for success.

Without the stars at each node, the J.O.B. plan will result in wins. Typically speaking, an ordinary team seldom amasses more than let's say 36-42 wins per season. Of the losses, probably 10 of them were these close games, where the opponent got the stops along with the lucky shot on the buzzer or the calls during the final quarter. Those types of losses are usually handled, by having more star power on one's team. The Celts don't have that this year.

Ok, let's then assume that of the 42 potential wins, during the regular season, 20 of them where highly successful executions of the running game, where the opponents were pretty much gassed at the constant bolting down the court. Let's call that the Rondo-Green-Stevens tank roll. That leaves 62 games left for the regular season. Ok, a good shooting night for a team, I believe, is an expected value of 40% on a given night, minus the week of continuous back-to-back games. So then, given probability, if we J.O.B. it, we could potentially gain some 20-22 games out of there, rendering the season a 40-42 W.

That's not a bad season, given a team expected to tank the whole year.

Usually, the 1st quarter will give the squad the idea of whether or not the running game is working. If it's not clicking ... J.O.B. it.

[PhoSita]

I agree with you insofar as I also think the best strategy for maximizing wins with a roster lacking in talent is to prioritize 3 point shot attempts (the other part would be to prioritize defense).

However, I don't think the roster we have heading into the season is well equipped to take a lot of three pointers or to emphasize defense.

[hwangjini_1]

I agree with you insofar as I also think the best strategy for maximizing wins with a roster lacking in talent is to prioritize 3 point shot attempts (the other part would be to prioritize defense).

However, I don't think the roster we have heading into the season is well equipped to take a lot of three pointers or to emphasize defense.

oh, they are equipped to take a lot of threes. they just arent equipped to make many of them. how do i know? look below...

player = 3 pt % last year
green = 38.5%
lee =     37.2%
crawford = 32%
bradley = 31.7%
brooks = 27.3%
rondo =    24%
sully = 20%

the rookies?
olynyk as a senior shot 31%
pressey shot 32.4% (though 36% the two years before)
viktor? i love this one... 18.8%.

just for reference, 43 other nba players shot a better 3 point % than green. 60 other players shot better than lee....and dont even ask about the others.

watching the celtics hoist up bricks is, in my mind, neither entertaining nor a route to victory.

rather, i think stevens will run some well thought out offensive sets that play to existing talent and strength. the celtics may not win much, but i will enjoy seeing how they develop as a team....and only use 3 pointers when it is prudent. 

[PhoSita]

I agree with you insofar as I also think the best strategy for maximizing wins with a roster lacking in talent is to prioritize 3 point shot attempts (the other part would be to prioritize defense).

However, I don't think the roster we have heading into the season is well equipped to take a lot of three pointers or to emphasize defense.

oh, they are equipped to take a lot of threes. they just arent equipped to make many of them. how do i know? look below...

player = 3 pt % last year
green = 38.5%
lee =     37.2%
crawford = 32%
bradley = 31.7%
brooks = 27.3%
rondo =    24%
sully = 20%

the rookies?
olynyk as a senior shot 31%
pressey shot 32.4% (though 36% the two years before)
viktor? i love this one... 18.8%.

just for reference, 43 other nba players shot a better 3 point % than green. 60 other players shot better than lee....and dont even ask about the others.

watching the celtics hoist up bricks is, in my mind, neither entertaining nor a route to victory.

rather, i think stevens will run some well thought out offensive sets that play to existing talent and strength. the celtics may not win much, but i will enjoy seeing how they develop as a team....and only use 3 pointers when it is prudent. 

to me it's not so much the percentages as the volume.

green, lee, bradley, and bogans have all demonstrated that they can be relied on to spread the floor a bit and hit a three point shot or two now and then.  there's reason to believe olynyk can do the same.  even rondo can make the defense pay for leaving him wide open beyond the arc.

however, not one of those guys is in the class of shooters whose business it is to hoist up 4-5+ three pointers a game.  none of the shooters currently on the roster is a shooter for whom you draw up plays to take a deep shot out of timeouts, nor are they the type of shooters you'd want taking an outside jumper in transition.

[Celtics18]

I agree with you insofar as I also think the best strategy for maximizing wins with a roster lacking in talent is to prioritize 3 point shot attempts (the other part would be to prioritize defense).

However, I don't think the roster we have heading into the season is well equipped to take a lot of three pointers or to emphasize defense.

oh, they are equipped to take a lot of threes. they just arent equipped to make many of them. how do i know? look below...

player = 3 pt % last year
green = 38.5%
lee =     37.2%
crawford = 32%
bradley = 31.7%
brooks = 27.3%
rondo =    24%
sully = 20%

the rookies?
olynyk as a senior shot 31%
pressey shot 32.4% (though 36% the two years before)
viktor? i love this one... 18.8%.

just for reference, 43 other nba players shot a better 3 point % than green. 60 other players shot better than lee....and dont even ask about the others.

watching the celtics hoist up bricks is, in my mind, neither entertaining nor a route to victory.

rather, i think stevens will run some well thought out offensive sets that play to existing talent and strength. the celtics may not win much, but i will enjoy seeing how they develop as a team....and only use 3 pointers when it is prudent. 

to me it's not so much the percentages as the volume.

green, lee, bradley, and bogans have all demonstrated that they can be relied on to spread the floor a bit and hit a three point shot or two now and then.  there's reason to believe olynyk can do the same.  even rondo can make the defense pay for leaving him wide open beyond the arc.

however, not one of those guys is in the class of shooters whose business it is to hoist up 4-5+ three pointers a game.  none of the shooters currently on the roster is a shooter for whom you draw up plays to take a deep shot out of timeouts, nor are they the type of shooters you'd want taking an outside jumper in transition.

We clearly don't look like a great three point shooting team, but I disagree with the bolded part about not wanting our guys to spot up for threes in transition.  Transition threes are probably the easiest three pointers you can get, particularly if you have bigs (or other guards or wings, for that matter) running hard to the rim.  Defenders will chase the guys running at the hoop, leaving guys spotting up as trailers wide open. 

Running teams, in general, tend to get lots of easy long range looks for precisely the above mentioned reasons.  If our shooters can get open transition looks at three pointers, some of their percentages may even go up a little. 

[TitleMaster]

Running teams, in general, tend to get lots of easy long range looks for precisely the above mentioned reasons.  If our shooters can get open transition looks at three pointers, some of their percentages may even go up a little.

Ok, this sounds good. And perhaps on those good shooting nights, this can be the default plan.

[TitleMaster]

Looks like I wasn't wrong ...

http://www.celticsblog.com/2013/10/11/4827076/brad-stevens-to-celtics-bombs-away-shoot-more-three-pointers

[Snakehead]

The thing is though: have you guys seen a lot of forced threes so far?

I haven't.  It's been good ball movement, doing a good job swinging the ball around the three point line, and then guys taking the best shots available.  We don't have a lot of guys who can force the issue and create their own shot, so this is how our offense is going to have to operate.

Wallace has shot a lot of threes so far to my dismay but so far he has been hitting them.

[Chris]

u got to be kidding me.  two of our best young talent are post players (KO and Sully)....we need them to get real nba experience

They aren't NBA post players.  Sully doesn't have the length and athleticism to score in the post against longer, athletic players (which would be a large percentage of what he will face in the NBA), and Olynyk doesn't have the strength to hold position in the post, at least not at this point in his career.

Both of these guys are better suited to primarily be face-up players in the NBA, who can go in the post against mismatches.