Playoff Question for Celtics

[Ogaju]

With the present composition of our team are we a better playoff team than a regular season team?

The factors that need to be considered are off course.

Depth and the potential impact on stamina and fatigue.

End of season strength as a function of depth

Is our style of play more suited to the playoffs or not

Coaching? The game to game adjustment where you really get to know your opponent. Do we have an advantage here?

Officiating in the playoff with its attendant favoring of stars, do we get hurt here?

The NBA need to extend series (wink wink) does this help us? Do we get stronger or weaker with extended series games?

There may be other factors that make the playoff a totally different ball game than the regular season. Feel free to add what I may have missed, but overall answer the question will we be a more dangerous opponent in the playoffs than the regular season.

I believe that overall because of our depth (and we must use it) and our superior coaching, we will be a more dangerous team in the playoffs. We will not tire as much as older and less deep team. We must use the depth though. We cannot tighten the rotation.

[Csfan1984]

I think it's a better regular season team. Teams biggest issues will get exploited in a series in which a team has at least 3 games to adapt to C's. Its best the shorter the series to pull out the wins. The issues for C's come a series (just listing not in a paticular order)
1. Size
2. Shooting consistency
3. Talent gap
5. Refs (balance of calls)
6. Adaptability
7. Maturity
8. True Fouls that aren't bad calls
9. Conditioning
10. Injuries
11. Go to Match ups
12. Undefined roles
13. Experience
14. Shaky confidence

[PhoSita]

We've got a major advantage over most opponents at coach, which is no small thing.  Our coach has very little playoff experience, though.


On the other hand, the Celts are a poor defensive rebounding team, and the offense has a tendency to fall apart when outside shots aren't falling.  They also don't get to the line very often compared to other teams. Those are poor indicators for post-season success.

The Celts are 3rd in the league in pace, which raises the question of whether they can adjust to playing a much slower pace in the playoffs.

However, the Celts are top 5 in defensive efficiency, which is a strong sign for succeeding in the playoffs.


In general, I'd say the Celts concern me a little bit for the playoffs because they lack experience across the board and I think they're a team that has squeezed every drop of potential out of their current group through effort, depth, and great coaching.  Do they have another level?  Is there a switch to flip here?  I'm not sure.  Other teams with lesser records might have another level.

Then again, the Celts are a good team that knows what it is they do well.  I think they've mostly figured out this season how to grind out games when Isaiah is struggling, which will be a necessity in the playoffs.


Just going on the eye test, I look back to games like the one against the Nets earlier in the year where the Celts appeared hapless to defend a bigger team in a slow, halfcourt game.  More experienced post-season opponents with quality point guard - center combinations might be able to exploit them in a similar fashion.


I'm eager to find out which of these factors ends up playing a bigger role, and which end up seeming like not such a big deal.

[slamtheking]

We've got a major advantage over most opponents at coach, which is no small thing.  Our coach has very little playoff experience, though.


On the other hand, the Celts are a poor defensive rebounding team, and the offense has a tendency to fall apart when outside shots aren't falling.  They also don't get to the line very often compared to other teams. Those are poor indicators for post-season success.

The Celts are 3rd in the league in pace, which raises the question of whether they can adjust to playing a much slower pace in the playoffs.

However, the Celts are top 5 in defensive efficiency, which is a strong sign for succeeding in the playoffs.


In general, I'd say the Celts concern me a little bit for the playoffs because they lack experience across the board and I think they're a team that has squeezed every drop of potential out of their current group through effort, depth, and great coaching.  Do they have another level?  Is there a switch to flip here?  I'm not sure.  Other teams with lesser records might have another level.

Then again, the Celts are a good team that knows what it is they do well.  I think they've mostly figured out this season how to grind out games when Isaiah is struggling, which will be a necessity in the playoffs.


Just going on the eye test, I look back to games like the one against the Nets earlier in the year where the Celts appeared hapless to defend a bigger team in a slow, halfcourt game.  More experienced post-season opponents with quality point guard - center combinations might be able to exploit them in a similar fashion.


I'm eager to find out which of these factors ends up playing a bigger role, and which end up seeming like not such a big deal.

This sums it up pretty well. 

Add in that we don't have that real stud player that can be the focus of the other team's D and still manufacture points.  IT is not the guy.

[mgent]

I would consider us a better playoff team than regular season team.

Our 9th and 10th guys in the rotation (Zeller and Jerebko) aren't stellar, but our top 8 is great (8 guys who could start on a contender).

Cutting out Zeller/Jerebko's minutes and giving everyone else more minutes has to make us better right?

I also think our top 4 players are impressive (IT, AB, Crowder, Smart) and I think they'll all see a big spike in minutes.  Smart and Kelly especially should benefit; with starter minutes I imagine they'll have a lot more confidence, hopefully boosting their production/efficiency.  And I love it whenever we have Smart's hounding defense and extremely physical play on the court for the majority of the game.

I think we'll see something like this:

IT 38 / Smart 10
Bradley 36 / Smart 12
Crowder 18 / Turner 20 / Smart 10
Amir 24 / Crowder 18 / Olynyk 6
Sully 24 / Olynyk 24

IT up to 38, Bradley and Crowder up to 36, Smart up to 32, and Kelly up to 30 (because we need spacing and Sully/Amir can't shoot for crap).  I think that will be our most used lineup, going small with Crowder/Olynyk at least 18 minutes a night (while IT makes a living in the empty paint).

[jambr380]

We are terrible when the game slows down as our best scorer can get eaten up a bit when he drives inside; also, Turner is about the only player on our team who can create his own shot off the dribble. That is concerning.

If we can't create turnovers and grab offensive rebounds for 2nd chance points, then I think we are in trouble. I believe we can make it to the 2nd round of the playoffs with hard work and grit, but am afraid it comes to a screeching hault there. We really need to add another dynamic scorer to our group for when the pace slows down.

[Greyman]

Despite the experience players got from last season, young players being a season older and wiser and how well the team is playing - the playoffs could still be a challenge for the Celtics.

Most of the reasons have been mentioned in previous posts though the one which really concerns me is scoring. For the team to do well in the playoffs IT will have to do well and he will need other scoring threats out there doing well. AB, KO, Crowder, Smart and Turner are the players we will need doing well. I expect Amir will do what he has been and I think Sully will play well in the PO's.

The playoffs in a team which has been doing well for most of the season will be a good test of the offensive value of a player like AB when it really counts and the pressure is on.

[Ogaju]

to be successful Celtics cannot allow the playoffs to slow down their pace. The fast pace and grit is the strength of this team. If we are not running, we are not winning.