Celtics (50-28) at Hawks (39-38) Game #79 4/6/17

[Ilikesports17]

Smart's hitting his shots tonight, but there's just no way 7 of his 8 shots being from 3 point range is acceptable moving forward.

a lot of them have been shots he has to take.

[liam]

I wouldnt mind seeing Jaylen.

I think he's too tall for his position for Brad....

[hwangjini_1]

more sloppy ball handling by the celtics. 

[Ilikesports17]

you can always tell when IT is gonna take a pull-up 3 in transition way before he takes it.

[jpotter33]

Honestly, it might be best for us to get bounced in the first round this year. That way at least Danny knows that we're nowhere near close to where we need to be, and we need to keep our assets.

The display of basketball that we've put on the court lately is just putrid.

getting bounced in the first round would not be best... at all.

Eh, obviously it's not the most ideal option, but it at least gives Danny a clear route to head in.

I just don't think this team has the makeup or essential composition to be a true contender. We're too small, too soft (inexplicably), and too limited.

i dont think ainge is sitting there right now, not understanding the problems of this team.

Are you sure?

Because this guy also said we didn't need a rebounder that wasn't a skilled player during the All-Star Break. How exactly are our skilled bigs working out for us right now? Horford  has 0 pts and 1 rebound; KO has 2 pts (on 5 shots) and 4 rebounds, but he's been atrocious pretty much everywhere else.

But that's not what I'm saying anyways. Danny has been torn between working towards the future and making us better right now. A first round loss again would at least pretty much move us solely towards building for the future rather than getting better right now and marginally improving an inherently flawed team.

if Ainge wanted to marginally improve the team he would have added the big man you constantly **** about him not adding.

If Ainge even felt we were that close to a title he would have gone in and overpaid for Butler or George.

Instead Ainge concluded that we were far enough away that adding a big or a swing at the deadline was pointless because we werent competing anyway. He also clearly felt the risk-reward of trading away the future for a star to chase a title this year was unwise.

wanting the team to lose in the first round is an emotional reaction to an emarassing stretch of 6 quarters.

This seems more like an emotional overreaction post than what I said.

But, no, I think you're wrong about Butler and George. It was more about it not being a fair deal or price than him not thinking we were close enough. He absolutely would've pulled the trigger on a deal to improve this team now if he thought it was a fair deal.

I don't think it's wrong to suggest that a first round loss might be best for us in the long run. I certainly don't want that. I want us to pick up our defense and offense, increase our intensity, make it to the ECF and give the Cavs hell. Then we could sign someone like Griffin this summer to go along with a Fultz or Jackson in the draft.

But if this is the type of effort that we can expect to see in the playoffs when it matters most, then, no, perhaps a first round loss to give us clarity and not trade our 2017 pick/not max out someone like IT is in our best interests.

"if this is the type of effort we can expect in the playoffs" is a very big caveat.

I dont expect that to happen.

taking 6 terrible quarters and assuming thats the effort you will get in the playoffs is the "emotional overreaction" I am referencing.

Really? I mean, I don't know. These are two national TV games that we absolutely should've been up for, yet here we are.

I think this has been a problem ALL YEAR LONG, not just since the ASB like some here suggest. IT's MVP-level play carried us through  a really terrible defensive stretch earlier in the year, too, but it was much less noticed because we were winning almost all of our games. But that just doesn't work in the playoffs or when the games matter, as we're seeing now.

This team just has a fundamental attitude problem right now.

if we give effort like this we lose in 6 in the first round.

so we will see who is right in the next few weeks. I expect them to be better. A lot better.

I hope so, too. I really do.

At this point, though, I don't have much confidence that we will. Our defense is atrocious; our offense is completely reliant on IT; and we don't play with the chip on our shoulders anymore, which is the only reason we were good in the first place.

[jpotter33]

IT is a game-high -27 right now. Bradley is right behind him at -19. Ouch.

[liam]

IT is a game-high -27 right now. Bradley is right behind him at -19. Ouch.

Brown is a team best with a 0...

[PhoSita]

This isn't a great time in the season for a major slump.

It's weird, I seem to remember that at the end of the season last year the Celtics also had a bit of a slump related to some nagging injuries to Crowder etc.

Disheartening regardless of the cause.  In early April you want your team looking like they're ready to go deep in the playoffs, not looking like they're ready for summer vacation.

[Ilikesports17]

IT is a game-high -27 right now. Bradley is right behind him at -19. Ouch.

Brown is the only dude not in the negatives.

[Ilikesports17]

This isn't a great time in the season for a major slump.

It's weird, I seem to remember that at the end of the season last year the Celtics also had a bit of a slump related to some nagging injuries to Crowder etc.

Disheartening regardless of the cause.  In early April you want your team looking like they're ready to go deep in the playoffs, not looking like they're ready for summer vacation.

it is horrifyingly similar to the stretch last year.

[jpotter33]

We've been terrible, but the refs might be even worse. That one white ref that's been in front of our bench has been atrocious. He's let the Hawks get away with murder down low.

[Ilikesports17]

I hate it when Gerald Green plays.

[RJ87]

[

I hope so, too. I really do.

At this point, though, I don't have much confidence that we will. Our defense is atrocious; our offense is completely reliant on IT; and we don't play with the chip on our shoulders anymore, which is the only reason we were good in the first place.

Teams are gonna double and trap IT in the playoffs to get the ball out of his hands and dare someone else to beat them. The strategy is way too easy.

[liam]

Jaylen making good things happen when he plays and gets the ball...

[celtics2030]

big free throws marcus