Gritty, gutty win

[gouki88]

 

If you have the opinion that Kyrie is a net negative to the team, your reaction needs to be to fire Brad Stevens due to failure to integrate him into a system. It’s either that, or you have one of two absurd opinions:

1) Kyrie is not a top talent - an incredibly arrogant position given a very large majority of human beings would strongly disagree with you, and there are countless statistics that put him in an elite group.
2) Top talent isn’t important in the NBA, heart wins championships, etc - a view that is so easily disproven by decades of fact.

Either way, I cannot believe that we have spent more than 1 thread discussing any of this.

Couldn’t agree more. That this is a conversation in February is mind boggling

[KGBirdBias]

Geez, are some of you watching the games? Yes it's good to have Kyrie but personally I like this brand of basketball better. Leading a team isn't easy but the team just plays more freely and everyone gets involved.

Please Kyrie fans relax. LOL I can't explain how our best basketball has been without him. I wouldn't gut the team to resign him...but that's just me.🤷🏾‍♂️

It's just so fun to point out the hypocrisy of Kyrie haters.

"If Kyrie goes 3-17, he should be benched." Meanwhile Rozier and Smart combine for 5-22 and its "that's Celtics basketball wooo. BuT i DoN't HaTe KyRiE."

Are Rozier and smart claiming to lead the team? Are they looking at 180,000,000

Exactly...queue the jeopardy music...we'll wait.

[gpap]

Geez, are some of you watching the games? Yes it's good to have Kyrie but personally I like this brand of basketball better. Leading a team isn't easy but the team just plays more freely and everyone gets involved.

Please Kyrie fans relax. LOL I can't explain how our best basketball has been without him. I wouldn't gut the team to resign him...but that's just me.🤷🏾‍♂️

It's hard not to agree after our win tonight. The issue is Kyrie also brought some of this attention onto himself as well with some of his past comments. So when the team wins without him (especially against a playoff team), it's only fair to bring up these points (regardless of whether you're a Kyrie fan, which I am by the way.)

[Boston Garden Leprechaun]

Geez, are some of you watching the games? Yes it's good to have Kyrie but personally I like this brand of basketball better. Leading a team isn't easy but the team just plays more freely and everyone gets involved.

Please Kyrie fans relax. LOL I can't explain how our best basketball has been without him. I wouldn't gut the team to resign him...but that's just me.🤷🏾‍♂️

It's just so fun to point out the hypocrisy of Kyrie haters.

"If Kyrie goes 3-17, he should be benched." Meanwhile Rozier and Smart combine for 5-22 and its "that's Celtics basketball wooo. BuT i DoN't HaTe KyRiE."

This take makes no sense. Wait, so we won on the road when our backcourt goes 5-22 AND without Kyrie and your point is what again??

Rozier didn't play well and Smart did Smart things but since when did anyone expect them to carry us anyway?

u just made his point for him. LOL

I'm done with this nonsense

[gpap]

Hayward and Horford carried us. Morris got us going, Tatum gave us the highlight. That defense is what we're used too.

For me, this is very important.

At the end of the day, it's all about defense and the Celts did a pretty good job defending Embiid, who's easily the Sixers biggest threat.

Defense wins championships. We saw that in '08 and I think Brad needs to preach that more often (if he hasn't already.)
Especially where in today's NBA, no one plays defense to begin with. I can't remember a season where there were so many games where teams are scoring 120 points or more.

[RJ87]

Geez, are some of you watching the games? Yes it's good to have Kyrie but personally I like this brand of basketball better. Leading a team isn't easy but the team just plays more freely and everyone gets involved.

Please Kyrie fans relax. LOL I can't explain how our best basketball has been without him. I wouldn't gut the team to resign him...but that's just me.🤷🏾‍♂️

It's just so fun to point out the hypocrisy of Kyrie haters.

"If Kyrie goes 3-17, he should be benched." Meanwhile Rozier and Smart combine for 5-22 and its "that's Celtics basketball wooo. BuT i DoN't HaTe KyRiE."

Are Rozier and smart claiming to lead the team? Are they looking at 180,000,000

Don't see what that has to do with what I said, but since you guys love to move the goalposts I'll play. Rozier could've signed a contract extension last offseason, he did not because allegedly Mr. "I've Never Shot More Than 40% From The Field" thinks he's worth $20m a season. So did Smart (although he bet on himself and it backfired). So in their heads, they're worth more. Shouldn't more be expected of them then?

[Chris22]

The Smart dunk was the dagger.

But Hayward won the game.

[fairweatherfan]

This was a hell of a lot of fun. It was pretty close to playoff basketball and we still ground them down.

Brilliant D for most of the game and Hayward, Horford and Tatum all stepping up while Smart made the biggest play of the game. Still not a rivalry, baby!

[ozgod]

When we are focus and locked in, particularly on the defensive end, we can beat anyone in the league. Regardless of whether Kyrie is playing or not. Just look at our results against top caliber opposition.

Our issue is, and has been for the whole year, our lapses in focus particularly against lesser competition. It's almost like an entitlement that we feel we can win without putting in 100% effort against lesser teams. They just have to learn to bring it all the time, as a professional.

[SparzWizard]

Hayward and Horford carried us. Morris got us going, Tatum gave us the highlight. That defense is what we're used too.

For me, this is very important.

At the end of the day, it's all about defense and the Celts did a pretty good job defending Embiid, who's easily the Sixers biggest threat.

Defense wins championships. We saw that in '08 and I think Brad needs to preach that more often (if he hasn't already.)
Especially where in today's NBA, no one plays defense to begin with. I can't remember a season where there were so many games where teams are scoring 120 points or more.

I thought 3-pointers win championships these days AKA Golden State Warriors

[iadera]

Two things I hate here:

1. Talking about Irving as the main reason for every win or loss.
2. Overreacting. These guys are great, but nobody realizes that they can't play consistantly like this. If they would, than DA would have traded Kyrie for Davis without thinking twice. These guys need Kyrie and Kyrie needs them. Let's stop talking always about team that Irving leads and Irvingless team. We got too good team to talk constantly only about one player.


For a example, after this great game in Phily, I would never talk about Irving. Let's talk about Hayward. It was so good to see him showing up when it was most needed.

[C3LTSF4N]

Lol anyone else hear the live mic on TNT start of the second when McHale calls butler a d-head and Jim Jackson goes “yup”.  Priceless.

[gouki88]

Lol anyone else hear the live mic on TNT start of the second when McHale calls butler a d-head and Jim Jackson goes “yup”.  Priceless.

I thought that that moment alone was worth listening to Players Only. McHale sheepishly apologising later was also hilarious.

I think it was about Scott Foster though. https://www.instagram.com/p/BtzzdOWgFpv/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet

[C3LTSF4N]

Lol anyone else hear the live mic on TNT start of the second when McHale calls butler a d-head and Jim Jackson goes “yup”.  Priceless.

I thought that that moment alone was worth listening to Players Only. McHale sheepishly apologising later was also hilarious.

I think it was about Scott Foster though. https://www.instagram.com/p/BtzzdOWgFpv/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet

Ohh ok.  Jimmy was on the screen when they said it so I figured it was about him.  Either way, hilarious.

[gpap]

Haha. I love Kevin McHale. One of my all-time favorite Celtics.

Whoever he thinks is a d-head is a d-head in my book (especially if it's Scott Foster...or Jimmy Butler.)