NBA Chatter Thread

[Simpleton]

The Celtics got incredibly lucky.

I watched last night's game and they are frustrating as hell. They should have coasted to another easy win but they have too many stretches of idiotic play. It has to be maddening as a Celtics fan watching them.

They're a veteran team that plays like a bunch of 1st and 2nd year players. Lucky for them their talent advantage is bailing them out.

I'm taking Denver in 6 over them.

Denver is a serious team, Boston is not, plus they have the best player in the series.

 

[Prodigal_Son]

Denver is a serious team, Boston is not, plus they have the best player in the series.

I wouldn’t say they aren’t serious. Potentially 2 consecutive Finals runs shows they have both the talent and will to be serious. Their problem is someone needs to be the obvious #2 in late game situations. Tatum is the 1, but teams have started to double him and someone else needs to step up. The obvious choice should be Brown, but he too often is the guy who gets off the fast starts and fades. Hell, outside of Tatum it’s been Smart taking game winners this off-season.

If someone would step up and demand the ball, their O wouldn't flounder down the stretch so much. Factor the indecisiveness with the lust for 3’s and it’s a recipe for teams clawing their way back into games.

Also, Jimmy getting calls every trip down the floor when he drove over the last 4 minutes aided the comeback. But it was a Zach Zarba crew so that was to be expected.

As for Denver, they are legit. Best team in the west for a few years. But Boston split with them this year so they aren’t unbeatable.

 

[Texas Ace]

Goodbye, Boston.

They lost this series by insisting on shooting the damn 3 and making frustratingly bad decisions.

 

[NoDak]

Hopes high after coming back from 3-0, play on your home court, and shit all over themselves. Beautiful.

 

[Simpleton]

Goodbye, Boston.

They lost this series by insisting on shooting the damn 3 and making frustratingly bad decisions.

They win this series with Udoka I'm pretty sure but here we are.

Either way, Denver is going to manhandle Miami. They might drop the first game because they've been off for like 2 weeks but I still expect a straightforward win in 5 or 6. If they don't get caught sleeping in game 1 it could easily be a sweep.

 

[1bigfan13]

In the end Boston's stupidity did them in. The Heat built that big lead and never gave it up because the Celtics were too stubborn to try something else besides drive and kick 3-pointers.

They started off shooting something like 3-25 from 3-point range before they finally heated up just a little in the 2nd half, but by then Miami had already built a nice cushion thanks to all those Boston bricks.

I don't understand why some of these teams hate taking mid-range jumpers. When the Heat went into a zone defense Horford passed up at least wide 8 WIDE open 10-15 foot jumpers from the paint area. Instead of catching and shooting he'd either dribble himself into trouble or kick it out to a teammate for a 3-point attempt that they'd brick. He wasn't the only Celtic passing up good looks from mid-range. It was if they all took a blood oath to avoid mid-range shots at all costs.

If they'd have taken those easier shots instead of settling for threes, the Heat probably don't build that massive 1st half lead.

In the end I'm glad the Heat won because I hate seeing incompetence be rewarded.

 

[1bigfan13]

Hopes high after coming back from 3-0, play on your home court, and shit all over themselves. Beautiful.

They have been a strange bunch the last couple of years. Boston is one of those sports towns where the fans are always passionate and energetic. They're one of the more intimidating fan bases to play in front of if you're the road team. But the last two seasons the Celtics don't even have a winning record in home playoff games.

They lost 3 of their 4 home games to Miami in this series. Their overall home record was 11-12 during the 2022 & 2023 playoffs.

 

[1bigfan13]

This is my point. Despite the Celtics shooting at a damn good clip from midrange (47%) they shied away from that shot all series. Just to chase threes that weren't falling.

They shot 30% from 3-point range during the series.

 

[Texas Ace]

In the end Boston's stupidity did them in. The Heat built that big lead and never gave it up because the Celtics were too stubborn to try something else besides drive and kick 3-pointers.

They started off shooting something like 3-25 from 3-point range before they finally heated up just a little in the 2nd half, but by then Miami had already built a nice cushion thanks to all those Boston bricks.

I don't understand why some of these teams hate taking mid-range jumpers. When the Heat went into a zone defense Horford passed up at least wide 8 WIDE open 10-15 foot jumpers from the paint area. Instead of catching and shooting he'd either dribble himself into trouble or kick it out to a teammate for a 3-point attempt that they'd brick. He wasn't the only Celtic passing up good looks from mid-range. It was if they all took a blood oath to avoid mid-range shots at all costs.

If they'd have taken those easier shots instead of settling for threes, the Heat probably don't build that massive 1st half lead.

In the end I'm glad the Heat won because I hate seeing incompetence be rewarded.

Agreed with everything you've said here.

The Celtics aren't even my team and yet it was maddening watching them play.

I know that the midrange game isn't what it used to be back in the 90s and 2000s, but still.....even at today's rate, the way Boston just outright ignored taking midrange shots was criminal.

I can't recall another team in recent memory self-sabotaging themselves as blatantly as the Celtics did in this series.

 

[Chocolate Lab]

This is what worship of analytics gets you.

 

[Cotton]

In the end Boston's stupidity did them in. The Heat built that big lead and never gave it up because the Celtics were too stubborn to try something else besides drive and kick 3-pointers.

They started off shooting something like 3-25 from 3-point range before they finally heated up just a little in the 2nd half, but by then Miami had already built a nice cushion thanks to all those Boston bricks.

I don't understand why some of these teams hate taking mid-range jumpers. When the Heat went into a zone defense Horford passed up at least wide 8 WIDE open 10-15 foot jumpers from the paint area. Instead of catching and shooting he'd either dribble himself into trouble or kick it out to a teammate for a 3-point attempt that they'd brick. He wasn't the only Celtic passing up good looks from mid-range. It was if they all took a blood oath to avoid mid-range shots at all costs.

If they'd have taken those easier shots instead of settling for threes, the Heat probably don't build that massive 1st half lead.

In the end I'm glad the Heat won because I hate seeing incompetence be rewarded.

I'm gonna say it. The 3 point line has ruined the NBA. It's either drive or kick it out. It has made the game much less watchable.

 

[Texas Ace]

I'm gonna say it. The 3 point line has ruined the NBA. It's either drive or kick it out. It has made the game much less watchable.

I don't think that's true.

The three-point line has been around forever but this new style of play where teams have fallen in love with that shot all while ignoring the midrange game is fairly new.

My favorite era of basketball was the 90s era and the 3 point line existed for that entire decade and not a single team in the league back then was playing this way.

Hell, no one played this way in the 2000s either.

This trend began with the GSW, but they are the anamoly and yet so many teams have tried to copy them. It's basically like putting a plan to recreate the 2000 Ravens defense.

Those are exceptions to the rule, not blueprints to be followed.

So yeah.... The 3 point line is not to blame for this.

 

[Cotton]

This trend began with the GSW, but they are the anamoly and yet so many teams have tried to copy them.

This could have a lot of truth to it, but I still think teams are leaning way too hard at that 3 point line than they used to.

 

[Texas Ace]

This could have a lot of truth to it, but I still think teams are leaning way too hard at that 3 point line than they used to.

Today?

Absolutely.....and that's why I'm not much of a fan of today's NBA game.

But to say that something that was introduced back in 1979 ruined the game, when the playstyle you're using as the prime example why wasn't a thing until about 7 or 8 years ago, seems more like an overraction than an actual truth.

 

[Chocolate Lab]

I don't think that's true.

The three-point line has been around forever but this new style of play where teams have fallen in love with that shot all while ignoring the midrange game is fairly new.

My favorite era of basketball was the 90s era and the 3 point line existed for that entire decade and not a single team in the league back then was playing this way.

True, the three point line has been there since Bird and Magic were playing.

What changed? Your boy pointed it out in #7690.

 

[1bigfan13]

I'm gonna say it. The 3 point line has ruined the NBA. It's either drive or kick it out. It has made the game much less watchable.

It's not the 3-point line itself. It's the over-reliance on analytics as Chocolate Lab mentioned.

The 3-point line has been around since the early 80s and teams didn't go crazy shooting threes until the Warriors dynasty took off around 2014.

Steph and Klay made it okay for an individual player to chuck 10+ threes per game. But obviously the problem with trying to copy cat the Warriors style is Steph and Klay's shooting ability is all-time elite. It's incredibly hard to duplicate what they do. But idiot coaches and GMs still try to do so.

 

[Cotton]

It's not the 3-point line itself. It's the over-reliance on analytics as Chocolate Lab mentioned.

The 3-point line has been around since the early 80s and teams didn't go crazy shooting threes until the Warriors dynasty took off around 2014.

Steph and Klay made it okay for an individual player to chuck 10+ threes per game. But obviously the problem with trying to copy cat the Warriors style is Steph and Klay's shooting ability is all-time elite. It's incredibly hard to duplicate what they do. But idiot coaches and GMs still try to do so.

The 3 point line is like what they told us when we were kids. That’s satan talking. It’s too tempting for teams anymore.

 

[1bigfan13]

Warriors will have a new GM.

 

[1bigfan13]

The 3 point line is like what they told us when we were kids. That’s satan talking. It’s too tempting for teams anymore.

I'm hoping it's just a phase that runs its course within the next few years.

 

[Prodigal_Son]

They win this series with Udoka I'm pretty sure but here we are.

Either way, Denver is going to manhandle Miami. They might drop the first game because they've been off for like 2 weeks but I still expect a straightforward win in 5 or 6. If they don't get caught sleeping in game 1 it could easily be a sweep.

I don't know if they do or not. He was outcoached a bunch last playoffs as well. But his inability to keep his shit in his pants was certainly something that didn't help. I don't know if Mazzulla will ever develop into a good coach but they can't afford to sit back and let him waste their young talent for long.