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Post by FLCeltsFan on Oct 4, 2021 11:37:42 GMT -5
I'm excited about this season. Ime is saying all the right things and hopefully will follow through. He wants to pick up the pace this season and that was one thing that frustrated me last season. Too much ball stopping and iso ball. This year they plan to run more. Also they are looking to get their defensive identity back after letting it slip last season. Plus the Celtics are deeper than they were last season. With a little luck and fewer injuries this season, it should be a good one.
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Post by DERRENMATTS on Oct 4, 2021 15:22:32 GMT -5
I concur. The country is divided with all that's going on -- let's not let those things divide our comraderie for the Celtics (Marcus Smart does that already 😁).
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Post by DERRENMATTS on Oct 4, 2021 15:26:23 GMT -5
I'm excited about this season. Ime is saying all the right things and hopefully will follow through. He wants to pick up the pace this season and that was one thing that frustrated me last season. Too much ball stopping and iso ball. This year they plan to run more. Also they are looking to get their defensive identity back after letting it slip last season. Plus the Celtics are deeper than they were last season. With a little luck and fewer injuries this season, it should be a good one. Udoka mentions Point 5 as the game plan. I don't know if he specified exactly what that means, but I take it to mean that all 5 players on the court should be thinking like a Point Guard and keep the ball moving. Either that or don't hold onto the ball longer than .5 seconds. Yup, ball movement, less stagnation, attacking, pushing tempo both in fullcourt and halfcourt.
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Post by jmost on Oct 5, 2021 7:50:43 GMT -5
Yes, .5 refers to doing something with the ball within half a second. Shoot, pass or drive. The Spurs came up with it after they lost the Finals to the Heat (thanks to Ray's shot in Game 6). The result was what the Spurs laid on the Heat in the following year's Finals: the finest display of basketball I've seen in a long time, certainly since '86.
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Post by DERRENMATTS on Oct 5, 2021 21:43:42 GMT -5
I think I would be more comfortable saying this team is a 2 seed in the East if we had another solid veteran wing (a guy who can play the 3 and 4) and a veteran big man who can jump ahead of Kanter (who's just so bad at defense).
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Post by jrmzt on Oct 6, 2021 18:40:42 GMT -5
I'm cautiously optimistic that Richardson can improve to be that veteran wing. If Tatum makes the leap to top 5 NBA player and Brown also leaps into top 10-15 range, then we have our superstar duo on par with the likes of Dame/McCollum. From that point, we just need a few guys to be averaging 10-15ppg - which is totally within Richardson's ability since he averaged nearly 17PPG only a few years ago for the Heat - and to step up our defense..really step up the way we clean up boards on the defensive end and prevent offensive rebounds.
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Post by DERRENMATTS on Oct 6, 2021 21:27:23 GMT -5
I'm cautiously optimistic that Richardson can improve to be that veteran wing. If Tatum makes the leap to top 5 NBA player and Brown also leaps into top 10-15 range, then we have our superstar duo on par with the likes of Dame/McCollum. From that point, we just need a few guys to be averaging 10-15ppg - which is totally within Richardson's ability since he averaged nearly 17PPG only a few years ago for the Heat - and to step up our defense..really step up the way we clean up boards on the defensive end and prevent offensive rebounds. I'm banking on Richardson to be our reliable veteran 2 guard. I'd like to get a reliable 3/4. Maybe Jabari fills that role, but I'm not feeling he will.
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Post by freshnthehouse on Oct 7, 2021 2:06:57 GMT -5
I think I would be more comfortable saying this team is a 2 seed in the East if we had another solid veteran wing (a guy who can play the 3 and 4) and a veteran big man who can jump ahead of Kanter (who's just so bad at defense). I'm not worried about Kanter. I think he's the "Break only in case of emergency" big. I think Al/TL will get all the center minutes when healthy. I think the guys that will get regular minutes are: JT JB Big Al Smart Richardson Schroder Nesmith TimeLord Romeo/Pritchard will fight over remaining guard minutes Juancho/Jabari/Willianms will fight over the remaining PF minutes
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Post by jmost on Oct 7, 2021 7:29:06 GMT -5
That sounds right regarding Kanter. And he's the kind of guy that won't complain about that role, so it's a perfect fit.
I think the minutes for everyone except JT, JB, TimeLord and Horford will be in flux for a while. It's not just how good you are; it's how well you fit with the other guys. It may take months for a set rotation to appear.
Of all the smaller players, Pritch and Nesmith seem to be the best shooters. If they can keep knocking down shots at a high rate they could take minutes away from those who can't.
And if someone really steps up in the new system and someone else falters, we could see a trade mid-year.
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Post by DERRENMATTS on Oct 7, 2021 12:07:05 GMT -5
I will say this -- if Juancho Valdez can solidify his role as a reliable 20 mpg 3/4 and small ball 5, that will go a long ways.
A veteran bench of Schroder, Richardson, Juancho and Kanter, with mixing in Pritch and Nesmith, is doable.
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