Category: NBA

The Celtics and Kyrie Got EMBARRASSED. My Advice? Do Not Trade Jayson Tatum (i.e. 2014 Klay Thompson)

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The Celtics are at a crossroads after that disastrous end to a confounding season. Going into the year, just about everyone had the C’s pegged to win 60+ games and take Golden State to 6 games if not outright win the title. It all made sense too. Boston went to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals last year without Gordon Hayward and without Kyrie Irving. Plus they match up with Golden State better than any other team in the NBA. It seemed like a virtual lock for the C’s to make the Finals, or at the very least the ECF. Welp, the team came out of the gates slow, publicly bitched and moaned about each other, and never got on track en route to finishing as the No. 4 seed. That was all before sweeping a Victor Oladipo-less Pacers and ultimately getting their skulls caved in by Giannis and the No. 1 seed Milwaukee Bucks.

NOW, this brings me to my main point. Kyrie Irving has been a pain in the ass all year long, from the bizarre flat earth trolling, to saying the Celtics *needed* another veteran player, to openly questioning the coach, to publicly bitching about the young guys, to calling LeBron for advice, and now infamously punting on the regular season while looking ahead to the playoffs. As we all know, Kyrie had an excellent Game 1 (12/21 – 26 pts) before having all-time shit bombs of games the rest of the series. He statistically got worse as the series went on going 4/18 – 9 pts in Game 2, 8/22 – 29 pts in Game 3, 7/22 – 23 pts in Game 4, and 6/21 – 15 PTS in Game 5.

Jesus christ.

That all brings up the question of will Kyrie re-sign with the Celtics this summer? It also brings up the question I never imagined I would ask; do the Celtics even want to re-sign Kyrie Irving?

The Celtics are now the third favorite according to Las Vegas in terms of where Kyrie ends up this summer, behind the Nets and the Knicks. So it would seem like the Celtics have two options if they do indeed want Kyrie back. They can offer him the max and hope he wants to build a legacy in Boston (as his motherfucking Nike commercial would make it seem)

and then trade anyone on the roster not named Hayward (Horford’s probably gone due to matching salaries) for Anthony Davis. Thats not *as* risky as it sounds because at least it would be a plan that only goes into action after Kyrie re-signs. But you’re still trading half your team including Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown for a one year run at it with Kyrie and Davis and hoping Davis then re-ups. After this year I’m not so sure I want to bank on a guy enjoying his time in Boston enough to sign a max deal.

The other option is to do what the Warriors did in 2014 with Klay Thompson. Play it out. The Warriors were reportedly on the brink of trading Thompson for Kevin love to “put them over the top” before they evolved into the dynasty they are today. The Warriors had gone from a disaster of a team to a pretty good squad with a new coach in Steve Kerr, yet one that still felt a player or two away. Luckily Kerr, and most importantly, Jerry West advised the Golden State GM of nixing the deal and the Warriors promptly turned into an all-time team led by Steph Curry and an even better Klay Thompson.

I bring this scenario up because I see a ton of similarities between 2014 Klay Thompson and 2019 Jayson Tatum. Thompson had just finished up his third season in 2013-14; Tatum just finished his second. Klay was a key piece in a potential trade for an “established all-star big man” as Tatum is now. Not to mention the numbers. Take a look at Klay’s first 2 years compared to Tatum’s.

Uncanny.

People sleep on Klay Thompson because he’s not the star of the show in Golden State, but theres a reason the best basketball team of my generation is going to offer him a max (if not super max) contract at 12:01 am on July 1st.

The Ringer also asked the same question in their Celtics post-mortem last night:

“Irving may stay, Irving may go, but the referendum on Tatum’s career is coming no matter what. A year ago, the then-rookie looked like an MVP candidate-to-be, but a season of floating around on offense, settling for midrange jumpers, and getting IRL subtweeted has sent many a Tatum stan retreating into the bushes. It’s worth noting that Tatum actually improved in his sophomore season—virtually all of his raw totals are up, and while his scoring efficiency is down, expecting Steph Curry–level shooting from 3 again, even on low volume, was a bit ambitious. Punctuating any Tatum commentary, good or bad, with his age has become the internet’s favorite gag for two years running, but here’s the thing: He’s only 21—and was only 20 for most of this season. Only five players 20 or younger averaged 15 points or more this season, and Tatum had the highest effective field goal rating of anyone of them who didn’t always shoot right at the basket. Tatum hasn’t been great, but it’s worth remembering that it took Brandon Ingram only a couple of games this spring to regain traction before a fluke blood clot issue derailed the rest of his season.”

Now Tatum may have not been the 20 ppg guy everyone expected him to be in Year 2, but that may not be fair just because he dominated in the playoffs the year before. Not to mention he had to adjust to playing with guys like Hayward and Kyrie. Would the Celtics be better off letting Kyrie walk and giving Tatum more time and space to grow into the player we all think he could be?

…Maybe.

I am Absolutely DONE with Kyrie Irving

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Kyrie can seriously take a hike. No really. Get off my team, you FRAUD.

I couldn’t honestly care less about his poor shooting numbers for the past few games. That’s not what this is about. After all, he still put up 29 and then 23 points over the past two games, so it’s not as though he’s been useless. Sure, his defense has left a lot to be desired, but at least he hasn’t completely disappeared like Gordon Hayward. Even Jayson Tatum hasn’t played up to snuff after a great first round. And Terry Rozier?? YIKES.

But maybe the reason everyone seems to be playing so poorly and looking like they just watched their dog die on the court is because they have a selfish loser with the mentality of a toddler as their supposed “leader.”

A lot of people might think I’m overreacting, and the series technically isn’t over yet. But I don’t care, because after this little comment last night, I am officially done with Kyrie Irving:

Have you ever seen a more arrogant and egomaniacal response in your life? Seriously, that line is something that would probably make ole buddy LeBron blush.

OH, and I’m sorry, but they’re not coming back in this series. You really expect this team to win three straight with this jamoke and his piss-poor attitude leading the way? Please. They’ll be lucky to make it to the weekend.

I’m not trying to be negative, but I just feel so indignant right now as a Celtics fan. This was supposed to be OUR year, and instead we get treated to one of the most under-performing teams in Boston sports history. Is it all Kyrie’s fault? No. It isn’t. There’s a lot of blame to go around. But he barely did anything a true franchise guy is supposed to do to try and at least right the ship at any point this season.

Look, I was even willing to give Kyrie the benefit of the doubt earlier this year. While he was getting eviscerated in the media for being “too critical” of the younger guys on the team, I was one of the ONLY ones who said that guys like Jaylen Brown – who at least had the stones to clap back at him – were being too soft and DID need to step it up more. Sure, maybe Kyrie could have done it with a bit more tact, but with this being just his second year out of the shadow of LeBron, I thought perhaps he was still feeling his way out on how to become a leader.

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But see, the thing is, he’s not a leader. At all. He’s a completely self-absorbed crybaby that would rather get angry at the world when things go wrong then take a step back and look in the mirror. How, HOW can you respond with an answer like that after one of the worst three-game stretches of your career, in the Eastern Conference Semifinals no less? I respect the confidence, Kyrie, but even you can’t really believe the complete word vomit you’re spewing all over the media right now.

Before this week, I was willing to deal with Kyrie being a bit of a pill sometimes because he really is one of the elite talents in this league…when he wants to be. And in the NBA, you have to deal with some divas sometimes in order to win games. I get that.

But this??? Completely giving up and acting like a martyr when your team needs you most. Absolute LOSER move, and it looks like the true colors are finally starting to shine through. (It makes you think a little bit differently about how things really may have ended out in Cleveland, huh?)

Also, have you heard any teammates come out at all this year in support or to back him up? Don’t worry, I’ll wait…

Yeah, exactly.

If this team somehow shocks the world and goes on some epic run after this, I will literally eat a crow pie and post the video here on The 300s for all to see. But right now, I’m about ready to pack Kyrie’s bags and buy a plane ticket to New York for him. Or maybe L.A., so he can go running back to his old flame – who he now LOVES again by the way – because, to be quite frank, the King is the only reason he’s a “champion” to begin with.

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Awwwww. How adorable, huh??? (*BARF*)

Instead of re-signing Kyrie, give me somebody like Kemba Walker, an upcoming free agent this offseason who really isn’t all that much worse and one who cries in the locker room after losses. No, really, Kemba is someone who actually cares and could help to change the toxic culture that is engulfing this locker room right now. (Bleacher Report’s Yaron Weitzman wrote an excellent piece on Walker just last week, and he sounds like exactly the type of guy I want here. Like now.)

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This guy would look real good in green.

This one really hurt to write, Kyrie. It really did. I want to like you. I want you to be successful here, because you’ve got the insane talent and skill to truly be the next Celtics great. But the simple fact is you don’t want to be, and your time here is likely to come to a very bitter end in short order.

The Bruins Are Everything That is Right With Sports, the Celtics Are Everything That is Wrong

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Watching the Bruins and Celtics these past couple of weeks has been like night and day. The Bruins have been tough, relentless, clutch, and generally fun to watch. The Celtics? Not so much.

After an incredible performance in Game 1, Kyrie has been abysmal in Games 2, 3, and 4 with defense that borders on “bad” and “not giving a shit.” After dropping 26 points in Game 1 when he shot 57% and was a +22, he’s gone 9/22%/-9, 26/36%/-7, and 23/31%/-6. So while he’s had three games with 20+ points, his shooting percentage has fallen off a cliff and he’s finished in the negatives in terms of +/- in 3 of the 4 games. Not great.

The Celtics have routinely packed it in this series too when the Bucks go on a run and the game starts to get away. It’s a pretty shitty attitude to just assume you’ll get it back the next game, especially when playing the No. 1 seed and the potential MVP in Giannis. Thats what this team has been all year long though. Kyrie punted on the regular season months ago legitimately saying talk to me when we get to the playoffs. Welp the playoffs are here bud, time to pick it up.

The C’s had one guy after the next playing hero ball and bricking shot after shot. From Kyrie (7/22, 1/7 from 3) to Terry Rozier (1/5, 0/3 from 3) to Al Horford going 3/8 from 3 to Jayson Tatum lacking awareness in key situations last night.

Not to mention Gordon Hayward scoring all of 2 points on 5 shots.

To top it all off, Kyrie came out to the post game presser and basically gave everyone the double freedom rockets despite another poor performance from him.

MEANWHILE, the Bruins had all the history in the world against them heading into Game 6 with an opportunity to close out the series.

They could have very easily fallen victim to recent history especially after having a huge goal taken off the board in the first period.

But unlike the Celtics, this Bruins team has shown huge balls and mental toughness all season long. They’re looking more and more each day like a team that could be raising a trophy soon.

The B’s have battled back all series while Sergei Bobrovsky has been playing out of his mind, they’ve gotten jobbed by the refs, and they nearly collapsed in Game 5 before scoring in the final 90 seconds to secure the W. Mental toughness like you read about. Speaking of mental toughness, shoutout to Tuukka Rask who closed his excellent series out with a 39 save shutout performance. Buffs wings on me, Tuukka.

Oh and the Bruins even have guys laying their bodies on the line in meaningless plays with the game already in hand.

So while the Celtics continue to be the inconsistent, hot and cold, unreliable team they were all year long, the Bruins just keep getting better and look like a team that could make a legit run at a championship.

The BIG3 Just Announced Its Team Rosters and Boy Oh Boy They Are STACKED

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The BIG 3 is returning for its third season this summer and it seems to only be growing as it released their team rosters today and they are STACKED.

Just in case you forgot, we are quite fond of the BIG3 here. We even had Mattes go cover a game in person last year. And that was before they stacked the deck with some big time names.

Top names playing in the BIG3 this year include Kendrick Perkins and Greg Oden on the same team to create maybe the biggest “What if these guys never got hurt” duo in basketball history. The Celtics win 2 out 3 NBA titles, the Trailblazers are still one of the best teams in the league, going to war with KD and whatever team he’s playing for at the time.

Mario Chalmers!

Brian Scalabrine returns of course and should probably have equity in this league if he doesn’t already because the White Mamba puts asses in the seats.

Agent Zero himself Gilbert Arenas joins the BIG3 this season and I could not be more excited. Arenas, before all his gunplay problems, practically invented the 28 foot pull up jumper that is so common today. Where you think Damian Lillard learned that move?

Lamar Odom is returning from the grave/the clutches of the Kardashians to play some ball and you gotta think that guy is happy to just be alive at this point. Good for him.

Mike Bibby, Ricky Davis, and Carlos Boozer just seem like a pretty solid, well built team. Plus, if they get into any scuffles Mike Bibby 2.0 will just start beating people up as all he’s done since retiring is lift anything and everything.

Stephen Jackson and Metta World Peace are teaming up to become the bad boys of the league. Coached by the goddamn oak tree himself Charles Oakley no less. Nobody is messing with that team.

The Power will be a trip down elite bench player memory lane for anyone my age with guys like Corey Maggette, Chris Birdman Andersen, Ryan Gomes(!) and Glen Big Baby Davis who somehow avoided going to federal pound me in the ass prison after a drug arrest.

Jason Terry is also playing this year, which raises the question is Jason Terry finally retired orrrr

Nearly spit my drink out when I saw Terry pulling up for 3 in a game for Milwaukee last season.

Former Celtics draft picks Joe Johnson and Big Al Jefferson will be joining forces to be the favorite team of any Celtics fan over the age of 30.

To round it all out we have Jermaine O’Neal, Amar’e Stoudemire and Nate Robinson, but I have to say it is an absolute crime that Ice Cube doesn’t have Nate Robinson and Glen Davis on the same team. Does he not remember the days of Shrek and Donkey??

They even got legit AF names coaching as well with Gary Payton, Rick Barry, Rick Mahorn, Charles Oakley, Kenyon Martin, Lisa Leslie, and Dr. freaking J just to name a few.

How about the BIG3 being the only new sports league to not only avoid going out of business, yet actually thrive? The AAF went out of business before I even needed to refill my car’s tank of gas, the XFL is looking to improve upon its high score of 1 season completed, meanwhile the BIG3 is just adding teams and big time names left and right.

Maybe we’ll send Mattes back out to another BIG3 game this year with a real mic so he can actually get Scal namedropping The 300s Podcast on tape.

Celtics and Bucks Even the Series So Where Do We Stand Now?

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MATTES: So far, it’s been a tale of two teams through two contests for the Celtics. In Game 1 on Sunday, the boys were on fire and looked prime to roll the Greek Freak and the Bucks in quick fashion. Then, on Tuesday night, they couldn’t buy a bucket and lost by over 20 points.

Seriously, though, the team went from having every single starter finish with a positive +/- rating on Sunday to every single starter finish with a negative +/- rating in Game 2. Also, the team was able to somewhat contain Giannis the first time around (33% FG%, 22 PTS, 8 REB, 2 AST) before he came back with a vengeance on Tuesday (44% FG%, 29 PTS, 10 REB, 4 AST). Much of his resurgence in Game 2 also had to do with the fact he got to the line 18 times (!!), nailing 13 of those attempts. The whole “let’s crowd the paint and force Giannis to run us over” did not work out so well the second time around.

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Above all, though, the Celtics themselves just couldn’t buy a bucket in Game 2 either; after shooting a red-hot (and entirely unsustainable) 54% as a team this weekend, the then team put up a paltry 33% shooting effort on Tuesday night. That’s just not gonna get it done.

The series now stands at 1-1, with Game 3 scheduled to tip off in Boston on Friday night. Dom, how are you feeling after the debacle in Game 2? What are your thoughts with the series heading back to the Garden?

DOM: After a 1-1 split with Milwaukee to start the series, two things come to mind. First, I feel good with where we’re at. When you don’t have home-court advantage, you hope to steal a win on the road and claim home-court advantage for your own, which is exactly what the Celtics did. So as far as the big picture is concerned, it was mission accomplished in the first two games.

The other thing that comes to mind is, when looking back at where most of our heads were after Game 1, Celtics fans need to check their expectations a bit and not get too overconfident. Going up 2-0 on the road against Milwaukee would’ve been great, but it was highly unlikely. I saw a lot on social media acting like we were gonna roll this team, but the Bucks are just too good for that to happen. Plus, we can’t just forget about the way the Celtics struggled both on the road and with their consistency throughout the entire season. Yeah, we swept a depleted Pacers team that overachieved in the regular season, but the playoffs are different. Nobody expected the Pacers to actually upset the Celtics in a seven-game series (except maybe Jimmy Lips, but he’s from New York). Even though that series was a great stepping stone for this team, there’s still a long way to go. I honestly think this series is going seven games, and hopefully we get something more entertaining than blowouts the rest of the way.

MATTES: I completely agree with you about Celtics Nation getting a bit too confident after Game 1. (As Felger would say, all the “Green Teamers” were out in droves after that one.) Although, it is pretty amazing to see that the team already has three road wins in the postseason so far. They could only muster up ONE last year in their run to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Even during the championship run with Pierce, Ray, and KG in 2008, the team could only get two wins on the road that entire postseason.

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Even three legends had a tough time winning on the road. It ain’t easy.

But, while it seems as though they actually are capable of winning away from Boston, as you said inconsistency is still rearing its ugly head. Gordon Hayward pulled a disappearing act in Game 2 after being one of the team’s keys to victory in Game 1, and he actually saw more time on the floor on Tuesday night. Same with Terry Rozier. While I’ll give him credit for getting to line five times in Game 2 and hitting all five attempts, his shooting percentage from the floor dropped by 20 points between the two contests so far. Horford also seemed like he didn’t want to be as involved as he was on Sunday.

And where the hell is Aron Baynes??!! In 18 minutes of action so far in the series, the dude has TWO freakin’ rebounds. On the flip side, 300s favorite Robert Williams had five rebounds in literally half that amount of time on Tuesday night alone. Maybe we should let the young fella try his hand at defending the Freak from here on out! No??

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Where you at, bro??!!

DOM: Time Lord!!! Love the kid, but that was all in garbage time, so I’m gonna go ahead and say leave him on the bench. It’s funny, one of my keys to last series was having Baynes own the paint, which he did a good job of, I thought. I’ll get into my keys for success later, but I didn’t expect him to be as much of a factor due to the Bucks being better at spreading the floor. But one rebound a game? Yikes!

Going into this series, I had two keys to victory for the Celtics, both of which happened to be defense-oriented. As it turned out, the Celtics did both things well in Game 1 and then both things poorly in Game 2. Those two things are:

1. Keep Giannis out of the paint. Easier said than done, I know. In Game 1, Giannis only scored eight points in the paint, half of what he averaged against the Celtics in the regular season. On top of that, he also missed 11 shots in there, three of which were blocked by Horford. I’m OK with the “Hack-a-Greek” mentality, so long as you get your money’s worth and don’t give up an and-one. In Game 1, Giannis only hit 5-of-10 from the stripe. That works for me. Game 2 started OK, but the second half went the Bucks way. As you said, Mattes, Giannis hit 13-of-18 from the stripe on Tuesday night. (Which is 72%, so really nothing special. I’ll take it.) But when you add 10 points in the paint, it adds up, even if it is down from his season average.

2. Limit Khris Middleton from behind the arc. Once he gets going, as we saw in Game 2, he can change the whole complexion of the game. In Game 1, he surprisingly didn’t look to takeover much, even though he shot the ball well from deep. He was 5-of-12 in the game overall on Sunday, but 3-of-4 from the behind the arc. I’ll settle for just four Middleton three-point attempts a game. Absolutely. But in Game 2, he found some confidence and started heaving up shots left and right, most of which went in. He caught fire in the first half, dropping 20 points on 7-of-12 shooting, including 5-of-7 from deep. He finished with 28 points and seven threes. And it wasn’t just Middleton who lit it up from deep either, as the Bucks as a team hit 43% of their three-point shots. Although Middleton’s the one you need to focus on, seven other players hit threes for the Bucks, too. Overall, it was just an ugly showing from the Celtics defensively.

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Do NOT leave this dude open!!!

I’m not sure if you caught this, Mattes, but after Game 1, the Bucks, led by Giannis and Coach Mike Budenholzer, claimed that they didn’t need to make any adjustments. They claimed that they just have to do the same things, but better. After losing by 22 points, how preposterous of a statement is that? Also, judging by the fact that they changed their starting lineup, got Middleton more involved, hit seven more threes, and got to the line more, what do you think of the obvious adjustments that they made?

MATTES: To me, it was obvious that the Bucks came out way more aggressively in Game 2, while the Celtics did not. It’s literally like the two teams pulled a Freaky Friday and switched identities between Games 1 and 2.

But you nailed it with Middleton. This is a guy whom I feel is one of the most underrated players in the game, and I’ve been saying this for a few years now. When he’s lighting it up, the Bucks are damn near impossible to stop. Whenever he gets the ball, he puts it through the hoop, whether it’s from deep (career 39% 3P%), the stripe (career 87% FT%), or pretty much anywhere else on the floor (career 45% FG%). The dude just gets it done, and I don’t understand why he’s not always as involved as he was on Tuesday night. If the Bucks just give him the damn ball, they’re going to be tough to beat.

Eric Bledsoe is someone who we’ve yet to even touch upon as well, and he’s another guy who doesn’t always get all the credit he deserves. After scoring just six points in Game 1, he stepped up with 21 on Tuesday night, helping to form a real three-headed monster with Giannis and Middleton. AND we still haven’t even seen Malcolm Brogdon yet!!! The 2017 NBA Rookie of the Year hasn’t played in the past six games due to injury, and if he returns this series things will get really, really tough.

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Bledsoe (left) and Brogdon (right) could still be two huge factors in this series, too.

So, while everybody was flying high after the first game of the series, it seems like things are far from over. As mentioned before, Game 3 is scheduled for tomorrow night at the Garden, and the Celts need to come out with the same intensity they displayed on Sunday. Otherwise, the young Bucks could take over this series in a flash.

Stay tuned to The 300s for all your Celtics playoff coverage on the chase for No. 18!

I Am Fairly Torn to be Rooting Against Mallory Edens

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CBSSports – When this season started, the Boston Celtics were a popular pick to represent the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals. Now, it’s the Milwaukee Bucks who hold that distinction. After both swept their first-round series, Boston and Milwaukee will square off with a trip to the conference finals on the line, and what a series it should be. Game 1 is scheduled for Sunday at 1 p.m. ET. Below are some quick thoughts on things to watch for in this series.

Can we talk as friends? Cool. The lead in above ^^^ really has nothing to do with anything besides the fact that the Celtics are indeed playing the Bucks. But the Bucks have an owner. This should not matter to me in the slightest as I am indeed a lifelong Celtics fan to the extent that I cried when Paul Pierce did. But it does.

The Bucks are owned by Wes Edens, a genius hedge fund guy that very well could have been one of the inspirations for Bobby Axelrod. By all accounts he cares about winning and loves the team. They’re not just a trophy or a toy to him like some teams are to some owners.

My friends Wes Edens has a daughter, Mallory. And here is the things folks. Mallory Edens is the ultimate object of my IG affection. For all the bizarre butt models and tattooed ho-urs I follow on the ‘Gram, Mallory Edens is the one I give a tasteful smirk to whenever she posts. She’s not a slutty distraction from the work day and monotony of life that makes me question my own validity as a human being and completely disqualify myself as someones life partner; she’s a hot as hell, Princeton educated, actually pretty funny woman of class. Just a rarity in today’s world/my follows.

And now her team must be destroyed. Mangled. Disembowled. If Mook has to murder the very likeable Giannis to do so so be it. I need this NBA Championship. And if the Celtics need to annihilate the team my IG crush-Father-In-Law owns, so be it.

So Mal, can I call you Mal? If you’re reading this, maybe we were never meant to be. On second thought, definitely not. You’re a trust fund kind from Princeton who likes horses and the Caribbean. I’m a State School kid in corporate America who likes getting kicked in the head in between sessions of beers and keno. Opposites might attract. Different species generally don’t.

So here is a goodbye before a hello. Cheers to a lifetime of happiness. When the bus pulls back into Milwaukee tell them I said “say hi to your mother for me”.

Fuckin go Celtics.

-Joey B.

ICYMI, Damian Lillard Was Incredible Last Night

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I’m glad I stayed up to watch this one. What a game. Being down 3-1, the Thunder were desperate for a win. Dame Lillard had all the answers. After going down by double digits early, CJ McCollum picked up 3 fouls in the first 9 minutes, and it seemed like the Blazers might not be on their game to start. But Lillard stepped up and made his case for the best point guard in the league. After last night, I’d have a hard time disagreeing with him. Just looks at these shots:

Lillard dropped 50 points last night, including 34 in the first half.

 

Dame scored 16 in the first quarter, then added another 18 in the second. In that first half, he hit 6 threes, all of which were contested except one (which was from 30 feet out). He made off balance shots, tear drops, fadeaways, step-backs, you name it. He was on fire. The second half was no different. As soon as it started he hit another 30 foot bomb. He finished with 50 points, 10 threes, and this absolutely insane buzzer beater:

A 37 foot contested step back three?!?! Are you kidding me?!?

Paul George actually didn’t play bad defense on that. He stepped up with about 4 seconds left after realizing he wasn’t going to drive, and got a hand in his face. I mean, look where he’s shooting from! The balls on Lillard to take a shot like that. YUGE!

Anyone else notice how Russ did a lot of talking Games 1-4, then only talked shit to his teammates in Game 5?

Now, I stupidly took the Thunder to go all the way in a previous blog, and I’m here to vent about my embarrassment at that pick. I said Paul George was going to be the guy to lead this team to the promised land. I love the guy, but it’s hard to reach your full potential when ballhog Russ is busy sucking ass. Westbrook was absolutely atrocious last night. Probably the worst triple double I’ve ever seen. At first look, 29-14-11 seems pretty good. But that’s it. If you watched this game, you saw a player who wouldn’t pass when he needed to down the stress, who was barking at his teammates, and who took a TON of bad shots. He missed at least 3-4 layups when trying to push in transition, but instead forced himself into one-on-three “fastbreaks” where he blew the shot and then forced his team to play transition defense. He chucked a bunch of quick threes, which he has and continued to struggle with in this game. And down the stretch, he wanted to be the guy with the ball in his hand when everyone in the world knew it should be Paul George. Well, Russ missed a bunch of shots late, played garbage defense on Lillard, and will forever be known as a regular season star and playoff bust.

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Bye Russ! Bye bye!

Four Takeaways from the Celtics First Round Playoff Sweep of the Pacers

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After winning just one road playoff game last season on their way to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals, the Celtics have already won two this postseason after sweeping their first-round series with the Indiana Pacers on Sunday.

For all the worry and concern many had heading into the postseason, I have to say it was very refreshing to see the way this team has played over the past week. While I wouldn’t say they blew doors on Indiana, there’s no doubt about who was the better team. They also finally learned how to play together as a team, which is something we saw them struggle to do for most of the year.

Now the team is likely going to square off in Round 2 against the NBA’s winningest team in Milwaukee, who can close out their series with Detroit on Monday night. (Even if the Bucks lose, they’ll still be up 3-1, and it would take a pretty epic comeback by Blake Griffin & Co. to pull off the upset.)

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The Greek Freak is likely up next.

But, before we get into that, Dom and I are here to bring you four of our biggest Celtics takeaways from the first round:

The Brotherhood is Back

MATTES: All year long, I’ve said there have been two big things missing with this team: aggressiveness and cohesiveness. While there was no doubt the Celtics have had easily one of the most talented rosters in the league, from top to bottom, the problem was they didn’t know how to play together as a unit. Whether it was due to big egos, being buried on the depth chart by surrounding talent, or just poor rotation management on Brad’s part, it was difficult for most guys to settle into a defined role this past season. Hence the rampant inconsistency we saw on many levels.

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In the four games against the Pacers, the Celtics had four guys (Kyrie, Tatum, Horford, and Hayward) who all averaged over 30 minutes per night, and all four of which put up over 11 points per game. Jaylen Brown and Marcus Morris, two other big contributors, both personally averaged between 26-29 minutes and combined to average about 23 points per game. While you wouldn’t know it from the assist totals or anything like that, just from the simple eyeball test alone it was clear to see this team was finally trying to win together. That was easily the best team basketball I’ve seen from this squad all year.

Brad Coached the Hell out of this Series

DOM: My first take really goes off of Mattes’s point about cohesiveness. This time of year, coaches need to put egos aside and play the hot hand. And that’s exactly what Brad did. Specifically, he didn’t use a rotation but instead weaved Morris, Brown, and Hayward in and out so that the hottest players were on the floor for the most amount of time in the fourth quarter.

To examine this closer, here’s how the approach looked game by game:

  • (Game 1): After a ridiculous third quarter, Brad allowed Al and Kyrie some time to rest. They each played the last five minutes or so in the fourth, while Morris, Hayward, and Tatum played just over seven, eight, and nine minutes, respectively.
  • (Game 2): This time, we were down 11 going into the fourth. No messing around for Brad this time. Horford and Tatum played the whole quarter, Kyrie played 7.5 minutes, Brown 9.5 minutes, and Morris only 2.5. Tatum and Kyrie combined for 19 points in the fourth and won us the game, as that’s exactly how much we outscored Indy by as a team in the quarter.
  • (Game 3): Once again, our defense played great in the third, this time getting us up seven heading into the last quarter. Being on the road and with a chance to go up 3-0, Brad knew how important this was. He’s seemingly getting a much better sense for who his closers are. Hayward, Tatum, and Al played more than 10 minutes each in the final frame, and he made sure Kyrie got a few extra minutes of rest before playing the last nine. Morris and Brown essentially split the quarter, with Brown scoring a few important buckets to keep us up.
  • (Game 4): The Celtics could smell blood and went into attack mode, handling everything the Pacers threw back at them. It was a close one, but we pulled it out for the sweep. Tatum again played the whole fourth, scoring nine points on 7-of-10 from the line. The Celtics shot an amazing 21 free throws as a team in this quarter, more than they usually do in an entire game. Horford was a +10 in over nine minutes of fourth-quarter action; Morris played 11 and scored eight; Hayward added nine minutes and didn’t miss a shot; and Jaylen played less than one minute.

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Hayward continued his ascension back into the game’s upper echelon with his performance in Round 1.

Celtics Were Able to Control the Pacers’ Big Men

DOM: Before this series started, I said we needed to make sure Myles Turner and Domantas Sabonis were kept in check. Turner led the NBA in blocks this season, and allowing him and Sabonis to dominate the offensive glass and paint would pose major trouble for us. Luckily, Baynes and Horford were more than up for the task.

(Gordon Hayward not so much):

Game by game, the Pacers’ bigs combined to put up 12 points and 17 boards in Game 1. Then they only put up nine and eight in Game 2 (!!), 25 and 14 in Game 3, and 27 and 15 in Game 4. Not surprisingly, their best game was the closest. Turner did have his fair share of blocks throughout the series, but not enough to discourage our guys from attacking. He’s not Shaq after all.

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Hangin’ Tough

MATTES: No, this has nothing to do with NKOTB. Rather, I’m referring to the fact that the whole team finally played with a sense of toughness and attitude that we hadn’t really seen before.

Like I said in my first takeaway, they blended so well together as a multi-faceted unit. But even more important than that, a few key guys stepped up immensely when the team needed someone to take over in the game’s biggest moments. As Dom mentioned above, it might not have been the same player each game, but the quartet of Kyrie, Tatum, Hayward, and Morris acted like a flawless closer by committee for Brad in this series. (Alex Cora’s gotta be pretty jealous.)

Finally, the Celtics were not out-rebounded in ANY of the four games in the series. The only game they did not out-rebound Indy was in Game 4, when both teams finished tied with 43. In total, the C’s pulled down 30 more boards than the Pacers did in the series, only further demonstrating Dom’s point about how surprisingly well the team played down low. (And HUGE ups to Al Horford for his work on the boards all series long.)

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Al was particularly huge on the glass in this series, as he averaged 10.3 per game.

So now we play the waiting game, as the Celtics were the only team to sweep in the first round of the playoffs this year (so far at least). Be sure to stay tuned to The 300s for all your Celtics coverage this postseason!

Jayson Tatum Looks Ready to Dominate Postseason Once Again

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After rallying back with a ferocious 31-point fourth quarter on Wednesday night, helping to secure a 99-91 victory, the Celtics are now up 2-0 on the Indiana Pacers in the first round of the NBA playoffs.

Game 1 was a dog fight, with both teams playing below their typical standards. And while last night’s contest was prone to some of the same dull play for certain stretches, a few key guys finally woke up for the Celtics at just the right time – most notably Jayson Christopher Tatum.

For those who have followed The 300s for a while, you know that, for the most part, we’ve shown the young fella nothing but immense love and support ever since he broke onto the scene last year. Especially after last year’s postseason run, during which he averaged 18.5 points per contest as a 20-year-old rookie, I think all of us were expecting him to soar in 2018-19.

But, to be honest, things didn’t go quite as well as anticipated. He still put up points, averaging almost two full points more per game this season (15.7) than he did as a rookie (13.9). However, both his field-goal percentage and three-point percentage dropped off, with the latter falling significantly (he shot over 43% from deep last year compared to just 37% this season). His win shares also fell by two, and he just didn’t seem to be playing with the same fire he displayed last spring.

Yet on Wednesday night, he hit another level. In almost 39 minutes of play, Tatum put up 26 points on 55% shooting, including 50% from three-point land. He also finished +8 and turned the ball over just twice. While Kyrie was the team’s high-scorer with 37 and is arguably just as responsible for last night’s win as Tatum, it was really Tatum’s performance at the end of the game that sealed the deal.

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Kyrie had a pretty monster performance on Wednesday night, too.

After heading into the final frame down by 11, the Pacers looked like they had the Celts dead to rights. Two quick buckets from Al Horford got the team going again at the start of the fourth, but then it was Tatum (and, yes, Kyrie too) who lead the charge the rest of the way, putting the team on their back to take a hold of the series.

In all, Tatum scored 10 points in the fourth quarter (including six in the final minute), which was 40% of his total for the game. And while Kyrie also hit some big shots, including two HUGE threes – the second of which finally gave the Celtics the lead with 5.5 minutes left to play – I was still happier with what I saw from Tatum in the final moments.

While he missed more shots than he made over the final 15 minutes, the simple fact that he took nine shots in the quarter (10 if you include the free throw on the and-1 dunk at the very end) is what really stood out to me. FINALLY, he once again displayed the aggressiveness and confidence he was playing with last April/May, which was vital in helping to bring the C’s all the way to Game 7 of the conference finals.

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Tatum treated the Garden crowd with a little rim-rocker to cap off the win.

Maybe the rush of postseason play simply ignites a fire within Tatum, as he put up almost five points more per game in the playoffs last season than he did during the regular season. He also played pretty well in Game 1 on Sunday, putting up 15 points, again on 55% shooting (including 100% from deep), and finished +11. Especially when it mattered most last night, Tatum was not going to sit back and let the game slip away. I guess he does have some ice in those veins after all.

Look, we need to be careful not to get too excited from such a tiny two-game sample size, but it’s a good start for the Green and, most importantly, the kid looks ready to take off once again. Whether Kyrie comes back next year or not, Tatum made sure Celts Nation knew who the true future of the team was last night. Let’s hope he keeps it up.

Game 3 of the series will tip off on Friday night at 8:30 p.m. in Indianapolis.

The 300s 2019 NBA Playoff Predictions

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With the NBA playoffs now underway, a handful of The 300s team members have taken the NBA bracket challenge. The picks are in, and here’s what we’ve got for finals predictions. We’ll routinely check in after each round is finished and see who actually knows what they’re talking about. Here’s what we’re looking at for finals predictions:

GRENGA

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FINALS: BUCKS vs. THUNDER
WINNER: THUNDER

The Bucks were the best team in the NBA this year, and Giannis is unstoppable. They are getting healthy at just the right time, and although last years ROY Malcolm Brogdon will miss the first round, they won’t need him. I think the Celtics will give them some trouble in the second round, but I’m just not sold that the Celtics can play consistent enough to beat the NBA’s best team, especially since they only finished the year one game over .500 on the road. The Bucks dominated Toronto in the regular season, so I don’t think they’ll have a problem with them when they eventually meet up in the ECF. As for the Sixers, that process is still going.

In the West, the Thunder have a long road to the championship, but I think this is their year. Paul George is playing out of his mind, and when you combine his MVP-caliber play with constant triple-doubles from Westbrook and a defensive post-monster in the form of Steven Adams, I think they have what it takes to beat anyone in 7. They swept the season series against Portland, the Nuggets are set up for an early exit with the youngest team in the playoffs, and I think they matchup against the Bucks as well as anybody. The biggest question is whether or not they play the Warriors in the WCF. I have the Rockets topping the Warriors because they won the season series, but I might be falling for a trap. Honestly, I’m just sick of the Warriors and want any excuse to root against them. We’ll see how it goes.

BIG Z

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FINALS: RAPTORS vs. WARRIORS
WINNER: WARRIORS

“Short and sweet here. I’m going with the Warriors. The NBA is a top-heavy league and there’s no reason not to take the favorite. As for the Celtics, I think they’ll make it past the Bucks to the Conference Finals because they’ve got so much talent. I think they’ll fall to the Raptors in the conference finals though, because when the going gets tough I think they’ll ultimately pack it in. This will mark 3 straight championships and 4 outta 5 for Dubs.”

JIMMY LIPS

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FINALS: BUCKS vs. ROCKETS
WINNER: BUCKS

“Milwaukee — the league’s best team in the regular season — has a cupcake path to the Finals. The Bucks went 14-2 against their division this season and neither of those 2 losses were at the hands of the Pistons, who lost all four contests by an average of 14.75 points. Being that I have the Victor Oladipo-less Pacers beating the Celtics in Round 1 (in 7 games), the Bucks 14-2 record against the Central still applies here. Now, the Pacers did top the Bucks back in late December, however that was Milwaukee’s third game in four nights. When the Bucks meet the Raptors in the ECF, it’ll be the first time they’ve been there since George Karl was at the helm in 2001. In games in which Mr. Leonard played, the teams split the two meetings but haven’t played since January 31. That shouldn’t matter overall and Milwaukee should advance to its first Finals appearance since the 70s.

Out West, spoiler alert: the Rockets are beating the Warriors in Round 2. This is a healthy Rockets squad and they will get the Warriors a round earlier, assuring they are fresh. Houston took 3 of 4 during the regular season, including the classic at Oracle on January 3 that went to OT thanks to The Beard. They’ll meet Denver in the WCF because there isn’t a strong enough case to build for OKC beating a formidable and hungrier team like the Nuggets in a 7-game series. The Beard and CP3 get the Rockets to their first Finals appearance since 1995 when they won back-to-back chippers with some guy named Olajuwon at center. Rejoice, NBA fans. We will get to see this season’s top two MVP candidates face off in June. Milwaukee swept the season series. And yes, I know, CP3 didn’t play in one of those games.

Bucks in 6. The Greek World Order begins this summer.”

RED

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FINALS: CELTICS vs. WARRIORS
WINNER: WARRIORS

“I’ve got the Celtics making it through the toughest road in the East, going through the Pacers, Giannis and the Bucks, and Kawhi and the Raptors before falling to the Warriors in the NBA Finals. The Celtics match up with the Warriors better than any other team in the NBA, but its hard to pick against the team that is one Kyrie Irving circus shot away from being back to back to back to back champions. Warriors in 6.”