Tag: Brad Stevens

What the Hell is Going on With the Celtics Right Now?

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No, but really, though. What the hell?

After Sunday night’s 100-94 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers, the Celts are set to return home this week after a rough 1-4 road trip – which could have easily been 0-5 were it not for a furious fourth-quarter comeback which forced overtime against the two-win, atrocious Phoenix Suns. (Yeah, we struggled to beat the effing Suns!)

The Celts now currently sit sixth in the East, at 7-6, tied with the Charlotte Hornets and five games behind the 12-1 Raptors.

Yeah, I know it’s still early in the year, but again: what the literal hell?

For starters, after giving up just 99.5 points per game through the first eight games of the year, the Green gave up just about 110 points per contest over the past five games. Sure, this stat could be slightly skewed by last week’s OT game in Phoenix, but the team still allowed 115 points to the Nuggets last Monday and 123 to the Jazz on Friday night, both in regulation. As of Monday morning, they’re still somehow first in the NBA in defensive rating, but this past week really wasn’t so hot on that front.

Offensively, the team continues to struggle, although there have been slight improvements. Kyrie looks like he’s starting to get hot; after putting the team on his back with 39 points – 18 of which came in the fourth quarter and OT – against the Suns, he missed Friday night’s game against the Jazz due to his grandfather’s funeral. However, he averaged a solid 27.3 points per contest in the other games he played on the trip, and he’s now shooting over 40 percent from three on the year.

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Kyrie’s been cooking lately.

Jayson Tatum has looked good the past two games as well. Although he somehow only mustered up four points in Phoenix last Thursday, he’s shot exactly 50 percent in each of the past two games with totals of 21 and 27 points, respectively. The 300s favorite Marcus Morris continues to be a force off the bench as well, currently sitting third on the team in scoring in just 25 minutes of action each night. And finally, even though he’s not racking up the points, Marcus Smart has been a great facilitator all year long and is second on the team to Kyrie this year in assists.

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Yeah, Marcus. I see you dropping dimes out there.

Otherwise, though, there’s not really anything to hang your hat on. The Celtics rank only ahead of the Magic, Hawks, and Suns in terms of offensive rating. Again, I know we’ve only seen the team play 13-of-82 games at this point, which is a paltry 16 percent of the regular season action the C’s will take part in this year. A lot can still change, and I’m not saying to hit the panic button.

BUT MAYBE we’re starting to see signs of trouble, those that aren’t found on the stat sheet, which could be a slight cause for concern.

Earlier last week, there were rumblings that Terry Rozier was unhappy with his bench role after being one of the team’s studs (at times) in the playoffs last year. Rozier downplayed the rumors on Thursday, but he didn’t necessarily deny them outright (h/t ESPN):

“I go from starting in the playoffs to coming off the bench. … I’m pretty sure it’s not easy for nobody. But I’m not complaining. And, if you know me, I would never be the one to complain about it. I would never go to the media or bring out the unhappy thing. Like I said, people that know me know I wouldn’t do that. I’ve never been a selfish type of person, selfish player. You can tell the way I play I’m all about team.”

He said he wouldn’t “complain” or “go to the media” about it, but that certainly does not constitute a denial of the rumor itself. Not in the slightest. I’m not saying I blame him either, as he could probably start for most teams throughout the league, but this is definitely a situation to monitor.

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“Scary Terry” might soon become “Salty Terry” if the rumors are true.

And as much as I love Kyrie, the guy’s definitely a bit of a wild card. After rifling the ball into the stands after the game in Denver because some kid roasted him for almost 50 points that night – a move which I made sure to call him out for last week – he comes out with this comment after the team’s latest loss to Portland:

Really, man? So, having you – a former champion and THREE-time NBA Finals participant – Al Horford, and Gordon Hayward won’t cut it? You can’t express to them just what it takes to win a title, or at the very least get to an NBA Final – which, again, is something you’ve done yourself on multiple occasions?

For a guy who supposedly left Cleveland to be THE GUY, it doesn’t always seem as though Kyrie relishes the role. And while I’m not in the locker room and don’t want to just project, Horford and Hayward don’t really seem like big rah-rah-type leaders either.

So while it’s definitely too early to begin worrying about hard numbers and stats, it may not be too early to start monitoring the air in the locker room. As with any NBA roster loaded with talent, there comes a point where the “team-first” mentality can start to wane, for different reasons, after everyone gets a little taste of success.

I’m not jumping ship guys, and you shouldn’t either. But, Brad, it’s time to get ya boys in check now before it’s too late.

John Karalis and I Previewed the 2018-19 Boston Celtics Season on The 300s Podcast

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The Boston Celtics 2018-19 season FINALLY kicks off tonight as they host the Philadelphia 76ers. John Karalis of Reds Army recently joined me on The 300s Podcast and we discussed the Celtics, how they got to where they are today (the infamous Brooklyn Nets trade), how they’re setup for the future, and what we expect to see from them this season.

We’ve got Gordon Hayward healthy and ready to rock after only playing 5 minutes in the green last year. Kyrie Irving is back after late season knee surgery and by all reports seems to be at full strength. Al Horford will set the table for everyone and then of course we have 2nd and third year jumps coming from guys like Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. All flanked by one of the best benches in the league led by Marcus Smart and Terry Rozier.

Vegas has the over/under for the Celtics season win total at anywhere from 58.5 to 59.5. Can this Celtics team win 60 games? I don’t know just because this starting core has so rarely played together with all of the injuries, but if they can click early on then it’s entirely possible. They’re also currently coming in at 6/1 odds to win it all.

This season is going to be fun as hell.

Hey at Least the Celtics Start Training Camp Tomorrow!

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Welp. That was a rough one for the Pats on Sunday night.

Perhaps we’ll take the time to review the game. Perhaps we’ll simply try to move on and repress the memory entirely.

Or maybe we can change gears altogether and focus on the Boston sports team with arguably the best chance to win a title within the next calendar year. I’m talking, of course, about our Boys in Green.

The Celtics are set to open training camp on Tuesday, September 25, which is something that probably snuck up on many fans considering the team was still playing meaningful ball less than four months ago.

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Fortunately, there aren’t many questions for this team heading into 2018 besides maybe how Brad will dish out enough minutes to the team’s loaded group of deserving players and keep everyone happy at the same time. It’s really not a bad “problem” to have – as long as egos and personal aspirations don’t get in the way, of course.

And Brad will need to figure things out quickly, as the first preseason game is actually this upcoming Friday night against the Charlotte Hornets. The first regular season contest doesn’t follow too far behind either, with the Celtics set to tip the year off against the Sixers at home on October 16.

Since many of us – myself included – are still in Sox and Pats mode at the moment, here’s a quick little Celtics primer to whet your appetite before the team gets back after it tomorrow in Brighton:

Is Everyone Healthy?

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YES. It seems like everyone is pretty much ready to go without reservation.

Considering the Celtics were without not only two of the best players on their roster, but also two of the very best players in the league, in Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward for most of last season (at least in Hayward’s case), this is fantastic news.

Daniel Theis, a solid but very unappreciated bench piece last season, is also expected to be ready to go after suffering a season-ending knee injury in March.

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I don’t think I really need to go into how good Kyrie and Hayward are or what their presence could do for team that was mere minutes away from going to the NBA Finals last season. Just think: We’re adding two top-20 players to a squad that just months ago almost (and probably should have) defeated LeBron before he reached the Finals, which is something that hasn’t happened in EIGHT years.

If that doesn’t getting the juice flowing for ya, then I don’t know what will.

And if there’s still any doubt in your mind about how Hayward will readjust after almost a full-year layoff, here’s what a usually pretty tight-lipped Brad Stevens had to say just last week (h/t Boston Herald):

“He’s been really diligent all the way through his rehab. I watched him go through the steps of working out to one-on-one to 2-on-2 to 3-on-3 and 5-on-5 in some of the open gyms the guys are having. Like anything, there’s always going to be a period of adjustment. From my eye and anybody else who has watched, he looks like he looked before.”

For a guy who usually like to play things close to the vest and temper expectations whenever possible, he doesn’t seem to be mincing words whatsoever when it comes to his confidence in Gordon this season.

Theis will also only add to an already loaded bench, and as far as we know the rest of the roster looks to be in tip-top shape as well.

This team is ready to rock n’ roll.

What Will Robert Williams’s Role Be?

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Besides the potential overall minutes distribution challenge, the biggest question in terms of their role on the team this year is with rookie Robert Williams, to whom we at The 300s affectionately refer as “Bob.”

Bob has had a bit of a rough start to his Celtics career after being taken with the 27th pick in this past June’s NBA draft. From missing conference calls to missing entire friggin’ flights across the country, the soon-to-be 21-year-old saw a rather embarrassing string of events cloud the excitement Celtics Nation initially had after grabbing such a freakish talent at the end of the first round.

There shouldn’t be any doubt about his talent, however. Not only does he possess great size at 6’10”, but he can also move like a wing player and has the ability to jump through the roof. While it may take a while for his scoring prowess to develop in the NBA, he can be the athletic, rim-runner/protector that the Celtics have lacked for quite some time. Sure, guys like Aaron Baynes and Al Horford were very effective defenders in the post last season, but Williams has Defensive-Player-of-the-Year-level potential. He could be an answer to the Draymond Greens and Clint Capelas of the world that the Celtics had no answer for previously.

Especially with an already overloaded roster, we may need to be patient with Bob, but the eventual payoff could be worth the wait.

Who’s Gonna Be THE Guy Behind Kyrie?

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I think by now everyone gets the point that the Celtics have a pretty sick roster. And while this technically could change by season’s end, I don’t think there are many out there who would argue that Kyrie isn’t still the team’s crown jewel. Horford also knows his role, as does Baynes and the rest of the reserves.

But when it comes to definitive roles for the Celtics’ insanely good trio of wing players – Hayward, Jayson Tatum, and Jaylen Brown – things get a bit murkier.

Of the three, Hayward has the best resume, and until Tatum truly takes off into superstardom (which he ABSOLUTELY will) Hayward has to be considered the leader of the pack and the one who should be expected to get the most minutes right away.

And no disrespect to Brown, who simply annihilated everyone’s expectations last season, but I’m unsure if he’s quite on the same level as Hayward and where I expect Tatum to be to start the year.

But if I’m being entirely honest, I think Tatum has the ability to be the top dog in the group by season’s end, if not much sooner. Red pointed out last week the fact that ESPN already has him ranked as a top-25 player in the league, and if you’ve followed us at all over the past year you know that neither of us are even remotely shy when it comes to expressing our love for Tatum.

I think some may still be sleeping on him due to the fact he’s not even legally allowed to drink a beer yet, but the guy is ridiculously skilled and already plays with the confidence of a 10-year veteran. If given enough minutes, he will be an All-Star this season, and nobody should be surprised if he ends up being the Celtics’ No. 2 guy this year.

Again, no disrespect to Hayward or Brown, but Tatum is going to be the face of the franchise going forward – whether Kyrie stays here or not.

So there you have it! The first official piece of the 2018 Celtics season. Stay tuned to The 300s throughout the entire season for all your Celtics news and more. Let’s goooooo!!!

ESPN Ranks Jayson Tatum as the 23rd Best Player in the NBA and I Feel Some Sort of Way

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So the Celtics have been getting a lot of love on ESPN’s Top 100 Players ranking they’ve been slowly releasing over the past couple of weeks with 6 (and counting) players cracking the list. But, what has me all jazzed up is the hype around my boy Jayson Tatum. After an excellent rookie season, Tatum looks ready to take the next leap into superstardom and ESPN seems to agree.

A quick explanation of how ESPN ranks these players:

“NBArank is a prediction for the coming season. Dozens of panelists from across ESPN, The Undefeated and FiveThirtyEight — TV analysts, reporters, editors, producers and researchers — voted to forecast which players would be best in 2018-19, taking into account both the quality and the quantity of their contributions.”

Before we get to Tatum, lets take a look at the full breakdown of every Celtics players that made the list. (ESPN has yet to release the Top 20 players yet so obviously Kyrie Irving is in there somewhere.)

  • Terry Rozier – No. 82
    • Rozier went from fans complaining Danny Ainge wouldn’t throw him into trades for rentals like Serge Ibaka to a lethal scorer off the bench that even spawned an iconic nickname in Scary Terry.
  • Marcus Smart – No. 55
    • Smart is the ultimate enigma as a player that is an average to awful shooter who doesn’t put up big scoring numbers, but is a defensive savant and is the energy guy to end all energy guys. It’s tough to rate a player that makes all the little plays, but the Celtics sorely missed him when he was out last year.
  • Gordon Hayward – No. 40
    • This is a 20 spot drop for Hayward, which seems like a bit much, but thats almost entirely due to uncertainty after missing all of last season. How will Hayward mesh with the Celtics was an interesting question last year and that was before the emergence of Tatum and Jaylen Brown. A good problem to have indeed.
  • Jaylen Brown – No. 37
    • A HUGE jump for Jaylen as he wasn’t even on the list last year. With a career best 39.5% from 3-pt range, 18 PPG in the playoffs, all while becoming an elite defender, Brown will be a huge factor for the C’s this season. He just may need to adjust to less playing time with the explosion of Tatum and the return of Hayward.
  • Al Horford – No. 34
    • Say it louder for the people in the back, ESPN. “Average” Al is the 34th best player in the league according to this survey. Horford may thrive this year as he’ll be asked less than he already is to be a leading scorer, which should allow him to facilitate until the cows come home.
  • Jayson Tatum – N0. 24
    • Obviously last year was Tatum’s rookie season so he wasn’t on this list before because he was still playing at DUKE. To go from playing for Coach K to being ranked the 24th best player in the NBA at the age of 20 is unreal. This truly has me feeling some kind of way. As I said over and over again last year, Jayson Tatum is a future 1st Team All-NBA player and he only got better as the season went along.

Here’s what ESPN had to say about Tatum as we gear up for his sophomore season.

“Tatum evolved from role-playing starter into playoff closer, calmly averaging 18.5 PPG in 19 postseason games, looking like a longtime star in the process. With Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward back, it will be interesting to see if Tatum is asked to take a backseat.

Given Brad Stevens’ willingness to put his five best players on the floor regardless of position, I wouldn’t expect Tatum’s minutes to decline. He can play some small-ball 4 and has proved he can remain efficient without volume. With that said, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him get fewer opportunities given Boston’s multitude of weapons”

Now before we all crown the Celtics champions lets remember it’s still September so anything can happen. Guys can take a step back, players can shatter their ankles, or another Super Team could rise out of the ground, but this Celtics team looks special. Not only are they chock full of talent, but they are so, so flexible that its scary. Just about every guy in their starting 5 can switch onto almost any position on defense. Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum could probably stand next to each other and cover the entire width of the basketball court. Or just give them the ball and get out of the way as we saw in the playoffs last year. Horford is the ultimate facilitator and we haven’t even seen this team play with Gordon Hayward yet.

ESPN’s Zach Lowe is even more hyped about this team‘s potential than I am:

“This quintet is the most exciting group since Golden State stumbled into the Death Lineup: Kyrie Irving, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Gordon Hayward and Al Horford.”

Them fighting words. The Death Lineup is essentially the most efficient lineup in NBA history by most metrics. The Death Lineup is just lethal from any position as it features a starting 5 of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, Andre Iguodala, and Draymond Green. So to be compared to that?

Still not enough Celtics love for you? Alright lets pump their tires even more with these excerpts. Anddd go!

Brian Windhorst: “I’m bullish on Jayson Tatum’s future. (I know, join the club.) I think he has an outside shot to be a top-10 player next season.. I think the guy is an absolute stud in the making…I think he’s still ranked too low. I see him and the Celtics as having huge seasons.”

Kevin Pelton: “Tatum is nearly [a top 20 player] at age 20, making him a safe bet to reach the top 10.

Not to mention Tatum has been studying and practicing with some guy named Kobe Bryant so that may help him improve even further. Kobe has embraced the mentor role much better than I thought he would in retirement and thats a game changer for Tatum who has essentially modeled his entire game around the Hall of Famer.

Just a quick reminder that the Celtics are back on the court and playing organized basketball once again in just seven days. Then the regular season, and the sky high expectations that go along with it, kicks off October 16th at home as the 76ers come to town.

 

Jaylen Brown Predicts the Celtics Will “No Question” Make the NBA Finals

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Yahoo – Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown says there is “no question” that his team will be the Eastern Conference representatives in the NBA Finals next season. Brown made his feelings known on CJ McCollum’s “Pull Up” podcast, when asked about Boston’s championship chances.

“Oh, we’re getting to the Finals. No question about it,” Brown said.

The Celtics are the odds-on favorite in the East to reach their first finals since 2010 now that LeBron James has headed out west to play for the Los Angeles Lakers.

Cockyyyyy. I normally wouldn’t love a dude from my team going into his third year proclaiming we’re going to the Finals. But this guy is Jaylen Brown and Jaylen Brown sounds pretty pissed that his toughest competition just skipped town.

“I hate how everybody is like, ‘Oh, LeBron’s gone in the East,'” Brown said. “I know he did have a strong hold on the East for the last seven years, but he barely got us out of there this year. And our mindset was like, ‘Man, he’s not beating us again.'”

Thats the sound of a guy who wants to destroy the competition not just survive the war of attrition that is the NBA playoffs. Thats a young guy brimming with confidence in not only his team but his own game, which only continues to improve. From his rookie to his sophomore season Brown improved his FG %, 3 Point %, Rebounds, Assists, Steals, and Blocks per game all while more than doubling his Points per Game from 6.6 and 14.5.

He probably won’t see the same 30 minutes per game he saw last year with Gordon Hayward out for the whole year, but that was a blessing in disguise for the Celtics. Brown was able to play a ton of minutes and develop his game, not to mention get some quality playoff experience, more than he ever would have been able to had Hayward played all year. So in theory his game should be a lot more efficient while now possessing the ability to put up 15-20 points on any given night when given the opportunity.

TLDR; Oct. 16th can’t come soon enough.

The 300s Podcast: We’re Going Green and Breaking Down the Celtics Offseason

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Friend of the podcast Mattes joins us on this episode as we break down the Celtics offseason thus far, we go around the rest of the NBA, a 60 Second Review of Uncle Drew, and Mattes rips into LaVar Ball. Listen on iTunes, Google Play, and The 300s Podcast is also NOW ON SPOTIFYYYYY

  • What Have You Liked/Disliked About the Celtics Offseason So Far?
  • What is the Future in Boston for Marcus Smart, Kyrie Irving, and Kawhi Leonard?
  • Mattes’ 60 Second Review of Uncle Drew!
  • Should LeBron Be Charged With Insider Trading?
  • Paul George Resigning With OKC is a Win for Small Towns Everywhere
  • What’s Going on With Old Friend Isaiah Thomas?

Here They Come. Celtics Look to Close Out LeBron James and Advance to the NBA Finals Tonight

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The biggest game of many Celtics’ players lives is tonight. Game 6 with the chance to go to the NBA Finals right in front of them. A team that nobody gave a chance after the injuries they suffered is 48 minutes away from reaching the championship round. Now all they have to do is go through LeBron James and his 7 consecutive trips to the Finals.

Every time the Celtics have a big game I am compelled to post this video; it is my favorite Celtics commercial of all-time.

It was a different time and it was a different team. Back in 2012 the Celtics were the aging veterans, the old heavyweight, the last samurai — whatever you want to call it. They were on their last legs and they knew it and thats what made them so dangerous. It took an absolute HOF God Mode performance from LeBron ironically enough to knock that team off, but they had him on the ropes with the opportunity to close him out in a Game 6. Just. Like. Tonight.

This Celtics team could not be any different than that one. This team is lead by 20 and 21 year old guys with only a couple of “real veterans” to round it out. Jayson Tatum is 20 years old and looks like he’s a 10 year veteran, but this is all a first for him. Jaylen Brown seems to have taken on the role of a calming force…in his second year in the league. Al Horford, and Marcus Smart, and Marcus Morris, and Terry Rozier, and Aron Baynes and…and well thats probably it, but thats who we’re rolling with.

Great moments are born from great opportunity and thats what you have here tonight boys. Thats what you’ve earned here tonight.

Is Tonight a Must Win for the Celtics?

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Despite what I said yesterday about not panicking just yet and how I think the Celtics aren’t in trouble yet, tonight is still an absolute hands down must win. There is zero chance this young Celtics team can go into Cleveland and steal a Game 6, especially after getting trounced there twice already, and then come back and take a Game 7 in back to back games.

Even The Truth agrees:

“The Celtics have to win in six,” he said. “They have to win in six. They have to win this game and they have to get the road win in Cleveland. I’m just not comfortable with having LeBron in Game 7 — no matter where it is . . . Unless you have the Truth on your side, I’m not comfortable with that.”

The Celtics need Jaylen Brown to stop getting stuffed by KYLE KORVER, they need Marcus Smart to stop cosplaying as Ray Allen, and they need Al Horford to play like the max player he is. Sprinkle in a little Scary Terry and just throw Marcus Morris and whoever else out to just make LeBron work and you have a good shot. However, if Brad Stevens doesn’t adjust from the last two thumpings and the Celtics continue to allow bums like JR Smith to bury them, then they’re in for a world of pain.

Thankfully the Celtics have been money at home in the playoffs this year and have yet to lose a game. LeBron can definitely smell blood in the water, but the guy is going to get his. If LeBron drops 45 and 15 and the Celtics lose I can live with that. What I cannot live with is Korver, Smith, George Hill and Tristan Thompson being the reason we lose.

I think getting in front of the home crowd will be an elixir for those young guys and give a little more ammo for guys like Smart and Morris to be the glorious dickheads that they are.

We don’t need another “young, overachieving” Celtics team playing its role as jester before stepping up to get its head cut off on national TV by King LeBron. We already saw that episode in 2015 and 2017.

Don’t forget, the Celtics have chased LeBron out of Cleveland before. Do it again.

I’m Bordering on Concerned About the Celtics Now

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Before I bare my soul I will repeat what I said in defense of the Cavs after Game 2; you’re not in trouble in a series until you lose a home game. The Celtics took care of business and stomped out the Cavs in Games 1-2 in Boston and the Cavs have now returned the favor.

If the NBA (and many of its players home/road splits) didn’t have such wild swings in momentum, officiating, and legitimate home court advantage I would be in full on panic mode. Thats also why everyone who has mocked the Celtics for the past few years for being a soft No. 1 or No. 2 seed and how the regular season “doesn’t matter” needs to pipe down. Have the Celtics overachieved the last couple of seasons? Absolutely. Thats exactly why they need that home court advantage over a team like the Cavs. Guys like Terry Rozier and Marcus Smart are notoriously better at home so yes its important for the C’s to grind out those first 82 games in order to secure any minor advantage they can. I’d also like to point out that the Celtics have yet to lose a game at home in the playoffs.

So with all that being said, do I feel great heading back to Boston with this series tied up and LeBron and his flunkies feeling themselves after back to back W’s? Noooope. LeBron has been LeBron and just abused whoever is defending him or has facilitated like the basketball Magic Johnson facsimile that he is. That was pretty much always going to happen, regardless of how much we all pumped up Marcus Morris for being the LeBron Stopper.

What concerns me the most though is how much better the Cavs have gotten each game, in particular the supporting cast of bums like George Hill and JR Smith. Smith is a notorious front runner so I’m confident in the fact the Celtics can get back to their business in Game 5 at home and Smith could very predictably shut it down. George Hill was non-existent in Games 1-2 yet in the 2 games in Cleveland he was a problem, but that could very easily just be a case of role players (like Smart and Rozier) balling out at home.

What absolutely cannot happen though is guys like Kyle Korver just son-ing Jaylen Brown. Korver set up shop in the young forward’s brain, blocking a couple of Brown’s shots and then working him on the glass to go along with his unconscious shooting from 3. Not to mention Jaylen Brown absolutely bricking a wide open dunk.

The Cavs just keep getting better and better the last two games so I’m telling myself (read: hoping) that this is just a home team taking care of business. But Cleveland’s improvement over the last 4 games is just ridiculous. Seriously, look at the Cavs’ FG% and 3-point percentages from Game 1 to Game 4.

  • Game 1: 36% / 15%
  • Game 2: 46% / 32%
  • Game 3: 48% / 50%
  • Game 4: 50% / 34%

I don’t appreciate the Cavs seemingly getting better every single game after looking like they were on the brink of implosion after the first 2.

The No. 1 problem that Brad Stevens is going to have to fix before Game 5 though is a bunch of guys in their early 20s looking at LeBron getting it going and saying ‘here we go again.’ Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Terry Rozier all grew up watching LeBron go on runs like this. The C’s need a veteran (paging Al Horford) to remind this team how badly they beat up on Cleveland in the first two games. Do it again.

This is why going back home is just what the doctor ordered. The role players need to get their shit together, which is hard for young guys to do on the road. In particular I need Marcus Smart to get back to doing the little things and stop jacking a 3 pointer (1-5 last night) just because the Cavs are daring him to do so.

The Cavs have done an excellent job in finding the matchups they want, including somehow getting Rozier on LeBron more times that I’d like to remember. Stevens adjusted:

But give the guy a couple of days to digest what the Cavs and that genius Tyronn Lue are doing and I believe they can slow Cleveland down. Speaking of Tyronn Lue, how about the balls on the head coach doing head coaching things last night?

I’m surprised LeBron didn’t just rip the whiteboard out of his hands on the sidelines after that.

And I hate to be that guy, but since the NBA had a ref in Tim Donaghy get sent to fucking PRISON for messing with games, I’m going to go ahead. The officiating has been abysmal in this series. One of the worst examples was the refs wiping out a would be 4-point play and calling an offensive foul on Marcus Morris on a MADE 3 pointer.

The officiating has been terrible and looks like a blatant design to extend the series and favor the home team. We can only hope that favor is returned in Boston.

The Celtics return to TD Garden to try and right the ship on Wednesday night. The Cavs have a ton of momentum, but again the C’s have yet to lose at home in the playoffs so I will refrain from panicking quite yet. Game 5 is an absolute must win for the C’s though so lets get it.