Tag: Celtics

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.

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.

Celtics End of the Year Check In and Seasonal Awards

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(Mattes and Dom are back to give their take on where things stand with the Celtics heading into postseason play. With a first-round playoff matchup against the Indiana Pacers on tap for Sunday at 1 p.m., here’s their two cents on the State of the C’s along with their picks for a few seasonal awards.)

(MATTES): The regular season is officially over, and we are now just a few days away from NBA playoff action, my man. While the Celtics have gone just 6-4 since our last check-in about three weeks ago, there are definitely a lot of areas in which I’ve seen some improvement. Yeah, I’m still pretty disappointed that this team couldn’t even lock up a top-three seed in the East, but it’s not like Milwaukee, Toronto, or Philly are anything to sneeze at. Also, we’ve seen what this team can do when they play full-out, so maybe we’ll see them hit another gear over the next couple weeks. I’m done trying to predict what to expect from these guys, but I am at least a bit more hopeful.

Then, last night, we got the awful news that Marcus Smart may be out for at least the first two rounds of the playoffs. That is NAHT good at all, especially for the team’s defense. However, The Boston Globe‘s Adam Himmelsbach is reporting that maybe it won’t be quite that long:

Either way, losing your best defender for any period of time in the playoffs isn’t great, but hopefully Smart – one of the league’s toughest players – is able to come back sooner rather than later. Stay tuned.

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No matter how long he’s out for, Smart’s top-notch defense and intensity on the court are going to be sorely missed.

Dom, besides the whole Smart news, what are some other things you’ve noticed over the past 10 or so games that are particularly noteworthy for you heading into a first-round playoff matchup with Indiana?

(DOM): Yeah, I think we’re all pretty disappointed with where this team finished this year. I think all of us expected too much out of Hayward right away, including Coach Stevens. He really shouldn’t have given him so many minutes, and I believe if given a second chance Brad would’ve handled it differently. At the end of the day, though, the top three in the East all played great. Milwaukee overachieved behind an MVP season from the Greek Freak, and Toronto continues to play great basketball, with Pascal Siakam a candidate for Most Improved Player and Kawhi Leonard on his way to another First-Team All-Defense honor. Philly is stacked and made some great moves, with Elton Brand staring an Executive of the Year Award in the face. So, although I think we should’ve been in that top three, the competition has definitely improved over years past.

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Giannis and his Bucks were truly a force to be reckoned with this season.

I’m with you when it comes to predicting where this team is headed. It all depends on what team shows up. I really wanted them to head into the playoffs riding a winning streak, but with the injuries sustained over the last several games, health is the top priority. Looking at the numbers, we actually don’t have much to be excited about. Although we picked up two big wins against the Pacers in the last two weeks, we haven’t played very well otherwise. Almost every statistical category is down compared to the rest of the season. Although the difference is pretty slight, we’re scoring less, and assists, rebounds, steals, and blocks are all down. The only positive stats are that our turnovers are down and our three-point percentage is up. This is just on paper, though.

In terms of the eye test, having Aron Baynes back from injury is huge. His physicality in the post and on the glass are exactly what a playoff team needs. I think he’ll be a huge part of our playoff run. I also see a much more aggressive, offensively minded Gordon Hayward. He’s been looking for his shot, attacking the hoop, and making smart plays with confidence. I wrote about both of these guys a few days ago, but they are my two X-factors in the playoffs.

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At least the big Aussie is back and ready to roll.

At this point, we know what we’re going to get out of Kyrie, Al Horford, and Jaylen Brown. Jayson Tatum is another story, but I actually think that Hayward being able to command the second unit is more important than Tatum going off with the first unit. There are enough other weapons in our starting lineup that Tatum scoring the 15-18 points a game that he usually puts up will be plenty. He just needs to take smart shots and he’ll be fine.

(MATTES): Like I said, while I’ve seen some improvements, I agree that they certainly aren’t world-beaters right now. However, I think you are really underestimating how stupid good Hayward has been playing lately. And I know I’m in the minority, but I can’t get on Brad for his insistence on using him this year. Since missing three straight in mid-March while in the concussion protocol, the man has been absolutely EN FUEGO. In our last piece, I mentioned this article from SB Nation, which highlights just how vital he had been to the team’s success the whole season, even before his recent hot streak. Yes, he was certainly prone to some clunkers; there is no doubt about that. But since March 24 alone, the dude is averaging over 16 per night with a 58/32/88 shooting line. He’s really starting to wake up at the perfect time.

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Look who finally woke up!

Outside of those solid numbers, though, which anyone could look up with a few quick clicks, inconsistency has still been rearing its ugly head. I’ve said all year long that this team has suffered from a severe lack of aggressiveness. No longer are we seeing the old “grit-and-balls” style of play that KG made so famous (save for maybe Marcus Smart), as most guys have been happy to settle for three-point attempts (7th-most 3PAs in the league) and other ill-advised jumpers. Rarely have we seen anyone on the Celts pinning their ears back and attacking the basket. As a result, the team is at the very bottom of the league in free-throw attempts per game (29th), severely limiting the amount of easy buckets they could have used, especially at the end of games.

Just take a look at this: On April 3 against Miami alone, Hayward had 13 free-throw attempts, and the Celtics as a team shot 31 of them. The game before that, also against Miami, they attempted 24 free throws as a team. But over the next two games, they shot a combined 30. To be fair, the difference in points per game between those two sets of games is nominal, and a higher amount of shots from the line does not necessarily correlate with direct success. But this team plays SO MUCH better when they’re being aggressive, which they are not too keen to be all the time, for whatever reason, and it drives me NUTS.

Again, perhaps they’ll kick it up a notch in the playoffs. And having a healthy Baynes back is huge, particularly in the rebounding department, which has been a glaring issue all season long. Hopefully he can help get the boys fired up, especially with Smart on the shelf.

(DOM): So when it comes to Hayward, most of my criticism of Brad is from the first couple months. He gave him too much too soon, and probably could’ve handled things differently. Brad readily admits that it’s been a work in progress with this quote:

“The one thing we haven’t done all year is talk about what Gordon can’t do. We talk about what he does well and try to put him in the best position to do that…We didn’t do a great job of that early on. And I think we’ve all learned how he can best help us. When he plays with the ball, he makes the right play over and over and over.”

For most of 2019, Hayward has been great. Every month we’ve seen his offensive efficiency improve, and I could not be more happy with Hayward’s performance. He played a great stretch at the beginning of January, went into a funk, then played great before getting hurt at practice right after the All-Star game. Then, as you mentioned, since the concussion he’s been lights out (pun intended).

As for your point about aggressiveness, I’m with you 100%. Kyrie is really the only one who attacks the basket with consistency, and he’s subsequently the only person on this team who should be chucking early-shot-clock jumpers. Tatum needs to cut the shit and stop settling for contested jump shots all the time. If he attacked the hoop more often, he would be Kevin Durant. Same game. Same body type. The difference is that Durant attacks the hoop to open up his outside game, not the other way around. Tatum needs to learn how to do that. Jaylen Brown is usually good at attacking the hoop and is surprisingly good at finishing, although he also struggles to attack with any consistency. It’s going to be super important for this team to attack the Pacers. If we can wear down Myles Turner and Domantas Sabonis with our pace and aggressiveness and get them in foul trouble, too, this series will be a breeze.

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We need a lot more of this outta you, Jay!

(MATTES): You just absolutely nailed it with this little tidbit here: “Tatum needs to cut the shit and stop settling for contested jump shots all the time. If he attacked the hoop more often, he would be Kevin Durant. Same game. Same body type. The difference is that Durant attacks the hoop to open up his outside game, not the other way around.” Very well said. While I would never say Tatum has had a “bad” season – especially with how well he’s been playing lately – I will say that he has taken nowhere near the leap forward I’d thought he’d take in Year 2. With the way he finished last year, I thought this dude was truly ready to TAKE OFF, giving us bona fide top-20-player type of production. But honestly, I feel like he’s regressed a bit. Not so much in terms of his skillset, per se, but rather his mindset, as he just hasn’t been as confident as he was last spring/early summer. Whether it was a spending a bit too much time with “Mr. Shoot ‘Em If Ya Got ‘Em” Kobe Bryant this offseason, or maybe being a bit oppressed by Kyrie and the rest of the talent on the roster, Tatum just hasn’t shown the type of effort or chutzpah he needs to in order to get to level where he should be. At least not so far.

Jaylen has actually been one of the only guys on the team to get the line with any semblance of frequency this year. However, I think his inconsistent usage this season – something which I will get on Brad for – has hurt his further development. While the rotation has been a bit fluid at times this year, nobody has seen more fluctuation in playing time than Jaylen, and I honestly don’t know why. I truly feel like the more he plays the better he gets, and I do believe coaching has significantly held him back this year.

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I see you, Jaylen! I still believe in you!

OK, so we pretty much agree on the following:

    1. The team is still plenty talented enough to make a deep playoff run.
    2. In order to do so, they need to put their big-boy pants on and start being more aggressive in all facets of the game – especially Tatum.
    3. Having Baynes back is a lot more important than people think, particularly even more now with the Smart injury.
    4. Hayward is really starting to come alive and could be the team’s X-factor in the postseason.

Now, let’s hop into a few seasonal awards:

(TEAM MVP): Kyrie Irving – I mean, duh. Sure, he can be a bit of a pill sometimes, and I totally understand if people are fed up with his ego and, ummm, candid commentary. But he’s still the very best player on this team, bar none. Most importantly, he stayed relatively healthy this season and looks to be in top form heading into postseason play. He truly might be ready to hit another level entirely.

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Kyrie is still the king.

(MOST IMPROVED): Marcus Smart – At first I thought picking “Most Improved” was going to be difficult. But after consulting the numbers, it wasn’t. Marcus Smart is actually the only guy on the roster who has improved significantly this season. You can make a case for Irving, I guess, but Smart took a HUGE step forward offensively this year. He set career highs in field-goal percentage and three-point percentage as well as three-pointers made, steals, and games played. Both his FG% and 3P% were up by six percent over last year, his free-throw percentage was up nearly eight points. Basically, his entire offensive IQ is up. His shot selection has been so much better that he seems like a different player. He rarely chucks up shots before setting his feet, attacks more, and continues to do a good job of finding open teammates. His turnovers were also the lowest since 2015-16, when he only started 10 games. Marcus Smart is the heart of this team, and he always happens to be in the right place making huge plays at the right time. He’s the only guy that consistently gives 110 percent and never takes plays off. He’s the type of guy that wins you championships, and his new deal last offseason certainly seemed to propel him to his best season yet. Losing him for even a small amount of time this postseason could truly be a killer.

(MOST DISAPPOINTING): Terry Rozier – It was just NOT a good season for “Scary Terry.” After last season’s solid playoff performance, he just couldn’t settle into the rotation this year and finished with the lowest net rating per 100 possessions of any guy on the roster (-9.5) besides Robert Williams. He’s always been a poor shooter, but he’s hitting just under 39 percent of his shots this season and seems to be trying way too hard. To be fair, I think he’d thrive more in a spot where he’d get more volume, as the talent’s still there. But it’s pretty clear that the impending free agent is miserable here, and to be honest I don’t even want him in the rotation for the postseason. Thanks for everything, Terry, but I think it’s time to go, bud.

Be sure to check back into The 300s this weekend for a first-round playoff preview. And be sure to let us know your thoughts in the comments below or on Facebook!

Celtics Lock Up Home Court in Round 1 of the NBA Playoffs

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Despite losing to the Magic, the Celtics have backed their way into the 4 seed thanks to a loss by the Pacers last night.

I know I’ve been slacking on the Celtics content lately, but I have my reasons. Firstly, there really hasn’t been much to comment on over the last two weeks. They’ve played pretty much the way I’ve expected: some stupid, disappointing losses mixed in with solid wins. Secondly, it has been harder for me to watch games. As you’d expect for someone living on the VA-DC line, the Celtics don’t get a lot of airtime at the bar, even when the hometown team is a red hot piece of trash that just fired their GM. Lastly, and this is the bigger reason why I haven’t been writing much, I’ve done a lot of drinking since I moved to Virginia.

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Maybe I’m just out of the loop because I’m from Massachusetts, but they have real happy hours down here. They’re amazing and probably my favorite thing in the world right now (unless my wife is reading this). From at least 5-7 at just about every bar, and with extended hours at a lot of them, you can get seriously discounted drinks and small plates in half the city. It’s incredible. Mass has a rip off happy hour where you get $1 off of nachos or some shit you can make at your house, but this shit is legit. And rest assured I’ve been taking full advantage of it.

As for the Celtics, although they had a 4-game losing streak in the middle of March, including a pathetic showing against the Hornets in Charlotte, they were able to come away with wins in the two most important games down the stretch: a home and away against the Pacers that has left me 100% sure we will make it to the second round. Although the game at the Garden was a close one, this last win in Indy without Brown and Morris proved that we are a legit force. With multiple games against the Pacers and a home-and-away mini-series against the Heat, the Celtics have actually had a little taste of the playoff format already. Al Horford said having games like this were good practice for the playoffs, and I’m in full agreement.

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This guy is going to be an X-factor in the playoffs.

The biggest factor in getting this team playoff ready for me is moving Morris to the bench and replacing him with All of Australia. Baynes brings toughness in the paint and relegates more scoring the to second unit, two things that were much needed. Playoff basketball is very different than regular season basketball, and something the Celtics have lacked since the days of KP43 is a force in the paint. Baynes, in the two games against the Pacers, put up 13 and 13 at home at 11 and 11 on the road with a few blocks mixed in. He’s also done it without fouling, something isn’t always able to avoid.

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Consistent scoring from Hayward is the key to a deep playoff run.

Another great sign in the blowout the other night was the perfect game (9-9 from the field, 3-3 from the line) from Gordon Hayward. This was the best such performance since Kevin McHale had 25 in a perfect game back in 1986. It was also the first time this season Gordon put up 20+ in consecutive games, pushing the Celtics to 6-0 when he hits that scoring mark. He’s been more physical and aggressive every game, and I think he’s really starting to show that confidence that was missing for the first several months of the season. I mean shit, he played 38 minutes last night. He may not have lit up the scoreboard, but he was very efficient. The more consistent he can be, the deeper we’ll go in the playoffs. If Gordon and Baynes play at a high level, and Kyrie, Brown and Al continue to play the way they have been, that will open up the floor for everyone else. Tatum looked to be back on track against Indy as well, leading the team in minutes and scoring.

Health will be a concern for sure, especially after last night. However, I don’t expect the shin contusion Tatum suffered to be all that serious. We’ll see about the hip injury to Marcus Smart, but he’s a tough bastard that will fight through it. I would expect Tatum, Smart and Irving at the very least to be out for tomorrow’s matchup against the Wizards, but only for a little extra rest. The only disappointing part about the rest is I will be at the game tomorrow rooting on….idk, Yabu I guess? I really don’t expect many people to play, and wouldn’t be surprised if those three I named aren’t the only ones missing time. Oh well. If all of the pieces fall where they should, this team can be the title contender that we all thought they’d be at the start of the season. I can’t wait to watch what they can do and find my hopes rising every day for this team.

Checking in on the Celtics With Just 10 Games Left to Go

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(The NBA postseason begins in less than a month, and let’s just say it’s been a rather up-and-down season for our Boys in Green. While there’s still 10 games left to go in the regular season, Mattes and Dom are here with their take on the Celtics’s play this season and where things stand with the team heading into the home stretch.)

MATTES: I’ll be honest, heading into the year I never thought I’d see this team sitting 10 games out of the top spot in the East with 10 games left to go in the season. After they were mere minutes from an NBA Finals appearance last season – without their best player, mind you – I (and pretty much everyone else) am shocked to see them sitting in freakin’ FIFTH at the moment. After two tough losses this week, the Celtics are now four games behind Philly for the 3-seed and a half-game behind Indy for fourth place. At the moment, they wouldn’t even get home home-court advantage in the first round!

If things stand pat – and they probably will, especially with Kyrie saying he’s probably going to take some time off to rest before the playoffs – the Celtics are likely to take on the Pacers in the first round. (The Pistons are 5.5 games behind the C’s, and unless The Green absolutely collapse, they should get either the fourth or fifth seed and play Indy either way.)

So, Dom, how are you feeling with just 3.5 weeks left in the season? Do you feel OK with this squad heading into postseason play? Kyrie said back in February that all that matters is getting to the dance, and basically that the regular season is overrated. Do you agree?

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Kyrie says not to worry, but shouldn’t we be?

DOM: I both agree and disagree with what Kyrie says. The big reason being that home court is important, no matter how much players and coaches try to downplay it in press conferences. The Celtics are under .500 on the road but 29-14 at home. That’s important. We’re about to start playing the best teams in the league, and although I think any team in the East will have a hard time beating us in seven games, being able to play in a building that you dominate in is a massive advantage. Combine that with the fact that since February 1, we’re 4-8 against playoff teams, so we’re going to need all the help we can get. However, I do agree with Kyrie in the sense that there’s no point risking injury in the regular season if you know where you’ll end up in the playoffs. I’d actually like him to take the less important games off so we can get Terry, Tatum, and the rest of the cast feeling better about themselves for the playoff push.

As far as preseason predictions, I’m glad I didn’t put any money on this team like I originally wanted to. That’s for sure. I think we’ll move into the 4-seed by the end of the season, as the Pacers are fading and have a really tough schedule ahead. We also get to play them twice, so that’ll be a nice postseason preview. Still, though, fourth? I’d call you an idiot if you said that to me six months ago. As for predictions now, safe money has them getting knocked out in the second round by the Bucks.

MATTES: I agree that making preseason predictions can often be a fool’s errand, but there is no doubt this team has severely underachieved. Yes, the Bucks and Raptors (especially the Bucks) are also far exceeding expectations, and Philly got even better by adding two studs (Jimmy Butler and Tobias Harris) to their already loaded roster since last year. And I definitely did not expect an Indiana Pacers team which lost their best player (Victor Oladipo) for the season two months ago to still be hanging tough with the big boys in the East. So some might say that the surrounding competition is simply a lot better than we thought it would be.

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Harris (left) and Butler (right) have been two huge additions for the Sixers.

Honestly, though, I think it is much more about the Celtics themselves, as you even said they are 4-8 against current playoff teams since February 1. That includes teams out West, who do not affect the Celtics’s position in the Eastern Conference standings. To me, effort and demeanor has been the team’s biggest issue all year long; the talent is still obviously there.

It does seem as though we’ve gotten past a lot of the ridiculous off-court drama/bitch-ass-ness that was engulfing the team a few weeks ago, and it does seem as though they’re working together much better than before. (On Wednesday night, Kyrie was a wizard on the floor, making sick passes all over the court while trying to get the rest of the team involved early on in Philly. In fact, since March 1, he’s been averaging over eight assists per game, dishing out at least 10 dimes in 4-of-9 games this month.)

But again, effort is still lacking. After being a top-five defensive squad all year long, the team has dropped to sixth in terms of defensive rating. While that might not seem like a noteworthy change at all, it’s not a comforting trend when you consider they’ve given up an average of over 122 points per game (!!!) over their last five contests. They’re also 21st in the league in total rebounding, including being 20th in terms of offensive rebounding specifically. One of the first things I texted you while watching the game in Philly on Wednesday night was the fact that I was infuriated that the team refuses to even box out at times. I get that Embiid is really good. I get that we don’t really have anyone to match his size. But letting the guy get TWENTY-TWO boards on the night, including 16 on the defensive glass? That’s unacceptable.

 

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Embiid is one baaaaad man. He could be a huge problem in any potential playoff series against Philly.

DOM: All great points there. Defensively, we’ve actually been 16th in the league post-All-Star Break, and the team’s opponents’ points per game has really been driving me crazy. I often see people not knowing who to guard on fast breaks, losing their man on switches, and not closing out with their hands up. And that’s the difference in effort between winners and losers at the end of the year. Watching March Madness, you see it all over the place: teams who consistently lay out for loose balls, have their hands up and heads on a swivel, and play team defense usually come out on top.

I would also agree the competition in the East has gotten markedly better, especially at the top. The Bucks, Raptors, and 76ers are all legit championship threats, and Nate McMillan deserves serious consideration for Coach of the Year with what the Pacers have been able to do after the Oladipo injury. However, of the Celtics biggest disappointments, the coaching of Brad Stevens has to be the biggest for me. A lot of people will point to Hayward and say for a guy making $30 million a year, he sucks! But his salary doesn’t matter. The dude had one of the most horrific injuries you can possibly have, and anyone who expected him to come back and be the same player he was before is a fucking moron. Now, I’m not saying I don’t want more out of him, but his scoring and shooting percentage have increased every month this season. If you want to talk about contract value, that’s a conversation for next season.

Brad should’ve won the Coach of the Year Award last year with all the juggling of minutes of reserves, getting the most out of his players, and managing injuries as good as I’ve ever seen. This year, it seems he’s worrying too much about the egos of guys like Hayward, Tatum, and Morris and not doing the things that made them so good late last year. Namely, keeping a rotation based on who’s hot rather than giving people a set number of minutes. Although he’s been better lately, I can point to a dozen losses from earlier in the year where he failed to call timeouts when the other team went on a run, especially late in the game. Obviously the players have to perform, but as a coach you need to be able to stem the tide and know if the levee is about to break.

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Sorry, Brad. You’re not getting away scot-free here.

MATTES: YES! Brad Stevens really isn’t getting enough flak for the poor job he’s done overall this year. I’ve always been a big fan of Stevens, ever since we first brought him on almost six years ago. Especially after last season, like you mentioned, I thought he was quickly ascending up the NBA coaching hierarchy and that we’d be set for years to come with him leading the way. But, like you also mentioned, the guy refuses to take timeouts when needed or make the tough calls, and he instead seems to be more worried about upsetting the big egos on this team. (Although, much like when he called out the team for taking shortcuts on defense after the game in Toronto a few weeks ago, he seems like he’s been finding his voice at least a little bit more lately.)

As I’ve said time and time again this year, though, there might simply be too many cooks in the kitchen. There are eight very talented guys who are averaging over 20 minutes a game for the Celtics this year, and that can’t be very easy to manage. Also, in regards to Hayward, the team plays incredibly well when he specifically plays well. (But no really, they’re almost unstoppable when Hayward is on his game.) So I don’t necessarily blame Brad for continuing to play him so much, even when he’s been outright bad at times.

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As much as people might want to get on him this year, Hayward’s been huge for the team at times this season.

But, it is now March 22, and the postseason is right around the corner. Brad needs to continuing tightening things up, shorten the rotation even more, and play the guys who are really making an effort to salvage this season. No more “figuring things out.” We’re 90% of the way through the season! Get it together, boys!

DOM: Totally agree. I’m not one of these dopes calling for Brad to be fired, and even if they were to get swept in the first round, I still want Stevens as our head coach, for now at least. He’s had five years in a row to prove himself, and one bad year isn’t enough for me to call it on him as a good coach. But you’re right, Brad needs to stick with the guys who are playing well, and hopefully these guys can start playing consistently as a unit. That’s the key to winning: team basketball, on both sides of the ball.

Here’s a stat that blew my mind, and although it’s not surprising if you’ve watched this team at all this year, it is frustrating. Aside from Kyrie and Horford, the Celtics suck in the ISO. There’s two guys in particular who need to cut the shit and stop clearing everyone out: Tatum and Morris. To give people an idea of how effective people can be out of the ISO, James Harden is the league leader, averaging 18 points per game in the ISO, and Steph Curry is the most efficient, scoring 1.1 points per possession in terms of people scoring more than one basket per game in ISO. (Technically, Rodions Kurucs is No. 1 at 1.75 PPP, but we’re not gonna count that).

The best players in the league hover around 1.0 PPP, but plenty of quality players keep it above 0.9. However, once you start dipping from there, you become increasingly ineffective. And that’s where Morris and Tatum come in. Morris is averaging 0.66 PPP and Tatum is at 0.64!! And it’s not like this is Draymond Green, who’s at 0.67 but is only in ISO 2.9% of the time. Tatum and Morris get the ball in ISO 13.4% and 9.8% of the time, respectively, and both only shoot 32% in those situations. Basically, that means that when Morris or Tatum go at it alone, they only make one of every three shots, good for two points every three trips up the court. That is GARBAGE.

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Move the fucking basketball. Somehow, the Celtics actually average 26.4 assists per game, good for sixth in the NBA. But could you imagine if the ball didn’t seem to get stuck in someone’s hands so often? On the other side of it, Horford and Kyrie are both ridiculously efficient off the pick-and-roll, averaging well over 1.0 PPP each and shooting 50% or higher. That’s insane. Keep doing that.

MATTES: Well, it’s seems pretty obvious that we both feel that guys getting over themselves, learning to defer to those who deserve it, and actually acting like they care are three simple changes this team can make right now. If so, maybe – JUST MAYBE – a second straight push for the Finals isn’t such a crazy thought after all. If not, we might ultimately be looking at one of the more disappointing seasons for a Boston sports team that we’ve seen in quite some time.

The Celtics kick off their final slate of regular-season games on Saturday night in Charlotte.

JIMMER FREDETTE IS BACK IN THE NBA BABY!

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SI – The Suns will sign guard Jimmer Fredette through the rest of the 2018-19 season, according to 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station’s John Gambadoro. Phoenix will have a team option on Fredette’s contract for 2019-20.

Fredette will join the Suns following a stint with the Shanghai Sharks in the Chinese Basketball Association. Fredette led the league in scoring with 36.9 points per game in 2018-19.

For anyone thats been following this blog for the past two years you know full well that I am a Jimmer Fredette super fan. I’ve written all about him dominating in China, and of course the absolute fire flames shoe line he dropped.

The guy was so fun to watch in college because he played like a game of NBA 2K just pulling up for threes barely past half court.

Now obviously that didn’t translate to the NBA all that well as he only averaged 6 points a game over the course of 5 seasons. However the league has evolved into an all out air raid with every team shooting more 3’s than ever before so it could be Jimmer’s time to shine. Granted its not the best competition in the world, but he’s been averaging nearly 40 a game in China so thats gotta count for something right?

It’s a shame the Celtics didn’t sign him, but hey at least Jimmer Fredette is back in our lives. Either way I may have to get NBA League Pass just to watch Jimmer jack 3’s from 28 feet in Phoenix now.

Isaiah Thomas Was Playing Pickup Ball With Random Kids at Emerson

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Just a true man of the people. It really is crazy when you see Isaiah Thomas in a situation like this with some regular folks because he doesn’t look out of place at all. In fact it makes it look even more preposterous that this 5’8″ guy even made the NBA, let alone was in the running for MVP a couple years back. I’m still bummed about the way Isaiah’s post-Celtics career has gone since the trade, but the guy puts in the work (both with the pros and the normies) and is positive AF so here’s to hoping he gets back to that level we’ve all seen so often around here.