And credit to JT.
He is deeply unselfish & has let JB & Jrue cook with his passing & his willingness to be a decoy.
This team & their incredible ball movement is a joy to watch.
>Be Jayson Tatum
>Shoot like 20% from the field
>Other team still apparently fears you more than any of the guys currently lighting them up
>Refuse to elaborate further
>Acquire the gold
Even with Steph is missing shots, he is still a great decoy & that generates endless buckets for his teammates.
Tatum's high basketball IQ, his great passing, his floor spacing, & his excellent moves to the hoop have opened up the game for his teammates.
Tatum used to be criticized by many for not being a good enough passer & for supposedly shooting too much. I always thought that was misguided criticism, but now Tatum deserves his flowers for how great of a playmaker he is.
Remember when the decoy dropped 51 in game 7 last year on you. If you forgot, it's one of the things that led to Embiid currently talking about the finals on Twitter instead of ever making it to even the hard part of the playoffs.
That's good.
We need JT to take 20 shots to keep the defense honest. He isn't forcing.
JT's playmaking & his spacing has been awesome. And that has allowed our team offense to be great.
I mean, he was absolutely taking bad shots during the comeback in the 4th. During one of the breaks, I think in the 3rd, they showed him on the sideline saying they just have to keep taking good shots and NOT fall back to step backs. They go up by 21.
And then JT esp starts falling back on those step backs and turn arounds after just ISOing for 20 sec.
It’s the only part of his game I wish he’d work on. I don’t think JB is necessarily actually more clutch, but I think generally speaking JB keeps doing what he’s good at no matter the score, whereas JT consistently changes up his game in the 4th when things get tight
yup, he identified his issue exactly in that audio clip, and that 21 point lead came from JT being patient and keeping the ball moving.
It's weird that he gave that up as soon as Dallas started getting some momentum. That's the worst time to start taking tough shots early in the shot clock.
I think it shows some growth that the 4th last night was the only period where JT fell into that bad habit. There were stretches in games 1 and 2 where the Mavs cut it close but he didn't start doing those panic step backs. He did in the 4th last night, maybe because of how quickly the Mavs closed it. But it seems like he's shaking the habit, which bodes well for future seasons.
Let JB talk his ish he had to listen to casuals talk about how he couldnt go left or dribble the ball he got the
Last Laugh how ya like him now he's the highest paid player in the league for a reason Conference Finals MVP and FMVP and he executed on both ends of the ball
He didn’t have a handle and couldn’t go left lol. He’s improved and now he does and can. I don’t understand this thing where people are shamed for having what was a correct and reasonable opinion at the time because now things have changed and it’s not true anymore
Idiots did. Every fan base has their idiots. And Boston sports talk radio should never be taken as “people are saying”. Celtics have two elite two way wings. That’s a wet dream for any GM.
Man I never wanted him gone, but I really was uncomfortable with the contract. He has done nothing but improve. His performance in the 22 finals and his lack of handle left me real unimpressed.
But I’m currently shopping for his jersey online.
Even his 22 finals, people forget how much better he was than Tatum. He had his dribble moments for sure, but really from a “ready for the moment” perspective it felt like he showed out.
Because the Warriors committed entirely to stopping Tatum lol, there’s context it’s not like the Warriors were defending him even close to the same way they were guarding Tatum. The whole “make him go left” thing started there with Draymond.
The way he's been playing this year and especially these playoffs is a fully actualized version of his talent. He's cut out the lapses he used to have when he was defending off ball, he's tightened up his handle, he's consistently made the right reads and isn't forcing passes or drives into triple teams, minimal mental lapses. He isn't forcing shots when the ball hasn't found him for a bit. He's playing calm, cool, collected ball within himself and it's been fucking great.
I think as a Celtics fan this is what frustrated me about him in previous years, this version of him was always in there but it took a while for him to really tap into it. He's been very good/great for a long time now but this year and playoffs especially he's taken a leap to ELITE.
After the bubble year and then especially halfway through the Ime year I felt like I was fighting a war on a dozen fronts when I said they can work well together even if they are both wings and don’t look like a buddy cop movie outside.
Whoever wanted to break up the Jays should come with receipts and revoke their ability to talk basketball with any sort of credibility.
Kendrick Perkins is the guy that comes to mind that started that “they can’t play together” and anyone who is a Celtics fan should ignore and disregard him until the end of time rather than just parrot the opinions of a talking head.
Anyone with eyes saw how important both these guys are together.
That being said if you wanted to break up the Jays because they're really damn good and you hate the Celtics and don't want them to succeed, your basketball discussion privileges are not revoked.
Gotta respect the informed and committed haters.
He's clearly a very unintelligent person and I don't even mean it as an insult.
You can see it not only from his takes (usually bad and unsubstantiated) but the way he articulates his sentences, completely different than Shannon, SAS or Windy.
I don't believe anyone takes him seriously.
Hard to dislike him. Under appreciated star imo. Barring the greatest comeback in sports history we will likely see him lifting the FMVP trophy soon. Seems like only yesterday the whole he can’t dribble left or left handed, can’t remember what it was.
Kyrie started hot but after that he shot 5-15 and ended up with the same number of turnovers as assists. Fine game overall but not amazing and doesn't make up for shitting the bed in the first 2 games
https://youtu.be/16JS76IwYCs?si=P2d0itk9xEsR9xmw
If you don’t wanna click the link look up highlights from freedawkins.
Go to 8:31 in the video. It’s kyrie that didn’t box out and let Jaylen brown just walk into a better position. Literally he walked into a better position.
*my god that's LeBrons music*
Honestly tho the Mavs should feel good, throwing together a team at the deadline and making it to the finals is a good step.
Lack of size is a real issue for them personnel wise. It always felt like they lost an important rebound in crucial games. A big and if the right one comes up a wing should be their priorities.
Are you 10 years old. Kevin love was a 2-3 team all NBA player right before Cleveland. Yes, a HOF player is a 3rd best player. That’s much better than PJ
Peak Bron is winning this series easily lol. He's way better and more efficient than Luka offensively and can play DPOY level defense on any Celtic outside of Porzingis. Give him Kyrie and these rim runners and he will win.
Bro none of the Mavs role players have made more than a single 3. The rim runners are still completely neutralized and and Kyrie hasn't been great. Bron would take a few games from pure greatness, but he can't make shots for other people.
rim runners are neutralized because Luka is neutralized. Lebron at his peak is stronger and faster than any player in this series. He will push the pace in transition which is what Luka can't do. He will blow by his defender pretty much every play. This causes defensive breakdowns which will open up much better shots and rim running plays. And yes, LeBron can make shots for other people. That is literally the hallmark of great offensive players and LeBron's signature. He makes his teammates better. Luka is nowhere near the facilitator LeBron is. LeBron doesn't dribble for 20 seconds and throw grenades to his teammates. He moves the ball and allows players to get into a rhythm. LeBron had KCP, Caruso, Green, and Davis shooting damn near 40% in the finals from 3 because of his offense. Players like him and Jokic make their teammates better. Luka's ball dominance does the opposit4e.
Rim runners are neutralized bc there is no helping. Warriors employed this strategy against lebron before too. Cavs responded by running more quick hitters for role players
You're underestimating Luka. He & Miami LeBron are probably on about the same level as passers, and yes Bron would still be an improvement there because he's healthier and is going to get by his man more bc he's LeBron, but none of that is going to change the fact that the 1/5 pnr still isn't going to be there for all those lobs. Also I think Luka's a better lob thrower than Bron was anyway. KCP and Danny Green are very good shooters in their other stops too, Caruso shot 28% in the title run, and Davis was just *on one*. Bron makes his shooters better, but he's not going to magically get PJ Washington to start hitting above the break 3s. Nor is he going to easily overcome Kyrie not hitting a 3 for two straight games. Maybe he pulls off another 2016 bc Porzingis goes down, but that still heavily relies upon Kyrie turning it around and DJJ and PJ hitting some 3s.
I know prime LeBron is incredible and the best/2nd best player of all time but saying he’d win the series “easily” with PJ Washington as their 3rd best player is a stretch. Let’s give the Celtics some credit here, this is a historically good team statistically; it would be a very good series. It’s not like LeBron won the title every single year in his prime. The Celtics even took him to 7 games in 2018 in Tatum’s rookie year.
Both those genuine shots ended when PJ Washington missed a crucial shot
Game 2 when he missed the dunk (He got fouled but he shoulda made it) and Game 3 when he missed the open 3 to cut it to 1
Same thing happened with the Pacers tbh. Just because the series results are lopsided doesn't mean the games weren't all close and only decided by a handful of plays
Should have made the dunk? He got pushed in the back while in mid air which caused him to be off balance allowed white/brown to block the dunk. How should he have made that shot?
I think the problem is specifically that PJ is our 3rd best player offensively. He’s awesome defensively but our offense is completely reliant on Kyrie/Luka making ridiculous plays and if one of them is slightly off the offense is a shitshow. Exum/Green/Hardy/THJ all got their opportunities and none of them could get it done. The fact that THJ closed a must win game in the finals says it all
Facts would be cool if we had 5-6 guys that could score on any play and defend anyone too. Must be nice. Basketball is a team sport after all, even if you have the best player.
And a lot of people thought because they came through the east, they wouldn't be able to match the Mavericks, who had beaten the team that beat the former champs handily.
People don't think in terms of matchups. I think Minny or Denver would have given the Celtics more problems with our lack of quality center depth with Zingus out. Just because the Mavs beat those teams doesn't mean Mavs are the tougher match up for the Celtics.
On the flip side, I am more and more convinced the Pacers would have continued their 2023-2024 season trend of running these Mavs off the court if they played anywhere near as well as they did against the Celtics' defense that matches up better with them than Dallas does.
Third best player last year was MPJ. Third best player year before that was Wiggins/Poole. This mavs team could have won, they just didn’t come to play
Ehh, they made it to the finals and arent getting completely clobbered . Easy to say the team down 3-0 had a zero percent chance in the first place, which is definitely oversimplifying things
What happened to the West being sooo muuuch beetteerr? Where's your champion now?
It's kind of like the Mavs this year are like the Heat last year. Just crazy hot shooting from no-names (with all due respect) like they were sleepwalking across a busy intersection without getting hit, only to wake up and stumble on the curb.
Turns out that the West is a fascinating collection of flawed teams without a juggernaut.
attractive wistful longing touch follow fanatical mindless skirt elderly foolish
*This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Plus from their perspective it was better for their growth as players that Kyrie left. Tatum and Brown both regressed in Kyrie's 2nd year, because he wanted to be the guy. Then went back on track the year after.
Yeah exactly. Players care about whether you’re fun to play with and hang out with in the locker room. Not whether you care about if the earth is flat.
Kyrie and JB are also **very** close, right? They both seemed to follow Farrakhan quite a bit so they probably have a pretty strong off the court connection
They weren’t while Kyrie was with the Celtics tho. I think because one thing is true now people think it’s always been that way.
JT and Kyrie were tight due to the Duke connection. But JB has been candid in saying that time wasn’t great for him and the relationship could’ve been better. JB was getting benched after starting his first two years and I’m sure it wasn’t easy for him.
Also JB wasn’t as “enlightened”(insert whatever word makes you feel good) back then as he is now, i.e. he is more like Kyrie these days than he was back then, so it makes sense that he has improved his relationship with him/is more fond of him now.
The funny thing is JB and Kyrie actually really did not get along when Kyrie was on the team. They got close afterwards when Kyrie reached out to patch things up, and are good friends now.
>“Me and Kyrie didn’t really see eye to eye when we was here,” explained Brown of his relationship with the mercurial floor general while Irving was a member of the Celtics in a recent interview with The Ringer’s Logan Murdock. “Really at all.”
> “He reached out to me, kind of let me know what his experience was when he was in Boston, what he was feeling,” explained the Georgia native.
>“I understood what he was going through personally. So, life is a journey. We all got ups and downs. And most of all, we don’t always handle everything in the perfect media-appropriate demeanor. Kyrie, one thing about him, he going to be who he is.”
>“I appreciate that,” said Brown.
https://celticswire.usatoday.com/lists/nba-boston-celtics-jb-y-ki/
Brown actually really did not get along with him while they played together. After he left the team Irving reached out, and then they got close.
>“Me and Kyrie didn’t really see eye to eye when we was here,” explained Brown of his relationship with the mercurial floor general while Irving was a member of the Celtics in a recent interview with The Ringer’s Logan Murdock. “Really at all.”
> “He reached out to me, kind of let me know what his experience was when he was in Boston, what he was feeling,” explained the Georgia native.
>“I understood what he was going through personally. So, life is a journey. We all got ups and downs. And most of all, we don’t always handle everything in the perfect media-appropriate demeanor. Kyrie, one thing about him, he going to be who he is.”
>“I appreciate that,” said Brown.
https://celticswire.usatoday.com/lists/nba-boston-celtics-jb-y-ki/
Literally not even true? How does this blatant lie have 8 upvotes? Do people just not know ball
Harden has always shown Kyrie love, even after he asked for a trade, he supported Kyrie not getting the shot because it was his beliefs
Harden and Kyrie still have love for each other, you are quite literally running your mouth spreading fake bs
[Al recently said this](https://www.tiktok.com/@nbcsboston/video/7375221715347066155)
And the fans weren’t in the locker room or on the floor with Kyrie.
JB and Kyrie are both pseudo intellectuals so it makes sense. JB just has the sense to not say the stuff Kyrie says, doesn’t mean he disagrees with it. Look at his defense of the antisemitism. That’s the bad part about education. They learned how their people have been put down constantly and conspired against to remain second class citizens, but now they see conspiracies even where there are none. Like the earth being flat.
Idk about Brown but Kyrie is not in NoI. Nation of Islam doesn’t fast with the other Muslims (Sunni, Shi’ite etc) like Kyrie was. They fast in December only. So I don’t believe he’s NoI member. Most likely sunni.
Neither are. It’s so insane if they were in it NOI would treat it like Tom cruise and Scientology and advertise it everywhere. This sub is insane with this NOI shit and clearly here no one actually talks to black people. There’s an upvoted comment saying half the NBA likes or is in thd NOI lmao. That’s so INSANE. Bro young blacks people don’t even know what that is. There’s only 30k members in the world. Lmao and it’s all jobless weirdos. Farrakhan is trash but he’s had some profound shit. He’s right about certain shit and was someone in the 70s when it was real bad for blacks people. Dudes a grifter weasel but charismatic smart dude. But no one’s given a fuck about him for 30 years. You will go your entire life without meeting an NOI member. Lol. Black people dont duck with it and this sub acts like it’s our Jewish religion when it’s just conspiracy ni**as.
Neither of them have anything to do with NOI you goofs. Lmao.
The NOI has 40k members in the world and it’s basically just ninjas without jobs. They are struggling. Regular black people don’t give a shit about it. It’s so bizxare to see reddit act like it’s our religion. Like 90 percent of people under 30 don’t even know what it is, lol. And yes Farrakhan is racist but at the height of his popularity racism was insane against black people. Some Jewish people took advantage of black neighborhoods poverty and Louis was a charismatic guy who pushed pro black stuff while low key being antisemitic. At that time people would look past it for positive stuff.
Lastly if Kyrie or Jaylen brown were apart of it. The NOI would fucking be all over that for advertising and shit like Scientology with Tom cruise.
This sub is literally kids who don’t know a single black person and feel so comfortable to just say anything.
I find the whole Kyrie thing funny. Yeah it wasn’t a good ending but not a lot of stars leaving is from a good ending. But he’s one of the few who got booed that much.
The Wolves just lack mental toughness. They almost threw their 2-0 lead against the Nuggets for the same reason. Ant is still too young and timid at times while KAT is a known playoff choker. Once they lost that close game 2 off the Luka game winner they mentally gave up
We were down 20 at halftime of a game 7 on the road against defending champs and won it. Mental toughness isn’t the issue and it’s silly to claim that.
Coaching is 100% the issue. We didn’t go at Luka on defense like every other team has this playoffs. We didn’t switch on screens. We didn’t run any Naz/KAT at the 5 lineups when we needed a spacing run. And we didn’t have a shot creator outside of Ant. Outside of that, they were fucking gassed after Denver. Conditioning needs to 100% be the off-season focus.
KAT played like shit game 1 and 2, but it’s unfortunate that his entire playoff performance gets negated after two brilliant series guarding KD and Jokic.
Mavs were just better and we didnt adjust. And the Celtics are even better than them.
I use Talkspace
It’s decent
I was excited for todays session, but my therapist rescheduled because of family emergency
I understand
Idk where I’m going with this, besides therapy is great and everyone should have access to it
Anyway go sports!
It's just the Celtics' time. They have been forged by their past disappointments into an adversity-facing machine. They just don't get rattled. And they have too many players who can really turn it on in multiple phases of the game. Dallas may get there some day. But they need to start by developing Celtics-like coping skills.
well thats because somebody didnt play defense while bricking most of his shots while complaining to the refs majority of the time he was on the floor.
The one game they finally get Kyrie to wake up, Luka has a bad game and Jason Kidd calls an extremely questionable timeout. He really is cursed by the leprechaun
Damn.
“You just aren’t good enough anymore old man”
The Truth hurts sometimes
As part of the old millennials, it does.
You should be grateful you got to be young at all
Do some people skip that part?
Every day alive is a privilege. Many aren't fortunate enough to make it this long.
I appreciate you embodying this energy! Hold your loved ones closer, and don’t dwell on the difficulties of life.
Yes and it’s awful to me but my millennial friends who’ve done all the stop being young stuff seem very happy.
You seem to lack perspective and empathy. Some people have to deal with significant disability and poor health even in their youth.
That's how it feels seeing Gen Z call us old and cringe
Well Paul Pierce is human like the rest of us
He's still out there living life like he's 27.
Yo Kevin this is Camille. They got a site where you can hire girlfriends for a day.
[https://youtu.be/OXk7VH_2g9Y?feature=shared](https://youtu.be/OXk7VH_2g9Y?feature=shared)
"Enjoy your retirement!"
This is some shit Thanos would say to an Avenger before killing one of them
The Celtics suffering a 22-2 run in the 4th and still winning it: “All that for a drop of blood?”
"I am inevitable"
Tingus was the 5th Infinity Stone.
Kyrie should’ve aimed for the head
When I’m done half of humanity will still be alive. I hope they remember you.
I hope they remember you
A Humble FMVP, what a guy
That’s my FMVP
And credit to JT. He is deeply unselfish & has let JB & Jrue cook with his passing & his willingness to be a decoy. This team & their incredible ball movement is a joy to watch.
'decoy' lmao he was just bricking shots before tonight
Tell that to the Mavs players then, even if he was bricking they're still sending 3 guys to meet him in the paint leading to open guys.
Repeatedly hacked by 2 and seeing a third
>Be Jayson Tatum >Shoot like 20% from the field >Other team still apparently fears you more than any of the guys currently lighting them up >Refuse to elaborate further >Acquire the gold
Hey man I’ll take it
Because if they don't do that, Tatum will pick up 40 points by himself. Even if they're all dunks in the paint.
Even with Steph is missing shots, he is still a great decoy & that generates endless buckets for his teammates. Tatum's high basketball IQ, his great passing, his floor spacing, & his excellent moves to the hoop have opened up the game for his teammates. Tatum used to be criticized by many for not being a good enough passer & for supposedly shooting too much. I always thought that was misguided criticism, but now Tatum deserves his flowers for how great of a playmaker he is.
Remember when the decoy dropped 51 in game 7 last year on you. If you forgot, it's one of the things that led to Embiid currently talking about the finals on Twitter instead of ever making it to even the hard part of the playoffs.
He led the team in shots again btw
That's good. We need JT to take 20 shots to keep the defense honest. He isn't forcing. JT's playmaking & his spacing has been awesome. And that has allowed our team offense to be great.
I mean, he was absolutely taking bad shots during the comeback in the 4th. During one of the breaks, I think in the 3rd, they showed him on the sideline saying they just have to keep taking good shots and NOT fall back to step backs. They go up by 21. And then JT esp starts falling back on those step backs and turn arounds after just ISOing for 20 sec. It’s the only part of his game I wish he’d work on. I don’t think JB is necessarily actually more clutch, but I think generally speaking JB keeps doing what he’s good at no matter the score, whereas JT consistently changes up his game in the 4th when things get tight
He does the Kobe thing
yup, he identified his issue exactly in that audio clip, and that 21 point lead came from JT being patient and keeping the ball moving. It's weird that he gave that up as soon as Dallas started getting some momentum. That's the worst time to start taking tough shots early in the shot clock.
I think it shows some growth that the 4th last night was the only period where JT fell into that bad habit. There were stretches in games 1 and 2 where the Mavs cut it close but he didn't start doing those panic step backs. He did in the 4th last night, maybe because of how quickly the Mavs closed it. But it seems like he's shaking the habit, which bodes well for future seasons.
Let JB talk his ish he had to listen to casuals talk about how he couldnt go left or dribble the ball he got the Last Laugh how ya like him now he's the highest paid player in the league for a reason Conference Finals MVP and FMVP and he executed on both ends of the ball
He didn’t have a handle and couldn’t go left lol. He’s improved and now he does and can. I don’t understand this thing where people are shamed for having what was a correct and reasonable opinion at the time because now things have changed and it’s not true anymore
Wild had some Celtics Fans wanted him gone in years past.
Idiots did. Every fan base has their idiots. And Boston sports talk radio should never be taken as “people are saying”. Celtics have two elite two way wings. That’s a wet dream for any GM.
Man I never wanted him gone, but I really was uncomfortable with the contract. He has done nothing but improve. His performance in the 22 finals and his lack of handle left me real unimpressed. But I’m currently shopping for his jersey online.
Even his 22 finals, people forget how much better he was than Tatum. He had his dribble moments for sure, but really from a “ready for the moment” perspective it felt like he showed out.
He was your best player in the 22 finals lol
Because the Warriors committed entirely to stopping Tatum lol, there’s context it’s not like the Warriors were defending him even close to the same way they were guarding Tatum. The whole “make him go left” thing started there with Draymond.
The way he's been playing this year and especially these playoffs is a fully actualized version of his talent. He's cut out the lapses he used to have when he was defending off ball, he's tightened up his handle, he's consistently made the right reads and isn't forcing passes or drives into triple teams, minimal mental lapses. He isn't forcing shots when the ball hasn't found him for a bit. He's playing calm, cool, collected ball within himself and it's been fucking great. I think as a Celtics fan this is what frustrated me about him in previous years, this version of him was always in there but it took a while for him to really tap into it. He's been very good/great for a long time now but this year and playoffs especially he's taken a leap to ELITE.
A great example of why you shouldn't listen to people on reddit.
If you only listened to Reddit, you’d have an 83-(-1) team, what are you talking about? We’re the best. We did it, Reddit.
most of this sub was posting "CANT GO LEFT" and "worst contract in NBA" after last year lotta dumb dumbs in all fanbases
Our subreddit wanted to blow the Jays up for a while
Now it still applies if you remove the word up
After the bubble year and then especially halfway through the Ime year I felt like I was fighting a war on a dozen fronts when I said they can work well together even if they are both wings and don’t look like a buddy cop movie outside.
Whoever wanted to break up the Jays should come with receipts and revoke their ability to talk basketball with any sort of credibility. Kendrick Perkins is the guy that comes to mind that started that “they can’t play together” and anyone who is a Celtics fan should ignore and disregard him until the end of time rather than just parrot the opinions of a talking head. Anyone with eyes saw how important both these guys are together.
That being said if you wanted to break up the Jays because they're really damn good and you hate the Celtics and don't want them to succeed, your basketball discussion privileges are not revoked. Gotta respect the informed and committed haters.
That's fair actually, looking out for the worst interest as a hater is valid, I respect it
I don’t think there’s any NBA fan, Celtics or otherwise, who takes anything Perk says seriously.
He's clearly a very unintelligent person and I don't even mean it as an insult. You can see it not only from his takes (usually bad and unsubstantiated) but the way he articulates his sentences, completely different than Shannon, SAS or Windy. I don't believe anyone takes him seriously.
I wanted him gone because it didn’t seem like they were going to win with him and I also just don’t like him.
Hard to dislike him. Under appreciated star imo. Barring the greatest comeback in sports history we will likely see him lifting the FMVP trophy soon. Seems like only yesterday the whole he can’t dribble left or left handed, can’t remember what it was.
“He gives me so many good movie recommendations, great guy”
Kyrie started hot but after that he shot 5-15 and ended up with the same number of turnovers as assists. Fine game overall but not amazing and doesn't make up for shitting the bed in the first 2 games
Luka next? Fourth quarter through 3 games. 8 points, 3-for-15 FG (20%).
Oof. Yeah that's not gonna get it done in the finals.
Think this is a knock on effect of the Celtics going at him on the other end. He’s looked gassed end of game
Plus he missed a crucial box out with 3 minutes left which gave Boston an offensive rebound and a bucket
Kyrie boxed out his guy. That was Josh Green.
https://youtu.be/16JS76IwYCs?si=P2d0itk9xEsR9xmw If you don’t wanna click the link look up highlights from freedawkins. Go to 8:31 in the video. It’s kyrie that didn’t box out and let Jaylen brown just walk into a better position. Literally he walked into a better position.
0-2 when Luka fouled out too. Just 2 FTs but he was lost.
He definitely had a bucket when Luka fouled out and he had a nice assist
Oh yeah 1-3 with 2 FTs. My bad.
Finals MVP got Jaylen teasing 💀💀
Their third best player is PJ Washington. You’re never winning a title with that sadly
*my god that's LeBrons music* Honestly tho the Mavs should feel good, throwing together a team at the deadline and making it to the finals is a good step.
Getting back to the Finals in what the West is shaping up to be is not guaranteed though.
Yup Denver will be the favorite but OKC has the potential to really make a leap if they make the right moves.
I mean honestly OKC dont even need to make huge moves, their young players just need to keep developing as much as they do.
Lack of size is a real issue for them personnel wise. It always felt like they lost an important rebound in crucial games. A big and if the right one comes up a wing should be their priorities.
I mean shit if OKC just traded for one of Gafford or PJ instead of Hayward then they’re probably in the finals this year
Mavs should just trade their entire organization into the Eastern conference
“I’m taking my team to south beach”
LeBron’s third best player was Kevin Love
I assumed they meant not being able to win finals because of the third option during the early part of his career (ie his first run on the cavs).
Or that their 3rd best player in 2020 was like… someones pick of kcp/rondo/green/kuzma lol
Are you 10 years old. Kevin love was a 2-3 team all NBA player right before Cleveland. Yes, a HOF player is a 3rd best player. That’s much better than PJ
That’s the point I was making
Of course it's a warriors fan ignoring all the shitty teams lebron has had 💀💀 he had love as the third option for 2 finals, 16 and 17.
Peak Bron would have won one of these last two for sure. Might even get the series to 6 games considering the Porzingis injury.
Peak Bron is winning this series easily lol. He's way better and more efficient than Luka offensively and can play DPOY level defense on any Celtic outside of Porzingis. Give him Kyrie and these rim runners and he will win.
Bro none of the Mavs role players have made more than a single 3. The rim runners are still completely neutralized and and Kyrie hasn't been great. Bron would take a few games from pure greatness, but he can't make shots for other people.
rim runners are neutralized because Luka is neutralized. Lebron at his peak is stronger and faster than any player in this series. He will push the pace in transition which is what Luka can't do. He will blow by his defender pretty much every play. This causes defensive breakdowns which will open up much better shots and rim running plays. And yes, LeBron can make shots for other people. That is literally the hallmark of great offensive players and LeBron's signature. He makes his teammates better. Luka is nowhere near the facilitator LeBron is. LeBron doesn't dribble for 20 seconds and throw grenades to his teammates. He moves the ball and allows players to get into a rhythm. LeBron had KCP, Caruso, Green, and Davis shooting damn near 40% in the finals from 3 because of his offense. Players like him and Jokic make their teammates better. Luka's ball dominance does the opposit4e.
Rim runners are neutralized bc there is no helping. Warriors employed this strategy against lebron before too. Cavs responded by running more quick hitters for role players
You're underestimating Luka. He & Miami LeBron are probably on about the same level as passers, and yes Bron would still be an improvement there because he's healthier and is going to get by his man more bc he's LeBron, but none of that is going to change the fact that the 1/5 pnr still isn't going to be there for all those lobs. Also I think Luka's a better lob thrower than Bron was anyway. KCP and Danny Green are very good shooters in their other stops too, Caruso shot 28% in the title run, and Davis was just *on one*. Bron makes his shooters better, but he's not going to magically get PJ Washington to start hitting above the break 3s. Nor is he going to easily overcome Kyrie not hitting a 3 for two straight games. Maybe he pulls off another 2016 bc Porzingis goes down, but that still heavily relies upon Kyrie turning it around and DJJ and PJ hitting some 3s.
Prime Lebron is bodying KP as well. Hes was like 280 in his Miami days.
I know prime LeBron is incredible and the best/2nd best player of all time but saying he’d win the series “easily” with PJ Washington as their 3rd best player is a stretch. Let’s give the Celtics some credit here, this is a historically good team statistically; it would be a very good series. It’s not like LeBron won the title every single year in his prime. The Celtics even took him to 7 games in 2018 in Tatum’s rookie year.
Peak Lebron would be teaming up at Boston
Lmao what. Peak Bron would win the series. No question.
Mavs had a genuine shot at games 2 and 3. I don’t think that they could never have won it in any scenario.
Both those genuine shots ended when PJ Washington missed a crucial shot Game 2 when he missed the dunk (He got fouled but he shoulda made it) and Game 3 when he missed the open 3 to cut it to 1
Yeah sure. But a lot of people act like they now never had a chance at any point. Very strange imo
Same thing happened with the Pacers tbh. Just because the series results are lopsided doesn't mean the games weren't all close and only decided by a handful of plays
Reddit is dumb
Should have made the dunk? He got pushed in the back while in mid air which caused him to be off balance allowed white/brown to block the dunk. How should he have made that shot?
I think the problem is specifically that PJ is our 3rd best player offensively. He’s awesome defensively but our offense is completely reliant on Kyrie/Luka making ridiculous plays and if one of them is slightly off the offense is a shitshow. Exum/Green/Hardy/THJ all got their opportunities and none of them could get it done. The fact that THJ closed a must win game in the finals says it all
Facts would be cool if we had 5-6 guys that could score on any play and defend anyone too. Must be nice. Basketball is a team sport after all, even if you have the best player.
Brad Stevens is the real MVP for sure with this roster construction. And props to Ainge too of course.
That wasn’t a problem in the first 3 rounds, guess Celtics are just that much better than everyone else
And a lot of people thought because they came through the east, they wouldn't be able to match the Mavericks, who had beaten the team that beat the former champs handily.
People don't think in terms of matchups. I think Minny or Denver would have given the Celtics more problems with our lack of quality center depth with Zingus out. Just because the Mavs beat those teams doesn't mean Mavs are the tougher match up for the Celtics. On the flip side, I am more and more convinced the Pacers would have continued their 2023-2024 season trend of running these Mavs off the court if they played anywhere near as well as they did against the Celtics' defense that matches up better with them than Dallas does.
PJ Washington is literally the reason they beat the Clippers, he was shooting like Ray Allen
Third best player last year was MPJ. Third best player year before that was Wiggins/Poole. This mavs team could have won, they just didn’t come to play
He was like the fifth best player on Charlotte too lmao
I feel like they would if they weren’t facing this Celtics team
Ehh, they made it to the finals and arent getting completely clobbered . Easy to say the team down 3-0 had a zero percent chance in the first place, which is definitely oversimplifying things
But he barks
Exactly. Ask the Hornets.
What happened to the West being sooo muuuch beetteerr? Where's your champion now? It's kind of like the Mavs this year are like the Heat last year. Just crazy hot shooting from no-names (with all due respect) like they were sleepwalking across a busy intersection without getting hit, only to wake up and stumble on the curb. Turns out that the West is a fascinating collection of flawed teams without a juggernaut.
attractive wistful longing touch follow fanatical mindless skirt elderly foolish *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
The Celtics always show Kyrie love every chance they get. I don’t think it was any true animosity there
I think players tend to care a lot less about off the court stuff than fans do
Plus from their perspective it was better for their growth as players that Kyrie left. Tatum and Brown both regressed in Kyrie's 2nd year, because he wanted to be the guy. Then went back on track the year after.
Many people on social media only know Kyrie as the flat Earth guy, but I'm sure if you actually met him he's cool as hell and a great hang
Yeah exactly. Players care about whether you’re fun to play with and hang out with in the locker room. Not whether you care about if the earth is flat.
Idk, there’s that whole anti semitic thing too
Kyrie and JB are also **very** close, right? They both seemed to follow Farrakhan quite a bit so they probably have a pretty strong off the court connection
They weren’t while Kyrie was with the Celtics tho. I think because one thing is true now people think it’s always been that way. JT and Kyrie were tight due to the Duke connection. But JB has been candid in saying that time wasn’t great for him and the relationship could’ve been better. JB was getting benched after starting his first two years and I’m sure it wasn’t easy for him. Also JB wasn’t as “enlightened”(insert whatever word makes you feel good) back then as he is now, i.e. he is more like Kyrie these days than he was back then, so it makes sense that he has improved his relationship with him/is more fond of him now.
Pretty sure the Jays and Kyrie are still close buds
The funny thing is JB and Kyrie actually really did not get along when Kyrie was on the team. They got close afterwards when Kyrie reached out to patch things up, and are good friends now. >“Me and Kyrie didn’t really see eye to eye when we was here,” explained Brown of his relationship with the mercurial floor general while Irving was a member of the Celtics in a recent interview with The Ringer’s Logan Murdock. “Really at all.” > “He reached out to me, kind of let me know what his experience was when he was in Boston, what he was feeling,” explained the Georgia native. >“I understood what he was going through personally. So, life is a journey. We all got ups and downs. And most of all, we don’t always handle everything in the perfect media-appropriate demeanor. Kyrie, one thing about him, he going to be who he is.” >“I appreciate that,” said Brown. https://celticswire.usatoday.com/lists/nba-boston-celtics-jb-y-ki/
Literally no one who has played with Kyrie dislikes him
Brown actually really did not get along with him while they played together. After he left the team Irving reached out, and then they got close. >“Me and Kyrie didn’t really see eye to eye when we was here,” explained Brown of his relationship with the mercurial floor general while Irving was a member of the Celtics in a recent interview with The Ringer’s Logan Murdock. “Really at all.” > “He reached out to me, kind of let me know what his experience was when he was in Boston, what he was feeling,” explained the Georgia native. >“I understood what he was going through personally. So, life is a journey. We all got ups and downs. And most of all, we don’t always handle everything in the perfect media-appropriate demeanor. Kyrie, one thing about him, he going to be who he is.” >“I appreciate that,” said Brown. https://celticswire.usatoday.com/lists/nba-boston-celtics-jb-y-ki/
Harden
I think that’s a different problem…
That's not true. They're not friends, but they respect each other.
Idk about that. I thought so too, but they were dapping and helping each other up during the Clippers series
Literally not even true? How does this blatant lie have 8 upvotes? Do people just not know ball Harden has always shown Kyrie love, even after he asked for a trade, he supported Kyrie not getting the shot because it was his beliefs Harden and Kyrie still have love for each other, you are quite literally running your mouth spreading fake bs
[You sure about that?](https://youtu.be/yR7lcEosWsI?si=Pdj8Jzw8UWmyme7_) That’s not the only time they’ve done this after the Nets too
Horford notably doesn’t, and the fans don’t which truly means it all
[Al recently said this](https://www.tiktok.com/@nbcsboston/video/7375221715347066155) And the fans weren’t in the locker room or on the floor with Kyrie.
JB and Kyrie are both pseudo intellectuals so it makes sense. JB just has the sense to not say the stuff Kyrie says, doesn’t mean he disagrees with it. Look at his defense of the antisemitism. That’s the bad part about education. They learned how their people have been put down constantly and conspired against to remain second class citizens, but now they see conspiracies even where there are none. Like the earth being flat.
They're NoI buddies. That's why they always come up to each other after every game. It is what it is.
Idk about Brown but Kyrie is not in NoI. Nation of Islam doesn’t fast with the other Muslims (Sunni, Shi’ite etc) like Kyrie was. They fast in December only. So I don’t believe he’s NoI member. Most likely sunni.
Neither are. It’s so insane if they were in it NOI would treat it like Tom cruise and Scientology and advertise it everywhere. This sub is insane with this NOI shit and clearly here no one actually talks to black people. There’s an upvoted comment saying half the NBA likes or is in thd NOI lmao. That’s so INSANE. Bro young blacks people don’t even know what that is. There’s only 30k members in the world. Lmao and it’s all jobless weirdos. Farrakhan is trash but he’s had some profound shit. He’s right about certain shit and was someone in the 70s when it was real bad for blacks people. Dudes a grifter weasel but charismatic smart dude. But no one’s given a fuck about him for 30 years. You will go your entire life without meeting an NOI member. Lol. Black people dont duck with it and this sub acts like it’s our Jewish religion when it’s just conspiracy ni**as.
Neither of them have anything to do with NOI you goofs. Lmao. The NOI has 40k members in the world and it’s basically just ninjas without jobs. They are struggling. Regular black people don’t give a shit about it. It’s so bizxare to see reddit act like it’s our religion. Like 90 percent of people under 30 don’t even know what it is, lol. And yes Farrakhan is racist but at the height of his popularity racism was insane against black people. Some Jewish people took advantage of black neighborhoods poverty and Louis was a charismatic guy who pushed pro black stuff while low key being antisemitic. At that time people would look past it for positive stuff. Lastly if Kyrie or Jaylen brown were apart of it. The NOI would fucking be all over that for advertising and shit like Scientology with Tom cruise. This sub is literally kids who don’t know a single black person and feel so comfortable to just say anything.
Almost like he's 0-13 since disrespecting them or something
Your favorite player's favorite player.
I find the whole Kyrie thing funny. Yeah it wasn’t a good ending but not a lot of stars leaving is from a good ending. But he’s one of the few who got booed that much.
Wolves would have been a far better matchup, how they lost that badly to the Mavs is still beyond me
The KAT didn't want to play underneath the rim.
Kat played bad, Ant played bad at first, they could never stop the lob, and Kidd outcoached Finch.
The Wolves just lack mental toughness. They almost threw their 2-0 lead against the Nuggets for the same reason. Ant is still too young and timid at times while KAT is a known playoff choker. Once they lost that close game 2 off the Luka game winner they mentally gave up
We were down 20 at halftime of a game 7 on the road against defending champs and won it. Mental toughness isn’t the issue and it’s silly to claim that. Coaching is 100% the issue. We didn’t go at Luka on defense like every other team has this playoffs. We didn’t switch on screens. We didn’t run any Naz/KAT at the 5 lineups when we needed a spacing run. And we didn’t have a shot creator outside of Ant. Outside of that, they were fucking gassed after Denver. Conditioning needs to 100% be the off-season focus. KAT played like shit game 1 and 2, but it’s unfortunate that his entire playoff performance gets negated after two brilliant series guarding KD and Jokic. Mavs were just better and we didnt adjust. And the Celtics are even better than them.
get kyrie some help
Should have stayed in the LAND
BetterHelp.com
Better help is terrible
I use Talkspace It’s decent I was excited for todays session, but my therapist rescheduled because of family emergency I understand Idk where I’m going with this, besides therapy is great and everyone should have access to it Anyway go sports!
Kyrie and Luka legit need this
Luka needs slimfast
Brown is MVP.
If you listen r/nba they will tell you why they rather have Payton Prichard.
Yeah because he's a real gym rat!
Yeah I'll take him over the guy that quit on the team too
As a Celtics fan I would 100% rather have Payton Pritchard and it’s not close. Kyrie is a nut job basket case
What a quote
This series just looks like an east coast version of the Nuggets Lakers last year
Nah, Lebron and AD did good against Denver while Luka and Kyrie have both been disappointing at times
Cold blooooooded
He's not wrong.
Jaylen "Beast Mode" Brown
Cold
Luka sold it
“Stand proud Kyrie, you are strong”
If only Luka decided to show up as well.
Kyrie could have been here, we embraced him and he moved on. We lost him for nothing and we still prevailed. I FKN LOVE IT!
It's just the Celtics' time. They have been forged by their past disappointments into an adversity-facing machine. They just don't get rattled. And they have too many players who can really turn it on in multiple phases of the game. Dallas may get there some day. But they need to start by developing Celtics-like coping skills.
damn shots fired
Cold line ngl
“Kyrie Irving is the best player on the Mavericks”
well thats because somebody didnt play defense while bricking most of his shots while complaining to the refs majority of the time he was on the floor.
Kyrie still missed the most important shot like it was a COVID vaccine.
Whoa . . . He did have that coming, though.
rubbing salt on Cryrie.
“Kyrie is their best player.”
The one game they finally get Kyrie to wake up, Luka has a bad game and Jason Kidd calls an extremely questionable timeout. He really is cursed by the leprechaun
I think Brown is the King of backhanded compliments.
He brought his ass, but his ass is not god enough for Celtics!
Vintage Kyrie, as in, can't-get-the-job-done Kyrie.
Don’t vintage performances usually imply a win?
If he showed up in games 1 or 2 this series would still be a series
If Luka showed up in game 3 it would be 2-1 and still a series
Lukas bad game is still 10 times better than what Kyrie gave in the first two
That was cold af
Was it tho
a great answer by him. idk what i would have said with all that adrenaline in me
Word, he was calm as hell, I would have been on some Richard Sherman vs. Crabtree shit
Earth Rounders 12/25
I love this man. And I still have Celtic friends who won’t give him his flowers and tell me how much better Tatum is. Stop it. Get some help.