The Celtics aren’t exactly peaking at the right time, and that’s raising everyone’s concern levels. That includes some of the more level-headed analysts out there. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal and Chad Finn of the Boston Globe discuss their anxiety levels over the Celtics, how everything starts with Jayson Tatum, even when Jaylen Brown has it going, and Joe Mazzulla’s ability to coach them out of this mess… especially after Damon Stoudemire’s departure.
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48 Comments
When someone shows you who they are, believe it
Great point by Chad though. Everyone wanted JB to take the shot but I almost guarantee that teams would foul him and send him to the line in which we can all agree we would not be confident in that scenario
The thing that’s annoying is this team doesn’t take other teams seriously ..until the last 3 mins and we are down … when the team is bricking 3s they don’t stop shooting instead of trying to build a rhythm by getting to the rim
Did the chad dude say Jaylen can’t finish around the hoop lol
this Tatum brown rivalry is destroying the Celtics because they are competing with each other in scoring and leadership role. This is the real reason of last years "my turn your turn" attitude that destroyed them
Next time I'm watching a Celtics game and Tatum jacks 4 3-pointers in the 1st Q I'm turning off the TV and going to bed
players only meeting looks like Jayson is in his own maybe the success gets in his head already
Joe needs to get on jt and jb they got to be great no bullshit period if they want to get back to the finals because right now celtics are are falling apart theyre not playing the right way they arent playing hard not hustling they playing lazy especially the D not movin fast not being physical they werent playing like they did with Ime the coach must get them playing together when they do they win if theyre not doing so they aint going no where we kinda got low confidence with the team right now you guys lose to the bad teams so inconsistent.
More Chad Finn! (yes, I'm biased)
I'm 15' in, and don't disagree with anything you guys have said, but I have to say: I hold Marcus HEAVILY responsible for what has been going on. SO terrible. And I'm heavily PRO Marcus….
coaching has not been mentioned yet
what do all these other coaches know when they substitute properly and stop runs I guess every other coach is an idiot and only Joe knows the right way- we all love Marcus especially Celtic competitors that's why they always leave them open
if you think Joe is a good coach you haven't been watching- "the feel is everything"
this isn't a championship team don't worry- that's obvious
no it is not possible unless Smart is benched and he and Tatum are held accountable by a real coach
You guys are talking nonsense about that last play lol. How was Jaylen more likely to settle for a step back 3 when he’s the one who constantly drives? And he’s a better finisher, so how can you say you wouldn’t trust him driving to the rim?
This team is getting bounced out of the playoffs in an early departure!! Tatum is soft, now the rest of the team just doesn't care
Tatum got the only trophy he cares about in the Kobe Bryant MVP in the all-star game and Mazzulla got his bag!! In their minds they already won so the finals don't matter anymore apparently
Brad Stevens needs to sit everyone down and see if there's anyone that wants to leave!! Bcuz all these ISO plays and personal stat padding just has ZERO position in this organization!! This b.s play has got me sick to my stomach and really don't care to watch anymore
We should have picked up Nerlens Noel with how fragile Timelord has been.
Celtics are very soft, they dont fight the rebounds and dont block anything
Celts need a head coach not a waterboy w a clipboard.
Remember when the Celtics gave trouble to Milwaukee without their starters
Playing together and with heart
The truth is Boston is not as talented as the media and Vegas portrays them. They are also a very low-IQ team. One of the lowest in the NBA. On top of that, they have a coach who is below average. They are a good team that is highly overrated just like Tatum.
I agree with your analysis of the players needing to step up(Tatum as mentioned in particular to lead), but not enough criticism of Stevens choosing Mazzulla as Coach in the first place. It should've been Stoudamire all along. He had the gravitas as a former player(and a good one) to lead this group. Yes, he was a friend of Ime's, but he had the experience and necessary toughness in his own right and would have no hesitation calling out the players when needed, which Mazzulla seems not to able to do(not playing Smart down the stretch and instead having White and Brogdon as a perfect example). I also think not playing Muscala is a big mistake. Grant, I think is beyond repairable, and not going to help when sorely needed. I also think Stevens could've been more bold and gotten Poeltl, knowing that Rob would be a continuing health issue problem.
The ball needs to be in Marcus’s hands. I do not understand JT and JB bringing the ball up.
I’ve been telling you guys fire Joe 🤦🏽♂️😡
As good as they started the season and the way they played team basketball early, that doesn't just vanish into thin air. Now, Little or no real defense, hero ball isolation nightmares, bad three point shooters shooting bad threes, turn over, turn over, turn over, coaching watching all this and seemingly doing nothing to stop it. Total meltdown ? Just a blip on the season radar ? Very hard to watch.
Second round exit
Basketball teams are best when they have a rhythm. Then you adjust based on personnel and circumstances. But when the four main backup big men go into each game having no idea when they’ll play or how much they’ll play, or if they’ll even play at all, you have a problem.
I hate the PG Tatum scheme (he’s not Bron or Luca). Marcus is the team’s on-court rudder for sure, but how’s he going to steer the offense when he’s off-ball?
So is there truth to KG filling the assistant coach role? And the terms of if the win the championship KG gets an ownership stake?
The Bucks are turning into Bison 🦬 Kaltic Celtics beware 😳
The problem with the Celtics in certain players is the 4 D's: Desire, Dedication, Determination and Discipline.
If Marcus Smart doesn't have it, he should look in the mirror, man up, take a back seat and follow the examples of Malcolm Brogdon and Blake Griffin which are in Boston to bring Championship 18 to the rafters. Common sense is that Brogdon statistically is your 3rd option behind the J's, gets paid 22.6M, and is locked in to get the job done.
If Tatum isn't having his A game on a given night, he should know by now who has the hot hand and look for those options in crunch time. He doesn't need to be of a hero every night. There are other facets of the game where he can make key solid contributions for winning plays.
If the team's mindset is on the playoffs, they better get mentally and physically tough ASAP. The Bucks, Sixers, Heat, and Knicks will not be pushed easily. All have physically. mentally and emotionally tough players which will put the Celtics to a real test in the post season.
Joe should sit down with the players in this Western Conference road trip and look at the 80's and the 2008 Celtics teams. Those coaching staff and players were mentally, physically, and emotionally tough, grit and grind teams which didn't give a crap who was the opponent on the court. Their business was to win games and bring a Championship to Boston.
💯 agree.. Joe doesn't have the balls to hold JT, Smart and JB accountable..been saying this for a long time this season..
Burn out.
Celtics need Rob to be healthy if not that's it
Just look at when smart came back
1 good game the rest, trash actually cost us most of the losses with boneheaded plays and technical fouls smart is obviously out of control again. Why is no one talking about smart
Tatum gets to the hoop better and better foul shooter. Brown finishes better. But who makes better decisions? Neither – its White, Brogdon and Horford. CLEARLY. So start the offense with White or Brogdon. Or Smart when he's focused on passing and creating ( not when he's wasted being the third scoring option )
i do put a lot of this on Mazulla – why were they able to play with such great defensive intensity last year and it is falling off now? why has their offense regressed and been inconsistent – mazulla loves the 3, but they need to get in the paint, and move with and without the ball – and what's up with the rotations and the time outs? is grant not playing because of the elbow, or inconsistency, or did he piss off mazulla – he needs to be a key part of this team – i know everyone tends to blame the coach and – i've held back from that – but they need some fire – and i feel like the miss-mash of roles has just caused confusion and delay – hope i'm eating my words, but i don't see them winning a championship if they keep playing like this (and that's on everyone)
This isn't rocket science. It's so obvious Mazzulla isn't the coach for this team. He tells them to shoot a lot of 3s and so Tatum gets lazy shooting horrible percentage pull up 3s. He's one of the worst pull up 3s shooter and Mazzulla is like "Great keep shooting. That's not the problem…" 🤦♂️
You often talk about how you played but so have I but dont talk about it so much their problem is they dont have as I see it for mazzula they need Imdoka forgive and.forget
Don't say that Tatum is becoming iso heavy, it is obvious that he is stats hunting, he is too selfish. He doesn't want Browne to have better stats than him.
"I can't stand when Tatum brings the ball up"🙌🙌🙌🙌 Why do they have a point guard if they don't use it? They need a point guard to play team basketball vs iso basketball, they played beautiful team basketball at the beginning of the season.
They almost win a championship with their defensive Identity. So they give them an offensive coach that turned them into a live/die by 3. JB is like this is dumb. 5 of their 8 best players including JT and JB aren't good at 3s. And now they are a confused team before the playoffs. This Brad/Wyc decision will cost them Brown if Mazzulla stays. It already cost them a championship this season. Pathetic leadership
I don't even think pesimistic, but if I have to bet I would bet celtics go out 2nd round. They are just not ready. Maybe have to mix the cards for next year. It just feels like a bad mix and I really wonder how good a team led by Tatum can be
Oh wow john karalis, you're the most worried about this 7 game stretch we just had? Gee I wonder why that is! How come you aren't worried about other stretches where the Celtics went 3-5? Oh wait…
Tatum is coming into his own as a superstar this year worthy enough to rival guys like Giannis. It's not going to be easy. Winning a championship is hard. As great as this roster is it all starts and ends with Tatum. Beating the bucks won't be easy at all they are loaded but we are the only ones imo that can beat them. Just gotta lock in. It starts with our best player. We trust in you guys go Cs