BGleas

Yeah, would be a huge difference. Maybe the difference. But bottom line right now though, the Heat just want it more.

I said in the first round I was so excited the Celtics held onto the 3rd seed so we would avoid the Heat. Honestly, I would have rather played the Bucks. The Heat are damn good. That is a really well constructed team. With that said, the Celtics are playing bad yet still right in all these games. Part of the bad play is due to the Heat of course. They're just so talented, skilled, deep and play so hard. Kemba played better tonight, but it's going to be really hard for the Celtics to win with Goran Dragic severely outplaying Kemba Walker. Kemba is getting crushed in that matchup. We also have to remember that the Celtics are missing a 17ppg scorer, who is also a solid defender and playmaker. That's a tough loss against a team so deep and skilled as the Heat.

Kawhi was just as bad, but unfortunately for PG the below is going to be the punchline of this game.

I don’t know that I’ve seen a supposedly championship caliber team fold like this. They literally looked scared. Paul George just had a horrible turnover, then came down and hit the side of the backboard on a 3. Kawhi looks like a deer in headlights. This is honestly amazing to watch. There’s 4 minutes left and the Clippers have 1 basket in the 4th quarter.

Kawhi and PG are a combined 10-for-33. I believe it’s 12-for-42 if you throw Lou Williams in there. Jokic is the best player on the court. I love Doc from my time working with him, but this will be his 3rd up 3-1 playoff loss in his coaching career.

He’s unbelievable. I think they said the first 15+ rebound triple double through 3 quarters in NBA history. The Clippers are just crumbling under the pressure. Missing wide open 3’s, Lou Williams has missed two point blank layups during this stretch. Both Kawhi and PG are shooting terrible.

Absolutely. A good possession there and the Celtics win. That possession was horrible. I can’t stand Herro (it’s a UK thing), but that was a crazy 3. Kemba was all over him and he pulls up on the break down 5 under a minute. That shot could really be the series. Also, I’m a Brad Stevens fan but he got abused by Nick Nurse and now already a bit by Spoelstra. Nurse started running double teams at Kemba and now Spoelstra is doing it too, and the Celtics have done nothing to take advantage of it. He also almost never challenges calls, while there’s almost a call a game that the opposing coach gets overturned on us. His end of game decisions have been questionable too, which is really unlike him.

Celtics blew that game in regulation. They were up 5ish with a minute plus and Tatum and Kemba (who was bad again offensively) went into hero ball the last 3-4 possessions. Just stand around and dribble then take a terrible shot. Completely blew the game. On the last possession of regulation, I understand Tatum got a good look, but it's a tied game and you have a guy in the game that hadn't played until that last possession and you're in the bonus, and you take a step back 30fter. Just drive on that guy and 50/50 you'll get a foul called and win it at the line. Just terrible. Edit: I think we'll find that Kemba is going to have knee surgery at the end of the year, but right now the Celtics don't have a shot if he gets outplayed by Dragic this badly.

Last year wasn’t just the receivers injured, the last several weeks he was also missing the right side of his offensive line (pro bowlers Brandon Brooks and Lane Johnson). Regardless of how bad the division was, I don’t think there are too many QB’s in the NFL carrying their team to a division title while missing two pro bowl offensive linemen and their entire starting wide receiver corp. I'm not saying he’s on Aaron Rogers level, but look at all of the excuses people make for him (no receivers, no running game, etc.), yet Wentz carried the Eagles to the playoffs with Greg Ward his best receiver and Boston Scott his best back, while missing two pro bowl offensive linemen It really was amazing what he did last season, especially the second half of the season. I’d look at him like: 2016: Strong rookie year 2017: MVP level 2nd season 2018: Average at best season maybe below average (caveat though that he was recovering from a late season destruction of his knee) 2019: Above average season perception wise (pretty excellent if you paid attention to their massive injury issues) Obviously he’s not on Patrick Mahomes level, nobody is, and guys like Brady and Brees are kind of in their own little historic but on their way out category, Aaron Rogers is still in his prime, but after that he’s in that next tier of guys. But he’s in that next tier. There’s nothing a guy like DeShaun Watson has done in the NFL that Wentz hasn’t. If he hadn’t gotten hurt, he’d have an MVP like Jackson. He’s clearly better than Prescott (Dak is way overrated). Edit: I do agree though, Wentz needs a couple injury free seasons where he levels up he’s consistency a bit.

I’m a pretty big supporter. I think part of any negative feelings around Wentz nationally come because Foles gets so much pub for the Super Bowl year, but people forget that Wentz was running away with the MVP that year through week 13 when he got hurt, and that was just his second year. There’s this misconception that Foles carried that team to a Super Bowl. The Eagles were the best team in football with Wentz that year as the presumptive MVP before the injury. Foles was actually average, to actually bad, up until the 2nd half of the NFC conference game and then he was of course great in the Super Bowl. The next year Wentz was average, as he was coming off the knee injury, which is to be expected. Then last season he carried a pathetic receiving corp to a division title. I believe last year he was the first QB to have a 4,000 yard season while not having a single 500 yard receiver. By the end of the year last year the Eagles top 3 receivers were all injured and their leading receiver was a practice squad guy who was a QB in college. It was really amazing what he did last year As an Eagles fan, my opinion is that he’s a top 5 ish QB when healthy and with moderate weapons. While I was frustrated yesterday, and a Wentz was not good, we have to remember by the end of the game he was missing like 5 offensive lineman and it was the first game with no preseason.

Ugh, Carson Wentz was absolutely awful today. It doesn't help that 4 of his offensive lineman were hurt today (two starters are already out for the season and Lane Johnson is out) and he got sacked 8 times, but man his 2 picks were just awful throws, he held onto the ball way too long causing some of the sacks, and he must have airmailed 4-5 balls to completely wide open receivers. Hoping it's just rust, no line and a new receiving corps (that's a lot for a QB to deal with), but accuracy has always been an issue for him. He was just plain bad today.

Not anymore. The Clips are so talented, but there’s just something missing.

Clips-Lakers will be an interesting series. I think the Clippers are the deeper, more talented team, but the Lakers IMO have 2 of the 3 best players and play more as a team. The Lakers seem more together and more aligned in their mission. Should be fun to watch.

Eagles fan. For me it's Tampa Bay and New England. Both are just super intriguing situations.

They could package a couple first round picks with a couple of their young guys for a veteran, then sign a couple solid veterans that are ring chasing for the veteran minimum. They didn't really have cap space in '08 either but we're able to go out and add guys like James Posey, Sam Cassell and PJ Brown. They could use their mid level exception for a pricer vet, then do the package mentioned above for another vet and then finally sign a ring chasing vet for the minimum and then all of the sudden they're deep and experienced. Hopefully you wouldn't have to give up Grant Williams and Langford to do it, which I think they could figure it out while keeping those guys, but again if you're a title contender, as much as I'd like to keep those guys, you do what you have to do to keep your core and add guys that can get you over the hump.

It was dumb in the sense that there was zero chance of winning it, but even a 1% chance shows how important Lowery is to them. I don’t think it really had an impact though, because you have plenty of time to huddle and draw something up while the play was being reviewed. With Lowery out, their play was probably to get Van Vleet in a favorable matchup and have him try and create something.

I think the Celtics need a healthy Hayward. With Hayward, the Celtics lack of depth isn’t as much of an issue, but without him they’re paper thin. I think it’s going to come down to 3pt shooting. Celtics are top 2-3 in 3pt shooting defense and Miami I believe was 2nd in the NBA in 3pt shooting. Hayward being back gives the Celtics another quality, athletic somewhat long wing defender to run guys like Robinson, Herro, Crowder, Igoudala, etc. off the 3pt line.

Tatum played like the developing star that he is, but agree Marcus Smart is the heart and soul of the Celtics. I said when the playoffs started that I was glad the Celtics were getting the Raptors in the 2nd round and were avoiding the Heat. I was pretty surprised a some Pacers fans here said they expected the Pacers to beat the Heat. The Heat are legit. They’re really good and really well coached. In my opinion the Heat should be favored, especially without Hayward for the Celtics, or at least a limited Hayward.

Phew! Hope we get Hayward back for the next round. Celtics really need him.

Celtics losing this at the foul line.

I don’t know. I’m not a huge Turner guy and I think Robert Williams is developing into a poor man’s version, if not eventually just as good, albeit different player. The Celtics have 3 first round picks and need to package them and whatever else for some veteran depth.

Win or lose, the Celtics need to get a bench this offseason. That’s where they’re getting killed.

So we're going to blame the players for a deal they didn't seek out, negotiate or execute the rules around? This is an owner/politician thing, not a player thing. The players didn't ask for a deal with the federal government which then resulted in rules that put faux patriotism (I say faux because it wasn't there until it was paid for) on the league. I hear you though, I'm not trying to get this thread locked, so will stop here.

I’m pretty sure the owners reaped most of the benefits.

Not to turn this thread sideways, but as I understand it, it was not a requirement for NFL players to be on the sideline during the anthem until 2009. Interestingly enough, 2009 is the same year the military began paying the NFL millions of dollars in tax payer money. The NFL didn’t get all super patriotic until the tax payer money began rolling in.