Celtics '19'20 - Turning over a New Clover Leaf

[Gman]

Y'all should make his uniform out of bubble wrap.

lol... hopefully it has just been bad luck... two freak injuries.

We'll see, though. Guy was never a big injury concern before...

 

[trojanfan12]

lol... hopefully it has just been bad luck... two freak injuries.

We'll see, though. Guy was never a big injury concern before...

True. Hopefully it's just bad luck. With him healthy and playing well, the C's are strong contenders for the East, imo.

 

[Gman]

True. Hopefully it's just bad luck. With him healthy and playing well, the C's are strong contenders for the East, imo.

Other contenders might have 1 or even 2 players that are better than anyone on the Celtics roster... but I don't think any team in the NBA has players 1 through 4 as uniformly strong as Boston does... and when your 5th best player is Marcus Smart, that's pretty damn good too.

Makes for an interesting match-up with the C's and any other contender.

Of course, having the very best player(s) is usually what wins out in the NBA... but I think a healthy Boston squad can give any team in the NBA a handful, even in a seven games series... this group has exceeded my expectations so far.

 

[flyerhawk]

Other contenders might have 1 or even 2 players that are better than anyone on the Celtics roster... but I don't think any team in the NBA has players 1 through 4 as uniformly strong as Boston does... and when your 5th best player is Marcus Smart, that's pretty damn good too.

 

[Gman]

Maybe.

I wouldn't disagree that Philly has some very strong individual talent... and I wouldn't disagree that Philly is one of (if not the) best teams in East...

... that being said, I think there is some question as to if the team as a whole is as strong as the sum of their individual parts.

 

[flyerhawk]

Maybe.

I wouldn't disagree that Philly has some very strong individual talent... and I wouldn't disagree that Philly is one of (if not the) best teams in East...

... that being said, I think there is some question as to if the team as a whole is as strong as the sum of their individual parts.

I was only responding to your claim that the Celtics 1-4 are the uniformly stronger than any other teams.

 

[Gman]

I was only responding to your claim that the Celtics 1-4 are the uniformly stronger than any other teams.

Maybe.

I think that question might depend on how highly one considers Ben Simmons... he is a polarizing talent.

IOW's, I think a reasonable person might favor the Celtics 1 through 4.

 

[flyerhawk]

Maybe.

I think that question might depend on how highly one considers Ben Simmons... he is a polarizing talent.

IOW's, I think a reasonable person might favor the Celtics 1 through 4.

Well maybe I guess.

Simmons is polarizing in the sense that he is an all-star that could get better.

The Celtics top 4 have a net rating of +6

Every combination of Sixers 4 from their top 5 has a higher net rating than that ranging from +9.6(Horford, Harris, Embiid, Simmons) to +19(Richardson, Harris, Embiid, Simmons).

 

[Gman]

Well maybe I guess.

Simmons is polarizing in the sense that he is an all-star that could get better.

Nay, he is a polarizing talent in the sense that he may be fatally flawed (no shot) and that fact may always be a large (perhaps insurmountably large) hurdle to overcome when it matters most (the playoffs and winning a Championship).

 

[flyerhawk]

Nay, he is a polarizing talent in the sense that he may be fatally flawed (no shot) and that fact may always be a large (perhaps insurmountably large) hurdle to overcome when it matters most (the playoffs and winning a Championship).

Fatally flawed? LOL.

I guess we can just ignore actual performance and focus on hypotheticals.

 

[Gman]

Fatally flawed? LOL.

I guess we can just ignore actual performance and focus on hypotheticals.

Not ignoring anything, and it's not all hypothetical... Simmons and Embiid, despite being 2 of the best individual talents in the NBA, have not had great playoff success.

Of course, they're relatively young and that could change... but what I'm talking about isn't just smoke, don't kid yourself.

 

[flyerhawk]

Not ignoring anything, and it's not all hypothetical... Simmons and Embiid, despite being 2 of the best individual talents in the NBA, have not had great playoff success.

Of course, they're relatively young and that could change... but what I'm talking about isn't just smoke, don't kid yourself.

This is Simmons' 3rd season of actual NBA basketball. In his 1st two seasons, he won a playoff series and took the eventual NBA champions to 7 games.

There are certainly plenty of questions about how far the Sixers can go. But given the fact that the only 3 players that are currently on the squad that were on the squad this time last year are Embiid, Simmons and Furkan Korkmaz. I'm ok letting this team taking a little time to gel.

Is it possible that this team will never make it to a final much less win one? Of course but you can say that about any team.

But the point is that the Sixers starting 5 is probably the most talent 1-5 in the NBA.

 

[Gman]

Husky Grant finally made a 3...


Williams is now 1 for 26 on the season from range, a cool 3.8%. It'll be (somewhat) interesting to see who makes more 3 pters this season... Grant Williams or Ben Simmons.

 

[Sparhawk]

Maybe.

I think that question might depend on how highly one considers Ben Simmons... he is a polarizing talent.

IOW's, I think a reasonable person might favor the Celtics 1 through 4.

Well maybe I guess.

Simmons is polarizing in the sense that he is an all-star that could get better.

The Celtics top 4 have a net rating of +6

Every combination of Sixers 4 from their top 5 has a higher net rating than that ranging from +9.6(Horford, Harris, Embiid, Simmons) to +19(Richardson, Harris, Embiid, Simmons).

If only there was some way these two teams could play each other.....

 

[Gman]

If only there was some way these two teams could play each other.....

I think we're gonna have Christmas early on that front... just a couple of days away.

If Boston loses, it's only because we're on the second day of a back-to-back. There, I said it.

 

[Sparhawk]

I think we're gonna have Christmas early on that front... just a couple of days away.

If Boston loses, it's only because we're on the second day of a back-to-back. There, I said it.

It is what it is.
Can't put too much stock in HTH results.
Regular season is all about positioning/seeding.

While it's fun to debate starting lineups, only the playoffs will give us those answers.

 

[Gman]

It is what it is.
Can't put too much stock in HTH results.
Regular season is all about positioning/seeding.

While it's fun to debate starting lineups, only the playoffs will give us those answers.

I agree.

That being said: for the past several seasons, I think Boston has had the upper-hand in the match-up... our wing athleticism advantage won out over and over.

Now, I think the tables have turned... Philly now has more good athletes at the wing position, and y'alls height is a tough match for an undersized Boston team.

 

[Sparhawk]

I agree.

That being said: for the past several seasons, I think Boston has had the upper-hand in the match-up... our wing athleticism advantage won out over and over.

Now, I think the tables have turned... Philly now has more good athletes at the wing position, and y'alls height is a tough match for an undersized Boston team.

Yup.

I expect each team to hold home court advantage in the regular season.
Injuries and/or load management may play a part, but the rivalry is definitely more energized now.

 

[flyerhawk]

I think we're gonna have Christmas early on that front... just a couple of days away.

If Boston loses, it's only because we're on the second day of a back-to-back. There, I said it.

Looking forward to the game.

 

[trojanfan12]

Dwight Howard has a better career 3 point shooting percentage than Simmons or Williams.

Maybe he can work with them in the off-season.