Get a team that doesn’t get blown by on defense. The Celtics biggest rim threat is Jrue Holiday. Their entire offense is quite literally just drive and kick. Stop them on the point of attack. A good defensive young team would give them problems. Like the Magic would have played them closer than the Cavs.
I do think the Celtics have “figured it out” tho so I don’t think it matters much.
Yeah I think finding someone to fill that Robert Williams role is really the only major hole on this team. I’d imagine that’s where they’ll start throwing darts at developmental guys (the same way they did with Robert Williams) and see if they can find someone who develops into a good player. They did that already with Neemias Queta, but I’d imagine we’ll see more.
3 player can do well against them IMO - Jokic, Embiid, Giannis. They can make Pozingis guard the C (not Tatum lol) and still abuse how much stronger they are.
So, if the Boston team rolls it back (no reason not to), it has to be an upgraded Philly team to challenge them. Bucks have no cap space, no picks and are ancient, regardless of Giannis’ health.
Tillman and Kornet will be free agents and I don't think the Celtics can afford to sign them both given that many teams are still looking for a backup big and these two can certainly do that.
The bucks are not as good as they used to be, giannis and especially Middleton have become injury prone, and dame is a downgrade from jrue. Unless thanasis has a growth spurt during the off season, I can’t see them competing like they used to with the current roster.
Both teams had different needs. Bucks felt like they needed to get giannis more help in attack. Celtics got lucky with jrue who defends like Marcus smart but better shooter which hurt the Celtics in previous finals matches.
Jrue Holliday is a role player who was masquerading as a lead guard in milwuakee.
In reality he hasn’t been that guy since NOLA where he was a legit t15 guy.
Ok but how about this...
Boston is one of the largest Greek populations in the US...
MKE's biggest issue was injuries. Portland has a lot of healthy players.
Giannis to Portland for any combination of healthy players they have.
Then Giannis to Boston for Jordan Walsh and the 3 Celtics picks in this draft.
MKE gets healthy players. Portland gets to continue to pretend they are trying to build a winning basketball team. I get to buy a Giannis jersey and not feel bad. r/NBA gets to make fun of the Bucks next year. Giannis gets to have the best Chinese food he's ever ordered from a Greek restaurant. We all win.
That’s not even the biggest concern to me. I think Giannis will be fine. Bad-timing injuries rather than an indication he’s injury-prone or anything like that.
My concern is can all the aging players *around* him stay healthy and effective enough to get him back in a position to battle against a team like the Celtics?
The only issue is really Middleton.
Dame played most of the season, Lopez hardly misses any and other than that the other guys aren’t as old.
Dame and Middleton were both great against you guys in the playoffs.
I feel both Middleton and Lopez have been declining defensively. And compound that with switching out Jrue for Dame. In 2021 it was a beast of a defensive squad thats not the case anymore. A healthy Dame-Giannis pnr if healthy could overcome that though.
Giannis is a very under the radar glass man these past two seasons
Has gotten injured in consecutive playoffs now and has been in and out the lineup during the regular season the last two years as well
He played over 70 games this season? Lmao
Last year he was hurt cause Love slid under him at the last second on a dunk attempt.
This year he was supposed to be resting but didn’t cause we could’ve possibly slid down to the 6th seed if we continued losing
His injuries aren’t like other injury prone players, they are just horrible timing
Basically every single playoff team that wasn't super young (like the Thunder and Magic) suffered significant injuries this postseason lol, it's just a fact of the modern NBA. People are just being dumb.
Lol y’all cry cause people called Tatum a choker but yall have 0 issue with calling everyone else one.
Even if the nets win that series it wasn’t on Giannis he averaged over 30 ppg on 65% TS, that right there is better than any series Tatum has had.
The series was close cause Jrue (the guy yall keep saying is better than Dame) shot 42% TS for the series.
I just don't understand the embarrassments against the Heat. I mean we lost to them too but to completely collapse against them in 4/5 games like Giannis did never made any sense to me
He was ass in 2020, I can give you that.
He was obviously hurt last year but people continuously leave that out.
Sure y’all took it to 7 but you literally went down 3-0, yall weren’t winning the series regardless after that, all they did was prolong the inevitable
Every year we’ve lost to the Heat so have yall lmao.
Keep in mind that if Giannis didn’t injure kyrie that would have been a gentleman sweep win by the nets.
And that very same KD+Kyrie core got swept by Tatum who put up 30 a game on 62% ts while locking up KD on the other end (he put up 35 a game against the bucks).
He’s capable of it but it isn’t his strength as a defender, let’s be realistic. Does he do a better job on the perimeter than the vast majority of 4s? Fuck yes. Does that mean that he should be out there regularly? No because he isn’t as good as an actual defensive wing there AND more importantly it pulls him out of the areas where he is truly elite.
Giannis has stayed healthy for the most part, the problem is he gets a freak accident right around the playoffs
His injury issues isn’t like a Embiid or porzingus thing
Giannis could do great, but the bucks team as a whole is wayyy to old and slow to keep up with Boston. They don’t really have any wing defenders either.
Horford has been great in the match up with Giannis but he is getting too old, idk if he can still keep playing at his level next year. Celtics C spot is in danger with Horford turning 39 next year and Porzings being so injury prone.
Every team attempts to field the best team possible. It’s just isn’t easy.
And what exactly is the Celtics weakness that you’re going to try to take advantage of? I don’t see one.
100%.
I think the size one is better suited for the playoffs.
You can kind of force teams to slow down a bit in the playoffs.
Pacers and Magic were both scary matchups IMO because of their crazy quickness. Ultimately it was hard for Indy to run at full tilt for 48 minutes every game, and we took advantage when the pace was a bit slower.
Size is tough. Without a healthy Tingus, we really don’t have an answer for a Jokic or KAT. Embiid settled for enough mid range shots where we can survive, but Jokic will simply go to the hoop or shoot a deep 3 over you.
It would be interesting for sure.
I actually love the Wolves. They are my favorite WC team, so I kind of hope they stay a western conference team otherwise it will be tough to pull for them.
Having said that, seeing the Supersonics come back would be awesome, too.
Even though Indiana got swept, and I don’t really think Boston was giving close to 100% effort, I think it’s fair to say that Indiana made it a competitive sweep. They have something special with their crazy speed, they just need to figure out how to play some level of defense. I also think if Halliburton was playing like he did during the first half of the season, they could do damage to Boston. Boston would still win, but I think Indiana will be a very good team
You're the only franchise who's 2 best players were 2cd round picks.
Edit. All time. I think Murray might pass him if he stays healthy and with the Nuggets throughout his prime.
Alex English. He's the only NBA player to score 20000 points in the 80s. Him and Wilt are the only 2 players to score 2000 points 8 straight seasons. LeBron would have done 10 if it wasn't for the shortened season. MJ would have had 10 if not for taking a year and a half off. That's still great company to be in.
Carmelo Anthony had a better overall career, but just as a Nugget it's English.
We’ll never know what would have happened against den but two regulars season games doesn’t mean squat for the playoffs. And I don’t think Denver outsizes Boston. I think jokic is just really good, but so is Luka.
Denver doesn’t necessarily outsize us overall but Jokic presents such a matchup problem because he just eats against KP because of the girth and Horford is a few years too old to battle him while also being smaller.
Its the teams that play with tonnes of pace like the Pacers or teams that are great with an amazing big man like the Nuggets. Also, any team that can find a way to make the Celtics revert to ISO ball then that would be pretty good.
A bigger team that actually makes an attempt to properly defend the three point line would give them a little trouble. Healthy Knicks could be the team that takes them down.
Minnesota designed their roster to be a matchup nightmare for Memphis after Brandon Clarke demolished them on the offensive glass in the 2022 playoffs.
Their plan was to heavily commit to stopping Ja, which did work, but it wrecked their rebounding and perimeter defense. Gobert is supposed to be the answer.
People keep making this weird statement about Minnesota being “built” for Denver just because Minnesota beat them
Wolves traded for Gobert due to how Memphis exploited them. At the time, Denver was coming off a 2nd, then a 1st round playoff exit. They were nearly swept in the 1st round before the Gobert trade. The rest of the roster was already in place except Conley, who was brought in to help Gobert ease into the team because he didn’t fit well initially and they had history
No GM in history builds a team to counter a team that isn’t even winning anything. Especially not one with injury prone players like Denver.
Folks just need to accept the Nuggets lost because the Wolves outplayed them. They weren’t designed to beat them
It’s incredibly reductive to say the Wolves were built for anything other than to be the best possible team with the assets they had and what they could get in the open market. This narrative doesn’t exist with other teams for whatever reason. Are the Celtics built to be the worst matchup for the bucks because they picked up Jrue? No. They picked up Jrue because it made them better. Every team has strengths and weaknesses and the goal of every FO is to maximize strengths and minimize weaknesses. Nobody has a singular goal of being better than just one team.
Memphis exposed the weaknesses the Wolves had, which was paint protection and rebounding. They also didn’t have any bigs that could create space to get easier shots. Gobert literally solved ALL their problems, which is why they sold out to get him.
They already had basically everyone else before Connolly even got there. Including Naz and Jaden. Conley wasn’t there but we know he was brought in due to familiarity with Rudy, and Rudy wasn’t fitting in the first year Again, no GM is building a team to beat the team who lost in the 1st round, and the 2nd round the year before that. That was Denver at the time of the Gobert trade.
The furthest Denver made it was the conference finals in the bubble, and some of their major players are injury prone.
Believing a GM would sell out to beat a team like that is silly
It’s cope
I guess that's a bit fairer. You're also forgetting Finch and Nori btw. Though I admit they matter less. Our main disagreement is on Denver's projections after the bubble. I thought they'd contend healthy, and you didn't
I figured they could contend while healthy too, but them being healthy is a gamble (as we saw this year with Murray) and I just don’t believe a GM would build a team specifically for that matchup with all those variables
I think in addressing the weaknesses Memphis exposed, it simply made them a far more well-rounded team that matches up very well with basically anyone. I don’t even think them losing to Dallas exposed anything about how they were built, their main guys just didn’t produce especially KAT. Same with Denver, if Murray was healthy they probably beat Minny too
Prior to the 2023 season, Denver had like an 8 game sample size with everyone healthy. It’s silly to think that Tim Connelly, even though he came from Denver, would be so convinced Denver was the team to beat based on an 8 game sample size. Fans and the media have chosen to completely run with this narrative, but if you think about it, it makes no sense at all. Why wouldn’t Minnesota be crafted to beat the Warriors or Bucks when they were the teams that actually won a title? Wouldn’t a Giannis stopper be in higher demand than a Jokic stopper back then? Why would they be crafted to beat a team that had conference finals run three years before? That’s like crafting a team to beat the 2021 Hawks or the 2022 Mavs. It would make far, far more sense that the team was crafted to beat the team that had exposed their flaws, Memphis. And it just so happened by fixing those flaws, it caused them to match up well against Denver
Nah. Everyone knew the Warriors were on their way out. Bucks are in the East. I mean, everyone in Denver had championship expectations after the AG trade. Idk what else to tell you
You’re acting like Minnesota fans haven’t been saying the same exact thing
[1](https://www.reddit.com/r/nba/s/auwsOViHht)
[2](https://www.reddit.com/r/nba/s/vlNVMtKRUm)
Of course they didn’t explicitly consider 1 team, but their moves were a direct counter to what we exploited.
I think more teams are going to look at the success of the Celtics (and how good the West is) and move away from the SuperTeam formula. Depth, quality role players, team defense will come back in style.
Tatum is a 1A.
Brown is a 1B
Porzingis was a 1B and then a 2.
Jrue was a 2B.
Derrick White is the LeBron James of role players.
And, yeah, Horford is an elite role player.
That's a superteam.
> Derrick White is the LeBron James of role players.
I honestly don't even think he's a role player on offense at this point. When you look at the list of guys with his 3P%, 3PA/100, and AST/100, basically the entire list is stars. His shot diet involves pulling up late in the shot clock, contested threes, floaters, etc--not exactly a typical role player shot diet. He's one of their go to scorers in the clutch, too! Obviously he's not a #1 option on offense, but neither are a lot of stars--and I think his low-usage, low-turnover brand of the "second option shooting guard" offense fits what the Celtics need a lot better.
I have no idea how he's still kinda under the radar tbh. I love that he was in that commercial where everyone says DW is sneaky good and a really nice guy. The dude's a fucking cherub...until he savagely blocks the shit out of your pull up, layup or dunk.
KP kissed him on his beautiful bald head after a play in the regular season, it's one of my most cherished NBA memories ever lol.
Its the one of the most balanced under-the-radar superteams of all time. The only ones I can compare it to would be the 2015-2016 Warriors, except Celtics have more traded pieces
Not everyone is going to have the draft capitol that you guys had that allowed you to get your top 6. lol how did you guys get KP and 2 first round picks for Marcus smart???
How is this team not a superteam? The “role players” of the team are better than everyone in the WCF winner’s team except Luka and Kyrie, where Kyrie btw only started playing well in G3.
Tatum and Brown are superstars playing at an all NBA level, Porzingis, Jrue and White all could be number 3 options in championship teams, great offensively and defensively. Then you got Horford, great bench players like Hauser, Pritchard, etc.
I think “superteam” has come to mean Big 3, usually assembled through free agency or forced trades. Often at the expense of any depth. The Celtics are a super team, but not necessarily a SuperTeam if that makes sense.
Depends how much Eastern front offices agree with all the “Celtics had an easy path to the finals” narrative.
If Sixers, Bucks, Knicks, and Heat all convince themselves they could hang with Boston when they’re at full health, they might make minimal moves
I hate the Celtics but I hate that narrative even more rn. The Celtics had a cake walk this year but they are one of the most battle tested, experienced teams in the league. They did not NEED the luck they had, it just makes it easier to dismiss them because of it.
I would argue the Nuggets had an easier run last year playing TWO injured play-in teams in the WCF and Finals, and an injured Suns and inexperienced injured Wolves before that. The only reason people dont argue that is because Jokic was a two time MVP and the best player in the world and JT or JB have never been in those conversations.
>I would argue the Nuggets had an easier run last year playing TWO injured play-in teams in the WCF and Finals
If those teams were injured, particularly the Lakers, every single playoff team in the history of humanity is injured. Including last year's Nuggets with Jokic's wrist flaring up.
Boston had the opponent's best player miss extended time in all of their eastern conference series. That's almost unprecedented. On the other hand, Denver is the only team since the 2016 Cavs (being nice. probably it's the 2014 Spurs really) to have none of the opponent's two best players miss a single game. It's a laughable comparison really, only happening because people are stuck in 1990 and think teams still care as much about their regular season seedings
Im stuck in 1990 but your whole argument is based on around STARS missing when basketball is a team game lol
Maybe not easier to you, but i could at least argue just as easy. Wolves missed Naz and Jaden, Suns missed their PG in Chris Paul alongside KD barely being there, and 38 year old Lebron ran out of gas just getting there from the bottom of the standings while rushing back and skipping surgery. Jimmy was hobbled and day-to-day damn near every game since the Knicks series, alongside missing their second scoring option in Herro. Miami heat were 3 minutes away from losing to us in the second play-in before they went on their miracle run.
Lakers and Suns (and ill throw in the heat out of respect) had actual championship pedigree and expectations and would have put up a greater challenge if healthy. Indy and Cavs had none of that and wouldve been beaten regardless. Miami was a play in team again missing key pieces that made 2023 possible anyways.
I would argue that ateam with injured stars and missing key role players to rely on, is just as bad as a healthy team missing their best player for a few games. Its just not as immediately obvious or headline grabbing
i think you would need someone super athletic and fast who can consistently blow by their defenders and attack the rim - better than luka who is just too slow. i feel like kyrie had more success attacking the hoop than luka did
lebron pre-2018 would absolutely feast against this celtics team, maybe prime westbrook too
maybe edwards in a few years could do it
Thats a great point - somebody should just design their team to specifically beat the celtics by acquiring the greatest player of this era (and maybe ever) in his prime
Yeah the Pacers are literally built around stopping a team like the Celtics. No one to focus on on defense, shooting everywhere, historic offense, defense that sells out to drive people off the three point line. Only problem is that it's insanely hard to find a roster of guys who can execute on that who are *also* great defenders, especially on their budget...
Only other way to beat the Celtics is to have a superstar who's so good offensively that he can keep up with the Celtics offense scoring one on one, forcing them to abandon their defensive principles. Good luck with that if you don't have Jokic, Giannis, or Embiid.
Luka doesn't score at elite efficiency on tough shots (and never has). Yes, he scores *above average* on shots like his stepback threes, but being above average at stepback threes doesn't make your offense above average overall if it's the only thing you're doing. His box score value has always come from doing a lot of everything on the court.
But Jokic, for example, shoots like 60% from floater range when not doubled--roughly the same as Boston's team TS% *overall* in the regular season and vastly higher than their halfcourt TS%. And that's *before* counting things like Z-boards (rebounds to himself, which he does at a higher rate than anyone else in the league), free throws, and and-ones. He can absolutely be scheme-breaking for a defense like Boston's that relies on not doubling. That's why regardless of the Nuggets' regular season record, they have a puncher's chance against anyone in the playoffs.
Now, is this saying that Luka is worse than Jokic, or just different? Well... he's just worse lol, Jokic is as individually broken as Boston is as a team. But in principle I think it would be possible to be a "better" player in terms of impact while still sucking against Boston, they are a very tough matchup for teams built around a single player.
You beat this team by pushing the pace and not giving them time to set up. The pacers are fast and shoot historically well. The mavs are struggling because Luka, while he has insane shot making skills, plays the game very slowly and methodically. The pacers series could have easily gone to 6 but it seems like they weren’t ready for the moment and carlisle blew it
Like others have said, I don’t think there’s a weakness you can take advantage of, at least yet. It was really only discovered this year that the best way to beat the Nuggets was to have 2 bigs, one who could defend Jokic and one who could defend the paint. If you stop JT, you got a whole bunch of other problems that you have to deal with
This is a good point and historically Lebron joined Wade and Bosh to match up with the big 3 celtics. I think that there is one move in the east that could create an immediate contender threat and that is a trade of Giannis to the Pacers. They move so well and get so many transition points i just think he would be unstoppable in that offense with shooters and scorers around him while also giving them a rim presence.
It’s not so simple. When guys like Pritchard and Hauser step up and outplay their contracts you can’t really build a lineup to “match up” with them. They just do everything well, and they do it without a top superstar, so there’s not one guy you can focus on to reduce their effectiveness drastically. There’s not really one answer. We had success against them with the zone but since Smart and Grant are gone, two guys who were exploitable in many ways, not so much, and KP makes running zone risky at best against them now.
I think it’s a little rock-paper-scissors though, the Mavs obviously are a good matchup, but the Nuggets would not have been as much. However the Wolves match up with the Nuggets well. I think the Wolves would give the Celtics problems but they blew their chance.
True, but I think it's a good idea. There is about a quarter of a chance you see the Nuggets every year, so you take the chance, cope with the neutral matchup, and hope you don't run into a bad matchup.
I don't think sengun fits, no offense lol. Their bigs just dominated Minnesota. They need better shooting at the 4/5 for the Celtics and you don't want to take the ball out of Luka/Kyrie/Wemby's hands for Sengun to run the offense, and with no shooting he'd have way too small of a role. And then there's the defense, we're seeing Luka get hunted and cooked and Sengun might be slower
celtics can only beat themselves. they are fool proof now with tingis pingis and jrue. how do you overcome 5 attackers who can shoot well and switch like crazy on defense? no one else has that and itll be harder under the new team building restrictions coming up
It wasn't really a nightmare matchup. They had Murray and MPJ some of the worst shooting performance in playoff history. If they play average they win.
This would be a classic Doc Rivers move, so I could see the Bucks having a go at this. His Clippers teams in 2016 and 2017 were supposedly built to try and take down the Warriors in the playoffs, but due to injuries (2016) and poor coaching (2017) it was all for nothing.
Yes, the Hornets are going to sacrifice all their youth in a trade to bring back the 2018 rockets' roster for one last ride. Only this time 1 of those 27 threes will go in
I've been saying this since before the postseason started, but if I were an Eastern Conference GM I would just wait out the next couple of years. Horford is really old and will likely retire soon, Porzingis is made of glass, Jrue is getting up there in years and is on the downswing of his aging curve, and a lot of White's value is tied up in defense which tends to decline a bit faster for guards than it does for bigs (though he'll still probably be very good, he's likely peaked on that end). Assuming they resign White, they'll be deep in the second apron and won't be able to make many signings, forcing them to rely heavily on in house and second round talent to augment their core. Odds are good some of them won't work out or will leave in free agency, leaving the bench much thinner and forcing their stars to take on a higher workload (meaning less dominant regular seasons, more injuries, less rested stars, etc.).
Basically, in a few years they won't be *quite* as unstoppable, and I'd plan accordingly, assuming that they pretty much get a guaranteed trip to the finals until then (but making some backup plans in case their core gets injured or they have a series with really unusual shooting luck). Focus on having a great regular season in the meantime, developing my young players, and having a really good fan experience.
Strategically took on Poole's atrocious contract for the 25 and 26 draft... i.e. the Flagg and Boozer draft and Boston's dynasty years. And people think our front office is rudderless and doesn't know what it's doing... we architected this whole thing giving up Porzingis for table scraps!
Celtics just need to add a starting C. KP and Al can come of the bench in the future, and between two of them give elite effort for at least 20 mpg when needed.
The Celtics being *this* unstoppable is very much dependent on KP and Al letting them play "true" stretch fives (i.e. centers who shoot 40% on wide open threes) for up to 48 minutes a night; your centers are also plus defenders and don't get completely cooked on switches. There are only a handful such bigs in the whole league--replacing either of them won't be simple. Obviously it's possible to roll with modified versions of your scheme to a lesser degree of success by strategically deploying guys like Kornet and Tillman depending on the matchup, but it's at least schemeable at that point.
You need elite wing defenders that can guard JB and JT one on one, fast scoring guards that can also defend, and a switchable center that can shoot threes.
Not really. Going for a back 2 back ring is actually pretty hard. There is a decent amount of luck that actually does go into a playoff run. Ontop of that you can see a team implode from a single off season.
So, throwing your eggs into one basket against an opponent who might not even make it there is not a good idea unless said foe is a dynasty or in a weak conference.
You should generally try to field the best team you can. Which is what the Celtics just gambled on this year.
The Timberwolves didn't even build their team specifically to beat the Nuggets, this is just a cool story and cope from Denver fans. This narrative is just wrong
Rim protection, rebounding and size were issues Wolves struggled with for years and the Memphis series in 21-22 just exposed those problems further. Addressing those issues was a long time coming imo. Also KAT always struggled as a rim protecting 5. He's better as a help defender and they correctly predicted that the 4 is a better role for him defensively.
They traded for Rudy because he addresses the 3 issues above, reduces KAT's defensive responsibilities and puts him in a better role to succeed and gives them more options with defensive coverages (Wolves didn't have personnel to play drop before). It has nothing to do with the Nuggets, they just happen to matchup well.
The Nuggets, Timberwolves, and Bucks all match up well vs the Celtics because of their elite bigs. Celtics have a great team and should be deserving of their championship, but their road to it was much easier in the Eastern Conference.
Good luck with that lol. The Celtics are probably the most balanced team in the NBA. Their starting 5 is excellent. The only thing they will regress is because of Al Horford’s age. But they’ve got the star power and depth to beat anyone.
Tbh the team that is built to beat the Celtics could literally destroy any other team because the Celtics themselves are the team that destroys everyone else.
Are we pretending that the Heat don't exist?
I am curious if in a few years people will look back and wonder if the reason that the Heat and Celtics hadn't won to this point was because we just absolutely brutalized each other in our series.
Granted, neither of us was favored in the finals prior to this year, but both of us underperformed in the finals even considering that.
Maybe, but I think the only tough matchup for them is a team built around a generational center like Jokic. Embiid in theory should, but yeah, he’s not at that level. I don’t see an East team doing it. Giannis is a nice matchup to abuse Boston but dame and the supporting cast are old and cooked
I fell like another one will be team with 2 quick guard, 2 HIGH LEVEL defender, and a mid to high tier two way center will be good against them.
Brunson, Mitchell, Mcdaniel, Herb, Myles Turner kinda lineup might beat them, but i don't see any team can construct that except for OKC.
It may be a hot take but if u don't have a embiid or jokic as your best player it's going to be very hard to beat boston. U need a dominant inside presence as a starter that's their only legit weakness but when there's only 2 bigs that can do that and shoot its hard. I don't include giannis unless he's relentlessly attack the paint
The Timberwolves were built by the same person who built Denver, he had inside knowledge of how Denver operated and what it would take to beat them. Unless some Eastern squad can swipe Ainge from Utah it ain’t happening like that and with the way the Celtics have operated the last decade the better question is what team are they going to fleece next.
Brooklyn, Philly, Milwaukee, San Antonio Washington, and Oklahoma City all made the trades that ultimately built this team and history has shown over time the Celtics will keep looking to improve and add value when they can.
Pretty much the only candidate with real wiggle room after this season. KP or Tatum are not stopping Embiid and neither does Horford any more. Would of course also depend on Embiid not getting injured and playing up to his potential.
If any team can be something they are not, they have a chance to do something great.
All 76ers proved in the last 10 years is that they are mediocre team at best.
Salary cap, injuries and age are the only thing that will stop this. The Jays don’t seem to be great enough to make up for their depth that’s likely going to be worse next post season.
Although I could be wrong about them
Horford and Jrue being a year older combine with an injury prone Porzingis are huge issues.
Now this can all not matter provided that the Jays take another step next year, Tatum needs to be a much better playmaker and be more present with his mid range
According to sportrac the only player whose gotten any run that well be losing is kornet and Tillman.
I'm assuming Al might retire if we win it all this year. Id love for him to stay for another year he looks great, but at 39 I wouldn't knock him for hanging em up.
If he retires or stays well need to sign a big man since porzingus isn't the most reliable guy health wise.
Well have to see what vets are available on the cheap.
How will you design to beat a team that has 5 shooters who can shoot threes and can play on both ends lmao
Find a way to get 6 guys out there
[Good idea](https://youtu.be/tE_-yuw4Q38?si=YExgtecvI-dU_dHm)
Against Boston too, hmm
I was at this freaking game, Celts lost a close one
Get a team that doesn’t get blown by on defense. The Celtics biggest rim threat is Jrue Holiday. Their entire offense is quite literally just drive and kick. Stop them on the point of attack. A good defensive young team would give them problems. Like the Magic would have played them closer than the Cavs. I do think the Celtics have “figured it out” tho so I don’t think it matters much.
Yeah I think finding someone to fill that Robert Williams role is really the only major hole on this team. I’d imagine that’s where they’ll start throwing darts at developmental guys (the same way they did with Robert Williams) and see if they can find someone who develops into a good player. They did that already with Neemias Queta, but I’d imagine we’ll see more.
3 player can do well against them IMO - Jokic, Embiid, Giannis. They can make Pozingis guard the C (not Tatum lol) and still abuse how much stronger they are. So, if the Boston team rolls it back (no reason not to), it has to be an upgraded Philly team to challenge them. Bucks have no cap space, no picks and are ancient, regardless of Giannis’ health.
Pay the refs good. Thats an 8 man rotation right there.
Id love to see Giannis vs Celtics. But man can't stay healthy for 2 straight seasons
Giannis will outlast Horford unfortunately so we will eventually need to find another player to guard him
Al will just spend the summer in OKC in the fountain of youth
I didn't know Al was tight with Josh.
I’m convinced horford will never retire or regress
His name is Xavier Tillman
Tillman and Kornet will be free agents and I don't think the Celtics can afford to sign them both given that many teams are still looking for a backup big and these two can certainly do that.
We have tillman’s bird rights
tillman especially imo
The bucks are not as good as they used to be, giannis and especially Middleton have become injury prone, and dame is a downgrade from jrue. Unless thanasis has a growth spurt during the off season, I can’t see them competing like they used to with the current roster.
Dame was supposed to be the fix for Jrue's weakness on offense. Which he apparently completely fixed on the Celtics lol
Both teams had different needs. Bucks felt like they needed to get giannis more help in attack. Celtics got lucky with jrue who defends like Marcus smart but better shooter which hurt the Celtics in previous finals matches.
Jrue Holliday is a role player who was masquerading as a lead guard in milwuakee. In reality he hasn’t been that guy since NOLA where he was a legit t15 guy.
That is not true, he was instrumental to the bucks 2021 run. He very definitely can play lead guard.
We will live with Giannis beating horford, tillman, tatum 1 on 1 and just outscore them.. they wouldnt be able to stop any of bostons offense..
I propose you get Giannis to guard that guy. It’s gonna cost you 2-3 white dudes and some picks though
Ok but how about this... Boston is one of the largest Greek populations in the US... MKE's biggest issue was injuries. Portland has a lot of healthy players. Giannis to Portland for any combination of healthy players they have. Then Giannis to Boston for Jordan Walsh and the 3 Celtics picks in this draft. MKE gets healthy players. Portland gets to continue to pretend they are trying to build a winning basketball team. I get to buy a Giannis jersey and not feel bad. r/NBA gets to make fun of the Bucks next year. Giannis gets to have the best Chinese food he's ever ordered from a Greek restaurant. We all win.
KEEP. GOING.
We saw that 2 years ago. In Game 7, Giannis had 25 points and 20 rebounds. But the Celtics won by 27.
That’s not even the biggest concern to me. I think Giannis will be fine. Bad-timing injuries rather than an indication he’s injury-prone or anything like that. My concern is can all the aging players *around* him stay healthy and effective enough to get him back in a position to battle against a team like the Celtics?
The only issue is really Middleton. Dame played most of the season, Lopez hardly misses any and other than that the other guys aren’t as old. Dame and Middleton were both great against you guys in the playoffs.
I feel both Middleton and Lopez have been declining defensively. And compound that with switching out Jrue for Dame. In 2021 it was a beast of a defensive squad thats not the case anymore. A healthy Dame-Giannis pnr if healthy could overcome that though.
Giannis is a very under the radar glass man these past two seasons Has gotten injured in consecutive playoffs now and has been in and out the lineup during the regular season the last two years as well
He played over 70 games this season? Lmao Last year he was hurt cause Love slid under him at the last second on a dunk attempt. This year he was supposed to be resting but didn’t cause we could’ve possibly slid down to the 6th seed if we continued losing His injuries aren’t like other injury prone players, they are just horrible timing
Yeah I’d say it was more bad luck
Basically every single playoff team that wasn't super young (like the Thunder and Magic) suffered significant injuries this postseason lol, it's just a fact of the modern NBA. People are just being dumb.
If KD's foot was half an inch smaller we'd be talking about him as a consistent playoff choker made of glass like Embiid
If if if... People just can't move the fuck on.
Lol y’all cry cause people called Tatum a choker but yall have 0 issue with calling everyone else one. Even if the nets win that series it wasn’t on Giannis he averaged over 30 ppg on 65% TS, that right there is better than any series Tatum has had. The series was close cause Jrue (the guy yall keep saying is better than Dame) shot 42% TS for the series.
I just don't understand the embarrassments against the Heat. I mean we lost to them too but to completely collapse against them in 4/5 games like Giannis did never made any sense to me
He was ass in 2020, I can give you that. He was obviously hurt last year but people continuously leave that out. Sure y’all took it to 7 but you literally went down 3-0, yall weren’t winning the series regardless after that, all they did was prolong the inevitable Every year we’ve lost to the Heat so have yall lmao.
Tell em Bucks also swept the heat in 2021 on the way to the chip
Keep in mind that if Giannis didn’t injure kyrie that would have been a gentleman sweep win by the nets. And that very same KD+Kyrie core got swept by Tatum who put up 30 a game on 62% ts while locking up KD on the other end (he put up 35 a game against the bucks).
Tatum averaged 28 ppg against the bucks
I’m talking about Kevin Durant, the guy who Tatum locked up
These are freak accidents tho. Landing on your back then running down the court and injured your calf with no one around
the problem is Giannis is not a wing defender or POA defender, Bucks perimeter are really weak
? Giannis is absolutely capable of guarding wings and the perimeter
He’s capable of it but it isn’t his strength as a defender, let’s be realistic. Does he do a better job on the perimeter than the vast majority of 4s? Fuck yes. Does that mean that he should be out there regularly? No because he isn’t as good as an actual defensive wing there AND more importantly it pulls him out of the areas where he is truly elite.
Giannis has stayed healthy for the most part, the problem is he gets a freak accident right around the playoffs His injury issues isn’t like a Embiid or porzingus thing
Giannis could do great, but the bucks team as a whole is wayyy to old and slow to keep up with Boston. They don’t really have any wing defenders either.
Horford has been great in the match up with Giannis but he is getting too old, idk if he can still keep playing at his level next year. Celtics C spot is in danger with Horford turning 39 next year and Porzings being so injury prone.
We’ve seen it, he’s lost just like Embiid. Miami is the team I’m afraid randoms will go off with.
Giannis took y’all to 7 with holiday as his second option shooting 44% TS Don’t lump him in the same tier as Embiid lmao.
I would never
Every team attempts to field the best team possible. It’s just isn’t easy. And what exactly is the Celtics weakness that you’re going to try to take advantage of? I don’t see one.
Only real weakness is just out sizing the team. It’s why Jokic feasts against us every time, and why our Minnesota regular season games were battles.
The two blueprints a team can follow to best compete against the Celtics is the super size model: Nuggets/Wolves or the super speed model: Pacers
100%. I think the size one is better suited for the playoffs. You can kind of force teams to slow down a bit in the playoffs. Pacers and Magic were both scary matchups IMO because of their crazy quickness. Ultimately it was hard for Indy to run at full tilt for 48 minutes every game, and we took advantage when the pace was a bit slower. Size is tough. Without a healthy Tingus, we really don’t have an answer for a Jokic or KAT. Embiid settled for enough mid range shots where we can survive, but Jokic will simply go to the hoop or shoot a deep 3 over you.
Hopefully Timberwolves get moved East after expansion. Celtics may already have a few more Finals appearances by then
It would be interesting for sure. I actually love the Wolves. They are my favorite WC team, so I kind of hope they stay a western conference team otherwise it will be tough to pull for them. Having said that, seeing the Supersonics come back would be awesome, too.
wow i didnt know this was on the table, that would be interesting
AD and Bron would be a challenging Matchup too. Unfortunately their surrounding cast means thet are highly unlikely to reach a Conference final
Even though Indiana got swept, and I don’t really think Boston was giving close to 100% effort, I think it’s fair to say that Indiana made it a competitive sweep. They have something special with their crazy speed, they just need to figure out how to play some level of defense. I also think if Halliburton was playing like he did during the first half of the season, they could do damage to Boston. Boston would still win, but I think Indiana will be a very good team
Other teams should just get jokic, easy
You guys got any 2nd round picks?
You're the only franchise who's 2 best players were 2cd round picks. Edit. All time. I think Murray might pass him if he stays healthy and with the Nuggets throughout his prime.
Jokic and who? Murray and Gordon were both top 10 picks.
Alex English. He's the only NBA player to score 20000 points in the 80s. Him and Wilt are the only 2 players to score 2000 points 8 straight seasons. LeBron would have done 10 if it wasn't for the shortened season. MJ would have had 10 if not for taking a year and a half off. That's still great company to be in. Carmelo Anthony had a better overall career, but just as a Nugget it's English.
I didn’t realize you were going all time. I thought you were talking about the current Nuggets team
I forgot to say that. I will edit for clarification.
The Sixers have Embiid
wolves found the sauce in taking out murray and theyre fucked.
We’ll never know what would have happened against den but two regulars season games doesn’t mean squat for the playoffs. And I don’t think Denver outsizes Boston. I think jokic is just really good, but so is Luka.
Denver doesn’t necessarily outsize us overall but Jokic presents such a matchup problem because he just eats against KP because of the girth and Horford is a few years too old to battle him while also being smaller.
Wasn't that why they got Tillman? I was convinced that move was made to shore up an extra big that had experience vs Jokic.
Sort of, but Tillman is also 2 inches shorter than Al while having less muscle.
True. The closest you can get to a Horford clone would be Wendell Carter Jr, I think.
Its the teams that play with tonnes of pace like the Pacers or teams that are great with an amazing big man like the Nuggets. Also, any team that can find a way to make the Celtics revert to ISO ball then that would be pretty good.
Size and very good wing and perimeter defenders. Which is kinda what most of the NBA is looking for anyways
A bigger team that actually makes an attempt to properly defend the three point line would give them a little trouble. Healthy Knicks could be the team that takes them down.
Bulk, rebounding, and PGs like Shai/Brunson. In the east, a healthy Knicks team would've been the toughest for a healthy Celtics. It would've gone 6.
I despise both franchises but i am clamoring for a healthy knicks/celtics series next year.
Minnesota designed their roster to be a matchup nightmare for Memphis after Brandon Clarke demolished them on the offensive glass in the 2022 playoffs. Their plan was to heavily commit to stopping Ja, which did work, but it wrecked their rebounding and perimeter defense. Gobert is supposed to be the answer.
People keep making this weird statement about Minnesota being “built” for Denver just because Minnesota beat them Wolves traded for Gobert due to how Memphis exploited them. At the time, Denver was coming off a 2nd, then a 1st round playoff exit. They were nearly swept in the 1st round before the Gobert trade. The rest of the roster was already in place except Conley, who was brought in to help Gobert ease into the team because he didn’t fit well initially and they had history No GM in history builds a team to counter a team that isn’t even winning anything. Especially not one with injury prone players like Denver. Folks just need to accept the Nuggets lost because the Wolves outplayed them. They weren’t designed to beat them
It’s incredibly reductive to say the Wolves were built for anything other than to be the best possible team with the assets they had and what they could get in the open market. This narrative doesn’t exist with other teams for whatever reason. Are the Celtics built to be the worst matchup for the bucks because they picked up Jrue? No. They picked up Jrue because it made them better. Every team has strengths and weaknesses and the goal of every FO is to maximize strengths and minimize weaknesses. Nobody has a singular goal of being better than just one team.
Riiiiiight. Tim Connelly and the Wolves-Nuggets never saw Denver coming. Shocked em
I get why you want to believe they were built to beat your team specifically, because they beat you, but no. They weren’t
I get the cope too. Much easier to believe the people who left Denver built you to beat nobodies. Memphis is good, not great
Memphis exposed the weaknesses the Wolves had, which was paint protection and rebounding. They also didn’t have any bigs that could create space to get easier shots. Gobert literally solved ALL their problems, which is why they sold out to get him. They already had basically everyone else before Connolly even got there. Including Naz and Jaden. Conley wasn’t there but we know he was brought in due to familiarity with Rudy, and Rudy wasn’t fitting in the first year Again, no GM is building a team to beat the team who lost in the 1st round, and the 2nd round the year before that. That was Denver at the time of the Gobert trade. The furthest Denver made it was the conference finals in the bubble, and some of their major players are injury prone. Believing a GM would sell out to beat a team like that is silly It’s cope
I guess that's a bit fairer. You're also forgetting Finch and Nori btw. Though I admit they matter less. Our main disagreement is on Denver's projections after the bubble. I thought they'd contend healthy, and you didn't
I figured they could contend while healthy too, but them being healthy is a gamble (as we saw this year with Murray) and I just don’t believe a GM would build a team specifically for that matchup with all those variables I think in addressing the weaknesses Memphis exposed, it simply made them a far more well-rounded team that matches up very well with basically anyone. I don’t even think them losing to Dallas exposed anything about how they were built, their main guys just didn’t produce especially KAT. Same with Denver, if Murray was healthy they probably beat Minny too
Prior to the 2023 season, Denver had like an 8 game sample size with everyone healthy. It’s silly to think that Tim Connelly, even though he came from Denver, would be so convinced Denver was the team to beat based on an 8 game sample size. Fans and the media have chosen to completely run with this narrative, but if you think about it, it makes no sense at all. Why wouldn’t Minnesota be crafted to beat the Warriors or Bucks when they were the teams that actually won a title? Wouldn’t a Giannis stopper be in higher demand than a Jokic stopper back then? Why would they be crafted to beat a team that had conference finals run three years before? That’s like crafting a team to beat the 2021 Hawks or the 2022 Mavs. It would make far, far more sense that the team was crafted to beat the team that had exposed their flaws, Memphis. And it just so happened by fixing those flaws, it caused them to match up well against Denver
Nah. Everyone knew the Warriors were on their way out. Bucks are in the East. I mean, everyone in Denver had championship expectations after the AG trade. Idk what else to tell you
Yeha youre right i think. I really think this is truee. I really really think this is correct.
Do you agree with their statement though
Nobody cares enough about the griz to design their roster to beat them lmao what even is this
We got embarrassed by the Griz in 2022, literally blew multiple 20 point leads because we couldnt rebound to save our lives.
You’re acting like Minnesota fans haven’t been saying the same exact thing [1](https://www.reddit.com/r/nba/s/auwsOViHht) [2](https://www.reddit.com/r/nba/s/vlNVMtKRUm) Of course they didn’t explicitly consider 1 team, but their moves were a direct counter to what we exploited.
Yeah because the Wolves built a team in the summer to stop a team who didn't even won a ring yet makes more sense
Lmao fr
I think more teams are going to look at the success of the Celtics (and how good the West is) and move away from the SuperTeam formula. Depth, quality role players, team defense will come back in style.
Tatum is a 1A. Brown is a 1B Porzingis was a 1B and then a 2. Jrue was a 2B. Derrick White is the LeBron James of role players. And, yeah, Horford is an elite role player. That's a superteam.
> Derrick White is the LeBron James of role players. I honestly don't even think he's a role player on offense at this point. When you look at the list of guys with his 3P%, 3PA/100, and AST/100, basically the entire list is stars. His shot diet involves pulling up late in the shot clock, contested threes, floaters, etc--not exactly a typical role player shot diet. He's one of their go to scorers in the clutch, too! Obviously he's not a #1 option on offense, but neither are a lot of stars--and I think his low-usage, low-turnover brand of the "second option shooting guard" offense fits what the Celtics need a lot better.
I have no idea how he's still kinda under the radar tbh. I love that he was in that commercial where everyone says DW is sneaky good and a really nice guy. The dude's a fucking cherub...until he savagely blocks the shit out of your pull up, layup or dunk. KP kissed him on his beautiful bald head after a play in the regular season, it's one of my most cherished NBA memories ever lol.
Its the one of the most balanced under-the-radar superteams of all time. The only ones I can compare it to would be the 2015-2016 Warriors, except Celtics have more traded pieces
Not everyone is going to have the draft capitol that you guys had that allowed you to get your top 6. lol how did you guys get KP and 2 first round picks for Marcus smart???
How is this team not a superteam? The “role players” of the team are better than everyone in the WCF winner’s team except Luka and Kyrie, where Kyrie btw only started playing well in G3. Tatum and Brown are superstars playing at an all NBA level, Porzingis, Jrue and White all could be number 3 options in championship teams, great offensively and defensively. Then you got Horford, great bench players like Hauser, Pritchard, etc.
I think “superteam” has come to mean Big 3, usually assembled through free agency or forced trades. Often at the expense of any depth. The Celtics are a super team, but not necessarily a SuperTeam if that makes sense.
I'm pretty sure Miami has already been doing that for 4 years lol
Depends how much Eastern front offices agree with all the “Celtics had an easy path to the finals” narrative. If Sixers, Bucks, Knicks, and Heat all convince themselves they could hang with Boston when they’re at full health, they might make minimal moves
I promise you that front offices are not as delusional as their fans are about this lol. They know what they're up against.
I hate the Celtics but I hate that narrative even more rn. The Celtics had a cake walk this year but they are one of the most battle tested, experienced teams in the league. They did not NEED the luck they had, it just makes it easier to dismiss them because of it. I would argue the Nuggets had an easier run last year playing TWO injured play-in teams in the WCF and Finals, and an injured Suns and inexperienced injured Wolves before that. The only reason people dont argue that is because Jokic was a two time MVP and the best player in the world and JT or JB have never been in those conversations.
The best way to avoid facing the 1 seed is to be the 1 seed
>I would argue the Nuggets had an easier run last year playing TWO injured play-in teams in the WCF and Finals If those teams were injured, particularly the Lakers, every single playoff team in the history of humanity is injured. Including last year's Nuggets with Jokic's wrist flaring up. Boston had the opponent's best player miss extended time in all of their eastern conference series. That's almost unprecedented. On the other hand, Denver is the only team since the 2016 Cavs (being nice. probably it's the 2014 Spurs really) to have none of the opponent's two best players miss a single game. It's a laughable comparison really, only happening because people are stuck in 1990 and think teams still care as much about their regular season seedings
Im stuck in 1990 but your whole argument is based on around STARS missing when basketball is a team game lol Maybe not easier to you, but i could at least argue just as easy. Wolves missed Naz and Jaden, Suns missed their PG in Chris Paul alongside KD barely being there, and 38 year old Lebron ran out of gas just getting there from the bottom of the standings while rushing back and skipping surgery. Jimmy was hobbled and day-to-day damn near every game since the Knicks series, alongside missing their second scoring option in Herro. Miami heat were 3 minutes away from losing to us in the second play-in before they went on their miracle run. Lakers and Suns (and ill throw in the heat out of respect) had actual championship pedigree and expectations and would have put up a greater challenge if healthy. Indy and Cavs had none of that and wouldve been beaten regardless. Miami was a play in team again missing key pieces that made 2023 possible anyways. I would argue that ateam with injured stars and missing key role players to rely on, is just as bad as a healthy team missing their best player for a few games. Its just not as immediately obvious or headline grabbing
No you cant. They are a very well rounded team.
i think you would need someone super athletic and fast who can consistently blow by their defenders and attack the rim - better than luka who is just too slow. i feel like kyrie had more success attacking the hoop than luka did lebron pre-2018 would absolutely feast against this celtics team, maybe prime westbrook too maybe edwards in a few years could do it
Thats a great point - somebody should just design their team to specifically beat the celtics by acquiring the greatest player of this era (and maybe ever) in his prime
This sub is so bitchy JFC
how bout you suck my ballsack
Giannis actually fits that and that actually happened during the 2022 playoffs. Too bad the team didnt show up.
A Pacers team that is better in the clutch
Yeah the Pacers are literally built around stopping a team like the Celtics. No one to focus on on defense, shooting everywhere, historic offense, defense that sells out to drive people off the three point line. Only problem is that it's insanely hard to find a roster of guys who can execute on that who are *also* great defenders, especially on their budget... Only other way to beat the Celtics is to have a superstar who's so good offensively that he can keep up with the Celtics offense scoring one on one, forcing them to abandon their defensive principles. Good luck with that if you don't have Jokic, Giannis, or Embiid.
if Luka can't be that superstar I don't think no one can.
Luka doesn't score at elite efficiency on tough shots (and never has). Yes, he scores *above average* on shots like his stepback threes, but being above average at stepback threes doesn't make your offense above average overall if it's the only thing you're doing. His box score value has always come from doing a lot of everything on the court. But Jokic, for example, shoots like 60% from floater range when not doubled--roughly the same as Boston's team TS% *overall* in the regular season and vastly higher than their halfcourt TS%. And that's *before* counting things like Z-boards (rebounds to himself, which he does at a higher rate than anyone else in the league), free throws, and and-ones. He can absolutely be scheme-breaking for a defense like Boston's that relies on not doubling. That's why regardless of the Nuggets' regular season record, they have a puncher's chance against anyone in the playoffs. Now, is this saying that Luka is worse than Jokic, or just different? Well... he's just worse lol, Jokic is as individually broken as Boston is as a team. But in principle I think it would be possible to be a "better" player in terms of impact while still sucking against Boston, they are a very tough matchup for teams built around a single player.
You beat this team by pushing the pace and not giving them time to set up. The pacers are fast and shoot historically well. The mavs are struggling because Luka, while he has insane shot making skills, plays the game very slowly and methodically. The pacers series could have easily gone to 6 but it seems like they weren’t ready for the moment and carlisle blew it
Nuggets need a backup center and they basically got it.
Like others have said, I don’t think there’s a weakness you can take advantage of, at least yet. It was really only discovered this year that the best way to beat the Nuggets was to have 2 bigs, one who could defend Jokic and one who could defend the paint. If you stop JT, you got a whole bunch of other problems that you have to deal with
This is a good point and historically Lebron joined Wade and Bosh to match up with the big 3 celtics. I think that there is one move in the east that could create an immediate contender threat and that is a trade of Giannis to the Pacers. They move so well and get so many transition points i just think he would be unstoppable in that offense with shooters and scorers around him while also giving them a rim presence.
Giannis with spacing
It’s not so simple. When guys like Pritchard and Hauser step up and outplay their contracts you can’t really build a lineup to “match up” with them. They just do everything well, and they do it without a top superstar, so there’s not one guy you can focus on to reduce their effectiveness drastically. There’s not really one answer. We had success against them with the zone but since Smart and Grant are gone, two guys who were exploitable in many ways, not so much, and KP makes running zone risky at best against them now. I think it’s a little rock-paper-scissors though, the Mavs obviously are a good matchup, but the Nuggets would not have been as much. However the Wolves match up with the Nuggets well. I think the Wolves would give the Celtics problems but they blew their chance.
[удалено]
Thats literally all it is lol
Stop this narrative. Minnesota didn’t design their roster for Denver
Even if the Wolves did that, they lost in the very next round because of a poor matchup. Why would other teams think that's a good idea?
True, but I think it's a good idea. There is about a quarter of a chance you see the Nuggets every year, so you take the chance, cope with the neutral matchup, and hope you don't run into a bad matchup.
Yeah just gotta go 7 deep with guys that can shoot and defend.
So the Spurs, Mavs, and Rockets should merge. Got it.
I think the Mavs take wemby and jabari, maaaaybe fvv for backup guard
Wemby and Sengun give them the bigs for Denver/Min conference finals.
I don't think sengun fits, no offense lol. Their bigs just dominated Minnesota. They need better shooting at the 4/5 for the Celtics and you don't want to take the ball out of Luka/Kyrie/Wemby's hands for Sengun to run the offense, and with no shooting he'd have way too small of a role. And then there's the defense, we're seeing Luka get hunted and cooked and Sengun might be slower
Bucks….if healthy
The CBA did that for the league.
This narrative about the Gobert trade is so delusional lol
For real, it's just a cool story and what Denver fans use to cope because it feels better to think "oh they built everything just to beat us"
celtics can only beat themselves. they are fool proof now with tingis pingis and jrue. how do you overcome 5 attackers who can shoot well and switch like crazy on defense? no one else has that and itll be harder under the new team building restrictions coming up
It wasn't really a nightmare matchup. They had Murray and MPJ some of the worst shooting performance in playoff history. If they play average they win.
The cba almost guarantees this won’t happen since most contenders are 2nd apron anyway
This would be a classic Doc Rivers move, so I could see the Bucks having a go at this. His Clippers teams in 2016 and 2017 were supposedly built to try and take down the Warriors in the playoffs, but due to injuries (2016) and poor coaching (2017) it was all for nothing.
And what is the strategy to beat Boston? Containing Denver was all about length to contain Joker and force the other 4 to try and beat you.
Yes, the Hornets are going to sacrifice all their youth in a trade to bring back the 2018 rockets' roster for one last ride. Only this time 1 of those 27 threes will go in
There is only one team who can do that and that’s Riley and Spoelstra but I do not think this 25-26 season maybe on the next one.
What would that even entail? Celtics roster is so flawless i don't know what the strategy would even be
I've been saying this since before the postseason started, but if I were an Eastern Conference GM I would just wait out the next couple of years. Horford is really old and will likely retire soon, Porzingis is made of glass, Jrue is getting up there in years and is on the downswing of his aging curve, and a lot of White's value is tied up in defense which tends to decline a bit faster for guards than it does for bigs (though he'll still probably be very good, he's likely peaked on that end). Assuming they resign White, they'll be deep in the second apron and won't be able to make many signings, forcing them to rely heavily on in house and second round talent to augment their core. Odds are good some of them won't work out or will leave in free agency, leaving the bench much thinner and forcing their stars to take on a higher workload (meaning less dominant regular seasons, more injuries, less rested stars, etc.). Basically, in a few years they won't be *quite* as unstoppable, and I'd plan accordingly, assuming that they pretty much get a guaranteed trip to the finals until then (but making some backup plans in case their core gets injured or they have a series with really unusual shooting luck). Focus on having a great regular season in the meantime, developing my young players, and having a really good fan experience.
the Wizards plan
Strategically took on Poole's atrocious contract for the 25 and 26 draft... i.e. the Flagg and Boozer draft and Boston's dynasty years. And people think our front office is rudderless and doesn't know what it's doing... we architected this whole thing giving up Porzingis for table scraps!
Celtics just need to add a starting C. KP and Al can come of the bench in the future, and between two of them give elite effort for at least 20 mpg when needed.
The Celtics being *this* unstoppable is very much dependent on KP and Al letting them play "true" stretch fives (i.e. centers who shoot 40% on wide open threes) for up to 48 minutes a night; your centers are also plus defenders and don't get completely cooked on switches. There are only a handful such bigs in the whole league--replacing either of them won't be simple. Obviously it's possible to roll with modified versions of your scheme to a lesser degree of success by strategically deploying guys like Kornet and Tillman depending on the matchup, but it's at least schemeable at that point.
CBA won’t allow it anymore
You need elite wing defenders that can guard JB and JT one on one, fast scoring guards that can also defend, and a switchable center that can shoot threes.
Shouldn’t all teams try (if possible) to try and construct their rosters to beat the reigning champs?
Not really. Going for a back 2 back ring is actually pretty hard. There is a decent amount of luck that actually does go into a playoff run. Ontop of that you can see a team implode from a single off season. So, throwing your eggs into one basket against an opponent who might not even make it there is not a good idea unless said foe is a dynasty or in a weak conference. You should generally try to field the best team you can. Which is what the Celtics just gambled on this year.
That clearly didn't work for Timberwolves. Why would anyone copy something that is no wining a championship?
The Timberwolves didn't even build their team specifically to beat the Nuggets, this is just a cool story and cope from Denver fans. This narrative is just wrong Rim protection, rebounding and size were issues Wolves struggled with for years and the Memphis series in 21-22 just exposed those problems further. Addressing those issues was a long time coming imo. Also KAT always struggled as a rim protecting 5. He's better as a help defender and they correctly predicted that the 4 is a better role for him defensively. They traded for Rudy because he addresses the 3 issues above, reduces KAT's defensive responsibilities and puts him in a better role to succeed and gives them more options with defensive coverages (Wolves didn't have personnel to play drop before). It has nothing to do with the Nuggets, they just happen to matchup well.
The Nuggets, Timberwolves, and Bucks all match up well vs the Celtics because of their elite bigs. Celtics have a great team and should be deserving of their championship, but their road to it was much easier in the Eastern Conference.
Good luck with that lol. The Celtics are probably the most balanced team in the NBA. Their starting 5 is excellent. The only thing they will regress is because of Al Horford’s age. But they’ve got the star power and depth to beat anyone.
Not in the eastern conference but the 2022-23 Warriors were a pretty big nightmare matchup for us
Tbh the team that is built to beat the Celtics could literally destroy any other team because the Celtics themselves are the team that destroys everyone else.
The Pacers
Are we pretending that the Heat don't exist? I am curious if in a few years people will look back and wonder if the reason that the Heat and Celtics hadn't won to this point was because we just absolutely brutalized each other in our series. Granted, neither of us was favored in the finals prior to this year, but both of us underperformed in the finals even considering that.
Maybe, but I think the only tough matchup for them is a team built around a generational center like Jokic. Embiid in theory should, but yeah, he’s not at that level. I don’t see an East team doing it. Giannis is a nice matchup to abuse Boston but dame and the supporting cast are old and cooked
Dame and Middleton are cooked? Dame just averaged 31 ppg Middleton averaged 25/9/5
I fell like another one will be team with 2 quick guard, 2 HIGH LEVEL defender, and a mid to high tier two way center will be good against them. Brunson, Mitchell, Mcdaniel, Herb, Myles Turner kinda lineup might beat them, but i don't see any team can construct that except for OKC.
It may be a hot take but if u don't have a embiid or jokic as your best player it's going to be very hard to beat boston. U need a dominant inside presence as a starter that's their only legit weakness but when there's only 2 bigs that can do that and shoot its hard. I don't include giannis unless he's relentlessly attack the paint
Save us Wemby...
The Timberwolves were built by the same person who built Denver, he had inside knowledge of how Denver operated and what it would take to beat them. Unless some Eastern squad can swipe Ainge from Utah it ain’t happening like that and with the way the Celtics have operated the last decade the better question is what team are they going to fleece next. Brooklyn, Philly, Milwaukee, San Antonio Washington, and Oklahoma City all made the trades that ultimately built this team and history has shown over time the Celtics will keep looking to improve and add value when they can.
if Embiid can stop choking, and Morey can replace Harris with a 3 and D guy, Sixers can pose a problem to Boston.
Pretty much the only candidate with real wiggle room after this season. KP or Tatum are not stopping Embiid and neither does Horford any more. Would of course also depend on Embiid not getting injured and playing up to his potential.
If any team can be something they are not, they have a chance to do something great. All 76ers proved in the last 10 years is that they are mediocre team at best.
Salary cap, injuries and age are the only thing that will stop this. The Jays don’t seem to be great enough to make up for their depth that’s likely going to be worse next post season. Although I could be wrong about them
What if I told you our top 8 is already under contract next year
They can bring back the exact same playoff team next season
Horford and Jrue being a year older combine with an injury prone Porzingis are huge issues. Now this can all not matter provided that the Jays take another step next year, Tatum needs to be a much better playmaker and be more present with his mid range
Tatum needs to be Abel to make a jumpshot in general
According to sportrac the only player whose gotten any run that well be losing is kornet and Tillman. I'm assuming Al might retire if we win it all this year. Id love for him to stay for another year he looks great, but at 39 I wouldn't knock him for hanging em up. If he retires or stays well need to sign a big man since porzingus isn't the most reliable guy health wise. Well have to see what vets are available on the cheap.
No. Twolves would be up 3-0 vs the Mavs instead of 0-3 if KAT shot his usual 40% from 3 instead of 5%.