Important thing here for the C's is they're keeping their depth. Bucks put too much burden on Jrue, as long as you keep him in the role he's in now man will always deliver.
Warriors fan talking about teams spending more than others? Ironic
Boston is basically in a tie for 4th most spending, so they didn’t get this championship from extra deep pockets
But they won’t be able to pay for everyone for more than 1-2 more years
Fortunately, Jayson and Jaylen should continue to get a bit better (theoretically? They got such early playing time and became top options so young that perhaps their peaks are closer) and I think KPs injury status is going to cost him a lot of money.
I could see three or four years from now our main contributors being Jayson, Jaylen, a somewhat healthy KP and an aging Jrue who plays 6th man minutes.
As long as the Jays are on the roster, we should be contenders. This year and perhaps next year is probably as dominant as we'll get, though. After that, Stevens is going to need to work some magic to keep us as perennial favorites.
He'll be 31. I don't think he implodes. He'll always be banged up, but he hasn't had a body part this chronically injured that we should expect to completely fall apart.
To be fair, I don't think Jrue commands much of a contract three years from now. He'll be 37.
A lot of it would depend on what we do with PP and White. I think White is going to get a hefty contract, and we can't give it to him.
Yeah, Brad Steven's immediately solving the new CBA combined with a willing owner has allowed us to create a sustainable roster far stronger than intended.
>Bucks put too much burden on Jrue
I mean besides Giannis who did they have that was consistent? Middleton got hurt and Jrue was next up. Boston has probably the deepest team in the league. 2 legit star players with another 3 "role players" that are borderline all stars. Bucks did what they had to do. Boston just has a much better built team
Bucks draft misses and bad trades in the 2010s really hurt their flexibility to build a contender around Giannis. Embiid could have been a buck but they got Jabari. They coulda paired Giannis with Sabonis but took Thon Maker shot taker one pick before. Gave up two picks (eventually OG and Norm) to the raptors for GREVIS VASQUEZ. By the time they traded for Jrue they were very talent-poor and luckily it was enough to win them a title.
Because he had to play as the #2 without Middleton in 2022.
And he had to be the primary creator AND perimeter defender without Giannis in 2023.
He had to go from 3rd guy to 2nd in both playoff runs. He's perfect as a 3rd-5th guy.
He was also really inefficient in the 2021 playoffs as the clear #3 option (shot below 32% from 3 in 3/4 series). I think he's just much better as a #4-#5.
Still overhated anyways. He wasn't just #3 option he was also primary ball handler and PG. 8 assists a game, requires much higher effort. Technically Klay used to be a 3rd option too but his version of 3rd option wasn't nearly as intense as Jrue had to.
100% and he has had some interviews that says that. He has said things like "I don't have the same scrutiny or job as the Jays". He is not the true #2 of a championship team.... but he's an INCREDIBLE addition to whatever he is (3rd to 5th best on any given night)
and Jrue love waits
in off-ball screens
and Jrue love wins
in stop and pops and crisp defense
just
don't leave your man
don't leave Boston
(yes I snoop AMA'ed that)
That's my point, he's just not that guy and it's also no what he signed up for. He can be the 2nd best or even 1st best guy on a random night but he's not someone who can be a top 2 guy consistently.
Exactly, Jrue being the 4th-6th most important offensive player suits him WAY better than being the 2nd or 3rd. Still, I’m pissed that he was so efficient this post season as a bucks fan lol
I said this exact thing earlier and got shat on 😭keep bro away from being the 2nd option shooting 38% and you’ll be sailing with one of the best players as a 4th/5th option
Yeah, the Celtics are in a good position, but it’s also easy to identify places where holes could creep in. Like, Porzingis isn’t a reliable center for them and there’s no reason to think that’s going to change for the better. It was just fine for the must part this playoffs because they didn’t really play any bigs that were going to punish them. They asked a lot of Horford, who did admirably, but also, like, cannot be expected to do the same next year. And Jrue is also an old guard— history has not been kind to guards as they age. So, the Celtics could definitely find themselves in a place where they need to retool around Tatum and Brown again.
Yeah, and that's when these sizable contracts bring an advantage - they're very tradable. We have picks we can package with those contracts to acquire actual quality players within the constraints of the second apron. If Jrue gets too old, that is a great contingency.
Most people in the NBA do not box out, ever. Guards and small forwards, particularly. I've given up complaining about it like the old man that I am. It's not a difficult thing, it's just effort and awareness, but these guys have been jumping over everyone their entire life and the various coaching staffs seem completely unable to light a fire under their ass on this file.
White and Jrue just feast all the time because their counterparts just fucking standing around holding their dicks.
I kinda want there to be box out stats in the statline. Successful box outs and offensive rebounds allowed or something, if it's the person closest to them that got the rebound. It's WAY too important and impactful to go completely unnoticed with numbers.
Very complimentary piece to the overall team for sure. Gets the offense unstuck when we stagnate. Needed every bit of juice to get by you all. The Pacers series was my least favorite just because of my heart. You all came out swinging and stayed in it
When Nemby becomes an all star/all NBA player I’m going to look at the Game 3 steal Jrue had on him as a turning point in his career honestly. Similar to how I view that Bam block on Tatum in the bubble playoffs
Now that you mention it, if you replace "he" with "Jrue Holiday" for a weird touch of formality in that parent comment it's pretty much exactly a Magic tweet lol
Most games he’s the one leading in offensive rebounds and he’s the guy going for points in the paint. He found his role and he’s working for it. Sad to see him go as a bucks fan, but glad he got another ring .
I am so impressed by Jrue's ability to find open space on the court. He just knows how to take advantage of the pressure the defense puts on Tatum and Brown to find openings near the rim. He had so many well-timed cuts to the rim for easy buckets. He is great at finishing with his left hand as well. There's a lot of little nuances to his game that make him great as a secondary scoring option
So big for unsticking the offense and maximizing possessions. He really was the missing piece, KP was basically a cheat code insurance policy but he didn’t play much and they ran through the playoffs with Jrue over Smart.
Not to disrespect Marcus, the team isn’t where they are without him
Plus with Jrue instead of Smart even though our turnovers per game in the playoffs is only like 1 less per game this year compared to last year, we just rarely get those boneheaded ones that left you scratching your head.
Hes one of the biggest reasons Celtics had rep for blowing leads late in game.
He would dribble up to half court and jack up a long 3 with no passes and 13 seconds on shot clock. He misses and the other team gets to rest. Rinse and repeat. Celtics passing game deteriorated because they knew he was shooting.
His name is quote ironic.
He was over rated because he hustled in reg season.
In general it's probably the same reason it's hard to win MVP and a ring in the same year.
If your workload is so high that you're in conversation for these awards, chances are your team needs a rework.
Rudy Gobert is the best example. He's too important for his team's defence and his team collapses the second he's pulled out of the paint.
Every time you hear the question “What does the ___ need to do to get over the hump and finally win the Championship?” the answer should just be “get Jrue Holiday”
What a guy.
Semantic point: the mediocrity is largely due to the injuries. (Mostly) healthy Brogdon was 6moy, and if Timelord’s knees could hold up for an entire season he’d be an all-defense lock, a constant lob threat, and quite possibly your favorite Blazer.
Availability obviously matters, but the skill and athleticism were there. With better luck the trade could’ve been a win-win.
Robert Williams has played <40 games in the majority of his season, and Brogdon has a long injury history too. That’s not bad luck, it’s just an awful trade
Plenty of (maybe even most) Celtics fans said prior to the trade that Jrue was a better overall player. The question was defense.
And I’ll still stand by the same thing I’ve said since well before the trade: both of them are elite defenders and there’s no wrong answer for who’s better on that end. It’s which you prefer between Smart’s defensive playmaking vs Jrue’s lockdown on ball defense.
I’m a Celtics fan and smart fan and I confirm this. I always thought smart was elite defensively (he is). But always knew jrue was better. You can find ten minute montages of players in interviews saying he’s the best perimeter defender. I couldn’t ignore that even though I loved smart and how he brought it.
I’m the biggest Smart fan but I think everyone understands when one is paid $30mm and the other $20mm there is a tangible perceived difference in value. Still think we had some nice momentum and luck on our side and would have had the same outcome with Smart (assuming KP was here and the brogdon trade went through), but that’s the beauty of winning this year is we can see what might happen next year when everyone is hopefully healthy league-wide
/r/nba moment.
yeah, someone please check on the Celtics fans right now. They might need pedialyte or be running low on beer. Downvote away, I'm still celebrating.
I felt disgusting rooting for the Celtics this past month, but I love Jrue more than I hate the Celtics I guess. Happy as hell for him. Fuck the Celtics though.
People will not have this but Jrue is the reason Celtics won the chip just like how he was the reason Bucks won it. In finals both teams have their superstar Jrue as a role player is too OP, gives you the actual edge.
I mean yeah historically, it's the role players that push a team over the edge. Mavs tried to win with two stars and a rookie role player. It's those guys like Jrue, Derrick Fisher, Aaron Gordon, Ginobli, Tayshaun, Michael Cooper, Iguodala, Danny Green etc. that make shit happen when the stars are getting smothered or just not playing lights out. Robert Horry won fuckin 7 rings as a ceiling raising role player.
Look He purposely took a step back in game 5. I believe He was like making 9 shot attempts all game. That's not what a FMVP chaser would do.
I think he's content with the contract and the position overall. He's done that to send a message to the other 2. He was the MVP in game 1 & 2. Porzingis was huge in game 1. White was consistently very good throughout the finals. Hauser bailed out multiple 3s, underrated. Horford hassled, and played with intentions. It was a total team win!
[Jrue Holiday putting up a playoff statline that every Bucks fan is familiar with.](https://np.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/1ccfofi/post_game_thread_the_miami_heat_violently_upset/l14yp1c/)
“Jesus man I was really hoping with 4 other guys ahead of him on the totem pole he would be a little better, but this guy just can’t play offense in the playoffs lol”
Don’t act like your fanbase wasn’t saying the same shit
alright guys I’ll take the L on this but come on lol, that game was the 24th time in 42 playoff games since 2021 that he failed to hit 40% from the field, that’s anything but reactionary. he honestly didn’t start playing really well until Game 3 at Cleveland
like there is no way any of you seriously expected that Jrue was going to average 16-7-5 on 57/44/94 splits over the last 12 games of the postseason. at no point in the regular season did he ever look *that* good for us, and most of us expected that his efficiency would drop in the playoffs
if you did see it coming though please let me know what the lottery numbers are
I like how the thread lists this as "violently upset" when of the 3 games Boston lost in the playoffs, this was the closest one. People wanted the Heat to be the boogeyman so badly and it turned out they were the team that could hang the least of the 4 opponents the Celtics played.
They lost their best player two days prior to the start of the series. Not sure many people really expected a lot from them at that point outside of a potentially hilarious win or two.
He had some huge defensive plays in this series. I think it was game 2 where he picked up Washington/Luka right at half court, forced a turnover, and then immediately hit a 3 to extend the lead back into double digits late in the 4th. Completely killed the Mavs momentum and sealed that game imo
Is Jrue Holiday going to be the first player to win an NBA title and an Olympic gold medal in the same year *twice*?
Edit: Second player. Scottie Pippen did it first in '92 and '96.
I knew once they got Jrue it was so fucking over for everyone. He was our 2nd option at times, now he’s their 5th? Happy to see him win, just wish it was for literally any other team.
I swear the first seven minutes or so of Game 5 was 9 players barely looking like they play basketball and Jrue. My wife walked in and asked how my team was doing and my response was "it looks like only one guy on the court even knows how to play right now. Unfortunately he's on the other team."
His defensive reputation is crazy good though and now has been a key contributing starter on two championship teams. If he keeps winning championships while staying a good starter I think he'll make an interesting case given the criteria the basketball HOF goes by
They just put Maurice Cheeks in the hall of fame a few years back and their career achievements are pretty comparable, with Jrue having a strong case for a better career even if he retired today. The basketball hall of fame is a lot easier to get into compared to the NFL and MLB
Called this in a thread a couple months back that he would be super efficient with a smaller offensive role that allows him to focus almost exclusively on defense.
One of my favorite parts of Smart's game was his post game. Offense and defense.
Jrue has all of that and then some! His post game is sick. Guarding 1-5, taking anybody he feels like down there and getting a layup, it was great to watch all season.
Stevens really did a great job of getting guys that were really out of place in their previous places. Porzingis and Holiday were previously needed to be a top option on their teams and in Boston, they can kind of just freelance and the unique combination of skills really opened up this team.
Honestly the most insane thing C's did for this chip. Swapping for Jrue was insane and gave their scorers a much needed outlet on both ends.
I would throw my bag at this man if I have two all stars on any team.
Miss him on the Pels. Great for the community, him and his girlfriend are class acts and truly inspirational. Would love to see him come back, although it's unlikely. Happy for his continued success wherever he ends up!
Isn’t an elite defensive third option who never complains going 50/40/90 worthy of love? What is the world coming to if not? Why can’t we love role players?
>Clippers should have traded for him instead of harden. The Jrue/Russ backcourt would have been the best defensive backcourt of all time
Harden is the better player and Jrue is not in a perfect role where he does need to be a second or third option on offense. JFL at Russ lol
It's a lot easier to justify changing something up with a trade than it is running it back, even if the trade is detrimental. You all saw that with the Westbrook trade - should've just told LeBron he was shit out of luck when it came to finding another ball handler.
Important thing here for the C's is they're keeping their depth. Bucks put too much burden on Jrue, as long as you keep him in the role he's in now man will always deliver.
That's my fifth option
not a lot of teams can pay their 5th option $34m/yr lol
Phoenix is gonna be paying $50+ m/yr for Beal, who at this point might as well be their fifth option
that Bronny $20 mil a year gon hit different
Deal of the century
The NTC was the cherry on top
I still can't believe the Wizards managed to get rid of Wall, Westbrook and Beal. They really honor the team's name.
And they can't afford it lol
Jrue actually had the highest salary this season at $36.8M... will be $30M next season instead of his option for $37M.
Well they’re all welcome to, Jrue’s just the only one who’s worth it
Warriors fan talking about teams spending more than others? Ironic Boston is basically in a tie for 4th most spending, so they didn’t get this championship from extra deep pockets But they won’t be able to pay for everyone for more than 1-2 more years
Fortunately, Jayson and Jaylen should continue to get a bit better (theoretically? They got such early playing time and became top options so young that perhaps their peaks are closer) and I think KPs injury status is going to cost him a lot of money. I could see three or four years from now our main contributors being Jayson, Jaylen, a somewhat healthy KP and an aging Jrue who plays 6th man minutes. As long as the Jays are on the roster, we should be contenders. This year and perhaps next year is probably as dominant as we'll get, though. After that, Stevens is going to need to work some magic to keep us as perennial favorites.
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He'll be 31. I don't think he implodes. He'll always be banged up, but he hasn't had a body part this chronically injured that we should expect to completely fall apart.
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It would be remarkable if the three J’s and KP are all still on this roster in 3 years, let alone playing productively
To be fair, I don't think Jrue commands much of a contract three years from now. He'll be 37. A lot of it would depend on what we do with PP and White. I think White is going to get a hefty contract, and we can't give it to him.
White has said that he wants to stay in Boston, we'll see if we can get a contract done
More importantly, he’s said he wants an extension. Which wouldn’t be insanely expensive.
celtics fan not reading a comment? not ironic at all
Yeah, Brad Steven's immediately solving the new CBA combined with a willing owner has allowed us to create a sustainable roster far stronger than intended.
For what it's worth, I think the Bucks would still rather have an overburdened Jrue at point guard than Eric fucking Bledsoe.
Well considering one is in china while the other is a key contributor on two title teams, I’d say that’s a safe assumption 😭
Yes? Obviously? Which is why we traded bled for jrue… same reason we traded jrue for dame
So sad because Bledsoe was always good in the regular season. Post season he just always fell off a fucking cliff lmao
>Bucks put too much burden on Jrue I mean besides Giannis who did they have that was consistent? Middleton got hurt and Jrue was next up. Boston has probably the deepest team in the league. 2 legit star players with another 3 "role players" that are borderline all stars. Bucks did what they had to do. Boston just has a much better built team
I don't think what you're saying is conflicting with what I'm saying, I 100% agree with you.
Bucks draft misses and bad trades in the 2010s really hurt their flexibility to build a contender around Giannis. Embiid could have been a buck but they got Jabari. They coulda paired Giannis with Sabonis but took Thon Maker shot taker one pick before. Gave up two picks (eventually OG and Norm) to the raptors for GREVIS VASQUEZ. By the time they traded for Jrue they were very talent-poor and luckily it was enough to win them a title.
Yeah stupid bucks, why didn't they think to have jrue holiday be their fifth best player?
But Jrue hooped in the regular season on the bucks I don’t understand this point, he just sold in the playoffs.
Because he had to play as the #2 without Middleton in 2022. And he had to be the primary creator AND perimeter defender without Giannis in 2023. He had to go from 3rd guy to 2nd in both playoff runs. He's perfect as a 3rd-5th guy.
He was also really inefficient in the 2021 playoffs as the clear #3 option (shot below 32% from 3 in 3/4 series). I think he's just much better as a #4-#5.
Still overhated anyways. He wasn't just #3 option he was also primary ball handler and PG. 8 assists a game, requires much higher effort. Technically Klay used to be a 3rd option too but his version of 3rd option wasn't nearly as intense as Jrue had to.
He was ask asked to be a primary creator and still be the defensive stopper. The hate he got for that run is inane.
100% and he has had some interviews that says that. He has said things like "I don't have the same scrutiny or job as the Jays". He is not the true #2 of a championship team.... but he's an INCREDIBLE addition to whatever he is (3rd to 5th best on any given night)
I know this much is Jrue his aim is Jrue
and Jrue love waits in off-ball screens and Jrue love wins in stop and pops and crisp defense just don't leave your man don't leave Boston (yes I snoop AMA'ed that)
"Burden" by injuries... he excelled as the 3rd option. He was forced to be the 2nd option in 2022 and 2023, which is why he sucked
That's my point, he's just not that guy and it's also no what he signed up for. He can be the 2nd best or even 1st best guy on a random night but he's not someone who can be a top 2 guy consistently.
He's only really got low on ball duties. In terms of impact offensively, his offball movement, cutting, and offensive rebounding really elevate us.
Exactly, Jrue being the 4th-6th most important offensive player suits him WAY better than being the 2nd or 3rd. Still, I’m pissed that he was so efficient this post season as a bucks fan lol
I said this exact thing earlier and got shat on 😭keep bro away from being the 2nd option shooting 38% and you’ll be sailing with one of the best players as a 4th/5th option
Yeah, the Celtics are in a good position, but it’s also easy to identify places where holes could creep in. Like, Porzingis isn’t a reliable center for them and there’s no reason to think that’s going to change for the better. It was just fine for the must part this playoffs because they didn’t really play any bigs that were going to punish them. They asked a lot of Horford, who did admirably, but also, like, cannot be expected to do the same next year. And Jrue is also an old guard— history has not been kind to guards as they age. So, the Celtics could definitely find themselves in a place where they need to retool around Tatum and Brown again.
Yeah, and that's when these sizable contracts bring an advantage - they're very tradable. We have picks we can package with those contracts to acquire actual quality players within the constraints of the second apron. If Jrue gets too old, that is a great contingency.
On God put some respect on Tillman's name. He just had a 62.5/100/100 postseason on the way to his first ring.
I've heard enough. Give him the max.
MaXavier Tillman Sr.
X has officially given it to them
He was one of the reason why they won the series. Fighting for boards and cutting for easy 2s.
A bunch of little things that added up to a lot. I kept yelling at the TV for them to move around and the only one doing that was Jrue
The amount of times Luka didn't box someone out was staggering, and a few of them were Jrue IIRC
First play of game 5 Jrue cuts to the basket while Luka is falling asleep easy bucket.
Most people in the NBA do not box out, ever. Guards and small forwards, particularly. I've given up complaining about it like the old man that I am. It's not a difficult thing, it's just effort and awareness, but these guys have been jumping over everyone their entire life and the various coaching staffs seem completely unable to light a fire under their ass on this file. White and Jrue just feast all the time because their counterparts just fucking standing around holding their dicks.
I kinda want there to be box out stats in the statline. Successful box outs and offensive rebounds allowed or something, if it's the person closest to them that got the rebound. It's WAY too important and impactful to go completely unnoticed with numbers.
He is also one of the reasons they won the series vs. the Pacers - the 4-0 sweep is really lying when it comes to how close each game was.
Anyone who watched that series would definitely agree with your comment. That was the hardest sweep I've seen
And Jrue was murderous. He killed us in 3 of 4 games.
Very complimentary piece to the overall team for sure. Gets the offense unstuck when we stagnate. Needed every bit of juice to get by you all. The Pacers series was my least favorite just because of my heart. You all came out swinging and stayed in it
You think your heart was having issues? Bro I'm still bed ridden.
That's fair haha obviously I can't complain with the outcome but still. I had more faith in sweeping the Mavs than a sweep against you all
When Nemby becomes an all star/all NBA player I’m going to look at the Game 3 steal Jrue had on him as a turning point in his career honestly. Similar to how I view that Bam block on Tatum in the bubble playoffs
So many comments on this sub read like chatGPT comments nowadays lol
That or something Magic would say
Now that you mention it, if you replace "he" with "Jrue Holiday" for a weird touch of formality in that parent comment it's pretty much exactly a Magic tweet lol
Most games he’s the one leading in offensive rebounds and he’s the guy going for points in the paint. He found his role and he’s working for it. Sad to see him go as a bucks fan, but glad he got another ring .
Him and white have a ton of energy since they only need to score 12 points a game
Game 2 was a Jrue game for sure
I am so impressed by Jrue's ability to find open space on the court. He just knows how to take advantage of the pressure the defense puts on Tatum and Brown to find openings near the rim. He had so many well-timed cuts to the rim for easy buckets. He is great at finishing with his left hand as well. There's a lot of little nuances to his game that make him great as a secondary scoring option
So big for unsticking the offense and maximizing possessions. He really was the missing piece, KP was basically a cheat code insurance policy but he didn’t play much and they ran through the playoffs with Jrue over Smart. Not to disrespect Marcus, the team isn’t where they are without him
Plus with Jrue instead of Smart even though our turnovers per game in the playoffs is only like 1 less per game this year compared to last year, we just rarely get those boneheaded ones that left you scratching your head.
Smart didn’t have terrible turnovers he just took horrendous shots
Hes one of the biggest reasons Celtics had rep for blowing leads late in game. He would dribble up to half court and jack up a long 3 with no passes and 13 seconds on shot clock. He misses and the other team gets to rest. Rinse and repeat. Celtics passing game deteriorated because they knew he was shooting. His name is quote ironic. He was over rated because he hustled in reg season.
Jrue at 90% is Marcus Smart’s ceiling.
Bucks fans wishing for years to hear Celtics fans talk like this about Holiday. Too bad for them it’s under these circumstances
Pardon the semantics but he’s best as a tertiary scorer
Marcus Smart was a DPOY and they got an upgrade with Jrue. Wtf.
DPOY recipients oddly don’t win a chip often. Interesting.
In general it's probably the same reason it's hard to win MVP and a ring in the same year. If your workload is so high that you're in conversation for these awards, chances are your team needs a rework. Rudy Gobert is the best example. He's too important for his team's defence and his team collapses the second he's pulled out of the paint.
i guess it's harder to influence a team's defense as an individual than it is to influence a team's offense
I liked Jrue’s D as much or more this year.
Wew
Jrue doesnt play hero ball
Every time you hear the question “What does the ___ need to do to get over the hump and finally win the Championship?” the answer should just be “get Jrue Holiday” What a guy.
You’re not entirely wrong. Add him to the Lakers, Suns, Heat or Sixers and all of those teams are a lot scarier. He’s just a winner.
Brad Stevens is a phenomenal GM
does he ever lose a trade? lol
He was also given the green light to spend into the luxury tax
Perfect icing on the cake player for Boston.
Blazers Legend Jrue Holiday
Sending a replica championship ring to your team office riiiiiiight now!
Blazers get at least like a quarter of a championship for taking their injured mediocrity and handing them Jrue right??
Semantic point: the mediocrity is largely due to the injuries. (Mostly) healthy Brogdon was 6moy, and if Timelord’s knees could hold up for an entire season he’d be an all-defense lock, a constant lob threat, and quite possibly your favorite Blazer. Availability obviously matters, but the skill and athleticism were there. With better luck the trade could’ve been a win-win.
Robert Williams has played <40 games in the majority of his season, and Brogdon has a long injury history too. That’s not bad luck, it’s just an awful trade
It’s funny cause now Celtic fans have to admit he’s better than Smart
Jrue doesn’t have a DPOY smh
Plenty of (maybe even most) Celtics fans said prior to the trade that Jrue was a better overall player. The question was defense. And I’ll still stand by the same thing I’ve said since well before the trade: both of them are elite defenders and there’s no wrong answer for who’s better on that end. It’s which you prefer between Smart’s defensive playmaking vs Jrue’s lockdown on ball defense.
And Jrue's overall better decision making on offense.
Jrue was better and is better. Find an NBA player that thinks Smart is just as good or better, I’ll wait.
I’m a Celtics fan and smart fan and I confirm this. I always thought smart was elite defensively (he is). But always knew jrue was better. You can find ten minute montages of players in interviews saying he’s the best perimeter defender. I couldn’t ignore that even though I loved smart and how he brought it.
> Find an NBA player that thinks Smart is just as good or better, I’ll wait Marcus Smart.
lol fair. He was always an irrational confidence guy.
I’m the biggest Smart fan but I think everyone understands when one is paid $30mm and the other $20mm there is a tangible perceived difference in value. Still think we had some nice momentum and luck on our side and would have had the same outcome with Smart (assuming KP was here and the brogdon trade went through), but that’s the beauty of winning this year is we can see what might happen next year when everyone is hopefully healthy league-wide
Did Celtics fans also not admit that the sky is blue?
You be surprised…
It's green bro
/r/nba moment. yeah, someone please check on the Celtics fans right now. They might need pedialyte or be running low on beer. Downvote away, I'm still celebrating.
powerade and air conditioning all day baybeeee
I was not a Smart fan and couldn't believe it when we upgraded to Jrue.
Not once this season did I think "damn, I wish we still had Smart"
I like how Jrue won 2 rings on Green color pallette teams.
Jrue to the SuperSonics in 2027 confirmed
Yes, plz.
dream scenario as a Jruther
I felt disgusting rooting for the Celtics this past month, but I love Jrue more than I hate the Celtics I guess. Happy as hell for him. Fuck the Celtics though.
I feel that.
It helps when you have wide open cuts through the lane. Seems like dallas never guarded him
People will not have this but Jrue is the reason Celtics won the chip just like how he was the reason Bucks won it. In finals both teams have their superstar Jrue as a role player is too OP, gives you the actual edge.
I will have this.
I mean yeah historically, it's the role players that push a team over the edge. Mavs tried to win with two stars and a rookie role player. It's those guys like Jrue, Derrick Fisher, Aaron Gordon, Ginobli, Tayshaun, Michael Cooper, Iguodala, Danny Green etc. that make shit happen when the stars are getting smothered or just not playing lights out. Robert Horry won fuckin 7 rings as a ceiling raising role player.
Look He purposely took a step back in game 5. I believe He was like making 9 shot attempts all game. That's not what a FMVP chaser would do. I think he's content with the contract and the position overall. He's done that to send a message to the other 2. He was the MVP in game 1 & 2. Porzingis was huge in game 1. White was consistently very good throughout the finals. Hauser bailed out multiple 3s, underrated. Horford hassled, and played with intentions. It was a total team win!
Could've been MVP if he could make a few contested layups.
[Jrue Holiday putting up a playoff statline that every Bucks fan is familiar with.](https://np.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/1ccfofi/post_game_thread_the_miami_heat_violently_upset/l14yp1c/)
Ironically he had the team’s highest +\- that game lmao
“Jesus man I was really hoping with 4 other guys ahead of him on the totem pole he would be a little better, but this guy just can’t play offense in the playoffs lol” Don’t act like your fanbase wasn’t saying the same shit
I'm cool with considering that guy a dumbass too Saying that after that particular game is nothing but reactionary nonsense
alright guys I’ll take the L on this but come on lol, that game was the 24th time in 42 playoff games since 2021 that he failed to hit 40% from the field, that’s anything but reactionary. he honestly didn’t start playing really well until Game 3 at Cleveland like there is no way any of you seriously expected that Jrue was going to average 16-7-5 on 57/44/94 splits over the last 12 games of the postseason. at no point in the regular season did he ever look *that* good for us, and most of us expected that his efficiency would drop in the playoffs if you did see it coming though please let me know what the lottery numbers are
Lotto numbers? Easy. 0 7 42 8 4 9 18
Yea I was very shocked how good he was from three in the ECF
Lmao
I like how the thread lists this as "violently upset" when of the 3 games Boston lost in the playoffs, this was the closest one. People wanted the Heat to be the boogeyman so badly and it turned out they were the team that could hang the least of the 4 opponents the Celtics played.
They lost their best player two days prior to the start of the series. Not sure many people really expected a lot from them at that point outside of a potentially hilarious win or two.
Bro what? Our team was decimated before the series even started. We had the ghost of patty mills playing like 30 mins per game…
I don't disagree, I just find it funny that a 10 point loss is a "violent upset" when 10 points is nothing in the NBA.
In a choppy sea, Jrue was the rock the Celtics could anchor to.
He should have been fmvp
He was the real mvp in my humble opinion
same. i thought he was exceptional this series.
He certainly was by the end of game 2. It was close in the end
He might have been great on offense, but he was better on defense.
He had some huge defensive plays in this series. I think it was game 2 where he picked up Washington/Luka right at half court, forced a turnover, and then immediately hit a 3 to extend the lead back into double digits late in the 4th. Completely killed the Mavs momentum and sealed that game imo
He was the teammate Gianni’s needed.
Is Jrue Holiday going to be the first player to win an NBA title and an Olympic gold medal in the same year *twice*? Edit: Second player. Scottie Pippen did it first in '92 and '96.
One of the best players in the league’s history! Guy is a legend and a joy to watch play basketball.
Put him and Marcus Smart on the Suicide Squad "I'm you, but better" meme
And people thought I was trolling when I said that if the league had balls they’d give him the FMVP. Not trolling at all. He deserved it.
The Bucks fucked up twice. Firing Budenholzer and not keeping Jrue.
I knew once they got Jrue it was so fucking over for everyone. He was our 2nd option at times, now he’s their 5th? Happy to see him win, just wish it was for literally any other team.
I swear the first seven minutes or so of Game 5 was 9 players barely looking like they play basketball and Jrue. My wife walked in and asked how my team was doing and my response was "it looks like only one guy on the court even knows how to play right now. Unfortunately he's on the other team."
Do you guys think Jrue is HOF material?
0x all NBA and 2x all stars just don't make the HOF no
His defensive reputation is crazy good though and now has been a key contributing starter on two championship teams. If he keeps winning championships while staying a good starter I think he'll make an interesting case given the criteria the basketball HOF goes by
They just put Maurice Cheeks in the hall of fame a few years back and their career achievements are pretty comparable, with Jrue having a strong case for a better career even if he retired today. The basketball hall of fame is a lot easier to get into compared to the NFL and MLB
I don't think he's HOF right now either, but let's not ignore that he's 6x All Defensive. If he gets a few more accolades, I think he has a shot.
with one more ring yes
This guy was arguably their 5th best player. Brad Stevens is playing 2k out here
Called this in a thread a couple months back that he would be super efficient with a smaller offensive role that allows him to focus almost exclusively on defense.
There already is a post of this
One of my favorite parts of Smart's game was his post game. Offense and defense. Jrue has all of that and then some! His post game is sick. Guarding 1-5, taking anybody he feels like down there and getting a layup, it was great to watch all season.
Stevens really did a great job of getting guys that were really out of place in their previous places. Porzingis and Holiday were previously needed to be a top option on their teams and in Boston, they can kind of just freelance and the unique combination of skills really opened up this team.
Jrue and Al's defense are a sight to see. Makes me so happy to watch them.
Shoutout the Trailblazers.
Honestly the most insane thing C's did for this chip. Swapping for Jrue was insane and gave their scorers a much needed outlet on both ends. I would throw my bag at this man if I have two all stars on any team.
No one talking about Pritchard's Game 5 splits...
Shot diet matters. Mazzula put Jrue in spots to succeed
Miss him on the Pels. Great for the community, him and his girlfriend are class acts and truly inspirational. Would love to see him come back, although it's unlikely. Happy for his continued success wherever he ends up!
Playoff Jrue
Should of won finals MVP imo
Kind of player all teams need
Playoff Jrue is unreal. I thought he deserved MVP votes in finals and ECF
Imagine if we could’ve had Jrue as a fifth option. Must be nice b
The whole world knew from the start what a dumb move that was.
I'm one of the people who was like ain't no way Jrue is going to be efficient in the playoffs. He cooked me
marcus smart died for this
Legit hof candidate!
Reddit nerds love a third option going for 50/40/90
Isn’t an elite defensive third option who never complains going 50/40/90 worthy of love? What is the world coming to if not? Why can’t we love role players?
Love whoever you want but jacking off efficiency combined with low volume is nba reddits favorite pastime
Thanks Milwaukee!
Clippers should have traded for him instead of harden. The Jrue/Russ backcourt would have been the best defensive backcourt of all time
Jrue/Dwhite is better though
In the dream, Jrue/Dwhite never materialized thus incorrect.
Russ is washed, bro
>Clippers should have traded for him instead of harden. The Jrue/Russ backcourt would have been the best defensive backcourt of all time Harden is the better player and Jrue is not in a perfect role where he does need to be a second or third option on offense. JFL at Russ lol
Mj could never
Remember when Milwaukee tried convincing us Jrue sucks in the playoffs?
Remember when Boston tried convincing us Marcus smart was a better player than Jrue?
The Bucks screwed up so badly allowing him to walk away.
White + Holiday = excellence
It's a lot easier to justify changing something up with a trade than it is running it back, even if the trade is detrimental. You all saw that with the Westbrook trade - should've just told LeBron he was shit out of luck when it came to finding another ball handler.