After a brief respite, the Sixers are back in action at Boston. The Celtics are old, banged up and tired. Tonight, we'll see if the Sixers can push the tempo and their youth advantage after a grueling regular season and a tough first round for the Celts.
We've the two best remaining defenses going at each other in this series (Boston was 1st, Chicago 2nd, Sixers 3rd in DFR this season), and two pretty bad offenses. Of course, what people won't focus on is that Boston's offense was actually worse than the Sixers'. Both teams rely on the long two way too much, though Boston shoots it better. Two big differences in their offensive numbers from the regular season: The Celtics don't grab offensive rebounds, at all, and they turn the ball over (25th in the league). They don't get to the line a whole lot (18th, but the Sixers were dead last). Essentially, Boston needs to be hitting their shots to win, and even if they are hitting their shots, they shoot themselves in the foot enough to keep you in the game against them.
It'll be interesting to see how the Sixers handle the Rondo pick-and-pops, and whether they play off him, daring him to shoot jumpers. I'd prefer they pressed him, take away his passing angles and make him work for everything. I like the odds in any game when Iguodala can make Pierce either an inefficient scorer or a non-factor. He's really the only guy on their roster who can create his own shot. Watch out for those vulture threes he takes in late transition. You don't want to allow him to pile up points without having to do something to break down the defense. If Garnett and Bass have an off shooting night on those long twos, the Celtics are pretty helpless on the offensive end, so keep an eye on that as well.
How they got here doesn't really matter. They're here now. Seven-game series against the Celtics for a trip to the conference finals. One game at a time, one win at a time. Get it started tonight.
The tip is at 8pm on TNT. This is your game thread. You know where I'll be, see you then.
Prediction: Sixers weather early emotions from Boston and their crowd, wear them down and win the game in the second half.
dear tnt, do not let reggie miller call this series, i have no more local broadcast and im not a huge fan of miller's broadcaster
*broadcasting
ahahahaha that NBA Rumors site listed its 3 biggest free agent winners and losers this playoffs...winners = Andre Miller and Reggie Evans, losers = Jodie Meeks (but somehow not 00):
http://www.hoopsrumors.com/2012/05/money-time.html
My prediction is if Hawes can stay on the court for long minutes and be effective, we win. If Doug has to scramble and use Battie at all, it will get interesting.
Thad needs to show me something this series. No tough matchups to excuse him from success. I expect 15 ppg. minimum.
If he gets you 15ppg, the series becomes much, much easier. Can't say I'm expecting it, though.
I expect them to play a small on him [Piertrus or Daniels]. And I will be interested to see how Thad handles that.
I hope they do. Thad can post those guys up and shoot over them. Garnett is the only guy on their roster who could potentially give him problems on the defensive end, I just hope Thad's attacking tonight.
"Come on Sixers Fans get up, get loud..."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJzKvrQ3pmc&feature=youtube_gdata_player
So pumped for this game and this series. Even though Bradley is a very good defender, I'm looking for Turner to use his size on offense and have a big game tonight.
It's weird that Boston isn't a good offensive rebounding team. You would think that with all the long twos they take, there would be big bounces off of the rim and away from the other teams' big men. Any ideas on why the Celtics have problems rebounding. Are they just really old and slow so that they can't get to the long rebounds either?
The biggest reason I've read is they don't try for o-boards, instead opting to get everyone back on defense as quickly as possible to take away transition opportunities. It does come back to them being old, on a certain level, because that's the only way they can negate teams running off misses.
On my honeymoon in St. Thomas and my wife is totally fired up with me for this game, and we're watching it in the hotel room. Don't mean to brag but she is fucking awesome for that.
Heh. Congratulations and enjoy your honeymoon. Hopefully the Sixers give you something more to celebrate.
Thanks man. The tricky part will be hiding my frustration if they play shitty, I'll have to suck it up though. Let's hope it doesn't happen.
Yeah that is awesome. My girlfriend is going out with her friends tonight because I'm watching the game, and I was thankful enough for that, but to have your wife actually excited for the game is a whole new level.
You have a winner there. Congrats.
I love how they spent 3/4 of this pregame show on the late game, then had like a 2 minutes segment on the Sixers/Celts, and now they're just talking about LeBron. Hopefully, they'll touch on what the Knicks will do this summer before we get to the game.
Yea i know Charles is a hater anyway .... They won't say anything good about the Sixers anyway.
Jrue needs to be on his GAME tonight against Rondo.
Same starting 5 tonight as usual, per twitter...anyone want to set an over/under on minutes for Lavoy and/or V8 at center?
webber and stockon, YES!!!!
webber and stockon, nice
didnt mean to double post, my bad
fucking Stockton doing the game of course - big Celtics fan
Let's frigginnnnnn' goooooooooooooooo!!!
Alright. Let's do it.
Aaaaand we're off....Hawes WINS the tip.
woah 00 wins one??
et jumper
ET!
AI943
First o-board is a long o-board, no harm.
Dre picking up where he left off.
Anyone else see that shove by Garnett on Iguodala. Nice "pick" Fucking bullshit.
GRRR why can none of these guys pronounce AI9's name right??
Bradley on Jrue. Turner, you need to do work.
nice ball movement!
is that joey crawford, good move spence
He's missing, but I really don't want to keep giving Bass that open of a jumper.
LOVE the pace. Keep this up.
Good work, Jrue.
Good follow Jrue! nice job
jrue tips in his own shot
yessss Jrue tips in his own miss, great start so far!
Jrue's much more decisive in these playoffs, just more with a purpose.
Nothing but jumpers for Boston, Sixers getting in the paint. Keep that trend going.
is this camera angle higher than usual?
Come on guys, just keep this effort up. Good start regardless of score.
eb, good ball movement
Nice ball movement, EB w/ the finish. Turner's penetration set that up. Let's go!
nice non-call as EB gets hacked on that last basket
Oh me Oh my!! Just nifty ball movement from both EB and Hawes. Nice.
EB!
eb
Should've dunked it, Jrue. Fuck.
EB just keep those legs fueled my man. need those jumpers from you
Damn, Jrue blows the bunny, good play Dre!
jrues gotta slam that shit
woah Jrue what were you doing there?? Great save by AI9 though!
Iguodala and Pierce just took and missed identical threes.
Jrue w/ the lefty throwdown!
THATS WHAT THE FUCK IM TALKING ABOUT
there you go jrue
YESSSSSS THAT IS THE JRUE SLAM WE NEED!!
Pour it on, keep the pace up.
Bad pass ET, come on, no harm again
Jrue Holiday LEFT SLAM!!
Clean up the turnovers, please.
Got to try and draw fouls on those illegal KG picks.
I say you knock him on his ass a couple of times. If you get called for the foul, so be it. Give him a forearm in the chops.
Man, what a start. Couldn't have asked for much more than this. Just so effective, and aggressive-like. Everyone is everywhere, basically.
Turner cleaning up on the glass, been careless with the ball so far though. Better clean that up before it hurts us.
Want to see Thad step up qin this one.
Not a good shot Dre, come on...
Hawes o-board, Dre redeems!
I'd like to see Turner get an iso w/ Ray Allen on him. Nice shot in the lane by AI9.
an -oboard by Hawes leads to a basket woah!!
andre over pierce
Good foul, AI9.
Don't let the Celtics make an ala-Clippers run....
AI9 again. Nice.
Dre w/ another questionable shot, drops like weight.
andre, but i would like to see him drive on that big
Good strip by Turner there. LAVOY!
Nice strip ET, Rondo with the turnover
yes time for Lavoy...ugly shot though
so much talk already about the boston injuries, now highlights about it..... everyone this time year has some injuries, what do you expect when you go with such an old core....
PP knows how to draw fouls. Need to keep him out of the lane.
Yeah, he looked up, saw he had Turner on him and not Iguodala, drove right to the rim.
good passing, thad to the line
Great ball movement. Thad to the line. Love this interior passing.
Hell of a dumpdown Lavoy. Thad to the line. Just a good look from Allen.
They would never have called that foul on KG :)
and again
Fuck em everybody has an excuse against like our best player ain't hurt as well.
so much talk already about the boston injuries, now highlights about it..... everyone this time year has some injuries, what do you expect when you go with such an old core....
Hit these freebies, then I'd like to see the defense really turned up to finish out the quarter. Don't let Boston claw back in at the line, or in the lane. If they make those garbage 20-footers, fine.
THEY ARE FREE
Come on!!! put the ball in the hoop please, too stagnant on the scoreboard
Come on, Lou. You have to stick with Allen. Thad back to the line. Fuck me. Misses another one.
thad please keep attacking
Make one Thad? yes can't keep missing freebies
Lou, you can't be so fucking passive in this series.
who is the ugly albino dude??
AI943!!!!!!!!!
Dre 4 3!!!!!!!!!!!
AI943!!
Dude, Dre is in "F You mode"
love it
Come on good last minute here....
Nice pass, AI9.
lavoy from andre
sweet pass by Iggy
Dre with the around-the-ear. Lavoy.
Fuck Lou, you are terrible. He didn't even use the screen, you just gave him the middle of the floor.
foul hollins, cant have him with layups
Need much, much better that that from you Lou! come on, get with it, same ol' stuff from you in most every game.
Lou says shut up. lol
damn that was a nice quarter!
Why does Lou wait for the defender to get back if he's going to take an early shot? Ponderous.
PHI 28, BOS 18 after one.
Great quarter, need 15 more like that.
Up 10? yeah, wish it was ESPN so they could play that Goodie Mob.
the Cs end the quarter on a Rondo missed 3 - sort of a sign right there
AI9 3 & a tough against-the-body runner by Lou, nice
That quarter went over in a hurry.
Pierce is so desperate to get shots up when Iguodala isn't on him. Every time he touches the ball, no matter where he is, the ball is going up in that situation.
Need Thad and Lou to own this qtr. I fear the Sixers youth means they let up when they get a bit of cushion.
They just kicked out the guy who kneels on the court. That's bad karma. I hope they kick out every Boston douchebag fan at the WFC in game 3.
Huh? the guy from PHI that sits near Doug? no way? i missed that, really kicked him out???
Yeah, saw it on twitter from one of the nba.com reporters.
Shit, gonna be in the penalty early.
so it wasn't live on TNT then?
No. He was sitting right behind Doc Rivers, though. Right next to the scorer's table.
that's pretty messed up all around, but even more messed up that he was sitting 'there'. wow, how the hell does he secure that good of a ticket? in CHI he was down behind our bench
Hope karma's a bitch.
Ugh, Ray 3 don't let him get off
Collins goes 9 deep. Like that, fucking hate the Lou/Meeks/Turner trio on the perimeter.
et
Two on Lavoy.
3 elbows to Meeks head on that 1 possession.
come on lou
ugh dammiy Lou
*dammiT - nice 3 by jodie though!
Come on Louis Williams!!! get with it man...
ET with the scoop and kickout to JO-3!
JODIE3!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That was fucking needed.
Great D by Thad. Get in Garnett's head.
need to see more of the d from thad that was awesome
Bad foul Thad, lazy defense.
Garbage shot drops for Boston. Seen more than enough of those already in the playoffs this year.
Nice work, Lavoy.
good job lavoy
ugh Lavoy don't hesitate, heh good ass follow!!!!
Love that Collins is playing Lavoy real minutes. That needs to continue throughout this series.
These guys are too reminiscent of the early season January February troop. Like.
I sense a lot of Boston BS FT's coming this qtr. Now they are in the bonus they will try and muck up the rest of the qtr to get pts at the line. Hate watching that.
Doc: "OK guys, start to start flopping like fish out there."
That's one good thing about playing the Bulls before the Celtics. The Celt's D probably seems porous to the Sixers compared to the Bulls'.
Wow, Meeks at the three. And Lavoy to the line. Off penetration. Fucking awesome. Let's go.
thad blows by kg, lavoy to the line
Lavoy Allen is a beast. Can't believe he has played this well for stretches this year.
I like that Doug is playing Lavoy. Lavoy has played well so far tonight.
thads hurt
Thad going to the locker room.
Lavoy can be sooo huge.
What's wrong w/ Thad? he's being looked at, uh oh to the damn locker room...
Good D by Lavoy there on Garnett. I can live with that shot all night.J
Dammit no Ray 3's please
Didn't see the incident, what happened to Thad? He needs to be well.
Lou, stop slowing it down. You get the ball, you run. Fuck.
the fucking cameraman
They're hunkering down now, have to adjust.
Ugh Thad stepped on a camera guys foot?
We cannot have both Iggy and Turner on the bench at the same time. Not when Pierce and Allen are on the court. I get fits whenever Ray Allen throws a 3 up.
Shove in the back, no whistle. Take a TO Doug.
Come on bigs!@!!! how do you let him get that shit off w/ two of you down there!!
Get your shit together!!! No way it should be this close
Good timeout. Don't let them creep back in this game.
if thad's possibly down sam young has to get a run
Sam Young has looked slow and out of shape to me.
OK, get a hoop here. Looks haven't been bad in this run.
Don't let them or their crowd back in it. Go into the half on a nice run. Have to step it up.
ugh dammit 00
Get a bucket please. Yes ET!!
nice job evan, eb block
Turner, you can do that all day w/ him on you. Big block by EB on the other end. ET again! Fuck yeah!
Beautiful drive by Turner. He's having a great game.
And again!!
yesss Turner, block by EB, then more turner!!
Turner says no wet dreams tonight!!!
Another foul by KBitch.
good pass spence
Bass is their Boozer :)
Grind this puppy out here for the last 4 and change...
Yep, you were right Brian. When Bass shot that long two, all of the other guys were backing up and running back on D before the ball even came off the rim.
thad back to the bench
Thad will return. Did Brand miss both? Fuck me.
AI9!
Get. it. out. of. here. EB!
Dre follow, after initially scaring me.
GREAT push by AI9!!
et!!!!
E MOTHERFUCKING T!
ET deposits.
Stops please, TO Doc, yeah keep this up guys just so impressed!
ET has a mismatch. No one on their team is well suited to guard him (no long athletes.)
they have to start the 3rd strong and wear Boston out.
Sixers starting lineup is +17 so far.
No idea what's going on w/ the game thread, guys. We broke it.
Pitiful end to the half. We should be double digits up.
PHI 47, BOS 42 at the half.
Terrible, terrible finish to the second quarter. Collins went really small and got bit in the ass in a big way. That was horrible.
Watch the TNT crew find a way to criticize us especially Chuck
Yep, there it is
Iguodala and Turner have had very good games so far. Also, the Celtics' defense looks like crap compared to the Bulls'
need to come out strong in the 3rd
Need Lavoy to play big minutes in the second half. He has looked better than Thad and Hawes.
Doug, you gotta scrap that small lineup against their starters.
First half is pretty much exactly what we all wanted though - come out strong to start the second and run the old guys into the ground right?
Yep. Pierce and Garnett probably going to have to play 40 minutes in this one.
if you told me before the game started that they would be up 5 at the half i would feel good but i dont feel good right now
Chack talks about all the jumpers the Sixers are taking, as they show about 10 layups and shots in the lane. Doesn't mention all the jumpers the Celtics took. Awesome.
amazing - he talks thru 3 Turner layups and a turnaround 16-footer and doesn't even mention his name.
Fucking Charles is a hater I really don't like him give the Sixers some Damn credit
Come on Chuck - give me one reason to watch this series, please?
He talks so much Shit and thinks he knows everything but never won a championship.
Great games by ET and Iggy so far. Allen has played well in his minutes. Thad and Lou need to help in scoring. Defense switched off towards the end of the half.
glad i switched to the phillies game during halftime
I don't understand how the Sixers can be the third best defense in the league and still get no credit from these morons for their defense in the first half. Everything Chuck is saying is about how poorly the Celtics played and he doesn't even come close to the logical conclusion that they played poorly because the Sixers made them play that way. So annoying, but used to it at this point.
It's actually probably a good thing. The Sixers play well when they are the "underdogs."
Pierce isn't going to be a factor in this series these dudes have no idea about this Sixers team we have arguably the best one on one defender in the league
I think the end to that fist half is squarely on Collins. He had that stupid lineup with Meeks at the three (-5) and then that super-small lineup with Thad at the five (-6). They're +16 the rest of the first half. Stay big, keep attacking the hoop.
The TNT guys like most analyst believe that in order to be a favorite in a series, u had to have "been there" b4. They just all around the world to say it. If the 6ers win 2nite, it will be because the celtics went through the motions. So silly and uninformed. For entertainment purposes only.
Shaq knows we win this series but doesn't have the balls to say it
no more meeks on ray allen please
Man, just win this fucking game. Come out to start the third exactly how you started the first.
btw, those two lineups (Meeks at the three, and then Thad at the five) were outscored 11-0 in 4:04 of game action.
was wondering wth was going on with this thread.
go at their ass early here. keep swinging the ball, make shots
Their "turning point" is when pierce blocked Lou's shot in transition when they are up by 7???!!! Ok.....
Keep getting those 2nd chance pts, wow didn't realize we had that many. Huge.
Tight D to start here.... ugh KG
rondo on jrue now
Yeah, they made that switch late in the first half.
Like the shot, Jrue, not the result. Come on, let's go here.
Come on just stay ahead. Somehow.
Too close for comfort... just too close
That was a fucking goaltend.
So damn weak Spence... so weak
Come on, get your shit together.
Oh heck, great block ET.
ahhh, come on kid how do you turn that over Boozer-esque
Come on get your shit together. I would even be ok with a timeout here.
this would be a great time for a jrue dunk or 3...or both...
mutha.....
So fucking slow to the ball on that tip out. That should've been Sixer ball.
You see Doug you let the Celtics back in when you put that shit lineup at the end of the 2nd.
not getting their shit together
OK, settle down in this timeout, end their run right here and go on one of your own.
Ugh that was a pretty cool "big" commercial of the Celtics. The Sixers would never get one.
There you go. Great look. Hawes finishes.
Not looking good right now, have to gather themselves.
Lavoy in for Brand
grrrr attack the basket guys, we've seen that you know how to do it...
Dre early deep J, no good... ugh make them play D a lel
ugh Bass
Nice work, Hawes.
nice moves hawes
ETx2!
etX2
yesssss solid make by ET...and DRE with the steal!
Hawes with the scoop and finish, I'm 7 ft tall though! But look, I scoop.
ET!!
DRe misses, goaltending ET again... let's go
Haha
Lavoy, draws.
lavoy, good little push there
Lavoy! There we go. This is a fucking game, folks. Hope you wore your depends, Garnett. Gonna be a long night and a longer series.
Turner with 16/10/3 and 3 steals already
Lavoy Allen! Yes Dre that's the intensity we need. We need to play harder than them. Good two baskets by Turner too. Our offense looks back in rhythm.
Lavoy really sets himself on his jumper, never off balance
Webber talks about how the 2nd unit is playing great when there are 4 starters in the game
I'd say the only "real" starters are Dre, Jrue, and Elton.
Lavoy was in for Brand with Hawes, Dre ET & Jrue
I guess ET thus far with the extra minutes in the playoffs could be counted as well, but that situation seems really touch-and-go.
LOL I heard that too, I wish I could not prepare for my job too.
LOL I heard that too, I wish I could not prepare for my job too.
He had Lou at the scorer's table. Sit him back down. Don't interrupt this run.
yeah, don't need Lou right now
and give up a damn dunk out of a timeout. ugh
dammit iggy that's like the 5th long shot like that he's missed tonight...
Good D, Turner.
Hawes to the line.
good job hawes
Ha, C Webb said he likes "Hawes herky-jerkyness!"... lol
bet he loves his wrists then :)
Love that contest by ET on the Pierce jumper.
Hawes seems to have improved much offensively. Good job drawing the foul there. His foul shooting his miraculously improved in the playoffs.
He does a good job of getting in close with his contest and rolling away from the shooting motion.
Nice fucking D. AI9 w/ the dunk.
yesssss AI9 wide open...just play keep-away guys, take your time and get good looks..
Have to stay ahead right here, crucial point in game. 4 left in the 3rd.
Hawes to the stripe. Make both Spence.
Great pass, Turner. Hawes gets fouled, close to a tend as well.
I hope they keep going to Pierce. Iguodala playing great defense on him.
fucking sissy board
hawes
Hawes with annnnother lay-in...
Turner's doing a really good job of digging down on Pierce off Rondo.
AI9 w/ the push to Hawes for the finish. Fucking pretty.
not a fan of thise Hawesome offense but as long as it's working...
i am if its coming off transition
Love Lavoy's aptitude in the dirtywork department.
AI9 to the line. Keep attacking Pierce's old ass.
Dre. Make both just like the other night. Dre Jr...
Atta boy.
OK, now finish the quarter.
That was a bullshit call. Garnett fucking hit him in the face.
No way... why foul KG like that? huh?
Eat shit Garnett! Eat fucking shit.
good job et
AI having deep conversation with his son at the line.
Fucking Garnett had his forearm in Turner's neck. Glad Turner threw his ass down.
don't back down Turner...knock him over a couple more times if you don't mind...
Up 5 w/ 2:10 to go. Have to hold here. Have to. Big point in game.
Needed that fucking Jrue three.
Jrue very hesitant in taking the 3 tonight. He's got to have the confidence to put it up when he has space.
Jrue way long on the 3.
Lou 3!
lou!
LOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
LOU43!!!!!!!
liking the Lavoy and Hawes lineup...if they can push garnett around, even better...
Jrue long again. damn kid take something off of it...
Ray converts... damn
Shit, Jrue has had three pure looks from three and missed all of them. Settle, get a good look here.
Boss!
what the hell?? rondo got like 2 seconds of dribbling before the clock started just then!
PHI 71, BOS 67 after three.
OK. Battle for 12 more minutes. Leave it all out there. Get this fucking win.
Jrue is playing scared
Nah, playing scared would be not taking those shots. His jumper is just off. Need someone to step up here.
he's passed up some looks, that one where Rondo fell down comes to mind
Dammit. Rondo gets by ET, and they're down 4.
Let's go guys! It's there for the taking, runouts, outlet passes, stops first of all and secure the boards.
Alright play tough in the fourth quarter. Get physical with them. Igoudala, keep dominating Pierce. This is going to come down to the wire.
Got to clean up this end of qtr crap
Couldn't be in a better position, on the road, refs not bad, and leading? Just dig deep and reach, it's right there.
gotta get this game - Boston has to be gassed
did thad play that quarter?
Lavoy, SPLASH!
Fucking Lavoy. Love it.
lou!, good d jrue
Jrue block, Lou deuce!
Lavoy, SPLASH!
yessss lavoy and then lou!
LAVOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
lavoy!!!!!
Lavoy!!!! Beast
Lavoy "one year and you wondered" Allen
Jrue block, wow, Lou.
Lavoy, I knew it was a reason I liked you, 2nd chance point.
don't look now, but hasn't Doug coached a surprisingly game tonight?
*good game...can i blame that on the comment system going funky?
PP walking up the court. Saving what's left in his tank for a late surge?
up 8.... buckets now! Oh Dre, misses, damn they make theirs
Shit, shit, shit.
Jrue almost pokes them in the eye, rims out though.
Pietrus rims out too...
Yes, thad!
nice play
WOW, great interior passing again spence to thad.
damn too easy on other end
Need Iguodala on Pierce every time
Get Turner back in the game in this timeout. Seriously.
Lou stop trying to be Steve Kerr, and try and be more like Allen Iverson for a minute. geez
This is the best game I've seen Turner play, just think if he didn't have just half of the cough-ups he has. wow, we probably would have scored on them
hawes J, don't need that.
o-board ROndo, Foul on the C's.
come on guys finish, you're leading in the 4th in their gym
good pass to thad
Turner in the post. That's fucking perfect. Great find by Turner, Thad to the line. Hit both.
yesssss go to the late game draw the foul offense guys...
Another pretty pass by Turner
Turner set up for Thad, nice. Let's play good team ball down the stretch.
Ugggh, Thad hit the shots man.
Get Turner in right now. He has to play the rest of the way.
Oh come on Thad! They're free
Holy moly! What a snap-pass by ET to Thad. Make em Young, make em
annnnd he misses the first one sheesh
they are free
Shit, 4-point swing right there.
Dammit runout for AB, shit
come on guys just stay settled here
Can't rest Lavoy for too long. Play him at the 5.
Jrue is so off.
and then he boxes Pierce out. Come on, need a run here in the worst way. Put the biscuit in the basket.
Jrue cleaning glass. Dre turnover. dammit Dre.
Still Sixers ball!!!
JUST PUSH IT IN ET. Good grief. Don't revert back to your early season form and pull up with a clear lane.
He had Iggy wide open for a 3 too.
Ugh. I hate being on such a delayed feed down here.
Up 3 with just over 6 left. Keep plugging away. It's within sight. Please
Jrue has been so bad offensively. Need him for defense though. It's a common theme with this theme, ET, Jrue and Iggy all good defenders that are streaky offensively.
They are putting Bradley on Turner more now, that's gonna be tough.
Jrue struggling with the defenders of Boston. But ET should have a favorable match-up.
Jrue has had a bunch of open looks. He's just not hitting his shots tonight.
Don't do anything to lose your heads right about now. No shot or whistle. Just keep grindin'.
Thad has fucking Ray Allen guarding him there and they go to AI9 w/ Pierce?
DAMMIT DRE STOP WITH THE FADEAWAY JUMPERS!!
YEAH HAWES!
hawes!!!!
Man, come on..... dont do this please, don't just break apart. Good ass D Hawes yes man yes
HAWESSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
HAWES!!!! I CAN'T FUCKING BELIEVE IT. DEFENSE AND THE COAST TO COAST LAYUP IN TRAFFIC
God, this is maddening.
Jeebus Thad, don't stand there and look at him load it up.
Ugh Rondo again from deep F me!!!
now Rondo's hitting open 15-footers
wtf?
Shit. Ok time to put Lavoy back in there for Thad. How about Lavoy and Brand to finish it off.
Rondo's jumper is even more disconnected than Turner's.
Relax, collect yourselves and get a hoop right here.
Whew....
Not sure what to say, but we knew it had to be coming at some point, just sustain here, and don't let their momentum fester, just stay close or keep that lead and you're right where you want to be. we're on the road! just keep in there, come on!
How the hell is Rondo making all these.
hawes!
ugh another awful drive by AI9 that somehow 00 bails him out on...
Thank you, Hawes.
Fuck me, Lou.
DAMMIT LOU come on man.
shit F Me x2 KG and one.
why man why
fucking Lou, just give it to Andrre
Lou...up SOFT as usual.
dammit but Dre has been missing shots all game long too...why why why are we not seeing Turner run the offense??
Lou? lou? lou...? lou.......?
ah fuck it.....
They had Thad for a dunk on that fucking break, Turner didn't look up, then Lou slow-footed it when he got the ball. If he attacks the rim and dumps it off, that's an easy fucking dunk. Damnit.
What the fuck Lou. 4/5-point swing.
Lou doesn't deserve to play another minute in this game. And some of his minutes should go to Meeks in the next game. Even if Jrue isn't making anything, his defense is better in there right now.
Sorry just wanted to say again. Lou.... mutha.....
Phew. Thought that was a dunk going the other way.
Penalty. DRIVE.
Next one we're shooting, attack!!!
andre at the 4
FUCK YOU LOU!!!
Collins goes super small again. Lou coughs it up. This is not good. Not good at all.
come on lou
Great job, Lou. Fucking great.
Lou gets hammered, no call.
F me KG.
Et misses.
Lou blows one.
Dammit dammit damn
You're not desperate yet. A TWO would be fine. Fuck you Lou. And dagger? Fuckin'. Lou.
I think Lou is just stupid.
Lou has single-handedly ensured we lose Game 1.
games like this is how you lose series, should have run them out of the fucking gym
time after time i dont understand why lou is in the game in those situations what the fuck is he thinking?!!?
Lou Williams 1 on 4, step back 3. Are you fucking kidding me????
Doug+Lou has lost this game.
Freaking unbelievable.
Way to ruin a day.
lou williams is the one mainly responsible for this shift in momentum.
Really enjoyed it guys, really did. But it just hurts too bad, will always look back on this one type of game. arrgghhh
I don't understand Collins down the stretch. Your offense is scoring even if Jrue is way off, and you need the D on the other end because you're playing functionally and getting matchup advantages, but he has to have Lou in.
Mindboggling.
AI943
woah iggy nice! NEED A STOP HERE!!
Come on. Come the fuck on. Get a stop.
A two is fine. A two is fine a two is fine. Ty Jrue.
and they make it hurt harder. and i will be damn, why? why?
one stop and a 3? Timeout.... come one... why not earlier w/ the TO???? oh they fouled? yeah
OK, give the foul immediately. Don't let someone break free in the back court.
why couldn't Elton have made just one uncontested 15 footer? just one? damn.....................
because he is absolute toast
a friggin' free throw. just one, wide the eff open
they had boston in the penalty with, what, 5 mins left and then DID NOT ATTACK AGAIN FOR THE REST OF THE GAME??
We've let these old cats score 50 pts in the 2nd half.
of course that happens
fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuccccccckkkkkk you had this game won!!
PHI 91, BOS 92 Final.
Get some sleep, get them on Monday night.
They didn't steal one tonight but it's a long series and they definitely proved that. The Celtics did not increase their intensity level down the stretch. How many close ones will the pull out if they can't flip the switch anymore on their old legs?
you're right about it being a long series, so easy to forget that. don't know if this was their one good chance to take a road game.
How many games are they gonna win on Rondo jumpers? Shit.
Once again...the "Lou Show" kills this team. In addition to no shows by Brand (no surprise) and Jrue. FUCK
this game just sucked
fuck you Rondo, your defense blows, and you're not gonna make another open jumper in this series
Jrue Should have missed the 2nd free throw.
Yeah I'm really surprised Collins didn't have him miss the second one.
Didn't understand that at allll. He was obviously trying to make it, for what reason I don't know, too little time left to be making it.
Did Elton Brand die and nobody told us??
Buried and sharing a plot with Thad.
Sixers not smart and lack focus. Out executed at the end of every qtr and it cost them the cushion they needed.
Fuck em
I could criticize some of our guys, but i will just say fuck em. It's better like that, it just is. Fuck the C's. Felt that mess comin'. It's like Red was sitting in his aisle seat gnawing on one. ugh so damn close but no cigar, no pun intended
So, fuck the Golden Child?
this is the game they could have stolen
but they can take game 2 and it'll be like it never happened
We will see. Boston sleepwalked for long stretches and really only played well during the closing possessions of each qtr and the closing 5 minutes. A squandered opportunity is just that.
Rondo hit some huge jumpers that I couldn't believe
He only hit the same wide open shots that Jrue missed.
I got nothing but "Lou, are you shitting me?"
For the game, as tk76 noted, the team as a whole only faltered towards the end of each period, but there were not individually poor stretches other than Lou in the 4th.
that was it tk76, the end of every quarter was bad--- they were lax and didn't rebound
And Boston turned up their intensity, which their old legs can't do for an entire game (you hope.)
I don't think they kicked it up a notch so much as the 76ers played down to their regular season form. It's their youth, their hesitancy, and their willingness to back down in the moment and let their supposed "vets" take the spotlight.
Don't get too high, don't get too low. Could've had it, didn't get it. There's another one on Monday night, Garnett, Pierce and Rondo were all right at 40 minutes. Just relax. This was a game in Boston, the Celtics made multiple runs and the Sixers stood up to every single one of them. Relax.
Agreed. Hope Pierce and Garnett enjoy their ice bath tonight.
I agree 100% let's go sixers
Agree with most of this, but we didn't stand up to every one of their runs, particularly that one late when it was something like a 13-4 (more?) run. Plus the end of quarter mishaps. I'm in tune with the advice of relax, but it's actually an oxymoron.
They really did, though. When the Celts went up 6, they hit two big shots to cut it to 1.
Yeah now that I think about it, even after whatever that run was that I was referring to, they still got it down to one. Just don't think they responded and had too many dead spots, for lack of a better term, at earlier points in the game. They could have extended it, but couldn't buy one, ala the CHI game 6. So many chances at different times in that game where they did stay in a lull.
and I really am convinced they relaxed at those points and that was their ultimate downfall.
there was that point late in the 3rd I think when the hoop had a lid on it. Andre missed a layup.....
yeah, that's the whole deal in a long series. Maybe I'll be able to sleep if I keep saying that to myself.
don't think Collins coached his best game tonight. After coaching three of the best games of his career against Chicago.
good point about withstanding their runs. Celtics played about as well as they can in the 2nd half didn't they? and we lose by 1.
Lou cost them the game single-handedly, that last one was the worst shot of the season (long 2 or 3, can't remember)
I'm not even mad Celtics is scared Sixers will definitely come out and take game 2. I was more scared of the bulls without there two stars than this old boston team.
I'm almost there, but not quite. I really like them to take this series if they play at their best. I honestly believe that they are better than the Celtics because they can neutralize Rondo as the catalyst. Rondo had the most invisible triple double I've seen in recent memory. If he can't hit it to his shooters with with consistency then the Celtics become very middle of the road as a team, and the 6ers feast on the middle of the road.
Low IQ plays/players just kill you in the playoffs, damnit Lou
+ 1
A bit worried that Thad is still MIA and Jrue seemed neutralized by Bostons great small defenders.
I though ET was going to abuse Boston, but really only played half a good game for them.
ET's gonna be fine. He played great in the 1st half and decently in the 2nd. Has to cut down on the TOs. His defense on Rondo was good.
I think he can have a great series. It just bothers me that they had no one step up to help close this game. To much following a well remembered script. But excited to see what happens game 2. I have no idea what to expect from this team from one night to the next.
His turnovers are why he's never played one entirely great game. Collin's can't afford to put him out there, knowing he is going to demand at least a shot or two for himself. He gets blocked too much, gets a little contact and his shot off a bit, but doesn't sell out for contact or the definite shot. There's no duty to entrust him with if he won't let the offense come to him and just hustle his ass off.
To his credit, his feet stayed so active tonight and he really rose to the challenge on Rondo as you mentioned. There were no arm flails and more importantly, mental lapses.
Isn't this the greater issue with Turner? These mental lapses he has is what's actually restricted him thus far in his career, aside from being a rookie playing for Collins. He has the most turnovers for the team in the playoffs and doesn't always do enough to offset those as well as his defensive, to use the phrase again, mental lapses.
great points. he definitely pushes the envelope. never thought about him demanding shots that way.
Turner was 2 for 4 in the second half right? He wasn't playing point guard and he wasn't getting the ball. Is it his fault that Lou doesn't pass to him?
I honestly don't care if it is on ET, Collins, Lou, Jrue or anyone else. IMO ET has the most favorable match-up of their backcourt and I don't want to see it only exploited for 1 half. I do not think he had a favorable match-up once Thibbs went to Brewer.
I'm not sure he's got the most favorable matchup when Bradley's on him. I think whoever has Rondo on them has the better matchup, of course if Jrue can't hit the broad side of a barn, that's not favorable either.
I debated this with Mike at LB.
Brewer is 6'7, 220 with a 6'7.5" reach. So longer and stronger than ET and also quick.
Bradley is a great little defender, but even with his long arms he still 6'3, 180 and only has a 8'2.5" reach. Just the kind of guy that ET does well against because he can shoot over him.
I see Bradley and Rondo as similar types of defenders.
Rondo and Bradley are similar in size, but it ends there. I don't consider Rondo a good man-to-man defender, he's good in the passing lanes. Bradley is a an unbelievable man-to-man defender.
Whether Turner can take him or not, I'm not sure. Tonight, they switched that matchup at the half and Turner disappeared. Bradley might not have been the reason, though, but it happened.
I guess we have a few more games to see how it plays out.
Did not enjoy Jrue/Thad/ET/EB 2nd half no shows (make that the entire game for that list except ET.)
Yep. Gonna need something out of all of them. It's really amazing that they're 4-3 in the playoffs so far considering they've gotten zilch from their PFs.
Not to criticize, but when Holiday had great first halves earlier in the season and then vanished in the second half, you repeatedly complained that Collins took the ball out of his hands and gave it to Lou, rather than ever saying "Jrue disappeared," and you were right. The same analysis should apply to ET in my opinion.
Honestly, I don't care whose fault it is at this point. The change Boston made was to put Bradley on him, if Bradley shut Turner down, or if having Bradley scared Collins into going away from him, or if Collins just thought going to Lou was the best move, wherever the blame belongs, it sucked.
They really did a piss poor job of attacking mismatches in the second half, to be honest. There were a couple of plays where a gimpy Ray Allen was guarding Thad, and Thad never touched the ball.
I agree that not attacking mismatches was poor. I think that, although Thad hasn't been stellar to say the least, we have pretty much ignored him in the playoffs, and I don't really understand that.
Fair enough, I'd obviously like to see Turner get the ball, and I found it enraging that Lou was dominating the ball at the end of the game. I would've had Turner running the offense, I would've had Lavoy on the floor, and I would've had Lou on the bench.
didn't ET have 16 and 10 most of the way through the 3rd or early in the 4th...and then they go to the Lou prevent offense even after boston was in the penalty??
Elton has 17 pts on 9-30 in the last 5 games. He's an inferior player to Lavoy at this point, no?
No, because he's still very good, if a little stiff, defensively, and he's still getting his looks. If defenses start giving it to him they'll pay before long.
I'm more concerned with his back to the basket game. It has utterly and totally vanished this year. He did quite well with it last year I thought.
Unless Brand has an undisclosed injury, I would say so. Brand's contribution has been limited to defense. Lavoy has been very solid all around. Remarkable given that there was no summer league and virtually no practices this year.
Lou is a great closer, no doubt. He sealed the game for the Celtics in the last 2 minutes.