(1) Celtics vs. (8) Heat First Round Playoff Series Thread

[Wally450]

Good. Get this series done and rest for a few days. Let the others go 7 and beat each other up.

[AlternativeAcc.]

Tatum really is just another guy on this team. I'm not sure there is a "best player" on the Celtics. Excellent team, but the lack of "the man" for this team may come to haunt them in the finals.

[Real Men Wear Green]

its fair to say the Celtics are missing an equivalent to Butler?

Butler is more important to the Heat because they have a lot less talent and he's their most important player but basic stats of the two are pretty close.

[Real Men Wear Green]

Tatum really is just another guy on this team. I'm not sure there is a "best player" on the Celtics. Excellent team, but the lack of "the man" for this team may come to haunt them in the finals.

Everyone can't be KD.

[FultzNationRISE]

Tatum really is just another guy on this team. I'm not sure there is a "best player" on the Celtics. Excellent team, but the lack of "the man" for this team may come to haunt them in the finals.

Maybe, but most times when teams have that problem it's because they have nobody who is able to be the man if need be.

On a given night anyone on the Celtics CAN go off, just like we saw Derrick White do the last couple games. Other nights it can be Tatum, Brown, or Porzingis. It's just not usually necessary for the Celtics because they have so many capable scorers to swing the ball around to.

A matchup with the Nuggets would be a hell of a series tho. I remember one of their regular season games being a playoff type atmosphere where the Nuggets won at the end on an Aaron Gordon putback jam. I dont remember the outcome of the other game.

That's the seven game series I wanna see.

[AlternativeAcc.]

Maybe, but most times when teams have that problem it's because they have nobody who is able to be the man if need be.

On a given night anyone on the Celtics CAN go off, just like we saw Derrick White do the last couple games. Other nights it can be Tatum, Brown, or Porzingis. It's just not usually necessary for the Celtics because they have so many capable scorers to swing the ball around to.

A matchup with the Nuggets would be a hell of a series tho. I remember one of their regular season games being a playoff type atmosphere where the Nuggets won at the end on an Aaron Gordon putback jam. I dont remember the outcome of the other game.

That's the seven game series I wanna see.

Thats true. They have a ton of guys who can step up at any given time. But in tight games with Jokic/Murray on the other side.. there's gonna be internal pressure for Tatum to be that guy... but he's not that guy. The reality is that a lot of these games come down to which superstar gets the hottest late. Maxey recently is a good example, and Harden the other night. Basically the Nuggets have the best combo of that by far and the Celtics have the quality problem. There's nobody that can match Jokic/Murray's late game excellence and I think it's gonna bite them

[FultzNationRISE]

Thats true. They have a ton of guys who can step up at any given time. But in tight games with Jokic/Murray on the other side.. there's gonna be internal pressure for Tatum to be that guy... but he's not that guy. The reality is that a lot of these games come down to which superstar gets the hottest late. Maxey recently is a good example, and Harden the other night. Basically the Nuggets have the best combo of that by far and the Celtics have the quality problem. There's nobody that can match Jokic/Murray's late game excellence and I think it's gonna bite them

True

[beasted]

Thats true. They have a ton of guys who can step up at any given time. But in tight games with Jokic/Murray on the other side.. there's gonna be internal pressure for Tatum to be that guy... but he's not that guy. The reality is that a lot of these games come down to which superstar gets the hottest late. Maxey recently is a good example, and Harden the other night. Basically the Nuggets have the best combo of that by far and the Celtics have the quality problem. There's nobody that can match Jokic/Murray's late game excellence and I think it's gonna bite them

He doesn't need to be that guy. He just needs to be good enough. It's a team sport.

There are tons of NBA champs who've won without "that guy" and beat teams with "that guy". All Detroit teams who've won, both Kawhi led teams, 2011 Mavs, I'd even argue the last Boston team to win didn't have "that guy". Tatum is much better offensively than Pierce and KG at that point.

You just need to be good enough at the right time with the right teammates.

[AlternativeAcc.]

He doesn't need to be that guy. He just needs to be good enough. It's a team sport.

There are tons of NBA champs who've won without "that guy" and beat teams with "that guy". All Detroit teams who've won, both Kawhi led teams, 2011 Mavs, I'd even argue the last Boston team to win didn't have "that guy". Tatum is much better offensively than Pierce and KG at that point.

You just need to be good enough at the right time with the right teammates.

I'm not saying it's not possible, but that it lowers their chances significantly. Even some of the examples you cite required superstars on opposing teams to have hellish performances. LeBron in 2011 had the worst series of his career, Kobe in 04 completely imploded. Jokic/Murray have zero chemistry issues and Denver as a whole have zero chemistry issues. They're a well-oiled machine and if Jokic/Murray are firing on all cylinders, which they typically are in big moments, it's the biggest advantage you can have in the sport.

[ArbitraryWater]

He doesn't need to be that guy. He just needs to be good enough. It's a team sport.

There are tons of NBA champs who've won without "that guy" and beat teams with "that guy". All Detroit teams who've won, both Kawhi led teams, 2011 Mavs, I'd even argue the last Boston team to win didn't have "that guy". Tatum is much better offensively than Pierce and KG at that point.

You just need to be good enough at the right time with the right teammates.

[AlternativeAcc.]

I didn't even internalize that... yeah Dirk in 2011 was "the man" and same for Kawhi in 2019

lol

[ArbitraryWater]

I didn't even internalize that... yeah Dirk in 2011 was "the man" and same for Kawhi in 2019

lol

that was so far off field that you wouldnt even consider he was making that point so it prob registers as the opposite or some shit lmao

[beasted]

I didn't even internalize that... yeah Dirk in 2011 was "the man" and same for Kawhi in 2019

lol

Neither of those guys produced stats any better than Tatum has shown he is capable of producing over the last 4 years. Anyone who says others will back their argument on intangibles and some nonsense pseudo "it factor" and not back it by the numbers.

Over the last 4 years (purposely excluding his first 2 years when he wasn't the #1 option on his team), Tatum has produced on a comparable level of any star who isn't in the GOAT conversation.

It's just a matter of right rhythm, right timing for him and the Celtics. I'm not even a fan of his, but people have developed some insane standards for greatness recently.

[ArbitraryWater]

Neither of those guys produced stats any better than Tatum has shown he is capable of producing over the last 4 years. Anyone who says others will back their argument on intangibles and some nonsense pseudo "it factor" and not back it by the numbers.

Over the last 4 years (purposely excluding his first 2 years when he wasn't the #1 option on his team), Tatum has produced on a comparable level of any star who isn't in the GOAT conversation.

It's just a matter of right rhythm, right timing for him and the Celtics. I'm not even a fan of his, but people have developed some insane standards for greatness recently.

Bro are you retarded?


Kawhi outscored the next best scorer by 11 points in the playoffs and Dirk outscored the next best scorer by 10 points.

They were quite clearly "that guy", as you falsely said those teams didnt have a man, which is so hilarously retarded when those teams are known to have been some of the biggest 1-man band champions ever.

How you somehow mixed teams like the Pistons or 2014 Spurs with the 2011 Mavericks or 2019 Raptors is mindboggling.

[FultzNationRISE]

Neither of those guys produced stats any better than Tatum has shown he is capable of producing over the last 4 years. Anyone who says others will back their argument on intangibles and some nonsense pseudo "it factor" and not back it by the numbers.

Over the last 4 years (purposely excluding his first 2 years when he wasn't the #1 option on his team), Tatum has produced on a comparable level of any star who isn't in the GOAT conversation.

It's just a matter of right rhythm, right timing for him and the Celtics. I'm not even a fan of his, but people have developed some insane standards for greatness recently.

Intangibles are definitely a thing. Numbers never tell the whole story.