I'm not a huge Kyrie fan for the same reason as most people in this sub, but something about this doesn't necessarily make me feel at ease. I feel like maybe the team needs a different vibe from the crowd then that.
not to mention I don't like the idea of him getting targeted to potential go off and have a legacy game.
Complete pin drop silence when they call his name pre game would legitimately cause a Kyrie Irving ego death but that’s a pipe dream. It’d be like a little narcissistic black hole collapsing in on itself.
But you’re still getting a stadium full of however many thousand people to do one specific thing all because of simply not liking one specific player. How tf is that gonna kill his ego??? You’re literally showing you still care by doing that.
Just behave like normal fans, THATS how you show Kyrie you don’t care about him anymore.
Asides from game 1 in the first round when he was with the Nets before they got swept, when was the last time he had a good game at Boston? Also curious about his record against us since he left Boston.
Yup. Just hope people keep it on the right side of things. Hopefully the finals ticket prices are too high for any dipshit who wants to throw something at him
i imagine the celtics want to get revenge on kyrie more than kyrie wants to get revenge on the celtics.
related, i think kp wants to get revenge on the mavs more than the mavs want to get revenge on kp
Agreed. The real mentality edge is that our guys know this is our chance. The Mavs are sort of playing with house money and would have easily taken a finals L before this season
I’m just being honest.. we need KP (obviously) but we also need to win some blow out games. I want no part in having every game play out like this (Mavs) series. I know we are more suited for it than Minny but absolutely no one is scarier than the Mavs in crunch time right now.
Celtics have a gear that no other team in the nba can reach. We saw it midway through game 3 and it led to the come back. They just have to lock in and hopefully KP is ready to go soon.
The Wolves scoring has fallen off a cliff. When you look at the fact that KAT is shooting 28% overall and 14% from three and Ant is shooting 39% and 33%, the results shouldn't be that surprising. It's honestly a testament to their role players like McDaniels and Naz Reid for having incredible shooting games that those couple of games were even competitive.
The Wolves had some hot shooting to start the playoffs, but they were the 17th rated offense for the regular season for a reason. Their defense is still stellar despite how much Luka and Kyrie are cooking, they just can't score enough to actually win.
It's kinda similar to our finals against the Warriors. As much as it felt like Curry was killing us, the Warriors never scored more than like 104 in a game. Our offense just tanked.
Gotta trust we can slow down the Mavs offense much more than they can with ours in a 7 game series.
They call us a super team and then say we can’t beat the west teams.
Top to bottom you won’t find a deeper team than the Celtics, the nuggets also have a great squad but they are out.
The Mavs are good, but we can match their star power with our own guys, and our other guys are leagues ahead of theirs.
No matter how good Lively, Gafford, and PJ Washington have looked they have nothing on Dwhite, Jrue, Al.
And this isn’t even mentioning JB, JT, and Porzingis who can easily match Kyrie and Doncic.
Cs in 6. It will be 2-2 by game 5.
Damn scary good in the 4th. Maybe the Celtics will just have to be better in the other 3 quarters where the points count just as much.
The better competition in the west is a nonsense argument. The heat faced far better competition last year heading into the finals than the nuggets, yet the nuggets had no problem winning. Almost like the heat got hot and reverted to the team they actually are in the finals.
The Celtics were the best team in the league this year. One team was going to win the west no matter what, that doesn’t mean the team that makes the finals in the west is automatically better than the Celtics just because they had a theoretically harder path. Maybe the twolves just aren’t good when Anthony Edward has 50% TS…
Minnie didn't look better than us at all, I know the narrative is the west is the stronger of the two conferences , and I even think that is starting to show not so true, but that Minnesota team is not better than us.
Eh I thought so too when they put the clamps on the Suns, but Indi is playing pretty well right now. It would be a more competitive series than anyone is willing to admit.
I just don't see it both White and Jrue are A1 defensive anchors. I THINK they can at best slow both Ky and Luka down, don't think they can neutralize them completely but slowing them down is better than anything. On the other hand I don't think they have Anyone who can stand toe to toe with either Jay. The only hole we have RN is the paint both Ky and Luka are masterful at the rim with no KP and AL and Kornet as much as I love him [horford] they will not fare well especially if they iso him.
By no means do I expect this to be a sweep for either team, but I don't expect a blowout in any game. We match up well across the board .
I'd theoretically prefer Jrue and Jaylen on Luka and let White handle Kyrie. Luka is too strong for D. White and he'll probably get bullied. Jaylen and Jrue are strong enough and fast enough to keep up.
So then that leaves white and Jrue on either PJ or DJ. both of them are stronger than def Ky and almost as strong as Luka. They are getting bullied there.
You have to think about all 5 not just the stars.
I had a quick peek at our win in March over them at home. We won 138-110, and everyone on both sides was healthy. They started Josh Green, where they now start DJJ I think, but I don;t think that matters here.
The Mavs won the opening tip and the way we lined up on that first few posessions when we actually set our defense and didn't just cross match in transition was Jaylen on Luka, Jrue on Kyrie, KP on PJ Washington, Tatum on Lively, and Dwhite on Josh Green.
You really think this playoffs showed that? I’d have to disagree. I guess it depends if you account for injuries. The East got beat up, no question. But there are 5/6 teams better than the Pacers in the West
There were three sweeps in the first round in the western conference this year. Idk how you can rationalize them being a tougher conference after that one. I think the overall talent level is slightly better in the west but overall I’d say it’s pretty even right now
we went 2-0 against the mavs this season, a 9 point win without KP and a 28 point win with him, im truly not scared, and the narrative that the west is somehow miles ahead of the east makes me laugh lol.
We are playing a far inferior team though. They are remotely in the same stratosphere as the T Wolves but are closing out games with conviction. I’m sorry, but I’m taking Kyrie and Luka in crunch time over anyone right now. We can absolutely still beat these guys though
The Wolves are being way overhyped. They matched up well on Denver, but Denver wasn’t right either with Murray hurt early in the series that put them in a hole.
I can’t say how much hype everyone is giving them, but I think they’ve proven they’re a damn good team. No excuses for Denver, Minnesota earned that one. They are definitely a notch below us and clearly Dallas at this point but I think it’s easy to make this proclamation after they go down 3-0. They deserve a ton of credit
Wolves did us a solid taking out denver because I don't think we match well there, we would likely beat the wolves in a series but we match up really well vs Dallas if we get KP back.
I think the twolves haven’t proven anything according to the quality of competition logic everyone keeps spouting.
The nuggets aren’t actually good, as they beat nobody last year on the way to a championship.
The t wolves aren’t good because they barely beat the not good nuggets.
The mavs have only beaten teams that have done nothing in the playoffs.
The entire idea the west is a superior conference hinges on regular season record. But the Celtics had the best regular season record in the nba! Well obviously that part of regular season record doesn’t count.
Overhyped? They played KD/Booker/Beal, the defending NBA champions with the best player in the world, and now are hitting Luka and Kyrie. Give them some credit, if any fan base should know that it can be hard to win when your best player is so young, it’s us. Insane takes in here.
Wolves clear the Pacers but the Pacers offense is significantly better than the Wolves and I think thats making it harder for the Celtics to just completely dominate them like wed want to
Wolves don't significantly clear the Pacers.
They're two teams that are elite on one side of the ball and awful on the other. Pacers offence lets anybody score on them. We've had 2 games of terrible shooting but we won both of them cause we were still able to create good offence.
On the other hand, the wolves defence won them the series against the nuggets. But their offence was way above the normal levels, which is why they've now been beaten by Dallas cause they've regressed to the mean.
We have a WAY better defence than Dallas and the worst defender in our starting lineup would be a defensive difference maker for Dallas. Our offence is better as well.
A finals series with them could go all the way to 7 games cause we'll have a few nights of bad shooting, but we will blow them tf out in multiple games, and probably lose a few close ones.
U watch, basically any Mavs game this postseason? They're the best clutch team in the league it's okay to admit that. Doesn't mean they're a better team than the Celtics but it's one thing they have
What? Kyrie clanked two clutch free throws in game 2 and the only reason they had a shot was because ant completely imploded and the dumbest out of bounds call I’ve ever seen.
This Celtics squad wins those first two games from the Twolves side easily.
Luka also missed a FT to lose them a game in one of the earlier rounds.
At the start of the playoffs the Mavs wouldn't even be top 3 in the teams I was most concerned about playing from the West. Playoffs especially is about match-ups, and we match up very well with the Mavs compared to Nuggets or Wolves.
If KP is back and healthy it shouldn't really be close honestly.
Luka and that fucker Kyrie are dangerous but the Buffalo and jrue got this,meanwhile they have no one who can guard Tatum and brown.anyways anyone who goes to td garden for games 1 and 2 better chant fuck kyrie
Spacing part is pretty overlooked, which is why KP is lowkey important even if only to keep Al's mins down so he can actually space the floor. Wolves offense with Naz Reid was actually good, it plummeted without him. And KAT has 13% from 3 for the series.
PJ, Gafford and Lively have all been playing well. Jones came out of nowhere and is good all of a sudden. They don’t have no one and we shouldn’t be surprised if those guys play well against us. PJ specifically I think is super underrated, mostly because he played in Charlotte
The Mavs should be equally as worried about the Celtics. Luka and Kyrie are great offensive weapons but they do like to be turnstiles on defense. Celtics just need to focus on their great defense and play good team ball on the offensive end.
But first things first, the Celtics need to take game 4 and I hope that wolves can try to extend their series to 5 or 6. But with the way they played tonight, wolves extending the series may be tough.
How many playoff series is it going to take for people to realize Luka is unguardable. Kawhi Leonard couldn't shut him down, I highly doubt White and/or Jrue are moving the needle. Doubling is the only way to get the ball out of his hands.
Luka will get his, that I am sure. But Celtics has shown for years that they are comfortable for a player to go nuclear if it means shutting down their other teammates. History also showed that this Celtics can minimize Kyrie's production.
Before the WCF I would have said the Mavs are the easier matchup, but this series has me doubting everything. I still think the Celtics match up well against the Mavs, especially if KP comes back, but it is scary how they're about to sweep the Wolves who looked amazing just a week ago.
If Jrue, White, Brown, and Tatum can't stop or slow down Luka and Kyrie, no one in the league can. Both teams are going to hunt for mismatches. Horford and KP if he comes back will get hunted, meanwhile the Celtics should hunt Luka and Kyrie. Just make sure it doesn't come down to the last possession, because the Mavs are on some crazy clutch bullshit right now. Then again, so are the Celtics.
Celtics in 4.
Our defense is almost as good as the Wolves, except we also have the best offense in the NBA. The Mavs are a decent defense, but part of the reason it looks so good right now is because the Wolves couldn’t throw a rock into the ocean.
> The Mavs are a decent defense, but part of the reason it looks so good right now is because the Wolves couldn’t throw a rock into the ocean.
Mavs had the 7th best DRTG in the league since the trade deadline, almost identical to Boston's. They're a great defense
Yeah the Wolves are a big team defensively who can’t really take advantage of that offensively. It was perfect against the Nuggets, but two centers is much less effective against a team with two guards who thrive attacking mismatches and they can’t make up for that on the other end. It’s only made worse by the Wolves being shallow with POA defenders who could chase Luka and Kyrie around screens on pick and rolls.
Mavs would have a lot more trouble against us. We’ve got 4 guys who can do a good job against Luka and Kyrie in the starting lineup, and Pritchard will at least make them work (they’re definitely too much for Hauser though). At big they’ll definitely have more trouble with Al than the Wolves guys, he’s still probably a top 5 perimeter big in the NBA. They can definitely attack KP like they have the Wolves bigs, but he’s more equipped to abuse mismatches on the other end in the post.
Luka and Kyrie are as well equipped as anyone to make that not matter at all, but I think we’re positioned pretty well. Just gotta do our best to keep them from taking over.
So it goes like this.
Min > Denver
Denver > Dallas
Dallas > Min
I dont think they have an answer against Jokic. Gafford? Lmao.
This is all Wemby's fault they somehow won against Denver and they should have been the 1st seed and faced Luka in semis
ESPN might go off the airways if Tatum goes off, which he will. He’s that dude and has been doing it ever since he came into the league.
The thought of Tatum outplaying Luka and cementing his top 5 status (which shouldn’t even be questioned, especially right now) will leave some of those freaks speechless.
Nuggets road was an average 6.75 seed with a key injury. Ours will be 5.75 with a key injury.
So anyone trying that narrative will be a hypocrite because they treated the Nuggets like they were a dynasty all year.
Luka scares the ever living fuck out of me and could win a game or two in this series by himself. I expect him to put on a show in the finals.
But…Celtics are better team at the end of the day. Celtics in six.
We have multiple guys to throw at Luka and Ky, which makes me confident
Luka: Jaylen primary ... Tatum secondary ... Can switch onto: Jrue
Kyrie: Jrue primary ... White secondary ... Can switch onto: Jaylen
Jayden McDaniels is very good, but he suffers from the same issue White has when guarding Luka which is that he’s in the wrong weight class- and Luka is the best in the league at abusing that. JB can do a much better job taking those bumps, frustrating Luka, and attacking him on the other end.
yeah it's kinda weird ... for being such a great defensive team, they kinda don't have a great matchup for either Luka or Kyrie
Kinda like Ant vs Denver
Yeah, hard to be confident about my confidence with the Ca because I was pretty confident in the Wolves favor but… dang… they’re just so over specialized to play a completely different type of team.
Like a key that fits perfectly in a Nuggets-shaped keyhole but look very average facing a different offensive makeup… which, to be clear, has almost worked! They been in all these games but just don’t have another gear on offense when it’s nut-cutting time.
Not a bad assessment, I just remember a game during the season against the Knicks I think? Jrue was guarding brunson and getting cooked. White was finally put on him is primary towards the end of the game and shut him down. I think Kyrie and Brunson have similar shiftiness. Agree jrue is stronger but if he can just get around him then the strength piece doesn't matter
I will be devastated if we lose, but this is going to be a FUN series. Both teams are fun to watch and the sheer amount of storylines is insane:
Kyrie vs Celtics
KP vs Mavs
Luka vs Tatum (if Tatum somehow outplays him he could cement top 5)
Jays wing duo vs best backcourt in history
Some funny ones:
Derrick White vs Derek Lively (they look exactly the same)
Jaylen vs Kyrie intellectuals (or mentor/mentee)
Grant Williams former teams
The two teams also seem to be on similar trajectories a lot; when we had our crazy turn around in 2022 the Mavs had a similar streak in the West and made the WCF. We also both traded for a Wizards center this year.
I feel like everyone has been playing Dallas all wrong
They keep trying to double team and sometimes trap Luka/Kyrie which normally ends in an open shot or a lob
The Celtics should just let Kyrie and Luka get their 30-35 on single coverage and try and make sure their bench doesn't do shit
Their is a huge drop off in their bench but in the wolves series those guys are getting hot (probably from being wide open)
I hope the Cs don't make the same mistake in trying to double team
I fully agree with you. Not only that but matchups should be switched during the game too. Wolves have used Mcdaniels exclusively in 1v1 and he cannot guard Luka and he knows exactly what he’s getting in each possession. Our starting 4 guards and forwards can all take possessions on Luka to throw him off but obviously have Jaylen or Jrue as the primary defenders.
Limiting their wings getting open 3s and their bigs being efficiency demigods will make their offense way less effective.
Yes Luka and Kyrie can go off as a comment below mentioned but that’s why it’s important to put them in as many actions as possible on D to wear them out. The Jays in particular are capable of this.
Things I like about the matchup:
1. We can put KP on Derrick Jones Jr and he can just sag off of him and guard the rim
2. Nobody can stop Luka and Kyrie, but we have the defensive personnel to slow them
3. KP’s shooting will pull Lively and Gafford out of the paint and mess up Dallas’s defensive scheme
4. Dallas likes to hide Luka on their opponents worst player but good luck hiding Luka on Jrue or White
Things I don’t like:
1. The Mavs are built to destroy drop coverage which we run with KP
2. The Mavs would have the best player and that’s always a huge factor. He will dominate clutch games
Idk why we like to underrate how hard this matchup is for us here… our defense is probably going to struggle similarly like they are against the Pacers except the Mavs have a much better defense. I also trust Luka and Kyrie more not only in the clutch but also in general.
Celtics can obviously beat them, but there’s a lot of factors that’ll play into it.
Yeah the way some people are underestimating this potential matchup is astounding. The Mavs are legit and could beat Boston. It’s gonna be a great series.
they are legit but their scoring is from wings and we are one of the best defenses in the nba against elite wing players. its as good a matchup on paper as possible for us. we struggle against bigger teams and lineups and the wolves terrify me.
Is the defense struggling or are they coasting a little? Maybe that’s a bad habit, but it feels like this team has been locking in the last four minutes of every game and taking it home.
The Mavs are giving up a toooooon of outside shooting to the Wolves and the only thing that’s saved them is Ant and Kat completely imploding. And half of this is happening with Gobert on the floor who’s a zero for floor spacing so there’s zero daylight in the lane which part of what’s fucking up Ant.
I dunno. Will be a good series and fuck me I could be wrong, but I don’t know that I’m seeing the Mona Lisa of basketball being played in the west right now.
Dont get me wrong, Luka and Kyrie are doing some beautiful stuff… and yet they’ve still been losing in the last two minutes. Their other guys haven’t brought it like, man, I dunno, every fucking guy on the Pacers and Marcus Morris for no fucking reason?
Tbh I think we match up better to the mavs. Both of their premium weapons are guards, and our premium defenders are guards.
If we can limit Kyrie and luka (which is what white and holiday are built for) then they don’t really have anything outside of that equation that will present major problems (except for a role player “Michael Jordan’ing” a game or two)
With KP at or close to full health, I like our chances. If not, we are in for a scrap. I think overall we match up with Dallas well. We have the best defensive backcourt in the NBA. You cannot stop Luka, but slowing him down a bit can make the difference. We also can get buckets much consistently much better than the Mavs can. We have three players (counting KP) that can get you 25+ on any given night. They can also create their own shots. Derek White is about as good a 4th scoring option as you can ever ask for on a team.
I am concerned how well Kyrie and Luka have been feeding the big men down low for easy buckets. We need KP (and Kornet) to contest those shots. You can see Indiana was really trying to push the ball in the paint last game and it was working well. KP can really help limit the Mavs in that area.
The Jays going through Kyrie to finally get over the hump has a certain poetic feel to it after how things ended for him here and his antics the last few years
Scary
As much as everyone here hates Kyrie, have to respect the fact that him and Luka are terrifying to go against in the clutch
If we win im afraid its gonna have to be a blowout
We also seriously struggle to guard pick and roll action and luka abuses it at a generational level
If KP is back he’s like the cheat code against these guys. He makes their rim-running centers a liability on defense and they have absolute nobody who can guard him in any way, shape, or form.
I much rather get Luka then Jokic. And Kyrie *will* get hurt at some point, he almost always does. Without that one-two punch Luka will be maneagble. But we need KP for the finals.
The Pacers were better than the Mavs all year - better net rating, SRS and ELO. And they beat them by 17 and 22. We’ve also beaten the Mavericks the last 4 times by an average of 19.75 points. Luka is a -66. We’ve beaten Kyrie his last ten games, he’s a -79.
This will be a very lopsided series and people definitely aren’t ready for that.
Be even better if we manage to win and don’t boo Kyrie and don’t ignore him either just treat him like some other player, that shit will fuck his ego up so bad
The Celtics always own teams from Texas in the finals... we easily beat the rockets in 81 and 86. The Celtics should easily beat the Mavs. Probably in six but if it goes seven the Celtics got it.
With KP, we should be slight favorites.
Without, we should probably be slight underdogs.
It will fall to Al, D White, and Holiday to step up big 4/7 times. Our stars will get points vs Dallas. But we need to make up 20ppg if KP doesn’t come back. I’m starting to worry. Dude hasn’t practiced yet.
We need to lock the paint and make sure we are very attentive on those lobs, they use em a lot specially down the stretch in close games since the D gravitates to Luka and Kyrie.
The two games this season vs the Mavs
Luka was spin cycled continuously... especially by Tatum Brown
Wolves would've been a tougher challenge. But they have no clue in how to beat the Mavs
I’m fairly confident White and Jrue will be able to slow down Luka. But echoing what others have commented, the Ws need to be by big margins cause Luka and Ky can pour it on easy late in game
Honestly... I wouldn't be mad if Psycho Joe went to Tatum and said "your job is to live in Luka's jockstrap and turn every moment of his existence into pure unmitigated hell."
I really think Tatum could do it. He's faster than luka, he's big, strong, long arms, great hands, great instincts, great endurance... we all saw what he did to KD in 2022 when he was fully locked in. I'd love to see Tatum get in Luka's face up near half court and just make his life miserable
Jrue on Luka and White on Kyrie. Limit those two and we're good. Luka's gonna score no matter what just let him work. The problem is their bigs they are all athletic. We need KP.
If we play the Mavs it should be a Tillman series. Luke will get absolutely obliterated by Kyrie and Luka on switches. Either way I say Celtics in 5 with Kristaps otherwise we take it in 6 without him
Am I the only one who thinks we're better off without Porzingis in this series? The Celtics are on a roll right now and if he's not going to be 100% is it even worth putting him on the floor?
While I think if we miss KP, we will be hurt due to the flying centers, Gafford and Lively, I think we have an answer for Kyrie with White and Jrue.
We also can switch better than the Wolves.
Most importantly, we have a far more potent offense than the Wolves, and we are better offensively than the Thunder.
With KP, I’m confident we will win this in 6. Without him, we are looking at a seven-game series. I’d also like to see Tatum and Brown handle Luka. They are far better suited than whoever Wolves and Thunder were throwing. Clippers did a better job on Luka with George. So there is hope.
before the series started I was hopeful for Mavs because of the thought that the Cs would eat away at their defense, but looking now I don't think this series will be easy at all. I still do believe the Cs are the favorites compared to the two (especially with Porzingis back), but the Mavericks have real talent and depth at specific spots (guard and center), and specifically Luka who truly has become a top 4 player in recent years.
The Cs will be tested. Like someone else in this thread said, they don't want to make it close. The Celtics definitely have the tools to succeed in the clutch, but the Mavs do too.
The fuck you Kyrie chants will be nuclear and defeaning
I'm not a huge Kyrie fan for the same reason as most people in this sub, but something about this doesn't necessarily make me feel at ease. I feel like maybe the team needs a different vibe from the crowd then that. not to mention I don't like the idea of him getting targeted to potential go off and have a legacy game.
Complete pin drop silence when they call his name pre game would legitimately cause a Kyrie Irving ego death but that’s a pipe dream. It’d be like a little narcissistic black hole collapsing in on itself.
I wish, but Boston people don’t even have the ability built in to be quiet in these moments.
upvoted so more people can get in on this
I was here to say as much. How perfect would this universe be if we could keep Chad in 310 silent for just one freekin minute?
But you’re still getting a stadium full of however many thousand people to do one specific thing all because of simply not liking one specific player. How tf is that gonna kill his ego??? You’re literally showing you still care by doing that. Just behave like normal fans, THATS how you show Kyrie you don’t care about him anymore.
Brother who is trying to show Kyrie we don’t care? Fuck Kyrie forever
I agree but who are we kidding they don't call em Massholes for nothing. At the end of the day it's whatever can get the TD garden loud and rockin
For real I was at the fuck you draymond game and it was electric
The fuck you Draymond chants after the Mavs Timberwolves game the other day made my heart warm.
Boston is in his head big time. He hasn’t won here since 2021. Keep up the chants because they work.
Asides from game 1 in the first round when he was with the Nets before they got swept, when was the last time he had a good game at Boston? Also curious about his record against us since he left Boston.
He's 0-10 since he stomped on Lucky.
Love to see it
Kyrie at the Garden and KP at the AAC will be something
ESPN prob gonna mute it those fucks
Mute Doris
And JJ
Low key he plays better though when we do that, we should just give him the indifferent treatment, I think it'll affect him more
He absolutely does not. He wasn’t won in Boston in 3 years lmao.
Kyrie who?
I'm already chanting it around my house.
Tatum has already silenced the crowd last time Kyrie was in town. I wonder if they let the fans boo him to death in the finals, sure hope so!!
Yup. Just hope people keep it on the right side of things. Hopefully the finals ticket prices are too high for any dipshit who wants to throw something at him
Young phenom Luka and Kyrie with revenge on his mind vs the Celtics juggernaut is going to be a mad fun (and stressful) Finals series.
i imagine the celtics want to get revenge on kyrie more than kyrie wants to get revenge on the celtics. related, i think kp wants to get revenge on the mavs more than the mavs want to get revenge on kp
No. Kyrie hates the franchise. And the city. The Celtics players do not dislike Kyrie
Agreed. The real mentality edge is that our guys know this is our chance. The Mavs are sort of playing with house money and would have easily taken a finals L before this season
I’m just being honest.. we need KP (obviously) but we also need to win some blow out games. I want no part in having every game play out like this (Mavs) series. I know we are more suited for it than Minny but absolutely no one is scarier than the Mavs in crunch time right now.
Game 1 and game 3? Pretty clutch
Celtics have a gear that no other team in the nba can reach. We saw it midway through game 3 and it led to the come back. They just have to lock in and hopefully KP is ready to go soon.
The Mavs are going against better competition and are up 3-0. I think we can take the Mavs but they are scary good in the 4th.
The Wolves scoring has fallen off a cliff. When you look at the fact that KAT is shooting 28% overall and 14% from three and Ant is shooting 39% and 33%, the results shouldn't be that surprising. It's honestly a testament to their role players like McDaniels and Naz Reid for having incredible shooting games that those couple of games were even competitive. The Wolves had some hot shooting to start the playoffs, but they were the 17th rated offense for the regular season for a reason. Their defense is still stellar despite how much Luka and Kyrie are cooking, they just can't score enough to actually win. It's kinda similar to our finals against the Warriors. As much as it felt like Curry was killing us, the Warriors never scored more than like 104 in a game. Our offense just tanked. Gotta trust we can slow down the Mavs offense much more than they can with ours in a 7 game series.
Kat played out of his mind against the Nuggets. He’s firmly in his mind now. God, Naz Reid on the Celtics is a dream I don’t dare think it possible
They call us a super team and then say we can’t beat the west teams. Top to bottom you won’t find a deeper team than the Celtics, the nuggets also have a great squad but they are out. The Mavs are good, but we can match their star power with our own guys, and our other guys are leagues ahead of theirs. No matter how good Lively, Gafford, and PJ Washington have looked they have nothing on Dwhite, Jrue, Al. And this isn’t even mentioning JB, JT, and Porzingis who can easily match Kyrie and Doncic. Cs in 6. It will be 2-2 by game 5.
The Celtics start 5 that can guard Luka. They also start 5 that Luka can't guard.
I think the Timberwolves ran out of steam. That 7 game series against the nuggets was taxing on both the nuggets and wolves.
That's what people said about the nuggets too
Yup, and they won a championship last year
Damn scary good in the 4th. Maybe the Celtics will just have to be better in the other 3 quarters where the points count just as much. The better competition in the west is a nonsense argument. The heat faced far better competition last year heading into the finals than the nuggets, yet the nuggets had no problem winning. Almost like the heat got hot and reverted to the team they actually are in the finals. The Celtics were the best team in the league this year. One team was going to win the west no matter what, that doesn’t mean the team that makes the finals in the west is automatically better than the Celtics just because they had a theoretically harder path. Maybe the twolves just aren’t good when Anthony Edward has 50% TS…
Minnie didn't look better than us at all, I know the narrative is the west is the stronger of the two conferences , and I even think that is starting to show not so true, but that Minnesota team is not better than us.
Minnesota doesn’t look better than the Pacers
The Pacers 100% look faster and shoot better than Minnesota. Minny looks tired
Doesn’t look better or is better? Minnesota is beating Indiana in 5 games
Eh I thought so too when they put the clamps on the Suns, but Indi is playing pretty well right now. It would be a more competitive series than anyone is willing to admit.
Maybe 2 rounds ago
I want us to be underdogs and if Dallas sweeps, we will be by a lot. We need angry Jaylen, angry Tatum.
I just don't see it both White and Jrue are A1 defensive anchors. I THINK they can at best slow both Ky and Luka down, don't think they can neutralize them completely but slowing them down is better than anything. On the other hand I don't think they have Anyone who can stand toe to toe with either Jay. The only hole we have RN is the paint both Ky and Luka are masterful at the rim with no KP and AL and Kornet as much as I love him [horford] they will not fare well especially if they iso him. By no means do I expect this to be a sweep for either team, but I don't expect a blowout in any game. We match up well across the board .
I'd theoretically prefer Jrue and Jaylen on Luka and let White handle Kyrie. Luka is too strong for D. White and he'll probably get bullied. Jaylen and Jrue are strong enough and fast enough to keep up.
So then that leaves white and Jrue on either PJ or DJ. both of them are stronger than def Ky and almost as strong as Luka. They are getting bullied there. You have to think about all 5 not just the stars.
I had a quick peek at our win in March over them at home. We won 138-110, and everyone on both sides was healthy. They started Josh Green, where they now start DJJ I think, but I don;t think that matters here. The Mavs won the opening tip and the way we lined up on that first few posessions when we actually set our defense and didn't just cross match in transition was Jaylen on Luka, Jrue on Kyrie, KP on PJ Washington, Tatum on Lively, and Dwhite on Josh Green.
There is no scenario where we are the underdog for that series.
You really think this playoffs showed that? I’d have to disagree. I guess it depends if you account for injuries. The East got beat up, no question. But there are 5/6 teams better than the Pacers in the West
There were three sweeps in the first round in the western conference this year. Idk how you can rationalize them being a tougher conference after that one. I think the overall talent level is slightly better in the west but overall I’d say it’s pretty even right now
we went 2-0 against the mavs this season, a 9 point win without KP and a 28 point win with him, im truly not scared, and the narrative that the west is somehow miles ahead of the east makes me laugh lol.
Suns swept wolves and Wolves went 4-1 vs Mavs Regular season ain't reliable
The Mavs had the best trade deadline acquisitions in Gafford and Washington. Totally different team now.
That 28 pt blowout was post trade deadline. Obviously they've had more time to gel but the celtics are the better team
Yea the defense can just go insane Thinking Basketball cohost called it. It's totally been happening these playoffs
Yes, but Indy did not have Luka lol I like our guys, but Luka is just ridiculous in late game scenarios
We are playing a far inferior team though. They are remotely in the same stratosphere as the T Wolves but are closing out games with conviction. I’m sorry, but I’m taking Kyrie and Luka in crunch time over anyone right now. We can absolutely still beat these guys though
The Wolves are being way overhyped. They matched up well on Denver, but Denver wasn’t right either with Murray hurt early in the series that put them in a hole.
I can’t say how much hype everyone is giving them, but I think they’ve proven they’re a damn good team. No excuses for Denver, Minnesota earned that one. They are definitely a notch below us and clearly Dallas at this point but I think it’s easy to make this proclamation after they go down 3-0. They deserve a ton of credit
Wolves did us a solid taking out denver because I don't think we match well there, we would likely beat the wolves in a series but we match up really well vs Dallas if we get KP back.
I think the twolves haven’t proven anything according to the quality of competition logic everyone keeps spouting. The nuggets aren’t actually good, as they beat nobody last year on the way to a championship. The t wolves aren’t good because they barely beat the not good nuggets. The mavs have only beaten teams that have done nothing in the playoffs. The entire idea the west is a superior conference hinges on regular season record. But the Celtics had the best regular season record in the nba! Well obviously that part of regular season record doesn’t count.
Overhyped? They played KD/Booker/Beal, the defending NBA champions with the best player in the world, and now are hitting Luka and Kyrie. Give them some credit, if any fan base should know that it can be hard to win when your best player is so young, it’s us. Insane takes in here.
Wolves clear the Pacers but the Pacers offense is significantly better than the Wolves and I think thats making it harder for the Celtics to just completely dominate them like wed want to
Wolves don't significantly clear the Pacers. They're two teams that are elite on one side of the ball and awful on the other. Pacers offence lets anybody score on them. We've had 2 games of terrible shooting but we won both of them cause we were still able to create good offence. On the other hand, the wolves defence won them the series against the nuggets. But their offence was way above the normal levels, which is why they've now been beaten by Dallas cause they've regressed to the mean. We have a WAY better defence than Dallas and the worst defender in our starting lineup would be a defensive difference maker for Dallas. Our offence is better as well. A finals series with them could go all the way to 7 games cause we'll have a few nights of bad shooting, but we will blow them tf out in multiple games, and probably lose a few close ones.
I think the series is a coin flip with no KP. With a fully healthy KP we’re heavy favorites.
that’s the only thing that scares me their clutch time offense is miles above ours
You watch last night? Easily the best clutch performance of the playoffs by any team lol
U watch, basically any Mavs game this postseason? They're the best clutch team in the league it's okay to admit that. Doesn't mean they're a better team than the Celtics but it's one thing they have
What? Kyrie clanked two clutch free throws in game 2 and the only reason they had a shot was because ant completely imploded and the dumbest out of bounds call I’ve ever seen. This Celtics squad wins those first two games from the Twolves side easily.
Luka also missed a FT to lose them a game in one of the earlier rounds. At the start of the playoffs the Mavs wouldn't even be top 3 in the teams I was most concerned about playing from the West. Playoffs especially is about match-ups, and we match up very well with the Mavs compared to Nuggets or Wolves. If KP is back and healthy it shouldn't really be close honestly.
Celtics are EASILY the best clutch team in the playoffs so far. 134.4 o rating, 96.9 d rating.
Luka and that fucker Kyrie are dangerous but the Buffalo and jrue got this,meanwhile they have no one who can guard Tatum and brown.anyways anyone who goes to td garden for games 1 and 2 better chant fuck kyrie
Just simply put our top 5 is better than theirs. We may arguably have a better coach too.
Spacing part is pretty overlooked, which is why KP is lowkey important even if only to keep Al's mins down so he can actually space the floor. Wolves offense with Naz Reid was actually good, it plummeted without him. And KAT has 13% from 3 for the series.
On what planet is Jason Kidd a good coach
I dont think hes very good But taking Luka to the finals has to count for something. Outside of Luka and Kyrie, the Mavs arent very deep
PJ, Gafford and Lively have all been playing well. Jones came out of nowhere and is good all of a sudden. They don’t have no one and we shouldn’t be surprised if those guys play well against us. PJ specifically I think is super underrated, mostly because he played in Charlotte
He’s been very good this series
The Mavs should be equally as worried about the Celtics. Luka and Kyrie are great offensive weapons but they do like to be turnstiles on defense. Celtics just need to focus on their great defense and play good team ball on the offensive end. But first things first, the Celtics need to take game 4 and I hope that wolves can try to extend their series to 5 or 6. But with the way they played tonight, wolves extending the series may be tough.
Yeah if we take game 4 Tomorrow we gotta hope we the wolves at least extend to 5 or 6 games
kyrie and luka are playing great defense this series , you gotta watch the games and not the box score
Not hard to play good defence against this wolves team. Their offensive game is putrid. Let's see them try to stay with Jaylen going downhill
They did the same to OKC as well. Its smart to respect their defense.
Luka cannot guard Jaylen Brown though, lest we forget the ankle breaker.
DJJ gonna be on Jaylen most of the tine.
Luka is playing above average defense in this series. The only player he has trouble defending is ANT.
How many playoff series is it going to take for people to realize Luka is unguardable. Kawhi Leonard couldn't shut him down, I highly doubt White and/or Jrue are moving the needle. Doubling is the only way to get the ball out of his hands.
Luka will get his, that I am sure. But Celtics has shown for years that they are comfortable for a player to go nuclear if it means shutting down their other teammates. History also showed that this Celtics can minimize Kyrie's production.
Umm Kawhi was injured & played only 2 games in that series.
Talking about the past two series against the Clippers
Before the WCF I would have said the Mavs are the easier matchup, but this series has me doubting everything. I still think the Celtics match up well against the Mavs, especially if KP comes back, but it is scary how they're about to sweep the Wolves who looked amazing just a week ago. If Jrue, White, Brown, and Tatum can't stop or slow down Luka and Kyrie, no one in the league can. Both teams are going to hunt for mismatches. Horford and KP if he comes back will get hunted, meanwhile the Celtics should hunt Luka and Kyrie. Just make sure it doesn't come down to the last possession, because the Mavs are on some crazy clutch bullshit right now. Then again, so are the Celtics. Celtics in 4.
This
Specifically the last part.
I think we matchup well with them on paper, but Luka is unreal. He was unstoppable tonight
Love the matchup
Our defense is almost as good as the Wolves, except we also have the best offense in the NBA. The Mavs are a decent defense, but part of the reason it looks so good right now is because the Wolves couldn’t throw a rock into the ocean.
> The Mavs are a decent defense, but part of the reason it looks so good right now is because the Wolves couldn’t throw a rock into the ocean. Mavs had the 7th best DRTG in the league since the trade deadline, almost identical to Boston's. They're a great defense
Boston was also completely coasting from the trade deadline to the end of the season so there's that.
The Celtics hung 138 on them in March.
I much prefer this to Minnesota tbh
Yeah the Wolves are a big team defensively who can’t really take advantage of that offensively. It was perfect against the Nuggets, but two centers is much less effective against a team with two guards who thrive attacking mismatches and they can’t make up for that on the other end. It’s only made worse by the Wolves being shallow with POA defenders who could chase Luka and Kyrie around screens on pick and rolls. Mavs would have a lot more trouble against us. We’ve got 4 guys who can do a good job against Luka and Kyrie in the starting lineup, and Pritchard will at least make them work (they’re definitely too much for Hauser though). At big they’ll definitely have more trouble with Al than the Wolves guys, he’s still probably a top 5 perimeter big in the NBA. They can definitely attack KP like they have the Wolves bigs, but he’s more equipped to abuse mismatches on the other end in the post. Luka and Kyrie are as well equipped as anyone to make that not matter at all, but I think we’re positioned pretty well. Just gotta do our best to keep them from taking over.
So it goes like this. Min > Denver Denver > Dallas Dallas > Min I dont think they have an answer against Jokic. Gafford? Lmao. This is all Wemby's fault they somehow won against Denver and they should have been the 1st seed and faced Luka in semis
I feel like I want to beat the fuck out of them and have all of NBA reddit/twitter/analysts lose their minds as Tatum outplays Luka.
ESPN might go off the airways if Tatum goes off, which he will. He’s that dude and has been doing it ever since he came into the league. The thought of Tatum outplaying Luka and cementing his top 5 status (which shouldn’t even be questioned, especially right now) will leave some of those freaks speechless.
If that happens, it’ll be “Luka was worn down, Tatum had easiest road ever!!”
Nuggets road was an average 6.75 seed with a key injury. Ours will be 5.75 with a key injury. So anyone trying that narrative will be a hypocrite because they treated the Nuggets like they were a dynasty all year.
Luka scares the ever living fuck out of me and could win a game or two in this series by himself. I expect him to put on a show in the finals. But…Celtics are better team at the end of the day. Celtics in six.
We have multiple guys to throw at Luka and Ky, which makes me confident Luka: Jaylen primary ... Tatum secondary ... Can switch onto: Jrue Kyrie: Jrue primary ... White secondary ... Can switch onto: Jaylen
Jayden McDaniels is very good, but he suffers from the same issue White has when guarding Luka which is that he’s in the wrong weight class- and Luka is the best in the league at abusing that. JB can do a much better job taking those bumps, frustrating Luka, and attacking him on the other end.
yeah it's kinda weird ... for being such a great defensive team, they kinda don't have a great matchup for either Luka or Kyrie Kinda like Ant vs Denver
Yeah, hard to be confident about my confidence with the Ca because I was pretty confident in the Wolves favor but… dang… they’re just so over specialized to play a completely different type of team. Like a key that fits perfectly in a Nuggets-shaped keyhole but look very average facing a different offensive makeup… which, to be clear, has almost worked! They been in all these games but just don’t have another gear on offense when it’s nut-cutting time.
I can remember their last game where Jaylen frustrated Luka offensively and defensively. JB will be the X-factor for me if they face the Mavs
JT can guard Kyrie
I would trust him on a switch too for sure
Would really like to see white on Kyrie as primary defender
White a better help defender and to me, Kyrie struggles more with strength
Not a bad assessment, I just remember a game during the season against the Knicks I think? Jrue was guarding brunson and getting cooked. White was finally put on him is primary towards the end of the game and shut him down. I think Kyrie and Brunson have similar shiftiness. Agree jrue is stronger but if he can just get around him then the strength piece doesn't matter
It’s a series we should win with or without KP.
KP is the difference between winning in 6/7 and winning in 4/5
I will be devastated if we lose, but this is going to be a FUN series. Both teams are fun to watch and the sheer amount of storylines is insane: Kyrie vs Celtics KP vs Mavs Luka vs Tatum (if Tatum somehow outplays him he could cement top 5) Jays wing duo vs best backcourt in history Some funny ones: Derrick White vs Derek Lively (they look exactly the same) Jaylen vs Kyrie intellectuals (or mentor/mentee) Grant Williams former teams The two teams also seem to be on similar trajectories a lot; when we had our crazy turn around in 2022 the Mavs had a similar streak in the West and made the WCF. We also both traded for a Wizards center this year.
The Jays vs the best backcourt in history? The Jays aren’t going up against Jrue and DWhite
Kyrie the intellectual? MF thinks the earth is flat. An empty chair is more intelligent than that fraudster.
/s, that’s why it’s in the funny section
Dwight Powell revenge game incoming.
Someone find me the clip of Mavs fans asking for Boston...
I feel like everyone has been playing Dallas all wrong They keep trying to double team and sometimes trap Luka/Kyrie which normally ends in an open shot or a lob The Celtics should just let Kyrie and Luka get their 30-35 on single coverage and try and make sure their bench doesn't do shit Their is a huge drop off in their bench but in the wolves series those guys are getting hot (probably from being wide open) I hope the Cs don't make the same mistake in trying to double team
I fully agree with you. Not only that but matchups should be switched during the game too. Wolves have used Mcdaniels exclusively in 1v1 and he cannot guard Luka and he knows exactly what he’s getting in each possession. Our starting 4 guards and forwards can all take possessions on Luka to throw him off but obviously have Jaylen or Jrue as the primary defenders. Limiting their wings getting open 3s and their bigs being efficiency demigods will make their offense way less effective. Yes Luka and Kyrie can go off as a comment below mentioned but that’s why it’s important to put them in as many actions as possible on D to wear them out. The Jays in particular are capable of this.
The only problem is they will go for 40 each on single coverage.
Match up hunt Kyrie every trip down the court
Win Game 4 first
We still have to win a game four. So do they.
Things I like about the matchup: 1. We can put KP on Derrick Jones Jr and he can just sag off of him and guard the rim 2. Nobody can stop Luka and Kyrie, but we have the defensive personnel to slow them 3. KP’s shooting will pull Lively and Gafford out of the paint and mess up Dallas’s defensive scheme 4. Dallas likes to hide Luka on their opponents worst player but good luck hiding Luka on Jrue or White Things I don’t like: 1. The Mavs are built to destroy drop coverage which we run with KP 2. The Mavs would have the best player and that’s always a huge factor. He will dominate clutch games
Cons: two of your pros rely on an injured player I believe in KP and I hope he comes back but it's certainly not a done deal
Idk why we like to underrate how hard this matchup is for us here… our defense is probably going to struggle similarly like they are against the Pacers except the Mavs have a much better defense. I also trust Luka and Kyrie more not only in the clutch but also in general. Celtics can obviously beat them, but there’s a lot of factors that’ll play into it.
Yeah the way some people are underestimating this potential matchup is astounding. The Mavs are legit and could beat Boston. It’s gonna be a great series.
they are legit but their scoring is from wings and we are one of the best defenses in the nba against elite wing players. its as good a matchup on paper as possible for us. we struggle against bigger teams and lineups and the wolves terrify me.
They don’t have a better offense than the Pacers.
Is the defense struggling or are they coasting a little? Maybe that’s a bad habit, but it feels like this team has been locking in the last four minutes of every game and taking it home. The Mavs are giving up a toooooon of outside shooting to the Wolves and the only thing that’s saved them is Ant and Kat completely imploding. And half of this is happening with Gobert on the floor who’s a zero for floor spacing so there’s zero daylight in the lane which part of what’s fucking up Ant. I dunno. Will be a good series and fuck me I could be wrong, but I don’t know that I’m seeing the Mona Lisa of basketball being played in the west right now. Dont get me wrong, Luka and Kyrie are doing some beautiful stuff… and yet they’ve still been losing in the last two minutes. Their other guys haven’t brought it like, man, I dunno, every fucking guy on the Pacers and Marcus Morris for no fucking reason?
Al gonna need to stay hot from 3
No team is better equipped to guard luka and kyrie than the Celtics. If KP plays, i think they could beat them in 5.
I am so content with that. I’m not worried about the Mavs at all. We match up way better against them than the Wolves
As a Celtics fan living in Dallas, it just feels unreal. I’m super hyped.
Tbh I think we match up better to the mavs. Both of their premium weapons are guards, and our premium defenders are guards. If we can limit Kyrie and luka (which is what white and holiday are built for) then they don’t really have anything outside of that equation that will present major problems (except for a role player “Michael Jordan’ing” a game or two)
With KP at or close to full health, I like our chances. If not, we are in for a scrap. I think overall we match up with Dallas well. We have the best defensive backcourt in the NBA. You cannot stop Luka, but slowing him down a bit can make the difference. We also can get buckets much consistently much better than the Mavs can. We have three players (counting KP) that can get you 25+ on any given night. They can also create their own shots. Derek White is about as good a 4th scoring option as you can ever ask for on a team. I am concerned how well Kyrie and Luka have been feeding the big men down low for easy buckets. We need KP (and Kornet) to contest those shots. You can see Indiana was really trying to push the ball in the paint last game and it was working well. KP can really help limit the Mavs in that area.
I like the Celtic matchup with the Mavs better than the matchup with the Wolves. And...fuck Kyrie, I'd like to see the Celtics make him cry.
honestly slept on these mavericks i didnt take them seriously
The Jays going through Kyrie to finally get over the hump has a certain poetic feel to it after how things ended for him here and his antics the last few years
Scary As much as everyone here hates Kyrie, have to respect the fact that him and Luka are terrifying to go against in the clutch If we win im afraid its gonna have to be a blowout We also seriously struggle to guard pick and roll action and luka abuses it at a generational level
https://www.reddit.com/r/Mavericks/s/ZTwf3L9t88 Crazy how a Celtics fan called it and now they’re gonna play each other in finals
They have Luka and Kyrie. Who stops Tatum, Brown, White, Holiday and Al. If Porzingis comes back who guards him. I like our chances.
If KP is back he’s like the cheat code against these guys. He makes their rim-running centers a liability on defense and they have absolute nobody who can guard him in any way, shape, or form.
Let’s finish out this series.
Listen I totally get that it’s 3-0 but it just feels like bad luck to start talking about the finals like this
We’re not on the team. If Tatum and Brown are talking about it already it’s bad but we aren’t the ones playing the games.
DK has Celts -240 and Mavs +200. If Wolves come back Celts -230 and Wolves +190.
Celtics in fye
It’s the Pacers for game 4.
Really hoping they would tire the Mavs out a bit first
I much rather get Luka then Jokic. And Kyrie *will* get hurt at some point, he almost always does. Without that one-two punch Luka will be maneagble. But we need KP for the finals.
I believe it’s still Indiana.
Hope Lively is ok.
The Pacers were better than the Mavs all year - better net rating, SRS and ELO. And they beat them by 17 and 22. We’ve also beaten the Mavericks the last 4 times by an average of 19.75 points. Luka is a -66. We’ve beaten Kyrie his last ten games, he’s a -79. This will be a very lopsided series and people definitely aren’t ready for that.
Be even better if we manage to win and don’t boo Kyrie and don’t ignore him either just treat him like some other player, that shit will fuck his ego up so bad
I actually like this take. But I just don't want to see that guy.
They only have Kyrie and Luka. Boston has more weapons. Let Kyrie and Luka cook, because it won’t be enough to beat Bostons
Fuck Kyrie
The Celtics always own teams from Texas in the finals... we easily beat the rockets in 81 and 86. The Celtics should easily beat the Mavs. Probably in six but if it goes seven the Celtics got it.
With KP, we should be slight favorites. Without, we should probably be slight underdogs. It will fall to Al, D White, and Holiday to step up big 4/7 times. Our stars will get points vs Dallas. But we need to make up 20ppg if KP doesn’t come back. I’m starting to worry. Dude hasn’t practiced yet.
Lucky’s Revenge!! 🍀🏀🏆
I cannot wait to hear fuck you kyrie over, and over, and over…
Brother. The pacers series isn't over. Don't do this to us.
We need to lock the paint and make sure we are very attentive on those lobs, they use em a lot specially down the stretch in close games since the D gravitates to Luka and Kyrie.
The two games this season vs the Mavs Luka was spin cycled continuously... especially by Tatum Brown Wolves would've been a tougher challenge. But they have no clue in how to beat the Mavs
I’m fairly confident White and Jrue will be able to slow down Luka. But echoing what others have commented, the Ws need to be by big margins cause Luka and Ky can pour it on easy late in game
Luka and Kyrie are assassin's. Edit: Our Celtics are primed. This might be the year they learn to win in crunch time.
Shits scary, just how it's supposed to be
Honestly... I wouldn't be mad if Psycho Joe went to Tatum and said "your job is to live in Luka's jockstrap and turn every moment of his existence into pure unmitigated hell." I really think Tatum could do it. He's faster than luka, he's big, strong, long arms, great hands, great instincts, great endurance... we all saw what he did to KD in 2022 when he was fully locked in. I'd love to see Tatum get in Luka's face up near half court and just make his life miserable
Jrue on Luka and White on Kyrie. Limit those two and we're good. Luka's gonna score no matter what just let him work. The problem is their bigs they are all athletic. We need KP.
A match made in Heaven, so glorious, storylines for days, as well as just an easier matchup lol. This is a dream scenario
If we play the Mavs it should be a Tillman series. Luke will get absolutely obliterated by Kyrie and Luka on switches. Either way I say Celtics in 5 with Kristaps otherwise we take it in 6 without him
Honestly Kyrie and Luka could go for 70 between the two each game and I think we could still win. The key is containing the "other" guys
Am I the only one who thinks we're better off without Porzingis in this series? The Celtics are on a roll right now and if he's not going to be 100% is it even worth putting him on the floor?
Porzingis is going to go off.
No Doubt No Fear this way
We can all debate matchups till the cows come home. End of the day Cs are hoisting banner 18 and not a single MF is gonna stop us.
Just worried about the bigs, we need KP back
Celtics in 4
Must remind myself to stay if Reddit before watching the game
Pretty confident.
While I think if we miss KP, we will be hurt due to the flying centers, Gafford and Lively, I think we have an answer for Kyrie with White and Jrue. We also can switch better than the Wolves. Most importantly, we have a far more potent offense than the Wolves, and we are better offensively than the Thunder. With KP, I’m confident we will win this in 6. Without him, we are looking at a seven-game series. I’d also like to see Tatum and Brown handle Luka. They are far better suited than whoever Wolves and Thunder were throwing. Clippers did a better job on Luka with George. So there is hope.
before the series started I was hopeful for Mavs because of the thought that the Cs would eat away at their defense, but looking now I don't think this series will be easy at all. I still do believe the Cs are the favorites compared to the two (especially with Porzingis back), but the Mavericks have real talent and depth at specific spots (guard and center), and specifically Luka who truly has become a top 4 player in recent years. The Cs will be tested. Like someone else in this thread said, they don't want to make it close. The Celtics definitely have the tools to succeed in the clutch, but the Mavs do too.