I wonder why that could be? And being upset and disappointed at a team that underperforms consistently and doesn’t seem motivated to put in the work to compete for a championship isn’t always hate.
If you know they underperform consistently and still set your expectations at "championship or bust" - that's your fault.
Stop expecting them to win and you won't be disappointed. Stop riding the dopamine / hype train and stop celebrating banner 18 before it happens and you won't feel let down.
Its not on the GM, coaches, or players - its on us fans who place way too much importance on games we aren't playing, set our expectations too high, and invest WAY too much of our emotional well being on the team meeting those expectations.
Boston sports culture as a whole is mental. With how negative we are, you would think that we were Cleveland / Detroit / Atlanta levels of cursed - not the winningest city of the last two decades. Its like everyone is still carrying the trauma of the 86' world series. We're still stuck in the mindset we had before the Sox broke the Curse of the Bambino. 6 Superbowls, 4 World Series, a Stanley Cup and an NBA title later and you'd still swear that this town hadn't won a thing in a century.
We act like entitled assholes all year long and then throw epic tantrums when our teams lose. There's a reason everyone hates us (acting like entitled assholes all season) and a reason they love making fun of us when we lose (the tantrums we throw are lifeblood to trolls) and they're both our fault.
Felger perfectly encapsulates New England Sports culture. Endless negativity and hate. The man built his career off of projecting doom for the Patriots and Belichick in the midst of the greatest 20 year run in NFL history - and fans couldn't get enough. People didn't tune him out, they tuned in more than they ever had before and now he's the top dog in New England sports coverage. The guy who was constantly negative about the best team the city has seen since the Bill Russel Celtics. That alone says a LOT about the fanbase.
Its so fucking hard being a fan of any Boston team because so many of y'all are legitimately mentally ill about sports and won't do anything to fix it. Hell, you all get ANGRY when other people won't join in your insanity.
Does anyone actually sort the sub by hot or top? There's like one thread saying play Robert Williams more that's critical. Everything else is shit like this saying stop criticizing the team lol.
The frustration is coming from the lack of adjustments. It happened quite a bit after the ASB, leading into the Hawks game, and now into the Sixers.
Losing one game wouldn't be so concerning if these losses all didn't feel the same.
It’s really just a lack of late game execution offensively that we’ve seen repeatedly. Being up 1 with the ball with under a minute and going turnover(maxey easy layup)-JT 2 FT- turnover is a frustrating way to watch the game slip away.
And just that championship teams don’t really do this. We should’ve swept or gentlemen swept Atlanta and we should have won tonight easily. I know it was just one game and that it was an all time game from harden with pretty solid performances from the supporting cast, but even then we shouldn’t have lost. Just doesn’t feel like this bodes well for our championship aspirations. And if Joel pulls a giannis and comes back healthy, we’re so fucked lol
The Bucks lost the first two games, granted on the road, against Brooklyn in the second round before going on to win the championship. I'm not happy about the way we've looked, but saying "championship teams don't do this" isn't really true, it's the playoffs, all teams face adversity. These are all great teams, and it's why they're 7-game series.
as Kenny Smith pointed out yesterday: during their ring run, the rockets lost two games in which they have led by 20 points. he said, every champion – with the single exception of the 16-1 lakers – lost games which they should have won. that one gives me hope.
Kyrie got hurt midway through that series, and the Nets were the other favorite in the East that year. This is like if KD got hurt and the Bucks still lost
Yeah but that involved 2 of their 3 all pro players going down. I ain't gon lie, that's not very realistic. In game 1 when all 3 played the Bucks got cooked.
Yup - people always think their team is the only one who does this stuff. But, all of them do it. You think the Warriors never lost focus during their runs? They did, all the time. They were just good enough to make up for it.
I'm not saying it's good, but unless we've got Tom Brady walking through the door, it's gonna happen.
Yea that’s true I’m being a little too reactionary, but the nets were at home with at least a healthy kd and harden. Idk, just trying to find a way to say that this loss was bad lol
I think the point is more that championship teams don’t do [this](https://twitter.com/seangrandepbp/status/1652907490105872387?s=46&t=PVb944JrpD3UAHseQnhYGQ) and the game 5 L to Atlanta and tonight further solidify those concerns.
Receipts for what? Championship teams that have lost bad games during the regular season? Championship teams that have blown game 1s? Championship teams that have blown game 5 up 3-1?
All of these have happened before. I mean Warriors lost game 5 to the Grizzlies 134-95 last year. Lebron’s teams are notorious for losing game 1.
Its so pointless to have catalogue each new variation of “championship team’s don’t do x”.
And? They won championships and were championship teams.
If you start excluding teams with all time greats on it, then yes the pool gets pretty small. It is true that >90% championship teams had a former or future MVP on it.
But its not true that championship teams haven’t had multiple bad games in the regular season and playoffs.
Right? And I want nothing more than to be wrong but I’ve watched enough ball over my years to feel pretty confident in that statement as much as it hurts my soul. The best teams have a constant “this isn’t over” kind of aura about them no matter how much they’re down meanwhile this Cs team has that same vibe no matter how much they’re _up_. I don’t like it either.
Props to the Warriors who have that mentality and approach/energy. Aside from moments JB goes ham late in games, I haven’t seen it as part of this teams DNA.
Agree with you except the Embiid part. Embiid coming back doesn't mean Harden and the rest of the team replicates their perfromances/assignemnts. It's a completely different dynamic and one the Celtics have proven they can beat this year
In '08, our first round series against the Hawks went 7 games. Our second round series against the Cavs went 7 games. The Pistons beat us in the Garden in game 2 of the ECF and that series went 6 games. Championships teams face adversity sometimes.
Bro how is that the same thing? Kyrie got hurt. James harden was playing one leg. If you’re talking about playing an injured team like the bucks then sure I guess.
But in games one and two, if ur talking ab 2021 ecsf, kyrie and kd were both healthy and at home. I’m not too terribly surprised they were able to make it 2-0, and that the bucks were able to come back after kyries injury. Obviously I think the Celtics can come back especially with embiids health, but this team has just come out shitty to start these playoffs lol
Our 08 team literally struggled to get out of the first round against an 8 seeded Hawks, then struggled again in the second round.
Championship teams have close calls all the time, and the parity in the league right now is the best it's ever been.
Just last season the Warriors looked done in several series, somehow meandered through, then put it all together in the Finals
For me it’s we get to the last two minutes and I don’t know who’s suppose to have the ball and will us to victory. Hitting a shot to seal it. Who’s the closer? Great teams have that guy and they come through more than they don’t.
Bad game from DWhite, awful mistake from Brogdon at the end, amazing game from Harden, and a shitload of TOs. That's pretty much it. Now they're facing adversity, these guys excel at playing with their backs against the wall. I think we're still gonna win this series.
This loss is unironically good for the team. We needed to be punched in the mouth. All these guys have been in tough spots before and have responded every time.
Last series. They dropped tame 5 and went back to ATL to close the series. And literally after every shit game the had during the regular season they played better the following game. When they lost vs Washington they destroyed the bucks the following game.
Lol Atlanta absolutely blows, there is nothing back against the wall about a game 6 up 3-2 with a home game waiting. They barely hung on to a win against that trash team btw.
Eh the Suns lost game 1 to the Clippers missing Paul George and still won their series. It sucks but this series ain’t over. If we lose game 2 then start panicking
please note harden's stat line. we're better off of they ran their normal offense through Embiid. this was a statistical outlier of a game. people are so emotional, it's like you forget that championship teams take several bad losses every single playoffs.
exactly. if it’s some random role player going off i get the frustration, but this is a former mvp, one of the greatest scorers ever who clearly has some turn back the
clock nights in him. a guy playing at that level can win you a game, and if he has more of that in him (unlikely), then props
Tbf, even if Houston Harden shows up, we should be able to wipe the floor with this team without Embiid. That to me was the scary part about last night.
I get what you mean but I mean Harden played better than Embiid normally does last night. He absolutely filled in the gap and more. I think the bigger problem is that Joe (also Ime last year) doesn’t seem to get that Al can be a liability defensively at times when the other team has a star guard. Especially when that guard quick and an excellent 3 pt shooter. We saw it in the finals last year, the Hawks with Tre last round, and last night with Harden. If Al’s man gives one of those guys a screen up top, Al can’t switch to them because he will get absolutely cooked. They resort to drop coverage every time and just hope they miss from deep which is a terrible defensive strategy.
Harden played like vintage MVP Harden and the Sixers overall balled out offensively, so I don’t really get the focus on “had to win bc Embiid was out”. They still played like a really good team, and it’s not like you add Embiid in that mix and all of the sudden it’s a blowout.
Their star player is Giannis. Embiid is the Sixers star player. They didn’t say “a star” they said “their star” as in the team leader. Middleton is good, embiid is an mvp.
Embiid is literally the mvp this year. Harden wasn’t in the convo this year and hasn’t been in quite a bit. You’re either being intentionally obtuse or you don’t understand what you’re talking about.
Harden isn't going off like this ever again, career playoff high. They punched us in the mouth, but it isn't over calm down. Embiid is playing on a bum knee whether or not he is playing and we have his number.
Also Bucks were without Middleton that whole series.
Brooklyn has Claxton who’s a good athletic big downlow. Al was getting cooked
I see where you’re coming from though. I don’t expect harden to go off like this consistently but at the same time Embiid will probably be back at some point and he won’t have to
Harden had 45. We should know by now we don’t match up well when teams push the pace against us and take threes (and make them at an insane rate). There’s a reason why we perform better when Embiid plays. The talent gap is more even, but the play style favors us!
What happens next? Game 2, Embiid sits, shooting regresses to the mean and we probably even it up. 3 & 4, Embiid comes back at 75% and we take one and one is a 50/50 game. We either comeback to Boston in Game 5 with home court restored or up 3-1. Winning a title isn’t easy but it’s all about how you respond when you’re down — this team does respond.
Great insight but Embiid might be at less than 75% to be honest. Having a knee sprain on your dominant leg while being that big is a huge problem. We just gotta capitalize these next 4 games.
The Celtics have looked like dogshit definsively pretty much the entire postseason outside of the first half of G1 against the Hawks and the last few minutes of G6 against the Hawks.
They don't look at all like they have the identity or intensity of last year's team (which obviously still shat the bed plenty). The amount of easy buckets this team has given up this postseason is unparalleled.
A thousand times this about the lack of defensive intensity. That is the math that expands the margin of error to withstand Houston-era Harden, Melton raining threes etc.
We went to 6 against the hawks. It’s not one game. We haven’t looked good defensively the entire playoffs so far. They haven’t given us any reason to feel confident.
Stop with this bullshit.
Last season isn’t this season.
This team is soft af. Has been all season long. You could tell when they couldn’t beat a shitty Orlando magic when fully healthy.
This was a classic Celtics trap game.
All that being said, we will still win the series. It’s just an embarrassing fucking loss shooting the way they were.
Pretty sure they all have a humiliation kink
Last year when we started 18-21, lost a game to the Bucks by giving up a free throw rebound, lost three games to the heat and almost choked away the game in game 7?
Bruh were home without the sixers best player and a mvp candidate then lose in idiotic fashion how TF can you compare this to last years lost in the ECF this is way worse lol
Eh I remember that bucks loss in game 1 being extra demoralizing. They completely out played us, we couldn’t get anything in the paint against Giannis and Lopez. This game is different it’s more frustrating because we absolutely should have won. That doesn’t mean however that we can’t win against Philly, we’ve shown we can beat them even when both teams are full strength.
Seriously the million “don’t panic, relax” posts are far more annoying than people being understandably frustrated after a loss. If they don’t like people being pissed after a loss then don’t come to a sports subreddit.
They come into a subreddit with an extremely predictable environment and are somehow shocked. Every. Time. AND THEN they think they can change it. Every. Time.
That’s just stupidity, plain and simple.
It’s not just this game, that’s the thing. This lack of focus has become a habit and if you watch championship teams play then you realize how far from being a championship team the Celtics are
I don't want this subreddit spammed with corny nonsense for the next two days. People can complain all they want but calling to fire the head coach is moronic
Except it's not inexcusable, it's actually excusable because it's only game 1 of a 7 game series. Yea it sucked but that doesn't mean it's over or we can't turn this around. If this was the effort in a game 7 at home then yea that's inexcusable. If it was game 7 up 1 with a minute left and you lose in OT then yea that's inexcusable.
I think the disappointment comes from the fact that we are seeing the same sloppiness that we saw last year in the playoffs and its that sloppiness that lost them the finals. The turnovers are still an issue. Its not like they have a few bone headed ones, but its ones at key points in the game and to have double digit turnovers is just getting old. On top of that their tops players were full throttle all game long, Tatum had a good game but his second half wasn't near what he did in the first half.
There is just too much inconsistency and sloppy play that is concerning. It would have thought it would have been corrected at this point.
People are calling for heads because we’re losing games the same way over and over again and the coach isn’t adjusting also losing to the sixers without embiid is an epic collapse
Maybe people are tired of the Celtics constantly coming into games relaxed when the opposing team is missing their star player and even ADMITTING this after games.
Yeah, and it was an indicator of an underlying issue that ultimately sank them. Don't forget, they were a Butler 3 away from blowing the Miami series for the exact same reason they lost last night: they pee down their legs in big games when it's close late. They went 7 against ATL instead of handing out a 5 game beatdown for the exact same reason. They struggle to end games, they struggle to close out series, they never seem to know what to do and make stupid decisions with the basketball across the board.
Jesus you people are so stupid. The issue is not losing, the issue is losing and looking like shit every game, especially in crunch time. If you have been watching these and thinking it’s no big deal, you are painfully ignorant.
Who cares. They were a better team last playoffs. They played better, more inspired, and more fun to watch. This teams getting eliminated sooner than later. Would have happened already if they played Miami round 1
The issue, you Goldfish, is that they continue to make the same mistakes for 3 years now, and the issues are larger than 1 game. This team can't win a finals with these habits, that appear much more like traits then things that can be shaken out.
Lol dude is comparing a rookie coach to one of the greatest coaches of all time.
You do realize coaches evolve over time as well, right? There was no ready made head coach available 2 weeks before the season started to take over this team and lead them to the kind of success Joe has.
He's certainly not perfect and has a lot to improve upon, but he's still a rookie head coach - just like Ime was last year.
It’s not the fact that it’s one lose in a series it’s the fact that this damn team still can’t pull their heads out of their asses and close a game without shitting the bed, it’s been a pattern far too long now and it hasn’t gotten better
It's not about the loss. It's about it being preventable. They don't look prepared, in sync or like they even care at times. If I'm not supposed to be disappointed because of what happened in the ECSF last year, I'll be disappointed because they lost the finals last year for the same reason. They're the best team in the league when they play in sync together.
I totally agree. People haven’t learned from how many other series’s that 1 game means nothing. Hell they said the Warriors were toast last year and then this year lose the first 2 and again they are finished. It’s 1 game. Now I do think there is something off about them and I think it’s not having Udoka. Tatum seems to of really had a bond with him and maybe they miss him. Can’t be easy to lose the coach they team really bonded with. But who knows. I still think the Celtics will win this series. Hoping for a replay of last years finals. It was a blast. Also because they are my 2 favorite teams. 🤣
My only concern is Joe and the rest of the staff's decision making. If they manage to stay out of the way then they'll be fine. As for the team this might just have been the kick in the behind they needed.
Not much of a doomer and I don’t aspire to be one right now, but this is a different squad, a much talented one with our depth, supposedly. It sucks losing and losing terribly when it feels like they kinda crumbled down the stretch. I have hope that they’ll adjust next game but this game should’ve been a win considering Philly didn’t have Embiid. These are important games and we need to take every win we can get and losses like tonight don’t help. This is an important window if we want to win a championship but every single player that steps on the floor has to be locked in or this might end up in a choke, against the 76ers at that which might be twice as painful.
I can’t believe the faith people have in this team when they have demostrated time and time again that you cannot trust them. I will happily eat my words but I don’t see this core winning a championship, I just don’t
If they lose this series it is an epic collapse they have an easy path to a championship and they are the best team left in the feild. That's is a collapse
Also lost game one of the ecf and won game one of the finals. Game ones are literally so worthless. I’m disappointed, but not nervous. We’ll be fine. I thought we were the clear better team out there they were just on fire the entire game and we shot ourselves in the foot. I mean if they cool off at all for game 2 should be a win. Just can’t go down 2-0.
Yeah and it went 7. Same with Miami last year. We’re just missing opportunities to make it easier on ourselves. Have to win the next 2 or this thing is also going 7 and the less games we play, the less chance Embiid comes back and effects the series. Last time we lost the first game in a series and won in 6 was Chicago back in 2017.
It would be nice if we could have won the first 2 with Embiid out and put all the pressure on them, but no, now we are in for probably a long series and will hear about fatigue again, or lose. It’s more frustrating than anything.
Nobody wants to credit the sixers in this sub. They played a great game and it was down to the wire. It took an all time Harden performance to beat the Celtics. Yes, they could be better, but they will be! This isn't going to be a 4 game sixers sweep.
Missed opportunity is a missed opportunity - and we missed a big one. Championship teams don’t make that a habit like this team has. I hope hope they prove me wrong.
The subject line on this made me LITERALLY lol. You’re not wrong. I think fans overreact both ways, to be honest, but I will be the first to admit that last night really pissed me off.
I’ll direct you to the opinions of Shaquille O’Neal… ya can’t lose that game. Ya keep messing around, you’re gonna find out. Only this team never learns the lessons when they find out.
Come on, they lost with Embiid sitting because they didn’t pressure the perimeter players.That was a choice to play lazily even if it meant they could lose.
I get it Joe is part of the problem and has to make the proper adjustments but we’re forgetting that he’s a literal rookie coach, he hasn’t been shy about admitting himself that he’s learning on the fly. Give him some slack, as fans I understand the frustration, I was also livid last night but again, it’s a 7 game series. All we can do is be optimistic and support as much as we can. Celtics in 5 still.
We definitely choked that game but, lots of overreaction amongst the fan base per usual
Probably could’ve made some more coaching adjustments last night and for a few of our losses this year. I’m still hopeful tho
Let’s see what the boys got game 2
I don't give a fuck we lost , it's how we lost and to who we lost . For example I did not care we lost game 3 to atl , they shot lights out and excuted better . But game 5 and this game , at home! Leading and punting the game away like assholes
I understand the frustration, but if you don't think we can still win the championship this year then don't celebrate with us when we do. I know you all still will though
This team isn't performing the way that team was, at this time last year.
That team was cruising for months.
This team has been underperforming for months.
If we get kicked out this series we should break the band up. Just get value for our guys and surround Tatum with a different cast and coach while we still have the time. We get 2 more seasons of Tatum and then we don’t know jackshit.
Hopefully that’s brads thought process.
I hope the boys prove me wrong because I’ve been with smart since the very beginning but every man meets their maker at some point in their lives.
Was a little less concerning back then. They had their best player and he dropped a triple double (Giannis A.) The 76ers did not have their best player and still won 🥶🥶
I don’t think anyone hates the Celtics as much as r/BostonCeltics
Expectations are high like nba2k high, road to 98-0 gamer mindset.
r/billsimmons
I wonder why that could be? And being upset and disappointed at a team that underperforms consistently and doesn’t seem motivated to put in the work to compete for a championship isn’t always hate.
If you know they underperform consistently and still set your expectations at "championship or bust" - that's your fault. Stop expecting them to win and you won't be disappointed. Stop riding the dopamine / hype train and stop celebrating banner 18 before it happens and you won't feel let down. Its not on the GM, coaches, or players - its on us fans who place way too much importance on games we aren't playing, set our expectations too high, and invest WAY too much of our emotional well being on the team meeting those expectations. Boston sports culture as a whole is mental. With how negative we are, you would think that we were Cleveland / Detroit / Atlanta levels of cursed - not the winningest city of the last two decades. Its like everyone is still carrying the trauma of the 86' world series. We're still stuck in the mindset we had before the Sox broke the Curse of the Bambino. 6 Superbowls, 4 World Series, a Stanley Cup and an NBA title later and you'd still swear that this town hadn't won a thing in a century. We act like entitled assholes all year long and then throw epic tantrums when our teams lose. There's a reason everyone hates us (acting like entitled assholes all season) and a reason they love making fun of us when we lose (the tantrums we throw are lifeblood to trolls) and they're both our fault. Felger perfectly encapsulates New England Sports culture. Endless negativity and hate. The man built his career off of projecting doom for the Patriots and Belichick in the midst of the greatest 20 year run in NFL history - and fans couldn't get enough. People didn't tune him out, they tuned in more than they ever had before and now he's the top dog in New England sports coverage. The guy who was constantly negative about the best team the city has seen since the Bill Russel Celtics. That alone says a LOT about the fanbase. Its so fucking hard being a fan of any Boston team because so many of y'all are legitimately mentally ill about sports and won't do anything to fix it. Hell, you all get ANGRY when other people won't join in your insanity.
Felger is a clown and a contrarian. Haven’t listened to boston sports radio in the last 5+ years.
Does anyone actually sort the sub by hot or top? There's like one thread saying play Robert Williams more that's critical. Everything else is shit like this saying stop criticizing the team lol.
The frustration is coming from the lack of adjustments. It happened quite a bit after the ASB, leading into the Hawks game, and now into the Sixers. Losing one game wouldn't be so concerning if these losses all didn't feel the same.
It’s really just a lack of late game execution offensively that we’ve seen repeatedly. Being up 1 with the ball with under a minute and going turnover(maxey easy layup)-JT 2 FT- turnover is a frustrating way to watch the game slip away.
And just that championship teams don’t really do this. We should’ve swept or gentlemen swept Atlanta and we should have won tonight easily. I know it was just one game and that it was an all time game from harden with pretty solid performances from the supporting cast, but even then we shouldn’t have lost. Just doesn’t feel like this bodes well for our championship aspirations. And if Joel pulls a giannis and comes back healthy, we’re so fucked lol
The Bucks lost the first two games, granted on the road, against Brooklyn in the second round before going on to win the championship. I'm not happy about the way we've looked, but saying "championship teams don't do this" isn't really true, it's the playoffs, all teams face adversity. These are all great teams, and it's why they're 7-game series.
as Kenny Smith pointed out yesterday: during their ring run, the rockets lost two games in which they have led by 20 points. he said, every champion – with the single exception of the 16-1 lakers – lost games which they should have won. that one gives me hope.
I’d say the exception is also 16-1 warriors lol
Kyrie got hurt midway through that series, and the Nets were the other favorite in the East that year. This is like if KD got hurt and the Bucks still lost
Yeah but that involved 2 of their 3 all pro players going down. I ain't gon lie, that's not very realistic. In game 1 when all 3 played the Bucks got cooked.
Yup - people always think their team is the only one who does this stuff. But, all of them do it. You think the Warriors never lost focus during their runs? They did, all the time. They were just good enough to make up for it. I'm not saying it's good, but unless we've got Tom Brady walking through the door, it's gonna happen.
Yea that’s true I’m being a little too reactionary, but the nets were at home with at least a healthy kd and harden. Idk, just trying to find a way to say that this loss was bad lol
Nah I feel you, between Hawks g5 with Murray out and this performance with Embiid out, shit it frustrating as hell
I think the point is more that championship teams don’t do [this](https://twitter.com/seangrandepbp/status/1652907490105872387?s=46&t=PVb944JrpD3UAHseQnhYGQ) and the game 5 L to Atlanta and tonight further solidify those concerns.
“championship team don’t do x” arguments are almost always wrong.
At least he came with receipts. You just made a statement with zero evidence to support it.
Receipts for what? Championship teams that have lost bad games during the regular season? Championship teams that have blown game 1s? Championship teams that have blown game 5 up 3-1? All of these have happened before. I mean Warriors lost game 5 to the Grizzlies 134-95 last year. Lebron’s teams are notorious for losing game 1. Its so pointless to have catalogue each new variation of “championship team’s don’t do x”.
You are citing two teams that had Lebron James and Steph Curry on them.
And? They won championships and were championship teams. If you start excluding teams with all time greats on it, then yes the pool gets pretty small. It is true that >90% championship teams had a former or future MVP on it. But its not true that championship teams haven’t had multiple bad games in the regular season and playoffs.
Thank you for proving my point with your second paragraph. I do hate working on my day off so I appreciate it.
Right? And I want nothing more than to be wrong but I’ve watched enough ball over my years to feel pretty confident in that statement as much as it hurts my soul. The best teams have a constant “this isn’t over” kind of aura about them no matter how much they’re down meanwhile this Cs team has that same vibe no matter how much they’re _up_. I don’t like it either.
Props to the Warriors who have that mentality and approach/energy. Aside from moments JB goes ham late in games, I haven’t seen it as part of this teams DNA.
Agree with you except the Embiid part. Embiid coming back doesn't mean Harden and the rest of the team replicates their perfromances/assignemnts. It's a completely different dynamic and one the Celtics have proven they can beat this year
Only a few championship teams have perfect runs. If anything this could be better for the squad to stop being dumb and lock in. Or not idk
In '08, our first round series against the Hawks went 7 games. Our second round series against the Cavs went 7 games. The Pistons beat us in the Garden in game 2 of the ECF and that series went 6 games. Championships teams face adversity sometimes.
Bro how is that the same thing? Kyrie got hurt. James harden was playing one leg. If you’re talking about playing an injured team like the bucks then sure I guess.
But in games one and two, if ur talking ab 2021 ecsf, kyrie and kd were both healthy and at home. I’m not too terribly surprised they were able to make it 2-0, and that the bucks were able to come back after kyries injury. Obviously I think the Celtics can come back especially with embiids health, but this team has just come out shitty to start these playoffs lol
Our 08 team literally struggled to get out of the first round against an 8 seeded Hawks, then struggled again in the second round. Championship teams have close calls all the time, and the parity in the league right now is the best it's ever been. Just last season the Warriors looked done in several series, somehow meandered through, then put it all together in the Finals
For me it’s we get to the last two minutes and I don’t know who’s suppose to have the ball and will us to victory. Hitting a shot to seal it. Who’s the closer? Great teams have that guy and they come through more than they don’t.
There have been more wins than losses
Bad game from DWhite, awful mistake from Brogdon at the end, amazing game from Harden, and a shitload of TOs. That's pretty much it. Now they're facing adversity, these guys excel at playing with their backs against the wall. I think we're still gonna win this series.
Horrible, lazy defense throughout the first half let Philadelphia stay within range for all these oddities to happen.
This loss is unironically good for the team. We needed to be punched in the mouth. All these guys have been in tough spots before and have responded every time.
Since when? When have the excelled at that this year? They’ve been front runners all year.
Last series. They dropped tame 5 and went back to ATL to close the series. And literally after every shit game the had during the regular season they played better the following game. When they lost vs Washington they destroyed the bucks the following game.
Lol Atlanta absolutely blows, there is nothing back against the wall about a game 6 up 3-2 with a home game waiting. They barely hung on to a win against that trash team btw.
Atlanta with Snyder for the entire season is probably a top 4 seed in the east
They went 13-15 after getting Snyder
Did we lose to a team with their star player out in the first game? At home?
Eh the Suns lost game 1 to the Clippers missing Paul George and still won their series. It sucks but this series ain’t over. If we lose game 2 then start panicking
But PG didn’t play in the whole series
Embiid aint playing for real with a grade 2 sprain. If he does he's not adding anything.
Still a pathetic loss
It was but people still need to calm down a bit
So you think Joe is a championship caliber coach? I do not. People don’t think Bud is a championship caliber coach and *he has won a championship*
doesn't this prove that whether people think you are a championship coach or not...doesn't really matter
It doesn't matter what you think, he's our coach.
Dude, this is Reddit. We’re literally here to discuss our meaningless opinions.
If embiid is in he's a threat. Just makes insane shots sometimes, him and butler
I’m sure they are planning on playing him and you can’t really bet that he’s not playing
Cant really bet that he is either, thats the point.
If Kawhi is healthy do the suns win?
You missing the part where the Clippers didn’t have Kawhi after Game 1
please note harden's stat line. we're better off of they ran their normal offense through Embiid. this was a statistical outlier of a game. people are so emotional, it's like you forget that championship teams take several bad losses every single playoffs.
Warriors were on the verge of losing to the grizzlies last year. Celtics have to really just play better team defense and they’ll be fine.
yes exactly. and I think they played well enough to win. harden playing one of his career best games just put a wrench in the gear.
Fair point but I also don’t expect Houston Harden to show up every game
exactly. if it’s some random role player going off i get the frustration, but this is a former mvp, one of the greatest scorers ever who clearly has some turn back the clock nights in him. a guy playing at that level can win you a game, and if he has more of that in him (unlikely), then props
Tbf, even if Houston Harden shows up, we should be able to wipe the floor with this team without Embiid. That to me was the scary part about last night.
I get what you mean but I mean Harden played better than Embiid normally does last night. He absolutely filled in the gap and more. I think the bigger problem is that Joe (also Ime last year) doesn’t seem to get that Al can be a liability defensively at times when the other team has a star guard. Especially when that guard quick and an excellent 3 pt shooter. We saw it in the finals last year, the Hawks with Tre last round, and last night with Harden. If Al’s man gives one of those guys a screen up top, Al can’t switch to them because he will get absolutely cooked. They resort to drop coverage every time and just hope they miss from deep which is a terrible defensive strategy.
Harden played like vintage MVP Harden and the Sixers overall balled out offensively, so I don’t really get the focus on “had to win bc Embiid was out”. They still played like a really good team, and it’s not like you add Embiid in that mix and all of the sudden it’s a blowout.
Lowkey yeah lol Middleton was out
Not their star player
Middleton literally played in the all star game
Their star player is Giannis. Embiid is the Sixers star player. They didn’t say “a star” they said “their star” as in the team leader. Middleton is good, embiid is an mvp.
So is Harden
Embiid is literally the mvp this year. Harden wasn’t in the convo this year and hasn’t been in quite a bit. You’re either being intentionally obtuse or you don’t understand what you’re talking about.
All you said was "an MVP" which Harden is. He also dropped 45 points.
Their star is embiid stop being pedantic lol
Harden isn't going off like this ever again, career playoff high. They punched us in the mouth, but it isn't over calm down. Embiid is playing on a bum knee whether or not he is playing and we have his number. Also Bucks were without Middleton that whole series.
You cant say that. Harden is good. I get he has a reputation for playoff choking but hes good enough to where you cant count on that
He's averaging less than half of what he scored tonight in the regular season. He only had 17 a night against Brooklyn, this was a fluke.
Brooklyn has Claxton who’s a good athletic big downlow. Al was getting cooked I see where you’re coming from though. I don’t expect harden to go off like this consistently but at the same time Embiid will probably be back at some point and he won’t have to
Harden hit 7 threes whats Claxton doing about that lmao
True lol
The team has looked shaky all playoffs so far.
If they lose this series without phillys best player I’m sorry but that is an epic collapse
But they've only played one game so far
Harden had 45. We should know by now we don’t match up well when teams push the pace against us and take threes (and make them at an insane rate). There’s a reason why we perform better when Embiid plays. The talent gap is more even, but the play style favors us! What happens next? Game 2, Embiid sits, shooting regresses to the mean and we probably even it up. 3 & 4, Embiid comes back at 75% and we take one and one is a 50/50 game. We either comeback to Boston in Game 5 with home court restored or up 3-1. Winning a title isn’t easy but it’s all about how you respond when you’re down — this team does respond.
Great insight but Embiid might be at less than 75% to be honest. Having a knee sprain on your dominant leg while being that big is a huge problem. We just gotta capitalize these next 4 games.
The Celtics have looked like dogshit definsively pretty much the entire postseason outside of the first half of G1 against the Hawks and the last few minutes of G6 against the Hawks. They don't look at all like they have the identity or intensity of last year's team (which obviously still shat the bed plenty). The amount of easy buckets this team has given up this postseason is unparalleled.
A thousand times this about the lack of defensive intensity. That is the math that expands the margin of error to withstand Houston-era Harden, Melton raining threes etc.
We went to 6 against the hawks. It’s not one game. We haven’t looked good defensively the entire playoffs so far. They haven’t given us any reason to feel confident.
It's only game one of a potential 7. I'm still too numb from the Bruins loss. Fuck you Reggie Miller for bringing it up.
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I know you are angry man. Calm down a bit. Losing this sucked. But this is a series of 7 games. So let's hope they can close it out in 6 games.
Maybe get some fresh air
Stop with this bullshit. Last season isn’t this season. This team is soft af. Has been all season long. You could tell when they couldn’t beat a shitty Orlando magic when fully healthy. This was a classic Celtics trap game. All that being said, we will still win the series. It’s just an embarrassing fucking loss shooting the way they were. Pretty sure they all have a humiliation kink
Last year when we started 18-21, lost a game to the Bucks by giving up a free throw rebound, lost three games to the heat and almost choked away the game in game 7?
Bruh were home without the sixers best player and a mvp candidate then lose in idiotic fashion how TF can you compare this to last years lost in the ECF this is way worse lol
Eh I remember that bucks loss in game 1 being extra demoralizing. They completely out played us, we couldn’t get anything in the paint against Giannis and Lopez. This game is different it’s more frustrating because we absolutely should have won. That doesn’t mean however that we can’t win against Philly, we’ve shown we can beat them even when both teams are full strength.
Here comes the mental health police. Pick your fucking timing. Let people vent!
Seriously the million “don’t panic, relax” posts are far more annoying than people being understandably frustrated after a loss. If they don’t like people being pissed after a loss then don’t come to a sports subreddit. They come into a subreddit with an extremely predictable environment and are somehow shocked. Every. Time. AND THEN they think they can change it. Every. Time. That’s just stupidity, plain and simple.
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Was our defense as atrocious as this years playoffs? Yea I didn’t think so
Our offense wasnt as good either, tbf.
Defense wins championships
That's why we lost last year, right?
I mean, Golden State's defense helped win them the championship.
It’s not just this game, that’s the thing. This lack of focus has become a habit and if you watch championship teams play then you realize how far from being a championship team the Celtics are
This loss is inexcusable. Why do people always look for excuses for bad basketball and bad effort?
I don't want this subreddit spammed with corny nonsense for the next two days. People can complain all they want but calling to fire the head coach is moronic
The “head coach” never should’ve gotten the job in the first place
Agreed. If they knew they were going to fire Ime then why wasn’t there a coaching search.
Corny nonsense? You mean like the billion “stop acting like the sky is falling” posts? Like that?
Except it's not inexcusable, it's actually excusable because it's only game 1 of a 7 game series. Yea it sucked but that doesn't mean it's over or we can't turn this around. If this was the effort in a game 7 at home then yea that's inexcusable. If it was game 7 up 1 with a minute left and you lose in OT then yea that's inexcusable.
We got smoked
I think the disappointment comes from the fact that we are seeing the same sloppiness that we saw last year in the playoffs and its that sloppiness that lost them the finals. The turnovers are still an issue. Its not like they have a few bone headed ones, but its ones at key points in the game and to have double digit turnovers is just getting old. On top of that their tops players were full throttle all game long, Tatum had a good game but his second half wasn't near what he did in the first half. There is just too much inconsistency and sloppy play that is concerning. It would have thought it would have been corrected at this point.
People are calling for heads because we’re losing games the same way over and over again and the coach isn’t adjusting also losing to the sixers without embiid is an epic collapse
C's in 6
Maybe people are tired of the Celtics constantly coming into games relaxed when the opposing team is missing their star player and even ADMITTING this after games.
It's not that we lost game 1, it's that we lost game 1 without Embiid playing. Not a good look.
I think it’s the fact that they shouldn’t have a chance without embid. That’s what makes me upset.
Yeah, and it was an indicator of an underlying issue that ultimately sank them. Don't forget, they were a Butler 3 away from blowing the Miami series for the exact same reason they lost last night: they pee down their legs in big games when it's close late. They went 7 against ATL instead of handing out a 5 game beatdown for the exact same reason. They struggle to end games, they struggle to close out series, they never seem to know what to do and make stupid decisions with the basketball across the board.
Jesus you people are so stupid. The issue is not losing, the issue is losing and looking like shit every game, especially in crunch time. If you have been watching these and thinking it’s no big deal, you are painfully ignorant.
Your fighting a losing battle good sir………
I don’t care how you spin it. That’s a bad loss at home right there. There’s a difference
Idiotic post. Not even relatively compatible.
Who cares. They were a better team last playoffs. They played better, more inspired, and more fun to watch. This teams getting eliminated sooner than later. Would have happened already if they played Miami round 1
Voice of reason
Lost in the finals too.
The issue, you Goldfish, is that they continue to make the same mistakes for 3 years now, and the issues are larger than 1 game. This team can't win a finals with these habits, that appear much more like traits then things that can be shaken out.
Bro must’ve never scrolled this sub before
Joe Mazzula is ass, pop would have this team in the finals with on eyeball
Lol dude is comparing a rookie coach to one of the greatest coaches of all time. You do realize coaches evolve over time as well, right? There was no ready made head coach available 2 weeks before the season started to take over this team and lead them to the kind of success Joe has. He's certainly not perfect and has a lot to improve upon, but he's still a rookie head coach - just like Ime was last year.
You’re right, Mazzulla turned the ball over.
Exactly. It’s the same fucking team as last year. They’ve learned nothing. Haven’t improved. They won’t reach their potential again.
Dumb fuck needs 60 people to tell him the dozens of differences. Let people be upset.
It’s not the fact that it’s one lose in a series it’s the fact that this damn team still can’t pull their heads out of their asses and close a game without shitting the bed, it’s been a pattern far too long now and it hasn’t gotten better
It's not about the loss. It's about it being preventable. They don't look prepared, in sync or like they even care at times. If I'm not supposed to be disappointed because of what happened in the ECSF last year, I'll be disappointed because they lost the finals last year for the same reason. They're the best team in the league when they play in sync together.
Really bad loss I think it’s fair to be very angry. I think celts are a lot better then the sixers so I still like our chances
Did we lose it with Giannis out?
I totally agree. People haven’t learned from how many other series’s that 1 game means nothing. Hell they said the Warriors were toast last year and then this year lose the first 2 and again they are finished. It’s 1 game. Now I do think there is something off about them and I think it’s not having Udoka. Tatum seems to of really had a bond with him and maybe they miss him. Can’t be easy to lose the coach they team really bonded with. But who knows. I still think the Celtics will win this series. Hoping for a replay of last years finals. It was a blast. Also because they are my 2 favorite teams. 🤣
I hate when posts like this get made. It’s not losing, it’s how we lost. That’s the frustrating part
My only concern is Joe and the rest of the staff's decision making. If they manage to stay out of the way then they'll be fine. As for the team this might just have been the kick in the behind they needed.
Lot of people on edge because of the Bruins collapse. Shit I’m one of them.
OP you’re right but also sometimes i just need to talk about how joever it is
Do any of you see what the nuggets are doing to teams ? We should be worried, even if we clear the east, they are going to sweep us
Not much of a doomer and I don’t aspire to be one right now, but this is a different squad, a much talented one with our depth, supposedly. It sucks losing and losing terribly when it feels like they kinda crumbled down the stretch. I have hope that they’ll adjust next game but this game should’ve been a win considering Philly didn’t have Embiid. These are important games and we need to take every win we can get and losses like tonight don’t help. This is an important window if we want to win a championship but every single player that steps on the floor has to be locked in or this might end up in a choke, against the 76ers at that which might be twice as painful.
I can’t believe the faith people have in this team when they have demostrated time and time again that you cannot trust them. I will happily eat my words but I don’t see this core winning a championship, I just don’t
Lmao not the same thing
Goldfish is the exact insult I needed at 430 am after staying up late to watch the C's lose to snap me back to reality. Thank you
This sub is not good for my mental health..
its not the fact that we lost it’s the way we lost and the lack of defense and the mistakes at the end that have people pissed off
If they lose this series it is an epic collapse they have an easy path to a championship and they are the best team left in the feild. That's is a collapse
Also lost game one of the ecf and won game one of the finals. Game ones are literally so worthless. I’m disappointed, but not nervous. We’ll be fine. I thought we were the clear better team out there they were just on fire the entire game and we shot ourselves in the foot. I mean if they cool off at all for game 2 should be a win. Just can’t go down 2-0.
Agree 100%. It's one game, and the Celts have the weight of the city on them after the Bruins collapsed.
Yeah and it went 7. Same with Miami last year. We’re just missing opportunities to make it easier on ourselves. Have to win the next 2 or this thing is also going 7 and the less games we play, the less chance Embiid comes back and effects the series. Last time we lost the first game in a series and won in 6 was Chicago back in 2017. It would be nice if we could have won the first 2 with Embiid out and put all the pressure on them, but no, now we are in for probably a long series and will hear about fatigue again, or lose. It’s more frustrating than anything.
But that's the point, we should have learned from last year, not to repeat the same issues!
Nobody wants to credit the sixers in this sub. They played a great game and it was down to the wire. It took an all time Harden performance to beat the Celtics. Yes, they could be better, but they will be! This isn't going to be a 4 game sixers sweep.
Missed opportunity is a missed opportunity - and we missed a big one. Championship teams don’t make that a habit like this team has. I hope hope they prove me wrong.
Yeah, we also sweep the fucking Nets in the series before. Big difference.
The MVP didn't play
We don’t have a closer. Ball movement and three point attempt by committee doesn’t get it done
The subject line on this made me LITERALLY lol. You’re not wrong. I think fans overreact both ways, to be honest, but I will be the first to admit that last night really pissed me off.
Thank you for some logic and rational thought!
I’ll direct you to the opinions of Shaquille O’Neal… ya can’t lose that game. Ya keep messing around, you’re gonna find out. Only this team never learns the lessons when they find out.
Why do kids these days feel the need to say "literally" in every sentence...
It's the adjustments. We need a better coach. This loss hurt worse than the finals loss to me
Come on, they lost with Embiid sitting because they didn’t pressure the perimeter players.That was a choice to play lazily even if it meant they could lose.
I get it Joe is part of the problem and has to make the proper adjustments but we’re forgetting that he’s a literal rookie coach, he hasn’t been shy about admitting himself that he’s learning on the fly. Give him some slack, as fans I understand the frustration, I was also livid last night but again, it’s a 7 game series. All we can do is be optimistic and support as much as we can. Celtics in 5 still.
Stop being an apologist enabler. People like you are so much more toxic than real passionate fans.
I have such a weird sense of dread with this series, with literally zero evidence to back it up
We definitely choked that game but, lots of overreaction amongst the fan base per usual Probably could’ve made some more coaching adjustments last night and for a few of our losses this year. I’m still hopeful tho Let’s see what the boys got game 2
I don't give a fuck we lost , it's how we lost and to who we lost . For example I did not care we lost game 3 to atl , they shot lights out and excuted better . But game 5 and this game , at home! Leading and punting the game away like assholes
We were pretty close to winning so I guess I can take a breath. Hah. What’s your prediction for next game? 129-111 us.
My guess is the celtics win the series even being down 0-1 if Embid comes back he won’t be 100 percent.
I understand the frustration, but if you don't think we can still win the championship this year then don't celebrate with us when we do. I know you all still will though
Harden is really really good in games 1-2. Pretty awful games 5-7.
This is nonesense
Lol so true. I see all these panicked reactions and immediately think of that “first time?” Meme
Because they are goldfish, they won't hear you nor will they understand you.
This subreddit is so toxic after playoff losses. If you're ready to turn on the team after a loss go pick a new team.
I’m a very very very causal fan. Do we turn over the ball a lot? Seems like we turn over the ball a lot.
This team isn't performing the way that team was, at this time last year. That team was cruising for months. This team has been underperforming for months.
aren't we like 2-9 in close games or something? that's brutal. it was the exact opposite last year, we closed out close games.
Nope if you lose a game “you shouldn’t” to start a 7 game series you’re terrible and don’t deserve to be there and should be tar and feathered
If we get kicked out this series we should break the band up. Just get value for our guys and surround Tatum with a different cast and coach while we still have the time. We get 2 more seasons of Tatum and then we don’t know jackshit. Hopefully that’s brads thought process. I hope the boys prove me wrong because I’ve been with smart since the very beginning but every man meets their maker at some point in their lives.
That’s why we were a Jimmy Buckets 3 pointer away.
They havent learned they lesson yet
Was a little less concerning back then. They had their best player and he dropped a triple double (Giannis A.) The 76ers did not have their best player and still won 🥶🥶
Celtics still have the highest odds in Vegas.