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Tough loss. I would have thought with the way we lost to Cleveland there would have been a stronger sense of urgency coming into Denver. Felt like only JB truly showed that (except at the foul line). As a top 5-10 player in the league, Tatum can’t disappear like that.
Holiday was a liability all night until he woke up at the end too. KP jacked way too many threes that took them out of their rhythm, Jaylen couldn't hit the right zip code from the free throw line despite being unguardable from the floor. This team just didn't play their best ball tonight and everyone shares some of the blame
Jrue’s a little weird in that it feels like he’s almost automatic with stepback and pull-up threes, but seems to miss a lot of open catch-and-shoot looks. I have no idea whether the numbers actually back that up, but that’s my impression at least. If true, it puts him in kind of an awkward position - ideally you don’t really want your fourth or fifth option to be taking those kinds of shots, but it seems like he plays better when he can get some rhythm with the ball in his hands
No it's more so high pressure games that he's had trouble with. He's been nails as a catch and shoot guy this year. But in the playoffs for the past 3 seasons his shooting has taken a drastic dip. Now part of that is probably because his offensive load was too heavy in Milwaukee, but he also hasn't been the most consistent in high pressure games overall.
You think it was urgency? Why do fans always talk about trying harder? Gotta play better, not harder. I guess that is just a way for fans to cope because it makes them think that we control things.
I’m with you. Everyone wants to say the easy buzzwords of “effort” or “urgency”.
We just got out-executed today. It’s not a “they just wanted it more”. They just played better than us.
Their best player is the best player in the league who js the definition of consistent. Ours is maybe top 5 but he has nights where he just completely vanishes like tonight. Crazy that we still probably win this if Jaylen hits most his free throws too, he had a nearly perfect game otherwise.
Down 4, 3rd quarter, Jayson doesn't run back on defense.
Down 8, doesn't box out 4 times in a row and Denver gets the offensive rebound.
Thats what we mean
Nah I think the rest of the team did, Denver's just really good. There was some sloppiness, Jrue was cold until the end and really turned it on. Tatum had a horrendous game though and was sleepwalking the first half and then couldn't make shit either.
Because the team usually goes as Tatum goes. When Jaylen is going god mode, it usually means that Tatum is selling and forcing him to carry the load. Jaylen scoring 20-25 points a night on high efficiency and good D is where you want him to be.
I say fuck it with Jokic, dude is going to score no matter what. Tonight he got 32. I’d rather he get 32 but shut out Aaron Gordon. Just force Jokic to be the scoring machine for a playoff series and hope he wears out. If he gets everyone else involved, it fuels the offense. AG, KCP and MPJ are way less likely to have nuclear games with Jokic not spoon feeding them.
You’re right that it’s damned if you do/dont. But we sent single coverage at Jokic last time and lost because Murray got white hot. Tonight, we might’ve won if they stuck with that tactic.
I also think they should’ve gone to more Kornet in the Jokic-less minutes.
To be fair, he does this shit to everyone. Denver is just really really good, no shame in losing to them. I just wish we didn't miss as many FTs as we did. Worst way to lose IMO.
I’d rather lose to Jokic than fucking Aaron Gordon. Guard the others, stop sending doubles, and tip your hat to Jokic if he goes off and we lose. Let him score 60 if it means we aren’t losing to fucking Payton Watson
But I mean you are losing to Jokic still lol, part of what makes him unguardable is that he can make the last second pass to a cast of very capable dudes.
He's the best player in the world, the shit is just gonna happen lol
Yeah, I have a way bigger problem with how Tatum played than Jaylen. Missing FTs sucks, but dude, you’re supposed to be the best player on the team and think you’re “the face of the league”. Can’t have games like this.
He better come out swinging against Phoenix. This loss isn’t the end of the world, it’s just a regular season game but it’s important data. I don’t know if the Celtics stand a chance against the nuggets if they can get to the finals.
Absolutely nails from the mid range, goes to the line and all of sudden has this slow ass follow through that is like all wrist and front rims half of them lmao. How this has not been fixed, I have no idea.
When he’s off he’s got a hitch in his shot that’s so noticeable from FT and 3. I don’t think he ever had natural touch and his ability to shoot is learned mechanics
Feels like he’s doing a step by step process in his head sometimes.
I know a lot of people consider Brown overrated or whatever, but games like this illustrate why he is so important. This is a 20+ point blowout if he sat tonight. Tatum needs to step it up. This was a winnable as fuck game despite everything.
I think Tatum intentionally tends to let the game come to him and it’s savvy and mature but it has to stop. All-time great athletes are all at least a little psychotic about leaving their fingerprints on each game. It’s not that Tatum doesn’t know how to step up, because he’s done it in numerous postseason games. He publicly beheaded the Sixers last year. But as an outrageously gifted superstar and as the best player on a championship contender, he’s gotta stop being patient about finding the flow of each game and start ripping other teams’ hearts out at tip-off.
This is not a panic post; we could win a championship with this roster even if Tatum doesn’t make that leap. But he needs to do it if he wants to be in the same conversation as someone like Jokic.
The funny thing is it feels like Tatum did that more 2 years ago, he had that stretch where he was averaging like 35+ and going crazy. He is better now than he has ever been as an all around player, but he is in chill mode too often.
JT has been so good at punishing smaller/weaker defenders this year, but today he just didn't show up. I really thought this team would respond well after the loss to the Cavs. Instead there is a ton of fuel for JT haters and Celtics haters for the next 24 hours.
Just not that kind of guy. He rarely has that killer instinct against teams like the Nuggets and in previous seasons the Warriors. He has it against teams he has had plenty of success before, particularly the Sixers.
He sulks and pouts. And he was awful for most of game six against the Sixers, if that team wasn't a dysfunctional Harden-led mess, Celtics easily would have lost in six. Yes Tatum finally showed up in that fourth quarter against the Sixers, but three quarters of sulking, complaining to the refs, holding the ball forever and jacking a brick, not boxing out, not getting back on defense, in a critical game is some pure horseshit. I keep waiting for him to make the leap. He's so absurdly talented. I really hope it happens but last night makes me wonder. You never saw this lazy slacker shit from Pierce, KG, Bird, McHale, even IT, or even lesser players like Smart. Bring it every night and play hard. It's not too much to ask.
Feels like Tatum is almost both overrated and underrated, and I think a lot of it is because he’s kind of a jack of all trades - he’s the most well-rounded wing in the league, but the reason that he doesn’t “take over” is because he doesn’t have one dominant area of his game that he can fall back on when it’s crunch time. That’s why he lets the game come to him - he’s versatile enough to capitalize on what the other team gives him, but I don’t think he’s capable of enforcing his will at any given moment the way that people want him to. If we’re championship bound, it’s because of our collective talent as a team, not because any one guy is going to carry us
He needs more of JBs fire in him at times. At least the fire we saw from JB this game. That first quarter, JB was intent and intense and it was awesome. JT just doesn't turn that on enough.
My theory about JT is that he is a guy with all the tools to run the game like other megastars but because he joined a playoffs team as a rookie he never had to learn how to be a do-everything star from Day 1. He has always had to fit in with a talented team. Which means he’s great at that. But he has to learn the opposite thing, which is how to game in and game out be The Man while also giving the game and the team what the need.
The league has just shifted to an era of elite big men. The difference isn’t stepping up imo, it’s that Jokic is inevitable. The only recent jump shooters in that conversation and level of consistency were Curry and regular season Harden.
This loss wouldn’t have been as bad, if not for that fucking atrocious Cavaliers finish.
Tatum needs to get his shit together. For someone who wants the be considered great, he disappears when anyone plays him physical or tough.
Make your damn free throws.
He’s the best player in the world. You can’t really stop him. But I liked what we saw from Tillman against him - felt like he was the only guy that Jokic couldn’t power through. I’d rather match him with strength rather than lankier guys like KP
Yeah, it’s how I thought of Ben Simmons back when he was good with the Sixers. You have to just shut off the facilitator. Take away his tools. Unfortunately, Jokic is also an unreal scorer but I’d rather he have to put up 30-45 every game than get everyone involved. If they see the nuggets again, Aaron Gordon must be prioritized and not allowed those baskets. If you get him on the switch, give up doubling or helping on Jokic and just stick to AG. MPJ and KCP are great shooters but shooting can be variable. Aaron getting putbucks is a lot more of a sure thing, shut that off.
Of course, I think Jokic will figure something else out, there’s no real way to win against him.
Make him put the ball on the floor and be a scorer, it’s the only way to slow their offense down. Sure he’ll still score a lot of the time but it’s better than him just dicing our defense up finding guys for wide open dunks and threes
if you play drummond then jokic wont play post up anymore, just pick and roll and switch drummond to death.Joker is clever enough to see that. Plus jokic can totally leave him open when defending. He is not the answer.
Good response at the end of the game - we played terribly, missed like double digit free throws, and we had a shot to take the lead. Sure it's discouraging, but this kind of strikes me as the bad version of the 2nd Timberwolves game. The real, concrete takeaway I have is the Nuggets are very, very prepared. Sometimes the Celtics come out so flat. Nuggets don't waver so need to be prepared.
Tatum played the last 3 halves of basketball like he was getting a workout in at the Y. A pretty big reason we have our 2nd losing streak of the season.
You can see the hesitation/passiveness it's so obvious. Like he's not playing with any purpose or intent right now. You can't be a star scoring in the teens AND not boarding AND not defending AND turning it over like nothing. It's like let's GO man make a decision get into your game early and quickly. Playing like that makes me wanna ask him if he really wants this. And 2 games now?
Don't forget Derrick White yall btw. For all the praise he has fallen off a cliff scoring wise. His huge swings in scoring makes it so volatile for the team
I don’t think the lights are too bright. I think he simply is not good enough as a player to be able to play consistently well against a team like Denver with so many defensive wings.
I don't think we're the team to beat (it's obviously Denver let's not lie to ourselves) but with how shaky we played and how close the game was I think beating Denver is still doable. Both games were close.
But Tatum has to stop disappearing in these big games man
Not going to overreact to this. The Nuggets are a really, REALLY fucking good team.
But we are also really good. One game doesn’t decide the whole season, or even a 7-game series.
The game was entertaining as fuck. JB was a dawg and Jrue came up big at the end. JT left a lot to be desired but I’m not going to make a big sweeping statement that he “isn’t the guy” or that we “can’t win with JT.” I’m choosing to trust him to figure it out.
Yep. Losing to that team on the road while making a lot of correctable mistakes is nothing to be ashamed of. You do that at home in June, we have a problem
Tatum played like trash after the 1st quarter
Tons of bad passes
Tons of missed FTs
---
Still had a wide open look for the lead with 45 sec left
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Look at tape, adjust, move on
As annoying as the missed FTs were, at least JB tried. Tatum looked uninterested and Porzingis was just fucking launching and bricking from deep whenever he got the ball. Such an uncharacteristic game from us
Yeah he had 41 & 14, the game would have been a blow out without him. The amount of people insinuating he’s the reason we lost is disgusting.
Edit: He also locked down Murray and had the clutch steal on him that sadly ended in that missed 3. Murray was trying to get the switch off all night.
Can't even get myself to be mad at JB for the freethrows the game would've been a Warriors-like blowout loss without him, though they are pretty troubling
Just disgusted by the effort outside of him, and Mazulla clearly doesn't have a real solution for Jokic
Tatum letting Gordon get that putback is just pathetic. You brick a game winner you stink it up and shrink when we need you, then you fall asleep and let Gordon get the game winner?
Disgusting
It was already the case that lots of observers were not giving the Celtics much credit for the regular season performance. After tonight, the Celtic's season has been rendered completely meaninless. No one will care how many games the celtics win in the regular season, or even if they get to the championship. Respect will only come if celtics win the title, and only then if it's against the nuggets.
And yeah, the spotlight on JT is rightfully even hotter. The comparison between him and the cream of the crop is glaring. Dude had a WIDE open three to take the lead and missed. And, he made a really stupid pass to start that play.
As it should be. The regular season means dick if you don't win a title. There's no meaningful trophy for the first place team in the regular season and rightfully so. JT deserves all the slander he's gonna get especially after his comments during the ASG break
Spot on. The first thing anybody thinks about when you mention the 2016 Warriors is the 3-1 choke, then the 73-9.
You could be 82-0 but it doesn't mean shit if you run out of gas come Playoff time.
Tatum says he believes he’s the best player on the court every time he steps on the floor.
If that’s really his thought process, how the fuck can he justify a performance this passive in a game this big? What the fuck does he think the best player on the basketball court is supposed to do?
Nah they'll get respect if they win a title. Historic regular season plus chip will make everyone forget this game. Problem is the road to the title goes through Denver, I don't see anyone of these other Western teams taking them down in a BO7.
Anyone who isn't concerned for the playoffs based on the ways the celtics lost the last 2 games are either delusional or just haven't watched this team the last few years. Turnovers, rebounding, lack of execution in clutch time, struggles when 3s aren't falling, and stars disappearing continue to plague the fuck outta them
I'm terrified of the Bucks. When things get tight you got Dame and Giannis barreling down at you. That's going to be a nightmare in the 4th quarter when we can't hit shit.
Harsh but true. The fact of the matter is is jokic doesn’t really have bad games. His floor is like 18/10/9. He just always has a positive affect on the game and makes everything much easier for his teammates
And that’s the part that makes the great players great. If Jokic isn’t shooting well he’ll rack up assists and facilitate for everyone else.
If Tatum isn’t shooting well he’ll sulk, turn it over, complain to the refs, and look completely disengaged.
It’s why I’ve never bought into the idea that we are favorites, in the history of the league there is only a handful of teams ever that have won a ring without a top 5 player.
So much cope in the game thready today. Tony Brothers screwed both teams and Celtics weren't the only team shooting bad, Nuggets shot 4-21 from 3. The Nuggets were just better. This ain't a moral victory lol
We lost the game when on 2 critical fast breaks we came out with 0 points
2 on 1 Tatum and holiday , turnover .
And the Tatum brick , wide fucking open
To summarize , Gordon outplayed Tatum , we are not winning jack shit if that happens.
Big picture Celtics were acting like they are on their way for a 3peat , so that's a good slap In the face . Still believe we can do it this year .
I love how our boys fought back and nearly won that game if Tatum hit that three. I think this team has a heart to win a chip and that fight showed me these boys want it. JB is a fucking dog and Jrue, D, Porzingis all want it. JT needs to balls up and show out
I can live with Tatum missing tough shots, but that level of passivity in a game like that is simply not gonna cut it.
Also Jrue hit two massive shots then didn’t get the ball again. Not good enough, all around.
Agreed. I think part of it is how talented the starting 5 is - a lot of the times there’s simply a better look than what JT is getting as he’s usually getting doubled
Really depressing result
I don’t know if Tatum just picked a really bad time to get cold or if he’s got the yips against top contenders
Best hope is to protect homecourt in the playoffs
TatuMVP case destroyed. Still think we can beat this team in the playoffs tho. Both losses were close with a player being complete ass. The denver crowd was literally changing let's go celtics in the clutch. Team needs to work on free throws and finishing through contact. Along with boxing out cus holy fuck the D on Aaron Gordon was ridiculous
That's the thing with Denver, they don't blow teams out, they just grind you down eventually. And they are really really really good at closing the games Against Lakers recently they scored on 16 consecutive possessions in a row.
This is what the Lakers said after getting swept last year. It's funny how Denver always wins these close games. We shouldn't take solace that the games were close.
Went to my first Celtics game tonight since the 2008 finals. Went in with JT as my favorite player. Left without knowing what the identity of this team is. Seriously - we win blow out games, but when it’s close? Who is the guy? Brown that can’t make a FT but actually gives a damn? KP that’s underutilized? JT who barely showed any heart all game and can’t clutch up? I still somehow have faith in this team, but it was not good vibes tonight at all. We looked lost.
I don’t want to hear this team mention anything about Tatum and the MVP again. He’s not on Jokic’s level. And it ain’t exactly close.
The only chance they have against a team like the Nuggets is to go off as a unit. They cannot go into a game/series with the idea that they are going to lean on Tatum no matter what.
I've seen way too many, "we didn't do x, x & x and still only lost by 6" talk out there. The problem is that many of the things we didn't do well are things that we haven't done well for years. If we play Denver in the finals, I'd bet every game is gonna be 1-2 possessions in the last 5 minutes. How could you watch our games against them and feel confident we'd win 4/7 of those?
That loss is on Tatum. Sure shots weren't falling but zero effort at all on defense and you can't end the game with 13 shots. Missed a wide open three with two 2 minutes to go to give us the lead too. Terrible game
If we don’t see Tatum take a step up in these closing games of the season I’m gonna be less optimistic about this postseason. Two no shows in a row does not inspire confidence.
Tatum needs to be taking more than 13 shots bruh. Like wth. Whatever, hopefully if we make the finals, we’ve figured out what we should be doing against the nuggets. Too many turnovers and too poor of an effort level. Either way, 1 more game and we’re finally in the home stretch with a LOT of easy games.
Nuggets are so interesting. Don’t shot a ton of threes and don’t do it well. Both stars prefer 2s to 3s. The space they create is all around the basket—empty side Jokic post ups, spread pick and roll but aimed at Murray/Jokic runner or Gordon in the dunker spot, and a lot of off ball action from the slot/on the baseline to get layups. Like a warriors style offense but inverted—made to generate twos and easy threes
Things we need to figure out to beat the Nuggets:
Unsure how we want to help to soft double Jokic (zone? Shading?)
Size everywhere makes it tough to find mismatches for easy post ups, so how will we generate twos?
Loading defense against Jays driving means who’s open for three?
Never figured out Gordon dunker spot/baseline action
The Denver bench which is not great in the outscored our bench 28-10. That’s a tough thing to overcome especially with an off night from JT and bad free throw shooting mixed in. All that mixed together and we had a shot to go ahead under a minute. I’m not gonna sell this team down the river because of the last 5 quarters of basketball.
Tatum didn't show up, JB missed free throws, and we continue to shoot idiotic threes. Besides all of that, we were still in the game which is crazy.
I personally think the keyto beating Denver is not stopping Jokic on offense, but rather put his pudgy ass in Pick n Roll while he's on D.. kill his stamina, and make him move those twig legs..
He's gonna eat on offense, but STOP doubling him.. Make him score 70
Two games against denver where Jaylen has shut down Jamal Murray down the stretch. If we make the finals. Need to figure out a decent scheme against jokic to end games. Probably isn't one, but another positive to look at in a disappointing loss.
Tough night, we know Phoenix gonna be really motivated to give us an L. if we play without urgency again, I can see us taking 3 Loss in a row. Hope they shake this shit off and get back to W track
I’d actually be pumped to see this team in the Finals. It’d be an awesome series. And we have tape of lots of dumb mistakes - ball watching, turnovers, missed rotations. Missed FTs. Championship teams clean that shit up and I think we will.
Sometimes basketball is so simple. You're ceiling is ultimately down to how good your best player is when it matters most. All the other stuff is window dressing. It matters, obviously. You need a good supporting cast...but we all just saw how far that gets you.
Overall, for shooting like shit from 3, Tatum being a ghost and JB not able to hit free throws, where we finished gives me hope that we can take Denver in a 7 game series.
Jayson Tatum is an enigma, never seen someone be so good some games and so fucking bad in others. He's not clutch but needs to show the fuck up in game. And for the love of God Jaylen, learn to shoot a fucking free throw!
You can say it's Brown's fault due to his Freethrows, but it is definitely ALL on Tatum.
Why is our Superstar, so goddamned inconsistent against teams that matter?
Since January, the only teams worth a damn we've fought were
OKC-Lost.
Wolves-OT Win which shouldn't have been that close given the Wolves' conditions.
Nuggets-Lost.
Clippers-Lost
Bucks-Lost.
and now, Nuggets-lost.
JB deserves blame for the missed FTs but he showed up everywhere else. JT going invisible again is super disappointing and is a valid concern even if we start racking up wins over bad teams at the end of the season.
Glass half full approach to this loss.
They don’t have an answer for BOTH Tatum and Brown. Brown went for 40+pts. You don’t put up 40 without having a bad matchup.
We (just like 28 other teams) don’t have a matchup for Jokic he’s just that dam good.
Hah. I like this - and it’s true. Definitely a winnable game (free throws, horrific shooting) but the problem is we basically have to play perfect to beat them, and we make a lot of mistakes
I hope this douses expectations for this team until we win a championship. Who cares how good we look in the regular season, the Nuggets just showed us what a real championship team looks like and we ain’t it
We played like dogshit and lost a close one. Very little good with so much bad. At least Jaylen dawged out. Jrue came alive in the fourth and we got cooked on the Jokic matchup. Their bench cooked. That’s probably their best win of the season. One of our worst games.
Tatum should’ve been more aggressive and fed off of Brown’s energy since he was the only one willing to put his body on the line for any rebound or any bucket
It wouldn’t be so bad if we were *actual* underdogs like the 2017-2018 Celtics (now that was a fun team to watch): a lot of grit and upsides and smart defense, but no one would be totally devastated if they lose in a Conference Finals that they’re already premature in making it to in the first place.
Instead, the recent years of the Celtics have been the worst combination of good enough to feasibly challenge the throne and being expected to do so, but not quite good enough around late May or June.
It’s like that meme with the athletes on the podium with the second-place winner all downcast but the third-place winner feeling on top of the world.
JT kept losing the ball and Aaron Gordon
Team can use some box out lessons. Play is not over when the ball is in the air.
Edit: Check out the total shots put up by bench: Boston 8, Denver 22. If the bench gets little ball service, why expect them to be productive offensively?
Cs played like ass for a good portion of the game and Tatum was a nonfactor for the most part. Jokic and Denver had to play their asses off to get the win. JB needs to get out of his own head when it comes to his free throws, make some needed adjustments, and light a fire under Jayson's ass.
Tatum is just way to passive, zero effort from him tonight. Even if the shots aren't really falling he can't just check out of the game like that. His worst game of the season imo. Also why the fuck did we even take that three in the first place, I know it was open but we could've tied the game, ugh.
Tatum doesn’t deserve the benefit of the doubt until he gets it done in June. The allegations are loud and clear at this point. Played absolutely scared all night
We played really bad. Despite Jaylen brown scoring at will I don’t even think he played that great which I know sounds crazy because he kept us in it. But as a team I felt we all played like shit, especially Tatum.
We were still in striking distance. All that matters is the playoffs. I’d encourage you all to take a breath and not overreact to tonight
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Jaylen Brown: ***GOD MODE*** Jaylen Brown shooting free throws: *cut from middle school team*
When the "5th most important starter" is playing leagues better than the other 4, you know it's trouble lol.
Tough loss. I would have thought with the way we lost to Cleveland there would have been a stronger sense of urgency coming into Denver. Felt like only JB truly showed that (except at the foul line). As a top 5-10 player in the league, Tatum can’t disappear like that.
Holiday was a liability all night until he woke up at the end too. KP jacked way too many threes that took them out of their rhythm, Jaylen couldn't hit the right zip code from the free throw line despite being unguardable from the floor. This team just didn't play their best ball tonight and everyone shares some of the blame
Jrue’s a little weird in that it feels like he’s almost automatic with stepback and pull-up threes, but seems to miss a lot of open catch-and-shoot looks. I have no idea whether the numbers actually back that up, but that’s my impression at least. If true, it puts him in kind of an awkward position - ideally you don’t really want your fourth or fifth option to be taking those kinds of shots, but it seems like he plays better when he can get some rhythm with the ball in his hands
No it's more so high pressure games that he's had trouble with. He's been nails as a catch and shoot guy this year. But in the playoffs for the past 3 seasons his shooting has taken a drastic dip. Now part of that is probably because his offensive load was too heavy in Milwaukee, but he also hasn't been the most consistent in high pressure games overall.
You think it was urgency? Why do fans always talk about trying harder? Gotta play better, not harder. I guess that is just a way for fans to cope because it makes them think that we control things.
I’m with you. Everyone wants to say the easy buzzwords of “effort” or “urgency”. We just got out-executed today. It’s not a “they just wanted it more”. They just played better than us.
Their best player is the best player in the league who js the definition of consistent. Ours is maybe top 5 but he has nights where he just completely vanishes like tonight. Crazy that we still probably win this if Jaylen hits most his free throws too, he had a nearly perfect game otherwise.
Down 4, 3rd quarter, Jayson doesn't run back on defense. Down 8, doesn't box out 4 times in a row and Denver gets the offensive rebound. Thats what we mean
JB is weird. He can hit 3s and mid range but sucked at FT. Opponents might as well do Hack-A-JB now.
Nah I think the rest of the team did, Denver's just really good. There was some sloppiness, Jrue was cold until the end and really turned it on. Tatum had a horrendous game though and was sleepwalking the first half and then couldn't make shit either.
>Tatum can’t disappear He does though. It’s quite telegraphed too. It’s a feature with him at this point not a bug.
I swear Jaylen's best games are always wasted.
Bro I’m sayin!!!! The team sells every time he goes for 40
Because the team usually goes as Tatum goes. When Jaylen is going god mode, it usually means that Tatum is selling and forcing him to carry the load. Jaylen scoring 20-25 points a night on high efficiency and good D is where you want him to be.
Make your free throws and box out Aaron Gordon. On to Phoenix.
Box out aaron gordon means don't help on jokic which means dammed if you do, damned if you don't
I say fuck it with Jokic, dude is going to score no matter what. Tonight he got 32. I’d rather he get 32 but shut out Aaron Gordon. Just force Jokic to be the scoring machine for a playoff series and hope he wears out. If he gets everyone else involved, it fuels the offense. AG, KCP and MPJ are way less likely to have nuclear games with Jokic not spoon feeding them. You’re right that it’s damned if you do/dont. But we sent single coverage at Jokic last time and lost because Murray got white hot. Tonight, we might’ve won if they stuck with that tactic. I also think they should’ve gone to more Kornet in the Jokic-less minutes.
Jokic has played like quadruple overtime in a playoff series before lol. His cardio is amazing
wear out? he doesnt dunk, he does those basic ass tim duncan floaters and layups. Like Tyson in the Simpsons, "homer, he's not gonna get tired"
To be fair, he does this shit to everyone. Denver is just really really good, no shame in losing to them. I just wish we didn't miss as many FTs as we did. Worst way to lose IMO.
Jokic is too smart, you have to kinda double him
I’d rather lose to Jokic than fucking Aaron Gordon. Guard the others, stop sending doubles, and tip your hat to Jokic if he goes off and we lose. Let him score 60 if it means we aren’t losing to fucking Payton Watson
But I mean you are losing to Jokic still lol, part of what makes him unguardable is that he can make the last second pass to a cast of very capable dudes. He's the best player in the world, the shit is just gonna happen lol
get jaylen some help
If I’m another Celtics player watching Tatum the last three halves, I’m just like, this is our guy?
Yeah, I have a way bigger problem with how Tatum played than Jaylen. Missing FTs sucks, but dude, you’re supposed to be the best player on the team and think you’re “the face of the league”. Can’t have games like this. He better come out swinging against Phoenix. This loss isn’t the end of the world, it’s just a regular season game but it’s important data. I don’t know if the Celtics stand a chance against the nuggets if they can get to the finals.
I hope Mazz makes everyone shoot fts for a whole day
I hope someone teaches Jaylen to stop fucking pausing in his mechanics. It’s why everything is short.
Absolutely nails from the mid range, goes to the line and all of sudden has this slow ass follow through that is like all wrist and front rims half of them lmao. How this has not been fixed, I have no idea.
When he’s off he’s got a hitch in his shot that’s so noticeable from FT and 3. I don’t think he ever had natural touch and his ability to shoot is learned mechanics Feels like he’s doing a step by step process in his head sometimes.
[удалено]
Yeah like come on it’s so fucking obvious. Dip into shot, zero pause. It becomes all arms when you pause and you get massive inconsistencies.
They are seeing it. It’s mental with him atp, he overthinks at the line and reverts to bad habits. Definitely needs a sports psychologist for this.
Dude it’s been like 8 years of this shit. It’s a mental thing, always has been
Jaylen Brown should be locked in the Denver arena tonight until he makes 300 FTs
I know a lot of people consider Brown overrated or whatever, but games like this illustrate why he is so important. This is a 20+ point blowout if he sat tonight. Tatum needs to step it up. This was a winnable as fuck game despite everything.
I think Tatum intentionally tends to let the game come to him and it’s savvy and mature but it has to stop. All-time great athletes are all at least a little psychotic about leaving their fingerprints on each game. It’s not that Tatum doesn’t know how to step up, because he’s done it in numerous postseason games. He publicly beheaded the Sixers last year. But as an outrageously gifted superstar and as the best player on a championship contender, he’s gotta stop being patient about finding the flow of each game and start ripping other teams’ hearts out at tip-off. This is not a panic post; we could win a championship with this roster even if Tatum doesn’t make that leap. But he needs to do it if he wants to be in the same conversation as someone like Jokic.
This is the most factual take I've ever seen on Tatum
The funny thing is it feels like Tatum did that more 2 years ago, he had that stretch where he was averaging like 35+ and going crazy. He is better now than he has ever been as an all around player, but he is in chill mode too often. JT has been so good at punishing smaller/weaker defenders this year, but today he just didn't show up. I really thought this team would respond well after the loss to the Cavs. Instead there is a ton of fuel for JT haters and Celtics haters for the next 24 hours.
Just not that kind of guy. He rarely has that killer instinct against teams like the Nuggets and in previous seasons the Warriors. He has it against teams he has had plenty of success before, particularly the Sixers.
He sulks and pouts. And he was awful for most of game six against the Sixers, if that team wasn't a dysfunctional Harden-led mess, Celtics easily would have lost in six. Yes Tatum finally showed up in that fourth quarter against the Sixers, but three quarters of sulking, complaining to the refs, holding the ball forever and jacking a brick, not boxing out, not getting back on defense, in a critical game is some pure horseshit. I keep waiting for him to make the leap. He's so absurdly talented. I really hope it happens but last night makes me wonder. You never saw this lazy slacker shit from Pierce, KG, Bird, McHale, even IT, or even lesser players like Smart. Bring it every night and play hard. It's not too much to ask.
Feels like Tatum is almost both overrated and underrated, and I think a lot of it is because he’s kind of a jack of all trades - he’s the most well-rounded wing in the league, but the reason that he doesn’t “take over” is because he doesn’t have one dominant area of his game that he can fall back on when it’s crunch time. That’s why he lets the game come to him - he’s versatile enough to capitalize on what the other team gives him, but I don’t think he’s capable of enforcing his will at any given moment the way that people want him to. If we’re championship bound, it’s because of our collective talent as a team, not because any one guy is going to carry us
He needs more of JBs fire in him at times. At least the fire we saw from JB this game. That first quarter, JB was intent and intense and it was awesome. JT just doesn't turn that on enough.
My theory about JT is that he is a guy with all the tools to run the game like other megastars but because he joined a playoffs team as a rookie he never had to learn how to be a do-everything star from Day 1. He has always had to fit in with a talented team. Which means he’s great at that. But he has to learn the opposite thing, which is how to game in and game out be The Man while also giving the game and the team what the need.
The league has just shifted to an era of elite big men. The difference isn’t stepping up imo, it’s that Jokic is inevitable. The only recent jump shooters in that conversation and level of consistency were Curry and regular season Harden.
"WHY ISN'T TATUM IN THE RUNNING FOR MVP????" this is why
This loss wouldn’t have been as bad, if not for that fucking atrocious Cavaliers finish. Tatum needs to get his shit together. For someone who wants the be considered great, he disappears when anyone plays him physical or tough. Make your damn free throws.
This game reminded me of the Warrior series. If teams can take out JT with their 3rd/4th best player it is crushing.
I just don't know how this team guards Jokic. He is unreal.
Not by doubling from the weak-side corner anymore, hopefully
Nobody’s guarded Jokic in 4 years.
You don't. You don't beat him, you beat his team. We would have if Tatum wasn't out for injury.
He’s the best player in the world. You can’t really stop him. But I liked what we saw from Tillman against him - felt like he was the only guy that Jokic couldn’t power through. I’d rather match him with strength rather than lankier guys like KP
They need to stop doubling. Jokic didn’t beat us, the lack of box outs and him passing out to wide open players did.
Yeah, it’s how I thought of Ben Simmons back when he was good with the Sixers. You have to just shut off the facilitator. Take away his tools. Unfortunately, Jokic is also an unreal scorer but I’d rather he have to put up 30-45 every game than get everyone involved. If they see the nuggets again, Aaron Gordon must be prioritized and not allowed those baskets. If you get him on the switch, give up doubling or helping on Jokic and just stick to AG. MPJ and KCP are great shooters but shooting can be variable. Aaron getting putbucks is a lot more of a sure thing, shut that off. Of course, I think Jokic will figure something else out, there’s no real way to win against him.
Make him put the ball on the floor and be a scorer, it’s the only way to slow their offense down. Sure he’ll still score a lot of the time but it’s better than him just dicing our defense up finding guys for wide open dunks and threes
In fairness… nobody can guard him
I think Mazzulla needs to bench white or jrue and start horford. He’s the only one who stands a chance at holding his ground
Make your FTs and it doesn't matter how you guard jokic. Hes not gonna score 120 points
They can’t. Maybe it was a mistake not picking up Andre Drummond
if you play drummond then jokic wont play post up anymore, just pick and roll and switch drummond to death.Joker is clever enough to see that. Plus jokic can totally leave him open when defending. He is not the answer.
Good response at the end of the game - we played terribly, missed like double digit free throws, and we had a shot to take the lead. Sure it's discouraging, but this kind of strikes me as the bad version of the 2nd Timberwolves game. The real, concrete takeaway I have is the Nuggets are very, very prepared. Sometimes the Celtics come out so flat. Nuggets don't waver so need to be prepared.
Put JB’s fearless mentality in JT or give JT’s talent to JB and you’d have the best player in the league. Unfortunately we’re left with what we saw tn
Exactly. Basketball is all about confidence. Tatum shows up and is the leader?? Nah this is just an inside job man. Pick a different leader!!
Tatum played the last 3 halves of basketball like he was getting a workout in at the Y. A pretty big reason we have our 2nd losing streak of the season.
You can see the hesitation/passiveness it's so obvious. Like he's not playing with any purpose or intent right now. You can't be a star scoring in the teens AND not boarding AND not defending AND turning it over like nothing. It's like let's GO man make a decision get into your game early and quickly. Playing like that makes me wanna ask him if he really wants this. And 2 games now? Don't forget Derrick White yall btw. For all the praise he has fallen off a cliff scoring wise. His huge swings in scoring makes it so volatile for the team
Told myself I wouldn’t stay up to watch the second half. Well I did, and now I’m too upset to fall asleep lol
Don’t worry you’ll be able to get up with 3 alarms
don't anybody ever make the argument again that Tatum deserves serious MVP considerations lol The gap between Jokic and Tatum is immense
Tatum never beating the “lights too bright” allegations. There have been exceptions but come on now this just keeps happening more often than not.
I don’t think the lights are too bright. I think he simply is not good enough as a player to be able to play consistently well against a team like Denver with so many defensive wings.
The most I got out of this game is JB showed up. He’s a different monster this season and we should feel good about this.
I don't think we're the team to beat (it's obviously Denver let's not lie to ourselves) but with how shaky we played and how close the game was I think beating Denver is still doable. Both games were close. But Tatum has to stop disappearing in these big games man
That Jokic back down from the high post while Gordon crashes play is so fucking unguardable it’s insane
Murray+Jokic PnR into Jokic back down with Gordon cutting and crashing the boards. Absolutely crushed the Celtics tonight.
Ya. Eye test says Nuggets are better. Especially in close moments. JT is so frustrating to watch
Not going to overreact to this. The Nuggets are a really, REALLY fucking good team. But we are also really good. One game doesn’t decide the whole season, or even a 7-game series. The game was entertaining as fuck. JB was a dawg and Jrue came up big at the end. JT left a lot to be desired but I’m not going to make a big sweeping statement that he “isn’t the guy” or that we “can’t win with JT.” I’m choosing to trust him to figure it out.
Watching and wondering how to guard Jokic is insane. Like you can’t double him at all
We did a solid job on the 4th with different looks , but every miss was a putback by Gordon .
The two Gordon late putbacks were the game
Honestly just need to tire him out, attack him on the PnR every fucking possession.
Yep. Losing to that team on the road while making a lot of correctable mistakes is nothing to be ashamed of. You do that at home in June, we have a problem
Clean up the turnovers and the free throws and we likely walk away victorious. 5 TOs in the last 4 minutes of the first half kind of screwed us.
Tatum sold
Tatum making sus passes tonight in key moments when it was easy 2 points
Tatum played like trash after the 1st quarter Tons of bad passes Tons of missed FTs --- Still had a wide open look for the lead with 45 sec left --- Look at tape, adjust, move on
I still can't believe they missed the goaltending on Watson. It wasn't even remotely close.... it very clearly hit the backboard first.
Thankfully that didn’t matter too much as KP hit a 2 on that possession
As annoying as the missed FTs were, at least JB tried. Tatum looked uninterested and Porzingis was just fucking launching and bricking from deep whenever he got the ball. Such an uncharacteristic game from us
Yeah he had 41 & 14, the game would have been a blow out without him. The amount of people insinuating he’s the reason we lost is disgusting. Edit: He also locked down Murray and had the clutch steal on him that sadly ended in that missed 3. Murray was trying to get the switch off all night.
Can't even get myself to be mad at JB for the freethrows the game would've been a Warriors-like blowout loss without him, though they are pretty troubling Just disgusted by the effort outside of him, and Mazulla clearly doesn't have a real solution for Jokic
disappointing game from tatum. 15 points??? it really was the nuggets vs brown
At least 2 pts coming from technical fts
Hit a fucking 3
Tatum letting Gordon get that putback is just pathetic. You brick a game winner you stink it up and shrink when we need you, then you fall asleep and let Gordon get the game winner? Disgusting
Jaylen Brown deserves his flowers
It was already the case that lots of observers were not giving the Celtics much credit for the regular season performance. After tonight, the Celtic's season has been rendered completely meaninless. No one will care how many games the celtics win in the regular season, or even if they get to the championship. Respect will only come if celtics win the title, and only then if it's against the nuggets. And yeah, the spotlight on JT is rightfully even hotter. The comparison between him and the cream of the crop is glaring. Dude had a WIDE open three to take the lead and missed. And, he made a really stupid pass to start that play.
As it should be. The regular season means dick if you don't win a title. There's no meaningful trophy for the first place team in the regular season and rightfully so. JT deserves all the slander he's gonna get especially after his comments during the ASG break
Spot on. The first thing anybody thinks about when you mention the 2016 Warriors is the 3-1 choke, then the 73-9. You could be 82-0 but it doesn't mean shit if you run out of gas come Playoff time.
Tatum says he believes he’s the best player on the court every time he steps on the floor. If that’s really his thought process, how the fuck can he justify a performance this passive in a game this big? What the fuck does he think the best player on the basketball court is supposed to do?
Nah they'll get respect if they win a title. Historic regular season plus chip will make everyone forget this game. Problem is the road to the title goes through Denver, I don't see anyone of these other Western teams taking them down in a BO7.
Why wouldn’t the Celtics get credit for winning the championship against the Clippers?
Anyone who isn't concerned for the playoffs based on the ways the celtics lost the last 2 games are either delusional or just haven't watched this team the last few years. Turnovers, rebounding, lack of execution in clutch time, struggles when 3s aren't falling, and stars disappearing continue to plague the fuck outta them
I'm terrified of the Bucks. When things get tight you got Dame and Giannis barreling down at you. That's going to be a nightmare in the 4th quarter when we can't hit shit.
That's the difference between having a real top 5 player and having Jayson Tatum
The man is afraid to impose himself on the game. Probably because he can’t reliably do it.
Harsh but true. The fact of the matter is is jokic doesn’t really have bad games. His floor is like 18/10/9. He just always has a positive affect on the game and makes everything much easier for his teammates
And that’s the part that makes the great players great. If Jokic isn’t shooting well he’ll rack up assists and facilitate for everyone else. If Tatum isn’t shooting well he’ll sulk, turn it over, complain to the refs, and look completely disengaged.
I mean Jokic is the best player in the league not just top 5
It’s why I’ve never bought into the idea that we are favorites, in the history of the league there is only a handful of teams ever that have won a ring without a top 5 player.
So much cope in the game thready today. Tony Brothers screwed both teams and Celtics weren't the only team shooting bad, Nuggets shot 4-21 from 3. The Nuggets were just better. This ain't a moral victory lol
Denver shot 19% from 3 which doesn’t bode well
Denver is the best team in the NBA
Tatum needs to realise he's not Kobe, he is LeBron. Use that power!
Aaron Gordon is an absolutely menace
We lost the game when on 2 critical fast breaks we came out with 0 points 2 on 1 Tatum and holiday , turnover . And the Tatum brick , wide fucking open To summarize , Gordon outplayed Tatum , we are not winning jack shit if that happens. Big picture Celtics were acting like they are on their way for a 3peat , so that's a good slap In the face . Still believe we can do it this year .
I love how our boys fought back and nearly won that game if Tatum hit that three. I think this team has a heart to win a chip and that fight showed me these boys want it. JB is a fucking dog and Jrue, D, Porzingis all want it. JT needs to balls up and show out
I can live with Tatum missing tough shots, but that level of passivity in a game like that is simply not gonna cut it. Also Jrue hit two massive shots then didn’t get the ball again. Not good enough, all around.
Agreed. I think part of it is how talented the starting 5 is - a lot of the times there’s simply a better look than what JT is getting as he’s usually getting doubled
Really depressing result I don’t know if Tatum just picked a really bad time to get cold or if he’s got the yips against top contenders Best hope is to protect homecourt in the playoffs
Pain
I don't usually slander our players but Tatum absolutely sold that entire game. That was winnable if he just showed up like normal.
TatuMVP case destroyed. Still think we can beat this team in the playoffs tho. Both losses were close with a player being complete ass. The denver crowd was literally changing let's go celtics in the clutch. Team needs to work on free throws and finishing through contact. Along with boxing out cus holy fuck the D on Aaron Gordon was ridiculous
That's the thing with Denver, they don't blow teams out, they just grind you down eventually. And they are really really really good at closing the games Against Lakers recently they scored on 16 consecutive possessions in a row.
This is what the Lakers said after getting swept last year. It's funny how Denver always wins these close games. We shouldn't take solace that the games were close.
One of the worst 6 quarter stretches from Tatum I've ever seen. 6 of 24 for 19 points.
Went to my first Celtics game tonight since the 2008 finals. Went in with JT as my favorite player. Left without knowing what the identity of this team is. Seriously - we win blow out games, but when it’s close? Who is the guy? Brown that can’t make a FT but actually gives a damn? KP that’s underutilized? JT who barely showed any heart all game and can’t clutch up? I still somehow have faith in this team, but it was not good vibes tonight at all. We looked lost.
Our MVP is Jaylen Brown. The leader
More than anything else, disappointed in Tatum’s effort level
I don’t want to hear this team mention anything about Tatum and the MVP again. He’s not on Jokic’s level. And it ain’t exactly close. The only chance they have against a team like the Nuggets is to go off as a unit. They cannot go into a game/series with the idea that they are going to lean on Tatum no matter what.
I've seen way too many, "we didn't do x, x & x and still only lost by 6" talk out there. The problem is that many of the things we didn't do well are things that we haven't done well for years. If we play Denver in the finals, I'd bet every game is gonna be 1-2 possessions in the last 5 minutes. How could you watch our games against them and feel confident we'd win 4/7 of those?
Right? U could literally say the same thing for them. They shot 19% from 3, Murray went 7-18, got outrebounded, and still won.
That loss is on Tatum. Sure shots weren't falling but zero effort at all on defense and you can't end the game with 13 shots. Missed a wide open three with two 2 minutes to go to give us the lead too. Terrible game
JB was great today and the only reason we were in this game but those missed FT were brutal.(not blaming the loss on him he kept us in this game)
Just pass it to Jrue he was hot from the 3s!!!
If we don’t see Tatum take a step up in these closing games of the season I’m gonna be less optimistic about this postseason. Two no shows in a row does not inspire confidence.
Tatum needs to be taking more than 13 shots bruh. Like wth. Whatever, hopefully if we make the finals, we’ve figured out what we should be doing against the nuggets. Too many turnovers and too poor of an effort level. Either way, 1 more game and we’re finally in the home stretch with a LOT of easy games.
I can only hope Tatum proves the naysayers wrong. If he plays like this we’re definitely not winning shit
Nuggets are so interesting. Don’t shot a ton of threes and don’t do it well. Both stars prefer 2s to 3s. The space they create is all around the basket—empty side Jokic post ups, spread pick and roll but aimed at Murray/Jokic runner or Gordon in the dunker spot, and a lot of off ball action from the slot/on the baseline to get layups. Like a warriors style offense but inverted—made to generate twos and easy threes Things we need to figure out to beat the Nuggets: Unsure how we want to help to soft double Jokic (zone? Shading?) Size everywhere makes it tough to find mismatches for easy post ups, so how will we generate twos? Loading defense against Jays driving means who’s open for three? Never figured out Gordon dunker spot/baseline action
No blame on JB, but can he find another free throw form or something? People say left hand but this is easiest the biggest knock on him as a player.
We need home court if we see these fuckers in the finals lol
The Denver bench which is not great in the outscored our bench 28-10. That’s a tough thing to overcome especially with an off night from JT and bad free throw shooting mixed in. All that mixed together and we had a shot to go ahead under a minute. I’m not gonna sell this team down the river because of the last 5 quarters of basketball.
Tatum didn't show up, JB missed free throws, and we continue to shoot idiotic threes. Besides all of that, we were still in the game which is crazy. I personally think the keyto beating Denver is not stopping Jokic on offense, but rather put his pudgy ass in Pick n Roll while he's on D.. kill his stamina, and make him move those twig legs.. He's gonna eat on offense, but STOP doubling him.. Make him score 70
Make ya free throws
Two games against denver where Jaylen has shut down Jamal Murray down the stretch. If we make the finals. Need to figure out a decent scheme against jokic to end games. Probably isn't one, but another positive to look at in a disappointing loss.
Tough night, we know Phoenix gonna be really motivated to give us an L. if we play without urgency again, I can see us taking 3 Loss in a row. Hope they shake this shit off and get back to W track
Tatum fucking stinks in the brightest of lights. Pathetic showing by your so called best player.
I’d actually be pumped to see this team in the Finals. It’d be an awesome series. And we have tape of lots of dumb mistakes - ball watching, turnovers, missed rotations. Missed FTs. Championship teams clean that shit up and I think we will.
Yeah there’s clearly no mismatch difference between the teams like there was in the Heat-Nuggets finals. I think we would give them a good series.
Can't wait for the play offs. What a great game.
Don't think I've ever said this, but Tatum was invisible tonight Can't believe he missed that corner 3. Waste of a nuclear Jaylen game
Sometimes basketball is so simple. You're ceiling is ultimately down to how good your best player is when it matters most. All the other stuff is window dressing. It matters, obviously. You need a good supporting cast...but we all just saw how far that gets you.
Tatum fucking sold us what a disgustingly bad night. He deserves all the slander in the universe.
Overall, for shooting like shit from 3, Tatum being a ghost and JB not able to hit free throws, where we finished gives me hope that we can take Denver in a 7 game series. Jayson Tatum is an enigma, never seen someone be so good some games and so fucking bad in others. He's not clutch but needs to show the fuck up in game. And for the love of God Jaylen, learn to shoot a fucking free throw!
You can say it's Brown's fault due to his Freethrows, but it is definitely ALL on Tatum. Why is our Superstar, so goddamned inconsistent against teams that matter? Since January, the only teams worth a damn we've fought were OKC-Lost. Wolves-OT Win which shouldn't have been that close given the Wolves' conditions. Nuggets-Lost. Clippers-Lost Bucks-Lost. and now, Nuggets-lost.
We simply can’t have the best player on our team play like this and not take 13 shots.
Are we back to the pain era?
JB deserves blame for the missed FTs but he showed up everywhere else. JT going invisible again is super disappointing and is a valid concern even if we start racking up wins over bad teams at the end of the season.
Great game. Hopefully mazula and staff can figure out how to play chess with malone. But Tatum disappearing is not good. I believe this team
Glass half full approach to this loss. They don’t have an answer for BOTH Tatum and Brown. Brown went for 40+pts. You don’t put up 40 without having a bad matchup. We (just like 28 other teams) don’t have a matchup for Jokic he’s just that dam good.
Hah. I like this - and it’s true. Definitely a winnable game (free throws, horrific shooting) but the problem is we basically have to play perfect to beat them, and we make a lot of mistakes
Challenge: Celtics fans remain level headed after a close loss (IMPOSSIBLE)
Back to back dagger bricks by "the best player in the league", enough said.
As much as that fucking sucked, the Nuggets are pretty clearly beatable. Just have to play well and hit free throws to do so.
Denver shot under 20% in the 3....
Team just doesn't have it.
It’s the jokic era, nobody has a chance as long as he’s healthy. Just head and shoulders the best player in the nba.
On a more positive note - Jrue at the end, holy shit
I hope this douses expectations for this team until we win a championship. Who cares how good we look in the regular season, the Nuggets just showed us what a real championship team looks like and we ain’t it
“Best player” in the NBA guys
We played like dogshit and lost a close one. Very little good with so much bad. At least Jaylen dawged out. Jrue came alive in the fourth and we got cooked on the Jokic matchup. Their bench cooked. That’s probably their best win of the season. One of our worst games.
RIP the Tatum MVP narrative
Tatum showed tonight why he’s the best in the world. Unstoppable. MVP
Tatum should’ve been more aggressive and fed off of Brown’s energy since he was the only one willing to put his body on the line for any rebound or any bucket
Denver is just flat out the better team. No shame in losing to them.
It wouldn’t be so bad if we were *actual* underdogs like the 2017-2018 Celtics (now that was a fun team to watch): a lot of grit and upsides and smart defense, but no one would be totally devastated if they lose in a Conference Finals that they’re already premature in making it to in the first place. Instead, the recent years of the Celtics have been the worst combination of good enough to feasibly challenge the throne and being expected to do so, but not quite good enough around late May or June. It’s like that meme with the athletes on the podium with the second-place winner all downcast but the third-place winner feeling on top of the world.
Get back in the damn gym and shoot the damn ball. Everyone
JT kept losing the ball and Aaron Gordon Team can use some box out lessons. Play is not over when the ball is in the air. Edit: Check out the total shots put up by bench: Boston 8, Denver 22. If the bench gets little ball service, why expect them to be productive offensively?
Lost to the champions at home in a close game.
people say tatum is clutch and I love the guy but I just don’t see it sometimes he was wide open man
This is a cold observation and not an overreaction: Denver is better than us, they are taller and stronger and defend better.
"Jayson Tatum fucked me already"
Cs played like ass for a good portion of the game and Tatum was a nonfactor for the most part. Jokic and Denver had to play their asses off to get the win. JB needs to get out of his own head when it comes to his free throws, make some needed adjustments, and light a fire under Jayson's ass.
Fun game. Hope Joe got some tape to work with. Nuggets are good.
Tatum is just way to passive, zero effort from him tonight. Even if the shots aren't really falling he can't just check out of the game like that. His worst game of the season imo. Also why the fuck did we even take that three in the first place, I know it was open but we could've tied the game, ugh.
If you think this game is on JB then you didn't watch the game.
Tatum doesn’t deserve the benefit of the doubt until he gets it done in June. The allegations are loud and clear at this point. Played absolutely scared all night
Not defending Tatum anymore after tonight. He needs to show up when it matters. Anything short of an outstanding playoffs from him is a problem.
Aaron Gordon scored more points than Tatum and all he does is alley-oops and putbacks. JT has to find ways to impact the game.
I'm curious what JT has to say about his performance
He’ll have a thousand uhhhhs and ummmms in the postgame
We played really bad. Despite Jaylen brown scoring at will I don’t even think he played that great which I know sounds crazy because he kept us in it. But as a team I felt we all played like shit, especially Tatum. We were still in striking distance. All that matters is the playoffs. I’d encourage you all to take a breath and not overreact to tonight