Tag Archives: Kyrie Irving

NBA Draft: How the Celtics Can land the #2 Pick

Leave a reply

The Boston Celtics are in a bit of a pinch in terms of cap space. Even with the impending departure of Kyrie Irving the C’s still have problems. Therefore, they will be forced to improve their roster in the upcoming NBA Draft. They currently hold the 14th, 20th, and 22nd picks in the first round of this year’s draft. However, this draft holds the key to the Celtics biggest hole at PG; that answer is Ja Morant. The Memphis Grizzlies, who possess the #2 pick, are slotted to take Morant but may be willing to explore trading the pick. Here is how Danny Ainge can swing the trade.

Cap implications between Boston and Memphis make guys like Hayward and Horford (pictured) nigh untradeable.

Untradeables/Untouchables

First, lets start by outlining what won’t be on the trade table. Gordon Hayward‘s contract-production combo makes him immovable. If Horford accepts his $30M option, he would also be hard to trade due to his age and what he can bring to a team. Sean Faulkner breaks down the cap problems perfectly in his roster prediction article. Also, expect the Grizzlies to want to keep Mike Conley and Jaren Jackson Jr., quality players that they can build around without the #2 pick. Lastly, I’d imagine Jayson Tatum is untouchable, as Ainge and Brad Stevens see huge potential in him.

Trade One: C’s try the Danny Ainge low-ball

Celtics receive: #2 pick (Ja Morant), C.J. Miles Grizzlies receive: Jaylen Brown, Semi Ojeleye, #20 pick, #22 pick

Danny Ainge has made a living off of stealing picks in the NBA Draft for well under their value. Here, he places one of his excess wings (Brown) with some extra compensation and takes C.J. Miles to keep salary fairly close. Notice the Celtics lottery pick (14th overall) is not included in this trade. If Memphis sees Brown as value enough, the C’s could replace Brown at 14 with talented wings projected to be there. This would be a steal for Ainge if he can pull it off. Draft props don’t favor this result, though Ainge’s success would be a payday for any willing bettor.

Jaylen Brown is a valuable trade asset that would get a larger role elsewhere

Trade Two: Blockbuster shakeup

Celtics receive: #2 pick (Ja Morant), Kyle Anderson, Jevon Carter Grizzles Receive: Jaylen Brown, Robert Williams, Semi Ojeleye, #14 pick, #22 Pick

Ultimately, the Celtics will have to give the Grizzlies a rather nice haul if they hope to land the uber-talented Morant. This NBA Draft is top heavy, and thus drives up trade value of top-5 picks. The Celtics get to keep their 20th pick, and get a quality wing in Kyle Anderson. The Grizzlies, in turn, get young talent to bolster their roster and a lottery pick to help ease the loss of Anderson. This is the most likely trade scenario, and would give the Celtics some contract flexibility and a future star in Ja Morant.

Why Marcus Smart is the Celtics’ MVP

Leave a reply

After a tumultuous season for the Celtics, we begin the offseason discussion. With a few key pieces of last season set to hit free agency, we must look at what the Celtics need to hold on to. There is no player on this team that is more valuable than Marcus Smart. While an unpopular opinion, a case can be made that Smart was the team MVP last season. Here’s why:

Smart has expertly defend high-caliber players like LeBron James

All-NBA Defensive First Team

When you here the name Marcus Smart, you probably think of how great a defender he is. Smart made his first All-NBA defensive first team this year. However, Marcus ‘Winning Plays’ Smart has been putting on the clamps all five years he’s been on the C’s. Averaging 1.6 steals in his career, Smart is sneakily good at pickpocketing the ball. His biggest impact is that Marcus’ defensive plays always seem to alter the course of the game in favor of the C’s.

Marcus Smart: Locker Room Leader

Smart doesn’t receive enough praise for his leadership qualities. For one, he brings a competitive edge to the team. This edge is sometimes the difference between them winning and losing. The Marcus Smart mentality also is a huge help come playoff season, which is why the Celtics have enjoyed recent postseason success. Smart is also a leader in the fact that he is always on his teammate’s side. Kyrie Irving is a great example. Many times this season analysts have pointed to Kyrie’s leadership as a source of the team’s woes. When Marcus Samrt was asked about this, he said the claims were ‘B.S.’. Even if Kyrie is a bad teammate, Smart was not willing to throw him under the bus. That’s leadership right there.

He is the prototypical Boston athlete

When we talk about what a Boston athlete should be, we often think of Tom Brady. Highly competitive, chip on his shoulder, and always seems to find ways to win. Bruins Defenseman Zdeno Chara and Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia are other examples of this. For the Celtics, their version of the ‘Boston Athlete’ is Marcus Smart. Smart has always played like he wasn’t getting enough appreciation (he wasn’t). He also is always competing, all the way down to the final seconds. It’s this reason alone why Marcus Smart is the team’s MVP, and its not even close.

Celtics: 3 Ways the C’s can improve the PG position this coming season

Leave a reply

The Boston Celtics’ up-and-down season came to a close in a 4-1 series loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. Terry Rozier appeared on ESPN’ First Take to say he was leaving the Celtics because of what he sacrificed. Kyrie Irving seems to be already out the door. It is now the time we must ask what the Celtics long-term plan is at the point guard position. Believe it or not, they’re in a much better position to improve this position than you think.

Celtics star Gordon Hayward is a viable ballhandler in a Brad Stevens system

1. Make Gordon Hayward the PG

Gordon Hayward and Brad Stevens history is well documented, and it seemed at a few points this year that Stevens wanted the system to flow through Gordon. He’s not the same wing player he was before the ankle injury. However, he is still a good ball-handler and reliable shooter. Hayward is very experienced in Brad Stevens’ system thanks to his college experience. Hayward would be able to act as an extension of Brad Stevens due to this knowledge, and help the Celtics’ young core acclimate to the system. In the ever-evolving position-less NBA, Hayward seems like the perfect fit at the 1 in Stevens system. This also puts Hayward in a position to succeed and live up to his superstar-level contract.

Celtics and Patty Mills are an ideal match

2. Trade for a low-cost veteran PG

The Celtics are a relatively young team who don’t have a defined leader (unless you count Horford). Younger, more talented players have been driving out veterans and leaving great value out on the trade block. It’s important to note that these are low-cost guys, not high paid Free Agents, that are covered here. Guys like Patty Mills, Ricky Rubio, and Jeff Teague have been around the league for a while. These guys are quality players when surrounded by talent. The relatively low trading cost creates great value. Patty Mills presents the best value and fit for the Celtics. He is a reliable scoring threat and is referred to as a ‘team player’ by his peers. Mills is exactly the type of guard the C’s need following Kyrie’s imminent departure.

Ja Morant is regarded by many as the most talented PG in the draft

3. Trade up in the draft for Ja Morant

Celtics fans have been very happy recently with general manager Danny Ainge’s wheeling and dealing trades. They have brought Boston a surplus of draft picks and quality players. Ja Morant is projected to be the #2 pick to the Grizzlies and the draft. The Celtics best first-round pick currently sits at #14. Boston has a multitude of quality bench guys that are expendable. The C’s also have a stockpile of picks (one of those pics being Memphis’ own pick next year). They have all the resources to make the move for the talented young PG. Morant averaged 24.3 PPG, 10.0 APG, and 5.0 RPG. He’s the first player to average 20+ points and 10+ assists since the assist became a stat in the 1980’s. Morant makes the most sense for the Celtics because he’d mesh with the young core they built already. He’d give the C’s a bright future to look forward to.

Kyrie Irving Eligible for Super Max After Making All-NBA Team

Leave a reply

Irving makes second All-NBA team

Kyrie Irving was selected to the All-NBA second team yesterday, the first time Irving has been selected to the All-NBA second team. Irving was selected to the All-NBA third-team in 2014-2015 as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Irving received 52 second place votes and 39 third place votes for a total of 195 points; he received no first-place votes. Irving finished behind Houston Rockets guard James Harden (500 total points), Golden State Warriors guard Steph Curry (482 total points) and Portland Trailblazers Damian Lillard (306 total points).

Irving’s accolades make him eligible for the NBA Super Max contract, which will pay players like Chris Paul and John Wall over $40 million per year. Irving was named to the All-NBA second team in his eighth year of NBA service, and is entering the last year of his rookie max extension deal he signed with Cleveland in 2015-2016. This makes Irving eligible for the 5-year Super Max contract. Considering the incentives associated with this type of contract, Irving could stand to make nearly $250 million over the next five years.

The Boston Celtics situation looked a lot different when they signed Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward two years ago.

Can the Celtics Afford Irving?

Can the Celtics afford that? Do the Celtics want to afford that? I wrote about the issues Kyrie Irving and the Celtics ran into last year and it doesn’t seem promising. In fact, even other teams have expressed concern over signing Irving to a long, lucrative contract.

The salary cap in 2019 is $109 million; The salary cap increases to $118 million in 2020. The Super Max contract Irving is eligible for is worth 35% of the team salary cap, with 8% yearly kickers. Irving would stand to make $38.15 million in the first year of his contract; He would make $44.6 million in the second year and so on.

Team chemistry withstanding, the Boston Celtics can’t even afford to sign Kyrie Irving to the Super Max contract. Gordon Hayward, virtually un-tradeable after a gruesome leg injury a season ago, and his sluggish return this past season, will make $65 million over the next two seasons. Al Horford, the unsung leader and backbone of the Celtics, has a player option worth over $30 million due in 2019-2020. Horford may want to sign an extension with Boston, but that would only save the Celtics $10-15 million per year.

(Boston, MA, 11/01/17) The Celtics future with Kyrie Irving once looked bright. Pictured (left to right) are guards Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown, forwards Al Horford, Daniel Theis, guards Terry Rozier and Kyrie Irving. Staff Photo by Matt Stone

Crunching the numbers

Let’s say the Boston Celtics were to sign Kyrie Irving to the Super Max contract for which he’s eligible. Even after considering salary cap increases, the contracts of Irving, Hayward and Horford would comprise nearly 92% of the team’s total salary cap; In 2020 Irving’s and Hayward’s contracts alone would comprise 67% of the salary cap. The luxury tax increases from $132 million to $143 million from 2019 to 2020. But even that inflated number would barely cover the three max contracts in addition to the requisite 7-10 role players. Besides, what owner is eager to pay luxury taxes? The salary cap numbers don’t even take the existing Celtics contracts into consideration. The numbers simply don’t crunch.

Irving has already talked about leaving Boston. And a player with Irving’s confidence likely assumed he’d earn All-NBA team honors in 2018-2019. In other words, Irving is prepared to leave an estimated $40-100 million on the table to sign with another team. Considering the issues the Celtics had with Irving this past season, compounded with the amount of money it will take to keep Irving around, it’s in the best interest of the Boston Celtics to keep that money on the table, too.

The Celtics Are Just Getting Started

Leave a reply

The Celtics are not finished. Everyone and their Podcast partner is writing them off. Boston sports radio is dancing over their graves. The team is at rock bottom, down 3-1 to the Greek Freak and a band of also-rans playing over their heads. But just like last year’s Patriots, rock bottom is where they strip out all the noise and bring it back to team basketball.

Kyrie Irving

Kyrie Irving hasn’t forgotten how to play basketball. His talk isn’t for everyone, but it’s just talk. Between the lines this guy is a certified basketball genius, he’s just been a little sidetracked.

On Basketball Reference there is a stat called Game Score (GmSc). Like WAR in baseball, it’s a stat that tries to take everything into context. It’s not the be all end all, but it’s a nice umbrella of everything a basketball player is doing on the court. Over the 2016 playoffs Kyrie averaged 18.2 per game. Over the 2017 playoffs Kyrie averaged 18.1 per game. That is consistency over 39 games like you read about.

Right now Kyrie is averaging 15.8 in the 8 playoff games for the Celtics. That is not Kyrie Irving. But he had a similar eight game stretch in 2017, averaging 15.9 over the first eight games. Yes, Cleveland lost in the finals that year, but Kyrie went on to average 19.8 over the remaining 10 games.

Even the great Steph Curry looks less than sometimes. For example, he went 4-14 from 3 in his last playoff game. But people aren’t shoveling dirt on his playoffs. Forget the body language and ‘effort’ police. Kyrie Irving is not perfect, but he’s one of the best players in the NBA and a noted playoff performer. Count on a dominating performance in Game 5 and going forward.

Brad Stevens

Remember when Brad Stevens was the next great coach in the NBA? It wasn’t that long ago. And it wasn’t a flash in the pan. He grew to that level over years, not one great year.

Somewhere along the way he lost his voice this year. The team did not give an all out level all the time like they have in past years. This team did not meet the lofty expectations placed in them at the beginning of the year. Hey, they went to the Eastern Conference Finals without their best player. Of course there were high expectations. But ego, it seems, has gotten the better of them to this point.

But what can cut through all the noise of ego? Getting thumped on your home floor in the playoffs, pushing you to the brink of elimination, getting called out nation wide. When the players are reeling and wondering how they got here who can they turn to? Brad Stevens, the man with a plan. And when the players follow the plan of Brad Stevens, great things happen.

Stevens is being bashed for not throwing his players under the bus right now. That is building trust. Look for the players to start playing the Stevens game, team basketball, the best of the Celtics, in Game 5 and moving forward.

Bucks Over Their Heads

Giannis Antetokounmpo is a certified NBA Super Star. He’s so great his same now rolls off the tongue. But he is one man. Khris Middleton is pretty good.

But 33 year old George Hill averaged a 6.6 Game Score for the Cavs in the playoff last year. Verse the Celtics in the last two games? 15.75. Overall for this playoffs? 10. George Hill’s cameo as bad Kyrie is just that, a two game cameo.

Pat Connaughton turned into current George Hill the last two games with an 11.2 average Game Score. His total playoff average is 4.4. Give the 26 year old the benefit of the doubt and this year his average is 8.5 in the playoffs. He’s played the last two 30% better than that. It won’t last.

Some would say these Bucks are on a roll. From here it’s an aberration with a current expiration date.

Poking Marcus Smart

It is advisable to rile up Marcus Smart? Antetokounmpo thinks not.

A motivated Marcus Smart is almost as important as a healthy Marcus Smart. Expect good things from Marcus Smart in Game 5 and going forward.

The Bucks are playing over their heads, the Celtics are playing poorly. Getting humiliated was just what the Celtics needed to turn things around. Get ready for a different series starting tomorrow night.

Photo via AP/Charles Krupa

Celtics Will Reveal Themselves Against Milwaukee

Leave a reply

Celtics fans have been confounded throughout the season because the team they cheer for has
been, at times, very good but mostly just good enough. If someone told you before the season
began that the Shamrocks would be the No. 4 seed in the East when the playoffs commenced,
you would have to believe that your local entry either underachieved or was ravaged by
injuries. Did Hayward’s leg not heal? Did the long grind that is the NBA season, take its toll on
Kyrie again – only in December instead of March? How about the young guns, Tatum, Brown, or
Terry? Maybe Big Al got beat up in the paint and beaten down in the homestretch?
Injuries would have at least given fans a reason to forgive and forget but the lack of cohesion
and team chemistry has been nothing short of stunning, considering last season’s gutsy run into
the conference finals without their two resident superstars. However, sports is a what have you
done for me lately kind of business and right now you can’t complain about the results. Boston
is fresh off of a series sweep of the Indiana Pacers and even the most jaded cynic would be
hard-pressed to complain. But now the rubber hits the road as the Celtics prepare for the beast
of the East, the Milwaukee Bucks. Some of the best betting websites found all in one place at
Sportsbook Review, are dealing the Bucks as 7 ½ point Game 1 favorites and -270/+230 series
chalk over the lads in green. Now we will find out what this team is truly made of, and whether
or not all of this talent on paper will bear fruit in April, May, and dare we say June?
Enjoy basking in the afterglow of Boston’s 110-106 series-clinching win over the Pacers because
the road will be quite a bit bumpier from here on out. But why not revel in Gordon Haywood’s
20-point performance and cheer another unsung hero effort by Marcus Morris? Kyrie only got
14 but played solid defense and got back in transition. Things are looking up, right? Kyrie told us
the playoffs would change everything, the Celts would flip a switch, and right now it’s hard to
doubt him. The Celtics’ superstar was also complimentary of Hayward.
“I knew there was going to be a spark off the bench. (On Sunday) and that person was Gordon
Hayward,” All-Star guard Kyrie Irving said. “This is his city. I’m glad he had a chance to put on a
performance like that in a closeout game.”
Jayson Tatum echoed Irving’s sentiments regarding the playoff Celtics versus the regular season
Celtics. “We’re clicking at the right time. We look like the team everybody thought we would be
at the beginning of the season. It took some ups and downs for us to get here, but I like the way
we look.”

It’s hard not to like the way the C’s look because a sweep is indeed a rare occurrence. However,
it’s just business as usual when it comes to Kyrie Irving. Between his tenure in Cleveland and his
stint in Boston, Irving is a mind-boggling 16-0 in his four first-round series’. Don’t forget, he
didn’t dress last year when the Celtics knocked off the Bucks in seven games, thus his record
remains pristine. Irving is, of course, just one piece of the puzzle and the Celtics will need a
complete team effort if they are to get by what many believe is their biggest adversary in the
postseason. Time will tell and so too will Boston’s defense. Shutting down the Greek Freak,
Giannis Antetokounmpo, won’t be easy but this team has the ability to do just that…don’t they?

Celtics Fooling Themselves

Leave a reply

The Celtics will snap their four-game losing streak tonight in Cleveland because if they don’t, then their postseason won’t last much longer than a cup of coffee against Philadelphia (or Indiana) in the first round. The oddsmakers over at one of the best online sportsbooks in the industry, 5Dimes, is dealing Boston as a 5 ½ point road favorite over one of the worst teams in the league, and the same one that prevented them from advancing to the NBA Finals last season. Of course, that was then, and this is now, with LeBron taking his talents to LA while the Celtics are looking more and more like a group of guys out to get theirs, with little regard of the endgame which is winning a title.

Are you getting a bit tuckered out of this all too predictable Celtics’ soap opera? This rollercoaster of a season has featured glimpses of greatness but far too often, months of malaise mired in mediocrity. Don’t ever get your hopes to high with this team because they will break your heart quicker than you can say, “Kyrie is leaving Boston.” And Kyrie will leave because he now realizes that his one wish, to dribble out of LeBron’s shadow and bask in the glow of a white-hot spotlight all his own, isn’t as easy as he once thought. In retrospect, he had a pretty good gig being Scottie Pippen to LeBron’s Michael Jordan, and winning a world title in Cleveland. He didn’t have to be the man because he wasn’t the man, he was just a damn good sidekick. Be careful what you wish for because you just might get it, is a phrase Kyrie Irving knows all to well.

But perhaps the irony and absurdity of this entire season is the Celtics players somehow concocting this alternate reality that things will all come together the moment the postseason commences. Just read a few of these quotes and try not to arch your eyebrows or scratch your head.

Marcus Smart: “We got a lot of guys back, and we’re all trying to figure out exactly what everybody’s favorite things to do and what spots that everybody excels at and make sure we get everybody in the right position. We’re still fooling with it. But I see great progress, and I’m excited, I’m ecstatic, and I’m happy with what we’re doing.

Kyrie Irving: “You can’t worry about the standings now. It’s too late in the season. I mean, obviously the four or five spot, but one and two is pretty much locked up, 1-2-3. So, as long we get there. I can’t wait for all this other B.S. about the regular season and keep getting better and talking over and over and over again about what we can do to keep getting better in the regular season. I just want to be at the highest level playing. I mean, that’s what I’m here for.”

In the C’s first game in the month of March, a 107-96 win over the Wizards, Marcus Smart lauded the defensive efforts of Jaylen Brown and said, “Ridiculous. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen Jaylen play defense like that. He looked like me out there, diving for balls and things like that. We need Jaylen to do that every day. He has the athletic ability to do it. He has the potential to be a great two-way player so, once he finally gets that down it will be hard for anybody to keep him off the court.”

Unfortunately for the Celtics, Jaylen Brown is not fond of routinely getting floors burns on his knees, and a flash here, and a sparkle there, of hustle isn’t enough. Over the last four games the Celtics have lost to three very good teams in Denver, Philadelphia, and San Antonio with a setback to the less than stellar Charlotte Hornets sandwiched in between for good measure. But we know the script by now, Boston will bully a bad team tonight and thump the Cavaliers which will woo those who bleed Green back on the bandwagon. But the rest of us are not only leery, but weary as well, of a team that seems to care less about winning than we do.

Can the Celtics Claim the East?

Leave a reply

The Celtics got a taste of what it’s like to face a legitimate Western Conference power clicking on all cylinders when they bowed to the Denver Nuggets on Monday night. If you had clicked on over to Sportsbook Review prior to the game and check out a Sportsbetting.ag review, it would have told you why Sportsbetting.ag is one of the preeminent online sportsbooks in the industry, as well as letting you know that they had Boston favored by four points against one of the best in the West. It proved to be a glorious opportunity to bet with your mind and not with your heart as Denver not only covered the number but won the game outright by the score of 114-105.

Once again, the Celtics build us up just to tear us down. Preceding that contest, the Green had won five of six, starting with an enormous blowout of the Golden State Warriors but then, just as quickly as they started this roll, it came to a screeching halt with a lackluster fourth-quarter effort where they were outscored by nine points, the precise margin of victory for Denver. Boston is now half a game behind Indiana for the fourth spot in the East and 2 ½ games behind the 76ers for the No. 3 seed. This column is being written prior to their tango in the City of Brotherly Love tonight so be prepared for a Thursday morning where the sky is the limit – or at least a conference championship – or gloom, doom, and a big ol’ broom right out of the playoffs once they begin.

Watching the Celtics and investing your heart, soul, and maybe even a few bucks over at Sportsbetting.ag, has been like being married to Sybil, a woman with 16 distinct personalities. Although the Shamrocks may not be quite that complicated, they are difficult to love especially when they continually let you down. We expect the big games, the 30 plus point scoring nights from Kyrie, and the blossoming of a superstar in Jayson Tatum. Yet there are evenings, like Monday night, when Tatum plays more like a star-struck kid when he scored just eight points on 3-of-12 shooting over the course of 36 minutes of action.

Another young gun, Jaylen Brown, is simply not the player he was last year, despite glimmers of excellence that occur all too infrequently. Terry Rozier continues to struggle in a backup role, after a stellar postseason last year in place of Irving, with visions of increased playing time and a much fatter paycheck somewhere else next season. Gordon Hayward, who was in concussion protocol for the game against Denver and therefore gets no grief for that loss, has been coming around but hasn’t quite made the bend. At least Hayward doesn’t grouse about being demoted from a starter to a role player, but then again, he is being paid over $30 million to ride the pine so let’s not get too carried away with him being a “team first” kind of guy.

So who are the Boston Celtics? Well, as much as we may hate to say it, they are what their record says they are, which is a very good, although not elite, team. Boston is a tough out for any team in the league, but they are not good enough to derail a juggernaut over the course of a seven-game series. They are better than Indiana, this we know. And if you were to base your opinion on how dominant they have been against the 76ers this season, winning all three meetings this season and owning a 13-3 straight up mark over the last three years including playoffs, then it would be fair to say they are better than Philadelphia.

But tonight will tell the tale because this is a game the Celtics absolutely need if they have any shot at ascending to the No. 3 spot and displacing the Sixers. If they win, or lose narrowly, there’s hope for them in the postseason, but if they get blown out then don’t make any reservations for a road trip to the Oracle Arena in June. Let’s kick back, grab a cold one, and continue to be vexed by a team that we love but doesn’t seem to love us back quite often enough.

Kyrie Irving Will Never Be The Leader Tom Brady Is

Leave a reply

Tom Brady will always be an example of a real leader

When Tom Brady was drafted he always wanted to be a leader. He wanted to help the Patriots be a great team for many years and play at a high level. Since 2001 he’s had the most success than any football player in history. The Super Bowl appearances and championships are insane and that’s because Brady always does what’s best for the team and never takes games off.

Kyrie Irving isn’t an example of a leader

Now the opposite of a leader is Kyrie Irving. I’m talking about two different sports, but they both need leaders on the team. Kyrie has done nothing but complain and trash his teammates, but he’s supposed to be a leader? What kind of leader would say he’s taking games off in the regular season to get ready for the playoffs? A leader wants to play well in the regular season and the playoffs. Kyrie saying that he’s taking games off to rest is pretty much what his teammates will be doing since he’s the leader. Imagine Tom Brady saying that hes taking games off in the regular season to get ready for the playoffs. Monkeys would fly before that happens.

Kyrie isn’t a leader, he’s just like LeBron James, all about himself and thinking he deserves a championship. His work ethic is all about having superstars around him, not working with teammates who made it to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals last season. Brady loves the game and doesn’t need superstars to win championships. He creates superstars from average talent on offense. He just won a Super Bowl without Josh Gordon. Whereas Kyrie, all he cares about is himself playing with other superstar talent and an easy way to win a championship. It wouldn’t surprise me if the Celtics get bounced in the first round after Kyrie’s recent comments about the regular season.

Rollercoaster Season Continues for the Celtics

Leave a reply

One day it’s the Good Ship Lollipop and the next it’s the Titanic. That pretty much sums up the year the Shamrocks have had despite the fact that they remain one of the beasts in the East. Unfortunately, they’re not quite as ferocious as we all believed they would be prior to the start of the season. As a matter of fact, if you were to click on over to Sportsbook Review, you could read a Bovada review detailing why Bovada is one of the preeminent online sportsbooks in the industry and one that was dealing Boston as a favorite to win the Eastern Conference this season. But much has changed since October and it appears all of the major threats have added to their arsenals except the Celtics.

After winning nine of 10 from mid-January through early February, the Green proceeded to undo most of that momentum by dropping six of eight. Then they won four of five, including a dominating victory over the world champion Golden State Warriors at the Oracle Arena. The Celtics were quickly closing the gap on the 76ers and Pacers for the No. 3 spot in the Eastern Conference before the Monday night massacre in LA. The best online sportsbooks like Bovada may have hung them as slight road favorites but they played like dogs – and not underdogs, mind you. It was a 25-point drubbing by a good, although unspectacular, Clippers club. Perhaps the most troubling aspect of the loss was Kyrie Irving’s postgame comments heaping praise, and I mean mounds of praise, on Clippers’ head coach Doc Rivers, formerly of the Celtics. Here’s just a snippet.

“It’s so easy to play for a guy that’s been a player in this league,” Irving said. “He’s won a championship and he’s done unbelievable things in this league for his players while giving them confidence to go out there and be who they are. Lou (Williams) signed an extension for a reason, and that’s Doc. He puts those guys in position, gives them the freedom and keeps them encouraged throughout the whole game — especially when they’re at home.”

Kyrie went even further but you don’t have to be an ardent disciple of Freud to figure this one out. In essence, Irving was praising Rivers while taking a tacit swipe at his own coach. Brad Stevens was never a player “in this league”, has never won an NBA championship, and apparently is not inspiring confidence in his players, ala Doc Rivers. Kyrie Irving’s personality mirrors the Celtics’ performance this season. One day he says all the wrong things and gets killed in the press while the next day he’s contrite, mature, and somewhat resembles the leader he so desperately wanted to be when he signed with the Celtics, and withdrew from LeBron’s immense shadow in Cleveland.

The Celtics are like the weather in New England – if you don’t like it, just give it a day or two and it will change. Boston still has 14 games remaining on their schedule and trail the Sixers and Pacers by only 1 ½ games for the third playoff spot. Of those 14 games, there are five that could be classified as dangerous. Dates against Denver (home), Philadelphia (road), San Antonio (home), and a home and away against Indiana could prove to be landmines. If they were to lose those but win the other nine, that would give them a winning percentage of .642 which is an uptick over their current .603. That would probably land them in the No. 4 spot over Philly but a pair of losses against the Pacers would more than likely solidify Indiana’s third seed if they continue to play at their current pace. There will be more trials and travails with this edition of the Boston Celtics so we must weather the storm, keep calm, and carry on.