Rajon only played 14 minutes - he played well, you’d think he’d be champin’ at the bit rarin’ to go - but no
But yes, ‘load management’ - that’s the new term
Still think healthy players sittin out is for the birds
Let’s go Celts, a promising start, awesome so far

[Edited on 11/14/2019 by Stephen]

W/Kawhi sitting out, Paul George (John Ringo) goes 33 pts 9 reb in his season debut, w/6th man Lou Williams 31 & 9 assists - we see em Wed, hopefully w/Kawhi playing
Even w/Kawhi restricted to 3/4s or so of the schedule, they’ll be good this year, as will LAL - LeBron remains top dog, one-of/if-not....
Let’s Go Celts

[Edited on 11/15/2019 by Stephen]

Marcus smart’s floater rolled off the rim as time expired, ending our 10 game win streak 100-99 to Sac

But after battling injuries for so long, good to see IT back, & the same for Markell Fultz - he’s overcome all his setbacks, is now starting & had 19 points while Isaiah, who’s also starting, had 13 in their Orlando-Wash game today - they each missed 2 years

Same Melo, he’s back after a year out of the league, this time w/Portland, how will it go - hopefully better than Houston, that’s where they are tomorrow
Let’s go Celts

[Edited on 11/18/2019 by Stephen]

The four guards each had 30 minutes last nite, incl Brad Wanamaker, & good to see him moving up the rotation - he’s a good player in the Shane Larkin/Raul Neto mold - he’ll be key w//Marcus (ankle) out possibly for last two games of this road trip

But good to see players like Brad & Daniel Theis, veterans who’ve paid their dues, a key part of this fast start - let’s go Celts

He’s back! Game high 25 for Melo & could he & Damian Lillard become a force for Blaziz

Kemba should be back this week - Gordon’s hand is healing up on schedule & he should be back by the end of the year

We won’t have Patrice on this back to back in Canada, incl tmrw nite at Habs
‘Treece is essentially in a permanent day to day situation, by all appearances - B’s will struggle if he’s out any length of time - he was best player on the ice the other night (4 assists)

[Edited on 11/26/2019 by Stephen]

We’re going so good right now that what about when Gordon gets back
Look at Nets, they’ve lit it up since Kyrie (shoulder) exited
Must mention B’s too, really thought it’d be a struggle w/no Patrice - we’ve more than held our own

Our rotation right now rocks - Semi 29 solid minutes tonite, Daniel short solid minutes as starter, Marcus all D leaving scoring to others, Grant & Robert Wms. playing really well off the bench, same Wanamaker, Enes Kanter giving critical low-post minutes, obviously Jay & Ja....

...Brad Stevens is coaching this team great this year, Much better than last year

.....the disparity of the outcome of that Mil-LA game tonite......Bucks, watta team
Sixiz in Thurs, let’s go Celts

[Edited on 12/7/2019 by Stephen]

Gordon and Patrice are both back
Not a minute too soon either - Phila Sixers are in Thurs,
B’s must beat Wash tmrw nite to keep pace, then it’s off to Fla for 2 div games we gotta have - we’re flat right now (L3)

Lakiz continue to roll, LeBron/AD a crushing tandem - Harden/Westbrook proving out in Houston - let’s go Celts

[Edited on 12/10/2019 by Stephen]

Clippers in town the other night to play the Pacers. No Kawhi....load management.
These poor NBA players. Stuff like this just continues to distance me from the pro sport as much as I enjoy basketball. I guess that's why I follow college more.

Nice win for the Pacers against the Celts. The Holiday brothers produce well, and Sabonis 2 assists shy of a triple double. He is having a great year so far.

Clippers in town the other night to play the Pacers. No Kawhi....load management.
These poor NBA players. Stuff like this just continues to distance me from the pro sport as much as I enjoy basketball. I guess that's why I follow college more.

To me that's just smart player management by Doc Rivers.

Yeah, I know, fans pay to see stars like Kawhi in the lineup. Well, they need to shorten the season then but due to the huge income loss that would generate, it's not going to happen anytime soon.

They ask way WAY too much of these guys. I would much prefer a 70 game NBA season. Then the playoffs start, and a player like Kawhi could easily be asked to play another 25 or so games, and games at an intensity level far exceeding the regular season. He had to with San Antonio, he had to with Toronto, and he'll have to every year he's with the Clippers because a guy who plays at his level is not going to be missing the playoffs anytime soon.

Why do you think Klay Thompson got hurt? Easy. Made it to the Finals five consecutive years, THAT's why. It's too much to ask and I don't care how much of an elite NBA body one has. Kevin Durant is the next one I would point to. Wanna see more playing time for the stars? SHORTEN THE REGULAR SEASON.

Am generally opposed to the idea, if you’re feeling healthy & up to snuff you should be out there - it smacks too much of pitchers - restricted IPs only - don’t know how much input Doc Rivers has, he’s handed a schedule of Kawhi’s off days ahead of time - 4 instance Kawhi contractually doesn’t play the 2nd of back to backs

Spurs played their 4th straight OT game last night, & in Mexico - I understand that players get beat & need rest -

Examples both ways of course, but 4 Instance - RWstbrk takes a rest day (team report said) - & in Hou, they lose to lowly Det - who didnt have Andre Drummond (legit injury)

Klay’s unfortunate injury is another example - however, many players have gone deep into multiple playoffs without injury - really hope it won’t go the way of pitch counts, ie/say, a mandatory 25 min per game cap

Let’s go Celts

[Edited on 12/15/2019 by Stephen]

Klay’s unfortunate injury is another example - however, many players have gone deep into multiple playoffs without injury

Maybe so but name me a player not a member of The Warriors who has gone to the Finals five consecutive years. CAN YOU DO IT?

Outside of the 1960s Celtics & 1990s Bulls, I can’t - possibly 1980s Lakers also altho theirs might not’ve been consecutive

I figured a Celtics fan would bring up the 60's. Since the subject here is wear and tear on players, that doesn't EVEN measure up because they played far fewer games then, both regular season and playoffs.

Michael Jordan's Bulls of the 90's were certainly one of the greatest teams of all-time but they never went to the Finals five consecutive years like the Warriors recently did. They WOULD have, if Jordan had not retired for two years in 1993 after the murder of his Father.

It was an 80 game schedule before going to its current 82 game format in the mid 1960s sometime - example, 1962-63 team went 60-20 (looked it up), then 48-34 in 68-69 (know that by heart)
But yes the league was smaller then, so fewer playoff games etc & so forth
SF fans hope to see what rival Oakland fans saw when their players return, albeit in restricted minutes, at least for Klay, if his injury was cumulative wear & tear

Pacers get a nice win last night against the Lakers.

Some shaky D at the end but still, good road win for the boys tonite - yes, no Luka for them, but our most important player, Marcus (eye), also was out - Daniel & Semi decoyed awesome out there, the other 3 starters were all over it, great stuff as usual from the bench - Gordon absent (MRI on foot)

Key reserve Robert Williams III has an injury that sounds more than just a little uncomfortable - team report says out 3 weeks with “a bone edema” - WTF

😀 A LOT to like about this group alright, keep it going Celts

Giannis hits 5 3-pointers to help beat the 24-5 Lakers. Has the freak totally turned the corner? What is the ceiling on this guy? He just keeps improving his game.

ome shaky D at the end but still, good road win for the boys tonite - yes, no Luka for them, but our most important player, Marcus (eye), also was out - Daniel & Semi decoyed awesome out there, the other 3 starters were all over it, great stuff as usual from the bench - Gordon absent (MRI on foot)

Key reserve Robert Williams III has an injury that sounds more than just a little uncomfortable - team report says out 3 weeks with “a bone edema” - WTF

A LOT to like about this group alright, keep it going Celts
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I agree with you Stephen. I told my son before the game that Walker, Tatum, and Brown should be enough to get a tough road win. They stepped up.
Haywood, hurt again, hopefully not for long. When Smart and Haywood come back, along with the Time Lord, ( Williams ), Stevens needs to come up with a 9 man rotation. I'm hoping Williams can develop quickly, as I think he can be the big man we need.
Here we go Celtics, here we go clap clap.

Four game winning streak at home over the Holidays for the Warriors including a very impressive win over Houston on XMAS Day! They came back in the 4th last night after being down 13 to Phoenix.

It's just nice to see this team start to salvage what had become a lost season. Obviously not an automatic out anymore. DeAngelo Russell continues to be a force and had 31 last night. Damian Lee also playing very well, lots of other guys contributing. I give Steve Kerr a LOT of credit for this resurgence. Only 15 more in a row to get to .500!! (Har-Har)

Shoot - it’s a toughie
Yes we’re playing well - no complaints for sure
However, Semi O’s career is suffering IMO b/c of Gordon’s presence on the team
B/c of a terrible injury, Gordon isn’t the player he was in Utah - we’re a better more athletic team when those other guys are out there - if RW III returns to form...... kevdab what do ya think

we play an LA team next week that won on the road recently w/out both LeBron & AD - yep the Lakiz are back

Melo returned, & Portland departed 😮 - still, he’s putting up Melo #s, & ups to both him & Markelle Fultz, who’s averaging double digit scoring as a starting guard

Good win for Pacers last night beating Phila & pulling into a tie w/them - we really gotta capitalize w/Embiid out - Bucks are the top team - Miami has come from outta nowhere, wow

feel bad about Gordon, you can’t knock a guy who came back from what he came back from - it’s not that he’s hurting us, he has showed flashes of his old form - let’s go Celts

[Edited on 1/14/2020 by Stephen]

Shoot - it’s a toughie
Yes we’re playing well - no complaints for sure
However, Semi O’s career is suffering IMO b/c of Gordon’s presence on the team
B/c of a terrible injury, Gordon isn’t the player he was in Utah - we’re a better more athletic team when those other guys are out there - if RW III returns to form...... kevdab what do ya think

we play an LA team next week that won on the road recently w/out both LeBron & AD - yep the Lakiz are back

Melo returned, & Portland departed 😮 - still, he’s putting up Melo #s, & ups to both him & Markelle Fultz, who’s averaging double digit scoring as a starting guard

Good win for Pacers last night beating Phila & pulling into a tie w/them - we really gotta capitalize w/Embiid out - Bucks are the top team - Miami has come from outta nowhere, wow

feel bad about Gordon, you can’t knock a guy who came back from what he came back from - it’s not that he’s hurting us, he has showed flashes of his old form - let’s go Celts

[Edited on 1/14/2020 by Stephen]

Good post. Yeah,Miami is playing pretty good now. Pacers had a run in with them about a week or so ago. TJ Warren and Butler kinda got into it.

Hang in there Hawyard!

Shoot - it’s a toughie
Yes we’re playing well - no complaints for sure
However, Semi O’s career is suffering IMO b/c of Gordon’s presence on the team
B/c of a terrible injury, Gordon isn’t the player he was in Utah - we’re a better more athletic team when those other guys are out there - if RW III returns to form...... kevdab what do ya think

we play an LA team next week that won on the road recently w/out both LeBron & AD - yep the Lakiz are back

Melo returned, & Portland departed 😮 - still, he’s putting up Melo #s, & ups to both him & Markelle Fultz, who’s averaging double digit scoring as a starting guard

Good win for Pacers last night beating Phila & pulling into a tie w/them - we really gotta capitalize w/Embiid out - Bucks are the top team - Miami has come from outta nowhere, wow

feel bad about Gordon, you can’t knock a guy who came back from what he came back from - it’s not that he’s hurting us, he has showed flashes of his old form - let’s go Celts

[Edited on 1/14/2020 by Stephen]

Hayward ain't holding back Semi. Are you serious? Semi is losing minutes on some nights to Grant Williams but Semi who I like has certainly not performed with any consistency to the level that he would or should take any Hayward minutes.

Statistically, we went 10-4 while he was out w/the broken hand, then lost the first two when he returned -

Am Not Saying It Was All b/c of Semi & no Gordon - it was the impact on the rotation as a whole - we had to make changes when we were cooking & smoking, wheeling & dealing

I love Gordon Hayward, the Jazz has always been the other team I’ve rooted for (also jumped on nugs’ bandwagon for 2-3 seasons) - no one was more stoked about our getting him than me

I just like what our younger players bring to the floor - Semi knows the system & is a great defender & great ‘blend in-er’ 😮 at the other end - he played great while Gordon was out & IMHO should be continuing to get those minutes - That’s Where He’s Being Held Back - by the 5 min here, DNPs there etc

I feel that Grant Williams & RWIII are equally talented, altho Robert has dealt w/a lot of injuries -

it’s up to the coach to get the most out of his rotation, & coach S has done that - as I said before, no complaints - we’re playing good ball - believe we can still improve - ups, & cool your take of it too tbomike

[Edited on 1/16/2020 by Stephen]

We’ve lost 6 of the last 8, incl the last 2 at home to sub-.500 teams
No Jalen or Kemba tonight doesn’t play into it - we’re reverting back to a heavy-on-the-starters rotation, even w/those guys out - played from behind the whole time tonite against lowly Phx

Growing concern about RWIII (hip, after initial diagnosis of bone edema) - this talented ball player won’t be back before the all star break - let’s go Celts

Disappointing last couple weeks for the Celtics.
I had hoped that Robert Williams could help in the middle, but is still injured. Is he good enough, not sure.
Injuries to Walker and Brown haven't helped. The bench is weak and has been exposed. It would be nice if they had a shooter to provide some instant offense off the bench.
It seems to me, that other teams are having an easy time getting to the basket against us. A little toughness on defense, and a big man to clog up the lane would help.
They need a win against the Lakers tonight. Been a while since they beat a good team.
Let's go Celtics.

Good win for the Celtics last night. I would like to see them go on a streak.
The Lakers have a strong roster. Very deep. They will be the team to beat.

Good win for the Celtics last night. I would like to see them go on a streak.
The Lakers have a strong roster. Very deep. They will be the team to beat.

Yeah that was a good win....anytime the Lakers go down!
Liked the Celts uni's last night.

Lillard drops 61 on GSW. It took everyone of those to beat a 10-35 Warrior team.

Good win, yes it does help when the coach has his full complement of players - that enables Marcus & Enes to come off the bench, big in our scheme of things - good comment before kevdab, yep guys were getting to the rim real easy on us - paging Aron Baynes 😮 - Kanter is Very important to C’s as are all the players

Gotta feeling the game out there next month (2/23) will be closer 😮 - Jazz also w/a good win over a good Indy team, tied for 1st w/Den & both those teams, esp Utah, will give LA all they can handle
Let’s go Celts

[Edited on 1/21/2020 by Stephen]

If the East stays this way, its going to be a dog fight. Third through sixth place tight and all are 1-2 games out of 2nd.