NFT: NBA Finals thread.

I can’t root for them. Dallas has that notorious promoter of anti-Semitic propaganda playing for them. A pox on both their houses.

But....

Why do they wait a full week for game one....of course, they then wait three days before game two, so one game in 10 days.

I kind of lost track of the series with all these days off.

Glad others enjoy the NBA; obviously, many do and it should be a great series....

Have been since the days of Dee Brown. However Luka is my favorite player and is absolutely must see TV.
Heart says C's in 6.
Head says Dallas seems destined to win it

In any of the first four games. Nike has destroyed NBA team branding.

They've played tougher teams in the playoffs (Clippers in 6, Thunder in 6, T-Wolves in 5) compared to the Celtics (Heat in 5, Cavs in 5, and Pacers in a sweep).

Mavs are on a roll now. Kristaps's health has me worried if I'm Beantown.


NBA.com - NBA Finals schedule - ( New Window )

question in my mind is how close to 100% he is.

Brown has shown that killer instinct which closes the gap between the two, talent wise. This is Tatum’s time to take his game to the next level and enter the top 5 NBA players - will he do it?

In comment 16532242 Ira said:

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question in my mind is how close to 100% he is.

I hope he is healthy enough to play, hate to see another KD situation

The Celtics went a little NBA Jam on fire there for a minute. That was ridiculous.

Fuck the Celtics

the role players doing absolutely nothing offensively and defensively they look terrible..

Doncic and Kyrie are forced to go 1 on 1 the entire time

In comment 16532266 nygiants16 said:

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In comment 16532242 Ira said: Quote: question in my mind is how close to 100% he is. I hope he is healthy enough to play, hate to see another KD situation

He looks like 200% right now!

In comment 16532284 Anakim said:

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Fuck the Celtics

Triggered!

..

…

.

Mavs just need a split in Boston.

.

Boston ice cold from three now.

.

Which happens a lot to them.

Here comes Luka…

have been absolute dogshit and that inckudes Kyrie..They are absolutely killing the Mavs

killed the momentum

Lively is a pretty unlikable character.

is Jones going to drive into 3 people just to get his shot blocked?

Holiday looks like a street baller. His moves around the hoop are so slick. I love his game.

In comment 16532323 christian said:

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Holiday looks like a street baller. His moves around the hoop are so slick. I love his game.

He is like having Marcus Smart without the dumb play.

In comment 16532326 Giantsbigblue said:

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Holiday looks like a street baller. His moves around the hoop are so slick. I love his game. He is like having Marcus Smart without the dumb play.

I love Smart, but he was too erratic. This group is just very surgical. And when the effort level gets low, Brown is the shot in the arm.

In comment 16532328 christian said:

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In comment 16532326 Giantsbigblue said: Quote: Holiday looks like a street baller. His moves around the hoop are so slick. I love his game. He is like having Marcus Smart without the dumb play. I love Smart, but he was too erratic. This group is just very surgical. And when the effort level gets low, Brown is the shot in the arm.

Brown having a left hand has taken his game to another level. He is embracing these playoffs much more than Tatum.

The Celtics had the one cold streak where Dallas cut it down in the 3rd, but defensively that was a clinic.

RE: Tatum, at this point it's almost like he's underrated. He is who he is. With the talent around him, he's just kind of settled into a role.

In comment 16532284 Anakim said:

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Fuck the Celtics

Fuck you too. I smell a sweep coming.

This is the worst playoff of my lifetime. Blowout after blowout, teams decimated and series basically decided by injuries. Awful. Can't wait till this series is over and we get into the draft and Summer moves.

It was really eye opening the difference Porzingis made protecting the rim. Boston did a great job switching when Dallas tried to a few times to get Luka on Porzingis at the top of the key. Porzingis can get bullied outside of the paint, but as a stationary rim protector forget it. Dallas doesn't have anyone who can go up above him.

All that was talked about was how all the teams they faced were depleted by injuries to key players. Very little was said about Porzingus missing 2 games at Miami and the entire Cleveland and Indy series. He comes back after 38 days and bang! Look at the difference he makes.

Is there a bigger asshole than Lively in the league today?

1.5 versus 5.

Dallas has gotten absolutely shit from Jones, Lively, Gafford, and Kleber.

Luka is going to pass out from exhaustion. He's carrying the whole load.

These two games.

with these role players is really impressive

even his shot isn't falling, he makes such a positive impact in so many different ways. And he seems like a true gentleman off the court. I hate how disrespected he's been getting with these wild Brown > Tatum takes. But he truly doesn't seem to care about it. Maybe my favorite personality from a superstar since Duncan.

Both teams are awful from 3 right now, wonder if one teams gets hot the rest of way.

That was Curry like right there.

i have ever seen, he is terrible protecting the paint

Why are you switching and then having your center play out on the perimiter with literally no help?

Porzingis got his leg whipped around. Guy can't catch a break.

yeesh

In comment 16533712 christian said:

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Porzingis got his leg whipped around. Guy can't catch a break.

He was limping before the leg whip

Is so good

You’re the HOFer - get to the free throw line at least.

In comment 16533689 Osi Osi Osi OyOyOy said:

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even his shot isn't falling, he makes such a positive impact in so many different ways. And he seems like a true gentleman off the court. I hate how disrespected he's been getting with these wild Brown > Tatum takes. But he truly doesn't seem to care about it. Maybe my favorite personality from a superstar since Duncan. Both teams are awful from 3 right now, wonder if one teams gets hot the rest of way.

Brown has been significantly better than Tatum this series.

Tatum has been awful shooting the ball so far and they’re still up 2-0 which is a bad sign for Dallas.

Tatum has been shooting poorly this whole playoffs though while Brown has been shooting well. But there’s no question who the best player on that team has been throughout the year. I just think people hate on Tatum because he’s closer to the 7th best player than a Top 3 guy like Jokic/Luka/Giannis.

Series isn’t over. But it will be tough unless Kyrie drops 25+ alongside Luka. Maybe he does better at home.

In comment 16533731 Osi Osi Osi OyOyOy said:

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Tatum has been awful shooting the ball so far and they’re still up 2-0 which is a bad sign for Dallas. Tatum has been shooting poorly this whole playoffs though while Brown has been shooting well. But there’s no question who the best player on that team has been throughout the year. I just think people hate on Tatum because he’s closer to the 7th best player than a Top 3 guy like Jokic/Luka/Giannis. Series isn’t over. But it will be tough unless Kyrie drops 25+ alongside Luka. Maybe he does better at home.

Porzingis will be out game 3, and Kyrie seemed to find his game in that last 4th quarter. I’m expecting Dallas to win.

Boston was closer to a 40% 3 point shooting team, not 25% like tonight. That's the tough part for Dallas. If Boston shoots the ball a little better, it'll be hard for Dallas to keep up.

Good lord the booth is terrible. And I love Josh Hart, but how is he featured post game analyst?

ESPN is a complete joke.

In comment 16533735 christian said:

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Boston was closer to a 40% 3 point shooting team, not 25% like tonight. That's the tough part for Dallas. If Boston shoots the ball a little better, it'll be hard for Dallas to keep up.

Same dan be said for Dallas tho. Outside Luka - the rest of the team was 2-17.

Shooting was horrendous last night.

I hear you, but if things revert to normal, Boston has the edge.

The most troubling thing for Dallas is Tatum is too good of a shooter to continue on like this.

Zinger out tonight.

Really want this to be a series.

Maxi Kleber stinks. Stop playing him.

I like when the officials let them play, but Luka basically punches the defender every time he has the hall to create space. It's a little lame for him to bitch about contact.

had the Celtics on the Ropes needed to be up double digits at the end if the first with Boston not shooting well, now Boston has settled in

now still in for the 2nd, he is not the type that can play 48 minutes

In comment 16535707 nygiants16 said:

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now still in for the 2nd, he is not the type that can play 48 minutes

No they took Luka out at the 4:00 mark when he was cooking and Dallas was up 11. Boston went on a 7-0 run and he came back in.

Luka got hit 3 times on that play and now a challenge will give Boston the ball.

Kidd is in a tough spot, he can't save money and risk going down 3-0. But Lukas's legs aren't going to get through 45 minutes.

In comment 16535711 JT039 said:

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In comment 16535707 nygiants16 said: Quote: now still in for the 2nd, he is not the type that can play 48 minutes No they took Luka out at the 4:00 mark when he was cooking and Dallas was up 11. Boston went on a 7-0 run and he came back in. Luka got hit 3 times on that play and now a challenge will give Boston the ball.

Really? must of missed it then, nba.com had him at the full 12 minutez

He was out a minute I think. I think Kidd had the 11 point lead and figured it was his best chance to sit him. Didn’t work. Lol

That's one of the few stretches of championship-level action in this series. I really appreciate the officials largely letting them play.

with Doncic playing this many minutes, i am attacking him every single time, he alreasy looks gassed, settling for step back 3s, which by the way may be one of the worst shots..

Dallas is trying to keep Luka on Horford as an easier cover, but Boston is screening away from the ball to get him matched up on Brown. That's great in-game coaching.

Maybe if you stopped complaining and played a little defense you wouldnt be down 2-0 abojt to be 3-0

it’s basically 5 on 4

In comment 16535739 nygiants16 said:

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Maybe if you stopped complaining and played a little defense you wouldnt be down 2-0 abojt to be 3-0

He's given up several transition baskets in the series complaining and not getting back.

Over.

It's like Brown was just laying low until they needed an all NBA injection of scoring.

but injured or not his defense has been as pathetic as I’ve ever seen from a premier player. Like all time bad. Saw a video of his game 2 defensive plays and he’s barely trying. Looks the same tonight and maybe worse considering they are at home.

I know Luka has responded well when his fitness has been questioned, but dude is gassed.

awful

They're going to reverse that, but they shouldn't.

And they call two suspect calls for his fifth and 6th calls.

Officials have been brutal tonight. They’re letting Boston be. Physical.

Next year. Absolute horrific game from them.

Mark Davis is a fucking cheat.

but they are soo good it hasnt come back to bite them in these playoffs

Handed during this presser.

Dallas got absolutely robbed at the end.

Hats off to Tatum. He quietly shot the ball very well. He turns in 30 in a finals game and it's a barely a story line in the broadcast.

And on to the draft and summer moves!

.

Link - ( New Window )

Never once did he ever say shit when Le Ron did the same thing when getting smoked in the finals.

He’s auto-mute for me.

if the Celtics close it out with a "team performance" like most of these have been IMO.

Tatum by default?

he leads the Celtics in the playoffs in ppg, rpg, apg so seems like it should be him but hard to say he's been a super star these finals. In fact, Brown has been the leading scorer and arguably better player, in two of the three games and in the third game Holliday led in points.

In comment 16535835 pjcas18 said:

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if the Celtics close it out with a "team performance" like most of these have been IMO. Tatum by default? he leads the Celtics in the playoffs in ppg, rpg, apg so seems like it should be him but hard to say he's been a super star these finals. In fact, Brown has been the leading scorer and arguably better player, in two of the three games and in the third game Holliday led in points.

Right now it’s Brown. Finals MVP is strictly finals appearance.

In comment 16535835 pjcas18 said:

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if the Celtics close it out with a "team performance" like most of these have been IMO.

My guess is whoever is the leading scoring in the closeout game.

To that point, Stevens built one of the most talented 6-man rotations in the recent memory. Hauser and Prtichard would start on a handful teams as well.

They lose Porzingis and they go from untouchable to just a lot better in an NBA finals series. That's ridiculous.

He has always played Ole defense

In comment 16535834 JT039 said:

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Never once did he ever say shit when Le Ron did the same thing when getting smoked in the finals. He’s auto-mute for me.

I don’t like him, but that doesn’t mean what he said here is wrong. He’s spot on, Luka what the bed.

*

Doesn’t need to be Tony Allen on defense, just passable. But my god is he bad. Effort and his fundamentals are so bad. For his size he should fine on defense, embarrassing performance for him last night.

But he was much much improved all year. He made a ton of game winning defensive plays against OKC and Minnesota.

Boston is simply just a really well built team. Proving to be one of the more dominant teams of the last decade.

Unless you are a Dallas "Homer" you must be blind to the fact that EVERY time Doncic drives he pushes off and commits OF. Refs let him get away with it time and time again so he has zero to complain about. The ref crew happens to be one of the most respected in the league. As for Doncic, they were calling those fouls on him all night. LEARN from it and don't put yourself in a position to pick up your 6th foul. Fact is he let his team down with his bellyaching every offensive possession.

In comment 16536191 redwhiteandbigblue said:

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Unless you are a Dallas "Homer" you must be blind to the fact that EVERY time Doncic drives he pushes off and commits OF. Refs let him get away with it time and time again so he has zero to complain about. The ref crew happens to be one of the most respected in the league. As for Doncic, they were calling those fouls on him all night. LEARN from it and don't put yourself in a position to pick up your 6th foul. Fact is he let his team down with his bellyaching every offensive possession.

Luka was playing lazy defense and trying to draw offensive fouls on the Celtics instead of moving his feet in good defensive positions. Boston knew it and attacked it and his dumb ass tried to do it with 5 fouls. It's all on Luka.

Luka kept getting beat to the spot and his only choice was to foul or just let the player go.

This Celtics team reminds me a lot of UConn. Deep/versatile perimeter play that’s smothering, and any one of 4 players can drop a ton of points on you, and enough of an inside presence to play with anyone. Also excellently coached.

Luka's entire offensive game is predicated on clearing space by pushing with his off hand. He's a once in a generation shooter, but be could be called for an offensive foul nearly every time he isolates. And that's no to say the great players don't do something like that. LeBron made his game by lower his shoulder, Shaq made his game by lifting his elbows.

But when a star bitches because he can't get away with it on both ends, that rings hollow.

Dude sat on the ground pouting while his teammates defended 4 on 5.

Kudos to Windhorst - Luka is insufferable with his whining. Every freaking play, every freaking game.

.

the mega stars absolutely need to be put in check. And it should have been done a long time ago. More of this moving forward would bring a lot of excitement back to basketball, for me atleast.

In comment 16536207 bceagle05 said:

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Kudos to Windhorst - Luka is insufferable with his whining. Every freaking play, every freaking game.

Derrick White and Jrue Holiday are some of the most likeable players in the league

I'd add Tatum to that list as well. He's on the business end of ridiculous criticism constantly. The media tries relentlessly to drive a wedge between him and his teammates, and he's ridiculously pleasant all of the time.

In comment 16536191 redwhiteandbigblue said:

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Unless you are a Dallas "Homer" you must be blind to the fact that EVERY time Doncic drives he pushes off and commits OF. Refs let him get away with it time and time again so he has zero to complain about. The ref crew happens to be one of the most respected in the league. As for Doncic, they were calling those fouls on him all night. LEARN from it and don't put yourself in a position to pick up your 6th foul. Fact is he let his team down with his bellyaching every offensive possession.

Every star pushes off. It’s allowed by the refs.

But Doncic was getting two hands on him every time he drove and it was rarely called. He didn’t get a fair whistle last night - his bitching aside. If you let Boston to be physical, then don’t call the same on him.

Yes, many(not every) player pushes off. The difference is when, where and how hard. Sorry but your response holds no water. Doncic on defense has awful footwork and body placement which is why he gets the foul and a Celtic player like Brown or Tatum may not. Has nothing to do with bad ref calls.

In comment 16536250 redwhiteandbigblue said:

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Yes, many(not every) player pushes off. The difference is when, where and how hard. Sorry but your response holds no water. Doncic on defense has awful footwork and body placement which is why he gets the foul and a Celtic player like Brown or Tatum may not. Has nothing to do with bad ref calls.

Putting two hands on an offense player while he drives is an automatic foul. Not calling it is a perfect example of bad reffing. Not moving your feet - yes is bad defense. But so is using both hands on a driver.

One was called last night A the other wasn’t. That’s bad reffing. It has to be called both ways or not at all. Doncic last foul was a flop by brown and the refs fell for it. And I would argue so was the fifth foul on a post up.

https://x.com/TheDunkCentral/status/1801244832150511912

Luka has really been exposed on the defensive end this series and throughout the playoffs. To reach that next level, he needs to fix his deficiencies on this end. Right now he’s basically just a bigger and clutcher Harden with a better middy.

As of today, I think I’d still say Jokic is pretty clearly still the best player in the league ahead of him and others. Luka is close though. Hope he figures it out because his shot-making is maybe the best since Kobe I’ve seen besides Curry. So fun to watch when he’s on.

Osi, Luka's defense has never been great, but it has been @ least passable this season. But it was horrible last night.

& I love Luka. Outside of Brunson, he might be my favorite star in the league.

But Luka is bringing it tonight.

Looks like a gentlemen’s sweep incoming.

Can Mavs carry this over to game 5?

Boston's defense night and day better from game four.

Than Maxi Kleber.

..

Boston needs alpha Tatum.

gets the itch to coach again, far away from Boston.

is the difference in this game

!

That was a brilliant half of ball by Tatum. His drive and dish is buying him space, and he's making the step back shots.

Career defining effort by Tatum.

I hate Boston teams/fans, but there's nothing to dislike about this Celtics club. They're fantastic and were the best team all season long winning a league-best 64 games during the regular season and going 16-3 during the playoffs. Jaylen Brown is probably my favorite athlete playing today in any sport. Well earned and congrats to them all (this coming from a Knicks fan).

Now that Tatum and Brown have broken through, I wouldn't be surprised to see them back here next year. This could be the start of a two or three year run in which their season ends with a championship.

was quoted on the board in the Celtics locker room - great Parcells quote lives on.

🤮

F Larry Bird and his stupid face. F Kevin McHale and that stupid towel he asked for every time he got an and 1. F Tommy Heinson and his whinning about the refs non stop when we know that shit stain franchise has gotten every call for 50 years. An a big F this "Likable group" they wear that shitty green so I don't have to like them. I feel like this is a new dawn of the late 60's/early 70's when the Knicks and Celtics where at their heights and went head to head multiple times in death matches.

In comment 16532241 Optimus-NY said:

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They've played tougher teams in the playoffs (Clippers in 6, Thunder in 6, T-Wolves in 5) compared to the Celtics (Heat in 5, Cavs in 5, and Pacers in a sweep). Mavs are on a roll now. Kristaps's health has me worried if I'm Beantown. NBA.com - NBA Finals schedule - ( New Window )

Boy, was I wrong! lol ☝️🙈🤭

And we have twice as many teams. We need to ask more of our teams.

In comment 16538825 Jim in Hoboken said:

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And we have twice as many teams. We need to ask more of our teams.

Agreed

nobody more deserving of that than him.

also glad to see horford get a ring, one of my favorite players in the last couple decades.

boston's build was extremely impressive and diligent. they earned that championship. would have preferred to see denver in the finals though, mavs disappointed and were clearly over matched.

Really wanted to see Denver try to repeat, I think they would have handled the Mavs and made this a 6 or 7 game finals.

They were simply the best team in the league over the course of the entire season. Statistically, they’re up there with any team of the past 20 years besides the Peak Warriors. Probably the most complete starting 5 I think I’ve ever seen, in terms of the how good the 5th best player in the starting unit is. Even the best teams usually have one “random” role player they have to make up for, not this Celtics team.

Brown deserved the Finals MVP, but Tatum was the best player on the team and solidified himself as an elite player. Tatum shot poorly but he led this dominant team in Points/Assists/Rebounds during the playoffs which is nothing to sneeze at, I believe only Hakeem/Duncan/Bird/Jokic/LeBron have ever done that (maybe I’m missing someone) for a title team. Hell of a start to both Tatum and Brown’s careers, and they are set up to be a great team for the next handful of years. Jrue Holiday has also solidified himself as a truly great supporting player, 2 rings on 2 different teams as a key piece. I’m sure some Bucks fans are feeling weird today.

Luka is a great player, I’d rank him 2nd/3rd with Giannis as the best players in the game behind Jokic. But he’s clearly behind Jokic imo. He’s an awesome shot-maker and creator but he needs to become a more well-rounded player, defensively first but also needs to become more diverse offensively. I think health is the only thing keeping him from winning a ring down the line though, awesome young player with a chance to go down as a great.

Kyrie is an amazingly skilled ball-handler, shooter, and finisher at the rim. The most aesthetically pleasing game in the league, which is why so many players praise him. But he was awful in these Finals and really let down Luka and the Mavs who are built around him and Luka averaging like 55 PPG combined. I hope all these kids and casual fans calm down with the talk about how Kyrie is one of the best PGs ever, he’s great but there are plenty of guys ahead of him.

Next year should be fun. I feel like the league almost expects Wemby to become the next all-time great who runs the league, so they’re going really hard to try and win these next 2-3 years before he becomes impossible.

Horford undoubtedly becomes a HOF now. Does Jrue?

but he is a loser. unlike nash/cp3 he has never made another player better a day in his life.

riding shot gun to lebron, tatum/brown, kd, luka he had a chance to get championships but sabotaged those teams every step of the way with the exception of the one year with lebron.

perhaps he hasnt sabotaged dallas since they did get to a final this year...though with 2 years left there's still time.

In comment 16538912 JT039 said:

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Horford undoubtedly becomes a HOF now. Does Jrue?

It took Billups a while to get in and he was a better player than Jrue. Kyle Lowry is ahead of Jrue in terms of HOF resume, and he feels borderline.

I don't think either Horford or Jrue become HOFers. Hall of Very Good for sure though.

HOF (and it seems the voters feel that way as well) so I say put Horford and Holiday in. Also, it's the basketball HOF, not the NBA hall of fame, so Horford gets a boost from his two championships at Florida.

it seems so obvious that a change is needed but I haven’t really looked into whether he’s addressed it or not. I know his build helps him in some areas but long term he needs to make some changes especially for deep playoff runs. That alone would help his defense.

In comment 16538926 Osi Osi Osi OyOyOy said:

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In comment 16538912 JT039 said: Quote: Horford undoubtedly becomes a HOF now. Does Jrue? It took Billups a while to get in and he was a better player than Jrue. Kyle Lowry is ahead of Jrue in terms of HOF resume, and he feels borderline. I don't think either Horford or Jrue become HOFers. Hall of Very Good for sure though.

Horfords 2 NCAA titles will help his cause IMO

In comment 16538935 Enzo said:

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HOF (and it seems the voters feel that way as well) so I say put Horford and Holiday in. Also, it's the basketball HOF, not the NBA hall of fame, so Horford gets a boost from his two championships at Florida.

You beat me to it.

Horford will get in. He's been a 5 time All Star, one time Third All NBA, an NBA champion, & his time in Gainesville will all punch his ticket. And-from all accounts-he's a good dude so that'll help.

In comment 16538939 UConn4523 said:

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it seems so obvious that a change is needed but I haven’t really looked into whether he’s addressed it or not. I know his build helps him in some areas but long term he needs to make some changes especially for deep playoff runs. That alone would help his defense.

Cousin-big time Celts fan, but watches a ton of hoops-has been banging that drum with Luka for awhile. And I don't disagree.

this Celtic team

In comment 16539216 xman said:

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this Celtic team

No. & I love the Knicks.

100% healthy versions of each team? I think the Celtics win in 6. Porzingis getting hurt evened the playing field slightly for the Pacers and Mavs.