06-02-2024, 12:09 PM
(This post was last modified: 06-02-2024, 12:13 PM by dirkfansince1998.)
(06-02-2024, 11:43 AM)mvossman Wrote: Does Dallas have that big of a talent deficit? Luka is not just better than Tatum, he is significantly better. Best player on the team is the most important comparison for the NBA playoffs. I would also say Kyrie is better than Jrue and I like our center rotation better than theirs when you take into account age and health. Brown and White are clearly better than PJ and DJJ but our bench is probably deeper.
As for long term, Jrue is 2 years older than Kyrie, Horford is about to turn 38 and KP is a constant injury risk. Meanwhile Lively is 20. I would argue without significant changes we are likely to improve next season and Boston will have some concerns, especially in the center rotation.
Looking at a bigger sample size it is a sizeable disparity. Looking at metrics that are used to compare teams the Celtics had an all time great season. Just looking at the regular season. 5th all time in SRS. 4th in net rating.
One could make a legit case that they have 4-5 allstar level player on the roster. 4-5 players with a legit case for a spot in the all-defense teams.
But thankfully that's not a guarantee to win it all. In 16/17 the 73-9 Warriors lost in the finals. Against a less talented Cavs team (featuring Kyrie). Even the best teams can run into a bad matchup. Can have off games at the worst possible time.
Mavs on the other hand did not look like a contender for most of the season. They figured things out in march and peaked at the right time. The hottest team in the league that has basically matched the Celtics record in the last 20 games of the regular season.
My personal ranking of players in the series (off the top of my head):
Doncic
Tatum
Irving/Brown
Holiday
White
Porzingis (fully healthy)
Lively
Washington
Horford
DJJ
Kleber
Gafford
Green
Pritchard
Hardy/Exum
Hauser