04-01-2021, 04:46 AM
(This post was last modified: 04-01-2021, 04:50 AM by meistermatze.)
I will make some initial remarks before I actually read your recap, mavsluvr. I don't want to conflate your throughts with my initial ones and I am interested in if I am way off or whether you had similar thoughts:
This will be the first time that I really criticize Luka. You might think I'm crazy after he had 36 points on ridiculous shooting, but hear me out: He had, I think, 5 assists to 8 turnovers, which is bad by itself. Moreover, he player hero ball for most of the game. In my opinion, he struggled MIGHTILY against the double-teaming of the Celtics, again. I said it the last time again Boston that I think Stevens is spot on in the way he defends Luka.
Sure, not every team has defensive guards like Smart and Brown to put on Luka and throw effective double-teams at him for almost 48 minutes, but this type of competition is what he'll face in the playoffs or critical games and moments in general. He HAS to be able to do better than dribble the ball for 22 seconds and heave a step-back-three with the time running out or committing a turnover. Yes, fortunately the kid is a genius and hit some RIDICULOUSLY difficult shots but I mean come on, we can't bank on that. If Luka had not been this hot lately, this might have been the worst game of his career statistically.
I don't know if I am being crazy because I want this team to work and be successfull but even in the first half it was painfully obvious to me, how Luka broke KP's great rhythm to start the game, by constantly ignoring him, even whilst open, and hoisting step-back-threes instead. Like I said, he made them but is still annoyed me somewhat. That's not good basketball, in my opinion. I know I keep reading into KP's and Luka's demeanor but this just can't be right. Something is brewing there. I can't imagine all the other players can really like that kind of basketball.
Also RC: What was he doing down the stretch with his lineups? Inserting KP for rebounding the last freethrow and essentially not play him for almost the entire fourth when he had a decent game (and was especially good on defense)? If we were tanking I'd get it. I get that Lukas has an infinitely long leach leash but is this really the best way to go? There has to be some middle ground there.
I know we had problems to close out games all year and maybe I am frustrated about this fact so I can't see things clearly but the Celtics pretty much handed us this game on a silver platter, they were ICE COLD for the entire game and we still almost managed to throw them this one. If they had not missed a couple of open looks down the stretch, we'd be talking about another unnecessary loss. We made so many mistkaes late - again - and most of it was on Luka. Dribble- dribble- dribble, turnover late in the clock or make or miss a ricidulously difficult contested three will not win you anything in the playoffs. If that's the best we've got, we are in big trouble.
I am the biggest Luka homer, kid is going to be in the MVP conversation for 10+ years but we have to do something. Somethings clearly not right.
This will be the first time that I really criticize Luka. You might think I'm crazy after he had 36 points on ridiculous shooting, but hear me out: He had, I think, 5 assists to 8 turnovers, which is bad by itself. Moreover, he player hero ball for most of the game. In my opinion, he struggled MIGHTILY against the double-teaming of the Celtics, again. I said it the last time again Boston that I think Stevens is spot on in the way he defends Luka.
Sure, not every team has defensive guards like Smart and Brown to put on Luka and throw effective double-teams at him for almost 48 minutes, but this type of competition is what he'll face in the playoffs or critical games and moments in general. He HAS to be able to do better than dribble the ball for 22 seconds and heave a step-back-three with the time running out or committing a turnover. Yes, fortunately the kid is a genius and hit some RIDICULOUSLY difficult shots but I mean come on, we can't bank on that. If Luka had not been this hot lately, this might have been the worst game of his career statistically.
I don't know if I am being crazy because I want this team to work and be successfull but even in the first half it was painfully obvious to me, how Luka broke KP's great rhythm to start the game, by constantly ignoring him, even whilst open, and hoisting step-back-threes instead. Like I said, he made them but is still annoyed me somewhat. That's not good basketball, in my opinion. I know I keep reading into KP's and Luka's demeanor but this just can't be right. Something is brewing there. I can't imagine all the other players can really like that kind of basketball.
Also RC: What was he doing down the stretch with his lineups? Inserting KP for rebounding the last freethrow and essentially not play him for almost the entire fourth when he had a decent game (and was especially good on defense)? If we were tanking I'd get it. I get that Lukas has an infinitely long leach leash but is this really the best way to go? There has to be some middle ground there.
I know we had problems to close out games all year and maybe I am frustrated about this fact so I can't see things clearly but the Celtics pretty much handed us this game on a silver platter, they were ICE COLD for the entire game and we still almost managed to throw them this one. If they had not missed a couple of open looks down the stretch, we'd be talking about another unnecessary loss. We made so many mistkaes late - again - and most of it was on Luka. Dribble- dribble- dribble, turnover late in the clock or make or miss a ricidulously difficult contested three will not win you anything in the playoffs. If that's the best we've got, we are in big trouble.
I am the biggest Luka homer, kid is going to be in the MVP conversation for 10+ years but we have to do something. Somethings clearly not right.