Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here… highlighting the big story line. Because there’s nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.
Over the second half of last season, the Boston Celtics thrived largely because small lineups spread the court and open the offense.
Jae Crowder often shifted to the 4 spot, Jonas Jerebko sometimes slid to the 5, and Isaiah Thomas took advantage of the additional space by cutting through the defense. Because the Celtics won 24 of their final 36 regular-season games, the starting lineup’s inability to score slid mostly under the radar. But that unit mostly just avoided screwing things up too badly; it was the bench, which often played small, pushing Boston into the playoffs.
If there is any concern about upgrading the frontcourt talent and depth, it’s that the Celtics might feel compelled to go away from something that worked so well. Despite understanding the utility of smaller lineups last season, Brad Stevens admitted the recipe could change during a chat Wednesday night at an ABCD Hoop Dreams charity event.
“We have more traditional bigs (than) last year,” he said, “so we have to play a little bit more traditional and we have to be prepared to do that well.”
Small ball has been around for quite a while in the NBA, and as it was highlighted in yesterday’s dump. Our own Tommy Heinsohn was using smaller lineups 40 years before it became en vogue. Tommy was simply going with what he thought would work best, with the players he had. It was quite amazing if you think about it, and well ahead of its time. What Brad Stevens has done so far since he’s been here really isn’t much different. He’s simply made the best lineups and strategies with what he’s had. If it’s going small, so be it. If not, he’ll adjust. It’s one of the main reasons why C’s fans are generally positive and confident in this team’s direction. Currently, Stevens doesn’t have much say as to which players are acquired, if he has any at all. Unlike other coaches who serve the dual role, he’s just as they say, doing his job.
As John has pointed out several times, Ainge has tried to tank this team, but Stevens has kept it from going the way of Philly. He’ll have quite the challenge this year however, as the team has seemingly gotten deeper. Unless he rolls out hockey shifts out there and gets the league to allow substitutions on the fly, he’s got a solid task in keeping the players happy, as he has his first two seasons. We’ll see how he does and we’ll also see if it even matters by December because Ainge could trade half the team again by then.
On Page 2: IT expects the C’s to make some noise
“I can’t wait, man. It’s an exciting time of the year,” said Thomas. “I’m ready for the season to start. I’m ready for us to get together as a team and just bond, and just put it all out there on the court.”
Acquired at February’s trade deadline, Thomas helped spark Boston’s second-half surge to the playoffs — a stretch in which Boston went 24-12 over its final 36 regular-season games. His goals for the new season?
“Just to build on what we did last year,” said Thomas. “For the most part, make the playoffs and then just go from there. We’ve got a really talented team. Especially in the East, we can make some noise. I feel like if it all comes together, we play for each other and like playing with each other, that’s gonna be the easy part.”
The tough part lies with Stevens, who has to figure out how to mix and match all his players, especially adding additional depth this offseason. But the third-year coach believes that sustained continuity from last season will help.
“[Continuity] should be a benefit. Again, I think my phrase will be, ‘Time will tell,'” said Stevens. “I mean, we’ll see. I think my curiosity lies in how we go to work, how we come together, how much we’re willing to sacrifice for one another and see how this thing plays itself out. But I think you’d rather have guys for a longer period than not and that continuity is a good thing. We have basically nine guys back from our roster that played quite a bit. That’s a good thing, too.”
ESPN Boston – Notebook: Refreshed Celtics eager to start again
One of the biggest issues with the Celtics is that they don’t have a real superstar player to build on. They have a deep team that plays hard, but they don’t even have an all-star player. Isaiah Thomas comes closest to that description and his attitude and bravado certainly jump off the page with all-star quality. You have to love his approach and confidence. Although one can argue just exactly what constitutes as “noise” in the Eastern Conference, it’s always good to hear your best player speaking like this. I suppose making noise is winning a playoff series and getting bumped in round two. With the benefits of geography, that’s not entirely out of the question for this team. Neither is winning their division, although neither would be an Earth shattering accomplishment. Still, IT has quickly become one of my favorite players to watch on this team and as training camp approaches, he’s providing more anticipation for C’s fans.
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