26-23-1 on NBA Playoffs up 7.88 units
No games today but wanted to talk about the Celtics series win over the 76ers. Marcus Smart had the most Marcus Smart string of events ever. Smart made a free throw he was trying to miss then intercepted the inbound pass with ball tracking skills that would make Revis Island proud. Smart or Rozier is a decision Ainge and the Celtics may have to make soon. Brad Stevens made the necessary adjustments after the Game 4 loss and is getting a ton of credit for his outstanding coaching this season. You can see Brad’s highlights of Game 5 here. Isaiah Thomas said “No way in hell Brad Stevens doesn’t win coach of the year. No disrespect to the other head coaches but he’s by far the best coach in the NBA.” Jayson Tatum and Donavon Mitchell are the first rookies to score 20+ points in 7 straight playoff games since Dr. J in 1972. They are pretty damn good.
Simmons and Embiid have a “bright future” in Joel’s words. Joel mentioned that KD and Russ did not even win 30 games in their first year with the Thunder. The 76ers went 52-30 this regular season. The Celtics were aggravated that Joel did not “man up” and accept his defeat right after the game, but that’s gonna happen when you are a trash talker. Hate him or love him, Joel is great for basketball.