Author Topic: Pull a Pop(ovich). Don't play KG or Pierce tonight!  (Read 6199 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Re: Pull a Pop(ovich). Don't play KG or Pierce tonight!
« Reply #30 on: February 11, 2013, 02:54:45 PM »

Offline The One

  • Bailey Howell
  • **
  • Posts: 2017
  • Tommy Points: 203
Other thing to remember, the Spurs are usually at the top of the standings where they can afford to rest guys.



The Celtic's are 7th.  They need to improve their standing right now.

True, but if they are not going to be given the day off ( a la Popovich) on the 2nd night of a back to back after a 3OT game.  Then they will never be given the day off.

Now is the perfect time.



Re: Pull a Pop(ovich). Don't play KG or Pierce tonight!
« Reply #31 on: February 11, 2013, 03:15:58 PM »

Offline CelticConcourse

  • Paul Silas
  • ******
  • Posts: 6162
  • Tommy Points: 383
  • Jeff Green
I would rest KG, but the issue is it leaves us with bigs of Collins, Wilcox, and Bass.
And Melo. He got recalled yesterday.

I think that's solid enough to compete with the Charlotte Bobcats.

This may be a trap game, but the Bobcats are last in the standings, worst team in the league two years in a row and last in every Power Rankings for a reason
Jeff Green - Top 5 SF

[Kevin Garnett]
"I've always said J. Green is going to be one of the best players to ever play this game"

Re: Pull a Pop(ovich). Don't play KG or Pierce tonight!
« Reply #32 on: February 11, 2013, 03:17:49 PM »

Offline CelticConcourse

  • Paul Silas
  • ******
  • Posts: 6162
  • Tommy Points: 383
  • Jeff Green
Oh yeah... we did this last year against the Bobcats too. Bradley dominated with 22 points, I think... Bass had a big game too.

Maybe this will bring them into dominance again!
Jeff Green - Top 5 SF

[Kevin Garnett]
"I've always said J. Green is going to be one of the best players to ever play this game"

Re: Pull a Pop(ovich). Don't play KG or Pierce tonight!
« Reply #33 on: February 11, 2013, 04:01:08 PM »

Offline KGs Knee

  • Frank Ramsey
  • ************
  • Posts: 12749
  • Tommy Points: 1544
My hope is both get the night off.  Realistically, at the very least, KG should.  My guess is neither get the night off, it's not Doc's style.

The only rest to be had is by blowing the doors off the Bob's, and having plenty of garbage time.

Re: Pull a Pop(ovich). Don't play KG or Pierce tonight!
« Reply #34 on: February 11, 2013, 04:27:21 PM »

Offline Onslaught

  • Don Chaney
  • *
  • Posts: 1768
  • Tommy Points: 156
I'm going to the game so I'd like to see them play some. Hopefully the Bobcats won't put up much of a fight so they can have limited minutes.
Peace through Tyranny

Re: Pull a Pop(ovich). Don't play KG or Pierce tonight!
« Reply #35 on: February 11, 2013, 04:34:11 PM »

Offline LooseCannon

  • NCE
  • Ed Macauley
  • ***********
  • Posts: 11833
  • Tommy Points: 950
How many minutes should Jason Collins play tonight?
"The worst thing that ever happened in sports was sports radio, and the internet is sports radio on steroids with lower IQs.” -- Brian Burke, former Toronto Maple Leafs senior adviser, at the 2013 MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference

Re: Pull a Pop(ovich). Don't play KG or Pierce tonight!
« Reply #36 on: February 11, 2013, 04:34:59 PM »

Offline CelticConcourse

  • Paul Silas
  • ******
  • Posts: 6162
  • Tommy Points: 383
  • Jeff Green
How many minutes should Jason Collins play tonight?

20!
Jeff Green - Top 5 SF

[Kevin Garnett]
"I've always said J. Green is going to be one of the best players to ever play this game"

Re: Pull a Pop(ovich). Don't play KG or Pierce tonight!
« Reply #37 on: February 11, 2013, 04:56:59 PM »

Offline slamtheking

  • NCE
  • Red Auerbach
  • *******************************
  • Posts: 31869
  • Tommy Points: 10047
Start them as usual, hope they can apply themselves to building a lead over an inferior team, and if they can accomplish that in short minutes, run the bench for the majority of the game. 

Green, Lee, Bradley, Barbosa, Bass and Wilcox/Collins for the bulk of the game would be fine by me.

Re: Pull a Pop(ovich). Don't play KG or Pierce tonight!
« Reply #38 on: February 11, 2013, 05:29:06 PM »

Offline GreenEnvy

  • Antoine Walker
  • ****
  • Posts: 4550
  • Tommy Points: 1031
Other thing to remember, the Spurs are usually at the top of the standings where they can afford to rest guys.



The Celtic's are 7th.  They need to improve their standing right now.

True, but if they are not going to be given the day off ( a la Popovich) on the 2nd night of a back to back after a 3OT game.  Then they will never be given the day off.

Now is the perfect time.

He's rested KG, Pierce, Rondo, and Allen at the end of the year a few seasons when we had nothing to play for. If/when we get locked into a seed, both guys will rest.

I expect to get about 12 minutes in the first half out of KG, and no more than 15 from Pierce. Assuming they are quality minutes, we build a nice lead, let them start the second half, and sit the 4th. I would like pierce around 24 and KG 20, but if this turns into a tight game who knows. Either way, I doubt Doc plays them for more than 30-32 minutes.
CELTICS 2024

Re: Pull a Pop(ovich). Don't play KG or Pierce tonight!
« Reply #39 on: February 11, 2013, 05:32:58 PM »

Offline Who

  • James Naismith
  • *********************************
  • Posts: 47112
  • Tommy Points: 2401
Play them. Don't risk a very winnable game.

Not secure enough in the team's ability to beat Charlotte without Garnett. Rest Pierce / Garnett against a top side that you are likely to lose.

Just make sure you have enough to get a win against this horrid team. Maybe lower their minutes. Especially Pierce since he has an excellent replacement in Jeff Green. Unfortunately, there isn't much big man quality outside of KG so it may prove difficult to lower his minutes much.

Re: Pull a Pop(ovich). Don't play KG or Pierce tonight!
« Reply #40 on: February 11, 2013, 06:08:23 PM »

Offline LooseCannon

  • NCE
  • Ed Macauley
  • ***********
  • Posts: 11833
  • Tommy Points: 950
Play them. Don't risk a very winnable game.

Yeah, pulling a Popovich would be more like resting them in the second game of a back-to-back against the Lakers on the road.
"The worst thing that ever happened in sports was sports radio, and the internet is sports radio on steroids with lower IQs.” -- Brian Burke, former Toronto Maple Leafs senior adviser, at the 2013 MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference

Re: Pull a Pop(ovich). Don't play KG or Pierce tonight!
« Reply #41 on: February 11, 2013, 06:09:59 PM »

Offline CelticConcourse

  • Paul Silas
  • ******
  • Posts: 6162
  • Tommy Points: 383
  • Jeff Green
Don't play Rondo or Sully.
Jeff Green - Top 5 SF

[Kevin Garnett]
"I've always said J. Green is going to be one of the best players to ever play this game"

Re: Pull a Pop(ovich). Don't play KG or Pierce tonight!
« Reply #42 on: February 11, 2013, 07:11:21 PM »

Offline BudweiserCeltic

  • Dennis Johnson
  • ******************
  • Posts: 18699
  • Tommy Points: 1818
Pop really didn't get fined for sitting guys. He was fined, first because it was a nationally televised game, in addition to not informing the league prior to deciding to do so.

Personally I don't think they should've been fined for coaching their team, but if all it would've taken was prior notification to the league, then I think that's a small inconvenience to undertake.
There's no telling what he was fined for.

He has no obligation to report roster decisions to the league. Or to get approval for them, for that matter.

He has no obligation to sacrifice long-term performance based on what the league wants to showcase in a nationally televized game.

All in all, he was fined for, to quote David Stern, "doing a disservice to the league and the fans" which is completely and utterly ridiculous. But then again, he had to be made an example of.

Well, you also left off what was mentioned prior to that quote:

""The result here is dictated by the totality of the facts in this case. The Spurs decided to make four of their top players unavailable for an early-season game that was the team's only regular-season visit to Miami. The team also did this without informing the Heat, the media, or the league office in a timely way. Under these circumstances, I have concluded that the Spurs did a disservice to the league and our fans.""

Re: Pull a Pop(ovich). Don't play KG or Pierce tonight!
« Reply #43 on: February 11, 2013, 07:19:04 PM »

Offline KGs Knee

  • Frank Ramsey
  • ************
  • Posts: 12749
  • Tommy Points: 1544
Pop really didn't get fined for sitting guys. He was fined, first because it was a nationally televised game, in addition to not informing the league prior to deciding to do so.

Personally I don't think they should've been fined for coaching their team, but if all it would've taken was prior notification to the league, then I think that's a small inconvenience to undertake.
There's no telling what he was fined for.

He has no obligation to report roster decisions to the league. Or to get approval for them, for that matter.

He has no obligation to sacrifice long-term performance based on what the league wants to showcase in a nationally televized game.

All in all, he was fined for, to quote David Stern, "doing a disservice to the league and the fans" which is completely and utterly ridiculous. But then again, he had to be made an example of.

Well, you also left off what was mentioned prior to that quote:

""The result here is dictated by the totality of the facts in this case. The Spurs decided to make four of their top players unavailable for an early-season game that was the team's only regular-season visit to Miami. The team also did this without informing the Heat, the media, or the league office in a timely way. Under these circumstances, I have concluded that the Spurs did a disservice to the league and our fans.""

So essentially, according to Czar Stern, the entertainment interests of the league are more important than the actual basketball interests of one of it's teams.

The NBA might as well just flat out admit they want to be the WWE. 

Re: Pull a Pop(ovich). Don't play KG or Pierce tonight!
« Reply #44 on: February 11, 2013, 07:25:20 PM »

Offline KGs Knee

  • Frank Ramsey
  • ************
  • Posts: 12749
  • Tommy Points: 1544
Play them. Don't risk a very winnable game.

Yeah, pulling a Popovich would be more like resting them in the second game of a back-to-back against the Lakers on the road.

Well, it's pretty brilliant if you aske me.  First, your vets get the rest they need/deserve.  Secondly, as far as odds go, it's better to "give up" the game you had a greater chance of losing in the first place.  Thirdly, if you do somehow manage to win the game, despite resting your best players, the confidence gained is immeasureable.

Not really rocket surgery, but apparently Pops is the only one bold enough to try it.  Just one of many reasons he is head and shoulders above all other coaches currently in the league.