So we're back to liking Stevens, right?

[Granath]

Putting Green into the starting lineup has been a brilliant move that few others would have considered.  So why was there so little effort made to utilize him in the regular season? 

Matchups didn't dictate the need. That's the difference between one game out of 82 and a seven game series.

[cltc5]

Are we all forgetting the bulls starting pg is out?

[playdream]

Are we all forgetting the bulls starting pg is out?

And we just lost our MVP candidate star pg's family,along with our team's soul just before the playoffs start
Bulls got lucky here or it will be 3:1 now, with or without Rondo

[saltlover]

Are we all forgetting the bulls starting pg is out?

Last year when we lost to the Hawks 4-2 because Bradley and Olynyk went down, I was repeatedly told it didn't matter and to not make excuses.  So now if we win because of an injury Chicago suffers, it still doesn't count?

I'm sorry, but no.

[fairweatherfan]

I'm back to not being actively mad at him.  He's made some really good adjustments though of course no competent PG is a big help as well. I wish some of those adjustments had played out before the Game 2 implosion.

If we win the series I'll be back to liking him again, but we're still in a position where we could easily get knocked out this round. That'd be a disaster for everyone, players, coaches and management, regardless of the last two games.

[cltc5]

Are we all forgetting the bulls starting pg is out?

Last year when we lost to the Hawks 4-2 because Bradley and Olynyk went down, I was repeatedly told it didn't matter and to not make excuses.  So now if we win because of an injury Chicago suffers, it still doesn't count?

I'm sorry, but no.

It's a factor that can't be denied unless you're a blind fan.

[saltlover]

Are we all forgetting the bulls starting pg is out?

Last year when we lost to the Hawks 4-2 because Bradley and Olynyk went down, I was repeatedly told it didn't matter and to not make excuses.  So now if we win because of an injury Chicago suffers, it still doesn't count?

I'm sorry, but no.

It's a factor that can't be denied unless you're a blind fan.

It's been ignored the last 12 months in regards to last year's Atlanta series.  And citing only to Rondo's injury completely ignores the myriad of lineup and rotation changes that the coach has made in the last two games.  I question who's blind...

[gift]

I'm not keeping track but I hope the people who are saying the Celtics are only winning because of the loss of Rondo are not the same people who think Jimmy Butler is worth a superstar trade package. If Rondo really is the difference between games 1 & 2 and 3 & 4, then he's the real MVP of that team because the difference is incredible.

The fact is, the Celtics were always going to play better and the Bulls role players were not going to continue to play out of their minds. The Celtics were always going to win a couple of games in this series at the very least. Just that after going down 0-2 it didn't feel like this was true.

Every year there are playoff series that change dramatically from beginning to end. That's why they play a series.

[cltc5]

Are we all forgetting the bulls starting pg is out?

Last year when we lost to the Hawks 4-2 because Bradley and Olynyk went down, I was repeatedly told it didn't matter and to not make excuses.  So now if we win because of an injury Chicago suffers, it still doesn't count?

I'm sorry, but no.

It's a factor that can't be denied unless you're a blind fan.

It's been ignored the last 12 months in regards to last year's Atlanta series.  And citing only to Rondo's injury completely ignores the myriad of lineup and rotation changes that the coach has made in the last two games.  I question who's blind...

Completely irrelevant to the point that rondo being out is a factor.  Yes Brad made adjustments but that's not the only reason we are winning.

[guava_wrench]

I never stopped liking him. Never had a reason to not like him.

Perhaps if he fails in the playoffs with a better roster I would start to doubt him.

[Atzar]

Are we all forgetting the bulls starting pg is out?

Last year when we lost to the Hawks 4-2 because Bradley and Olynyk went down, I was repeatedly told it didn't matter and to not make excuses.  So now if we win because of an injury Chicago suffers, it still doesn't count?

I'm sorry, but no.

Good post.

[chambers]

I'm not keeping track but I hope the people who are saying the Celtics are only winning because of the loss of Rondo are not the same people who think Jimmy Butler is worth a superstar trade package. If Rondo really is the difference between games 1 & 2 and 3 & 4, then he's the real MVP of that team because the difference is incredible.

The fact is, the Celtics were always going to play better and the Bulls role players were not going to continue to play out of their minds. The Celtics were always going to win a couple of games in this series at the very least. Just that after going down 0-2 it didn't feel like this was true.

Every year there are playoff series that change dramatically from beginning to end. That's why they play a series.

Well said.
TP

[CoachBS#1]

Hahahaha!!! suddenly Rondo is the best PG in the NBA, Stevens made the adjustment and the celtics played better, they would have won those 2 games with or without Rondo playing

[kozlodoev]

Hahahaha!!! suddenly Rondo is the best PG in the NBA, Stevens made the adjustment and the celtics played better, they would have won those 2 games with or without Rondo playing

That's the problem. Rondo is decidedly not the best PG in the NBA, and Brad Stevens' team was somehow still getting their behind handed to them on a platter for two games. And since you can't evaluate the "adjustment" independently from Rondo's injury, there's no telling whether we would have won these games with Rondo playing.

[mef730]

1.  Enough with this "bad matchup" business.

Mike

TP, and I'll give you the rare "double TP" in an hour if I remember. I'm so sick of hearing about "bad matchups." In the past month or two, virtually every playoff team in the east has been described as one.

They can't possibly all be bad matchups. Yes, we weren't exactly a superteam, but we did pull off the 1-seed. Whether we deserved it or not, you don't stand at the top of the conference if you can't beat a bad matchup team occasionally.

Mike