The Celtics' Playoff Crunchtime Lineup

[Big333223]

The probable crunch time lineup for the C's: Rozier, Brown, Tatum, Morris, Horford.

Putting talent level aside for a second, that's 5 good-to-excellent defenders who all shoot 3's and everyone has a defined role. If everyone executes this lineup could shock some people.

[Csfan1984]

Any word on Smart?

[konkmv]

To be honest ainge had planned a perfect line up....
Kyrie Brown Hayward Morris Horford
With rosier smart Tatum theis and baynes coming from the bench...
So many injuries...
Now with so many injuries...
Larkin has shown promises but...he is inexperienced for playoffs short to face bigger guards
Nader is bad...
Oyeleye is inconsistent
Yabusele has played too little
So... we are left with rosier (4rth guard behind kyrie smart brown) Brown Tatum Morris Horford Monroe baynes
 7 players left
We will need luck

[Phantom255x]

Any word on Smart?

Probably coming back in the 2nd round at the earliest. (If we advance past 1st round)

[PhoSita]

I think Monroe or Baynes could be out there instead of Morris depending on the matchup.  Horford-Morris is asking to get slammed on the boards.

[Tr1boy]

The probable crunch time lineup for the C's: Rozier, Brown, Tatum, Morris, Horford.

Putting talent level aside for a second, that's 5 good-to-excellent defenders who all shoot 3's and everyone has a defined role. If everyone executes this lineup could shock some people.

this lineup is not enough

Celts need contribution off the bench as well

luckily Celts have a decent bench.  The one guy they should sign is Bird and drop Nader

Bird can give you 6 points a night just by crashing/cutting the net.   No certainty with Nader

[Moranis]

That lineup lacks any elite (and maybe even good) shot creators.  There are no elite passers (Horford is an elite passer for a big man, but not an elite passer in general).  There are no elite rebounders. 

That lineup will get killed by most playoff level crunch time rosters. 

I love the enthusiasm, but the level of blind homerism on this site at times is a bit much.

[PhoSita]

That lineup lacks any elite (and maybe even good) shot creators.  There are no elite passers (Horford is an elite passer for a big man, but not an elite passer in general).  There are no elite rebounders. 

That lineup will get killed by most playoff level crunch time rosters. 

I love the enthusiasm, but the level of blind homerism on this site at times is a bit much.

For what it's worth (~125 minute sample), lineups with Rozier, Brown, Tatum, Horford and without Kyrie, Theis, or Smart have the following stats:

109.5 offensive rating
101.4 defensive rating

55.6% TS

51.3% Opponent TS

46.8% TRB%


Seems to support the idea that the lineup would be pretty good but not fantastic in most areas except for rebounding.

(per NBAwowy)

[Moranis]

That lineup lacks any elite (and maybe even good) shot creators.  There are no elite passers (Horford is an elite passer for a big man, but not an elite passer in general).  There are no elite rebounders. 

That lineup will get killed by most playoff level crunch time rosters. 

I love the enthusiasm, but the level of blind homerism on this site at times is a bit much.

For what it's worth (~125 minute sample), lineups with Rozier, Brown, Tatum, Horford and without Kyrie, Theis, or Smart have the following stats:

109.5 offensive rating
101.4 defensive rating

55.6% TS

51.3% Opponent TS

46.8% TRB%


Seems to support the idea that the lineup would be pretty good but not fantastic in most areas except for rebounding.

(per NBAwowy)

Are those 125 minutes against playoff teams in crunch time?

[PhoSita]

Are those 125 minutes against playoff teams in crunch time?

See the part of my post (i.e. the first words I typed) where I said: "For what it's worth."

[jambr380]

That lineup lacks any elite (and maybe even good) shot creators.  There are no elite passers (Horford is an elite passer for a big man, but not an elite passer in general).  There are no elite rebounders. 

That lineup will get killed by most playoff level crunch time rosters. 

I love the enthusiasm, but the level of blind homerism on this site at times is a bit much.

Nobody thinks we are going to win the championship. People are mostly hoping to get past the 1st round and then see what happens against the Sixers. These are not unreasonable expectations with the right combination of coaching, defense, and timely shooting.

Our team has been decimated by injuries - it is bad form to trash fans of the team when so much potential has already been taken away from them.

[Smitty77]

None of this factors in the FACT that we have the BEST coach in all of basketball!!!

Smitty77

P.S.  Call me a homer all day long, but I BELIEVE that to be nothing but the ------- TRUTH!!!!!

[DefenseWinsChamps]

I'm still of the opinion that a Rozier-Brown-Tatum-Horford-Baynes-Morris-Smart-Monroe 8 man rotation might be better equipped to win in the playoffs than last year's Thomas-Bradley-Crowder-Johnson-Horford-Smart-Olynyk-Brown 8 man rotation.

I also think the Cavs and Wizards are not as good as they were last year. I think Raptors are fool's gold and can be beaten. The Heat, Bucks, and Pacers are all solid, inexperienced teams that are beatable.

The Sixers are probably the toughest non-Lebron matchup in the East in quite a while. They look legit good, but there are holes in that team defensively and offensively and they are more inexperienced than the Cs.

These Celtics may not have quite the offensive explosiveness as last year's team, but their offensive floor is higher with more individually gifted scorers. Their defense is worlds better than last year's team too.

I'm not saying they will come out of the East. I still don't know if they will win the first round, but then again, last year's team almost lost in the first round to the Bulls, and then in the second round to the Wizards.

I'm just saying that I give this feisty, experienced, above average offensively, elite defensively, team coached by CBS a fighter's chance in the wide open East.

[PhoSita]

I'm still of the opinion that a Rozier-Brown-Tatum-Horford-Baynes-Morris-Smart-Monroe 8 man rotation might be better equipped to win in the playoffs than last year's Thomas-Bradley-Crowder-Johnson-Horford-Smart-Olynyk-Brown 8 man rotation.

I also think the Cavs and Wizards are not as good as they were last year. I think Raptors are fool's gold and can be beaten. The Heat, Bucks, and Pacers are all solid, inexperienced teams that are beatable.

The Sixers are probably the toughest non-Lebron matchup in the East in quite a while. They look legit good, but there are holes in that team defensively and offensively and they are more inexperienced than the Cs.

These Celtics may not have quite the offensive explosiveness as last year's team, but their offensive floor is higher with more individually gifted scorers. Their defense is worlds better than last year's team too.

I'm not saying they will come out of the East. I still don't know if they will win the first round, but then again, last year's team almost lost in the first round to the Bulls, and then in the second round to the Wizards.

I'm just saying that I give this feisty, experienced, above average offensively, elite defensively, team coached by CBS a fighter's chance in the wide open East.

Well, currently it looks like the path will start with a chronically under-achieving Bucks team, after which the likely opponent will be a Sixers team whose best two players have zero playoff experience.

It sure would be satisfying as heck to beat "The Process" while missing two of our best players.

That said, I will be surprised if this injury-plagued Celts team, whose best available individual scorer is either a rookie who averaged 14 points per game or a backup point guard who barely cracked 40% from the field, can make it past the 1st round.

[mgent]

Rozier
Smart
Brown
Tatum
Horford

If it's a matchup against 2 bigs, or somebody that Tatum is struggling with like say, LeBron, I think Morris would replace Rozier (or one of the other guys if Rozier was really hot).