Cavaliers-Celtics Reaction: Donovan Mitchell STUNS Tatum’s Celtics, time to panic? | Hoops Tonight 

You can argue that Donovan Mitchell is the best player in the series.

As a Celtics fan, J Timpf is speaking from my soul😩. So good at putting into words the frustration we feel watching the most talented and versatile team in the league leave playoff games up to chance!! So crazy! This isn’t a Sixers team or a Miami team that simply doesn’t have the pieces around their stars to win enough playoff games, this Celtics team has EVERYTHING. It’s just the way they play the game with Mazulla’s philosophy. It’s insulting to the fans but mostly an insult to the players. They take accountability in this too, but they are not put in positions to unlock their full potential, particularly Jayson Tatum. The worst part is that if they just committed to playing defense consistently, the other stuff wouldn’t matter. Poor coaching, poor leadership.

Love the show. As a celtics fan it’s tough hearing the critiques but they are true. I’d even add that a lot of what Mazzulla does and adjusts to is very reactionary. The team does not seam to impose their will and more so just reacts to what the defense is doing. It’s fine to “take what the defense gives you” but there are moments, specifically in the playoffs, where a team has to impose their will offensively. That comes with as you said, clear hierarchies.

Where would the Celtics be this playoffs without Derrick white shooting the shit outta the ball. I don’t think they win the heat series in 5 games. I know that’s a hot take but I believe it.

Jason you didn’t need to cook Derrick like that 🤣🤣🤣 “If he had hair it’d be on fire”

Tatum and mazulla two biggest culprits. Like I said Tatum has no issue getting to the rim.. he is terrible at finishing

They can't run the offense through Tatum, even though he's the most talented, because: 1. He hunts fouls instead of buckets and crumbles when he doesn’t get a favorable whistle. 2. He's just as likely to make a boneheaded play as he is to make a step back 3. 3. He's usually the last guy up the floor on offense so everything is against a set half court defense. 4. He hunts mismatches too frequently, killing offensive flow and movement, leading to those iso heavy games that fail against good teams. 5. Settles for jumpshots if there's any rim protection and he's not getting a very favorable whistle. If it's not falling he gets mopey on the court and just stands there doing virtually nothing because "spacing." 6. Lacks the mental tougness or BBIQ to overcome 1-5. That's why the offense has to run through White. He's the only guy capable of consistently making the correct read.

As a Celtics fan I'm fed up with this team. Tatum doesn't even show any interest he wants to win. Donovan Mitchell on the other hand does. Mitchell is trying his ass off and delivering, honestly I hope the cavs make it to the finals. Celtics are just a reg season team, until they get a veteran superstar and a good coach they're screwed. I've lost ALL faith on this stupid ass team. I'm done defending Tatum.

I’m the biggest Celtics fan on this planet and I whole heartedly believe we will make it to the finals but good lord this team can be so frustrating to watch. The Celtics have the most talented roster in the NBA by a mile yet we’ve now gotten our asses kicked by teams that we should have absolutely destroyed. It’s like Boston isn’t taking their opponents seriously because they are so much more talented and that’s not how you win games. Your effort should NEVER be dictated by the team on the court with you and it’s beyond discouraging to see as a fan. If we keep this bullshit up assuming we make the finals we’re gonna get our asses kicked. I am still enraged we let Udoka walk. I know what he did within the organization was inappropriate but we should have stuck with the suspension instead of dropping him. I don’t mean to trash Mazzula but this team would NEVER look like this under Ime, they’re playing with no heart & no sense of urgency.

As a Celtics fan, I love this Jason, thank you

Man I knew the celtics were bad last night but seeing it broken down in slow-mo, just mind blowing how bad the Celtics were

Your thread on Tatum in the lane is totally valid, but as a star, shouldn’t he expect the same treatment as Luka, Shai and Brunson? They all get those calls and I’m sure he doesn’t understand why he’s treated differently

I’m from Boston love the Celtics die hard fan my entire life. This team is soft. Tatum has no and I mean no dog in him. Watch the wolves nuggets game 2 then go watch Celtics Cavs game 2. If that ends up being the finals match up I promise you wolves punk them.

The grueling 7-game series vs the Magic made the Cavs battle-hardened. In Game 1, Cavs clearly just run out of gas. Game 2 is when the series really started.

Thanks Jason for the amazing content as always! This podcast is a great way to stay updated around the league, especially for someone like me who isn't able to watch the games very much

Tatum is Quiet Quitting 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

you only make a video about us when we lose 😂😂😂😂😂😂

I miss Ime so bad

This is a Mazulla issue. His team has the talent to score anywhere, he just has no idea how to run an offense that relies on anything other than long range shots.

That Hauser contest on Mitchell you showed on 28:40 is an example of how statistics can be misleading. On the box score that may show up as a “contested three” but it really wasn’t. As much as the coach may use stats to back up that they defended “well” that really wasn’t the case.

Hey Jason. Love the show. Mailbag question for you. Last year, we saw the Nuggets as the number 1 offense all year and the question in the playoffs was if they could “lock in” defensively. A lot of times as observers we talk about effort on defense being key. Is it possible that this year, the #1 rated Defense Timberwolves are “locking in” on offense. If so, what specific things would go in to that improvement?

As a Celtics fan, I wholeheartedly agree with everything you said. This is a garbage brand of basketball.

Love that you got cavs content. I do think they can win. Best player in the series usually wins. Watch out for Dean Wade.

Jason "Wtf are the Celtics doing" Timpf

The Celtics are building around the wrong player in my opinion. Jayson Tatum is too nonchalant after losing, as where Jaylen Brown was extremely upset about the home loss to the Cavs. I know we all think that Tatum is the more talented player between the two, but Brown is a better leader. I would keep him next season and trade Tatum to find Brown a better number 2. The Celtics won't win a championship with Tatum as their main focus. That's just my opinion and I'm always in the minority anyway, so I don't care if anyone thinks I'm crazy.

Im glad you brought up the defense. When I see the wolves defend I see their effort and will. They do the little things you mentioned like try to deflect the kickout passes on double teams and they sprint back once the pass is made. Cs treat defense like a chore.

As a Celtics fan, he's right.

I saw a lack of urgency on defense and overall as well, which has nothing to do with shooting. They only grabbed 6 OR, versus a team that usually surrenders a ton of them. So, effort and intensity overall was, "oh well."

I understand that you think Celtics should win. But its about matchups and it seems Cavs can matchup with C's pretty well. On paper Boston is the better team but games aren't played on paper. Cavs may lose the series but they will go down fighting.

I think a lot of people feel this and I’m saying it even after game 3 but mazzula just is not a good fit for head coach. He’s running like a three point experiment you can do during a rebuild but just stick to what works. This team needs a proper head coach that understands both sides of the ball and how to manage a team

They play defense when they feel like it. That is it exactly. You could say that about any of these play off teams, except maybe the Knicks. If the're not running any plays for Hauser than obviously sooner or later he will make mistakes on defense(that's not his role on the team). That's right no offense meant to Hauser but he is like a cone out there, Mitchell is just taking a practice shot in warm ups. It was like the game plan was "Lets make Donovan Mitchell look All NBA tonight". Yes they let him get comfortable so he could make a shot like that after the warm up shot. The Celtics even let Struss get jiggy at the end of the game.

Mazulla talks about winning the 3 point battle, so that’s why those early 3s happen.

Lol @ its just vibes man 🤣🤣🤣

No audio?

My cavs exposed a weakness in Boston that can be exploited in game 3 and possibly the series. With Allen coming back soon I have hope 🙏

Volume would be great

How many years would you keep this core together because I don’t see them beating any teams in the west

This is what LeBron and JJ were talking about when they said "sometimes analytics need to get the fuck outta here". This is an analytics team. It's not a serious team. When the shot isn't falling they just pack it in and blame it on variance. What is Boston's identity? Tough pull up jumpers?

Mailbag Q: If MN and the Celtics meet do you think they would put KAT on Tatum (like they did with KD) and lock up their secondary threats (JB, Porzingis, White, Holiday) or go with a more traditional coverage?

You say you think cleveland wins one at home that means it at least has to go 6 if that happens.

Mazzulla is a bum. No adjustments no timeout Joe. Hes inept as a head coach. Defense wins championships not chucking up 3 after 3.

thought this was mostly fair. i think the cs vague hierarchy def affects their rhythm. esp in the face of all the noise abt tatum v other starts in the league. but just like at the open gym if you ball out n make great decisions that keep your teammates involved the team will naturally defer. tatum just needs to assert his will a little more, at the end of the day tatum hasnt played well enough. doesnt rly matter why. without him playing to his potential this team cant be running on all cylinders i saw a stat that 41/51 of playoff games this yr have been won by the team that shoots the 3 better. no team wins when they dont hit shots. so on some level thats an unfair criticism (esp when they are the best shooting team). i do think they can win without the 3 tho. they have to play better on defense and and the jays have to be better getting down hill and beating switches. both are possible but esp w tatum we're not seeing it rn. cs def miss porzingus too. horford is still solid but he's aging. the guys behind him rly cant handle big playoff minutes either. its affecting cs pnr defense and kills their spacing when theyre forced to play kornet n tilman

i've been screaming hierarchy on twitter all season and been called a tatum fanboy time and time again. this celtics team is too arrogant to see that their brand of basketball isn't the way to capitalize on the full potential of this team.

This Ass of a Brand of Basketball led to the best record in the league by alot

Maybe Horford was draining three’s during warmups

Celtics win no video. Soon as they lose video lmao

I wouldnt say their defense is typically poor since Udoka.. didn't they have the 2nd best defensive rating during the season?

Firing Udoka for consensual sex was a horrible mistake.

Are you, Dane cook, and Ben affleck all cousins or something?? 😂😂

People really have no idea that cavs have a talented roster. Yes Celtics are still heavily favored, but the cavs can pull off an upset.

Star Trek>Star Wars

It's not a shock if you pay attention Celtics been underachieving forever

You're criticizing the highest-rated offense in NBA history. Dude lose the blind spot.

The celtics are like goldfish. They beat a team big, then completely let go of the rope. A week later and they do it all over again

No KP for Celtics but Cavs also don't have Allen. Cavs also beat Celtics in Cavs homecourt this season. Also they beat the Heat team without Butler so those Celtics fans that uses no KP as excuse are pathetic.

The Cavs strategy is repeatable Offense: Party at the rim, Celtics have no rim protection Defense Run them off the 3 point line funnel them to Mobley. They lucky Allen is out

Mitchell is underrated and the best player amongst the 2 teams.. by far..

THE BOSTON CELTICS ARE THE GRATEFUL DEAD! When it all clicks it is MAGIC. But the Dead had a lot of bad shows back in the day compared to the consistency of some other bands who played the same way every time 😂😂😂😂

Celtic's win 11-minute vid. Celtic's lose 31-minute bashing... He has pulled this same parlor trick all season long. Haters goin to hate The Celtics had zero defensive intensity. That was the story, but Timpf continues to use SSS to make the same tired point that Celtic's offense is faulty, even though it was the highest-rated offense in NBA history

the Cavs now have home court advantage. that was easy. no porzingis means Boston is done

Saying they should've swept Cleveland is ridiculous. Cavs were the 2 seed before the injuries piled up. The talent disparity is overstated. Especially since mitchell is better than tatum in the post season. Tatum most overated player in the nba.

Its 1 game lol no championship teams go undefeated

Called a man a cone.

Tatum is just a dull personality… lousy guy,,, complete opposite of Donovan…

Everyone acts like this series is over now. Celtics will win the next 2 in Cleveland.

Cavs are a tougher out than you'd expect as a cavs fan. By no means am I saying we take this series, but every game clearly has the chance to be extremely competitive. I'd still say Celtics in 6 probably but if Allen comes back and does it well, he could really shift things on the glass.

Tatum is not a championship level #1 option.

This guys so upset Luka won he didnt even put a video out lmao, geek.

" ...If Boston Played In The West They Would Put More Emphasis On Defense.. " 🗑️ Take. What Is This Fantasy Island?

Can we just agree Tatum should be a #2 at best and stop expecting superstar play….

Yes this brand is basketball is real hard to watch... Nothing but threes and chooses to play defense here n there. Keep on playing with your food Celtics.

The Celtics took a month off at the end of the regular season and just thought they can snap back into it DURING the playoffs 😂 that’s why the Knicks are playing so good they never took a game off and guys kept their rhythm.

The Celtics Are Overrated. CAVS In 6

Tatum loves foul bating

Showtime 🪄 Era Born/LAker 🟣🟡 Fan Here which, makes Me a Celtics ☘️ Hater - 😂😂😂 Brown or Tatum need to be Traded and I hope/pray it’s The Mamba 🐍 Influenced Tatum so, We can get Him and We can win #18 first!!! He can wear #24 Purple Wrist Bands Every Game!!! The LA 🟣🟡 Show!!!

I disagree they are much more talented than Cleveland. Garland, Mitchell, Mobley, and Allen are all really good, 3 of them all stars…..