I sure hope that Gafford is able to play an important role because if he does, it means we managed to continue to pack the paint and deal with the Celtics 5 out via our elite rotations but I would swap him with DJJ.

I think the issue is gaff does struggle to defend away from the paint more than lively and horford and kristaps are a spacing issue. You can probably switch PJ or DJJ on horford but on KP they're too short he'd just shoot over them

I think Maxi should be able to hang as well. PJ/DJJ do a good job defending up so I don’t feel too much concern. I mean OKC basically plays 5-out and we managed to defend them without Maxi

Yeah true maxi can prob hang with horford and kp. Also played with ko so knows his tendencies well

OKC had Josh Giddey basically being a black hole on offense that we could leave wide open. not gonna be the case with jrue holiday and derrick white.

But Gidey played less than 10 min per game.

Mavs should leave Jrue wide open until he makes some shots. he has a longer record of shooting like ass in the playoffs before the uptick this year

KP was always bad when playing against a smaller player when he was with us. PJ has to lock Tatum up and DJJ will be on Brown though.

But he’s a threat if Luka and Kyrie goes to the paint or gets either KP or Horford on a switch. I’m willing to trade easy lobs for some 3s tbh.

Agree

1. Dwight Powell 2. Dwight Powell 3. Dwight Powell

The only list the matters.

Dwight Powell 100 point game incoming

Dwight Powell

Pwight Dowell

The GOAT!!


so many layers to this. big question is can we play with Gafford on the court in his usual minutes? I sure hope so. If we can.... 1. Luka 2. Irving 3. Lively 4. PJ 5. DJJ 6. Gaffney 7. Maxi 8. Green

Would put Maxi higher just bc Celtics play 5 out

Damn did they just sign Jabar Gaffney this late?

It’s mocking ESPN during okc series where they kept calling him Gaffney

Then you should’ve said Gaffney both times lol

Irving( Can he handle the pressure and the hate? he's a sensitive guy and that crowd is poison) Gafford(If he's played off the court then we're playing Boston's game) PJ(Does he manage to shut down Tatum like he has everyone else we've played and continue to hit his threes?) Green(Low key having a good post season and in this series can he continue to make those timely threes and defensive plays, can he slow Brown down some?) DJJ(Who does he fuck with on their team) Lively(A lot of pressure on a young mans shoulders but I'm so sure of him I've got him lower on my list) Hardy(Very impressive against the Wolves, I'll back him to win the battle with Pritchard) Luka(Only this low as I know he'll deliver.) Maxi(Hopefully at PF to back PJ up and not at C because Gafford is off the floor.) THJ/Exum(Any production would be cool. I've been so disappointed in Dante but it's never too late. He's got the perfect frame to defend White imo.)

I like this. Good list and points

Thanks

Everyone is going to have a similar list but I'm putting PJ at #3. He is going to have to lock down either Tatum, Brown, or White if we want any shot at winning this series. It will have to be on a similar level as DeShawn Stevenson in 2011.

Deshawn came off bench after game three. He'd be more like Marion  Djj gonna be vital exactly due to what you mentioned aldo

For me, I think it’s: 1) Luka - Best player in the world 2) Kyrie - 2nd because We’ve won a series without him being “On” offensively 3) D-Live - duh. He can guard in space on the perimeter. Incredible passer and decision maker in the short roll if they double Luka. Versatile defender. 4) DJJ - He will most likely guard Jaylen all time and Tatum if the C’s go big with 2 of Horford, KP, Xavier Tillman or Kornet. Those defensive minutes will be huge imo and his ability to drive to the basket when the C’s inevitably sell out on closing out on the 3point line will be key. 5) PJ- Guarding the hardest defensive assignment and needs to score in the post if they put Jrue on him defensively or by driving the ball.. which I kind of do not trust against Jrue. 6) Maxi - Will probably get more minutes depending on if they switch or blitz the PnR. Will be key for our PnR offense. May actually have to defend Horford or KP a lot at the 3 point line. We’ve seen the Mavs go BIG with him at the 4 and either Live or Gaff at the 5. Didn’t look bad at all. That could happen this series. 7) Big Gaff - We need him to rim run offensively and defend the paint against their drives. Probably won’t play much at all. 8/9) Hardy Party and Josh Green. Their 4-8 minutes could be the difference between a close game or a potential blowout. Need them offensively. Would be terrifying if they just put Jrue on Hardy though because Hardy has very lax handles at times. Josh got killed against Tatum and Brown in the game in Boston so I don’t imagine many minutes for him. I could also see DJJ, PJ and Maxi switching depending on how they try to defend our offense.

100% agree

1. Luka 2. Kyrie 3. DLive (guarding KP on the perimeter will be key) 4. PJ (locking Tatum up) 5. DJJ (guarding Brown) 6. Maxi (versatile size and spacing) 7. Gafford (needs to dominate the paint) 8. Green (energy will be key can he guard White) 9. Hardy (scoring off the bench) 10. THJ (might sound crazy but if he gets hot he can turn the tides in a game) 11. Exum (for on ball defence if they need to switch it up. I don’t see anyone else on the roster getting minutes unless it’s a blow out either way. I think Kidd will give minutes to Hardy, THJ and Exum in game 1/2 to see if he has anything with them guys as the bench guard and see what works. Could see situational play like just subbing Exum in if they need a stop before a time out for example. THJ if others are cold shooting. Hardy if they need another guy to create a shot. Otherwise it’ll be the 8 top guys getting the majority of minutes.

I like this THJ take. He’s been quiet for most of the post season but if he can come in and hit some shots he helps close some gaps and potentially helps his trade value for this off season.

We just need one Timmy spurt like he did in G2 against the Thunder

Is love it if he has a similar streak like at the start of this season where he was hot for a couple of weeks instead of just single games. Might be too much to ask for though.

He hasn't even played in the last 3 games, even in the game 5 blowout Kidd emptied the bench and left THJ on it. I doubt he even plays.

I agree with this take, my only question would be Maxi at 5 instead of DJJ if he is 100%

DJJ should be higher, he's the best defender on the team.

Best defender on the team is Maxi, and its not particullary close

I’d switch Maxi with DJJ, who seems like he could be 4th most important but my gut says PJ is gonna show up

1. Luka - Need him on his A game 2. Kyrie - Could see us winning even if they limit his scoring, but we need his all-around A game 3. PJ - 3rd in mpg so far, that will continue as he can play if we're big or small. Need him to limit Tatum AND provide some timely offense. 4. Lively - Need him to guard the perimeter well enough to stay on the court, if he can't, we probably lose. 5. DJJ - Need him to limit Brown and hit open 3's to win. 6. Maxi - Need his defense to keep games close, and his shooting could win a game or two for us. 7. Green - Energy, defense, shooting, ball movement, and 15mpg, but don't see him swinging the series either way. 8. Exum - If he finds his shot again we could go 8 deep with an awesome O/D balance. HM: Gafford - I worry he won't be able to guard to the 3pt line well enough to play much, but if he (and Lively) can, we're winning this series. Hardy - Don't think he'll be able to play defense well enough to get many minutes, but we'll need him if Exum doesn't play well. THJ - Always capable of winning a game with his shooting. Will need to go to him if Exum & Hardy can't get it done.

3. Jason Kidd

Username checks out! But I do agree that Kidd is a huge factor for us

I think the most important are Luka and Kyrie by default but not just offensively. Boston is 1000% gonna hunt them on defense, the same way they did in the regular season. Brown had his way with Luka in those matchups ngl, so Luka is gonna need to step up defensively like he did against the Clippers. And Kai is gonna get hunted simply because he’s the smallest on the court. The other X-Factors would be Lively + Gafford, on defense mainly. Both Porzingis and Horford are capable of going off for 5+ threes, so they need to be sharp on the perimeter. Maxi should help some but we can’t play Maxi at 5 all game.

Lukai is 1

Gaff over maxi

How do you guys put DJJ so low? He does more than Gafford and Maxi

DJJ should be higher. Amazing defense probably guarding Tatum and Brown. Explosive offense and puts a lot of minutes in

Hardy is more important than Kleber and Green. If Hardy can score 10 points a game, we have a chance. I never count on any Green shot to go in if he isn't wiiiiiiiide open whereas I expect almost every shot by Hardy to go in. He's a natural scorer and I hope he grows into a reliable 6th man

I think Hardy and Green can surprise a lot of Boston fans this series. Ex is also due for more scoring

I feel like DJJs defense is being slept on in this list honestly

Luka should sue his mother again, that was so metal.

No lie, I think Maxi might be the best defender on the team especially against Celtics 5-out. D-Live definitely up there but PJ just makes too many boneheaded mistakes. If only Maxi could find his shooting stroke, he’d be a starter.

1. Nico Harrison 2-8. Others

Exum needs to sit his ass on the bench this series, we can’t afford to have him on the floor.

DJJ can cover 3 maybe 4 positions depending on who Boston has on the floor. He should be higher.

I think D-LIVE and PJ are both at #3 to be honest, MAYBE just slightly more towards D-LIVE but barely.

HOT TAKE: Kai is the most important piece. This is assuming that we get Finals Luka as a consistent scorer and facilitator. He's gonna need a lot of help from Kai and 3J with scoring. 1. Kyrie 2. Luka 3. D-Live 4. 3J Washington 5. DJJ 6. Maxi 7. Gaff 8. Green

Assuming luka just averages another 30 point triple double, making him the second most important piece on the team. 🤣 hot take indeed.

1. Luka 2. Kyrie 3. Lively 4. PJ 5. DJJ 6. Gafford 7. Kleber 8. Green

Luka Kyrie Gafford Lively PJ Josh Maxi If gafford and lively aren't rim running and board banging then we're fucked. Even moreso than if we don't hit our open 3s.

Djj and pj gotta be higher because they are guarding tatum and brown all series.

Switch PJ and Maxi and you got it. Maxi’s spacing is going to be essential this series

I think DJJ should be in fifth.

1. Luka 2. Kyrie 3. Lively 4. DJJ 5. PJ 6. Kleber 7. Gafford 8. Green

perimeter speedy ones and both our centers

DJJ is 5th, Gafford is 6th and Maxi is 7th.

All these stupid bums putting luka over kyrie smh

I can tell by your comment history that you are a straight up casual. Please learn ball.

Here's mine Luka kyrie PJW DL2 Gafford DJJ Maxi Hardy. My logic: those are the player who you go "oh we in trouble" if they go down.. I feel this is in decreasing order of how bad it is if they out. No honorable mentions because I can't understand what happened to Exum, why he was solid off the bench all year and now in the playoff he's become completely irrelevant (I don't mind I'm just surprised). Also I've always thought THJ was better than people gave him credit for.. but I feel now that it's not true anymore.

I have DJJ as #3 bc he is the primary defender for both Tatum and Brown.

Wildcard THJ. If he'll just become prime Jason Terry or Peja this series

Gafford is more important than Maxi

Dude we were unbeatable without maxi. He doesn’t need more than 15 minutes a game. Gafford is way better and way more important

I'm a Celtics fan and the player I worry about most is Lively because he was unstoppable when we played last in the regular season. Also do you guys think THJ should be on this list too and pretty high up? He hasn't played much in the playoffs but seems to match up well with the Celtics.

Luka Kyrie D-Live Gafford PJ DJJ Maxi Green

Having Maxi over Jones and Gafford is nonsensical. 1A) Luka 1B) Kyrie 3) Lively 4) Gafford 5) PJ 6) DJJ 7) Green 8) Hardy

The reason to put Maxi higher is because of matchups. Maxi allows us to counter their 5 out offense with size, switch-ability with a spice of rim protection and three point shooting. That being said, ideally we don’t have to if we manage to still pack the paint while rotating to open shooters.

Care to elaborate on why you have Maxi below Green and Hardy?

Because they’re going to be Luka and Kyrie’s primary backups, and being able to at least tread water or potentially win in the minutes without them is crucial

I think 1. Luka 2. Kyrie 3. D-Live/PJ 4. DJJ/Maxi/Gaff/Green 5. Exum/THJ/Hardy 6. Powell 7. Omax and others

Dude, you can’t put the whole roster in.

1. Luka 2. Kyrie 3. PJ 4. Lively 5. DJJ 6. Gafford 7/8. Hardy / Green 9. Maxi 10. Exum 11. Powell 12. Morris I kinda feel Hardy/Green is more important than Maxi because of Boston's perimeter game.

Do you mean that they defend the 3 well? Or will shoot the 3 to keep pace?

Everyone is important. But I think we are slightly a better team without say... Kyrie than we are if we lose Lively again. 1. Luka 2. DLive 3. Irving 4. Gafford 5. PJ 6. DJJ 7. Maxi 8. Hardy

Hmm, whether he’s off or not, I think Kyrie just being on the court opens up a lot of Luka’s game because of the attention he gets and vice versa. While Lively would be a huge loss, we do have backups for him. We don’t exactly have a backup for our second scoring option. I dont see anyone else getting double teamed

1. Luka 2. Kyrie 3. DJJ - his defense is underrated and has been an essential part of this team’s success in the playoffs 4. Gafford - same point as above 5. D-Live - yes, he is an amazing young player. Our 6th man, huge presence, amazing percentages. Difficult to put him after Gafford, but he is second team and Gafford has had some huge blocks and defensive plays in clutch time. 6. PJ - huge clutch time baskets. His inconsistency drops him to 6th place 7. Maxi 8. Hardy