Celtics @ Suns Wednesday game thread 12-7-2022

[Finito]

Some of you really need to come to terms with what this team is.

Monty and CP37 are at the top of the list of people who need to go. Monty hasn’t gotten better and Paul is a damn shell of himself who Monty will cater to no matter how bad it destroys team chemistry

Meanwhile Willie Green has the best team in the west

 

[Mainstreet]

The most concerning thing I saw last night was not the Suns getting their butt kicked. It was the quit I saw in the team.

It was like watching games 6 and 7 of the playoffs against Dallas, the Orlando game, the Rockets game, the recent Dallas game and now Boston.

The Suns can improve their roster but I'm not sure if they can fix the quit.

There is an apathy in this team that needs to be addressed.

 

[95pro]

This current team will struggle to make it out of the first round! I saw a team last night where nobody could stay in front of their man.. the Celtics broke down the Suns with ease.

Suns have a tough time against a 5-out offense. This draws all our guys to the perimeter, leaving the basket open for drives.

Baa-lak-ay Griffin had three 3's
Williams had two 3's

The bigs draw out our only rim protector (and he's not great at blocking/timing shots), then attack the rim at will.

 

[Finito]

The most concerning thing I saw last night was not the Suns getting their butt kicked. It was the quit I saw in the team.

It was like watching games 6 and 7 of the playoffs against Dallas, the Orlando game, the Rockets game, the recent Dallas game and now Boston.

The Suns can improve their roster but I'm not sure if they can fix the quit.

There is an apathy in this team that needs to be addressed.

They get down and just give up. The way guys weren’t even trying to close out on shooters is alarming.

That’s culture. Something is very wrong here

 

[Mainstreet]

Mainstreet, you gotta put this one to rest. Okogie is NOT a point guard. He’s just not. He’s not a good enough ballhandler. He doesn’t have great vision. He’s really usually somewhat outta control when putting the ball on the floor and dribbling into traffic with no agenda. He had a rare hot streak tonight and was the only player to play with any energy, but he is just not that good, and definitely not a point guard.

Maybe we are looking at it in different ways. I'm looking at where Okogie might be able to get some minutes. He can handle the ball.

At 24 he is young enough where he shouldn't be pigeonholed into a position.

Also, Okogie can play some small forward. I'm not sure if he can shoot well enough to play shooting guard.

 

[Mainstreet]

They get down and just give up. The way guys weren’t even trying to close out on shooters is alarming.

That’s culture. Something is very wrong here

I think it was last season the Celtics were having problems but cleared the air in a heated discussion. I'm not seeing this with the Suns.

Somebody needs to get upset. I'd prefer tempers flaring than apathy.

 

[AzStevenCal]

I think it was last season the Celtics were having problems but cleared the air in a heated discussion. I'm not seeing this with the Suns.

Somebody needs to get upset. I'd prefer tempers flaring than apathy.

I just don't think we're having the kind of problems a locker room discussion is going to fix. Superstar CP3 surrounded by a completely healthy version of this roster is a solid championship contender, right there in Boston's class.

But we no longer have superstar CP3 and right now, we are nowhere close to being healthy so we're just not that big a threat. We can hide that a little when our surrounding pieces are mostly healthy and Booker/Ayton have killer games. But that isn't going to happen often enough to make us anything but a first or second round exit at best IMO.

 

[Mainstreet]

I just don't think we're having the kind of problems a locker room discussion is going to fix. Superstar CP3 surrounded by a completely healthy version of this roster is a solid championship contender, right there in Boston's class.

But we no longer have superstar CP3 and right now, we are nowhere close to being healthy so we're just not that big a threat. We can hide that a little when our surrounding pieces are mostly healthy and Booker/Ayton have killer games. But that isn't going to happen often enough to make us anything but a first or second round exit at best IMO.

I'm more upset about the way the Suns have played since the playoffs than whether they are a championship contender. Their effort in the last two games is not acceptable on any level.

There is no denying the Suns championship window may have passed but I expected another run this season. My problem is with the lack of effort. It has been shocking.

In regard to Chris Paul, maybe he is not the same player, but for a player that hasn't played in forever, he moved pretty good last night. Devin Booker complaining to the referees is getting old. The team feeds off of him.

 

[AzStevenCal]

I'm more upset about the way the Suns have played since the playoffs than whether they are a championship contender. Their effort in the last two games is not acceptable on any level.

There is no denying the Suns championship window may have passed but I expected another run this season. My problem is with the lack of effort. It has been shocking.

In regard to Chris Paul, maybe he is not the same player, but for a player that hasn't played in forever, he moved pretty good last night. Devin Booker complaining to the referees is getting old. The team feeds off of him.

I don't think CP3 has totally crashed, I just don't believe he's as good as he was his first season with us. I'm not even sure he can be as good as last season and IMO that was a noticable drop from the year before. Add to that his playoff injury/illness history and I just don't think we can count on him coming through for us when we need it. As for Booker, I've complained about his referee approach for several years now. It's not likely to change.

 

[Mainstreet]

I don't think CP3 has totally crashed, I just don't believe he's as good as he was his first season with us. I'm not even sure he can be as good as last season and IMO that was a noticable drop from the year before. Add to that his playoff injury/illness history and I just don't think we can count on him coming through for us when we need it. As for Booker, I've complained about his referee approach for several years now. It's not likely to change.

I don't think there is any disagreement Chris Paul's career is winding down. My hope was there was enough gas left in the tank for the Suns to have one more good season with him if they watched his playing time. I'm not sure this isn't still true, but the wheels are starting to come off the team mentally.

The team shouldn't be so locked into Devin Booker dropping 30-40 points, they can't play well without him. I'm not even talking about winning.

The Suns lack of effort was embarrassing. That shouldn't be the case even if Booker doesn't play.

 

[boisesuns]

It sure feels like the suns are in some sort of weird in between spot. Talented and able to beat anyone but also going through confusing stretches.

 

[Proximo]

The most concerning thing I saw last night was not the Suns getting their butt kicked. It was the quit I saw in the team.

It was like watching games 6 and 7 of the playoffs against Dallas, the Orlando game, the Rockets game, the recent Dallas game and now Boston.

The Suns can improve their roster but I'm not sure if they can fix the quit.

There is an apathy in this team that needs to be addressed.

I mean I don't like to see a team quit, but it was freaking obvious they weren't winning last night when it was half way through the 2nd quarter, they were down by 20 and had shot 1-13 from 3.

They knew just like all the fans knew at that point they were not winning. It's human nature to somewhat give up in those circumstances, especially in a regular season game against the best team in the league.

I do feel like if there is an issue with the team, it might very well be Monty. I also know he is going nowhere for at least the rest of the season, and probably would only be in danger then if we spectacularly flame out in the playoffs again.

 

[Proximo]

I don't think there is any disagreement Chris Paul's career is winding down. My hope was there was enough gas left in the tank for the Suns to have one more good season with him if they watched his playing time. I'm not sure this isn't still true, but the wheels are starting to come off the team mentally.

The team shouldn't be so locked into Devin Booker dropping 30-40 points, they can't play well without him. I'm not even talking about winning.

The Suns lack of effort was embarrassing. That shouldn't be the case even if Booker doesn't play.

Paul is what he is at this point, which is effectively a role player.

We do go as Booker goes - that is pretty much just a fact. He is our main facilitator at this point. Would it be nice to have another one - sure. They don't exactly give them away though.

 

[AzStevenCal]

I don't think there is any disagreement Chris Paul's career is winding down. My hope was there was enough gas left in the tank for the Suns to have one more good season with him if they watched his playing time. I'm not sure this isn't still true, but the wheels are starting to come off the team mentally.

The team shouldn't be so locked into Devin Booker dropping 30-40 points, they can't play well without him. I'm not even talking about winning.

The Suns lack of effort was embarrassing. That shouldn't be the case even if Booker doesn't play.

I still expect a good season, somewhere north of 50 wins. But I don't see a way to make us a real contender. If Crowder plus our picks and pick swaps could land us someone like an SGA, maybe that could happen but that's doubtful. I expect us to make a minor roster change or two but mostly I expect us to tread water until the new ownership is in place.

 

[Mainstreet]

I mean I don't like to see a team quit, but it was freaking obvious they weren't winning last night when it was half way through the 2nd quarter, they were down by 20 and had shot 1-13 from 3.

They knew just like all the fans knew at that point they were not winning. It's human nature to somewhat give up in those circumstances, especially in a regular season game against the best team in the league.

I do feel like if there is an issue with the team, it might very well be Monty. I also know he is going nowhere for at least the rest of the season, and probably would only be in danger then if we spectacularly flame out in the playoffs again.

The problem has been brewing since at least games 6 and 7 in the playoffs with Dallas. I don't worry about one bad game. It's been building for a while. I don't like the idea of the team not playing well (not necessarily winning) especially in big games. The whole team needs to play 48 minutes.

Kevin Young had been out the past three games. I can't help but wonder if there might be some relationship.

 

[Mainstreet]

I still expect a good season, somewhere north of 50 wins. But I don't see a way to make us a real contender. If Crowder plus our picks and pick swaps could land us someone like an SGA, maybe that could happen but that's doubtful. I expect us to make a minor roster change or two but mostly I expect us to tread water until the new ownership is in place.

For me, it was trying to get one more good run out of the team, not necessarily winning it all.

There is some quit in this team. I'm not going to guess where because all it would be is guessing.

For the past three seasons (including this one) I thought the Suns were a couple of rotation players away from winning it all. I still feel this way but there is no fixing a team that rolls over when things aren't going well.

The Suns have a huge problem playing defense, blocking out for rebounds and hitting 3-point shots in tough games. This should be fixable with some roster changes.

The Suns are still playing without a starting power forward and a shooter/play maker. They should be obtainable.

Fixing the mental part of the game, I don't know.

 

[Superbone]

I didn't see the bench quit.

 

[Covert Rain]

I woke up this morning hoping that after I bowed out that the Suns pulled this off. I was pretty sure that wasn't going to happen, and the Suns didn't disappoint.

 

[Mainstreet]

I didn't see the bench quit.

That's part of the problem. The Suns don't have much of a bench without Cam Johnson, Crowder and an open roster spot.

I'm not sure if Dario will ever be 100% again.

Payne and Okogie put out a strong effort.

 

[DJ Tabooh]

Didn’t get a chance to watch the last 2 games as we didn’t show up against the Mavs and Celtics. We need to have a come to Jesus moment as a team. It starts at the top.

Monty is a GREAT human being who I love as a coach. But I need him to show some fire. Right now, this team is going through the motions. There’s no sense of urgency. This is the NBA. Wake up boys.

And this is where I gotta challenge Book….this is YOUR TEAM. Be a leader and play with some emotion. I want him in kill mode. It’s clear that if it ain’t him, no one else is going to do anything. We’re at a treacherous point right now. We’ve gotta stay connected as a team.

Finally, let’s make some trades. We need bodies. We need a spark. Everything just seems so dull. It’s like we’re in a haze. I’ll always love this team and I can accept losing. I can’t accept not giving max effort. C’mon boys WAKE UP. Let’s go out there and get a win in a hostile environment Friday in New Orleans. Even if we don’t win, let’s show some dang fight.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

Maybe we are looking at it in different ways. I'm looking at where Okogie might be able to get some minutes. He can handle the ball.

At 24 he is young enough where he shouldn't be pigeonholed into a position.

Also, Okogie can play some small forward. I'm not sure if he can shoot well enough to play shooting guard.

Ah you’re saying to play him those minutes but not necessarily entrust him with that role. Got it.

 

[DJ Tabooh]

I'm not sure this mysterious team is just going through the motions, because it doesn't make sense to me that Booker would quit shortly after attracting the whole league's attention with his accomplishments. I wonder whether something ugly happened in the locker room and disrupted chemistry.

I’m not saying Book has quit. But none of the team seems to have the collective fire that last year’s team had. We’re front runners. When things go well, it’s easy. But when we feel any sort of adversity, we used to recover and now we just let teams do what they want at will. Everyone’s gotta check their ego at the door and play Suns basketball. Monty has to reset this group.

 

[mjb21aztd]

Bit of a rough morning little energy from lack of zzz thanks suns....

Hope book finds some motivation and turns it round quickly

Was thinking taking my gf to a suns gm but after last n showing might be a iffy date n lol

Ugh come on 1 team cards or suns wake the f up!!!

 

[Mainstreet]

Bit of a rough morning little energy from lack of zzz thanks suns....

Hope book finds some motivation and turns it round quickly

Was thinking taking my gf to a suns gm but after last n showing might be a iffy date n lol

Ugh come on 1 team cards or suns wake the f up!!!

Yeah. No telling which way the Suns are going to go right now.

 

[swagron]

I'm not sure this mysterious team is just going through the motions, because it doesn't make sense to me that Booker would quit shortly after attracting the whole league's attention with his accomplishments. I wonder whether something ugly happened in the locker room and disrupted chemistry.

Is there anything to do with the CP/KK rumor? Booker and Jenner? Maybe something along those lines.