Venting on the L2M report then talking Celtics roster, All-Stars, and concerns

Venting on the L2M report then talking Celtics roster, All-Stars, and concerns

[Applause] At the mo [Applause] round take that the Celtics Talk podcast is presented by 24 autogroup.com 11 locations across New England what’s up everybody off day edition of the Celtics Talk podcast coming to you as Celtics fans processed the last two-minute report following that terrible terrible loss in Indianapolis where referees didn’t do

Any favors to the Celtics and then further trolled them by declaring that yeah they messed up a couple calls but not the one that Celtic fans were most messed up no that was the right play that Jaylen Brown definitely did not get fouled when it was obvious he got foued

So called up my buddies to run battle and said uh let’s run through this let’s let’s first we’re going to have a little event session and then we’re going to turn the page we’re going to be looking ahead I want to talk about the roster construction deep into the future or

Well deep into the future of this season I should say with the trade deadline one month away and then I want to talk about the All-Star game which guys from the Celtics are definitely going to be there and then we’re going to do a little segment called uh what’s bugging you

Because there’s just I know the Celtics are the best team in the league and this isn’t meant to be to be negative or accentuate the negative but there’s just little things they need to clean up and maybe some of that was accentuated in this little home and Home in Indie so uh

We’ll just kind of kind of get a few things off our chest and and we’ll talk about whether that will impact their quest for Banner 18 or if they’ll tidy up some of those things but let’s get right into it here’s my chat with seron all right

S last two minute report came out a little bit before we started uh started rolling here I don’t even know if I want to put it I don’t even know if I want to go down this I promis myself I would not linger on this topic because it just

Makes me so mad that we even have a last two-minute report like it’s so dumb yeah it’s nothing you can do about it right like what like okay let’s just hands up we made some mistakes like does that make anybody feel how did you feel when you saw the egregiousness of a last

Two-minute report that said there was essentially three errors in the final three and a half seconds of this game well it was kind of I wouldn’t say obvious but it was like uh yeah there was some but that was a pretty obvious uh slap in the back of the head on

Jaylen Brown and then the porzingis one it looked like he jump he clearly jumped into porzingis and porzingis was a victim of just being the bigger guy and but it I think you can’t you can’t call that those you can’t reverse that play and then call that on the other end like

That to end the game that’s just terrible that that’s where I like the one thing that that I walk away and I say the sers played terrible in the third quarter they had a whole bunch of miscues including like I don’t love that shot by Jaylen Brown yeah he forced it

Right and like I don’t love any of those things and yet you know it can’t be both ways he got foued he did what he was supposed to do if you know he should have got to the free throw line should have had a chance to put his team ahead

And yet you know I don’t know how you go to the Monitor and overturn that how many times between the NFL and the NBA do we see them go to the Monitor and just say like there’s not in there’s not enough conclusive evidence to overturn

That call yeah for the ref to be as bullish as he was and now he’s further emboldened by the NBA saying that it was the correct non correct call like it blows my mind but and then to just fully troll stetic fans the two players at the other end they’re saying Miles Turner

Set an illegal screen and then Chris staps cleanly blocked it which I mean I didn’t even have a problem with that foul call like I thought that I thought legit like that was a foul but like you said it has to go both ways yeah it’s

It’s bad I mean the Jaylen brown one it was so obvious the Pacers players were giggling like they they knew he got hit in the back of the head it was pretty yes he might have got the ball but that’s the the way the NBA treats players in the act of shooting there’s

No way that that’s not a foul you know he clearly hit him in his head and on the other end I do get it because like I said like I just said the NBA is funny when it comes to contesting shots jump shots so yes I I could see a foul there

But the one on the other end and and and one thing like you did say I think Jaylen forced that it looked like it wasn’t he wasn’t really triple team but there was a lot of attention toward him and he kind of double pumped it kind of

Kobe Bryant Style on that one he drew I thought he clearly drew the foul but I think that was a bad shot and I think they kind of got a better look and they were moving the ball in spectacular fashion I think for that whole game and

I think on that final play if they would have done so on that they probably would have came up with a good shot don’t know if it would have went in but I think they would have got a good attempt yeah so all right well everyone I want you to

Kind of bookmark in your mind that conversation we’re GNA we’re going to circle back to that later one of one of one of our topics but I I I do want to just move forward because there’s there’s no sense in lingering and and you know if if this if that last

Two-minute report gave you any bit of closure or all if all it did was make you angry there’s nothing you can do Ste have two like really interesting games coming up with Minnesota a chance for Revenge there then going up to Milwaukee you got Houston on Saturday and the

Return of eay so I am just gonna pel Vision I’m gonna claw through this this uh this mess of a of a report and uh and move it forward I told you there’s three big questions I have for you about the uh where the Celtics stand and and sort

Of what’s in front of them and I want to start with this we’re one month out from the NBA trade deadline and I’m I’m grabbing the low hanging fruit here people love trade chatter they love roster construction and I’m kind of with them it’s funny that the Celtics are the

Best team in basketball and like by a decided margin and yet everyone’s like who should be the ninth man on this roster you know and but we love backup quarterbacks we love these conversations and so I’ll just start like from the 10,000 foot view when you look at this

Roster and I think it’s a good exercise coming off a night where you didn’t have two of your top seven how you feeling about where the Celtics stand roster wise and do you think having heard Brad Stevens come out last week and talk a little bit about you know we’re in the

Market for a big wing and kind of looking at it maybe that’s on the roster maybe that’s elsewhere how you feeling about the General State of this roster well I think the roster is good I mean it’s pretty obvious they’re good I think their weakness coming into the season

Early parts of the Season people looked at their bench and I think lately I think the bench has become a strength of theirs I mean I don’t have the numbers in front of me but um pritchet Hower guys their plus and minus and stuff like that are going up they’re playing good

Basketball I think when you incorporate the bench with the starters like he’s been doing they’ve look excellent and I think they’ve taken games where it’s been a six seveno lead and when the benches come in they’ve pushed it to double digits and held and I think

That’s that’s what you want to see in the championship caliber team but like last night I mean they scored 130 points whatever it was I think one thing I would like to add is somebody that can score when all else fails some you know when when the the screens aren’t getting

Guys free guys aren’t hitting shots from Deep somebody who can put the ball on the floor and score on their own and I don’t know if you can get them in the buyout Market or a trade or whatever but I’m G get crushed for this but I think I

Think it’d be a cool time to spend the block with somebody like Gordon Haywood oh so okay I I will say because I I for for a lot of the offseason I I sort of had the same little fantasy problem is is that one of the

The new sort of CBA rules are that teams that are on that second apron like the Celtics they can’t sign uh anyone who’s bought out whose contract is more than the mid-level exception okay so I like I I don’t mean to stomp on your dream because it’s all right it’s all right

Man it’s okay but um and it’s funny because like I I I keep catching myself because there are guys out there that are sort of right on that that that that that line uh so like Kelly o Len’s one of those guys he’s just below it so if

He were to get bought out which I don’t think is going to happen it’s potential but a lot of these bigger contracts unless there’s some Wizardry that I’m unaware of they cannot go fully after this but that the good thing is there’s there’s other teams out there are other

Contenders that will not be able to to make a play for those Services unfortunately I think teams like Miami still can I got to double check that I shouldn’t I should probably like you know I don’t want to put false information out there but um it does

Limit the amount but I I think you are tracking right towards the the right sort of player right like someone who can give you a little bit of something on both ends who now Gordon’s been a huge usage guy for his career and probably his best basketball is when he

He has the basketball in his hand but you know someone who can step back and just direct an offense be a good ball mover the hard part is when you start looking at the Celtics assets whether it’s hoping a guy comes through the waiver wire like that or if it’s a guy

Who you know makes less than $6.2 million which is the number will get hung up on for this trade exception it’s hard to find like every every time I I find a guy I’m like oh that’s him that’s him it’s like3 million $17 million I start you know I’m I selfishly when when

John Morant goes down last night I’m like all right let’s go get Marcus Smart back here like how are we doing this I don’t same deal I don’t even know if that’s legal but I’m I’m gonna I’m just gonna start daydreaming about it how are you feeling about the big man death has

Nimish kada and Luke cornette shooting ice water in his veins after free throws is that uh is that is that making you feel any better about the big man spot or are you still like is that is that a potential Avenue that Brad Steven should

Think about I I you know what I wouldn’t force a move there I like cornette I like what he’s been doing he he’s not going to he doesn’t do anything to lose you a game cornette I think he only helps and I like his energy I love he’s got great hands he’s

Old school where he keeps the ball high easy simple layups you know he almost got the tip in uh last night that crazy I mean this the internet would have burned down if not only did Derek white already already from game six of Miami if involved in miraculous finishes but

If Luke had tip that ball oh my gosh it would have been amazing yeah he has good awareness he has good eye for the ball it’s good hands soft hands around the rim something you need for a big he makes his free throws but I I think I

Think they’re fine there because I don’t see a lot of teams that are deep at at at Center that you’re going to run into with it’s like man they got a stable of bigs you you’re going to play a team like the Bucks who have Lopez and

Giannis but then after that there’s a drop off when it comes to size I think the Celtics with haford the way he’s playing ball and porzingis I think they’re good there and I but I think cornette is serviceable for where they need him to play I think they’re pretty

Good there but if you can get one I’d grab one for one reason and that’s You’re Expecting haford and porzingis to make it to June which is six months from now that’s a long way to go in a long time to manage minutes so if you have a

Guy you can just plug in there just to spell those guys minutes or a day off whatever it may be a little load management or if one of those dudes un you know knock on with one of those guys do go down for a couple weeks you have

Somebody can just plug in but I I like the idea he not a super big but I like the idea idea of Kelly oen yeah I think he can give you the scoring po he’s a big body he’s a very smart player it’s something that will fit in good with

This team but somebody like that I think would be a good asset but I don’t think they have to really break the bank to get a center in yeah so the and I know they liked Kelly last year was one of the ideas that that they sort of bounced

Around the problem was he was still under contract for another year Danny a is not going to move an asset like Kelly um without getting a quality return because the Jazz need every bit of assets even though he’s already stockpile a bunch of picks out there and

Um I could definitely see them being interested now again that salary number is difficult for them to get to you’d have to pretty much empty the bench you know trade all these $2 million guys and I don’t think that’s something that they can do even if they sweetened it with

Picks I think the more likely route is that there’s just a lukewarm market for Kelly and they negotiate some sort of buyout where Utah saves a bunch of money but again I go back to it I think Danny is going to be motivated to get picks

And this is what makes it complicated is you’re left for probably The Cut Above the type of player that you want the play the type of player that could decidedly enter your rotation it’s just a cumbersome path and even like we saw with Daniel TI he gets bought out by

Indian Indie and the the Clippers have more playing time for him so he’s more eager to go to that situation so I think you will find Championship Chasers that will be like intrigued by Boston situation but then they’re gonna look at it and go wait you’re telling me that

Like last year M Mike muscala came in here and barely played you know there’s no guarantee that there’s going to be minutes for those guys I think that’s just going to make them tread cautiously I’m very eager to see how they play it like is there a guy out there at that

Salary number using that Grant trade exception that would make you think like okay let’s do this I will say I’m curious your thoughts on let’s say uh there’s minimal shuffling on the bench maybe they add like one guy that fits into the top 10 how do you think do you

Think so a lot of the guys went guaranteed uh on Monday or technically today they they they didn’t cut him by Monday so they they went guaranteed today that would be luke who we you know f pretty good about being here uh Lamar Stevens who has actually been sort of

The surprise to me that hasn’t really gotten the opportunity play started so many games last year in Cleveland uh SP and Delano Banton do you think all those guys will be here if there is a shuffle or you know part of them might have to

Be trade assets to go out but my mind starts going the Celtics are on the books for a lot of money in the tax I don’t know if they want to carry guys that just are not going to be Surefire someone you might lean on yeah I mean

The Steven situation is interesting to me I thought he was going to play a lot right you know I thought he was going to be more along lines of that Grant Williams role for them similar body type similar skill set I thought he would play more and I think he’s shown well in

The games he has played um and I understand their depth is hard for him to crack it but Bon seems like somebody they like he gets a lot of playing time with guys around so I think he’ll be around Luke will be around you know uh S I don’t I

Don’t know I think he’s a good shooter but I think it’s hard for him to crack the rotation yeah it’s It’s just tough for him and I go back to it like he was flirting with the idea of going overseas and I’m wondering there’s got to be something in

The back of his mind that just said you know as much as he’s probably enjoying it he got to hang out with uh KP and JB they went down to Florida over one of the long weekends like it’s a good situation for him and he certainly wants

To prove but nothing like what end of the last year in Charlotte he got a chance to like really play and get that shot going and played well I mean just it’s hard when you’re playing three four minutes a night and I wonder if uh when

All the shuffling is done if the Celtics are just can’t commit to keeping him on to the roster long term it might they already have one spot open depending on if they add anybody it could free up a spot to add nimish kada to the parent

Roster off of the two-way uh give him a little bit of security reward him for being uh an emergency player this year but I’m eager to see like part of me says it’s good chemistry there’s not a huge opportunity here you know you but you start worrying about injuries as you

Said like what happens if Al goes down for a week or two like how are you navigating that it’s hard enough on back to backs when you don’t have all your guys but you do play small in the playoffs a lot so I don’t know my my long-winded way of saying Brad Stevens

Has a tough decision to make about just how much he pushes in but that’s why he gets paid a bunch of money yeah I mean it’s a tough situation but it’s a good situation because he has a good team he has a lot of depth I mean they’re just

Making tweaks but one through you know eight or whatever they’re better than everybody in the league I believe the Clippers have a lot of talent but I think their depth kind of drips off a little bit and you can’t trust a lot of guys on that team but many for many

Reasons but a question I have for you what do you think of Jordan Walsh man so I I thought you know at the start of Maine he was a little bit it was so funny is because like he was so good at summer league and summer league some can

Sometimes be hard to show what you can do because everyone’s trying to get their own and it’s kind of ragged play much like the G League where you know sometimes you’re not running sets and offense a whole lot you’re just like guys are trying to get theirs and now

The main Maine they do a good job trying to install what Boston is doing so they have an idea when you get up there but a lot of these teams guys on the other side are think where am I getting my next contract I’m just going to be

Gunning for for numbers here um I thought he struggled a little bit with the three-point shot out of the gate was a little raw offens I mean defensively like you know as good as you could tell the skills were just they couldn’t they didn’t quite figure it out and then I

Don’t know maybe it’s slowed down from him the last couple weeks you look up and he’s up over 40% shooting uh recently from Beyond the three-point Arc it just feels like he’s one guy that when they were kind of looking when they keep hearing Brad say we need a big Wing

We need a big Wing M I’m surprised he hasn’t at least gotten a call up to get thrown into one of these games in the in the crazy stretch I mean Joe didn’t even play him in trash time of like that one other busy stretch out west and uh so I

Feel kind of bad for him but I think they’re just acknowledging he’s 19 he’s still got to kind of beef up a little bit but you can see the raw potential I just don’t I think they’re a little worried about throwing him into the Wolves right now on a team with such

High desires yeah I mean I I like the kid I’ve liked him coming out of college like you said he got off to a slow start but I just there was a couple games they had when they were up big or a lot of games they’ve been up big and I think it

Would have been cool for him to get some minutes in those stretches just to get the NBA feel and get used to the speed and Pace you know playing against the NBA level competition and I think that would have took his game to another level but I’m um I think Brad has one

And Jordan Walsh and maybe his time is coming next season but I think he’s a good player to kind of hang around I thought about maybe what would he look like on this team on the on the bench they have now but if the S and some of

These other guys Stevens can’t really get burned it would be really hard for him because those guys they are specialists in certain areas he’s shooting Stevens has the body to rebounding and stuff like that yeah he might not be ready for that that level of ball yet but somebody to definitely

Keep an eye on I like him I like where where your mind’s at I do think I remember like Avery Bradley’s first year in the league he came in he just could not not make a shot and they sent him to Maine for like a good long stretch like

Let’s say two months or whatever and he came back to the Celtic time we were on the road somewhere I forget where it was I remember because Avery came walking in and he had like his hair had grown out wildly and Paul Pierce was ragging on

Him and but like you know they sort of sent him off the main they said kind of figure your things out and that stretch at the end of that season even though the Celtics were a playoff team really helped build his confidence and then within a year or so he’s competing for

Ray Allen’s starting job because he had he blossomed into a good enough shooter but defensively it was clear he had that potential I I could see a similar like I would love to see Joe gained the confidence to just throw Jordan Walsh in there for a few games just to get just

Okay here’s what it’s like in the NBA here’s what you need to learn um and even though your your development runs counter to maybe what we’re trying to do with a championship like there’s you can have both because of the way if the team’s up big enough in game so I will

Be eager to see if they if they give him some opport look no further than the award-winning 24 Auto Group with over 2600 vehicles in stock the brands you love backed by the savings and service you can count on visit today or shop online at 24 autogroup.com

One last thing on the to wrap the uh the the the the the trade chatter what is the worst possible destination that if someone made a play for Marcus Smart like wored about the Bucks making a play the Pacers or I’m going to whisper this one the

Leakers the worst for for the Celtics is Milwaukee because Milwaukee’s a bad defensive team and the last thing you want to see them pick up right now is a lock down Defender because now it makes that that match up a lot tougher and it gives them ball pressure up top to

Funnel guys toward jannis and Lopez something they don’t have right now I think for the Celtics that’s where you don’t want them to go I don’t the Sixers I think they’re a decent team but I don’t think he’d put them over the top over the Celtics uh Western Conference probably another deep team

Like the Clippers James Harden is out there Westbrook but they’re not Defenders Marcus Smart would give them a little Edge and toughness something they really don’t have outside of kawhai and make them real dangerous and key stretches of games they can play a real chess match

If they have a Marcus Smart so I would say the Clippers in the in the Bucks definitely in EAS to confence yeah and I haven’t gone through the contracts to see which teams can can really make this work but I’m just telling you when when

I saw John marant go down I hate that my mind spins that quickly to like the next step but you know that’s the the the the way the league goes and we know how much they struggled without Jah and then to lose him for the year like it’s clear

They probably would be better off trying to accumulate assets at this point and just getting ready for when he’s healthy man I I I I don’t want to see Marcus Smart across the court in the playoffs and I was pretty pretty bullish that that wasn’t going to happen in Memphis

Now I’m a little bit worried about what’s out there let’s spin it to something more positive told you you know all allar voting the Celtics are making a push for all five of their guys we know that’s not going to happen even with the best record in the NBA it’s

Ambitious to think you get even more than two based on only 12 spots in the Eastern Conference but the Celtics you know can make a strong case that if any team deserves three they’re probably Chief among them so uh how does this play out now that we’ve had a little bit

More time we’ve seen the returns I know all five guys were in the top 10 at their positions how is this going to play out uh between now and uh like I think it’s the probably the end of January when the coaches vote for the reserves who’s going to make it who gets

Squeezed man I think Brown and Tatum for sure should be on there even though the the fan vote needs to be thrown in the trash that’s it was like lamelo ball over like holiday and white wait he didn’t even play I mean some of these are just like I don’t understand and

Like Charlotte’s won what like five games this year how is this happening but I think Tatum and brown for sure get in they better get in um I think penis to me deserves to be in but I think they need to go back to adding the center position I thought they were

Supposed to but porzingis deserves to be in but the way they have him in the same category as all these guys I think it’ be hard for him to get in but as a guard man Derek white I think he belongs in because out of all the guards on there

The Dames and you know Maxi’s on there now Derek white is probably the best defender out of any guard let alone Eastern Conference probably in the league and he’s been a walking bucket his percentages the team is winning defense all of those things I think he

Deserves to get a a roster spot so if he’s if they’re going to put three guys in because of the Celtics position I think Dereck white might be that guy should be anyway it’s funny because they comes off that 50490 December like the the the the campaign was in full swing

You got JJ reck saying he’s an Allstar inviting him on his podcast and all I’m thinking in my mind is this is happening too early like you need to wait got wait another yeah like another three weeks or something for that for that campaign to peek that way if there’s like an injury

Replacement Adam Silver’s you know checking his Twitter feed and he’s like oh everyone’s talking about Derek white you know Derek Derrick’s cooled a little bit and that’s all relative right he had like one bad shooting game uh still impacted the game in other ways and yet

I’m with you like if I had to pick someone that I really want to see get to Indie it would be Derek because I think these opportunities won’t don’t come along very often we’re just going to take for granted how good he is in further seasons and so I hope they

At least give that some consideration I think Adam Sil would probably have to be the one like if let’s say I you know I pitched it to you today on the email thread was that all right when we didn’t know what Halle Burton’s grade was yet

Now he’s grade one it’s games in Indie I feel like he’s gonna probably be out there you know this gives him enough time to rehab and be out there but like let’s say there’s a guard that just can’t play for whatever reason decides not to play injury whatever the case may

Be you know if Adam Silver swoops in and says this guy is impacted winning as much as anybody that’s going to get be probably Derek’s best pathway because as you said fan voting is so fluky combined with media players and coaches voting it’s going to be tough

For him to to climb that ladder so I I my one hope is is is along with you is that christops has been so good the numbers don’t pop quite as much because he’s everyone here has taken a little bit of a step back in terms of output

But I think if anyone who’s watched the Celtics they know there’s there’s two different teams there’s when they’ve got porzingis and when they don’t and I hope that they keep that the coaches keep that in mind when they are voting uh it’s uh it’s going to be it’s going to

Be interesting like I I I agree I don’t know what the the fix is for the for the fan vote and it’s an exhibition game so I can’t complain about it too much but you know when you only got 12 spots I even said to BR you know Brad Stevens

Was talking about it the other day and he’s like wait we’re still only at 12 spots and I said we need more we need more spots they need to add to they need to I think they need to go back to the way it used to be I know they gone the

Whole positionist basketball thing or whatever but at at least add centers Center back in and I think point guard I think they need to put separate from point guard I mean I I don’t know but I I just think they need to put the center position back CU then you would have

It’d be Giannis it’d be embiid and probably KP and then put the rest of the guys since you really don’t have power forwards anymore then you could put a Jews Rando in the same category as Jason Tatum or Jaylen Brown whatever and just called them you know your forwards or

Whatever but I mean I think the center position needs to be separate especially now I think when they did this the NBA was kind of lacking centers but I think now the center position is exploded you got your wimes you got you know towns and Gober playing good ball um joic of

Course is playing good ball Anthony Davis jannis so many everywhere right separate those guys yeah I’m with you you know and and uh I get it for the all NBA voting and you know like even that could get a little murky I I do like the

Idea of like I get it you couldn’t put both embiid and joic on First Team all NBA so you need to figure out something right so now we’re going to go to generic front court but allstar game like both guy those guys are going to make it and it wouldn’t be the worst

Like if you had to vote for a backup center they’re both gonna so everyone’s gonna make the All-Star team I so I’m with you I think I think it was less of a need to go position L there than necessarily with all NBA and and all

That um we’ll see we’ll see we’ll see I I the one thing I had lobbied for and it’s it’s a terrible take but uh the Pro Bowl has like you know the special teamer makes it and you know Matthew Slater can actually make a pro bowl

Because he’s the best at his position I don’t know what like the utility man in the NBA is but I was trying to think because everyone’s like well what’s Drew holiday’s Pathway to making an All-Star game and I said it runs counter to everything that the NBA All-Star Game is

But it would be really cool to just have one guy who wants to play defense and like Drew wouldn’t even have to go play defense in the game but at least reward him for being a really good Defender so maybe each conference gets like one random you know really good player at

Talent X yeah I mean the NBA used to do that I mean the Celtics go back to the 80s Dennis Johnson made the All-Star team I believe with the Celtics um Dennis Rodman Draymond Green there’s so many hustle guys that have been Allstars and now they’ve gone away from it they

Just want the scoring scoring scoring and I I don’t think that’s fair to the guys that do everything else the stuff that really leads to winning but I agree with you they got to find a way to get some of those guys in and reward them or

Even I know holiday doesn’t fit this description but reward the six-man you know six man job Kevin mccale and those guys were all stars and make it more worthwhile for those guys I know they got the six-man award to go for but like you know show that it’s okay you don’t

Have to be a starter in order to make this game you can just be the best player at your role I would do that like 13th guy can be like the best sixthman in the league and the 14th guy I like the idea of a hustle guy you know

Because then it it gets malleable you can be a Defender you can be a guy who just like has an impact on on the little things so uh I like that all right we’re workshopping Adam Silver get him on the line we we’ll make it happen I want to

End on this it it’s it’s pretty much a BST segment and uh I but I thought it was appropriate I didn’t want to be two sunshine and puppy dogs and then I realized like we’re gonna already be negative with the last two-minute report so maybe I didn’t need this in here but

The cels have been really good we we we can’t be all green koola around here what what is one thing that when you watch this team you sit there and think man this is bugging the hell out of me I think it’s it’s we’ve touched on this before the

Inconsistence um with the shot selection some I think it’s they see it and they understand when that ball moves and Skip Skip Skip and they getting Jaylen Brown’s been very aggressive in the paint by the way when guys are being aggressive going to the basket and they they’re cutting back

Door it’s it’s movement that flow is just beautiful to watch when they do it and they you see them get excited when they see the ball skip around 10 times and they get a layup consistantly do it don’t stop you know don’t get caught in the the Deep

Ball shooting I mean I think it’s gone is you haven’t seen anything as crazy as the Warriors game or anything like that since then really 50 plus almost 63p pointers I mean last night it took like 40 or something like that but that was a high-scoring up and down game both teams

Were just going at it it was they were playing good Ball but I think they just could caught sometimes in going away from what works and what’s easy for them and but I will give them credit it seems to me the longer the season goes on the

More they’re adjusting to it and they’re being more consistent they see more blowouts in better offense so I think by the time we get to June they’re going to be a machine but right now that’s the one thing I’m looking at like okay you just had a 40o quarter doing this and you

Just dropped down to 22 points because you stopped yeah and I think that’s just being consistent of how they share the ball in their shot selection is the one thing that gets at me yeah so uh our friends over it’s we’re we’re gonna we’re going to debate whether any of

These things can actually derail their their hopes of banner 18 but our friends over at uh fanatic sports book They’re current odds Celtics plus 330 to win the title the Nuggets behind them at plus 400 the bucks at plus 430 it it is uh and then the Clippers

Right behind at plus a thousand I think that sort of tells you here uh you know like we we will obsess about some of the minutia but like when when Fanatics looks at this and they they say oh that that team is should be there right like

That that that’s a team that should be there at the end but I will give you two things and and and then you can tell me if these can derail them one they got to start making their free throws they weirdly at the start of the year they

Were like they could not miss they were really good and this had been a trouble spot in the past where they’d like go through these stretches where for whatever reason they’d start missing free throws and you’d be like what is going on especially fourth quarter free

Throws and then all of a sudden I don’t know maybe I have to go back and track it maybe last 10 games I’m like what is going on with this team to the point where Luke cornette is now at the free throw line injecting ice in his veins

Because the Celtics were four of 12 to stop the third quarter the other night four of 12 and they have Jason Tatum and all these Allstars on their roster am I crazy what the hell’s going on with the free throws I don’t know I think it’s it’s it’s getting to them now they’re

Thinking about it that game the other day they went from not get taking any free throws at all in the first half and then they started going to the basket they started getting the calls getting the whistles and then everybody just went cold it wasn’t one person it was

Everybody who went to the line you’re like oh God here we go it was to the point where it was last night with the jayen brown play I’m like oh yeah he got the f I’m like man this dude hope he makes them both like you were really

Worried that he wasn’t going to make the free even if he got the call exactly and it’s just you know they go through these stretches I’ve seen Tatum and brown go through this before where they it looks like they’re shooting 50% but they’re not you know they’re not shooting up to

Their capabilities but as a team it’s just weird to see them go through these stretches but I think it comes with them getting to the basket more getting used to the free throws it’s it’s kind of a rhythm thing I think when it Go long stretches of not taking any at all like

They did the other night when they finally get to the free throw line it’s like oh I haven’t been here in a while and guys just kind of their rhythm is off a little bit but you’ve seen games earlier in the year where they were what

26 for 26 I think in one game yes so they’re capable of doing it but if you notice the more attempts they get the higher their percentage so I think they have to get to the line and it’s kind of like Paul Pierce was good for this he he

Free throw line would get him going everywhere else he would force his way to the line even if he missed a couple early he would go through those stretches where he’d hit 8 n in a row and but just get a rhythm from the free throw line so I think them getting to

The line is a start and then they do it more often they’ll get into a flow of making those free throws but it is weird and bizarre all right so I’m not gonna chalk that out I’m not gonna say that could potentially derail them they got to make their free throws in the

Playoffs but I’m with you I think if there in that part of the Year where you’re trying to get to the line more where you’re more committed to getting to the line like I feel pretty good about them being able to to get in that Rhythm and and not have those 4 for2

Stretches and hopefully Luke does not have to take pressure pack free throws at any point the other thing that’s that’s kind of bugging me and to bring this podcast full circle we were talking about some of the late game execution and I think you nailed the the put it on

The head there where you said um you know they get away from what they’ve done for four quarters and or well for the first 42 minutes and then the last six it’s like they forget to move the ball they get ISO heavy and I know this happens throughout the NBA this isn’t

Like a Boston only thing but there was a great Twitter thread and I wish I could remember who who had it today as you know my my my my uh my suggestion page was was was chalk full of uh either angry Celtics fans with the last two-minute report or uh but someone went

Through and graded each of the Celtics final possessions and I did a quick scan through and I’m you know as I’m rolling through my mind I’m like there’s no way any of these plays are an a because like I can’t remember like a really good end of game close game execution where it

Was like like that was like perfect Joe’s has some good atos stuff like that but execution has typically been pretty sloppy in terms of settling for for poor shots and that’s what Jaylen did the other night like I felt like good that he that he potentially could have drawn

The foul but they still got to be better in that situation if you freeze frame it you think back to Memphis he had Chris STS wide open in the paint and didn’t get the ball to him or was that Charlotte one of those games Char charlot yeah uh there was last night

Derek white is wide open Chris Taps is literally like over here over here throw it to him and uh J in in attempts to get the two for one which the Celtics obsessed about a little bit too much uh did not probably make the right play in that instance but

I also get it he was cooking had 40 points like he technically got foued I can’t I can’t be mad he did idea I just would like to see better instances of let’s run a high pick and roll let’s find a better shot like let’s let’s you

Know do it at the right part of the shot clock they just got to get a little bit better there and I will say that is something that I think they have to be just a little bit better at by the playoffs in order to cuz you’re not

Going to blow doors off teams throughout the playoffs like hopefully they do like maybe they will but um the 2008 Celtics showed us you could roll throughout the regular season but then when you get to the playoffs those games get tight will they figure out how to be a great late

Fourth quarter team I think they can I think they go back and look at the film and they see this like dag you know when Jaylen Rose up there was three guys kind of within arms length of him it looked like and if he would just rose up and

Just like you said swung it somebody was going to get an open look there but I think you know and he took took a b it wasn’t that it was three people there he pumped it he double pumped it when he got in the air and I didn’t think I

Think that was almost an impossible shot to make but I think as time goes on and if they play more closer games they get more of these situations similar to the free throws I think they’ll execute it more I don’t want to see them playing at

Nail biters every night I do not but I think getting those close game reps would be better for this team as they go on and and be more battle tested you don’t want to see them like you said get to the first round like that 08 team and

Find themselves in a seven game series against a bad team because they can’t close out but I think as time goes on they’ll figure out a way to close that out figure out who needs the ball in their hands and again in this situation Tatum wasn’t there so it was a little

Different but I think they’re good enough to figure out okay we can get a bucket against this team and and put this one away and but my only other issue in that game in some of these games is the defense second half defense they give 75 yes yesterday whatever it

Was I mean that third quarter you can’t I mean all you have to do is not be terrible and that game is salted away and that was a team that was on the ropes with no halberton after leaving with the injury and you have 44 points as TJ McConnell is running circles

Around you I’m with you like all you have to do is not be awful and sometimes they just love making their lives more difficult than it need yeah and I I think that falls into the late game execution is on the other end as well and that allows them to be in these

Tyght situations so I think it goes both ways just figuring out not to foul um don’t leave guys free just confusion on your switching and stuff like that just little things they just need to tighten up I know it seems like wouldn’t it picking this the best team in the league

Yes exactly but if you look back they should have won every single game they lost if you go back and look at it like every game is like dag if they would have just did this they would have won that game they haven’t been smoked yet

It it is really crazy I say that all the time like they’ve lost a bunch in overtime where you know they probably shouldn’t have had to go to overtime in those games and even the games that have slipped away I think they must lead the league in games that have been lost by

Five points or less because just really haven’t had a game outside of maybe Golden State you know where like but even then they had over so I it it just feels like they’ve they’ve been really competitive in in everything that’s a great sign because like when you’re in

Every single game and there’s no night where it’s just like you have a complete let down I feel good that’s why our friends over at fnatic Sportsbook are are so uh so bullish on them powered by fnatic Sportsbook where you can earn up to 5% fan cash on your bets I’d hate to

End so negative like but I think we I think we brought it full circle like you summed it up perfect like we’re it’s not like we’re coming down hard on this team they’re the best team in basketball with just when you’re when you’re you’re hunting for Banner 18 we got to we got

To we got to find something to to nitpick yeah I mean in these things I’m pretty sure the coaching staff has said to them like you know we’re good but we can be better than what we are now and they can be and I think a lot of it too

A lot of these things that we kind of Nick pick on they’ve I had a lot of injuries but guys have been rotating in and out constantly for the past you know month or so and we see when they’re all there they like what 16 and one or something like that when everybody’s

There so that’s a big part of them late game execution bad quarter is bad just little things part of it is they haven’t had everybody there long enough but I think come June May June whatever if they’re all there and they’re all now relatively healthy I think they’re going

To be a wagon they’re going to be tough to beat but right now there just little things they can work on that to make him a legit Championship Contender and like you said they’re 17 and0 at home trying to go to 18 the only games they’ve I I

Think about all the losses and it’s all Minnesota OKC Golden State you don’t have to worry about those teams until you get to the finals yeah you’re right you’re probably not going to see Charlotte along the way and hopefully hopefully you don’t have another something bad happened if no something

Went really wrong like Goran Hayward went so Sportz dir they are not trading him at that point yeah but yeah Celtics are in a good spot um Celtics fans are in a good place as long as as you don’t uh the look at the uh report yeah stay away from that and

You know this team this this weekend coming up these games they have another chance to make a statement they have another chance to send a message across the league and I think they will some get back on this against playing against Minnesota but I think they have a chance

To send another message to the league that this is legit definitely the team to beat going forward I love your positive energy you had me worried that people were going to be like this thing was too negative now you just brought us full circle as always thank you so much

For your time thank you man thanks for having me all right good stuff Sone brought me back to Earth every time I like started treading down that path of I’m angry and this is bad and kindly reminded me yeah this team’s pretty good at basketball and uh this little stretch coming up

Should tell us just how good they are a chance to uh pallet cleanse pretty quickly after that loss in Indie Minnesota Timberwolves coming to town SEL should have revenge on their mind after losing up there earlier this season then the Cs get right back on a plane head up to Milwaukee second night

Of a backtack a chance to uh further show the Bucks who the best team in the Eastern Conference is then they come home and it’s an emotional matchup with eme adoka and the Houston Rockets coming to team yes these games just keep coming it’s a crazy stretch I’ve lost track I

Keep I kept saying five and seven days I think we’re done that like it’s nine and4 all I know is these pods keep coming at you and uh I’m thankful y’all keep listening so go like subscribe check us out on the YouTube page we’ll catch you next time on the Celtics Talk Podcast

Chris Forsberg and Cerrone Battle debate the three big questions in front of the Celtics. Will Brad Stevens make a move at the deadline? How many All-Stars do the Celtics get and who gets chosen?

1:00-Reaction to the Last Two-Minute report
5:30-What can the Celtics do to improve the roster?
19:30-Could Marcus Smart get traded to a competitor?
21:30- How many All-Stars do the Celtics get and who gets chosen?

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