The Celtics' road trip ended in disappointment with an unfortunate loss to the Charlotte Hornets. Jayson Tatum had an incredible scoring night, but it wasn't enough thanks to missed free throws, defensive errors, and some poor shooting.
What's going on with the Celtics these past few games? How can they turn things around for this upcoming epic matchup against the Bucks?
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What's going on with the Celtics these past few games? How can they turn things around for this upcoming epic matchup against the Bucks?
#jaysontatum
#bostonceltics
#nba
#kristapsporzingis
#giannis
#jaylenbrown
#celtics
#paytonpritchard
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SportsTranscript
00:00 (upbeat music)
00:02 (upbeat music)
00:05 (upbeat music)
00:10 - Who is gonna be first to the floor here?
00:16 And it is Marcus Short as he usually is.
00:19 (crowd cheering)
00:21 - It's not the first time we've seen a superstar
00:24 in many ways start to fight for the body.
00:26 (crowd cheering)
00:29 (upbeat music)
00:32 (upbeat music)
00:35 - Oh, and welcome to another episode
00:36 of First to the Floor.
00:37 Ben Vallis here.
00:38 Thank you for joining us.
00:39 Hope you're doing well.
00:40 Alongside me, a man who will only enjoy Thanksgiving
00:42 if the Celtics beat the Bucs tomorrow.
00:44 It is Wayne Spooney.
00:45 Spooney, what's up, man?
00:46 - That's a fact, man.
00:48 But I'm not even sure we're gonna watch that game
00:50 because didn't the season die last night?
00:52 Isn't that what I'm reading on Twitter?
00:54 It's over, right?
00:56 Burn TD Garden to the ground
00:58 'cause there's no point in continuing to play.
01:00 - Yeah, Celtics Twitter, they presented the facts.
01:02 The season's over.
01:03 There's no more basketball to watch.
01:04 So we'll call it a day there.
01:06 Thanks for joining us, everyone.
01:07 Just kidding.
01:08 Jake Eisenberg is also here.
01:09 Jake, are we salty Jake today
01:11 or are you skewing in the same direction as Spooney here?
01:14 How are you feeling?
01:16 - I'm feeling, I'm probably, it's weird.
01:19 I'm taking the role of a little more concerned
01:21 than I feel like I usually would be.
01:23 That's for sure.
01:24 But you know, we've got this in-season tournament.
01:26 So who needs the NBA championship
01:28 when we're two and O in the IST, so.
01:30 - Yeah, absolutely.
01:31 And we'll wrap on the IST stuff
01:33 'cause there's a spicy week coming up there
01:35 between the December 4th and the 9th there.
01:38 So three in one road trip.
01:40 The Celtics have just arrived home from,
01:42 it felt like they were barely hanging on
01:45 throughout that road trip,
01:46 but they sort of came closer and closer to a loss.
01:48 Sort of, I guess in hindsight,
01:49 inevitably ending in this overtime loss,
01:52 118 to 121 to Charlotte last night.
01:55 We've got the Bucs coming up.
01:56 So we've got to get our shit together.
01:57 And meanwhile, we are hosting our playback room tomorrow.
02:01 It's gonna be Jake and I, Spoonie's off Thanksgiving.
02:03 And you know, happy Thanksgiving
02:05 to all those who celebrate.
02:06 We don't here in Australia for the most part.
02:07 So we will be hosting the playback room
02:09 for Celtics Bucs, playback.tv/firsttothefloor.
02:12 So come and join us over there
02:14 for a Celtics Bucs watch party.
02:16 Spoonie, we just went three in one on this road trip,
02:18 like I said, yet something hasn't felt right
02:21 these last few games.
02:22 And I think if you look at Celtics Twitter,
02:24 like you said, everyone's trying their best
02:25 to put their finger on the pulse.
02:27 Everyone's coming up with their own answer.
02:28 Some are concerned, some aren't.
02:30 It culminated in this loss to the Hornets last night.
02:34 Why?
02:35 What has changed since our hot star?
02:36 Why are the Celtics wavering somewhat now?
02:39 - Okay, so I actually think the Hornets loss
02:42 made me feel a little bit better about things
02:46 compared to the previous two.
02:48 Yeah, I know, I know.
02:49 But here's why.
02:50 Okay, so over these last four games,
02:53 our offense has been 18th in the league,
02:55 but they actually scored against the Hornets.
02:58 It was the defense that let us down,
03:00 and that's seventh in the league over those last four games.
03:03 And I imagine the Hornets game
03:05 made that look a lot worse than it was
03:07 because they lit us up pretty good.
03:09 But we're shooting 45% from the four,
03:11 that's 21st over the last four games in the league.
03:14 We're only generating 20 free throws a game,
03:17 that's 23rd over that time.
03:19 And we're losing the turnover battle by two
03:22 and the offensive rebound battle by one and a half.
03:24 So we're basically conceding
03:26 three and a half extra possessions,
03:28 and we're not scoring.
03:29 So that's a tough recipe to win games,
03:31 kind of a testament to how good the defense has been.
03:34 The fact that we went three and one
03:36 over these last four games,
03:37 and then finally, Charlotte's a bad matchup
03:40 when your offense is struggling
03:42 because they can score on anybody,
03:43 they just can't stop anybody.
03:44 So I'm not concerned.
03:47 I think that there's a little bit too much hysterics
03:51 over this recent stretch,
03:53 but I definitely think we should keep an eye
03:56 on this offense because we play weird.
03:59 We're 28th in drives per game,
04:01 28th in passes per game,
04:03 24th in assists for the season.
04:05 So it's just a bizarre kind of Yokichi way
04:08 to play offense who are behind us in all those stats,
04:12 except assists, and it doesn't matter.
04:14 So I'm gonna keep an eye on that.
04:16 But I mean, the offense otherwise has been so good
04:19 outside of these last couple of games
04:21 that I anticipate this is just three games of four nights.
04:25 They've been traveling.
04:26 They've played nine of the 15 games away from home,
04:29 which is the most in the league.
04:31 So it's been a tough way to open the season.
04:33 And look, they lost a dumb game.
04:35 It happens.
04:36 - Wow.
04:38 Spoonie in his lawyer bag today.
04:42 That was, "Your Honor, the defense rests."
04:45 And I'm in, and I feel like I gotta get up here.
04:47 I'm like, "Shit, I did not prepare.
04:49 My briefcase is full of beef jerky."
04:52 And-
04:53 - Mine too, honestly.
04:54 Not even a joke.
04:55 - Smart.
04:57 That's a good snack for any briefcase.
04:59 - Exactly.
05:00 Low fat, low sugar, yeah.
05:02 - Exactly.
05:04 The two key criteria for any good briefcase snack.
05:09 But yeah, the Celtics,
05:11 it's just hard to pass what is 82 games,
05:19 what is PTSD.
05:23 That's, I think, really good pickup on the Nuggets stats.
05:27 And I think part of that is because
05:29 the Celtics offense is so good at generating advantages
05:32 that they generate clean looks off the first action.
05:34 'Cause it's like, really good player,
05:37 Jason Tatum or Chris Hapspul,
05:38 I think his force is an advantage.
05:40 It's a one pass to an open shooter or cutter.
05:43 And so they don't actually have to pass the ball that often
05:46 because their advantages are so easy to generate.
05:50 On one hand, the Celtics are just gonna be
05:56 one of the best teams in the league.
05:57 They're gonna get to the conference finals.
05:59 They're gonna win 55 plus games,
06:01 hopefully 60 plus for me to win my bet.
06:03 It's just, are they going to go to the next level?
06:08 Like, I've mentioned it a bunch of times.
06:11 Every time the Celtics lose, people have been like,
06:13 "The Celtics lose that game last year."
06:15 That's just not true.
06:16 They won so many games last year, 57 games,
06:19 pretty good in the clutch.
06:21 And they absolutely look different in fourth quarter
06:25 offense, in crunch time, the process,
06:27 getting in the post, generating better looks.
06:29 They absolutely have been better in the post.
06:31 This team has been better to me
06:34 and has the ceiling to absolutely be better
06:36 once we get to the playoffs as well.
06:39 It's just, are they going to buy in on a night-to-night
06:42 basis to where they've truly leveled up
06:45 by the time we get to the playoffs
06:47 so that we can avoid the game five loss against Atlanta
06:51 and the game one loss against Philly and stuff like that.
06:55 And when things like last night and the Grizzlies game
06:58 and the Raptors game start to string together
07:01 and they're not like pulling themselves
07:02 out of this tail slide faster than I would like them to,
07:06 the PTSD comes up from-
07:09 - Oh yeah.
07:10 - It is.
07:11 - Oh yeah.
07:12 - And like last night to be up nine with two minutes to go
07:15 and lose the game is, that's a game
07:18 that we've lived through, unfortunately.
07:21 And I think they're going to be fine, but you know,
07:25 and we're going to tweet out how good the Celtics
07:27 net rating is and the defensive rating is
07:28 and the offensive rating is,
07:30 because it's all going to be true.
07:31 It's all going to be true.
07:33 And I'm going to feel really confident
07:34 about their ability to get through the playoffs
07:36 against pretty much any team.
07:39 But in the back of my mind, there's just this voice.
07:43 It's like, I'm not sure how different it really is.
07:48 - Yeah, this isn't good podcasting and not objective
07:50 but I agree with both of you.
07:52 Like Spoonie, you're right in like, yeah,
07:54 four game road trip, we had that signature win
07:57 against Philly where like we got up for it.
07:59 We were down, you know, multiple starters
08:01 and we played well and we at least approached our ceiling
08:05 as far as how well this team can play
08:07 against a top tier team.
08:08 And then you can just imagine
08:10 from a human psychology standpoint,
08:12 throttling, excuse me, down your enthusiasm
08:16 towards a series of games on the road
08:19 as far as your approach.
08:21 And I think we absolutely saw that at a cascading level
08:25 culminating, like I said last night in, for example,
08:28 Jason Tatum being backed or cut by Gordon Hayward
08:31 when the game was tied.
08:32 One of a long list of plays where if you just got that right
08:35 they walk away with a disappointing win
08:38 but a win nonetheless.
08:39 So I agree with Spoonie on that sense,
08:42 but also Jake, you nailed it with the PTSD.
08:44 Like the reason this whole thing is under such a microscope
08:48 is because of the trauma of last year
08:50 and the characteristics that ended up bearing out
08:53 when it mattered most in the playoffs,
08:55 the inability to close games,
08:56 inability to execute at a high level in high stakes moments.
09:01 And when you get a little glimpse of it like this,
09:03 even though I think we've talked about it so much
09:05 on the show already, this team clearly is different
09:08 in their behavioral traits compared to last year.
09:11 And yet you get a little glimpse back into the past
09:13 last night and against the Grizzlies.
09:15 And like you said, against the Raptors,
09:16 suddenly it's panic stations.
09:18 It's the firemen going down the pole.
09:20 The bells are ringing.
09:21 Like, what are we gonna do?
09:22 Where are we gonna go?
09:23 Everyone straight to Twitter to complain
09:24 about how this team sucks balls
09:26 and is never going anywhere.
09:27 So you're both right.
09:29 I guess what I wanna serve up to listeners here today
09:33 and a little bit to myself as well is like the degree
09:36 to which we're concerned and I guess the case
09:39 for and against being concerned.
09:40 I know we've kind of touched on both sides already,
09:43 but Jake, like I'll throw it back at you.
09:46 This Bucs game's coming up
09:47 and we're gonna preview it shortly.
09:49 Like, where are you at as far as your confidence
09:51 going into this game based on what we've seen
09:53 on this road trip?
09:54 - High.
09:55 My confidence is high.
09:56 And I think that we've learned that from this team though,
09:58 which it's the back against the wall Celtics
10:01 over the past two years, right?
10:03 Up until they go down three against the heat.
10:05 It was pretty much like the safest bet you could make.
10:08 Celtics lose a game, especially in the playoffs.
10:11 They're coming out the next night
10:12 and gonna play some of their best basketball.
10:14 I absolutely expect them all to be locked in.
10:16 Like we got the legend, we got ball Derek White,
10:21 back tomorrow night, Al Horford back tomorrow night again.
10:24 Important to note that we didn't have them yesterday,
10:28 which if they have them, they can go ahead Ben, I can see.
10:32 - Well, just that we haven't won a game without Derek White,
10:35 which means we haven't lost a game without Derek White.
10:38 - Yeah, obviously it's Jason.
10:41 - Oh yeah, we have, oh no, we lost one
10:43 because it was the Philly game.
10:46 - Yeah, the first Philly game.
10:47 - Okay, yeah.
10:48 - Yeah.
10:49 - So I was living in a fantasy world for a moment there.
10:51 - Well, no, I mean, honestly, it all blends together.
10:54 - It doesn't count though,
10:55 'cause it wasn't the real Derek White
10:56 because he was running on like three nights
10:58 sleep deprivation, so really.
11:00 - Middleton didn't play.
11:01 - Exactly, yeah.
11:03 - It doesn't count.
11:03 - Thank you.
11:04 - Yeah, I forgot what we were talking about there,
11:09 exactly what I was saying.
11:10 - Confidence going into the Bucks game
11:11 based on the sheets on this road trip.
11:12 - We're gonna win, we're gonna destroy them,
11:14 we're gonna kick the shit out of them
11:16 and we're gonna be the better team going into a series.
11:19 It's a sustained focus.
11:21 That's what I wanna see, like this team's,
11:24 if they're gonna be healthy, they should win 60 plus games.
11:27 That's how good they are,
11:28 that's how good they've proved to be already.
11:31 And last year's team with the lapses
11:33 that we're talking about getting to 57,
11:35 this team is better, they should get to 60 plus, 62.
11:39 Like that's how dominant the five guys have been
11:42 when they're all together on the court, what we've seen.
11:44 And it's lulled here a little bit.
11:48 And it's early enough in the season
11:49 with new guys like Porzingis and Drew,
11:52 the renewed coaching staff, Mazzullo second year,
11:55 I promise you that he's aware this is happening as well.
11:58 All the things that I've been really confident in
12:01 and excited about are still true
12:03 and they can make an emphasis
12:06 to fix some of this stuff going forward.
12:08 Like Jason and Jalen are kind of culprits for this
12:12 going back years now.
12:13 And now they have people around them
12:16 to hold them accountable and they need to do that.
12:19 - Okay, a little positive propaganda here, all right?
12:23 When last year's team was ahead or tied in crunch time
12:28 minus 5.5 net rating, absolutely atrocious,
12:32 like terrible, terrible, terrible.
12:35 This year ahead or tied in crunch time plus 13.3,
12:39 which is absolutely incredible.
12:40 We're crushing teams in crunch time
12:43 when we have a five point leader less or are tied.
12:46 That's awesome, that's like,
12:47 that was the problem last year.
12:50 And this is really the first game of the season
12:52 where it's kind of reared its head,
12:54 where it's like, oh my God,
12:55 they coughed up a big lead and lost, right?
12:57 So I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt.
13:00 Like you can't win in that situation every single time.
13:03 We're not the Miami Heat.
13:05 We don't have Spoh throwing mushrooms into a cauldron
13:07 and like spinning it around.
13:09 And like, you know, like we just,
13:10 it's just like they're an anomaly when it comes to that.
13:13 And they blow leads in, you know, in clutch time too.
13:17 So they've so far been awesome when the game is on the line.
13:22 Last night, that was very much not the case.
13:24 And that's why I go back to like,
13:26 I wonder what team's records are on the third game
13:29 in four nights, second night of a back-to-back,
13:31 all three on the road.
13:33 I bet you the record is absolutely terrible.
13:36 It's really hard to keep like your playoff mental intensity
13:40 as well as physical intensity
13:42 when you're on that type of situation,
13:44 when you've played that many games in a row,
13:46 when you've been traveling
13:47 and like the lapses were disgusting.
13:50 I actually thought the Memphis game was way worse.
13:52 Like that was pathetic.
13:54 I hated, that is like the most I've hated how they played
13:58 since like the first half of the EMA season.
14:01 That game was so bad.
14:02 I almost wish they lost that one and won the Charlotte game,
14:06 but regardless it all comes out in the wash.
14:08 So I guess what I'm saying is I am not concerned yet
14:12 if they blow up.
14:13 - Thank you.
14:14 - Sorry, I had to do that.
14:17 (laughing)
14:19 - I'll leave it at that.
14:21 - I didn't mean to cut you off.
14:22 - Please, please, that was perfect, yeah.
14:24 - That's perfect, Spoonie.
14:27 I do think yet is, yeah, actually, thankfully,
14:31 I don't have real PTSD,
14:33 I just have Celtics PTSD from the last two playoff runs.
14:36 And it's just, it's something to note.
14:41 You know, they could easily win the Bucks game,
14:43 go on a run and they're not gonna win every game.
14:48 It's an 82 game season.
14:49 If you win 60 games, you're gonna lose 22.
14:52 Like that's a lot of losses
14:53 and they're on pace to win 60 plus still.
14:56 It's just, I know that in the past we,
14:58 like I specifically definitely hand waved
15:01 a lot of these losses last year.
15:03 And so I'm just more on my toes personally this year,
15:07 where I going into the Hawks series
15:09 and going into the Philly series and the Heat series,
15:11 I was like, it's gonna be fine.
15:13 It's gonna be fine, we're the better team.
15:15 And it was fine until it wasn't.
15:18 - Yeah, and I don't know if this is a different argument
15:20 to last year as well,
15:21 but like a huge factor the last few playoff runs
15:24 has been like fatigue, the deeper you go into the playoffs.
15:27 And is it therefore not reasonable
15:29 for the guys to look at this stretch?
15:31 Like, yes, it's a road trip,
15:33 but against middling to bottom end teams,
15:36 let's just like try and kind of go through this a little bit.
15:40 Like I understand like, yes, Kaizen behind me on the-
15:43 - I was gonna say, it's literally.
15:45 - I'm in the gym with the guys,
15:47 trying to get their minds right for tomorrow.
15:49 As is my level of expertise and qualifications.
15:53 But I digress.
15:54 Is that not a reasonable approach?
15:57 I know there's arguments on both sides of this.
15:59 So I just say, it seems like a logical human behavior
16:02 to kind of like pass it through a stretch of the schedule.
16:06 - Yeah, I get what you're saying, Jake,
16:09 is like you practice makes permanent, right?
16:11 If you don't play intensely
16:14 in these types of like low energy situations,
16:17 when you have low energy in the playoffs,
16:19 the bad habits are gonna come out to play.
16:21 And I just think like offensively,
16:23 they're playing so damn lazy.
16:25 Like it is just like initial action, quick mismatch,
16:29 take a kind of okay shot.
16:31 Like, especially against Memphis,
16:33 we are gonna see other teams defend us
16:35 for the rest of the year, how Memphis did.
16:37 And just do not send help,
16:39 make us beat you in isolation one-on-one.
16:42 And do not let us get a bunch of catch and shoot threes,
16:45 'cause that's when we're at our best.
16:46 That's really when most teams are at our best.
16:48 So we're gonna have to get creative.
16:50 And I thought we started to against Charlotte.
16:53 We saw the Pritchard Tatum pick and pop
16:55 and it worked for a wide open Pritchard three,
16:58 a couple of Hauser Tatum pick and pops
17:00 and that stuff's working.
17:01 It puts, they're probably being guarded
17:04 by the worst defender on the team.
17:05 So it puts that defender who sucks in a very tough position
17:09 and it works and it's creative.
17:11 And it's different than Tatum, KP pick and roll,
17:14 they switch it, he posts up,
17:17 which is great and works and has its moments.
17:20 But also you just gotta throw different looks at defenses
17:23 and we're not passing and we're not driving.
17:25 So like, what the hell are we doing?
17:27 We're ISOing and posting up.
17:28 Like, that is not an efficient way
17:30 to generate offense over 82 games.
17:32 It's just not.
17:34 - It's funny though, like,
17:35 it's kind of like practicing crunch time offense
17:37 all the time.
17:38 - It is, yeah.
17:39 (laughing)
17:40 - Or it is me.
17:41 - That's not good for the anxiety levels.
17:43 - Maybe that's the plan though.
17:45 It's like, we're just gonna pretend like it's a close game
17:47 in the last five minutes from the jump.
17:49 And then we're so we're absolutely ready to go
17:53 because what it does slow down the playoffs,
17:54 you know what's really good to be good at
17:56 is isolation scoring and post scoring.
17:58 And like those developments,
18:03 I think objectively are far more important
18:07 and significant and lead to what they can do
18:11 and how they can be different in the playoffs
18:13 than dropping this game against Charlotte in a vacuum.
18:16 It's just, it's really hard for me to just be like,
18:20 it means nothing.
18:21 It means nothing.
18:23 This won't come up again.
18:25 It's like, fool me once, fool me twice,
18:28 fool me 1 billion times.
18:30 I'm just, I'm not, I'm ready to not get,
18:32 don't try, maybe this is what happens
18:33 when like people have been cheated on.
18:36 - Been hurt.
18:37 - Yeah, it's like, you know.
18:39 - You don't wipe the slate clean
18:40 at the beginning of the new season.
18:43 - Apparently not.
18:43 This is like the first time ever that I've not done it.
18:46 I'm usually, I'm a trusting guy, too trusting.
18:49 I'm bad at lying.
18:50 I'm an honest person, both my mom and wife know
18:53 when I'm lying, even on the phone, it's like, yeah, no,
18:55 I haven't done those chores that I was asked to do
18:59 and I'll do them now.
19:00 So I'm done.
19:03 They've hurt me, man.
19:06 Should have won by now.
19:08 - A couple years as well of like hardcore podcasting
19:10 about the Celtics.
19:11 We'll change a person as well,
19:13 which it seems to have done to all of us.
19:15 Teams are throwing different looks at us as well.
19:17 And bottom level teams like the Hornets have games like this.
19:20 We talked about it in the last podcast,
19:21 the Celtics have a target on their back,
19:23 where this is like the most important game of the month,
19:25 if not the year for these low end teams
19:28 to get a really good look at elite teams like the Celtics.
19:32 And this one, the Hornets went to zone quite early
19:35 in the game, in the first quarter.
19:36 And I don't have the stats on how often,
19:38 how frequently the Hornets go zone,
19:40 but very quickly, I think like one or two possessions in,
19:43 we started getting the ball to Porzingis at the nail.
19:45 We went away from pick and roll.
19:47 We went away from ISO.
19:49 We started like launching the ball into Porzingis
19:52 around the free throw line and allowing him to go to work.
19:54 And I know we're gonna get to some of these
19:56 and one stuff later,
19:57 but he was able to generate like some awesome offense
20:00 and just how quickly we went to that,
20:01 given our past struggles with the zone.
20:04 Again, it's another differentiator
20:05 from last year to this year.
20:07 So I guess there were some positive takeaways
20:10 from this game at a micro level as well.
20:12 One thing I wanna get to is Jalen Brown,
20:14 because he was brought up on Zach Lowe's podcast
20:17 earlier today.
20:17 And I've got some clips that I wanna run you through.
20:19 A couple that are contrary to what Zach Lowe
20:22 was talking about and some that very much back up
20:25 exactly what he was saying.
20:26 First of all, the comments are flowing in here.
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20:29 We're gonna bring some up on screen
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20:52 So Jalen Brown, first of all,
20:54 do both of you guys know what I'm talking about?
20:55 Have you heard Zach Lowe's little session
20:58 on Jalen Brown from earlier today?
21:00 - I posted a little clip on it
21:01 and I was like, I know it's gonna get likes and retweets
21:05 and I feel a little dirty about it,
21:07 but it's just kind of the truth at the moment.
21:11 So let's see how we go.
21:13 - Well, yeah, and sort of his angle was like,
21:16 come the playoffs, come like championship, basketball,
21:19 you know, games on the line,
21:20 series on the line, title on the line,
21:22 like there's gonna be some level of reliability
21:25 on Jalen Brown just 'cause of the percentage
21:27 of the salary cap that he takes up,
21:28 his role on the team,
21:30 and then like zooming out a little bit,
21:31 it took into question his understanding
21:34 of his role on the team as well.
21:35 So we've got a couple of clips here
21:37 in line with what Zach Lowe was talking about.
21:39 This is Jalen Brown late in the game,
21:42 ISO, ISO, ISO dribbles into an elite rim protector
21:45 and Mark Williams there puts up a terrible shot
21:47 despite many open teammates around him.
21:50 And similar here, Pritchett sets the pick for him,
21:53 just dribbles into a very contested free throw line shot
21:56 despite Tatum being out open just behind him
21:58 to reset the offense, plenty of time left on the shot clock.
22:01 And just like tunnel vision,
22:03 despite, you know, the game being on the line,
22:05 despite his many open teammates around him,
22:07 just an inability to really generate
22:10 any sort of high level offense from a team perspective.
22:13 Thoughts on that guys?
22:14 Is this a long-term problem or is this new?
22:17 I think I know the answer to that.
22:18 I don't know why I asked that question.
22:19 Very much a long-term problem, thoughts?
22:21 - Well, I don't know, man.
22:23 Like, yeah, he could have easily found guys
22:26 and it's just not Jalen, right?
22:29 Like to make those quick decisions in those moments,
22:32 I'm not sure he has the capability to do it.
22:34 The difference is he's just not making shots right now.
22:37 Like both of those shots, I know he can make.
22:40 Like either of those shots,
22:42 one, you gotta go one for two in those.
22:44 How many times has Jalen Brown made huge buckets
22:47 like fading away over like tough defenders?
22:50 Yes, he could have made a better play,
22:51 but I honestly, man,
22:52 he's got to just start making some of these shots.
22:55 Some of them, he doesn't need to force it so much
22:59 and take as difficult shots.
23:00 But man, like that first one over Mark Williams,
23:03 like he can make that shot easily.
23:05 I've seen him make that shot a million times.
23:08 - Yeah, and the second one too,
23:09 I think was a better look as well.
23:11 And like, he makes that middle like 12 footer all day long.
23:14 But he's not, I don't like how he's playing off ball.
23:19 And I felt like he's been playing much better off ball
23:22 recently until this stretch.
23:24 Like we had a couple actions
23:25 where we're setting double pin downs for him.
23:27 And he's like jogging around the picks.
23:30 That is not gonna create,
23:31 you're not gonna stress the defense at all.
23:33 They're basically just gonna ignore you.
23:35 And Jalen Brown, you're our second best offensive player.
23:38 If you're allowing the defense to ignore you,
23:40 that kind of blows up the action entirely, right?
23:42 Because we're wasting time setting,
23:44 occupying two guys off ball to get you open
23:48 and you're not taking it seriously and trying to get open.
23:51 And now we're left what?
23:52 Okay, so now there's 10 seconds left on the shot clock.
23:54 We gotta go to a pick and roll.
23:56 Guys don't know where they're supposed to go
23:58 because they're expecting Jalen to get the ball,
24:00 but he didn't cut hard enough.
24:01 And it's just like, what are we doing here, JB?
24:04 Like the missing shots is an issue.
24:06 I think he's like, I don't know,
24:08 what is three point shooting is down to now?
24:10 I should've checked that. - 34 now.
24:11 - Yeah, and he was hot.
24:14 - But you take out like just the one Wizards game
24:16 and that's really like 30.
24:18 - Yeah, which is terrible.
24:19 Like that's just not good enough, man.
24:22 Like even if it was 34, like a more steady 34%,
24:26 like that would be okay.
24:28 But I mean, he's just been ice cold
24:30 and he just like recently,
24:32 he has not looked really locked in off the ball
24:35 and he just needs to be.
24:37 - So the off ball issues that you mentioned there,
24:40 is that why you go on ball, Jalen,
24:42 dribble, dribble, shoot, offense here?
24:44 Because that's kind of what bothers me.
24:46 And Jake, you've alluded to this with,
24:48 you've taken his understanding of his role into question
24:51 where you've got all of this talent on the team now
24:53 and they're all there on the court.
24:55 And we can include Pritchard in that comment
24:57 based on in a vacuum of this game
24:59 because he was incredible in this game.
25:01 And yet like they're all standing there
25:03 relatively motionless, uninvolved in the offense.
25:06 I just, I refuse to believe that that is the best look
25:09 that you can go to down the stretch
25:11 in critical late game possessions.
25:12 So I guess it just confounds me
25:15 as to why we're doing that so late in the game,
25:17 despite his natural scoring ability.
25:19 - Yeah, that totally fair as well.
25:21 It's just like, but he's me,
25:23 I guess my point on that is just like,
25:25 he's missing all these types of shots
25:27 from the first quarter all the way through the fourth quarter
25:29 but you're right.
25:30 In the fourth quarter, in crunch time,
25:31 that should be being more purposeful
25:33 and getting like dribble, dribble,
25:34 I saw Jalen Brown possessions are not your best option,
25:38 obviously, because that leads to turnovers
25:40 and you're just not stressing the defense
25:42 when they have so much talent
25:44 and so many ways to create advantages.
25:46 You can get easier looks
25:48 and they have been generating easier looks.
25:50 Derek White's been knocking down a clutch,
25:51 wide open corner threes, like over and over and over again.
25:55 And again, he wasn't there yesterday,
25:56 but Jalen Brown misses Pritchett wide open in the corner,
26:00 who was five for eight from three yesterday.
26:02 And again, like it really just,
26:05 it just really shouldn't be in his hands
26:07 to initiate possessions late in games.
26:10 And that's it.
26:13 - Yeah, I guess the thinking is like,
26:15 you don't need to do anything with Tatum
26:17 and he's gonna get a ton of defensive attention,
26:19 no matter what.
26:20 So if you pop him in the corner
26:22 and run a pick and roll with Jalen, it should be easy,
26:25 but he just is not a high enough level decision maker.
26:29 I'm not sure Drew is either, unfortunately,
26:31 which is also terrifying because now what?
26:35 When Derek White's not playing,
26:37 there's not really another option in that case.
26:39 And we eventually just went to Tatum
26:41 and I thought he was okay at the end of the game.
26:44 Like he just biffed that layup.
26:45 - Two of them, yeah.
26:46 - Yeah, biffed two layups that he always makes,
26:49 probably shooting 85% on that type of shot this season.
26:52 So just kind of unlucky there,
26:54 but like it should have never got down to where
26:57 we had to make a layup in order to win this game really.
27:02 - Up nine, two minutes to go, 98.7 win probability, Jake.
27:05 Like, yeah, sorry, I cut you off.
27:07 - Yeah, no, no, in that,
27:09 Zach Lowe was also saying that
27:11 it's not just the fourth quarter either.
27:12 It's like in the second quarter, they're up 12.
27:14 And it's like, why are you taking these hero ball shots?
27:17 We don't need you to take these hero ball shots.
27:19 And it is a balance because you have to understand
27:23 who he is as a player and what he's capable of.
27:26 And you need to just live with a certain amount
27:28 of ISO ball from Jalen Brown.
27:31 Like that's just the reality of it
27:33 because that's who he is as a player
27:35 and his ability to read the floor
27:36 is always gonna be not as good as other players.
27:39 But man, consistently just not making the right play.
27:42 And we seem to make the right play a little bit more
27:45 and the offense looks completely different.
27:46 Ironically, if he makes the right play more often,
27:49 it's going to help him.
27:51 Like he absolutely, if he's able to find himself
27:55 in this offense and figure out the role,
27:58 he has the potential to be his most efficient self
28:02 that he's been in years, really.
28:03 Like the amount of open shots that we're able to generate,
28:06 the KP game, two man game that we've seen bits and pieces of
28:09 is absolutely, that's the beginning
28:12 of finding that efficient Jalen Brown
28:14 because he has the athleticism to just like
28:17 absolutely dust guys in so many different situations.
28:20 It's leveraging that as opposed to just trying to do it
28:22 off the bounce where the dribbling is often a concern.
28:27 So that was the biggest concern kind of coming in really
28:30 was right, was can Jalen Brown figure out his role?
28:33 And so far, like he really hasn't figured out the role yet.
28:36 But again, we're 15 games into the season
28:39 and the beginnings of the two man game with KP,
28:43 that's a point in the column of like,
28:45 he's definitely trying.
28:47 He has been at least definitely trying,
28:48 maybe the last few games, not so much,
28:50 but there was initially it felt like buy-in
28:53 across the board.
28:53 It's got to kind of get back to that.
28:55 - Yeah, well, I mean, look at these plays
28:56 from earlier in the game.
28:57 He has exhibited some play-making chops here.
28:59 He just drives the gap, draws two,
29:01 kicks out to Pritchard who was hot, bang, three pointer,
29:03 simple play, he made the right play, easy.
29:06 And then on this next play, this could go either way
29:08 because he misses the initial pass to an open Porzingis here
29:11 but then the patience and the mindset to cut from Porzingis
29:15 just leaves an open Drew Holiday
29:17 that who sort of floats up to the wing.
29:18 I actually liked the patience on that play from Jalen
29:21 to not make the initial pass
29:22 and wait for the better shot to open up.
29:24 So, and that was late in the game as well.
29:25 So he's bits and pieces, he's sort of putting it together.
29:28 But yeah, I wanna just reiterate
29:30 that my gripe is like late game.
29:32 And I think we can agree
29:34 that there are better looks available
29:36 but this is why we're here podcasting
29:38 from various locations across the globe
29:40 and not anything or anywhere to do with the Celtics.
29:43 With that, we're just gonna have a break
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30:14 - I gotta be honest.
30:16 I did think that the Celtics would be,
30:19 and Buck's line would be closer than it is.
30:22 It's Celtics minus five.
30:24 Like they're pretty heavily favored
30:26 going into tomorrow's game,
30:28 which I guess is a good thing.
30:31 But yeah, I think just take Celtics minus five.
30:33 I'm pretty confident that they're gonna come
30:35 to play tomorrow.
30:36 And if they do, that the matchup with this team is,
30:39 I like it.
30:40 - I agree.
30:43 Yeah, I mean, the Bucks will preview the game in full.
30:45 So maybe I'll save my thoughts till then,
30:47 but just on it being an exciting game,
30:49 the Bucks have been finding themselves lately,
30:52 but I just think that we've got the tools in the tool bag
30:56 for lack of a better term to go at them
30:58 and particularly exploit their lacking
31:00 perimeter defense there.
31:01 So we'll see.
31:02 Let's end, I guess the analysis,
31:05 if you wanna call it that,
31:05 that we've just been taking everyone through
31:07 on some more positives from the game
31:09 in a world that is just spewing Celtics negativity
31:13 about this 11 and three team.
31:15 There were some fine points to take away
31:18 from last night's game,
31:19 and particularly Peyton Pritchard,
31:20 unfortunately coinciding with a huge drop off
31:23 in Sammy House's, House Money's three point production there.
31:26 But Pritchard's Spoonie,
31:28 I mean, we've been keeping a close eye on PP all season now.
31:32 And now he's finally, I don't know,
31:34 I'm not gonna go where I want to go,
31:35 but he's finally come to play.
31:37 What are your thoughts on Pritchard's explosion last night?
31:40 - It was dynamite, man.
31:47 Caught me right in the face, totally off guard.
31:51 I'm glad he finally got rewarded
31:56 by having some shots go down
31:57 because he's been playing his ass off all season.
32:01 He really has, he's obviously got limitations,
32:04 but he's been doing what he's asked
32:08 for I would say the last six, seven, eight games.
32:13 And he's just slowly but surely
32:15 kind of been building the confidence.
32:17 So you kind of felt like a game like this for him
32:19 was coming because I think he has been really solid recently.
32:23 And yeah, dude, he was awesome.
32:25 He had those two drives.
32:26 One was on Bryce McGowan's
32:28 where he just absolutely cleared him out with the shoulders.
32:31 It might even been in the late third quarter too.
32:33 It was kind of a big play, straight up in ISO.
32:36 And it's like, all right, dude,
32:37 this is the guy that Brad Stevens gave $30 million to.
32:41 Like the guy he trusts to be an actual producer
32:43 off the bench.
32:44 And if he's making shots, like he got cooked sometimes,
32:47 but overall I thought defensively he was totally fine.
32:51 He's a six one bench guard, like he's gonna get cooked.
32:54 So did Ish Smith, like, you know,
32:56 that's why they're not starters.
32:58 So yeah, it was awesome.
32:59 Like hopefully he keeps it up.
33:01 Hopefully we can have two good white shooters off the bench
33:03 and not like they just keep rotating back and forth.
33:06 But when both of them are clicking,
33:08 we're gonna be really dangerous.
33:10 - Yeah, finally, this is the guy dude.
33:12 We were all super excited about Bridgette
33:14 coming to the East this year.
33:15 I've been very bullish on Bridgette's ability
33:18 to be an impactful NBA player.
33:20 I'm, I definitely waved it a little bit on the shot.
33:23 I was like, how's up?
33:25 Not worried.
33:26 That dude was put on God's green earth
33:29 to knock down three pointers.
33:32 Pritchard, even though we had like,
33:33 honestly not quite as good of a sample size,
33:36 a very long sample size of him being a really good shooter.
33:39 They just weren't falling,
33:40 but it definitely felt more like confidence
33:42 versus a skill issue.
33:45 Like the way that he was shooting it,
33:46 you could just tell he wasn't quite firing at will
33:49 like he has in the past.
33:50 And yesterday was a complete opposite.
33:52 We had the classic two, we had the two for one.
33:54 Pritchett had one of those buzzer beaters
33:56 against the Hawks last year late.
33:58 He has the two for one where he hits both the three
34:01 from the left wing with 33 seconds left.
34:04 And then also finishes off the two for one
34:06 by exploding at the end of the quarter as well.
34:10 So the fact that he goes 21 points, six rebounds,
34:13 three assists, zero turnovers on 57% from the field,
34:17 like that was a real game.
34:19 And it's really frustrating
34:20 because when you're getting that from Pritchett,
34:23 that should be a double digit win every night.
34:26 And something else that he's doing that is important to note
34:29 which I almost forgot just now,
34:31 his assist to turnover ratio,
34:34 something this team really struggles with
34:35 really across the board between Tatum, Jalen and Drew,
34:38 5.75 assists for every turnover.
34:42 He's really been taking care of the ball.
34:44 And part of that has been like, I think the hesitancy
34:48 where he's not really forcing stuff.
34:50 So he's not turning the ball over,
34:52 but regardless, that's a really good sign.
34:57 And him actually being able to do that
35:00 and lead an all bench lineup
35:03 and extend the lead against another team yesterday,
35:05 I thought was absolutely huge
35:07 and really could be a far more important
35:10 and a way more significant sign
35:12 than the Celtics actually losing the game to Charlotte.
35:15 Because if this is like, okay, Pritchett's now off
35:18 and turning into the guy
35:19 that we thought he could be coming into the season,
35:21 then this game could not matter less.
35:23 - Thank you.
35:26 - Jake, that was good.
35:28 That was well done.
35:29 Yeah, absolutely.
35:30 I've got nothing to add to that,
35:31 but you touched on the positive point
35:32 that I wanted to get to after this game,
35:33 which was that all bench lineup to start the fourth quarter
35:36 who handed like a lead back to the starters
35:39 as they came in and unfortunately
35:41 pissed the game down their leg.
35:42 But yeah, Pritchett was leading
35:44 and playmaking for that unit.
35:45 But I thought O'Shea Brissett was really good in this game
35:48 with these like kamikaze rim crashes,
35:51 just no concern as to what will happen
35:53 after he gets up at rim level,
35:55 which is both terrifying and extremely entertaining to watch.
35:59 That's really good.
36:01 The bench has been a concern obviously prior to the season
36:03 and we've sort of only seen bits and pieces of them
36:05 interspersed with the starters for the most part,
36:08 unless it's garbage time.
36:09 And so to see them come out and play like legitimate minutes
36:11 and uphold and even build a lead at this point in the season
36:15 was really promising as well.
36:17 We've also been tracking curve balls, right?
36:20 That's something that Jermuzulla brought up
36:21 prior to the season.
36:22 And it looks like a new one is emerging, Jake,
36:25 with Chris Tapp's Porzingis and his ability
36:27 to get to the free throw line and score at the same time,
36:31 the old school three pointer.
36:32 What have you been seeing in that sense?
36:33 - Yeah, this is just something fun
36:35 that I feel like I've noticed is that
36:37 he's got incredible touch around the basket in general
36:40 and is just a ridiculously skilled offensive player,
36:43 regardless of the fact that he's seven foot three.
36:45 Like if he was six foot three,
36:46 I think he'd probably still be in the NBA
36:48 because of how versatile he is.
36:49 But something that he's been really good at
36:51 has been getting fouled down low here
36:54 and then just like also finishing the and ones.
36:57 And just as a fan,
37:01 there's nothing better than an and one, right?
37:03 Like Porzingis is just getting down here,
37:06 I'm Richard Robinson,
37:07 and these guys that get underneath him in the post
37:10 and he gets the foul,
37:11 he's able to flip these really difficult shots in
37:13 from like close to the basket
37:15 or six to eight feet kind of outside.
37:18 And we really feel like we're under utilizing him
37:22 at the moment where he's incredibly efficient,
37:26 but man, he's getting to the line whenever he wants,
37:29 he's finishing these and ones.
37:31 The three point shot
37:34 is kind of fallen off a little bit lately
37:37 as kind of has the three point shot of like the whole team.
37:40 That's also something to take into consideration
37:42 is where we're like 12th or something,
37:45 I think in the league at three point percentage,
37:47 which when you look at the career averages
37:49 a lot of these shooters,
37:50 we should be high up, Drew's at 34,
37:52 he should be at 40,
37:53 KP's kind of dropped down,
37:55 but Porzingis feels a little underutilized
37:59 because he has all these little micro skills
38:02 that can just get these Celtics out of jams.
38:05 I feel like Tatum's missing him on,
38:07 'cause they're getting these switches
38:08 and then Tatum attacks the switch, which is totally fine,
38:11 but KP's one of the most efficient players
38:14 in the NBA right now
38:14 and I'd like to see him get the chance
38:16 to get more in on ones.
38:18 - But if you get to the line, KP,
38:21 just go better than six for a 10, please.
38:23 - Make 'em, please.
38:24 That's all we ask, yeah.
38:25 Yeah, it's almost like there's like a usage
38:28 true shooting percent efficiency matrix, right?
38:31 Like at some point you hit the perfect amount of usage
38:34 at like your top efficiency
38:37 and Chris Stapps has got 76% true shooting percentage,
38:41 which is like insane.
38:43 That is, especially for, yeah, yeah, right.
38:45 And Rob only dubs, but he's only got 21.5 usage
38:50 and both the Js are around 28, 29.
38:53 Like if his efficiency dips a little bit,
38:56 but his usage comes up a lot,
38:59 that's still gonna be a huge win for the Celtics,
39:01 especially if it comes at the expense of Jalen Brown,
39:04 who's not been super efficient this year.
39:06 - We have to flip Jalen and KP's usage.
39:08 That would be what I would do, right?
39:10 - Yeah, and politically, I think that might be very difficult.
39:13 Like I think Tatum has found it.
39:14 He's at like 62 true shooting percentage,
39:16 which is way above league average and on huge usage.
39:19 So like, he's good.
39:21 We're good with him.
39:22 It's just the mix between JB and Chris Stapps,
39:24 I think needs to lean more KP.
39:26 And those and ones, I do not know how he makes them.
39:29 They are so ugly.
39:31 He like flops like a fish
39:33 and then all of a sudden it's like not even touching Ram.
39:35 I'm like, and he keeps doing it.
39:37 So it's real.
39:38 Like it's not just a fluke that he's done twice.
39:40 It's gotta be like 10 of them.
39:42 - Yeah, dude, it's crazy.
39:43 A little crazy touchdown there for,
39:45 he's got it both hands, fading, going through contact.
39:50 I love it.
39:51 - And just the ability to generate offense
39:53 when our threes aren't going down,
39:55 including Porzingis, who has been shooting terribly
39:57 from behind the arc.
39:58 And yet again, going back to the curve ball concept,
40:01 like we have these abilities to just like throw it down
40:03 to the big fella, which is a tale as old as time,
40:06 as far as the game of basketball is concerned
40:07 and just like get to the free throw line or get buckets.
40:10 So huge and a huge reason why we've been winning
40:12 despite playing relatively like shit
40:15 these last, this last week or so.
40:17 So that's been huge.
40:18 Guys, let's end on previewing the Bucks game.
40:21 Little nervous.
40:22 I think there's an air of confidence between us,
40:24 but like, you know, everyone here,
40:26 I think watching the stream
40:27 and listening to the podcast later on Spotify,
40:29 Apple podcast, please subscribe, rate and review.
40:32 Can relate to this mindset of like day is either like made
40:36 or completely ruined based on the performance
40:38 of the Celtics.
40:39 And so coming off this like bad vibes period,
40:41 which we're doing our best to rebuild on the show,
40:44 we really need this week,
40:45 like psychologically speaking from the fan perspective,
40:47 I think it's gonna help the guys in the locker room as well,
40:49 obviously to get a big win against what is,
40:52 I guess you could be considered a now up and coming
40:55 Bucks team.
40:55 They're starting to figure it out.
40:57 So with all that said, some deets here,
40:59 it's a home game, not a minor detail, you know,
41:01 been on off on the road for four games now,
41:03 back in TD Garden, Thanksgiving,
41:05 the Bostonians are gonna be licking up.
41:07 It's gonna be a raucous environment.
41:08 It's gonna be the Spoonies nodding like,
41:09 "Oh yes, I know from experience."
41:12 But the Bucks have won five in a row.
41:15 And there are some interesting sort of differences
41:19 between how the Celtics like to play defense
41:21 and the way that the Bucks play offense.
41:22 For example, the Celtics are really good
41:24 at limiting corner threes,
41:25 but they give up a lot of above the break threes.
41:27 And so Damian Lillard, who loves those above the break threes
41:31 that's just one example.
41:32 That's gonna make it an interesting matchup.
41:34 Spoonie, what are your thoughts going into this one?
41:36 We've talked about the confidence factor,
41:37 but just from an X's and O's standpoint,
41:39 how do you see this going down?
41:41 - Yeah, so I've not caught a ton of the Bucks.
41:43 I think I've watched like one and a half of their games.
41:46 So I'm not really sure what they're trying to do
41:48 defensively this year.
41:50 I mean, last year, like they were so static and restricted
41:54 in how they played defense.
41:55 Like we just knew how to attack them.
41:57 I think they're a little more aggressive this year.
41:59 They try to get up into ball handlers,
42:01 but that also means like they're conceding a lot more space
42:04 and driving lanes that they didn't in the past.
42:06 So I think the key to this game offensively for the C's
42:10 is gonna be drive and kick game.
42:11 Like get back to what you were good at last year
42:14 that has kind of gone away a little bit.
42:17 I'll be interested to see how much they switch
42:19 Dame pick and rolls where Dame is defending
42:22 because like he is just terrible
42:25 and he could not guard Chris Stapp's Porzingis.
42:27 So if they switch that, they're gonna have to send help
42:31 from somewhere and then you got an open shooter.
42:33 So I think it's just gonna be really easy
42:35 for the Celtics to generate good looks
42:38 and it's just a matter of knocking them down,
42:39 which we seem to do against Milwaukee often.
42:43 And then defensively, it always comes down to,
42:46 I mean, stopping Giannis and now Dame.
42:49 I think realistically, I don't,
42:53 I'm not sure what we're gonna do on Giannis
42:55 with the starters out there.
42:56 I think we might go Drew on him, honestly,
42:59 with the way he's been having Drew play defense.
43:01 He was on Embiid, like Giannis is a similar build of a guy.
43:05 And then just have Derek like handcuffed to Dame
43:09 and play like a really high drop coverage
43:13 or like light traps or like hedge him
43:15 and just let Derek get around that screen
43:17 and get back in front of him
43:18 and hope he doesn't make 12 pull up threes.
43:21 'Cause if he does, like, there's nothing you can do.
43:23 That's why he's one of the best scorers ever,
43:26 but should be fun.
43:28 - Oh yeah, very exciting.
43:29 The Bucks defense here,
43:30 they've kind of reigned that in a little bit,
43:33 like the pressure on ball handlers and stuff
43:35 and gone a little bit back
43:36 into what they were doing last year.
43:38 Their defense is atrocious, has been atrocious.
43:42 They stabilized defensively a little bit for a second there,
43:44 but then yesterday against the Wizards,
43:46 they gave up 129 points,
43:48 which I don't have to tell everybody here.
43:51 The Wizards are a disaster.
43:53 I'm just trying to look up there,
43:54 the Wizards offense here.
43:56 But the Bucks were losing to the Wizards
43:58 in the fourth quarter yesterday.
43:59 They were able to get that one done.
44:02 The Wizards have the 22nd ranked offense
44:05 and they're able to put up 129 yesterday in regulation.
44:08 The Bucks have been decimated across the board.
44:11 Like Drew Holiday was,
44:12 apparently was holding their defense together
44:14 because now they just,
44:16 without Middleton playing well defensively
44:18 on the perimeter, they can't contain anybody.
44:21 And it just ends up leaving, you know,
44:24 offensive rebounds, all that kind of stuff.
44:27 You have to get back to the drive and kick game.
44:28 Defensively, I know we talked about getting Al Horford
44:31 in there to the starting lineup for the Sixers game.
44:33 I'm not sure it's as important for this matchup
44:36 because I don't think they're just gonna sit there
44:40 and post up Brook Lopez or Giannis.
44:44 It's not really the way they run stuff.
44:46 So I'm not really as concerned.
44:48 I'm very intrigued to see how Porzingis goes
44:51 playing against this team and playing against Giannis.
44:53 But yeah, I think Drew Holiday,
44:55 Jalen and Drew Holiday being the,
44:57 honestly, Jalen.
44:58 Let's give Jalen a really important job.
45:01 And make him feel important.
45:04 And so he locks the fuck in.
45:05 - I think that's maybe necessary.
45:08 You've got to like get him focused on a narrow task
45:11 to keep him involved.
45:12 And you know, we've seen success against the Bucs
45:15 in that frame of thinking as well in recent history.
45:17 So I like that.
45:18 I'm a little worried about Porzingis in this game,
45:20 not offensively.
45:21 Like I feel confident in his ability to space the floor
45:25 like against any other opponent this year.
45:26 I do see him being like slammed into the basket
45:29 by Giannis like on five or 10 occasions
45:32 throughout this game.
45:33 It just feels like there's a huge physicality disparity
45:35 there if he finds himself, you know,
45:37 down in drop protecting the rim
45:39 and Giannis is coming downhill.
45:41 I mean, it's a short list of people who can succeed
45:43 under those circumstances defensively.
45:45 But I worry for Porzingis in that particular environment
45:49 that he's likely to find himself in.
45:50 - Yeah, that's gonna happen.
45:52 But yeah, you know, if you go back to the playoff series
45:54 against the Bucs, you know,
45:56 Giannis did a lot of dunking in that series as well.
45:58 Like it's just, it's gonna happen.
46:00 It's can you limit the efficiency?
46:03 Can you have well-timed double teams?
46:06 Can you force a couple of turnovers?
46:08 He's gonna get his one way or another.
46:11 It's can they just limit it
46:13 and then also shut down everybody else?
46:15 'Cause I do feel kind of good about that.
46:17 It's like you just lock down on Dame
46:19 and their role players who you just don't,
46:22 like no one scares you right now.
46:24 Unless Middleton has like an OG Celtics killer game.
46:28 It's like if, you know, Malik Beasley,
46:33 the corpse of Jay Crowder,
46:34 Pat Connington's been struggling.
46:36 It really is a Dame and Giannis show
46:38 unless Middleton really is able to turn it back,
46:40 turn back the clock.
46:41 So I think Derek all over Porzingis in, you know,
46:46 navigating those screens, playing drop coverage
46:49 and you're trying to get help when they feed Giannis.
46:53 You wanna get him to take as many
46:55 of those kind of mid-range jumpers as possible.
46:58 And which he's been knocking more down this year
47:00 than last year, but forcing him to that kind of mid-range
47:04 or just get the efficiency down.
47:06 He can drop 40 on 50%.
47:08 It's can you stop him from dropping 42 on like 66%.
47:12 That's like, I think yesterday he was 20 from 23
47:15 or something against the Wizards.
47:16 So it's just like, can we just avoid that
47:19 where he's having seven assists on top of it as well?
47:22 Keep the and ones down.
47:23 I feel like he feeds off and ones
47:26 'cause he can't shoot threes.
47:28 So like that is where he relies a lot on that
47:31 for his efficiency as well as free throws,
47:33 even though he's not a great free throw shooter.
47:34 Yeah, Chris Middleton shooting 31% from three this year
47:37 and he's playing 20 minutes a night.
47:39 So like, I know what's gonna happen.
47:42 He's gonna go for a six and play 28 minutes,
47:45 but he's just not been that guy this season.
47:50 So I would attack him defensively too,
47:53 because I just don't think he's in like full,
47:56 high intensity game shape right now either.
48:00 So it's just really, I think often it comes down
48:03 against like teams like the Bucks.
48:05 Can we hit enough open threes
48:08 to kind of loosen up that defense?
48:10 And that first game against Philly, that was our downfall
48:15 and really the Minnesota game too.
48:16 We just didn't even crack really 30% for three.
48:19 If that's around 35, 36%, the offense is gonna click.
48:23 And then yeah, Jake, you nailed it on the head
48:25 with defending Giannis, just like,
48:28 he gets four or five layups, that's fine.
48:31 But if he takes 30 shots and scores 30 points, we're good.
48:35 It's when he scores 30 points on like 14 shots
48:38 that you're in trouble.
48:39 But I still like how we match up with them,
48:43 especially with Derek able and Drew to throw at Dame
48:46 for 48 minutes essentially, or 36, however many he plays.
48:50 - I'd feel comfortable trapping Dame.
48:52 Like get the ball out of Dame's hands.
48:55 And then like you're rotating either,
48:57 like Giannis in that middle zone and you recover back
49:00 and you get out to shoot is like,
49:02 he's definitely been heating up lately.
49:03 I was just having a look at his box scores
49:05 'cause he's shooting 33% from three on the year,
49:10 but last four games, like three for six yesterday,
49:13 four for 11, five for 10, four for 10
49:16 in the last four games.
49:17 So he's definitely been getting going from three lately.
49:20 And that's just what you,
49:21 that's another thing you don't want, right?
49:23 You don't want Dame going six for 11 from three.
49:26 And then he gets to the line really well.
49:28 Like he shot like 11 free throws yesterday,
49:31 10 before that, he was 15 for 16 recently,
49:35 12 for 13, nine for 10, 12 for 12.
49:38 Just make him uncomfortable, get physical with him.
49:41 'Cause I think you really can.
49:42 And go at him on the other end.
49:44 Like anyone that's on the court,
49:45 all five guys can put him in the post.
49:47 So whoever's got him, just like start the action on Dame
49:50 and try to wear him down.
49:52 - Drew Holiday posting up Dame,
49:54 like the Drew Holiday revenge game, by the way,
49:56 which is a huge narrative going into this one.
49:58 It's probably gonna be spicier
49:59 when we head into Milwaukee eventually,
50:01 but Drew Holiday is gonna be, I guess,
50:03 coming out with a thirst for blood in this one,
50:06 in that, you know, like his family came out
50:08 with some not too positive terms
50:10 about the Bucks organization after the trade went down.
50:12 He's probably looking to get his in this game,
50:15 hopefully exclusively on the defensive end.
50:18 'Cause we talked about on late night, last night, Jake,
50:20 like is Drew doing too much lately?
50:23 And that's of Derek White's many positive attributes.
50:26 One of the best ones is that he limits Drew's
50:29 getting too involved in too many things,
50:31 especially on the offensive side.
50:33 Derek White's gonna come back.
50:34 We've got a clean health report
50:36 going into tomorrow's game, touch wood.
50:37 But the Drew Holiday factor to me
50:40 is just from a pure entertainment standpoint,
50:42 and obviously defending Dame
50:44 and switching onto Giannis potentially
50:45 is huge for tomorrow's game as well.
50:47 Any other thoughts, guys?
50:48 I've got a few little stats here.
50:50 So we mentioned that the Bucks are trending up.
50:52 It was their fourth in overall point differential
50:55 in the league over the past two weeks
50:56 per cleaning the glass,
50:57 but their defense is still flandering down at 15th
51:00 in the past two weeks as well.
51:01 So they have made some adjustments.
51:02 They have switched back to that drop style defense
51:04 with Brooke Lopez, but defense still massively lacking,
51:07 even in a short term look back.
51:09 - I'm excited.
51:10 This chat has got me revved up.
51:12 I guess I've been so focused on the last three games.
51:16 I haven't been thinking that much about the Bucks game,
51:18 but now I'm like, who cares, dude?
51:20 It's prime time, it's ESPN, whatever it is.
51:23 It's Giannis Tatum.
51:26 It's, let's go.
51:27 I'm ready for this.
51:29 - This is a playoff data point, right?
51:31 Like whatever happens in this game,
51:32 whatever the data comes out of it is useful for us
51:35 in terms of how we frame our mindset
51:37 going into the playoffs.
51:38 Whereas the Hornets game,
51:39 hopefully we're just gonna see that as a blip going forward.
51:42 - Yeah, yeah, exactly, man.
51:44 And whatever team wins, we'll use this relentlessly
51:48 until the next game online and through the fan bases.
51:51 And if we lose, it will be insufferable.
51:53 Yeah, exactly.
51:54 - You know, but if we do lose, it's just November.
51:59 - It doesn't matter.
51:59 - And if we do win,
52:01 then this is why the Celtics are the favorites.
52:04 - Yeah.
52:05 - I've been thinking we should get a psychologist
52:06 on this podcast too,
52:07 just to help us sort of add,
52:09 like define some of these thoughts and emotions
52:11 that we put out on a regular basis.
52:12 So maybe we put together a playbook, a fandom playbook,
52:15 and you can dust one off in losses
52:17 and you can dust another one off on like,
52:18 how to behave with class and how to gloat with class online
52:21 in the case of wins.
52:22 But maybe that's an off season show for us.
52:23 - Definitely, like show me where the Celtics hurt you,
52:26 I think could be a whole session.
52:29 - Yeah, yeah, okay.
52:31 I'm just not gonna touch that with a 10 foot ball.
52:34 Let's end on this.
52:35 So after the Bucks game,
52:36 we've got a lot of home games.
52:38 Not one of them, this is a poorly framed segment,
52:41 is the in-season tournament game in Orlando,
52:45 which could be huge.
52:46 I think depending on what happens
52:47 with the Raptors Orlando game today.
52:50 And then we've got a three game home stand after that,
52:52 Atlanta, Chicago, Philly,
52:55 two of which are extremely winnable games.
52:57 But then December 4th or 5th,
53:00 depending on how the schedule shakes out,
53:01 it's time for in-season tournament knockout round.
53:05 And then I was trying to make sense of the schedule.
53:07 I've got the picture here, I think,
53:09 maybe I didn't upload it.
53:10 Here we go.
53:11 This is what the schedule looks like on the Celtics website.
53:14 A lot of asterisks, a lot of disclaimers, very confusing,
53:17 but essentially between this December 6th and 9th stage,
53:22 there's a lot of currently unscheduled games
53:24 against unknown opponents that if we continue to win,
53:26 will take us all the way to Vegas
53:28 for potentially the championship in-season tournament game.
53:31 And that's December 9th.
53:32 So this is all coming up in the short term.
53:34 So I don't know, we don't have any leading questions here,
53:36 guys, this is all new, this is all exciting.
53:38 - Yeah.
53:39 - What happens if we like play the Nuggets
53:42 or like, I'm trying to, have we played a West team?
53:44 Yeah, what happens if we play the Timberwolves
53:46 in like the finals, right?
53:48 Do we cancel the next game?
53:51 Or do we play them three times and cancel,
53:54 we only play like Charlotte twice or something?
53:57 Like, how does that work?
53:58 - Yeah, call in.
53:59 - I guess the- - Call in if you go.
54:00 - Yeah, yeah.
54:01 - I guess in the semifinals,
54:02 because the finals don't count as a regular season game.
54:07 - Correct.
54:08 - Right, so I don't know, this is like-
54:10 - If it's the finals, then maybe like,
54:11 it doesn't change the schedule at all.
54:13 But I wonder if that the brackets broken into East and West
54:17 for this exact reason, where like, which is annoying,
54:19 'cause I was excited to get more like quarterfinals,
54:22 it's Celtics, Timberwolves or whatever,
54:25 because you want more East-West matchups,
54:27 'cause that's just fun.
54:28 But my guess now, talking it out,
54:30 probably that you're playing East teams
54:34 up until the finals.
54:35 - Yeah, that'd be nice.
54:38 We'll see, I mean, it's so much is unknown, literally,
54:41 just based on the schedule thus far.
54:42 But I'm excited, venturing into the unknown, I suppose.
54:46 It's all very new and spicy and exciting.
54:48 And it's gonna be interesting to see
54:50 as the games get more important
54:52 from like an in-season tournament presentation perspective,
54:55 if the guys dial up their intensity on the court,
54:59 given what is being presented as high stakes,
55:01 but we're not really sure
55:02 if they're feeling it in that sense yet.
55:03 - I don't know, I feel like they gotta get house of 500K.
55:08 That's Cater, Cater, 500K, Banton, these boys,
55:14 they're not gonna be the ones playing.
55:17 So it's like, hey, Tatum, Jalen,
55:20 can you please make the right play?
55:22 'Cause I can make 25% of my yearly salary today.
55:25 That'll be nice.
55:28 - Yeah, absolutely.
55:29 - I've not really thought about that wrinkle,
55:31 but yeah, that's kind of weird.
55:32 Yeah, 'cause like 500K to Tatum is absolutely nothing,
55:35 but Luke Cornette's like, come on guys,
55:37 it's like, please just make shots.
55:39 - So do you play the bench in late game?
55:42 Crunch time, like these guys want it so badly.
55:44 Luke Cornette's gonna be out there throwing elbows,
55:46 old school, like posting up,
55:47 just doing everything you can to win.
55:50 We'll see, we'll see.
55:51 - Yes, well, it's a good, and then we got the Magic game,
55:54 which is both a Magic game and an IST game.
55:57 Like that's always a weird matchup,
56:00 6.30 AM Australia time, which for that one.
56:04 But yeah, I'm excited to see how we play
56:06 against Orlando this year.
56:07 Hopefully this is a year that we can actually beat them.
56:09 That would be cool.
56:10 - Huge data point on the schedule coming up.
56:13 - Yeah, absolutely.
56:14 - What happens against Orlando.
56:15 - We might see them in the first round, that's terrifying.
56:18 - Yeah, absolutely.
56:20 And then after the IST, little batch there
56:22 from the middle of the schedule,
56:23 we've got four more home games, which is important.
56:27 I think this road trip sucked a little bit,
56:29 even though we came away from it three and one.
56:31 So I'm excited to see just a long home stint there.
56:33 I think that's gonna be good for everyone's sleep
56:35 in their own bed and that kind of thing.
56:36 - For sure, and there's still time for us to develop
56:38 into like one of those insane home juggernaut teams,
56:43 which we were not really last year.
56:45 We've kind of been a really good road team.
56:47 We've been a really good team, full stop,
56:49 the last couple of years,
56:51 but specifically felt like in the playoffs,
56:54 they kind of struggled at home.
56:55 It would be really awesome to develop,
56:58 the Nuggets were in the mid, like the thirties
57:01 with their home wins last year.
57:04 And to have like TD Garden be like this cauldron
57:07 where you can feel really confident about every home game,
57:10 that would be nice.
57:11 And we haven't had the chance to do that.
57:12 I think we're undefeated at home.
57:14 - I wanna say yes.
57:16 - Yeah, 'cause we lost in Minnesota,
57:18 in Philly and in Charlotte.
57:20 So, undefeated at home.
57:24 And undefeated with Derek White when he has sleep.
57:27 - That's right, that's right.
57:28 All right, good.
57:29 This was good for me guys.
57:30 This is a good outpouring of positive vibes,
57:33 which it always is.
57:34 So a reminder, if you're watching the show,
57:35 you're new to the show,
57:36 please subscribe to the First to the Forward channel
57:38 or the CLNS channels, like the stream,
57:39 wherever you're watching.
57:40 Really appreciate you guys watching the live stream here.
57:42 That is gonna do it for this one.
57:43 Thank you so much for joining us.
57:44 A reminder, we're firing up our playback room
57:46 for a live Celtics Bucks watch party tomorrow night
57:49 at tip off time, whenever it is.
57:51 I think it's 7.30 PM East thereabouts.
57:53 Playback.tv/firsttothefloor.
57:56 Spoonie, Jake, love your work guys.
57:57 Until next time, go Celtics.
57:59 - I love the Celtics!
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