In this episode of "The Big 3 NBA Podcast," hosts A. Sherrod Blakely and Gary Washburn, along with guest Josue Pavon from CLNS Media, dive into a lively discussion about the Celtics' recent win over the Sixers. They also react to Jayson Tatum's ejection from the game, and Gary shares insights from his conversation with referee Bill Kennedy. The conversation rounds off with a preview of the Celtics' upcoming quarterfinal matchup against the Pacers in the NBA's In-Season Tournament.
The Big 3 NBA Podcast with Gary, Sherrod & Kwani is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube as well as all of your go to podcasting apps. Subscribe, and give us the gift that never gets old or moldy- a 5-Star review - before you leave!
EPISODE TOPICS:
CELTICS VS PACERS IST PREVIEW
GARY TALKED TO BILL KENNEDY (REF WHO TOSSED TATUM)
CELTICS ROLL INTO IST FOLLOWING 125-119 WIN OVER PHILLY, JAYSON TATUM EJECTED
This episode of the Big 3 NBA Podcast is brought to you by:
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The Big 3 NBA Podcast with Gary, Sherrod & Kwani is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube as well as all of your go to podcasting apps. Subscribe, and give us the gift that never gets old or moldy- a 5-Star review - before you leave!
EPISODE TOPICS:
CELTICS VS PACERS IST PREVIEW
GARY TALKED TO BILL KENNEDY (REF WHO TOSSED TATUM)
CELTICS ROLL INTO IST FOLLOWING 125-119 WIN OVER PHILLY, JAYSON TATUM EJECTED
This episode of the Big 3 NBA Podcast is brought to you by:
FanDuel Sportsbook, the exclusive wagering partner of the CLNS Media Network. Right now, NEW customers get ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS in BONUS BETS with any winning FIVE DOLLAR MONEYLINE BET! So, visit https://FanDuel.com/BOSTON and kick off the NFL season. FanDuel, Official Partner of the NFL. 21+ and present in MA. Hope is here. First online real money wager only. $5 pregame moneyline wager required. First online real money wager only. $10 first deposit required. Bonus issued as non-withdrawable bonus bets that expire 7 days after receipt. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. GamblingHelpLineMa.org or call (800)-327-5050 for 24/7 support. Play it smart from the start! GameSenseMA.com or call 1-800-GAM-1234.
HelloFresh, America's #1 Meal Kit! Go to https://HelloFresh.com/BIG3FREE and use CODE BIG3FREE for FREE breakfast for life! One breakfast item per box while subscription is active. That’s free breakfast for life!
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SportsTranscript
00:00 up to the layup, oh blocked by James!
00:02 - Larry Burns scored 60 points.
00:04 Look at the Boston players smiling.
00:07 - Michael Jordan is not only the best basketball player,
00:09 but he's the most exciting basketball player to ever play.
00:12 - Retainer fires away, pops it in, 51 for Jason Taylor.
00:17 - The Big Three NBA podcast is powered
00:19 by FanDuel Sportsbook, the official wagering partner
00:22 of the CLNS Media Network.
00:24 - Welcome to another edition of the Big Three NBA podcast.
00:27 I'm your host, H. Rob Waite.
00:29 Joined today by a different configuration of the Big Three.
00:33 We've got our star warrior in the building,
00:35 Gary Washburn, College of the Boston Globe.
00:38 And we have CLNS Media's Joe Suede-Babon.
00:42 Welcome to the Big Three NBA podcast, Joe Suede.
00:45 How you doing?
00:46 - I appreciate it, fellas.
00:48 I appreciate the invite.
00:49 This should be fun.
00:50 - Yeah, since we are a Big Three,
00:52 and one of our Big Three, Quani Lunas, is not able to be,
00:56 I think we got a little load management going on with Quani.
00:58 You know, it's a long season for Quani, he needs his rest.
01:01 Man, not mine, you see the youngest one on the team,
01:03 but that's another story altogether.
01:04 We should do that a little bit.
01:05 (laughing)
01:07 But we got Joe Suede in the building.
01:08 We're gonna be talking a lot about the end season tournament
01:12 which the Celtics are going to be a part of.
01:15 Before we get too deep into the podcast,
01:17 I wanna give a special shout out to our good friends
01:19 at Indeed.com, HelloFresh, and FanDuel,
01:22 the exclusive wagering partner of the CLNS Media Network.
01:25 Sign up now at fanduel.com/boston,
01:28 and new customers get $150 in bonus bets
01:31 with any winning $5 Moneyline bet.
01:36 Now, again, when you get a chance,
01:39 definitely download this podcast.
01:42 It's available on all your different podcast apps.
01:45 Subscribe and give us the gift that never gets older, Moldy,
01:48 and that's a five-star review before you leave.
01:51 Now, we're just gonna jump right into things.
01:53 Celtics with the win over the Philadelphia 76ers
01:56 the other night, 125-119.
01:59 Boston now moves on to the end season tournament
02:01 where they will be playing the Indiana Pacers
02:04 on Monday in the knockout round.
02:06 Joe Suede, my man, what are you expecting
02:10 in that first game against them?
02:12 - I'm expecting a lot of what we've seen
02:16 from the Celtics of late,
02:17 and I'm talking about the good version of the Celtics,
02:19 right, the second half, fourth quarter,
02:21 whatever you wanna call it,
02:22 whenever they reach the point where they're like,
02:24 okay, we have to stop messing around and get this W,
02:27 and I think that's gonna come in a big way
02:30 against this Pacers team
02:30 because I think they're really into this now.
02:32 I think they're into the end season tournament now.
02:34 I mean, obviously, everyone was kind of trying to figure out
02:38 what it's really about and the fans and everything,
02:41 but I think because of the advance of the next round,
02:43 I think the fan base is behind them,
02:45 and I think that's the same thing
02:47 for all the teams across the league, right?
02:50 A lot of their fans are now into this thing
02:51 because it's down to single game elimination.
02:54 It's exciting now,
02:55 and I think we're gonna get a competitive game.
02:56 So yeah, look, the way that Indiana Pacers
02:58 have been playing lately, you know, Halliburton,
03:00 and we're gonna wait and see
03:02 which version of Buddy Hills shows up
03:04 'cause I think that's very important for the Pacers.
03:07 We could really have a down-to-the-wire nail-biter,
03:10 and I still like to tell this is chances of winning, though.
03:14 I think it won't be easy against this Pacers team,
03:17 even though the last time these two teams met,
03:19 it was the biggest blow I've ever been a part of
03:23 as a member of the media.
03:24 So, but I don't think we're gonna see
03:26 that version of the Pacers this time.
03:28 - Yeah, and Gary, I wanted you to touch on that,
03:30 the blowout dynamic,
03:31 which is obviously something that the Pacers,
03:33 they ain't forgot about.
03:34 I mean, when you get that ass whoop like that,
03:36 you don't forget about that any time soon.
03:38 - Yeah, for real.
03:38 - How much of a factor, Gary,
03:40 do you think that's gonna be in terms of motivation, focus,
03:43 all those type of intangible things that we talk about
03:45 when you're seeing a team
03:47 for the second, the third, or fourth time?
03:49 - Yeah, I think it's gonna be a big time motivator
03:53 for the Pacers.
03:53 And remember, in that game, Tyrese Halliburton did not play.
03:57 So you're talking about, they haven't faced him this year.
04:00 He is playing at an all-star level,
04:02 putting up the big numbers.
04:04 But I watched Indiana, they play Miami again tonight.
04:08 I watched another night
04:10 where they had a big lead against the Heat,
04:11 and then just kind of gave it up in the fourth quarter.
04:13 They are not a flawless team.
04:15 They are a team that's not great defensively.
04:17 You thought, acquiring Bruce Brown,
04:19 along with Miles Turner,
04:21 and kind of a crash guy, and a guy like Aaron Neesmith,
04:25 and some of those, you would get a really strong defense,
04:28 but they can give up some points.
04:29 So you saw that game a couple of weeks ago against Atlanta,
04:32 where it was like 155 to 152 in regulation.
04:37 I think they lost that game.
04:38 So this is a team that gives up points,
04:41 but they can score points with the best of 'em
04:43 when they're on, when Buddy Hield is right,
04:45 like Joe Swayze said, and, you know,
04:48 Pallor Burton is a guy who can drop 30, 35 points
04:51 on that unorthodox jumper he has, you know,
04:54 and you're talking about a guy like a Bruce Brown,
04:56 you're talking about, you know,
04:58 Nim Hard, who I think is a nice player,
05:00 that a lot of people talk about, and Turner.
05:02 So this is a team that's dangerous,
05:06 but, you know, the Celtics should win
05:09 if they play their A or B game.
05:11 I mean, I don't think this is a team that's like,
05:14 I think, quite honestly, they got the best matchup
05:17 of possible, like you don't wanna,
05:19 you ain't trying to play Milwaukee yet.
05:21 The Knicks, I think the Knicks are more talented
05:23 than the Pacers, you know, you don't wanna play the Knicks.
05:26 So this is a good matchup, you know,
05:29 for a team that, you know, the Pacers went 4-0
05:32 in the, you know, playing tournament,
05:35 and I think they're like 6-8 in the other game.
05:40 So maybe they just about to play,
05:42 maybe they about to have playing life.
05:44 - Maybe that's what you should have said.
05:46 - In-season tournament life, my fault, not playing.
05:49 (laughing)
05:50 - I'm still making that mistake.
05:52 - Exactly, as Gary alluded to, the Boston, Indiana winner,
05:55 they'll travel to Las Vegas for, I guess,
05:58 the in-season tournament final, four, if you will,
06:01 and they'll face the winner of the New York-Milwaukee game,
06:04 and that game will be December 7th in Vegas.
06:06 And then the teams that win,
06:08 they're going to the championship.
06:09 That'll be December 9th, also in Las Vegas.
06:12 And as much as we want to focus, obviously,
06:14 on what's happening on this side of the bracket,
06:17 you've got to take a minute to look at what's happening
06:19 on the other side.
06:21 And then you've got the Pelicans,
06:22 they're playing the Sacramento Kings
06:24 in one matchup out West,
06:26 and then you've got, to me,
06:27 the premier knockout round matchup,
06:31 the Phoenix Suns against the Los Angeles Lakers.
06:33 And Gary, I'm just curious, I mean,
06:35 I don't know how much you've seen those four teams play,
06:37 but am I a little bit, I mean,
06:42 am I thinking crazy that there's one team among those four
06:45 that probably doesn't seem like a logical fit
06:48 to be there, and that's the Pelicans?
06:50 - Yeah, but the Pelicans in their playing game
06:53 beat the Nuggets,
06:54 and so that kind of knocked the Nuggets out of whatever,
06:57 right?
06:58 So that was a weird kind of funky group there,
07:01 where the Pelicans ended up being kind of like the best team.
07:04 And I said, catching Denver on a night
07:07 where they struggled,
07:08 and so they ended up like taking control.
07:11 I think it was like Denver, Dallas, Houston, New Orleans,
07:16 I forgot the other team.
07:17 I think it might've been Memphis.
07:19 I forgot the other team that was in that group.
07:21 I think Memphis was in the Lakers in a Phoenix bracket,
07:25 but New Orleans is a team that's very dangerous.
07:28 And we haven't seen them a lot.
07:30 They haven't done national television.
07:32 I think people are kind of over the Zion,
07:36 phenomena.
07:37 It's like, okay, show us when you're healthy,
07:40 but he's healthy.
07:41 Then they got, you know, Brandon Ingram,
07:45 Valen Chunas, you know,
07:47 now CJ McCollum is healthy.
07:49 They got, you know, Herb Jones,
07:52 Trey Murphy is back,
07:54 the kid, the Connecticut kid,
07:57 Jordan, boy, the-
07:59 - Hawkins.
08:00 - Yeah, Jordan Hawkins,
08:01 who's, they say, shoots like Ray Allen.
08:03 He's a top three point rookie shooter in the league so far.
08:07 So they got talent, you know,
08:09 Alvarado hasn't played much.
08:10 He's been hurt,
08:11 but this is a team that's stacked up a bunch of guys
08:15 over the last few years,
08:16 made some very good drafts.
08:18 We're getting Trey Murphy, getting Herb Jones,
08:21 and, you know, bringing, trading for McCollum.
08:25 And now they're a team,
08:26 I don't know if they're gonna win,
08:27 they're not gonna win the West,
08:28 but they're a team that's dangerous.
08:30 And you catch Zion on the wrong night,
08:32 you know, that dude dropped 35 and 15
08:36 and probably seven, eight dimes.
08:37 So they're a dangerous team.
08:39 That Kings game with the Pelicans will be a track meet.
08:43 That'll be a fun game to watch.
08:45 - Absolutely.
08:45 And just by looking at the other side of that bracket
08:48 where you got Phoenix and the Lakers,
08:50 you know, two of the, they've been, you know,
08:53 I don't wanna call them perennial powers,
08:54 but they've been in the top tier
08:56 out West for a few years now.
08:58 What are you expecting to see out of that matchup?
09:01 - You know, it's interesting.
09:02 The way LeBron's been playing lately,
09:03 like showing that, you know, he's aging like fine wine.
09:07 I feel like this opportunity for the Lakers
09:11 is LeBron's way of saying like,
09:12 "Hey, we're still here."
09:13 You know what I mean?
09:14 We can still win the Western Conference.
09:16 Let's face it, coming into the regular season,
09:18 not a lot of people would have mentioned the Lakers
09:20 as one of the top tier teams,
09:21 kind of more of a question mark
09:22 as opposed to the other teams, you know,
09:24 the top tier ones,
09:25 obviously the champion Denver Nuggets.
09:27 And even I feel like even the Sacramento Kings
09:29 are sort of getting in some certain conversations.
09:31 You know, it's kind of like everyone's just waiting to see
09:33 what the Lakers is gonna look like
09:34 by the middle of the season.
09:35 No one's kind of giving them that benefit of the doubt.
09:37 I think LeBron's taking that personal.
09:38 You know, he wants to go out there.
09:40 And I think because this is the first year of this
09:42 and everyone's sort of like, you know,
09:44 trying to, the excitement is starting to build up.
09:46 I think LeBron, he likes that.
09:48 You know, I think he sees that as an opportunity
09:51 for them to come up big,
09:52 go to the championship game in Vegas.
09:54 And I think that that's something
09:55 that can bring this team together.
09:56 So I really like the Lakers' chances in this one.
09:59 It's gonna be a good matchup.
10:00 Like Gary just said about the Kings and Pelicans game,
10:05 I think you'll get a really exciting game
10:06 in this one as well.
10:07 I just wonder with the Phoenix Suns, you know,
10:10 them trying to find their continuity.
10:12 I know they found some, somewhat of that balance
10:14 or at least they got something for the fans
10:16 to be confident about, right?
10:18 The past like 10 games, I wanna say they went like seven
10:21 and seven and three or so.
10:22 So they're starting to find their momentum, but I don't know.
10:24 I think I like the Lakers' chances though.
10:26 Again, I think with LeBron, the way he's been playing,
10:28 I think he can galvanize these guys
10:30 and let them know like, hey, you know,
10:32 this isn't the NBA finals, but you know,
10:34 this is great, you know, this is great practice
10:37 for that type of situation way down the road
10:39 in the postseason.
10:40 - Well, I'd say, I mean, I think it's gonna be,
10:42 that game I think is going to be the best one of the four,
10:46 simply because of the teams that are playing,
10:48 what we're talking about at stake.
10:49 And to be frank with you, of all these matchups,
10:52 if you had to say one of these could be
10:54 a conference finals preview, that's the only one
10:57 that I feel comfortable talking about.
11:01 But listen, Devin Booker is a bad dude.
11:04 That brother is a bad, bad man.
11:07 I feel like, even though Devin Booker is a name
11:09 that most people in the NBA circle certainly know about
11:11 and are familiar with, it feels as though
11:13 he's been kind of flying under the radar,
11:16 that he's a very top tier player,
11:18 but you don't really hear his name talked about
11:21 when you're speaking about the top 10, top 15 players.
11:23 I'm like, maybe at the very tail end of that conversation,
11:26 but I feel like Devin Booker is one of them dudes
11:29 that, sleep with him if you want to.
11:31 Make the mistake and sleep with him if you want to.
11:34 But I'm not gonna do that.
11:35 I think Phoenix will be the Lakers.
11:38 And it's hard for me to say that because,
11:39 forget about LeBron for a minute.
11:41 Y'all already know, and Garrett knows this,
11:43 my dude Darvin Ham, head coach Darvin Ham, that's my guy.
11:46 I love what my guy's doing with the Lakers.
11:49 But in this particular situation, I think Phoenix will,
11:53 I think they'll be the team that prevails.
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12:30 - But Garrett, what I wanted to talk to you about, Garrett,
12:35 and kind of shift gears a little bit,
12:37 I wanna get back to the Boston-Indiana match.
12:39 And specifically, I wanna talk about Garrett, your boy,
12:42 Jason Tatum.
12:43 Your boy has some interesting post game,
12:46 you and him had an interesting post game,
12:49 we'll just call it banter,
12:51 after they beat Philadelphia.
12:53 And it became very clear,
12:56 after Tatum just approached, who have not heard,
12:59 Tatum picked up his second technical foul
13:02 near the end of the third quarter,
13:03 I think it was like 2.6 seconds left,
13:05 was ejected from the game.
13:07 And Gary asked him a little bit about that post game.
13:09 And Gary, before I put words in your mouth,
13:12 because you know I can do it with ease,
13:13 I want you to take a look at the game.
13:17 Just that interaction you guys had,
13:19 some of the things that Tatum said, in that setting.
13:21 - Well, I mean, I think he was completely confused
13:26 as to why he was ejected.
13:27 He felt like he said he didn't say any curse words.
13:31 It was just a frustrating night for Jason,
13:32 if you really honestly think about it.
13:34 Seven turnovers, he just was not handling the ball well,
13:39 he made some bad passes that were just kind of telegraphed.
13:43 There was just a lot going on with Jason last night,
13:46 he just wasn't himself.
13:47 Six for nine from the field, he got to the free throw line,
13:49 but he missed two free throws.
13:51 He just was not himself.
13:52 21 points, I know in 21 points, in three quarters,
13:56 and that's not good, Jason,
13:58 that's a good sign for the Celtics,
13:59 'cause you know, I mean, he could drop 50
14:01 if he, on any particular night.
14:03 But I felt like he was just kind of like,
14:06 I don't know why I got thrown out.
14:08 So I asked him the last question,
14:10 like what'd you do when you get thrown out?
14:11 Like what happens?
14:12 Do you throw stuff?
14:14 'Cause obviously you get tossed,
14:15 even though you're like,
14:18 you're maybe not upset about what happened,
14:21 you're upset about getting thrown out.
14:23 Like, you're like, wait a minute,
14:24 I ain't say nothing,
14:25 fuck this and all that, right?
14:27 - Can't play anymore, right?
14:29 - Yeah, like you upset, but he was just kind of,
14:31 just like, I wasn't freaking, you know, effing bad.
14:35 You know, I didn't throw nothing,
14:37 I just chilled, iced up and watched the rest of the game.
14:40 So.
14:41 - You throw stuff, what do you do
14:43 in the minutes after you're rejected,
14:46 before you chill and watch the game?
14:48 - Again, I wasn't that (beep) mad.
14:50 (audience laughing)
14:52 Don't put that narrative out there.
14:54 I didn't throw nothing.
14:57 I said what I said.
14:58 There was no magic words.
15:00 I didn't cuss.
15:01 Assistant coaches right there, you heard me.
15:04 I don't know, they,
15:05 maybe they didn't want me to play tonight.
15:06 They was eager to get me out of there.
15:09 And I walked back calmly.
15:11 I sat in my chair, got some ice.
15:13 I was not mad.
15:14 I didn't throw anything.
15:16 I was just like, it was like a joke.
15:18 You know, I was like, I had to laugh it off.
15:21 So no, I ain't cry, I ain't throw anything.
15:25 Got my ice, watched the rest of the game,
15:27 watched us win and got ready.
15:30 - You know, I think he wanted to emphasize
15:32 that he was not upset that the first technical
15:35 was like, okay, that was weird.
15:37 And then the second one,
15:39 because he basically thought that Covington fouled him
15:44 when he ripped him.
15:46 And then he kind of raised his hand up
15:47 and hit Covington into the mouth,
15:50 trying to retrieve the ball.
15:51 So that was a flagrant.
15:52 So it was just a lot of,
15:54 a lot of, there's a lot going on there.
15:57 - Yeah, I was like freaking out about the fact
16:00 that Breaux had seven turnovers in three quarters.
16:02 That's harsh.
16:04 - Yeah.
16:05 - Seven turnovers.
16:06 (laughing)
16:07 - You don't see that.
16:08 - I almost think that, yeah.
16:10 I mean, and Joseph, chime in on this,
16:11 but it felt as though Tatum, for whatever reason,
16:15 just wasn't himself.
16:16 And I don't know how much of that happened
16:17 with the fact that there was no Joel Embiid,
16:19 no Tyrese Maxey.
16:21 And so did he just kind of take maybe a deeper breath
16:24 than he should have taken and just kind of eased
16:27 more into the game than he probably should have?
16:29 I don't know.
16:30 I mean, what's your take on that?
16:31 Why he was just so-
16:32 - I think that's exactly what happened, Shrug.
16:34 Honestly.
16:36 Right, I mean, well, as the turnovers stacked up,
16:39 he's getting more frustrated.
16:40 And he's thinking that he can get those calls.
16:42 And you know what?
16:43 He kind of did, right?
16:44 Before that last technical foul,
16:46 he was getting to the free throw line.
16:47 And I was happy because, you know,
16:49 Missoula made the switch.
16:51 I want to say around the two and a half minute mark
16:52 where Jalen just, I don't know, man.
16:54 He was on his own Jalen Island, I call it, right?
16:57 Where he was just doing his own thing,
16:58 wasn't in tune with the rest of the offense.
17:00 So I thought that was a great call to put Tatum in
17:02 because what did he do?
17:03 He did the exact opposite.
17:04 Attacked on the rim,
17:05 got to the free throw line a couple of times.
17:06 You know, I felt like he was starting to make that switch.
17:08 And then you're upset about a call.
17:11 And Shrug, we talked about this a lot
17:13 on the Southern Post game show.
17:14 I get it.
17:15 I get the frustration.
17:15 But when the refs are huddled up like that,
17:17 especially the way they were at half court,
17:19 you got to give them their space, man.
17:21 You can't just jump in there.
17:22 And just because you're not swearing, you know,
17:25 but you're doing everything else
17:26 in terms of being demonstrative
17:27 or trying to get your point across,
17:28 you're obviously talking over people.
17:30 Nobody likes that, you know?
17:31 And they already handed you a technical foul
17:33 in the first quarter.
17:34 And let's face it, Tatum has a history of this.
17:36 Even though he's been better about it this year,
17:39 I give him that, I give him credit.
17:40 But when he's in that mood,
17:41 when he's upset with his game,
17:43 with all those turnovers and everything,
17:45 he's chirping, you know?
17:46 A little bit here, a little bit there.
17:48 And maybe it's not, you know, something disrespectful,
17:51 but the refs don't appreciate that.
17:52 And I just thought in that moment,
17:53 the tensions are high and, you know,
17:56 Bill Kennedy had had it.
17:57 But, you know, Gary, I wanted to ask you this question
18:00 because you were able to talk to these guys
18:02 after the game.
18:02 I'm talking about the officials.
18:04 Like, what was their demeanor?
18:05 Did they seem like they were sort of like so hot
18:07 about what happened?
18:08 Like, you know, when they explained exactly
18:11 what led to Tatum being tossed,
18:13 what was their vibe like?
18:16 - Billy, Kibbe, absolutely not.
18:18 He was not upset at all.
18:21 He just said, this is, I mean,
18:22 this is par for his course, you know what I mean?
18:24 - Yeah, that's true.
18:26 - This is what Billy do.
18:27 So, you know, I throw people out, you know?
18:32 And so, no, he just said, Jason,
18:36 basically they told him to go back to the bench.
18:39 Like, Jason, go back to the bench.
18:41 You're doing too much right now.
18:44 And he wouldn't do it.
18:45 And then they tossed him, you know?
18:47 And it was a second technical.
18:48 It was not because he said anything
18:49 in that particular instance that would have drawn objection,
18:52 but it was a second technical.
18:53 If he had no technicals,
18:54 he just would have gotten a technical
18:56 and he would have been fine.
18:58 But he got tossed 'cause it was a second technical.
19:00 So I just think Tatum needs to control it.
19:02 I think it was, like you said,
19:03 it was a frustrating night for him.
19:04 Seven turnovers, you know,
19:07 I always think of two missed free throws.
19:09 He just didn't seem himself, right?
19:12 He thought, oh, no NB, no maxi, it's Jason time.
19:15 35, 38, 39 points, you know, 12 boards, eight assists,
19:20 you know, seven threes.
19:23 You just thought it was gonna be Jason takeover night.
19:26 And it wasn't.
19:28 And, you know, he struggled
19:30 and he's had 17 turnovers in the last three games.
19:33 So he's just on a turnover binge right now, you know?
19:37 And Jalen, as much as he was shaky, he only had three,
19:42 you know, and we, you know, Jalen,
19:44 Jalen, I think is still trying to figure things out.
19:48 And still, I mean, you know, he air balled two threes
19:52 before he hit one kind of an important one
19:54 in the left corner in the second half.
19:57 So neither of those two guys are playing at their best
20:01 and they're still winning.
20:02 So that's a good sign.
20:03 - They are. - Yeah, for sure.
20:05 Yeah, that's the bad time.
20:08 Sure, well, I'm just gonna say real quick also though,
20:10 let's be honest, man.
20:11 Like it's not, it doesn't happen often
20:13 when you see Tatum frustrating, upset
20:15 and yelling the way he was after the, after the injection.
20:18 But that's gotta be like a top three, top four,
20:21 like the most upset I've seen Tatum
20:24 on the basketball, on the basketball floor.
20:25 So your question, Gary, I mean, I would ask the same thing.
20:29 And then if you look at the replay from the TV broadcast,
20:33 a lot of the exchange after he was ejected, you know,
20:35 after, you know, no matter what you say,
20:37 you're already done playing for the night
20:39 and players typically get their, you know, what off,
20:42 you know what they wanna say, get it off their chest.
20:44 I wanna say Charles Lee's covering Tatum's face.
20:47 So we couldn't make out what he was saying.
20:48 And okay, if he wasn't swearing, that's fine.
20:50 But he was hot, man.
20:51 He was upset.
20:52 He was, he was livid, I'd even say.
20:54 It seemed like, and if he cooled off instantly
20:56 as soon as he got to the locker room, all right,
20:58 maybe he did, but that doesn't, you know what I mean?
21:00 From what we saw, I'm asking the same thing.
21:02 Just like, just like, you know.
21:03 - Yeah, like, what'd you do?
21:03 Did you throw stuff?
21:05 'Cause it's not the frustration.
21:06 Maybe you're just like, man,
21:07 I can't believe I got thrown out.
21:09 What's going on here?
21:10 What the hell?
21:10 Like, they can't do that to me.
21:12 I'm Jason Tatum.
21:13 So, so for me, it was, it was a question to ask
21:17 because you just wanted to, I just like,
21:19 he doesn't get tossed, but I think he got tossed
21:22 last year in the preseason at Toronto.
21:25 So he doesn't get tossed often.
21:27 So you want to see what his,
21:28 I just wanted to kind of detail
21:30 in terms of just writing about it,
21:32 what his protocol was.
21:34 Did he immediately shower?
21:36 Did he eat?
21:37 Did he sit there and call somebody?
21:39 Is, you know, hey man,
21:40 you see what they did to me?
21:41 So watch the game, like, or did he just sit,
21:43 did he stew?
21:44 What happened?
21:45 You know, and so he just, you know,
21:48 what I asked, like, he'd be through stuff.
21:49 He was just like, hell no, I ain't throw nothing.
21:51 I'm fine.
21:52 I'm good.
21:53 You know?
21:54 So, all right, you good, right?
21:59 You know?
22:00 - You still sensitive to that stuff, Gary.
22:02 - You ain't mad?
22:03 You ain't mad?
22:04 Like, you sort of like, you ain't mad?
22:09 - It's like when someone screams, I'm not mad.
22:11 It's like, are you sure, man?
22:13 - You sure you good?
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24:02 - But here's the thing though.
24:05 Here's the thing that we all have to kind of
24:07 come back to with this.
24:08 They won, and they still have the best record
24:11 in the NBA as they go into the knockout round
24:14 of the end season tournament.
24:16 And we all know that whenever you,
24:17 whether you're talking NCAA, NBA, WNBA, whatever,
24:21 there's usually a wild card player or two
24:25 that for you to be the last team standing
24:27 in whatever that format may be,
24:29 steps up and emerges.
24:31 And I'm just curious, Joseph,
24:32 but who's your wild card for the Celtics?
24:33 If they're gonna come out of the end season tournament
24:36 as the last team stand,
24:39 who do you think is gonna be that wild card guy?
24:41 And Gary, I want you to answer the question
24:43 after Joseph Sway does.
24:44 - Man, that's a good question.
24:47 See, I wanna say, like my go-to is,
24:51 and I feel like he may not be a wild card anymore,
24:54 but I'm gonna go with Derek White.
24:56 I just feel like when the team is,
24:57 a lot of times throughout the season
24:59 when the team is struggling
25:01 or a lot of guys just don't have it,
25:02 similar to what we saw between Tatum and Brown,
25:05 he stays consistent.
25:06 You know what I mean?
25:07 I mean, that's reminiscent of last year's game seven
25:09 against the Heat.
25:10 And I know Tatum was, you know, he was already hurt
25:12 and now out throughout the whole game,
25:13 but when no one else had it,
25:15 he just kept doing what he needed to do.
25:18 You know, nothing bothered him.
25:19 And I think this is a great opportunity for him
25:22 to show that again.
25:23 You know, a lot of the opposing defenses,
25:26 they forget about him, you know,
25:27 even though he's still in the scouting reports
25:29 and, you know, the way other guys have been playing well,
25:31 just the different,
25:32 the makeup of this team is completely different, right?
25:34 Drew Halladay and you have so many other guys.
25:36 I feel like people forget about him.
25:37 He's been consistent.
25:39 He's been consistent throughout.
25:40 So I'm gonna go with Derek White.
25:41 - What about you, G?
25:42 - I'm gonna go with a guy like Sam Houser,
25:45 hitting threes, wide open threes.
25:48 He's doing well.
25:49 He's had a good season.
25:50 He's kind of, he had a slow start.
25:52 He's bounced back.
25:53 And you can say also Peyton Pritchard,
25:55 but I'm gonna say Sam Houser, you know?
25:57 - Yeah, I was thinking Pritchard too.
25:58 I thought him too.
25:59 - Pritchard's a guy, you know,
26:00 where he needs to hit the open three, you know,
26:06 but he's making plays, he's doing better.
26:07 He's fitting more into what they're trying to do.
26:10 And he seems more comfortable out there.
26:11 But Houser's a guy, I just think he's such a weapon
26:14 because now you've got to guard him.
26:17 You know, you can't just leave him alone.
26:18 And if you do, he's gonna hit that high rainbow three.
26:22 And I just think that that's the good thing
26:24 about the Celtics.
26:26 And when you cultivate players and you, you know,
26:29 like remember like they had Max Strews
26:31 and they let him go.
26:33 And I think they learned a lot from like
26:37 just letting Max Strews go.
26:39 Like we don't have a shooter.
26:41 And so obviously it's taken almost like
26:42 we're two and a half years, you know,
26:44 half a season, you know, he came
26:48 and he didn't really contribute much.
26:49 And then last year he was okay.
26:52 But, you know, 43.7% from three,
26:55 I mean, that's outstanding, you know?
26:59 And even Peyton Pritchard got off to a slow start
27:01 and he goes up to 33%.
27:02 That's not good, but it's better, you know?
27:06 And so I think that Hauser becomes that wild card,
27:11 especially in high scoring games
27:13 where you push the pace up, you know,
27:16 you lose them on defense.
27:18 Oh man, there he is wide open, bam, three pointer.
27:21 - Yeah.
27:22 The thing about Sam that I have kind of gotten
27:25 a little bit greater appreciation for
27:27 aside from the shooting, obviously,
27:28 but the work that he puts in before games
27:32 and during games to be a solid defender.
27:36 He's not locking anybody up.
27:37 He knows that, everyone knows that.
27:40 But to see teams try to go at it
27:42 and to see him more times than not hold his own,
27:45 a special shout out to assistant coach Tony Dobbins,
27:48 who I know works with Sam a lot
27:50 on his defensive position.
27:52 'Cause again, Sam's not, he's not all up in your jersey.
27:55 He just makes sure he keeps his ass
27:56 between you and the rim.
27:58 That's to me, that's all he has to do.
28:00 And the other four, just knocked out open shots,
28:02 which he's been able to do at a fairly high cliff
28:05 this season.
28:06 And again, that's playing to win his strengths off.
28:08 But I wanted to say--
28:09 - No, it's right.
28:11 - Go ahead, Joe.
28:11 - No, I just want to say real quick,
28:12 I feel like that's why he was like
28:14 in Missoula's doghouse last year.
28:16 Remember that he would get beat constantly,
28:18 especially in transition,
28:19 he wouldn't get back in time and Missoula wasn't having it.
28:21 And once he fell out of that rotation for about,
28:23 I want to say like maybe three to four weeks
28:26 or something like that.
28:26 He just made that a point of emphasis.
28:29 Like he made sure that he was gonna work on that game,
28:32 on that part of his game.
28:33 Yeah.
28:34 - Absolutely.
28:35 And again, we'll be closing up fairly soon.
28:37 This is the Big Three NBA podcast
28:39 with H-Rod Blake and Gary Washburn
28:41 and our special guest today, Joe Swaype-Pavone.
28:44 Wanted to shift really quick to the team
28:46 that the Celtics will be facing
28:47 and that is the Indiana Patios.
28:50 And obviously Halliburton is the alpha.
28:53 He's the one that makes that thing go.
28:55 But besides him, who are some of the players
28:57 or maybe even some of the issues
28:59 that you're concerned with about that Indiana team?
29:01 And Joe, I wanted to start it off with you on that.
29:04 - Well, I mean, like I said from the top,
29:06 when we first, you know, we're talking about the matchups,
29:09 Buddy Healds has put together some incredible games
29:12 and he's put together some incredible duds.
29:14 Like I'm talking seven three-pointers one night
29:18 and then scoring seven the next, you know what I mean?
29:20 Like all four or one for six from behind the arc, you know?
29:24 So when he's going from three,
29:26 it really does change this team's, the offense.
29:29 He's not giving the Patios a whole lot
29:31 of other parts of what they need to win the game.
29:35 You know, maybe some rebounds here or there,
29:37 giving them extra possessions.
29:39 But I really do think that he's the difference maker.
29:41 You know, if he doesn't have it,
29:43 I really don't see this Patios team winning this game.
29:45 I don't see how they have enough, you know,
29:48 offensive firepower to counter their,
29:51 for what they lack on the defensive end of the floor.
29:53 - Yeah, Gary.
29:54 - I think, I mean, they're,
29:58 they have 127 points a game.
30:00 So they put up the points,
30:01 they have eight players who score an average
30:03 and double figures.
30:04 So they got a lot of weapons.
30:05 You know, now they don't have a lot of consistent,
30:07 like, you know, guys who are household names.
30:10 Jalen Smith averages 10 points.
30:12 Our friend, Ney Smith, 10 points off the bench.
30:16 Bruce Brown, 11 points.
30:17 Obi Toppin, forgot that he's there now as a starter.
30:21 Obviously, he spent a couple of years on the New York Knicks.
30:24 Bitter Nick McThorne is, you know,
30:26 coming off a really good rookie season.
30:28 They have a lot of guys who can score.
30:30 And you just don't want, not only Halliburton,
30:33 but let's say, McThorne going for 30,
30:35 or Heald hitting seven threes,
30:37 or Bruce Brown getting hot.
30:39 Like, you gotta contain a lot of those guys.
30:41 And I think rebounding is also important too.
30:43 Don't let them get a lot of second chance points.
30:46 Use their size.
30:48 So I just think there's a lot of dangers here for this game.
30:52 You know, a lot of things that could slip.
30:55 The revenge factor after, you know,
30:57 being, losing by 51 points in the first game,
31:00 and a team that can shoot, you know,
31:02 that's not great, but, you know, from three-point line,
31:05 but effective enough.
31:07 Halliburton's 45% from three, so don't leave him alone.
31:10 Heald, 40% from three.
31:12 So, Ney Smith, our friend, 44% from three this year.
31:18 Remember, they thought they got there,
31:20 the Celtics thought they got their shooter
31:21 with Aaron Ney Smith,
31:23 and he couldn't hit the side of a barn.
31:25 And now he's coming into his own side of extension
31:28 in Indiana, finally found a place that, you know,
31:32 had more patience.
31:33 So I just think there was kind of like,
31:35 we trying to win right now,
31:38 I think it was the Celtics and Aaron, what you got for us?
31:41 And he didn't have much besides,
31:43 I play real hard on defense, but I can't hit the three.
31:46 So now to see him mature, probably,
31:49 and I said, "Beyond, you know, let's be honest,
31:50 "some of these dudes just come out too early."
31:52 And maybe Ney Smith should have done another year
31:54 at Vanderbilt, maybe, you know, got his, you know,
31:57 game and confidence together,
31:59 but it's always that second team,
32:01 some of these guys find it.
32:03 So if you're the Celtics,
32:05 you gotta be aware of a lot of weapons.
32:08 - Absolutely.
32:09 - Indiana, I said, they're not all that great.
32:14 They're not all that great defensively, you know,
32:17 they're a team that will, you know, allow a lot of points,
32:22 but they're also a team that will score a lot of points.
32:25 And so what you don't want is 135, 127, you know,
32:30 they're last in the league in points allowed, 126.
32:34 So you can shred their defense.
32:37 They allow teams to shoot 45.8% from the field
32:40 and 40% from three.
32:43 So the Celtics should have a field day.
32:45 - That's common.
32:46 - Celtics are fourth in points allowed.
32:49 So the Celtics have the defense, right?
32:53 And they allow opponents to shoot 40%.
32:56 So you're talking about two different worlds here,
33:00 a great defensive team in the Celtics or a very good one,
33:03 and a terrible one in Indiana,
33:06 but an offense that's high powered.
33:08 So you don't want one of those, you know,
33:11 shoot outs where, like you said, Josue,
33:15 Buddy Hill goes for, you know, 15, five threes
33:18 in the fourth quarter and you end up losing.
33:20 - Absolutely.
33:21 One of the wild cards I'm looking forward to seeing,
33:24 and again, his impact won't necessarily show up
33:26 in the statute, obviously,
33:27 but I feel pretty confident that you're going to know
33:30 he's in the building and that's head coach Rick Carlisle.
33:33 Someone I've known for a number of years.
33:34 Rick is not taking that 50 point ass whooping lightly.
33:37 I guarantee you they will be playing a much better game
33:40 and Rick Carlisle's imprint on their play
33:43 is going to be something.
33:44 I wouldn't be surprised if they deliver
33:46 the best defensive game they have all season
33:48 against the Celtics.
33:49 Would not surprise me.
33:51 - He may be playing that game nonstop in the locker room.
33:54 - Yeah, exactly.
33:55 And so I'm worried about that,
33:58 but the one thing I don't worry about is folks,
34:01 checking out the Big Three NBA podcast.
34:04 And we're going to close things out here right now
34:07 on that note.
34:08 And again, before we head out,
34:09 just another shout out to indeed.com,
34:11 HelloFresh and FanDuel,
34:13 the exclusive wagering partner of CLNS Media Network
34:16 where new customers get $150 in bonus bets
34:20 with any winning $5 Moneyline bet.
34:23 Remember to download this latest episode
34:25 of the Big Three NBA podcast
34:27 from all your favorite podcasts and apps.
34:29 For Gary Washburn, Joe Sway, I'm Ishaan Blakely.
34:33 Thank you for tuning in and we will see ya.
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