• 7 months ago
The Boston Celtics have all but locked up the top spot in the league, as well as home court in the East heading into the 2024 NBA Playoffs. Everything seems to be aligning for Boston to make a deep postseason run fans hope ends in a title.

At least, save one. It seems the path back to the finals might have just gotten considerably tougher for the Celtics with word that Philadelphia 76ers big man Joel Embiid is set to return to the court. The perennial MVP candidate will have to play his way into shape as the regular season winds down, but at least as things stands at the time of writing, the Sixers are the leading candidates to face Boston in the first round.

To find out where Embiid and Co. are in terms of health and play, the hosts of the "Celtics Lab" podcast sat down with Sixers Wire editor Ky Carlin to talk all things Philadelphia - Boston.

We also touch on the other likely candidates and get caught up on what little news is still percolating up in the final weeks of the 2024 stretch run.

The Celtics Lab podcast is brought to you by Prize Picks.
Transcript
00:00 Alrighty, welcome to the Celtics Lab podcast brought to you by PrizePix, the exclusive
00:13 fantasy basketball partner of the CLNS Media Network.
00:16 And if you enjoy this pod, check out the How About Them Celtics podcast first to the floor,
00:19 and the many other New England sports podcasts available on the CLNS Media Network.
00:23 I'm Cameron Tiffany-DeVay.
00:24 I'm your host for today.
00:26 I'm joined by Alex Goldberg and Dr. Justin Quinn.
00:28 But more importantly, we are joined by Kai Carlin of the Sixers Wire, because something
00:33 seismic is happening in the bottom end of the Eastern Conference standings vis-a-vis
00:38 the Philadelphia 76ers.
00:39 So Kai, what is up?
00:41 And tell us literally everything you know about the Joel Embiid situation.
00:46 First of all, what's going on, Justin, Alex, Cam?
00:51 Sure.
00:52 Good as always to see you guys.
00:55 I might be seeing you in a couple of weeks.
00:58 That's what we're here to discuss.
00:59 This is your room.
01:00 Consider it.
01:01 Consider it.
01:02 We might get a Sixers-Celtics first round series.
01:05 So I might be seeing you in a couple of weeks.
01:07 Well, so yeah, I guess we'll just kind of dive right into what Philadelphia is all about,
01:12 right?
01:13 I mean, look, they're the eighth seed right now in the East.
01:15 There's a chance they can move up to seven because a certain reigning league MVP is on
01:22 his way back.
01:25 He's listed as out for Tuesday's contest with the Oklahoma City Thunder, but first, I think
01:30 he plays.
01:31 I know he's already been ruled out, but I mean, Adrian Wojnowski went on ESPN's NBA
01:36 Today basically.
01:37 I mean, this was right after the Sixers listed him.
01:39 Woj basically was like, yeah, you know, he's expected.
01:42 There's a chance he plays Tuesday against the Thunder.
01:45 And if Woj is saying it, that pretty much should tell you that his status is probably
01:49 going to change before Tuesday's contest with the Thunder.
01:52 I mean, all signs kind of point to it.
01:54 That's a home game for the Sixers, right?
01:58 Yes.
01:59 And then what's the next game after that?
02:01 So like, say he doesn't play in the Thunder game.
02:04 So after the Thunder game, they go on a three game road trip.
02:06 They go to Miami, Memphis and San Antonio, and then they finish up the season at home
02:12 against Detroit, Orlando and Brooklyn.
02:16 Well, that's really wow.
02:18 That's look, if he's healthy enough to play, I'm sure he'll play.
02:21 But outside of that Miami game, I mean, that's that's baby food for Embiid.
02:27 Like that's such a nice, soft landing for him.
02:30 Yeah, no, for sure.
02:31 Outside of maybe the OKC game Tuesday and then, yeah, the Miami game, because OKC obviously
02:36 got to go up against Chet Holmgren.
02:37 You got to go up against Jalen Williams and the rest of those guys.
02:41 And then Miami obviously got Bam Adebayo.
02:44 But yeah, after after those two teams, Memphis is missing half their roster, obviously.
02:51 San Antonio, I mean, we'll get the Joel versus Wembenyama, you know, the hype beast going
02:56 again.
02:57 I mean, Joel did drop 70 on the Spurs, you know, the last time we saw him.
03:03 You know what I mean?
03:04 So although Wembenyama has been playing so well lately, I feel like that that could be
03:10 a little closer to an actual heavyweight battle than the last time.
03:14 And, you know, it's crazy, Alex Wembenyama actually played well in that game against
03:18 here in Philly.
03:19 The night Joel scored 70.
03:20 I think Wembenyama had like twenty eight and twelve or something crazy like that.
03:26 Seeing him live and in person was like watching a video game come to life.
03:30 It was it was kind of kind of insane.
03:33 Yeah, he immediately joined LeBron and Steph and only a few other guys who it's like must
03:38 see appointment viewing when they come to town.
03:41 Kai, what's your sense of.
03:45 If anything, like the limitations that Embiid will be feeling.
03:49 See that that's the million dollar question.
03:51 And honestly, you got to consider the fact that Joel hasn't played a game since January
03:57 30th.
03:58 You know what I mean?
03:59 Even if he does play Tuesday, it's April 2nd.
04:01 He hasn't picked hasn't played an NBA basketball game in two months.
04:06 Now you can do all the rehab and all the practicing and all the the ramp up steps that you want
04:13 to call it.
04:14 But if he's you can't simulate an NBA game.
04:18 So again, very curious to see how he looks, because he's there's going to be rust.
04:24 There's going to be conditioning questions, you know, and we're talking about a guy who's
04:29 seven foot two and almost 300 pounds.
04:32 So as incredible as Joel is, and he's a top five player in the game, you know, he's still
04:40 got conditioning issues and and rust issues questions he's going to have to answer and
04:45 figure out.
04:46 So, I mean, look, if it's Philly and Boston around one, and I've said this before, I give
04:52 the Sixers a puncher's chance is because of how good Joel Embiid is.
04:56 But that Celtic team is so much better from top to bottom.
04:59 You can't beat them with just one guy.
05:01 So if it's Sixers Celtics around one, I think Boston wins, you know, rather easily.
05:07 I'm not gonna lie.
05:08 I'm kind of interested with regard to Embiid returning.
05:12 You know, I almost wonder if some of this is more about Tyrese Maxey than it is about
05:17 Joel Embiid, and specifically just having another player that can actually command the
05:22 defense's attention out there.
05:24 Do you know thinking kind of about like, Nick Nurse, I think is a very savvy coach.
05:29 And I think he understands that he understands his players health, but I think he also understands,
05:35 you know, floor geography and gravity and things like that.
05:39 And I think there's a part of this that makes me think that if you're bringing Embiid back,
05:46 a he has to be healthy in order to do that.
05:48 Like you can't bring him back if he's 80% healthy, 90% healthy, he has to be ready to
05:53 go.
05:54 But I almost wonder to your point about the kind of conditioning and the ramp up and all
05:59 of that stuff, if this is more about just like, bringing somebody in that now you can't
06:07 double team Maxey when you're playing against the Sicklers, because Embiid is still that
06:12 good.
06:13 You can't, you know, like overload and like ignore Mo Bamba, because you know, it's Joel
06:19 Embiid and it's not Mo Bamba, or something like that.
06:22 It does make me wonder if part of the gambit with Embiid is not so much about like, we
06:28 need Joel Embiid back on the floor because he's a dominant player as it is we need Joel
06:32 Embiid back on the floor because it will make life easier for a lot of the other guys on
06:38 this team.
06:39 Well, yeah, for sure.
06:42 But I think the biggest thing is, like, there's a reason why this team is 1427 when he doesn't
06:48 play, right?
06:49 So like, when, when Joe does return, obviously, he erases so many holes that that team has.
06:57 What holes are the Celtics really have?
07:00 Like, I mean, I mean, I understand you guys probably see some because you know, you guys
07:04 watch them on an on an everyday basis.
07:06 And Justin, obviously, you cover them for us over at Celtics Wire.
07:09 Same goes for Cam.
07:11 But it's like, I look at every time I watch a Celtic game, I can't find any holes.
07:16 And I mean, sure, they kind of have this tendency to just not give a damn.
07:20 So some sometimes, and it's like,
07:23 they do have a hole.
07:26 It's not exactly a hole, right?
07:28 It's more like a mentality thing, which I'm sure you've heard about and seen every time
07:32 there's a really bizarre loss.
07:34 It's when, when the Celtics think that they're going to win, right?
07:38 When they're playing a team without its best player or a player not at their best health.
07:43 So for me, for Joel to be basically playing himself into shape during a Celtic series
07:48 with the 76ers, they could, the scenario that you were saying, like the puncher's chance,
07:54 I do think that there is, and we all of course hope, obviously not Sixers fans who might
07:58 be watching this, but most of the people who usually watch this podcast are going to be
08:02 looking at the situation and thinking that there is no chance whatsoever that the 76ers
08:09 are going to be able to win a series with them.
08:13 But we have seen this, this lingering bad habit.
08:17 It's the lone bad habit.
08:19 And this actually could be a perfect storm for that to really become a thing.
08:24 I don't think personally that the Sixers have what it takes to win, even if Embiid is healthy,
08:30 but I am worried that the Sixers could, no, let me not blame the Sixers for this.
08:35 The Celtics could beat themselves.
08:37 Yeah, that was kind of the shtick we had last year was like the only team that's beating
08:42 the Celtics is themselves.
08:44 But it occurs to me that the Sixers are probably a particularly unforgiving team if you are
08:49 kind of playing like fools.
08:50 Kai, what is the latest on Maxie?
08:52 Because he's been kind of in and out of the lineup.
08:55 Well, he's got, it's a left hip tightness issue.
08:58 And I mean, he had a miserable game in Cleveland, like a non-Maxie type of game in that loss
09:05 of the Cavaliers, and that he didn't play on Sunday in Toronto.
09:10 Sixers were able to come up with a win.
09:11 Kelly O'Brien Jr. had 32 points.
09:13 I think for me, in a potential Sixers-Celtics series, I think the X factors are whether
09:18 Tobias Harris is actually going to step up and be a number three scorer, and whether
09:24 Kelly O'Brien Jr. is going to provide scoring.
09:27 Because I think those two are the X factors if you're Philadelphia, because you know what
09:31 you're going to get out of Joel and Tyrese, right?
09:34 I mean, again, I still think the Celtics will find a way to slow one of them down.
09:39 It's what they do.
09:40 Like, for all the hate Joe Mazzulla gets, Mazzulla always comes up with some type of
09:46 scheme that can slow a guy down, at least what I've noticed.
09:51 So I think he's going to find a way to slow one of those guys down.
09:55 So if you're Philadelphia, you're going to need Tobias Harris to give you something more,
09:59 which in the past we all know about his playoff history.
10:02 It's not exactly the greatest.
10:05 Kelly O'Brien Jr. hasn't been in the playoffs since his second season in the league.
10:11 And then there's Buddy Heald, their big free agent pickup.
10:13 He's never been in the playoffs.
10:15 So a lot of these guys...
10:16 Wow, really?
10:17 Never?
10:18 Yeah, yeah, Buddy Heald's never been in the playoffs.
10:19 I'm surprised.
10:20 I swore he was, but I can't think of a series not to mention it.
10:23 He got traded away from the Kings to the Pelicans, and they didn't make the playoffs.
10:28 Then he got traded...
10:29 Not Pelicans to Kings, Alex.
10:30 It went from Pelicans to Kings.
10:31 Oh yeah, no, that's right.
10:32 And then the Kings didn't make the playoffs until after they traded Buddy Heald to Indiana.
10:38 And they missed the playoffs.
10:41 And then he got traded to Philly.
10:43 Right.
10:44 So we're talking about a guy who's never played in a single playoff game in his NBA career.
10:48 And playoff experience is a big deal, right?
10:51 So I think he's going to have a lot to prove.
10:57 Campaign can be a little bit up and down.
10:58 He's on a bit of a high streak right now.
11:00 Campaign's been really great.
11:01 Who knows what kind of streak he'll be on when the playoffs begin.
11:06 Same goes for Kyle Lowry.
11:07 And I know you guys are very familiar with Lowry from your battles with Miami Heat for
11:11 the past couple of years.
11:12 Lowry's a guy, but he's also 38.
11:15 He can change games, and he still provides a lot of toughness.
11:19 He does a lot of Kyle Lowry type things.
11:21 But he's 38, and he's in his 18th season.
11:23 So it's like, what can you really count on him for in the postseason?
11:28 So we get a lot of questions if you're the Sixers, a lot of them.
11:33 Because the only answers you have are the fact that Joellen Bede and Tyrus Maxey are
11:36 out there.
11:37 Other than that, it's up in the air.
11:40 And a big thing for me as well is, I understand given that in the last two games of last year's
11:47 Sixers-Celtics series, his usual disappearing act happened.
11:53 But guys, James Harden won two games against the Celtics last year.
11:58 He straight up won two of those games in that series pretty much by himself.
12:02 Obviously, Embiid played well, but Harden was the straw that stirred the drink for two
12:07 of the Sixers' three wins in the playoffs against the Celtics last year.
12:11 And for all of his faults, for all of his flaws, all of the kind of playoff choke jobs
12:17 that he's become known for, James Harden puts up gigantic numbers when he's feeling it.
12:24 And when I look at the Sixers team, I see something that is a little more egalitarian
12:30 than last year.
12:31 I see something where you have a Buddy Heald, you have a Kelly Ubre, you have guys who can
12:35 contribute.
12:37 But in the playoffs, it's way more about guys putting teams on their back, typically.
12:44 That is how that goes.
12:46 And to me, the big question for Philly is, if it's not going to be Embiid, because God
12:51 knows Joel Mazzola is going to throw everything at him.
12:54 It's going to be Horford, it's going to be Drew Holiday, it's going to be Jalen Brown,
12:57 who's playing the best defense of his life.
12:59 All of those guys are going to be on 24/7 Embiid alert.
13:03 And if Maxey is at least a little compromised, who is going to be the guy who brings it every
13:09 night?
13:10 Last year, James Harden, you could credibly argue he was going to be that guy.
13:14 This year, I'm not so sure.
13:16 >> Kai, I want to be respectful of your time, but I have three rapid fire questions to get
13:22 you out of here.
13:23 Are you ready?
13:24 >> Absolutely.
13:25 >> So first, I'll borrow Alex's question.
13:28 Who is the X factor?
13:29 If you were on the radio, who's the X factor for the Sixers in the postseason?
13:36 >> Tobias Harris.
13:37 I mean, again, it has to be.
13:40 He's number one for me.
13:42 To Alex's point, Harden, and Joel didn't play in game one of that series last year, and
13:47 Sixers were able to win because Harden literally threw that team on his back.
13:52 So who is throwing the Sixers on his back this time around?
13:56 It could be Tyrese Maxey.
13:58 It could.
14:00 Tyrese is also 24 years old and only in his fourth season.
14:05 And while he's already an all-star, and he's a top player in the East and everything, he
14:10 still has a lot, he's still got something to learn.
14:13 I mean, he's had the kitchen sink thrown at him for the past two months without Joel.
14:18 >> Well, that sets up the second question I wanted to ask.
14:21 Does he win most approved player?
14:23 >> I think he has to, right?
14:26 I mean, again, he's made this big jump, and he's had a lot of pressure on him too, with
14:32 the Harden situation back in September and October, throughout that entire summer.
14:39 And the Sixers on opening night, they're in Milwaukee in October, and they threw the ball
14:44 at Tyrese Maxey and said, listen, congratulations, you're the new starting point guard of a championship
14:48 contender.
14:49 And he hasn't blinked, and that's where you have to give him a lot of credit.
14:54 But I think Alex's point, and I think Justin made the point as well, you're going into
15:00 this series, you're gonna be defended by one of the greatest defenders in the game, and
15:05 Drew Holiday.
15:06 Now granted, Sixers could win the 7-8 matchup in the play-in, and they could be playing
15:09 the Bucs in the first round, and all of this conversation goes for naught.
15:13 But I'm just saying, if they got to play the Celtics, and he's got to go up against a guy
15:18 like Drew Holiday, who's got a championship ring on his finger from the Bucs days, and
15:22 he's been the perfect fit for Boston.
15:25 Again, it's gonna be another thing he's gonna have to learn early in his career.
15:31 >> All right, well, you said it, so there's a chance that the Sixers and Celtics don't
15:34 play.
15:35 The play-in is a tricky vixen for that reason.
15:39 So Justin Kates, Kai, we don't see you for a little bit.
15:42 Last question to get you out of here.
15:45 Is Paul George joining the Sixers this summer?
15:47 >> No.
15:48 >> [LAUGH] >> It's such a-
15:51 >> [LAUGH]
15:52 >> Like-
15:53 >> Leverage play?
15:55 What leverage play?
15:56 >> Yeah, that's exactly what it feels like.
15:59 It feels like an exact leverage play.
16:02 And on top of that, listen, Paul George is at a state of his career.
16:06 He's gonna be entering in, I think, his 15th season next year, if I'm not mistaken.
16:12 And while he's still an all-star, do you really wanna throw a max money at a guy who is in
16:17 his 15th season, got a little bit of an injury history?
16:21 He's an LA native, another one, too.
16:23 I can't see him really changing one coast to another at this stage of his career.
16:29 Even if he doesn't sign the extension with the Clippers, you gotta believe he's probably
16:33 gonna stay somewhere in the Western Conference where he's close to LA.
16:37 He's from there.
16:38 He's an LA native.
16:39 All of this whole Paul George-Sixers thing to me has made completely zero sense.
16:45 And if the Sixers were to sign Paul George, I would be floored, completely floored.
16:51 Because it wouldn't make much sense, really, from either standpoint.
16:55 Because even if I'm Daryl Morey, I don't know if I'm paying a guy in his 15th season with
16:59 an injury history, a max contract.
17:03 Not at this stage.
17:04 >> Well, so Kai, obviously, that begs then the follow-up question.
17:08 The Sixers have max cap space this offseason.
17:10 Who's your guy?
17:11 >> It is interesting.
17:12 I was actually on Fox 29, and they actually asked me the same thing a couple weeks ago.
17:19 And I actually, not a couple weeks ago, it was a while ago, it was before Kawhi Leonard
17:23 signed his extension with the Clippers.
17:24 I said Kawhi Leonard.
17:25 Because I thought Leonard made a lot of sense for Philly because of his history.
17:31 The one season with Nick Nurse in Toronto, they won their championship there.
17:36 Him and Joel Embiid are actually, they're tight.
17:40 So I thought it would have been a really great setup.
17:43 But obviously, Kawhi signed the extension with the Clippers.
17:46 So that threw that idea out the window.
17:50 So now it's like, what are you gonna do now if you're the Sixers?
17:55 You re-sign Tyrese to his extension, his max extension this offseason.
17:59 That's gotta be priority number one.
18:01 But then after that, you have to find a third star to put next to Joel and Tyrese and try
18:06 to win.
18:07 Because Joel just turned 30.
18:09 Now, they're probably not gonna win a title this year.
18:11 That puts them at 31 at next year's playoffs.
18:15 Not to say 31 is old or anything.
18:17 Damn, I'm 30.
18:18 But like...
18:19 But do you have an injury history like Joel does?
18:23 You know what, Justin?
18:24 I do not.
18:25 Thankfully and fortunately, I do not.
18:30 That is insane.
18:31 So, I mean, look, he's 30 years old.
18:34 And with all these injuries, you have to try to win right away.
18:38 You gotta figure it out if you're a Philadelphia.
18:40 You got so many questions you still have to answer.
18:43 All right, well, putting a pin in it there.
18:48 I think basketball references are the most likely outcome, as if the Sixers face the
18:52 Celtics in the first round.
18:54 But anything can happen.
18:55 So if that is the case, Kai, you're the first person we're gonna call.
18:59 But if not, we gotta bring you back and decide what the Sixers can do in the offseason.
19:04 Well, I hope so.
19:05 And if it is Sixers-Celtics, I can't wait to see you, Cam, in a couple of weeks.
19:10 I'm telling you, this is your room.
19:11 This is your guest bedroom/podcast studio.
19:14 Now, listen, I thought the background looked familiar.
19:17 I was like, I'm pretty sure I slept in there a couple of times.
19:19 Like, I knew it looked a little familiar.
19:21 Also, I will say, outside of Detroit, Boston has the best medium meal for pregame.
19:27 So I do have to say that.
19:29 I haven't been to all 30 NBA arenas, but I've been to over half of them.
19:33 All right, we'll take it.
19:35 I mean, I've been to one, and I can confirm the food's pretty good.
19:39 Gotta cover a Pistons game, clearly.
19:41 No, look, look, it's Little Caesars Arena.
19:43 It's free.
19:45 You walk in there, it's a buffet style, just Little Caesars pizza and chicken fingers and fries and just everything else.
19:50 It's fantastic.
19:51 It's just the kids' menu.
19:53 100%.
19:54 All right, well, Kai from Sixers Wire, as always, thank you for your time, and we'll see you soon, I hope.
20:01 Absolutely.
20:02 Thank you, guys.
20:03 Justin, Alex, Cam, we'll talk, guys.
20:06 Thank you.
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21:05 All right, thanks again, Kai Carlin of Sixers Wire.
21:08 The reason, besides the fact that he's a colleague of Justin of mine, the reason that we had him on the podcast is because the Sixers and the Celtics very well could clash in the first round of the playoffs.
21:17 It's a little confusing.
21:18 I'm going to try to explain how it all works.
21:21 If I get it wrong, Justin's going to correct me and then we can use that.
21:24 Oh, God, you mean I have to remember the crap that I mean the intern wrote?
21:28 Yeah.
21:29 All right, and then from there we can talk about who the Celtics might face or would want to not face.
21:36 So the NBA play-in works like this.
21:40 It's seven and eight in the standings, which right now is Miami and Philadelphia could be Indiana.
21:46 They play a game and nine and ten.
21:49 They play a game.
21:50 Right now it's Chicago and Atlanta at nine and ten.
21:53 The winner of seven and eight becomes the seventh seed and they play. I think it's set in stone, the Bucs.
22:00 Almost certainly.
22:01 Almost certainly the Bucs.
22:02 So between Miami and Philly, probably the seven, eight seed, whoever wins that game.
22:06 It's like April 18th ish.
22:09 That team becomes the seventh seed.
22:11 The winner of the nine ten game, then they play the loser of the seven eight game.
22:17 So say Chicago wins and then they play Philly.
22:19 The winner of that becomes the eighth seed.
22:22 So either the ninth and tenth seed who has won two games in a row or the seven or eight seed that went one and one in the play-in.
22:30 Either way, the teams that Boston could face in the first round are Miami, the current seventh seed, Philly, the current eighth seed, Chicago and Atlanta, the current ninth and tenth seed.
22:41 Brooklyn is probably not invited to the party and Indiana could slip into that mix.
22:47 But we're mostly looking at Miami, Philly, Chicago and Atlanta.
22:52 Before I get to Miami, Chicago, Atlanta, anything about Philly that we missed?
22:57 Oh, one thing I wanted to say when we talk about Kyle Lowry being in whatever his 18th season, Kyle Lowry was drafted during the Bush administration.
23:06 Just to punctuate how long Kyle Lowry's been playing basketball.
23:11 And then Al Horford.
23:12 And then, no, not Al Horford.
23:14 Yes, Al Horford.
23:15 Yeah, definitely.
23:17 Yeah, Al Horford was by a year.
23:18 100%.
23:20 Wait, what year was Al Horford drafted?
23:21 Oh, really?
23:22 Goodness gracious.
23:24 And I was already too old to be playing pro basketball then.
23:29 Oh, with that attitude.
23:30 OK, anyways, let's each pick a team then to talk about because I think we talked about Philly.
23:36 So, Alex, talk about Atlanta, Chicago or Miami and give us your spiel on why the Celtics will beat that team.
23:44 OK, so I'm going to talk about a team that normally everybody would expect that I would pick the Miami Heat here because of my previous discussion.
23:53 Oh, and the reminder is not too long of a spiel because we're going to do this next week.
23:57 I'm not going to pick the Miami Heat.
23:58 I'm actually going to pick the team that I think the Celtics are least likely to play in the Atlanta Hawks, a team that the Celtics lost two games in a row to recently.
24:09 And I'll keep it pretty short and sweet.
24:10 So those were both dumb losses and I was not thrilled with the Celtics performance in them.
24:17 And I don't think the Celtics were particularly thrilled with their performances either.
24:22 What I will say is I don't expect Joe Mizzoula to try gimmick defense.
24:28 Hey, Christophs Porzingis, you are going to switch on to DeJante without any help going forward in a potential Hawks-Celtics playoff series.
24:37 I don't expect that, oh God, and I'm totally blanking on, that DeAndre Hunter is going to put up spectacular three-point numbers over the course of a playoff series.
24:50 There is one thing in that series that I did see an alarm bell in my head going off about, which is that the Celtics still have a little bit of a problem on the offensive glass.
25:02 Klinkapella absolutely dominated the Celtics' front line on the offensive rebounding.
25:08 And I do think that if there is an area to tighten up as far as just like general playoff execution goes,
25:16 and I think this has been true all year, and I think this has even really been true before the Celtics got Christophs Porzingis,
25:22 the Celtics are not a great offensive rebounding team in games where it matters.
25:26 I know statistically over the course of the year, they have been pretty solid and their numbers are pretty good on that front.
25:33 But in some of these games, when they start to really kind of try and tighten up their transition defense,
25:39 when they start to look for those leakout opportunities as well, and when they start to get conservative with really trying to avoid turnovers,
25:49 the thing that tends to slip the most quickly for Boston is the offensive glass, particularly if they're going against a Klinkapella type.
25:57 So while I do think if the Celtics played the Hawks in a playoff series, they would wash them in five games or less,
26:04 and I don't think it would be particularly close, that is definitely something in that series that set off my alarm bells a little bit,
26:11 and I think will matter more so outside of the first round than the next round.
26:16 That being said, I'm not particularly afraid of the Hawks.
26:19 I think that DeJounte taking, getting 44 points on 44 shots does not strike me as a sustainable recipe for playoff success.
26:28 No, that was a cry for help to either give him the Hawks as his team or to get him off of the Hawks.
26:37 I thought it was awesome. All right, Alex, hold that thought, because next week I'll ask you to tell me why the Hawks are going to win that series.
26:44 Justin, you can have Miami or you can have Chicago. Why is Boston, if they face that team, not too worried?
26:51 I will give you Miami because there's nothing too original in my fears in that series,
26:58 even if I think that they are probably less founded than usual this particular season.
27:03 With the Chicago Bulls, I think people do not respect the Chicago Bulls, and there are plenty of good reasons not to, but most of them are injury related.
27:12 They've managed to cobble together a pretty solid team that is capable of beating Boston if they don't come with at least their B game.
27:20 And I don't think that the Celtics would come with their C game to start, which is, again,
27:25 you know, a thing that is going to potentially cost them a game or maybe even two on their own home court.
27:31 I'm hoping I'm being paranoid about that.
27:33 When I see some evidence in the form of an actual playoff game of them not doing that, I will feel a lot better.
27:39 But the thing about the Bulls is you just you don't want to end up in a close game with them because they are,
27:43 if not the best clutch team in the league, one of the best clutch teams in the league.
27:46 So what should be a fairly easy strategy, i.e. blowing out a team that does not shoot a heck of a lot of three pointers in today's NBA,
27:55 it should not be hard, which is why I'm even in this situation worried about dropping a game.
28:01 They should not have any business dropping. Like what is the big deal about dropping a game in a playoff series?
28:06 It's more mileage. They need the time to rest.
28:09 So I don't think there's any chance the Bulls would beat them, but they cannot be dropping games to teams as they have recently.
28:18 And they're another team that I think could beat them in that kind of a situation.
28:22 One game.
28:22 Yeah, remember a few years back in the opening round, it was like the D-Wade, Rondo, Derrick Rose Bulls or Jimmy Butler Bulls.
28:32 That's the worst case. I don't think they could do that. But that's the model. Yeah.
28:36 OK, well, that leaves me with Miami. I have a lot to say about how Miami could win that series, but that's apparently next week.
28:45 I think that Boston's more mature. First of all, the Chris Stapps Porzingis of it all changes everything.
28:51 Assuming the Celtics continue to go to that, the geography of how the game is played is just different than it was last year.
28:58 I think the Celtics don't fear Miami in the same way.
29:02 Like, I think they've learned to understand how to not like their rival.
29:07 And the situation between Jalen Brown and Duncan Robinson is good evidence.
29:11 So I think Boston would go into that series a little more poised and like chestiness to say nothing of much more scheming and favorable matchup.
29:22 So I got takes to say on what is the third ranked defense down in Miami since the All-Star break and what that might look like.
29:31 But we will get to that later. For now, I think it's been a wacky year for the heat and a lot of weird injuries.
29:37 And I just don't think that they have the same chemistry and cohesion.
29:41 And Boston has much, much more talent. So how about a preview of it sounds like a pessimistic week of podcasting next week.
29:50 But for now, let's pause. The lab was predominantly the portion of the program with Kai,
29:57 I suspect that the Sixers wire, the Sixers by way of Kai of Sixers wire, excuse me.
30:02 Instead, let's do the news. I don't know if your hands are tired from all the ringing that people have been doing about the month of March that the Celtics had.
30:12 But despite two twin two game losing streaks, Boston went four and two on their most recent six game stretch and 12 and four in the month of March,
30:24 a month that had a five game and a six game road trip. So they had a loss to Cleveland, followed by a loss to Denver that looked bad.
30:32 And then two losses to the Hawks that looked bad, but they still went 12 and four for the month.
30:36 So, Alex, what is your level of concern with the basketball team and also with like the fan bases,
30:44 collective sense of sanity and self headed into the playoffs?
30:50 Yeah, so I think they're on the opposite ends for me. I have almost no concerns with the basketball team right now.
30:57 I think they have largely played really well this month. I think that dumb losses happen in the NBA all the time.
31:04 They definitely happen in March. I mean, I'm concerned about the Denver Nuggets only in the sense that like the Denver Nuggets are really,
31:12 really, really good at basketball and could just win the title because they're really good.
31:17 But I'm not particularly concerned about the Cavs loss or either of the Hawks losses.
31:22 I think March basketball is weird. I think the Celtics took their foot off the gas and had some kind of dumb execution foibles.
31:30 And I frankly kind of fell asleep in some of those games.
31:35 I'm not particularly concerned about them outside of like get Drew Holiday and Christoph Sporzingis as healthy as possible for the playoffs.
31:44 As far as the Celtics fan base, mental health is concerned. I mean, I've I've been concerned about that for a number of years.
31:52 I represent that as a Celtics fan who is occasionally not mentally healthy.
31:58 And I talk to my therapist about the Celtics occasionally. And she has all sorts of advice for me about that.
32:06 But all this is to say, Celtics fans, my guys, buds, fellow listeners, March basketball is weird.
32:16 It just is. Sometimes stupid losses happen. The Celtics are not going to play perfect basketball,
32:22 especially when they have locked up the one seed and are definitely coasting in some of these games.
32:27 I think at times they're turning it up. They turned it up against the Pelicans.
32:30 They wanted to win that game. But there are games that they're going to take off.
32:34 They might lose to the Hornets tonight. They really might.
32:37 Like they could just have a game where, oh, Jalen Brown's not out here.
32:41 It's the middle of March. This game doesn't really matter. We're just going to take it off.
32:46 That could happen. It's fine because the playoffs are a different thing.
32:51 We've seen this team play really, really great basketball in the playoffs.
32:56 This team is better than any team that has ever existed in the Tate and Brown era on a talent standpoint.
33:02 I think that's fairly indisputable at this point. They're going to be all good.
33:08 Let's relax and enjoy the rest.
33:12 Dr. Quinn, where are you at with the Celtics?
33:16 Counterpoint. It's not much of a counterpoint, really, because it's a little itty bitty thing.
33:21 So playing advocate for something other than the devil, the Celtics fans you're talking about,
33:28 they exist, they're loud. I occasionally have to block one just because I need my own mental health
33:34 to not be involved in a pointless argument on a public platform for no particularly good reason.
33:41 But the Celtics have lost a few games.
33:48 And let's be very clear, just a few games. The Denver game was not a game, I think is one of them, for example.
33:54 But in ways that elicit sort of, not to belittle the term, but post-traumatic stress disorder-like reactions in people
34:02 because of how they lost, because of the external behavior of Joe Mazzuola, for example,
34:09 or the seeming disinterest of Jason Tatum, which is honestly an appropriate level,
34:16 considering how much they're winning this season. But there is something there, right?
34:21 And that's the thing that earlier I was saying, until I see them not do this kind of stupid stuff,
34:27 when it counts, that I will feel better about it then. I think some people are rolling a little too hard with it.
34:33 So I do need to echo your sentiment in terms of like, they're on pace to win like 65 games still.
34:40 This is a really good basketball team. And I've seen a lot of basketball teams in Boston that are much, much, much, much worse.
34:47 The people have gotten much less upset about. So the only thing I can connect those dots with is just that like,
34:54 post-traumatic stress disorder-like reaction that we were having that will only be exercised honestly when they hang a banner.
35:04 Yeah, this wasn't supposed to be the point of the conversation, but I guess we can analyze it.
35:07 It's a couple of things. First of all, I do think that the not too distant memory of the 2022 finals
35:13 and a few other meltdowns like Loons Large and people's minds and so like people are afraid of getting hurt again, so to speak.
35:23 I also think by way of the radio and the television, we are modeled what you're supposed to do after a game.
35:31 And it's a bad model. Unless you're paid to talk about the Celtics for hours.
35:38 Like it's easy enough to just be like, yeah, that was a good game or like this is what I saw rather than doom and gloom.
35:43 And then also social media like the algorithm just happens to promote things that are negative and engaging in a way that it doesn't tell their stuff.
35:51 So that wasn't really supposed to be the point of this conversation.
35:54 What I was going to say was. They told us they weren't going to try to win all the games.
36:00 Joe Mazzulla sat there and said, you know what, I'm going to experiment.
36:04 I'm going to look for times to try things. And oh, you know, that Hawks game where we couldn't get a stop.
36:09 It's because I put the worst possible person to defend DeJounte Murray on DeJounte Murray, and I wanted to see what would happen.
36:17 It's not agreeable of Mazzulla to like perhaps forfeit four or five wins because he's been experimenting and what it would otherwise be close games, but like.
36:30 They told us that they weren't going to win, Jason Tatum wants to come off the bench for a game like they don't want to win every regular season game.
36:38 The even around the MVP, they were like, stop talking about MVP.
36:41 I don't want to be the MVP. Like so. Part of the reason I laughed at Kai when we asked about Paul George is like he understands the game of like what becomes a narrative in sports as well.
36:53 And are you worried about a 12 and four stretch where they played 11 games on the road is patently ridiculous.
37:01 So to conclude, I'm feeling pretty good about the Celtics. They are historically good.
37:06 And if they're not, part of it is they've nerfed their own numbers because they're patient and methodical about what they want to do on the basketball court.
37:15 Like they're not stat padding.
37:17 And I just want to throw one other quick thing out here that I think could help to keep some things in perspective.
37:24 Celtics have played a really good season.
37:26 They have never been a lock to win the title at any point throughout this year, period.
37:31 Even though they have had the best record, even though they have had this historically great net rating, even though at times it looks like they are running these teams off the floor, they have never, ever, ever at any point been a lock to win the title.
37:45 Nikola Jokic is the best NBA player.
37:47 He plays for the Denver Nuggets.
37:49 They could win the title.
37:51 Giannis Antetokounmpo is incredible at basketball.
37:53 In a single game series with Damian Lillard, if he gets hot at the right time, they could beat the Celtics.
37:59 The Minnesota Timberwolves could beat the Celtics.
38:01 They have the best defense in the NBA.
38:04 This team is not a lock to win the title at any point and has never been.
38:09 To that end, I think part of the reason that Celtics fans freak out when these losses happen, not all of them, but that some of them freak out when these losses happen, is because there is an expectation that the Celtics are going to win the title this year.
38:24 And I don't think that's an unreasonable expectation, but it is not a certainty.
38:30 And if you...
38:31 Let's see if we can...
38:32 Wait, Alex, I think I can take what you're identifying and put it into practice in real time.
38:36 Sure.
38:36 So part of it is you're asking people to be intellectual about something they find emotional.
38:41 Dr. Quinn, can you unmute?
38:43 Dr. Quinn, will UConn win both national titles again this year?
38:49 Absolutely not.
38:51 That is almost not possible.
38:53 It could theoretically happen, but the odds of all the things needing to go right for that to happen are so infinitesimal that I'm pretty confident in saying no.
39:03 See, there you go.
39:04 He's got a great chance at that happening, but he won't let himself believe it.
39:08 And that's what Celtics fans have been doing.
39:10 Alex, I think you raised a good point.
39:12 Dr. Quinn, you made a beautiful guinea pig.
39:15 Speaking of which, what are your actual expectations for the bracket?
39:20 I think the Huskies are going to win it, but Purdue is scaring me.
39:26 Purdue is putting it together in a big way right at the right time.
39:29 So we'll see.
39:31 I believe that the UConn Huskies are going to steamroll through these next two games.
39:37 I don't think either of them are going to be particularly close.
39:40 They strike me as clearly the best team in men's college basketball.
39:45 And women's, we're recording like an hour before.
39:48 Things get juicy.
39:49 So we're rating teams tonight.
39:51 Yeah, I would love to say I'm going to be watching Celtics Hornets, and I might casually have it on my phone, but I'm going to be locked in for Iowa LSU.
39:59 That is a way more interesting game.
40:02 I'll take the bullet for both.
40:04 Yeah, this is a two screen experience tonight.
40:06 Anyways, thanks to Kai Carlin for stopping by.
40:10 Thanks to Divine Sweater.
40:11 They provide our music at the top of the podcast.
40:14 Updates coming shortly.
40:16 Yeah, I heard you joined the world's biggest band.
40:18 Good for you.
40:20 Thanks to PrizePix, the exclusive fantasy basketball partner of the CMS Media Network.
40:24 And check out How About Them Celtics First to the Floor and the many other New England sports podcasts available over on the CMS Media Network.
40:31 Until next week, when I know we teased talking about the playoffs, but who knows what we'll talk about?
40:37 We like to keep you guessing.
40:39 Anyways, we will catch you next week.
40:41 Arrivederci.
40:43 [Music]

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