In the latest episode of The Big 3 Podcast, hosts A. Sherrod Blakely, Gary Washburn, and Kwani Lunis discuss the Celtics' recent win over the Wizards, debate the impact of the Bucks and Knicks on the playoffs, and analyze the Cleveland vs. Orlando play-in series. They wrap up with season highlights, including Payton Pritchard’s growth and notable player additions like Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday. This episode offers sharp insights into the playoff landscape and key season takeaways.
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!
TOPIC TIMELINE:
0:00 Celtics finish season with win over Wizards
4:25 Knicks and Bucks outlook
12:13 Play-in Tournament
18:25 2nd Round: Orlando or Cleveland could play Boston
22:23 Favorite moment from regular season
This episode of the Big 3 NBA Podcast is brought to you by:
PrizePicks! Get in on the excitement with PrizePicks, America’s No. 1 Fantasy Sports App, where you can turn your hoops knowledge into serious cash. Download the app today and use code CLNS for a first deposit match up to $100! Pick more. Pick less. It’s that Easy! Go to https://PrizePicks.com/CLNS
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!
TOPIC TIMELINE:
0:00 Celtics finish season with win over Wizards
4:25 Knicks and Bucks outlook
12:13 Play-in Tournament
18:25 2nd Round: Orlando or Cleveland could play Boston
22:23 Favorite moment from regular season
This episode of the Big 3 NBA Podcast is brought to you by:
PrizePicks! Get in on the excitement with PrizePicks, America’s No. 1 Fantasy Sports App, where you can turn your hoops knowledge into serious cash. Download the app today and use code CLNS for a first deposit match up to $100! Pick more. Pick less. It’s that Easy! Go to https://PrizePicks.com/CLNS
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SportsTranscript
00:00 [Casting]
00:18 The Big 3 NBA Podcast is powered by PrizePace, the exclusive daily fantasy partner of the
00:23 CLNS Media Network.
00:25 It is that time of the year, this is the Big 3 NBA Podcast and the Celtics regular season
00:31 is officially over.
00:32 We're on to the playoffs.
00:34 Hey, Sherrod Blakely, Gary Washburn, I'm Kwanye Lewis.
00:37 The Celtics capping off their regular season with that 132-122 win over the Wizards on
00:42 Sunday afternoon.
00:45 Pritchard nearly with a triple-double, 38 points.
00:49 Really like we were talking, Sherrod, not even the G League was on the floor for Boston
00:54 to be honest, but again, a great performance to close out the season.
00:59 What are you two thinking when it comes to just reflecting on the 82 games that they've
01:05 had?
01:06 Well, first off, I'm glad that they made it through this health-wise in good shape because
01:10 I mean that really is the number one priority.
01:13 Peyton Pritchard, he does what good ballers are supposed to do, man.
01:17 If you got some busters out there, bust them.
01:20 That's why they're busters.
01:21 You bust them.
01:22 And he did that all game long.
01:23 So that was good to see.
01:27 Other than that, I mean I'm not really feeling a whole lot because again, and Gary will probably
01:31 get into this a little bit, we still don't know who the hell they're going to play in
01:34 the first round.
01:35 That's a good point.
01:36 Great.
01:37 We'll talk about some of the different possibilities that they may face, but for the Celtics, it's
01:40 just like this was a point where you want to make sure that you have your core guys
01:44 healthy.
01:45 It was good to see Jason Tatum out there on the sideline in street clothes, ain't looking
01:49 like he ready to ball, which is good because you don't want him in a game like this.
01:53 That's the Milwaukee Bucks, what happens when your franchise player plays in a game this
01:56 late in the season and the risk that you run.
01:59 So the Celtics, they did what they had to do.
02:02 They won the game.
02:03 Lots of guys contributed.
02:04 A lot of non-rotational guys played well.
02:08 They got win number 64.
02:10 And this team right now, one of the five greatest single seasons in terms of wins and losses
02:17 in franchise history.
02:18 So it goes without saying that it's title or bust for this crew.
02:21 Yeah, I thought they did exactly what they're supposed to do.
02:26 They beat two really bad teams.
02:27 And it was kind of surprising because the Wizards played a couple of starters, you know,
02:34 Denji Evita and Corey Kispert.
02:36 They weren't playing completely terrible players or guys that were G-leaguers.
02:42 Johnny Davis is a former first-round pick.
02:44 And he was, wasn't he?
02:46 Anthony Gill, who's kind of a guy who can play a little bit.
02:50 Like, they were playing guys who were not terrible players.
02:53 And the Celtics still really kind of led most of the way.
02:56 And it wasn't just all like Sam Howes.
02:58 I was a critcher scoring 38 points.
03:01 He was the best player on the floor.
03:04 And I think that says a lot about him.
03:05 But I just thought the way to close out the season after losing two in a row, you get
03:09 two wins, you get everybody healthy, everybody feels good.
03:13 Now it's time to prepare.
03:16 Like Sherrod said, they're not going to find out until late Friday night who their playoff
03:20 opponent is.
03:21 The one thing about the playing tournament, it gives a disadvantage to the number one
03:26 seed because you're waiting so long to find out who you're playing.
03:29 Now you're playing a team that's had to win two games and who knows who it's going to
03:33 be.
03:34 And we can talk about those possibilities the next segment.
03:36 But to me, it was just a good way to end the season.
03:40 Just, you know, no drama.
03:42 I think it was a slightly tweaked ankle from Xavier Tillman.
03:47 The minute he was limping, they were like, "OK, you're done.
03:49 No, we're not throwing you back out there."
03:52 Mazzullo said after the game that he was OK.
03:54 So we'll see if that lingers on into the week.
03:57 They have Monday off and they have Wednesday and Thursday off.
04:02 So they practice twice, sorry, three times before game one on Sunday at the Garden.
04:07 So we'll see if they're prepared.
04:10 They said all the right things last year.
04:12 This year they're saying, "Hey, we'll be ready.
04:14 We're not going to let our first round opponent take us too far.
04:19 And we're not going to do, you know, we ain't playing no games this year.
04:22 Let's see if they mean it."
04:23 And I mean, I think this is the team to do it.
04:27 Let's just look at the Eastern Conference before we narrow down the possibilities of
04:31 the teams that the Celtics will be playing.
04:33 The New York Knicks leapfrogging the Milwaukee Bucks.
04:36 From your two perspectives, which of the fact that Milwaukee is now three and New York is
04:41 two, which of those teams do you think have a bigger impact on the way the Eastern Conference
04:46 could potentially shake out?
04:47 What you got, Gary?
04:48 I'll say the New York Knicks, they're playing well.
04:52 Milwaukee, I watched a lot of their game against Orlando.
04:56 They couldn't score.
04:57 Like they just did not look engaged.
04:59 I know it was without Giannis, but they played all the rest of their guys, Lillard, Portis,
05:04 Middleton.
05:05 They were trying to get that number two seed and Orlando just basically shut them down.
05:09 I mean, they're coming into the playoffs with zero momentum.
05:13 I don't know what to make of the Bucks in terms of now they get Indiana, a team I think
05:19 that's beaten them four times this year.
05:22 Indiana's got their number.
05:23 That's a rivalry there.
05:24 So that would be a very, very interesting series, contentious series to watch because
05:29 those two teams do not like each other.
05:30 Remember the game ball thing with Giannis chasing some dude down?
05:35 All that's gone on and Indiana's had their number.
05:37 They're trying to beat them in the in-season tournament.
05:41 So if you're the Bucks, you're not going in with momentum and you're playing a team, your
05:47 defense is not good and you're playing a team that can score 150 points.
05:51 So the Knicks, I was completely impressed with their effort.
05:55 They play hard.
05:57 Will those guys get worn out in a series because Tibbs plays those guys heavy minutes?
06:03 But I just like their chemistry, man.
06:05 They got teamwork.
06:06 They're not like past Knicks teams where they were just, some guys were probably looking
06:11 forward to their next contract.
06:12 It seems like all those guys like playing for Tibbs.
06:15 They like playing in New York.
06:17 That's a big deal.
06:18 Some guys don't like playing in New York.
06:19 Some guys ready to move on to the next stop.
06:22 This team, very, very cohesive.
06:25 They play well together.
06:26 Brunson's the straw that stirs the drink.
06:31 So I think they're a dangerous club.
06:34 But in all honesty, guys, if that's the second best team in the East and the Celtics are
06:39 four and one against them this year, you got to like the Celtics' chances.
06:43 This is like the Celtics got to just get out of their own way in the first round.
06:48 I like their draw.
06:50 The winner of Cleveland, Orlando in the second round, if they get past the first round, I
06:54 mean, two teams that they should be able to beat in five games, I would say.
07:01 Orlando's not the team that has been real physical.
07:06 They've had a little drop off and Cleveland has not played well at all.
07:11 That was interesting.
07:12 Cleveland kind of blowing their chance at a number two seed, losing to Charlotte.
07:16 Orlando making it all the way to the fifth seed.
07:18 I don't think we expected that.
07:20 And so I think now the Celtics, they see the road ahead of them.
07:24 Now it's time to take care of business.
07:25 But I think the Knicks are the team that they have to look out for and keep in their rear
07:30 view mirror.
07:31 And we're going to have a really interesting Easter Conference Finals if we get there.
07:35 See, here's the thing.
07:37 I'm going to take a little bit of a more circuitous route.
07:40 What?
07:41 Okay, SAT word.
07:42 Shout out to my SAT prep.
07:43 Circuitous?
07:44 Back in the day.
07:45 You spell that word.
07:46 You can't spell that word.
07:47 You're a caller.
07:48 Listen, here's the thing about what we're seeing now.
07:59 While New York has played their way to be the second best team, I still think Milwaukee
08:04 will have a bigger impact on the playoffs series.
08:06 And hear me out.
08:08 They're going to open up against Indiana, right?
08:11 Indiana, I think will at a minimum take them to six or seven games.
08:16 A lot will just depend on whether Giannis is able to play.
08:20 And if he is able to play some, they'll win that series.
08:24 But it's going to take a lot out of them to do that.
08:28 And New York will be waiting around the corner.
08:31 I think Milwaukee will give New York a good go, but they're going to make New York work
08:36 really hard to get to that next round.
08:38 And the point that I'm trying to make is whoever the Celtics see once they get to the conference
08:43 finals, because at a minimum, that's what we're talking about here when you talk about
08:45 Milwaukee, New York, that team is going to have to work so much harder than Boston will
08:50 have worked to get there.
08:51 And because they're going to have to work so much harder and because Boston on paper
08:54 is a better team, I have this weird feeling that as the playoffs roll along, Boston's
09:01 road to get there is going to get easier.
09:03 Like that first round match, I think is going to be the toughest one that they see.
09:06 Because more likely than not, they're going to have to deal with either Philadelphia or
09:09 Miami.
09:10 And if Philadelphia, if they could have had Joel Embiid for five more games, five more
09:15 games, they're probably number two seed.
09:17 So in theory, the Celtics, you're probably playing the second or third best team in the
09:22 Eastern Conference in the first round.
09:24 Get past them.
09:25 You're looking at what?
09:26 Orlando, Cleveland, you should be able to disperse them in no more than six games.
09:31 And if you get to the finish line in the East, where you've got a beaten up, battered up
09:36 Milwaukee team or a beaten up, battered up New York team, who by the way, won't have
09:40 worked there at some point, not having Julius Randle is going to really impact them.
09:46 If you're Boston, the road has been set.
09:48 You could not possibly ask for an easier ride throughout the playoff journey than what they're
09:54 going to get.
09:55 It's going to start off a little rough with that first round matchup, but it gets progressively,
09:59 I think, easier for you to move on to the next round going forward.
10:03 So and it all starts with Milwaukee.
10:05 It all starts with Milwaukee slipping down to that three spot and facing what I, and
10:10 Gary, you, you, you're spot on about this.
10:13 This is the absolute worst matchup that they could have got.
10:15 This is the worst draw they could have gotten the first round.
10:20 And that being said, I feel even better about the Celtics chances of getting to the finals.
10:24 Now, when I look at just the way the playoff seedings are going to work out, because again,
10:28 you want to be playing your best basketball as you get deeper into the postseason.
10:32 And the way this, this playoff schedule is set up, they're going to be playing teams
10:37 that they're going to be, I think, match up better with as they get further into the playoffs,
10:41 which is unusual because usually it's the other way around.
10:43 The further you get, the harder the matchup is.
10:44 I don't think that'll be the case this year though.
10:47 That's the circuitous route of Milwaukee being important for the Celtics as they make their
10:52 journey through the playoffs, Gary.
10:54 Okay, crazy.
10:56 Circuitous.
10:57 So let's take a look at what the plan actually looks like.
11:02 Yeah, I see you like, nevermind, I ain't going to spell it for you.
11:04 Oh, cause, cause you have to look it up, of course, right?
11:07 That's why.
11:08 No, I know how to spell.
11:09 Go ahead.
11:10 Keep going, Pawnee.
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12:06 So the play-in tournament Wednesday night, the Eastern Conference play-in teams will
12:13 match up against each other.
12:15 Number 19 Bulls, 10-seat Hawks, 7-seat Sixers, and 8-seat Heat.
12:21 We don't know who the Celtics will play yet, obviously, but the winner of Bulls and Hawks
12:26 and then the loser of Sixers-Heat, they match up.
12:30 Then we find out what exactly is going on, who the Celtics are playing.
12:33 But as of now, from those four teams, who do you two think is the most ideal opponent
12:39 for, of course, the Celtics to be able to take that first round?
12:43 For the Celtics to have a cakewalk, you want Atlanta.
12:48 You want Atlanta.
12:50 Interesting choice.
12:51 I know Atlanta has played well against the Celtics, but of those four teams,
12:55 in a playoff-type situation, you're going to want the Hawks.
12:59 Chicago is the one team I don't have a feeling one way or the other for.
13:03 I think you could, to me, Chicago could be one of those series where you sweep them
13:07 or you go six or seven games.
13:09 I don't have a good feeling about that, especially when I think about guys like
13:12 DeRozan, you know, think about Vooch.
13:14 They've got some good players.
13:16 DeRozan's daughter on the court side.
13:20 Right, right.
13:21 All of a sudden, Jason Tatum goes from a 92% free throw shooter to a 78% shooter
13:25 because of his daughter screaming.
13:27 A child.
13:29 Yeah, absolutely.
13:30 No, I mean, my gut tells me that the team that they're going to wind up playing
13:34 will be Miami.
13:36 I think Philadelphia is going to take that matchup and just take that seventh spot.
13:43 And Miami, I think, will actually dispatch whoever emerges from Chicago, Atlanta.
13:47 So then you're looking at the Miami Heat in that first round.
13:50 And, again, for the Celtics and their ability to go deep into the playoffs,
13:55 I think that's a good matchup, not only in terms of the opponent,
13:59 but also to exercise some demons that have been residing in their heads.
14:03 I mean, to me, this is a way to put that real estate that Miami has in your head,
14:08 Boston, out the door.
14:10 This is the eviction note.
14:12 This is where you can give them that eviction notice and get them out of
14:14 shop, rent, and space in your head.
14:18 Yeah, I think that obviously you would like Atlanta and Chicago,
14:24 the Celtics have beaten them all four times this year,
14:26 I think three times this year.
14:30 And Chicago has a bunch of veteran guys that -- and they're playing well late,
14:37 so they wouldn't be an easy slam dunk.
14:40 I think you would probably say Atlanta.
14:42 Atlanta is a team that I think played well in those two games,
14:46 but they're not together.
14:49 They're not good enough to beat the Celtics or take them to seven or six games,
14:52 I don't think.
14:54 But the most likely opponent, like I said, the game to look out for, folks,
15:02 is if Miami loses at Philadelphia, that's Chicago-Miami game.
15:07 They played last year in the play-in when everybody thought Miami was trash.
15:12 Miami came back -- I think they were down 15.
15:15 They came back in the fourth quarter and hung on, and then they went on that run.
15:18 So Chicago is going to have some payback.
15:20 That game would be at Miami.
15:22 I think the Bulls have always, for whatever reason,
15:25 matched up well with the Heat, so that's not going to be an easy game for the Heat.
15:28 I don't think they're going to -- I think they'll struggle with Philadelphia.
15:34 But if they lose that game, I don't think they're going to smash Chicago like that.
15:41 I think that will be a very tough game for Miami.
15:43 So that game -- and then if you get Chicago,
15:46 that's a team that could probably beat you once, maybe twice, if they --
15:52 because they got some dudes, right?
15:55 But they have a losing record.
15:58 The Celtics have pretty much handled them this season.
16:01 So the road -- and I do agree with Shariah.
16:06 That first-round matchup might be the toughest, might be the most mentally tough,
16:11 if it's Miami especially, or if it's Chicago.
16:14 You know, I like Cleveland and I like Orlando, they're good young teams,
16:18 but are they good enough to beat you in a seven-game series?
16:21 Unless you slip, no.
16:23 Unless you just don't have it, no.
16:26 I do think that you have an opportunity to win that second-round series pretty easily.
16:33 So if I'm the Celtics, I think that the toughest series is going to be that
16:38 first-round series, and it could likely be Miami.
16:42 And I think that fans have to not think, "Oh, this is the same Miami team.
16:46 This is not the same team," but they're capable of playing well.
16:51 They're capable of biting you.
16:53 So the Celtics are probably going to need to exercise those demons right away.
16:57 Well, and if it's Miami, Gary, the one thing that I'll say to add on to what
17:03 you're talking about is that when they've struggled against Miami in the past,
17:07 it's usually been an X factor that they didn't really know/didn't respect as
17:11 they should have.
17:12 And that player for Miami now is Terry Rozier.
17:16 And they know Terry.
17:18 They respect Terry.
17:19 They know what he can do.
17:20 That's one of the reasons why I think they are going to have a different type
17:24 of mentality going into that.
17:26 If they have to play Miami, then they would have last year when they made
17:30 Caleb Martin look like Ray Allen, 2.0.
17:34 Terry Rozier, they know they have to respect.
17:37 Terry Rozier, they know, can bust them for 25, 30 points easily.
17:40 That's going to bring out a different level, I think, of engagement and focus.
17:44 I think we'll see them play at the focus level from what we've seen most of this
17:48 season, whereas I think in the past it seems like they may have taken Miami a
17:53 little bit for granted thinking that they could just out-talent them and that
17:56 would be enough.
17:57 They're going to have to be mentally tougher against Miami.
18:00 And I think having Terry Rozier on the floor opposite them, it's going to
18:06 reinforce that need to be more focused because they know Terry coming at them.
18:09 They know how he operates.
18:11 They know how T. Rozier get down.
18:13 That's going to help the Celtics.
18:15 That is absolutely going to help them in terms of keeping them locked in on a
18:17 job that needs to be done.
18:21 Well said.
18:22 So we already kind of talked about Milwaukee and Indiana and obviously
18:25 Yonah's status being uncertain for that matchup right now.
18:29 But Cleveland versus Orlando, if Boston advances past the first round, they'll
18:33 face the winner of that series.
18:36 Who would you take the next round?
18:38 I know we're just thinking so far ahead, but why not?
18:41 Who you got, Gary?
18:43 Cleveland or Orlando?
18:45 Wow.
18:46 I really have not watched those two teams play this year.
18:50 You'd like to think Cleveland, but that's a toss-up to me.
18:55 That really is.
18:56 Orlando's a brutal, tough -- both tough defensive teams.
19:01 Banchero's a beast, man.
19:03 He's a real -- just a big behemoth in the paint, just big, strong, can shoot
19:09 from the outside, get to the rim.
19:12 And they got a bunch of guys -- the Wagner brothers, Jalen Suggs, Cole
19:18 Anthony, Greg Anthony's son.
19:21 Jonathan Isaac's been a factor, even though he's not a guy who can play a
19:26 whole lot of minutes and he's kind of a delicate guy.
19:29 But, man, that dude can defend.
19:32 I'd probably give the edge to Cleveland still with Donovan Mitchell and
19:37 Darius Garland and, you know, Jared Allen and Evan Mobley.
19:42 I think they got the dogs.
19:43 And I think they really felt -- how do I put this?
19:48 They were really hurt and disappointed in their performance last year
19:51 against the Knicks, losing in five.
19:53 Like, they had home-court advantage and the Knicks pushed them around.
19:58 The Knicks didn't play no games with them.
20:00 To me, I think they're up to try to prove that this is different.
20:06 And Orlando, an inexperienced team, a team that hasn't been to the playoffs
20:09 in a few years, so they might show that inexperience in this series.
20:14 I'm going to go with Orlando, man.
20:16 Listen, I've seen them play a little bit more than Cleveland,
20:18 and I like what I see.
20:20 That team -- this is one of the benefits of being youthful.
20:24 Sometimes it's best that you don't know what you should know.
20:28 They don't know that a team built like them should go out there
20:31 and get smoked in the playoffs.
20:33 You're too young.
20:34 You don't have the experience.
20:35 You don't have this.
20:36 You don't have that.
20:37 Here's the thing they do have.
20:38 They got Manchero, a absolute all-star baller.
20:42 The Wagner brothers, who are low-key, maybe one of the --
20:46 certainly top two -- I think they're better than the Lopez brothers
20:50 at this point, at this point in their careers as far as brother tandems.
20:55 Jaylon Suggs, as you mentioned, Gary, I mean, he's a baller.
20:57 And to me -- and you touched on this earlier -- Jonathan Isaac, to me,
21:02 is the wild-card guy because if they can get to the point where he can give you
21:06 20-ish minutes, which I don't think that's going to happen,
21:09 but if you can ever get to the point where he can give you 20-ish minutes --
21:12 and he's done that a little bit in the playoffs -- or excuse me,
21:15 in the regular season -- he becomes a major disruptor,
21:20 a major disruptor to Cleveland because defensively he can pretty much guard
21:24 one through five.
21:25 And offensively, if he can knock down a few shots, and he's going to rebound
21:29 because that's one of the things he does a really, really good job with,
21:32 he could be that guy that when you're talking about this matchup,
21:37 you're going to need someone who's going to be a three- to five-point
21:40 difference maker.
21:41 And that's like a guy that's either going to get a bucket that he probably
21:44 shouldn't or is going to cause a turnover or get a stop or do something
21:47 to disrupt the other team from running their offense or finishing a playoff.
21:51 He's that impactful.
21:54 And that's why in a best of seven, I'm going to go with Orlando,
21:57 because I just think that they're so young and talented that they don't realize
22:01 that they're supposed to have growing pains.
22:03 They just know that we're one of the top four or five teams in the East,
22:06 and we need to play like it.
22:08 So I'm rolling with them because I just think that they're a little bit deeper,
22:12 and I think that they're going to benefit from not knowing what young teams
22:16 typically struggle with dealing with.
22:22 Well, that's enough speculation, because now it's time to just watch it all
22:25 play out.
22:26 But before we wrap up, from the two of you,
22:29 what was your favorite part about the regular season this year?
22:34 I would say non-basketball was earlier with Mike Gorman Day.
22:40 I enjoyed that.
22:41 I love seeing people get their flowers when they can enjoy them.
22:45 We don't really do enough of that.
22:47 And if you've been doing this damn thing for 43 years the way Mike was,
22:50 you should get a damn flower floral arrangement.
22:55 Garden.
22:56 Botanical garden.
22:58 Yeah, you should have your own zoo with that.
23:01 And it was really good to see all the different individual fitness
23:05 health organizations.
23:06 We saw Doc Rivers, Danny Ainge,
23:08 just lots of different folks chimed in to congratulate him on just --
23:14 Larry Bird gave a quote, which was big.
23:16 What's that?
23:17 Larry Bird had a quote.
23:19 We didn't see it on the video,
23:20 but a quote was sent from Larry Bird, which I thought was a big deal.
23:24 Yeah, because Larry don't say much about anything.
23:26 He doesn't say anything.
23:27 Right.
23:28 So that gives you some idea of just how important Mike was to him.
23:31 So, I mean, non-basketball related, that's probably been the coolest thing.
23:35 On the court, I would say for me,
23:38 it has been the transformation we've seen in Peyton Pritchard.
23:44 That's been one of the coolest things for me to see,
23:47 because this is a dude that has to be traded, wanted out.
23:52 And we're not going to get into why he caught no flack over that,
23:56 because I thought he should have caught some heat for that.
23:58 But he caught no heat for that.
23:59 And so what does the Celtics do?
24:00 They get rid of the sixth man of the year.
24:02 They get rid of a former NBA defensive player of the year.
24:05 To essentially create some minutes for him,
24:08 they bring in a perennial all-star, Andrew Holliday.
24:10 And what does Peyton Pritchard do?
24:12 He goes out and puts together his best season as a pro,
24:15 makes the most of his opportunities to get buckets.
24:18 And it's not just a recency bias thing where he dropped 38 against the Wizards.
24:23 Most people can drop 38 against the Wizards.
24:26 So that in itself wasn't all that impressive.
24:28 What was more impressive was just the command that he had of the entire game
24:32 and the fact that that's consistent with what we've seen with him
24:36 when he gets on the floor and he gets a decent amount of minutes.
24:39 So I'm curious to see if he can continue along that path in the playoffs.
24:42 But just his development and growth and making the most of his opportunity,
24:45 to me, that's been one of the coolest things about this season.
24:48 That's a good one.
24:50 I'm going to say the additions of Drew Holliday and Christan Spurs-Inges
24:54 and just the refreshing aspect, the atmosphere around this team.
25:01 I think some changes were in store.
25:04 And I'm not blaming anybody in particular.
25:07 But obviously they traded Marcus, Malcolm, as much as Malcolm's a professional.
25:14 There was always probably a, "I should be starting.
25:18 I should have a bigger role."
25:19 And then the whole mysterious elbow injury and all that.
25:23 I just think maybe his aura wasn't quite right for this team.
25:28 And then I miss Grant, but it was something--
25:34 Grant's fan club, G-Money.
25:37 But they felt like it was something they had to do.
25:39 I think bringing in guys like Porzingis, who just brings a great energy.
25:43 He loves playing in Boston.
25:46 Today he was at the arena.
25:48 He comes out, "Christan, yay!" He plays and he loves it.
25:53 A couple of guys come with Latvian jerseys.
25:56 He takes pictures with them after the game.
25:58 He doesn't big-time anybody.
26:00 He doesn't take himself too seriously.
26:03 He enjoys this process.
26:05 He's one of those guys that has said, "Listen, I've played in bad franchises
26:11 or teams that just had a stench around them."
26:14 Like the team they played on Sunday.
26:16 Yeah, the Wizards or the Luka, Dallas Mavericks, when young Luka,
26:19 when he was probably a little bit more selfish.
26:22 He didn't really get along with Luka very well.
26:25 And then those Knicks teams were win, win, win.
26:27 If not, you're a loser and you're the back page of the New York Post.
26:32 It's a bust.
26:34 He comes here and they don't ask him to do all that much.
26:38 They do a lot, but not like, "OK, we need you to be MVP All-Star."
26:42 No, we need you to protect the rim, hit shots, run the floor.
26:46 We're going to give you the proper rest.
26:49 I just think his energy has made a huge difference in that locker room.
26:55 And along with Drew, who's just a quiet leader.
26:58 Drew's a guy that you're not going to get a lot of words out of him.
27:03 And I'm sure privately on the buses and stuff he'll talk.
27:06 But he's about, "Hey, I'm about ball and my family.
27:09 My kids, my wife, my fam and my hoop. That's it."
27:15 And I like being around-- I mean, for him to say, "I like being in Boston.
27:19 I like the atmosphere." Him signing a four-year deal, I think says a lot.
27:24 Because some people aren't sure about playing at Boston.
27:26 They don't know about the pressures. They only know what they hear.
27:30 So I just think those two additions made this team better.
27:36 I'll jump on board with Sherrod in terms of the development of Luke Cornett,
27:40 the development of Preyton Pritchard, development of Sam Houser.
27:44 I think their bench got better.
27:47 Nemeus Cato just kind of coming out of nowhere and being a guy that people root for.
27:53 So to me, I think that just that Porzingis thing, I think has really, really made a difference.
28:02 Off the floor, wow. I can't really think.
28:08 The Gorman thing was great.
28:12 And the Celtics always do a great job of celebrating themselves.
28:17 And I'm going to mention the naming of the media hallway at the press facility after Heather Walker.
28:24 I thought that was probably one of the more touching.
28:26 I still very much miss Heather, think about her a lot.
28:30 Seen her kids and her husband at the games, a couple of games this year.
28:34 And I'm glad they're hanging in there.
28:36 The girls, her daughters are hanging in there.
28:38 Because to lose your parents when you're a teenager, you don't want that.
28:43 You don't want that at all for anybody.
28:45 And to lose a parent, I've lost a parent, and that's not easy.
28:49 And I was a grown-ass man when it happened.
28:51 But to lose your parent in your teens, that's just awful, terrible.
28:58 But it's good to see them in good spirits, and it's good that Heather gets the honor.
29:01 Because we all miss her, we all love her, and we all just enjoy working with her.
29:07 So I'm going to say that it was the highlight of the off the floor, the naming of Heather Walker,
29:12 the pictures that we'll never-- anyone who doesn't know Heather will get to know her in that fashion.
29:18 -Yeah, no, those are really good. -Well done, Gary Washburn.
29:20 Yeah, no, thank you for sharing that.
29:22 I'll add for-- I mean, this is kind of on the floor and off the floor,
29:26 but earlier this week, Derek White was named the Red Auerbach Player of the Year for the Celtics.
29:31 Like, someone that embodies the spirit of the Celtics, Red Auerbach.
29:35 But I think on the floor, when you think about the players that you-- the addition to the roster,
29:39 but also when you look at his story of, like, the previous season, people are like,
29:43 "Why was he sent here? What is he going to contribute to this team?"
29:46 And really just, like, growing in his confidence on the floor and becoming a player
29:50 where you can't really look at this past season without him being there.
29:54 I think that there's very telling of, like, the resilience that it takes to be in a league,
29:58 but also being able to readjust and figure out how you can contribute to a team as big as the Celtics.
30:04 But also, off the court, I have to agree with both of your sentiments.
30:08 But I think overall, it's just the honoring of people that have done so much to the sport.
30:14 And also, unfortunately with Heather, we were able to give her--
30:17 we gave her flowers, obviously, before she passed.
30:20 But being able to honor people that have done-- you know, come before us and pioneered, I think,
30:25 is something that hopefully we can continue to do.
30:27 So, yeah. That's all I got.
30:31 - That's good. That's a good start. - Yeah.
30:33 Well, that's a wrap on a regular season, though.
30:35 We appreciate everyone listening.
30:37 It's not over, though. I'm not shutting anything down.
30:39 It ain't even close. It better not be over.
30:41 Not even over. No, we're close.
30:44 This is just shutting down this episode.
30:46 We'll be back. By next week, we should know who the Celtics will be playing
30:50 in the first round of the NBA playoffs.
30:53 Until then, thank you for sticking with us, the Big 3 NBA podcast.
30:58 Gray Sharp Lacy, Gary Washburn, I'm Quanie Williams.
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