ESPN’s Marc Spears talks about how Jayson Tatum & Jaylen Brown are perceived across the league, what to expect when Kyrie Irving returns to Boston, the NBA Finals & Luka Doncic.
0:00 - Cedric Maxwell's eventful MVP trophy handoff
2:29 - Marc Spears on Celtics' journey to the finals
4:19 - Jrue Holiday's impactful steal in the playoffs
5:51 - Marc Spears leaning towards Celtics in the finals
7:25 - MVP votes and emphasis on winning
8:59 - Importance of winning a championship
10:19 - Opportunity for Celtics to win championships
13:45 - Kyrie's experience with racism in Boston
15:10 - Kyrie's career turnaround with Dallas
17:00 - Luka Doncic's impact on the series
19:19 - Game Time app for NBA Finals tickets
20:29 - Boston crowd energizes players
21:44 - NBA Finals drama and high stakes
23:20 - Rested teams entering the Finals
Prize Picks! 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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0:00 - Cedric Maxwell's eventful MVP trophy handoff
2:29 - Marc Spears on Celtics' journey to the finals
4:19 - Jrue Holiday's impactful steal in the playoffs
5:51 - Marc Spears leaning towards Celtics in the finals
7:25 - MVP votes and emphasis on winning
8:59 - Importance of winning a championship
10:19 - Opportunity for Celtics to win championships
13:45 - Kyrie's experience with racism in Boston
15:10 - Kyrie's career turnaround with Dallas
17:00 - Luka Doncic's impact on the series
19:19 - Game Time app for NBA Finals tickets
20:29 - Boston crowd energizes players
21:44 - NBA Finals drama and high stakes
23:20 - Rested teams entering the Finals
Prize Picks! 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
Gametime! Take the guesswork out of buying NBA tickets with Gametime. Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code CLNS for $20 off your first purchase. Download Gametime today. Last minute tickets. Lowest Price. Guaranteed. Terms apply. Go to https://gametime.co !
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SportsTranscript
00:00 (upbeat music)
00:02 - Cedric Maxwell podcast is powered by Price Picks,
00:14 the exclusive daily fantasy partner
00:16 of the CLNS Media Network.
00:18 - All right, it's another episode
00:19 of the Cedric Maxwell podcast.
00:20 I'm Josue Pobon, alongside Cedric Maxwell.
00:23 We got a special guest in the building from ESPN and Scape.
00:26 That's Mark Spears joining us.
00:28 Another appearance of the Cedric Maxwell podcast.
00:30 And we have the NBA final set.
00:33 Fellas, the Boston Celtics going up
00:35 against the Dallas Mavericks.
00:36 Max, last time you and I spoke,
00:38 you were getting ready for a rehearsal
00:41 heading into game four.
00:43 I mean, first and foremost,
00:45 let's start off with the ceremony,
00:48 how everything went down.
00:49 First and foremost, you crushed it.
00:51 I thought it was great,
00:52 but you give me the full story
00:53 because it didn't go exactly the way you wanted it to go down
00:56 or am I getting that wrong?
00:58 - Well, Mark knows how live TV goes.
01:00 I talked to Lisa Salters.
01:03 Lisa was hosting the ceremony.
01:06 And when she was hosting it,
01:08 we did the rehearsal and she said,
01:11 "Okay, when you come down from your perch,
01:14 where we're up top radio-wise,
01:16 come to the floor,
01:17 I will tell you who the MVP is, okay?
01:20 And you're gonna pass the trophy out."
01:21 So I get down there and immediately all hell breaks loose
01:26 because the players keep celebrating.
01:27 And then they said, "We'll be back in 15 seconds."
01:30 So she reaches over to me and says,
01:33 "Okay, Max, here, you know, okay."
01:35 I grabbed the trophy, said, "Maxwell,"
01:38 hands it off to Wick,
01:39 and Wick start talking,
01:41 then Pax talks,
01:43 and then he go to Jomezville,
01:44 they talk to a player.
01:46 And then she comes back to me.
01:48 She says, "Okay, Cedric Maxwell
01:50 is now handing off the finals MVP."
01:53 And I looked at her like, "Girl, who is it?
01:55 Who is it?"
01:56 (laughing)
01:57 So what I had to do,
01:58 I had to get a pregnant pause,
02:00 and that's why I said,
02:01 "How about them damn Celtics?"
02:03 And then you could see me leaning into her like,
02:06 "Who, who, who is it?"
02:08 And let me tell you, Mark,
02:10 I could have had a Steve Harvey moment.
02:14 I could have called the wrong name.
02:15 (laughing)
02:16 Because she had on a little sheet of paper,
02:18 I had no glasses on,
02:20 and I'm trying to read it.
02:21 And she finally says, "Taylor Brown."
02:24 And I finally go, "Oh, all right,
02:26 Taylor Brown."
02:28 (laughing)
02:30 I was out there in the middle of no man's land
02:32 for a minute.
02:33 - Lisa left you out there, huh?
02:36 - Dude, I could only imagine.
02:38 She told me she was sorry later on.
02:39 But I only could imagine what would have happened
02:42 if I had called Jason Tatum
02:44 instead of Taylor Brown's name.
02:46 - You would have had to come out and be like,
02:47 "Guys, I've made a mistake.
02:49 I've made a mistake."
02:50 - Oh my God.
02:51 - That was awful.
02:53 - Oh, that was true.
02:55 That would have been natural headlines.
02:58 That would have been a CBS evening news, whatever.
03:01 But yeah, that's how that story goes,
03:03 letting you guys behind the scenes.
03:05 - So Lisa forgot to tell you,
03:06 and you forgot to ask her?
03:07 - No, she forgot to tell me.
03:10 She was supposed to tell me, but didn't tell me.
03:12 - You didn't have your reading glasses on.
03:13 She figured she could just slip you the note.
03:15 - She apologized later on.
03:16 She said, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry."
03:18 It was just a pressure.
03:20 - It's only live TV.
03:21 - I know, only live TV.
03:23 - But Max, the way you played it off was perfect, man.
03:25 I thought that that was part of the script.
03:26 How about them damn Celtics?
03:28 - Dude, I used how about them damn Celtics,
03:30 but Mark, I gotta ask you, did you...
03:33 I know everybody's always said that,
03:35 that they thought the Celtics were gonna be in the finals.
03:38 Did you see them being in the finals?
03:41 - Yes, no question.
03:43 Combination of things.
03:45 One, I thought they were the best team.
03:48 Two, the East was just all injury, plague, beat ups.
03:52 Not the Celtics' fault.
03:53 It is what it is.
03:55 And, you know, it just kind of puzzles me
04:00 that Jason Tatum, Jalen Brown,
04:06 like the whole team really doesn't get talked about.
04:09 I don't really understand this.
04:11 It's not like there's some small market team.
04:13 No, that steal by Drew Holliday is one of the greatest steals
04:16 I've ever seen in a playoffs, man.
04:18 Absolutely incredible.
04:22 You know, you guys have this talented team
04:24 that basically only lost two games.
04:28 It should be something that's talked about and commended.
04:31 And I felt like the game four,
04:34 when they swept the Pacers was a real gut shake game.
04:40 And they made the shots when they needed to make the shots.
04:44 They punched when they needed to punch.
04:48 And I'm more of a rest versus rust guy.
04:52 I think those days off are important.
04:56 You know, to me, like healthy teams
04:59 typically end up winning in the end.
05:02 Now that the Mavs finally got some rest that they needed,
05:07 Luka definitely needs this rest right now.
05:10 But the Celtics are who I thought they were.
05:13 I never wavered in my opinion of them.
05:16 In fact, when I drew Holliday's uncles,
05:19 I told him from the beginning, I was like,
05:20 the Celtics are gonna be in the finals.
05:23 They're the best team.
05:24 They're healthy for the month.
05:25 Actually, poor Ziggus got hurt,
05:26 but at the time they were healthy.
05:28 Said, and the East is gonna make it easy for them.
05:33 And I feel like those kinds of teams
05:34 that have the talent, the luck,
05:38 and the health typically win.
05:41 So I still haven't officially made my pick yet,
05:45 but keep leaning over to the green side.
05:48 And that's not 'cause I'm on here with you guys.
05:50 - I just feel like everyone is so eager to give the crown
05:56 to the team that's up next, right?
05:58 Whether it was the Minnesota Timberwolves,
06:01 whether it's now it's the Dallas Mavericks,
06:03 everyone, national media wants to give those teams
06:05 the benefit of the doubt.
06:06 And I get that, but like you said, Mark,
06:08 when you have a team like this, that's been dominating,
06:10 that's putting together some performances
06:12 that pretty much went against what everyone
06:16 was questioning this team in the sense of
06:19 late game execution, are they gonna be able
06:20 to do the right things at the right time
06:22 and all that stuff.
06:22 And I felt like they spelled all those concerns
06:24 with those back-to-back wins against the Pacers.
06:27 But everyone's talking about how shorthanded
06:28 these teams are, but it's like,
06:29 but look at the dominance though.
06:32 And I feel like you said,
06:33 it's just not being talked about enough.
06:34 Why do you think that's the case?
06:36 - That's a good question, man.
06:38 I don't know why y'all being hated on.
06:40 (laughing)
06:42 Is it 'cause they went to the East Coast finals
06:43 so many times?
06:44 I don't get it, but this is a different team.
06:46 - And then it's like, when you, it's funny,
06:49 like I asked Carmelo Anthony two weeks ago,
06:52 like who do you see as the best young players
06:54 in the league right now?
06:56 And I'm glad he mentioned Jason Tatum.
06:58 Like it's like the new guard that's coming in,
07:03 the young guard, like Jason is still part
07:05 of that young guard.
07:07 I wonder if, since he makes it look so easy,
07:12 do people feel like, he's kind of like Durant in that way.
07:16 Right, like they just make the game look so easy
07:19 that people like overlook them.
07:22 Like how does he not get MVP votes?
07:25 His team had the best record in the league.
07:27 I don't know, I don't vote no more.
07:29 And we could have that discussion another day, why?
07:32 But to me, when I did vote,
07:35 I put a heavy emphasis on winning.
07:38 And if your team dramatically has the best record
07:42 in the league, you should be in the MVP conversation.
07:45 I don't understand why he's not,
07:49 I don't understand why we're not talking
07:51 about the two Jays' top duo in the league,
07:55 but you know what ultimately changes all that?
07:57 Getting that trophy, man.
08:00 You get that trophy and then all the kudos
08:02 and love come to you.
08:03 And this is something that said no,
08:06 like they gotta get this trophy, man.
08:10 They gotta be in the fabric of the floor.
08:13 And this club, that club, said it's in the club,
08:16 it's a hard club to get into.
08:18 I don't care what your numbers are.
08:19 If you don't win a championship, you're not in that club.
08:23 You know, Jason and Jaylen, they get that trophy.
08:28 So to like see them as a different legend.
08:33 - Yeah. - Right?
08:34 They're viewed at it in a different way.
08:36 - I understand that 'cause I covered the team.
08:39 I love the history being around it,
08:41 the pride being around it,
08:42 but they gotta get over this hump, man.
08:45 You know, all these Eastern Conference finals,
08:47 this is the second NBA finals trip.
08:51 To me, like they need this bad.
08:55 They need to get over this hump
08:56 for their legacy in that town.
08:58 - Yeah, they can't be, some just can't be Buffalo.
09:02 They can't be Buffalo Bills.
09:04 - Yeah.
09:05 - Getting to the Super Bowl all the time and not winning.
09:09 And I cleared in and pulled the curtain back
09:12 and during the celebration, I came up to Tatum
09:16 and we manned it up, man, hug out.
09:18 And he whispered in my ear, he said,
09:21 "Man, I'm gonna get you one.
09:23 "I'm gonna get one for you this year."
09:25 And I looked at him, I'm like,
09:26 "No, dude, I already got you.
09:29 "You get your one."
09:30 (laughing)
09:32 - You should've just said, "Hey, whatever,
09:34 "however way motivate you."
09:36 - Yeah, right.
09:37 Whatever it takes.
09:38 - It's more important because the national narrative
09:41 has been that these guys are chokers.
09:44 The national narrative has been
09:45 they didn't have anybody to play.
09:47 The last time I've checked on any of my rings,
09:50 they don't put like who you had to play,
09:53 they just put did you win that year?
09:55 And were you better than that next team?
09:58 - And that don't even matter 'cause they're good.
10:00 - Yeah, they are.
10:01 - They're better than any of them.
10:02 - I think they're the pretty girl
10:04 that you can't go out with.
10:06 And everybody hates on her anyway.
10:08 It's like, "Damn, I hope you don't get a date to the prom."
10:11 Nobody asked her.
10:13 But yeah, if they were to get over this bubble,
10:17 get through this, get past this bubble,
10:19 I think they got an opportunity
10:20 to win a couple of championships here
10:22 over the next couple of years
10:23 because Brad Stephenson's done a tremendous job
10:28 putting this talent together.
10:30 I mean, and you look at it,
10:32 the next step you're gonna say,
10:33 when you win it this year,
10:35 you're gonna get those veteran players,
10:37 some more veteran players who wanna come and say,
10:39 "Well, let me get on this bandwagon
10:41 and let me just try to get it."
10:43 You know, I wouldn't be surprised
10:44 if I saw Jack come out of retirement
10:46 just to be on with the suckers one more
10:48 so he can get another ring real quick.
10:50 I'm here, I got you, I got you, Kobe, I got you.
10:53 This episode of the Cedric Maxwell Podcast
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12:06 I'll ask you another question that I was on
12:10 until the other day when they were talking to Kyrie
12:13 and I heard you were gonna be talking to Kyrie Tazian
12:15 or people like that.
12:17 And I said, they were interviewing Kyrie
12:20 and he started talking about things that happened in Boston
12:23 and all this and on the court and off the court
12:26 and I said, and there were three white people
12:30 who were on stage with me and I said,
12:32 well, I said, I'm the only one who can say this.
12:35 I hope Kyrie doesn't try to put the narrative
12:38 that he's not liked in Boston because he's black.
12:41 I just would hate for that to happen.
12:44 And the thing I said to him,
12:46 and you know as well as I do and Josue,
12:49 and they've heard me say this a thousand times,
12:52 Boston does not have a monopoly on racism.
12:56 It's all throughout, but just not,
12:59 I hope that card doesn't play.
13:01 They don't like Kyrie because of the situation.
13:04 Kyrie said--
13:05 - I hadn't even heard that one, Max.
13:07 That's new to me.
13:07 I had not heard that theory.
13:09 I thought it was all about him asking,
13:11 saying he's gonna stay and leave
13:13 and stomping on the center court.
13:15 - It was when he got somebody,
13:18 it was when he was here, stomping on the leprechaun
13:21 and somebody threw a cup or a bottle at him.
13:24 - Water bottle, yeah.
13:25 - A water bottle at him and people still say,
13:27 "Well, you know how it is in Boston.
13:29 "You know how Boston is."
13:31 And--
13:32 - Hey man, have these people been to the South?
13:34 (laughing)
13:35 - For real.
13:36 - Like,
13:37 (laughing)
13:39 Like, Max, you from the South,
13:41 like I'm like,
13:42 y'all ain't really seen no racism before.
13:46 - Mark's like, "This shit's mild up here."
13:48 - Dude, you ain't, you ain't,
13:50 it's like the Miller Lite of racism.
13:52 - You have to go to the South.
13:54 - Hey, Max, you heard me?
13:55 - Rodney King, Rodney King,
13:57 he was beat down in Los Angeles, Georgia.
14:00 - Hey, no, wait, wait, wait, wait.
14:01 - Seattle, Seattle.
14:02 - Max.
14:03 - Aubrey, that was-- - Max, where you from?
14:04 - Georgia.
14:05 - Max, where you from?
14:07 - I'm from North Carolina.
14:09 - Some people that say that don't know racism.
14:11 - No, no, they, I--
14:12 - You're like, "Hey man, the South take pride in it.
14:15 "They real good at it."
14:16 - Yeah, I was born during that time.
14:19 My city, Kinston, North Carolina,
14:21 we've had all kinds of professional basketball players.
14:24 That's the one airport that Donald Trump flies into
14:27 in North Carolina because it's the biggest runway.
14:30 And boy, them Yahoo roots come from all over
14:33 to sit there and wait for Trump to get in.
14:35 So, you know, it's blatant.
14:38 It's there, just hope during the playoffs
14:41 and if they're booing Kyrie,
14:43 I hope it's more about they don't like Kyrie
14:46 than Kyrie being that, you know,
14:48 oh my God, he's black.
14:50 No, I'm not gonna lie to y'all.
14:51 - Well, no, I think it's,
14:53 you know, I covered most of that Mavs series.
14:57 I was there at the end.
14:59 And I think Kyrie just wants to play basketball.
15:03 I don't, I'm sure he's gonna be asked about it,
15:06 but he gives some really deep answers,
15:09 really thoughtful answers
15:11 when it came to Boston and was short and sweet.
15:14 Hey, I'm looking forward to a great series.
15:15 They're a great team.
15:16 - Well, that's all that matters.
15:18 - And I think if he keeps to that script,
15:22 which I think he will,
15:24 if you follow what's been going on with him,
15:28 it's certainly been a turnaround of proportions.
15:32 If you think about where he was with Brooklyn
15:34 and how his career was spiraling, right?
15:37 Like you don't even talk about Boston time no more.
15:39 You talk about what happened in Brooklyn
15:41 and the darkness he went through there.
15:45 And basically goes to Dallas and he has Nico Harrison,
15:50 who was the GM of the team,
15:52 who he's known since his early Nike AAU days.
15:55 And he got closer with,
15:56 through their relationship with Kobe Bryant.
15:58 And then Jason Kidd and him have a big brother,
16:01 little brother relationship.
16:03 He calls Jason big bro.
16:06 And, you know, they actually, believe it or not,
16:09 when Kyrie was with the Celtics,
16:11 he and Jason Kidd had dinner.
16:13 I think Jason was in between jobs at the time.
16:16 And Kyrie was like,
16:16 "Man, I would love to play for you one day."
16:18 Like they kind of spoken into existence at that time
16:21 during a dinner in Boston.
16:23 And I think,
16:24 I don't think he could have went to a better place
16:27 in terms of support,
16:30 whether it's Nico, whether it's, you know,
16:33 J Kidd, Cynthia Marshall, the president,
16:37 just the whole organization, man.
16:39 Like when I seen him around Brooklyn, it was distant.
16:43 Now he's, he sees like,
16:45 seems like a lot has fallen off of him
16:48 and he's hoping, he's balling.
16:49 So I'm gonna tell you what,
16:52 I think I like the Celtics in this series,
16:54 but it's going to be tough, man.
16:56 This ain't no, this is going to be an epic finals.
16:59 I wouldn't be surprised if it went seven games.
17:01 Luca, Luca Doncic is absolutely
17:05 the reincarnation of Larry Bird.
17:08 The way he can hoop and talk trash.
17:11 - Hey, big fella, slow your roll.
17:13 - No, he good, Max.
17:15 It take a lot for me to say that.
17:18 - It's worth saying it because you know what?
17:19 - But I'm talking about his game and his trash talk.
17:22 - He's gonna be talking trash, man, yeah.
17:23 - The way he talks, he told the fans,
17:26 and I heard him, that they were going like this
17:29 'cause he do want it to wrestle a lot.
17:31 And he said, Snoop and Jimmy Jam were right in earshot.
17:37 Who's crying now, MF-er?
17:39 I was like, whoa!
17:42 And he just smiled at him.
17:44 I was like, yeah, that's what I'm talking about.
17:47 - He wants all the smoke, man.
17:48 People forgetting this guy's making peace
17:50 as he's a teenager.
17:51 - I saw Snoop do like this, shaking his head.
17:52 So I was like--
17:53 - Snoop was dying laughing, man.
17:55 He loved that.
17:56 That was worth his trip.
17:58 That was worth his trip to Minneapolis right there.
18:00 - Just that one moment, for real, yeah.
18:03 - Can you imagine Snoop Dogg hearing something
18:05 that's gonna make him cringe?
18:07 - No, he didn't cringe.
18:09 He was dying laughing.
18:10 He thought it was hilarious.
18:12 - Yeah, he's been--
18:13 - But I'm like, I don't know.
18:14 - Go tell him she's been in, please.
18:16 - I mean, Jimmy Jam was like, whoa.
18:19 I'm telling you, man, JT got it.
18:23 I want him to take up that.
18:25 I wanna see that dog from him.
18:28 Max, this series is gonna be good, bro.
18:33 - I'll tell you who I like.
18:34 - This is gonna be a fight.
18:36 This episode of the Cedric Maxwell Podcast
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19:39 It's the NBA finals.
19:40 - I like, who I like, and it could be a difference,
19:44 but obviously, poor Genghis, but Brown.
19:47 Brown, the time you played, he played Luka in Dallas,
19:52 and boy, he tore him a new ass the last time they saw him.
19:56 - A new one?
19:57 - Yeah, he tore, oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
20:00 He tore him a new ass.
20:02 It wasn't, it wasn't, there's a couple plays
20:05 where he poked him up, he whipped through his head,
20:09 hit him with his elbow, so I mean, I'm sure Luka is,
20:13 that he's that dude that he's that punk.
20:15 - JB ain't no punk either, no.
20:17 - Yeah, he's that Larry Bird dude, you know,
20:19 but I like the multiple guys that you're able to go
20:23 at Luka, you know, you got JB, you got,
20:26 you go to have Tatum, but you got--
20:29 - Tell him don't switch, man, don't switch on that game.
20:32 - Man.
20:34 - Y'all didn't switch, Mac, why they switch so much now?
20:37 - Oh, it's different now, Mark.
20:38 - Look, this isn't the time when you, me,
20:41 and Joseph Wade play where you like, you tell that guard,
20:45 get your ass over that damn pit, you better not.
20:48 - Come on, man.
20:49 That's what he choose to do.
20:50 - Make it too small, 'cause I don't wanna get out now.
20:53 - But I think his better games will be,
20:57 like, he lives for the Boston crowd.
21:00 He lives for stuff like that.
21:02 He's energized in crowds like that.
21:04 I wonder how, I'd like to see how Kyrie responds,
21:09 'cause you know y'all gonna be tough on him.
21:11 - Yeah, that's true, that's true.
21:13 He's gonna get--
21:14 - He should expect that, like, I wouldn't even trip off
21:17 of it, it's gonna be that.
21:18 He gonna hear some things, you know, Boston,
21:22 Boston to me is the best place, forget New York, man,
21:27 that's the best place to watch a game.
21:29 It's electric there, the crowd is crazy,
21:31 they in they seats 20 minutes before the game start,
21:34 they ready to go, the basketball IQ is high.
21:37 It's just a phenomenal place to see a game.
21:42 And they gonna be on him every time he touch the ball,
21:44 he gonna hear boos.
21:45 - NBA could not have picked, well, they didn't,
21:48 they gonna say pick, but NBA could not have gotten
21:52 a better series between these two teams
21:55 at the end of the day, because this is high drama.
21:58 Orsic coming back to play against his old team.
22:02 Luka trying to win his first championship,
22:04 trying to get Tatum and Brown off.
22:06 You got, you know, Jake here trying to win,
22:08 this would be his first championship as a coach.
22:11 A young guy in Joe Mazzullo who is--
22:13 - Yeah, a lot of storylines.
22:14 - For this game is incredible 'cause--
22:17 - Lakers fans rooting for Dallas.
22:19 - Oh, oh, oh. - Oh, big time.
22:21 Of course.
22:23 - You know they're rooting for Dallas.
22:24 - They gonna say it's for kid, that's why, the Oakland boy.
22:26 - You know they're rooting for Dallas, man.
22:28 - Oh, of course.
22:29 - You know that.
22:30 - All right, Mark, hold on, before we get you outta here,
22:31 man, last question.
22:33 You mentioned it, Max, Chris Taspor-Zingas
22:34 playing against his former team.
22:36 Doesn't look like he's gonna be starting this series.
22:38 How much does that play a part in this series
22:41 if the Celtics don't get him back
22:42 in the next couple of games?
22:43 - I don't know where he's gonna land up,
22:45 but if he plays, he's gonna make a difference.
22:47 Because Gaffer and those guys gotta come out
22:50 of that damn zone.
22:51 He's sitting back in the back getting lobs
22:53 and all that stuff.
22:54 They have to get out and play.
22:56 His mobility, whatever that's gonna be,
22:58 I'm sure the Celtics are gonna try to judge there.
23:01 Can the Celtics beat them without Porzingis?
23:04 I think they do have a shot, but I,
23:07 the extended moments right now,
23:11 I don't like those as much.
23:12 I wanna have a fresher Al playing about 30 minutes
23:15 instead of about 40 minutes a game.
23:17 - Well, and then the good thing is for both teams,
23:21 they're gonna come in rested.
23:23 I think that's, I don't, usually one team comes in,
23:26 you know, almost at an advantage the first game
23:29 because their adrenaline is high
23:31 'cause they just somehow survived the last series, right?
23:33 When other teams rested.
23:34 Now you got two teams that are rested.
23:37 Luka probably will, his knee will probably be better
23:40 'cause he certainly was dragging that leg.
23:42 They needed to get that series over with.
23:44 So I'm curious to see what, if anything,
23:49 Porzingis can do.
23:50 - The thing that scares me is,
23:51 you know, I saw Kevin Durant come back
23:55 and I saw him blow out his Achilles.
23:57 This is a high level game.
23:59 This is the finals.
24:00 This is the epitome of basketball.
24:03 It's highest level.
24:04 So if his body ain't right,
24:08 this ain't the time to throw him back in there, man,
24:10 because I think you're more susceptible to injury
24:14 when, this is the Indy 500, right?
24:17 This is cars flying, the stakes are high.
24:21 And I think the stakes probably contributed
24:25 to what happened to KD, right?
24:27 It was just, you gotta be revved up
24:30 to play in a series like this.
24:32 But I am so excited about this series.
24:35 The crazy thing for me that I'm thinking about
24:37 is I'm covering the NBA draft.
24:39 If this series goes seven games,
24:43 it ends on Father's Day, right, on a Sunday.
24:45 The NBA draft is three days later.
24:48 So instead of going home to Cali,
24:50 I'll actually probably just get on a train
24:53 and go to New York for the draft.
24:55 And like, it's already in my mind
24:58 that I just, I don't know what it is,
25:00 but I feel like this is gonna go seven.
25:02 - It's gonna go seven.
25:03 - And I'm gonna go to New York from Boston.
25:04 - Just wait, before we let him get out of here,
25:06 I gotta ask him, because he said Cali.
25:09 And there's a lot of people in Cali right now
25:12 that are calling me.
25:13 Man, that hater aid is so thick out there.
25:16 Do you have a little bit of that in you right now?
25:18 (laughing)
25:21 - What, excuse me?
25:22 - I said, do you have a little bit of that hater aid in you
25:24 because you were a Cali dude?
25:27 I felt like when Southerns played Golden State
25:30 that you were more of that other color than you were green.
25:34 - Oh, man.
25:35 - I ruled, I ruled, right?
25:36 - I knew you was gonna be--
25:37 - I'm, you know who I ruled for?
25:39 - He said he was bleeding golden blue.
25:40 - You know who I ruled for?
25:41 - What was that?
25:42 - Cities.
25:44 - Okay.
25:45 - If we could get like Miami versus,
25:47 can we put a team in Cancun?
25:51 (laughing)
25:53 I ruled for cities, man, I don't care.
25:56 You know who I ruled for?
25:59 ESPN and ASCAPE, they paid my check.
26:01 (laughing)
26:03 - Great answer, great answer.
26:04 - We gotta let it go just wait.
26:06 Dude, we appreciate you coming on with us, man.
26:09 - That franchise changed my career for the better,
26:11 the green franchise, so I ain't never gonna hate on them.
26:15 - Oh man, but the city of Boston needs one, man.
26:18 So hopefully that's the case, but of course,
26:20 we'll be back with another episode in between,
26:23 throughout the NBA finals.
26:24 Stay tuned, of course.
26:25 Weekly episodes here on the Cedric Maxwell podcast.
26:28 He's Cedric Maxwell, Mark Spears checking in.
26:30 Appreciate you, Mark.
26:31 I'm Josue Pobon.
26:32 - I see you so always got love for Boston.
26:33 - We'll see you guys next week.
26:33 - Come on, man, you know this man.
26:35 (laughing)
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26:49 - Josue Pobon here, CLNS Media.
26:51 And if you made it this far,
26:52 that means you really liked this video.
26:54 So hit subscribe, make sure you keep our notifications
26:57 on, damn it, and we got plenty of great content
26:59 coming your way.
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