A. Sherrod Blakely, Gary Washburn, and Kwani Lunis bring you another episode of the Big 3 NBA Podcast! In today's show, they discuss the Celtics closing out their preseason and turning their attention to opening night against the New York Knicks.
0:00 - Intro
1:02 - Tatum for MVP
6:03 - Load management for Holiday
8:44 - Roster decisions discussed
10:38 - Lonnie Walker's value
14:43 - Mazzulla's coaching style
17:12 - Team's biggest challenge
19:51 - Preseason standout players
22:41 - Utilizing players effectively
25:14 - Jordan Walsh's growth
27:40 - Importance of development
30:39 - Focus for game one
33:40 - Conference Finals overview
36:00 - Coach respect discussion
42:27 - Ticket search tips
44:02 - Journalism bias discussion
46:00 - Covering teams fairly
50:59 - Media threats discussed
54:20 - Society's polarization impact
56:47 - Wings and charity event
CLNS Media is Powered by:
Prize Picks - https://prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/CLNS
Download the app today and use Code CLNS when you sign up & Get $50 instantly when you play $5!
Gametime - https://gametime.co
Take the guesswork out of buying MLB 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.
Elevate your style game on and off the course with the PXG Spring Summer 2024 collection. Head over to https://PXG.com/GARDENREPORT and save 10% on all apparel.
Nutrafol Men! Take the first step to visibly thicker, healthier hair. For a limited time, Nutrafol is offering our listeners ten dollars off your first month’s subscription and free shipping when you go to https://Nutrafol.com/MEN and enter the promo code GARDEN!
#celtics #NBA #BostonCeltics
The CLNS Media Network is the leading provider for video/audio content. CLNS is a fully credentialed member of the media with access to all NFL/NBA/NHL/MLB teams & venues.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CLNS' rebuilt their YouTube community in less than 12 months, during a pandemic that attacked sports. Wondering how? Find out here (and support our channel) - https://www.tubebuddy.com/clnsmedia
Visit the Official Home of CLNS Sports Coverage - https://clnsmedia.com
Twitter - https://twitter.com/CLNSMedia
Celtics - https://twitter.com/celticsclns
Patriots - https://twitter.com/patriotsclns
Bruins - https://twitter.com/bruinsclns
Red Sox - https://twitter.com/redsoxclns
Non-Sports - https://twitter.com/northstation
Facebook - http://facebook.com/clnsmedia
INSTA - http://Instagram.com/clnsmedia
INSTA Celtics - http://Instagram.com/celticsclns
INSTA History - http://Instagram.com/nbahistoryclns
0:00 - Intro
1:02 - Tatum for MVP
6:03 - Load management for Holiday
8:44 - Roster decisions discussed
10:38 - Lonnie Walker's value
14:43 - Mazzulla's coaching style
17:12 - Team's biggest challenge
19:51 - Preseason standout players
22:41 - Utilizing players effectively
25:14 - Jordan Walsh's growth
27:40 - Importance of development
30:39 - Focus for game one
33:40 - Conference Finals overview
36:00 - Coach respect discussion
42:27 - Ticket search tips
44:02 - Journalism bias discussion
46:00 - Covering teams fairly
50:59 - Media threats discussed
54:20 - Society's polarization impact
56:47 - Wings and charity event
CLNS Media is Powered by:
Prize Picks - https://prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/CLNS
Download the app today and use Code CLNS when you sign up & Get $50 instantly when you play $5!
Gametime - https://gametime.co
Take the guesswork out of buying MLB 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.
Elevate your style game on and off the course with the PXG Spring Summer 2024 collection. Head over to https://PXG.com/GARDENREPORT and save 10% on all apparel.
Nutrafol Men! Take the first step to visibly thicker, healthier hair. For a limited time, Nutrafol is offering our listeners ten dollars off your first month’s subscription and free shipping when you go to https://Nutrafol.com/MEN and enter the promo code GARDEN!
#celtics #NBA #BostonCeltics
The CLNS Media Network is the leading provider for video/audio content. CLNS is a fully credentialed member of the media with access to all NFL/NBA/NHL/MLB teams & venues.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CLNS' rebuilt their YouTube community in less than 12 months, during a pandemic that attacked sports. Wondering how? Find out here (and support our channel) - https://www.tubebuddy.com/clnsmedia
Visit the Official Home of CLNS Sports Coverage - https://clnsmedia.com
Twitter - https://twitter.com/CLNSMedia
Celtics - https://twitter.com/celticsclns
Patriots - https://twitter.com/patriotsclns
Bruins - https://twitter.com/bruinsclns
Red Sox - https://twitter.com/redsoxclns
Non-Sports - https://twitter.com/northstation
Facebook - http://facebook.com/clnsmedia
INSTA - http://Instagram.com/clnsmedia
INSTA Celtics - http://Instagram.com/celticsclns
INSTA History - http://Instagram.com/nbahistoryclns
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00The Big 3 NBA podcast is powered by PrizePix and the Game Time app.
00:24Hey everyone, welcome into this episode of the Big 3 NBA podcast.
00:29The usual crew is here, HRI Blakely, Gary Washburn, I'm Kwani Lewis, and we are right
00:36as the Celtics preseason has come to a close, the Celtics 4-1 in preseason play.
00:41But also more importantly, it's time for the regular season.
00:45But before we get right into that, let's talk about that last game, that loss against Toronto.
00:51What would you say was your biggest takeaway from their first loss so far in the new season?
00:57Let the Tatum for MVP candidate candidacy begin right now.
01:01Tatum was good.
01:03I mean, that was like the Jason Tatum that if he plays that well consistently, there's
01:12no way in the world that he'll be in and outside of the top three for the league MVP.
01:15He was really good, knocking down shots, getting guys involved, rebounding the ball, defending.
01:19Didn't play a ton of minutes, but was extremely effective and efficient in the minutes he
01:23got out there.
01:25To me, it was a Jason Tatum that I think the Celtics are going to need if they're going
01:29to have a shot, a legitimate shot of repeating as champions.
01:33They're going to need that Jason Tatum to show up night in, night out.
01:35And this is the thing that I think is a little bit scary about the Celtics right now.
01:39They go up the T-dot and basically, they go deep into their bench, guys who we are not
01:46going to see much of, if at all, rest of the season, and they damn near win the game.
01:51I mean, they literally had that game after getting down big and they were in position
01:55to potentially pull it out.
01:57Guys, the Davidson kid, who's on a two-way, made some big free throws in that game.
02:02You start looking at other guys on the bench coming up big, knocking down shots.
02:06It was the kind of game that I think reminds everyone that the Celtics core group is ridiculously
02:11talented and those guys at the end of the bench, they can do some things too.
02:15This is a deep team.
02:17It's a really deep team.
02:22I mean, I thought it was a nice finale.
02:25I mean, you know, like-
02:26You go, Gary.
02:28What?
02:28Bring us down, Gary.
02:29Go ahead.
02:30No, I'm not.
02:31I mean, I thought it was a decent ending.
02:33Like, I thought the whole preseason went well for them.
02:36I thought it was good to see Al Horford, first game, back in action.
02:40He didn't shoot the ball well, but he scored two points.
02:44You know, he got, I think, 23 minutes, so he got his burn.
02:48He said he felt good after the game.
02:50The main goal of this game was to keep everybody healthy.
02:53He didn't want any injuries, no pulled hamstrings,
02:56nothing that could affect the impact of the early season.
03:01Nothing came out of that.
03:04I thought their defense, Toronto had a lot of tough shots.
03:08Like, Scottie Barnes and Grady Dick both were just very good.
03:11Scottie Barnes hit four threes in like the first five minutes.
03:15Grady Dick was beating them down the floor.
03:17I thought, though, the one thing that I did not particularly care for
03:20in that game was their defense after main baskets.
03:24Toronto were literally six, seven seconds after a main basket score layup,
03:29because the Cells weren't getting back on defense.
03:31They got to watch out for that, because teams are going to take the ball
03:34at the hoop, run it up the floor.
03:36And if they don't get back, they're going to get burned on that.
03:39So that was the one thing I took away that didn't look so good.
03:43Other than that, they outscored them in one stretch, 26 to 2.
03:48And then they made some mistakes in the third quarter.
03:51Toronto hit some shots.
03:53Yaka Pertle kind of got going.
03:56And then, like you said, Sharive, the bench guys,
03:59the training camp guys made a run, kind of a ticky-tack foul on JD Davidson
04:03to give the Raptors go-ahead free throws.
04:07And then Jordan Walsh looked like he was fouled at the end.
04:11They didn't call it.
04:12The kid out of Utah, Carlson, came off the bench and blocked the shot.
04:18I think everybody was ready to get the hell out of there, so they just didn't.
04:21They just let it play, and the Celtics lose.
04:23But overall, you would love for them to blow out Toronto by 30 and go 5-0.
04:33But it doesn't really matter.
04:34You don't really remember preseason records.
04:37You just want the first five to play well.
04:38They did.
04:39Peyton Pritchard shot over 50% or, sorry, 19 for 39.
04:45I've got to get the total numbers for the three-point line.
04:48He was, sorry, 21 for 39, I want to say, or 21 for 41.
04:5521 for 41, I want to say, or 44.
04:58I'm sorry.
04:59He was 50% damn near from three-pointer into preseason.
05:03He looked comfortable.
05:04No true holiday last night.
05:06He didn't make the trip.
05:08He left some guys at home just to rest, and they get a couple of more days off
05:12before they return to practice on Friday.
05:14So all systems go with this team.
05:17The preseason couldn't have gone any better in terms of no one else got hurt.
05:22Porzingis is making progress.
05:24Al Horford said he felt good after playing his first game.
05:29Tatum looked like he's adjusted.
05:32Brown making every two he takes.
05:35Pritchard playing well.
05:37Derek White.
05:37So all systems go for this team.
05:40Gary, you just touched on something that I think is really important
05:45about Drew Holiday.
05:47I really hope we see more load management used on him this year.
05:51Because I think he was such a low-key, high-impact player in the postseason.
05:57When you look at the mileage that brother has racked up in his career,
06:01it's kind of at that point where you need to start treating him this year the way
06:04you treated Al Horford last year.
06:06Especially when you've got a squad where you can miss him for
06:11a game here and there, and not miss a beat.
06:14And to me, you need to obviously, I think Peyton Pritchard has earned a right
06:19to feel that void when he's not around.
06:21He's definitely earned that.
06:23But if you're looking to add some depth on the bench with Peyton moving to that
06:27starting lineup for Drew from time to time,
06:29you might want to turn to your boy, Gary, Lonnie Walker, the fourth.
06:33I don't want to hear about the third or the second.
06:36I only want the fourth.
06:37I don't care about, Lonnie Walker, the fourth is the one.
06:42Gary, your boy is good, yo.
06:45I will give you credit.
06:46Gary has been on Lonnie Walker more than anyone else was.
06:51Gary invested in him the way I used to invest in Romeo Langford.
06:55Irrationally deep-pocketed investment.
06:58And Gary did that with Lonnie Walker, and I respect that.
07:01Lonnie has done everything you could possibly want a guy to do in his
07:06situation to make a case to stick around and get that 15th spot.
07:11But as we know, that's a whole lot of cheddar for your 13th man, or
07:16your 10th man, or your 9th man.
07:18So I don't know if the sub's willing to cut that check.
07:21That's real.
07:22Yeah, that's the whole controversy.
07:24What do you do with him?
07:26Because let's be honest, the other 29 teams are looking at the Celtics.
07:35They're looking at Walker.
07:36They might clear a roster spot for him.
07:39He's gonna get an opportunity elsewhere.
07:41I just don't think he's gonna be in Maine for long.
07:44I think the Celtics, if you wanna lose Lonnie Walker, send him to Maine.
07:50That's what I think.
07:51Because another team is gonna snap him up.
07:54He's 25 years old.
07:56He's athletically fine.
07:57He can score.
07:58He got off to a slow start, but
07:59I thought he had a couple of good ball games in the two games in Boston.
08:03He can help a team.
08:05So if you wanna lose him, please send him to Maine on an Exhibit 10 contract,
08:10a non-guaranteed deal.
08:11He's gonna get, some team is gonna sign him.
08:14You're gonna have to figure out, do you wanna pay $10 million?
08:17Because even if he gets a minimum,
08:18that's how much it's gonna cost him, the luxury taxes.
08:21Is that worth it to have him on the roster?
08:24They've got to determine that before Saturday.
08:26I think it is.
08:28I think what you do is you figure out a way to use them.
08:32You can't have too much depth.
08:34This is a team.
08:35And then you can, like you said, Shirai, you can give other guys a break.
08:38You don't have to play true holiday major minutes every night.
08:43You don't have to paint 34, 35 minutes every night.
08:45You can add a new wrinkle and element to your team.
08:50And so to me, I think it's worth it for one year.
08:55Now, if you really like, let's say, Jaden Springer,
08:58if you think he's gonna make an impact, the question as well is that too many guys,
09:04too many cooks in the kitchen, you have to figure that one out.
09:08But I think Lonnie Walker helps his team probably more than Jaden Springer.
09:13But they gotta figure that out.
09:15And that 15th roster spot, and I think as we're seeing with this new CBA,
09:20a lot of teams are holding on to 14 cuz it just ain't worth it to pay 12,
09:2410, $8 million for a guy making $2 million because you're paying 6 million in
09:29luxury taxes.
09:31Well, here's the crazy part about that, Gary.
09:33If we're being honest and keeping it 100,
09:35Lonnie is worth $10 million in this day and age of NBA.
09:39He probably would have gotten that maybe in another year.
09:42He probably would have gotten a mid-level exception contract.
09:45I'm not sure what the word out is on him.
09:48I just don't think he'll last in the G League.
09:50I just think that's a mistake unless you, now you wanna do him right.
09:54And you wanna say, okay, Lonnie, we're gonna send you to the G League.
09:59You're gonna get signed by another team.
10:02But we thank you for your service.
10:06We know we can't hold on to you.
10:09But a team who's really needs them can sign them, but
10:13it's probably gonna be a minimum deal, right?
10:16So if you wanna do that as a hookup to him, but if you want him for
10:21yourself, and you know that you sign him, do you sign to a two-way deal?
10:28Would he accept that?
10:29I think if I'm his agent, I'll probably say, no, my man gotta have an NBA deal.
10:33He's an NBA player, he's not a two-way player.
10:36But we'll see.
10:38I mean, they got a Saturday to decide it.
10:40They haven't spared any expense now, then, over the last few months.
10:46Why start now?
10:47But I understand, and it is the last roster spot.
10:53And the rest of the guys that we can talk about, a guy like Jordan Walsh,
10:56is starting to look a lot better.
10:59You got Shireman, who's occupying a roster spot, he's on a contract.
11:05You gotta figure out what to, you're not gonna do anything with him.
11:08You're gonna hold on to him, and you'd have to figure out, okay,
11:12do you trade Springer for a second round pick or something?
11:17Do you kind of give some guy away to clear cap space, to sign Walker?
11:22Or do you just take the hit?
11:24I, if the Celtics, if you're talking about one year, you take the hit.
11:29Thankfully, that's above all of our pay grades.
11:31Shout out to Brad Stevens, he can figure that one out.
11:34Off the top, Sherrod, you gave some flowers to Jason Tatum and
11:36his performance so far.
11:38We have our big three, but the Celtics, their own big three.
11:40Let's acknowledge the other two that make up that trio, Jalen Brown, and
11:45of course, Coach Mazzullo.
11:47What have you two taken away for Brown in this preseason?
11:52Gary, what you got?
11:55I thought Brown has been fantastic.
11:58I thought he's been well.
11:59He's done what he's supposed to do.
12:01He looks like he's ready for this season.
12:02He looks like he's motivated after the Olympic slide and all that.
12:06White, I mean, I think White's been fine too.
12:13I think there's nobody who has, you look at and you're just like, man,
12:18they're not ready.
12:19Everybody's ready.
12:21Drew looks ready.
12:23White looks ready.
12:24They all look ready.
12:26The only thing that you might think about, Celtic fans,
12:30is do you start Luke Cornett and bring Hal Orford off the bench?
12:34That's the question.
12:35Or how much does Luke Cornett, how much does his role increase with
12:42Porzingis out and having to kind of limit Orford's minutes?
12:45Nemeus Keita, what do you do with him?
12:49You give him a bigger role.
12:50And then obviously, Xavier Tillman.
12:53That's the only thing.
12:54But the rest of the big three, the Benz and the White and
12:57those guys are all, I have nothing.
13:03They all come in great shape, look like mid-season form.
13:08And that's a very encouraging sign.
13:10What about Colts?
13:12You're good, Shara.
13:13Yeah, I was talking about Joe Mizzoula.
13:16Yeah, she wants you to talk about your boy Joe Mizzoula.
13:19Yeah, there's a delay, I think, but.
13:21I thought you said the big goal.
13:23Well, we- Talk about your boy Joe Mizzoula.
13:25You're framing it as the three more important people on this.
13:29Okay.
13:30Say you're Brian Mizzoula.
13:32I didn't know you meant Mizzoula.
13:34That's what I said.
13:34Coach Mizzoula.
13:36Are you playing vision ball?
13:40What have you seen from coaching in the preseason?
13:42Well, I thought that Mizzoula was fine.
13:44I think their philosophy is a little different.
13:47They're taking more threes because they have, I think, better shooting.
13:52We'll see how that works.
13:54We'll see whether the only thing I was concerned about was the lack
13:59of perimeter defense last time on Jacob Perl.
14:04I thought that he kind of dominated the paint.
14:07And when you have a big lumbering center like an NB,
14:10how are the Celtics gonna deal with that without Porzingis bringing them
14:13away from the basket, Ken Cornett, Ken Horford at this advanced stage.
14:19Defend guys like that.
14:21And I just thought they struggled last night in that category.
14:24But I thought, overall, Mizzoula has been fine.
14:28He's short-tempered as he usually is.
14:32He has not patted anybody on the back.
14:35He is motivating these guys.
14:36These guys seem like they're ready to go.
14:38So, and I think they're gonna be a little bit different this year with,
14:42I said, with the shooting and without Porzingis trying to figure out ways to
14:47score, they're not gonna be as interior-oriented because they don't have that
14:52major interior scorer or that guy who can, you can just kind of throw a hoop to
14:57maybe Cornett here and there, but they don't have that.
14:59So they're gonna have to figure out other ways to score.
15:02No, I like feisty Joe,
15:05because I think that's what we're seeing a little bit more of now.
15:08And Joe understands all too well that winning a championship is hard.
15:15The only thing harder than winning a championship is winning another one
15:17right after it.
15:18And that's what they're, he's prepping his guys for that.
15:21He knows that however mentally tough they were,
15:24whatever that level peaked at last season,
15:27they gotta take it to another level this year because it's going to be so much harder.
15:31And I think Joe is going to be harder on those guys and
15:33is going to expect more from them and is going to challenge them more.
15:36And we started to see kind of glimpse of that in the preseason.
15:39No one should feel comfortable on this team and Joe Mizzoula,
15:42I give him credit, he's setting the tone with that.
15:45And I give Tatum and Brown credit.
15:48They are taking that pressure of repeating and
15:52they're channeling it the way you're supposed to.
15:54Tatum, I think is right now, he's showcasing, look, yeah,
15:57I can get 25 points in my sleep, but
15:59I need to improve the mechanics of my jump shot so that I can be even better.
16:02Jalen Brown, yeah, I played a certain type of physicality last year, but
16:07I gotta get stronger, I gotta be even more physical.
16:09I gotta bring bully ball to another level this season, and
16:12he's been able to show that.
16:13And you start looking at this roster, and as you pointed out, Gary,
16:16there isn't that one guy that you're looking at like, damn,
16:19somebody spent a little too much time at the tiki bar this summer.
16:23Somebody spent a little bit too much time doing the wrong kind of pull-ups,
16:27doing these kind of pull-ups, instead of just absolutely working on the body.
16:32They don't have any guys like that this year.
16:33You look at their roster, I mean,
16:35those guys look physically like they're damn near mid-season shape.
16:39And that to me, the things that scare I think most teams about the Celtics
16:44right now is one, they brought the entire band back.
16:47Two, they brought the entire band back and damn near all of them are as good or
16:51better in some facet of their play as they were.
16:54And three, the end of their bench is deeper than they were now.
16:58I mean, they got a guy who's on a damn exhibit 10 contract who can get you
17:0120 points on any given night.
17:04That's how incredibly deep they are.
17:06And you don't gotta be scared to Celtics, you don't, no, absolutely not.
17:10But when the ball goes up and you find yourself down by 15 points,
17:14three minutes to the game, then you're gonna realize, damn,
17:17they haven't even opened up the vault yet of the riches they got in this squad.
17:22And we're getting a head smash.
17:24This team, to me, their biggest challenge is buying the hype.
17:30Because to me, the hype is real.
17:32We're not talking about them as if that, we think they might be able to do this.
17:36And we think this guy might be able to do that.
17:39This is the beautiful thing about this team is that all the talk and
17:43adulation that people have for them is based on what they've done.
17:47Not on what we think they can do, not on what we, in a best case scenario,
17:51this can happen.
17:52This is who they are.
17:53This is what they do.
17:54And this is what you gotta deal with.
17:56And looking at Tatum, looking at Brown, looking at Joe Mizzoula and
17:59just the roles that they play in this team's growth and success.
18:04I just don't see a lot of paths for teams to knock them off the top.
18:08I just don't.
18:09Prize Picks is the best place to get real money sports action.
18:13With over 10 million members and billions of dollars in awarded winnings,
18:16Prize Picks has made daily fantasy sports accessible to all.
18:19You just pick more or less on at least two players for
18:22a shot to win up to 100 times your cash.
18:25Run your game all season long on Prize Picks.
18:27You can now win up to 100 times your money on Prize Picks with as little as
18:31four correct picks.
18:33Prize Picks is the only real money daily fantasy platform with an injury
18:37insurance policy.
18:38So your lineups stay in play even if one of your players gets injured.
18:42If your player leaves in the first half and doesn't return,
18:44Prize Picks keeps your lineup live.
18:47Prize Picks also offers weekly promotions that can lead to big payouts
18:50like Taco Tuesday.
18:52Each Tuesday, Prize Picks discounts select player projections up to 25%
18:56to provide even more value for your lineups.
18:59Sign up today and get $50 instantly when you play $5.
19:02You don't even need to win to receive the $50 bonus.
19:05It's guaranteed.
19:07Make your picks in less than 60 seconds and turn your sports opinions into real
19:11money all season long on Prize Picks.
19:14This week on Prize Picks, I'm looking at the football board and
19:16selecting Justin Jefferson for more than 83.5 receiving yards and
19:20Patrick Mahomes for less than 267.5 passing yards.
19:25Tariq Hill is another one that I'm keeping an eye on and I have him more than
19:2897.5 receiving yards and Saquon Barkley for some more than 67.5 rushing yards.
19:35I'm definitely going to go more.
19:37Download the app today and use code CLNS to get $50 instantly after you play
19:41your first $5 lineup.
19:43That's code CLNS to get $50 instantly after you play your first $5 lineup.
19:48Prize Picks, run your game.
19:52Well, final look at the preseason before we are officially over it.
19:55Well, let's look at three big preseason winners, Luke Cornett,
19:59Lonnie Walker, the fourth, and Jordan Walsh.
20:02Who do you two think has the best shot of making a major impact
20:06this regular season, even though we've-
20:09I'm going to go- Marty.
20:10I'm going to go with Luke.
20:11I'm going to go with Luke.
20:12I want to go with Lonnie, but I'm going to go with Luke simply because Luke could
20:16potentially be in that starting lineup.
20:18And I do think as the season progresses,
20:20I think Luke will have moments where he'll be with the first group and
20:23obviously moments where he won't.
20:25But what he's showing now, and as I was mentioning earlier about just guys as
20:30good or better, Luke looks like he's better at rim running now than he was before.
20:35Luke looks better defensively.
20:37Like, he doesn't look like he's going to get tossed around like a dirty rag anymore.
20:42Now, in B, that's a different story, because in B, you do that to everyone.
20:46But Luke, he just looks more like an NBA player.
20:49And the thing that always frustrated me about Luke Cornett was he would get
20:54into the game and seem to be happy and complacent with just simply setting screens.
20:59He's actually positioning himself to be more of a threat on offense, and
21:03they're going to need that from him, particularly when you look at Al's game
21:07and where Al's game is just, let's be honest, Al's on the other side of
21:10the mountain, that downward spiral.
21:12And that's okay, because Al has done a lot of great things in his league.
21:15And he's definitely, I love the fact that when he won that chip,
21:19went back to the Dominican Republic, got his flowers, got flowers,
21:22got the key, got the whole shebang.
21:24Love that for Al.
21:25But the reality is, he's just not the same player.
21:28He doesn't make the same kind of impact just because father time always wins.
21:31Luke has an opportunity to really position himself to be a player
21:37that the Celtics can lead on.
21:38I think his rebounding is much better than we've seen in the past.
21:41I think his defense has gotten better.
21:42And again, he's starting to make himself present and available as a scorer.
21:47And the thing that Gary said I thought was interesting was when he talked about
21:50how offensively they might be a little bit different just because of just
21:53how they're made up.
21:55I really wish Joe would just take only one page,
21:58only one page out of the Doc Rivers playbook, and
22:02find a way to utilize one player the way Doc used Avery Bradley.
22:07Avery Bradley could not score much at all, but those baseline cuts,
22:12just that off the ball movement that Avery played with,
22:16he gave them another scoring option that teams couldn't really defend.
22:20Because you're not worried about your fifth option.
22:23You're thinking about, I gotta deal with Paul Pierce.
22:25I gotta deal with Ray Allen.
22:26I gotta deal with these Hall of Famers.
22:29I ain't got time to worry about this little six foot two inch rabbit running
22:33around here.
22:34But then next thing you know, he got five laps and ten points in eight minutes.
22:38And so now you got a problem.
22:39I wish Joe would come up with some type of way to utilize.
22:43I look at a guy, for example, like Lonnie Walker.
22:46If he's on your active roster, Lonnie could be that guy.
22:49Whether it's cutting to the baseline, whether it's just freeing him up.
22:51Because if you put Lonnie Walker on the floor with Jason Tatum, Jalen Brown,
22:56Derek White, and any other player, at worst, he's your fourth or fifth option.
23:04I got a 20 point score as my fourth or fifth option.
23:08And if your boy Porzingis comes back, and you put, my goodness.
23:13I'm hoping that Joe comes up with one or two wrinkles offensively to utilize
23:19his players in a way that teams just don't see coming.
23:21And I see having guys being able to score off of really sharp,
23:25crisp cuts to the basket off ball movement.
23:27I see that as a way that they could actually steal a few points
23:31without really doing anything significantly different or
23:34drastic to what they do offensively.
23:36I wish Joe was just one or two sets like that.
23:39Just give me like four points a game like that.
23:42If I get four to six points, because that all of a sudden, for
23:46whoever is getting those points, it makes them feel more involved in what
23:49the offense is doing.
23:50And for the opponents, it becomes another thing you gotta worry about.
23:54And that's what you want.
23:55You don't necessarily need guys to score a bunch of points.
23:57You need teams to worry about a bunch of guys scoring points.
24:01Yeah, I mean, I agree.
24:06I think obviously with Cornette having more equity in terms of the franchise and
24:12the confidence of Joe Mazzulla, he'll play more, he'll contribute more.
24:18I'm intrigued to see what Jordan Walsh can bring, age 20, second year.
24:25And like a lot of these youngsters, probably came out of school too early,
24:28wasn't ready for the league last year.
24:30But playing with more confidence and had a real rough summer league.
24:33But playing with more confidence now, I was impressed with what I saw last night.
24:39Just his overall flow, he's getting into the rhythm of the game.
24:43He's not acting like, I guess you can use an example.
24:47Like you look at Bronny James, and I watched the Warriors Lakers last night.
24:53And Bronny is like that freshman kid playing in a varsity game.
24:56He's just trying to stay out of people's way.
24:59He's just kind of running around, he's not aggressive.
25:02If he gets the ball, he passes it and sets a screen.
25:07Or it's shoot it, shoot it, Bronny, and he shoots and he misses it or whatever.
25:11Like, that's the stage he's at.
25:13And that was a stage Jordan Walsh was at last year.
25:16Now he seems like all those years, sorry, months,
25:20weeks playing with Tatum, playing with Brown.
25:22That he's kind of learned, okay, I should, I gotta act like I belong here.
25:26I gotta fake it till I make it, even though I'm still only 20.
25:29I still probably should be at the University of Arkansas.
25:32As he would be only entering his junior year, believe it or not.
25:36I mean, he left as a freshman, he has gotta act like he belongs.
25:41That's how you stay in the NBA.
25:43You can't do the deer in headlight thing too long.
25:46And I'm impressed with how he has adjusted after a tough summer league.
25:50Cuz I think the expectations were, okay, second summer league.
25:56He's not the young guy anymore, even though he's still really young.
25:59He's gonna go out there and show us some things.
26:01And he really, really pressed.
26:03And so for me, I feel like it was good to see him take that step forward.
26:10So I think he might actually have a role on this team.
26:12It might not be right away.
26:14But like Sherrod said, if you wanna arrest somebody.
26:17So I'm pointing to Jordan Walsh.
26:19I think we all know what to expect from Coronet.
26:22But I think Walsh is a guy that can have a sneaky good contribution to this team.
26:27Occasionally, not all the time.
26:30But as a wing off the bench, give Jason a break or give Jalen a break.
26:35And make some plays, hit some shots, make a defensive play, get a steal, rebound.
26:40Because that's what he's gonna have to do.
26:41He's gonna have to be that three and D guy.
26:43He's gonna have to be that Swiss army knife.
26:45He's not exceptionally skilled at anything.
26:48And that's the one thing that I don't know why some of these kids come in to
26:53the NBA and you're okay at everything.
26:56But you ain't, Sherrod, second round picks ain't making a whole lot of money.
27:01But you know what?
27:02You're talking about cats- Except Ronnie James.
27:06That's the exception.
27:08But the thing is, Jordan has got to get good at everything and not just okay.
27:13And he's getting better, better defender, better rebounder,
27:17better in the flow of the game, better screener, things like that.
27:20So it's gonna take time, but I do see the progress.
27:24And I think that's one of the encouraging things.
27:26And even Jaden Sprung, I didn't get a chance to see Jaden all that much
27:31in terms of his contributions.
27:33But it looks like he's making a step forward.
27:36And I know Jordan's taking a step forward.
27:38So I think that's the encouraging thing in terms of,
27:42I think Cornette's gonna have a bigger role.
27:45But look out for Jordan Walsh to have some type of contribution as that eighth or
27:49ninth man to get out there and get something done.
27:54He could be there, Avery Bradley.
27:56I mean, when you look at just what they are going to be looking for from him,
28:00they're gonna be looking for the same things Doc was looking for from Avery.
28:03Just bring the energy, play good defense, and keep moving without the ball.
28:07Because if you're going to be in position to score,
28:09the ball's gonna find you.
28:10Now you're two best players.
28:13Tatum, I think, last year made that necessary leap to becoming a better
28:17facilitator.
28:18And Jalen Brown has talked about that being one of the focal points of his game
28:22going into this season.
28:23And we all know when Jalen Brown puts his mind to improving in a specific area,
28:26that usually gets done.
28:28He usually gets it done.
28:29So now, if you're playing with those guys, you have a much better chance to get
28:34the rock and a chance to score than if this were two, three, four years ago.
28:38So yeah, I mean, Jordan Walsh, he could be a new one.
28:42And Gary Jordan, if I do believe, check me on this if I'm wrong.
28:46But Jordan came into the league before NIL money was being dispersed, right?
28:50Or was he?
28:51No, I think he probably could have gotten a little NIL.
28:54I mean, he was only two years ago.
28:56Okay. I don't think he got the fat check.
28:58Yeah, he wasn't big enough to make.
29:01Yeah, I mean, but I honestly do think he could have.
29:05But I do think he definitely probably got a little bit of money from playing
29:09at Arkansas.
29:10But if you look at that Arkansas team that he played on with Black,
29:15the guy who went to Orlando Magic, another guy, Smith, who went to Charlotte.
29:22There was a very, very deep team.
29:24He was like the seventh man on that team, which I think probably took
29:28Eric Musselman, who was then the coach, now he's at USC.
29:31Then kind of by surprise, Walsh came out.
29:35But what's done is done.
29:37But I do think seeing him play with that confidence is an encouraging sign.
29:42Because when you're the Celtics at this point, and we're not talking only this
29:46season, but in the future, development is gonna be critical.
29:50Cuz these guys don't make no money yet.
29:51Shireman's development, Anton Watson's development,
29:54Jordan Walsh's development.
29:56Because you're gonna wanna keep Tatum and Brown around.
29:58And eventually, then you still got a few more years of Drew Holiday and
30:02Derek White.
30:03So you're gonna have to cultivate your guys in the system to where they can help.
30:09Cuz they ain't making no money yet,
30:10because you're not gonna be able to sign free agents.
30:13Right.
30:14October 22nd is when it all officially begins.
30:17Gary, you've been saying from the get-go, they need to focus on basketball.
30:22Of course, the banner will be raised, the rings will be distributed.
30:25But once that's over,
30:26they need to get back into the headspace of trying to win another one.
30:30What do you both think they need to be focused on for
30:33game one, other than winning?
30:37To me, I think it's the Knicks and what they're gonna come out with and
30:41how different they're gonna play with Karanthi Towns.
30:44I'd want them to punch first.
30:46Just come out there with some momentum.
30:48The Knicks are gonna be fired up.
30:50They're gonna probably watch that ring ceremony.
30:52They're gonna go, hey, that should be us next year.
30:54Next 12 months from now, that should be us at the Madison Square Garden on TNT.
31:00Unfortunately, it might be Amazon Prime or
31:03whatever station takes from TNT, cuz it won't be TNT anymore.
31:07It could be NBA 2K5.
31:10Yeah, whatever.
31:11Netflix, Tubi, Hulu, whatever it is.
31:20Might be on social media.
31:22Yes.
31:23Could be on Twitter.
31:24HBO Max.
31:25On Twitter.
31:26Yeah, BET.
31:28Anyway, whatever, they're gonna look at that and say, that should be us next year.
31:35And so they're gonna try to punch first, and
31:37the Celtics are gonna have to punch first.
31:38Come out fired up.
31:40Home fans are gonna be raucous.
31:41Everybody's gonna be excited and emotional with getting the rings and
31:45watching that banner raised.
31:47But you gotta come out there and be ready, cuz the Knicks are gonna be ready.
31:50And I know we don't like the Celtics.
31:52Mikael Bridges don't like the Celtics.
31:53Towns, all of a sudden, he ain't like the Celtics.
31:56Brunson, none of them do like the Celtics.
31:59They ain't there to play the part and be a pass, they there to smash.
32:04You remember that game years ago?
32:06I think it was, I think it might have been Miami.
32:10What team, Sherrod, you remember?
32:13Like, it was like the 07 Heat.
32:19I think they played the Bulls on opening night, and the Bulls beat them by like 40.
32:23Or whatever.
32:23It was like years ago after the Dwyane Wade championship,
32:27when they beat Dallas, before LeBron got there, that 07, and the Bulls just-
32:32That's probably the Heat fans, fun fact.
32:34Embarrassed them on opening night at the house, at Miami.
32:38The Celtics don't wanna be that guy.
32:40Don't be that guy.
32:41Don't get smashed at home.
32:43Be prepared, mentally prepared, physically prepared.
32:47Enjoy the ceremony, but put them rings away, take them to the back, and
32:51get ready to ball, because the Knicks are gonna be ready.
32:54I don't think that's gonna be an issue with this group.
32:56I don't, because their post-championship journey,
33:02whatever you wanna call it, was unlike any other post-championship.
33:06It wasn't as joyful and as, man, this was awesome that we won a championship.
33:12It was like, damn, our best player cannot play on the Olympic team.
33:15Damn, our second best player who got NBA finals isn't even on the damn team.
33:20Damn, our head coach, one of the youngest coaches in the NBA,
33:26has a championship.
33:27He can't even get one damn vote for the GMs as one of the best coaches.
33:31This team is not going to be lacking-
33:34Chris Finch at Minnesota did.
33:36Yeah, yeah, yeah, exactly.
33:39He didn't even get to the conference finals.
33:41So there's so much baked into this team,
33:47not falling into the consistent traps that championship teams fall into
33:52on opening night.
33:53I don't worry about that.
33:55I would not be surprised if they beat the Knicks by 50 points on opening night.
33:59I'm gonna say it.
34:00I would not shock me, Gary.
34:02And I don't think it would shock a lot of people who have watched this team play,
34:07watched how, frankly, there's some gears that this team can shift into that
34:13they are not shifting into, and that's the scary part.
34:16They can beat you by 30 points and have a subpar game and do so.
34:19They're built like that.
34:21And when you take the talent that they have, you take the motivation that they
34:24had just by naturally winning a championship, sprinkle in the fact that so
34:28many of their core players clearly felt disrespected and
34:32are playing with a little bit extra energy, extra mojo.
34:35And your damn coach talking about cross hairs between the eyes.
34:39We want that bullseye.
34:40We want that smoke.
34:42Gary, this team, I'm telling you now,
34:46if they win by 50, would not shock me at all, not at all.
34:52I wanna add to the head coach conversation we had last week.
34:55Julian Benbow, who is Gary's colleague-
34:58Gary's guy.
34:59But also he is a religious listener of the big three, so shout out to him.
35:04But he sent me a message after he went back and
35:06looked up the survey the year after Spell had won his first title.
35:11And guess who was voted the best head coach that year?
35:14Spell.
35:15Pop, Spell actually had no votes in the top four for best head coach.
35:21So it seems to be a trend for the NBA, but obviously still not necessarily.
35:27He got a vote, he did get the vote the year after when they won again, but
35:30it's very telling that I guess maybe the sample size wasn't enough for
35:35the coaches and they had to really prove themselves.
35:37But Missoula clearly, like you said, is already on that tour of proving-
35:41They need to try to treat him like he's second row Joe.
35:43Right.
35:44They need to put some respect, Gary.
35:47They need to put some respect on your coach's name.
35:49Look, his name, your coach's name, your guy.
35:53My guy.
35:54I agree that he's not getting the respect that he deserves after
36:00leading the team to a championship, and I wanna set the record straight.
36:06Twitter still thinks that I've never,
36:11ever, ever, ever, ever called for his firing.
36:15I don't know where that came from.
36:17Honestly, a colleague of mine at the Globe called for his firing and
36:20then wrote a column and said he was wrong, which I respect that.
36:24But I've never, even when it got low, I said, I pondered on TV whether he might
36:30be the right coach after they fell behind 3-0 to Miami, but I've never called for
36:35Mizzou's firing, I've never written that, never said that.
36:39So I don't know who keeps saying that.
36:42I think people love hating you and
36:44they really just think you're the biggest hater.
36:46Yeah, which is fine.
36:48They create narratives.
36:49But it's not even about being a hater.
36:51And then I run into Scout in Toronto, goes, well, yeah,
36:55every time they take a lot of threes, we mention your name on the air.
36:58So that leads to this narrative that I hate threes and I'm upset,
37:04which is funny.
37:05I got a lot of things in my life to be upset about,
37:07that the three tells taking threes ain't one of them, folks, believe me.
37:11If they take 60, I still got a job tomorrow.
37:14It's like, I'm not, let's worry about bigger things.
37:18But I didn't wanna set the record straight.
37:20I have great respect for Mizzou.
37:22I think he's a great coach and he's a rising coach.
37:24So I think he's number one coach in the league, no.
37:26I think there's other coaches who are more established, but
37:30he's only in his third year.
37:32He's not supposed to be the top of the league.
37:33If he was the top of the league,
37:35it's like ain't nobody the best player in the league in the third year,
37:37except maybe Michael Jordan.
37:39And even him in his third year wasn't the best player in the league yet.
37:43He was getting there.
37:44So I think Missoula should use that as fuel that he didn't get a vote.
37:50And who knows what the future holds for him in terms of maybe getting
37:54a coaching year.
37:55But I think, obviously, if you lead a team to a second September championship
37:59that's heavily favored, it's unlikely to get coaching year.
38:02Some other coach is gonna get coaching a year who maybe led a team to
38:05the conference finals or whatever.
38:07So the respect's not gonna be there for Joe overall from the voters or
38:13the media or whatever.
38:15He's gonna have to earn it himself, which he has done.
38:17And I don't think he really particularly cares what people think of him.
38:20And that's another thing.
38:21Joe gives two expletives what you think of him as a coach,
38:27as long as his guys like him and his guys like him.
38:30The players like him.
38:32They know he's off the chains.
38:33He's got his way, just like, I like Sharad.
38:36Sharad's crazy.
38:38Sharad got his, Sharad's off the chains.
38:40Sharad-
38:41We still like him.
38:41We still like Joe Mizzou so much.
38:44I still like him.
38:45Joe Mizzou, that's my guy.
38:47Yeah, Sharad crazy, like we all know.
38:50You know, Sharad off the chains.
38:54Sharad might have one screw loose, one-
38:58We're all a little insane.
39:00He might have 11 donuts in the boxes at a 12.
39:05That's because I ate one.
39:06At the end of my eat, George.
39:08I ate one at the end of my eat, George.
39:10But we love Sharad.
39:11We love Sharad's our guy.
39:13So, I guess the same with Joe.
39:15I think his players understand.
39:17You know, he might have a little, you know, something not quite, you know,
39:22but he's an unusual guy, but they love him.
39:24And that's all that matters is that they love him.
39:28We don't have to love him as media.
39:30I have a high line of respect.
39:31I think Joe's a great guy.
39:34He's unusual.
39:35And I watched, it was funny, last night at this reporter,
39:41this Spanish reporter.
39:43I think he, I've seen him only in Toronto.
39:45I think he's based in Toronto.
39:46He asked Mizzoula, which was an interesting question.
39:50But you got to, you know, when you ask Joe the out of,
39:55off the cuff, out of the cuff-
39:57You got to crush somebody.
39:58Yeah, you got to be careful because he might not answer the way you
40:02want him to answer it.
40:03So, he asked Joe.
40:04And this is something we can discuss.
40:07Yeah.
40:08Do you, would the Celtics be up to playing, like,
40:11the best team in the EuroLeague and really having a world champion?
40:15Right?
40:16You know?
40:17And he asked him, and Joe was like, we'll play.
40:19He said, I don't care.
40:22Shocker, because I was sitting there, because I'll be sitting there
40:26when people ask these questions, just like during the finals.
40:28He's just glad it's not him now.
40:30Yeah, you see that me and him didn't get into nothing during the finals.
40:34I was sitting there chilling.
40:36I'm like, y'all, y'all, ask Joe.
40:38See what Joe says.
40:40Go ahead.
40:41Go ahead.
40:42Go ahead, Vinny.
40:43Go ahead, Vinny Goodwill.
40:44Ask him questions.
40:45You'll find out.
40:46My favorite one will always be, did you see the Royal Family?
40:50He said, Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.
40:52We're not having that.
40:53Not having it.
40:54So, Joe said-
40:56Joe was like, I don't care.
40:57And he goes, we'll just play whoever's on the schedule.
40:59That was his answer.
41:00OK.
41:01You know?
41:02Oh, that was a good question.
41:03Tatum was like, you know, Tatum, he asked Tatum the same question.
41:06Tatum was like, you know, well, that's kind of what we're living in.
41:09It's not really reality.
41:11They were going to sit there and play the EuroLeague champ.
41:12But, you know, we would never play him.
41:15We'd play him in an exhibition game or in the preseason
41:18when we're not serious.
41:19But Joe, five words.
41:22And I was just sitting there like, good try, my man.
41:26Good effort.
41:27Good try.
41:28A for effort.
41:29I love Joe.
41:30I love Joe.
41:31We all love him.
41:32But that's what you get used to.
41:34And I said, during the finals, I just sat there.
41:37And all the national reporters was like-
41:40Let them.
41:41This is their playground, right?
41:42Go ahead.
41:43I've been here 82 games.
41:44That's a long time.
41:45Y'all think it's me.
41:46Y'all think it's me.
41:47Go ahead.
41:48Go ahead.
41:49I'm a shitster.
41:50Go ahead.
41:51I'm a shitster.
41:54Basketball season will be here before you know it.
41:56And that is great news for Celtics Nation as the Boston Celtics look to defend their
42:00league best 18th NBA title.
42:03There's no better way to get in on the action than game time, which is where you can find
42:07the best deals on basketball, football, as well as concert tickets, NFL, and so much
42:12more.
42:13One of my favorite game time features is Game Time Picks, which makes getting tickets to
42:16see your favorite teams play live even easier.
42:19Game Time Picks filters out the fluff to show you only incredible deals on great seats
42:24so you don't have to waste a ton of time searching through thousands of tickets.
42:30One of the hottest tickets out there will be the opening night for the Boston Celtics,
42:33which is when they'll get their championship rings, prior to facing the much improved New
42:38York Knicks.
42:39You can bet emotions will be running high, and the same can be said for the cost of getting
42:45into the building.
42:46That's not a problem, especially with a game time app where prices tend to be lower for
42:50tickets the closer you get to tip-off.
42:52And figuring out where you want to sit is a breeze.
42:56Having the map of the TD Garden laid out before you on the app, along with the different color
43:00price coding throughout, it makes it super easy to find the best seats for your budget
43:04and not have to scramble all over your app to do so.
43:07And you're covered by Game Time's lowest price guarantee, where Game Time will credit you
43:11110% of the difference.
43:13So download the Game Time app, create an account, and use code CLNS for $20 off your
43:18first purchase.
43:19Terms apply.
43:20Again, create an account and redeem code CLNS for $20 off.
43:26Download Game Time today.
43:28What time is it?
43:29Game Time.
43:30Well, this is a perfect segue because I actually had a chance to talk to Gary last week about
43:36his life, his career, growing up in LA, now covering the Celtics for over 15 years.
43:41And we did have a conversation about what journalism really is, or at least what it
43:44used to be when you two were firmly trained, and we do have a conversation about not necessarily
43:50showing bias.
43:51But as you can see on social media, people still send Gary hate because I think there
43:55is this misconception that he's supposed to be rooting for the team, and that's not really
44:00how it's supposed to be.
44:01So...
44:02That would be Joy.
44:03That ain't about Joy.
44:04There's nothing joyful about Gary.
44:05He's talking about Joy.
44:06He's Mr. Anti-Joy.
44:07You can't root for him.
44:08I'm on the team with Joy.
44:09I love her.
44:11I love what I do, but I just know that it's not my job to be a Celtic hunk, fan, supporter.
44:18When they write, when they play well, I'm going to be the first to write it.
44:21If they don't play well, I have questions, I'm going to be the first to ask Joe or whoever.
44:25And if that's me being a hater, which I think is a term that's thrown around way too much
44:32these days, I'm not a hater, I'm just going to ask the fair questions.
44:37I, and Shirai the same way, I'm sure, and you're the same way with BC, I'm a big Cal
44:43Berkeley fan.
44:44I watched my team blow a 25-point fourth-quarter lead to Miami a couple weeks ago.
44:50I watched them blow a field goal against Pittsburgh.
44:53I don't want my football coach to be asked softball questions about bad losses.
45:00Like, I want to know why the hell did you call that damn play?
45:04How the hell you let my man run for 72-yard touchdown?
45:07How the hell did you let a bad kicker decide to give him a chance to win the game when
45:13he done missed eight kicks in the last three weeks?
45:17That's what I want to know, because I want them to press the coach.
45:23And I don't understand the whole like, well, you're too, I'm a fan of those schools and
45:29that school, and I want to know the answer.
45:31I want the truth and I can handle the truth.
45:35So-
45:36Okay, Nichols.
45:37Great.
45:38Well done.
45:39Well done.
45:40That's my whole thing.
45:41Like, I don't understand it, but like, I'm, you know, if you want, like, I think we have
45:47a situation in journalism now where a lot of younger people grew up fans and they're
45:54covering their local home team and they're still fans, even though, like, I'm just not
46:00comfortable with that.
46:02And I'm sorry.
46:03And, you know, it's not me being from LA or a Celtic hater and all that, that was 40 years
46:09ago.
46:10Like, Bird, like, that was, that's a long time ago.
46:13I'm extremely tight with Cedric Maxwell.
46:17Never thought I'd say that in my life, that's my main man, you know, like, things are different,
46:25but I just think that you have to cover the team fairly with, now, if I say they're good,
46:31when they do good and say, when they go, go, that's how I want my team covered.
46:35If I was a fan, my Dodgers are about to play at a Met, they threw the bullpen game the
46:39other day, terrible mistake by manager Dave Roberts.
46:43I want somebody, I want to know why he didn't have a starting pitcher for the LCS, like
46:47relief for semifinals, while he's throwing some rookie out there to get the grand slam
46:52a lot.
46:53Like, that's what I want to know.
46:54The tough questions.
46:55I don't know.
46:56What do you think, Shirai?
46:57What do you think, Kwame?
46:58Well, I mean, this could be an entire episode in its own right, but I mean, a lot of what
47:05we're talking about when it comes to journalism and folks who are in that space is just implicit
47:11bias.
47:12And before, you know, for the longest time, when you had a bias towards a team, you found
47:17ways to suppress it.
47:18You made an effort to suppress it.
47:21But now, you don't have to, because it's widely accepted and it's embraced.
47:26When you look at folks who are on broadcast networks and they're talking about the various
47:30teams that are covered, they are not the least bit ashamed to say, I love that team.
47:36I grew up here.
47:37I've had his poster on my bedroom wall since I was like seven years old.
47:43And you know, that's unusual for my generation because we were taught that, no, you have
47:48to walk that fine line.
47:50One of the things I talk to my students all the time about is like, you want to be that
47:53golfer who keeps the ball on the fairway, because as long as you keep it on a fairway,
47:57you got a shot at being successful.
47:58But when you're trying to hit a hole in one, or when you're just trying to whack it as
48:01hard as you can, you find yourself way out of bounds.
48:05And but we've embraced that in this day and age of journalism, not only in terms of the
48:10people who report the news, but also the people who are consuming it.
48:14That's why reporters do it, because they know there's an audience that wants to create these
48:19echo chambers.
48:20And again, there's a lot of benefits to having those type of voices, but there's some significant
48:27downsides to it.
48:28And we pretend as if those downsides don't exist.
48:31Like, it's great that everyone loves their team and writes about their team and gets
48:35on Twitter and talk about their team and talk about this, that, and the other without any
48:39type of context, often.
48:41And that lack of context is where the problems come in.
48:45You know, like, getting on Gary about hating on Joe is easy, it's lazy, it's not based
48:54on facts.
48:55Now, getting on Gary about voting for Carmelo Anthony as MVP, yeah, that's a legit gripe.
49:04That's legit, because that's based on facts.
49:06So you know, and shout out to Gary for owning up to that, because when it first came out
49:12that Carmelo got one vote for MVP in Boston, you know who caught most of those early day
49:17strays, right?
49:19The one dude who went to Syracuse who lived in Boston.
49:25That makes sense.
49:26Yeah, yeah, yeah.
49:27I mean, it got to the point where folks from the league office said, Sherrod, look, I know
49:31this wasn't you, but I'm just letting you know, MVP's vote coming out, and there was
49:36a vote in Boston.
49:37I know it wasn't your vote, because I've seen your votes, but you might get some emails.
49:42I'm just like, who the F voted for him for MVP?
49:46Even I voted for LeBron.
49:48And they said, Dabu, Dabu voted for him.
49:56I was so happy when Gary owned up, though, because that just took a lot of pressure off
50:01of you.
50:02Yeah.
50:03I was proud.
50:04How many times can you write, I did not vote for Carmelo for MVP, I voted for LeBron?
50:12I'll say this about revealing the votes, and I know the WNBA had a situation, won last
50:21year when Adrian Wilson got a fourth place MVP vote, and-
50:26This year?
50:27Yeah.
50:28Right.
50:29One person who-
50:30No, last year.
50:31It was unanimous this year.
50:32She didn't win last year, because someone voted her fourth, even though it was pretty
50:40obvious who would vote her fourth, right?
50:42And then this year, Kaitlyn Clark didn't get unanimous, because someone voted for Angel
50:49Reese.
50:50The thing about revealing your vote is you're going to get, obviously, I've gotten a lot,
50:58still to this day, and it's been 11 years, a lot of flack and a lot of negative responses
51:04and hate mail and kids on Facebook sending me notes-
51:09I hate you, Gary.
51:10I hate you.
51:11Don't let me see you in the streets and all that.
51:13Send the real semi-pro.
51:14Don't let me see you in the streets.
51:17So that's fine.
51:19That's fine.
51:20Fans, you want to come at me, fine.
51:22It's when media members, and I've seen this from people on, oh, who voted Asia for it?
51:30Or who like, you better not show your face.
51:33You're not going-
51:34You're bullying.
51:35You're not going to get that person to reveal their vote by threatening them on social media.
51:40They're going to continue to hide.
51:42If you want full transparency, you've got to respect the vote, even though you might
51:46not agree with it.
51:48And I know voting Angel Reese for Rookie of the Year sounds extremely unreasonable, and
51:54I would like to hear the reasoning for it.
51:56But if you are threatening or you're telling that person, I better not see that person,
52:01and I've seen other reporters say that about things or the fourth place vote for Asia,
52:08which sounds very unreasonable, you're not going to get transparency because the person
52:13is not going to come if they're getting threatened.
52:15So unfortunately, let's, you know, like, you got to, or let the person come and explain
52:21it.
52:22And if you want to, like, I don't care what people think.
52:25People disagree with me.
52:26I got my stance and I stand by it.
52:28I think I was, you know, if I vote for a candidate, the independent candidate for president, not
52:34this election, but let's say I wrote for Ralph Bader, you know, and you and we've had people
52:40or Jill Stein, the Green Party candidate, you know, they're not going to win.
52:45But David Dorster, the former KKK leader, that's just a random fun fact that I saw.
52:51Yeah.
52:52But like, if you look at if you vote for them and you can argue, well, you know, you know,
52:56they're not going to win.
52:58I knew Carmelo wouldn't go win, but that was my vote.
53:01So I think, unfortunately, we can't, as media members and going back to the biases, we got
53:05to control calling people out or other voters out because you're never going to get transparency
53:11if that happens.
53:12You have to respect their opinion.
53:14And even though, you know, and if it, but if it's biased, if it's like, well, I didn't
53:19vote because I didn't like her, like, then that's a whole different topic.
53:23I think going back to your original question, Gary, though, when you even mentioned politics
53:28we are and I was on the brink of learning what journalism truly is, but also seeing
53:33how social media has influenced the way we as individuals consume news and sports.
53:39But I mean, politically, of course, there are stations where, you know, if you have
53:43one specific view, that's where you go to get fed exactly what you're looking for.
53:48And I think algorithms have done the same where you're going to only follow Celtics
53:51related accounts if you're a Celtics fan or Lakers account.
53:55And as a result, if anything is in your algorithm, in your feed or on your TV station, that doesn't
54:01suit what your original biases were already that you already had were, then you're already
54:06going to shun the new information that comes in.
54:09Not everyone is like that, but I think as a society, we have enabled this mentality
54:14of it's okay to go where you feel comfortable.
54:17And we've unfortunately gotten into a plan going to the politics side of it, where people
54:22that are on different ends of the spectrum, a lot of times don't feel comfortable having
54:28conversations with people that don't have the same opinions with them, because either
54:31it'd be approached with, you know, animosity or some kind of like, there's always this
54:36level of like, well, if you think this one way, then you're stupid, blah, blah, blah.
54:40There's no room for constructive debate anymore.
54:43And I think that obviously has seeped into the world of sports as well.
54:46But I don't think it's a healthy way to go as a society, because I've grown up in a
54:50society and at least a household where it's like you can understand both sides.
54:55You may not agree with both, but at least be open to listening.
54:58But with sports, it's the same where if you're not a Celtics fan, then I hate you.
55:03Well, not everyone, but there are people that are like, well, I don't want to hear anything
55:06else because Celtics are this and that's all that I want to consume as the, you know,
55:11whether it's news, social media, whatever the platform may be.
55:14So I think that's where we are as a society, unfortunately.
55:16But hopefully we'll get back to the core of really what information should look like.
55:23And it should be us giving people information and then hopefully forming new opinions as
55:29a result. Yeah, I mean, the societal polarization has seeped into the sports
55:36ecosystem. I mean, there's no doubt about that.
55:40And a part of that has to do with the fact that we as a society have been able to
55:45monetize those what used to be fringe perspectives where you had this echo chamber
55:51mindset, this echo chamber approach.
55:54And that has been monetized in a way that, frankly, is attractive and alluring.
56:00And, you know, we live in a society where it's about capitalism and that's this is part
56:05of the capitalism play. This is straight out of the capitalism playbook.
56:08What can you do or create or position to generate more revenue, generate more wealth?
56:15And it's much easier and much more profitable to hate the Knicks, to hate the Nuggets, to
56:23hate Minnesota than it is to acknowledge that the pretty damn good teams, you just love
56:27your team better. And that's it's just where we're at.
56:33It's not fun to be in this place, but it's the reality of where we're at.
56:38And so you just try to make the best of do with what you're working with and keep it
56:42moving. Well, that was a fun little tangent.
56:46The conversation I had with Gary is on NBC10Boston.com slash Quanie has questions.
56:51Sherrod, you wanted to talk about Wings before we go?
56:55You know what? This is sad.
56:59OK, now, a couple of weeks ago, Quanie brought up the fact that we have or excuse me, she
57:06has some wings, Quanie Wings at Buffs Pub.
57:10I had my doubts about how good they were and then I had some and I kind of had to give
57:17it up to Quanie for the wings.
57:19The wings are pretty damn good.
57:20And the first time I went there to get some, I was getting a to go order and somebody
57:27else was there to get to go order and they ordered Quanie Wings.
57:29And then I went again and someone else was there to get some Quanie Wings.
57:33And then my son, who's in town this weekend, he went by there.
57:37And to me, he's like the most finicky human being I know.
57:42So I'm thinking, like, OK, he's going to come back and he's going to be like, these wings,
57:44they aight, but they ain't.
57:47He was like, yo, these wings is kind of tasty, yo.
57:49I'm just like, what did you do with my son?
57:52Because that's not what he do.
57:55He don't talk that language.
57:58And so I was pleased to find out talking to Quanie that proceeds from the wings are going
58:04to go to charity. So not only is it.
58:08Tasty, but it's actually there's a there's a cause behind it.
58:10So Buff Pub, Buffs Pub, Quanie, Sauce.
58:15In Newton, Mass.
58:17In Newton, Mass, yo.
58:18You can also buy the bottle if you like it enough.
58:19And I told Sherrod, he was like, that would mean I have to cook.
58:22So I will get the wings and they cook it and put them in the wings.
58:26I ain't, I ain't, nah.
58:28No, no, no. But yeah, good.
58:30Like you said, good cause, good wings.
58:32Obviously, shameless plug again.
58:34Gary got it. Yes, we have to get him some too.
58:36Gary, we plugged the book three weeks in a row, man.
58:39Damn. Actually, I look right here too.
58:45I'm a real one. OK, I support my colleagues.
58:52OK, so we plugged the book four weeks in a row.
58:54OK, we good.
58:55Eddie, Sherrod, anything you need to plug?
58:57Because all I'm doing is just trying to teach these young folks at BU.
59:02That's all I'm doing. That's all I'm doing.
59:05If you guys have jobs that you're hiring journalism students, reach out to Sherrod.
59:09His students are looking for jobs, internships all the time.
59:13All right. Well, we went on a little bit of a tangent,
59:16but we appreciate you guys sticking with us this episode of the Big Three
59:20NBA podcast right before the regular season tip off.
59:24We'll be back next week with a review of what ends up happening
59:28during that game, before that game, after that game.
59:31But until then, for A. Sherrod Blakely and Gary Washburn,
59:34I'm Claudine Lewis. We appreciate you listening.
59:36Time for the season.