A. Sherrod Blakely, Gary Washburn, and Kwani Lunis discuss the Celtics earning a resounding victory over the Golden State Warriors in San Francisco, and predict whether they can carry that momentum through the entire road trip after suffering some embarrassing defeats in recent weeks. Plus, how has Jaylen Brown's role changed this year? Is there something more going on with him?
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SportsTranscript
00:00The Big 3 NBA Podcast is powered by PrizePix and the Game Time app.
00:25Hello everyone, welcome to the Big 3 NBA Podcast right off the jump.
00:28First of all, HR Blakely, Gary Washburn, I'm Kwanye Lewis.
00:32I have to start with the conversation that we started with offline.
00:36Gary is at home at his mother's house.
00:39At his momma's house.
00:41Momma's house, Kwanye.
00:42His momma's house.
00:43Momma's house.
00:44There you go.
00:44My first question before we get into basketball is,
00:47what is your favorite meal that your mother makes?
00:51We're all in.
00:51You guys and Gary?
00:53All three of us.
00:54Wow.
00:56Fried chicken or spaghetti.
01:00Wow.
01:00So she makes, I mean, she makes, you know, like she makes spaghetti all in one pot.
01:05They call it black spaghetti.
01:07Yeah.
01:08Yeah.
01:10You're not like pouring the sauce in.
01:12That sauce is already in there.
01:13It's already in with the meat sauce and the meat.
01:15Yeah, yeah.
01:18Garlic bread.
01:20Fresh garlic bread.
01:21Yes, there's a big thing.
01:23Like, you know, you're home when you see the big giant size of hot sauce.
01:29But also most of the time, the parents' fridge always has expired condiments.
01:32Like someone needs to go through their fridge for them.
01:34They just be leaving it in there.
01:35Yeah, yeah.
01:37Come on, boy.
01:38That's good stuff.
01:39My mom says that all the time.
01:40She's like, it's still good.
01:41I'm like, ma'am.
01:43You're so mad at me for that.
01:44I'm like, I spent good money on that.
01:46What you gonna do, eat that?
01:48Finish that off.
01:49I got this at Costco.
01:51Exactly.
01:52What?
01:53Y'all people.
01:57Turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and for dessert, banana pudding.
02:05And mama make enough banana pudding for me and another batch for the rest of the family.
02:11Because I get my own.
02:13I love that.
02:14I love it too.
02:16My mom used to make banana pudding and she just like randomly stopped.
02:19OK, my mother is a really good cook.
02:21But I feel like she teases us because she'll wait till Christmas and Thanksgiving to really go in.
02:27But her mac and cheese, her Haitian black rice, those are my top two.
02:32And then she can just make anything out of nothing, which I think most mothers just have
02:36a knack for.
02:37She'll take leftovers and just turn it into a gourmet meal.
02:40I'm like, I don't even know what to do with my leftovers.
02:43This is what I found out.
02:44And as we get older, mamas be going in their own load management when it comes to cooking.
02:49Yes, that's exactly what it is.
02:51Because they know they still can get busy if they want to.
02:53But they just give you like, you know what, I'm going to make banana pudding like once
02:58every six months, as opposed to once every couple of weeks back in the day.
03:02That's it.
03:02Load management.
03:03No, I'm going to brush back against that.
03:07Because you know what?
03:08No, no.
03:09You know why they do that?
03:10Because it was supposed to be our generation to take over and we never took over.
03:16That's true.
03:17Mom's been cooking since she was 25, right?
03:21She's been throwing down since she was 25.
03:24Now she's 50, 60, 70 sometimes.
03:28When does the baton get passed?
03:30When do we pay it forward?
03:31I'm embarrassed.
03:34Because when my mama was like, when my mama was 33, she was throwing down.
03:3833-year-old women now and people now, mamas ain't like they used to be.
03:44So mama's still cooking.
03:49Gary, why you been trying to get all quiet on us?
03:51I know, because you're right.
03:53Like at my age now, my mom was already like a responsible grown woman.
03:58I mean, I am in a different way, but I don't have kids yet.
04:01So it's different.
04:02And she was whipping up dinner, making miracles in the kitchen.
04:05Yeah, she had to feed us.
04:06Yeah, like she ain't LeBron.
04:08She ain't going to play forever.
04:10Like she got a baton.
04:11Like, come on now.
04:12She ain't tired of waiting here.
04:13I got my girl dinners in the fridge, eating like bits and pieces.
04:16You know what, though?
04:18I still want mama banana pudding.
04:20Yes.
04:21Because I make my own, but it don't taste as good as hers.
04:23It's not the same.
04:24No, I can take her out of meatloaf, though.
04:27My meatloaf is off the chain.
04:31That dude in meatloaf.
04:33I'm just saying, like, we have to pass the baton.
04:38We have to take it.
04:39We're not taking the baton.
04:41We want to send our moms out there.
04:43Still running.
04:4420-year-old LeBron.
04:45Exactly.
04:46We expect her to run a 4-4-40.
04:48Exactly.
04:49Like, your mama ain't Tom Brady.
04:51That is a great analogy.
04:53I'm just saying, like, we all expect our mamas to cook forever.
04:57Like, the baton was passed from big mama to grandmother to our mother.
05:02Now Rita dropped the baton, that baton on the ground.
05:06Like, mama picked that baton up.
05:08See, Garrett got me motivated.
05:09See, you know what?
05:10Tomorrow I'm going to make some salmon croquettes.
05:13You got me motivated, Gary.
05:14That is our duty, yes.
05:15Keep the recipes alive.
05:17Pick up the bouquet, the baton.
05:20I'm going to make some salmon croquettes.
05:22All right, take the baton, Sharron.
05:24Take the baton.
05:24I'm going to take the baton.
05:26And I'm going to run, like, a quarter lap.
05:28A quarter lap.
05:31Baby steps.
05:32Baby steps.
05:33And then, you know, then you go like.
05:37I did enough.
05:38Okay, Kourtney, let's get started.
05:39Okay, that's basically me when I'm calling my mom,
05:41asking her what to buy at the grocery store.
05:43But okay, before we get into the Celtics,
05:45I know that's what most of you are here to listen about.
05:49Gary, you had an event earlier today.
05:51By the time people watch this or listen,
05:53it'll be yesterday.
05:54But where was it?
05:56Who was there?
05:57Just a little synopsis for the people.
05:59And how did you get an invite?
06:00But that's another story for another day.
06:01It's giving haters, Sharron.
06:03Yeah, don't be a hater your whole life, Sharron.
06:07Pass the baton on haterism.
06:09Anyway, I spoke at a class at Annandale School for Journalism
06:14at the University of Southern California, USC.
06:16On the panel was Art Thompson, a longtime sports writer,
06:20one of my mentors.
06:22And the great, the great Hall of Fame,
06:25Namesmith Hall of Fame, Women's Basketball Hall of Fame,
06:28College Hall of Fame, Cheryl Miller.
06:30Best basketball player in her family.
06:32The best player in her family.
06:33Yeah, like just.
06:35And we had a topic of how much she would have made at NIL.
06:39They wouldn't have made enough.
06:40They could have printed enough money to give her NIL money in the 1980s.
06:45But it was a wonderful panel led by Professor Mickey Turner,
06:49another former journalist who's now obviously a professor
06:52and a graduate student from USC who are in the School of Journalism.
06:56So I mean, amazing, very attentive, sharp class, great conversation.
07:02So yeah, I very much enjoyed it.
07:04It was a pleasure, an honor to be on such an esteemed panel.
07:08To do that.
07:09And I mean, USC, I mean, I'm born and raised in Los Angeles.
07:13USC was my favorite school growing up.
07:16USC football was king.
07:18I used to take the bus, the city bus, what we call the RTD bus.
07:23Back then it was RTD, it was Rapid Transit District.
07:26We called the RTD bus rough, tough and dangerous.
07:28I can't.
07:32So yeah, that was the name of the bus.
07:34So we would take the RTD bus down 50 row and go to the Coliseum
07:38and go watch the Trojans play when I was a kid.
07:41Sometimes I went to games by myself or with some friends
07:44because tickets back then were cheap.
07:46So you would sit in the supplies and watch the great Marcus Allen
07:51or watch the great Charles White and watch the great,
07:54all the greats from the 1980s in my generation play football at USC.
08:00So it was really kind of a throwback to be back on campus.
08:04In a school that I really admired growing up, even though I went to Cal.
08:09So it was great to be up at USC and talk to the students.
08:16Thanks for sharing that.
08:17Okay, let's get into the Celtics.
08:19They demolished the Golden State Warriors, 125-85.
08:24Tatum with 22 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists in 29 minutes.
08:28Porzingis, 18 points, 7 rebounds in 22 minutes.
08:31And Brown, of course, 17 points, 4 rebounds in 29 minutes.
08:36What was your biggest takeaway from this win?
08:43A couple of things jumped out at me.
08:45First of all, I was disappointed that Tatum and Jalen Brown did not troll Steve Kerr more.
08:56Other than the fact that at the end of the game,
08:58we're, you know, Tatum was talking to Steph and Jalen was waiting to talk to him.
09:04And then Steve Kerr went by and they completely iced him out.
09:07Stone cold, literally could not see him.
09:12That was nice.
09:12I enjoyed seeing that.
09:14I wish there was a little bit more of that during the game.
09:16Like, you know, when they up by like 35 points, just look over at him.
09:20You know, I wish they had like, just like five seconds, had a Jimmy Butler moment.
09:26Remember when Jimmy Butler went to the Timberwolves practice
09:29and took basically the end of the bench, guys,
09:30and was talking smack and went in at the same time.
09:33I wish they would have had just a little, give me five seconds of that.
09:37Where, you know, they up by 37 and Tatum says something to Steve Kerr or Jalen says something.
09:42That's what I wanted.
09:43That was the only thing that I would have liked to have seen
09:46from a takeaway standpoint that I didn't see.
09:48Because that team is, right now, they're physically unable to compete
09:53with a team like themselves.
09:54And even at full strength, they'd probably lose that game by 15 or 20 points anyway.
09:58So not a whole lot to take away from that game,
10:01other than the Celtics went in and handled their business,
10:04which is, again, it's kind of par for the course when they hit the road.
10:07They seem to be at their best when they get away for a little bit.
10:11And it just kind of show that championship medal.
10:15So that was, I mean, for me, that was probably the only real takeaway I got from it.
10:18Yeah.
10:20What about you, Gary Washburn?
10:22Yeah, I mean, I felt like it was a good game,
10:25especially after that disastrous loss to the Atlanta Hawks,
10:28where they basically handed the Hawks the game.
10:32And to respond from that with a 40-point win was a good encouraging sign.
10:36You know, guys had to get that off their mind.
10:39Obviously, the game was a day and a half later.
10:41So they had a long flight.
10:42So they didn't have a lot of time to really reflect.
10:44They just had to get on with the get on.
10:47And then, you know, it's the NBA.
10:48You're going to have clunkers.
10:50Really, you're going to have blown leads.
10:52You're going to have times where you don't play as well.
10:55And the Southerners have experienced all of that in about the last month.
10:59But it was good because the Warriors have given them trouble.
11:01The Warriors beat them earlier this year.
11:04They beat them at Golden State last year.
11:06So the Warriors have given them trouble.
11:09As Jason said, hey, we hadn't won here since game one of the finals,
11:14which seems like 15 years ago.
11:15But it was two and a half years ago.
11:18So for the Celtics, for them to start off this road trip with such a positive,
11:23you know, leading for the last three and a half quarters,
11:26hitting threes, playing good defense, rebounding.
11:29I remember, you know, the game started off with Golden State
11:31grabbing about six or seven offensive rebounds.
11:33And it was like, OK, it's going to be one of those games where
11:36the Warriors just out hustle the Celtics and stay close and maybe steal at the end.
11:40Because if you let Steph get close, if he's down, you know, you're down six,
11:46up six points.
11:47Steph hit a couple of threes.
11:49All of a sudden, you're down three points.
11:50You know, he's that lethal down the stretch.
11:53But they asserted themselves on the boards.
11:56They asserted themselves defensively.
11:57They put a crunch on Curry, double teaming.
12:01You know, Jalen was out there getting them, Pritchard.
12:04You know, they were making him work.
12:06And he just didn't have it.
12:08Nobody really had it in their team.
12:10So it was a good way to start what is a very important road trip.
12:15Mm-hm.
12:15Let's talk about Jalen Brown really quickly.
12:18He went a couple of days without really talking to the media.
12:20But he's also now been talking a lot about sacrifice and his role
12:24and how it's changed since Porzingis has returned.
12:27But overall, what do you two make of Jalen, where he's at in the season right now,
12:32when a lot of things for us, at least on the outside, look the same?
12:36But obviously, there's also growth being had.
12:39What you got, Gary?
12:42Well, Jalen, I just think is going through some adjustments.
12:46Everybody points to the Toronto game, where he just didn't seem like he was quite there,
12:51locked in mentally.
12:52And I think a lot of guys were right behind him in terms of not being
12:56locked in mentally for that game.
12:58That was a really terrible performance by the Celtics.
13:01But for him to come out, I think he's just trying to get himself back together
13:07in terms of like, OK, this is my role.
13:10This is what they need me to do.
13:12And this is how we're going to win.
13:13And I just think we all have to understand that this year's team is not last year's team.
13:19It is hard to repeat.
13:20It is hard to, it is hard.
13:23I was listening to, even like baseball, this morning on LA Talk Radio,
13:31they were talking about the Dodgers repeating.
13:33And they were talking about how hard it is to repeat, how hard it is to have that comeback
13:38season and do everything you did before, even though you did it once,
13:43doesn't mean you can necessarily do it again.
13:45And I think we're finding out that this Celtics team is going to have its ups and downs.
13:49They're still the third best team in the NBA, third best record.
13:52So all is not lost.
13:53They can still win a championship, but it's not going to be easy.
13:56And I think it's not going to be easy for Jason.
13:58It's not going to be easy for Jalen.
14:00And I think Jalen's just, you know, remember, he's a month removed from having his house
14:04broken into.
14:05He's got to worry about his family, especially when he's on the road.
14:08He's got to worry about, and I'm sure now, I'm sure his family's safe and secure.
14:11I'm sure he's taking care of all the business he needs to take care of.
14:14But that's still a very unsettling feeling, knowing that somebody tried to literally break
14:20into your home and your personal domain.
14:24And, you know, I don't know if there's any arrests.
14:26They might have gotten away.
14:27You know what I'm saying?
14:27They didn't get in.
14:28But that's got to be very mentally impacting for him.
14:33So I think we've got to give him grace in terms of what he's going through,
14:37because, you know, that's a terrible experience to go through.
14:40But I just think he's trying to get himself right in terms of not only I've got to play,
14:45get myself mentally right.
14:47I've got to learn how to adjust because this is not last year.
14:50Things aren't going to be easier.
14:53The integration of Porzingis hasn't been easy.
14:56You know, other guys aren't playing all that well, you know.
15:00So I just think everybody's kind of still adjusting right now,
15:04even though we're halfway through the season.
15:05Yeah, I mean, I agree with Gary for the most part.
15:09But the one thing I would say that's a little bit different for Jalen is that
15:13I would say of their core guys, no one is being asked to adjust more than he is.
15:18He's the one guy that has a clear and undeniable elite skill,
15:23which is his ability to score.
15:25And that's the one thing that they don't necessarily need him to be elite all the time.
15:30And they need him to become an elite defender.
15:33They need him to become a guy who can defend multiple positions
15:37and give them that presence, that physicality.
15:40And I think the way that the NBA is calling,
15:42the way referees are calling the game now,
15:44that memo that basically says you can be a little more physical,
15:47it's going to allow Jalen Brown to be a much more impactful player
15:51without having to score more points.
15:53Because now he can rough guys up a little bit more than he used to
15:57and not worry as much about getting in foul trouble and things like that.
16:00I don't think it's a coincidence that his scoring has taken a little bit of a dip of sorts,
16:07even though his physicality from a defensive standpoint has picked up and has ratcheted up.
16:11And I think he's trying to find a happy medium.
16:14Jalen is a guy that can go out there and average 25, 27, 28 points a game if he wanted to.
16:19But I think the best version of Jalen is probably going to be closer to 20,
16:24playing really good defense, causing problems at that end of the floor,
16:28and using that good defense to generate easy buckets on offense.
16:32Jalen is one of the few guys that has the ability to not only get into the passing lane
16:37and cause deflections and pick guys' pockets,
16:39but he can then take the ball and go in line and score and finish,
16:43and draw contact if it comes to that.
16:46They don't have a lot of guys who can do that.
16:48And so him putting himself in position to do those things,
16:52I think was going to make him and the Celtics better.
16:54But there's a part of him, and I totally understand this,
16:58where he's thinking like,
16:59but damn, I can go out and get 25 points and not have to defend like this.
17:05Why am I the one that's being tasked with being this elite defender?
17:09And the reason is very simple,
17:11because Jalen is probably the most athletic player on the team.
17:14He's probably the one guy who's physically built well enough to withstand
17:18playing at an elite level at both ends of the floor.
17:21When you look at the way he's put together physically,
17:24you can't tell me there aren't little smidges of Kawhi Leonard
17:28when you see him from a physical standpoint.
17:30Both, it's about the same height, similar build.
17:34Kawhi is just with the claws and the hand and all that other stuff.
17:38But Jalen is a very, very good player,
17:42and he's trying to figure out how to be a great teammate.
17:45And that's an easier thing to talk about than do.
17:48But I give him credit, though.
17:49I mean, you feel as though the effort is there.
17:52It's just hasn't quite looked as well as he would want it to look
17:55or the Celtics would want it to look.
17:57But it's not about him wanting to do it.
17:59It's just a matter of just getting the reps in
18:02and making it happen over and over and over again.
18:06Well, his stepbrother, Chris Sass-Frazengas, let's talk about him.
18:10So right now, at this point in the season,
18:12his average is 18.7 points, 7.1 rebounds and 38% on threes.
18:18And at this point, he will definitely likely play fewer games
18:22in the regular season than he did last season.
18:25Boston's barely above 500 with him in the lineup.
18:28So all of that to be said, what do you think his impact will be
18:32as the Celtics move on to the rest of the season?
18:35I think he'll just keep getting better.
18:37I think they will start to get a better rhythm
18:40because with him playing this year,
18:42I think he's played in like 19 games
18:43and they're like 11 and eight when he's played, which is not great.
18:47And yet you look at his production,
18:49it's pretty much the same as it was a year ago.
18:51And I think what was happening is when Frazengas was on the floor,
18:56guys played better last year.
18:58They're not playing as good this year.
19:00You just kind of go down the line, damn near every player
19:03that's a regular guy on the floor with him
19:06is having a down year relative to last season.
19:09And so if the guys that are playing aren't playing quite as well
19:13and he's doing pretty much the same as he was doing last year,
19:15you're probably going to lose more games
19:17because you're not getting that same bounce from that unit.
19:20So I think he's going to keep getting better.
19:22I think they're going to become better at figuring out
19:24how to utilize him, the right combinations.
19:27You know, they tweaked the rotation a little bit.
19:29We can talk a bit later about that.
19:31That I think is going to help a number of players,
19:33including Frazengas.
19:34But the biggest thing with him is just keep your ass healthy.
19:39Don't get hurt.
19:40Because right now, as you pointed out, Quani,
19:42he is more likely than not going to wind up playing fewer games
19:46than he did last year.
19:47And, you know, if he can keep it over 50 by the end of the season,
19:51that'll be similar to where he did back in 21-22,
19:54which was the last time he, you know,
19:56really wasn't quite as healthy as he or his teammates would want.
20:00But bottom line is, he's a difference maker.
20:03And he's one of those guys that if you're going to win a championship,
20:06his play is going to have a lot to do with that.
20:09And so it's just a matter of him just, again, getting more reps,
20:13becoming more comfortable with him,
20:14and guys around him playing better.
20:16Because, I mean, Frazengas is doing what he does.
20:19And I don't think his numbers are going to deviate that much.
20:22But the guys around him, they have plenty of room to grow and get better
20:25and play closer to the level they were at a year ago.
20:31Well, I think he has played well.
20:34I think he's getting into form.
20:36You can just see the comfortability.
20:39You can see the better three-point shooting.
20:41You can see him just kind of being more assertive offensively.
20:45But yeah, it's surprising.
20:47Sure, I like 11 and 8 in the 19 games that he's played.
20:51You would think a better record than that.
20:53And he's been, you know, there for some of the tough losses, Sacramento, Toronto.
20:58He didn't play against Atlanta.
21:00But you would hope that they will adjust,
21:04and he will adjust to where by April,
21:07they're playing their top ball with him in the lineup,
21:09as opposed to, well, maybe they should move him to the bench,
21:12or maybe they should start Al,
21:14or maybe they should go a little smaller at times.
21:17I think he brings so much to a ball club,
21:20his ability to stretch the floor, his ability to post up,
21:24that he can just really be effective down the stretch.
21:27And like you said, Shirai, you also want to put him on bubble wrap.
21:30You also want to make sure that he is healthy by April.
21:34That's the only thing, just get him to the finish line.
21:36Because as we saw, he was hurt during most of the playoffs.
21:39He was effective in the short time he played during the NBA finals.
21:43But you want him a completely healthy player,
21:45because, you know, I think we all will agree,
21:49this playoff run is going to be a little bit more difficult
21:52than last year's playoff run,
21:53starting with a potential first round series with either Indiana,
21:57maybe a Milwaukee.
21:58Milwaukee's kind of sneaking up there.
22:00They're the fourth seed now.
22:02Miami could be their first round opponent.
22:05You know, Detroit, Shirai's Pistons could be sneaking to that sixth seed
22:09if the Celtics finish third or second.
22:12Oh, no.
22:13Or second, or if they finish second in the East.
22:16You know, it's a lot of possibilities and none of them,
22:20you know, Orlando, none of them are easy, right?
22:24So what you want to do is you want to keep Chris Stapps healthy
22:28because the projected first round series would be Orlando.
22:32That's going to be a war because we saw Apollo Vanchero the other day.
22:37That's a big horse right there.
22:38That's a big old cat.
22:40And they'll probably come to that series completely healthy.
22:44Or it's Miami, you know, whoever wins that play-in.
22:46But, you know, or it could be the Atlanta Hawks again.
22:50So, you know, you want to make sure he's healthy,
22:53but you also want him to feel comfortable
22:55and be able to help this team win a lot more regular season games.
22:59So it's kind of a mixed bag there.
23:01It's kind of a catch 22.
23:03You know, we'll see which game in L.A. he plays.
23:06I know Horford's been listed as questionable,
23:08which leads me to believe that Porzingis will play
23:12on Wednesday against L.A. Clippers.
23:15He'll take Thursday against L.A. Lakers off
23:18and then Horford will be in there pounding with A.D. in that Laker game.
23:23So that's probably how they're going to do it
23:24considering that Horford's been listed as questionable
23:27with that left toe strain or sprain.
23:30It's never really quite healed, right?
23:33That's his injury.
23:35But they're going to give him a break.
23:36We'll see what happens there.
23:37So I think Chris Stapps, the sky's the limit
23:40in terms of his impact on this team.
23:42And I start to see his impact increasing.
23:45You know, there's been some tough times,
23:47but I think he'll be fine.
23:49Yeah, I agree.
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26:00Back to you, Quinty.
26:02We briefly talked about Jalen Brown
26:04and the way that his role has changed this season,
26:07but just in overall,
26:08the rotation changes using Tatum and Brown differently.
26:11What do you two like about it?
26:13What don't you like about it?
26:14What are you meh about?
26:18What you got, Gary?
26:18Talk about your cowboy.
26:20Oh my God.
26:23Well, I just think NBA players are creatures of habit.
26:27And so to keep changing their rotations
26:31and it used to be that Tatum played
26:33the whole first quarter and third quarter.
26:35Now they're pulling them at the six minute mark,
26:37putting them back in at the three minute mark.
26:40And then when he goes back in at the three minute mark,
26:42he's going in for Jalen who plays like the first nine minutes
26:45and then they're playing.
26:47So Jason will finish the first quarter,
26:49then Jalen will start to set.
26:50Like, I just think they got to learn how to play together
26:53and they've got to learn which they have,
26:55but they've got to play better together
26:57and they need more reps together.
27:01And I also think they need to,
27:03Joe needs to get a constant rotation for them
27:07so they can get used to it and get accustomed
27:09because that's how this whole thing is going slower also
27:14because I think the playing time is varying
27:17when they go into the game.
27:19Remember, it used to be Jason set out the first half
27:23of last year, the first half of the first quarter
27:25and Jalen was going big.
27:26He was going for his 15 point first quarters
27:28and then Jason would come in to start the second.
27:31Now Jason's coming in to start,
27:34you know, he's getting taken out.
27:36Then he used to have been earlier this year,
27:38he played the whole first quarter
27:39and Jalen was coming out.
27:40Now it's kind of switching around.
27:42That's it.
27:43So, and then the beginning of the fourth quarter,
27:47you know, I know a lot of Celtic fans believe
27:49if you're not doing good in those non-Jason minutes
27:54when it's the fourth quarter,
27:55Joe might need to switch up.
27:56Let's say they're not getting,
27:58you know, it's a close game,
27:59up five, down five at the beginning.
28:02Like Toronto, I felt like that was a game
28:04that nobody was playing well
28:06besides maybe Jason, maybe Chris Stapps.
28:10Pritchard had a good game.
28:12They really needed to make a push
28:13to begin the fourth quarter.
28:15And instead, Missoula keeps Jason on the bench.
28:18And then by the time he comes into the game,
28:20it's about over.
28:21I think they were down 14
28:23because they just didn't have any energy that day.
28:25So maybe sometimes Joe might need to switch up.
28:28Like, okay, Jason, we need this game.
28:31We're down four.
28:32We don't want to lose touch with this game.
28:35You're playing Cleveland.
28:36You're playing New York.
28:37Like we need you to play the full fourth.
28:40You know, especially if you have a day off
28:42or two days off the next day.
28:43So we'll see how that goes.
28:45But I think you've got to mix in them together.
28:48And I think you've got to make a decision
28:51on a steady playing time,
28:53especially in the first three quarters
28:55so they get comfortable.
29:00You're muted, Sherrod.
29:01We need to hear what your heart takes.
29:07Here we go.
29:09Here's the thing.
29:10I think that part of what Joe is just really challenged by
29:16is figuring out what he needs to do differently.
29:19I think Joe realizes that the blueprint
29:21that they had last year is not going to work this year.
29:23He's got to do something different.
29:24And he's really searching and trying to figure out
29:27how does that work,
29:28particularly when it comes to Jason and Jalen.
29:31The one thing that it's just been
29:33kind of a head-scratcher to me for years
29:36is why those two aren't put in position
29:38where they're forced to play off each other.
29:40Why do we never see a Tatum-Brown pick and roll?
29:45Just why?
29:46Particularly when Tatum is playing up a position
29:49where he's got a big on him
29:50or he's got kind of a slow-moving power forward,
29:54why would you not put him and Jalen
29:55in some kind of pick and roll action
29:57where that big is either going to be iso'd with Tatum
30:00or he's going to be iso'd with Jalen?
30:03Little things like that that I wish
30:05that Joe would just sprinkle into the mix
30:08from time to time that we're just not seeing.
30:10But again, they are still in this kind of
30:15self-discovery phase
30:17where they're trying to figure out who they are
30:18because they know that for them to become
30:21the first repeat champion in almost a decade,
30:24they can't possibly do it the way they did it last year.
30:27The teams around them are better.
30:29They have had more issues,
30:30different types of issues than they had a year ago.
30:32And all that combines to force them to have to,
30:37frankly, recalibrate how they're going to play.
30:40And I don't think that they figured out
30:43the best way to do that.
30:44And I think Jalen and Jason are part of that process
30:47of figuring out what's going to work
30:49and what doesn't work.
30:50So I think it's still going to be a work in progress.
30:54And we may not see it till April.
30:56They may not click until the playoffs,
30:58which would not be a surprise to me
31:00because the one thing that they do have going for them
31:03that is never going to change
31:05is that as they get closer towards the postseason
31:08and into the postseason,
31:10they are one of the few teams
31:12that knows what it takes to be the last team standing.
31:15And I think that experience is going to help them
31:18once they get to the postseason.
31:20But between now and then,
31:23they've got to make the necessary moves
31:24and changes and adjustments
31:26to best position themselves
31:28so that the path won't be littered
31:30with one major obstacle after another.
31:33And to me, anything less than a number two seed,
31:36you're just opening yourself up
31:39to a much bigger dogfight that you need.
31:42And even as a number two seed,
31:43you're going to have to probably want to play in New York
31:45in the second round.
31:46There ain't going to be no picnic.
31:48But you'd much rather have a situation
31:51where you've got home court advantage
31:53in that type of situation than not.
31:55So before we go any further,
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33:38All right, speaking of Game Time,
33:40the next few opponents that the Celtics have,
33:43of course, they're in LA.
33:45They're playing both teams, Wednesday and Thursday,
33:47and then they'll be in Dallas to close out that trip.
33:51For the meantime,
33:53then they'll be back home playing the Rockets.
33:54But what do you see as a great trip,
33:57other than the fact that, of course,
33:58winning is the primary goal?
34:02Take this one, Gary.
34:03Other than getting your mama cooking,
34:05what do you see as being a great trip?
34:07That is the primary goal.
34:10Well, I see...
34:10Shout out to Gary's mom.
34:11Shout out to Gary's mom.
34:13Shout out to my mom.
34:14Shout out to my mom.
34:16I see minimum three in one.
34:19You want to...
34:21Okay, so you're facing a Clipper team
34:24who's going to be full strength,
34:25but they just came off a really bad home loss to Chicago.
34:30The Clippers are a solid ball club.
34:32And remember, the Celtics blew them off the floor the last time.
34:36So I'm sure Ty Lue's going to have those boys ready to ball.
34:39That's going to be a tough game.
34:41But you want to get one of the two, at least in LA.
34:45The Lakers aren't playing well either.
34:47So these are two teams that are not playing at the top of their games.
34:51You can try to take advantage.
34:52And then you're facing Dallas without Luka.
34:54You're going to probably have Kyrie there,
34:56but you have no Luka dodges.
34:58You've got to win that game too.
35:00So if they finish two and two,
35:03that'd be a big disappointment to me.
35:05I think three and one minimum.
35:06You got to get two out of the next three,
35:08get home with some momentum.
35:09And then you come back and you face the Houston Rockets,
35:12who you blew out a couple of weeks ago in Houston.
35:15And they're going to have something, a chip on their shoulder.
35:17And obviously, Emay is going to be back in town.
35:19So I think they should be motivated to play.
35:23Obviously, the Clippers, the new Intuit Dome.
35:26It should be fun.
35:27A great environment.
35:28I think they'll be motivated by that.
35:30And then TNT game with the Lakers.
35:32Obviously, the Lakers-Celtic rivalry.
35:35We'll see what happens there.
35:36I think you should, you'd like to go 4-0.
35:40A good team would probably go 4-0
35:42when you're facing teams that you should beat.
35:45But 3-1, I think, would be the minimum you want to finish on a trip.
35:492-2, especially since you took the first game,
35:52would be considered a major disappointment.
35:55Yeah, I mean, I look at this trip.
35:57And to me, if you're going to start building your case
36:01for being a great team that's building toward greatness,
36:04you sleep this year.
36:05You win all three of these games.
36:07Because you are the better team in all three of these games.
36:10There's no ifs, ands, and buts about that.
36:12And yeah, the Clippers, they're physically speaking
36:16closer to full strength than usual.
36:17But you're still a better team than them.
36:19And you should find a way to win that game.
36:21It'll be closer, certainly, than the previous one.
36:23But you still should walk away with that W.
36:26And the Lakers, they're just the Lakers.
36:29They are a team that, again, they're play-in worthy.
36:35And that's pretty much it.
36:36You should have your way with them.
36:38And to Gary's point, you need to look at the Dallas game the way
36:43you look at the Golden State game.
36:45And that is, this is a team that, at full strength,
36:48might be somewhat mildly competitive,
36:50but you're still better than them.
36:52Now that they're not at full strength,
36:53you need to wipe them off the face of the map.
36:56You need to absolutely smack them down
36:58and just be unapologetically grimy about it.
37:02And I think the Celtics were, I expected them to sweep
37:06all three games left.
37:07I really do, because they, I think, are getting to that point where it's like,
37:12you need to start making those moves to show that you are a champion.
37:17And I think this trip has the potential for them to do that.
37:20One, because they're better than all these teams.
37:22And two, a couple of these teams have helped slash roster issues
37:28that significantly benefit you in a way that gives you
37:31a significant advantage going into those games.
37:34So I expect them to go 4-0 on this trip.
37:38Is there someone not named Tatum or Brown that you expect to stand out?
37:44Yeah.
37:44I mean, the guy that I'm looking to see
37:48kind of really get it going a little bit is Pritchard.
37:50I think he's still adjusting to, I think, the attention that he's getting.
37:54And he needs to string together, I'd say, two or three really good games
37:58for them to really feel comfortable going forward
38:02that they are building towards a repeat championship.
38:05Pritchard's the guy I'm looking to see kind of get it going.
38:07And with him being back out on the West Coast,
38:10again, he's going to be in a familiar time zone and all that kind of stuff.
38:13I'm looking forward to Peyton Pritchard having some big games.
38:18I'm going to say Derek White.
38:20I think they need more from Derek.
38:22Derek's been slumping.
38:23I think he knows he's been slumping, and he's starting to make some shots.
38:28He's doing a little bit better.
38:29He's trying to get out of it, and he's going to shoot his way out of it.
38:32And I know he's going to get out of it eventually.
38:34But a big contribution from Derek White,
38:37I sense a big Derek White game coming in one of these LA games.
38:40I just feel like he's going to have a 24-point game
38:44where he's going to get a bunch of open three looks,
38:47and he's going to knock them down.
38:48Because you've got to have faith in the guy.
38:50He has come through before.
38:52But I expect Derek White to step up in these three games
38:55because it can't be all Tatum and Brown.
38:58It can't be those two guys because you've got two great coaches.
39:02I'll say that.
39:03You've got one great coach in Ty Lue, J.J. Reddick.
39:06I'm sure he's watched Tatum and Brown enough to focus.
39:09I'm not saying he's not a great coach.
39:10Yeah, he's just not proven.
39:11Don't get me wrong.
39:12I'm not ripping him.
39:13Oh, Gary.
39:14Gary.
39:15Don't start.
39:16Don't start.
39:18Ooh, I'm telling.
39:20He was waiting.
39:21Shirai was an instigator as a kid.
39:24Absolutely.
39:26Are you going to take that?
39:27I mean, you're going to let him talk about your mom like that?
39:29Yeah.
39:30I'm not really.
39:31I don't really want to put words in your mouth.
39:34But you did say to me it's not-
39:36You ugly.
39:38Like what?
39:39Oh, boy.
39:41Here we go.
39:42So my whole thing is they're going to be game planning for Tatum and Brown.
39:47They're going to try to cut off the head of the snake.
39:49So I expect Derek White to step up and have one of these two games,
39:52whether it's Clippers or Lakers, to have a big game.
39:55Boy, if Porzegis starts playing better, which he has, White steps up,
40:01and then we're starting to get better games from Drew Holiday.
40:03I know he had a rough one against Atlanta, but his shooting is starting to get better.
40:09Then I see the Celtics kind of getting back to form.
40:13But I think it starts and ends at this point with Derek White.
40:16And I think that I sense a big game from him.
40:21Well, at this point, we can only wait and see.
40:23And we're also the only thing between Gary Washburn and
40:26a hot home-cooked meal from his mother.
40:29So that being said-
40:31Shouldn't you play, Gary?
40:33I guess.
40:34So we're on our way in our teleport machine.
40:38Hurry up.
40:39Hurry up.
40:40I know, before the food's gone.
40:41Yeah, exactly.
40:42This is our weekly NBA podcast for H.R. Blakely and Gary Washburn.
40:45I'm Kwanye Lunas.
40:46Thank you for watching or listening.
40:48We'll be back.
40:49Hey, Cousin Jethro's on his way, so you better hurry up.
40:53Oh, Lord.
40:54Save me some collard greens.
40:55That's all I'm saying.
40:57Save me some collard greens.