Could Celtics Boast Best Offense AND Defense w/ Drew Carter | Celtics Beat
Drew Carter is the new play-by-play voice for the Boston Celtics and NBC Sports Boston. Drew joins Adam to talk about the interview/audition process, Mike Gorman's advice to him, and how special this Celtics team can really be. Twitter: @Drewdle25
0:00 Getting the job with the Celtics
21:06 Reactions from the audience
25:39 Advice from Gorman
32:35 …the Celtics are going to be really good
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0:00 Getting the job with the Celtics
21:06 Reactions from the audience
25:39 Advice from Gorman
32:35 …the Celtics are going to be really good
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Transcript
00:00 And that's why there are some nerves, you know, and it's, it's, it's because,
00:04 like I said earlier, I know how important the team is to people.
00:07 And I know how important the broadcast is specifically.
00:10 So that's, I mean, that's why I want to do a really good job.
00:14 Frankly, it doesn't matter to me as much what people think about me
00:18 personally, as long as I have a good time watching the game.
00:20 Um, and so that's the important thing, but I sort of was braced for people
00:26 to be caught off guard and not receptive off the bat.
00:31 Um, but so far, I mean, people have been pretty nice.
00:35 Like I, I think I'm terminally online.
00:38 I probably spent too much time on Twitter and Instagram, but most of the
00:40 stuff I've seen has been pretty nice.
00:43 You know, there, there are occasionally some people who say like, I remember
00:46 one of them because my friends sent it to me, thanks, great friends.
00:50 One of them was Skippy.
00:51 Drew Carter has to lay off the cliches.
00:53 Mike Gorbin never needed them.
00:55 Like Skippy Drew.
00:56 That's a good dude.
00:57 Nick Dave.
00:57 I haven't heard that one before.
00:59 Celtics beat is brought to you by FanDuel, the exclusive wagering
01:04 partner of the CLNX Media Network.
01:07 What's up everybody.
01:10 Welcome into Celtics beat fresh off the preseason, which the Celtics were very
01:14 nearly unbeaten four and one and look damn near perfect, especially in that
01:19 latest effort where they could do absolutely no wrong should have won by 75
01:23 points or whatever it could have been, but they took their foot off the gas, took
01:26 all the stars out as you would expect and keep everybody in bubble wrap for the next
01:31 few days.
01:31 Regular season begins this week.
01:34 That means by the time we have the next show, we will have real games, meaningful
01:38 games, actual moments in time concerning this team to talk about very excited about
01:43 it, but right now excited for this too, because there is a new voice on the
01:47 broadcast who you may have noticed doing the road game so far and will continue
01:52 to throughout the regular season.
01:53 We saw the hire.
01:55 We said, we've got to have him on the show, get to know him a little bit better.
01:58 Drew Carter also of Syracuse fame, not unlike, uh, well, I don't know about
02:02 fame, but me, I went there.
02:04 Evan Valenti is not with us at this very moment.
02:06 He went there as well.
02:07 Drew, welcome to the show.
02:09 Welcome to the Boston Celtics.
02:10 Thanks Adam.
02:12 You're very generous.
02:12 I think what you meant to say and what probably happened was you saw the hire
02:16 and you said, who the hell is this guy?
02:18 Uh, let's, let's try to bring him on the guy from the toy story broadcast.
02:22 I've never seen him not animated before.
02:24 Uh, yeah, it's great to be here.
02:27 Uh, great to be with another Syracuse guy, of course.
02:29 And this is the part of the pod where everyone rolls their eyes and
02:32 hopefully doesn't turn it off.
02:34 I promise everyone.
02:34 We're not going to talk about Syracuse again for the rest of the show.
02:37 We'll just talk about the Celtics until we dissect this weekend's football game.
02:40 Let's do that for, no, we won't do that.
02:42 Nobody cares about that.
02:43 I understand they're costing me money, not covering the spread lately as well.
02:46 So that's a whole other thing.
02:48 But, um, the, so as you mentioned, obviously I think the higher, you know,
02:54 nevermind, like the who, like the Drew Carter of it didn't really matter.
02:57 It was the announcement of, you know, there's a new guy coming into the
03:01 broadcast that I think took a lot of people by surprise, obviously we knew
03:05 this was going to be Mike Gorman's final year and, you know, Sean Grandy, a good
03:10 friend of this program who's been on the radio broadcast for a long time.
03:13 You know, he's filled in on the TV side quite a bit.
03:16 A lot of people wondered if, you know, Sean eventually would slide into that role.
03:19 But I think a lot of people just in terms of fans, maybe even some in the media,
03:24 we're just thinking that, you know, this year is going to be this year.
03:28 It's going to be all about Mike.
03:30 Not that it isn't, you know, with you aboard, but it was, you know, Mike
03:33 is going to be the complete focus.
03:34 Sean will do some games as well.
03:36 And, you know, maybe John Wallach slides in, I don't know, TV will look like
03:40 whatever it looks like this year.
03:41 And then next year when Mike has gone, that's when the new voice comes in.
03:46 Did the timeline of this surprise you at all?
03:48 Well, I mean, I was kind of on the outside looking in, to be honest with you, AK.
03:53 I mean, to give you an idea of where my timeline was personally, you know, I
03:58 started talking with the guys from NBC Sports Boston.
04:00 So Kevin Miller is, he kind of runs the show over there and, you know, he's been
04:05 my main point of contact the entire time.
04:06 Paul Lucy is the producer of the shows.
04:08 Jim Edmonds is the director.
04:10 I started talking to the, to the, to those guys, really Kevin and Paul in, I
04:14 think it was the spring, April, probably I went in for an audition with scale.
04:18 Mid-May we did a Celtic Sixers game six where James Harden disappeared and I got
04:25 to take a shot at him during the preseason.
04:27 So that was always fun.
04:28 Jason Tatum exploded in the fourth quarter.
04:30 It was a fun game to do the audition for.
04:32 And then throughout the summer, just kind of stayed in touch.
04:35 You know, I had a couple more interviews as we got toward the fall
04:39 and then they made the offer.
04:40 So it was kind of a long drawn out process.
04:44 And that that's really all I know about it.
04:46 Although I will say, you know, you hit on something there with that, I think
04:49 is really important, which is that this year is about Mike, you know, it's, it's
04:54 not about who's the new guy.
04:56 It's really about let's celebrate the guy who's been doing this for 40 plus years.
05:00 And he's been doing it at an incredibly high level and is beloved for a reason.
05:03 And so the last thing I want to do is, you know, take any of that
05:08 spotlight away because Mike has earned it.
05:10 Sure.
05:10 Absolutely.
05:11 And we'll obviously talk more about Mike Gorman as we go forward a little bit,
05:14 but, you know, I want to give the listeners who haven't heard you elsewhere.
05:17 I know you've done other shows.
05:18 I'm just going to assume this is your favorite podcast appearance,
05:21 if for no other reason than because we're connecting Syracuse dots here.
05:24 But you've obviously like you did the in-house show with Chris Forsberg.
05:27 You popped on to, you know, some other programs as well.
05:30 You've been very much in demand.
05:32 Nevertheless, if people have not heard you, I want to give them a chance
05:34 to get to know you a little bit.
05:36 Well, let's let's kind of go in a funky order.
05:39 Let's let's talk about the audition because you brought it up.
05:42 What was that process like of I assume because it was a playoff game,
05:47 but it wasn't, you know, it was a national broadcast.
05:48 It wasn't a local broadcast.
05:50 You you handled it live, right?
05:51 Do you go in, you do it in studio with scow full game?
05:54 How does that work?
05:55 Yeah. So the reason we did it for game six is because it kind of had to be
05:59 a road game because for the home games at that, this is going to be super
06:04 inside baseball, inside broadcasting here.
06:06 But just bear with me.
06:07 And I know you understand this, Anna, but maybe for the people
06:09 who aren't like Syracuse dweebs like we are in terms of broadcasting
06:12 for once you reach that point of the playoff.
06:15 So that was the second round, obviously the second round,
06:17 because the Sixers never get past the second round, but it was the second round.
06:20 The local well here. Good.
06:22 Keep it up. There you go.
06:23 So the local broadcasts do the first round games,
06:26 even though most of them are also national broadcasts.
06:28 I mean, they all are, but some of them more easily accessible than others.
06:31 You know, ESPN, TNT, some of them are on NBA TV,
06:34 but they're also on the local channels in the first round.
06:37 Once you get to the second round, the local broadcasts stop doing the games
06:41 and it's all Nash, all national.
06:42 But the thing is, NBC Sports Boston still does pregame
06:46 halftime and postgame coverage. Right.
06:48 So it's the idea is, hey, you watch the game on this national show,
06:52 but you can get some local coverage anyway with our stuff
06:55 kind of between the whistles.
06:57 So anyway, all that to say, when the games were at home,
07:01 those shows would be on site at the garden.
07:03 So Scout would be there at the desk in the arena
07:07 when the shows when the games were on the road,
07:09 the shows would be done in house in the studio.
07:11 So we had to do a road game.
07:13 And so we did game six and scale.
07:15 And I basically went into what they call the podcast room.
07:18 Yeah, it's a little bit bigger than a closet.
07:20 I mean, if you've you know, if you've been to NBC Sports Boston,
07:22 you know what I'm talking about.
07:23 It's it's where they do their podcast.
07:24 But Scott and I were basically sitting next to each other
07:27 in a very static environment.
07:28 We threw the headset on, got some crowd noise,
07:30 and we could sort of feel like we were there.
07:32 Well, it's probably where they do the games
07:34 during the height of the pandemic, right?
07:35 When they weren't traveling.
07:37 Oh, yeah. I mean, trust me.
07:38 And even post pandemic, because, you know,
07:40 a lot of networks realize they could save some moolah
07:43 by keeping their announcers at home.
07:45 So I've done plenty of remote broadcasts from my living room,
07:48 which is why my neighbors hate me.
07:51 But I have some experience doing stuff like that.
07:54 And so scale and I were in this room together.
07:56 We called the first quarter together about the six minutes
07:59 of the second quarter, got to a time out.
08:01 Then he had to go get ready for his halftime responsibilities.
08:03 Third quarter, we did some as well.
08:05 And then we all got to watch the fourth quarter together
08:07 in that newsroom area, which, you know, if you remember that game,
08:10 that was a pretty exciting fourth quarter to watch
08:12 as the Celtics staved off elimination, ultimately won that series.
08:15 So, yeah, the audition was really cool, man.
08:18 I mean, my biggest memory of that day
08:21 is how comfortable I felt with scale from the jump.
08:24 And this is a guy like Brian Scalabrini is kind of an icon,
08:29 especially for guys like myself who, you know,
08:32 how can I put this in a nice way?
08:34 Had to rely on things other than athleticism to be successful on basketball court.
08:38 And scale is like way more athletic than people give him credit for.
08:42 I mean, you've probably seen the videos of him playing one on one
08:44 and just clowning guys like the guys who shit Hooper.
08:47 But for a guy like me, I mean, seeing Brian Scalabrini play in the NBA
08:52 was kind of inspiring.
08:53 So I've always been a huge fan of his.
08:55 And we hit it off right from the jump.
08:57 And he was super supportive and really cool.
08:59 And I think, you know, he could have been like, who the F is this guy?
09:03 You know, I'm working with a legend and now this kid comes in.
09:07 Like, why would I even bother?
09:08 But he was totally the opposite and he was very supportive.
09:11 And it's been the same way ever since.
09:14 I think he's he's given me the welcome like he's he's taking care of me.
09:18 At some point, he'll probably be like, all right, you're on your own now.
09:20 But but so far, scale has been incredible.
09:23 You know, let the bird fly.
09:25 Let it leave the nest, basically.
09:26 Yeah, I want to ask you to name names, but do you have any sense of,
09:30 you know, how many people were called in to do game auditions like that?
09:33 Like yourself?
09:34 I have no idea.
09:36 I least sought after job, obviously.
09:38 Yeah, I think it's a pretty high number, to be honest with you,
09:40 because because Cal has mentioned that he called that same game
09:43 as an audition like a bunch of times.
09:45 You probably knew every play that was coming by the end of it.
09:49 But you're right. It is a it's a very prestigious job.
09:52 And that's not lost on me.
09:53 You know, like I know the guys who have sat in that chair before.
09:57 And that's part of the reason.
09:59 And I've said this, I've been open about this.
10:00 Like, I do feel some pressure.
10:03 I think I can I can do the job at a at a good level.
10:05 And I know I'm going to work really hard to do it.
10:07 But I also know how much the team means to people
10:10 and how much the announcer can affect someone's enjoyment of a game.
10:14 And so that's why I feel like it's really important for us
10:17 to do a really good job.
10:18 And the guys who have done it before certainly have and have become
10:20 kind of institutions with the team.
10:23 So, yeah, I think they probably brought a lot of people in.
10:26 And throughout the entire process, Adam, I was kind of like, this is fine,
10:30 but there's no way I'm going to get this right.
10:31 Like, come on, that'd be insane.
10:34 But it kind of became real when I I talked with Rich Gotham,
10:37 the president of the team.
10:38 At that point, I was like, there can't be that many people
10:41 chatting with this guy.
10:43 He's obviously a busy dude and he's in high demand.
10:45 So at that point, it became like maybe this is a possibility.
10:49 And then, you know, a few weeks later, they offered me the job.
10:51 What's that chat like with Rich Gotham when you, you know, evolve,
10:55 obviously, to the point where you're talking with.
10:58 High levels of ownership management, just that that top brass
11:03 in the organization, is it just kind of a get to know your conversation
11:07 or are you getting quizzed on Celtics history?
11:09 Because I know like not I've obviously I haven't been in that exact position.
11:13 But, you know, you go into interview for a high level position
11:16 and you sort of in your own mind, you want to be prepared for everything.
11:20 Like, I don't know this guy.
11:21 Is he going to, you know, give me a ten question list
11:25 on the history of the organization?
11:26 If I fail this thing, I'm out the door.
11:28 And, you know, what was your preparation going into it
11:30 versus the realities of the conversation?
11:32 He asked me Glenn Davis's player efficiency rating during his time
11:36 as a Celtic, and I had to nail it within two point nine.
11:38 It was a lot.
11:40 Yeah, it was it was more of a it was more of a get to know type thing.
11:44 It was very casual.
11:44 You know, you get a chance to meet Rich.
11:47 Like, have you have you met Rich? Yeah. Great guy.
11:49 So he's you know, you'd have no idea that he's one of the most powerful people
11:53 in in the NBA if you just met him.
11:55 I mean, he's very down to earth and super cool, easy to talk to.
11:59 And so we had a great conversation.
12:01 And I think the way it works and, you know, full transparency,
12:04 I don't know exactly what it was like behind the scenes, but my understanding
12:07 of it is it's really an NBC Sports Boston decision that kind of needs
12:12 a green light from the Celtics. Yeah, right.
12:14 You need like a top line signature from the people, you know,
12:18 at the top of the organization.
12:19 And so I think that's that was kind of the idea behind that chat.
12:23 And I think that's the reason why I'm so excited about the game.
12:26 And thankfully, Rich didn't think I'm a total moron.
12:29 So the Celtics were cool with me coming on.
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13:05 So when for you, I don't know what it's like when
13:15 when you get that call from Kevin Miller or text or email,
13:18 whatever, and you get the offer and and just sort of what the emotions are like
13:22 or even what it was like for you going into the process, because,
13:26 you know, obviously we're just getting to know each other and you're a younger guy.
13:29 You're what, 26 years old.
13:30 You're not specifically from Boston.
13:33 I know you have family on Cape Cod, so you're not foreign to the area
13:36 or anything like that.
13:37 But you, you know, you've done at a very young age.
13:41 You're very accomplished. You've achieved a lot.
13:43 You're at ESPN. You're doing football.
13:45 You've done hockey.
13:46 You know, we joked you did the Toy Story games, an NFL game.
13:50 You know, that's that's significant.
13:52 You know, is over the last couple of years, have you thought about like what?
13:57 What is my dream job?
13:58 You know, is is like, has basketball always been number one?
14:01 Is it was it I want to be a network NFL voice?
14:05 I mean, I realize it's a weird question to ask because this is the job you just got.
14:08 And obviously you're very excited about it.
14:10 But what was you know, sort of what was the how did the goals evolve over time
14:14 for you in terms of the play by play?
14:16 Well, the dream, Adam, was always to be the voice of the Auburn Doubledays.
14:19 You and I hit it big.
14:22 But that's that's where do you go?
14:25 The viewers at all?
14:26 You just did that job.
14:28 Yeah, I know. It's all downhill from there.
14:30 No, you know, it's a good question.
14:32 And you're right that it would be tough to answer if this weren't my dream job.
14:37 Considering I just started, you know, I'd probably have to lie.
14:40 But the beauty of it, A.K., is this really is the dream.
14:43 Like I people would ask me, like I tell them, hey, I work for ESPN.
14:47 And they'd say, oh, interesting.
14:49 I've never seen you before.
14:50 Like, I'll look out for you.
14:51 I'm like, well, that's because, you know, I do, you know, back football
14:55 and, you know, college basketball on ESPN, you or ESPN News and post on ACC Network.
15:00 And I'm grateful for all that stuff.
15:02 But people will ask me, hey, like, do you want to call NBA on ESPN or what is it?
15:07 And I always say the dream scenario for me would be to do the national stuff
15:12 kind of on the side and then be the voice of a team as my main gig.
15:15 Because, you know, we joke about Auburn, but it was pretty cool
15:19 to be with the team for an entire summer.
15:21 I mean, we talked about it.
15:22 It's 70 plus games with minimal off days and you're traveling.
15:27 You get to know the guys.
15:29 You get to know the fan base, even if, you know, the fan base
15:31 at the level of minor league baseball is like my mom, the players, moms
15:35 and maybe some diehards from the area.
15:38 You get it's just more of an intimate relationship.
15:40 And you just get to know the team really well.
15:43 You kind of miss that when you're traveling around and doing national shows,
15:47 you sort of parachute in and try to learn as much as you can about the history
15:50 and tradition and the roster.
15:51 But it's just different being the voice of a team.
15:54 And so I always wanted to do that.
15:56 And I always thought doing it in the NBA would be the coolest possible outcome.
16:01 Basketball is the first sport I fell in love with.
16:03 It was a sport I wanted to play professionally
16:05 until I realized I tapped out in like middle school.
16:08 And I think doing it with an NBA team like any NBA team would be sick.
16:13 But to do it with the Celtics is ridiculous and surreal.
16:16 I mean, it's the most prestigious franchise in the league,
16:18 which happens to be, I think, the best team in the league right now
16:22 in an amazing city, the best sports town in the country.
16:25 And it's also not that far from from where I've been living in Connecticut.
16:29 And it's close to my parents.
16:30 As you said, they live in Dennis on the Cape year round.
16:32 My grandma's there, too.
16:34 My aunts and Quincy, my sister used to live in Cambridge.
16:37 I lived in Norwell for a couple of years when I was really young.
16:39 So when people saw the Boston Roots thing in the press release,
16:42 that's what we're talking about.
16:44 So like you said, I'm not totally foreign to the area,
16:46 and I know what sports mean to that city.
16:50 So to do it with the Celtics is just totally insane.
16:53 And I'm extremely grateful.
16:55 Does there become a point where this is even a bigger deal to that,
16:59 you know, long list of family that's local than it even is to you like you?
17:04 And again.
17:05 Amazing job, you've you've
17:08 put yourself in a position where you're with a contending team,
17:12 like you could have a championship ring in a matter of months.
17:15 Like, well, how incredible would that be?
17:17 Don't give me one.
17:18 I'm just doing the road games.
17:19 Oh, yeah, no, you get one.
17:20 Yeah, you're you're part of the broadcast family.
17:22 You'd absolutely get one.
17:23 But if you're don't get too excited, but you would get one.
17:27 Just unfortunately, there hasn't been one in 15 years.
17:29 So don't, you know, pace yourself.
17:31 But you like you would have been sort of to your point,
17:35 like you would have been
17:36 ecstatic about becoming the play by play voice of any NBA team.
17:40 I'm not saying the Celtics aren't more special than another, but, you know,
17:43 it it would have, you know, still fallen into that dream job category.
17:47 But when you have so many members of your family
17:50 that are local specifically to this area, you know, it's not just
17:54 they can easily watch you or come see you go to games,
17:57 but but also just see you locally, you're around, you're here,
18:02 you're not moving like you didn't become the voice of the I don't know, trail shot.
18:07 They're right.
18:08 At some team.
18:09 Like, yeah, like you're you're you're moving out,
18:11 you know, the thousands of miles away, like you're you're right here.
18:14 Like baby's coming home, so to speak.
18:16 Does it become a bigger deal even to your family than it is to you at a certain point?
18:20 Yeah, it's funny, Adam.
18:22 I didn't tell my parents about the job until like a few days
18:26 after it was official, I had actually taken photos of media day before I told them.
18:31 How was that?
18:33 Well, I wanted so I wanted to tell them in person
18:36 because it's I mean, it's life changing news, man.
18:40 And in a variety of ways, number one, it's a dream come true job.
18:43 And number two, like you said, I mean, I'm closer to home and it's
18:47 it's the ideal setup and not to get like philosophical or anything,
18:50 but whatever you believe, like things happen for a reason or maybe there's,
18:54 you know, someone pulling the strings on all this stuff.
18:56 It does kind of feel like this is just right.
18:59 And maybe it's all random, maybe it's all coincidence.
19:02 But, you know, my parents were in Minnesota for 20 years,
19:05 and that's where I grew up and they moved to the Cape about a year and a half ago.
19:08 And then this comes around pretty soon after.
19:11 So it does feel right.
19:14 And when I got to tell them in person, obviously, they freaked out.
19:18 My mom went straight to Dick's Sporting Goods and bought like three or four
19:21 Celtics T-shirts.
19:22 That was the first thing she did.
19:23 Also got an Entenmann's cake.
19:25 And, you know, I grew up Entenmann's is like my favorite bakery.
19:28 And they have this devil's food cake marshmallow flavor,
19:31 which is absolutely incredible.
19:33 My mom went and got an Entenmann's cake.
19:35 It was just like a white cake with chocolate frosting
19:38 and got some green frosting and tried to draw a basketball
19:42 and wrote Celtics on there.
19:43 And I have a photo that I can send you
19:45 with us and our corgi and the chocolate cake.
19:47 It's like, don't get too close or you can't have this.
19:49 But like, let's take a photo together.
19:51 Popped a little champagne.
19:53 It was a it was a really cool moment.
19:56 But yeah, man, it does kind of feel like everything's come together.
19:58 And what I told Kevin Miller, who again, hired me at NBC Sports
20:02 Boston is, you know, I do feel like I'm ready for this.
20:07 And I actually heard I heard Matthew McConaughey, of all people,
20:11 he was on a podcast I listened to pretty recently.
20:13 He was talking about his book Green Lights,
20:14 which is kind of about his philosophy on life.
20:16 OK. And he says he says his his least favorite word
20:20 that he hears all the time is unbelievable.
20:22 How can you call something unbelievable if it's happening?
20:24 Like if you just saw it and getting the Celtics job
20:29 is pretty unbelievable.
20:31 But then I stop myself and I think, you know, it actually feels right.
20:34 And I do think I'm ready for this.
20:36 And, you know, the people who made the decision, I trust them
20:40 and they know what they're doing.
20:41 And I think it's go time.
20:43 So, yeah, it's a long way to answer the question.
20:46 And I'm sorry to get like deep there, but, you know, it is really it's
20:49 it's a dream come true and it's totally life changing, man.
20:52 Is there a.
20:55 In terms of I don't think enough conversation could be had
20:59 about stepping in and, you know, not even attempting
21:03 to fill the shoes of Mike Gorman, like Mike's Mike, you're you and,
21:06 you know, you will never be one in the same.
21:08 Even if you're here for 40 years yourself, you're still going to be you,
21:12 you know, and like Mike is just an entity is a Hall of Famer.
21:16 He's unbelievable, as you said before. He's an institution.
21:19 But obviously in this transitionary year, attempting to step into that seat,
21:24 you know, one that obviously he had to when it was Johnny Most, you know,
21:27 legends, as you noted, have have come through Boston broadcast.
21:31 Not just the Celtics.
21:32 What's early on, because you've only been on the mic a couple of times.
21:36 But what's the reception been like from fans?
21:38 You know, because I could see a lot of people.
21:40 And to be perfectly candid, I was one of them who sat in.
21:43 This is obviously before the hire where I said, you know, I just
21:48 it's it's going to be hard if the if the if NBC Sports Boston brings in.
21:53 You know, it's a kid for for all intents and purposes, you know what I mean?
21:58 Like you have Mike Gorman, who's been in the broadcast for 40 years,
22:02 like to to not have, you know, whether it's specifically
22:05 Grandy or someone else who's, you know, been in the NBA for for a decade or more
22:09 has just kind of been around versus someone who comes in in their mid 20s.
22:12 That's going to be doesn't mean it's going to be bad, but it's going to be jarring.
22:16 It's going to be very different.
22:18 Obviously, than what we've had.
22:19 So what what have you heard from people early on?
22:21 Well, trust me, I that I know exactly what you're talking about,
22:26 and I've thought about it, and and that's why there are some nerves, you know,
22:29 and it's it's it's because, like I said earlier,
22:32 I know how important the the team is to people and I know how important
22:36 the broadcast is specifically.
22:39 So that's I mean, that's why I want to do a really good job.
22:42 Frankly, it doesn't matter to me as much what people think about me personally,
22:46 as long as I have a good time watching the game.
22:48 And so that's the important thing.
22:51 But I sort of was braced for people to be caught off guard
22:56 and not receptive off the bat.
22:59 But so far, I mean, people have been pretty nice.
23:03 Like, I think I'm terminally online.
23:05 I probably spent too much time on Twitter and Instagram,
23:08 but most of the stuff I've seen has been pretty nice.
23:11 You know, there are occasionally some people who say, like, I remember one of them
23:15 because my friend sent it to me. Thanks. Great friends.
23:17 One of them was Skippy Drew.
23:19 Carter has to lay off the cliches.
23:21 Mike Gorman never needed them.
23:23 Like Skippy Drew. That's a good nickname.
23:25 I haven't heard that one before,
23:27 but I'm OK with that because like you said, there's no one's going to be Mike.
23:31 Like, I just have to be myself.
23:33 And I'm lucky to have a lot of great mentors,
23:36 like obviously some Syracuse guys.
23:39 And sorry for another reference to Syracuse.
23:40 But basically the biggest thing I've heard is I just have to be myself.
23:45 And I knew that, you know, there's one Mike Gorman
23:48 that no one will ever replace Mike and be Mike.
23:52 No one can.
23:53 So all I can do is just be me and hope people like it.
23:57 Like, I'll just be honest, I'm way goofier and way nerdier than Mike is on the air.
24:02 Like, I will say puns that might go over 90 percent of people's heads.
24:07 And I will reference Marvel movies.
24:09 We did that last night.
24:10 And Scott might be like, you're ridiculous, dude.
24:12 Like, why? Why would you even bring that up?
24:14 But that's just that's who I am, you know.
24:17 And so I think that's kind of what I'm going to lean on through this process.
24:21 And thankfully, people have been really nice.
24:22 Now, I will say I owe that to Peyton Pritchard for going radioactive
24:27 in the preseason and giving us chances to say stuff like say stuff
24:30 like the preaching hour and preseason peak.
24:33 That seems to be like what people have enjoyed the most.
24:36 So thank you to Peyton Pritchard for that.
24:38 Well, you'll come to find quickly that there's nothing self expands.
24:42 This is probably an overstatement.
24:43 There's nothing self expands like more than sort of the
24:46 the origin process of trying to come up with a good nickname, like to a fault.
24:51 You know, like Kyle Draper when he was here, of course,
24:54 I don't know if you've come across him, but he's out in Sacramento now.
24:56 He's you know, like he was trying to make things stick left and right.
25:00 And like maybe it would happen. Maybe it wouldn't.
25:02 But like there was, you know, when when Tatum and Brown were
25:06 were much younger players coming into the league,
25:09 people were trying to make this double of seven thing because it was,
25:12 you know, their jersey numbers.
25:14 And obviously that then it was I don't know, it sort of just became the Jays.
25:18 But you all NBJs.
25:21 Yeah, I mean, there's there have been it's sort of almost it makes me think back.
25:25 It's not at all related, I guess, but it makes me think back to that ESPN
25:28 commercial with the, you know, as we call them, the new big three
25:31 when it was KG Pierce and now they did the the the three amigos
25:35 or the Boston three party and yeah, that that this is SportsCenter commercial.
25:39 That's what fans some fans like to do.
25:42 Like they're just desperate to come up with, you know, what like what pun
25:46 can we turn into a nickname?
25:47 You know, Time Lord, obviously the origin of Time Lord, which which,
25:52 you know, goes out to one of the Celtics, you know, Twitter personalities.
25:56 They're weird. Celtics Twitter is certainly a place.
26:00 If you've heard about that or will come to find Max Letterman over at your shop,
26:03 we'll we'll tell you all about that for sure.
26:05 But it's it is interesting.
26:07 I mean, it's as passionate a fan base as as you'll come across in sports,
26:13 never mind the NBA and and the fact that, you know, you've walked into it
26:17 and obviously been received early.
26:19 It's you know, I think that can only be considered a good thing.
26:22 But I know what's, you know, listening to you elsewhere.
26:25 I know what's really important to you is is, you know, getting the approval
26:29 to some degree anyway from Mike Gorman, the guy, obviously, that,
26:33 you know, is going to be leaving in a year, unfortunately.
26:36 But, you know, he's he deserves it.
26:38 He's earned it.
26:38 You can go, you know, sort of go off into the
26:42 into the shadows to the degree that he wants to be around
26:46 however much he wants to and live his life with his wife
26:49 and grandkids and everything else.
26:50 But what you know, what is he sort of bestowed upon you?
26:54 What sort of wisdom has he shared?
26:56 I'm sure he's been nothing but kind.
26:57 He's an incredible guy.
26:58 But what have what have you learned from him along the way early on?
27:01 Well, it's good timing that you asked me this today, A.K.,
27:03 because on Wednesday, Mike texted me pretty late at night, by the way.
27:08 I mean, I think the guy might be a night owl.
27:09 He texted me, Drew in Charlotte, just to keep you on track.
27:13 The action on the court is going left to right.
27:15 The action on the big scoreboard is going right to left.
27:17 Takes a little getting used to.
27:19 He's given me like very specific advice for how to for how to do this job.
27:25 Also stuff like, you know, really important to be watching the monitor.
27:29 And his wife, Terry, actually told me some stuff about psychology
27:33 and how are the neurons of our brain work.
27:36 And, you know, when when you acknowledge what's happening on the monitor,
27:39 it's a signal to the viewer.
27:41 I'm watching the same thing you are.
27:42 And it kind of bonds you.
27:45 And so and I never really thought about it that way.
27:47 But it makes a lot of sense.
27:49 Mike has been really awesome from the start.
27:52 And I mean, the guy's a legend.
27:54 And, you know, like I said with Scal earlier,
27:56 this would be the case even more for Mike.
27:58 I think it would have been easy for him to be like, who the hell is this guy?
28:02 Like I've been calling these games longer than he's been alive.
28:04 Like, how dare you?
28:06 How dare you fill in for me on the road and eventually take over full time?
28:10 Like, how dare you?
28:10 But he's been the opposite of that.
28:12 And the reason is, you know, anyone who knows Mike will attest to this.
28:15 He's an incredibly cool guy
28:17 who cares about others more than he cares about himself.
28:20 And I think that's part of the reason he's so good.
28:22 And he has no ego.
28:24 You know, I think that comes through on the broadcast.
28:27 One of the reasons Mike is Mike is because it does.
28:31 It's never been about Mike.
28:32 And it's to the extent that I actually think this year might make him
28:36 even uncomfortable because there's going to be a lot of like Mike's
28:39 farewell season stuff.
28:41 And rightfully so. He's earned that.
28:42 But he never makes it about himself.
28:44 And so he's been incredibly welcoming, you know, walking around TD
28:48 Garden during the pre or before the preseason opener against the Knicks
28:52 was really, really neat because, you know,
28:55 that was really the first time we had a chance to have an extended conversation.
28:58 And he's just been incredibly, incredibly welcoming
29:02 and making me feel at home, you know, because like I said, I have the nerves.
29:06 I feel the pressure replacing a guy like him.
29:08 So to have his approval is really the most important thing.
29:11 And I hope to earn that over the course of this season and beyond.
29:14 Something you hit on earlier, and it definitely resonates with me.
29:18 I mean, I haven't done what you're doing, but I spent many seasons
29:21 working in minor league sports, you know, almost a decade
29:25 across different teams and everything.
29:26 And far and away, my favorite part, more so than even
29:30 calling the games, was just getting to know the players, the coaches,
29:34 the people behind the scenes that were involved with and related to the team.
29:39 You mentioned, obviously, traveling with Celtics and, you know,
29:42 starting the process of getting to know these guys.
29:44 Something that sticks out to me from conversations that I've had with.
29:48 With Mike in the past on this show and off the show, for that matter, is,
29:53 you know, obviously doing the the games as long as he did.
29:57 You know, he got to know a million incredible Celtics players,
30:01 but less so maybe in the last, let's call it.
30:05 Decade or so, you know, part of that was the
30:08 COVID pandemic separation, not traveling, part of it was just,
30:12 you know, I think there's you know, you lose a bond over time
30:17 just as as you age and the players stay the same age.
30:20 You know, you're coming in in in your mid 20s.
30:22 You're the same age as as most of these guys that are on the team.
30:26 So is is there an early bonding that happens there
30:30 or is there sort of a separation of church and state?
30:33 Let's make our second McConaughey reference of the pot.
30:36 It's like I get older. They stay the same age.
30:39 I don't know if that's that's how Mike's feeling about the players.
30:42 Yeah. So I'm actually I'm going to move into Jalen Brown's guest house
30:46 at his new place now that he's got that five year, three or three
30:49 or four million dollar contract.
30:51 Now, I haven't asked him about that yet, but I'm sure he's got room for me.
30:54 This factory will be great. Yeah, exactly.
30:57 No, I mean, there's been a little bit of that.
30:59 You know, I think there is separation of church and state is a good way to put it,
31:03 because, you know, I'm not on the team, obviously.
31:08 But being with the team traveling, you know, it can sort of feel
31:13 like you're part of the family at certain points.
31:16 And, you know, I experienced that with minor league baseball, like you mentioned.
31:19 But I think one of the one of the problems I ran into in minor league
31:23 baseball is I think I tried to force it a little bit, like I wanted to be
31:27 best friends with everybody, as you know, at that level.
31:29 A lot of the guys are in college age or just graduated from college.
31:32 And so I wanted to be like boys with everybody on the team.
31:36 And it's just not like that.
31:38 Like there has there's a little bit of a of a difference there
31:40 between broadcaster and player.
31:43 But with that being said, the guys I've spoken to have been awesome.
31:46 Like O'Shea Bursette was at Syracuse when I was.
31:48 And so we sort of knew each other from then a little bit,
31:51 like I'd be in scrums with him in the Syracuse locker room.
31:55 And I got a chance to see him at the hotel in Philly.
31:58 And we talked for a little bit.
31:59 Sweetie, Hi Luke was super cool, too.
32:01 And I talked with him.
32:03 Christoph Porzingis, like is awesome.
32:05 Get a fist bump from him on the bus, go into the arena.
32:07 So, yeah, the guys have been super cool.
32:10 I think it might be a little bit different from how it used to be with
32:13 how big of celebrities these players are now.
32:17 Like if you think about when Mike started, you know,
32:20 he might have been making more than the players.
32:21 I really don't know.
32:22 Yeah, I mean, these guys had side jobs outside of the season.
32:25 Yeah, right.
32:26 Like you could talk to Cedric Maxwell about that one day.
32:28 And he'll tell you how different it is now.
32:31 Well, Tommy Heinze was like selling insurance.
32:33 So I don't think Jalen Brown is selling insurance anymore.
32:37 He's making 60 mil a year.
32:39 So it is a little bit different.
32:40 But with that being said, even though the guys are like huge
32:43 celebrities and making a ton of money, I haven't really noticed,
32:46 you know, any difference in how they treat people compared to normal people.
32:51 You know, and maybe that's because, you know, we're on the inside,
32:54 quote unquote, like on the plane and on the bus.
32:56 But, yeah, the interactions have been good.
32:58 But I don't expect to be like grabbing drinks with Jason Tatum anytime soon.
33:03 Maybe one day, maybe we can play golf together.
33:05 I hear he's a big golfer.
33:07 Maybe he can babysit his kid.
33:08 Yeah, maybe.
33:10 I think I need more trust for that.
33:12 Maybe give it a couple of years.
33:14 So removing sort of everything we've already talked about, like the
33:17 Mike Gorman effect, the oh, my God, I'm in the NBA now, the like all of that stuff.
33:23 The fact that you're now in this position with a team that is contending,
33:28 that is, you know, instantly in the championship conversation.
33:31 What is that like?
33:32 And I don't even mean from like pressure of the broadcast
33:35 and who's listening and more years and all of eyeballs, all that stuff.
33:38 I just mean the fact that, you know, on a night to night basis,
33:41 you are going to see some of the best basketball,
33:44 you know, not only in the world, because that would be true of any team,
33:46 but in, you know, that much better.
33:49 It's going to be the best basketball in the world and a team that might finally
33:53 be hoisting banner 18 come the end of the year.
33:56 Dude, watching them in Charlotte the other night.
33:59 Holy smokes.
34:00 I mean, this is going to be so freaking good.
34:03 I got a text from someone who is in Spectrum Center who said, holy blank,
34:07 you're going to have fun this year.
34:08 You guys are so good.
34:10 And I'm like, you're right, man.
34:12 I mean, I think this is probably going to be hyperbolic,
34:16 but I do think there's a chance the Celtics could lead the NBA
34:19 in offensive and defensive rating.
34:21 I mean, just from what we've seen in the preseason
34:23 and how the roster is made up, obviously you need health.
34:26 And maybe the the starters won't play enough minutes to attain that.
34:32 There might be other teams who put more emphasis on the regular season.
34:35 The Celtics know that, like, if everything goes well and they stay healthy,
34:38 they should be in the Eastern Conference finals
34:40 because that's the standard they've set.
34:41 Right. And that that's when that's when it will be time to shift it
34:45 into the highest gear.
34:47 But I think the team makes a ton of sense construction wise on paper
34:50 and also from what we've seen.
34:53 And to me, what I've been most excited about in the preseason is, look,
34:57 we know who Jalen Brown is.
34:59 We know who Jason Tatum is.
35:00 We know we're going to get from those guys.
35:02 But seeing how poor Zingis and Holiday have meshed
35:05 so seamlessly has been a lot of fun to watch.
35:08 And it actually makes a lot of sense.
35:09 It's not like you're trying to fold in a ball dominant guy.
35:12 It's not like Luca has joined the team and everything has been torpedoed.
35:16 Those guys, even though they have the talent level of superstars,
35:21 don't need the ball at all times in order to make it work.
35:25 I mean, I kind of compare it to like when Durant joined Golden State.
35:29 You know, Katie is one of the best scoring forwards
35:31 who's ever walked this earth, but he didn't change everything
35:35 about their system because he's kind of a malleable player.
35:38 And so I think Drew and poor Zingis are pretty similar to that.
35:41 Same thing goes for, you know, Derek White and Al Horford.
35:45 And then the guys from the bench who I think are going to contribute
35:49 majorly in the regular season, who have been pleasant surprises.
35:52 Obviously, Peyton Pritchard has been insanely good.
35:54 Namiah's Kata has been the most pleasant surprise of the preseason for me.
35:59 Um, he mentioned Time Lord Rob Williams no longer with the team.
36:02 And I'm not saying Kata is Williams yet, but I think he can do
36:07 a pretty good imitation of him rolling hard to the rim, protecting the rim,
36:11 rebounding, blocking shots.
36:13 He's been super impressive.
36:14 And the fact that he's on a two way is a complete steal.
36:16 Like, I don't know how the Kings let him go because he's been awesome.
36:20 And then the guy likes to be me.
36:22 Hi, Luke O'Shea Bressett, I mentioned.
36:24 I just think the team looks really good from top to bottom.
36:27 And so despite the fact that I do bleed green now,
36:30 I am going to be a bit of a homer for the Celtics.
36:32 I think objectively, they should be the title favorites.
36:35 Anything that has surprised you as you've watched more tape
36:40 and watch games in person and just, you know, really immersed yourself
36:43 in all things Celtics like, you know, man, I've watched a lot of Jason Tatum
36:48 over the years.
36:48 I've seen a lot of big moments, but holy crap, this guy's even better than I thought.
36:51 Or Chris Tapps, Porzingis is a, you know, a better defender than I realized.
36:56 Or Drew Holiday, like, good God, people talked about it, but this guy is strong.
37:01 Like anything that that has really sort of taken you aback as you've watched closer?
37:05 Yeah, something on all those guys, two on Tatum.
37:08 Number one, I mean, it's been well documented how much weight
37:10 he's put on this offseason, 12 pounds of muscle, setting records in the weight room.
37:14 I think he's going to be very effective in the post this year.
37:17 And that's something you've seen from superstars in the past.
37:20 When they add a really effective post up game,
37:22 it kind of opens everything up for other guys.
37:25 Like I think about when when LeBron became a really effective post player,
37:28 he came into the league, he was he was kind of skinny.
37:30 And as he bulked up, even though he claimed he never lifted weights once,
37:34 I think like no chance that's true.
37:36 But he added that post game and all of a sudden his teams
37:39 kind of hit a new level offensively.
37:41 I think we'll see that from Tatum this year.
37:43 And also with him, I think his defense is underrated and his his instincts
37:48 and his ability to read the play one or two passes ahead.
37:51 He's always in passing lanes like he gets two or three deflections every game.
37:55 So for Tatum, I've been pleasantly surprised by those things.
37:58 Holiday, you mentioned the strength.
38:00 I mean, he went right through Nick Richards the other night
38:03 and Pritchard did the same thing like Nick Richards has 60 to 70 pounds
38:08 on these guys and they're I mean, they're putting him in the weight room.
38:11 Poor Zingas.
38:13 Obviously, you understand reading his height, how tall he is.
38:17 But when you see him in person, it is kind of different.
38:20 You know, like no one's going to be able to defend him.
38:23 He's going to get open looks on the pick and pop just because there's
38:25 so many other weapons on the floor.
38:27 But he really doesn't even have to be open to be open
38:30 because he can just shoot over the top of everybody.
38:32 And I like seeing the freedom he has on defense.
38:35 And he's he's talked about this after the Knicks game earlier this week.
38:39 Missoula is kind of giving him the option to trap when he sees fit,
38:44 at least if I'm understanding correctly what Porzingis was saying.
38:47 So there were a couple of times in that Knicks game where you saw Porzingis
38:50 instead of dropping, which is what he typically does in a pick and roll.
38:53 He goes out and kind of ambushes the ball handler.
38:55 It's like, good luck.
38:57 Here's seven, six wingspan, seven, four guy with huge hands.
39:01 Good luck trying to get around that guy.
39:03 They're also bringing the full court press sometimes.
39:05 I just think the defense is going to be insane.
39:08 And then on offense, you got five guys who can shoot
39:11 really no matter who's on the floor.
39:13 It's just a really exciting roster.
39:15 I think Brad Stevens and Mike Zarin and everyone in that front office
39:19 have done an amazing job constructing it.
39:21 Do you have a favorite player early on?
39:22 And I I asked that in like, I mean, some people in the organization
39:26 might be listening.
39:27 None of the players are. I can guarantee you that.
39:29 But I mean, Mike Gorman was very open, like Paul Pierce was his guy.
39:33 Is is there an early favorite for you putting the maybe sentimental
39:37 O'Shea Breset Syracuse connection aside?
39:39 Well, just in the preseason, I mean, I've got a couple of favorites.
39:43 Number one, Drew Holiday has legit always been one of my favorite players
39:47 when he was at UCLA.
39:49 I thought about changing my name to J.R.
39:52 U.E.
39:53 Because they're pronounced the same.
39:55 And I've always been a huge fan of that guy.
39:57 Also, this is going to be really obscure and really esoteric.
40:00 So I'm hoping there's at least one person who gets this reference.
40:03 But in NBA two K-12, his dribble package,
40:07 specifically his crossover, was nasty.
40:10 And so I would always have my my player with the Drew Holiday crossover,
40:14 because even if he wasn't quick, something about how he snapped the ball across,
40:18 you would always beat your guy.
40:19 Yeah. So I've always been a big fan of Drew Holiday Pritchard
40:23 because of what he's done in the preseason and frankly, the opportunities
40:26 it's given us to have fun on the broadcast.
40:28 Pritchard's one of my favorites.
40:30 You mentioned O'Shea because of the Syracuse connection.
40:32 Kata to me is a fascinating one.
40:34 First Portuguese player ever in the NBA
40:37 goes to Utah State of all places.
40:40 Surprised that he wasn't more heavily recruited.
40:43 I'm wondering what our guy Jim Boeheim was doing.
40:46 I feel like he could have been pretty good in the middle of the two, three.
40:49 But I guess to answer your question, it's it's too hard.
40:52 I need like a I need to be able to pick three or four
40:56 because there are too many guys
40:57 that have kind of fallen in love with their games in the preseason.
40:59 No, I mean, I like that.
41:00 Like it would have been it's too easy to say like, oh, well, the Jays.
41:04 I love Tatum. I love Brett.
41:05 Like, of course you do. Why wouldn't you?
41:07 I mean, even during the the new big three era that that, you know, was
41:12 most people obviously were obsessed with Garnett and rightfully so.
41:16 But like Eddie House, and I don't just say this as as one of your colleagues now,
41:20 but I mean, truly, like I was a season ticket holder at that time, like Eddie,
41:24 just microwave instant bucket off the bench.
41:26 Like I fell in love with Eddie House, you know, not following him
41:30 too closely before he came to Boston those couple of years that he was here.
41:33 It was like, oh, my God, I'm I'm obsessed with this guy.
41:36 So it's sometimes it's more fun when it's like one of the guys
41:40 that you had mentioned, the Peyton Pritchard or obviously any of those,
41:43 you know, other reserves where it's, you know, these guys that maybe have
41:47 a more limited skill set, but do whatever it is, that one thing really, really well
41:53 that you just genuinely get excited when they check into the game.
41:56 And not a lot of people can have that effect on you.
41:58 Yeah, I've always been I always try to be
42:02 unique in terms of who my favorite players are.
42:05 So probably my favorite basketball player of all time is white chocolate.
42:09 Jason Williams.
42:10 Same. Yeah, well, he's he's in my top three.
42:13 It was it was him, Jason Kidd and Penny Hardaway.
42:16 Those. Yeah. And these.
42:18 I mean, it's just because, like you said, they make you feel something
42:21 when you're watching them.
42:22 And Jason Williams is not even close to like the best point guard of all time.
42:27 But he's my favorite to watch because you never knew what you were going to see.
42:30 The behind the back elbow pass.
42:32 Come on. The elbow pass is insane.
42:34 You know, like he's the best highlight player of all time.
42:38 If you watched him, you know, over the course of an 82 game season,
42:41 you might waste a lot of time waiting for a highlight.
42:43 But when you see it, it's like seeing a lightning strike.
42:46 Like in baseball.
42:48 I always loved Sean Figgins for some reason.
42:50 C.H.O.N.E.
42:52 Because he would always steal a bunch of bases.
42:53 And I thought those guys were cool.
42:55 Like I've always kind of gone off the map for my favorite players.
42:59 So, yeah, I don't I don't think I would even choose a starter
43:01 as my favorite Celtic right now.
43:04 So it won't keep you much longer here.
43:05 But as we ramp up to opening night, which, of course, is, you know,
43:10 Wednesday and just pull up the schedule here.
43:12 And so, I mean, are you doing this first game or this must be I mean,
43:16 it's an ESPN game. So is there going to be a local feat as well?
43:18 There is. But Mike's doing that one.
43:20 That's since it's the opener and not that far away.
43:24 Mike's going to do that one.
43:25 So will you start the following Monday in Washington?
43:27 Will that be your start?
43:28 Yes, sir. And that'll be a nice little half preseason game
43:32 because the Washington Wizards are expected to not be very good this year.
43:37 But now that I say that, of course, you know, someone from from the Wizards
43:40 will hear this and bulletin board material.
43:42 I mean, the Celtics lost multiple games to the Magic last year, didn't they?
43:46 So these things happen, obviously.
43:48 But what I don't know, I know you've done games, you've worked with scale,
43:52 but like preseason or regular season are different.
43:55 And I'm sure just the the early season or even if it's just game one for you,
44:00 the early season jitters have to be a real thing, right?
44:03 No doubt. And the job is,
44:07 to be candid, a little bit different preseason to regular season,
44:11 like if you watch the preseason broadcast, it's
44:14 a little bit less play by play and a little bit more big picture conversation
44:19 because ultimately the result doesn't really matter. Right.
44:22 You still call it because you want to see what the players are doing
44:26 individually and how everybody's meshing.
44:28 But it obviously with the results not going in the final columns
44:33 doesn't matter quite as much the outcome of the game.
44:35 So the job changes a little bit preseason to regular season.
44:39 But I am grateful, Adam, that I've been able to do three preseason games
44:43 because, you know, for the same reason that players play in the preseason,
44:47 I feel like it's good for a new announcer to work with a partner and,
44:51 you know, a new sideline reporter and producer director for the first time
44:55 and get a couple under your belt before a quote unquote doing it for real.
44:59 So, yeah, I think the preseason has helped us gear up
45:02 maybe just as much as the team.
45:04 So and for people that I mentioned earlier, you do ESPN.
45:08 Is it just ESPN? Anything else on the side?
45:11 ESPN is kind of all encompassing anyway. Yeah.
45:13 That's that's for now.
45:15 Yeah. Yeah.
45:16 Until until Nickelodeon comes after you, we need to do more of these
45:20 broadcasts. Yeah.
45:22 So, I mean, you got ESPN, you obviously have the Celtics,
45:25 the Celtics we were talking off air.
45:26 That's that is your number one.
45:28 But, you know, people are you must have kind of a
45:31 I don't know if it's just football, if it goes beyond football,
45:34 but I'm assuming a pretty grueling schedule, balancing Celtics games,
45:37 road games with other college football or maybe college
45:41 basketball across whatever else you have going on.
45:43 That's why I look like this.
45:45 I look like a zombie.
45:48 Yeah, it is.
45:48 But, you know, you mentioned our conversation off the air.
45:51 The Celtics have a priority.
45:53 And that's not just me saying that that is like legalese mumbo jumbo.
45:57 And my contracts with with both the Celtics and the ESPN,
46:01 that is my my top priority.
46:05 And I think I'm learning how to budget time a little bit better, like,
46:09 you know, every college football coach will give you the same cliches about,
46:14 you know, being where your feet are or staying present or all that junk.
46:19 But it actually is important, I think, when you're trying to juggle
46:22 a variety of different things like I'm doing a college football game this weekend.
46:26 Toledo is at Miami of Ohio.
46:28 It's actually a really good game Saturday.
46:30 ESPN, you for Eastern, if you're going to check it out.
46:32 There you go. But but I can't let that, you know, distract from the main thing,
46:37 which, you know, is the Celtics.
46:39 And and when I'm calling the game tomorrow afternoon, that's the main thing.
46:43 You know, I'm probably not going to be thinking about when will the Mias
46:45 K to get, you know, upgraded from his two way contract as it's like third down
46:50 and four in the third quarter of Toledo, Miami.
46:52 And so keeping the main thing, the main thing
46:55 and focusing on what I'm doing in the moment is is really important.
46:59 But with that being said, like the Celtics are basically my life at this point.
47:04 That that's the top thing.
47:06 Well, welcome to the broadcast.
47:08 NBC Sports, Boston, the Boston Celtics family, obviously the Celtics beat family.
47:12 I know we'll we'll reach out to have you on again as the season gets going.
47:15 Hopefully you become a good friend of the program, not unlike Sean and Mike as well.
47:19 But really cool to just get to know you a little bit better.
47:22 Hopefully fans, listeners feel the same way.
47:25 It's you know, it's it's good to have, obviously, not only a qualified
47:29 individual, but a good person getting ready to fill this seat.
47:33 Thanks, Adam. Great to be here.
47:35 And tell tell Evan he's allowed to show up next time if he wants.
47:39 Yeah, it's unbelievable, right?
47:41 Just totally coasting on us today.
47:43 He is he is a reason we'll see him soon enough for Evan Valenti in spirit.
47:47 Plus, he's producing behind the scenes as well as, of course, Drew Carter.
47:51 I'm Adam Kaufman.
47:52 This is Celtics beat rate review.
47:53 Most importantly, subscribe.
47:54 We greatly appreciate it.
47:55 We'll talk to you again next week
47:57 when there's actually a game or two under the Celtics belts.