Celtics Get Test in Mini-Series vs. Magic + Cavs and What Drew Peterson Brings to Celtics G League
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00:00 [VIDEO PLAYBACK]
00:00 - These guys are ridiculous.
00:04 These guys are ridiculous.
00:07 Now, how about them damn Celtics?
00:10 - And we are back with another episode of "How About Them
00:12 Celtics?"
00:13 Talking Cs with Bobby Kravitzky of SI Media Group.
00:17 We're here before the Magic game,
00:20 second game of the Celtics back-to-back,
00:21 after their two-game sweep of the Cavs in the miniseries.
00:24 Bobby, how are you doing today?
00:26 - I'm doing fantastic.
00:27 I want to clarify, I'm right next to Jack,
00:29 but it looks like I'm in some kind of very weird,
00:32 like, almost personal security setting,
00:35 where it's like, for your safety,
00:36 we need you in this penalty box of sorts.
00:39 Just want to clarify, we're just at TD Garden
00:41 doing the show today.
00:43 - That we are.
00:44 My headphone's cut out, but I was hoping you guys could still
00:47 hear me.
00:47 So when I throw it over to Bobby,
00:48 I'm going to reset my headphone.
00:49 But we're still rocking with the show,
00:51 because that's called professionalism, baby.
00:53 We're going to start with last night's Cavs game,
00:56 Thursday night's Cavs game, the second of their two-game series
00:59 against Cleveland.
01:01 Last night, they wired--
01:02 [INAUDIBLE]
01:04 I guess [INAUDIBLE]
01:06 I get so confused with the recording.
01:09 Wire-to-wire win for the Celtics over the Cavaliers
01:12 got off to a much, much better start in that one.
01:15 Good offense throughout, good ball movement.
01:17 Joe Mizzullo talked about the cutting after the MIS,
01:19 and also asked about the defensive switch-ups.
01:21 They made adjustments in the fourth quarter on Tuesday,
01:24 and then they made even more adjustments on Thursday.
01:26 They let the Cavs stick in it a little too long,
01:28 and Jalen Brown talked about it.
01:30 But it did feel, in my opinion, like one
01:32 of their more team victories of the season.
01:34 So I was impressed on that front.
01:35 Bobby, what'd you take from Thursday's game against them?
01:37 Yeah, I think that's a great way to put it, as a team victory.
01:40 That's how I labeled it in my game story.
01:43 And then I really think maybe the biggest difference maker,
01:47 certainly the ball movement.
01:49 And that was something that I talked about with Jalen
01:52 and Jason afterwards.
01:54 And Jalen pointed to how they could
01:56 have been more aggressive on both sides,
01:57 and they didn't have, in his words, that pop, that energy.
02:01 But still playing the right way allowed
02:03 them to have an assist on over 50% of their field goals.
02:06 But to me, I think arguably an even greater difference
02:10 maker in the outcome last night was how well the Celtics
02:13 protected the perimeter.
02:14 The Cavaliers only had four three-point attempts
02:17 in the fourth quarter until the final 20 seconds,
02:20 when the game was already decided.
02:21 And that, to me, was crucial to the Celtics
02:24 being able to just grind away that win last night.
02:28 Yeah, I mean, the Celtics did so much of everything.
02:32 I mean, if you look at the box score from yesterday--
02:34 and Jack, we did this after the game--
02:35 you can't really pick out the best guy.
02:38 Jalen Brown had himself a really great scoring night.
02:41 He was the driving force behind Boston's great start.
02:45 I mean, he had, what, 18 in the first half, I want to say?
02:48 Donovan Mitchell on the other end was scoring at will, too.
02:51 So they had a nice little duel as friends.
02:53 But I mean, aside from Brown and his scoring outburst,
02:56 you had Tatum play well.
02:57 Porzingis had a bunch of points quick
02:59 and then kind of didn't have to do anything in the second half.
03:01 Drew Holiday was 7 of 11, and he had four assists, three
03:05 rebounds, and Derek White had 14 points.
03:06 And then off the bench, Al Horford
03:08 had his fingerprints all over the win,
03:10 and he only took four shots.
03:11 He had 10 rebounds for the second time in three games.
03:14 I asked Mazzullo about it with my heart beating out
03:18 of my chest, but I asked nonetheless.
03:20 Couldn't tell, though, Sam.
03:21 It was a smooth delivery.
03:23 I listened back to it, and I was like, OK, not as bad
03:25 as I thought.
03:25 But he told us, he was like, hey, that's
03:29 just his competitiveness.
03:30 He's an excellent teammate, and he can go 8, 10, 12 minutes
03:33 without touching the ball, and he's still ready to go.
03:35 He came in late in the game for Porzingis
03:37 and drilled a dagger three.
03:39 So I think Horford can be a little bit of a tone setter
03:42 for the rest of the team in that respect,
03:43 because a game like yesterday, to come full circle,
03:46 did not necessarily have a best player.
03:48 Everybody just kind of did what they were supposed to do,
03:51 and the team wound up coming out on top because of it.
03:54 Yeah, I mean, we both talked about that in our post-game
03:57 recap.
03:58 I was trying to figure out, like, OK,
04:00 what's the title going to be of the video?
04:01 Who is the best player?
04:02 Because that's how I usually do it.
04:03 And it was like, there's nobody that really stood out.
04:06 Everyone kind of played their role.
04:07 Everyone did different things.
04:08 Everyone stood out in different areas,
04:09 whether it was Chris Stoppes playing the free safety
04:11 role from the corner, Jalen Brown hitting
04:13 a super cool turnaround mid-range shot,
04:15 Jason Tatum coming up big in the fourth quarter,
04:17 Derek White crashing the offensive glass,
04:19 Al Horford crashing the offensive glass.
04:21 Everyone kind of had their own niche in that game.
04:23 And I wrote about it today for Celtics blog.
04:25 It really felt like everyone was sacrificing on offense,
04:29 especially, because in order for this team to work,
04:32 the five guys in the starting lineup who are all comfortable
04:35 and almost used to having the ball in their hands
04:37 have to be willing to give it up and find other ways to score.
04:40 And we saw Jalen Brown cutting off the ball.
04:41 We saw Drew Holliday cutting off the ball.
04:43 We saw Derek White crashing the glass.
04:45 We saw Chris Stoppes-Persingas moving off the ball.
04:47 That off-ball movement and that commitment
04:49 to staying energized on offense when
04:50 the ball's not in your hand is how
04:51 this offense is going to work.
04:52 And I thought that was really crucial in that second game
04:55 against the Cavs.
04:56 So that was the thing that stood out to me.
04:57 In other news, this week the Celtics
04:59 did bring another player on board.
05:01 Drew Peterson was signed.
05:03 He spent two years at Rice, three years at USC,
05:05 and was spending this season with the Sioux Falls Sky
05:07 Force Miami Heat's G League team.
05:09 Also, can we just talk about how crazy
05:11 it is that the Heat's G League team is in the Dakotas?
05:13 What are we doing?
05:14 Like, what are we doing here?
05:15 For what?
05:16 You know how mad I would be if I was playing on the Heat
05:18 and then they sent me to Dakota to play in a lesser league?
05:23 I'd be furious.
05:24 You go from the beach weather in Miami, it's nice all the time.
05:28 You're right by the water.
05:29 And then you're in some place that some people don't even
05:32 think actually exists.
05:33 Sioux Falls, gorgeous though.
05:34 You know why they do that, I bet?
05:36 That's Pat Riley motivation.
05:38 That, hey, if you want to be a part of this organization
05:41 and make it all the way up, when you get down there,
05:43 you're grinding to get out and get to South Beach.
05:47 Sioux Falls kind of pretty, though.
05:48 I'd be mad as hell if I was there.
05:52 No Google search is going to change my mind.
05:55 It's certainly not Miami.
05:56 But Drew Peterson does join the Celtics as a two-way player.
05:59 I think this is most significant because they
06:01 cut Nathan Knight, another two-way player,
06:03 to bring this guy in.
06:04 So they must have seen something.
06:05 I did the reaction video for How About Them Celtics.
06:07 If you'd like some full thoughts and see the highlights,
06:10 check that video out.
06:11 My biggest takeaway is curious to know y'all's thoughts.
06:13 We had a comment on the video, and I said this
06:16 during the video as well.
06:17 It looks like Drew Peterson grew up as a guard
06:20 and then hit a growth spurt because he
06:22 is very comfortable with the ball in his hands.
06:23 He creates his own shot.
06:24 He's comfortable out of the post.
06:25 He almost likes working out of the post.
06:26 He's 6'9", 24 years old, but he dribbles like a point guard.
06:30 He playmakes like a point guard.
06:33 Didn't see much of him on defense.
06:35 He does look a bit slow.
06:36 He's very scrawny, so that could be a question mark.
06:38 But shoots 41% from deep, very comfortable
06:41 with the ball in his hands, very comfortable creating
06:43 his own shot.
06:44 I know he was a big spark plug energy, driving force
06:46 that final season at USC from what I saw online.
06:50 His shot does have a bit of a hitch in it,
06:52 which is a bit weird.
06:54 But if it shoots 41% from deep on four and a half attempts
06:57 a night, you don't really question it.
06:59 Bobby, curious to know your thoughts on Drew Peterson.
07:00 Well, if you're 6'9", you can afford to have a hitch,
07:03 as long as you're accurate.
07:06 And he doesn't look like someone who's bothered by being
07:09 contested by a defender.
07:11 So that's a huge perk.
07:13 And there's an obvious line of comparison
07:15 to draw between him and Sam Hauser, who recently went back
07:19 to his roots in the G League to check out Jordan Walsh
07:21 and company and talked about that journey.
07:24 And for Hauser, that development was crucial.
07:26 And for Peterson, to be in the Miami Heat infrastructure
07:32 is very important about where you start,
07:34 where you get that first opportunity.
07:36 Jack, you touched on his game, how
07:37 he likes to bring the ball up.
07:39 You see 6'9" and a shooter, and you might assume stretch four.
07:42 Not the case with this individual.
07:45 I also love that he's active off the ball.
07:47 He'll give it up, and he's not just
07:49 recharging the stamina bar.
07:50 He'll relocate.
07:51 He'll end up with a corner three out of it
07:53 or curl off the screen.
07:55 So yeah, defensively, long ways to go.
07:57 But it wasn't that many years ago that the same
08:00 was true of Sam Hauser.
08:03 Yeah, and to follow on the Sam Hauser train,
08:05 this signing seems to be a calculated move, especially
08:08 with Hauser on a $1 million per year deal
08:11 through the end of next season.
08:13 After that, he's going to be like, bring me my money.
08:15 He's going to be the football coach meme where he's like,
08:18 everybody in the locker room is hyped.
08:19 Bring me my money.
08:21 Because Hauser has led the league in three-point shooting
08:24 this season.
08:26 He's obviously going to garner more than $1 million.
08:28 He'll probably get anywhere from $15 to $20 million.
08:30 You saw Duncan Robinson get paid a few years back just
08:33 for being able to knock down threes.
08:35 Hauser, on top of that, has proven
08:37 to be a very worthy defender.
08:39 So this is a very long-winded way of me being like, hey,
08:42 this is them throwing out a backup plan
08:45 and trying to recreate what they did with Hauser,
08:48 with Drew Peterson.
08:49 Try and get another guy that has size that can knock down
08:52 the three ball.
08:53 The only thing that you really are
08:54 going to want to see from him improvement-wise
08:56 is bulk up a little bit.
08:59 We talked about this on the beginning of the last pod
09:02 when it was like, yeah, he turned sideways.
09:04 You can't see him.
09:05 So good if you're trying to hide from defenders,
09:07 but bad if you're trying to play defense.
09:10 I will also say it feels like the Celtics are committed
09:16 to this role-player farm system approach.
09:20 I wrote about it before the season.
09:21 They're consistently bringing in players that fit certain roles.
09:25 For years, the G League approach that the Celtics
09:28 and a lot of other teams took was, look at this super young
09:30 guy.
09:30 He could develop into a star.
09:31 Let's see what happens.
09:32 And then if they don't develop into a star, they're nothing.
09:34 Right?
09:34 And that's useless.
09:35 Over the past few years, you've seen the Celtics
09:37 develop a Sam Hauser, which is, at the time,
09:39 just three-point shooter, now a 3 and D guy who
09:42 is a quality rotation player.
09:43 You've seen them develop Luke Cornett into a guy
09:45 who can give them spot minutes.
09:46 You look at the guys they brought in the summer--
09:47 Jordan Chacal, great three-point shooter.
09:48 Taylor Funk, another guy who can shoot with some size.
09:51 Right?
09:51 Like, Nimesh Kay had a great offensive rebounder.
09:53 You can see the vision of a solid role player.
09:57 They're picking guys who aren't necessarily going to be stars,
09:59 but can be high-level role players.
10:01 This is the approach that he'd have taken for years.
10:03 It's taken so long for the rest of the league to catch up.
10:06 And this is why they had Gabe Vincent.
10:07 This is why they had Duncan Robinson.
10:08 It's why they had Max Drews.
10:10 It's why they have Caleb Martin.
10:11 It's why they have all these players who fit in so
10:13 beautifully.
10:13 And everyone's like, where do they keep finding these guys?
10:16 Because they're not targeting stars.
10:17 They're targeting guys who can play roles.
10:19 That's finally what the Celtics are doing.
10:21 And this isn't a knock on Danny Ainge
10:22 or a knock on anybody else around the league.
10:24 But Brad Stevens has taken a very specific approach of,
10:27 we don't need to get stars.
10:28 We need guys who could potentially
10:30 grow into players who can play around the stars we already
10:32 have.
10:33 And I think that's exactly what Drew Peterson is.
10:35 I'm not saying he's going to play 20 minutes a night
10:37 for the Celtics like Sam Hauser.
10:38 There's obviously anomalies.
10:39 But you can see the vision.
10:41 And you can see the point he could
10:42 get to where he could be playing 10 to 15 minutes a night
10:45 alongside Tatum and Brown.
10:46 I think that's the important part
10:48 to calculate when you're looking at this G League farm
10:50 system nowadays.
10:51 Yeah, what you see in Jack is they're
10:53 betting on traits now as opposed to tantalizing athleticism.
10:57 And under the punitive nature of the new collective bargaining
11:00 agreement, it's more crucial than ever
11:03 that you're able to develop players of this ilk
11:06 and have them on team-friendly contracts.
11:08 Sam Hauser, we've talked about it,
11:10 where the Celtics might not be able to afford
11:13 to re-sign him because of the penalties that
11:16 will come with doing so.
11:17 Especially if Jalen and Jason and maybe even Kristaps
11:20 are still here.
11:21 The belief is that they'll extend Drew Holliday.
11:24 And so at that point, there's going
11:26 to be some significant roster cuts to this rotation.
11:29 Hauser, you would think, ends up being one of them.
11:32 So to have someone with similar traits
11:34 that they'll have a few years to develop before that time comes,
11:38 that's going to be crucial that they're
11:39 able to find different success stories.
11:42 And hopefully Drew Peterson, for their sake, becomes one of them.
11:46 Yeah, and to what you had to say, Jack,
11:48 about developing the role players from the G League,
11:52 it's a very good strategy.
11:54 Because one thing that we kind of will mention on the pod
11:57 every once in a while is how crazy
11:59 it must be as an NBA player who has been a basketball
12:02 player their whole life that is the best guy on the floor
12:04 at all times to have to learn how to go sit there and sit
12:07 in the corner.
12:08 When you're coming off of a two-way deal,
12:12 it must, at the very least, be a humbling experience
12:16 to come to the league that way.
12:17 You know that you're not going to be the guy.
12:21 And a lot of these guys end up developing a specific skill,
12:26 like you said, Bobby, and traits that
12:28 can become helpful as a role player.
12:29 You're not going to have anybody looking to figure out
12:33 how they can be the star, how can it be their team.
12:36 They've figured that their place in the league
12:39 is doing the dirty work early.
12:42 And they're going to become the best that they can possibly
12:44 be at doing it.
12:46 And that is a great way to pick out guys.
12:48 It's a great way to save money, to Bobby's point,
12:51 with the new CBA.
12:52 Because you need to find some way
12:54 to fill roster spots meaningfully
12:56 without having to break the bank.
12:58 Because you just can't anymore.
12:59 You'll get tied up and restricted
13:01 any way you possibly can.
13:04 100%.
13:05 I like the Drew Peterson signing.
13:07 I like the vision.
13:07 And clearly, the Celtics had him in mind
13:10 when they cut Nathan Knight.
13:11 Because it was rapid fire.
13:13 I mean, we were recording the last talk in season.
13:14 They're like, yeah, let's do this right afterwards.
13:16 So they can't talk about it.
13:18 It's interesting, guys, that teams are signing players ahead
13:21 of the G League Winter Showcase in Orlando next week,
13:24 almost like they don't want to deal with the competition
13:26 of, if we wait and this player shows out,
13:29 it might be harder to sign him.
13:31 So let's just pounce on someone we like now.
13:34 Maybe they're like, we really want to win.
13:35 So we're going to sign all the best guys beforehand.
13:38 It's a trend going around right now
13:39 that players are getting scooped up ahead of the showcase.
13:43 I was talking to Tyler Rucker of No Ceilings.
13:47 He was like, yeah, I was shocked the Heat didn't keep him in.
13:49 And I mean, we know the Heat are notorious for bringing
13:52 in good guys.
13:52 So if he was surprised the Heat didn't bring him in,
13:54 that probably means Drew Peterson's a good player.
13:57 Excuse me, player.
13:57 Shout out to Tyler Rucker of No Ceilings.
14:00 Go check him out.
14:00 But last thing we're going to talk about today,
14:03 Celtics just wrapped up a two-game series
14:04 against the Cavaliers.
14:05 Now they immediately enter on the second night
14:07 of a back-to-back after the second game of the Cavs.
14:09 They're warming up for it now.
14:11 A two-game series against the Orlando Magic,
14:13 who have given them lots of trouble
14:14 over the past couple seasons.
14:16 Jason Tatum was asked about Eddie House's comments
14:17 and the Magic's response after last night's game.
14:19 He kind of chuckled, said, I don't really
14:21 know what that's about.
14:22 Haven't heard.
14:22 I love Eddie.
14:23 But it's a tough team.
14:24 They play us tough.
14:25 And they've gotten the best of us lately.
14:27 Celtics are going into this first game down some players.
14:31 Noelle Horford looks like Chris Tops and Jalen Brown
14:33 might not play either.
14:34 Luke Cornett also out.
14:35 Could be Mimi time for those wondering.
14:37 If he does play, I can see him warming up on the court below
14:40 right now.
14:41 We'll have to see what happens.
14:42 But Bobby, what are you looking for in these two
14:43 games against the Magic?
14:45 Well, it's tough because you look at what happened
14:47 the last time these two teams played on Black Friday,
14:50 the fact that the Magic have won four straight against Boston,
14:54 that the Celtics are undefeated at home
14:56 and trying to extend that streak.
14:58 And yet, Orlando has not played since Monday.
15:02 And they're healthy.
15:03 And you mentioned the injury report for the Celtics.
15:06 And it feels like a scheduled loss.
15:09 And so how Boston's rotation-- it was a team win
15:12 the other night.
15:13 Lamar Stevens got some run.
15:15 I think there's going to be moments where
15:16 he's in as a small ball five in this Friday night game.
15:20 It's going to be really interesting to see
15:22 if that extended rotation-- they're
15:24 going to get an opportunity tonight.
15:25 Can they capitalize on it?
15:28 If I had to make bets, the Celtics
15:31 would go four for four on all of those guys not playing.
15:34 I think they're not going to rush anybody
15:36 into this game coming off a back-to-back against Cleveland.
15:40 To the Orlando having a bunch of days of rest thing,
15:43 I have to believe that's a negative in the NBA.
15:46 The Celtics came out dead tired after not playing since Friday.
15:49 Not dead tired, but they came out flat
15:51 against the Cavs on Tuesday.
15:53 And it took them a little while to get their legs underneath
15:55 them, so I'd keep my eyes on that for the Orlando
15:58 side of this.
15:59 It does suck that the Celtics don't get a chance to, one,
16:03 try and get their lick back against the Magic tonight
16:05 with their full roster.
16:07 Two, defend home court with their full roster,
16:10 because I've enjoyed the storyline of them
16:12 not losing at home.
16:14 It feels like it's just starting to get legs,
16:16 and it does feel like a schedule loss tonight.
16:18 So we're not going to have too much fun with it
16:21 if they drop this one.
16:22 It's going to die pretty quickly.
16:23 J. King just did an article today or last night
16:27 about their home court and how they look at it.
16:30 It would be very, very ironic if they just dropped it today.
16:35 But who knows?
16:36 You need to get some payback against Mo Wagner.
16:39 That's for sure.
16:40 Unbelievable that he had a three-year game against them
16:43 in the in-season tournament.
16:45 I'm glad you mentioned that, because I'm curious.
16:47 And by the time this comes out, unless you listen to it
16:49 right away, the answer is probably clear.
16:51 I do wonder how they defend the Magic with no big men,
16:54 because this team has struggled with physicality this season.
16:56 And without Chris Stubbs, without Al Horford,
16:58 you're really missing some of that.
16:59 Namesh Kedah is the obvious answer.
17:00 Oh, just roll with him at center,
17:02 and you'll have the physicality that way.
17:04 They played Lamar Stevens the other night
17:05 when Luke Cornett was out as well.
17:07 I do wonder if they just say, OK, Lamar Stevens,
17:08 go muck up this game.
17:09 Go try to bully Mo Wagner in the post.
17:11 See what you can do.
17:13 Bobby, are you envisioning any Lamar Stevens
17:15 ministering this Magic series?
17:16 Because it feels like a series built for him.
17:17 Yeah, that's what I was saying earlier,
17:19 that I think along with Kedah, we're
17:20 going to see Stevens, who got some run yesterday,
17:23 and he was a plus 1.
17:25 I think overall, he was a positive contributor,
17:27 that that stat is an accurate reflection of how
17:30 he fared with his minutes.
17:31 I think he's going to get opportunities
17:33 as a small ball 5.
17:34 And that also could create problems for Wagner
17:37 in particular, trying to run up and down the floor
17:39 with the Celtics, if they're willing to push the tempo.
17:42 And so it's going to be really interesting to see.
17:44 I think O'Shea Brissett will get run,
17:46 assuming that Jalen and Chris Stubbs are both out tonight,
17:49 along with Cornett.
17:50 And so again, it's about the extended rotation.
17:53 And those are energy guys.
17:55 Those are dirt dogs that you expect
17:56 to handle the physicality and fight back
17:59 against the Magic in that regard.
18:00 So it's going to be interesting to see,
18:02 because this matchup could work out in their favor.
18:04 But they're also going to have to deal with highly skilled
18:07 young players in the likes of Ben Caro and Franz Wagner.
18:12 Yeah, I'm interested to see how he fares with some continuity.
18:16 Because we saw him play yesterday
18:19 without having played since the Bulls game.
18:21 And that was less than a minute of play.
18:23 Before that, it was the Magic game.
18:24 That was one minute of game time.
18:26 We haven't seen Stevens actually get real playing time
18:29 yet this season.
18:30 Never mind actually have back-to-back games
18:34 of actual minutes.
18:35 So I want to see if he's able to build off that.
18:37 Like you said, Bobby, he didn't have a negative impact
18:40 on this game.
18:41 When you're coming off the DNPs and you're not
18:44 in the rotation, that's really your only job.
18:47 You don't want anybody to notice that you're out there
18:49 for the wrong reason.
18:50 If he's able to make a good impact against the Magic
18:52 tonight, I like that for all of us,
18:54 because we're all Lamar Stevens guys.
18:56 I like his intensity.
18:58 I wish he could knock down threes more consistently.
19:00 I know throughout his career he's improved on it.
19:02 But from what we saw yesterday, it's not quite there yet.
19:05 But he can do some super cool dunks.
19:07 And then if he does well, I can tweet about him fictitiously
19:11 being Brad Stevens' son.
19:13 I mean, he did cut well yesterday.
19:15 He had that one nice dunk that Horford--
19:16 I think it was Horford, or somebody found him on--
19:18 Offensive rebound.
19:18 --after a Horford rebound.
19:19 Yeah, exactly.
19:19 Horford on the rebound.
19:20 He came from the baseline and got the dunk.
19:23 So you can see the vision with Lamar Stevens impacting the game.
19:27 I will say, I said this to Sam, Bobby,
19:29 when we did our little recap.
19:31 I'm almost surprised O'Shea Bursette hasn't gotten more run.
19:33 He got a lot of run at the start of the season
19:35 and then it's kind of trailed off.
19:36 But they've been focusing a lot on offensive rebounds.
19:38 And that's something he does extremely well.
19:40 You have to imagine the lack of a three-point shot
19:42 has kind of hurt him in that regard,
19:43 because you just can't space the floor and cut effectively
19:45 if you can't shoot, because teams won't guard you there.
19:47 But I do want to see him get some more run.
19:49 And like you-- excuse me, like you said,
19:51 it does feel like he could get some over this next two-game
19:53 series.
19:54 Yeah, and another skill that he brings to the table
19:56 is he has the ability to switch onto fives
19:59 and keep them off the glass.
20:01 Now, Mo Wagner is a big boy.
20:03 That's a difficult challenge there.
20:05 But he's been able to do it against centers who
20:08 were seven-footers in the past.
20:10 So again, when he gets his opportunity,
20:13 if he's keeping Wagner off the board,
20:15 limiting those second chances, which
20:17 is how he did some of his damage in that Black Friday matchup,
20:21 that's going to keep him on the floor.
20:22 The longer you're out there, the more
20:24 you're able to get in rhythm and get involved and make an impact.
20:27 So I do see Brissett getting an opportunity.
20:29 And then it's a question of what you make of it.
20:31 And not to get long-winded here, but another point
20:34 I wanted to bring up with this game that
20:36 ties into what happened Thursday against Cleveland
20:38 is, along with the ball movement and the cutting,
20:41 I thought the Celtics overall did
20:42 an excellent job with the effectiveness of their screen
20:45 setting.
20:46 And one of the ways that we saw that unfold
20:49 is in the third quarter, there was a play
20:50 where Porzingis set a screen that forced Jared Allen to have
20:54 to switch onto Drew Holiday.
20:55 And that allowed Drew to do what he does best,
20:58 which is be a scorer.
20:59 He's more that than facilitator, as willing as he
21:02 is to fill the other role.
21:04 And he just carved up Jared Allen
21:06 and ended up going downhill for an uncontested layup.
21:09 And being able to do that, whether it's Mo Wagner
21:12 or whatever big, you can force to switch onto Tatum or Drew
21:17 Holiday or any of your big name players
21:18 that are available tonight, that's
21:20 another way to consistently manufacture buckets.
21:24 Yeah, I would be interested to see that,
21:26 because you do have a spot for a big Drew Holiday game,
21:29 big Derek White game, Jack.
21:31 Maybe he has a lot of extra shots tonight
21:33 if all those other guys are out.
21:35 So you could see a lot of those guys hit their overs tonight.
21:38 Shout out to the pregame stream, which I'm
21:40 sure we'll talk about parlays.
21:42 But yeah, also curious to see if Cato makes an impact,
21:46 because we mentioned it earlier today.
21:48 He very well could get some extra run tonight.
21:50 It would be kind of cool if he was all
21:53 over the offensive glass, because we saw that against--
21:55 who was it he played against?
21:56 Atlanta that time.
21:57 I mean, it was all his misses, but still, he was hustling.
22:00 He was working hard.
22:01 It's what you want to see from a guy that's
22:03 trying to get extra minutes.
22:04 You know who won't be getting extra minutes
22:06 is Delano Banton, who was just ruled out by the--
22:08 Oh, it's--
22:09 --Southlakes due to a non-COVID illness.
22:13 Real hospital Southlakes games tonight.
22:15 Did we get him to--
22:16 New England Baptist Hospital is really
22:18 getting their money's worth in this one.
22:19 It feels like--
22:20 New England Baptist Hospital cashing in
22:21 on the misfortune of others.
22:23 [LAUGHTER]
22:25 Oh, man.
22:26 Did we hit on every point?
22:27 Did we miss anything?
22:28 What do you guys-- did I get it all?
22:30 Who went around the horn?
22:31 There we go.
22:32 All right, well, Bobby, any final thoughts?
22:35 No, I'm just curious to see if the Southlakes--
22:37 even if this does prove to be a scheduled loss,
22:40 if they're at full strength or at least close to it on Sunday,
22:43 and then they get to really face this challenge
22:47 of the physicality the Magic have,
22:49 and it's more of an earnest revenge game.
22:53 All right.
22:53 Well, thank you all for tuning in.
22:54 We appreciate it very much.
22:55 Make sure to subscribe to How About Them Southlakes.
22:57 You can read all of Bobby's work on SI Media Group,
23:01 but it's on Inside the Southlakes on Sports Illustrated.
23:04 Appreciate it.
23:04 And I'll let Sam take it out.
23:06 Hey, thank you very much for listening or watching.
23:08 If you're watching on YouTube or you're in Bobby's article,
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23:20 or the trade rumor breakdowns, or the pregame streams,
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23:25 Those are on YouTube as well as Facebook.
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23:40 Bobby's handle is @BobbyKravitsky for Twitter.
23:43 You can follow Jack @JacksWannabe.
23:45 You can follow me @SamLaFranceNBA.
23:46 That's it for us.
23:47 Bye.
23:47 [MUSIC PLAYING]
23:50 [CROWD CHEERING]
23:51 Tick Tackle.
23:52 Come on.
23:53 Tick Tackle.
23:54 Tick Tackle.
23:55 Tackle's having some fun here.
23:57 He's bogus!
24:01 These guys are ridiculous!
24:04 These guys are ridiculous!
24:07 (upbeat music)
24:10 [BLANK_AUDIO]