Today, Bob Ryan and Gary Tanguay break down the Celtics' recent games and address their struggles as they prepare for the playoffs. Plus, as March madness comes through Boston, Bob and Gary give their thoughts on the current state of NCAA basketball, and their picks for the Final Four. That, and much more!
EPISODE TIMELINE:
01:00 - Feeling around Celtics
06:14 - C’s Experimenting for Playoffs
11:00 - C’s Playoff Prediction
13:05 - PrizePicks
14:05 - Elite 8 in Boston
15:50 - Quality of play in NCAA
18:30 - Edey & DJ Burns
23:30 - UConn
28:30 - Purdue v UConn Final
30:30 - Bob Ryan & Auerbach
This episode is brought to you by Prize Picks! Get in on the excitement with PrizePicks, America’s No. 1 Fantasy Sports App, where you can turn your hoops knowledge into serious cash. Download the app today and use code CLNS for a first deposit match up to $100! Pick more. Pick less. It’s that Easy! Football season may be over, but the action on the floor is heating up. Whether it’s Tournament Season or the fight for playoff homecourt, there’s no shortage of high stakes basketball moments this time of year. Quick withdrawals, easy gameplay and an enormous selection of players and stat types are what make PrizePicks the #1 daily fantasy sports app!
When you’re hiring for your small business, you want to find quality professionals that are right for the role. That’s why you have to check out LinkedIn Jobs. LinkedIn Jobs has the tools to help find the right professionals for your team, faster and for free. Post your job for free at LinkedIn.com/SCRIBE. Terms and conditions apply.
EPISODE TIMELINE:
01:00 - Feeling around Celtics
06:14 - C’s Experimenting for Playoffs
11:00 - C’s Playoff Prediction
13:05 - PrizePicks
14:05 - Elite 8 in Boston
15:50 - Quality of play in NCAA
18:30 - Edey & DJ Burns
23:30 - UConn
28:30 - Purdue v UConn Final
30:30 - Bob Ryan & Auerbach
This episode is brought to you by Prize Picks! Get in on the excitement with PrizePicks, America’s No. 1 Fantasy Sports App, where you can turn your hoops knowledge into serious cash. Download the app today and use code CLNS for a first deposit match up to $100! Pick more. Pick less. It’s that Easy! Football season may be over, but the action on the floor is heating up. Whether it’s Tournament Season or the fight for playoff homecourt, there’s no shortage of high stakes basketball moments this time of year. Quick withdrawals, easy gameplay and an enormous selection of players and stat types are what make PrizePicks the #1 daily fantasy sports app!
When you’re hiring for your small business, you want to find quality professionals that are right for the role. That’s why you have to check out LinkedIn Jobs. LinkedIn Jobs has the tools to help find the right professionals for your team, faster and for free. Post your job for free at LinkedIn.com/SCRIBE. Terms and conditions apply.
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SportsTranscript
00:00 [MUSIC]
00:23 It is that time for the Gary Tag--
00:24 Well, let's not start with me.
00:26 Three, two, one.
00:27 It's that time for the Bob Ryan, Jeff Goodman, Gary Tang.
00:31 We're along for the right podcast.
00:32 We know that Jeff has been MIA because he is swamped with NCAA stuff.
00:37 So we miss him, but we're going to carry on.
00:41 Brought to you by Price Picks, the exclusive daily fantasy partner of CLNS
00:45 Media.
00:46 Pick more, pick less.
00:48 Pick more, pick less.
00:50 It's that easy with Price Picks.
00:52 OK, so we're going to get into the NCAA tournament.
00:55 You went to the garden.
00:57 You saw it all.
00:58 At the time of this recording, the Final Four is set.
01:01 But first, we have to talk about the Celtics.
01:03 I want to talk about their last three games overall.
01:06 They won their last game, whoopee.
01:10 But then the Atlanta game, the first one, we talked about that.
01:14 I mean, that was embarrassing.
01:16 Then the second game, they still lost, but it had to go to overtime.
01:21 So how are you feeling about the season now?
01:26 I'm a little annoyed.
01:28 I'm not panicked.
01:29 I'm annoyed.
01:32 The things are correctable technically, but get inside the heads.
01:37 That's not technical.
01:39 That's different.
01:40 But the problem-- not the problem.
01:46 The ongoing issue seems to be, if we have one with this team,
01:50 is their conduct at the end of close games.
01:54 And so often, they don't have a close game.
01:56 They've won three games by 50, God knows.
01:59 But consider that their last--
02:01 but two of their last four losses were close games,
02:03 in which they did not execute it, as well as the other team at the end.
02:07 And there's a lot of discussion.
02:09 People even timed out that the one game, one time,
02:14 Brown dribbled it 19 times and Tatum 23 or vice versa.
02:19 It doesn't matter.
02:20 But those are the two numbers that people
02:22 counted for their dribbles before they launched unsuccessful shots
02:25 to win games.
02:27 So their conduct at the end of the game is under scrutiny
02:30 by a lot of people, fans and media.
02:33 And this is an ongoing issue, quite frankly,
02:39 that's going to surface in the playoffs.
02:41 They're going to have to execute at the end of games.
02:43 They're not going to win every game by 20 points.
02:45 So that's a concern.
02:47 And the thing that we--
02:49 I think, myself, is that you've got a team here
02:52 that doesn't have to exclusively go to those guys.
02:57 They have a well-balanced scoring weapon, machinery there.
03:02 And including a guy I'd like to see take some clutch shots,
03:05 and that's Derek White.
03:06 We know the holiday can do it.
03:07 And they've got a 7' 3" guy that you can rely on to throw the ball into,
03:11 who makes free throws, by the way, if he gets fouled.
03:14 But that's the thing, is these close games and the way they operate.
03:20 And that's one issue.
03:22 Second issue we'll get to is the offensive rebounding,
03:25 the rebounding where they get hurt on the offensive glass.
03:28 And I thought very interesting Joe Mazzola addressed that.
03:32 And I've got some quotes we want to go over
03:34 with him on that score about his explanation for that.
03:38 So-- but-- and also, one last thing, I'll yield the floor here.
03:45 Very interesting.
03:46 I got-- this is a very fascinating quote from Joe Mazzola.
03:49 And he said that it's actually a good thing that people are--
04:01 people-- he said the team should be, quote, "flattered."
04:03 This is Gary Washburn.
04:05 He said the team should be flattered about the criticism
04:09 because it means that the people are paying attention, I guess.
04:17 I mean, people should be flattered about the criticism.
04:20 And he said, and it's not even about you have to stay positive,
04:23 you just have to stay true.
04:25 That's the most important thing.
04:26 You can't fake positivity.
04:27 So he's kind of shrugging it off, in a sense, you know, that, OK,
04:31 people are upset with us, but we know what we're doing.
04:34 Well, we'll see.
04:35 Now, Drew Holliday was back on Thursday night.
04:39 So I don't think we can underplay his absence enough.
04:44 OK.
04:45 To your point, the way of the NBA--
04:50 and it was even this way when Pierce played.
04:52 You know, I mean, Paul had to take the last shot.
04:56 We've seen it time and time again.
04:58 But you're right.
04:59 There's five options, you know, with this team.
05:04 You know, you've mentioned two of them.
05:05 And even Holliday doesn't care about taking the last shot.
05:08 But this is what I feel.
05:10 Holliday should be facilitating the last play, right?
05:14 It should not be Brown or Tatum dribbling the ball
05:18 under the floor.
05:19 Facilitate the last play to give Brown or Tatum or Porzingis
05:24 or White the best shot.
05:27 And it's common sense.
05:28 But Bob, for the last 20 years in the NBA,
05:32 that's not the way it's done.
05:35 Yeah.
05:36 Well, it's-- you know, ISO world,
05:38 that's where you're getting at.
05:39 It is.
05:40 I guess, yes.
05:40 You just said it in two words.
05:41 I said it in 100.
05:43 But yeah.
05:43 And here's the deal.
05:45 It doesn't work for the Celtics.
05:47 It does not work.
05:49 What works is when Holliday runs the offense
05:52 or they have movement.
05:54 That's what works.
05:55 When they do the ISO thing, it doesn't work.
05:59 Well, you know, once in a while, yes.
06:03 But right, it's not the way to go.
06:05 So that's the concern.
06:07 And we addressed this a little bit last time.
06:12 And it's interesting.
06:14 Joe's question arises is Joe using these games right now,
06:20 all these games, as testing--
06:24 as experimental games.
06:25 Sure.
06:26 And looking ahead to the playoffs,
06:28 because they're up in 11 in the loss column.
06:31 They're not going to lose.
06:32 It's just a matter of days before--
06:33 Right, that is correct.
06:34 --they clinch the playoffs.
06:36 There's only eight games left.
06:38 By the way, six at home.
06:40 And winnable games.
06:42 So he appears to be using these games as a testing mechanism
06:49 and rather--
06:50 and experimental things.
06:52 And OK, well, you know, that's very interesting, really.
06:57 Frankly.
06:58 And we'll see how that goes.
07:01 But don't you think he knows his team by now?
07:05 You'd like to think so.
07:06 I mean, you know, it's not like there
07:08 haven't been any significant additions to work in this year.
07:12 The only addition to work in during the course of the season
07:15 was Xavier Tillman, who's the 10th man.
07:18 Right.
07:19 Officially, he's the 10th man.
07:21 So I think that--
07:22 you know, I look back to the Tuesday night game.
07:24 And obviously, he wanted to get his bench
07:26 guys a lot of playing time.
07:28 But when he brought in, you know, Brown and Tatum,
07:32 they still didn't get--
07:35 did not get it done in the game they should have won.
07:38 So obviously, the win meant more to Atlanta on the second night.
07:42 I just-- it's a slippery slope.
07:45 You know, it's just--
07:47 just put the guys away that you should put away.
07:49 That's right.
07:50 There's another thing.
07:51 Joe's flattered that people care.
07:53 You know what I mean?
07:54 That people are looking at this team so closely, quite frankly.
07:58 And he's not-- he's regarding this scrutiny as a compliment.
08:04 Very interesting, you know, way of looking at things, frankly.
08:07 He's not upset that people are nitpicking him.
08:09 He's happy that they care enough to nitpick them.
08:11 And that they-- you have to nitpick them,
08:14 because the big picture is that they're pretty damn good.
08:16 We all know that.
08:18 And-- but just being pretty damn good
08:21 isn't going to get another flag.
08:23 They'll have hung if they don't pay attention to some details.
08:26 The other thing that is offensive rebounding,
08:29 and the numbers--
08:32 and the two Atlanta games, they gave up 33 offensive rebounds
08:35 to the Hawks.
08:36 And-- now, they bounced back against the Borlands
08:40 and had a much more representative showing.
08:42 But he's got all this technical explanation
08:44 of what's going on.
08:46 And you have to really follow it very closely.
08:48 He's talking about shift activity,
08:51 don't get caught up in no man's land,
08:53 and your guy cuts behind you.
08:54 You have to look at the route.
08:56 It's hard to look at the box score.
08:57 That just gives you the result, not the process, quote unquote.
09:01 And I was thinking about reading this.
09:04 And of course, one of the things that people talk about
09:08 is rebounding out of a zone is that you don't have your body
09:12 on the guy automatically.
09:14 And he's just implying that that's
09:16 the same thing with the nature of their own ability
09:19 to switch.
09:20 To switch on defense.
09:22 And all right, I never heard that theory before.
09:25 We'll-- applying it in that sense, we'll see.
09:28 But he does make a very good point,
09:31 because the first-- the Bob Ryan first rule of rebound,
09:35 very simple.
09:36 Do you want the damn ball or don't you?
09:37 Right.
09:38 Go get the damn ball.
09:39 I usually use another adjective.
09:42 And that's number one.
09:45 Then you talk positioning, and you talk timing.
09:47 And then last and least important is jumping.
09:50 Frankly.
09:50 And so the number one is you want the ball or don't you.
09:53 And he's saying the first--
09:57 I'm just quoting now from Joe Mazula.
09:59 The first teaching point is to guard the ball better.
10:01 The second teaching point is be aware of shift out of the--
10:04 and the third one is to go get the ball.
10:06 There were six that we didn't go get the ball.
10:10 This is the last game in Atlanta.
10:11 You just have to get to the root and coach.
10:13 Well, I think it's number one.
10:16 It's not number three.
10:17 But I see what he's saying.
10:18 But believe me, the number one is you want the damn ball or don't you.
10:21 Right.
10:21 And go get the ball.
10:22 They have had games where they have been the dominant.
10:26 They've been the aggressor.
10:27 They've won games in part because of aggressive offensive rebounding.
10:30 It's not like they can't do it.
10:32 I just hope that this is a point of emphasis when the big games start.
10:36 I want to know that they are really--
10:38 that they want to cover that base very closely.
10:41 That they want to make sure that they do the job on the defensive boards
10:46 and don't get hurt on the offensive boards.
10:48 And obviously, against New Orleans, they were locked in.
10:51 They played great defense.
10:53 They-- you know.
10:54 They were-- enough was enough.
10:56 And--
10:56 Right.
10:56 They straightened things out.
10:58 Finally.
10:58 That's good.
10:59 You know, good.
11:00 But let me ask you this, Bob, because I do want to get into the college stuff.
11:04 Yeah.
11:04 What's your gut telling you?
11:07 What is Bob Ryan, Hall of Famer, you know, 50 years on the beat,
11:15 what is your gut telling you about this team in the playoffs?
11:18 That they have to prove themselves.
11:24 That I'm not convinced that they have the championship je ne sais quoi,
11:28 the championship awareness, what it means.
11:32 The desire to do all the little things.
11:35 That they, I think, believe that--
11:38 I believe they are the most talented, you know, team in the league
11:44 at every junction, one to five, one to six, seven, eight, nine,
11:47 right down to 10 with Tillman.
11:49 No, I wouldn't trade this roster, technically,
11:52 technically, for any other roster in the league.
11:55 No, no, you're-- nothing.
11:56 There's no other team I'd rather have, technically.
11:59 But, you know, we know one team that has proven itself, well, lately,
12:05 that does-- and they don't have to have 10-- and that's Denver.
12:08 I tried-- and they have to follow a blueprint of the Warriors
12:13 in their glory years, too, that pay attention to detail.
12:17 I'm not convinced.
12:18 I'm hopeful, but I'm not-- I'm reasonably confident that, you know,
12:23 but they have to prove it.
12:25 I'm sorry, they have to prove it.
12:27 And they start with Tatum.
12:28 And it starts with Tatum.
12:31 And he has to, you know, play as well as he can play in these playoffs
12:37 and play intelligently.
12:39 But they don't need a talent infusion.
12:41 They do not need anything, technically.
12:43 Although, you know, the one place area of vulnerability has been, at times,
12:46 this offensive rebounding that we talked about.
12:48 I think that-- I think with the team that they have, it's correctable.
12:51 It's not like they don't have the parties to get the job done.
12:53 I think it's correctable.
12:55 So, you know, but I think that-- I'm not making them the favorites.
12:59 To me, Denver's the favorite until further notice.
13:02 And, you know, they have something to prove.
13:05 - Football season may be over, but the action on the floor is heating up.
13:10 Whether it's a tournament season or the fight for a playoff home court,
13:14 there's no shortage of high-stakes basketball moments this time of year.
13:18 Get in on the excitement with PrizePix, America's number one fantasy sports app,
13:24 where you can turn your hoops knowledge into serious cash.
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14:00 It's that easy.
14:05 - Okay, Bob, let's go to the NCAA tournament.
14:07 First of all, I want to ask you about your experience watching the games in Boston.
14:11 - That, it continues to be a good venue.
14:15 The crowd was good.
14:17 Obviously, I heard good compliments from people that were covering it about the way it was run,
14:25 complimenting BC, who are the host institution,
14:30 the people that they hired to get the jobs done.
14:32 Only good things.
14:34 So that's my impression.
14:36 I was a fan up in the section 301.
14:39 So I strictly spoke as a fan.
14:41 My experience was very good with my daughter watching those games.
14:45 The impression of the quality of play was uneven.
14:52 And I do think that the Iowa State-Illinois game was marred by
14:56 the worst kind of college over-officiating.
15:01 And I've said this for 30 years, that every official at every level
15:06 should have to pass a pass/fail quiz before every game, he or she referees.
15:11 And that question is, why am I here?
15:13 And you are not here to demonstrate to us that you know every comma in the rule book.
15:18 You are here to adjudicate the smooth flow of the game, no more, no less.
15:22 And these officials have failed that very badly at times at the Garden.
15:29 And so that was a bit of a mark, something that marked.
15:32 Now, the overall impression, I went into the tournament,
15:34 overall, saying UConn's the best team after watching the Big East tournament.
15:39 And they clearly are the best team.
15:43 They can lose.
15:45 They're not invincible, but they're the best team.
15:48 And I will be very surprised if they do not win the championship this year.
15:52 What I'm observing, and I was texting my old television colleague, Donnie Marshall,
15:59 Oh, yes.
16:00 And I was just like, Donnie, is it me or has the quality play really gone down?
16:06 And there's a couple of reasons for that.
16:09 Like he, you know, I don't think it's a big deal.
16:14 You know, he said COVID obviously set people back.
16:16 But I think COVID, I think players getting to the NBA via other,
16:23 whether they go to the G League, being one and done.
16:27 If a player is one year and done,
16:29 they don't have a chance to mature and become a great college player.
16:33 And they go to the NBA and maybe in three or four years,
16:36 there'll be a good NBA player.
16:38 And then the guys who stick around in college
16:41 aren't as good as the ones who are one and done, right?
16:45 I mean, they're not, you know, so it's just the quality.
16:48 Every year I just say, okay, it's great that Alabama is there.
16:52 It's great that, okay, we have an NC State, which is an 11 seed,
16:56 you know, which beat a Duke team, a number four seed,
16:59 that Duke was not that good.
17:00 And I just go, the product is just, it's just not what it was.
17:06 - Yep, I think I agree with you in general.
17:10 Also the fact with this, and it's gonna get,
17:12 only gonna get worse because in terms of the continuity,
17:15 the teams aren't T-E-A-M's the way they should be.
17:19 - Right.
17:20 - The constant influx of turnover personnel,
17:22 right, the transfer portal issue.
17:26 Of course, so it's gonna be a factor
17:30 as you're trying to find a team that has been together for a while, you know.
17:33 - Like the last great college team I loved that played together
17:37 and they chose to stay in school was Florida.
17:39 - It is, and you know how long ago that was, folks?
17:42 That was 2006, '07, their second one.
17:44 So that's how long ago we're talking here, that last great team.
17:49 - That was Noah.
17:50 - And remember why they were a great team,
17:52 it's because Joachim Noah chose to come back.
17:55 - Right, in Hartford.
17:56 - But he could have gone out.
17:58 - Right.
17:58 - And Corey Gaines did, and I think Al was a year younger.
18:02 - He was younger.
18:03 - All right, but that was the great, last truly great college team
18:07 that was Florida back to backs.
18:11 And there's a chance we'll ever see a team that good again
18:14 because of the constant influx and turnover personnel that we have everywhere.
18:18 So that's part of it.
18:21 But UConn, though, they're good.
18:25 - Well, enough of me bitching and moaning.
18:27 Let's talk about the team.
18:28 - They touch all the bases.
18:29 - Okay, so we're looking at like Purdue.
18:33 I want to talk about the Purdue big guy, all right?
18:36 'Cause I can't figure, I'm trying to get a real read on it.
18:40 Like he had 40 points in this game.
18:42 - 40 today.
18:42 - Yeah, he had 40.
18:44 So I'm like, where the hell did these come from?
18:48 Because at first I'm like, he doesn't move that well.
18:50 I'm talking about Eadie.
18:52 He doesn't move that well.
18:53 - Yeah, Jack Eadie.
18:53 - Yeah, he doesn't move that well.
18:56 Everything is around the basket.
18:58 Does he have a jump shot?
18:59 He's 7'4", but 7'4" guys in the league can handle.
19:04 People don't think he's going to be drafted.
19:07 How do you feel about him?
19:09 - He's a throwback player.
19:10 This is a throwback player without any question.
19:14 Today's game, I don't remember anything that was more,
19:17 his range was six, three feet.
19:19 The whole game, they got 40 points.
19:21 This is a throwback player, unlike Christophe Rzingas.
19:25 Okay, Klingin can shoot from outside.
19:30 This is the kid in Connecticut a little bit.
19:31 A little bit, Donovan Klingin, who's 7'2".
19:34 Which that's the matchup I'm praying for when we get to Phoenix
19:37 is that's the game I want.
19:38 I want Kuhn and Purdue.
19:40 I want to see those two go at each other.
19:42 But right, Zach Yaddy is a throwback player.
19:45 I would love to see the shot chart on today's game for the 40 points
19:49 because there was nothing resembling a jump shot that I remember.
19:52 - It would just be a big, it'd be a dark circle under the hoop.
19:56 - But that's, you know, but he knows what he's doing down there.
19:59 He's agile enough.
20:00 He has a sufficient lateral mobility and he's ambidextrous.
20:05 He's very confident, comfortable going with his left as well.
20:09 And so it's not just a matter of sitting over, going over his left shoulder.
20:12 He can go over his right shoulder too.
20:13 And the team knows how to play, you know, how to use him very well.
20:18 So yeah, I'm happy that they're there.
20:24 I mean, I think, and he's a very self-aware kid.
20:27 He's from Toronto, you know.
20:30 - Yeah, he's Canadian.
20:31 Oh yeah, yeah, yeah.
20:31 - Canadian.
20:32 And he's aware of the big man criticism these days.
20:38 And he wants to, and he wasn't recruited as heavily as he thinks he should have been.
20:42 And so he's playing with a metaphorical chip on his shoulder.
20:45 So you got a 7'4" guy playing with a chip on his shoulder.
20:47 That's pretty intimidating for sure.
20:50 So, you know, yeah, he's intriguing.
20:53 The overall, you know, NC State is, they've won now nine straight
20:58 since the start of the tournament and the ACC tournament.
21:02 And this is a throwback to '03, '83, you know.
21:05 - Oh yeah.
21:06 - I mean, this is what they did.
21:07 I can tell you, I cite that every year when a tournament comes,
21:12 I'm a broken record on this one, okay.
21:14 I remember being at the Big East tournament in 1983,
21:17 in between games in Madison Square Garden and watching on television,
21:21 the end of NC State's first round ACC tournament game.
21:26 If they don't win, they're NIT bound, all right.
21:30 If they don't win that game, and they're in trouble with a minute to go.
21:33 They, I don't know where they were trailing,
21:35 but they go down, they pull it out in the first round of the,
21:40 I remember watching it.
21:41 It was in between games in New York, so I was able to watch the game.
21:44 And so they'd luck, they pull it out in the first round of the ACC tournament
21:50 in a desperation winner go home, you know, thing.
21:52 And the next, and then a couple of weeks, you know, three weeks later,
21:56 they're sipping the champagne, metaphorically.
21:58 They're winning, cutting down the nets, I'll let it put it that way.
22:01 They're cutting down the nets in Albuquerque.
22:03 And so that's, this is, they're going to have to follow the same path.
22:08 Now, you can't follow this path in the 11th,
22:10 when they ran through the big East tournament.
22:14 Right.
22:15 They weren't anywhere near a favorite that year.
22:17 And they went up, went into the championship.
22:19 But this is an NC State, Valvano's, you know, smiling down,
22:24 got a thing, and all that stuff.
22:25 And of course they have this lovable big man that's going to be,
22:29 you know, everybody's being charmed by DJ Burns.
22:33 And what a great kid though.
22:35 I mean, he's smart, musician, well read.
22:37 In a big game tonight.
22:39 And, you know, they're going to be fun to have around.
22:41 And, you know, what I love about that kid,
22:44 you know what he said after the game?
22:45 He said, when I stop loving to play basketball, I'll stop playing.
22:49 And I believe him.
22:51 I mean, they did a piece on him.
22:53 He's a musician.
22:54 He loves to read.
22:56 He has other interests.
22:57 I mean, he's just a role model.
22:59 I mean, I love this guy.
23:00 That's nice.
23:00 No, it's good to find.
23:02 That's great.
23:02 It's great to, you know, and he'll be a source of greater interest
23:05 and when we get to Phoenix and I say we, because I am going to Phoenix.
23:09 Oh, good.
23:09 My wife and I will be there.
23:11 So we got, they're the outlier, the 11th seed,
23:16 but they're still a, you know, a blue blood organization still, you know,
23:20 that they just happen to, you know, be an 11th seed this year,
23:23 but they've got some pedigree in them.
23:25 And so that's really good.
23:28 So, nope.
23:31 Anyway, but you can.
23:32 But let me, let me ask you about UConn because we expect UConn to beat Alabama.
23:37 I mean, we get that, you know, by the way, I just, whenever I see Alabama play,
23:42 and I love that Gene Katie was there for Purdue.
23:45 I just love the, I throw back to the old coaches like Wim Sanderson in the jacket.
23:50 You know, I mean, what a character, you know?
23:53 Yeah.
23:53 I mean, guys like that and Gene Katie, who, when he was on the sideline,
23:56 he always looked so mean.
23:58 I mean, he used to scare the hell out of me.
24:01 So, and it's great.
24:02 They gave him a string from one of the nets tonight when they cut down the net.
24:06 And I love Purdue's coach.
24:08 I mean, I remember when he played, hell.
24:09 But UConn, why is UConn, Bob, far and above everybody else?
24:17 Is it the recruiting?
24:18 Is it the coaching?
24:19 What is it?
24:20 Well, they've now, if they've now taken,
24:23 this is the third different coach to take them to a Final Four.
24:26 Started with Calhoun and then went to Kevin Olley.
24:28 Right.
24:29 And now it's Danny Hurley, who clearly is an excellent, excellent coach.
24:32 And he's been from the, he's a coaching, you know, his daddy's son.
24:37 Oh, yeah, sure.
24:37 Yeah.
24:38 He's his daddy's son.
24:39 And that he was his record.
24:41 His first coaching job was the St. Benedict's Rep in Newark, New Jersey.
24:44 And he had a phenomenal record there.
24:48 And he parlayed that to go to URI.
24:51 And now here he is.
24:52 Okay.
24:53 And it was, and so he's really, he can really coach.
24:58 They've got a culture now, you know, and he's, he's, well,
25:02 basketball matters.
25:03 Look at, look at the women.
25:05 They've won 11 championships on the women and five in the men.
25:08 And this is their seventh Final Four.
25:09 And, you know, they got an outside chance.
25:13 The women have an outside chance of winning.
25:14 So they could have the parlay.
25:16 By the way, NC State's got, the women are playing, you know, tomorrow for,
25:20 they may go too.
25:22 So anyway, basketball matters.
25:26 It matters.
25:26 It always mattered to a degree.
25:28 I, you know, back in the fifties, they dominated the old Yankee conference in the sixties.
25:31 Still pretty good.
25:32 But, and, and, and yet when they entered the big East in 1979, for the first half a dozen
25:37 years or so, they were the doormat of the league.
25:39 UConn.
25:40 And it wasn't until Calhoun came in and, and turned them around within two years, they
25:44 won the NIT.
25:46 And in the third year, they went to the tournament and, and, and, you know, they've been UConn
25:49 ever since.
25:50 And, and Calhoun, you know, me and Gina, what they both have done to make Storrs, Connecticut,
25:57 a destination is really a remarkable thing, frankly, you know, and, and they both deserve
26:03 the credit.
26:03 And, and, and Danny now is following, and of course his father has won 25 state championships
26:11 he's in the hall of fame, Bobby senior, you know, so, but they've got culture, but the
26:16 team technically this year, they touch all the bases.
26:18 They've got the best one, two center punch in America, because not only did they have
26:22 a seven, two kid who can play, they come off the bench with a six, 10 kid who could play
26:26 Sam Sampson Johnson, the best player ever to come out of Togo, by the way.
26:30 And I don't mean Palazzi.
26:32 I'm talking about the central African nation of Togo.
26:35 And he said, he said, and I tell people, you can just turn over the hourglass, it's going
26:42 to happen when he comes in.
26:44 They are throwing him a lob as soon as they can.
26:47 He gets a lob within four or five possessions, every game.
26:52 So watch for that when you see the semifinals, the when Sampson Johnson comes in, they're
26:56 lobbying to him.
26:57 I would like to think the opponents all know I know I know.
27:00 So, I mean, that's what's going to happen, but they, they've got excellent guard play,
27:04 they've got a wonderful forward from Southbridge, Massachusetts, Alex caravan.
27:08 They've got a nice.
27:09 And here's my favorite, favorite player, not the best naturally, but they come up to skip
27:16 Hassan Diarra, and he, he is so sneaky good.
27:22 And he gets the job done.
27:24 And when the game is over, I'm sure the other team looks at the statue.
27:27 How do you get that?
27:27 Where does 10 points come from?
27:29 And he'll get them one way or the other.
27:31 And he's a spark plug and energy guy.
27:33 So they've got that going for him.
27:36 They have everything going for him.
27:37 They defend the hell out of it.
27:38 You know, they're, they're the best team, they can have an off night.
27:43 But how about a 30, oh, run, you know, I'm watching this game.
27:47 And I knew that a 25, oh, run to start the second half, you know, I forgot about the
27:53 five points agenda.
27:54 The first, the score at the game, the final score was much closer.
27:58 I mean, when have you ever seen at any level a 30, oh, run?
28:03 Oh, no, they're dominant.
28:05 I mean, and they're winning by 27 points a game so far in the tournament.
28:09 That's not that you'd like to say that can't continue.
28:12 But until somebody stops them, it might.
28:15 So but, but, you know, what, what, what, imagine being a UConn fan and you got the men and
28:22 the women.
28:23 And once again, it's not the first time they didn't win it once.
28:26 Oh, yeah.
28:27 Oh, yeah.
28:27 It's, it's a remarkable thing in Storrs, Connecticut.
28:31 God love them, you know, good.
28:32 Well, I think we're all hoping for Purdue UConn.
28:36 And I think that that's what I want.
28:38 The big men.
28:39 Absolutely.
28:39 I want Clingin and Ed's Edie.
28:42 Absolutely.
28:42 And, you know, I got Purdue, Purdue's knocked on the door.
28:46 The first time he went to the Final Four, they had no chance in the championship game.
28:50 You know why?
28:51 They were playing Luell Sendor's farewell season.
28:55 And they got whacked.
28:57 That was with Rick Mount 1969.
28:59 Yeah.
28:59 And then in 1980, that was the Joe Barry Carroll team that.
29:05 Oh, that's right.
29:06 Yep.
29:06 And they, they were, they built, they deserved to be there, but they weren't good enough.
29:10 And that was, that was Louisville.
29:11 And, and now they're back again.
29:13 And, and, and, and they, they, they won the big 10.
29:16 They've been consistently good.
29:19 Gene Katie was a terrific coach, a hall of fame coach.
29:22 They should be, if he isn't, I don't know, I'm not sure if he is or not, but Gene Katie
29:26 and basketball matters there.
29:28 Football matters there.
29:29 Sports matter there.
29:30 Was, was that 80 Louisville team?
29:33 Obviously there was Denny Crumb.
29:34 Was that Dr. Duncanstein and Darryl Griffin?
29:36 Yes, it was.
29:37 Yes, it was.
29:38 That was the team.
29:39 And that was the year that UCLA got there with Larry Brown and they were reported.
29:42 That was a 48 team tournament and they were reportedly, but no one could prove it.
29:46 The 48 team invited, they got in and they went all the way to the final four.
29:50 Right.
29:50 And that was Kiki Vanderway.
29:52 Okay.
29:52 And I didn't, I was in Indianapolis for that one.
29:56 But so anyway, Purdue was there and I know here's the funny thing.
30:00 Celtics that you had had the number one pick and, and, and I was definitely afraid.
30:05 I did not like Joe Barry Carroll.
30:07 Right.
30:07 I thought he was a big, I just didn't like him as a player and I was so petrified they
30:13 were going to take him.
30:14 And that's the year they got McHale.
30:15 They traded out McHale.
30:17 Thank God.
30:18 So in parish eventually, right.
30:20 And Robert and McHale, one of the great ultimate swindles in the history of that was for Joe
30:25 Barry Carroll and Ricky Brown.
30:26 It was the 13th pick.
30:27 That's those, that's what it was.
30:29 And if you remember Ricky Brown, you were a pretty good fan of sport basketball.
30:33 Was that one of the few times that Bob Ryan agreed with Red Arbach or.
30:37 Oh no, we didn't.
30:38 Oh no.
30:39 What makes you say that?
30:40 No, I don't.
30:40 I'm just being.
30:41 I had a couple of things with red, but, but basically, oh no, I mean he wasn't invincible.
30:49 It wasn't infallible, excuse me.
30:50 You know, he, but, but no, basically I'm fine on red and I'm proud that we got along great.
30:58 But I, but that was, I'll tell you what.
31:01 I think I know the protagonist on that deal.
31:05 It was Bill Fitch.
31:06 Bill Fitch had his eye on Robert Parish.
31:10 I know this from my conversations, my breakfast conversations at the airport, you know, things
31:15 like that, right.
31:16 I'm so happy with pitch and, and he, he, I couldn't quote him because I'd be tampering,
31:22 but I know he really lusted to get his hands on Robert Parish, who we thought was being
31:28 underutilized, particularly not running the floor, the way he could run the floor.
31:32 And we also, you know, he was a hundred percent correct with, with his observation and his
31:39 evaluation of Robert Parish.
31:40 But I'm going to give red gets all the credit, of course, because he got all the credit for
31:44 everything.
31:45 But Bill Fitch was the driving force to get Robert Parish.
31:49 And so drafting here, Larry, a year early, right.
31:53 And yes, making this deal.
31:55 Yes.
31:56 Oh yeah.
31:56 Well, definitely Larry, here's the other thing we'll never know.
31:59 And I never asked Red specifically, and he might, he might've resented it.
32:02 Then again, he might've laughed at me.
32:03 I don't know what he would've said, but you know, they had two picks that year.
32:07 They had six and eight.
32:07 And Larry was number six and number eight, they took Freeman Williams.
32:12 I want to know, would he have, would he have taken Larry if he only had one pick, not knowing
32:17 that he was definitely going to get him.
32:19 Oh, wow.
32:20 Okay.
32:20 And, and I never had the guts to be Cajones to ask the big man.
32:26 Okay, Red, you're so smart.
32:28 Would you have taken Larry if you only had one first round pick?
32:32 Now I didn't have the guts to do that.
32:33 Well, he would have just, even if it wasn't true, he would have told you.
32:38 Absolutely.
32:39 He would have blown smoke in my face or something like that.
32:42 Yeah.
32:42 Yeah.
32:42 Yeah.
32:42 I'd tell you, he was a delight to hang around.
32:44 Red was, 'cause Red was smart and very, had a good sense of humor.
32:50 And, and, and, and, you know, he was, you know, but he, he could get, when he was angry,
32:56 you know, you're one where you don't want to be on the bad side, but, but he was, he was a delight.
33:00 He was one of those guys, and this city has been very fortunate to have more than a few.
33:07 I would say Red, Parcells, I think Terry Francona with the Red Sox,
33:16 you know, even Milbury with the Brewers at the time.
33:20 Oh, yeah.
33:20 And he was talking about, talking about coaches that were perfect for this market.
33:26 Yeah.
33:26 No, you're right.
33:26 That's, that's exactly right.
33:29 You know, they, they loved it.
33:31 They thrived on it.
33:32 They, they weren't afraid of the media.
33:36 And we got one, we got one right now, and Alex Cora, he completely gets it.
33:41 Totally.
33:42 He gets it completely.
33:43 I think Montgomery does too, by the way, with the Bruins.
33:46 Yeah, I mean, I don't know, but I also don't think, Bob, and I'm going down a different path here.
33:52 Because of the demands of the reporters today with social media.
33:56 Yeah.
33:56 And the constant need for information.
34:00 I don't think there's the animosity between reporters and coaches that there once was.
34:05 Because I think, I think, and this is no disrespect to the reporters.
34:09 I mean, thank God Shaughnessy, God bless them, you know.
34:13 But, you know, I can remember when I started in this business in the, you know, in the 80s.
34:18 You know, I remember the guys from the Herald, whether it be Kimball or Galeotti or Mannix or,
34:24 you know, over at the Globe, you know, Ryan or Shaughnessy or Leigh Montville.
34:27 I mean, any number of you guys could take on a coach or a man, you know.
34:33 Yeah.
34:33 And now because I think guys need access, they can't do it as often.
34:37 Yeah, I don't, you know, I hesitate to criticize them.
34:42 They're living in a world that I did not, I got out of that world.
34:44 Yeah, it's not even a criticism.
34:46 It's not even, it's an observation.
34:49 Like, I don't even mean to be critical.
34:50 I think it's, I think they have to do it to maintain the job.
34:54 Yeah, well, that's, that's too bad.
34:56 I mean, I have zero regrets about the time I spent or the time that I got out.
35:03 I think I got out.
35:03 It was good for me.
35:04 You know, I don't, and absolutely.
35:07 No, I was lucky.
35:07 I mean, some of the, some of the memories, I mean, you know, we talked about Red, but
35:12 oh yeah, absolutely.
35:13 Willie McDonough.
35:14 Oh, Willie, phenomenal.
35:17 There'll never be another Will McDonough.
35:18 Oh my God.
35:19 That we can safely say, you know, there'll never be another Will McDonough.
35:23 The stuff that he quote, got really things he got away with and it was unbelievable,
35:27 you know, but no, he was, he was, I used to kid Larry Lachino because before Willie died,
35:33 I said, you were the last guy that Willie trashed.
35:35 He was, he trashed Larry Lachino on the Sunday before Willie died.
35:39 Willie, Willie died.
35:40 And, you know, basically he died.
35:42 He had a drop dead literally, you know, at watching the 11 o'clock news at home.
35:48 Yeah.
35:48 And, you know, it was not, no one saw it coming.
35:52 It was a shock.
35:52 No one liked him, but I'll tell you what, he was good to me.
35:56 Oh, he's the best.
35:58 Oh, he's great.
35:59 I just look back at that whole generation of media.
36:04 Bud Collins.
36:06 What a mentor he was for me, you know, in so many ways.
36:10 And, oh my God, I was just so lucky to come up, you know, to come up with these guys.
36:15 And, you know, the globe was a treasure chest.
36:18 Yeah. You, Jackie and Dan and, you know, Gammon's, I mean, it's a murderous row.
36:22 It's just a different world.
36:24 It's just, it's never, it's just, you know, you can't write long form anymore.
36:28 Everything is short form.
36:30 I mean, I know you do, but, you know, well, game stories, game stories are on Twitter.
36:34 No, people don't know that it's, and I'm, you know, and that's what I took the most
36:40 pride in of anything that I ever did, you know, including the 24 years of writing the columns
36:45 was game stories, you know, under on deadline, you know, in those days you couldn't, you know,
36:51 people use them.
36:53 They, they, they not all every game wasn't on TV.
36:56 I don't believe this now, you know, it might be, you know, if the Celtics in the 80s, there
37:02 might be 50 games out of 82, you know, okay.
37:05 But now it's 82 out of 82.
37:07 Oh yeah.
37:08 And, and, you know, it's just different in the world that, and people are, you know,
37:12 they're consuming things on their phone immediately.
37:14 And, and I'm wanting to take an advantage of the modern technology.
37:16 I do it myself every night.
37:18 I'm watching, I'm keeping up with stuff, you know, I'm trying to keep up.
37:21 Yeah.
37:21 Yeah.
37:21 It's just, but like, I remember, you know, you'd read a gammon's game story or a Ryan
37:26 game story or even gorgeous, you know, or, you know, Willie wasn't really doing it when
37:31 I came, you know, he was obviously a columnist, but you know, your, your presence in the game
37:37 story, well, like you knew who was writing it.
37:39 You could hear the voice of the person.
37:41 You know, you could hear the Ryan voice, the staccato, you know, where gammon's was probably
37:46 a little more dramatic where Bob was more pop up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up.
37:50 Like you wrote the way you spoke anyways, enough of the, enough of memory lane.
37:54 One thing we've got to point out as we were on a Sunday evening here.
37:58 I did tonight, the Lakers beat the nets tonight, which the nets are out of it.
38:04 You know, they have no bearing game.
38:06 The Lakers matter every game for them.
38:08 A LeBron had 40 shooting nine for 10 on threes.
38:12 So don't forget.
38:14 He's still, he's still alive and kicking folks.
38:17 In case anybody wants to know.
38:18 Okay.
38:19 And number two, the nets started the game going scoreless for the first six minutes and 21
38:27 seconds before they scored a point.
38:29 All right.
38:30 Brutal.
38:31 And one more interesting tidbit of this game that apropos of, you know, just because it,
38:36 because the Lakers won the game.
38:39 Uh, they won the game.
38:42 Oh, one 16 to one Oh four with two bench points.
38:46 Wow.
38:48 Gabe Vincent had to the 114 of the 116 points for starters.
38:53 And that's low scoring in today's NBA.
38:56 Yeah, I know.
38:57 So, I mean, that's just an oddity I've thought out there.
39:00 Okay.
39:00 Anyway, life goes on.
39:02 We got the final, we got the final four set.
39:05 I'll be going.
39:06 Uh, I don't even know if my 32nd or 33rd, I lost track over the years.
39:10 It's very nice with Mrs.
39:11 Ryan to accompany you.
39:12 She, she loves it.
39:14 And she has, it's a great social event too.
39:16 You know, you see old friends and, and, um, yeah, but she likes the games very much.
39:20 She's well, you're going to be in Phoenix.
39:22 Maybe you can go over to, you know, you, whenever you mentioned Phoenix, I always loved the
39:26 story about you sitting by the pool with Paul Westfall and Pat Riley.
39:28 552 West Burridge Lane.
39:32 It was, it was his address.
39:33 I'll never forget it.
39:35 I, I should drive by just for the hell of it.
39:37 Yeah.
39:38 My God.
39:39 All right, Bob.
39:41 Thank you.
39:41 We'll talk to you again.
39:42 Okay.
39:43 Take care.
39:43 Yeah.
39:53 Bye.