The Biggest Threat to Celtics in First Round | Big 3 NBA Podcast - video Dailymotion

CLNS Media Sports Network

On today's episode of The Big 3 Podcast, A. Sherrod Blakely, Gary Washbrun and Kwani Lunis discuss the Newest Hall of Fame class, who could be inducted in the years to come, how the East may look when the season closes, and who the Celtics could have trouble with in the playoffs. That,a nd much more!    The Big 3 NBA Podcast with Gary, Sherrod & Kwani is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube as well as all of your go to podcasting apps. Subscribe, and give us the gift that never gets old or moldy- a 5-Star review - before you leave!    This episode of the Big 3 NBA Podcast is brought to you by:   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!

Transcript

00:00 [Casting]

00:18 The Big 3 NBA Podcast is powered by PrizePace, the exclusive daily fantasy partner of the

00:23 CLNS Media Network.

00:25 Hey everyone, welcome to the Big 3 NBA Podcast. I'm Kwani Lewis, A-Shaw Blakely, Gary Washburn.

00:32 The three of us, the Big 3, we're together. How are y'all doing?

00:36 I'm wonderful. I'm feeling gooder than good, good, good.

00:40 Wow, great grammar over there. Gary, how are you feeling?

00:43 I'm good, yeah. Everything is good.

00:45 He's gooder than his gooder, gooder.

00:47 So you're good, good, Gary? Are you good, good?

00:50 Um...

00:51 You don't get that reference, Kwani. You don't get that reference.

00:55 No, I don't.

00:56 You don't know about Usher? Usher?

00:59 Usher, baby.

01:00 Usher, baby. Okay, anyway.

01:02 I heard him. I know who he is and know his songs.

01:06 So I left you out for some time.

01:08 You know what I'm trying to be? I'm trying to be better in 24, like Sherrod said. That's what I'm trying to do.

01:13 I'm still working toward that.

01:15 Two words for you, Gary. Two words for you. Keep trying.

01:18 Yeah. Be better in 24.

01:21 This is a good transition because we're going to get into our big three topics.

01:25 One person who has been better and is now...

01:29 Sherrod, is the Gatorade good? You got a bigger bottle?

01:34 Nah, Ashley.

01:35 Go on.

01:37 We got 40 ounces of Gatorade now?

01:40 Oh, God.

01:42 I would say you're hydrated, but I do not think...

01:44 Are you good, Sherrod? You ready?

01:46 Let's go.

01:47 All right.

01:48 I need to be better.

01:51 Let's get into it. Former Celtic Chauncey Phillips, Sherrod's guy, Hall of Fame bound.

01:58 But was there a bigger mistake made by Rick Patino is the question that we're asking in our first of three big three topics.

02:08 Well, first of all, it's glad that we're talking about big three because Chauncey's draft class was as trash as trash can be.

02:17 Because there were a whopping three all-stars from his draft class.

02:21 Chauncey, some dude named Tim Duncan, and some dude named Tracy McGrady.

02:28 And the crazy part about that is the Celtics had an opportunity to draft two out of those three players.

02:34 And they went with this dude Ron Mercer instead of T-Mac.

02:39 And T-Mac has talked in the past about how basically he tanked that interview process with the Celtics because he didn't want to play for Rick Patino.

02:48 He didn't want to play for him coming out of high school, which he was doing.

02:50 And he didn't want to play for him in the NBA.

02:52 He did not want to walk through that door.

02:54 No.

02:55 Well done, Kwanee.

02:56 Well done.

02:58 Even Gary got to give you props for that one.

03:01 Well done.

03:02 That was well played.

03:03 So, yeah, so I mean as bad as him like drafting Chauncey who goes on to have win a championship and has a Hall of Fame-esque career,

03:13 passing on T-Mac was probably the bigger sin because T-Mac was the truth.

03:17 I mean he was that dude then.

03:20 So, yeah, Patino, Chauncey was bad, but I think not drafting T-Mac was probably worse.

03:29 Yeah, I mean I feel like that was a really tough situation.

03:34 Like they had Joe Johnson.

03:36 The Celtics were kind of building a core, and Patino gave up on him after 51 games.

03:43 I just don't--I know there's been rookies traded during their rookie year.

03:48 I know Kevin Johnson was traded.

03:50 People think he came with Phoenix.

03:52 He was drafted by the Cavaliers and played like 30-something games with the Cavaliers where he was traded to Phoenix.

03:58 Obviously, where he spent the rest of his career and had like a number of retired in Phoenix.

04:03 So, I know I've seen rookies get--we've all seen rookies get traded.

04:06 Not--generally not after 50 games.

04:09 Usually it might be after the rookie year.

04:13 Patino gave him 51 games and moved him to Toronto.

04:16 I just--he said--I talked to him several years ago, and he said he regretted that, obviously.

04:23 It was a--you know, he was impatient.

04:26 He didn't have the patience for the rookies.

04:27 There was so much pressure on the Celtics to win under him because, remember, he had kind of pushed Red Auerbach out

04:34 and kind of took over all basketball operations.

04:37 Remember, we're talking about the late '90s, so you're talking about Reggie Lewis has already passed,

04:44 Lynn Bias, Bird, McHale, and Parrish are long retired.

04:49 This organization had gone through a lot of hard times,

04:52 and they were looking for something new, different, you know, someone who could come in there and run the show

04:59 and take them back to prosperity.

05:01 You know, they had let go ML Carr.

05:03 You know, they had tried, you know, Chris Ford, ML Carr, Jimmy Rogers, guys who were nice, you know,

05:09 good assistants or good players as the Celtics, but never quite could push them to the next level.

05:15 And the Celts didn't find anybody to do that until 2005, '04, '05 with Doc.

05:20 But it was an unfortunate situation for Chauncey.

05:24 I think he even was surprised they gave up on him and disappointed about it,

05:28 and he bounced around, you know, before landing in Detroit and obviously becoming Mr. Big Shot.

05:35 Like, Sherrod's real happy about that.

05:38 So I think the Celtics dropped the ball on that totally.

05:43 I mean, they could have taken McGrady, and I don't want to--I'm not blaming them for Ron Mercer.

05:47 Ron Mercer was supposed to be a really good player.

05:51 Like, anybody who remembers those teams and Ron Mercer--I heard of him when he was in high school.

05:57 Ron Mercer was supposed to be a Kobe type.

06:00 He was supposed to be a difference-making, big-time NBA player.

06:05 Like, so the fact that they took Mercer--if you could look at it now, you'd be like,

06:10 "Who was that? I don't even remember him. He was trash."

06:12 Like, all these younger folks never heard of Mer--

06:15 When Ron Mercer was in high school, he was, like, number--top two or three in his high school class.

06:20 He was supposed to be a very good pro, and it didn't--you know, I think he played eight, nine years,

06:26 maybe shorter than that.

06:28 He wasn't a complete bust, but he ended up being kind of like a guy.

06:32 And, you know, that was a situation for me where--revisionist history, you would, of course, take T-Mac.

06:41 You know, they tried for Duncan. They tanked like hell to get Duncan, and they lost the lottery.

06:48 Like, that was probably one of the bigger, like, negative--not negative--bigger disappointments in Celtics history

06:57 is losing out because of the '96-'97 season, they literally tanked to hell to try to get Tim Duncan.

07:07 And they--that was supposed to--and they ended up losing it, obviously, to San Antonio,

07:12 and they ended up getting Chauncey and Mercer.

07:16 And so from the moment that they missed out on the lottery, anything--anybody that the Celtics would have taken

07:24 was never going to be Tim Duncan, obviously. It was always going to be scrutinized,

07:28 and I just think Chauncey was the victim of that, unfortunately.

07:32 All's well that ends well, though.

07:35 I guess so. It worked out for them. It worked out for them. Right.

07:38 PrizePix is America's #1 fantasy sports app with more than 3 million members.

07:43 It is the easiest and most exciting way to get on the action while you watch your favorite sports and players.

07:48 You just pick more or less on two or more player stats and watch the winnings roll in.

07:53 PrizePix is so easy to play. I can make my Celtic picks and make my entry in less than 60 seconds.

07:59 Quick withdrawals and easy gameplay and an enormous selection of players and stat types

08:04 are what makes PrizePix the #1 fantasy sports app.

08:08 Celtics and NBA fans, you can get in on PrizePix in 30 states across the country,

08:13 including California, Texas, and Georgia.

08:15 On PrizePix this week, I'm selecting Jason Tatum to dish out more than 5 assists,

08:20 and his teammate Jaylen Brown to have more than 22.5 points.

08:23 Download the app today and use code CLNS for a first deposit matchup to $100.

08:30 Pick more, pick less, it's that easy. PrizePix.

08:35 Rondo, Raja Rondo, an actual former Celtic.

08:40 Hall of Fame. Do you two think he, and for those who don't know, he formally retired this week,

08:48 even though I honestly thought he had retired already, but.

08:51 You were not alone in that assessment, Kwani.

08:54 Thank you, thank you. I was like, wait, what you mean you done?

08:58 I could have sworn you ain't played since, oh, okay, all right.

09:05 But do you two think he's Hall of Fame worthy?

09:08 Gary.

09:09 Granted the Celtics are already running out of numbers.

09:11 Because that's Gary's boy, so Gary, you should jump on this one first. That's your boy.

09:14 Not his boy.

09:16 I think he has an argument. That's Gary's.

09:18 I think he has an argument.

09:20 I think that he, two titles, three-time NBA assist leader, four-time All-Star.

09:29 I think what's happening with the Hall of Fame, and I think people are going to have,

09:35 you know, people are not going to be thrilled with this class led by Vince Carter and Chauncey Billups.

09:41 Two great guys. Two guys that we've all gotten to know over the years.

09:46 And, you know, gentlemen of the game and really good players,

09:51 but neither are just can't, you know, miss Hall of Famers, right?

10:00 Vince, I think for his longevity, got in, and he was one of the more exciting players in the league.

10:08 No championships. I don't think he even went to a finals.

10:12 I don't know. Was he on those? No, he was, I think, on those Nets teams in the early 2000s.

10:19 Wasn't he? I didn't look at that. Was he on those Nets teams in the early 2000s?

10:26 But, you know, for me, he was one of the more exciting players in the league.

10:32 Played 22 years, all-time leader.

10:38 No, he was not. I'm sorry. He was not on those Nets teams.

10:42 Excuse my faux pas there. He got there a few years later from Toronto.

10:46 So no finals appearances.

10:50 But to me, probably a borderline Hall of Famer.

10:56 And now I think Chauncey's waited so long, people were like, well, what about him?

10:59 Because I think, I'll just say this.

11:03 Having gotten those folks to Hall, having covered the event the last 15 years now,

11:10 there was a lot of people, a lot of the old heads from the 60s and 70s,

11:17 who were not happy that they weren't getting elected.

11:20 Guys like Chet "The Jet" Walker from the Philadelphia 76ers.

11:24 Guys who were great players in their day, but the NBA does a terrible job of

11:29 not only celebrating his past, but the vaults, the videos.

11:35 You can't get up and look at a 1967 NBA Finals game.

11:40 If you do, it's highlights.

11:43 The NFL, you can go look at the '67 Super Bowl.

11:46 You can go look at some of these all-time great players.

11:49 Jim Brown, how many videos have we seen of Jim Brown back in the day?

11:54 We've seen photos of Bill Russell. We've seen photos of Will Chamberlain.

11:58 But maybe not as much video.

12:00 I think those players felt underappreciated, so there's this ground swell

12:04 of letting those guys in.

12:06 Then all of a sudden it became guys like Mitch Richmond, guys like Bernard King,

12:11 guys like now Tim Hardaway.

12:14 If Tim Hardaway gets in, Ron Rondo's got a shot if you put their numbers up.

12:20 The bar is lowering for the Hall of Fame.

12:25 It's just the way it is.

12:28 Some people are going to have issues with Chauncey.

12:30 Some people are going to have issues with Vince.

12:32 There's a lot of guys probably from the '80s who will feel like,

12:35 "Where's my chance?"

12:37 Maurice Cheeks got in a few years ago.

12:41 If Maurice Cheeks gets in, Rajon Rondo's got a shot.

12:46 Some of the off-the-court things, some of his attitude might be to his detriment,

12:52 but I think he's got a legitimate shot.

12:54 If he got in, I wouldn't be like, "Oh, this is a sham,"

12:58 because I do think the bar for the Hall has been lowered.

13:01 A lot of those guys were allowed to get into the Hall of Fame.

13:04 They kind of complained about it.

13:06 Now a lot of the current players or the players in the last 20 years

13:10 are getting in.

13:11 The Chris Mullins, obviously, Tim Richmond, Tim Hardaway,

13:16 guys who were like, "Yeah, he was pretty good,"

13:19 but Bobby Jones, guys who were very good players, maybe not great.

13:27 I think that's what we're going to have to accept at this point

13:32 because now there's going to be, after the Kobe, Duncan, Garnett,

13:38 there's fewer and fewer great, all-time great players retiring.

13:43 We're going to--like, who's next in line, right?

13:47 Wade's gotten in.

13:50 I'm trying to think of just--Dirk's gotten in.

13:55 Who is the great--I can't really say, like,

13:59 "Oh, we're waiting for this guy to get in."

14:02 LeBron's still playing, so we don't know when he's getting in.

14:05 We already know that's happening.

14:07 Chris Paul will get in. Chris Paul, he'll get in.

14:09 Four years after he retired.

14:10 Steph, those are the guys we're kind of waiting on,

14:13 but them guys are still playing.

14:15 KD--so we're talking about--

14:17 Russ, people are arguing about Russ.

14:19 Yeah, people are--so that's like seven, eight, nine years from now.

14:23 So there's going to be a gap of players

14:27 that we're going to be shaking our heads like, "Who?"

14:29 Or, "That he got in?"

14:32 How he get in.

14:33 Yeah, how he--who he played for.

14:37 That's unfortunately how it's going to shake out

14:42 because I just think that there's definitely a gap here,

14:46 and I definitely think, you know, Chris Webber--

14:49 remember, for years, Chris Webber was waiting to get in.

14:52 Chris Webber got in. Grant Hill got in.

14:55 So all these guys who are retired, they've gotten in already.

15:00 So who's next? That's my question.

15:04 Yeah, I mean, it's to the point where the guys that are getting in,

15:11 not only are you questioning, you know, just the validity of them getting in,

15:17 but then when you start looking at their numbers,

15:19 it doesn't really add up.

15:21 It doesn't add up to what you would consider a Hall of Fame career

15:24 because, I mean, you look at Rondo's numbers,

15:26 you look at Chauncey's numbers, there's not a huge difference.

15:29 Chauncey's got one more, I think, all-star appearance than Rondo.

15:32 He's got five. Rondo's got four. Rondo's got an extra chip.

15:34 He's got two. Chauncey's got one.

15:36 Both guys have had moments where they were, you know, all NBA defense.

15:41 Chauncey has been all NBA. I think he's like second or third team once or twice.

15:46 But you really find yourself just--there really isn't a huge gap

15:51 between the two of them.

15:53 And so if I'm Rondo, I'm feeling pretty damn good

15:56 about my chances of getting into the Hall of Fame at some point.

15:59 Is it going to be first ballot? Probably not.

16:02 But at some point, to Gary's point, you're going to start looking at

16:06 who are the available players.

16:08 And if you look at guys who are going to be out of the game

16:11 for the next three or four years, and then you project a few years after that

16:15 when they become eligible for the Hall, it's hard to imagine that Rondo's

16:20 going to have this long wait time before he gets in

16:23 because I think Rondo's going to be eligible right at that time

16:27 where the Steph Currys and those guys maybe just finished playing

16:30 and still have that time period to wait before they become eligible.

16:33 Rondo's probably going to get in during that time.

16:36 So he may potentially be someone that could be a headliner

16:40 for his induction class. He may be one of the top players.

16:43 And to me, with Rondo, whether you like him, whether you think he's a pain in the--

16:49 you know what, the one thing I will say about him that no one disputes--

16:54 when the playoffs roll around, he's ready. He steps up.

16:58 I mean, when your nickname is "Playoff Rondo,"

17:02 that moniker lets everyone know that you are that.

17:05 You are him in the playoffs. You're playing with Kevin Garnett,

17:09 Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and many, many games in the playoffs.

17:13 You are better than all of them. You know it, and they know it.

17:16 And that, to me, is why when he gets the call--because he will get the call--

17:22 nobody should be tripping about that because if you think about the era

17:26 in which he played, how many guys were that good in that particular stage

17:32 with multiple future Hall of Famers around them?

17:36 And Rondo, he stood out for all the right reasons in the playoffs.

17:41 But, you know, again, he's a guy that I think absolutely will get in.

17:45 It's just a matter of when, not if.

17:48 Yeah. I think his numbers show it.

17:52 I think it's definitely his numbers show it.

17:56 And the bar has been lowered, so you're looking for John Stockton numbers,

18:04 Isaiah Thomas numbers. We're not going to get those anymore.

18:08 Yeah, as if sealed.

18:10 We're going to get guys--tell those guys, the Chris Pauls, KDs, Stephs,

18:18 and all those guys retire, and then Hall, which I'd say is the next decade,

18:23 somewhere in the 230s, 2030s, we're going to get over the next few years

18:29 some very interesting names.

18:37 Amari Stoudemire.

18:41 Throw in Michael Cooper.

18:42 Yeah, Marcus Johnson, who I think deserves to be in.

18:45 I think he deserves to be in.

18:48 It's going to be some interesting names,

18:52 and some names that people are going to be probably not happy with

18:57 because they're, "Oh, that guy ain't no Hall of Famer."

19:01 But welcome to the new world because the bar, as I've said before,

19:05 the bar has been lowered, and I think people appreciate guys like Chris Webber,

19:13 Grant Hill, Charles E. Bill to what they did, but Hall of Famer,

19:18 you didn't say like, "Oh, yeah," without--

19:21 "Oh, that's what I think we think Hall of Famer's on."

19:25 I'm not going to put it in Jordan, but Stockton and Malone, KG,

19:31 obviously Kobe, Duncan, David Robinson, the greats of the game.

19:38 All of a sudden, Derrick Rose is going to come up whenever he finishes playing.

19:42 There's going to be a debate about that.

19:45 Every MVP of the league has gotten into the Hall of Fame.

19:49 Is Derrick going to get in considering his injury history?

19:54 He might be the first one to not get in.

19:56 Yeah, not to get in.

19:57 So there's a lot to tackle with the Hall of Fame,

20:02 but I'm very, very happy for Chauncey.

20:05 I think he's been a gentleman of the game,

20:09 and you like good things to happen to good people,

20:13 and he's definitely getting the short end of the stick

20:18 with his stick so far in Portland,

20:21 and hopefully he can withstand the storm there

20:24 and remain coach for a long time, but I'm happy for him.

20:28 You had to bring that Portland thing into it, did you, Gary?

20:31 Well, you know--

20:32 We was having such a love fest, and you had to bring that into it.

20:35 Yeah.

20:37 Damn.

20:38 Well, looking at the current Celtics team and their roster,

20:42 as you both know, and of course the fans would know,

20:44 they secured the top overall seed

20:47 after their win against the Oklahoma City Thunder

20:50 on Wednesday evening.

20:52 Chris Saperzing is 27-12.

20:55 Tatum 24-7.

20:57 Brown 23-7.

20:59 Chet Holgrim 11-7 rebounds,

21:02 but overall, we don't really need to recap that game.

21:05 What would you two say is the motivation now for the Celtics

21:09 now that they've secured the next step to obviously getting banner 18?

21:14 Stay healthy.

21:16 Stay healthy.

21:17 Keep your--

21:18 And start looking a little bit more closely at your eight-man rotation

21:22 and just really look at them in bursts

21:24 because you don't want to extend them too many minutes.

21:28 In fact, you're going to probably sit some guys,

21:30 now that you've got the number one overall seed locked up,

21:33 which just makes sense, but to me, everything comes back to hell.

21:37 Porzingis on Wednesday night looked as good as we've seen him in a while.

21:42 Chet Holgrim, I mean, Chet is a hell of a player,

21:46 but he had nothing for Porzingis.

21:48 Porzingis was dunking on him, hitting with the up and under actions,

21:53 blocking shots.

21:54 I mean, it was one of the best games we've seen from Porzingis

21:57 really this season.

21:58 I mean, and this is a guy that's had a bunch of really good games.

22:01 Right off the jump, he dropped 30 and some change on the Knicks in an opener.

22:05 So it's not like we know--it's not like what he's doing is surprising,

22:09 but it's a little bit surprising, not so much what he's doing,

22:13 but when he's doing it.

22:14 Like this is the time when a guy like him,

22:16 you're concerned that he's maybe not as physically up to par

22:21 that you'd want him to be because he's had a long season.

22:23 And even though they've done a great job with the load management,

22:26 he's still playing more games--or his position to play more games

22:29 than we've seen him play in a while.

22:30 So they're going to have to be extra careful with him.

22:33 But to me, making sure that your team is in good health

22:36 and really getting a look at that eight-man rotation

22:39 between now and the end of the season, that's really what you're looking for

22:42 if you're the Celtics.

22:43 And just get--like I said, just get to standing over and get to the playoffs.

22:49 Yeah.

22:50 I mean, I can't--I couldn't agree more with Sherrod.

22:55 Just stay healthy, stay up out the way of any injuries.

22:59 Jaylon is talking about his hand is--you know, just give the hand some rest.

23:05 The one thing is, one, you want to be sharp for the playoffs,

23:10 so you don't want to rest the guys all the last six games.

23:14 Secondly, you are playing some teams with something to play for.

23:18 You're playing the Knicks, the Kings coming up on Friday, the Bucs.

23:23 Those teams are fighting for a playoff seating.

23:26 Okay, the last few games, I think Charlotte, Washington,

23:29 yeah, you can chill.

23:32 You can put--you can play James Springer and our buddies, you know,

23:40 O'Shea Brissett, Sherrod's good friend, and you can play those guys.

23:45 Give those guys some extensive minutes.

23:47 Give those guys some looks.

23:49 But I don't know.

23:50 I think Joe might be competitive in terms--not wanting to win the game,

23:54 but fielding a competitive team out there when you're playing with teams

23:59 who are playing something.

24:00 Because I just think the integrity of the game, you know, you do--

24:04 I said you've got three games left against SAC, Milwaukee, and the Knicks.

24:09 I think all three games will mean something for those teams.

24:12 The three games, Portland, Charlotte, Washington, yeah,

24:15 like that Sunday afternoon season finale against the Wizards,

24:20 I mean, you should see the G League team out there.

24:22 There used to be a lot of JD Davidson.

24:26 The same with Charlotte when our friend Grant Williams comes back.

24:29 Don't forget--oh, yeah, yeah, you're right.

24:32 So, you know, we'll see what happens against SAC.

24:37 I don't--you know, I think there's kind of maybe a coach's agreement to where--

24:41 not saying Joe is all in line with other coaches,

24:45 but I think he knows Sacramento's playing for something,

24:48 so I don't think he's going to put the G League team out there.

24:51 Against Portland, yeah, you might see a lot of guys get the night off.

24:56 At Milwaukee, we don't know how that's going to go.

24:59 If you're the Celtics, why would you show them anything?

25:02 If you're the Bucs, you're probably going to play your full squad

25:05 because the Bucs are going--you know, the Bucs are kind of in trouble at this point,

25:09 and that number two seed is no guarantee for them.

25:13 So I think they'll play here and there.

25:16 They're the main guys, but like Sherrod said, just keep guys healthy.

25:20 You don't want them to get rusty.

25:21 You don't want them sitting out too long,

25:24 but out of the six games, play your guys three and alls.

25:29 The rest--the other three, give them a break

25:32 because I'm looking at the standings now.

25:34 The Bucs are only a game and a half up for the--on Cleveland for the number two seed

25:41 and two games ahead of Orlando, who's kind of quietly charging here.

25:46 Orlando's been real quiet this season, but yet they're 45-31,

25:51 and they're the fourth seed.

25:54 So they could creep up to three.

25:56 They're a half game behind Cleveland.

25:58 That affects the Celtics because if Cleveland falls to four,

26:01 they play the Knicks in the first round potentially.

26:03 That likely would be the Celtics' next opponent

26:06 if they win their first round series.

26:08 So a lot of little things.

26:09 The Knicks are trying to go for the fourth seed,

26:12 so they'll have some meaning.

26:14 And going up to Sacramento, Sacramento is now eighth.

26:19 They're in the play-in.

26:20 They don't want to be in the play-in, so they're really trying to win Friday,

26:24 right, to get out of that play-in scenario.

26:26 So, you know, the Celtics--some of these teams are going to be coming to Celtics.

26:31 Play your guys.

26:32 Give them minutes.

26:34 Now, do you play Jason and Jaylon 40?

26:36 No, you play them maybe 28.

26:38 And just say, you know, I think what Mazulan says to the coaches

26:43 is, "Hey, I'm going to play my guys 28 minutes.

26:46 See what happens there.

26:48 I'm not playing them 43 for your ass.

26:50 You should have thought of that when you lost them games earlier.

26:53 I'm going to help you some, but it's all about my guys," which is right.

26:58 But I do think he'll feel a competitive team out there for those three games.

27:04 So I want to look ahead just overall, big picture.

27:09 You mentioned the Bucs, which we'll close out with actually.

27:13 But the State of the Eastern Conference overall and Beat is back.

27:17 First of all, we'll start with him.

27:18 What do you think that means for the playoff race?

27:21 And then just really who do you see as a threat right now,

27:25 if anyone at all in the East?

27:27 Somebody is going to draw an unlucky hand in that first round

27:32 because I got a feeling Philly is going to play their way into that sixth seed.

27:36 I think they're going to get up to the point where they're not going to be in

27:39 the playing format, and that number three team in the East is probably going to

27:43 get bounced because Joel, them bringing him back now,

27:48 by the time the playoffs roll around, he's going to be good.

27:51 He's going to be in decent enough shape where he's going to be--he's not going

27:55 to be in tip-top game shape because I don't know if he's ever going to be that

27:58 dude, but he's going to be--you're going to get the full throttle if Joel

28:02 and Beat can play off time in that first round.

28:04 And if you're someone like, I don't know, Milwaukee, who has been just--Doc--

28:12 and we'll talk a little bit more about Doc--

28:14 because Doc, that's the one X that I wanted to talk about.

28:18 We'll just check on the X right now.

28:20 That's what we're going to say.

28:21 Doc Rivers, 15 at .500 since taking on the Bucs.

28:25 Defense moderately better, but the offense not so much.

28:29 So what are your expectations for the Bucs?

28:31 Yeah, I mean, their offense has plummeted under Doc.

28:35 They were, like, number three in the NBA before he took over.

28:38 Right now, they're, like, 15, 16, 17.

28:41 They're, like, middle of the pack.

28:42 And their defense was basically kind of bottom 10,

28:48 and now they're, like, bottom 15.

28:50 So he hasn't had the difference impact that they were looking for.

28:55 And that's a team that I could absolutely see slipping down to that three spot,

28:59 having to deal with Joel.

29:01 And you know when it's game time and he'll let you know, bye-bye?

29:06 He might be looking in the mirror on that one.

29:09 He might be looking in the mirror on that one because I'm telling you,

29:11 if they play Philly in the first round, I think Philly will win that.

29:15 I really do.

29:17 And y'all know I have little confidence in Philly.

29:19 I think they will win that one.

29:22 For folks, a big, big, big, big, big game tonight or Thursday.

29:29 Thursday night, yeah.

29:30 Philly at Miami.

29:32 Yeah, that's a good idea.

29:33 That's for Philly's trying to get out to play in, and so is Miami.

29:38 So that could be a -- you know, and I think in Beats playing.

29:41 So that will be a very interesting, very interesting game.

29:46 And then if you look at the Philly's remaining schedule, not real tough.

29:51 At Memphis, tricky because obviously the Grizzlies will beat you, you know,

29:57 with their young guys.

29:59 You know, I know Taylor Jenkins is not getting -- I just think he's a

30:04 potential coach of the year candidate, you know,

30:11 for what he's done with that team.

30:13 And maybe third place with them.

30:14 I'm not saying he should be coach of the year, but third place votes because

30:20 they play hard.

30:21 They play hard.

30:23 And then San Antonio is left on the schedule for Philly,

30:27 and I think they have a Detroit.

30:29 So then, you know, so their schedule is not too hard.

30:34 They can put a couple of wins together.

30:36 I think the only playoff team left after Miami is Brooklyn.

30:40 So if you look, like I think Sherrod again, I hate to say it,

30:45 he might be right again.

30:47 He -- the 76ers have a shot to succeed.

30:52 It's going to be interesting.

30:54 So Celtic fans, I know the last few games might not be as interesting,

31:00 but watch the other teams, see how this all shakes out.

31:03 All we know is there's going to be Chicago and Atlanta in a play-in game.

31:07 We don't know where that game is going to be yet because they're fighting for

31:10 9-10.

31:11 But Chicago is going to play Atlanta in one of the play-in games.

31:14 It could be Indiana.

31:16 And if you're the Celtics, and we can talk about this, Kwon,

31:19 like who would you want to face?

31:21 Do you want to face Indiana, the team that's beaten the Celtics twice this

31:24 year?

31:25 Who is the best matchup?

31:26 I mean, obviously --

31:27 You want to face them beating the Sixers, you know?

31:30 Do you want to face Miami and just get it out of the way, you know?

31:34 Orlando, New York.

31:36 Yeah.

31:37 To me, those are the three teams.

31:40 None of them are this pleasant scenario.

31:43 Let's be honest.

31:44 Indiana, they're not playing as well, but they're still a dangerous team.

31:48 They've beaten the Celtics twice already.

31:50 Different personnel.

31:51 They don't have Buddy Hill anymore.

31:53 But Philadelphia wouldn't beat.

31:55 Or Miami, just because it's Miami.

31:57 And you know Spolsher is going to come up with some -- cook up some plan to

32:02 throw some wrinkles at the Celtics to try to muck up the series.

32:06 So I think probably the best scenario for them is Indiana because I don't

32:12 think Indiana can beat them four times at all.

32:15 But it's going to get interesting.

32:18 And to be honest, folks, it's not going to be an easy first-round series unless

32:23 somehow Atlanta or Chicago bites them, sneaks up to eight.

32:28 And that could happen.

32:29 Even Atlanta.

32:30 I mean, look at the last two.

32:32 Yeah, exactly.

32:33 We don't know about Atlanta.

32:34 That was weird.

32:35 Atlanta got something for them.

32:37 Right.

32:38 But, yeah, I think for Celtic fans, keep watching the games.

32:43 It will be interesting to see how this all plays out.

32:45 We've got ten days left in the season, so it's going to play out soon.

32:49 But Philly and Miami tonight, huge game with all the seeding implications.

32:55 And Indiana's in there.

32:57 And I think those are the three options unless Chicago and Atlanta make kind of

33:03 an improbable run and get that A seed.

33:06 Well, there you have it.

33:09 I can't believe it, but the season really is winding down.

33:12 Of course, it's just the regular season.

33:14 We have the playoffs next.

33:15 But we appreciate all of y'all for listening, sticking with the Big 3 NBA

33:19 podcast, for all your Celtics and more conversation.

33:24 For Asia Rod, Blakely, and Gary Washburn, I'm Quanie Lunas,

33:27 and we will be back next week.

33:29 [Music]

33:35 [Music]

33:41 [Music]

The Biggest Threat to Celtics in First Round | Big 3 NBA Podcast

Category

Transcript

Recommended