The Boston Celtics are World Champions again. Bob Ryan, Jeff Goodman and Gary Tanguay break down how this team came together, share some behind-the-scenes stories, and discuss where this team ranks among the Celtics' teams of the past. All that, and much more!
0:00 Intro
0:59 - Bob Ryan describes the celebration and atmosphere of the championship win
4:19 - Celtics making team basketball fashionable again
6:08 - Comparing the Celtics to the Spurs
8:00 - Celtics' low maintenance and high character
13:24 - Ownership prioritizes winning
15:00 - Diverse ownership supports team success
17:31 - Tatum's evolution as a versatile player
19:59 - Team's defensive strategy with Brown and Tatum
25:22 - Observations on team's three-point shooting strategy
27:21 - Tatum's versatility in all aspects of the game
33:23 - Jason Tatum's future MVP opportunities
37:11 - Jrue Holiday crediting Jason Tatum for assists
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0:00 Intro
0:59 - Bob Ryan describes the celebration and atmosphere of the championship win
4:19 - Celtics making team basketball fashionable again
6:08 - Comparing the Celtics to the Spurs
8:00 - Celtics' low maintenance and high character
13:24 - Ownership prioritizes winning
15:00 - Diverse ownership supports team success
17:31 - Tatum's evolution as a versatile player
19:59 - Team's defensive strategy with Brown and Tatum
25:22 - Observations on team's three-point shooting strategy
27:21 - Tatum's versatility in all aspects of the game
33:23 - Jason Tatum's future MVP opportunities
37:11 - Jrue Holiday crediting Jason Tatum for assists
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! Go to https://PrizePicks.com/CLNS
Gametime! Take the guesswork out of buying NBA tickets with Gametime. Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code CLNS for $20 off your first purchase. Download Gametime today. Last minute tickets. Lowest Price. Guaranteed. Terms apply. Go to https://gametime.co !
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SportsTranscript
00:00It is time for the World Championship version of the Bob Ryan, Jeff Goodman, Tanguy Along
00:27for the Ride pod here on CLNS, brought to you by PrizePix, the exclusive daily fantasy
00:32partner of CLNS Media Network.
00:34Pick more, pick less with PrizePix.
00:36Bob, before we get going, you got to stand up.
00:39You got to show the garb.
00:40You got to show what you're wearing.
00:42You got your media pass.
00:43You got to get to share whatever it takes.
00:45There you go.
00:46Bob.
00:47This was a shirt I scarfed up last night.
00:49They were giving them out.
00:51I grabbed one and said, yeah, whatever it takes, this is the emblem of the 2024 champions.
00:59Well, Bob, you were there last night, so why don't you just tell us about it, what you
01:03saw?
01:04It was a celebration.
01:06It was a coronation, as it turned out, and it was a celebration.
01:10The crowd has been great throughout the playoffs, and the whole atmosphere of the Garden is
01:14so different than it was in years past.
01:18This group of fans, this generation, and I say including the people who were the fans
01:22for the Championship 17, this is their team.
01:27All the other stuff is like ancient history, and this is their team, and these people,
01:33these younger people, because it's a predominantly young crowd of generations Xs and Zs and so
01:40forth, they're good celebrators.
01:44The Garden beforehand, that atmosphere is unlike anything I'd ever seen.
01:50Afterward was completely crazy, chaotic, blocked off Causeway Street, blocked off Canal Street,
01:57all the side streets.
01:58I had to figure out a way to get back to my car up in Center Plaza.
02:03The highlight, I had to laugh, I got to the intersection of Haverhill Street, couldn't
02:09get through it, and they were singing Sweet Caroline.
02:12So good, so good.
02:16It was so much fun to be there.
02:20The team gave them an appropriate clenching game, no stress, wire to wire.
02:26That's good, this register.
02:27It was wire to wire.
02:28They never lost a lead.
02:30One point at one point, I think it was 15-14, and then they ran off the end of the first
02:35quarter, and it was no stress ever in this game.
02:41But the absolute, I can't say cherry on the sundae, but except it was the premature cherry
02:46on the sundae, when Pritchard, I saw him come in, I said, oh, we know they want to try to
02:50give him the ball.
02:51Four seconds to go, ball at the other end.
02:54I mean, you can't make this S blank, blank, blank up.
02:58You can't.
02:59That he did it again.
03:00He did it, he'll be, this or this, test of time.
03:03I guarantee he'll be the only man in the history of American sport, NBA, who will hit two half
03:09court shots in the same series, let alone the finals.
03:13But oh, he didn't play much at all.
03:17So he's the designated half court shooter.
03:20And Bob, as you like to say, and as we all know, there are other players like Pritchard's
03:24that have played for the Patriots, have played for the Bruins, have played for the Red Sox,
03:27that will never have to buy a drink in Boston.
03:30No, no, no.
03:31It's not quite Dave Roberts level, but it's in that general umbrella.
03:36Yeah.
03:37I mean, he had an excellent year.
03:40He didn't play much in his series.
03:42Obviously, Joe thought there was a matchup thing or whatever.
03:44I always want to see him, but anyway, he'll be able to tell the grandchildren a good tale
03:51or two about what he did in the finals of 2024.
03:54So it was a fantasy.
03:56I kept saying, I was sitting with a gentleman during the second half, and we were commiserating.
04:03It was a fantasy, I kept saying, you know, and that this is what you dream of if you're
04:07a fan, a stress-less clinching game, you know, and, you know, so it was a great night
04:17to be there.
04:18Jeff, have the Celtics made team basketball fashionable again?
04:22Yeah.
04:23I mean, I think it's crazy because think about this, guys.
04:27In mid-January of 2022, this was a 500 team that a lot of people, myself included, were
04:36like, I just don't think this is working, right?
04:39It's not working, Tatum and Galen, and then what did Brad Stephens do?
04:45He went out and traded for Derek White, and Derek wasn't great that second half.
04:51He was trying to figure himself out and this team and everything like that, and like, just
04:58think about in two-plus years, how many changes have been made, right?
05:03Like, obviously you had Imei Adoka then, and now you got Joe Mizzou as a coach, right?
05:09You add Derek White, and a lot of people viewed that trade as a disaster when White was struggling
05:14to make a shot in the postseason that year.
05:18Then obviously, you know, you get Porzingis in this trade, and you get rid of a guy that,
05:24again, it had run its course with Marcus Smart, and then you go get Drew Holiday, who basically
05:31takes the place of Marcus Smart, and a guy you can trust to make good decisions.
05:35It just, it all fell into place, Gary, and again, they are a team.
05:41I mean, again, it's Jason Tatum, you can poke holes in Tatum and Galen Brown and all this
05:48stuff, but they've got enough around them that it's not just about them like it is at
05:53Dallas.
05:54It's just about Luke and Kyrie, and if those guys don't play well, they have no chance.
05:59Where the Celtics, if Tatum has a bad game, or Galen Brown has a bad game, or a bad half,
06:05they're fine because they have enough other pieces.
06:07Bob, do they remind you of the Spurs?
06:11Well, they're constructed differently.
06:14Let's face it, the big, they don't remind me of anybody.
06:17I mean, they really don't.
06:19They're the unique package, and partly because they got the one, two guys who complement
06:27Ian and I each other all the time, and they got the backcourt is just extraordinary.
06:35I've got to tell you, it's my favorite Celtic backcourt of all time for me, and I've been
06:39back, I'm not counting Kuzi and Charmin, I wasn't here for that, but I'm talking about
06:44since I showed up and started covering in 1969, my favorite backcourt.
06:49I'm not saying it's the best necessarily, although it probably is, but it's my favorite.
06:54These guys are just, they're, they just don't, they get it, so, and they just get it as well
07:01as anybody else.
07:02And every way, on the court, off the court, like it's amazing how those guys do not yearn
07:10for the limelight at all, and Drew Holiday, like, I mean, he was on a title team, and
07:15Derek Weitz, like just, they're perfect for this team, for really any team.
07:20I mean, they really are.
07:22So, I texted Brad a couple, about 10 days ago, and kiddingly, and I X'd this out, I
07:29said, if you were Catholic, you'd have to go to confession for stealing Derek White
07:33from the Spurs.
07:34And he came back and said, and the thing is, he's even a better off the court, he's a better
07:38test teammate and classy guy.
07:41And I said, well, that makes two, right?
07:42You got two of them.
07:43I keep saying, every team in a league, every coach, every GM is probably saying, they got
07:48two, that's not fair.
07:50You know, one of those guys would be, one to a customer.
07:53They got two that are like this.
07:55Well, I've heard this all year, guys.
07:58I've heard this from Celtics people in the organization all year, and they'll say, like,
08:03this is crazy, because not only is this such a talented team, but they're the lowest
08:08maintenance group, like, ever.
08:10Like, there's no issues, high character.
08:13Like, how often do you get that?
08:14Because again, on most of these teams, you know, listen, I love Draymond, but he's not
08:20exactly, you know, low maintenance, right?
08:23Like, on all these championship teams, I feel like you've got a guy or two, at least, that
08:28is high maintenance to deal with.
08:30There is nobody, nobody on this Celtics team that is high maintenance.
08:35So Joe Mizzoula had a, listen, he had a great, I mean, he did.
08:40Now, he did a great job this year, but man, talk about a guy who inherited the ideal situation
08:46in a lot of ways.
08:47He did.
08:48But he really did blossom.
08:50He really did, the second year, show us, you know, he had learned some from the first year.
08:57I laugh every time he calls an appropriate timeout now.
09:00I just have to chuckle.
09:01And I mean, you know, I was schooled at masters and calling timeout, times out, you know,
09:08and to see him do it right, the right way now is really fun.
09:12But no, it's, he gets, he deserves a lot of credit, of course.
09:19It just, I want to just go back, how dominant this, this playoff, by the way, this playoff
09:25started, they lasted 67 days, by the way, guys, believe it or not, 67 days since April 14th.
09:31And they began with a 20 point win over Miami to start it off.
09:36And they ended up with a rousing, you know, victory last night by 18.
09:39It could have been 30.
09:40And it's one of the dominant runs in ever that anyone ever had.
09:45They won 20 point victories, four of them won by 30.
09:50Half of their victories were by 15 or more.
09:54Eight of their 16 victories were by 15 or more.
09:58Okay.
09:58That's, you know, I mean, that, that speaks for itself about how much better they were,
10:03as it turns out, than everybody else.
10:05They answered all our questions.
10:07We all knew it wasn't about talent.
10:08We've been saying that here.
10:10It's not about talent.
10:11It's about putting it together the right way, performing in the clutch.
10:14How are you going to play with two minutes to go and the score tied and all that, which
10:18they had not been good at.
10:22What are they going to nitpick now?
10:24There's nothing, there's no nit to pick.
10:25And there isn't right now.
10:27Now we can start with, you know, can they repeat?
10:29Well, they've already started that, by the way, on television.
10:32Well, I don't want to go there.
10:33I want to celebrate.
10:34I'm not worried about that right now.
10:35I'm not worried about that because first of all, they got to stay healthy.
10:39And, you know, but anyway, this is one of the great set up for it, Bob, Bob.
10:45The one thing is, oh, they are teams that win titles, especially in this era right now
10:52are not contractually set up to be able to repeat with their core.
10:58Brad Stevens has done a remarkable job, right?
11:01Not only, you know, keeping Tatum and Brown and obviously Tatum is going to sign a, you
11:06know, an incredible contract, you know, and he'll he'll lock in Derek White, I would assume.
11:11And you look at this team right now and honestly, Hortford will be gone.
11:16We know that at some point, it might be this year, next year, whatever it is, he's going
11:20to be gone.
11:22But they should have everybody.
11:24And oh, by the way, almost everybody other than Drew Holiday getting older, everybody's
11:29kind of in their prime.
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12:50You know, I heard the comparison between the Red Sox now and the Celtics ownership, and
12:56I don't have the exact numbers, but they're, you know, they're spent like $300 million
13:01over the cap.
13:01I mean, they will spend.
13:03They're like the Warriors.
13:04The Warriors said, look, we want to win titles.
13:06We're going to spend the money.
13:08This Celtic ownership, they got penalties like you wouldn't believe.
13:12I mean, they are putting their money where their mouth is.
13:14And that's when you have, when you pay a Jalen Brown, I mean, I guess it's a good problem
13:17to have for a bunch of rich people, but you know, Jeff, when you have Jalen Brown making
13:21300 million and you have, you know, Tatum's going to make that money.
13:26Ownership is putting it, putting it on the table.
13:30Yeah, this is exactly John Henry, is it?
13:32No, I mean, it's a lot of money, folks.
13:34I mean, it's hundreds of millions of dollars in penalties and they're doing it.
13:38They don't care.
13:40Yeah, that's the difference.
13:42These guys are actual fans and businessmen.
13:46And, and I almost feel like for them, for WIC and Pagliuca, like it's almost like fan first.
13:54Well, WIC, there was a big feature story that we had had the Globe had recently about
13:59and WIC made a, that stressed that point continually.
14:02We are fans who bought the team and our priority is we want to win.
14:06And that, I mean, it's nice luxury to have.
14:10I mean, you know, this is talk about a world that none of us can imagine being in that position,
14:14you know, but they are and that's what they're doing with their money.
14:18And I hope their family is okay with it.
14:20Well, I think, but I also think, Bob, I mean, if you take a look at, and this has been,
14:24I remember when the ownership first came in and some of the criticism was too many cooks
14:29in the kitchen.
14:30You get all these owners, you have a, well, I mean, WIC is WIC, he is the managing partner.
14:36Okay.
14:37So he's the guy at the head of the table, right?
14:39So he's the guy that deals with basketball ops or not.
14:41So that's understood.
14:44But when you look at all these other guys and, you know, Jimmy Pallotta,
14:46and if you go down the list of owners, there's a lot of money behind it.
14:52There's a lot of money.
14:53Like, so it's a good thing is what I'm saying is that they have a lot of owners
14:58because they have a lot of billionaires that are supporting this team.
15:02It's not just like WIC, Steve and the Epstein's.
15:04And I think that that helps them.
15:06I think some people, Bob, thought this was going to be a problem.
15:09It's not a problem.
15:11No, no, no.
15:13Well, it's just, it's, it's all, I said, it's all come to fruition.
15:19Right.
15:19I really feel, I mean, you know, we don't, you know, these guys,
15:22we don't know, really know these people, you know, we never do.
15:25But you got to feel happy for the journey that Hatem and Brown have made together.
15:30They keep, which, I mean, Bob, let's talk to, I mean, Jeff knows him.
15:34And Jeff, I want you to get into that relationship.
15:36But I want you to talk to both guys because they're like, like you guys both said it.
15:41You know, the only criticism of Jason Tatum was he didn't shoot great in the playoffs
15:47and he keeps his kid up too late.
15:49I mean, he's a wonderful at the age of 19.
15:52He became a single father and the dude stepped up.
15:55OK, he has started an incredible charity for his hometown of St. Louis.
15:59He's won an NBA championship.
16:01He put him, he put team first.
16:04Jalen Brown is an incredible activist, extremely bright guy and also put team first.
16:12So like, where did these two guys come from?
16:16Yeah, they were both the third pick.
16:17I mean, that's the thing.
16:18I mean, look at what Danny Ainge did.
16:20I mean, he, he, he had, he traded down to get Tatum.
16:24I mean, he traded down.
16:25They had the number one overall pick that year.
16:26They traded down and luckily did not draft Markel Fultz.
16:32I think they faked, they faked the world out on that one.
16:35That was a great Danny.
16:36And Bob was on Tatum.
16:38I do remember.
16:38I mean, Bob, people have given you a hard time for smart, but you wanted Tatum.
16:42You were on with us on television and you said Tatum is my guy from day one.
16:47Yeah.
16:47Well, I certainly didn't want Fultz and he's never had a career and part of it's
16:53injury and part of it is personality and, but, but anyway, but Tatum, it's just,
16:59it, it ranks, you know, right up there when we've had, you know, some monumental
17:03draft day things in 1980, 56 was one in 1980.
17:07There was one in 19, excuse me, 2007 trading Ray Allen for the number of the number five
17:15pick for Ray Allen, which without which Garnett never comes.
17:19He won't, he's not coming.
17:21He's not coming.
17:22So that's another draft day.
17:23So that's four monumental draft days that the Celtics have had in their history that
17:27produced championships.
17:29Yeah.
17:29I mean, listen, I remember saying it, you know, as recently as again, two years ago,
17:33like Tatum and Jalen Brown were not, there wasn't a lot of synergy in, in the way they
17:41played on the court together.
17:42They weren't making life easier for one another.
17:46Right.
17:46And I think Tatum actually, both of them got better, but Tatum's game completely changed
17:52over the last couple of years.
17:53And, you know, he became more of a, a facilitator, a guy who made people better instead of
18:00scoring being his mentality.
18:02And he always had nine assistant first half last night.
18:06Yeah.
18:06He always had this.
18:08I had told Jason Tatum this, honestly, for you don't know how many years of, Hey, listen,
18:14you're not just the score.
18:15I remember the first time I saw him was at LeBron James camp in Las Vegas.
18:20And I said to myself, like, and he was 16 years old.
18:24And I'm like, this kid is going to be that versatile forward who can do everything.
18:29And he got away from the, the, the passing aspect.
18:33And at Duke, he was more of a score.
18:35Then when he came to the Celtics, they threw him in the corner.
18:38If you remember his rookie year and second year, he literally stood in the, in the right
18:42wing, right?
18:43While Kyrie was the guy with the ball in his hands and, you know, Isaiah Thomas.
18:48But, but again, listen, we talked about this years ago.
18:53Like they're not boys.
18:55They're not boys.
18:56They're not hanging out all the time, but you don't have to be.
18:59And I think they've become a lot closer because of what they've had to go through, right?
19:05All the critics that have come out and listen, some of them rightfully.
19:09So I was one of those critics for a while.
19:12They did not feel like those two could win with the team being what it was.
19:20Now, again, my take was, yeah, like maybe you need to trade Jalen Brown at that point.
19:25Well, what Brad Stevens did was say, you know what, we're going to keep those two.
19:29And we're going to, we're going to trade the other guys around.
19:32We're going to trade Robert Williams.
19:34We're going to trade Grant Williams.
19:35We're going to trade Marcus Smart.
19:37And we're going to bring in guys who really know how to play.
19:40That's what they did.
19:42So it made Tatum and Brown's job easier.
19:46So they didn't have all.
19:48Remember, I forget who it was who told me a few years ago.
19:51Actually, I know who it was.
19:52I'm not going to say who it was because it was a player that went against them.
19:56And he said to me, it's so easy to defend this team right now with Brown and Tatum.
20:03All you got to do is worry about those two guys.
20:06You don't have to worry about anybody else.
20:08Well, that has changed dramatically now.
20:11Think of that.
20:11Think of that.
20:12You can't just worry about them.
20:14First eight guys make threes, first of all.
20:18But there's no selfish player among them at all.
20:22And, you know, and it goes down to the bench guys knowing who they are.
20:25I mean, I don't know, you know, ultimately what level of stardom that either
20:31Pritchard or Hauser aspire to or think they can attain.
20:35And I'm sure they both would like more playing time.
20:37But and maybe now that they got a ring, maybe they'll start, you know, maybe they'll get
20:41antsy.
20:42I don't know.
20:42But they have completed this team.
20:46Those guys very well this year.
20:48Both those guys had great stretches of, you know, where they really helped this team.
20:53And yeah, so they fit into it.
20:56And of course, then there's the whole Prisingas thing.
20:59That's the most interesting, intriguing thing about this playoff march is it was so much
21:03was accomplished without him and that they were able to circumvent, you know, to overcome
21:08his loss.
21:09But boy, did he make an important contribution.
21:12And you guys were right.
21:13Hey, give him credit.
21:15He went out there and he gutted it out.
21:17I didn't think he wanted this series, which, you know, got him off to a rousing start.
21:22And, you know, who knows what residual benefit that was derived from winning that game in
21:27that fashion and how good he was.
21:29That's as good a game as anybody played for the Celtics in the whole playoffs.
21:33Frankly, and it's a great contribution.
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24:50What I observed from this team, as far as the three-point shot is concerned,
24:55is that when the three-point shot was a result of passing and going to the basket, it worked.
25:04When they're going off the dribble and they're going one-on-one, it doesn't.
25:08And when this team was at its best is when they were going to the basket.
25:10They were introduced.
25:11They went up by 10 last night.
25:14They weren't down.
25:1510 consecutive points, five feet are in on the hoop.
25:19Like when they went to the basket.
25:21Tatum, look, he wasn't great offensively.
25:26I don't care about that.
25:28To me, Jason Tatum, Jalen Brown, Drew Holliday, Derek White, they all had a great playoff run.
25:34I'm just saying that right off the board.
25:36You want to nitpick certain stuff, go for it.
25:37I'm not going there.
25:38But what I witnessed, Bob, and I want Jeff to chime in on this,
25:42is Tatum seems to me, when he really works the defense going to the paint,
25:48with a reverse dribble and changing direction,
25:51almost Paul Pierce-like, but more athletically, he's unstoppable.
25:58He's six feet 10.
26:00And he has this extraordinary body control and agility.
26:04And it's high level.
26:06And this is the physical package that he's gifted with, frankly.
26:14So yeah, and he makes the most of it.
26:16I love him when he goes to the hoop.
26:18That's his strength to me.
26:19Everybody loves the three.
26:21But I think that's his strength.
26:23I don't know, Jeff.
26:24I'm trying to think.
26:24I was trying to think after the game.
26:26Was there any, Jeff, do you think in your mind's eye,
26:29did he take even one ill-advised forced three last night?
26:33No, maybe one.
26:34Round did.
26:35Round came down once.
26:36And I yelled at a point when, I don't know, second.
26:40I said, you don't need this shot.
26:42He took it in the first five seconds of the 24.
26:45He forced a stupid three.
26:46It didn't hurt them any.
26:48But I don't remember Tatum forcing any unnecessary three.
26:52Yeah, all his shots, if you look at his shot chart,
26:56most of them were driving to the basket.
26:58Which again, that's what you do.
27:02Do that and you open it up for everybody else.
27:04I mean, again, he just, he's one of the more complete players.
27:08I said a few years ago, he's the most complete player in the NBA.
27:12I don't know if he's the most.
27:14I just would say this.
27:15There aren't too many guys in the league that can do what he does
27:19in every facet of the game, right?
27:21He can shoot the three.
27:23He can drive.
27:24He can handle.
27:24He can make people better.
27:25He can rebound.
27:28He can defend.
27:29There's not too many guys that don't have a glaring hole in their game.
27:34Like Jason Tatum.
27:34I mean, give me, there just aren't.
27:36There may be a couple that are right there.
27:39As I said several times during the course of the playoffs,
27:42and I'll say it one more time,
27:44the great evolution for him is as a rebounder,
27:47he has become a terrific traffic rebounder.
27:50And when you really need a rebound, he's one of those guys that gets it.
27:53He may not average 12 or 13 a game, but he can get,
27:56but boy, he is an excellent rebounder.
27:58And it was, you know, I don't remember that being.
28:00He's up now.
28:01He's big, he's strong, he's physical.
28:03Where four years ago, five years ago, he was scared to go to the basket.
28:08He, he, he honestly, he would avoid contact at all costs.
28:12Now he embraces contact.
28:14Right.
28:14And I thought he, he whined a lot less in the, in the, in the final.
28:18He did.
28:19He did.
28:19And that was one of the things that for me, listen, the coolest moment for me.
28:25Still last night was post-game seeing him with deuce.
28:29That for me, again, I've known this kid since he was 15, 16 years old.
28:35I've watched him grow from somebody that wouldn't say two words.
28:38I think I did the first interview ever with him on ESPN when he was in high school,
28:44in Springfield at the hall of fame tournament.
28:47And I think I did the first one with him at Duke as well on TV for ESPN.
28:52So I've known this kid a long time.
28:54And I remember him telling me.
28:56And it was on a podcast.
28:58How he didn't tell anybody.
29:00He was embarrassed to tell the Celtics organization.
29:05When he found out he was going to be a father.
29:08And think of how far this kid has come down where he's embarrassed.
29:13He is literally won't go anywhere without deuce.
29:16And people again, have kind of gotten on him for pregame.
29:19Having deuce basically out there with him.
29:22Shooting and messing around with him.
29:25So I don't know, man.
29:26Like I just, I have a soft spot in my heart for Jason Tatum, the person.
29:31And I always will.
29:33Just because again, I've seen his growth.
29:35I've seen the criticism.
29:36I remember seeing guys.
29:37I covered the draft when he was drafted that year.
29:40And there were all sorts of rumors.
29:42At the time they drafted him through that draft that they were going to trade him
29:46for Jimmy Butler that night.
29:48And he and his mom are asking me throughout the whole draft.
29:52Like, are they keeping him?
29:54Are they trading him?
29:55What's going on?
29:56He's all nervous that entire night that he's not going to be a Boston Celtic.
30:03Wow, that's amazing.
30:04That's an amazing story.
30:05I mean, you know that, Jeff, that's good stuff.
30:08Okay, now I want to move on to Jalen Brown.
30:11And, you know, people, not only did the team benefit for the arrival of Drew Holiday,
30:21but also addition by subtraction.
30:22And I'm not here to stomp on smart.
30:25I don't want to do that.
30:27But when Marcus left, Jalen was able to take more of a leadership role.
30:32And he was able to flex that muscle that Tatum just doesn't have, guys.
30:37You know, Tatum is a nice guy.
30:38He's not going to, Tatum's not going to growl at you.
30:41You know, Jalen Brown can.
30:43And we saw that.
30:43And he took that role.
30:44And I remember, Jeff, maybe you can tell me, or Bob, jump in, because I can't remember
30:48which one of you guys brought this up.
30:49Somebody brought this up.
30:50It was during a Miami series.
30:52And I think it was Brown went to Missoula, and Joe had just taken over.
30:57So it's a different situation.
30:58Joe went to Missoula and said, I want to take Jimmy Butler.
31:01And at the time, Marcus wanted to take Jimmy Butler.
31:05And that was a problem.
31:06And now you saw it last night.
31:09Jalen Brown said, if Lucas stays on the floor, I'm not coming out.
31:14So by not having Marcus here, I think it just freed Brown to be who he is.
31:20That's a very interesting theory.
31:21I hadn't thought about that in those terms, but I think you're right.
31:24And he's a very self-confident individual.
31:27There's no question.
31:28And I predict that his future at Provost Basketball will not involve basketball.
31:33Oh, no doubt.
31:33Yeah.
31:35Yeah.
31:36So that's not even there.
31:38But I'm just saying that's who the human being is.
31:40Yeah, it's a I can't add much more to that.
31:44He's just he is now can go.
31:48He's got back-to-back MVPs and playoffs, conference and finals.
31:53It's tremendous.
31:54And he's just turned out to be a terrific player.
31:58That's all.
31:59Listen, he deserves it.
32:02And again, I've been critical of Jalen Brown over the years, and I think a lot of it was,
32:07again, justified.
32:08I mean, you know, listen, he had trouble with his handle.
32:12We know that.
32:13Oh, yeah.
32:14Didn't make people better.
32:16I think, you know, the sign of a great player is one who takes the criticism and actually
32:23looks in the mirror and says, like, I need to get better at this stuff.
32:26Sure.
32:26And he did.
32:27He got a lot better this year.
32:29I mean, last year in the playoffs, he was a mess.
32:31This year in the playoffs, there was no sign.
32:34Again, he didn't even look like the same player from a year ago.
32:38And again, I think these guys have understood from the get-go here, like Tatum and Brown.
32:43All right.
32:44We do need one another.
32:45And we're both getting crushed.
32:47And if we shut everybody up, really doesn't matter.
32:51Like, I do.
32:52I think Tatum was a little bit disappointed that he didn't get the MVP last night.
32:56Maybe, but the key is don't show it.
32:59Even if you are disappointed, I think overall, winning the title completely overshadowed
33:07anything of NBA finals.
33:09You could see it.
33:10He wasn't giving up that trophy.
33:12Jalen had his own.
33:13Tatum wasn't giving up the trophy.
33:15Everywhere he went, he had that.
33:17He's hugging it.
33:18So I think, you know, this was obviously the end goal here.
33:22And I think there'll be more opportunities for Jason Tatum to get MVP awards in the future.
33:28Well, they realize that the trophy guy got is the one that counts.
33:32I want to go to Drew Holiday now.
33:34And Drew Holiday was my MVP.
33:36And again, I'm splitting hairs.
33:38You know, whatever, whatever.
33:41Let's talk about Drew Holiday, Bob.
33:43His activity, and while we don't really need to get game-specific in last night's game,
33:47but his activity in last night's game was amazing.
33:51He was everywhere.
33:53Well, he's a consummate all-around guard now.
33:56We know in a modern game, he can make the necessary three.
34:02He's got great inside maneuverability at both hands.
34:07Defensively, he's a proven commodity.
34:11All-league defensive player, an Olympian, by the way, again.
34:16And he's just a wonderful player.
34:18And people, he's finally getting, even in Milwaukee, when he won,
34:22I don't think that the recognition was, you know,
34:24it was so much about Giannis, and deservedly so.
34:28And even Middleton, that you didn't talk about Holiday that much.
34:31And now, in this exposure, people are going to recognize how good Drew Holiday is.
34:38And, you know, we're finding out all these things about him as a person,
34:41and the family upbringing, which was tremendous.
34:43And he's just, he's too good, almost too good to be true, in a sense.
34:49He says the right thing always.
34:50Everybody speaks so highly of him.
34:53I mean, it's just a privilege to have the guy.
34:57And we want to thank Damien Lillard for causing all this to happen.
35:02If Damien Lillard doesn't piss his way out of Portland,
35:06we don't have Drew Holiday, period.
35:08And yeah, anybody would have wanted him.
35:11I mean, I don't give Brad as much credit for that one as for White,
35:15you know, only because there's nobody would have turned down
35:18the opportunity to get Drew Holiday.
35:19But we're lucky we got him.
35:22I mean, that's...
35:24We also may be lucky that,
35:26Celtics may be lucky that the trade involving Brogdon to the Clippers didn't go through.
35:34Because I think, well, I think, I mean, they ended up trading him anyway,
35:38but they ended up, remember, then they had to trade Smart in the deal for Porzingis,
35:43which I think allowed him to keep another first round pick that they ended up trading in,
35:48throwing him a deal to get Drew Holiday.
35:51I feel like the initial trade of the Clippers not going through
35:56might have been a savior in some regards.
36:00I also want to say with Drew Holiday,
36:03like he just, he's not flashy at all.
36:06And any part of him, there's zero flash, right?
36:09You never see him dunk, right?
36:11Like he doesn't take these like deep threes.
36:15He toes up the line every time.
36:19Defensively, he just does what he's supposed to do.
36:22There's just zero flash.
36:23He doesn't say more than when people ask him a question on the podium,
36:27what does he say?
36:28Like 10 words and then he's done.
36:29He doesn't want the attention.
36:31You can tell, like he is just like the perfect player to put in for this team,
36:37just as Derek White was.
36:38Like they're identical.
36:40They're almost identical in what they bring.
36:43They got two and nobody, they got two.
36:46One should be one to a customer in a farewell.
36:49It's not a farewell.
36:50Celtics have to, they got two.
36:52It's, and this is my favorite Celtic back, favorite backward of all time.
36:57And also last night on NBC Sports Boston with Eddie House and Scal,
37:02they were talking to Drew Holiday.
37:04And he pointed out that when he had, he had the 26 points,
37:08he said nine assists came from Jason Tatum.
37:12You know, he made that point.
37:14Oh, ha.
37:15Say, because they started to talk about Tatum and how he's done all so many
37:20different things.
37:21And he said, by the way, he says, my big night, nine assists came from Jason.
37:26So he goes, I don't get those points without Tatum.
37:29You know, that's the type of guy and the type of vision he is.
37:32Well, gentlemen, it was a blast to watch the game.
37:35It was great.
37:36It's just always great.
37:38I'm going to go to the parade.
37:39Hey guys.
37:40So my nephew came in.
37:42So I'm going to go to the first parade I've ever been to.
37:48And luckily it's Friday.
37:49So it's not going to be 96 degrees.
37:52I think it's only going to be 80 Friday, but I will actually go to the parade,
37:56which is going to be very interesting.
37:57I'm not sure how excited I am.
38:00Like, I don't know.
38:02I'll let you know.
38:03I'll report back next week and let you know.
38:04I will be in.
38:05I will be in Tangway territory on Friday.
38:09I'll be 200 miles northwest of the parade in rural Maine.
38:16That's right.
38:17In the great state of Maine.
38:18Bob will be dipping his toes in the lake.
38:24Well, I do.
38:26I covered a lot of parades and covering them.
38:29Weren't you in a truck?
38:30Weren't you in a truck?
38:32That was the marathon.
38:34So what were you doing?
38:35I was in the marathon.
38:37I was never in a truck for a parade.
38:39I was in the marathon, Boston Marathon.
38:41I covered the wheelchair race.
38:42I was in the truck for Channel 4.
38:46But I've been at various locations.
38:49I've been at the library for the parade.
38:51As a fan or covering?
38:53Oh, no, no, no.
38:54I've never gone as a fan.
38:55It's always been covering the parade.
38:57I've been at the library.
38:59I've been at different posts along the way.
39:00I've been at the common, you know.
39:02So do you have any suggestions for me how to navigate this thing?
39:08Yeah, I could tell you this.
39:09The one thing I want to add, though, is when you're doing a parade, it is kind of like,
39:14well, here they come.
39:17And there they go.
39:19You know, it's like, OK, hey, you know,
39:23Jonathan Pappabond's hammered.
39:24Look at him go.
39:27Do you know anybody with a building?
39:31That's seriously.
39:33My wife used to work downtown, and if they're in a conference room,
39:37find somebody with on the third or fourth floor.
39:39That's your bet.
39:40And then you just, you know, you can open the windows and get the play.
39:43It's great.
39:43You'll have a great time.
39:44You'll never all have a great time.
39:46All right, guys.
39:47Always a pleasure.
39:48We are going to continue to talk throughout the summer.
39:51Yes, we will.
39:53Dan Shaughnessy, by the way, I got a promo.
39:54This Dan Shaughnessy is going to join Bob and I at some point.
39:57And I'm going to do a retrospect.
39:58We are going to talk about the careers of Bob Ryan and Dan Shaughnessy.
40:01That is coming up later on this summer.
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40:10See you guys.