Celtics show promising wins on road trip, but team's inconsistent performance raises concerns

[TRANSCRIPT] [0:00:06] (Raychawn): Welcome to the next edition of missing a point. I am Hollywood Ray. Sean buchanan. My guys mike, mark, angelo money mike and the real BK bob kelly. What's going on, guys are you doing tonight? [0:00:20] (Mike): You were good. [0:00:22] (Raychawn): Don't know what who wants to go first? [0:00:24] (Mike): You're doing fucking great, right? [0:00:28] (Raychawn): It'll only take 30 minutes. Awesome. [0:00:32] (Bobby): How can I be dad, bro? I got a new daughter named tatum. Named tatum. [0:00:38] (Raychawn): Yeah. That's the happiest. I'll be all show. Listen, we're talking celtics, all things celtics. And I've gone through a roller coaster of emotions the last week, really the last three weeks since the all star break. So recording on wednesday night, they just came off a six game road trip and they booked ended right. They booked ended with a win in atlanta. They won in sacramento last night. So mike, I'll start with you. [0:01:10] (Raychawn): So they end up the road trip going four and two. And it's funny because the last time we had a nice road trip like this, you and I were on the show as well. So just what were your thoughts overall on the road trip and just how do you feel about them overall right now? [0:01:26] (Mike): Yeah, listen, I thought that the win last night made me feel a little bit better about the road trip. Obviously, I think 132, 109 against a really good sacramento, a surprising really good sacramento team. And tatum bald out. Right. I thought 36 points I loved. And I know that bobby's going to hate this, but I thought the jalen brown's performance was better in the sense that he scored, what, 27? But he was more efficient. [0:01:58] (Mike): He didn't need 25 shots to get his points. He went ten to 16 from the field. He was three for three from the free throw line. I thought his intensity was great. I also like derek white. That man needs to be the starter from here on in. [0:02:15] (Bobby): Yeah, man. [0:02:17] (Mike): 20 and twelve. Come on, come on. I thought it was a great win. Also with that win, did you know I'm going to hit you with the did you know this early on the celtics are 28 no. When they shoot 40% or better from three. [0:02:35] (Bobby): Wow. [0:02:38] (Raychawn): That's not a set. I knew. So I welcome you being a sean grandy of the show because sean grandy has been throwing phenomenal did you know? Facts out there on the broadcast. So he's going to be the great replacement when mike gorman chooses to hang it up. He's telling us in his own way, like, I'm not doing many games going forward. [0:03:00] (Mike): He's doing the tommy thing right. He's not doing away games. But also that's a really cool stat. It's really positive. The reason why I bring it up is because they're 22 and 23 when they shoot less than 40% from three. [0:03:14] (Bobby): Yeah. I feel like that has a lot to do with so a, that has a lot to do with jason tatum, I feel like, because at this point, when you see him struggle, even if Jalen has a great game, right, because he has Jalen's been better than Jason Tatum this past month and a half. There's literally no arguing that fact. He has 100% been a better basketball player, but the celtics have not been a better basketball team. [0:03:43] (Bobby): You know what I mean? That's really what I keep coming back to, is like, this team goes as Jason Tatum goes. The past month and a half, we haven't seen that MVP Jason Tatum performance really until last night. Last night was the first kind of time in the last month that we saw him actually take a game over look like the Tatum we saw last year. Listen, I give jalen all the credit, but when this team is at their best is when Jason Tatum is at their best. Jalen brown can ball out all he wants, but if Jason Tatum isn't playing like that MVP guy, this team just doesn't function that way because the way Joe missoula runs, it, the way that it was set up, everything about it revolves around that dude playing that type of basketball. You know what I mean? And we saw it first three, four months of the season. So I just think that's been the biggest thing that's come downhill. [0:04:35] (Bobby): In regards to the road trip, I just think it's a perfect microcosm of the past two months because the two games they lost were Jalen. I think Jalen scored 40 in one of them. Right. It just seems like that's what the trend is going to be going forward to me. If Jason Tatum is Jason Tatum in the playoffs, we're going to be good. If he's the guy we saw last night, we're all right. If the celtics are the team that we saw those two games, the one that stands out, to me, it's not even in this road trip is that nick's game. [0:05:05] (Bobby): If that's the celtics we get in the playoffs, I'm worried, but I don't want to hit that gaslighting yet. [0:05:13] (Raychawn): Right? The gas is fully lit on the side. I'm through the roof. But the thing is right with Tatum, and this is why when people say, oh, people rather JB because of the like you said, my mindset, the energy, the effort that he's given on a regular basis, but this team generally does not win. When Jalen bronze lead the score once again, he goes bananas against the rockets. I think he has 43 rockets. [0:05:49] (Bobby): That too 40. [0:05:50] (Mike): Yeah. [0:05:51] (Raychawn): Couldn't they couldn't, you know, they would have needed the 94 rocket team to stop you to run out. That's how much he was tearing them up. But Tatum, I think, had 22. And once again, 22 was not a terrible number. [0:06:06] (Bobby): It's an inefficient 22. [0:06:11] (Raychawn): When you're not affecting the game in other ways. Yeah, it looks so par. But the thing is, those type of games, since the all star break since he was so fucking pleased to get the All Star record. And Utah, he left his jump shot and he left his heart in Salt Lake City. That's the problem. [0:06:30] (Bobby): It is 100%. And to kind of back that up, and especially back up what Mike was saying earlier, that game is a microcosm of what's been wrong. You know what I mean? Because what's going on here? Something just started playing in my ear. My bad. Because if you look at that game, tatum, Horford, White, and I want to say I don't know who else played in that game is Griffin. I don't know who started that game, but they were a combined I think it was like two or three of 15 to 20 from three in that game. [0:07:04] (Bobby): Jalen Brown was four of ten from three. So Jalen had an efficient outing from three point. He shot 40%. He was good. He used 43 points. The rest of the team was just absolute hot garbage. And I just feel like because they all flow off of what Tatum does and if Tatum's shooting 20% from three, it sends the rest of the team into a downfall. I don't know why, but I just feel like that's the way it is. [0:07:29] (Mike): So here's my theory. Bobby and I have gone back and forth about this. I don't think tonight is going to be one of those shows, but the greats make everyone else great when they're having an off night. Tatum doesn't do that. The team runs through him or dies through him. Primarily his shooting. And that's an issue. Now. He's still young. I know he's only 19, but nice. He still has time to develop that aspect of his game. The same criticism was given to Kobe until Powell got to La for that second run that they went on, that he was selfish. Now, if you're going to be compared to Kobe Bryant again, there are worse things to be compared to as a basketball player. [0:08:23] (Mike): Right. [0:08:23] (Raychawn): So that kind of leads into what I want to speak about with Tatum. And once again, it's like, you've done this before. So there's been things there are certain times in the game lately anyways, that Tatum will catch it at the top of the key. Not at three, but at the top of the key. And then basically, either he's going to shoot over the guy or he makes the right play out of the double team because he can see it from the center of the floor. So finishing these last nine games, finishing these last nine games is the biggest adjustment that we need to see from Tatum working out of that midpost area so that he can see where the double team is coming from or just getting it, catching it and then shooting it. [0:09:09] (Raychawn): What do you want to see out of him in these last nine games? If we go into the playoffs? Yeah. [0:09:13] (Bobby): It's not even just Tatum, in my opinion. I feel like we need to see the entire offense run like that moving forward. I just feel like it's more effective when it comes to playoff basketball to not live and die by the three. And I feel like that's what Joe wants to do. And I don't know if it's Tatum or Brown just kind of taking the offense back over and running it out of the post or running it on the driving kick, but that's, in my opinion, what we need to see going forward. I completely agree. Tatum out of the midpost and Jalen Brown driving kicks, man. That's how this offense is at its best. [0:09:45] (Bobby): And I absolutely despise it. And it's funny Mike brought up that earlier when this team just I feel like they get stuck in a trap of where we are a three point shooting team and we live and die by this analytics. And sometimes it's just not the time for that, guys. It's not the game. Sometimes the shots just aren't falling and you need to figure out a way to get the goddamn ball in the hoop. Like I said, whether that's driving kicks, whether that's working through Tatum out of the post, you got to figure something out because there are times, man, where it feels like two years ago again, where I'm sitting here just pulling my hair out and I'm like, bro, stop shooting the goddamn three. [0:10:26] (Bobby): Stop it. Just stop, please. [0:10:29] (Mike): Bobby they feel like a three point shooting team because that's what they are. And that's not a knock on them because when they are on as they're unbeatable, nobody can beat them except Golden State because they can play perimeter defense for some reason. I don't understand how, but they can. But to your point, the question you asked, if you had to fear Jalen Brown and Jason Tatum in mid range, how much more open would Al Horford or Marcus Smart or Derek White be on the perimeter? [0:11:08] (Mike): If you want to be a great point shooting team which, by the way, they are, they take that noticeable dip in the playoffs, make everyone think that your two studs have no fear about driving into the paint, because I don't want to see Stanley coughing the ball up that much in the paint. He's got way better. Way better. But you should use the fear that others have for those two and create the wide open three point shots for everybody else. [0:11:39] (Raychawn): Yeah, no, I mean, I think that's true. I would like to see Jalen and Jason do a lot more pick and roll too. [0:11:46] (Bobby): Oh, my God. Bro, you just literally took that right out of my mouth. [0:11:51] (Mike): Katie's probably president again. [0:11:53] (Raychawn): Yeah. I love God. Well, anyway, we want want to see them do more pick a roll. So if you remember back in the day, steve Nash and Amar Stalamari used to run a pick and roll and teams didn't know how to guard it because obviously Nashville draws from three and then Amari would dunk on your head so you didn't know which way to contest the play. So I would love to see them run that more to Mike's point. [0:12:29] (Raychawn): Al Horford, he has rented out the corner office and he's open all night from three. He's open. Derek White open from three. So the corner office is there and the space is available for rent. They just have to make sure that they do it every single time. I think about a couple of players last night where Tatum was there in the post, right, catches it as soon as they saw some bonus. Or Kig and Murray come over and they teach you this even in youthfully basketball, your guy leaves, you cut immediately to the basket. [0:13:05] (Raychawn): Tatum did. They got it to him. Boom. And one game over. And I was just like, oh, imagine what happens when you move the fucking ball and you move your legs to get to the basket. It's easy for them when they do that. That's what was happening when he started. I was 21 and five. So I'm just like, I don't understand why you go away from that. And it's like, it's too much hero ball at times. We talked about this on the server religiously. You just have to have a balance score from three, score from the mid range, get your layups. This team also misses. So many fucking layups for my liking as well. [0:13:42] (Mike): They always have. To your point, though, Rayleigh, when the Celtics have 25 or more assists in the game, they shoot 43% or more from three. Bobby, you're right. This was a microcosm of the season, because this is how good they are and can be when they commit to understanding that if you lead the night and assist, there's going to be an open shot. There's always going to be an open shot. It doesn't matter who takes it. And the fact is, you have I'd say on this team, at any given time, you have five or six people that are liable to drop, go four of six from three on you. [0:14:33] (Mike): How the fuck you stop that? [0:14:38] (Bobby): What's crazy about it, too, is with this team, you always know within 5 minutes which Celtics team you're getting. You know what I mean? You know really quick which team you're getting. Just by the extra passes, even on defense, just by the closing out on that extra pass and getting to that guy in the corner, you can tell what Celtics team is going to show up in a given night. I just keep going back to that next game, bro. Within 10 minutes I was like, this game is fucking over. I felt like Ray, I was like, Bro, close it down right now, man. [0:15:10] (Bobby): This is toast. Because they just didn't have it that day. And it was like against the Kings last night, within 10 minutes, I was like, they're going to fucking smoke this team. This game is already over. [0:15:21] (Raychawn): Yeah, and that's the thing too. Obviously. I think they almost again, because me and Mike was on that show after they beat La. This is like around Christmas time and we were talking about how just right before they played Milwaukee and the Orlando stretch back in December. Obviously they are losing to Orlando back to back games. But in that La game, it was like, okay, this is what they need to do. So I think sometimes most of the time they play down to the competition. Like, that's not an opinion, that's a fact. [0:15:51] (Raychawn): The numbers that approve it, it was Detroit last year. [0:15:53] (Mike): Yeah, exactly. [0:15:55] (Raychawn): I think last night was that instance where it's like, look, they're saying you guys are bringing the smoke out west. Okay, come show me where's jay Z we don't believe you. We need more people. We don't believe you. So let's see if you're about that life once again. I like that. I like Darren Fox. I'm a UNC guy. So, you know, I love Harrison Barnes. Demantas Sabonis was out here playing by Yanis. I didn't like that. [0:16:20] (Bobby): The referee, sabonus is good, man. [0:16:23] (Raychawn): He's phenomenal. He's phenomenal. [0:16:26] (Bobby): I remember last year, everyone was ripping them for that trade. Halliburton for Sabonus and like, listen, I know Halliburton is amazing, but when you actually sit down and watch Damonte Sabonis play basketball for 60 minutes, that dude is in full control every moment he is on the floor. I love watching him play basketball. [0:16:44] (Raychawn): Yeah, he's everything. Like I said, we didn't see his father in his prime. Father came late in Portland in his career. So we saw once he got big, we're seeing what youngster bonus would have been and wow, the dude is a special talent. And like I said, I'm glad they was able to get that win. I guess it really improved team there, Sacramento. So want to transition to the scheduling. It's funny, right? Because when Bobby and I did a scheduled release show over the summer, we went in detail about the stuff, but we didn't really speak about what the impact of back to back would be. [0:17:21] (Raychawn): So, Mike, I'll start with you. We still have a couple more back to back. So we have one this week coming. I think we have the Jazz and then the Bucks and the Jazz on the 31st. And then we have the Hawks and the Raptors back to back. Philly and Toronto. Toronto on April 4, April 5. So just has the back to backs, in your opinion, led to what some people have said to be a scheduled loss? Because they always have people out. So do you think the back to backs have led to what you would call a certain schedule loss or are you at the mindset they just need to figure it out no matter who's out there? [0:18:00] (Mike): I mean, kind of both and the only reason why I say that is because up until the All Star break, the Celtics had the most wins out of any team in the NBA when they had less than two days off. So they were conditioned to just beat whoever was in front of them. Now, the caveat to that, though, is if you're playing everyone 40 minutes a night, they're going to get gassed. And I think last time we were on the show, I said it's evident when they are gassed, how gassed they are. [0:18:32] (Mike): And I think the back to back with Philly in Toronto, you could literally just trot out four people, and I still think we beat Philly. We're just in their head. In their fucking head. For whatever reason, as long as Al Horford was one of the people that you trotted out, he loves playing against the Beat. I think normally in the dead middle of the season, the dog beats of the season, really, back to back should be the next night. You always think, okay, well, this could be like one of those scheduled losses. The problem that they ran into you with being so good for so long and then coming out of the All Star break were they eight and six since the break? [0:19:16] (Mike): And every other team in the east is getting better or catching a hot streak, you can't do that. Now you put yourself in a position where you have to be on from here on in to secure the number one seed. [0:19:30] (Bobby): Not even to secure the number one seed, bro. Just care the number two seed. [0:19:34] (Mike): Philly, game seven doesn't matter. [0:19:36] (Bobby): Yeah, but I mean, that first round matchup kind of matters a little bit. You know what I mean? I would much rather face the Heat, the Hawks, the Raptors, the Bulls, or the Pacers. I guess the Nets kind of suck, too. All right, never mind. I think we can beat the Nets team. [0:19:53] (Raychawn): That's the thing we're saying, oh, they'll beat the Nets, they'll beat whoever. And I said this on one of my Twitter rants recently, all you have to do is play hard against this team and you have a shot. That's what Israel, if you play hard for about at least half the game or even 36 minutes, you are going to be in the game because they're going to fucking fold. But that's not, once again, not a prediction. [0:20:19] (Raychawn): It's a spoiler. It's out of control how you just have to play. You just get up in their airspace, you move the ball, and then once the shots not falling, plus you're playing hard, oh, you might fucking run away by 30. [0:20:33] (Mike): I guess the team this might be simplifying it, but it feels like just watching all the games I watched this year, if you're just competitive up until 5 minutes left in the third quarter and then you punch the Celtics in the face, you're going to be it's over ball game. [0:20:50] (Raychawn): Ball game. It's out of control. How many times that happens? And listen, I am not looking to face Miami in the first round. [0:21:01] (Mike): No. [0:21:05] (Raychawn): Should they beat them? Of course they should beat them. Miami would take this team seven in the first round. And if you think otherwise, I welcome you to say something in the comments to give me another perspective. Because Miami, because they're coached hard, they're going to play hard. They're not going to give anything up. Once again, you guys telling me a lot about Game Vista is going to be cooking you, but he's going to have a game of 25 because this is what the Celtics do. [0:21:35] (Raychawn): Someone that shouldn't go off is going to go off. And once again, we've used this in the context of another team, but what can go fucking wrong will go wrong. So to me, I just rather stay away from anything that's going to give me any added stress. Because my thing is they should beat teams in five or six games. In my opinion. It should not take a 7th game to be a 7th through ten seed. But I know who we're dealing with. So I'm already mentally prepared for the 7th game and me having a fucking aneurysm on the show by Bobby saying, championship DNA, bro, we got it. [0:22:17] (Bobby): I know I usually am the optimistic one, but how much of this do you actually think is the coaching? Because two things I've noticed is first, so Missoula got that contract, right? And up until that point, this team was was rolling, rolling one of the best teams in the the best team in the NBA, right? Ever since that contract happened and ever since Tatum came out and said, Odoka will always be his favorite coach, something seems off. [0:22:53] (Bobby): Am I crazy for thinking that? Because literally, since that moment, this team, they lost those two magic games in a row, they've done things that are just mind boggling that I don't think an Indoka coach team, at least at the end of last year, would be doing right now. So do you think that this actually just comes back to our fear at the beginning of this season that that actually might end up taking this team through all the ups and downs of this season, through through the highest of highs? Because, listen, we were on cloud nine at one point with Missouri. We were like, all right, you know what? We're good. We're good at them. [0:23:32] (Mike): Guys. [0:23:33] (Bobby): In my opinion, I feel like he gave this team a real fire under their ass. [0:23:40] (Mike): Yeah, I think it just looks like this team thought in the first half of the year, up until the offset breakers call it, that they needed to prove something to the rest of the league saying that they are this good and they want everyone to remember them and put some fucking respect behind their name. The problem here, though, is that they thought that the All Star Game was their coronation. It isn't. [0:24:06] (Mike): It's the finals. And I think Tatum balling out of the all star game. I think that they signed mazul to the extension because they realized that he was going to be the coach of the All Star Game and they didn't want another franchise coaching, which sure, but you have not done any not anything yet. This core. The reason why they were on such a tear, in my opinion, before the break, was because they had tasted the finals. They know what it took to get there and they would be goddamned if they were not going to get back there again. [0:24:39] (Mike): And everybody started talking, you're truly included, saying that there ain't a team out there that can beat them like it's going to be Golden State and them in the finals again. And then they started to believe it. Right. So, yeah, I think that Tatum saying that Eme is his favorite coach. I don't think that carries any weight. I would say I think that Missoula would probably say that Eme was his favorite boss. [0:25:04] (Mike): Same thing. Doesn't matter. He still needs to know when to call a fucking time out, when to stop a run. [0:25:11] (Raychawn): Yeah, that's my biggest concern now. People have not heard me give him praise regardless of what platform I've been on. But the office has been better on the Missoula overall. They got so good last year because they defended the hell out of you. You were not scoring on us at this point last year. It was just like you were lucky to crack 100 against us last year at this point of the year. Right now it looks like a layup. [0:25:36] (Bobby): Line right now, getting 100 answers right. [0:25:39] (Raychawn): But I want to make this next statement because once again, it's not original because it's been said, but I want to reiterate it to our audience and our listeners. No Rob, no ring is that simple. You said it looked easy last night, Mike. That's why it looked easy when he's out there. Once again, we're not going to get 20 and ten, but when he's out there, I think he got eight rebounds off the bench. Eight rebounds. [0:26:08] (Raychawn): Those eight rebounds will become offensive rebounds. Last week, like all these four would have been officer rebounds. That's four possessions. You don't know how the game changes in that moment, so to speak, to what Joe has done. If I'm him, once again, I don't know what's being told behind the scenes. I'm not starting Rob the rest of the year, including the playoffs. He's coming off the bench until we get to the finals. [0:26:35] (Raychawn): If you want him to end the game with the starters, cool. Excuse me, but you saw the Amor rotation last night. That's what it should be. Smart. White. Tatum brown. Al and then it's Malcolm Grant, Rob. And then maybe if you need Hauser for a few seconds or you need Blake for a few minutes, but that's the end of night, guys there. But back to the thing with Joe. Like I said, the timeout thing is a concern of mine. I said early on, and our own Joe was like, no, just give it time. [0:27:09] (Raychawn): And I've seen it early on. I'm like, Yo, it's not about right now. Everyone was hyped up 21 to five. I'm like, Yo, I cared about the good start, but I'm thinking, yo, in April, when you're up 76 to 61 and all of a sudden a blitz happens. When a team goes 20 to two and you don't call time out, that's a problem. That's a problem. Every possession in the playoffs matter. So you have to get to a point where it's like, Yo, okay, the moment they go on a six all run, I'm calling time out so we can get going. Perfect example. This was the last year that Kg paul and I think Ray already gone. [0:27:53] (Raychawn): He might already be gone. Yeah, he was already gone because this was 2013. We lose to the next in the first round, right? Game six, we're getting smoked. I'm talking about dragged out the building, and all of a sudden we go on a 20 year old run. And Mike Woodson, who was the next coach at the time, is just looking, like, going on out here, guys, you're getting cooked. You need to call time out. [0:28:20] (Mike): Now. [0:28:20] (Raychawn): They had to win that game after because Jr Smith and Mellow writing the ship for them. But it's just like that can't happen. And I think about moments like that. You cannot let teams go on and start run because you want to save a time out in the fourth quarter. You cannot take the timeouts with you. They're not a to go bag. They're not leftovers for Thanksgiving. Make sure you use the fucking timeouts that are allotted to you so that you could get the guys back in shape like he did last night. Calls the time out, they go on an 800 and run immediately. Yes, Joe Recenter, the team refocus, and then you go from there. [0:29:00] (Mike): I've always been, like, a big proponent of the coaching in the NBA. Doesn't matter unless you're in a situation like this. If Eme was the coach of the Nets last year, the Celtics don't sweep them in the first round, but it just doesn't happen. But coaching matters in pivotal spots, and my fear now is with this team that made it there last year, they think that that's their destiny this year, which, by the way, they should feel that way because of how well they played. [0:29:33] (Mike): Coach can't feel that way. He needs to know when to actually say, you know what? To your point, Rayleigh, you're up 16. The minute that they score nine in a row, you call a time out. That's it. This is going to be a two possession game. [0:29:48] (Bobby): Yeah. In my. [0:29:51] (Mike): Head. [0:29:51] (Bobby): I keep hopping over to March Madness because I've never seen more up and down pivotal runs in my entire life than you do in the game of college basketball. And you know what every coach in the history of college basketball does when you see that shit start happening? They call fucking time out. You can predict that shit. You know what I mean? They score. They get that 10th bucket to make it a four point game. You're like, time out. Time out. And every fucking time they call a fucking timeout. [0:30:19] (Bobby): The only person that I've had to sit there for multiple possessions and be like, fucking time out? What have we is Joe Mazula. He's the only fucking one, man. [0:30:30] (Raychawn): It's pathetic. It's just like I think overall, he's done a good job. Once again, 50. Listen, a singular win is hard to come by in the NBA. It's hard. It's hard. So to win 50 is a phenomenal feat. It's great. However, there's certain nuances of the game that has to be figured out. It's just that simple. And I'm hoping we just lost David Stoddmyer. Congrats to him for getting a job down to Georgia Tech. [0:31:03] (Bobby): I feel like that hurts a little bit. [0:31:04] (Raychawn): Oh, of course it does. Of course. He was email's main guy. Obviously, Will Hardy's over in Utah. And that's nothing, too. People are going to watch that tape that Utah did against Tatum no to go four in the second half. Will Hardy took him out the fucking game completely. So if you don't think teams are going to be watching that and say, okay, we could put two on him here, we can do this, we can do that. [0:31:26] (Raychawn): So scheme, scheme, scheme, scheme. Guys, open. And for the love of God, please start designing other atos. He has to hit them all the way at the other side of the back court. Everybody knows what's happening in that moment. And once again, you sold it from Horseshoe. You sold it from Brad. Because I remember the play they did in Indiana, and it worked a few times. I remember it worked in Charlotte, too. [0:31:58] (Raychawn): It was a great place. You got to draw something else up. So whether you have Tatum as the inbounder, whether you have JB as the inbounder, you give it back to them. There's so many other ways and so many other actions you can do. Maybe they're saving it for the playoffs. Maybe that's my hope. I'm hoping. Because right now, it's like you're at the 10ft level in the pool and you're in there like this. [0:32:26] (Raychawn): You drown it. Right now, you fighting for air. That should not be the case. [0:32:33] (Bobby): That kind of sets me up for exactly what I was just thinking, where last year at this time, right, we weren't thinking. And again, for all the Celtics fans out there, they're going to rip us for being so negative about, like, number two seed in the fucking east. Like, listen, it's just the vibes of this team are so different because last year, right, this team could shoot 20% from three. This team could shoot 38% from the field and still win a fucking game 98 to 84, because they just absolutely dominated you on defense, right? This team doesn't have that vibe. [0:33:13] (Bobby): I don't feel like we can have a shit night on the offensive side because we had this conversation so many times last year where it's like, listen, it doesn't matter how we shoot, because you're not fucking scoring on us. That's not what's happening this year. You know what I mean? We all just keep going back to that dangerous fucking line that we've heard from this team, that we've heard in this city so many times. [0:33:37] (Bobby): They'll turn it on in the playoffs. They'll do this in the playoffs. That doesn't fucking work. It never has, and it never will. All right? We've all seen it from so many teams. Remember the kyrie? They'll turn it on as the play. [0:33:54] (Mike): They just haven't earned that yet. Golden State has earned that. You can go seven and 30 on the road, and nobody wants to play you still. Why? Because you were a fucking wagon for four out of six years. Like, what? Eight years ago, you took a little break, and then the minute the band's back together, you win the final, literally. [0:34:20] (Bobby): Clay had been full strength for, like, two and a half weeks. [0:34:26] (Raychawn): Ridiculous. [0:34:27] (Mike): I guess my question, because I had Ray to kind of lose and teach me something here, too, Bobby. If everyone on this team is the. [0:34:39] (Raychawn): Same. [0:34:41] (Mike): And they can't play defense now, but they could last year and Missoula worked under Eme, what the fuck is going on? [0:34:51] (Raychawn): It's lack of effort once again, and that shouldn't be uttered out of my mouth, but that's what it is. And once again, for those sam. What's up, bro? I know you're listening to this, and I know you've gotten on because you think that I'm super negative. It's not about me being negative, bro. When I watch basketball, I watch sports in general. Once again, it's maybe the teacher in me, the educator in me. [0:35:16] (Raychawn): I'm very big on effort. If I don't see you trying, that burns a hole in me like no other. It pisses me off with children. It's damn circle pissed me off with adults. You got to show effort. Once again, you could lose the game. You could lose how they lost in Milwaukee 131 and 125. But the effort they showed forth that night, being shorthanded, I said that was a thing of beauty. I would have had that thing on a loop around the whole practice facility. I would have had it in TD Garden. I would have it in the locker room. [0:35:49] (Raychawn): That's what it should be. But for whatever reason, like you said, they popped up and thought they arrived. But once again, Bobby and I talked about this in August. You are now the hunted. And we clicked on it right away. It was like, I want to see how they deal with being the hunted. That's what it is. Teams are now because I was thinking to the files before, now they have teams are now using them as a measuring stick. So teams are like, Yo, we're not laying down. We want to see how close are we being to a two seed? How close are we being to a finals contender? So Houston is a perfect example. [0:36:25] (Raychawn): They're not playing for anything. But when young guys like Jalen Green, well, Sagun didn't play the Light, which that's an indictment of Steven Salas, because Sagun just baby, yoke, is like, I don't know what the fuck are you doing down there, but you need to wake up. That's fucking awesome. Yeah, he's so good. But it's just like we probably would have lost my thorough. [0:36:46] (Bobby): I drag off to Sanguine highlights at nighttime. That's what I go to bed, too. Katie's pregnant again. [0:36:54] (Raychawn): I just think that he's saying that. But. [0:37:00] (Mike): Is it a lack of effort, right? [0:37:04] (Raychawn): It's the effort. You're part of being the hunted. That's what I'm talking about, you're being a hunted. So when you are the hunted, it's like, yo, at some point, teams are not just going to lay down. They want to make sure that they give their best to see how they measure up against you. So it's really that simple to me. There could be more, and I'm willing to hear if you have another perspective, Bobby and Mike. But that's just the first thing that comes to mind when I think about that. [0:37:32] (Bobby): I mean, if it's an effort thing, right? I mean, that just comes right back to coaching, man. There's never more in a professional environment, in any kind of environment where you have people that are at the top of their game, that are the best at what they do, and you have them not giving effort. To me, that goes right back on management immediately. It goes right back to who is leading that team, who is the person in charge of that team, and what is the message that they're giving to them? You know what I mean? Because I'll never forget last year, right? [0:38:10] (Bobby): It was either the Bucks I think it was the Bucks series, where smart at one point did something fucking stupid, right? And Odoka pulled her aside. He literally went, hey, cut the fucking shit. What the fuck are you doing? Boom. 100 run from the Celtics. [0:38:29] (Raychawn): I know. He told me. He was like, can we stop playing like fucking assholes? [0:38:33] (Bobby): Yes, that's exactly assholes. They want to take off from there. [0:38:40] (Raychawn): That's not what he's doing. [0:38:41] (Bobby): Right? Listen, I get it. I know that he was the guy, that Brad's guy. He was the guy, the right guy for the culture at the time. I get it. To me, he could prove me wrong. Believe me, all right? He could 100% prove me wrong in the next two months. I want him to, right? I don't think he's the guy to lead us to a fucking championship, man. I can't see Joe firing this team up to get past the warriors, to get past the fucking Nuggets, to get past these teams that just to me are just more sound than the Celtics at this point in time. [0:39:18] (Mike): Wouldn't the equivalent for missoula? You guys want to stop playing like assholes? That's what Eme said. Couldn't missoula. We know he's dry his sense of humor. All right, well, I just threw one home tonight. You guys don't want to play? Cool. That should fire them up the same. [0:39:39] (Raychawn): That's funny you said that, right? What show was that? I watched oh, NBA open court. So Phil Jackson did that to the Laker team that came back against Portland in the 2000 conference finals. [0:39:51] (Bobby): I've seen that. Micked up, I think. [0:39:53] (Raychawn): Yeah, he said you guys had a great season. The team just seems to be better. See you guys in October. And just walks off. And so Shaq goes, what? They're not going to win. I guess him and Kobe and Fisher, that was fucked up. We bought to go back and win. And next thing you know, you see the famous play, the love to sack years old. Game over, right? [0:40:17] (Bobby): That's so iconic. It's one of the best. [0:40:19] (Mike): Man. [0:40:19] (Raychawn): I would love to hear Tatum to Brown on the lu time out. That would be phenomenal. I just don't see Joe doing that would be that would be so awesome. [0:40:31] (Bobby): It'd be great, man. Exactly. [0:40:44] (Raychawn): I love him. Really would love to fucking win. Joe. Listen, I don't care about how guys feel. Once again, I want guys to feel their best, like health wise. But I'm like not telling a player I love them. After you, mouth. I bet I made both. You bet you made both? You miss them? I've been mad when Mike asked me that question. What was worse, a few weeks ago, I almost blew a fucking gasket on the show. [0:41:17] (Raychawn): I couldn't believe one. I'm like, it shouldn't be compared because it's terrible. I'll take a blowing weed over that bullshit any day. We thought about that. I was like, wow. And that's saying a lot, knowing me. [0:41:28] (Bobby): Have you ever seen anything like that in your entire life? I've never seen anything like that in my entire life ever. [0:41:36] (Raychawn): So bad. [0:41:38] (Bobby): Do you think he cringes about that in the shower every morning? [0:41:42] (Mike): He should. [0:41:48] (Raychawn): I want to be clear because I've said this. I don't want him playing, but clearly he has to play. Shit leads until he has a derek. [0:41:56] (Bobby): White doesn't in the fourth with the. [0:41:58] (Raychawn): Fuck you know what? I can't believe we got this. I'm so glad that can't fucking happen. Those that are defending and I'm sorry, I know I'm supposed to be hosting this. I'm sorry. But I can't believe that you have a guy. Once again, Mike gave you the beautiful steps at the beginning, 20, I think. Twelve and eight last night in Sacramento. The night that the game before. He doesn't play the fourth quarter. [0:42:27] (Bobby): Not a minute. [0:42:29] (Raychawn): Be together if you what are you doing, Joe? What are you what are you doing? [0:42:36] (Bobby): That's the shit I'm talking about. That's the shit I'm talking about. It's shit you shouldn't be doing with nine games left in the fucking season. You know what I mean? There's teams that are ready for a championship run, and that was us last year, you know what I mean? Where shit was firing in all cylinders, where we knew who the fucking rotation was, that shit was set, you know what I mean? There was no doubt who it was. You knew who was in a crunch time. [0:43:06] (Bobby): You knew all this shit. It was fucking set up. It was there. We didn't know we were going to make the run yet, but we had some optimism, right? We were feeling good about the team going into the fight. [0:43:19] (Raychawn): He may play guys there's just no, it wasn't good. That's what Joe tried to do. The first time he did was last night. Oh, you beat the guys by 20. Imagine that. Listen, as much as I like when Mike Mascara is given, as much as I like willie Cornett is at times, they shouldn't have the same amount of points as me, you and Mike in the playoffs, zero. Unless there's a caveat, unless it's Geno time and they're blowing the opponent out, that's when they could come into the game. [0:43:53] (Bobby): Genotyme, that's for you. [0:43:57] (Raychawn): South Technician I'm not comfortable with seeing those guys on the floor. Anybody beyond Blake. Once again, I'm hoping we could get Gallo back, too. Do you think he could do something? Mike Delo Gallinari that he could do something? [0:44:12] (Mike): Yes, absolutely. By all accounts, he's a great shooter you have to worry about. So he comes back, add a bonus. But the difference between last year and this year, aside from the fact that we're scoring six more points per game, but we're allowing nine more per game. Last year, Rob was timelord. This year he's missed timelord. You don't know how much you can depend on him and how much weight you can put on it. Because when he is healthy we've all said this, when you know he's healthy and he's on, it's hard to beat this team. [0:45:00] (Mike): Really fucking hard. Unless you're the warriors. But it's been really fucking hard. [0:45:03] (Bobby): Four years now. Four years we've been saying that. [0:45:08] (Raychawn): Let'S stay there, right? [0:45:10] (Bobby): Last year we've been staying there. [0:45:14] (Raychawn): That's the problem. Exactly. But last year, he was as healthy as he'd been. We dominated, right? And it goes back to what I said earlier. No Rob, no ring when he's locked in and healthy, this team is different. One, because he's a turn at the rim and it gives us that spacing. It adds to the spacing. And then two, he eliminates shots at the rim. Once again, it may not always be a block, but eliminates that. [0:45:43] (Raychawn): And Mike, I'll come back to you. I want to see your thoughts. Like, you don't have to give me a player, but you just give me your thoughts on this. Because of the ability, availability not being what it should be or could be for Rob, is it time to move on for him in the offseason? [0:46:03] (Mike): The head says yes, but the heart says no, right? He is I said this before, he's just like a taller, slightly darker Jimmy G when he's there, man, your team will get to the championship. You will. And his potential is there. It's just that his injuries are always knee or leg related, and that is not a good side for a young bick. That's hard. If you could guarantee yourself, yeah, you keep him, but you can't. [0:46:45] (Mike): Realistically, if you only had him for 40 let's call it 50 regular season games, but you could guarantee that he'd be healthy at the end of the season. I take that all day. All fucking day. [0:47:03] (Bobby): If we're going to do this again if we're going to do this again, you need to have not a contingency plan. You need to have a plan A and have Rob be a bonus that you that you just have an addition into the playoffs where Rob can't be who we're banking on for this team to make that run. He can't, man, you just can't do it. If you do, it's setting you up for failure. If that's the guy that you're relying on, then you are literally setting your franchise up for failure. [0:47:37] (Bobby): There's no doubt about that at this point. It's an inevitability that within 82 games, he is going to miss at least half of those. Right? It's inevitable at this point. And if he doesn't, he's going to be sore and broken down by the ends of the playoffs. And again, that's an inevitability at this point. It is a proven fact. So they have to do something to fix that, to prepare for that before it happens. [0:48:07] (Bobby): Because the definition of insanity is doing the same shit over and over again and expecting different results. We've been here before. Same fucking result every fucking time. [0:48:19] (Raychawn): Who becomes the replacement then? Because I know it's not a job, obviously, but we're talking about it now. And once again, I know we follow players more around a league more than Mike in this regard, which is fine, but just who could be a replacement? Because once again, I agree with you, Mike. I want them on the team for the 50 plus games. Once again, I'm greedy. I would like 60. And in the playoffs, I think that would put us in a different position when it comes to seating, and I'll get to that in a second. But bobby, who could be a valid replacement, because at this moment, I'm tired of just saying, okay, when Rock is back, rock us back. Rock us back. [0:48:59] (Raychawn): Who could be that guy that we could put. Once again, we got to hedge against Al getting up there, too. Once again, Al has been great. Al's probably been our second best player, probably since the All Star break. So yeah. So just like, who could be a viable option in the offseason? [0:49:18] (Bobby): I'm looking at the center free agents right now, and it's pretty fucking haggard, man, in terms of defense, I mean, the best guy is bouchovich when it comes to overall centers, but he is just straight up a defensive liability when it comes to what Rob brings. So I mean, I don't even know, man, to be honest. I would think of a guy who's just completely defensive minded, who can literally run your defense and is a presence that you have to fear about down low. [0:49:46] (Bobby): The one name keeps popping in my head because I know he's going to be available, which might be blasphemous because he's not a rim protector. Draymond, would you welcome Draymond into the city? No. [0:49:58] (Mike): Yes. But he's not leaving Golden State, by the way. [0:50:04] (Raychawn): If he leaves going to State, he's going to La. [0:50:08] (Mike): On the record, can we just say he's nothing without them? He's not a difference maker without Steph Curry, Clay Thompson. [0:50:16] (Bobby): Yeah, you're right. [0:50:20] (Mike): But to answer your question, this is going to be a wild take, but I'm sure you expected this. If you can keep Rob, keep him. But you have to address the fact that Al is going to be, like, 184 years old next year. He can't continue to play all these minutes. Figure out your cap, go get Porzingis. [0:50:44] (Bobby): I don't hate it. [0:50:47] (Raychawn): He wasn't even on my fucking radar. They're still your words. That's pretty naughty. [0:50:55] (Bobby): But again, that's a defensive his defensive liability, too. [0:51:01] (Raychawn): Anthony Edwards said it best. He said prozingus. I can't get around him. Like he gets a rim. And Anthony Edwards is someone that could get him on anybody in this league. [0:51:10] (Bobby): What about Miles Turner? What about Miles Turner? Who Miles Turner? [0:51:15] (Raychawn): Sure. [0:51:16] (Bobby): It's a name we've been talking about for years. [0:51:20] (Raychawn): He'll be forever brought up. But I'll continue on presenting this thing for a second, right? He's back. He's back. He doesn't get shown as much because he's playing in Washington. And they're not as good this season when you could get 28 and two even on a mess up leg. I'll take that. [0:51:42] (Bobby): Once again, not out there. You know what? [0:51:43] (Raychawn): You're right. [0:51:44] (Bobby): I'll take him. He's out there. [0:51:49] (Raychawn): I feel like you almost have to give up Rob to get him in that moment. [0:51:52] (Mike): You have to get someone to take Al's contract. [0:51:55] (Raychawn): Well, remember they dropped us because they signed him to an extension, so his money went down. He's not getting that 27 million anymore. But unless it's the final year for, like I'm not sure, but I know he signed an extension, too. So, once again, if you want to do a sign of trade and you give Grant and you send him down to Washington, to me, that's the only way. Once again, you can find a way to package, like, Grant Pritchard, JD. Davidson, and like, another first roundup to Washington. [0:52:22] (Raychawn): Yeah, do it. Do it. [0:52:25] (Bobby): I feel like Grant's meant for the wizard. [0:52:27] (Raychawn): Yeah, I mean, listen, look what Kuzma I could get Kuzma's a better player, but I see what Kuzma has done in Washington. Grant could do the same thing. He could. Once again, I just don't want him here. I'm done with seeing him in a Southern uniform. I think he's a great guy. I've met him at CD Garden, always pleasant. [0:52:46] (Bobby): Had to make one of those two, man. [0:52:48] (Raychawn): Just fucking just one fucking frito, bro. And we sort of fucking want to see, but it's okay. [0:52:55] (Bobby): Watch me make both of these quang. [0:52:59] (Mike): If you can make the cap work. [0:53:01] (Raychawn): Wow. [0:53:02] (Mike): Right? Porzingis episode fills the need for both Al and Rob. This year, he do way better shop blocking. He's averaging, like you said, almost nine rebounds a game, 22 points a game. And, oh, by the way, missoula is not able to get these people because it's actually play defense. He's shooting 39% and three. That's what Al does. [0:53:33] (Raychawn): Yes, exactly correct. [0:53:36] (Mike): But he is making $33 million a year. [0:53:41] (Raychawn): Hey, you want to win or you want to go home? [0:53:45] (Mike): Well, I'm with you. I'm with you. [0:53:49] (Bobby): That's all I want. [0:53:50] (Raychawn): No facts, please. I'm going to give a way less sexier pick than what Mike just said. I'd go with someone like Thomas Bryant. [0:53:59] (Bobby): I like Thomas Bryant. I was going to say him. [0:54:01] (Raychawn): I think that he shoots the three. Okay. He's not better than Albert. It comes to three point shooter, but just someone that can be defensively sound. That's what you need. Someone like a Dwayne denim, someone like that. Like, you need someone that can be a stabilizer force down there once. Someone that's not going to get you 20 to ten, obviously, but you have to make sure that they are going to be out there and be healthy, so on and so forth. So I'm hoping that they address that. [0:54:32] (Raychawn): That's been the biggest indictment of Brad's tenure as GM. Once again, bring it out was back because bringing back Al was phenomenal. And once again, like, when Mascula is done, I just think to me, obviously they were going to get proto based off what Serrano and I'm giving him. But maybe you got the OG and no, but once again, he's not a center. Chris Boucher. There's plenty of names that's out there that they can sign for the mid level exception, the Biannual exception. So there's a lot of stuff out there that they can able they can actually do going forward. [0:55:07] (Raychawn): But either way, it needs to be addressed because if not, they will have the same amount of rings as us, and that's zero. Actually, sorry, mike's only champion here right now because Mike has a ring. You're next, Bobby. Keep it on the download. [0:55:25] (Mike): Right? [0:55:26] (Bobby): I did it backwards. [0:55:28] (Mike): He's going to tie the two. [0:55:32] (Bobby): Fact, no one of my vows is going to be like, I promise to never have any more children. I vowed to never have any more children. [0:55:43] (Raychawn): I love it. So, as we mentioned earlier, so the Celtics have nine games left in the regular season. They currently stand at 50 and 23. So, Bobby, I'll start with you. Just what is a realistic close to you look like in these final nine games? So just give a record and then just like what do you want to see from them as they close out the regular season? [0:56:06] (Bobby): Who's on the 10th? Let's see this. Hang on. [0:56:10] (Mike): Let's just do this. Bobby, ready? Indiana versus Indy. [0:56:14] (Bobby): They better fucking win that game. [0:56:16] (Mike): Versus San Antonio. [0:56:18] (Bobby): Better win that game at Washington. Better win that game at Milwaukee. [0:56:28] (Raychawn): You better win it. You forfeited that game before the All Star break, you better win that game. [0:56:34] (Bobby): Yeah, you better win that all right. [0:56:35] (Mike): Versus Utah. [0:56:37] (Bobby): Better win that fucking game. [0:56:38] (Mike): I think that's enough, not better. Do you think they will? [0:56:41] (Bobby): Oh, so back to back after Milwaukee. Yeah, you're right. That's probably a no. Yeah. [0:56:46] (Mike): All right. [0:56:47] (Bobby): Then you get Philly Win. [0:56:49] (Raychawn): I think that's the loss. [0:56:50] (Mike): Stop. [0:56:50] (Bobby): I think they win. [0:56:55] (Raychawn): Philly. No, listen. Are we the better team? Obviously, what I'm saying for that particular win, Toronto when Atlanta lost, because I think we have the two seat or whatever locked by next. [0:57:21] (Bobby): So pause, pause, pause, pause, pause, pause, pause, pause, pause. That is exactly the shit I'm talking about. Where last year they wouldn't have fucking rested anyone. That last game of the season doesn't matter. They were competitors last year, and it didn't fucking matter who they were playing. They were going to fucking take you down. And this year, I guarantee you right. I guarantee you right. I bet you they rest people at the end of the season, if the heat of the six seed or the heat of the seven seed, I bet you they rest or the heater in the plan, I bet you they rest someone to get to that three seed so they don't have to fucking play them. I bet you that's the type of shit that the mindset of what this team is right now to me, even with that. [0:58:07] (Raychawn): Yeah, actually, that's what got us so fired up. Do you remember how hyped we were. [0:58:13] (Bobby): Bring on the nets, bro. [0:58:14] (Raychawn): Yeah, I remember that. Memphis, actually, the last game was in Memphis last. [0:58:22] (Bobby): We fucking won by like, 50. [0:58:24] (Raychawn): And we were like, tatum went crazy against Memphis. And I was like, oh. And their words is like, we don't run from the smoke. [0:58:36] (Bobby): I bet you they run from the smoke. [0:58:37] (Raychawn): Did you? Yeah. Unless they go back to what they were early in the year, where it's like, look, this is 2014 spurs. Like, we lost last year. We know we're the better team. We know we're the best team right now. Let's just see. But I show it to me. What? [0:58:52] (Bobby): If you show it to me, I. [0:58:54] (Raychawn): Want to be surprised. [0:58:55] (Mike): In that exercise, we had the winning seven out of the last nine. Let's prepare to be disappointed and say. [0:59:00] (Raychawn): That it's going to be five and four. [0:59:03] (Mike): I was going to say let's just say that if they go six and three, that's what, 56 and 26, which, by the way, I think is what, six wins? Six more wins than they had last year. Yes. And we would feel worse about this team than we did about last year's team, bro. [0:59:22] (Bobby): Because it's the same exact people and it's just not the same effort. You know what I mean? Like, there's no reason you should be giving up 150 points to the fucking Oklahoma City Thunder at any point in this fucking season. There's no reason you should be giving up 130 points multiple times in this season when you were a historically great defensive team last year. All right, I know we're coming across as, like, the negatives, like the Adam Jones of the Celtics fucking universe. I get it. Celtic nation, I get it. [1:00:01] (Bobby): But you can't look at this team and tell me you have the same giddy butterflies that you have last year, because, listen, this is coming from the most green teamer of all green teamers that will ever green team. It's just different. It's just a different vibe and it scares me going into the playoffs. I'm scared. I'm nervous. [1:00:23] (Raychawn): Oh, stop projecting. [1:00:25] (Bobby): I'm just nervous. I'm nervous about this team the last. [1:00:29] (Raychawn): Five years, since last year, we saw the early at the beginning of the year, they turned around. We've seen this happen. [1:00:34] (Mike): Last year was the anomaly. [1:00:36] (Raychawn): Right? This is almost like you know what, I do think the year that we shut down, like, the year shut down 2020, I do think that would have been a little different with because, like I said, the way Kemp was playing early on was All Star, and then they kind of obviously pandemic shut everything down. I do think that team was a little bit different, per se. [1:01:03] (Mike): Couldn't dunk, right, exactly. [1:01:07] (Raychawn): I just like the way they played. I thought they finally got back. [1:01:12] (Bobby): Is that a throwback to the bam. To the bam stuff. That hurt, ma'am. [1:01:19] (Mike): But Bobby was wearing his Raptor onesie at that point in time. He loved toronto. [1:01:25] (Raychawn): Sell us to the OG listeners that I remember, the Raptor Ranch, the Raptor love that we were given on this show. And then just Bobby and Dee going back and forth. But once again, they were very good at that time. [1:01:41] (Bobby): Frank Van Fleet. Bro. [1:01:42] (Raychawn): Come on. Phenomenal, phenomenal talent. My favorite moment was just like I think Mike was just like, Marcus Mart can't fucking shoot. And then Marcus Smart. Five three in a row. [1:01:58] (Mike): Sure. [1:02:01] (Raychawn): Of course. He's like, I talk about how to marry. Can't fucking shoot to save his life. And then he saves us game tip. It went crazy. [1:02:12] (Mike): You asked him the last nine games, in my opinion, because your overall question is, does the one seed matter? Yes. Only if game seven is in Milwaukee. [1:02:26] (Raychawn): But it will be, though. It's not like, who's going to beat them in the first round? [1:02:32] (Mike): No. So if we finish right now and we think that we're going to do what we're going to do, it will be us versus the Bucks in the Eastern Conference finals, let's say. And I don't want to go in there game seven. I don't I don't trust the reps. [1:02:48] (Raychawn): I don't trust yeah, I feel you. I think that I mean, ironically, we have the best road Rick in the league. But what's crazy, though, and I told the story last year, and it's relevant to this conversation, I remember seeing them lose game five and that building. If you could have just pushed them, like, you could have poked the finger of doom. If you could have poked them over, like, they just would have fell over. They were so distraught, walking out of their game five. [1:03:21] (Raychawn): And I remember going downstairs. I'm getting myself on my locker. Even my coworkers like, damn, she's over. Like, we ain't going to see you all anymore. Like the brewer's gone. And so I'm like I'm like, man, fuck that. See you all Sunday. See you Sunday. I said, you've been waiting for a Tatum game. It's coming. See you Sunday. And lo and behold, he come in there, 40, 611 and whatever, seven at night. That man was like, I'm not walking out of here like this. So that's going to happen at some point. [1:03:51] (Bobby): I hope it fucking happens. [1:03:55] (Raychawn): You can't worry about a game seven, Mike, if you don't get there. So my thing is figure it out before game seven, not to worry about getting up there. [1:04:03] (Mike): Yeah. The only thing that matters to me, the only time that the one C would matter is it's in the case that we play Milwaukee. Because, again, I'm on record, this is recorded. You could play seven games in Philly. We're winning six of them. [1:04:19] (Raychawn): I like that. Yeah, it's true to me. I just feel like the way we've played Milwaukee this year in general is better than what we played in last year. Once again, to come in there with the C team not the B team, the C team, and you lose by six, you take them to overtime. Honestly, I'm lying when I say this. I know. I'm saying hyperbole. They could go one to eight. If the one if the one is Milwaukee, I'm okay with that. And I'm totally lying. Could I be pissed off? And they go one and eight. But if they beat Milwaukee just like we were happy about them beating them on Christmas, it was like if you beat Milwaukee good with that testimony is the only thing that matters to me at this moment. [1:05:08] (Raychawn): Atlanta is not going to let unless we find a way to jump the one seed and get back to the one seed by beating Milwaukee and going 57 to 25 or 58 20. [1:05:19] (Mike): You go one and eight, you're playing the next in the first round. [1:05:22] (Raychawn): And honestly, I'm not sure we beat New York. [1:05:25] (Bobby): We don't beat the next. We don't beat the fucking Knicks in the first round. [1:05:31] (Raychawn): I'm serious. The way one in four, right? He wasn't there, man. I'm there for that double. Over time, I'm seeing Julius Reynolds fucking laugh at the bench, bro. Like, I'm behind. I'm behind the selfish bench. And his men is laughing as if he was the second coming of Bernard King. I know he's wearing the same number in him, but he thinks he's Bernard King. This is fucking patch to go in. Or Willis Reed, actually. [1:06:00] (Raychawn): Rest in peace. To Willis Reed. You're alleged I know he passed away earlier today, so praise out to his family and his friends. But really, come on. To me, I would hope to have a matchup with them that's like, yo, y'all y'all look real confident. And with Julius random. Remember you was doing the same thing a couple of years ago, brother, until Trey Young came into your building and said, as quiet as fucking here, be humble. You ain't been there yet, big dog. [1:06:31] (Raychawn): You were a hell of a player. We probably should have drafted you to the smart back in 2014, but that's okay. Smart smart has had his good moments here in Boston. So it is what it is. But, yeah, just chill. But the way they play, like I said, I'm not confident that we beat them in seven games. [1:06:49] (Mike): Right. Can't go one of me can't go. [1:06:52] (Raychawn): One eight, obviously, but they'll go five and four because they're going to piss us off. They're going to go five and four. They're going to check a couple of games off. They should check off. And yeah, that's just what it is. Ridiculous. So the final question I have and Mike, I'll start with you. This is based off the John Moran comment. Are we fine in the east? Are we fine in the east? Mike? [1:07:18] (Mike): Listen, honestly, we're fine in the east if we never have to go near Cleveland. [1:07:27] (Raychawn): That doesn't seem to go okay. All right. [1:07:29] (Mike): Yeah. For some reason this year, they're just playing us tough. I thought that they were going to fall off a couple of weeks before the all star break and they just never did. They just never did. Are we fine in the east? I think we're in a position now, dude. We have all this talent. We don't have a leader in the sense the coach hasn't proven himself yet. Now, again, I said this last time we were on Splulster, didn't prove himself until his run with the big Three. [1:08:06] (Mike): He did have Pat Riley to fall back on. Right? So now Missoula's got Horseshoes to lean into. [1:08:15] (Bobby): I got Brad Stevens to fall back on. [1:08:18] (Mike): What really worries me, I guess, worries, is that the two heartbeats of this team are not Jason and Jalen Brown. They should be because they're the most talented. They are robert Williams not always on the court, and Marcus Smart and makes terrible decisions. [1:08:39] (Raychawn): If he does horrible. [1:08:42] (Bobby): Marcus is horrible at times this year. [1:08:46] (Raychawn): So if he plays like he played before the All Star break and I said, you heard all the negativity this show, but if Smart gets back to the level that he was before the All Star break, we'll see them in June. I don't doubt that at all. But he's got to get back there and maybe once again, he's just starting to feel healthy now. Maybe that was part of it. But once again, we said earlier if we see the performance that we saw last night against Sacramento, and once again, once again, from effort standpoint, you're not always going to score 130. That's not the concern. [1:09:20] (Raychawn): The effort, the ball movement, the right play. Once again, they had seven steals and like four turnovers at one point. That's what you want. You don't want 15 turnovers and three steals. You want more steals than turnovers. So make the right play. Play for the next man. The goal is for the Boston Celtics to score. Not Jason Tatum, not Jalen Brown, not Marcus Smart. That goal is for the Boston Celtics to score. [1:09:53] (Raychawn): Score one more point than your opponent. [1:09:58] (Mike): The tale of last night's game isn't the fact that we scored 132, but you should be able to walk into any fucking game and say, you know what? Like you did last year, you ain't scoring 110 and we are. [1:10:11] (Raychawn): No. [1:10:12] (Mike): Yeah, that's it. That's all you need to do. 109 is what they sacramento, you do that, the Celtics will be they'll win nine out of every ten games if the opponent only scores 109. [1:10:23] (Bobby): And they outscored the Kings by almost 20 points in the paint last night. [1:10:29] (Mike): Which. [1:10:32] (Bobby): I think that goes right back right back to effort. [1:10:35] (Mike): But yeah, go ahead. [1:10:35] (Raychawn): No, exactly, house, because he talked about it on the broadcast as well. Even if you're not getting to the cup to catch the ball in the paint and then such a big difference, you're going to draw guys in. So as soon as one of your guys leave the defender oh, houses in a corner. Grace in a corner. So that's what has to happen. Most teams are not disciplined enough to stick to their man. It's just not it's a new day. [1:11:06] (Raychawn): Most teams are not disciplined. So make other teams work. [1:11:12] (Bobby): Driving kicks, man, driving kicks. That's the game. [1:11:14] (Raychawn): Driving kick. That is the fucking once again 15 1719. All three. Facets of the game. Score. Score from every level. Go from every level. And once again, just the goal is for the Boston Celtics to score. Not just one set player, not just one multiple. So be disciplined, move the ball. And once again you should give back to the finals at least. Now you just got to go win it. It's really that simple. The ball is in their court. Literally. [1:11:48] (Raychawn): Just make good decisions. That's the best thing I say, make good decisions. Move the ball. You should be back there in June with your fellow teammates, the Boston Bruins. We should be there the finals too, hopefully, the way they've been playing. So I just want more money than the day. So please play the way you're supposed to play. So I can have more money in my pocket come June, so I can go to the casino and do more parlays with Bobby at that stage. We can close on that. So for money. Mike Markangelo for my God of Road BK. Bob Kelly I'm Hollywood Version buchanan. We'll see you next time. Peace.