- 2 years ago
The Boston Celtics just beat the New York Knicks to kick off their 2023-24 campaign for an auspicious start of their pursuit of an NBA-record 18th title, and if their campaign ends anything like the official season simulation by the folks over at NBA 2k, Celtics fans will finally get back on top to pass their rival Los Angeles Lakers as the team with the most championships won.
What did we take from the first game of Boston's season? What can the NBA 2k simulation underscore about what we saw on Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden vs. the Knicks? The folks at the CLNS Media "Celtics Lab" podcast put together a rapid reaction to the real-life road win to start the 2023-24 season with HoopsHype's Yossi Gozlan, then interviewed NBA 2k brand ambassador Ronnie 2k about how Boston won it all in the digital version of the season.
This episode is as packed full of stuff as one might expect, so buckle up as we dive head first into the quest for Banner 18.
This episode of the Celtics Lab Podcast is brought to you by FanDuel Sportsbook, the exclusive wagering partner of the CLNS Media Network. NEW customers can bet $5 and get $200 in BONUS BETS – GUARANTEED. Now is the best time to join FanDuel! The app is easy to use and you can be on everything Fanduel Sportsbook, the exclusive wagering partner of the CLNS Media Network. NEW customers can bet $5 and get $200 in BONUS BETS – GUARANTEED. Now is the best time to join FanDuel! The app is easy to use and you can be on everything from spreads to player props and more! So, visit https://FanDuel.com/BOSTON and kick off the NFL season with an offer you won’t wanna miss. 21+ and present in MA. Hope is here. First online real money wager only. $10 first deposit required. Bonus issued as non-withdrawable bonus bets that expire 7 days after receipt. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. GamblingHelpLineMa.org or call (800)-327-5050 for 24/7 support. Play it smart from the start! GameSenseMA.com or call 1-800-GAM-1234.
ODDS-R! Ever wished you could navigate the betting field with the confidence of a pro? Enter OddsR. They're not a sportsbook, but they're the sports betting advisor you've always needed. It's like having a playbook for smarter bets right in your pocket. Especially since CLNS Media listeners get a 30-day free trial! Elevate your game day and join the smart betting revolution! Go get it at https://oddsr.com/celtics
Visit https://factormeals.com/NEWSFEED50 to get 50% off your first box! Factor is America’s #1 Ready-To-Eat Meal Kit, can help you fuel up fast with ready-to-eat meals delivered straight to your door.
What did we take from the first game of Boston's season? What can the NBA 2k simulation underscore about what we saw on Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden vs. the Knicks? The folks at the CLNS Media "Celtics Lab" podcast put together a rapid reaction to the real-life road win to start the 2023-24 season with HoopsHype's Yossi Gozlan, then interviewed NBA 2k brand ambassador Ronnie 2k about how Boston won it all in the digital version of the season.
This episode is as packed full of stuff as one might expect, so buckle up as we dive head first into the quest for Banner 18.
This episode of the Celtics Lab Podcast is brought to you by FanDuel Sportsbook, the exclusive wagering partner of the CLNS Media Network. NEW customers can bet $5 and get $200 in BONUS BETS – GUARANTEED. Now is the best time to join FanDuel! The app is easy to use and you can be on everything Fanduel Sportsbook, the exclusive wagering partner of the CLNS Media Network. NEW customers can bet $5 and get $200 in BONUS BETS – GUARANTEED. Now is the best time to join FanDuel! The app is easy to use and you can be on everything from spreads to player props and more! So, visit https://FanDuel.com/BOSTON and kick off the NFL season with an offer you won’t wanna miss. 21+ and present in MA. Hope is here. First online real money wager only. $10 first deposit required. Bonus issued as non-withdrawable bonus bets that expire 7 days after receipt. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. GamblingHelpLineMa.org or call (800)-327-5050 for 24/7 support. Play it smart from the start! GameSenseMA.com or call 1-800-GAM-1234.
ODDS-R! Ever wished you could navigate the betting field with the confidence of a pro? Enter OddsR. They're not a sportsbook, but they're the sports betting advisor you've always needed. It's like having a playbook for smarter bets right in your pocket. Especially since CLNS Media listeners get a 30-day free trial! Elevate your game day and join the smart betting revolution! Go get it at https://oddsr.com/celtics
Visit https://factormeals.com/NEWSFEED50 to get 50% off your first box! Factor is America’s #1 Ready-To-Eat Meal Kit, can help you fuel up fast with ready-to-eat meals delivered straight to your door.
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SportsTranscript
00:00 One of the things that the Celtics really struggled with tonight was rebounding and
00:03 they actually do need another great rebounder on this team.
00:07 I mean, two seven footers and I've either just won or just lost a rebounding battle
00:11 that should not be happening.
00:12 I mean, like New York's not a small team, but Boston should be able to rebound them.
00:16 There were a number of key sequences in which the Celtics were punished severely for failing
00:22 to secure a rebound on the defensive glass.
00:25 They need to clean that up.
00:27 This podcast brought to you by FanDuel, the exclusive wagering partner of the CLNS Media
00:33 Network.
00:34 All right.
00:35 Welcome to this podcast brought to you by FanDuel, the exclusive wagering partner of
00:38 the CLNS Media Network.
00:41 I am Cameron Tiptoe.
00:42 I'm joined by Dr. Justin Quinn.
00:44 And for a brief while, I'm joined by Alex Goldberg and Yossi Goslin of Hoops Hype to
00:50 break down what was an exciting and intriguing and sometimes frustrating, but ultimately
00:56 triumphant regular season premiere for the Boston Celtics.
01:01 Our very own Alex Goldberg was there to witness this 108-104 Boston Celtics victory.
01:07 He was in enemy territory at Madison Square Garden.
01:12 Alex, as for the YouTube crowd, you fold your laundry.
01:16 What were some of the takeaways from the game?
01:17 What were some of the takeaways from your visit to MSG?
01:21 Let us know how your night went.
01:24 Happy to be here, Cam, feeling good, feeling great.
01:26 Shout out to Steve Jones and Dunker Spot.
01:29 I am here.
01:30 I am folding some victory laundry after the Celtics victorious game one run against the
01:37 New York Knicks.
01:38 It was a really thrilling, awesome game experience.
01:41 I really love Madison Square Garden.
01:44 Shout out to Knicks fans.
01:46 Really competitive game and a really cool experience for my first time at MSG.
01:51 Yeah, no.
01:53 It was a really fun game.
01:54 It had all of the dramatics, all of the ebbs and flows, some brilliant performances from
02:00 Jason Tatum and Christoph Sporzingis, some questionable performances from other members
02:05 of the Celtics.
02:07 And in general, you know, it's the full package, a really exciting, fun way to start the season.
02:13 It got a little close there, perhaps too close for comfort, but ultimately I will take the
02:18 W, feeling good.
02:21 Yossi, you are a little more neutral.
02:25 What do you think of the Celtics season kickoff?
02:29 I sporadically only watched the fourth quarter as my internet was extremely laggy and intermittently
02:36 watching as I'm playing Yahtzee with my wife.
02:39 My very sophisticated, nuanced takes of this game.
02:44 Sporzingis, good.
02:46 Rebs, bad.
02:49 That's all I got.
02:50 Yes, indeed.
02:51 The refs were awful to both teams.
02:53 Yes, that's true.
02:54 I was with my friend Carlos, who's a Knicks fan, a long time veteran, old head Knicks
03:01 fan.
03:02 And we both found ourselves complaining about the refs within about a three minute sequence
03:08 of each other.
03:09 And then I think we both acknowledged what was happening, which is that that was a very
03:13 poorly refed game for both sides.
03:17 Everybody's rusty.
03:18 Yeah, yeah, that's sure.
03:21 Let's go with that one.
03:22 Alex and Yossi, you were only meant to join us for a brief while.
03:26 So Alex, your last hot take, your last favorite lasting memory, your last non sequitur from
03:32 tonight's game.
03:34 So I do have a couple of takes that I'm going to just pop off real quick.
03:39 The first is that obviously the big stories are there.
03:42 It's two, two big stories to take away, really three for the Celtics for this game that are
03:47 positives.
03:48 So I'll give you three positives and I'll give you two negatives.
03:51 How's that sound?
03:53 The three positives starting, starting with the biggest, most glaring, most obvious one
03:58 is that I think the Jason Tatum MVP campaign got off to a pretty rollicking start tonight.
04:04 He looked like clearly the best player on the floor, despite some dicey late game decision
04:10 making.
04:11 There was nobody on this next team that was capable of stopping him.
04:14 His footwork looked incredible.
04:17 The jump shot looked clean.
04:18 He did not look injured at all.
04:20 Jason Tatum is rolling to start the season and that makes me feel awesome.
04:25 And the other big win for the Celtics is that Chris tops for Zingas seems to be fitting
04:29 in pretty seamlessly to this offense.
04:32 He made number a number of clutch shots.
04:35 He was consistently one of the better players on the floor all night for Boston block shots,
04:40 threes, rebounds, the whole package.
04:42 For Zingas was great and it seems like a pretty seamless fit.
04:47 The other thing that stood out to me is that while it was inconsistent, I do think that
04:51 the Celtics defense is capable of really putting the clamps on in a pretty serious way.
04:58 There were some moments where Derek White, Drew Holiday, Al Horford were really flustering
05:03 that Knicks offense and stifling it.
05:06 It was mostly during the first half and the second half, they got a little dicey and we'll
05:10 talk about that in just a moment, but overall, I was pretty impressed by what I think is
05:16 a good defense that has the potential to get a lot better as the year goes on.
05:21 Two areas that I'm a little more concerned about.
05:24 The most glaring one for me is that the Boston Celtics $300 million man, Jaylen Brown, did
05:31 not have an auspicious debut.
05:33 In fact, he very nearly cost them the game with what I can only describe as an absolutely
05:40 brutal sequence in which he basically single handedly gave up a six point swing with two
05:48 fouls, two turnovers, and one of the fouls being on a three point shot.
05:53 Jaylen looked uncomfortable.
05:55 He looked rushed.
05:56 He looked like he didn't really know where he was supposed to be in the offense.
06:00 And in general, I noticed a number of like poor decisions, questionable choices, things
06:06 he really visibly disrupted the flow of the offense in a way that is a little concerning.
06:13 I'm not, you know, it's game one, a lot to be worked out with this team, new roster.
06:18 So I want to give him the benefit of the doubt.
06:20 But Jaylen had a pretty rough night.
06:24 Let me give, I won't call it a pushback because you're absolutely right about everything you
06:27 said, but he led the team in assists again.
06:31 It seems that this is a thing that they are really trying to develop a Tola, Torada on
06:36 our last podcast.
06:38 And he also found ways to impact the game when he was sucking that were better than
06:44 he has in the past.
06:46 So I am a little heartened by that.
06:48 But yeah, he did really look lost on particularly on offense.
06:53 There's just one more thing that I wanted to throw out there as far as my takes for
06:56 the game, which is that, you know, I think a lot of talk about Joe Missoula this past
07:02 offseason and the season before that, is he up to the task?
07:05 Can he really lead this Celtics team to a championship?
07:09 I think Joe Missoula had some moments that were pretty decent.
07:13 But in classic fashion, the thing that the media is going to focus on is Joe Missoula's
07:17 worst moments from this game, which were not great.
07:21 Another I it didn't come back to bite them, but I really don't understand why he called
07:28 two timeouts late.
07:29 That just made no sense to me.
07:32 Why not just save the timeout as an emergency measure in case you need it?
07:35 Now, Peyton Pritchard made both of his free throws.
07:37 So ultimately, it's a moot point.
07:40 But that's just kind of another like, part of the occasionally very weird and kind of
07:46 inscrutable decision making from the Missoula brain trust.
07:49 And then the other thing that we need to talk about with Missoula is that I think we need
07:54 to be proactive in terms of staging an intervention with him regarding one Luke Cornette.
08:01 Guys, Luke Cornette looked really, really bad out there, virtually unplayable.
08:07 He had like one sequence in which he did one good thing.
08:12 And outside of that, he basically gave up a run every time that he was on the floor.
08:17 He seemed very awkward in terms of meshing with Porzingis and Al Horford.
08:22 Maybe it's just a matchup thing.
08:24 I'm willing to give him a little bit of the benefit of the doubt.
08:28 But Joe's got to be a little bit quicker with that hook if something's not working.
08:32 And for Luke Cornette, not much was working tonight.
08:35 I'm also a little puzzled by the fact that we saw absolutely zero O'Shea Bursett or Lamar
08:41 Stevens feel like both of those guys could have impacted this matchup.
08:45 But hey, at the end of the day, Jason Tatum and Kristaps Porzingis, Drew Holliday, Derek
08:50 White, Al Horford, those guys got the job done.
08:54 Some credit to Jalen Brown as well.
08:56 He was not as bad as I think his biggest critics painted him to be, even though he did have
09:01 some pretty glaringly awful moments.
09:03 And the Celt has got the dub.
09:04 So I got to take the train home with a lot of very quiet Knicks fans.
09:09 I'm feeling good.
09:11 Josie, anything Alex missed?
09:14 Jalen Brown's going to make as much money as Giannis and Anthony Davis.
09:21 So can't have these things.
09:23 Half of that checks out for me.
09:24 He's going to play twice as many games as Anthony Davis.
09:29 That's not an ooh, that's just math.
09:33 It's probably true.
09:35 You know, see, before we cut you and Alex loose, anything we missed from not just the
09:40 Celtics opening night, but from the first week of NBA basketball?
09:44 I don't know.
09:49 I've got this Wemby game on.
09:54 When he's on the floor, they look really good.
09:56 When he's off, they're getting killed so far.
10:00 No Devin Veselov?
10:01 Oh yeah, Veselov's stroking it right now.
10:04 He's making everything.
10:07 Only thing about Wemby is a lot of, I guess, careless fouls.
10:13 That might be his heel right now.
10:14 If a smart team could get him in foul trouble, that might be the thing that gives him off
10:20 nights.
10:21 I mean, hey, when the Celtics, Alex signed Andre Drummond, they just bought him, what
10:28 Minyama for 12 minutes a game.
10:31 That's going to be the case.
10:32 You're joking, but one of the things that the Celtics really struggled with tonight
10:36 was rebounding and they actually do need another great rebounder on this team.
10:41 I mean, two seven footers and I've either just won or just lost a rebounding battle.
10:45 That should not be happening.
10:46 I mean, like New York's not a small team, but Boston should be able to out rebound them.
10:50 There were a number of key sequences in which the Celtics were punished severely for failing
10:56 to secure a rebound on the defensive glass.
10:59 They need to clean that up.
11:02 When we just got another foul, just setting a screen, I think that's his fourth and it's
11:07 still early in the third.
11:08 All right.
11:09 Well, this is the Celtics lab podcast, not the supporters lab podcast.
11:13 You see, yeah, poor thing.
11:16 This might stink at rebounding and I'm going to talk about that with Justin in just a moment.
11:19 But first I'm going to bid an adieu to Yossi, who behind the scenes has been up with us
11:24 for like an hour recording a different segment for a different episode of the Celtics that
11:28 podcast.
11:30 So Yossi, we bid you an adieu and thank you very much, Alex.
11:35 Enjoy the rest of your laundry.
11:36 Enjoy your hard earned victory in the heart of Nick's land.
11:41 We're going to cut you two loose and then Justin, you and I are going to clean up the
11:45 rest of this episode and then later in the podcast, I'm going to talk to Ronnie 2K about
11:52 what is going on over at NBA 2K24 and their season sim for the Boston Celtics.
11:56 But first, Yossi, Alex, see you later.
12:01 Let's go.
12:02 Seize baby.
12:03 One note.
12:04 Okay, let's pause the action and talk about our friends over at FanDuel where you can
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13:01 Okay, see you later, Yossi.
13:04 See you later, Alex.
13:07 Yossi Gosselin is going to be back on this podcast later this week.
13:12 Alex will at some point as well.
13:14 So if you miss them already, they'll be back soon enough.
13:18 Justin, we just talked about Porzingis.
13:19 We talked about some of the things that didn't go well.
13:21 I think we buried the lead.
13:22 Tate him on 34 points, 11 rebounds and four assists.
13:26 Maybe a...
13:27 Two steals.
13:28 Two steals.
13:29 Maybe a quiet or second half, but like, holy Moses, this dude is playing.
13:35 Trucking dudes.
13:36 I was very impressed.
13:39 To what extent does Boston need that?
13:43 They definitely need it in this game, particularly when the Knicks started to make a run.
13:49 It's nice to have an MVP caliber player on your roster to stop the bleeding.
13:55 And frankly, I think one of the bigger stories is that even though, you know, to Alex's point,
14:00 you know, Jamon was far below what you'd want to see a player playing like that.
14:03 I think that's probably weighing on his head a little bit.
14:05 I think the increased playmaking is also something that's taking some integration, but went largely
14:14 well.
14:15 I mean, he led the team in assists in this game, I believe.
14:18 Drew Holliday and Derek White did not have particularly good games on offense, but defensively,
14:23 I think they were also as critical as the offensive stars in this game at creating a
14:29 win where earlier iterations of the Celtics roster would have folded.
14:33 I mean, they did fold on opening night to the Knicks, as I uncomfortably brought up
14:37 last episode.
14:38 Speaking of folding, my Wi-Fi is fighting for its life.
14:45 Lots of folding going on tonight.
14:47 Alex folding clothes, you're in...
14:51 I'm just going to drop that one.
14:52 Yeah, I admittedly, I watched the first half of our restaurant.
14:55 I had plans, but I turned it on into a third quarter that did not impress.
15:05 Boston ended up outscoring the Knicks 31 to 27.
15:09 The Knicks then outscored Boston 31 to 26 in the fourth.
15:13 It just, whatever handle the Celtics had on the game in the first half, it looked clunky
15:17 in the second half.
15:18 I pointed this out on Twitter and I maintain this point that the Knicks shot 14 of 26 from
15:24 the free throw line.
15:26 Boston should have lost this game probably.
15:29 As much as they tighten the screws down the stretch, Porzingis had that really nice three.
15:35 They played pretty good defense.
15:37 The Knicks didn't do enough to win the game and in a game that they definitely could have
15:42 gone out and grabbed.
15:45 I do wonder what this looks like if they played a more devious opponent.
15:50 Let's say that.
15:51 They need to pass the ball more.
15:54 They were considerably.
15:55 Yeah.
15:56 I mean, I think the assist battle was like, I think it was like 16 on Boston and.
16:04 18.
16:05 Boston 18, but the Knicks had 24.
16:08 That's what that's my point.
16:09 Yeah.
16:10 But I mean, to a certain extent, some of that was the team just not really.
16:14 I mean, there's a lot of turnover, right?
16:16 I mean, this is in effect a team that's kind of learning as it goes, even with a training
16:21 camp behind it.
16:22 So they don't have a roster continuity in their corner.
16:25 But then again, they also don't have a coaching scandal to deal with.
16:27 So I think that hopefully this is a positive sign that they did pull out the one against
16:32 a really plucky team that, as you said, probably should have won.
16:36 I mean, the big thing for me was in transition and chaos.
16:40 They looked so good.
16:41 And that's where instincts takes over and talent takes over that you're not overthinking
16:46 like, what am I supposed to do or who am I supposed to defer to?
16:48 You just make plays.
16:49 And I think what's hard for Boston is in the half court, all of the, you know, the things
16:56 that we get ourselves in a twist about, about like, who's the alpha and like, what does
16:59 the offense run through and that crap?
17:01 I think the players think about those things.
17:03 I mean, it looks like in the half court that they're not comfortable, but off of a steal,
17:08 off of a deflection, off of a juicy rebound, they got out and they ran and they made plays.
17:12 Even if it wasn't like super high pace, it was fluid and it was interesting and it was
17:17 dynamic and unselfish.
17:18 So I think that the blueprint is there, but I think they got in their own way more than
17:24 anything.
17:25 I do want to point out to the, we may be underselling the impact of the defense on this team as
17:31 a whole too, because I mean, another thing that stands out in the box score is the Celtics
17:36 won the block battle, which we never really talk about except for in situations like this,
17:41 where it was 11 to zero.
17:43 So I mean, that's what Mitchell Robinson on their roster too, who is not a bad rim protector.
17:49 So that's something to keep an eye on, I think moving forward, even on nights where several
17:55 key players on this roster had a bad shooting night, they were still able to get out to
17:59 win defensively, honestly.
18:02 Yeah, of course, I guess that four blocks, Paul, it had three blocks.
18:07 Yeah, Boston only shot 30.8% from three.
18:11 So I guess I didn't think it was crappy.
18:16 I think it was sloppy, but.
18:18 Oh, there were sloppy moments.
18:20 No, but I mean, the starters in particular, I think really could lock it down.
18:24 Al Horford off the bench.
18:26 Some of them, I mean, they didn't really play the bench.
18:28 I mean, that's another thing that Alex brought up that we should probably talk a little bit
18:30 more about, because it's fine for the opening night.
18:34 You don't want to lose the game.
18:35 You want to trust the people.
18:36 But at some point, Joe needs to let the bench play, because otherwise it seems going to
18:41 have no legs, maybe literally by the end of the season.
18:44 Yeah, not only that, this is a take I tried on Twitter that I'm going to think out loud
18:50 here, which is.
18:51 I think letting the starters played Tatum at 39 minutes, Brusing has played 38, Jalen
18:58 played 38.
19:00 It's almost too much burn that then you do get into the extra time to think about pecking
19:05 order and shot distribution.
19:09 If you know the bench is playing minutes, we didn't see Stevens, we didn't see percent
19:14 against the key to it and see how you look.
19:16 We didn't we didn't see the bench.
19:18 If the starters are playing closer to 30 minutes a game.
19:22 The amount of time that they have on the court is more precious, and I don't think that means
19:27 like, oh, let me go get mine.
19:29 I think it means like, I'm just going to maximize what I've got out here.
19:32 I think there are minimums.
19:34 I'm going to try to maximize what I mean.
19:36 Like I said earlier, there's four non-guaranteed guys.
19:39 So no, I don't think the bench guys are going to force the issue.
19:44 I think the starters are forcing so much time out there that they're there feel like they
19:50 have to do everything.
19:51 They have to fill in the garbage time and the clunky moments and the awkward moments
19:55 and not just worry about the polished moments.
19:57 I don't know.
19:58 Let me come back to that take.
19:59 I got to shine it off a little bit.
20:02 All right.
20:03 So it's Wednesday night.
20:05 The Knicks lost the Celtics one good for them.
20:09 The Celtics are going to play a the Miami Heat on Friday at home, the home opener.
20:14 Any quick expectations for that?
20:15 Because this podcast will drop before then.
20:18 I would not be shocked if Boston loses a game because I think Miami is the sort of squad
20:24 that can really take advantage of the kind of mistakes that we saw Boston make through
20:28 large chunks of the game after really the first quarter onwards.
20:33 So steal yourself the home.
20:36 The home opener might not end so well with a storybook ending, but I am glad that what
20:42 might be Mike Gorman's last road game calling ended in a win.
20:48 Yeah, off air.
20:51 I will tell you why I hope that.
20:52 But OK, my Internet is unstable.
20:56 I actually didn't hear anything that just said.
21:02 So let's pause there.
21:06 I also am hoping for a nice home opener for the Boston Celtics.
21:10 I will be in house and we will have an episode, hopefully for you.
21:16 I will be reacting to that and talk about some stuff with Yossi Ghosn of type or Kapologist.
21:21 And until then, please have a conversation with me and Ronnie Touquet of Touquet Sports
21:26 about Touquet 24's official season sale.
21:31 So let us swing things over to Ronnie Touquet.
21:36 Thanks to FanDuel, thanks to CLNS, thanks for liking, subscribing and through the magic
21:39 of editing, you get to enjoy me and Ronnie Touquet.
21:42 Adios.
21:43 All right, we're going to welcome back onto the Celtics podcast, my friend and yours,
21:48 Ronnie Singh, Ronnie Touquet.
21:49 Ronnie, what is up?
21:50 What's going on?
21:51 How are you?
21:52 I'm good, man.
21:53 You are business MF'er and showbiz right now, it seems.
21:58 I'm doing better than you, I think.
22:00 Excited for a tip off.
22:02 That's all I can say.
22:03 We got a lot going on.
22:05 Yeah.
22:06 Between trips to ESPN, between community art projects that we'll talk about in a second,
22:09 you also found time to talk to us about NBA 2K24's official season sim, which I'm excited
22:16 to talk about because over at Celtics Wire, we did our own official season sim.
22:21 The methodology was a little more simple, which is I simmed a season on my Xbox and
22:26 the Celtics got waxed in the second round by the heat.
22:28 So the Celtics Wire season sim was not great for Celtics fans.
22:32 However, NBA 2K24 had their official season sim and things looked a little different for
22:38 Boston.
22:39 They beat the Bucks at seven games in the Eastern Conference Finals, and then they beat
22:43 the Warriors in what would be a really cool rematch.
22:46 So Ronnie, I want to ask you about the methodology because the methodology, I assume, is a little
22:51 more advanced than me in my living room playing my Xbox.
22:54 But let's talk about the results.
22:56 How reasonable is a Celtics over Dubs finals?
22:59 I think it's very reasonable.
23:01 Obviously, they just had a matchup not too long ago, and it's a lot of the same characters,
23:07 but with some improvements.
23:08 And I think that the team that's actually probably more promising of a shot is the Celtics.
23:14 I mean, to get a guy that they took from one of their biggest competitors and shore up
23:20 probably their weakest position, Andrew Holiday is, you know, mammoth for the Celtics.
23:26 I can't speak to him.
23:27 I mean, the guy kind of does it all.
23:30 He's very, very, he's still weirdly underrated.
23:33 And I just think that he fits in as a guy that doesn't need to score around Jason and
23:41 Jalen.
23:42 You know, he'll take his.
23:44 And obviously, now they have a really strong defensive backcourt too.
23:48 And I think Celtics fans have a lot to be excited.
23:53 And obviously, it played out well in the sim.
23:55 And to beat the Bucks, the team they took Drew Holiday from and then knock off the World
24:03 Warriors, who are always there, right?
24:06 Like they're always in that conversation.
24:08 So we're saying that it's going to be the two of them and the Celtics are going to hang
24:13 that 18th banner.
24:14 It's 18, right?
24:15 Not 19, 18.
24:16 Yeah, I was just a fan service out of you.
24:19 But so I wanted to I want to ask about the season sim, but because you brought up Drew
24:24 Holiday, I'm going to ask question.
24:25 Maybe you don't know the answer to was drew ever put on the tip of the trailblazers in
24:30 the game?
24:31 Or did you guys wait and see?
24:32 Well, so the ratings, I'm sorry, the roster updates happen like at certain times.
24:38 So like, he may have been moved over, like while we were developing the game for a day.
24:43 But like, you know, obviously, the timing of that trade doesn't really like factor in
24:50 to that.
24:51 So definitely no retail people.
24:55 But like, I'm sure it was kind of fun to play for in a day for the dev team.
25:01 Yeah, that's got to be that's like when I'm Rashid Wallace played for the Hawks for like
25:06 48 hours.
25:07 That's like that last chapter of history and Vince Carter for the Hawks for like, well,
25:12 he got a season and didn't he know who was the guy that Oh, am I thinking of?
25:17 I'm thinking of Carmelo.
25:18 So yeah, yeah, somebody was a hawk for a minute.
25:22 Yeah, yeah.
25:23 Like for like five minutes.
25:24 So they had a Jersey Sarabody.
25:25 That's kind of stuff that was always fun.
25:27 Those trades where you know, that guy's not going to stay there, but it's always kind
25:31 of entertaining.
25:32 Yeah, I'll be honest, I I didn't think Drew was gonna up in Boston.
25:36 And I did not either.
25:38 But I mean, honestly, all the problems that Boston needs to solve a little bit of leadership,
25:44 a little bit of backcourt defense, a little bit of solving, you know, a point guard that,
25:49 you know, kind of does it all like he is probably the best of any, you know, roster addition
25:55 that you guys could have made this year.
25:56 So I mean, that that speaks volumes, you know, like, I think losing a couple of the big guys
26:03 that you have hurts a little bit, but I think, you know, it's a net positive in the end.
26:09 Yeah, I wonder if under truth serum, if the Bucs front office says, maybe we don't do
26:15 the Dame trade if we knew that Drew Holliday was gonna end up in Boston.
26:18 But yeah, yeah.
26:19 I mean, seriously, it's a good point.
26:22 But the Bucs are sitting pretty, they ended up in the conference finals in the season
26:25 seven.
26:26 I'm feeling how hot would that matchup be?
26:30 I mean, like, oh, my God, so you know, Drew Holliday is gonna have a chip on his shoulder
26:34 if those two face off.
26:36 So maybe he's the factor in that series.
26:39 That'd be a lot of fun.
26:40 It would be a lot of fun to watch.
26:42 Yeah, I mean, I'm going to Celtics Heat on Friday, and I think the building is going
26:48 to be super animated.
26:49 I think the Celtics fans are champion of the bit for the finals here.
26:53 So yeah, that's the Bucs or the Warriors or I don't know the Nuggets.
26:58 I think Celtics fans are gonna be like, who cares?
27:03 So tell us a little more what goes into the season.
27:07 How many people are on the team?
27:08 And what is the methodology behind it?
27:11 Yeah, we've done it for several years.
27:13 And it's really like, much probably like the user one, except we just do it a bunch of
27:19 times and kind of like average it out.
27:23 And that's where we landed.
27:24 I think there's some really interesting ones this year.
27:27 I mean, Victor winning Rookie of the Year, probably no surprise.
27:33 But to win Rookie of the Year, that team's got to be a factor.
27:36 So that's interesting.
27:37 But then Shea being MVP, which by the way, I love Shea.
27:40 I think we've talked about him on your podcast before.
27:45 But to be MVP means your team's got to be really good too.
27:48 I was talking to Mark Spears about that on NBA Today yesterday.
27:56 Not only do you have to be the best player in the league, you have to be on one of the
28:00 best teams in the league.
28:01 So we're really making a statement that Thunder are gonna be pretty good too.
28:06 And I think there's the jury's out on that.
28:08 I think, are they a top three team in the West?
28:13 I mean, there's been very few MVPs that have not been on a top three team.
28:19 So that's gonna be interesting to see.
28:21 I mean, we're saying, I guess, that they are a top three team, you know, like if Shea's
28:26 gonna win MVP.
28:27 So yeah, lots of really fun stuff.
28:33 And what does that mean?
28:34 Is Chet not Rookie of the Year then?
28:35 It's all these little factors that are really interesting.
28:39 I think the West is gonna be a bloodbath.
28:41 I mean, if any team goes on like a six, seven game tear, that could be enough to put them
28:46 in that three spot.
28:47 So yeah, for sure.
28:48 I don't know.
28:49 It's so sexy to say, oh, the Thunder are gonna be so good.
28:51 But I can't come up with a counterfactual.
28:53 I think they are gonna be really good.
28:54 Yeah.
28:55 But you know, like some of those teams that are really heralded, they just, they come
28:59 a year later, just because it takes a little bit of time to gel and some continuity.
29:04 Like there's been so many examples in the past, like decade of like teams that are really
29:09 expected to do well and then do kind of start off rough, figure it out and then are mediocre
29:15 for the season.
29:16 But then the following year, they're really good.
29:17 So I mean, I think it's, I think they're gonna be good too, but we'll see.
29:23 That's why they play the games.
29:24 I mean, it's kind of golden handcuffs.
29:26 I would, for years said, I think the Celtics are overachieving right now.
29:29 We gotta be a little more patient.
29:31 I think now is their moment.
29:32 And that narrative is different, but I think you're probably right about the Thunder.
29:36 The big thing they needed, they addressed.
29:38 So let's see if it now plays out on the court.
29:40 I mean, maybe who knows?
29:41 I find it, I'd find it hard to believe that Drew all days doesn't gel with those guys
29:45 just because he's a constant professional and he really does everything.
29:48 He's a Swiss army on the court, but like, man, um, I, that's a really good roster build,
29:56 a really good addition for, for them.
29:58 So probably one of the best of the off season to a really good team already.
30:02 So that's, I think why we have them winning the championship in our simulation.
30:07 I have to keep reminding myself it's October.
30:10 Cause it's so, it's so exciting.
30:13 Um, let's, you've been a busy guy.
30:16 Let's talk about some of the things away from this and that you've been up to or preparing
30:20 to do.
30:21 You and I have talked about how 2k isn't just a game for basketball fans, but you know,
30:25 like intersex culture and whether that's the fashion of the game, whether that's the soundtrack.
30:30 Um, I, I think it's something that you're really proud of.
30:33 We were just talking about this mural restoration that you have going on this week.
30:37 Do you want to fill us in on like what that looks like, what the Genesis of that project
30:40 is and if anyone's listening, like how they can check it out?
30:44 Well, so we had a, um, obviously we saw the petition and it's now been signed over 90,000
30:51 times by fans trying to keep up with this just incredible mural of, of Kobe and Shiana.
30:57 Um, that means a lot to the basketball community.
30:59 I mean, look like we really think about what the basketball community has done for us.
31:06 And, um, we feel like we have a responsibility to get involved and help where we can, especially
31:13 where, you know, like it makes sense, um, you know, for what we're doing.
31:18 And so obviously with Kobe on the cover and this mural coming down and you know, the,
31:23 some tremendous support, I got to stay up.
31:25 We dug in.
31:26 I, you know, I've had so many conversations with the tenant and the landlord and, um,
31:31 you know, finally we got to an agreement to, uh, extend it for a year.
31:36 Um, we about followed through on our, on what we think is our obligation to help and to
31:42 keep basketball strong, um, in, in this community.
31:48 So we're going to do a rededication on, on Thursday.
31:51 Um, uh, it's right down the street from crypto.
31:55 So if you're going to the Lakers game a couple hours later, stop by, grab a flight in front
32:01 of that beautiful art and, um, celebrate that we're keeping art alive and keeping small
32:06 businesses like supported, um, which is just really exciting.
32:12 That's what you're not talking about this before we do.
32:14 I I'm involved and two kids involved in a lot of philanthropy.
32:18 That's very like specific to basketball to get foundations and whatnot.
32:22 And, um, this just felt like the right thing.
32:26 So really excited about, about being involved in being able to help celebrate and continue
32:32 to celebrate the legacy of Kobe and Gianna.
32:34 Cool.
32:35 That's, that's great, man.
32:36 I mean, what a great use of your platform.
32:39 Good job.
32:40 Um, the less important, I mean, hard pivot, less important, but kind of fun.
32:44 You have introduced more celebrities into 2k24.
32:49 So with respect to Jack Harlow, who is an artist, I don't know that this is a, this
32:52 is the same emotional tenor, but, um, Jack Harlow is going to be in the game.
32:56 Jaylen Ramsey, Lil Yachty, a whole bunch of other people.
32:58 What's it been like to bring in as many other non-basketball or basketball voices into the
33:03 game?
33:04 Again, it's another authentic part of it.
33:06 We have all these amazing, um, successful people that love, you know, come in and playing
33:12 basketball.
33:13 We foster those relationships over years and obviously, um, it just makes sense.
33:18 It adds another dimension.
33:19 It gets people talking.
33:20 Um, I didn't expect Jack Harlow to blow me up, uh, on texts on his IG stories this morning,
33:28 but, um, you know, like still, obviously it means so much to them and, um, it gets us
33:34 closer to being the perfect authentic simulation, right?
33:39 Like having these guys attend the games and be the Uberist of Uber fans.
33:43 So it's just a little bit of fun, like, and getting these guys to talk about it and be
33:47 excited about it is super cool.
33:49 Yeah.
33:50 I mean, the transition from what the game used to be, you know, 10 years ago, what you
33:56 got in cut scenes and from the fans to today, as much as like the gameplay has improved,
34:01 just all the bells and whistles that make the NBA so fun.
34:04 You guys do such a good job.
34:06 It's the periphery of basketball.
34:07 If we were just a basketball game, um, we'd be limited in, you know, the way we can develop
34:13 and grow and limited in what we can do philanthropically, to be honest, you know?
34:17 So like it's, uh, it was, it's a, it's a lot of fun to get to like involve these people
34:24 who are, who grew up fans of our game too.
34:26 So like, it's just, you know, they're really excited about it.
34:30 As you can see with some of their social media posts and, and, uh, texts.
34:34 Okay.
34:35 A few more P's and Q's kind of similar.
34:38 You've got this blacktop series coming out.
34:41 Tell us about that and what are you looking forward to?
34:43 I appreciate that.
34:44 Yeah.
34:45 So I've been doing this podcast with some of the biggest names in the basketball kind
34:51 of world.
34:52 And now we're not just talking about like their love for 2k.
34:55 It's really about how they live in this like subsect of culture and how it drives them
35:02 as like, you know, in whatever industry they're in.
35:06 So you'll see, I kicked it off with, with one with, uh, um, I did one with, um, Drew
35:14 Brady, we're having one with Trey young, cause obviously the tip of the season and
35:18 lots of questions around Trey and what he's going to bring to, I mean, kind of a interesting
35:26 situation there because like, what is Trey right now?
35:28 You know, like is he a star?
35:29 Is he a superstar?
35:31 So we had a really honest conversation.
35:34 We've got some shots of like, it was really like honest and Frank.
35:38 And so, um, there's going to be a couple of teasers of that, I think on Thursday as well.
35:43 And then a full podcast is available Friday.
35:45 So that's what blacktop's about.
35:46 We've got some big names throughout the course of the season season, a really cool conversation
35:52 with Paolo, um, have ones with Sheck Wes, Boogie with a hoodie, many others.
35:59 So should be really good watch.
36:02 And, you know, like, I think the cool thing about playing video games is it lowers the
36:07 bar and like, that makes you comfortable to talk more openly.
36:11 I think a lot of these celebrities generally, like when you interview them or when they
36:15 do traditional press, it's tough because they're so guarded, but like, what is the ultimate
36:20 lowering the bar thing?
36:21 It's to sit down and play video games.
36:23 So that's what kind of separates blacktop from a lot of other podcasts that are around.
36:28 So excited to see our newest episode on Friday with Trey Young.
36:34 You're so right about that, that whether it's hot ones or like the one where the celebrities
36:39 sing in the car, there is something about like, this is what we're doing right now.
36:43 So formal, we're just sitting like looking at each other in our chairs that just like
36:47 giving something, something to do.
36:48 It limits your creativity.
36:49 Yeah.
36:50 So you give them something to do and it distracts them enough to like lower the, you know, lower
36:56 the guard and not the, you know, the relationships are there.
36:59 You and I have a great friendship too.
37:01 I have friendships with these guys, but I think by like lowering it, the, just making
37:06 it feel really organic and cool is easier when.
37:10 Oh, totally.
37:14 Okay.
37:15 Let me close with this.
37:17 Well, first of all, congrats on season two.
37:21 I continue to be so impressed with Wemba Nyama.
37:25 The commentary that he is the future, that he's the new face of the NBA.
37:30 I think in five years, we're going to look back and say the biggest story from this season
37:33 was Chet and Wemba Nyama.
37:35 So tapping him for season two for 2k24 was, you know, pretty smart on your part, but tell
37:41 me about this ratings chain and we'll close with that one.
37:44 So I'm pretty excited to see it for people who don't know, tell us what it is and what
37:50 are your expectations for it this season?
37:51 Yeah.
37:52 So like, obviously the ratings thing, we've talked about it on your podcast.
37:56 It's a press thing that always like hits, right?
37:59 Like every NBA players care about the ratings and it's a major thing, but how do we extend
38:05 that?
38:06 How do we like get people to bring that into the real world?
38:10 And like when the season's going on, yet another thing that they can kind of reach for.
38:16 So we introduced the ratings chain.
38:20 It's going to be given to the guy that takes the biggest leap in a 2k season, which of
38:25 course, as you know, is six weeks.
38:27 Did I freeze by the way?
38:28 You want to start that question over?
38:29 No, no, you're good.
38:30 You skipped for like two and a half seconds.
38:31 You're good.
38:32 Oh, I'm sorry.
38:33 I skipped for like two and a half seconds.
38:35 You're good.
38:36 Oh, okay, cool.
38:37 So we're going to introduce a winner of the chain every six weeks, which is a 2k season.
38:46 And the person that moves, you know, the most in a ratings is going to be thrown into like
38:50 a pool of guys that also did the same.
38:54 And then the community is going to get to vote and the winner will be given this chain
38:57 that's got 524 diamonds.
38:59 It's beautiful.
39:00 Victor Solomon, like specialty.
39:03 You probably saw it on our social or on NBA Today.
39:08 The first one's actually going to is going on right now between four players.
39:15 And then I'm going to reward it to the guy that wins tomorrow, I think.
39:21 So yeah, like it's going to be I'm just waiting to get the word on who that person is.
39:27 And then we're going to go and adorn the first one.
39:30 Now, of course, there has been no NBA season for the first one.
39:33 So the first one's actually based on 2k20.
39:36 I'm sorry, 23 season.
39:39 23, 24, the 23 season, the person that kind of like the four people that took the biggest
39:47 leap during the season.
39:49 So let's see.
39:51 Wade Kessler was one.
39:52 I'm not gonna be able to get all four of them.
39:56 Jamal Murray was one.
39:58 There were a couple others that took a huge leap.
40:03 And so we love we're letting the community vote on the four and the winner will win the
40:08 chain and then every subsequent six weeks, we'll have a new chain for the next.
40:13 Great.
40:14 And now Ronnie paused for good.
40:18 So that's a perfect segue to close the podcast.
40:21 Ronnie froze there.
40:23 Hopefully he comes back, but I want to say thanks to the people at 2k, not only for the
40:29 opportunity to talk to Ronnie 2k again, bringing back to the Celtics lab, but also for their
40:34 super accurate prediction.
40:35 I think that the Celtics are going to win 18th title this year.
40:40 Ronnie, as always, thanks for coming.
40:42 You think any Celtics are going to get the chain?
40:44 Because like what I was just saying, and then I froze.
40:46 I'm sorry about that.
40:47 But it's like these rookies have a real opportunity.
40:51 Like all the rewards are usually given to like the superstars.
40:54 But like a guy that's like low 70s has an upside of getting like six to eight points
40:59 in a season and could be the winner of a chain.
41:03 So like any Celtics that you think might be kind of like eligible for the chain.
41:08 You have so many established stars, but I'm curious if you think anybody.
41:14 I'll give you two takes.
41:15 One, I think Lamar Stevens is going to crack this rotation a big way.
41:21 I don't know what he's rated on 2k.
41:22 I don't know if he'll have an opportunity to go, you know, six or seven points, but
41:26 I think that dude's going to impress and Peyton Pritchard is such a dog.
41:32 That dude wants it so bad.
41:35 If he gets the playing time, throw his hat in the ring because he he would get after
41:40 it if he could.
41:41 I'm sure.
41:42 So yeah, yeah.
41:43 I mean, it's a loaded roster with established talent, so maybe it's not the place to look
41:46 if you're a betting person, but it's not for lack of trying, at least on the part of Peyton
41:51 Pritchard.
41:52 I'll tell you that much.
41:53 Well, it'll be fun if a Celtic wins.
41:54 I'll come out to Boston and hang out with you.
41:57 We can give the chain to that recipient.
41:59 So I'll let you know.
42:00 All right.
42:01 I'll tell Peyton to try extra hard then.
42:03 Sounds good.
42:04 All right.
42:05 Well, from over here at the Celtics Lab podcast, thanks again, Ronnie 2k.
42:10 Thanks again, 2k, for setting it up with this wonderful sim and as needed, we'll bring you
42:16 back with Celtic stuff.
42:17 Talk soon.
42:18 All right.
42:19 Thanks, man.
42:20 Adios.
42:21 Adios.
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