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  • 2 years ago
The Boston Celtics have now played over 10% of their 2023-24 NBA season, not quite enough to tell us all we need to know about this aspirant to the league's 2024 title but enough that we have an idea about what sort of ball club they are and could become.

At the same time, over that stretch, fans of the storied team have gotten to know new Boston broadcaster Drew Carter. Maybe not enough to tell us everything worth knowing about the newest voice of the Celtics, but enough to give us a pretty solid idea of what to expect with him on the call, with New England's notoriously icy fans already warming up to Carter in the booth.

So the hosts of the CLNS Media "Celtics Lab" podcast decided it was a perfect moment to link up with the latter to talk about the former, as well as how the new job of following in the massive footsteps of Mike Gorman is going.

We get into everything from NBA expansion south of the border to Scal's opinion of Drew on his first day on the job, so tune in for an especially fun episode as we take stock of the season so far and how the Celtics' newest broadcaster sees it.

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Transcript
00:00:00 Celtics Lab is brought to you by FanDuel,
00:00:02 the exclusive wagering partner of the CLNS Media Network.
00:00:05 - Alrighty, welcome to the Celtics Lab podcast
00:00:09 brought to you by FanDuel,
00:00:09 the exclusive wagering partner of the CLNS Media Network.
00:00:12 I'm Cameron Tepetaboy.
00:00:14 I'm joined by Dr. Justin Quinn.
00:00:15 I'm also joined by Alex Goldberg,
00:00:17 who is calling in live from the Royale,
00:00:19 because his band, Divine Sweater,
00:00:21 who provides our music that you just heard at the top,
00:00:23 has a show there tonight.
00:00:25 Alex is dialed in in a cool shirt for the YouTube crowd
00:00:28 in the green room.
00:00:29 He's gonna be with us as long as he can,
00:00:31 but he's gonna go be a rock star.
00:00:32 So Alex, in advance, says thank you
00:00:35 for cutting him loose early.
00:00:36 But with respect to Alex,
00:00:38 the star of the show tonight is Drew Carter,
00:00:41 the new voice of the Boston Celtics
00:00:42 over at NBC Sports Boston.
00:00:44 He's gonna stop by in the second half of the program
00:00:46 and the lab portion of the program
00:00:48 to talk about his experience joining the Celtics community,
00:00:52 his experience broadcasting.
00:00:53 And I've gotten to know him a teeny tiny bit.
00:00:56 Personally, he's a cool guy,
00:00:59 so we're pumped to have Drew.
00:01:01 Alex, Justin, how are you?
00:01:03 - Doing well, Cam.
00:01:05 I'm here in the green room.
00:01:06 Divine Sweater opens for drama tonight at Royale.
00:01:10 We're feeling good.
00:01:10 We're feeling great.
00:01:12 Very excited to be back in Boston,
00:01:14 even if it's only for the night.
00:01:16 And listened on the radio to an emphatic Celtics win
00:01:21 that we're gonna talk about in just a minute.
00:01:23 - Just got back from NBA Mexico.
00:01:27 Got some cool stuff I can tell you guys
00:01:28 about in a little bit.
00:01:30 But I just wanted to say that with Alex
00:01:33 doing the rockstar thing, you doing the teacher thing,
00:01:35 and me being here in some other country.
00:01:39 We're the Buckaroo Banzai Podcast.
00:01:40 If you don't know what Buckaroo Banzai is,
00:01:42 it's a terrible movie with Peter Weller
00:01:44 as the star from the 1980s.
00:01:45 I highly recommend you watch it.
00:01:47 It's terrible, terrible television.
00:01:48 - I like the sound of it.
00:01:51 I've never seen it, but I like the sound of it.
00:01:53 All right, welcome to the Buckaroo Banzai Podcast.
00:01:55 I'm your host, Cameron Tuch.
00:01:56 Bye.
00:01:57 - So Drew Carter on deck, second half of the program,
00:02:00 first half of the program.
00:02:01 Let's do the news.
00:02:02 And Alex, you're right.
00:02:04 The news is the Celtics beat the Pants off of the Knicks
00:02:07 last night after beating the Pants off of Toronto Saturday
00:02:10 after beating the Pants off of Brooklyn
00:02:12 the night before that.
00:02:13 And also some losses in recent memory.
00:02:17 So we can talk about that Knicks game
00:02:19 or any of these other games,
00:02:20 but the bigger picture is Boston's eight and two
00:02:22 on the season.
00:02:23 The two losses came to Minneapolis and Philly,
00:02:26 both on the road.
00:02:27 So Alex, you can dial in on one game, one quarter,
00:02:31 or you can go pick big picture, but I'll go to you first.
00:02:33 How are you feeling about the eight and two Boston Celtics?
00:02:36 - I'm feeling pretty good
00:02:37 about the eight and two Boston Celtics.
00:02:38 I think that they're definitely showing
00:02:41 some positive early signs,
00:02:43 particularly the play of the starters.
00:02:46 Jason Tatum and Christoph Sporzingis, of course,
00:02:48 stand out as the kind of big highlights from that group.
00:02:52 But off the bench,
00:02:54 one thing that I've been keeping my eye on
00:02:55 is the spectacular shooting of Sam Hauser,
00:02:58 who has been really rolling
00:02:59 for about three games straight now.
00:03:02 Obviously the tricky part is that Boston lost,
00:03:05 arguably, its two biggest,
00:03:07 most challenging games of the year
00:03:09 on the road against Minnesota,
00:03:11 who is playing outstanding basketball right now,
00:03:14 and Philly with the superstar Tyrese Maxey.
00:03:17 But overall, there's really not much to complain about.
00:03:20 Both of those games were really competitive.
00:03:22 Sometimes you lose competitive games.
00:03:23 It is what it is.
00:03:25 And as long as the Celtics continue to build
00:03:28 on the good habits that they've shown early this season,
00:03:31 in particular, I think I'm also noticing
00:03:33 that Joe Mazzuola seems a lot more comfortable.
00:03:35 I'm feeling pretty good.
00:03:38 - I like some of the ways that you were putting that,
00:03:42 the building good habits in particular,
00:03:44 because I do want to talk about something
00:03:45 that's big picture,
00:03:46 and I'm going to do it in a way
00:03:47 that accentuates good and bad.
00:03:50 And that is mainly the chemistry we are seeing
00:03:53 between Christophs Przingis and Jalen Brown.
00:03:57 But also when that is not happening,
00:04:00 oftentimes we are getting what I have online
00:04:02 called bad decisions Brown.
00:04:05 And this is not me saying that this is who Jalen is.
00:04:08 Do not take that from me using that moniker.
00:04:11 This is who Jalen is for about 30 seconds here,
00:04:14 15 seconds there.
00:04:16 And in ways that we were talking off air
00:04:19 that we think that theoretically he should be able to see
00:04:23 coming, like you see three defenders in the lane,
00:04:25 don't dribble towards them, right?
00:04:28 But other things, maybe they're happening fast enough
00:04:30 where particularly where his role is kind of in question
00:04:33 on this team with the big roster shakeup,
00:04:36 where you're kind of seeing a bit more of that
00:04:39 than you saw at the end of last season.
00:04:41 And that may be a product of that.
00:04:42 So I'm actually hoping that they continue to really dig
00:04:45 into this chemistry they're finding with Christophs
00:04:47 because they both seem to enjoy playing together.
00:04:50 It's working really well.
00:04:51 And as much as I said that this team
00:04:55 hadn't played any good teams yet,
00:04:57 last time we talked about like the state of the Celtics,
00:04:59 they also haven't played too many bad teams, right?
00:05:02 Most of these teams have been playoff-ish
00:05:05 if not playoff teams.
00:05:06 So I'm pretty happy where we're at too.
00:05:09 - Just one quick note on the Porzingis-Brown chemistry.
00:05:12 I completely agree, Justin.
00:05:13 I think they need to lean into that more.
00:05:15 And I think come playoff time,
00:05:17 I'm really hoping they will have developed
00:05:19 something even more substantial there
00:05:21 because having Jalen Brown and Christophs Porzingis
00:05:24 doing pick and roll actions with Jason Tatum
00:05:27 as a weak side guy who can kill any one-on-one matchup
00:05:30 he wants at any given time
00:05:33 seems to be a really potent offensive blend,
00:05:36 particularly if you can surround them
00:05:38 with defenders and shooters.
00:05:39 So from a process standpoint,
00:05:41 I think there's gonna be some bumps early,
00:05:43 particularly 'cause that's going to require Jalen
00:05:46 to evolve as a decision maker.
00:05:48 But if come playoff time, that is starting to hum,
00:05:51 that's gonna be a real problem for a lot of teams.
00:05:54 - I'd say the two takeaways,
00:05:57 I'm curious about the theory
00:06:00 that they haven't played good teams
00:06:01 'cause I think I subscribed to it.
00:06:02 But the two takeaways for me and for the YouTube crowd,
00:06:06 I keep looking down 'cause there's cats everywhere.
00:06:09 We're the most cat-friendly podcast
00:06:11 in the Celtics game, I think.
00:06:13 The rebounding has been outstanding.
00:06:17 Drew Holliday's averaging seven rebounds a game,
00:06:19 Jason Tatum is leading the team in rebounding.
00:06:22 And it's not, I mean, I think it is scheme,
00:06:24 but guys are just like really crashing the boards
00:06:27 emphatically, I mean, there's no one on the Celtics
00:06:29 other than Pritchard who is not a plus athletic body,
00:06:34 not fast, not strong.
00:06:36 And so it's individual effort,
00:06:40 but like there's no reason why it's not sustainable.
00:06:41 And it's probably overblown, I mean,
00:06:45 winning the rebounding battle only tells you so much
00:06:48 about an evening 'cause it really depends
00:06:49 on how people shot, I think.
00:06:51 But the effort is so visible and obvious
00:06:54 and I think really different.
00:06:56 And it pairs with Boston's post-apply,
00:06:58 that they are actively using post-ups.
00:07:02 And Joe Mazzulla, it kind of went unnoticed last night.
00:07:05 He explained, yeah, actually it's a good way
00:07:09 for us to settle down on offense.
00:07:11 He said it's a good option for us to have on offense.
00:07:15 And so many times last year, we were like,
00:07:17 hey, Joe, what if there was another part of the offense
00:07:20 that they could go to?
00:07:21 And he would reject that categorically.
00:07:24 And now he's openly admitting that having a second
00:07:26 and third gear on offense might be valuable.
00:07:28 And it looks like the second or third gear
00:07:30 for the Celtics is really good.
00:07:32 That Porzingis has issues defending the rim,
00:07:35 but by and large, there are a few people who can stop him
00:07:38 with his back to the basket.
00:07:39 Jason Tatum's post-game, I think has already been covered
00:07:43 pretty well, but it's pretty damn good.
00:07:45 And even Drew Holliday, kind of like Dwayne Wade
00:07:48 back in the day, like he'll start the offense
00:07:51 kind of backing someone down.
00:07:52 And just the geography of the floor is so unique
00:07:57 for what we've come to expect for the Celtics recently.
00:07:59 So I think that they're really cool trends.
00:08:01 I think they're sustainable.
00:08:03 I'm gonna bring back the theory that they haven't played
00:08:05 any good teams 'cause, Justin, I actually think
00:08:09 that the Knicks and the Raptors and the Nets
00:08:11 are way worse than we imagine.
00:08:15 They might still be 500 teams
00:08:16 'cause the Eastern Conference is bad, but.
00:08:19 - The Knicks, I disagree.
00:08:20 The other teams, I think you're right.
00:08:22 - The Knicks without RJ Barrett are not a very good team.
00:08:25 RJ Barrett has been a huge part
00:08:27 of why they've been decent this year.
00:08:29 - I'm just, I don't know, maybe 'cause I spent all evening
00:08:31 talking to friend of the podcast, Jack Simone,
00:08:33 and friend of the podcast, Bobby Kravitzky about this.
00:08:37 Julius Randall's just a bullet in China shop on this team.
00:08:41 It just doesn't make any sense anymore.
00:08:42 I remember seeing a tweet, I couldn't find it.
00:08:44 Julius Randall looks like he plays basketball in jeans.
00:08:47 It just, it doesn't fit.
00:08:50 So I don't think that they're a bad team.
00:08:52 I think they are doing the right things.
00:08:54 They're well-coached, they're reasonably balanced,
00:08:56 but they're kind of similar to Minnesota.
00:08:59 There's just like a guy who needs a lot of touches
00:09:01 who doesn't necessarily work.
00:09:05 - I think Minnesota's good.
00:09:06 - I disagree. - I don't think
00:09:07 Minnesota's great.
00:09:08 I think Minnesota's great. - Okay, okay.
00:09:09 - But I think, I mean, if you swapped Kat and Randall,
00:09:14 I'm curious what that looks like.
00:09:15 (Randy laughs)
00:09:17 Well, for money purposes, but then also, whatever.
00:09:22 - I don't, I don't want to. - This is neither
00:09:24 the Nick Slab Podcast nor the Wolf Slab Podcast.
00:09:26 Well, we'll talk to Drew about that.
00:09:27 He's a big Wolves fan.
00:09:29 Actually, I'm gonna start with that maybe.
00:09:31 No, I think Minnesota's good.
00:09:32 I think Philly's good.
00:09:33 They're both playing for something.
00:09:35 They were both at home.
00:09:37 I just, it's, unbelievably, we're already an eighth
00:09:41 of the way into the season,
00:09:42 but I don't think we have real data.
00:09:44 I don't know.
00:09:46 I've said this before.
00:09:46 I probably said this at this point last season.
00:09:48 I haven't yet been explained by someone smart
00:09:52 when NBA data becomes statistically significant.
00:09:56 I feel like I've gotten a bunch of different answers.
00:09:58 Never been made clear to me.
00:10:00 I usually just wait till Christmas,
00:10:01 but if you're out there and you're smart,
00:10:03 please tell me the answer to that question
00:10:06 'cause I don't know.
00:10:07 Okay, so let's keep talking about the Celtics,
00:10:11 but who knows if the data matters.
00:10:13 Alex, where are you at with the bench?
00:10:16 We talked about Hauser.
00:10:17 Hauser's been quite good.
00:10:18 His defense has been quite good.
00:10:20 The rest of the bench has seen limited action.
00:10:23 I mean, there's been a few blowouts,
00:10:24 so probably the minutes data is inconsistent,
00:10:28 but where are you at with the bench?
00:10:31 - Where I'm at with the bench is this.
00:10:33 I think if Hauser is capable of being
00:10:35 a actual rotation seventh man type of guy,
00:10:38 then we're gonna be totally fine.
00:10:41 I think that they can tinker on the margins here and there.
00:10:44 I have some thoughts about some guys
00:10:45 that they can go after with that Grant Williams TPE,
00:10:48 but ultimately you really need,
00:10:50 if you wanna be successful in the playoffs
00:10:52 in the modern NBA, you need seven guys
00:10:54 who you can rely on every single night.
00:10:57 And if Horford and Hauser are gonna be the guys
00:11:00 that can come off the bench
00:11:01 and just be reliable in their roles,
00:11:03 I think that's totally fine
00:11:05 for making a legitimate championship run.
00:11:08 I personally would like to see a little bit more
00:11:10 out of Peyton Pritchard
00:11:12 and out of some of the other bench wings in particular.
00:11:16 And I am always nervous about the big man spot
00:11:19 given Porzingis' lengthy injury history and our age.
00:11:23 But so far, while I think there have been some dicey minutes
00:11:28 particularly from Pritchard and Cornette,
00:11:30 when it does matter, Joe Mazzuola can pull them
00:11:34 pretty easily and get the guys in
00:11:36 that will need to win the game.
00:11:38 And if they give you anything extra
00:11:40 in terms of quality play,
00:11:41 like Peyton Pritchard was good the other night.
00:11:43 Luke Cornette has had games where he's looked okay.
00:11:46 If you can get anything out of those guys,
00:11:48 I'm counting that as a win,
00:11:50 provided that Hauser continues to be a reliable
00:11:53 first or second guy off the bench.
00:11:56 If Hauser's shot starts to fall off,
00:11:58 then the Celtics might have to get
00:11:59 a little bit more aggressive
00:12:01 about really shoring up that bench.
00:12:03 And the other thing that I would look to
00:12:05 is that in 2019, when the Toronto Raptors won the title,
00:12:10 a big part of why they won that title
00:12:12 is because they made a deadline move for Marc Gasol
00:12:15 and shook up their bench a little bit in doing so.
00:12:19 I'm pretty firmly of the belief that
00:12:21 if Sam Hauser is not going to be your seventh guy
00:12:24 clear cut by the deadline,
00:12:27 then you've got to get aggressive
00:12:28 and find that seventh guy right away.
00:12:31 But as long as you have seven,
00:12:32 to me, that's the magic number.
00:12:35 As long as you have that come playoff time,
00:12:37 I think that's totally fine.
00:12:39 - I agree completely.
00:12:42 I think actually you were kind of dancing around it earlier
00:12:45 when you were talking about the TPE.
00:12:47 There are some teams that could maybe
00:12:52 be breaking up their roster sooner,
00:12:54 at least making some changes.
00:12:57 And Alex Caruso would be an interesting target, I think,
00:13:01 who could really shore up a lot of what this team lacks
00:13:04 in terms of cutting, in terms of defense,
00:13:06 in terms of ball distribution.
00:13:09 There are some more proven players
00:13:11 who are going to become available
00:13:13 after December 15th onwards,
00:13:15 when players who signed over the summer
00:13:17 start to become available for trade,
00:13:19 that I think would be really interesting options to explore
00:13:23 if the players who are on the team don't look consistent.
00:13:28 Like I love what Luke's been doing.
00:13:29 Luke has made me eat my words
00:13:31 about how he hasn't been enough,
00:13:32 even for really for the regular season,
00:13:35 several times since the last time I think I said that.
00:13:38 And that's great, but he's not consistent.
00:13:41 And we need, with Hauser,
00:13:43 with all of these bench guys, consistency.
00:13:45 I'm a little worried about Al Horford's start
00:13:49 in terms of offense, but I think he's going to come around.
00:13:52 The defense has been fine.
00:13:54 I want to see more Lamar Stevens for that reason.
00:13:56 The bench is fine, but it needs lots of time to play
00:14:03 and lots of time to make mistakes
00:14:04 so we can see what there is,
00:14:06 because as you said, they have to find consistency.
00:14:09 - I disagree. I think the bench stinks.
00:14:13 I think it's a huge problem.
00:14:15 Let me take it in order.
00:14:16 Horford is not- - I didn't say it didn't.
00:14:18 I just said they need to find out what they have.
00:14:22 - Alex, your theory that they have our 7-D
00:14:25 at least 12 more times this season isn't true,
00:14:27 because Horford's not going to play them back-to-backs.
00:14:28 And in the postseason, Horford fell off a cliff.
00:14:32 I'm willing to believe that could happen again.
00:14:36 I'm not ready to decide that Sam Hauser,
00:14:39 whom I really like,
00:14:40 is suddenly a NBA-quality rotation player after last season.
00:14:44 That just patently wasn't the case,
00:14:45 and certainly not in the postseason.
00:14:47 And Peyton Pritchard's a nice player,
00:14:48 but he can't be the second guard,
00:14:49 because the problem for the Celtics
00:14:51 is they have too many primary ball handlers now.
00:14:54 So Pritchard doesn't handle the ball
00:14:57 except for in garbage time.
00:14:58 And as an off-ball threat,
00:15:00 he either doesn't yet know where to put his body,
00:15:03 or he's too little to be a problem for opposing defenses.
00:15:07 So last night, there was a sequence of four straight plays
00:15:10 where every play was in the wrong position.
00:15:13 But because he was running with Tatum and Porzingis,
00:15:15 or Tatum, Porzingis, and Holliday,
00:15:17 he was just clearly the fifth guy out there.
00:15:20 And he ended up getting a cherry-pick layup,
00:15:23 and the guard went nuts,
00:15:24 and it was like, "Oh, Pritchard, hooray, Pritchard!"
00:15:27 But the play-by-play suggests that Pritchard
00:15:31 was just racking up a good plus/minus by default.
00:15:34 He wasn't actually contributing.
00:15:36 I just don't really see how Boston staggers its stars
00:15:40 and still needs Peyton Pritchard in the lineup.
00:15:42 They need a player that is more effective off-ball,
00:15:44 because I think Pritchard needs
00:15:45 to be a point guard of a sort,
00:15:47 and they don't need that from their eighth guy.
00:15:50 So yeah, I'm super Lamar Stevens curious.
00:15:53 I'm curious about Banton's size.
00:15:55 I don't know what he provides offensively.
00:15:58 Joe keeps, they have enough blowouts
00:16:00 that we have seen the bench, but practically speaking,
00:16:03 we haven't really seen the bench play consequential minutes.
00:16:06 So- - More bench, deep bench,
00:16:08 in particular, mixed with starters would be good.
00:16:11 - But I understand, I haven't asked him about this.
00:16:15 I don't know if people have asked him about this.
00:16:18 I understand that he wants to see
00:16:19 which starting players work.
00:16:22 Like if he's primarily concerned with staggering his stars
00:16:25 and figuring that out, that is the first thing to iron out.
00:16:28 So I get that he is not super concerned
00:16:31 with Lamar Stevens right now,
00:16:32 and he is more concerned with developing that chemistry
00:16:34 between noted neighbors, Jalen Brown
00:16:37 and Chris Epps-Porzingis, but I'm finding myself concerned,
00:16:44 and I like Pritchard, but he's the most useful salary
00:16:48 of the bench players to trade in any code that might be.
00:16:51 Let's do a little bit of news,
00:16:54 and then we have extra time before Drew hops on.
00:16:57 We can return to trade targets, grant TPE
00:17:00 and stuff like that, but let's keep it real.
00:17:02 Between now and February,
00:17:03 we're gonna talk about that a lot.
00:17:04 So it's not a chief concern.
00:17:06 Although, just as an aside, we have a little bit of news.
00:17:11 Scott Agnes, we learned this by way of Yossi Kosslin
00:17:14 of Hoops Hype, Scott Agnes is reporting that Tice,
00:17:17 Daniel Tice, that Daniel Tice could be close to a buyout
00:17:20 and joining the Los Angeles Clippers.
00:17:23 So something to keep an eye on that's been floated
00:17:25 and now is maybe being reported, but nothing is imminent.
00:17:28 Okay, back to the news.
00:17:29 Dr. Quinn, you live in Mexico City,
00:17:33 and you were visited by the Atlanta Hawks
00:17:34 and the Orlando Magic.
00:17:36 Talk to us about that experience, covering that,
00:17:39 and then also what you heard
00:17:42 about a possible expansion team down in Mexico.
00:17:44 - Sure, so as far as the game itself,
00:17:48 I'm not gonna go too in-depth
00:17:50 because I know that we don't have too many Hawks
00:17:52 or Magic fans on the podcast, or if we do, it's news to me.
00:17:57 I did get a chance to talk to Paulo Banqueiro
00:17:59 about his shoes, the Jason Tatum 1 Huevos Banqueros,
00:18:04 which I thought was gonna be this really awesome thing
00:18:09 to ask him about, Mexican Fiends Breakfast Sneaker, right?
00:18:13 In Mexico, and unfortunately, he didn't think of it.
00:18:18 Jordan Brand didn't even think of it.
00:18:20 Some person on Twitter thought of it,
00:18:23 and that's the origin story. - Amazing.
00:18:24 - Yeah, so it was a little underwhelming.
00:18:27 Good enough to write a little blurb about,
00:18:28 but nothing too crazy to write home about.
00:18:31 Got to talk to DeJounte Murray
00:18:37 about keeping in touch with Derek,
00:18:39 and the most interesting conversation that I had
00:18:43 was with, during the address of Adam Silver,
00:18:48 I got to talk to him about the players union turnover
00:18:51 with Andre Iguodala.
00:18:52 Turns out, nobody's really sure what's going on with that,
00:18:55 so that's definitely something interesting to keep an eye on.
00:18:57 Thank God the CBA is in the rear view mirror.
00:19:00 I'm not in any way impugning Iguodala's ability
00:19:04 to be the acting head of the Players Association,
00:19:07 but what caused all this is still not entirely clear,
00:19:09 so that's an interesting little tidbit.
00:19:11 Also, what you were hinting at,
00:19:15 every year that we have a Mexico City game,
00:19:18 Adam Silver comes down,
00:19:19 and he talks about the possibility of expansion,
00:19:22 and it's always been very, very vague,
00:19:24 very, very future-oriented terms,
00:19:26 and now, particularly again, on the Celtics broadcast
00:19:29 for the Knicks last night, where he came and sat down
00:19:33 with the people who our guest today usually works with,
00:19:38 Mike Gorman and Brian Scalabrini,
00:19:39 and talked in very clear terms
00:19:41 about an increasing likelihood
00:19:43 of an actual NBA team here in Mexico,
00:19:47 or, and this is the interesting part
00:19:49 that seems to have mostly been missed
00:19:52 by most of the media out there,
00:19:53 that Silver talked about expanding the G League itself
00:19:57 further into Latin America and/or Mexico,
00:20:00 which I think is an intriguing,
00:20:01 I won't quite say half measure,
00:20:03 but part of the reason why the Capitanes exist,
00:20:07 even if it's not explicit,
00:20:09 is to see if the NBA can have a footprint in this country
00:20:12 and have it work culturally, distance, elevation,
00:20:15 all those other aspects that present challenges
00:20:18 that are pretty much doable,
00:20:19 but they needed to see that first, right?
00:20:21 So I think at this point,
00:20:22 we've arrived at one of the two major things
00:20:25 that needed to happen,
00:20:27 which was the new media rights deal
00:20:29 being still unresolved in the CBA I was just talking about.
00:20:32 Those that were halfway through that before expansion comes,
00:20:36 it's still a long way off.
00:20:40 There's not going to be a Mexico City team in the NBA
00:20:43 before there's a team in Seattle and probably Las Vegas,
00:20:46 but I would say now more than ever,
00:20:48 I'm confident that they have plans to put a team here,
00:20:51 but the question of when is still very fuzzy.
00:20:54 I'm thinking it's probably gonna be close to 2030 than that.
00:20:58 - Yeah, Justin, you and I had a conversation
00:21:00 about this last night,
00:21:02 which is I bet the league would choose Mexico over Seattle,
00:21:07 maybe not over Vegas,
00:21:09 because of everything you're identifying, what it unlocks.
00:21:12 The problem is you have to find a group of billionaires
00:21:14 who prefer to set up shop in Mexico.
00:21:17 I'd be very curious what the legalese
00:21:19 around that internationally owned team
00:21:22 in another country looks like.
00:21:23 I guess it occurs to me, I have no idea who owns the Raptors
00:21:25 so maybe the rules already exist,
00:21:27 but we can put a pin in it.
00:21:30 It was interesting that Silver was in-house last night.
00:21:33 That was a surprise to me.
00:21:34 I didn't get to talk to him or see him.
00:21:36 - I didn't do that very often.
00:21:37 - Yeah, maybe he was at that Akon show over the weekend.
00:21:41 That's probably what it was.
00:21:43 Just while we're doing this live,
00:21:44 'cause the magic of live-to-tape podcasting,
00:21:47 Porzingis' question on Wednesday, he banged,
00:21:51 I'm proud of myself 'cause I tweeted about it in the moment.
00:21:53 He banged knees with Randall
00:21:54 and he looked really uncomfortable after,
00:21:57 and he finished the game.
00:21:58 It was a big part of the comeback,
00:21:59 but he is questionable for Wednesday's game
00:22:02 with a knee contusion.
00:22:03 So we might get to learn more about this Celtics depth
00:22:07 that I am a little more worried about,
00:22:09 but good luck, Luke Cornett.
00:22:11 You may or may not get a lot of minutes.
00:22:13 - I mean, I'm not entirely opposed to the idea
00:22:17 of double big being an impossibility
00:22:18 'cause it did not work that great
00:22:21 last time we played the Sixers.
00:22:22 - Yeah, everything's a work in progress.
00:22:25 I mean, integrating Drew Holliday and Porzingis
00:22:30 on a single play might work,
00:22:33 but understanding where your teammates like to be
00:22:35 and need to be and can't be takes time.
00:22:38 To Horford and Porzingis might need time,
00:22:40 or maybe double bigs is for the birds.
00:22:42 Speaking of birds, Justin Tatum, the father of Jason Tatum,
00:22:46 just became the interim head coach of the Illawarra Hawks
00:22:49 down in the NBL,
00:22:51 where the National Basketball League is in Australia.
00:22:55 He's been with the Hawks since February.
00:22:58 He's been a scout and a consultant.
00:23:01 He's coached for now 18 years at the high school
00:23:04 and supporting the college level.
00:23:06 So cool for Justin Tatum.
00:23:09 Cool that Jason Tatum told us he knew about that
00:23:12 the day before, but the press release came out Sunday night.
00:23:16 So just how sausage gets made.
00:23:18 These decisions take a while to hit press releases
00:23:23 and then hit Twitter and then hit podcasts.
00:23:26 So if you just found out about this, you're behind.
00:23:29 Okay, we are, I think, out of, well, I don't know.
00:23:34 Last time I was on here,
00:23:36 I ragged on the in-season tournament
00:23:38 and the courts and the branding.
00:23:39 Anyone have new in-season tournament takes?
00:23:42 We definitely don't need to.
00:23:44 - I don't hate it.
00:23:45 I didn't hate it.
00:23:46 I probably won't hate it.
00:23:47 Check me in three years.
00:23:51 I mean, yeah, the courts as a visual cue,
00:23:54 hey, this is different, are interesting.
00:23:56 They have generated a lot of buzz in a moment
00:24:00 where keeping people's attention is hard.
00:24:02 I was out to dinner Friday night for my mom's birthday.
00:24:05 So with casual NBA fans or people who just don't watch
00:24:09 the NBA, explain what was going on
00:24:11 'cause the television was on at the bar in the restaurant.
00:24:13 And consensus was it was ugly, distracting, and unwelcome.
00:24:18 So it could be alienating to casual fans,
00:24:21 but a sample size of five,
00:24:23 if we're hard pressed to get representative data
00:24:25 on this podcast, I can't say that that's a trend line.
00:24:29 Okay.
00:24:29 - Wake me up during the knockout round.
00:24:31 - I have heard that tickets to those games
00:24:34 are gobsmackingly expensive.
00:24:35 So at the very least people in Vegas seem excited,
00:24:39 but if they're willing to pay for the,
00:24:40 those F1 tickets are very expensive, how's that?
00:24:44 - And that is why Mexico City will not be getting a team
00:24:49 before Las Vegas.
00:24:51 - I don't know about Seattle.
00:24:55 I don't know that some of the cities that exist in the NBA
00:24:57 right now should continue to float teams.
00:24:59 I don't know that.
00:25:00 - You're gonna make some enemies, be careful.
00:25:01 - It's on the fans, show up.
00:25:04 It's on the television partners.
00:25:06 Sell some tickets.
00:25:08 - Valley sports, where you at?
00:25:10 - I'm curious about that too.
00:25:12 As someone who automatically had their league pass renewed
00:25:15 before I could consider it,
00:25:17 I'm curious about what that looks like.
00:25:18 - Okay, we are clearly spitting our tires.
00:25:21 So let's pause.
00:25:23 You won't, humble listener, have any,
00:25:26 well, there might be an ad break.
00:25:26 I don't know when these show up.
00:25:28 It's not my job.
00:25:29 But on the flip side of this sentence,
00:25:32 you'll hear from the new voice of the Boston Celtics
00:25:35 over at NBC Sports Boston.
00:25:36 Mr. Drew Carter, see you then.
00:25:39 - Okay, I wanna pause the action here
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00:26:17 Okay, as promised, we're welcoming in Drew Carter
00:26:20 from NBC Sports Boston.
00:26:22 We're gonna hop into the Celtics lab.
00:26:24 So Drew, put on your safety goggles, put on your gloves.
00:26:27 Here we go.
00:26:28 Drew is a big cheese.
00:26:30 We are very lucky to have him in Boston.
00:26:32 Celtics fans are very lucky to have him on the horn.
00:26:34 And Drew, I gotta say, you're very lucky to learn
00:26:36 from Mike Gorman this season, which we can get into.
00:26:39 So as we like to do when big cheeses come around,
00:26:42 I'm gonna stop talking.
00:26:43 I'm gonna swing things to Alex.
00:26:44 Alex and Drew will have a little conversation.
00:26:46 Then Justin and Drew will have a little conversation.
00:26:48 Then if there's time, I'm gonna ask Drew
00:26:50 about the Minnesota Timberwolves.
00:26:52 But let's start with Alex.
00:26:54 Alex, take it away.
00:26:54 Drew, welcome to the Celtics Lab podcast.
00:26:56 - Thanks for having me, guys.
00:26:58 Yeah, great to be here.
00:27:00 Cam and I talked last night.
00:27:01 So Alex and Dr. Quinn, take all the time you need.
00:27:04 I don't have to talk to Cam anymore.
00:27:05 - Yeah, that seems reasonable.
00:27:06 I think we can just kind of not talk to Cam generally.
00:27:09 That's fine.
00:27:10 Thanks for being here, Drew.
00:27:12 Really appreciate it.
00:27:12 And I've really enjoyed listening
00:27:14 to your calls on games this year.
00:27:16 You really have a great voice for this.
00:27:18 And I mean that sincerely.
00:27:20 So I wanna start with just kind of your observations,
00:27:23 what you're seeing from the team.
00:27:25 It's been roughly 10% of the season up to this point.
00:27:29 What, if anything, have you kind of learned about this team
00:27:32 as far as just big picture takeaways?
00:27:34 - Well, I think we've learned this NBA season
00:27:39 that big time additions don't always mesh right away.
00:27:44 It's not always seamless.
00:27:46 I think when you look through the course
00:27:48 of the player empowerment era
00:27:50 and the big time star movement era,
00:27:52 which you could really sort of argue began
00:27:56 with the Celtics big three in '08,
00:27:58 but certainly with player empowerment,
00:28:00 I think about when the Heat brought in Bosh and LeBron
00:28:04 and that seemed to be their decision.
00:28:06 I think over the course of that,
00:28:09 you have examples of both ways where it works right away.
00:28:12 Obviously the Celtics are the best example of that in 2008,
00:28:16 where it works after a year,
00:28:18 the Heat made the finals in their first year,
00:28:19 but kind of peed down their leg in the finals,
00:28:21 even though that Dallas team was really good
00:28:23 and Dirk had one of the best individual runs
00:28:25 we've ever seen.
00:28:26 And then you have examples where it just doesn't work out,
00:28:29 like any team James Harden is on
00:28:31 and the Clippers are doing the same thing right now.
00:28:34 So I think you have three different outcomes for it.
00:28:37 And to me, Milwaukee is a negative outcome
00:28:41 and the Celtics are a positive outcome.
00:28:43 I mean, early returns are extremely, extremely encouraging.
00:28:46 I think one of the reasons why is
00:28:49 they didn't add a number one or number two option,
00:28:52 they already had those with two all NBA players in the Jays.
00:28:55 They added two guys who are all-star caliber players
00:28:58 playing at that level,
00:28:59 who are malleable and can fit in anywhere.
00:29:02 You know, my favorite stat coming into the season was
00:29:04 Holiday and Porzingis were both top 10 in the league
00:29:07 last year per synergy in creating off of,
00:29:11 as secondary ball handlers, right?
00:29:13 Like in a catch and shoot situation
00:29:14 or catch and drive situation, they were seven and eight.
00:29:17 So it was just kind of fitting and literally fitting
00:29:20 that those guys can fit in so well with this team.
00:29:23 They don't need the ball in their hand
00:29:24 on the primary action to be successful.
00:29:26 And they're also great defensive players.
00:29:29 So not really surprised that the pieces fit so well,
00:29:31 but it has been a ton of fun to watch.
00:29:33 The only thing I want is for them to be undefeated
00:29:36 in the games I call like they are
00:29:37 in the games that Mike calls.
00:29:39 Gorman hasn't lost a game all season.
00:29:41 I've lost two in a row.
00:29:42 So hopefully we can get back on the right track
00:29:44 here in Philly.
00:29:45 - All right, you heard it here first, Celtics.
00:29:47 You got to do it for Drew.
00:29:49 So you mentioned surprises and I think, you know,
00:29:54 this team has surprised in a lot of positive ways,
00:29:57 at least for me, but I'm curious,
00:29:59 have you seen anything this season that has been kind of
00:30:02 a surprise for you, either something that you thought
00:30:05 kind of might be the case that isn't
00:30:07 or something that's kind of reversed your expectations?
00:30:12 What do you see that has kind of surprised you
00:30:14 about this season?
00:30:15 - Man, you know, the fact that the team's really good
00:30:19 is not a surprise.
00:30:21 I think the fact that Jason Tatum leads the league
00:30:25 in plus minus maybe is because, you know,
00:30:28 Derek White has been the plus minus God for the Celtics
00:30:31 in, I guess, last year and the half season before that.
00:30:35 Tatum, you know, it's not surprising, right?
00:30:39 That's probably the wrong word,
00:30:40 but I do think it is a little bit, you know,
00:30:44 maybe it is surprising because he was already so good.
00:30:47 And I think the hardest step,
00:30:48 and you talked to former NBA players and coaches about this,
00:30:51 the hardest step to take is from great to elite
00:30:54 or however you want to describe that.
00:30:56 I think Jason Tatum is there.
00:30:58 He's in the top tier of NBA players.
00:31:00 You know, to me, Jokic is in a tier of his own right now
00:31:03 just because of what he did last season.
00:31:05 I think he's earned that.
00:31:06 But after that, I think you could argue
00:31:07 for Tatum over anybody.
00:31:09 And he's been, to me, the best two-way player in the league
00:31:12 through the first 10 or so games here.
00:31:14 So again, not surprising 'cause we know how good he is,
00:31:17 but it is cool to see him continue to ascend
00:31:20 even though he was already, you know,
00:31:21 a first-team all-NBA caliber player.
00:31:23 And now here he is, you know, as the focal point
00:31:25 of, I think, the best team in the league
00:31:27 with the best rating in the league,
00:31:29 averaging 30 again.
00:31:30 He's added over 10 pounds of muscle.
00:31:32 He's added this post-up element to his game.
00:31:35 His defense, I think, is even better.
00:31:36 And it helps when you're playing
00:31:37 with the guys that he's playing around.
00:31:39 I've also been interested to see the rotations for Missoula.
00:31:44 Like, there have been some times
00:31:47 where it seems like he's experimenting a little bit,
00:31:48 and that's what the regular season is for, you know,
00:31:50 unless it's an in-season tournament game
00:31:52 'cause you gotta win all those.
00:31:53 But that's what the regular season is generally for.
00:31:56 Like, I remember last time we were here,
00:31:57 I think Lamar Stevens played four minutes
00:31:59 in the first quarter.
00:32:00 We didn't see him for the rest of the game.
00:32:01 So he's trying some stuff out, I think.
00:32:04 And I'm intrigued to see how this plays out,
00:32:07 especially when Namias Keita gets healthy.
00:32:10 You know, he was one of my favorite players
00:32:11 to watch in the preseason,
00:32:12 and I really wanna see how he fits in to this rotation.
00:32:16 So I guess there've been a couple things rotation-wise,
00:32:18 like Reset playing here and there.
00:32:20 I know he's dealt with some injuries as well.
00:32:22 When Hauser checks in,
00:32:23 when Tatum checks out in the first quarter,
00:32:25 like all that rotational stuff, to me,
00:32:27 is really interesting,
00:32:28 and it's fun to kind of keep tabs on that during the show.
00:32:31 - For sure.
00:32:32 I think that's an interesting observation that,
00:32:34 you know, it's kind of,
00:32:36 it's something that gets lost in the flow of the game,
00:32:38 but checking not just like what are the lineups
00:32:40 when people come in, but like, when do they come in?
00:32:42 What is the pattern?
00:32:44 It's an interesting and fun wrinkle to keep track of.
00:32:47 So you mentioned that Jason Tatum
00:32:50 is looking a good bit stronger,
00:32:52 and I feel like this Celtics team,
00:32:54 that's one of the Celtics team's strengths, so to speak.
00:32:58 And I guess, I'm curious, in your opinion,
00:33:01 what do you see as the biggest strength of this team,
00:33:04 and what do you see as the biggest weakness of this team?
00:33:06 - Oh man, I mean, the strength, where do you even begin?
00:33:09 It's like trying to choose my favorite kid
00:33:11 if I did have kids, or ever plan to have kids.
00:33:15 That's a no on both.
00:33:16 But there's so many strengths of the team,
00:33:20 it's hard to choose just one.
00:33:21 I think the, just like, they're such a modern NBA team.
00:33:26 It's amazing, because the buzzwords, at least for me,
00:33:32 in modern NBA basketball are spacing and switchability.
00:33:36 And spacing has been around for as long as time,
00:33:39 but especially in the last 10 years,
00:33:41 we've really seen an emphasis on spacing.
00:33:44 And this is something that Scal talks about a lot,
00:33:46 is how much the emphasis on spacing
00:33:49 has improved offense in the NBA.
00:33:52 With the Celtics, frankly guys,
00:33:54 I don't know what you do against that team,
00:33:56 because, especially the starting five,
00:33:58 and then when Horford comes in,
00:33:59 all six of those dudes are really good shooters.
00:34:02 Sam Houser, at the time of this recording,
00:34:04 is as hot as anybody in the league.
00:34:05 I think he's hit like 56, 57%
00:34:08 since a quiet three-game start.
00:34:10 Pritchard can shoot.
00:34:12 Pretty much everyone in the rotation can shoot,
00:34:15 especially those top six guys.
00:34:18 So on offense, I just don't know what you do.
00:34:20 And when everybody can shoot,
00:34:22 you can't help on a Tatum post-up.
00:34:24 And if you do, he's gotten so much better as a facilitator
00:34:28 that it's impossible to deal with them.
00:34:30 I think about when LeBron added that element to his game,
00:34:34 and I'm sorry, Celtics fans, to invoke that name.
00:34:36 I know we don't really like him very much
00:34:38 around these parts,
00:34:39 but when you think about when LeBron
00:34:40 added that effective post-up game,
00:34:42 he went to another stratosphere.
00:34:45 And Tatum is kind of doing that same thing.
00:34:47 In LeBron, we always knew about the vision and the passing,
00:34:49 and Tatum's probably not on that level.
00:34:50 Maybe he'll get there,
00:34:52 but it's just impossible to defend them.
00:34:55 And then you run a pick and roll with Porzingis.
00:34:56 He pops, he can make it from 30 feet.
00:34:58 You can have a guy playing perfect defense.
00:35:00 It doesn't matter, he's seven foot three.
00:35:02 He can shoot over the top of anyone,
00:35:04 Wemba and Yama excluded,
00:35:05 and we'll see them on New Year's Eve, so that'll be fun.
00:35:07 But the offense is impossible to defend,
00:35:09 but it's actually,
00:35:10 I think they might be better defensively than offensively,
00:35:13 which is pretty exciting to think about.
00:35:15 And watching the backcourt,
00:35:17 it's arguably the two best defensive guards in the NBA.
00:35:21 I know we had a guy a couple of years ago
00:35:23 who won defensive player of the year as a guard,
00:35:26 but I think at this point,
00:35:28 it's hard to argue for Marcus Smart
00:35:30 over either of those guys.
00:35:32 And so watching White and Holiday play together is a treat,
00:35:36 if you like good defensive basketball,
00:35:38 Porzingis protecting the rim,
00:35:39 and then, oh, by the way,
00:35:40 Tatum and Brown are elite wing defenders,
00:35:44 and especially when the intensity is cranked up.
00:35:46 So it's just like, it's a team full of strengths.
00:35:49 Now, with that being said,
00:35:51 if there is a weakness, it's interesting,
00:35:53 Cedric Maxwell, who calls the games on the radio
00:35:56 with Sean Grandy,
00:35:57 is actually staying across the hall from me
00:35:58 at the hotel in Philly, so maybe he's listening.
00:36:01 But Max, we were sitting down at the media center
00:36:04 in Brooklyn before the Nets game,
00:36:06 and we were just talking and he's like,
00:36:08 what's your biggest concern with the team?
00:36:11 I'm like, first of all, I appreciate you asking,
00:36:13 but why are you asking me?
00:36:14 I should be asking you,
00:36:14 like you're the guy who actually knows
00:36:15 what you're talking about.
00:36:16 But Max is such a nice guy,
00:36:17 you know if you've talked to him,
00:36:18 he's like, that's just kind of how he is.
00:36:21 And I was like, I guess injury,
00:36:23 'cause there are a couple of guys
00:36:26 who have had some injury issues in the past,
00:36:28 I think especially about Porzingis.
00:36:30 But anytime your biggest concern with a team
00:36:33 in any sport is injury, that's a really good sign,
00:36:36 because anybody can get injured.
00:36:38 And so I think that there's really nothing
00:36:40 you could point to with the Celtics,
00:36:43 that's an on paper or really in practice weakness.
00:36:47 The only thing that could concern you
00:36:48 is if somebody goes down.
00:36:50 - I mean, love this, love the glowing praise
00:36:54 that we've been heaping on all aspects of the Celtics.
00:36:57 It's one of my favorite things to do.
00:36:58 So I appreciate you having you here, Drew, and doing that.
00:37:03 I guess I'm curious,
00:37:05 and then I'll kind of swing things over to JQ here.
00:37:07 So I think the goal for this team
00:37:11 has been stated pretty clearly by just about everybody.
00:37:14 I think everybody involved knows that this is a year
00:37:16 where the expectation is banner, right?
00:37:19 We're trying to hang another one.
00:37:22 But the Celtics recently, as you mentioned,
00:37:25 recently had a defensive player of the year.
00:37:28 They recently had a sixth man of the year.
00:37:30 They've been racking up some hardware
00:37:31 over the course of these past couple of years,
00:37:33 not related to a title, but-
00:37:35 - Here we go, where are we going, Alex?
00:37:36 You're gonna ask me if- - Individual, actually.
00:37:39 - Well, I guess I'm curious,
00:37:40 do you have any Celtics who you think
00:37:42 are your most likely candidate for season-long hardware?
00:37:45 - You know, it's interesting,
00:37:51 because I think Tatum for MVP
00:37:56 is a pretty decent bet right now,
00:37:58 'cause I do expect them to get the one seed in the East.
00:38:01 You know, it's hard aside from that,
00:38:05 because defensive player of the year, as we know,
00:38:08 almost always goes to a big man.
00:38:10 And I think if it were to go to a guard,
00:38:13 they'd have to be clearly the best defensive guard
00:38:16 in the NBA, and we have the two best.
00:38:21 So it's like, how do you differentiate
00:38:23 between White and Holiday?
00:38:25 So for defensive player of the year, I think that'd be hard.
00:38:28 Clutch player of the year, I could see going to Tatum,
00:38:31 and that's a new one that's like totally unquantifiable.
00:38:33 Although I guess D'Aaron Fox won it last year,
00:38:35 'cause he like led the league in clutch points.
00:38:37 So maybe it's actually the easiest to quantify,
00:38:39 but I could see Tatum doing that.
00:38:40 The only issue is, I don't know how many clutch situations
00:38:43 they're gonna play in,
00:38:44 'cause they're gonna blow everybody out.
00:38:45 But how about this for totally out of left field?
00:38:48 - Let's do it.
00:38:49 - How about Missoula for coach of the year?
00:38:50 - Yeah, baby, let's go.
00:38:52 - Because that award, I think even more so than MVP,
00:38:57 is narrative driven.
00:38:59 And for Missoula to be in his mid 30s,
00:39:02 still one of the youngest coaches in the league,
00:39:03 I think the youngest, even younger than Hardy,
00:39:06 who left us to go to the Jazz, thanks Danny Ainge.
00:39:09 But I think Missoula, if he leads them to a one seed,
00:39:13 maybe people would be like, "Ho hum, whatever,
00:39:15 "it doesn't matter, they were two seed last year.
00:39:17 "We'll see what they do in the playoffs."
00:39:19 Like, you know, he's still unproven,
00:39:21 at least at that point.
00:39:23 But I don't know, man, if they win 65,
00:39:26 and Missoula is less cantankerous in press conferences,
00:39:31 maybe than he was last year,
00:39:33 I think that would go a long way.
00:39:34 It really does seem different to me this year.
00:39:36 I know he had that exchange with Gary Washburn
00:39:38 from the Globe, but to me, that was actually funny.
00:39:41 And I thought it was lighthearted.
00:39:43 - Can I tell a story, Drew, real quick?
00:39:46 - Yeah, yeah, go ahead.
00:39:47 - Last night, we were sitting
00:39:49 for the post game press conference,
00:39:50 so this is less than a week removed from that exchange,
00:39:52 I think everyone knows we're talking about.
00:39:53 Missoula, Gary's sitting in the middle of the press corps.
00:39:56 Missoula walks into the press corps,
00:39:58 and stands with Gary, and tells him all about
00:40:01 how Baylor just won a basketball game,
00:40:03 shooting only one three-pointer,
00:40:05 or making only one three-pointer,
00:40:06 and gives him a 90-second synopsis of the game,
00:40:11 and how they won the game without hitting three-pointers.
00:40:14 So not only was Missoula maybe over his skis with that bit,
00:40:19 but he doubled down on the bit
00:40:20 as hard as he possibly could,
00:40:21 which was kind of amazing. - I appreciate that.
00:40:25 - Yeah, Gary was like, "Wow, thanks for sharing."
00:40:28 - I just, I love it, man.
00:40:30 I think it's actually fun when coaches and reporters
00:40:33 can have a little repartee,
00:40:35 and I think people read that as Missoula being defensive,
00:40:40 and a little prickly, to me it was not.
00:40:42 I think he's a lot different from last year,
00:40:44 and he was open about that before the season.
00:40:47 Look, when you get thrown into a situation like he did,
00:40:49 couple days before training camp,
00:40:51 you become the head coach of the Boston effing Celtics
00:40:53 after you were on the back bench last year,
00:40:55 it's impossible to overstate
00:40:57 how much pressure that probably put on him.
00:40:59 And I think he might've gone into a shell a little bit,
00:41:03 didn't really know how to handle it.
00:41:04 He said, didn't know what it was like
00:41:06 to have people give a crap about what I was saying
00:41:08 and what I thought.
00:41:10 And now he's had a season under his belt,
00:41:12 and to me, he seems different in press conferences.
00:41:14 To me, he seems like he's being himself.
00:41:16 So all that to say, Missoula seems different.
00:41:19 If the team wins a bunch and the vibes are really good,
00:41:21 which they are,
00:41:23 maybe he could get some love for coach of the year.
00:41:25 So that's like the one that's way out of left field.
00:41:28 - No, I like it. I'm all about it.
00:41:29 I think it would be an extremely hilarious thing
00:41:32 for Joe Missoula to win coach of the year personally.
00:41:34 - It'd be great.
00:41:35 - I'd be really looking forward
00:41:36 to that press conference in particular.
00:41:39 So I'm all in.
00:41:41 Drew, this was fabulous.
00:41:42 Thank you.
00:41:43 I'm gonna swing you over to Dr. Quinn and fellows.
00:41:45 I have to get moving.
00:41:46 So it's been a blast.
00:41:48 Thanks for taking the time to chat with me, with us, Drew,
00:41:50 and JQ, Cam, I think you guys can take it from here.
00:41:54 - Yeah, we got it.
00:41:55 - Don't crash the bus.
00:41:57 Make some good music.
00:41:58 - I wouldn't dream of it.
00:41:59 All right, see you fellas.
00:42:00 - He's in a band, they're on tour
00:42:02 and that's why he's leaving us.
00:42:04 - Oh, cool.
00:42:06 - They're doing a sound test.
00:42:07 We were checking to see if the bass was gonna come through
00:42:10 and kind of screw up his section of the interview.
00:42:13 So thankfully it did not, but that's his gig.
00:42:16 We brought you to talk about your gig.
00:42:20 - Just a nice transition.
00:42:21 - I'm a pro, what can I say?
00:42:26 - So one of the people who actually helped found,
00:42:29 you know one of the people who helped found this podcast,
00:42:33 he went to Syracuse with you.
00:42:35 I'll talk to you a little bit about that later.
00:42:37 But one of the other co-founders of this podcast,
00:42:40 when we were absolutely terrible,
00:42:42 and I'm surprised anyone listened to us,
00:42:44 was listening to the call and was somehow out of the loop
00:42:47 and did not even know that you had been hired.
00:42:49 And he was like, "Who is this person on the call?"
00:42:51 And I was like, "Just wait a minute.
00:42:53 Just give him a chance, listen to what he does.
00:42:56 I know you're gonna like him."
00:42:58 And sure enough, he did.
00:42:59 So you are connecting with some of our gnarlier fans
00:43:04 as well out there.
00:43:06 So I just want you to know
00:43:07 you're winning over the hearts and minds,
00:43:08 which is the key of the battle.
00:43:10 But on the other side of the equation that we don't see,
00:43:13 we wanna know how is the job going for you in general?
00:43:17 - Well, I'm really glad to hear that, Justin,
00:43:20 and thank you for sharing that.
00:43:21 I know there was probably a lot of that anger
00:43:25 and angst and skepticism and pitchforks and torches
00:43:28 being brought out when someone heard someone
00:43:31 other than Mike Gorman describing the action.
00:43:33 And I totally get that.
00:43:34 Mike's been doing it for over 40 years.
00:43:36 And I'm not trying to be Mike.
00:43:39 I'm not trying to succeed or replace Mike.
00:43:42 I'm trying to follow Mike.
00:43:43 And I know how big of a responsibility that is.
00:43:46 And so I put a lot of pressure on myself because of that,
00:43:49 'cause I know the relationship people have
00:43:50 with the announcers and the broadcast.
00:43:52 And I know how legends have filled that role in the past,
00:43:56 going back to Johnny Most.
00:43:58 So to hear that is really encouraging.
00:44:01 And I appreciate you saying that.
00:44:03 The job has been sick, dude.
00:44:04 (laughing)
00:44:05 It's an absolute dream job.
00:44:07 I mean, I hopped on this pod right after getting
00:44:11 to the hotel and I was on the same plane and bus
00:44:14 as Jason Tatum and Jalen Brown.
00:44:16 How cool is that?
00:44:17 And walked by Joe Mazzuolo, Sam Cassell, Charles Lee,
00:44:20 et cetera, to get to my seat on the plane.
00:44:23 So that's amazing.
00:44:25 Beyond the like holy F factor of being around NBA players
00:44:31 and coaches and walking into a hotel and seeing dozens
00:44:37 of fans lined up for autographs outside every place we go,
00:44:41 basically, beyond that, it's just really fun to be
00:44:45 in the mix of the NBA and really feel like you can dive in.
00:44:50 Like I got league pass for the first time this year.
00:44:53 I never really felt like I needed it.
00:44:54 Most of my job at ESPN is college sports.
00:44:57 So that was kind of my focus and getting league pass
00:45:00 and just dialing in on the league is just so fun.
00:45:03 And it really, it keys you up for a game
00:45:06 like we have here in Philly.
00:45:08 I mean, the Sixers are smoking hot.
00:45:10 They're the hottest team in the league.
00:45:11 Tyrese Maxey is playing like an all NBA guy.
00:45:14 I think if you look at some advanced metrics
00:45:15 or like MVP ladder, he's like top five in MVP
00:45:19 and beat is right there too.
00:45:21 He's been incredible.
00:45:23 And so to have a game like that and just to have a ticket
00:45:26 to get in the building, let alone a vessel
00:45:30 for sharing my enjoyment and experience with the fan,
00:45:34 that's just really special.
00:45:36 And I've always wanted to be the voice of a team
00:45:38 because like I said, with Mike and dating back
00:45:42 to Johnny Most, the relationship
00:45:44 with the fan base is really intimate.
00:45:47 It's just different from doing a national broadcast.
00:45:49 You get a chance to feel like you're speaking directly
00:45:53 to the fan and it never feels more real when you say
00:45:57 like, thanks for letting us into your living room.
00:45:59 Like I can imagine people all across Massachusetts
00:46:02 like flipping it on and our voices are in their house.
00:46:06 That's cool.
00:46:06 And again, that's a responsibility
00:46:08 and people put a lot of faith in us.
00:46:10 So that's why I feel pressure
00:46:13 but also excitement to do this job.
00:46:15 It's just, it's really, really neat.
00:46:18 And the fact that the team is so damn good helps a lot.
00:46:20 Like your buddy from Q's, while I appreciate you saying
00:46:25 that I appreciate him saying nice things.
00:46:27 No one's gonna bitch about the announcer
00:46:29 when the team's winning by 30.
00:46:30 So that's been a real plus.
00:46:32 - So what's something that you knew
00:46:37 that you didn't know before that you know now
00:46:41 after having been on the job in Boston for a little bit.
00:46:44 Before you answer, I just wanna let you know
00:46:45 the team like Boston, it's not just in Massachusetts.
00:46:48 I'm in Mexico city.
00:46:49 - Hey now, yes.
00:46:52 League passes worldwide, baby.
00:46:54 I love it.
00:46:55 That's cool.
00:46:56 I've always wanted to go to Mexico city.
00:46:57 My sister has been a couple of times
00:46:59 but when I make it down there, I'll hit you up.
00:47:01 So what I guess what I've learned that I didn't know before
00:47:05 is I guess that Mike Gorman is exactly the dude
00:47:13 off the air that you see on the air.
00:47:15 There's a reason he's so beloved in Boston
00:47:18 and also nationwide.
00:47:19 Like we played the Knicks last night and Mike Breen
00:47:24 there's a reason he goes across the floor
00:47:26 to give Mike Gorman a huge hug
00:47:28 and then does the same thing after the game.
00:47:30 There's a reason everybody loves this dude.
00:47:32 There's a reason when we go out for a drink
00:47:34 he talks to the lady behind the bar for five minutes
00:47:37 because they go way back and she loves him
00:47:39 as much as everybody does.
00:47:42 He is just such a cool dude and he's so down to earth
00:47:44 and he's really taken me under his wing.
00:47:48 And the cool thing guys is I think Mike
00:47:50 and I do the job very differently.
00:47:53 He's obviously from the area, I'm not.
00:47:56 So we sound different off the bat.
00:47:59 He's been doing it for a lot longer than I have
00:48:03 and he's probably a little more understated than I am.
00:48:06 I probably try to do a little too much sometimes
00:48:08 'cause I'm having so much fun
00:48:09 and I might need to tone it down.
00:48:11 But even though Mike and I are pretty different
00:48:14 on the air I would say, he has been extremely supportive
00:48:19 and has given me some really, really helpful advice
00:48:21 that I think has helped smooth the transition a little bit.
00:48:24 Again, I know it might be jarring for some people
00:48:26 to flip it on and not hear Mike
00:48:27 because that's what we've known for four decades plus.
00:48:31 But he has been amazing.
00:48:32 And so has his wife, Terri.
00:48:34 I actually heard that, and Terri was in the business
00:48:36 for a long time in sports media
00:48:38 so she knows everybody as well.
00:48:40 And she's amazing and super sharp.
00:48:42 What I heard was, now I was at the game at the Garden
00:48:44 so I wasn't watching the broadcast
00:48:46 but when Adam Silver came on,
00:48:48 Mike was saying that Adam basically spent the entire time
00:48:51 talking about Terri Gorman.
00:48:53 - Yep.
00:48:53 - So like sometimes I'm like, "Mike Gorman?"
00:48:55 And then a lot talking about Terri
00:48:57 and then Scal was asking him about like what he said
00:48:59 about color analysts talking,
00:49:01 like he wants it to be more like NFL.
00:49:03 So I need to go back and watch the replay.
00:49:06 But there's a reason why Mike and Terri Gorman
00:49:09 are so beloved.
00:49:10 And so it's been really cool
00:49:11 to kind of see that from the inside.
00:49:13 - Talked about an expansion team in my home city too.
00:49:16 So I'm pretty excited about that
00:49:17 but that's not what we're here to talk about.
00:49:20 - No, wait, wait, wait, hold on, hold on.
00:49:21 I thought it was gonna be Vegas and Seattle.
00:49:23 - It is going to be Vegas and Seattle.
00:49:25 Well, he didn't explicitly say that
00:49:27 but that is the general assumption.
00:49:29 I think it's correct.
00:49:30 In some conversations I've had with some league people
00:49:32 and some other people connected to know
00:49:36 about this sort of thing,
00:49:38 the, well, first of all,
00:49:40 Silver's discussion of it has been more concrete
00:49:43 than it ever has been in the past.
00:49:45 It's always very, very, very vague
00:49:47 when he's talked about it.
00:49:49 Every year when they come here for the Mexico City games,
00:49:52 it's obviously a topic of conversation.
00:49:54 But this year, he really sounds like
00:49:56 it's something that the NBA wants to happen
00:49:58 but there are still several hurdles in terms of logistics
00:50:02 which the Capitanes, the G-League team here
00:50:05 has helped iron out, but there's still a ways to go.
00:50:07 So big detour, but I think-
00:50:11 - Wait, can I share two thoughts on that?
00:50:13 We, first of all, we talked about this
00:50:14 in the first half of the pod.
00:50:15 So hopefully the listeners really care about this.
00:50:18 I think the Vegas, Seattle thing misses the point.
00:50:23 Point number one, why can't a team relocate
00:50:25 not be an expansion team?
00:50:27 Hello, Sadden, one of those Pelicans.
00:50:29 Point number two, why can't-
00:50:30 - Hey, don't you mess with my NOLA people.
00:50:33 - I love NOLA, well, whatever.
00:50:35 Point number two, why can't you add more than two teams?
00:50:38 - Fair point, they usually do them in even numbers
00:50:41 but they haven't always, so it could happen.
00:50:43 - Add four, add one to Pittsburgh.
00:50:44 - That would be pretty sweet.
00:50:45 I just have to make sure I have my passport.
00:50:48 So, 'cause that's been kind of a snafu this week.
00:50:51 So we're going to Toronto.
00:50:52 So, but we'll have it smoothed over by Thursday
00:50:56 when we fly there, so we're good.
00:50:58 And then I could go to Mexico City as well.
00:50:59 So hopefully there's a team there.
00:51:01 - Cool, so you've basically given me a Mike Gorman story.
00:51:05 If you have a better one you want to share,
00:51:07 please, by all means, but give me a Scal story
00:51:10 working with him.
00:51:11 Besides El Fuego.
00:51:14 No necesitamos más malas traducciones de él.
00:51:18 - Nice, nice.
00:51:21 I can tell that you are fluent
00:51:24 in the native language in Mexico City, I like that.
00:51:26 - I can survive.
00:51:27 - Well, here's the thing with Scal.
00:51:31 He does so much hilarious stuff
00:51:34 that I actually started to write some of it down
00:51:36 because if I ever want to write a book one day,
00:51:39 there'll be an entire chapter on Scal.
00:51:43 The first, I guess my first day of work at this job
00:51:49 was media day where they hadn't announced
00:51:52 that I was joining the team yet.
00:51:54 So it was kind of like a clandestine,
00:51:56 let's sneak through in here.
00:51:57 Not that anybody gives a shit or knows who I am.
00:51:59 Sorry, I hope I can swear on this.
00:52:01 - No, you can swear, yeah.
00:52:02 - Okay, good.
00:52:03 Not that anybody gives a fuck who I am,
00:52:04 but they kind of had, like, they wanted it to be a secret.
00:52:08 So they kind of brought me in a back door
00:52:09 and Scal and I took some photos together
00:52:11 and they didn't go anywhere until the next day
00:52:15 when we announced it.
00:52:17 So anyway, I got there when I was told to get there,
00:52:21 let the record show when I was told to get there.
00:52:23 But like my boss had to come let me in
00:52:25 'cause I obviously didn't have
00:52:26 the right credentials or anything.
00:52:28 So by the time I got in there,
00:52:29 it was like a couple of minutes after two
00:52:31 when we were gonna take the photos.
00:52:33 And Scal's like, "Wow, like your first day
00:52:36 "cruising in fashionably late,
00:52:38 "like that's how you roll, okay, cool.
00:52:40 "We're gonna have to trade you for Noah Eagle."
00:52:43 And for those who don't know,
00:52:44 Noah Eagle was my college roommate,
00:52:46 one of my best friends, Ian Eagle's son.
00:52:49 Yeah, not Ian, I am, it's confusing.
00:52:51 Ian will tell you that himself.
00:52:52 Yeah, I know.
00:52:53 You can speak multiple languages,
00:52:54 but no one can pronounce Ian's name, it's okay.
00:52:56 - We have a long history of screwing up people's names
00:52:59 on this, blanket apology to all of you.
00:53:02 - Yes, yes, I'm sure he would not be offended
00:53:04 'cause everybody does it.
00:53:05 But Ian's son Noah, one of my best friends,
00:53:08 he was the radio guy for the Clippers for four years.
00:53:11 He's now working with the Nets actually.
00:53:12 So Ian is their main play-by-play guy.
00:53:15 Then they have Ryan Rucco when Ian can't do it.
00:53:17 And then Noah's gonna fill in occasionally
00:53:19 for the Nets on Yes.
00:53:21 So anyway, Scal knows Noah.
00:53:23 He's like, "We're gonna have to trade you for Noah Eagle,
00:53:24 "man, if you keep coming in late."
00:53:26 I'm like, "Dude, you're gonna have to throw in
00:53:28 "some pick swaps and cash considerations
00:53:30 "if you wanna pull that off."
00:53:32 But that's kinda how it is with Scal.
00:53:36 You can tell he accepts you and is cool with you
00:53:40 if he's giving you shit, giving you a hard time.
00:53:43 And from what I've been told
00:53:44 and sort of what I've experienced already,
00:53:46 that's a very Boston way to act.
00:53:49 Even though Scal's from Washington State,
00:53:52 he's obviously an adopted son for Boston.
00:53:55 And clearly that's one of the reasons he fits in there
00:53:57 is 'cause he's gonna be taking the piss,
00:54:01 to use an Australian term.
00:54:02 He is going to be giving you a hard time
00:54:04 and that's actually a good sign.
00:54:05 And I've really enjoyed that.
00:54:06 And so I'm trying to find the right line
00:54:10 where I'm showing respect and I'm deferring to him
00:54:15 'cause he's the guy who played in the league,
00:54:18 he's the guy with the ring,
00:54:19 he's the guy who's been here for a decade
00:54:21 and calling Celtics games since I was in high school.
00:54:26 But also giving him shit
00:54:28 because that's how we are off the air.
00:54:30 So we're having fun with that.
00:54:32 And it's cool 'cause that's how El Fuego started.
00:54:35 That's when he messed that up and I'm like,
00:54:38 my man, you're one letter off,
00:54:39 but the meaning has changed between El Fuego and En Fuego.
00:54:42 So stuff like that, it's really fun to work with him.
00:54:45 He's made me feel welcome from the jump,
00:54:47 even from when we auditioned together.
00:54:49 - So I've got a feel for what the best aspects
00:54:53 of your job is.
00:54:54 What are some of the worst parts of your job?
00:54:57 - Well, guys, I spent a lot of time online
00:55:00 and I pretty much see everything that people say.
00:55:05 Luckily, my Twitter handle is pretty obscure.
00:55:09 So I'm sure people are tweeting at the wrong Drew Carters
00:55:12 and I apologize to those guys.
00:55:13 But I hear it from people and again, I get it.
00:55:19 Like, I honestly think that most of the stuff
00:55:22 people have said and especially directly to me
00:55:24 has been incredibly nice and supportive
00:55:26 and I'm super grateful for that.
00:55:28 But like I said, I mean, I know how big of a deal the job is.
00:55:32 I know how prestigious it is
00:55:33 and I know how important it is to get this right.
00:55:36 Not necessarily 'cause I want people to like me,
00:55:38 although that is true, I do want people to like me.
00:55:40 That's a human nature thing,
00:55:42 but more so because I don't want to at all diminish
00:55:47 people's experience watching their favorite team.
00:55:49 In fact, I want to enhance it.
00:55:50 That's really the name of the game,
00:55:51 to entertain, to educate,
00:55:54 teach people something about the Celtics
00:55:56 they might not have known coming into the night,
00:55:58 maybe make someone feel something
00:55:59 depending on the situation.
00:56:01 That's what it's all about.
00:56:04 And so when people aren't liking what we're doing,
00:56:08 if we take a chance that might fall flat a little bit,
00:56:12 that is not the best feeling,
00:56:14 but that's kind of what we sign up for.
00:56:16 And that's like a pretty small complaint
00:56:18 for what is really the coolest job in the world.
00:56:21 I mean, it was described to me once
00:56:23 as the toy department of life
00:56:25 by someone else in the industry,
00:56:26 and that's absolutely true.
00:56:28 So it's hard to pick the worst part of the job
00:56:32 'cause really there isn't.
00:56:33 My work is researching stats basically
00:56:37 and watching basketball
00:56:38 and talking to people about basketball,
00:56:41 and I'd be doing that stuff anyway.
00:56:42 I would just be doing that at my other nine to five job
00:56:45 and I'd be ignoring that and doing this,
00:56:47 but I'm lucky that it's my real job.
00:56:48 So that's pretty cool.
00:56:50 - That was really awesome
00:56:51 when someone gives you money to do this sort of thing.
00:56:55 I'm nowhere near on your level and I'm still amazed
00:56:57 anyone wants to do that for me.
00:56:59 Speaking of your gig and how it works,
00:57:05 this season at least you are only covering the road games.
00:57:09 What do you do for the home games,
00:57:11 just for the curious among us,
00:57:13 and what's your routine for preparation in general like?
00:57:16 - Yeah, so home games,
00:57:18 I'm gonna try to go to most of them
00:57:20 or at least all the ones I can.
00:57:21 I still do work for ESPN,
00:57:23 so I'm traveling a lot for them as well.
00:57:26 But when I'm calling a game for ESPN,
00:57:29 I'm in the Celtics are also playing,
00:57:30 I'm monitoring that bad boy.
00:57:32 And sometimes I'll have the second screen up in the booth
00:57:35 just to keep tabs on it.
00:57:36 But I was at the game the other night,
00:57:39 that's where Cam and I saw each other in the media room.
00:57:42 And I'm trying to go to as many games as possible.
00:57:44 I'm planning to move to Boston in a couple of weeks,
00:57:47 hopefully by the end of the month, I'll be settled in.
00:57:49 And I guess technically I don't have to do that
00:57:52 'cause I am doing the road games,
00:57:53 but I just wanna be there.
00:57:55 I wanna be in the mix.
00:57:56 I wanna talk to people.
00:57:58 I wanna go to like Press Cafe in Needham
00:58:02 and talk to Celtics fans,
00:58:04 like see someone in a green shirt
00:58:06 and strike up a conversation.
00:58:07 I wanna do that, that stuff excites me.
00:58:09 I feel like it'll make me better at the job too.
00:58:11 If I have an off day, I can go over to practice
00:58:15 or try to meet up with somebody from the team potentially.
00:58:18 And just feel more embedded.
00:58:21 'Cause I think the more I do that,
00:58:22 the better the broadcasts are gonna be.
00:58:25 As far as what my prep looks like,
00:58:28 I have these boards or these charts
00:58:32 where it's basically the names and the numbers
00:58:35 of everybody on both teams with their heights,
00:58:37 their weights, their hometowns, their ages,
00:58:39 their years in the NBA,
00:58:40 sometimes how they were acquired,
00:58:42 where they were drafted, stuff like that.
00:58:45 Team stats, player stats, career highs,
00:58:49 stuff I'm marking off during the game,
00:58:50 fouls, challenges, just stuff like that
00:58:54 so I can have it all in one place,
00:58:56 'cause I'm not smart enough to keep that all
00:58:58 in the right filing cabinets in my brain.
00:59:00 So I need to have it all in front of me.
00:59:03 But the thing about the NBA is stuff moves so fast.
00:59:06 And this is actually a piece of advice I got
00:59:07 from the aforementioned, I and don't call me Ian Eagle.
00:59:11 He said, "The NBA, the guys are so skilled
00:59:14 and stuff happens so fast that you have to be ready
00:59:17 at all times for the coolest thing you've ever seen
00:59:19 to happen in a flash."
00:59:22 And so you can't really look down.
00:59:23 So I have all these notes in front of me
00:59:25 and I put that together myself,
00:59:27 but really it's about what you know up here
00:59:29 as opposed to what you have down on the table,
00:59:31 'cause you can't really look down.
00:59:32 Aside from in a commercial break,
00:59:33 that's when you can find something,
00:59:34 "Hey, I wanna tell this story."
00:59:36 And then you hear your producer and director and talk back.
00:59:38 And we work with Paul Lucy and Jim Edmonds
00:59:40 who are total legends and have been doing this
00:59:42 for a long time.
00:59:43 And they're amazing at their job,
00:59:45 but that's when you can kind of direct us
00:59:47 to a different story.
00:59:48 During the game, there's so much going on
00:59:51 that you just have to be watching it.
00:59:53 And so a lot of the prep really is about
00:59:57 what I can remember just from finding it.
00:59:59 And to me, if I find something interesting enough
01:00:02 that it sticks with me,
01:00:04 then it probably will be interesting for the viewer.
01:00:07 And so if I write something down and I forget it,
01:00:10 like not the end of the world,
01:00:11 because there's probably a reason I didn't retain it.
01:00:14 So that's kind of what it looks like.
01:00:15 But it is pretty intensive.
01:00:17 When we're playing, we have these four games in seven days.
01:00:20 It's kind of a grind to get all this stuff in one spot
01:00:24 just so I feel like I have it if I need that
01:00:27 safety life preserver to go back to,
01:00:29 "Hey, what's Tyrese Maxey's career free throw percentage?
01:00:32 "Okay, got it."
01:00:33 'Cause that could be something
01:00:34 that turns out to be super relevant.
01:00:35 Plus studying the rule book,
01:00:37 I mean, doing college basketball stuff's different
01:00:39 in the NBA.
01:00:41 And so there's a lot that goes into it.
01:00:43 I don't just show up and yell into a microphone.
01:00:46 I think that's what people think the job is,
01:00:49 but that's not how it is for most of us.
01:00:53 - Kind of figured.
01:00:55 And I'm sure at least some of that
01:00:57 you picked up at Syracuse.
01:01:00 - Yes.
01:01:01 - I don't know how it is for you,
01:01:03 but I went to this little tiny 800 person
01:01:06 liberal arts college in Florida,
01:01:08 which is famous for reasons
01:01:09 I'm not even gonna get into on the show right now
01:01:11 'cause it's all political
01:01:12 and this is not what we're talking about.
01:01:14 But when I saw that we had someone on the Celtics beat
01:01:16 who also went to this little school
01:01:18 called New College, Hunter Felt, if you've ever met him,
01:01:21 I was very excited because meeting any of us anywhere
01:01:25 is kind of a miracle in life, honestly.
01:01:29 But for you, you're surrounded by people from Syracuse.
01:01:33 So what's that like?
01:01:34 And do you guys ever talk about it?
01:01:36 (laughing)
01:01:39 - We never talk about it.
01:01:40 I'm sure you've never heard anyone from Syracuse
01:01:42 mention the fact that-
01:01:43 - Oh, never ever.
01:01:44 - No, no, we're not obnoxious at all.
01:01:46 Yeah, man, everything I learned about broadcasting
01:01:50 I learned there.
01:01:51 In fact, when I went to school there,
01:01:52 I knew I wanted to work in sports media,
01:01:54 but I really wanted to be a writer.
01:01:57 I grew up reading Bill Simmons.
01:01:59 I shouldn't say grew up,
01:02:00 but like Grantland is what I spent a lot of time
01:02:02 when I was in high school reading.
01:02:04 I'd come home, I'd watch PTI, Around the Horn,
01:02:07 read Grantland.
01:02:07 The guys on those TV shows were writers, still are.
01:02:11 Grantland was great sports journalism.
01:02:13 I took a journalism class in high school.
01:02:14 That's sort of when I decided I wanted to do it.
01:02:17 I watched all the President's Men
01:02:18 and that was like my favorite movie.
01:02:20 That's where I decided I wanted to really pursue this.
01:02:22 So anyway, wanted to be a writer, got to Syracuse,
01:02:25 met the right people, went to the right meeting,
01:02:28 fell in love with doing radio,
01:02:29 and then that evolved into doing TV.
01:02:32 But yeah, there are a lot of us.
01:02:34 I'm sure it's really annoying for people
01:02:35 to hear about it all the time.
01:02:37 Frankly, I don't really like bringing it up
01:02:40 because I know it sort of gets monotonous.
01:02:43 And I think there might be a reputation
01:02:47 that Syracuse people start to sound alike.
01:02:50 I hope that's not the case.
01:02:51 - No, not at all.
01:02:52 Honestly, y'all are some of the most diverse group of people
01:02:55 I can think of in terms of your coverage, how you do it.
01:02:58 Not at all.
01:02:59 - Well, I hope so.
01:03:01 Yeah, I hope so.
01:03:01 Because I really love being at these games
01:03:06 and working with the people I work with,
01:03:08 and I hope that comes through.
01:03:09 I hope it doesn't sound like a guy who was
01:03:13 traditionally trained to do broadcasting at Syracuse.
01:03:15 No, it's just, really, I'm a fan at heart.
01:03:18 That's why we all get into this, as you guys know.
01:03:20 So yeah, but that place was incredible.
01:03:23 I was there for four years,
01:03:25 and I probably was calling a game or hosting a show
01:03:28 or reporting something by the time I got to junior
01:03:31 and senior year, basically, every day.
01:03:32 And that's how you get good at this.
01:03:35 You just, you gotta, not to say I haven't figured out,
01:03:37 but you just have to rep over and over and over again.
01:03:40 It's like anything in life.
01:03:42 Playing golf, playing basketball, playing an instrument.
01:03:45 You just gotta do it over and over again.
01:03:47 And then eventually you'll figure it out.
01:03:48 It's like the 10,000 hours thing.
01:03:49 So I don't know where I am on the 10,000 hour scale,
01:03:52 but I can tell you for sure,
01:03:54 I wasn't getting hammered at a tailgate
01:03:57 before a Syracuse football game.
01:03:58 I was putting a suit and tie on,
01:04:00 printing my charts, getting ready to go call it.
01:04:02 And as much as I might have missed out
01:04:05 on some of the traditional college experience,
01:04:08 wouldn't change a thing,
01:04:09 because I feel like it prepared me for the real world.
01:04:11 - Well, I really appreciate all of that,
01:04:16 but I know, speaking of 10,000 things
01:04:19 in the land of 10,000 lakes,
01:04:21 my co-host has some stuff to ask about as well.
01:04:23 - Incredible, incredible segue again from JQ.
01:04:27 - I'm a pro.
01:04:28 What can I say?
01:04:29 - Is that what the doctorate is in, Kim?
01:04:31 Is it segueing?
01:04:32 - Anthropology, it would be more useful
01:04:34 in my current career if it was.
01:04:36 - Yeah, true.
01:04:38 This is a professional outlet that you've found yourself on.
01:04:41 - I see that, yeah.
01:04:42 - I'm just gonna pepper you with some rapid fire questions,
01:04:44 'cause I know you gotta eat dinner.
01:04:45 And also I'm just gonna invite you back on the podcast
01:04:48 later this season.
01:04:49 - Sure. - How's that?
01:04:50 Okay. - Perfect.
01:04:51 - First of all, I went to the University of Pittsburgh
01:04:52 and I just bit my tongue so hard,
01:04:53 I started bleeding.
01:04:54 How's that?
01:04:55 - Come on, bro.
01:04:57 This isn't the big East days.
01:04:58 We're not rivals anymore.
01:05:00 - I'm a fan.
01:05:02 - Okay, yeah.
01:05:03 I hate you, but Kim, we're fine.
01:05:06 - Yeah, Pitt hasn't done anything to deserve
01:05:10 hatred since the '70s.
01:05:12 Okay, Drew, I'm gonna start with serious-ish
01:05:17 and like descend into the silly.
01:05:19 Who is your favorite sports broadcaster of all time?
01:05:22 - Jason Benetti is my favorite.
01:05:26 He's the voice of the Chicago White Sox.
01:05:28 Actually, he was for almost 10 years,
01:05:30 just moved over to the Detroit Tigers.
01:05:32 - Wow. - Benedict Arnold style.
01:05:34 An intra-division move from my guy, Benetti.
01:05:38 He is a Syracuse guy, shocker.
01:05:41 Actually went to law school at Wake Forest.
01:05:43 One of the smartest dudes I've ever met.
01:05:45 And he is kind of the guy who convinced me
01:05:48 to try play-by-play.
01:05:49 I told him, it was my freshman year, I said,
01:05:52 "I don't think I'm cut out for that.
01:05:53 "Don't think my brain moves fast enough.
01:05:54 "Don't think I have the voice for it.
01:05:56 "Don't think I can do it."
01:05:58 And he was like, "Just try it.
01:05:59 "Like go and do a studio with no one around.
01:06:02 "Find a YouTube video, like a bootleg NBA broadcast
01:06:06 "and just try it."
01:06:07 And so I would open up my laptop, fire up GarageBand,
01:06:10 record the worst play-by-play tape
01:06:12 you've ever heard in your life
01:06:13 with no natural sound or anything.
01:06:15 It was horrible, but he would listen to it
01:06:17 and he'd send me notes and we'd do that every week,
01:06:19 sometimes multiple times a week.
01:06:20 And that's how I got into this.
01:06:23 - Wow.
01:06:24 - I really don't think I could have learned
01:06:26 from anybody better.
01:06:27 If you listen to him call a game,
01:06:28 you can listen to him on Fox.
01:06:30 He does college football and college hoops.
01:06:32 I really think he is the best in the biz.
01:06:34 He's got an incredible voice.
01:06:36 He is so smart.
01:06:37 He's so prepared.
01:06:38 And he's, I would say my number one and number one mentor,
01:06:43 but there are so many guys like Mike Tirico,
01:06:46 Ian Eagle, Bob Costas, Dick Stockton, Mike Breen,
01:06:51 freaking Mike Gorman, who I'm learning from now.
01:06:54 Like I'm really lucky to get to learn
01:06:56 from some of the best to ever do it.
01:06:59 - I propose nothing else.
01:07:00 Mike Gorman really is like one of the world's nice people.
01:07:03 - He's so great.
01:07:03 - He's just so good.
01:07:05 I mean, that's something I appreciate about,
01:07:08 so I'm a high school teacher during the day,
01:07:10 which means I hang out with people
01:07:11 who don't want to be there.
01:07:12 And then at night I go to Celtics games
01:07:14 and everyone wants to be there.
01:07:16 - That's cool.
01:07:17 - So it's such a funny, again, in the experience.
01:07:19 You go from so dispassionate to quite passionate.
01:07:23 I'm going to close with the wolves.
01:07:25 So we'll get to the wolves.
01:07:26 What's your favorite word in the English language?
01:07:29 I'll give you one.
01:07:33 So don't listen to me.
01:07:34 I'm going to talk.
01:07:35 This is so you can stall.
01:07:36 My favorite word is gubernatorial.
01:07:37 It's not spelled.
01:07:41 - You goober.
01:07:42 - Thank you.
01:07:43 You would never expect it.
01:07:45 It's polished, it's clunky.
01:07:48 Comes around once every few years.
01:07:50 - So gubernatorial is a great word.
01:07:53 And I actually love it so much
01:07:55 that I don't call anybody a governor.
01:07:57 I call everybody a gubernator,
01:08:00 which to me is just a much better,
01:08:03 much better name for a position of power.
01:08:06 God, there are so many good ones.
01:08:09 I'm going to go with one that's not like super fun to say,
01:08:14 but there is a big reason for it.
01:08:16 I'm actually looking at it right now.
01:08:17 The word is halcyon, H-A-L-C-Y-O-N,
01:08:20 which sort of means like idyllic.
01:08:23 Like think about a golden era,
01:08:24 you know, era of happy feelings, whatever.
01:08:27 It's a halcyon age.
01:08:29 And the reason I say that is 'cause it's the first word
01:08:31 on my note in my phone of words.
01:08:34 When I started, when I really like started to give a shit
01:08:37 about the English language,
01:08:38 I started writing these words down.
01:08:41 And there are hundreds of words in here
01:08:43 and I have not memorized all of them,
01:08:45 but halcyon was the first one.
01:08:48 And for some, it's amazing like how life works
01:08:52 when like I made a passive commitment,
01:08:54 I want to improve my vocabulary.
01:08:56 And most of the time when you make a passive commitment
01:08:58 to something, it doesn't end up happening.
01:09:00 It's like, I want to lose weight this year.
01:09:01 Like I have a totally not specific goal.
01:09:04 It usually doesn't work out, but for some reason,
01:09:06 I just like fell in love with writing these words down
01:09:08 and halcyon was the first one.
01:09:10 So I'm going to go with that one.
01:09:11 Although one of the most recent ones I wrote down
01:09:14 was chez d'oeuvre, which is a French word.
01:09:17 Looks like chef d'oeuvre.
01:09:19 Chez d'oeuvre, masterpiece,
01:09:22 considered the greatest work of a person's career.
01:09:23 It's like a magnum opus.
01:09:25 So you say like Jason Tatum's chez d'oeuvre.
01:09:28 - I was going to say that.
01:09:29 - Was the 60 point game.
01:09:30 Or the 50 point game in game seven against Philly.
01:09:33 So you can pick and choose there, but I love words.
01:09:36 So people will probably get tired of me dropping in
01:09:38 like SAT words during Celtics games this year.
01:09:42 - Let me recommend some light reading,
01:09:45 some sociolinguistics, John Austin's
01:09:47 "How to do things with words.
01:09:49 It will change your life."
01:09:51 - John Austin?
01:09:53 - "How to do things with words."
01:09:55 - Is that Austin with an I or an E?
01:09:58 - I, I believe.
01:09:59 - Okay.
01:10:00 I'm writing this down.
01:10:01 - Wow, this is fun.
01:10:02 So Justin is my editor at USA Today.
01:10:04 And he always says,
01:10:05 "Your writing needs to be understood by a PhD
01:10:08 and someone who didn't go to college."
01:10:09 And so we are sparing with our fancy vocabulary,
01:10:13 but every so often it's fun.
01:10:14 - You gotta challenge people occasionally.
01:10:17 - So see if you get Halcyon into the call tomorrow night.
01:10:20 Okay.
01:10:21 I have two things I'm going to challenge you with.
01:10:24 First, you're a pros pro.
01:10:26 So on the spot, give us a Celtics Lab bumper.
01:10:29 We're not going to rip it.
01:10:30 We're not going to borrow it,
01:10:31 but you're queuing up the Celtics Lab podcast.
01:10:34 Let's hear it.
01:10:34 - What do you, wait, hold on, hold on, hold on.
01:10:37 Before we do this, what do you want me to say?
01:10:39 Is there like a script?
01:10:40 - No, you're a pro, figure it out.
01:10:42 - Okay.
01:10:45 I think I know what that is, a bumper.
01:10:48 All right, let's try it.
01:10:49 - Like, welcome back to the show intro.
01:10:51 - Okay.
01:10:53 Welcome back to Celtics Live.
01:10:56 Your home for all things Celtics.
01:10:58 I don't even know, is there a slogan?
01:11:01 I might've just stepped on somebody else's catchphrase,
01:11:04 but I don't know.
01:11:04 - Yeah, we're going to get sued.
01:11:06 Okay.
01:11:07 Drew Carter, you cover the Boston Celtics.
01:11:09 You're the voice of the Boston Celtics
01:11:10 for NBC Sports Boston.
01:11:12 You are, you've got New England roots.
01:11:14 You've got the Bonafides.
01:11:16 You were really passionate about the Celtics last night
01:11:18 when we chatted, but you're a tortured Timberwolves fan.
01:11:22 So to close your segment here on the Celtics Lab podcast,
01:11:25 give us 30 seconds on the Timberwolves.
01:11:27 - Okay, so 30 seconds on the clock starts now.
01:11:30 To give people an idea of what it's like
01:11:32 to be a Minnesota fan growing up when I did,
01:11:35 I would walk around downtown Minneapolis.
01:11:37 There would be posters featuring Rashad McCants.
01:11:40 That was our like draw.
01:11:42 That was our go-to guy, Rashad McCants.
01:11:44 Good at Carolina, not that good in the NBA.
01:11:46 Not good enough to be your number one guy.
01:11:48 Meal deal, ticket, Pepsi, hot dog, five bucks total.
01:11:52 And this is, that would have made sense in like 1912
01:11:55 when people are like, a gallon of milk was 12 cents.
01:11:58 Aha, see?
01:11:59 Nope.
01:12:00 This was 2008 probably.
01:12:02 The team was a joke.
01:12:04 And so I sort of became numb to my sports teams losing.
01:12:08 Now, with that being said,
01:12:10 I do think the Timberwolves this year are scary.
01:12:12 And we saw that.
01:12:13 I mean, they beat us.
01:12:14 And that's how you know, like I'm in on the Celtics now,
01:12:17 guys, I said they beat us.
01:12:18 - Yep.
01:12:20 - Us for me used to be the Timberwolves.
01:12:21 Now it's the Celtics, but I still,
01:12:23 I do have a soft spot for the Wolves.
01:12:25 And obviously Minnesota is gonna be my hometown forever.
01:12:27 That team is scary, man.
01:12:29 I don't think the pieces even fit that well,
01:12:32 especially in the modern NBA,
01:12:33 but they're winning a shit ton of games.
01:12:35 Their defense is amazing.
01:12:36 Anthony Edwards is a fricking killer.
01:12:39 And like, I got a tweet or two about like,
01:12:44 I think you're overdoing it
01:12:45 with the Anthony Edwards stuff, dude.
01:12:46 Like we get it here from Minnesota.
01:12:47 It's like, are you guys watching the game?
01:12:49 The guy's insane.
01:12:50 And then he went and he did the same shit
01:12:52 against the Warriors,
01:12:53 actually even better in that game than he was against us.
01:12:56 - Beautiful.
01:12:57 - So like, if you don't get it
01:12:58 with Anthony Edwards at this point, I'm sorry.
01:13:00 So that team is good.
01:13:02 I think in the playoffs when, you know,
01:13:04 the game slows down,
01:13:05 Gobert has shown a tendency to get played off the floor
01:13:09 in the playoffs.
01:13:10 I think that's gonna be a problem.
01:13:12 I don't believe in Towns as a leader of a team,
01:13:15 but when you have Edwards,
01:13:17 I think they have a great coach.
01:13:18 I love McDaniels and Conley
01:13:20 and some of their ancillary pieces.
01:13:21 They're gonna win a lot of games.
01:13:22 They could be a top four seed, really.
01:13:24 I don't think they'll challenge in the playoffs.
01:13:26 I think Denver's too good, but after Denver,
01:13:30 they might be the second best team in the West right now.
01:13:32 - Cool.
01:13:34 Yeah, there is no overselling the Ant-Man.
01:13:37 He's so entertaining.
01:13:38 And he's only like 22, right?
01:13:40 - He's incredible.
01:13:42 - Everything's gravy.
01:13:43 - A great actor, by the way.
01:13:45 - Yes, he is.
01:13:46 Yeah, I was surprised by that.
01:13:48 - Yeah, "Hustle" was an awesome movie.
01:13:50 Someone actually sent me a DM, Cam,
01:13:52 because you posted that photo on Twitter of my phone case,
01:13:55 which is KG and Randy Moss.
01:13:58 How fitting is this, by the way,
01:13:59 that I'm moving to Boston now,
01:14:00 because both those guys went to Boston
01:14:02 around the same time
01:14:03 and had their best seasons of their career.
01:14:05 But someone sent me, there's a cartoon artist,
01:14:09 or I shouldn't say cartoon artist,
01:14:11 but a guy who draws Minnesota sports figures,
01:14:14 and he's super talented.
01:14:15 And he recreated this with Justin Jefferson
01:14:18 and Anthony Edwards a couple of years ago,
01:14:21 but the Vikings recently posted it on their team Instagram.
01:14:24 And he sent it to me and he's like,
01:14:25 "Looks like you need a new phone case."
01:14:26 And I'm like, "That is sick,
01:14:28 but I need to get a Boston themed one now."
01:14:31 So if you have any ideas.
01:14:33 - I've got a Celtics Lab sticker right here
01:14:35 with your name on it, how's that?
01:14:37 - Oh, that'll work.
01:14:38 - Yeah, next time you see it.
01:14:39 - Put it through the HDMI,
01:14:41 whatever this thing is connecting to.
01:14:44 Amazing podcasting, Cam.
01:14:46 - Yeah, this has your name on it, my friend.
01:14:49 - Good.
01:14:50 - All right, Drew Carter,
01:14:52 we are so happy to have you on our podcast.
01:14:55 NBC Sports Boston is happy to have you,
01:14:56 the Celtics are happy to have you.
01:14:58 And I can't wait to keep talking about the Celtics
01:15:01 'cause like you said, they're an easy team to talk about.
01:15:04 But until then, you've got to go hang out with Scal
01:15:07 and eat dinner and then get ready for the Sixers game.
01:15:10 We've got to solicit likes and subscriptions
01:15:13 to this podcast right now.
01:15:15 And then Justin got to edit it.
01:15:16 So please like and subscribe to our podcast
01:15:18 if you haven't already.
01:15:19 Otherwise, we've been talking to Drew Carter
01:15:21 of NBC Sports Boston.
01:15:22 Drew, I will see you before long.
01:15:24 Everyone else, thank you for listening and adios.
01:15:26 (upbeat music)
01:15:29 (upbeat music)
01:15:31 (upbeat music)
01:15:34 (upbeat music)
01:15:37 (upbeat music)
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Patriots Daily: Who Could the Patriots Re-Sign? + Mailbag
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Patriots Beat: Super Bowl Reaction From Patriots Perspective
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LIVE: Drew Hanlen on Jayson Tatum's Celtics Season and New Book
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Patriots Daily: Patriots Reset, Coaching Staff Thoughts & Mailbag
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LIVE Garden Report: Celtics vs Knicks Postgame Show
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