LIVE: Celtics vs Bucks Postgame Show | Garden Report - video Dailymotion

CLNS Media Sports Network

The Garden Report goes live following the Celtics game vs the Bucks. Catch the Celtics Postgame Show featuring Bobby Manning, Josue Pavon, Jimmy Toscano, A. Sherrod Blakely and John Zannis as they offer insights and analysis from Boston's vs Milwaukee.  This episode of the Garden Report is brought to you by:  Get in on the excitement with PrizePicks, America’s No. 1 Fantasy Sports App, where you can turn your hoops knowledge into serious cash. Download the app today and use code CLNS for a first deposit match up to $100! Pick more. Pick less. It’s that Easy!   Nutrafol Men! Take the first step to visibly thicker, healthier hair. For a limited time, Nutrafol is offering our listeners ten dollars off your first month’s subscription and free shipping when you go to Nutrafol.com/MEN and enter the promo code GARDEN!  Football season may be over, but the action on the floor is heating up. Whether it’s Tournament Season or the fight for playoff homecourt, there’s no shortage of high stakes basketball moments this time of year. Quick withdrawals, easy gameplay and an enormous selection of players and stat types are what make PrizePicks the #1 daily fantasy sports app!  #Celtics #NBA #GardenReport #CLNS

Transcript

00:00:00 [MUSIC PLAYING]

00:00:05 Can you say hard hats, folks?

00:00:07 Hard hats, lunch pails, steel tool, boots.

00:00:09 Anything short of a championship this year is a failure.

00:00:12 Look at this boomer right here.

00:00:13 You've just got so much talent here.

00:00:16 Somebody said we need to apologize for Jaylen.

00:00:18 Can I pull the John?

00:00:19 What are we apologizing for?

00:00:21 What did we say?

00:00:21 What did we do?

00:00:22 [MUSIC PLAYING]

00:00:25 [MUSIC PLAYING]

00:00:31 Yeah.

00:00:32 I'm not going to lie.

00:00:33 This is good.

00:00:34 I was a little flat.

00:00:35 The intro gets me going, gets me in the mood.

00:00:37 Intros kind of get you fired up a bit.

00:00:40 Yeah.

00:00:40 Especially when you get it into the show.

00:00:44 What's up, guys?

00:00:46 What's up, Sherrod?

00:00:47 Sherrod, we missed you.

00:00:49 We needed this intro for this game.

00:00:53 We did.

00:00:55 We did.

00:00:55 Yeah.

00:00:56 It got hairy.

00:00:57 It got hairy there at the end.

00:00:59 Yeah, it got hairy.

00:01:00 So anyway, kind of the worst case scenario, right?

00:01:09 No, worst case is the loss.

00:01:10 No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no,

00:01:11 not worst case.

00:01:12 Worst case meaning you didn't get your everybody healthy

00:01:17 matchup.

00:01:18 Giannis doesn't play, so the juice is just taken out

00:01:20 of the game to begin with.

00:01:22 Then it would be like, all right,

00:01:23 let's just get the blowout, feel good about it,

00:01:27 and that's that.

00:01:28 And you kind of--

00:01:29 you piss that one away.

00:01:31 Enough to be annoying.

00:01:33 Jimmy, you and I have battled over this stuff.

00:01:35 I don't care.

00:01:36 This was, to me, straight boredom tonight.

00:01:40 I don't think indicative of how a playoff game would look.

00:01:44 But I'm still curious whether you guys think, hey,

00:01:47 the Bucs have something here.

00:01:49 You can't-- definitely can't--

00:01:50 I mean, certainly can't take it for granted

00:01:52 if you face it was going to be in the Eastern Conference

00:01:54 finals.

00:01:54 You're not taking anyone for granted at that point.

00:01:56 I think a lot of people are pretty dismissive of the Bucs.

00:01:59 You know?

00:02:01 That's why I--

00:02:02 I'm still dismissive of the Bucs.

00:02:05 All right.

00:02:05 Yeah.

00:02:06 This was a good game.

00:02:07 They did what a lot of teams do when you're undermanned.

00:02:10 You play desperate.

00:02:12 Bobby Portis got ridiculously hot down the stretch there.

00:02:16 Lillard made a few shots.

00:02:17 And obviously, it's a different game

00:02:18 when you got Giannis out there.

00:02:19 We get that.

00:02:20 But the first two minutes of the game

00:02:24 told me exactly what, if I'm the Milwaukee Bucs,

00:02:27 is going to absolutely have me crapping in my pants

00:02:30 every time I play the Boston Celtics.

00:02:32 Malik Beasley--

00:02:33 Beasley and Lillard.

00:02:35 Yeah.

00:02:35 I mean, their first, like, five, seven points,

00:02:38 they went right at those guys.

00:02:39 And that's the problem.

00:02:41 Milwaukee does not have any type of antidote

00:02:45 that can remedy those two defensive weak links.

00:02:49 We talked about it during the Dallas game.

00:02:54 It's hard to play the Celtics when

00:02:56 you have two defensive liabilities on the floor

00:02:59 at the same time.

00:03:00 If you only have one guy to hide, you can get away with it.

00:03:03 If you've got two regulars that can be hunted all the time,

00:03:09 you've got some problems in the Celtics.

00:03:11 And the Bucs certainly do.

00:03:14 Fine.

00:03:14 But also, don't forget, there's going

00:03:16 to be a situation where Giannis will be out there

00:03:18 in the playoffs.

00:03:19 He might be able to at least cover some of that.

00:03:22 I don't see them getting to the hoop

00:03:24 as easily with somebody like Giannis out there, who

00:03:27 can guard, obviously, multiple positions,

00:03:29 and he can be all over the court.

00:03:30 And we've seen, especially, what he's

00:03:32 able to do in the playoffs and how he pretty much turned

00:03:35 into defensive player of the year in the NBA finals.

00:03:41 And that's a really good block.

00:03:42 So I don't think it'll be that simple, John.

00:03:44 I do see your guys' point that those are the weak links.

00:03:48 And they do have Beverly that they bring in off the bench

00:03:50 on certain occasions.

00:03:52 But what he gives you defensively,

00:03:54 he hurts you with on the offensive side of things.

00:03:56 So it's kind of like pick your poison,

00:03:57 I guess, in that situation.

00:03:58 No, I was just going to say--

00:04:04 go ahead and finish, Jimmy.

00:04:05 No, you got it.

00:04:05 No, finish.

00:04:06 Go.

00:04:06 No, all I was going to say was that the problem with Milwaukee

00:04:10 is that they play a team like the Celtics, who

00:04:13 have great ball movement, who's always looking for giving up

00:04:17 the good shot for the great one.

00:04:18 And Giannis, you're right, he can cover a lot of ground.

00:04:20 But he can't cover all five spots.

00:04:22 And the Celtics are going to keep swinging that ball

00:04:24 until they get that matchup that they want.

00:04:26 And they're going to exploit it.

00:04:28 And that's a problem for Milwaukee,

00:04:30 because now the Celtics, every time they pretty much step

00:04:32 on the floor against Milwaukee, they

00:04:33 know there are two matchups that they're going to exploit,

00:04:36 that they can go to.

00:04:37 And so Joe Mazzullo is going to do what I think smart coaches

00:04:41 will do.

00:04:42 And you create scenarios that have Giannis

00:04:45 on one side of the floor and that mismatch on the other.

00:04:49 Yeah.

00:04:51 One of the-- couple other things.

00:04:52 So yeah, John, to your point, does

00:04:54 take the steam out of things a little bit when a guy like

00:04:59 Giannis isn't playing the game.

00:05:01 I like that the Celtics didn't play holiday tonight,

00:05:03 because that holiday Lillard matchup, they didn't--

00:05:06 I think, to your point, John, I think you said,

00:05:09 you don't want to show everything.

00:05:11 You don't want to show everything

00:05:12 that you're planning on doing.

00:05:14 This was maybe a little counter move to Giannis

00:05:17 not playing tonight.

00:05:17 This was, all right, we're going to sit holiday,

00:05:19 so you don't see how we clamp down Lillard

00:05:22 if we get to that part of the playoffs with you guys.

00:05:24 You don't see the way we defend him

00:05:25 and how we're going to try to take him off the ball

00:05:27 or how we're going to shut him off.

00:05:29 Because Lillard was the guy tonight, obviously,

00:05:31 with Giannis out of the game.

00:05:32 And I like the fact that the Bucs made

00:05:36 a little bit of a comeback and reminded the Celtics

00:05:38 that it's not going to always be a cakewalk.

00:05:41 It might feel like it right now.

00:05:43 But don't take this Bucs team for granted.

00:05:46 Don't disrespect the game.

00:05:49 Because as soon as you do, here's a little reminder.

00:05:53 All of a sudden, it's a two-point game.

00:05:54 And they had a chance to make it a one-point game

00:05:56 if Portis hits the free throw.

00:05:59 So it happened fast.

00:06:00 And I think it reminds you, yeah, Portis got off.

00:06:03 He can play.

00:06:03 He can shoot.

00:06:05 Middleton still got something left.

00:06:07 He's not the Celtics killer--

00:06:08 Something.

00:06:10 --previous years.

00:06:10 But he's still capable.

00:06:12 8 of 11 tonight.

00:06:13 I mean, he did what--

00:06:15 I also don't like our double big line--

00:06:18 I don't like the double big lineup against this team.

00:06:20 Yeah.

00:06:22 As much as I like--

00:06:23 and again, with Giannis, it does change.

00:06:25 You do want to get Horford on the floor a little bit more.

00:06:28 But I think the guards eat these guys alive

00:06:30 if they're playing tonight, too, with Holliday.

00:06:33 But yeah, this doesn't look anything

00:06:36 like what a regular game would look like between these teams.

00:06:38 It's just the missing pieces make it so it's hard to--

00:06:40 It's since November.

00:06:43 So if they do play again, it's going

00:06:46 to look completely different than a half a season.

00:06:49 So we'll talk about--

00:06:52 over the course of the next however many minutes

00:06:54 we're going to hang out here, we'll

00:06:55 talk about what, if anything, can be gleaned from this game.

00:06:58 Does it give Milwaukee a boost at all?

00:07:00 Does it change the Celtics' thinking in any way

00:07:03 heading into the postseason?

00:07:05 We'll talk about Joe Mazzuolo being told--

00:07:09 Joe Mazzuolo being reprimanded.

00:07:11 He was told to sit in the corner.

00:07:13 We'll talk a little bit about that.

00:07:15 Bobby and Josue are at the garden.

00:07:17 We'll get some postgame reaction on here, too.

00:07:19 And I'm curious if Joe has anything more

00:07:21 to say about his little wrist slap that he got regarding--

00:07:26 Bad Joe.

00:07:28 Bad Joe.

00:07:29 Yeah.

00:07:30 We'll talk about all of that.

00:07:31 But also--

00:07:32 You better ask him.

00:07:33 Also, this is happening--

00:07:35 Bigger news.

00:07:36 Yes, here we go.

00:07:37 Even bigger news right now.

00:07:39 This is happening at the moment.

00:07:42 Are we live?

00:07:44 So here's what we're doing, people.

00:07:46 Here's how we're going to break it down.

00:07:48 The Garden Report bracket is live.

00:07:50 Apologies to Blorp and Tilapia TV.

00:07:53 They lost tough play-in matchups,

00:07:56 both in the in-show voting and the Twitter poll voting

00:08:00 that we put out there.

00:08:02 So what we're going to do tonight in the Herman Gomez

00:08:05 region, we're going to have Tanasis Manning versus

00:08:08 Is That a Tie, the 1-8 matchup.

00:08:10 And then the other one, Josue's Fax Machine slash Josue

00:08:14 the Beekeeper versus a 4-5 matchup versus He's

00:08:19 Your Third Center.

00:08:21 OK?

00:08:23 Dark horse.

00:08:23 That's my dark horse.

00:08:24 We're going to get the vote on those two matchups

00:08:26 only in the Herman Gomez region tonight.

00:08:28 I got balloons.

00:08:30 Yes.

00:08:30 Now why is that?

00:08:31 Just those two matchups.

00:08:32 Because we're going to do--

00:08:35 I'm glad you asked, Jimmy.

00:08:36 Yes.

00:08:37 Those two-- we're going to run the Twitter poll all week long.

00:08:40 I got you.

00:08:40 Yes.

00:08:41 But we're going to run it tonight, Friday, Saturday,

00:08:44 and then Monday.

00:08:45 And then we're going to get down to our final eight.

00:08:48 We'll whittle it from eight to four.

00:08:50 And on we go until we get a finalist in the second ever

00:08:55 March Madness bracket.

00:08:56 Yes, sir.

00:08:57 So does the voting begin and end on those two matchups

00:09:02 like tomorrow at this time or something?

00:09:03 No, the Twitter poll runs all week.

00:09:06 You miss it in the live show voting,

00:09:08 you can still hop on Twitter and vote in that poll

00:09:12 from as many accounts as you want.

00:09:13 Those are going to stay hot all the way

00:09:15 through the first round.

00:09:17 But the in-show voting is now.

00:09:19 So you've got to hop in there now.

00:09:21 Thanasis Manning, 1-8 matchup versus Is That a Tie.

00:09:25 In-show voting.

00:09:26 Now, just one more time, because I think even I missed it.

00:09:29 Where do you go to vote right now?

00:09:31 It's pinned to the chat.

00:09:33 It's pinned to the chat.

00:09:34 That would explain why I can't see it.

00:09:35 OK.

00:09:36 And there you go, folks.

00:09:38 And that's what we got.

00:09:38 So get your votes in.

00:09:40 And guys--

00:09:41 Halfway mark, we will put in the 4-5 matchup as well.

00:09:44 And you'll get to vote on that.

00:09:45 You got to subscribe to the CLNS page

00:09:49 too to get your voting in.

00:09:51 You got to subscribe.

00:09:52 Smash that subscribe button.

00:09:54 Smash the subscribe.

00:09:55 Give us some likes.

00:09:57 Give us some follows.

00:09:58 Give us some votes.

00:09:59 It all helps.

00:10:00 And give us some votes.

00:10:01 1-8 matchup going on right now.

00:10:03 What's your vote, Gerard?

00:10:05 Gerard, give us your--

00:10:07 It's got to be Thanasis Manning, man.

00:10:09 That's like the overwhelming favorite.

00:10:11 Dark Horse, I want to go with Luke's Lemon Squares.

00:10:13 I think that might be the Dark Horse.

00:10:15 You've always liked Luke's Lemon Squares.

00:10:16 You've been a Luke's Lemon Squares guy.

00:10:18 But he's a 2C.

00:10:19 I would call a 2C to Dark Horse.

00:10:22 If you want to go deeper than that, I like Sad Girls.

00:10:24 That's a 3C.

00:10:26 I can see that one.

00:10:28 Flip it.

00:10:30 Yeah, I like Sad Girls.

00:10:32 And if that's Jealous Gets By Farts My Dog, watch out.

00:10:35 That has Final Four written on it right there.

00:10:37 That would set up.

00:10:38 I'm revolting if it does.

00:10:40 I think he's your third setter is a Dark Horse.

00:10:42 That's a 5C.

00:10:43 I like that one too.

00:10:45 Sad Girls is funny.

00:10:46 Yeah.

00:10:47 Do you have children?

00:10:48 Do you have children?

00:10:49 That's a good one.

00:10:50 Do you have children?

00:10:51 That's a good one.

00:10:52 So as we said, we'll hear from all of those guys

00:10:54 at the garden.

00:10:55 But jump in and vote.

00:10:56 Have some fun with us here.

00:10:57 Thanasis Manning in the building--

00:10:59 or Thanasis Antetokounmpo in the building.

00:11:01 We actually had a Thanasis Manning meeting of the minds

00:11:04 if they wanted to tonight.

00:11:06 Yes.

00:11:07 We're willing it so.

00:11:09 Bobby's going in the Bucks locker room.

00:11:11 Is he going in?

00:11:13 Yeah.

00:11:13 Oh, that should go well.

00:11:15 Yeah, that should go really well.

00:11:17 Thanasis is out to an early lead.

00:11:19 We will see.

00:11:20 So anyway, we're moving on.

00:11:22 We just wanted to let you know about the poll.

00:11:24 We'll get back to the basketball.

00:11:25 I'll ask you guys this.

00:11:26 Can you glean anything from this matchup?

00:11:29 Do you think tonight's game gave the Bucks any more confidence

00:11:33 in a potential playoff matchup against the Celtics?

00:11:35 Your last two times, you beat them by 50.

00:11:38 And you got within a bucket late without Giannis

00:11:42 playing on the Celtics' home floor.

00:11:46 Did it do anything for them?

00:11:47 Does this do anything for them?

00:11:49 I don't think so.

00:11:50 I don't think so.

00:11:51 I think that their takeaway is that, look,

00:11:54 we didn't win a game.

00:11:55 We just-- with or without Giannis,

00:11:57 you didn't win the game.

00:11:58 And they know the chances of winning with him

00:12:00 are significantly greater.

00:12:03 So I just don't see--

00:12:05 other than just-- no, I can't even fake and pretend that--

00:12:11 I mean, Bobby Porter's had a good game.

00:12:13 Bobby is-- to me, he's one of those guys

00:12:15 that you look at as a potential X factor.

00:12:17 Because I do think he presents some matchup

00:12:19 problems for the Celtics.

00:12:20 He can space the floor with his three-point shooting.

00:12:23 He's a physical guy around the basket.

00:12:25 So he, I think, is--

00:12:27 for the Celtics, I think, for them,

00:12:30 Bobby Porter's becomes, I think, going forward,

00:12:32 maybe a little bit more attention

00:12:35 will be paid to him going forward.

00:12:36 But as far as Milwaukee's concerned,

00:12:38 I don't see what they could get out of this game at this point.

00:12:42 They're in the same boat as the Celtics.

00:12:47 They want to win a championship.

00:12:48 So I don't know if there's no moral good try,

00:12:52 good effort vibes going on with the Celtics.

00:12:55 Yeah, I don't know if it does a whole lot one way

00:12:56 or the other for either side, except maybe--

00:13:00 for the Bucs, I mean, I don't think

00:13:02 it's going to hurt their--

00:13:03 it's certainly not going to do anything

00:13:04 to hurt their confidence.

00:13:05 They lost by three to a team without Giannis.

00:13:07 For the Celtics, they could spin it a number of ways.

00:13:11 But I think for the Celtics, it was probably a good reminder

00:13:13 that the Bucs have other players other than Giannis.

00:13:18 I mean, and Lillard.

00:13:19 There are guys that can step up in certain moments

00:13:22 and can hurt you.

00:13:22 So if I'm Joe Mizzoula, again, he

00:13:24 loves to talk about learning experiences and things

00:13:27 like that.

00:13:28 There's things you can take out of this game

00:13:30 that you can learn from.

00:13:31 And you can use the highlights for it if you need to later on.

00:13:34 But as far as confidence goes, I don't

00:13:36 think it did anything to hurt Celtics' confidence

00:13:38 or worry them or scare them.

00:13:40 I don't think it's information.

00:13:41 Just information.

00:13:43 I don't think so either.

00:13:44 Bucs have shooters.

00:13:45 You know that.

00:13:46 Giannis will open up more shooting lanes

00:13:49 because, obviously, you have to give him so much attention

00:13:51 as he goes to the basket.

00:13:53 And you have to have bodies there in the paint

00:13:55 and clogging the lane.

00:13:57 That opens things up.

00:13:58 So yeah, they get hot.

00:13:59 They can go on a run there.

00:14:00 But as Sherrod mentioned, just defensively,

00:14:03 there's going to be liabilities on the floor.

00:14:05 I always think it's more a matter of,

00:14:07 can the other team possibly stay with what the Celtics are doing

00:14:10 as opposed to any sort of fear you have matching up

00:14:12 with anyone else?

00:14:13 So I agree.

00:14:14 I don't think there's much to be taken out of.

00:14:16 I don't think this is a big puff out your chest.

00:14:19 Maybe in Bucs' Reddit or Twitter or some post-game shows

00:14:25 out there in Milwaukee, they can feel decent about it.

00:14:28 But I don't think much changes here

00:14:32 as far as this one is concerned.

00:14:34 As we said, we've got those other clowns down at the Garden

00:14:39 right now.

00:14:39 And they will be joining us in just a little bit.

00:14:42 We want to tell you quickly about one of our sponsors

00:14:44 here.

00:14:47 And that, of course--

00:14:48 Prize picks.

00:14:48 --Prize picks.

00:14:49 The largest daily fantasy sports platform in North America.

00:14:53 You had Tatum.

00:14:54 If you picked-- all you had to do is pick more or less on two

00:14:57 to six-player stat projections, let the winnings roll in.

00:14:59 You had to feel pretty good on Tatum tonight

00:15:02 with 23 points in the first half.

00:15:04 Then he went silent, my friends, silent

00:15:07 until the very, very end of the game.

00:15:09 I do want to talk about that in just a little bit.

00:15:12 What happened there?

00:15:14 I think just became a spectator.

00:15:16 But we'll talk about it.

00:15:18 Great time to get involved here.

00:15:20 If you haven't signed up for Prize Picks, do so.

00:15:23 Download that app.

00:15:24 Use the code CLNS.

00:15:25 You get a deposit up to $100 match.

00:15:30 That's a match of up to $100.

00:15:32 You put in $100, you get $100 back.

00:15:35 And it's bang right in your account.

00:15:36 Perfect time to sign up if you haven't already.

00:15:39 March Madness begins tomorrow.

00:15:41 A zillion games going on, both on the men's and women's side

00:15:45 over the course of the weekend.

00:15:47 And obviously, getting down the stretch here with the NBA

00:15:49 heading into the playoffs is just going to be lots of fun

00:15:52 action if you want to get involved here, as we said.

00:15:55 Download the app.

00:15:56 It's really, really easy to do.

00:15:58 You can turn 10 into 1,000 with just a few taps.

00:16:01 So again, check it out.

00:16:03 Download it.

00:16:03 Use the code CLNS for a first deposit match up to $100.

00:16:08 So what happened?

00:16:09 What happened to Tatum?

00:16:11 He just felt like watching the rest of the game?

00:16:14 I mean, he was on fire.

00:16:16 He was top five Tatum, as you like to say, Sherrod.

00:16:18 And then he just kind of was like, I'm cool.

00:16:21 You guys can take it from here?

00:16:23 Yeah.

00:16:24 Yeah.

00:16:25 I mean, I don't think--

00:16:27 He also had some good moments defensively.

00:16:29 But yeah.

00:16:30 He just stopped shooting.

00:16:31 He didn't take a shot in the third quarter.

00:16:34 I think it was just that simple, that he just was out there

00:16:39 playing solid defense.

00:16:40 And I will say this.

00:16:41 His defense was consistent throughout.

00:16:42 There was no--

00:16:43 I love it.

00:16:43 Absolutely.

00:16:44 --letdown on that end.

00:16:45 It was just great to see.

00:16:46 Because if Tatum is going to basically take a half off

00:16:50 or take a quarter off and not do any shots,

00:16:52 make sure you do a good job defensively,

00:16:54 which I thought he did.

00:16:57 I just think that he felt very comfortable

00:17:00 that there was no way Milwaukee was

00:17:02 going to make this game a comeback win for them.

00:17:06 And when it became close, you saw down the stretch,

00:17:10 Tatum was just like, OK, I got to finish this.

00:17:13 A couple free throws, finishing at the rim.

00:17:15 They're up by 7 with about a minute 38 left to play.

00:17:19 And they just made the free throws down the stretch

00:17:21 and got the win.

00:17:23 Tatum, it's hard for me to be mad or critical of him

00:17:28 because I love what he did defensively in this game.

00:17:30 I love the fact that he was--

00:17:31 He was awesome.

00:17:33 And he made big plays.

00:17:34 I mean, particularly not just the statistic-driven plays,

00:17:39 but being in the right position, contesting shots,

00:17:42 forcing guys to make mistakes, little things

00:17:45 that you love to see from your best player

00:17:47 if you're a Celtics fan.

00:17:48 So it was a good night for Tatum.

00:17:50 I have no issues with him taking a quarter off.

00:17:53 I think he settled--

00:17:54 I like the way he started more than--

00:17:55 I think the Bucs defense ramped up a little bit

00:17:57 in the second half on him, too.

00:17:59 Go ahead, Jimmy.

00:18:00 No, I mean, I care more about the way he started the game.

00:18:02 Coming off a game off, didn't really skip a beat at all.

00:18:06 And he came out, and he was-- him and Pritchard

00:18:09 were the two guys that really got hot to start things off

00:18:13 and set the tone tonight.

00:18:14 And so yeah, third quarter, maybe let the game sort of come

00:18:19 to him a little bit.

00:18:20 And by that, I mean let it come to his teammates.

00:18:22 And like you said earlier, John, he didn't take off--

00:18:26 he didn't take off defensively.

00:18:28 He didn't take off any part of that game.

00:18:29 I think he just said, you know what?

00:18:31 We've got a comfortable lead right now.

00:18:32 I'm just going to be a little bit more passive,

00:18:35 get other guys involved, and just make a difference

00:18:37 in the defensive end.

00:18:38 But I love the way he came out in the first quarter,

00:18:42 pretty hot from all over the court.

00:18:43 And yeah, Pritchard Sherrod was like the Robin out there.

00:18:49 We'll spend some time on Pritchard.

00:18:50 One of the cool things about Tatum, the pull-up game

00:18:54 has just completely been different lately.

00:18:56 Pull-up game strong.

00:18:58 And it does open everything up, because it's such a threat

00:19:01 when you can do it.

00:19:02 He'd been doing it at such a horrible clip,

00:19:05 such an inefficient clip.

00:19:06 It wasn't just not his best shot.

00:19:09 It was, for a while, dating back to last year

00:19:12 in the early part of this year, one

00:19:15 of the worst shots in basketball.

00:19:17 Just extremely inefficient.

00:19:19 And now he's striping it with those pull-up threes.

00:19:23 So that changes things a lot.

00:19:26 Because I still-- I don't love them going up, right?

00:19:34 But they're going in now.

00:19:37 So you're learning to love them.

00:19:39 You learn to love them.

00:19:40 I'm learning to love it.

00:19:42 Well, they're a lot easier to love when they're falling,

00:19:45 John.

00:19:45 Yeah, I know.

00:19:46 When they love you back, it's a lot easier.

00:19:49 Yeah.

00:19:50 And as a southpaw myself, I love the left hand that finishes.

00:19:54 I mean, Tatum is looking damn good finishing with the left.

00:19:56 And not only is he finishing, but he's

00:19:58 doing it in crunch time.

00:20:00 I mean, to me, that is some serious growth on his part.

00:20:03 Because Tatum, early in his career,

00:20:05 it was as if he was playing a lot of games with one hand.

00:20:09 He would go to his left, and he'd shoot it with his right,

00:20:11 and he was forever really finishing with that left hand.

00:20:14 And now he's just a muscle member, you think.

00:20:16 So his growth, again--

00:20:19 and think about it.

00:20:20 He basically took a quarter off offensively

00:20:22 and still won it with 31 points.

00:20:25 I mean, he's a special talent.

00:20:28 He really is a special talent.

00:20:31 But let's get on to our boy PP here,

00:20:34 because that is the story of the game.

00:20:36 Not only was he hitting shots and hitting clutch shots,

00:20:40 but rebounds, a little bit of everything.

00:20:45 He was phenomenal tonight, phenomenal.

00:20:48 Feisty, feisty.

00:20:50 I mean, that one offensive rebound

00:20:52 where he got fouled by Brooke Lopez,

00:20:54 and just that stare down that he gave Brooke

00:20:56 for just a half second, you love that.

00:20:58 You love that.

00:21:00 I mean, how does that feel if you're 7 feet tall

00:21:03 and this maybe 6 foot dude ties you up for offensively

00:21:07 and of course you foul him?

00:21:09 That's just-- I mean, just mind-blowing.

00:21:12 Richard, I loved everything about his game today.

00:21:15 Shot maker, decision-making, his defense, rebounding.

00:21:18 I mean, this was-- that's the play game

00:21:20 that he made good from first.

00:21:22 But it comes back to like, yeah, everyone's

00:21:24 going to pop off for a game here and there.

00:21:25 It really comes down to the conversation

00:21:27 we had the other day, the trust factor in the playoffs.

00:21:31 Is he firmly in the--

00:21:33 The circle of trust.

00:21:35 But beyond that, like the playoff circle.

00:21:39 Yeah.

00:21:40 Yes.

00:21:42 By default, anyways.

00:21:43 But also, he's earned it.

00:21:44 I think he's earned it, not by default.

00:21:46 But for real, he's averaging 21 minutes

00:21:48 a game in the regular season.

00:21:51 Over, under, what is he getting in the playoffs on the average?

00:21:55 15.

00:21:57 Yeah.

00:21:58 Under for sure.

00:22:00 But--

00:22:00 15 minutes a game.

00:22:01 Yeah, I'll co-sign on Jimmy's number.

00:22:04 Get some minutes to end the first and to start the second.

00:22:08 Same with maybe the third and the fourth,

00:22:10 same sort of pattern there.

00:22:11 They're going to cut it--

00:22:13 John, every starter's minutes is going to increase.

00:22:15 So his are going to decrease.

00:22:17 That's just the way it's going to be.

00:22:19 But that doesn't mean he's out of the circle of trust.

00:22:21 Can you make an impact in 12 minutes?

00:22:23 They're tightening up the rotation.

00:22:24 Yeah, you can.

00:22:26 You can.

00:22:27 But you can also play so poorly in your first five

00:22:30 that they don't want to give you the next six or seven.

00:22:34 This is true.

00:22:35 I don't think it'll happen with him, though.

00:22:37 I think he's--

00:22:38 You start doing that.

00:22:40 But you don't think so, Sherrod?

00:22:41 You think he's in?

00:22:42 I think he's in.

00:22:43 I think he's going to be in that 15-ish minute range.

00:22:46 And if they're beating teams in the playoffs the way

00:22:48 they're doing it in the regular season,

00:22:49 he's going to be closer to 20.

00:22:50 Because the game's going to be so out of reach

00:22:52 that the Drew Hollidays of the world

00:22:53 are going to be on the bench in the fourth quarter

00:22:56 or some different part of the fourth quarter

00:22:57 because the game is already pretty much decided.

00:22:59 So I think at a minimum, he's going to see around 15 minutes.

00:23:04 Because I just--

00:23:06 I think he's earned it.

00:23:07 And I think they see the value that he brings.

00:23:10 But there will be some nights where the matchup will not

00:23:12 be in his favor or one that he can't necessarily exploit

00:23:15 as well as they would like.

00:23:17 And those are the nights where he might play maybe 10 minutes.

00:23:20 And then he comes back the next game, and he'll play 20, 25.

00:23:23 And then at average out, it's going to be about 15.

00:23:25 I don't know how you don't play him right now.

00:23:29 You are.

00:23:30 We were talking about, should he have closed tonight?

00:23:35 Should he have been in the closing lineup?

00:23:38 I think he earned a right to be there.

00:23:40 You could have made the case for that.

00:23:41 I think you absolutely could have.

00:23:45 I mean, yeah, the way he was playing,

00:23:47 the way his shot was falling, his effectiveness,

00:23:51 I can't see him being that big of a liability

00:23:53 in a short amount of time in the playoffs

00:23:55 where they would say, get Pritchard out of there.

00:23:58 Don't forget.

00:23:58 He's still going to be in the game

00:24:00 with three other starters at the time, give or take.

00:24:04 Because again, the rotation is going to be tight and up there.

00:24:07 It's not going to be an all bench lineup

00:24:09 that he's out there with.

00:24:11 Not a minute of Luke, I'll tell you that.

00:24:13 Yeah.

00:24:14 And so I see him being fine.

00:24:16 Who?

00:24:16 Who did you say, John?

00:24:19 There might be a matchup guy, but--

00:24:20 Like I said, after round one, you're not seeing Luke again.

00:24:24 I'm telling you that.

00:24:28 Yeah, of course, he got nine minutes tonight.

00:24:30 38 minutes or whatever, then we're good.

00:24:33 Yeah.

00:24:34 Yeah.

00:24:35 Tillman got 14.

00:24:37 He did, and Tillman was also a mixed bag.

00:24:39 Offensively, he's weird.

00:24:41 And also, you got cute and went Luke and Tillman

00:24:45 in the fourth quarter when things started to get away

00:24:48 a little bit there.

00:24:49 That was a little bit much.

00:24:50 I think they were just hoping they could shut it down

00:24:53 without having to get KP back in the game, but they did.

00:24:56 He didn't look great.

00:24:57 He looked a little off.

00:24:58 He missed some shots he should probably hit,

00:25:00 but that offensive rebound was freaking--

00:25:02 was brilliant late in the game.

00:25:05 He just came out of nowhere.

00:25:06 I mean, you don't come out of nowhere when you're 7'2",

00:25:09 but the reach back on that and to pull it out of the air

00:25:12 was terrific.

00:25:14 We were talking about our guy, Pritchard.

00:25:16 He was talking in the locker room not too long ago.

00:25:20 Let me see if I can get that.

00:25:21 Pritchard, once again, terrific game.

00:25:23 19 points, 7 of 11 field goals, 5 of 8 three-pointers.

00:25:27 Here he is talking to our boy, Ahmet,

00:25:30 in the Celtics locker room.

00:25:31 What went through your mind when Pat Bev did the two-swing?

00:25:36 Who did he do it to?

00:25:37 Like when he scored?

00:25:38 Was it to me?

00:25:39 Or--

00:25:39 I remember him--

00:25:40 [INAUDIBLE]

00:25:41 I remember seeing it, but I don't know.

00:25:44 It kind of lit a little fire in me.

00:25:46 Did you take it personally, even though it may not

00:25:47 have been directed?

00:25:48 Yeah, I feel like he's just trying

00:25:50 to clown one of our teammates.

00:25:51 So definitely took it a little personal.

00:25:54 What did that spark in you on the floor?

00:25:57 To bring more energy, bring more dog to it.

00:26:00 I mean, I think that's what he prides himself on,

00:26:02 so trying to bring more than him.

00:26:05 Do you enjoy games like that when it gets chippy?

00:26:07 100%.

00:26:08 I think it brings the best set of people, the biggest

00:26:11 competitors.

00:26:12 Is there more dog in Peyton Pritchard

00:26:18 than there is Pat Beverly?

00:26:20 Oh, I think so.

00:26:22 You got that dog in him.

00:26:24 But you know what, John?

00:26:25 That's Pea Party right there.

00:26:27 I want to find out.

00:26:29 I want to find out.

00:26:30 Because Patrick Beverly is one of the best

00:26:32 at getting in-- playing those Jedi mind tricks

00:26:34 to beat you out of your game.

00:26:36 And Pritchard, he's got a little pit bull in him.

00:26:38 I mean, the way he was--

00:26:41 this was one of those games where Pritchard, I think,

00:26:43 was a little bit more emotionally engaged

00:26:45 than he normally is.

00:26:46 And I think part of that is because Beverly

00:26:48 was getting to him a little bit.

00:26:49 And he felt like, you know what?

00:26:50 I'm not taking this from anyone.

00:26:52 I'm pushing back.

00:26:55 That was really good to see.

00:26:56 That was really good to see.

00:26:58 I mean, I think we're destined to see these two meet

00:27:01 at some point in the playoffs.

00:27:02 I think it has to happen.

00:27:04 Beverly does have that crazy, annoying gene.

00:27:06 I think he just gives off this pheromone.

00:27:08 Like, he gets in the game, and Jalen Brown, immediately,

00:27:12 he got the ball, and he's like, oh, this mother--

00:27:14 I'm going to back-- I'm backing this dude down.

00:27:16 You know, like, he just-- he's like, I want to score on this.

00:27:19 This guy came in, and he thinks he's checking me.

00:27:21 Like, he immediately makes you want to do harm to him

00:27:24 every single time he's in the game.

00:27:27 I mean, he--

00:27:28 Yeah, no, Pat Bev--

00:27:29 Pat Bev makes no friends out there.

00:27:31 He doesn't try to.

00:27:32 And he'll get under your skin as soon as he can.

00:27:36 I mean, he's the perfect fit for what Doc

00:27:38 wants to do with that bench.

00:27:40 And just-- because remember, Doc's--

00:27:41 one of Doc's big lines when he was in Boston was, you know,

00:27:43 I love to have agitators.

00:27:45 There are few who are better at agitating in the NBA

00:27:49 than Pat Bev.

00:27:50 That's literally why he's still in the NBA.

00:27:53 You take that quality away from him.

00:27:55 What is he bringing you if he's not agitating?

00:27:58 It's kind of funny, too, because Pat Bev is usually, like,

00:28:01 the smallest guy out there on the court.

00:28:03 With the loudest mouth.

00:28:05 Yeah, for him to do the too small, that's pretty funny.

00:28:09 He's doing his job.

00:28:10 He's doing his job.

00:28:12 I'll say that was pretty funny.

00:28:13 Yeah, so real quick, we're going to throw this back up here.

00:28:17 And just to let you know, the Garden Report bracket is live.

00:28:21 We are voting in the top half of the Herman Gomez region.

00:28:25 The one versus eight is going right now.

00:28:27 In a short while, it will turn around,

00:28:30 and you will have a chance to vote on the 4-5 matchup, which

00:28:34 should be a bar and burner.

00:28:35 Joe Swayze, fax machine against He's Your Third Center.

00:28:40 The Twitter polls will be up live all week long

00:28:43 on our handle, our Celtics Twitter handle as well.

00:28:48 Ahmet will inform me when he pulls the trigger

00:28:50 and changes it.

00:28:52 And that is that.

00:28:54 Celtics, again, taking down the Milwaukee Bucks

00:28:57 without Giannis tonight.

00:29:00 1-22, 1-19.

00:29:03 It wasn't really that close.

00:29:05 But Celtics made it interesting late.

00:29:08 Back on the Pritchard conversation, guys.

00:29:10 I know it sounds generic, but I have way more confidence in him

00:29:18 than I've ever had.

00:29:21 I expect good things now.

00:29:23 We talk about those guys on the bench outside of the Big Six

00:29:26 as surviving bench minutes.

00:29:28 I'm actually looking forward to Pritchard's minutes right now,

00:29:32 the way he's been playing.

00:29:33 I really do.

00:29:34 I really do.

00:29:38 His playmaking, I think, has taken--

00:29:40 his reads and his playmaking has kicked up.

00:29:45 I used to just feel that hopefully he

00:29:47 won't get exposed on defense.

00:29:49 If he knocks down a three or two,

00:29:50 then his minutes were solid.

00:29:52 I think he's making lots of contributions.

00:29:53 I think we've talked about it a bit.

00:29:55 His on-ball defense is extremely underrated.

00:29:59 Sure, you can hunt for him on mismatches.

00:30:01 But he's annoying, and he stays in front of people.

00:30:04 He does a really good job hounding the basketball out

00:30:07 on the perimeter.

00:30:08 And he fights through screen.

00:30:09 I think he does an excellent job.

00:30:10 He really is pretty good there moving his feet.

00:30:14 But he's just playing like a guy who

00:30:17 feels like he belongs out there, as opposed

00:30:19 to a guy who's hoping that--

00:30:21 I hope I don't do bad and lose my second half minutes

00:30:24 in this first little stint here.

00:30:26 I've liked everything about him since the last--

00:30:28 I don't know what the cutoff date is.

00:30:30 But the last couple of months, I think

00:30:32 he's just been a different dude.

00:30:35 Yeah.

00:30:36 I mean, I think he's figured out how he has to play to be

00:30:40 impactful for the South.

00:30:42 And scoring is obviously a part of what he does.

00:30:45 But to me, it's the little things.

00:30:47 His defense and his rebounding, to me,

00:30:49 are as important, if not more important, than his scoring.

00:30:51 I mean, think about this.

00:30:52 He's probably their second best rebounder off the bench,

00:30:55 behind Al.

00:30:56 And I'm not even sold on him necessarily being the number

00:30:59 two in that regard.

00:31:00 Because for a 6-foot guy, he gets his hands on a lot of balls.

00:31:05 And he doesn't just get the long rebounds.

00:31:08 I mean, he actually mixes it up with the big fellas.

00:31:11 I mean, I'm pretty sure that--

00:31:14 Lopez was like-- yeah.

00:31:16 I mean, I think Lopez was like, wait a minute.

00:31:19 Who the hell is this dude trying to get

00:31:21 this damn rebound from me?

00:31:23 And actually does get it from him.

00:31:25 So he's doing so many little things, John.

00:31:28 And I think that's why most of us are more comfortable with

00:31:31 him.

00:31:31 Because before it seemed that if he's not making shots,

00:31:34 what the hell is he giving you?

00:31:36 Now he's giving you a little bit of everything.

00:31:38 Yeah.

00:31:39 He is.

00:31:40 Luis, I got to tell you, those are the kind of takes

00:31:43 you throw out there that make me want to say bad things

00:31:45 about Jalen.

00:31:45 I'm just telling you.

00:31:46 OK?

00:31:47 We have to put Luis on blast for that one.

00:31:48 [LAUGHTER]

00:31:50 One thing about Richard that I wanted to add to that,

00:31:55 and what I really like about him,

00:31:56 one thing he said to me--

00:31:57 not to me, one thing he said that stuck out to me once.

00:32:00 Somebody asked him just how do you deal with playing time,

00:32:06 then going some stretches maybe without getting playing time.

00:32:09 And he just said, I always go back to the work.

00:32:11 And what that tells me is that this dude

00:32:14 is confident in what he does.

00:32:15 He doesn't sulk.

00:32:16 He doesn't cry about things.

00:32:18 He just works off the court, practice,

00:32:23 extra time after practice, constantly

00:32:26 believing that he belongs here and that he deserves to be here.

00:32:29 And by putting in all that work and by just trusting himself,

00:32:33 now he is in a position where the John Zanis actually

00:32:35 trusts him too, which is hard to believe.

00:32:38 Yeah, so it's all paid off for him.

00:32:40 I'm not a trusting guy.

00:32:41 All that work, he finally got the John Zanis stamp.

00:32:47 The Zanis stamp of approval.

00:32:49 Which is hard to get.

00:32:50 Yeah, it is.

00:32:51 I'm not a trusting guy.

00:32:53 So yes, it is definitely hard to get.

00:32:57 But again, he's earned it.

00:32:59 And it's paying off for him because he is definitely

00:33:01 a part of this team.

00:33:03 And I think his teammates are--

00:33:07 we used to joke, John, that Tatum and Brown didn't even

00:33:11 know half the--

00:33:12 like Nisa, for example.

00:33:13 Who is this guy on this team?

00:33:16 What's he doing on the court?

00:33:17 He doesn't look familiar.

00:33:18 They brought in another 10-day.

00:33:20 Yeah, right.

00:33:21 But you don't get that impression with Pritchard.

00:33:24 He is on this team.

00:33:27 He is in the rotation.

00:33:28 And yeah, his minutes are going to decrease a little bit

00:33:30 in the playoffs, as everyone, I think, expects.

00:33:33 But that's not really a knock on him.

00:33:35 That's just the way it's going to be when the minutes of Brown

00:33:39 and Tatum go up to 40.

00:33:41 And same with Holiday.

00:33:43 And same with-- you know what I mean?

00:33:43 The Chargers are going to play more.

00:33:45 I trust him.

00:33:46 You know what else I trust, Jimmy?

00:33:49 I don't.

00:33:49 Nutraful.

00:33:51 OK.

00:33:52 OK.

00:33:53 Another one of our sponsors here on the Garden Report.

00:33:56 What do you need it for, Jimmy?

00:33:57 What do you need Nutraful for?

00:33:59 These luscious locks right here.

00:34:00 Luscious locks.

00:34:01 I use it.

00:34:02 So should you, OK?

00:34:03 This is-- and everybody's hair journey is different.

00:34:06 So don't worry about whether you're losing it now

00:34:09 or whether you just want to keep what you have

00:34:12 or you have a little bit falling out.

00:34:14 Nutraful takes care of all of it.

00:34:16 You don't have to choose between hair growth and hair health.

00:34:20 Nutraful's drug-free, whole-body approach

00:34:23 promotes hair growth from within.

00:34:25 No compromises, just better hair.

00:34:27 You don't have to wait for it to happen.

00:34:29 Hair thinning-- and again, I feel

00:34:31 bad doing this read in front of Sherrod all the time.

00:34:34 We just didn't-- we didn't get it to him fast enough.

00:34:37 That's what happened.

00:34:38 Yeah.

00:34:39 Yeah.

00:34:40 Sherrod looks good bald.

00:34:42 Me, not so much.

00:34:44 I need Nutraful.

00:34:45 So--

00:34:46 Yeah.

00:34:46 Hair thinning is not inevitable.

00:34:49 So you can fight it.

00:34:50 Clinically tested hair growth supplement for men.

00:34:53 80% of men at one point or another

00:34:55 are going to have to deal with it.

00:34:56 So all you have to do--

00:34:57 don't deal with it.

00:34:59 Deal with Nutraful.

00:34:59 Go to Nutraful.com/men, promo code garden.

00:35:04 OK?

00:35:05 That's all you have to do.

00:35:06 Don't wait until it's too late.

00:35:07 First month subscription, $10 off, and free shipping.

00:35:11 That's all you do.

00:35:12 Nutraful.com/men.

00:35:15 And use the code garden.

00:35:17 That's all you have to do.

00:35:18 Check it out.

00:35:20 Shipping, free shipping.

00:35:21 It's all you need, right?

00:35:23 That's it.

00:35:24 That's all you need.

00:35:25 I think it sounds good to me.

00:35:26 Speaking of Nutraful--

00:35:27 I'm told Joe Mazzulla did something.

00:35:31 Oh.

00:35:33 What did he do?

00:35:35 You know, if you guys think Jason Tatum didn't do well,

00:35:39 that means Joe Mazzulla thought he did great.

00:35:42 Who thinks he didn't do well?

00:35:44 No, I'm saying when Tatum disappeared,

00:35:46 he didn't really disappear, Joe is here to tell us.

00:35:48 He did everything else well.

00:35:49 And you know what?

00:35:50 We did give him credit for it with the defense and all

00:35:53 of that stuff.

00:35:54 But particularly down the stretch

00:35:57 when they needed the buckets, he got them what they needed,

00:35:59 no doubt about it.

00:36:00 Mazzulla talking about the Tatum effect tonight.

00:36:03 The guys did a great job organizing

00:36:04 the spacing versus the zone, which forced them

00:36:06 to get distorted a little bit.

00:36:08 And I thought his poise and his decision-making

00:36:11 down the stretch, his ability to just be patient through the zone.

00:36:13 Obviously, they were playing it to throw us off rhythm

00:36:14 and get to different things.

00:36:16 And I thought we got some good looks against the zone.

00:36:17 I thought there were a couple plays that didn't go our way.

00:36:20 But I thought Jason's poise down the stretch

00:36:22 of getting to the free throw line,

00:36:23 getting to the spot that he wanted was a key to the game.

00:36:25 And that and then our defensive intensity as a team.

00:36:28 The defense was good?

00:36:34 It was.

00:36:35 No doubt about it?

00:36:35 Yeah.

00:36:37 It sounded like during our absence,

00:36:39 Draymond Green did something bad.

00:36:41 Oh, boy.

00:36:42 What did he do?

00:36:45 A shoving match?

00:36:48 Oh, no.

00:36:51 Oh, Draymond, what?

00:36:52 Yeah.

00:36:56 Hard to know here.

00:37:02 And a coach went down.

00:37:04 What?

00:37:06 Side note, side note.

00:37:09 You went after a coach?

00:37:11 No, just in the scuffle.

00:37:13 Oh, whatever.

00:37:15 I ain't talking about Draymond.

00:37:17 That guy, annoying.

00:37:20 He's got his own podcast.

00:37:21 I'll tell you all about the-- he'll tell you all about it

00:37:23 on his own podcast.

00:37:24 Yeah.

00:37:26 There's not just--

00:37:27 LeBron's got a podcast now with Reddit.

00:37:29 How about that?

00:37:30 We should talk about that little clip at the end of the show.

00:37:35 Oh, yeah.

00:37:36 We did there.

00:37:37 And we will talk about Joe Mazzuolo as well and what he

00:37:40 did--

00:37:41 what he didn't do.

00:37:42 Well, we'll tell you right now.

00:37:43 You know what Joe's not allowed to do anymore?

00:37:46 He can't block shots anymore.

00:37:49 Yes, he said that today on the Sports Hub, right?

00:37:51 He was told, don't try and block shots.

00:37:54 We don't know if it was the league or it was Brad.

00:37:58 Who do you think, Sherrod?

00:38:01 We don't know.

00:38:01 He was told not to.

00:38:03 I'm going to guess--

00:38:04 That's all we know.

00:38:04 All we know, he's not doing it again.

00:38:06 Why the hell does Brad care?

00:38:08 I'm going to guess it was the league.

00:38:09 Yeah.

00:38:11 I want to go with the league.

00:38:14 It sounds like something that they would-- and they would do

00:38:16 it through Brad.

00:38:17 Like, the league, contact Brad, Brad, go to Joe.

00:38:20 That could be.

00:38:21 They didn't fine him or--

00:38:23 they didn't fine him or embarrass him or anything.

00:38:25 We're not going to embarrass him with a statement or a fine.

00:38:28 But like--

00:38:29 Brad, talk to him.

00:38:31 Just talk to him.

00:38:33 Brad, get your mans.

00:38:35 Get your mans in line.

00:38:36 He's out here trying to block shots.

00:38:38 Yeah, like, come on.

00:38:40 There's no rule against this because it's so outlandish.

00:38:44 So technically, he didn't break any rules.

00:38:47 But come on, like, let's get this guy under control here.

00:38:50 Yeah.

00:38:51 So what do we do now for the next however many games?

00:38:55 It's an 11-game lead now.

00:38:58 With 13 games left.

00:39:00 So the magic number is 10.

00:39:01 Let's see more Tillman.

00:39:02 A little more Tillman.

00:39:04 A little more--

00:39:05 We're going to play Tillman until he knocks down a corner

00:39:07 three.

00:39:08 I mean, I think he's had one, but--

00:39:10 Keep shooting.

00:39:12 We got Cushion.

00:39:12 We got games to play with.

00:39:15 I mean, they can just basically have glorified practices

00:39:19 for the rest of the season for the most part.

00:39:21 Their lead isn't going to significantly be diminished.

00:39:27 I just don't see Milwaukee looking as though they're

00:39:30 going to make a run.

00:39:32 We'll close the gap.

00:39:33 This is what, 14 games left or something like that?

00:39:35 13, 14 games left?

00:39:37 And they've got an 11-game win.

00:39:38 So they're in good shape.

00:39:41 They're in extremely good shape to just wrap this thing up

00:39:44 and just get their bench guys and reps

00:39:46 and try to hopefully get your-- in case of an emergency

00:39:50 crew, the stay-ready crew, to keep the stay-ready crew ready.

00:39:54 They're good.

00:39:56 Yeah, I think there'll be some--

00:39:57 I think we will see a little bit more experimenting.

00:40:00 I do think, to Joe's credit, I think

00:40:02 he's trying to figure out what to do with Tillman

00:40:05 and how best to use him because he does some good things,

00:40:07 but the lineups tend to not be effective when he's out there.

00:40:12 And I think that has to do with some spacing issues

00:40:14 and just offensively, they're not really sure.

00:40:17 They want him out there.

00:40:19 His two shots tonight are in the corner with corner threes.

00:40:22 It's just not his game.

00:40:23 So I don't think they know exactly

00:40:25 what to do with him there.

00:40:26 But you really wish you could just have him play defense.

00:40:29 He's so freaking good at it, and you wouldn't think it--

00:40:34 you wouldn't think a guy with his body type,

00:40:36 which isn't all that athletic in the sense of he's

00:40:39 not an explosive athlete.

00:40:41 He's not like a big leaper or whatever.

00:40:44 But his lateral-- his ability to stay with guys of all sizes

00:40:49 is really incredible.

00:40:51 He can really guard one through five

00:40:52 on the perimeter, which is insane for someone

00:40:56 with his physical makeup.

00:40:57 And he's got quick hands.

00:40:59 He had an incredible steal there in that first stint.

00:41:02 They put him in in the first half.

00:41:04 He's a really, really, really good defender,

00:41:06 which I think can have value.

00:41:07 They got to figure out what they're doing with him

00:41:09 offensively, though, or how to play him and with which lineups.

00:41:15 Yeah, and that's just going to be trial by error

00:41:19 to figure that out.

00:41:20 And they're going to screw it up.

00:41:21 They're going to make mistakes.

00:41:22 I think the lineup that you don't want to see

00:41:24 is him and Luke together.

00:41:26 I just think that's just an absolute train wreck,

00:41:29 when those two are on the floor together.

00:41:31 Don't like that at all.

00:41:33 But look what he can do with the Peyton Pritchers and the Sam

00:41:36 Houses and the Tatums and the Browns,

00:41:38 and just figure out where is he most impactful.

00:41:41 Because he does have some skills and some unique qualities

00:41:44 about him that will benefit you.

00:41:46 But again, I think a lot of the reason behind why those lineups

00:41:51 he plays aren't working is because the guys

00:41:53 in those lineups, they all don't know how to play together.

00:41:55 Remember, I mean, it took a while for Luke

00:41:58 to get to the point where--

00:41:59 But they keep double-bigging him.

00:42:02 And I don't know why.

00:42:03 I really don't know why.

00:42:05 Why don't you try to small ball five him?

00:42:09 I'd like to see that.

00:42:12 And I'm not sure whether they've tried it for small stints.

00:42:15 But I feel like you're seeing a lot of--

00:42:16 you're pairing him up with Horford a lot.

00:42:18 And then tonight, I think Joe was just

00:42:20 trying to catch his guys a breather by playing him

00:42:23 and Cornette together.

00:42:24 I don't think that that's what he necessarily

00:42:26 wanted to do there in the fourth.

00:42:27 By design, I think it was just hoping--

00:42:30 but I think you're seeing him in a lot of double-big lineups.

00:42:33 And maybe that's not it.

00:42:34 Doris, by the way, absolutely just bodied

00:42:38 Cornette in the first--

00:42:39 I don't know whoever watched the ESPN broadcast

00:42:41 over the whatever.

00:42:42 But Tillman was in there, and she got a steal.

00:42:44 And she said something to the effect of,

00:42:47 Luke Cornette can't do that.

00:42:49 Basically--

00:42:51 Love it.

00:42:53 Yikes.

00:42:54 We've got the death stare from Bobby.

00:42:56 She got the death stare from Bobby on that one.

00:42:58 Is Tillman her new time lord?

00:43:00 She used to goo-goo-ga-ga over time lord, too.

00:43:04 But now he's gone.

00:43:07 Never to be seen again, I guess.

00:43:10 He's in Portland, so yeah.

00:43:12 He's a bag of chips, apparently, according to some.

00:43:17 Oh, yeah.

00:43:19 Yeah, the bag of chips.

00:43:21 Yeah, I don't know.

00:43:22 I mean, the Horford lineups have been fine, I guess.

00:43:27 And I understand the benefit of the double-big

00:43:29 because one of those other guys, whether it's Horford or Porzingis,

00:43:31 can shoot, and he can't.

00:43:34 And he's not a dynamic enough rim.

00:43:37 But it's just a different look.

00:43:39 But yeah, you're right.

00:43:39 The small ball five when that five can't really shoot.

00:43:42 Again, I don't think there's a perfect thing.

00:43:45 I think what they're doing now is just in spurts.

00:43:47 You just throw him out there four or five minutes,

00:43:49 and then he gives you what he's got.

00:43:52 And that's going to be consistently good defense

00:43:55 and decent touch around the rim and good hands

00:43:57 if he ever gets the ball anywhere close in there.

00:43:59 But that's probably it.

00:44:02 I still think there's a spot for him in the playoffs.

00:44:05 Yeah, but again, how big?

00:44:10 Limited, limited minutes to go around there.

00:44:13 It's all limited.

00:44:14 I still think Cornett's going to get the nod over him

00:44:16 in the playoffs.

00:44:17 I do, unless something drastically

00:44:19 changes over the next 12 games here.

00:44:22 Yeah, I mean, I think definitely if they--

00:44:26 he's going to have to just play out of his mind

00:44:30 to, I think, jump past Luke.

00:44:32 And I just don't see that happening,

00:44:34 because I don't think his game is built

00:44:35 to be that type of impact player.

00:44:37 I think he's more of a slow drip impact guy.

00:44:40 He's going to do a little this, little that.

00:44:42 It's going to help you.

00:44:43 But he's not going to go out there and get you

00:44:45 20 points, or 10, 15 rebounds, or six, seven blocks,

00:44:48 and steals, and all that other stuff.

00:44:49 He's just going to get a bucket here and there,

00:44:51 play good defense, be really good.

00:44:53 And when they're switching everything up

00:44:55 and keep himself between the man with the ball and the rim,

00:44:59 just the little things that, again,

00:45:00 you need guys to come in and play the role

00:45:03 that they're cast to play.

00:45:05 But his role is a small one.

00:45:06 And I think he's going to fulfill that role.

00:45:08 But I don't think it's going to expand much

00:45:10 beyond what we've been seeing.

00:45:12 You're going to get--

00:45:14 if the starters are going to be playing more,

00:45:16 they're going to go to Hauser and Al,

00:45:18 because you're going to already have the starters in there.

00:45:21 That's just how it's going to be.

00:45:23 Hauser's not even-- we haven't even thought about Hauser,

00:45:25 because he didn't play tonight, because he's still

00:45:28 coming back from his ankle.

00:45:30 But he's going to eat up some of those minutes, too.

00:45:32 So you've got three guys coming off the bench already

00:45:36 that you expect to be in the game,

00:45:38 and Horford, Hauser, and Pritchard.

00:45:40 You're not doing nine-man rotations.

00:45:42 I know.

00:45:43 So I'm changing my stance a little.

00:45:45 You're going to be fine.

00:45:52 I'm not scared.

00:45:53 I'm scared to death of Luke.

00:45:56 So I just don't see--

00:45:57 He's not going to play enough.

00:45:58 I think he gets--

00:45:59 I don't think he plays.

00:46:00 I think you're pretty fine 1 through 8 at this point.

00:46:03 And I actually think you're fine throwing Tillman in five

00:46:05 minutes at a time just to do whatever.

00:46:10 I think I'm still scared of Luke,

00:46:13 even though he's playing well.

00:46:14 He really is.

00:46:15 I'm just scared of him in the playoffs.

00:46:16 He's playing really well.

00:46:17 He really is.

00:46:18 I don't think he can play enough.

00:46:20 I mean, I don't think he can do anything tonight.

00:46:23 He deserves the question.

00:46:24 He deserves the question that you asked about Pritchard.

00:46:28 Is he capable of hurting you?

00:46:30 And I think, again, Joe has to know when to yank him

00:46:34 if that's the case.

00:46:35 But I don't think he's going to play enough to really hurt you.

00:46:38 Yeah.

00:46:39 Real quick, we're going to update right now.

00:46:41 The round one voting, at least in the show,

00:46:45 is over in game one.

00:46:47 Thanasis Manning, as expected, in a blowout.

00:46:51 Over is that a tie?

00:46:52 Over on our main YouTube channel.

00:46:57 Twitter?

00:46:57 But the Twitter poll is going to be going for a while.

00:47:00 Twitter poll keeps going.

00:47:01 It was 70-71-29.

00:47:04 And then in the Celtics one, about the same, 72-28

00:47:08 in that ballpark.

00:47:09 So is that a tie?

00:47:13 It looks like it's not going to make it unless you guys really

00:47:16 get after it on Twitter and put in your votes.

00:47:19 Realistically, it was a play-in team.

00:47:22 It has no business.

00:47:23 It's a play-in team.

00:47:24 It's not supposed to make it.

00:47:26 Bobby Manning is supposed to make it.

00:47:27 He is here.

00:47:28 There he is.

00:47:29 He is live.

00:47:30 He's out of the Celtics locker room, or Bucks locker room,

00:47:36 for that matter, and is here to report on stuff.

00:47:40 Thanasis versus Thanasis.

00:47:42 Did you talk to Thanasis?

00:47:44 No, I didn't see him.

00:47:46 I watered him along the sideline, though.

00:47:48 I've never seen Thanasis and Bobby in the same room,

00:47:51 actually, now that I think about it.

00:47:53 This is a tough one, guys.

00:47:55 I feel like both teams came out of this one

00:47:57 saying that there's not much to take from it, which makes

00:48:00 sense, no Giannis.

00:48:02 The Celtics even felt like with some of their guys

00:48:04 out, they didn't really see anything

00:48:07 in this game that made them think differently

00:48:11 about this matchup, or what it could look like down the line,

00:48:13 or even their execution down the stretch in this one.

00:48:17 Joe didn't overreact to some of the stuff that happened late.

00:48:19 He did say there's going to be like 5, 10 positions you've

00:48:21 got to look at there when the lead collapsed,

00:48:24 as they often do.

00:48:26 But they got out of it.

00:48:28 And I was worried, Jimmy, when it got down to 3.

00:48:31 They haven't been great in that spot.

00:48:32 3 under 3 minutes, start 11 and 9,

00:48:35 I believe, coming into the night in that situation.

00:48:38 So you're flipping a coin at that point.

00:48:40 And Bucs did get some good looks down the stretch.

00:48:42 Cordis, Lilly got one more 3 off.

00:48:44 Those both could have tied the game

00:48:46 and pulled within 2, respectively.

00:48:48 But credit to Tatum, I thought the Celtics got

00:48:50 stagnant for a couple positions there.

00:48:52 And he pulled them out of it attacking easily.

00:48:54 And as I've said, Jimmy, there's just so many guys

00:48:57 you can take advantage of on that Bucs defense.

00:48:59 And the Celtics did it all night.

00:49:01 Is that maybe one of the things you guys can take out

00:49:04 of this game, is the way that the Celtics were

00:49:05 able to execute down the stretch and not completely

00:49:08 blow the fourth quarter lead?

00:49:10 And you mentioned Tatum.

00:49:12 I think maybe the Bucs bailed them out a tiny bit

00:49:14 on that last possession.

00:49:15 I mean, why foul there?

00:49:16 Well, that was Brown, right?

00:49:18 When he hit the free throws?

00:49:19 Yeah, that was Brown.

00:49:20 Yeah.

00:49:21 I mean, good for Brown for hitting them.

00:49:23 But why did the-- that was just a bonehead play, right?

00:49:25 I mean, it was a--

00:49:26 Yeah.

00:49:26 --two-point game.

00:49:27 Overaggressive.

00:49:28 Maybe it felt like after he missed the first two

00:49:30 that you could foul there and get away with it.

00:49:32 What was the score at that point?

00:49:34 It was--

00:49:34 It was a two-point game.

00:49:36 Yeah, that was really bad.

00:49:37 And they had--

00:49:38 I think there was a differential of around 10 seconds.

00:49:42 I think it was 3, because it went up to 5.

00:49:45 And then it went up to 7 on the Tatum score, the next possession.

00:49:48 No, after Portis missed his free throw,

00:49:50 it was a two-point game.

00:49:52 Celtics had the ball, jibbled it down,

00:49:55 and I believe they got fouled.

00:49:57 Really?

00:49:57 Yeah.

00:49:58 Yeah, Jalen, right?

00:49:59 Whatever.

00:50:00 Yeah, Jalen hit them both.

00:50:01 And then Fox called a timeout and missed.

00:50:03 And then we went to the--

00:50:05 all that stuff.

00:50:05 But anyways, point being is Celtics

00:50:07 were able to execute down the stretch there,

00:50:09 or in the final minute and a half, let's say,

00:50:13 which is a--

00:50:15 which was necessary, because you did not

00:50:16 want to be talking about a loss tonight.

00:50:18 But the fact that they were able to sort of gather themselves,

00:50:20 Bobby, and pull this one off.

00:50:23 Yeah, and I said it to you guys.

00:50:25 They took a risk to start the fourth,

00:50:28 going with Tillman, Cornett, another experimental lineup.

00:50:31 And it came back to bite them pretty quickly there.

00:50:34 A couple of bad possessions, really bad spacing, cut it to 15.

00:50:39 Then you're talking about offensive rebounding, which

00:50:41 was a problem throughout this game.

00:50:42 I feel like that's a sneaky--

00:50:43 if I'm stacking up issues for the Celtics going

00:50:46 into the playoffs, giving up offensive rebounds

00:50:49 in some timely spots, especially when they try to go small,

00:50:52 or Porzingis is out there, that can get them

00:50:56 into some trouble sometimes.

00:50:57 And I thought that was a big part of what

00:50:59 got the Bucs back into this game,

00:51:00 where those second chance opportunities.

00:51:02 That's certainly what got Bobby Porter's going.

00:51:04 So a few things to clean up, unit picking here and there.

00:51:08 I do think they played with fire a little bit,

00:51:12 rolling with Porzingis as often as they did in this game.

00:51:14 I mean, the Bucs were really able to take advantage

00:51:18 of the way they would drop their bigs.

00:51:20 And even Horford in this game carried a heavy load,

00:51:22 trying to stick with Lillard at times.

00:51:24 So it's an interesting matchup.

00:51:26 The Bucs can do some stuff offensively

00:51:28 that at least gives them the firepower

00:51:31 to hang with Boston a little bit, go on some runs.

00:51:33 But you still end up down by 21 in this game.

00:51:37 You still face double digit deficits throughout.

00:51:40 And they just can't defend Jimmy Sherrod.

00:51:44 I don't trust them, because they don't have a defensive basis

00:51:48 that they can hang their hat on.

00:51:49 And you need that to go deep in the playoffs.

00:51:51 I was telling Joe Sway, this team's

00:51:53 going to have trouble with the Cavs.

00:51:55 This team's going to have trouble with the Sixers.

00:51:57 This team's going to have trouble with anybody they play.

00:51:59 And you look at Lillard's exploits

00:52:01 and what they do offensively, it bails them out at times.

00:52:03 But man, they had nowhere to hide Lillard in this one.

00:52:07 Beasley in the starting lineup to me

00:52:09 is just doesn't stack up against a lineup like the Celtics.

00:52:13 Lopez gets put on the perimeter at times.

00:52:15 I thought they really took him out of this game too.

00:52:17 Credit to Portis and Beverly and some of those other guys

00:52:20 to give you a little something there deeper on the roster.

00:52:23 But then, I mean, this game kind of

00:52:26 got decided to me by a Shreema Hylu group cornet lineup that

00:52:30 just cooked the Bucs in the first half

00:52:34 and sent it to a double digit game.

00:52:36 So I don't trust the Bucs.

00:52:37 I really don't trust them.

00:52:39 You don't trust the Bucs, but we'll bring in Joe Sway here

00:52:41 for a second.

00:52:42 Welcome, Joe Sway.

00:52:43 Why we don't trust the Bucs?

00:52:46 Of course, we always miss you.

00:52:48 What did the Bucs do in the fourth quarter to come back?

00:52:50 Game time.

00:52:54 Played the clock.

00:52:55 Game time.

00:52:56 Yeah, played the clock too.

00:52:57 But no, game time.

00:52:58 I mean, look, that's what this team does.

00:53:01 When the defense isn't up to par,

00:53:04 they got a double digit deficit that's on the lighter side.

00:53:07 Game goes off.

00:53:08 I mean, they've won a handful of games this way.

00:53:10 And I thought tonight, I mean, that

00:53:11 was what it looked like was going to happen.

00:53:13 I never got the feeling that the Celtics

00:53:14 were going to actually blow it at the end.

00:53:16 But I just thought this-- like, I could turn to Bobby.

00:53:19 Here we go.

00:53:19 Back to back threes from Lillard.

00:53:21 This is going to come down to the wire.

00:53:23 And if you ask me, both head coaches got probably

00:53:26 exactly what they asked for.

00:53:28 I mean, maybe Doc would have preferred to win, obviously.

00:53:31 But I mean, if you look at the way things played out

00:53:33 in that fourth quarter, this is a confidence builder.

00:53:36 And if you're Joe Mazzulla, you didn't

00:53:37 want to see a blowout win.

00:53:38 You want to see these guys fight and get

00:53:40 in these type of a situation that we

00:53:41 saw at the end of the fourth quarter

00:53:43 where we didn't see Jason Tatum go to the rack and back

00:53:45 to back possession.

00:53:46 Got to the free throw line, got to lay up,

00:53:48 put the Bucs away for good in the sense of putting together

00:53:52 that two possession lead when things matter most.

00:53:56 But yeah, I mean, look, I just think

00:53:58 that the Bucs got a lot more confidence from this game.

00:54:01 But the Celtics have to just stick to who they are.

00:54:06 And I don't think that they really strayed away

00:54:08 from that much in this game outside of those losses

00:54:11 that happened in the fourth quarter with Dave.

00:54:14 What would Doc have to say, Josue?

00:54:17 Here's everything I just said.

00:54:18 The confidence thing, talking about the Celtics,

00:54:20 how they've been-- which I thought

00:54:22 was a bit not as relevant compared to what the team that

00:54:24 we're seeing right now.

00:54:25 But he talked about the five conference finals appearances

00:54:28 and one NBA final.

00:54:29 He says, look, the Bucs, they're going to get there.

00:54:32 He's confident that they're going to do the same thing.

00:54:34 And that it just sounds like he's

00:54:36 confident these two teams are going to meet again and again.

00:54:39 I just think this was that type of game where Doc

00:54:43 didn't want Giannis out there--

00:54:46 or at least he wanted his team, if they

00:54:48 could compete with the Celtics, even if they're shorthanded.

00:54:51 And if the Celtics have Tatum and Brown playing, even better.

00:54:53 Because that's going to build all the confidence

00:54:55 for these guys.

00:54:56 The zone defense, he talked about that.

00:54:58 He saw a lot of success there.

00:55:00 He gave a lot of props to Peyton Pritchard for the second unit.

00:55:03 Just their lapses on defense throughout that first half,

00:55:07 he just looked-- Pritchard happened.

00:55:08 That's what happened when he explained it.

00:55:10 And then just the pattern of having to battle back under--

00:55:16 always have to play catch up.

00:55:17 He thought that really took a lot of energy out of them.

00:55:20 But of course, the fourth quarter was encouraging.

00:55:22 Bobby Portis, what he did out there, his confidence,

00:55:25 he thought that--

00:55:26 Bobby wanted everything to happen quickly

00:55:28 in that first half.

00:55:29 Portis, he thought that he really

00:55:31 calmed down and focused throughout that second half.

00:55:33 He was a huge part.

00:55:34 You can make a case he was just as important as Dane

00:55:37 Lillard in that fourth quarter.

00:55:38 Great to see Doc.

00:55:40 Love Doc.

00:55:41 Sharad.

00:55:42 Big smiles from Doc, man.

00:55:43 Doc had fun tonight.

00:55:45 Sharad, you said in the beginning of the show

00:55:46 that the Bucs--

00:55:48 I don't want to put words to you,

00:55:50 but you said the Bucs don't scare you

00:55:51 or that you don't respect the Bucs.

00:55:52 Something on the lines that the Bucs are not a team

00:55:55 that you're concerned about.

00:55:55 Is that accurate?

00:55:56 I'm not worried about them.

00:55:57 I'm not worried about them.

00:55:59 I don't think they're trash.

00:56:01 I just don't worry about them.

00:56:02 Let me ask you this.

00:56:03 No, I'm just talking.

00:56:04 And we've talked about this before.

00:56:05 They have two major holes on their roster.

00:56:09 And the Celtics have--

00:56:12 the Celtics are not the kind of team

00:56:13 that you want to play with two major holes on your roster.

00:56:17 Beasy is too small.

00:56:19 Lillard, too small, and doesn't defend.

00:56:23 And the Celtics are going to spend a sizable chunk

00:56:26 on finding ways to exploit that matchup, because Lillard's

00:56:29 going to play 40 minutes.

00:56:31 Beasy's probably going to play fairly high minutes as well.

00:56:34 So what are you going to ask, Jimmy?

00:56:36 Well, to that point, you're singling out

00:56:42 Lillard on the defensive side of things.

00:56:43 But that same Lillard is probably the reason

00:56:46 that this was a game late.

00:56:48 So my question to you is, are the Bucs more dangerous

00:56:52 this year, even though the record might show it,

00:56:54 or they've been up and down season?

00:56:55 Are they more dangerous this year

00:56:57 than they have been in past years,

00:56:58 because of the addition of Lillard and their ability

00:57:01 with, let's say, Giannis is in the game, too.

00:57:03 With Giannis and Lillard, you have arguably the best 1-2

00:57:06 punch in the NBA.

00:57:07 No lead is safe, I feel, with those two guys on the court.

00:57:10 And so we kind of saw that in a little preview of it,

00:57:13 maybe, in the fact that Lillard got so hot, as Joe Swain

00:57:15 mentioned.

00:57:16 But is that something that Celtics should be concerned

00:57:19 about, or at least aware of?

00:57:20 Is that, hey, guys, we're up 10 right now with four minutes

00:57:23 to go.

00:57:24 Let's keep our foot on the gas, because within 30 seconds,

00:57:28 this could be a one-possession game.

00:57:30 Yeah, I mean, the awareness factor is a big deal,

00:57:33 because you're dealing with Lillard, one

00:57:35 of the best players in the NBA, one of the best deep ball

00:57:39 shooters in the NBA.

00:57:41 If you take Steph Curry out of the picture

00:57:44 for just a brief moment, is there a better deep ball

00:57:46 shooter than Lillard if you take Curry out

00:57:48 of the picture for a minute?

00:57:50 Probably not.

00:57:51 He's certainly on the short list.

00:57:53 And so that, to me, is why you never

00:57:56 should be comfortable against a team like Milwaukee.

00:57:59 Because even though you know you're better than them,

00:58:01 even though you have some things that they can't really match up

00:58:04 well with, they still have guys that can absolutely

00:58:08 destroy you with the long ball and get into a rhythm.

00:58:11 I mean, Bobby Corse got into a great rhythm.

00:58:14 Lillard, I thought, had one of his more efficient games

00:58:16 against the Celtics in terms of shot making and not just

00:58:20 chucking up shots.

00:58:21 So yeah, awareness is a big part of dealing

00:58:24 with a team like Milwaukee for the Boston Celtics.

00:58:27 That is one thing, Jimmy.

00:58:29 I'll concede with them.

00:58:31 They never stop.

00:58:32 And I've always said that about Giannis,

00:58:33 even going into that series a couple of years

00:58:35 ago where I really liked the Bucs.

00:58:38 He's never going to stop until the final seconds tick off

00:58:41 the clock there.

00:58:41 I mean, there's a three-point game in the end

00:58:43 because the Bucs never stop.

00:58:44 He's not even out there.

00:58:46 Lillard, you see, does the same thing.

00:58:48 He's just going to keep shooting those threes.

00:58:50 He's just going to keep pushing the ball up the floor.

00:58:52 And if you fall asleep as the Celtics--

00:58:55 this game, to me, says more about the Celtics

00:58:57 than the Bucs, obviously, because of Giannis' absence

00:59:00 here.

00:59:01 They slowed down.

00:59:02 And Joe acknowledged that the zone slowed them down,

00:59:05 that they had a lapse to begin the fourth.

00:59:07 And that could have easily came back to bite them.

00:59:09 I mean, I texted you guys, and I said

00:59:10 I thought the Celtics were going to blow this one,

00:59:12 especially when it got to three with three to go.

00:59:15 So they definitely dodged a bullet here.

00:59:17 And as much as I have problems like Sherrod, like Joe Swaye

00:59:20 here about that roster makeup in Milwaukee,

00:59:24 you do have two guys who you have to fear and respect.

00:59:27 And that's something you can't say about, really,

00:59:30 any other team in the East, at least at that level.

00:59:33 So Doc said it pre-game, Jimmy.

00:59:34 I think he put it this way exactly.

00:59:38 They're going to be a tough out.

00:59:39 Going to be really tough to beat.

00:59:41 And that's one thing I'll say about them,

00:59:43 is that they could steal a game or two.

00:59:44 Joe Swaye said to me during the game

00:59:46 is that this is how they've won games all year.

00:59:48 You look at that 44-25 record, and there's

00:59:51 been all this hoopla about the Bucs this year

00:59:53 and how bad they've been.

00:59:55 And people are like, they have 44-25.

00:59:58 What are people talking about?

01:00:00 They scrap out games.

01:00:02 They come flying back from behind.

01:00:04 They win in crunch time.

01:00:06 This would have been a very Bucs win if they won tonight.

01:00:09 So that's what you have to fear, especially when the Celtics have

01:00:11 lost games in the opposite direction of going up big,

01:00:15 falling asleep, slowing down, and getting away

01:00:17 from what they did that worked.

01:00:20 Yeah, for sure.

01:00:22 You got anything to add, Joe Swaye, to that?

01:00:24 No, I was going to say, yeah, I just

01:00:27 think the biggest reason I wasn't concerned down

01:00:29 the stretch was because I'm like, man,

01:00:31 this isn't the same team from last year.

01:00:34 Between Chris Stapps and between just the way

01:00:36 that these guys are much more efficient in the fourth quarter,

01:00:39 I know we give them a hard time for their poor execution,

01:00:43 or at least not doing what got them in that spot,

01:00:46 or what got them a big lead that a lot of times,

01:00:48 or the times that they have blown big leads, turned into Ls.

01:00:51 I mean, I just think the Celtics played a much smarter approach

01:00:55 in this game.

01:00:55 And I think when you look at the way the Bucs were trying

01:00:58 to manipulate things, I just feel like it's just--

01:01:03 Damon can do that.

01:01:05 He can tie this thing up in a hurry.

01:01:07 And when Bobby Porter was going off the way he was, I'm like,

01:01:10 OK, if this thing goes into OT, wouldn't it shock me?

01:01:14 But again, I never really got the sense

01:01:16 that the Celtics were going to shoot themselves in the foot.

01:01:18 I guess that's what I'm trying to say.

01:01:19 You always got the sense that they were going

01:01:20 to make the right decisions.

01:01:21 And that starts and ends with their leaders, of course,

01:01:23 and Tatum and Brown.

01:01:24 Tatum with the two drives, and Jalen Brown

01:01:27 correcting those missed free throws

01:01:29 with the pair of big ones that made it a two possession

01:01:31 game at the end.

01:01:32 So I just think that type of stuff,

01:01:34 it matters in these situations.

01:01:35 It matters when you're playing against the second best

01:01:37 team in the Eastern Conference, when you've

01:01:39 been holding the top spot since last year,

01:01:42 since before January.

01:01:43 So I just think all that stuff is

01:01:46 what makes Joe Mizzoula feel better, as opposed

01:01:49 to the Celtics 1 by 20 against these guys.

01:01:53 Yeah, it's going to be interesting to see

01:01:55 how they can figure out how to defend them.

01:01:58 And you mentioned Jalen Brown, Joe Sway.

01:02:00 I think we got a clip here from Jalen after the game

01:02:02 that I'm going to toss up.

01:02:03 Hopefully it works.

01:02:04 I don't usually do it, but we'll give it a chance here.

01:02:07 Here we go.

01:02:07 Like the way that the game has been called a little bit looser

01:02:10 since the All-Star break?

01:02:12 Personally, I like it.

01:02:13 I think that shit's good.

01:02:14 But they can't just call it like that

01:02:16 and then give certain players touch fouls.

01:02:20 Like, OK, you're going to call the game tight

01:02:22 and let a lot of stuff go.

01:02:24 But if it's a superstar player, I'm

01:02:25 going to give him a touch foul.

01:02:27 Keep it consistent, you know what I mean, for everybody.

01:02:30 And I feel like that's where the balance needs to be had,

01:02:32 because that makes sense to me.

01:02:34 If you're going to let us play, let us play.

01:02:36 Don't let us play.

01:02:37 And then because it's a little bit more attention on one

01:02:40 of the star players, I'm going to call a touch foul.

01:02:43 Make it make sense.

01:02:46 OK, so this is interesting.

01:02:50 I'm glad that we have that clip, because the one thing--

01:02:54 and for those wondering, they're talking

01:02:56 about how the officiating has changed a bit

01:02:58 since the All-Star break.

01:02:59 So basically, it seemed what was happening

01:03:01 was the game was being called way too heavily

01:03:06 favoring the offense.

01:03:07 Points were getting out of control.

01:03:08 Free throws were going up.

01:03:10 And it was swinging way too far in one direction.

01:03:12 Since the All-Star break, it appears

01:03:14 that maybe the referees have been told to lay off

01:03:18 on their whistle a little bit more.

01:03:19 And so guys are allowed to be more physical.

01:03:22 They're calling less fouls.

01:03:24 Players are going to the line left, line left.

01:03:26 Why this is interesting, guys, especially

01:03:30 if we're talking about the Bucs--

01:03:32 and this has been my criticism with Giannis' style of play

01:03:35 forever and why I call him boring.

01:03:37 What's he do?

01:03:39 He drives to the hole, gets to the line, gets foul.

01:03:42 Or sorry, drives to the hole, gets to the hoop,

01:03:43 and then goes to the line.

01:03:45 Then he takes 10 seconds per shot.

01:03:46 But if this style of officiating continues into the playoffs

01:03:51 where they are going to let guys be more physical,

01:03:54 that's not good news for a Bucs team that

01:03:57 relies on Giannis getting to the line and driving to the hoop

01:04:00 and getting fouled as much as he does.

01:04:02 So just, Sherrod, I'll start with you.

01:04:05 How does that change?

01:04:06 Does that change anything from the Bucs perspective?

01:04:09 Or can we expect the officiating to continue in this trend?

01:04:12 Or do you think that the whistles will come back out

01:04:14 again once the playoffs come around?

01:04:17 I think you'll see the whistles come out a little bit more.

01:04:20 I think they've gone--

01:04:22 I think far removed from what we've seen most of the season.

01:04:27 And they'll, I think, look to scale it back and be

01:04:29 a little bit more open-minded about making calls

01:04:34 come playoff time.

01:04:37 Bobby, any thoughts on just the discrepancy

01:04:40 in the officiating or the difference in the officiating

01:04:42 and how that might affect things in the playoffs

01:04:44 or if it will affect a team like the Bucs?

01:04:46 Yeah, I was looking at some of those numbers last weekend.

01:04:49 And it is interesting.

01:04:50 You had no teams attempting under 19 free throws

01:04:53 the game before the break.

01:04:55 And now you have 11.

01:04:58 Celtics have taken a dip, too.

01:04:59 It's interesting, though, because their offense has

01:05:02 actually been better since the break.

01:05:03 So it shows that they're not as reliant on free throws.

01:05:06 And I think we've talked about that in spots.

01:05:09 They're more on the three and shooting and post-ups

01:05:12 and all that kind of stuff.

01:05:13 So this hasn't impacted them as adversely.

01:05:16 For the Bucs, they averaged 25.6 free throws a game

01:05:22 before the break.

01:05:23 They're down to 22.1.

01:05:25 But they still rank third among teams.

01:05:28 So as the scale kind of slides for the whole league,

01:05:31 they've remained third.

01:05:32 So it hasn't killed them, at least relative to the league

01:05:36 here.

01:05:37 But fewer overall will take a bite out of their offense,

01:05:41 certainly, especially with the way Giannis plays.

01:05:44 He's a guy who--

01:05:46 certainly, the Bucs.

01:05:47 Because Giannis, I think, with what the league has put out

01:05:50 there as a statement, because they actually put out a memo

01:05:53 and said they're trying to react to players initiating contact

01:05:56 or veering out of the way of their normal motion

01:06:00 to draw contact, I think that's not necessarily Giannis

01:06:05 to a T. But it is something he does.

01:06:07 He charges into traffic.

01:06:09 And he'll create contact there.

01:06:11 So it will be interesting to see how that's called

01:06:13 in a game with him out there.

01:06:15 The good thing for the Celtics, though, I feel like--

01:06:17 and we've said this as a negative with them--

01:06:19 is they just don't play a super physical brand of basketball.

01:06:25 They're passing.

01:06:26 They're attacking match-ups height-wise.

01:06:29 You saw Porzingis going after a little bit of points

01:06:31 in this game.

01:06:32 And open looks, as Joe Suez says there.

01:06:34 So I just haven't seen this impact their offense at all.

01:06:39 Even just watching, Jimmy, have you

01:06:40 felt like they've missed a beat offensively

01:06:42 since all this conversation began?

01:06:44 You could probably say that a little bit about the Bucs

01:06:47 tonight.

01:06:47 They didn't get to the line that much.

01:06:50 And I feel like teams across the league have dealt with that.

01:06:53 And you saw points in this game where

01:06:55 Lopez got really frustrated with the physicality.

01:06:58 And some other guys on the team were complaining about calls.

01:07:02 You didn't see that as much on the Celtics' side.

01:07:04 So 14 to 29 in the end in this game, free throw-wise.

01:07:10 So the Celtics can have nights where

01:07:12 they get to the free throw line a little bit more.

01:07:15 But that's not typical.

01:07:17 So is that another thing in this game that you're saying,

01:07:19 like, that's not going to be the same next time around?

01:07:22 Probably.

01:07:23 Because even with the lower free throw attempts, Jimmy,

01:07:26 they're still getting a 22.

01:07:27 And they only had 14 tonight.

01:07:28 So that's something that could have closed

01:07:30 a gap in this game a little bit.

01:07:31 My biggest takeaway from this game--

01:07:34 But don't forget that Nevian is going to the line, either.

01:07:37 Yeah.

01:07:38 My biggest takeaway from this game is that it was close.

01:07:41 It got to 20.

01:07:43 It got to 18.

01:07:44 But the Bucs were always within striking distance.

01:07:46 And it feels like that's how every game could

01:07:49 be played in this series, Shradd.

01:07:51 As much as you say, and I say, that we're

01:07:53 not fearful of this team, keeping games

01:07:56 close against the Celtics is a formula for success,

01:07:59 I feel like.

01:08:01 They want to just blow the other team away and just sort of cruise

01:08:04 to victory.

01:08:05 Even though, as Josue said, they've been better in crunch

01:08:07 time situations, they've shown some strides in that area.

01:08:10 If you keep it close, you can be prone to putting

01:08:13 some pressure on Boston.

01:08:14 And that's exactly what happened in this game.

01:08:16 They very easily could have lost this game.

01:08:18 Well, that was the pattern throughout the last huge win

01:08:21 streak, right?

01:08:21 Because for a while, it was like, put the team away

01:08:25 by the fourth, or the middle of the fourth.

01:08:27 And then by the five or four-minute mark

01:08:29 in that last quarter, you would see the stars on the bench

01:08:32 resting, which is a good thing.

01:08:33 Yeah, it's been blow it after blow it.

01:08:35 It's a testament to the dominance,

01:08:37 to how comfortable they've been in holding that number one

01:08:41 spot, 10-game advantage.

01:08:43 We talked about it, which actually just grew.

01:08:45 We talk about it all the time.

01:08:46 I've never seen something like that.

01:08:48 And I record podcasts with Cedric Maxwell,

01:08:51 and not even during the '80s that was happening.

01:08:53 So Jimmy, you good over there, man?

01:08:55 I didn't, too.

01:08:55 I did not do that.

01:08:56 I don't know what happened there.

01:08:58 That look on your face was--

01:08:59 that was-- it made me worry.

01:09:00 I thought we were about to get--

01:09:01 I thought you were going to kick us off the air or something.

01:09:04 So yeah, I mean, look, I just think,

01:09:07 going back to what the Celtics have been doing down

01:09:10 the stretch, or no, going back to what I was saying about

01:09:13 teams that just had to just do their best

01:09:14 to keep up with the Celtics.

01:09:16 I mean, this kind of falls under that category.

01:09:19 Even though the Celtics obviously won the game,

01:09:21 and it wasn't maybe as much of a nail-biter

01:09:23 in the final 30, 20 seconds, but the Bucs

01:09:26 did what they had to do to hang around.

01:09:28 And then they went for their run.

01:09:29 They went for their attack.

01:09:30 And it was, what, a three-point game?

01:09:31 It was a one-possession game at one point.

01:09:33 So I just think that's--

01:09:34 yeah, I mean, that's part of it.

01:09:36 And if I'm Doc Rivers, I'm certainly

01:09:38 reminding my guys in that locker room right after.

01:09:40 That's how close we were.

01:09:42 He emphasized that huge three-pointer by Derek Weiss,

01:09:45 that it was a big mistake on their part,

01:09:48 switching on defense.

01:09:49 And well, something made you pay for that.

01:09:51 And I just think that's something

01:09:52 that they can go back and say, let's

01:09:53 make sure that doesn't happen again.

01:09:55 And that doesn't discourage me from picking the Southlands

01:09:57 over the Bucs in the postseason.

01:09:59 I mean, listen, these guys can have a heck of a run

01:10:01 going into the playoffs.

01:10:03 If the Southlands remain true to who they are, they'll be fine.

01:10:05 However, yeah, to piggyback on Bobby's point here,

01:10:10 that is part of it.

01:10:11 Hang around with these guys.

01:10:13 Make it a 50-50 game at the end and flip a coin.

01:10:15 You might have a chance.

01:10:16 You know what I mean?

01:10:17 I just think that's part of who they are in a way, right?

01:10:19 That doesn't mean that's going to happen four times

01:10:21 in the best of seven.

01:10:22 But that's kind of what we've been seeing.

01:10:26 This is one of the teams that's just going to make them work.

01:10:28 I mean, the teams that the Southlands are going

01:10:30 to have to go through to get to the playoffs

01:10:32 are not going to allow them to cruise.

01:10:35 They're going to have to work their asses off

01:10:36 to beat these teams.

01:10:37 And truth be told, I mean, that's the way it should be.

01:10:41 You shouldn't have to easily cakewalk

01:10:43 your way through the playoffs.

01:10:44 The Southlands are not going to get-- there

01:10:46 are no cupcakes that are going to be in the Eastern Conference

01:10:48 playoff picture.

01:10:50 Now, what is often misleading is if a team wins a series

01:10:54 in like five games, people say, well, you know,

01:10:56 they easily control the series.

01:10:58 And then you go back and you realize maybe three

01:11:00 of those five games came down to the last 30 seconds

01:11:03 to determine a winner.

01:11:04 And the Celtics just happen to be the better

01:11:06 team in those moments.

01:11:07 So for them, for the Celtics to have the kind of postseason

01:11:12 that they ideally want, they're going

01:11:14 to have to figure out a way to take everything they do now

01:11:17 and do it significantly better.

01:11:18 Because for them to blow out teams in the playoffs

01:11:21 the way they were blowing out teams in the regular season,

01:11:24 they can't play that way and get that same result.

01:11:27 It's just not going to happen.

01:11:29 I still think they're going to be the last team standing

01:11:31 when everything is said and done.

01:11:33 But they're going to have to work for it.

01:11:34 They're going to have to work to get to the NBA playoffs.

01:11:38 Thanks, my dog.

01:11:39 Yeah, Kevin is--

01:11:41 You must have some stories.

01:11:43 Kevin's seen some ish.

01:11:45 Yeah.

01:11:46 I think one thing that's real here, too, out of this game--

01:11:51 and I got to look back at the earlier ones--

01:11:53 but they took Porzingis out of this game

01:11:58 more than most teams do with the big man in the lane,

01:12:01 forcing him to sit on the perimeter, shoot threes.

01:12:05 They're going to bring it to him at the rim

01:12:07 to shoot over him while he's standing at the rim.

01:12:10 So this was a tough one.

01:12:11 And they actually did end up taking him out

01:12:13 at four with 20 seconds left.

01:12:15 And the Bucks were in their final position there.

01:12:18 So I was calling for it a little bit earlier,

01:12:20 the way Pritchard was playing in this one.

01:12:22 Go smaller.

01:12:24 Start switching.

01:12:25 And they did it in the last play there.

01:12:26 So I didn't love his game here.

01:12:28 How much of it is the hamstring?

01:12:29 How much of it is him just getting back

01:12:31 into real minutes for the first time here?

01:12:34 That's probably some of it.

01:12:35 But I do think this is a tough matchup for him.

01:12:38 Horford, too.

01:12:38 They really had Horford working on the perimeter.

01:12:42 Is it a big man issue?

01:12:43 That might be one of the big--

01:12:44 Yeah.

01:12:44 You can go down the line.

01:12:45 Cornett, Hillman, those guys didn't have much success

01:12:48 in at least the second half.

01:12:49 Yeah, Lopez just standing at the rim

01:12:51 is a tough thing for those guys.

01:12:55 Yeah, I mean--

01:12:56 No, I--

01:12:57 What's that?

01:12:58 Where'd you go?

01:12:58 No, I didn't mean Bucks are a tall--

01:13:00 Bucks are a large, big team.

01:13:02 So they're going to have more success guarding

01:13:05 some of those bigger guys.

01:13:07 I don't think it's an injury thing for Porzingis.

01:13:09 He looked fine on Monday.

01:13:11 He looked--

01:13:12 No, I don't think that's it.

01:13:13 And I'm glad he was there at the end of the game,

01:13:15 because throw him in there.

01:13:17 He's got to get these reps in.

01:13:18 Obviously, he'll get some rest days down the stretch.

01:13:21 But yeah, I love that he was able to get back in there.

01:13:23 But yeah, I mean, that's something

01:13:24 that I'm glad you brought that up, Bobby,

01:13:26 because Doc mentioned that is a bit of--

01:13:28 that's their advantage, their size,

01:13:30 and a big reason why he was trying

01:13:32 to get Gallo going a bit here.

01:13:34 I know Celtics fans probably forgot that Gallonard

01:13:37 was on this team.

01:13:38 But he had a couple--

01:13:41 that first drive when he converted, I was like, oh, OK.

01:13:43 Maybe we're going to get something more.

01:13:45 But I think they're hoping for him

01:13:48 to get more comfortable with the offense.

01:13:52 Maybe he can turn into one of those guys off the bench

01:13:55 that can give you just a few shots,

01:13:56 a few possessions here or there.

01:13:58 But yeah, size is a big--

01:14:00 is an advantage for these guys, for sure,

01:14:02 in this particular matchup.

01:14:04 And that's something that Doc will continue to explore

01:14:06 and try to exploit the Celtics on.

01:14:08 Is bigger always better, Josue?

01:14:11 Most of the time.

01:14:13 OK.

01:14:14 Just making sure.

01:14:15 Where's John at?

01:14:16 Jimmy, you--

01:14:17 Oh, boy.

01:14:18 Did John just quit?

01:14:19 What happened?

01:14:20 Did John just quit mid-show?

01:14:22 Did you do that in there?

01:14:24 It was a legit follow-up question.

01:14:26 Where the hell is John?

01:14:28 I don't know, dude.

01:14:29 I'm on the show with you.

01:14:30 What am I, his keeper?

01:14:31 I can't keep track of that guy.

01:14:33 Probably--

01:14:34 You were here when he was here.

01:14:36 This is like when the substitute teacher loses control.

01:14:38 Like, yo, where's Mr. Dennis?

01:14:39 Who the heck is this?

01:14:40 He zipped out and said, Jimmy, run the show.

01:14:42 I was like, I'm sorry, what?

01:14:44 Once the classroom realized that they have more control

01:14:47 than they thought.

01:14:48 Yeah, substitute teachers here.

01:14:50 Yeah.

01:14:51 Exactly.

01:14:51 Class over yet?

01:14:52 I'm about to bounce.

01:14:53 You guys briefed-- me and Sharat have talked about him

01:14:55 already, but you guys briefly mentioned Pritchard.

01:14:58 Great game for him tonight.

01:14:59 Yeah, the way he came out firing.

01:15:01 And I thought this was his best game I've ever seen.

01:15:04 Yeah, he was amazing.

01:15:06 It's just the confidence he's playing with right now.

01:15:08 We've talked about it with Cornett

01:15:10 and some of the other bench guys.

01:15:11 They just look like they belong out there in these matchups.

01:15:14 And he got into the lane with poise in that first half.

01:15:19 I know you guys talked about the Beverly thing.

01:15:21 And that seemed to really get the bench going.

01:15:23 I love that kick out on the last play before the timeout

01:15:26 to Svi, who was a surprise appearance out there as well.

01:15:29 And I thought made a few good plays in his short rotation.

01:15:32 So this bench, this is why I'm so confident in them, Jimmy.

01:15:35 And if John was here, he'll say this

01:15:38 isn't going to happen during the playoffs.

01:15:39 How many times do we have to watch these guys get it done

01:15:42 over and over and over again?

01:15:43 And obviously, it's not going to happen at this level.

01:15:46 But Pritchard, I'd say 80% plus of the time

01:15:50 he's gotten out there this year has played well.

01:15:52 Cornett, same thing.

01:15:54 80% plus of the time he's gone out there this year,

01:15:56 he's played well.

01:15:57 You can say the same about Hauser, who actually looked

01:15:59 pretty good in the locker room today.

01:16:01 I got a look at his ankle and didn't look too swelled up.

01:16:05 So he was questionable for this game.

01:16:08 Seems like he could be back before long too.

01:16:10 So this bench is really good.

01:16:13 I think we've seen enough at this point

01:16:15 against a variety of teams, variety of mashups.

01:16:18 And the consistency factor with them has been real.

01:16:20 And it's not going to be every single guy every night.

01:16:22 In fact, tonight it was mostly Pritchard.

01:16:24 And some of the other guys did some things.

01:16:25 But it was mostly him driving that bench unit.

01:16:28 And he was great.

01:16:30 Jimmy, that comment that you just took out,

01:16:31 I think Sad Customer forgot the--

01:16:34 should we refresh the memory, Jimmy?

01:16:38 Game 7 in the first round against the Young Al Horford,

01:16:43 that didn't make you uneasy?

01:16:45 How about this?

01:16:45 How about there's a loose ball between Paul

01:16:48 Pierce and LeBron James?

01:16:50 I mean, Paul got it.

01:16:51 But you did feel a little uneasy in that game 7 against the Cavs?

01:16:54 There were a few uneasy moments throughout that stretch.

01:16:58 Maybe he's talking about the first 82

01:17:00 games of the regular season, or all 82, I should say.

01:17:03 But there were certainly some uneasy moments

01:17:05 in the postseason with that 0-8 championship team, for sure.

01:17:07 Yeah.

01:17:08 Yeah, definitely.

01:17:10 I think we have recency bias maybe creeping in a little bit.

01:17:14 But--

01:17:14 Yeah, man.

01:17:15 People forget.

01:17:16 People forget about last year, right, guys?

01:17:17 I mean, some of us were down 3-2 against Doc.

01:17:20 So Doc, I mean, look, again, it doesn't change how I feel.

01:17:24 But I mean, all this matters.

01:17:26 It's all a confidence booster for Doc and, of course,

01:17:29 the team that he coached.

01:17:31 We talked about the bench a little bit, Bobby.

01:17:34 When you talk about the bench for the playoffs, who's in it?

01:17:38 Who is coming off the bench in the playoffs?

01:17:40 Because that rotation is going to get cut down.

01:17:42 Minutes are going to tick up for the starters.

01:17:44 And there could be a couple of guys most likely getting

01:17:47 squeezed out of playing time altogether,

01:17:49 and minutes reduced for the other players off the bench.

01:17:52 Yeah, it's interesting.

01:17:54 A lot of it's going to be match-ups.

01:17:56 They'll probably go double big against a bigger team

01:18:00 like this one.

01:18:01 You saw it at Warford and Porzingis to start this game.

01:18:03 So I think that's when you'll see the Cornett rotation

01:18:06 in the first half.

01:18:07 I think Hauser's going to be out there every game.

01:18:09 He's probably seventh right now.

01:18:11 And Pritchard, I think he'll get the looks too.

01:18:14 You're going to see all three of those guys in first halves

01:18:17 at least.

01:18:18 But how much does it tighten up into the second half?

01:18:20 I know that's what John's always talked about.

01:18:22 You probably won't see Cornett in the second half

01:18:24 of those games unless he shows something.

01:18:26 And then you kind of decide Hauser or Pritchard

01:18:28 for that second half rotation.

01:18:31 So it's going to be tight.

01:18:33 They're certainly not going to put all three of those guys

01:18:35 out there together.

01:18:37 But match-ups, who's playing well,

01:18:40 that's going to decide a lot of it.

01:18:42 But I think more often than not, it's

01:18:43 going to be Hauser, who is that seventh man.

01:18:46 Pritchard, he's really held up well defensively this year.

01:18:49 But the size factor is a thing in the playoffs.

01:18:53 They are going to go at him.

01:18:54 How well can he hold up?

01:18:56 How much do they like that?

01:18:58 We'll see.

01:18:59 But I think Hauser's giving them the steadiest play of those

01:19:02 three guys all year.

01:19:05 Facts, my dog, I agree.

01:19:07 Guys, one last reminder.

01:19:10 It is March Madness, Garden Report edition.

01:19:14 The bracket is live on the top left of the Herman Gomez

01:19:18 region.

01:19:20 Donasis Manning versus Is That a Tie, that one, we've--

01:19:26 Can we call that one yet, Jimmy?

01:19:27 Or is it too soon to call?

01:19:29 We can call that one as soon as the voting went live.

01:19:35 Are we picking one at the end of the show?

01:19:37 No.

01:19:38 No, but-- so the way it's being done, Josue and Bobby,

01:19:41 if you guys didn't hear at the beginning,

01:19:43 is during the show, the two match-ups, one versus eight

01:19:48 and four versus five, are being voted on with the link

01:19:51 in the chat right now.

01:19:52 So Donasis Manning and Is That a Tie,

01:19:54 that link has been taken down.

01:19:56 And you can still vote for that on Twitter.

01:19:59 But as far as the chosen third, that

01:20:01 was a runaway victory for Donasis Manning.

01:20:05 And right now, it's the four versus five.

01:20:07 Josue's fax machine at the four versus five

01:20:10 at the Chippewa Currents Center.

01:20:12 And when the show ends, the voting is going to end.

01:20:17 So get your votes in as far as why you can do it

01:20:20 while the show is going on.

01:20:22 And then, again, you can continue.

01:20:23 You can go on Twitter, and you can vote that way.

01:20:26 I'm not sure if there are any other avenues yet to vote on.

01:20:29 Maybe Instagram.

01:20:29 I have no idea.

01:20:31 But that is the bracket.

01:20:33 And then over the next four days or over the next--

01:20:38 so we got a game Friday and a game Saturday.

01:20:41 The remaining regions will go live during those shows.

01:20:45 And then you can also vote for them on Twitter.

01:20:47 So that's where we're at with the bracket right now.

01:20:49 Thanks, everybody, for voting and taking part in it.

01:20:53 We're going to do final thoughts.

01:20:54 I don't know where John is, but we're an hour 20 in.

01:20:58 I'll let Sherrod go first since he was kind enough

01:21:02 to join us at the start.

01:21:04 And then, Bobby and Josue, if you have a little bit more

01:21:06 you want to hit on, by all means, go for it.

01:21:10 This was a good win for the Celtics.

01:21:12 They won by no means perfect.

01:21:14 But it's a reminder of how different this team is now

01:21:18 than the team we've seen in the last couple of years

01:21:21 as far as when they're playing teams that are undermanned.

01:21:23 The Celtics tend to play down to that level of play.

01:21:26 That doesn't happen as much anymore.

01:21:28 This was not a pretty win, but the Celtics

01:21:30 did what they needed to do down the stretch.

01:21:32 Tatum offensively made a lot of good things happen.

01:21:35 Jalen Brown's defense, Peyton Fletcher coming off the bench.

01:21:39 There's lots of different guys that

01:21:40 had a hand in this victory.

01:21:42 And if you're going to win a championship,

01:21:43 that's how it's done.

01:21:44 It's not a one or two person thing.

01:21:47 It has to be multiple hands, night in, night out,

01:21:50 finding ways to help you win.

01:21:52 And that's what we saw against the Bucs tonight.

01:21:57 Yeah, for sure, man.

01:21:58 I just think this is a great opportunity for the bench guys

01:22:02 to just really just settle in, I guess, the best way to say it.

01:22:06 Like, I just think this deep playoff run that everyone's

01:22:10 anticipating, a lot of these guys

01:22:12 have been through it before, a handful of guys

01:22:13 have been through it before.

01:22:14 But you look at guys like Pritchard,

01:22:16 and I mean, what Jarrick White's doing right now,

01:22:18 I know he's somewhat been doing this all year long.

01:22:21 But his offense right now, on top

01:22:24 of what he's doing on the defensive end of the floor,

01:22:26 it's incredible.

01:22:26 So I just think their growth is going to be big for this team.

01:22:34 Jarrick White more so, but also Peyton Pritchard.

01:22:36 And I just think he's showing so many signs

01:22:38 that this isn't just a streak or a run.

01:22:41 I think he's really dialed in right now

01:22:43 and knows that someone's going to need him in the postseason.

01:22:47 Someone come off the bench, if guys are in foul trouble,

01:22:49 or just in general, just to hold down the floor.

01:22:51 I mean, he was a problem for this second unit, this Buck's

01:22:54 second unit.

01:22:55 And for Doc Rivers, to mention him

01:22:58 as a contributing factor to the struggles,

01:23:00 I think speaks volumes for someone that's sort of like--

01:23:03 I don't want to say he's arrived,

01:23:04 but he's a lot more comfortable in this situation

01:23:06 and a lot more prepared, I should say,

01:23:07 is the better word.

01:23:08 Because he's always had that confidence,

01:23:10 he's always been comfortable out there.

01:23:12 But I just think right now, this run that he's on, man,

01:23:14 it shows tremendous growth.

01:23:17 And I just want to see these guys continue to build on that.

01:23:19 And I think it's significant that something's

01:23:24 had that solid 1 through 7 or 8.

01:23:26 I mean, we talked about it all the time,

01:23:28 or at least the past two months, when people are really

01:23:31 concerned about this bench, they're

01:23:33 starting to make you feel better about it.

01:23:35 It's starting to quell my concerns a bit

01:23:37 with this second unit.

01:23:38 Not that I think this team needs to have a solid 1 through 9

01:23:41 or whatever to win the championship,

01:23:43 but having those three go-to guys that you know

01:23:46 are going to be consistent is certainly valuable in the playoffs.

01:23:51 So more of the same.

01:23:52 Keep it up, guys.

01:23:54 Yeah, I'll go deeper.

01:23:56 We hit on a lot of guys.

01:23:57 The white stuff's great.

01:23:58 I mean, it's just out of this world what he's doing.

01:24:01 So that goes without saying.

01:24:03 Brown and Tatum, I both thought they were solid in this game.

01:24:07 Tatum came on late.

01:24:08 Third quarter, he doesn't shoot.

01:24:10 Still makes an impact.

01:24:11 I think that's always impressive.

01:24:12 Yeah, what's up with that?

01:24:14 Doc said, how was that Buck's zone defense?

01:24:17 That's what he said.

01:24:20 He gave his team a comeback.

01:24:21 OK.

01:24:23 That's what he credited to Tatum not shooting, zone defense?

01:24:25 Not shooting at all, yeah.

01:24:26 He said that he just thought that he looked uncomfortable

01:24:28 out there.

01:24:29 That's always the balance, right?

01:24:31 If he's getting to the guys and they're making shots,

01:24:34 like tonight, it looks great, seems great.

01:24:38 But in a game where those aren't going down like that Denver one

01:24:40 and he's not active as a shooter,

01:24:44 doesn't look as good.

01:24:45 So that's a fine line he has to balance there.

01:24:47 I don't think zero shots in that quarter

01:24:49 is the right formula exactly.

01:24:51 But I'll have to go back and look at that one.

01:24:53 Other than that, Middleton surprised me tonight.

01:24:56 I think he looks about as good as I've seen in a while.

01:24:59 And he's still come back from an injury.

01:25:00 The numbers for him look better than I

01:25:02 thought they'd be this year.

01:25:04 Because I feel like we just haven't

01:25:05 heard about him all year long.

01:25:07 And he was pretty solid tonight.

01:25:09 Made a lot of shots, 48 from the field for the season,

01:25:12 38 from three.

01:25:13 Those are his best marks since 2021.

01:25:16 Who is this?

01:25:17 Chris Middleton.

01:25:19 He's been better than I think people think, including myself.

01:25:22 And then Tillman tonight I thought

01:25:24 was pretty good in his minutes.

01:25:25 And he keeps getting better every time.

01:25:27 Been tough on him.

01:25:28 I'm still going to stay tough on him

01:25:29 because I just don't know where he's

01:25:30 going to fit offensively for them.

01:25:32 He keeps missing his threes.

01:25:33 He's playing the fours.

01:25:35 So he's not really by the basket.

01:25:37 So I don't know where he's going to fit in ultimately.

01:25:39 But he's starting to look better with each passing game.

01:25:42 So that's good.

01:25:44 Yeah, pick him, Bobby.

01:25:47 I mean, you didn't see him again.

01:25:49 Yeah.

01:25:50 He went over to a minus four.

01:25:53 Luke has a lot to do with the history.

01:25:56 Yeah, you want to see where he'll fit in.

01:25:57 And right now it's been tough to find a spot for him.

01:26:01 Well, in general.

01:26:01 I don't know about tonight.

01:26:03 Bobby and Joe Sway are going to continue this conversation.

01:26:08 They're going to go live on the floor or in the garden.

01:26:11 I'm not sure exactly where it'll be.

01:26:13 But they're in the TD garden right now.

01:26:14 They're going to go live in just a bit.

01:26:16 So you want to look for that link on Twitter, @CelticsCLNS.

01:26:20 And you guys will be able to check them out.

01:26:23 Whatever they've saved for the late, late portion show,

01:26:28 they'll be able to get--

01:26:29 He's the fourth center.

01:26:30 That's true.

01:26:32 He's the fourth center.

01:26:34 Hey, all right.

01:26:36 That's a good reminder too.

01:26:37 That's a great reminder, guys.

01:26:38 One last time.

01:26:40 I think the voting actually is closed.

01:26:43 Why is it so blurry?

01:26:44 Can you guys see that?

01:26:45 Or is it blurry for you too?

01:26:47 Bobby, you got to get those eyes checked.

01:26:49 No, I'm just playing.

01:26:49 No, it's pretty blurry.

01:26:51 I got to say, guys, if you want Joe Sway's fax machine

01:26:54 to advance, you're going to have to do some work on Twitter.

01:26:57 Because based on the information I have,

01:27:00 he's your third center is about 3 to 1 against Joe Sway's fax

01:27:05 machine, 75% of the votes.

01:27:07 Smoked.

01:27:08 Give or take.

01:27:09 So that could be a huge Dark Horse contender.

01:27:12 Because that's a pretty wide margin of victory for a 5-4

01:27:15 seed right there.

01:27:16 So that's the update from the show.

01:27:18 We want to thank everybody who voted.

01:27:19 We also want to thank NutraSoul.

01:27:23 Let's get them on here.

01:27:24 Let's get them on here.

01:27:27 No, sorry, NutraFull.

01:27:28 We want to thank NutraFull.

01:27:31 I screwed that one up.

01:27:32 We want to thank NutraFull.

01:27:34 Where is it?

01:27:35 $10 off your first month subscription and free shipping.

01:27:38 Go to NutraFull.com/men and use the code "GARDEN."

01:27:42 And lastly, but certainly not least,

01:27:44 we want to thank PrizePicks, a big sponsor of the show.

01:27:48 Promo code CLNS on the PrizePicks app

01:27:52 to get a 100% deposit match.

01:27:55 Up to $100, guys.

01:27:57 March Madness College basketball starts tomorrow.

01:28:00 Download the app, put the code in, get the match,

01:28:03 and start betting more or less on some of these totals

01:28:07 that they're going to offer you guys.

01:28:09 So again, we want to thank PrizePicks.

01:28:10 Thanks, Sherrod, for joining us.

01:28:12 It's been a minute.

01:28:13 Glad that you could take some time away from the kids.

01:28:16 What up, Sherrod?

01:28:18 Professor Sherrod joining us and schooling us a bit on what

01:28:21 he's been seeing out there.

01:28:22 And again, you guys want to follow Joe, Swing, and Bobby.

01:28:25 Yes, sir.

01:28:26 After this, we will see you Friday.

01:28:30 Who's it?

01:28:30 Pistons again?

01:28:31 What's up?

01:28:31 What you got?

01:28:32 Real quick.

01:28:32 Brand new episode of "Session Mansual"

01:28:34 podcast coming out tomorrow.

01:28:35 You do not want to miss this.

01:28:37 Max caught up with Joe Mazzuola.

01:28:38 And I'll just put it this way.

01:28:43 He talks about an emotional Joe Mazzuola

01:28:45 and not in the screaming type.

01:28:47 The other way.

01:28:49 Goes on the show?

01:28:51 Just a great conversation between the two.

01:28:54 No, this is through--

01:28:55 I should specify.

01:28:57 This is through Max's--

01:28:59 this is a Max story, if you will.

01:29:01 But it's really, really good, man.

01:29:02 Really great, eye-opening stuff.

01:29:04 Wait, for the show on the show?

01:29:05 No, Bobby.

01:29:06 We'll do it on the damn show.

01:29:07 Bobby, you got to watch it, OK?

01:29:08 This is Max's only story.

01:29:09 Jesus.

01:29:10 Oh, OK.

01:29:12 Max tells it better than--

01:29:13 It's going in anyways, guys.

01:29:14 You made it sound like Joe was on the show.

01:29:17 Whoa, whoa.

01:29:17 Let me finish, David.

01:29:19 But it's interesting because Max says

01:29:23 this is the first conversation he's really

01:29:25 had with Joe outside of high and bi, not even small talk,

01:29:28 really.

01:29:29 So it was really, really great stuff, man,

01:29:31 as you can imagine, the respect level for two-time champion,

01:29:35 finals MVP, all that is there, man.

01:29:38 So we'll talk about it coming out tomorrow.

01:29:40 All right, so check out--

01:29:41 notifications on if you don't have them already.

01:29:43 Brand new episode of "Central Maxwell" podcast

01:29:45 coming out tomorrow.

01:29:46 There you go, David.

01:29:47 Without Joe Mazzullo.

01:29:48 Just Max.

01:29:49 Joe is on the show tomorrow.

01:29:51 That'll be a good one.

01:29:52 Stay tuned for that.

01:29:53 No, don't say that.

01:29:54 If I see people in the comment section being like,

01:29:56 where's Joe?

01:29:57 I'm going to be mad.

01:29:58 I can't be the only one who thought that.

01:29:59 I didn't--

01:30:00 [INTERPOSING VOICES]

01:30:02 Yeah.

01:30:03 Well--

01:30:03 Bobby's screaming at the TV halfway through the commercial.

01:30:05 Let me finish the commercial.

01:30:06 You got to find out.

01:30:07 Yeah, find out the hard way.

01:30:08 All right, guys, we're out of here.

01:30:11 The only thing is I got to find the outro.

01:30:15 Here it is.

01:30:16 Peace.

01:30:17 Wait, Amit's got an outro for us, I think.

01:30:19 No, he doesn't.

01:30:20 You said he was going to work on an outro.

01:30:23 He had a phenomenal game.

01:30:25 Phenomenal.

01:30:28 Poor for dough, and I think it's an option.

01:30:30 [LAUGHTER]

01:30:33 That did not sound like a chair.

01:30:35 It was a freaking chair.

01:30:36 It does sound like a chair.

01:30:39 [MUSIC PLAYING]

01:30:42 (gentle music)

01:30:45 (laughs)

LIVE: Celtics vs Bucks Postgame Show | Garden Report

Category

Transcript

Comments

Recommended