00:00Look, it really seems like the East might come down to the Pistons
00:05and the Celtics, and the Celtics might have Tatum back.
00:10They're very much in the conversation right now, are they not?
00:13Yeah, and look, I usually lose my mind after losses,
00:18especially close losses,
00:19but I thought that was a really fun playoff atmosphere game the other night,
00:24and you do start thinking about, I think both teams will make some tweaks.
00:28I think the Pistons will add some shooting,
00:30which is what they need to be a true contender,
00:33and I think the Celtics will explore the big man market,
00:36and regardless of that, pans out,
00:37but even if you're just adding Tatum along the way,
00:41I think these two teams have clearly distinguished themselves
00:44as the best in the Eastern Conference right now,
00:47and as the Knicks sort of fall apart,
00:48and as the Cavs continue to struggle to figure out what they are,
00:52you feel pretty good about it.
00:53And so, yeah, they're playing the Pacers tonight
00:57for what feels like the 700th time,
00:59and I'm sick of watching these two teams,
01:01but the Pistons and Celtics have played four times now,
01:04and I don't get sick of it.
01:06I yearn for a series in May,
01:09and I hope we get that because that's a fun basketball team to watch.
01:12I love how physical they are,
01:14and we'll see if the Celtics can get to a point
01:16where they match that physicality well.
01:18It was really fun watching them the other night,
01:20and essentially a close game throughout the entire thing,
01:25but also keeping in the back of my mind as much fun as it is,
01:28and I'm with you, Chris,
01:30because still getting to know Cade Cunningham
01:33and getting to know this team that's been rising in the East now
01:38for a couple of years,
01:40but to think in the back of my mind,
01:42oh, when Tatum comes back, this is going to be different.
01:45I don't know, but I also don't think that automatically gives the Celtics
01:51an edge where they're going to jump out to an eight-point lead
01:54and maintain it against a team like the Pistons for the whole night.
01:57I'm with you.
01:58I think a seven-game series against that team would be wildly entertaining.
02:02Yeah, and look, in the big picture,
02:04the Tatum thing is going to be fascinating.
02:06I think you're going to trade cautiously with him,
02:09although there have been instances,
02:11down in Miami, Drew Smith,
02:12who was playing every night and back-to-backs.
02:15I don't think they're going to do that with Tatum,
02:16but I think what they'll do is they'll bring him back
02:18and ease him in.
02:20But even a few minutes a night of Tatum
02:22is going to take a lot of stress off
02:24what has ailed you in various spots this season.
02:27So you've already got the second-ranked offense,
02:29and there'll be some reintegration,
02:31not issues, but just like with anything.
02:34You're adding a superstar player back,
02:35and you've got to figure that out.
02:37And once they do that,
02:39I wonder if there's a whole other kind of level they can go to
02:41and where that puts them.
02:43You still have some longer-term stuff,
02:46like the big man spot.
02:47You still have to figure out
02:48exactly who you're leaning on,
02:50and can you be that they've been better rebounding
02:53in the basketball?
02:53Can you do that in the playoffs
02:54against a team like the Pistons?
02:56But yeah, I just think they're in a really good spot.
02:59I think a lot of the questions we came into the year,
03:00and I hate to be overly optimistic,
03:02but there was a ton of questions around this team
03:05after all those changes.
03:06And here we are, 41 games in, midway point,
03:09and you feel pretty good about what you've seen
03:12and the fact that there's still a place for this to go
03:15and for them to grow.
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