00:00By the way, did Mizzouli give you a little props the other day
00:02when he was being asked about Jalen Brown and his condition?
00:05I thought I heard that.
00:07A little pause.
00:10Okay, so Joe's not the guy to ask about injuries.
00:15There are certain NBA coaches that will literally give you the entire,
00:18you ask Billy Donovan about an injury, he's running off when the guy worked out,
00:22how long, he's day-to-day, he's doing this,
00:25and yesterday he played 32 minutes and he practiced and he took three,
00:30he'll give you the rundown.
00:32Joe is day-to-day.
00:35He'll be fine.
00:37He's a three-word guy.
00:39So we asked him about Jalen before the game.
00:41He said day-to-day, day-to-day.
00:44He insisted day-to-day.
00:46Post-game, a reporter asked him about Jalen, and he said day-to-day,
00:51and I just laughed because I don't know what we thought we were going to get out of Joe
00:56besides day-to-day.
00:57So I laughed, you know, aloud, and he said, oh, you like that, huh?
01:01I do.
01:02So many things, you know, Joe and I have an interesting relationship.
01:07Yeah, let's talk about that a little bit.
01:09You and Joe have gone back and forth over these last four years.
01:12How would you characterize it?
01:14I think our relationship is great, to be honest.
01:17I don't think we've ever disliked each other.
01:20I think we didn't agree with a lot of things.
01:23I tried to hold – what I try to do in my coverage is hold the team accountable.
01:28This is the Boston Celtics.
01:30I don't cover the Charlotte Hornets.
01:31I don't cover Minnesota.
01:32I don't cover the team.
01:33I cover a team that wants 18 championships, so they have high expectations.
01:37So I want – you know, I ask them and demand or try to – you know,
01:41because they have championship aspirations.
01:44They're not putting division banners at TD Guard.
01:46So I try to hold them accountable.
01:48What I did at the beginning was hold them accountable, and Joe I don't think was accustomed to that,
01:53and I think he had to get used to kind of dealing with the media.
01:58He's a guy who's to himself.
01:59He coached Division II.
02:01He was kind of a behind-the-scenes guy during his previous time as an assistant with the Celtics.
02:06So it just took a while for us to kind of get used to each other.
02:09But we've always gotten along.
02:11People think, oh, you know, like we've – you know, we exchanged texts.
02:14We're at – you know, there's a definite friendship there.
02:19You know, and I'm not one to say that a lot because I don't think it's important,
02:25but we do have a healthy respect for each other.
02:28I think it's grown over the years, and I think he's become more comfortable.
02:31Obviously, winning the championship would do that,
02:34becoming more comfortable in his philosophies and his skin.
02:37And also with some of the criticism and dealing with how reporters ask questions.
02:43So I think our relationship is great.
02:45I think it's obviously a fun thing.
02:48People ask me about it a lot, and I'll continue to ask tough questions,
02:53and I'll continue to understand that Joe is going to be Joe.
02:56Yeah, I think that he's improved a lot in those press conferences.
02:59And when – we talked to you about this when it first started.
03:02He sounded like an ass because you've been covering – you had been covering the team for a long time.
03:08He's the new coach, and he's coming down on you.
03:10Like, well, what is he – he doesn't know more than you do about this organization.
03:14You've been with the organization covering it longer than he'd been around.
03:18So it didn't seem, like, fun.
03:22It seemed like he was just being a dick.
03:24You seemed great.
03:25But now it does seem like he's kind of, like, gone, okay,
03:31maybe I don't need to put on this persona in front of the media every day.
03:36Maybe that's fair.
03:37Yeah, and I still think Joe is Joe.
03:40He's going to say what he feels.
03:41He's going to say what's on his mind.
03:43And as a reporter, I think you have to stand up to the head coach or the manager.
03:47You have to stand by your convictions, and that's what I do.
03:53And you can have a healthy balance where you have a healthy respect for each other,
03:57but you don't always agree.
03:59Or you explain – you talk to – you explain your side.
04:02That's what maybe off-the-record conversations.
04:04And I know journalism has changed over the years,
04:07and you don't have the side convos that you used to have with coaches
04:10where you can pull a guy aside.
04:12Everybody's got a camera phone.
04:13Everybody wants to record everything.
04:15But you can have conversations with said coach off the record about things
04:19and kind of come to some realizations and understandings
04:22and explain your side and laugh and joke, things like that.
04:26I think that's what brings reporters and coaches and has that –
04:30I know Terry Francona was like that where you could just talk to him.
04:33Oh, yeah.
04:33I know all about it.
04:34I know all about that, John.
04:37You could talk to these guys a little bit off the record,
04:40and there was a human element to it.
04:42Now it's gotten a little different where some of these guys are –
04:45everything's on – everything's recorded.
04:47Everything is put down on social media.
04:50And so some of these coaches and folks in organizations are more guarded,
04:55understandably.
04:55So it makes it a little bit more difficult.
04:57Yeah.
04:57Well, you're an adult.
04:58He's an adult.
04:59Your job's every bit as important as his.
05:01So it's good that you guys have that mutual respect.
05:03Like.
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