Category: .Interviews

Kristaps Porzingis: Miami Heat gave Boston Celtics analysis paralysis in Game 2

“They make us think,” explained Porzingis.

What is it about the Miami Heat that can trip up the Boston Celtics, as they did in Game 2 of their first round 2024 East playoffs series this past (April 24) Wednesday night? According to star Boston big man Kristaps Porzingis, it’s because the Heat are good at inducing paralyzing over-analysis in Boston.

“They make us think,” explained Porzingis via CLNS Media after a recent practice. “They do this on one possession, then they do another thing on another possession, then they switch, then they don’t. So that can freeze you a little bit, because you start to think a little bit, then you rush.”

How should the Celtics respond to this in Game 3 to avoid a repeat performance and all the angst that might bring Boston fans?

“We on the other hand maybe felt a little bit like, ‘We’re the number one seed against Miami at home,'” said the Lithuanian center.

“That can maybe get you a little bit, so we just have to make sure that we still play basketball, it’s still basketball, it’s still just reads and go, and not overthinking stuff, and we’ll be fine.”

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Mazzulla on no Celtics players in mix for full-season awards: ‘Why would you get an award for the past?’

I don’t think it’s important at all because we’re all focused on what we need to do as a team,” explained Mazzulla.

Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla doesn’t want regular season play to get in the way of the Celtics’ postseason aspirations to finally hang Banner 18. And it was evident by his response to a question about Boston players being snubbed by the league’s array of full season awards at a recent practice.

“Why would you get an award for the past?” asked Mazzulla via CLNS Media. “The great thing about this team is (that) I think from day one, we have appreciated the individual awards that we have gotten, from the Player of the Month, Staff of the Month, and whatnot.”

“But at the end of the day, I think one of the biggest strengths of this team is they haven’t had that agenda,” added the Celtics coach.

“And so none of the guys have brought it up, and I don’t think it’s important at all because we’re all focused on what we need to do as a team,” explained Mazzulla.

With the team focused on the bigger prize, it sets the baseline of expectations for play. And while the regular season may be behind us, carrying that mentality forward into the postseason should help Boston on their quest to win it all.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Boston’s Sam Hauser on how he ended up choosing the Celtics over Heat, Timberwolves

Sleeping over the decision was simply not an option.

Boston Celtics reserve sharpshooter Sam Hauser very nearly ended up joining the Miami Heat or Minnesota Timberwolves after going undrafted in the 2021 NBA draft. But a timely offer from the Celtics made up the Virginia alum’s mind in a moment of duress, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Speaking to the Boston Globe’s Adam Himmelsbach in a recent interview, Hauser opened up on what made up his mind to join Boston. “When I got off the phone, my dad was like, ‘Well, why don’t you just sleep on it?’” said Hauser. “And I told him, ‘We’ve got 10 minutes.’”

“So we all just kind of sat down and talked about the options and came to the conclusion that Boston was probably the best spot for me,” added the Celtics forward.

At present, there is a growing consensus that Hauser may have played his way to a contract so big, Boston may have to let him walk in free agency at the end of his current deal.

And while the Celtics surely don’t want to see him on another roster should that be the case, it’s hard to look at what Hauser and Boston have accomplished together and call it anything less than a success.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Boston’s Svi Mykhailiuk on his career-high night vs. the Washington Wizards

To know Mykhailiuk is able to put up such scoring when his number is called is exactly the sort of data you want in a run at a title.

In a 132-122 win over the Washington Wizards in the Boston Celtics’ last game of the NBA’s 2023-24 season, reserve forward Svi Mykhailiuk had the game of his life at the NBA level, putting up a career-high 26 points, 5 rebounds, as many assists, and a block in 37 minutes of floor time.

The 26-year-old swingman opened up about his big game after the final buzzer sounded, speaking to Celtics team reporter Taylor Snow. “I just took what the game gave me,” explained Mykhailiuk. “I took some more shots, open shots, made some shots early. I feel like that gave me a little more confidence.”

“We knew we were going to have the opportunity to play a lot of minutes,” he added.

“Everybody came prepared, everybody was excited to get on the court and (have some more) playing time, and everybody wanted to win and finish the regular season on the right note and start preparing for the playoffs.”

And while it seems unlikely that the Cherkasy native will see the floor as much as he did vs. the Wiz, to know that Mykhailiuk is capable of putting up such scoring when his number is called is exactly the sort of data you want to have heading into a run at a title.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Boston’s Joe Mazzulla unflapped by Celtics’ loss to Bucks

“To me, that’s a good opportunity, to play through that, find different ways to create runs,” said Mazzulla.

The Boston Celtics did not seem especially perturbed by their low level of effort on defense for much of their 104-91 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday night. And their historic paucity of free throws reflected the force most Celtics players deployed on offense, with Boston evidently allergic to attacking a packed paint.

Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla did not seem worried about it despite the loss, and even seemed to relish the adversity a bit in comments to the AP. “That was the first time where like the game wasn’t going our way since I don’t remember when, you know what I mean?,” asked Mazzulla.

“To me, that’s a good opportunity, to play through that, find different ways to create runs, find different ways to just build stuff on either end of the floor,” he added. “I thought it was a good situation for us to be in because we hadn’t seen it in a while.”

And while those words might sound borderline arrogant, the Celtics carried a five-game win streak and a 15-game lead over the Bucks in the East standings before the loss in a season they’ve never had more than 2 in a row.

Known for protecting players and rarely saying anything negative about his club in public, this was less that sort of posturing and, in our opinion, a moment of simple honesty in a game with no real stakes for the Celtics.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Celtics Lab 249: Sizing up the Boston Celtics’ path to the 2024 NBA Finals with Steve Bulpett

Is Boston truly comparable to other champion Celtics squads?

The Boston Celtics own the best record in the NBA for the 2023-24 season and have an absurd 15-game lead over the next-closest team in the East, the Milwaukee Bucks. Records seem to be breaking on a regular basis, and we keep hearing about how this iteration of the Celtics are an all-time ball club.

But do they have what it takes to win it all? And are these records and this history we keep hearing about Boston making truly comparable to other champion Celtics squads? Or are we getting the Boston hype machine keyed up ahead of another disappointment on the league’s biggest stage?

To get the necessary context for what this version of the ball club looks like vs. earlier title teams, the hosts of the CLNS Media “Celtics Lab” podcast sat down with Heavy’s Steve Bulpett. On the beat since Larry Bird was lacing them up, he helps us put this Boston ball club in the proper context ahead of the 2024 NBA Playoffs.


The Celtics Lab podcast is brought to you by Prize Picks.


If you enjoy this pod, check out the “How Bout Them Celtics,” “First to the Floor,” and the many other New England sports podcasts available on the CLNS Media network.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Boston’s Xavier Tillman, Sr. knew his game-winner was going in vs. the Sacramento Kings

Looking back at one of the more unexpected game-winners of the season.

If you were expecting Boston Celtics backup big man Xavier Tillman, Sr. to hit the game-winning shot against the Sacramento Kings to secure a 101-100 win against the Kings at TD Garden this (April 5) past Friday night, you were likely in the minority of Celtics fans.

But that is how the game played out vs. a hungry Kings squad, with Tillman’s late floater the icing on a very unusual cake as far as Boston wins go this season. Tillman walked us through what he saw in that final sequence postgame when speaking to CLNS Media, nothing that “Sam (Hauser) was driving for him to get the game-winning shot, and somebody came over — maybe (Keegan) Murray — and blocked the shot.”

“Then Sam got the steal and tipped it out to me,” he explained. “I caught it, saw that the paint was open, and made a crossover move.”

“They stepped up, and then I shot the (floater),” added the Celtics center.  “It felt good as soon as it left my hand — I knew it was good.”

With some luck, Boston will be able to lean on the depth that built them the NBA’s best record for 2023-24 in the 2024 postseason. But this tinkering by head coach Joe Mazzulla has also helped us see that the Celtics’ bench is also capable of digging deep when called on vs. quality opponents in crunch time.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Jayson Tatum on Boston winning 60 games for the first time since the Celtics’ 2008 title

‘Winning 60-plus games and clinching the best record in the league, it’s a big deal,’ said Tatum postgame.

When the Boston Celtics crossed the 60-win threshold with a 135-100 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on their own home court this past Wednesday night, star Celtics forward Jayson Tatum was well aware of the gravity of the situation in his postgame walk-off interview with ESPN.

“Seven years into the NBA now, you learn to appreciate the process,” explained the St. Louis native moments after locking up the best record in the league for the 2023-24 season. “All the while, we want to hang a banner, but you can’t skip steps. Winning 60-plus games and clinching the best record in the league, it’s a big deal.”

“But, you’re going to have to win some games on the road in the playoffs to do what you want to do, so I see both sides (of whether the focus ought to solely be on winning an NBA title),” added Tatum.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Boston’s Joe Mazzulla on Celtics hitting 60 wins this season vs. the Thunder

Mazzulla reflected on the gravity of hitting such a milestone — something he did not want his players to spend too much time thinking about.

It has been 14 years since the Boston Celtics won at least 60 games in a season. But in a 135-100 blowout of the Oklahoma City Thunder at TD Garden this past Wednesday night, the Celtics reached that benchmark once again as they also locked up the NBA’s best record.

Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla reflected on the gravity of hitting such a milestone — something he did not want his players to spend too much time thinking about given the task ahead, according to the AP. “It’s very hard to do. We may never be in this position again,” said Mazzulla of Boston crossing the 60-win threshold.

“We talked about it as a team,” he added. “We talked about it before the game, to try to treat this game as the clincher.”

“To kind of put that on ourselves to be able to do that. I think it was important for us to simulate that,” explained the Celtics coach. “We should enjoy it tonight, and when (we) wake up tomorrow — nobody cares.”

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Boston coach Joe Mazzulla praises Sam Hauser’s impact on the Celtics’ offense

“I think just layers of our offense is what unleashes him,” said Mazzulla.

Somehow, there are still nights where opposing ball clubs make the decision to leave Sam Hauser open, and in the Boston Celtics’ 118-104 win over the Charlotte Hornets on Monday night, the Virginia alum made them pay for it once again. Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla had plenty of praise for his reserve forward postgame, saying “I think just layers of our offense is what unleashes him,” via the AP.

“The guys understand that he’s a weapon in different ways, and so when we get to the second and third layer of our offense, especially when teams are guarding us a certain way, it really unleashes guys like Sam,” suggested the Celtics coach.

“And his teammates continuing to trust him and find him within the layers of our offense.” said Mazzulla.

“I feel like we are always making the right pass and making the extra reads,” Hauser echoed. “(Jayson Tatum) draws a lot of traps and extra help, and he’s able to make the right plays out of that.”

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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