Category: .Podcasts

Everything you need to know about the Maine Celtics’ title run

It is the first-ever shot at a title for the Boston Celtics’ developmental affiliate, with the best-of-three series currently knotted up at one game each.

The Maine Celtics will take on the Oklahoma City Blue for the 2024 G League Championship on this Monday (April 13) night. It is the first-ever shot at a title for the Boston Celtics’ developmental affiliate, with the best-of-three series currently knotted up at one game each for Maine and the Oklahoma City Thunder G League squad.

How did they get here? How good are they, and how do G League playoffs work? What are games in Portland like in the regular and postseason? And how is the synergy between Boston and Maine in terms of developing players and winning games? 

The hosts of the CLNS Media “Celtics Lab” podcast recently sat down with Celtics Blog’s Noa Dalzell to get all the details you need to know about what might be G League Banner No. 1 for Maine.

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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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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Celtics Lab 248: On the impact of Joel Embiid’s return on the Boston Celtics’ playoff picture with Ky Carlin

Everything seems to be aligning for Boston to make a deep postseason run fans hope ends in a title. At least, save one.

The Boston Celtics have all but locked up the top spot in the league, as well as home court in the East heading into the 2024 NBA Playoffs. Everything seems to be aligning for Boston to make a deep postseason run fans hope ends in a title.

At least, save one. It seems the path back to the finals might have just gotten considerably tougher for the Celtics with word that Philadelphia 76ers big man Joel Embiid is set to return to the court. The perennial MVP candidate will have to play his way into shape as the regular season winds down, but at least as things stands at the time of writing, the Sixers are the leading candidates to face Boston in the first round.

To find out where Embiid and Co. are in terms of health and play, the hosts of the “Celtics Lab” podcast sat down with Sixers Wire editor Ky Carlin to talk all things Philadelphia – Boston.


We also touch on the other likely candidates and get caught up on what little news is still percolating up in the final weeks of the 2024 stretch run.


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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On LeBron’s words about star Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum on his new podcast

James had a lot of praise for the St. Louis native.

Astute fans of the NBA may have heard the news that “Old Man and the 3” podcast host and former NBAer JJ Redick has teamed up with Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James to do a new podcast. Even more astute fans have heard the pod, and specifically what James had to say about star Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum.

To talk it over, the hosts of the CLNS Media “How Bout Them Celtics!” podcast took a deep dive into the new pod and LeBron’s words about the St. Louis native this season.

Take a look at the clip embedded below to hear what they had to say about the new pod and the Tatum discourse in it.

If you enjoy this pod, check out more from 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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Celtics Lab 246: March Madness through a Boston Celtics lens

We scout potential Boston draft picks, wax nostalgic about tourneys past, and get you up to speed with the news.

March Madness is officially here, and fans of the Boston Celtics tend to start paying attention to the college game around now if they have not been the whole time with their favorite NCAA squad. Potential Celtics draft prospects can be scouted by the casual college basketball fan and pros both, and old rivalries transcend NBA allegiances for a bit of extra sauce at the next level.

Speaking of the stretch run, Boston is in the thick of it, with health and rest as important as seeding usually is for Boston, having all but sewn up the league’s best record. What can we expect from the Celtics’ coming tilt with the Milwaukee Bucks, and are there any trap games on their looming six-game road trip?

The hosts of the CLNS Media “Celtics Lab” podcast took a magnifying glass to which prospects we ought to keep an eye on as potential Boston draft picks, waxed nostalgic about Celtics players in tourneys past, and got you up to speed with the news.

Apologies in advance for one of the mics being murky; our enthusiasm for our tech concerns was premature.

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.

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

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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Is the Celtics’ depth their biggest strength?

The Boston Celtics have one of the deepest rosters in the NBA, but is that their primary strength?

The Boston Celtics are widely viewed as the deepest team in the NBA. Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Kristaps Porzingis are the biggest star names on the roster. Jrue Holiday, Derrick White and Al Horford are the ideal connectors around the star trio. As such, Boston has a six-man rotation that wouldn’t look out of place at an All-Star game.

Furthermore, Payton Pritchard and Sam Hauser are both legitimate NBA talents. They could get minutes on almost every team in the league. During a recent appearance on the “Green With Envy” podcast, The Boston Globe’s Khari Thompson discussed Boston’s deep roster, noting that it’s one of the biggest advantages available to Joe Mazzulla.

Of course, that depth is only useful if the Celtics can steer clear of injuries to their core players. As a result, the coaching staff have been cautious with their approach to minutes distribution and load management.

The Celtics will likely finish the regular-season as the first seed in the East. However, their goal has always been making it back to the NBA Finals and hoisting the Larry O’Brien trophy. To do that, they will need to remain healthy. However, their depth will ensure they have a solid chance of achieving their lofty goal.

Listen to the “Green With Envy” podcast on:

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

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3Oj4dhD

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3K8MbvY

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Celtics Lab 245: Sizing up unresolved concerns in the stretch run with Justin Turpin

From addressing late-game execution issues to getting everyone rest who needs it, they cover the gamut of issues in front of Boston before the playoffs.

The Boston Celtics are firmly within the thick of the NBA’s 2024 stretch run as they try to wrap up loose ends on the court and nagging injuries while also getting into postseason form. That is not exactly the easiest of needles to thread, but they have a favorable schedule and the right personnel to pull it off, particularly given the lead they have over the rest of the East.

But what exactly is that schedule ahead of them? And when can they rest players, and what concerns remain to be addressed between now and the start of the 2024 NBA Playoffs? The hosts of the CLNS Media “Celtics Lab” podcast linked up with WEEI’s Justin Turpin to talk over what they want to see from the Celtics in the rest of the stretch run on a recent episode.

From addressing late-game execution issues to getting everyone rest who needs it, they cover the gamut of issues in front of Boston before the playoffs. The crew also gets caught up on the trickle of Celtics news makin the rounds as well

.

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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Celtics Lab 244: Historic blowouts, exorcising demons, and projecting All-NBA

The Celtics have been playing like a ball club full of All-NBA players. Who will actually make it, and what can we take from the Dubs blowout?

The Boston Celtics have been playing like a ball club full of All-NBA players, even if they will likely only have two — and it has not shown more this season than in their 140-88 demolition of the Golden State Warriors at TD Garden on Sunday afternoon.

Exorcising the demons lingering from their 2022 NBA Finals loss to the Warriors in a big way, now the question in front of Boston as they dive into the stretch run is how long their league-leading win streak will end with the easiest remaining schedule in the NBA.

And while we’re talking about All-NBA, where are those presumed Celtics All-NBA players likely to fall among their elite peers in the league, and who else might join Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown on which All-NBA teams?

The hosts of the CLNS Media “Celtics Lab” podcast sat down to tease out who they think will make which teams, and where Boston’s players stand among them on their most recent episode. We also get caught up on the news and look back and the Celtics’ week of excellent play.

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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Celtics Lab 242: Inside the minds of MVP voters with ESPN’s Tim Bontemps

In this episode, we find out where Boston’s Jayson Tatum might be in the eyes of MVP voters as he makes a late push for the honor.

The NBA’s All-Star Week has passed, and with it, attention now turns to the stretch run and whatever races for season-long hardware that is not already sewn up. This season, that includes the 2024 Most Valuable Player award. It feels like star Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum is making a late push to get in the running, but how exactly does the MVP voter think about such late risers for the award?

To get an idea about the politics and other invisible elements of MVP voting, the CLNS Media “Celtics Lab” podcast linked up with the mind behind ESPN’s annual MVP straw poll, Tim Bontemps.

Join us as C Lab cohost Cameron Tabatabaie gets into the nitty-gritty of the 2024 MVP race and how voters tend to approach the award race with Bontemps in a special bonus audio-only episode of “Celtics Lab”.

The Celtics Lab podcast is brought to you by FanDuel.

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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JJ Redick blasts former Celtics head coach Doc Rivers on accountablity

“I’ve seen the trend for years,” said Reddick.

There is an oft-repeated truism about fans of the Boston Celtics that suggests that fan base has got more mileage out of a single title (in 2008) than some clubs who have recently won several. A similar logic seems to apply to former Celtics head coach Doc Rivers, who has bounced from one shortcoming to the next while sometimes throwing his players and coworkers under the bus seemingly without pushback. At least, until now.

Former NBAer and host of the “Old Man and the 3” podcast, JJ Redick recently laid into Rivers for exactly this. It came after another bout of Rivers deflecting accountability during a rough start to his takeover of (some would call stealing) the Milwaukee Bucks’ head coaching gig from Adrian Griffin as a consultant.

“I’ve seen the trend for years,” said Reddick via Awful Announcing. “The trend is always making excuses.”

“Doc, we get it. Taking over a team in the middle of a season is hard … it’s always an excuse,” he added. “It’s always throwing your team under the bus … there’s never accountability with that guy.”

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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