Tag: Brian Scalabrine

Where did the ‘White Mamba’ nickname for Brian Scalabrine come from?

The Big Ticket himself reveals its genesis.

Where did “White Mamba” nickname for retired Boston Celtics big man (and current NBC Boston Sports broadcaster) Brian Scalabrine come from? The moniker, bestowed upon Scal in the “New Big Three” era of Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, has been a fan favorite lasting longer than Scal’s career as an NBA player did.

To get to the bottom of that mystery, the NBC Sports broadcaster recently came on the Showtime Basketball “KG Certified” to talk it over with The Big Ticket himself.

Take a look at the clip embedded below to hear what KG had to say in conversation with Scal about White Mamba’s origin, their time playing together, and more.

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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Former Celtic Brian Scalabrine breaks down the Kornet Kontest

There is data to suggest it is a sound approach to defending against the 3-point shot.

Even after a few weeks of seeing it in action, there are still some detractors of the Kornet Kontest (or Korntest or Eclipse or whatever we are calling it these days) used by Boston Celtics big man Luke Kornet to contest perimeter shots by jumping to block his opponent’s view of the rim.

There is data to suggest it is a sound approach to defending against the 3-point shot. But to help give the former Vanderbilt standout some credit where it is due with what many still see as a novelty defense that could cause more problems than it solves, fellow Celtics big man alum and broadcaster Brian Scalabrine recently broke down the tactic on an episode of WEEI’s “Merloni, Fauria, Mego” show.

Take a look at the clip embedded below to hear what White Mamba had to say about the Korntest.

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 alumnus, broadcaster Brian Scalabrine expresses skepticism over Jaylen Brown-Kevin Durant swap

The former Celtics champ worries Boston will end up on the wrong end of the deal courtesy of Father Time.

The notion of swapping star Boston Celtics wing Jaylen Brown for veteran Brooklyn Nets star forward Kevin Durant might be intriguing to some, but there is an increasing number of analysts expressing doubt about the wisdom of such a prospective deal.

Add to them former Boston champion big man and current Celtics broadcaster Brian Scalabrine, who recently made an appearance on Sirius XM Radio to share his views on such a deal. “My only concern with Kevin Durant — and I’m not qualified to answer this — is I have no idea how long (a) 7-foot long, lanky, super highly-skilled (player) is going to last.

“I have no reference point,” he would admit. “Everybody ages differently.”

Scal is right about everyone aging differently, the idea of three seasons after next potentially stuck with the Celtics with little to nothing to remedy a situation should a worst-case or even underwhelming return on their investment play out should give us all considerable pause.

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“If (KD) falls off the cliff somewhere down the road, then that’s going to be a tough move because you’re giving up a young, hungry, hardworking (player in Brown) for a guy that I don’t know how much longer he has,” speculated Scalabrine, not even touching on potential further implications of such a deal.

Check out the Celtics Lab podcast on:

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

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

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Eddie House reacts to Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo rejecting Marcus Smart’s help up off the floor

The physical game swung Boston’s way soon after.

In the Boston Celtics’ late-game push to beat the Milwaukee Bucks on their home floor of Fiserv Forum on Monday night, Milwaukee star Giannis Antetokounmpo and Boston point guard Marcus Smart got tangled up on a play and crumpled to the ground together in a heap.

In the ensuing attempt to get up, Smart tried to be sportsmanlike to the Greek Freak despite the chippiness of the game and offered Antetokounmpo a hand up. Giannis took it initially, but when they failed to leverage one of the pair upright with limbs still tangled everywhere, the Bucks star kicked Smart in the face, causing the Flower Mound native to waive off Giannis in frustration and leave him to his own devices.

NBC Sports Boston broadcasters Brian Scalabrine and Eddie House — both former Celtics themselves — took a moment on the air to talk over that unusual exchange, sharing their thoughts on what might be going on in the mind of the two opponents.

Check out the clip embedded above to hear their thoughts.

This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook!

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Boston alum, broadcaster Brian Scalabrine talks Celtics scenarios in the looming 2022 NBA Playoffs

Check out what the White Mambe sees in store for the Celtics this postseason.

With a mere 11 games left to play out of the Boston Celtics‘ 82 total of the 2021-22 NBA season, the 2022 postseason picture is starting to come into focus for the storied franchise just as their level of play has landed them squarely in the contention conversation for hanging Banner 18.

Currently a full game behind their Atlantic Division rival Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference’s fourth-place position and a game and a half ahead of the Chicago Bulls, the 43 – 28 Celtics would end up facing the latter team in the 4/5 matchup in the East’s first round if the season ended today. And while that might be about as favorable of a draw as Boston could reasonably hope for, the season in fact does NOT end today.

To that end, the folks over at WEEI asked on a Celtics alumnus and NBC Sports Boston broadcaster in his own right, the “White Mamba” himself, Brian Scalabrine.

Watch the clip embedded above to hear the former Celtics big man share his thoughts on where he thinks his former team will finish, who they want to face, and more.

This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook!

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WATCH: Has Brian Scalabrine thought up a way to refocus the Boston Celtics’ roster?

The former Celtic could be on to something — the question is whether it would give a boost.

The Boston Celtics have been infuriating to their fans this season with their consistent inconsistency, stumbling closer to and further away from being a coherent, competitive team almost by the hour, or so it seems at times.

But stating the obvious will not go far towards fixing the problem — or perhaps even problems — lingering in the habits of this young roster, and with the season quickly moving in the direction of the February trade deadline, only weeks truly remain before Boston will need to start considering shaking up the roster if results do not manifest themselves on the court.

But what can the Celtics do to fix things otherwise? A Celtics alumnus has a theory on how Boston might be able to coax more focus and energy out of the players on a night-to-night basis; Brian Scalabrine shared his views to NBC Boston Sports colleague Chris Forsberg, and the logic behind it could make sense.

It also runs the risk of further alienating a sometimes-disconnected roster — watch the clip embedded above for yourself, and decide if White Mamba came up with a gem or a potential time bomb.

This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook!

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Celtic champ turned broadcaster Brian Scalabrine extended by NBC Sports Boston

White Mamba is sticking around his former team’s sidelines for the foreseeable future.

Former Boston Celtics champion and fan-favorite big man Brian Scalabrine has been signed by his current employer NBC Sports Boston to a multi-year extension, per the Boston Globe’s Chad Finn.

While no word on his contract details is circulating in official capacity, Finn is hearing from multiple sources that White Mamba — as Scalabrine was sometimes called as a player — inked a deal for five more years with the New England sports news outlet as a broadcaster. Part of the Celtics 2008 title team, the USC product has stepped into the giant shoes of Celtics icon Tommy Heinsohn following his passing last year, joining Abby Chin as a study analyst.

Scalabrine will continue to compliment the game calling of longtime Celtics broadcaster Mike Gorman.

Valued for his knowledge of the modern game, the Long Beach native sees poised to remain part of the Boston NBA landscape for some time to come.

This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook!

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Brian Scalabrine believes Miami Heat can fix Sixers star Ben Simmons

Brian Scalabrine believes the Miami Heat can fix Philadelphia 76ers star, Ben Simmons.

In the aftermath of the Philadelphia 76ers falling to the Atlanta Hawks in Game 7 at home in their Eastern Conference semifinal series, much of the criticism has targeted All-Star guard Ben Simmons. He came up small in Game 7, taking five points and four shots, and the talk around Simmons has been focused on trading him.

ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins recently suggested the Sixers trade Simmons to the Minnesota Timberwolves for D’Angelo Russell and Malik Beasley. That would not be the worst move in the world and both players can be good fits around Joel Embiid.

Now, NBC Sports Boston’s Brian Scalabrine is suggesting the Miami Heat should get in on the Simmons sweepstakes:

I’m not just saying this because we do our fair share of talking about culture club. I think the Miami Heat can fix him. I really believe that. I don’t think a lot of organizations can fix him. I think the Miami Heat could fix Ben Simmons. If I’m Pat Riley, he would be my whale, and Erik Spoelstra is not like a traditional coach. He’ll run wacky things for Ben Simmons, by the way, Erik Spoelstra put James Johnson at the point guard and played James Johnson at the point a bunch of possessions. I’m telling you, the Miami he could fix him, and Erik Spoelstra as a coach can fix Ben Simmons.

The issue with this is Simmons and Jimmy Butler have already played together in the past, and it did not exactly turn out great for Simmons and the Sixers. On top of that, there is not a lot that the Heat can offer the Sixers in exchange for a player of Simmons’ caliber, but a guy like Riley could always come up with something to make a deal work.

This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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High school basketball player challenges Brian Scalabrine to 1-on-1, regrets it immediately

You can’t beat NBA players at basketball.

It never ceases to be hilarious whenever a regular person believes they can challenge a professional athlete in their given sport. The answer is always a resounding, “No, you can’t.”

Pro athletes are so absurdly good at their sports that regular people can take for granted just how amazing those athletes are whenever they miss a shot, strike out, shank a tee shot. The worst player on an NBA team was likely among the best players ever at his college and is a legend at his high school.

And this applies to any former professional athlete who stays in even moderately good shape after retirement like former NBA vet Brian Scalabrine.

One high school basketball player learned that the hard way when he challenged Scalabrine to a game of one-on-one and even put a pair of shoes on the line.

Scalabrine, who hasn’t played in the NBA in nine years, was still able to beat this high school player, 11-0. And he made it look pretty easy.

Let that video serve as another reminder that you can’t beat pro athletes at sports.

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Perkins, Scalabrine apologize for questioning Joel Embiid’s injury

Kendrick Perkins and Brian Scalabrine apologize for questioning Joel Embiid’s injury.

Philadelphia 76ers big man Joel Embiid has been questioned in the past about his durability in the league. He has taken some hits in his career and that has left him hobbled at big moments for the Sixers in the playoffs.

On Sunday, he left the team’s loss to the Portland Trail Blazers in the first quarter after injuring his ankle. However, it did not appear to be a serious injury and he was on the bench with his team the rest of the night.

That led NBC Sports Boston’s Brian Scalabrine and Kendrick Perkins to question whether Embiid was really injured. NBC Sports Boston posted the clip of Scalabrine and Perkins questioning Embiid’s injury to Twitter, but have since removed it.

Scalabrine: He probably didn’t want to play.

Perkins: I’m trying to see. Where did he turn his ankle?

Scalabrine and Perkins: Come on man. Give me a break. He didn’t want to play.

Perkins: Aw man, give me a break. Whre he did turn his ankle at?

Scalabrine: Show me where he turned his ankle at. You show me! Tell me.

However, after going back and looking at the tape, the two of them realized that they did not see the whole video and they had to apologize to Embiid.

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