Tag: celtics lab

Celtics Lab 235: On the Sun at the Garden, Boston’s season so far and more with Brionna Jones

This pod, we linked up with the Connecticut Suns’ Brionna Jones to talk her team playing at the Garden, the rise of the Jays, and more.

There’s a lot of basketball to be a fan of in New England. The Boston Celtics stand as the premier hoopers in the region, but greatness can also be found among the UConn Huskies women’s and men’s programs and the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun in recent years. That history will become even more entangled as the Sun are set to play at TD Garden this summer for the first time ever as the Boston landmark arena hosts its first-ever WNBA tilt.

On the night the news broke, the Celtics played at the Garden, and Sun center Brionna Jones and All-NBA Boston forward Jaylen Brown swapped jerseys. To hear the story behind that exchange, the first-ever WNBA game at the Garden, what she thinks of the rise of the Jays, and Jones’ thoughts on this season’s Celtics, the CLNS Media “Celtics Lab” podcast linked up with the Sun star.

We also got into the state of Boston’s All-Star vote, the latest details on the Celtics’ trade deadline plans, and more.

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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Celtics Lab 234: Why Boston is probably not making big moves at the deadline with Yossi Gozlan

Boston probably won’t stand pat, but isn’t likely to make major moves – so what IS on the table?

With the Boston Celtics rolling and their path to hanging Banner 18 looking more possible than it has in many years, you can’t fault fans of the storied ball club for hoping for a reunion with former Boston big men Daniel Theis or Kelly Olynyk. Or failing that, team president Brad Stevens getting a deal done for rumored target Isaiah Stewart to fortify the team’s frontcourt.

Even fairly modest trades like these are probably not in the cards for the Celtics this season, who can’t follow through with an offer that makes sense given the exigencies of the NBA’s new collective bargaining agreement or the team’s current structure.

But the team will almost certainly make at least a few lesser moves to get better ahead of the NBA’s 2024 trade deadline in Early February, so the hosts of CLNS Media’s “Celtics Lab” podcast linked up with Cap Sheets‘ Yossi Gozlan to try to project what it is Boston actually will end up doing.

We also get into why those fun but unrealistic deals bringing back Celtics alumni or Beef Stew are unlikely or impossible, and get caught up on the last Boston news of 2023.

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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Celtics Lab 233: Boston beats the Lakers on Christmas Day, and making sense of trade rumors with Bobby Krivitsky

After the win, we make some decisions about what sorts of gifts we want to return from our holiday haul — basketball-related and otherwise.

The Boston Celtics beat the Los Angeles Lakers on Christmas Day, the best kind of win for Celtics fans in the regular season if not the NBA Finals. And they did it despite in-game injuries, strong rallies from their opponent — and most importantly, an ego-boosting hot start that has tended to absorb their killer instinct in the past.

To celebrate the win (and what we saw in it that should reach well beyond the holiday tilt) with other Boston fans, the hosts of the CLNS Media “Celtics Lab” podcast linked up with Sports Illustrated’s and “Talkin’ Cs” podcast host Bobby Krivitsky to break down the victory.

We also get into recent Kelly Olynyk trade rumbles and what they mean with a closer look, get caught up on the news more generally, and even make some decisions about what sorts of gifts we want to return from our holiday haul — basketball-related and otherwise.

Join us for a special holiday edition of the pod, and felices fiestas to you all.

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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What’s behind the Boston Celtics’ hot start – and what can get better?

Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, and a more productive bench than the Celtics are accustomed to, with White’s play in particular shining for Boston.

The Boston Celtics are off to an impressive 25-6 start to their 2023-24 campaign, recently sweeping a homestand against tough opponents like the New York Knicks, Cleveland Cavaliers and Orlando Magic while splitting the first two games of their annual West Coast swing, dropping a game to the Golden State Warriors and blowing out the Sacramento Kings.

What’s behind the Boston Celtics’ hot start — and what can get better? Key contributors include Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, and a more productive bench than the Celtics are accustomed to, with White’s play in particular shining for Boston. While an All-Star bid is unlikely for White, his versatility and leadership have made him invaluable, his play helping “defunkify” things when the team hits a cold stretch.

But there’s still plenty to criticize, even with how well this team has played for the most part in the first quarter of the season.

The hosts behind the CLNS Media “Celtics Lab” podcast recently linked up with NBC Sports Boston’s Max Lederman to talk it over; check it out above.

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 232: Celebrating Boston’s sizzling start with Max Lederman – and a Festivus for the rest of us

We won’t be doing any feats of strength (not screaming at refs calling techs for hanging on the rim counts, right?) on the pod, but we do air a lot of grievances,

The holidays are here and the Boston Celtics are amazingly good, so in true New England fashion, over at the CLNS Media “Celtics Lab” podcast, we decided to do what any other New Englander (displaced or in-region) would otherwise be doing. Complaining about stuff!

Of course, we will be doing so in our third annual Festivus episode with guest Max Lederman of NBC Sports Boston, and we did not limit ourselves to the 20-5 Celtics (it’s harder than you think to criticize a team doing this well) or even the wider NBA (which, unfortunately, has been a little easier to criticize of late), branching out into the bigger problems of the world.

We kid, but also not — and we also spend some time on recent trade rumbles, how the team has been playing and what might be coming down the pike.

We won’t be doing any feats of strength (not screaming at refs calling techs for hanging on the rim counts, right?) on the pod, but we do air a lot of grievances, so join us in a Festivus for the rest of us. And bring an aluminum pole if you have one, those things aren’t easy to find.

The Celtics Lab podcast is sponsored 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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Celtics Lab 231: Assessing the 2023-24 trade season around the NBA with A. Sherrod Blakely

Trade season is about to begin. How could the league change around Boston as it does?

The Boston Celtics might not be making any major moves at the NBA’s 2024 trade deadline after having had one of the most active offseasons in the league this summer, but the rest of the league is not going to stand still and let them waltz into the 2024 NBA Finals, either.

Teams like the Miami Heat, Philadelphia 76ers, and Dallas Mavericks might take some big swings at players who could be on the move, and if the rumbles we are hearing about the Toronto Raptors and Chicago Bulls pan out, the pecking order of both conferences could be shaken up a bit. And though the Celtics won’t be trying to improve their core players, there might also be room for improvement on Boston’s bench as well.

With December 15th and all the fluidity that brings to teams in terms of available players for trades, the 2023-24 NBA trade season is about to begin. How could the league change around Boston as it does?

To that end, the hosts of the CLNS Media “Celtics Lab” podcast linked up with “The Garden Report” and “The Big 3” podcast cohost A. Sherrod Blakely to look at how the rest of the league may try to get better, how the team may fare in one of the toughest stretches of the season, and more.

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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Celtics Lab 230: No Vegas for Boston, but how can the Celtics get better from what they learned?

Bolster the frontcourt? Improve the bench depth? Play a different way? Celtics Lab breaks out the magnifying glass in search of answers.

The Boston Celtics have been booted from the NBA’s inaugural in-season tournament by the Indiana Pacers after a performance that was all too familiar for some. Fans have seen hungrier teams outwork the Celtics on nights when the 3-ball isn’t falling. But there was more to the loss than those familiar flops from the past, and not all of it was bad.

What can the Celtics take away from the IST loss, and how can Boston get better moving forward? Are there players or lineups we would like to see more of? And if the current supporting cast isn’t quite enough, who might make sense for the Celtics to make some calls about with many players around the league becoming moveable after Dec. 15?

The hosts of the CLNS Media “Celtics Lab” podcast put on their thinking caps after the loss to focus on what’s next for Boston, how they might make that happen, and even debate whether Jayson Tatum deserved his Player of the Month nod, so strap in and join us for a bumpier ride than usual.

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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Are the Boston Celtics clearly the best in the East?

How are fans of the Boston Celtics feeling about the ball club’s vulnerabilities as we have seen them so far?

How are fans of the Boston Celtics feeling about the ball club’s vulnerabilities as we have seen them so far in terms of the health of the roster? Or, particularly, against teams that employ a physical and intense style of play with bigger lineups to deploy against the Celtics a quarter-way through the NBA’s 2023-24 season?

And what about the Boston’s peers in the league’s Eastern Conference? Which teams are who we thought they were? Which are overachieving? And which ball clubs are looking like they will end the season in the lottery? To answer these questions, the hosts of the CLNS Media “Celtics Lab” podcast linked up with Sixers Wire’s Ky Carlin to talk through Boston’s looming tilt with Philly and the order of the East.

Take a look at the clip embedded below to hear their thoughts.

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 229: Assessing the East at the 2023-24 NBA season’s quarter-mark with Ky Carlin

How real is the sizzling start of the Orlando Magic, and will the Cleveland Cavaliers continue to flirt with being a lottery team?

Now that the 2023-24 NBA season is roughly a quarter over with, we can see some rough outlines of what each of the league’s Eastern Conference teams will look like by the time the 2024 NBA Playoffs roll around. Some teams have surprised us in terms of their record and play, a handful have disappointed their fans with how they have performed on the court so far — and several are exactly the ball clubs we thought they were.

The Boston Celtics, for their part, have hit the ground running faster than many have expected, but also have shown some weaknesses in need of addressing. But how real is the sizzling start of the Orlando Magic, and will the Cleveland Cavaliers continue to flirt with being a lottery team?

What about the new-look Philadelphia 76ers, who Boston plays on Friday? To answer all of the above — and the last question in particular — the hosts of the CLNS Media “Celtics Lab” podcast linked up with Sixers Wire’s Ky Carlin to assess the state of the East at the season’s quarter mark.

We also settle our differences on the merits of the in-season tournament, whether Boston has more moves to make, and more, so hit play on the clip embedded below to get your bearings on how the East is shaking out so far.

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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Celtics Lab 228: A Boston Celtics Thanksgiving (round) table with Bobby Krivitsky and Jack Simone

Whether in the wider world beyond sport, elsewhere in the NBA, or in places we rarely stop to think about, there is plenty of good around us worth taking time to reflect on.

Sometimes, after the Boston Celtics drop a game to a team they have no business losing to, it can seem like some of the worst elements of seasons past are coming back to haunt fans of the team, it bears reminding that this team is currently the owner of the best record in the entire NBA at 11-3 and on track to win 64 games this season.

And while that clip may very well slow some, it is, for now, something we ought to be thankful for, along with the play that has produced it compared to past seasons, the uglier side of Celtics basketball a far more rare thing to see than in those past campaigns. But there’s a lot more than that to be thankful for even in a world that can seem cruel and unforgiving.

Whether in the wider world beyond sport, elsewhere in the NBA, or in places we rarely stop to think about, there is plenty of good around us worth taking time to reflect on.

So for this week’s “Celtics Lab” podcast from CLNS Media, the hosts linked up with Sports Illustrated’s Bobby Krivitsky and “How Bout Them Celtics!” cohost Jack Simone to do exactly that while taking stock of the Celtics and the NBA more generally — we hope you join us.

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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