On this day: Kevin Garnett presented with Defensive Player of the Year award; John Bagley born

On this day in Celtics history, Boston guard John Bagley was born, and KG was presented with his 2008 Defensive Player of the Year award.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, former Celtics point guard John Bagley was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut in 1960. Bagley would play his college ball at Boston College before being drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 1982 NBA draft with the 12th overall pick. He would play with that franchise and the (then) New Jersey (now, Brooklyn) Nets before being traded to the Celtics in 1989.

Bags would play for the Celtics for three seasons between 1989 and 1992 but missed the 1990-91 season entirely due to a knee injury and subsequent surgery. He would average 5.7 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 5.8 assists in that stretch with the team.

Bagley would sign a deal with the Atlanta Hawks in November 1993, his last stop in the league before retiring.

Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce weigh in on NIL’s impact on the college game

The change in how the NCAA game works in terms of compensation has had some major impacts on the college game.

The 2024 NCAA Tournament is over, UConn the champs, and most of the college basketball world now focused on the 2024-25 season ahead. But perhaps more than ever, the impact of the “name, image, likeness” rules that allow college players to make money off of endorsements.

Known more commonly as NIL, the change in how the NCAA game works in terms of compensation has had some major impacts on the college game. And not all bad, either. But can this band-aid fix a more substantial issue of athlete compensation at the college level? Or will so-called “student athletes” end up getting paid outright?

To talk over what NIL means for the college game and the wider world of basketball, Boston Celtics Hall of Famers Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett recently weighed in on the phenomenon on a recent episode of the “Ticket and the Truth” podcast.

Check it out above for yourself!

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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Kevin Garnett discusses what makes a superstar player in the NBA

Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce recently discussed what it takes for a player to be classed as a superstar.

The term “superstar” is thrown around a lot in the NBA. However, in reality, there are very few players in the league who can fall under that category. Usually, there are four or five players at a time. The Boston Celtics have a player knocking on the door of superstardom. Jayson Tatum could enter that discussion if he leads the franchise to a championship this season.

Would one championship be enough, though? Or would Tatum need to add multiple rings to his resume to be considered a genuine superstar? During a recent episode of the “KG Certified” podcast, the former Celtics champion sits down with Paul Pierce to discuss what allows a player to transcend the star status.

Garnett has seen, faced, and even been described as a superstar throughout his career. Therefore, he has a good handle on what a player needs to enter that discussion.

You can watch the full episode by clicking on the embedded link above.

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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Is it getting easier to record triple-doubles in the NBA?

Has the NBA moved too far away from a defensive focus? Is that why more and more players are recording triple-doubles?

The NBA is full of elite talent. This new generation of players appears to be faster, stronger, more athletic and more skilled than their predecessors. Part of that is due to the advancements in sports science, another part is the expert coaching available at every level of the game. Nevertheless, the league has been shifting increasingly toward the offensive end of the floor.

Highlights draw new fans, engage casual watchers, and advertise the game without the need for a major ad budget. With that shift, an increasingly large number of players are recording triple-doubles, and the number is rising each year.

In a recent episode of the “KG Certified” podcast, the former Boston Celtics champion discusses whether the league has shifted too far toward the offensive side of the game and whether the NBA is shunning the intricate art of defense.

You can watch the full episode by clicking on the embedded link above.

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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Ray Allen discusses his time with the Boston Celtics

Ray Allen discussed his Boston Celtics tenure during a recent podcast interview with JJ Redick.

Ray Allen was part of the Boston Celtics 2008 championship-winning team. However, his tenure ended sourly, as he left to join the LeBron James-led Miami Heat in 2012. Nevertheless, Allen enjoyed a strong five-year run with the Celtics, averaging 16.7 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 358 regular season games.

During a recent appearance on JJ Redick’s “Old Man and the Three” podcast, Allen discussed his tenure with the Celtics and his time with the Heat. He also touched on his championship runs and what he’s been doing during his retirement from the league.

Allen also discussed the sacrifices it takes to win a championship, especially when playing on a team that is stacked with talent. He was the third star next to Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce during the 2008 run, and then behind LeBron and Dwyane Wade with the Heat.

You can watch Allen’s full interview with Redick by clicking on the embedded link above.

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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On this day: Kevin Garnett scores 20,000th point; John Havlicek gets 43; Don Barksdale passes

On this day in Boston Celtics history, KG hit an elite scoring plateau, and Don Barksdale left us.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, Hall of Fame big man Kevin Garnett scored the 20,001st point of his career in a road game with the Celtics against the Memphis Grizzlies.

In what was then the 13th season of his Hall of Fame NBA career, KG broke the 20,000-point mark with a layup in the first half’s final five minutes of play, giving the Celtics a 45-27 lead in the process. Only Shaquille O’Neal, Allen Iverson, and Kobe Bryant were in that elite scoring club with him as active NBA players at the time who had also hit that lofty plateau.

With the feat, The Big Ticket (as Garnett is sometimes called) became the 32nd player in league history to score 20,000 points in their career.

Paul Pierce doesn’t recall Udonis Haslem acting tough

Paul Pierce can’t recall Udonis Haslem tell him it’s “on sight” if they meet in public.

Paul Pierce recently responded to the viral clip of Udonis Haslem saying he would fight him or Kevin Garnett in a grocery store. According to the Boston Celtics legend, Haslem never made that threat, at least not to the best of Pierce’s memory. The entire discussion is based on the rivalry between the Celtics and the Miami Heat.

Pierce’s comments came during an interview on “The Dan LeBatard Show” and were in direct response to the video clip of Haslem. Pierce then noted how he would prefer to fight in a phone booth rather than in the middle of a grocery store.

“First of all, I’m trying to remember when he told me that,” Pierce said. “I never remember hearing that. Second of all, when we played Miami and Udonis Haslem was out there, I don’t remember no hard screens, no hard fouls…It is what it is. I’d rather do it in a telephone booth, but if you need more room in the grocery store, that’s cool, too.”

The war of words between the two former NBA stars illustrates the bad blood between the Celtics and Heat due to their rivalry in the late 2000s and early 2010s. Pierce was a thorn in Miami’s side for the entirety of that spell, as was Garnett.

Given the fact that Pierce, Haslem, and Garnett are all in their 40s, it’s highly unlikely we ever see them engage in a physical dispute. Still, that’s not going to stop them talking about a hypothetical conflict.

Listen to the “Green With Envy” podcast on:

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

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3Oj4dhD

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3K8MbvY

Every Boston Celtics All-Star for each season the game was played

Every single Boston Celtics All-Star in franchise history.

The 2024 NBA All-Star Game is set to kick off in Indianapolis, Indiana. A pair of Boston Celtics will be part of the action for the third year in a row as Jayson Tatum plays as a starter and Jaylen Brown a reserve for the Eastern Conference All-Stars.

Tatum and Brown join a long list of Celtics stars who have participated in the event, now entering its 73rd year of existence, which actually got its start in the old Boston Garden. Initially created to improve the image of professional basketball after a point-shaving scandal in NCAA ball besmirched the sport in the eyes of the public, the event has taken on a life of its own as one of the league’s most anticipated events.

Let’s take a look at all the Celtics who have taken part.

The Boston Celtics have a new concern in the Eastern Conference

The Boston Celtics may have a new threat in the Eastern Conference in the form of the New York Knicks.

The Boston Celtics are the clear-cut favorites to win the Eastern Conference this season. Brad Stevens’ summer moves to acquire Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday have ensured the Celtics are seen as legitimate championship contenders. However, the New York Knicks are rapidly emerging as a threat in the East, especially after an active January, where they acquired OG Anunoby, Alec Burks, and Bojan Bogdanovic.

Suddenly, there’s another contender in the East. The Knicks are built in Tom Thibodeau’s image. They’re built around stern, hard-nosed defenders with a sprinkling of scoring talent across every position. The Celtics will likely want to avoid a potential seven-game series against the Knicks, especially if it leads to multiple games in Madison Square Garden.

During a recent episode of “Ticket and the Truth,” Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce discussed the sudden rise of the Knicks and the fall of the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors. The former Celtics champions also touched on whether New York could potentially upset the Celtics to win the East this season.

You can watch the full episode by clicking on the link above.

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 legend Kevin Garnett on the three teams he thinks can win the 2024 NBA title

Joined by former Boston teammates Paul Pierce and Tony Allen, the trio make their picks.

Boston Celtics Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett knows a few things about what it takes to win a title, and took his specialized knowledge of that dynamic to the league of today to put together a list of three teams he believes have what it takes to win it all in 2024.

Of course his former team is among the trio, but which are the other clubs that have a shot at winning a title in the NBA’s 2024 Playoffs? In what he dubs his “Garnett’s Bold NBA Playoffs Predictions: Top 3 Teams to Watch” segment, The Big Ticket makes some big predictions about who might be hanging banners this coming offseason.

Joined by fellow Celtics royalty Paul Pierce and Tony Allen, the B-O-S OGs get you up to speed with their picks for the 2024 title.

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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