‘We’re just hungry for more,’ says Sam Hauser of win over Chicago Bulls

“It’s not in our character to just, like, mail it in for the rest of the season,” he explained.

Even with the Boston Celtics missing three starters in Jaylen Brown, Jrue Holiday, and Kristaps Porzingis, the Boston Celtics had little difficulty putting away the Chicago Bulls at United Center on Saturday night.

The Celtics won 124-113 with contributions from usual bench players filling in as starters, including Al Horford, whose 5-of-10 night from beyond the arc helped power Boston to the win, their 57th. “Different people, different guys, are ready to step up when their number’s called,” said Horford via the AP.

“We all understand what we’re trying to do, how we’re trying to play. Guys are just staying ready and taking advantage of the opportunities,” he added.

Reserve forward Sam Hauser (23 points, 5 rebounds) agreed. “We’re just hungry for more,” he explained. “It’s not in our character to just, like, mail it in for the rest of the season.”

The Celtics have just 11 games left in their 2023-24 NBA regular season schedule vs. just 10 teams, so their collective character won’t be tested too much. 

Leaving the rest of us wondering, how many more games is this team going to win, even when they aren’t playing their best players?

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

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Payton Pritchard and Sam Hauser have become top-shelf NBA talent for the Boston Celtics

At the start of the season, it was not entirely clear what roles reserve sharpshooters Payton Pritchard and Sam Hauser would have.

At the start of the NBA’s 2023-24 season, it was not entirely clear what roles reserve sharpshooters Payton Pritchard and Sam Hauser would have with the team after the Boston Celtics’ front office added two All-Star level talents in Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis.

But fast-forward to the present, and it is pretty clear that the Celtics do and will lean pretty heavily on these two to change the energy (and spacing) of a game from almost the moment they step on the court. It’s safe to say that Pritchard and Hauser have become top-shelf NBA talent with their play this season.

On a recent episode, the hosts of the CLNS Media “How Bout Them Celtics!” and “Talkin’ Cs” podcasts linked up to break down Fast PP and Slam Hauser’s play with Boston this season.

Check it out above!

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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Al Horford wanted Sam Hauser to break league record against Wizards

Al Horford was hoping Sam Hauser would pop for 15 or more threes against the Washington Wizards.

Sam Hauser scored 10 3-point shots during the Boston Celtics win over the Washington Wizards. Unfortunately, the sharpshooting forward suffered an ankle injury in the third quarter after falling awkwardly in front of Washington’s bench.

Hauser left the game and didn’t return, leaving him two threes shy of becoming the new record-holder for most perimeter buckets in a game. Marcus Smart currently holds the record with 11 made 3s. Speaking to the media after the game, veteran big man Al Horford revealed that he was rooting for Hauser to not only break Boston’s record but also set a new league record.

“It was impressive,” said Horford. “Most impressive to me was that everything was within the flow of the offense. We just played our game, and guys were mindful he was there. I was hoping he was going to go for 15, you know break the Celtics record but also go for the league record. We knew he had seven at halftime, and we definitely wanted to make sure we kept him involved in the offense. When you got it going that like, you want to keep it going.”

Hauser will miss the Celtics’ upcoming game against the Detroit Pistons. Nevertheless, his scoring outburst against the Wizards will undoubtedly have reminded everyone why he’s such an important part of the rotation. He’s one of the best movement-shooting snipers in the NBA.

Hauser has played in 66 games this season. He will likely feature heavily throughout the playoffs. For an undrafted forward who started out on a two-way contract with the Celtics, he’s rapidly become a core part of their roster. Hopefully, he won’t be out with an injury for too long.

Listen to the “Green With Envy” podcast on:

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Boston’s Sam Hauser on the Bus 1 Boys, his shooting, Luke Kornet celebrations

The Virginia alum recently took some time to talk over how the Celtics’ 2023-24 campaign has been going.

The original leader of the Bus 1 Boys may no longer be a part of the Boston Celtics roster (though we would all love Blake Griffin to come back), but Celtics sharpshooting forward Sam Hauser still represents that ethos for Boston this season.

The Virginia alum recently took some time to talk over how the Celtics’ 2023-24 campaign has been going with the hosts of Boston’s team-produced podcast, “The View From the Rafters”. Hauser also got into his laser-focused shot and even his thoughts on the elaborate in-game celebrations we have seen from big man teammate Luke Kornet.

Speaking with team reporter Marc D’Amico and NBC Sports Boston’s Abby Chin, this interview was a fun exchange you will definitely want to hear on the last “View From the Rafters” of the regular season.

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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How the Boston Celtics bench players are making an impact

A case can be made for a minor addition or two via the trade market or perhaps a buyout guy, but a general consensus seems to be building that Boston’s bench needs very little.

The Boston Celtics might not have the most intimidating bench rotation in the NBA when it comes to their offensive output, but then they don’t need to light the world on fire scoring. With arguably the best starting five in the league and a decent supply of offensive firepower already on the bench, the Celtics’ reserves are exactly what this ball club needs to win.

A case can be made for a minor addition or two via the trade market or perhaps a buyout guy, but a general consensus seems to be building that Boston’s bench needs very little if anything.

To take stock of the Stay Ready Crew — as the Celtics’ bench mob has come to be known — NBC Sports Boston’s Chris Forsberg broke down how Payton Pritchard, Neemias Queta, Luke Kornet and Sam Hauser are making a difference this season.

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 238: A deep dive into the deep rotation’s Stay Ready Crew with Noa Dalzell

Which players matter most to the team’s title aspirations? Which might be on the move ahead of the 2024 NBA trade deadline? What talent does Boston have in the pipeline in Maine? And who will see the floor in the postseason?

The Boston Celtics have by most accounts the best top six players in the entire NBA to match their league-best regular season record. So, it can be easy to forget about the rest of the team. The so-called “Stay Ready Crew” mostly does just that — keep themselves in the right frame of mind and state of health in case their number is called.

And those numbers do get called, with players like Oshae Brissett and Lamar Stevens bringing energy and matchup-dependent options that have sparked wins for Boston, while the sharpshooting duo of Payton Pritchard and Sam Hauser wreak havoc on opposing defenses. And if it were not for the likes of Luke Kornet and Neemias Queta defying expectations as reserve big men, you can be sure there would be less wins to the Celtics’ name this season.

Which players matter most to the team’s title aspirations? Which might be on the move ahead of the 2024 NBA trade deadline? What talent does Boston have in the pipeline in Maine? And who will see the floor in the postseason?

To answer all of these key questions not quite getting the attention they deserve, the hosts of the CLNS Media “Celtics Lab” podcast linked up with Celtics Blog’s Noa Dalzell.

The self-proclaimed Boston bench beat reporter who has a bead on a certain crew that stays ready, join us in a deep dive into the Celtics’ reserves. (Apologies for variable audio, wifi issues made for a few bumps).

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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Why the Boston Celtics need to start getting used to a potential playoff rotation

Their top six may be the best in the Association so far this season, but are they confident in seven through nine?

With the 2023-24 NBA season officially at the halfway point for the Boston Celtics, some league analysts are suggesting that the team ought to be tightening its rotation a bit in anticipation of the 2024 postseason. Their top six may be the best in the Association so far this season, but as Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley points out, “they could still have questions about … whether anyone else (on the team) can hang in a playoff rotation.”

“Sam Hauser’s shot is helpful to have, but is there any worry about opponents exposing him on the defensive end?” asks the B/R analyst. “Is Payton Pritchard playable given his lack of size (6-foot-1, 195 lbs) and athletic limitations? Will teams exploit Luke Kornet’s limited mobility away from the basket?”

“Answering these questions will allow the front office to figure out what—if anything—this roster needs,” he continues.

And it is a safe bet that Boston needs a bigger forward by their own admission and could perhaps also use some more depth in the frontcourt as well.

But Buckley is not wrong that the team may want to start shortening their rotation to give run to players like Pritchard and Hauser to see if they don’t need more help for their potential postseason reserve roles.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

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

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Why do people think Boston’s Sam Hauser is a bad defender?

Teams somehow still think that the Virginia alum is still a bad defender.

Early in his NBA career, reserve Boston Celtics forward Sam Hauser was a bit of a liability on the defensive end, but then most younger players tend to be as they find their way in the league. But for whatever reason (Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla thinks it might be because Hauser is White), teams somehow still think that the Virginia alum is still a bad defender.

But Hauser has really worked on that aspect of his game, and is truly a solid if not especially remarkable defender able to guard up or down a bit from the small forward position. He makes few mistakes on either end of the court, and has even learned to leverage the inexplicable extra targeting he gets on the defensive end of the court to his (and Boston’s) advantage.

The hosts of the CLNS Media “Talkin’ Cs / How Bout Them Celtics!” podcasts linked up to dig into Hauser as a defender as well as other recent topics du jour.

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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Boston’s Sam Hauser on Jordan Walsh’s growth with the Maine Celtics

“You can tell he’s got a lot of potential and a lot of talent, so I know he’s working really hard,” said Hauser.

Fans of the Boston Celtics were clamoring for rookie wing Jordan Walsh to get on the floor for at TD Garden, but the Arkansas alum has spent his entire season so far with the Maine Celtics honing his craft at the G League level.

But the Texas native has been putting in work, and it has caught the attention of teammates on the parent club’s roster, like forward Sam Hauser, who forged his own path to the league via time spent in Maine. “Jordan is coming along well,” said Hauser via MassLive’s Souichi Terada. “He’s young, he’s learning, but he’s been playing really well.”

“You can tell he’s got a lot of potential and a lot of talent, so I know he’s working really hard and every time he’s come back here it’s looked like he’s gotten better,” added the Virginia alum.

“I think you kind of have to have a balance,” said Hauser. “Work on the things that you know, like when you come up here, you’re going to have to do, and then also expanding your game as much as you can when you get the opportunity.”

“I think he’s done a good job of that so far, and I think when he does come up here, he’s probably going to be a defender, a spot-shooter and find a role on this team.”

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 this day: 2nd-lowest score in Boston’s history; Larry Bird, Antoine Walker triple-double

On this date, the Boston Celtics scored their second-lowest point total in team history and saw Larry Bird and Antoine Walker triple-double.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, in the very first NBA season of the storied franchise’s existence in 1946, the Celtics scored their second-lowest point total in franchise history in their 17th game of existence in the Basketball Association of America (BAA – a precursor league to the NBA). The ignominious honor came on the road in a 62-44 loss to the New York Knicks, the Celtics’ 14th loss of a very rough inaugural campaign for the franchise.

Mercifully for the Boston fans of that era, it was not an auspicious beginning for the team that would later win an NBA-record 17 titles.

Wing Wyndol Gray led all of Boston’s players with 13 points, hitting one of his two free-throw attempts.