Celtics Lab NBA Basketball Podcast

The past few seasons have been some of the bumpiest in recent memory for the Boston Celtics off the court, with everything from the pandemic to internal scandal taking a toll on the on-court product just as the team starts to pursue another title in earnest. One cannot tell the story of the Celtics last season without including the mess made by former head coach Ime Udoka, or why the team was among the last four clubs in the Orlando bubble without saying why they were there in the first place. While sports can be an escape, the human side of the tale matters too -- and isn't always the easiest aspect to cover. As the Celtics emerge from one of their choppier campaigns in a while due to such issues, their summer teambuilding nearly finished, the hosts of the CLNS Media "Celtics Lab" podcast linked up with Boston Globe beat writer and "A-List" podcast host Gary Washburn to talk about how to cover and engage with those difficult aspects of the sport. They also assess the offseason so far, and get into what little news is still trickling out for the truly stalwart Boston fans. The Celtics Lab podcast is brought to you by Fan Duel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Star Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown has officially signed his historic supermax contract extension, and did so with the sort of pomp such a moment deserves, with Olympian and civil rights icon John Carlos in attendance along with lead governor Wyc Grousbeck, team president Brad Stevens, and head coach Joe Mazzulla. But the most interesting guests at the signing and press conference were Brown's Steam students from his MIT bridge program, Black and brown youth from the greater Boston area. The Celtics star made use of signing his new contract to help shed light on efforts to address systemic racism in the city and hopes to found a new Black Wall Street in Boston, a sign of the depth of his commitment to the community. The hosts of the CLNS Media "Celtics Lab" podcast dove into Brown's supermax extension contract presser, what we can learn from what was said and done at it, and what the extension means for Boston moving forward. They also get into the news of Mike Gorman's final season calling games and the rest of the trickle of news still percolating this late in the NBA offseason, so tune in and get up to speed on all things Celtics this last week of July. The Celtics Lab podcast is brought to you by Fan Duel and Better Help. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Boston Celtics are likely to be nearing the finish line when it comes to team building for the 2023 offseason, with limited spending power for a shrinking pool of potential free agent signings. And while trades big and small remain on the table for reshaping the Celtics' roster for the 2023-24 NBA season, signs are starting to drift in that this is close to Boston's finished roster until the trade deadline, at least. That is not to say that there are some options still unsigned who could provide some real help to the Celtics' designs on contention, so the hosts of the CLNS Media "Celtics Lab" podcast sat down and worked their way through the best remaining free agents to try and narrow down which ones make the most sense for the team to pursue. We also get into the ongoing Jaylen Brown supermax extension saga and some Las Vegas Summer League-adjacent chatter catching up on the also-shrinking flow of news as we inch closer to the doldrums of the offseason. This episode of the Celtics Lab podcast is brought to you by Fan Duel and Better Help. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New England sports fans have been spoiled lately, but some lengthy eras of dismay are part of the storied histories of the Boston Celtics, the Bruins, the New England Patriots and Red Sox. They provide ample fodder for the region's equally rich history of sports writers and journalists. Ahead of the start to the doldrums of the NBA's 2023 offseason, plenty of unresolved aspects remain for this season's Celtics. Chief among them are the Jaylen Brown supermax extension and the finishing touches to the 2023-24 roster. But as Boston preps the players it hopes to make history with this season, there's a new book on the history of the Red Sox out and another on the Celtics on the way. Author Chad Finn of the Boston Globe sat down with the hosts of the CLNS Media "Celtics Lab" podcast to talk about all of the above with a few spicy takes mixed in for good measure. The Celtics Lab podcast is brought to you by Fan Duel and Better Help. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Boston Celtics made a big splash to start the NBA's 2023 free agency period by trading away veteran point guard Marcus Smart for star center Kristaps Porzingis, drafted Arkansas Razorbacks standout Jordan Walsh, then signed forward Oshae Brissett and point guard Dalano Banton. Soon afterward (and just before this podcast was recorded), the Celtics dealt away reserve forward Grant Williams for draft assets and breathing room below the new collective bargaining agreement's dreaded second apron. Now the Celtics only need to secure a signature from star forward Jaylen Brown's supermax contract extension to put a bow on their offseason team building. Or do they? With rumbles out there that the ball club might yet have more moves to make, the hosts of the CLNS Media "Celtics Lab" podcast linked up with co-host of the "How 'Bout Them Celtics?" podcast Sam LaFrance to talk about the Celtics offseason so far -- and what else might be coming down the pike. The Celtics Lab podcast is brought to you by Fan Duel and Better Help. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Boston Celtics shook things up in a big way by dealing away veteran point guard Marcus Smart for star big man Kristaps Porzingis, but we are also hearing that there is more to come in terms of reshaping the Celtics' roster in pursuit of Banner 18. How do we feel about the moves Brad Stevens and Co. have made so far? What else does this roster need? What other moves do we think might be coming down the pike in free agency and via trade? How do Grant Williams' restricted free agency and the new CBA factor into all of the above? There's a host of questions in need of answers for this team to have a good chance at making it back to the NBA Finals in 2024, and on this episode of the CLNS Media "Celtics Lab" podcast, the hosts dive in headlong to the issues facing Boston ahead of the start of free agency and beyond. The Celtics Lab podcast is brought to you by Fan Duel and Better Help. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Many fans of the Boston Celtics went to bed thinking they would wake up to 2023 Sixth Man of the Year Malcolm Brogdon as a Los Angeles Clipper, reserve forward Danilo Gallinari a Washington Wizard, and Kristaps Porzingis in Boston. Some who went to bed earlier may have thought they'd wake up with Brogdon and Gallo on the Wiz and Porzingis a Celtic. But pretty much no one had Marcus Smart a Memphis Grizzly well before dawn on the next day. The move by team president Brad Stevens to shake up the ball club by dealing away its longest-tenured player for the Latvian big man and draft capital hit Boston fans right in the feels, even the ones who believe it was a savvy move under the new collective bargaining agreement. And not everyone is thrilled to have put so much of the team's salary cap into a player who has averaged less than 60 games played per season over a seven-season career, nor one who has problematic allegations in their past. Cohost of the CLNS Media "Celtics Lab" podcast Cameron Tabatabaie linked up with Celtics Blog's Jack Simone to talk over the unexpected news, and what it means for the team, for fans, and for the future. The Celtics Lab podcast is brought to you by Fan Duel and Better Help. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The 2023 NBA draft takes place this Thursday, June 22, and while the Boston Celtics have traded away their first round pick for this class of prospects, they possess an intriguing selection at the top of the second round via a pick owed them by the Portland Trail Blazers at No. 35 overall. The Celtics could also trade up, back, or even out of this year's draft depending on what sort of trades might be on the table ahead of their time on the clock late Thursday evening, with offseason rumbles already connecting several Boston players with potential moves around the league. To get a handle on which prospects might be of interest to the Celtics, where in the draft they might be, and what Boston might need to do to get there, the hosts of the CLNS Media "Celtics Lab" podcast brought on friend of the pod Bryan Kalbrosky of For The Win and USA TODAY. The trio makes sense of the first big trade of the 2023 offseason in Bradley Beal to the Phoenix Suns, dives into some of the meatier rumors making the rounds, takes a first look at the hire of Phil Pressey as an assistant, and ties it all to the main event on Thursday. The Celtics Lab podcast is brought to you by Fan Duel and Better Help. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With the real action of the NBA's 2023 offseason about to start unfolding, it's fair to say that events largely beyond the control of the Boston Celtics set the team up for failure last season even before the 2022-23 campaign even began. But now, the Celtics have a full offseason to surround head coach Joe Mazzulla with the support he'll need and time to make the trades and other moves needed to secure Boston's roster to pursue a title in earnest both now and in the future. What will a successful offseason look like for the Celtics in light of the sting of the loss in the East finals? How should they progress given Jaylen Brown's potential supermax extension and the new collective bargaining agreement? Where does Grant Williams' restricted free agency factor into these things? What else does the roster need, and for the players coming back, where is improvement needed? With a host of things on the Celtics' to-do list, the hosts of the CLNS Media "Celtics Lab" podcast reached to GQ's Howard Beck to put together some expectations for this team's offseason and the campaign ahead of it. We even get in a little chatter about some of the bigger rumbles we've been hearing ahead of silly season's full florescence along with some criticism of teams holding fanbases hostage. The Celtics Lab podcast is brought to you by Fan Duel and Better Help. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One of the biggest challenges the Boston Celtics will need to overcome this season and in the short term moving forward if they want to win another title won't necessarily be an opposing team or player. As we begin to learn the details of the NBA's new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) and how it was designed to punish ball clubs with rosters and payrolls like the Celtics have, it is becoming increasingly clear that the team's title window will likely be shorter than hoped -- and far more difficult to navigate on top of the more quotidian issues Boston still needs to address in terms of roster construction. To get a better read on what the Celtics may be facing and what options and specific challenges might be waiting for Boston this offseason, the hosts of the CLNS Media "Celtics Lab" podcast brought on friend of the pod Yossi Gozlan, HoopsHype cap expert, to talk us through the finer points of the league's new CBA. They also get into the trickle of news still percolating through the Celtics media sphere, advocating for the hire of Sam Cassell shortly before it happened among other coaching staff to flesh out head coach Joe Mazzulla's bench for next season. The Celtics Lab podcast is sponsored by Fan Duel and Better Help. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The dust has settled on the Boston Celtics' Game 7 loss to the Miami Heat in the 2023 Eastern Conference finals, with the Celtics now looking at an exceptionally punitive new collective bargaining agreement designed to make life difficult for costly rosters like Boston's just as they need to retool for another run at a title. The team has major decisions to make in terms of whether to Supermax Jaylen Brown, re-sign Grant Williams, and what to do with the rest of the roster to commit to a financial path that will also put the ball club in the best position possible to hang a banner in the short term. To do all the above, they will end up choosing one of three general approaches to building the roster for their 2023-24 campaign which would be running it back, making minor moves, or something that would see the team take a step back next season to reload for a longer title window (we hope). All of them have their own, considerable risks -- and on this pod, we try our best to outline what the contours of each are before diving into specifics on this latest episode of the CLNS Media "Celtics Lab" podcast. The Celtics Lab podcast is brought to you by Fan Duel and Better Help. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Once, a wise man told the fans of the Boston Celtics that anything was possible. And in Game 6 of the 2023 Eastern Conference finals as the Celtics could have let their title aspirations and their season slip through their fingers as Jimmy Butler made free throws to put the Miami Heat up 1 with just 3 seconds left, Boston's Derrick White remembered that fact. A miraculous tip-in won the game for the Celtics and put Boston in a position to be the first team in the history of the NBA to overcome a 0-3 series deficit on their way to punching a ticket to face the Denver Nuggets in the 2023 NBA Finals and another chance at winning Banner 18. They will do it on Monday at home, playing for history on their home court of TD Garden. The hosts of the CLNS Media "Celtics Lab" podcast sat down postgame to talk over a memory that will live on in Celtics lore for the ages. As well as what they expect to see in the best thing the NBA playoffs has to offer -- a Game 7. The Celtics Lab podcast is brought to you by Fan Duel and Better Help. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

No team has ever come back from a 0-3 deficit, but on Thursday night at TD Garden, the Boston Celtics looked as if they are as likely of a team as any before them to break that seemingly unbreakable record vs. the Miami Heat. In a wire-to-wire victory flowing from Boston's elite defense, the Heat never had a chance in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference finals. Can the Celtics do the (at least until now) impossible? How did they win Game 5? What do they need to keep up in order to steal Game 6 in Miami? And can they keep their mind in the present, avoiding looking past the Heat? The hosts of the CLNS Media "Celtics Lab" podcast got together postgame to talk it over live from TD Garden; be sure to tune in to the immaculate Game 5 vibes. The Celtics Lab podcast is brought to you by Fan Duel and Better Help. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Somehow, despite the odds being against their even winning one game in the 2023 East finals after dropping the first three contests, the Boston Celtics won Game 4 vs. the Miami Heat on Tuesday night. Now, the Celtics will need to repeat that feat three more times over the next six days, a tall feat if ever there was one given the 150 previous attempts to do the same coming up short. Is there a legitimate path to such an outcome, or are fans getting deep into their copium stash? Did Joe Mazzulla save his job, or will he still be on the hot seat? What was different for Boston in this game that was missing in the prior three contests? Most importantly, can they win another game now that the series heads back to Boston? The hosts of the CLNS Media "Celtics Lab" podcast did their best to wrap their heads around the improbable win and what it means for the short-term future and beyond. The Celtics Lab podcast is brought to you by Fan Duel and Better Help. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Boston Celtics desperately needed a win in Game 3 of their 2023 East finals series with the Miami Heat on Sunday night, but dug deep into their reserves of basketball magic and found nothing. Now down in the dreaded 0-3 series deficit that no team has ever come back from, the Celtics are staring down an uncertain future. Can they stave off disaster and accomplish the as-of-yet-impossible comeback? Should we put our energy into trying to imagine what this ball club does next once the dust settles on the series? And who ought to be blamed for this predictable yet also painful collapse? The hosts of the CLNS Media "Celtics Lab" podcast linked up with Off the Glass "Heaters Gonna Heat" podcast host Kyle Russell to try and answer all of the above in brief given we will likely have more than enough time in the future for postmortems. The Celtics Lab podcast is brought to you by Fan Duel and Better Help. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Boston Celtics wilted in the white-hot lights shone on them by a determined Miami Heat ball club in Game 2 of their East Finals series. Now, the Celtics find themselves in a 0-2 series deficit headed back to Miami, one loss away from the dreaded 0-3 hole. Boston has come back from a 0-2 start before, most recently against a Jimmy Butler-led team when he was with the Chicago Bulls, but this series feels very different from that one. Can Boston find the right combination of effort, scheme, and coaching to save their season from the brink of disaster? The hosts of the CLNS Media "Celtics Lab" podcast jumped into the fray to try and make sense of what went wrong from curious coverage and rotation decisions, coaching mistakes, and poor late-game execution. They also get into what they want to see in Game 3, as well as the other team currently in a 0-2 hole in the conference finals. The Celtics Lab podcast is brought to you by Fan Duel and Better Help. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The first half of Game 1 of the NBA's 2023 Eastern Conference Finals went exactly how fans of the Boston Celtics hoped it would, with the team defending and attacking with the sort of intensity needed to meet a determined opponent like the Miami Heat. But in the second half of the tilt, the Celtics came out a little flat, and that was all the encouragement needed by Miami to punch Boston in the mouth, never looking back as they cruised to a 123-116 win. What went wrong? Why are the Celtics allowing themselves to be taken out of their game so easily? Have they still not learned their lesson, or is there something more here? And is head coach Joe Mazzulla being outcoached by Erik Spoelstra, or was this loss more on the players? The hosts of the CLNS Media "Celtics Lab" podcast took the pulse of the team at the podium to try and answer some of the above, as well as getting caught up on the NBA coaching carousel and other non-playoff news while we look ahead to Game 2 of the series. The Celtics Lab podcast is brought to you by Fan Duel and Better Help. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After a dramatic Game 7 win over the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2023 Eastern Conference semifinals driven by a historic 51 points from star Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum, the Celtics are set to face the Miami Heat in what will not only be a rematch of the 2022 East Finals, but a rematch of both conference finals that we saw unfold in the 2020 Orlando bubble. What will the now-staple Eastern Conference postseason matchup look like this time around? Has Boston finally exorcised the demons that have haunted them since the last time these two teams collided in the postseason? Or are they still vulnerable to Miami's zones, Jimmy Butler's maniacal play, and Eric Spoelstra's masterful coaching? The hosts of the CLNS Media "Celtics Lab" podcast got together with host Kyle Russell of the "Heaters Gonna Heat" podcast to help us get our bearings on this iteration of Boston's Floridian menace. We get up to speed on how healthy the Heat are, how Kevin Love and Cody Zeller have given Miami a competent frontcourt rotation, and why this team should not be judged by how they played in the 2022-23 regular season. The Celtics Lab podcast is brought to by Fan Duel and Better Help. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Boston Celtics needed to come with their "A" Game to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals in Game 7 of their East semis series with the Philadelphia 76ers, and somehow the Celtics found a way to dig even deeper with a historic, 51-point outing from star forward Jayson Tatum. What did Boston do differently? Why did we see so much pick-and-roll for a Celtics squad in 2022-23, and how did Boston work to take away what the Sixers lean on the most offensively? And most important of all, how are we feeling about the looming rematch with the Heat in a do-over of the 2020 bubble's final four teams as the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Lakers advance to face each other in the Western Conference finals? The hosts of the CLNS Media "Celtics Lab" podcast had plenty to say after a 112-88 Boston blowout Game 7 win, as well as the rest of the postseason landscape now that the Celtics are no longer in danger of getting sent fishing. The gang also touches on the disturbing behavior from Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant, 2023 Celtics draft prep, and more so be sure to tune in. The Celtics Lab podcast is brought to you by Fan Duel and Better Help. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With the Boston Celtics' season -- and perhaps much more -- on the brink in Game 6 of their 2023 Eastern Conference semifinals series with the Philadelphia 76ers, the Celtics needed to put it all out on the court for a win. And somehow, despite a 0-of-10 first half for Jayson Tatum that saw the Duke alum put up just one make from the floor in the third quarter and 18 turnovers for the team, Boston did exactly that. A shift back to the defense-first, double-big lineup of Al Horford and Robert Williams III paid early dividends, and despite things coming a bit unglued for much of the middle of the game, Tatum getting hot from 3 late saved the season and perhaps more. To talk about the improbable, dramatic win for the Celtics, the hosts of the CLNS Media "Celtics Lab" podcast linked up with High Off the Glass' Greg Brueck-Cassoli. We also (very) briefly touch on the other series around the 2023 NBA Playoffs and look ahead to Game 7 on Mother's Day at TD Garden. The Celtics Lab podcast is brought to you by Fan Duel and Better Help. NOTE: Audio issue sorted Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices