View From The Rafters: Behind the Scenes with the Boston Celtics

Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens joins us for a special bonus episode after a busy 48 hours leading into and through the NBA Draft. Stevens breaks down all of the trades and decisions that he and the Celtics front office made, including the emotions of trading away Marcus Smart, the arrival and fit of Kristaps Porzingis and balancing the roster. Stevens also dives into the value of replenishing Boston’s draft stock with a handful of second-rounders, gives his take on Jordan Walsh, and wraps up with comments about the new coaching staff and how they’ll develop players. 1:00 – Trading Marcus Smart 3:58 – Kristaps Porzingis’ Fit 6:15 – Accentuating Our Best Players 7:57 – The Celtics’ Toughness 9:29 – Draft Night Chaos & Second-Round Value 12:00 – The Jordan Walsh Report 15:20 – Coaching Staff’s Development Mindset See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For our last episode of Season 3, we combed through each episode to pull out our favorite moments. From current and former players, to members of the media and the Celtics front office, enjoy the best clips from View From The Rafters. 00:53 – Luke Kornet Takeover Best Moments 13:33 – Blake Griffin & The Bus 1 Boys 18:05 – Danilo Gallinari Recalls Playing Kevin Garnett 22:16 – Stories of NBA Scout 27:14 – Jayson Tatum’s & ‘The Confetti Game’ 32:23 – Rob Williams Balancing Fatherhood 37:20 – Paul Pierce’s Beginning In Boston See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Luke Kornet takes over as the host of this week’s episode, bringing in special guests Malcolm Brogdon, Sam Hauser and President of Basketball Operations, Brad Stevens. In this episode, Luke Kornet starts by asking his teammate Malcolm the burning questions on his mind. They discuss Brogdon being a finalist for the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year, Virginia basketball and his presidential nature. Kornet wraps it up by gloating about winning a lockerroom trivia competition. Next, Luke brings in Sam Hauser to chat over a Wisconsin-inspired cheese tasting. In their conversation, Kornet asks Sam why teams target him on defense and gives him some unsolicited marriage advice ahead of Sam’s summer wedding. To wrap up the episode, Brad Stevens joins Luke, giving Kornet the opportunity to ask Brad about his varied employment history and talk about what it was like to play for Brad. 00:40 - Malcolm Brogdon 11:37 - Sam Hauser 19:25 - Marriage Talk 22:50 - Brad Stevens 33:40 - Questions for Brad “from fans” See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Antoine Walker joins us this week to reflect on his career and share thoughts on this year’s current Celtics roster. He tips off the conversation explaining how he plans to be around the Celtics organization in an ambassador role going forward. He then dives into his early career in Boston, drawing parallels between his relationship with Paul Pierce and what he sees now between Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. The conversation pivots into Walker’s college career, the development of the “Walker Wiggle” and what it was like to have his college coach, Rick Pitino, join him in Boston. As the episode wraps up, Antoine and Marc discuss how he was a player ahead of his time, taking threes and playing the perimeter as many young stars and frontline players in the game do today. Antoine closes with final thoughts on how his career unfolded after being traded by Boston, including reflecting on his championship run with the Miami Heat. 2:25 - Updates From Antoine 4:05 - Playoff Outlook 6:48 - Relationship with Paul Pierce 14:21 - Early Years In The NBA 16:10 - Rick Pitino, From Kentucky To Boston 22:42 - Walker Wiggle 25:20 - A Game Of Threes 29:35 - Career After Boston 33:25 - Relationship With KG See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Celtics radio duo Sean Grande and Cedric Maxwell join this week’s episode to share stories of their on-air relationship. The episode begins with Cedric Maxwell praising Sean Grande’s ability to bring energy to their broadcast, regardless of the outcome on the floor. As a former player, Max admits he can get swept up in emotions, recalling a few trophy presentation stories from the 2010 Finals and last year’s 2022 Eastern Conference Finals. From here they go back to the beginning of their on-air relationship, 22 years ago. They discuss how their chemistry developed, their roles on the broadcast team and how beneficial it’s been having the ability to work interchangeably with the broadcast crew at NBC Sports Boston. Before wrapping up, the crew discusses how their longevity brings a level of intimacy to the stories they share with fans. For example, how intertwined Cedric Maxwell was with Kevin Garnett before he even played for the Celtics. 2:31 – Grande Brings The Energy 4:23 – Max’s Trophy Presentation In Miami 6:50 – How The Duo Began 14:01 – Complimentary Styles 18:15 – Chemistry From The Start 21:08 - Challenges This Season Splitting Time With Radio & TV 25:04 – Kevin Garnett 26:40 – KG Welcoming Back Ray Allen 30:00 – Body Of Work Matters 34:20 – Cedric Maxwell’s Multitasking Abilities See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Captain and The Truth, Paul Pierce joins this episode to talk all things Celtics basketball. Pierce has been making an effort in his retirement to try to get to as many games and continue to support his franchise whether it’s at TD Garden or meeting them on the road. Just like us, he’s a fan of the organization, but Paul also explains it’s now his job to pass on the culture to the next generation. In discussing the Celtics culture, Pierce recalls seeing Legends not only at games, but any given practice players like Satch Sanders, Jo Jo White and Tommy Heinsohn and that their presence alone would give the current players energy. The Truth then reflects on his early days as a Celtic, sitting down with Red Auerbach, learning from the vets on the team and soaking in the history from Legends on the sidelines. Now he views that at his role, setting the example and helping guide players would want to be the ones to raise another banner in TD Garden. 4:55 – Once A Celtic Always A Celtic 8:20 – Presence Of Legends 10:13 – Rookie Year Memories 13:24 - Learning On And Off The Court From Vets 16:02 - Tommy Heinsohn 18:00 – Passing The Torch To The Next Generation 20:00 – Work Ethic 21:39 – Relationship With The Current Roster 23:40 – Predictions See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Robert Williams III and Al Horford give their perspective on fatherhood in this week’s episode. We start out hearing from Rob about the importance of leading by example and being someone his kids can be proud of. Rob talks about how everything changed when his oldest was born and the difference in his relationship and parenting styles between his daughter and son. He shares how he learned how to juggle the demands of the NBA and being a dad by watching how his teammates prioritize. The conversation then pivots to talking about the Celtics’ family-first culture and how Brad Stevens sets a tone of prioritizing family moments from the top down. Al Horford joins the conversation and opens by describing the moment he became a dad when he had his first child seven years into his career. He then comments on how great it is to see the level of joy and commitment younger guys on the team have shown raising their kids. 2:55 – Perspective Changes Raising A Daughter 7:25 – Rob Williams On Being A Role Model, Learning From Teammates 9:57 – Cherishing The Little Moments With A Busy Schedule 15:52 – Celtics’ Family-First Culture 22:03 – Al Horford’s Fatherhood Journey See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Luke Kornet joins us this week to discuss his career path and the challenges that come with just trying to make it to, and remain in, the NBA. He opens up the conversation diving right into the camaraderie in the Celtics locker room this season, specifically with the Bus 1 Boys and unique experiences they have together arriving to arenas four hours ahead of games. The conversation then shifts to Luke’s journey into the NBA after initially receiving zero Division 1 offers in high school and eventually going undrafted. Luke recalls questioning multiple times if continuing to pursue professional basketball was the right choice for him. He discusses the trials and triumphs he endured since then, which ultimately led to him signing with the Boston Celtics G League affiliate, the Maine Celtics, and how that decision has impacted his life since. Maine Celtics General Manager Jarell Christian then joins the podcast to provide a bit of insight into the business side of the G League, how it differs from the NBA and the challenge of running a team full of players whose individual sights are all set on making it to the next level. Jarrell talks about roster construction and how the Maine Celtics can be a useful development resource for players on the Celtics roster like Sam Hauser to develop in their role with more time and opportunity. 1:05 – Chemistry In The Celtics Locker Room 2:06 – The Bus 1 Boys Experience 9:07 – Luke Kornet’s Career Path 14:10 – Life In The G League 20:31 – Living In Uncertainty 33:10 – Making Business Decisions Based On Values 39:12 – Defining Roles 42:55 – Creating A Development System In Maine 48:38 – What Makes This System Work? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In episode five of this season, Al Horford, Brad Stevens and ESPN’s Doris Burke join hosts Marc D’Amico and Sean Grande to look back on the chaotic ending to Game 3 of the 2018 Eastern Conference Semifinals against Philadelphia, which has been called ‘The Confetti Game.’ Marco Belinelli hit a desperation shot for Philly to send it to OT, but the combination of a 19-year-old rookie named Jayson Tatum bursting onto the scene, and the timely play of Playoff Al Horford, boosted the Celtics to a dramatic win and 3-0 series lead over Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons and the 76ers. 1:22 – Celtics/Sixers Rivalry 7:48 – Remembering The Confetti 9:29 – Belinelli’s Game-Tying 3 14:27 – Brad Stevens Explains How He Came Up With After-Timeout Plays 20:12 – Jaylen Brown Ties The Game With 24 Seconds Left 28:15 – Jayson Tatum’s Coming Out Party 33:25 – Inside The Horford Basket That Won The Game 41:55 – How Playoff Experience Has Impacted The Celtics’ Core See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Coming out of the All-Star break, co-hosts Marc D’Amico, Sean Grande and Abby Chin sit down together to look back at the first half of the Celtics’ season. The group starts by discussing Joe Mazzulla’s impressive handling of the team through his challenging circumstances, and getting the team to turn the page. From there they switch gears to dive into the depth of the team, including Derrick White’s impact. Throughout the episode, the trio bounces around talking about the importance of the one seed for a long playoff run, their favorite moments thus far, the All-Star game, and Jayson Tatum’s chances of winning MVP. 2:48 - Obstacles To Begin The Season 7:30 - Joe Mazzulla’s Impressive Transition 16:44 - Derrick White’s Impact 22:52 - Learning’s From Last Year’s Playoff Run 25:10 - Importance Of The Number One Seed 27:10 - Favorite Moments Of The Season 37:03 - Jayson Tatum And Jaylen Brown In The All-Star Game 42:11 - Jayson Tatum’s MVP Chances See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Celtics scouts Austin Ainge, Ashley Battle and Benas Matkevicius talk about their experiences as NBA scouts. The episode begins with Austin and Ashley sharing travel stories, the value of seeing players in person vs remotely and the importance of intel gathering. As one of few female scouts, Ashley recaps how her WNBA career ended and her journey back into basketball as a trailblazer in scouting. The group then shifts to the skillsets needed in scouting and how accurate (or inaccurate) Adam Sandler’s movie, Hustle, depicted the life of an NBA scout. International scout Benas Matkevicius then joins the conversation to share some of his wildest travel stories and how he landed his role years ago. 1:45 – Travel Stories 8:04 – Advantages To Being In Person To Evaluate And Gather Intel 16:11 – Ashley’s Journey From The WNBA To Scouting 23:16 – Diversity Of Skill Sets And Experiences 39:40 – Introducing Benas Matkevicius 43:34 – Scouting Internationally 1:06:05 – Communicating Intel Back To The Celtics See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the second episode of season three, Celtics forward Danilo Gallinari takes a break from his rehab work to join hosts Marc D’Amico and Sean Grande. They begin by talking about what it means to represent Italy in the NBA and hopefully be an inspiration for the growth of the basketball in his home country. As a young player, Gallo learned quickly how to hold his own and not be intimated by veteran players, a skill that helped him early on in the NBA to earn respect from Kevin Garnett. Off the court, Danilo shares how becoming a father changed his perspective and how valuable it’s been to have his dad around, supporting him through his current rehab. Throughout the episode, Danilo talks about the injuries he’s had to work through in his career and how sports science has played a role in continually teaching him ways to improve managing his body. 1:38 – Growing up in Italy and being an inspiration for growth of the sport 8:54– Earning the respect of veteran players 12:22 – Injury management, past and present 24:32 – Being a family man 30:40 – Constantly learning how to better take care of his body 36:36 – Inside look at the Celtics season and leadership in the locker room See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Blake Griffin tips off Season 3 of ‘View From The Rafters.’ In this episode, Blake dishes details about his Celtics bench role and team chemistry, specifically between the famed “Bus 1 Crew.” He also discusses growing up in Oklahoma City and adjusting to starting his NBA career in a big market like Los Angeles. As a 13-year vet, Blake shares his thoughts on what makes Jayson Tatum so special while touching on Joe Mazzulla's leadership style. Listeners also learn about Blake’s hobbies outside of basketball as he discusses his interest in comedy and where he gets his stand-up material from. Blake closes out the episode sharing how Paul Pierce impacted his career, his thoughts on Boston fans, and details from his busy All-Star Weekend experiences including winning the 2011 NBA Slam Dunk Contest. *This episode was recorded in a live environment and has a few moments of brief, imperfect audio. 7:46 – Blake on the Celtics bench, team chemistry, and inside jokes 11:50 – Blake’s upbringing and NBA start 17:29 – Blake’s analysis of Jayson Tatum’s talent and Joe Mazzulla's leadership 26:15 – Blake’s interest in comedy and meeting Dave Chappelle for the first time 34:05 – How Blake set #NBATwitter on fire while convincing DeAndre Jordan to stay with the Clippers in 2015 40:45 – Blake’s relationship with Paul Pierce, opinion on Boston fans, plus his All-Star Weekend experiences Listen to new episodes of View From The Rafters every Tuesday or watch on YouTube every Wednesday. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We wrap up Season 2 in style with an audio documentary dedicated to answering one question: What is it that makes playing for the Boston Celtics so special? A long list of current Celtics, including Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart, Al Horford and Ime Udoka, answer that question and explain their experience of donning the Green and White. Also hear the players explain in their own words the Celtics' culture, as well as what it feels like to be on the parquet - and even on the road - while thousands of Celtics fans create an absolutely electric atmosphere around them. This is the Season 2 finale - enjoy! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New England Patriots star running back Damien Harris loves the Celtics, and he knows what it takes to win. He joins Marc to dive into his fandom of the team and his relationships with Celtics players off the court. Harris regularly attends games and talks about sitting right behind Kevin Garnett at KG’s number retirement ceremony, and his excitement to attend Sunday’s Game 1 against the Brooklyn Nets. Harris also gives insight into what it’s like to be a young, professional athlete in New England with pressure to win, he gives his view on Boston’s exciting turnaround this season, and he previews the Patriots’ upcoming offseason workouts. 0:55 – Damien Harris joins the conversation and gives some context on his basketball background 2:10 – Harris talks about being a regular at Celtics games and his relationships with Celtics players 7:30 – Harris comments on playing under the pressure to win that exists in Boston sports 8:50 – Harris talks about Boston’s potential in the Playoffs and its incredible turnaround this season 12:50 – Harris comments on grinding through the tough days to come out on the other side 14:45 – Weight room talk! Harris comments on the C’s postgame lift sessions, and how the weight room helps to bring teams together 17:15 – Guess who was sitting behind KG at his retirement ceremony game? 19:45 – Harris says he’s big on individual handshakes, and discusses the art of them 21:00 – Harris gives an update on his offseason and what’s next for him and the Patriots See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ten months after shocking the basketball world by leaving the sidelines to take the President of Basketball Operations job for the Boston Celtics, Brad Stevens joins the pod for his first lengthy and exclusive conversation about the entire process. With his good friend Sean Grande on the pod with him, you’ll hear a whole new side of the new Celtics boss. What prompted him to switch roles? What does he have to say about his new responsibilities, including hiring a new coach and navigating the trade deadline? What does he think about the potential of this year’s team? Stevens touches on all of that and much more with Marc and Grande. 1:00 – Grande explains how and why he and Brad Stevens became close friends 8:55 – Brad Stevens explains why he moved from coaching into President of Basketball Operations for the Celtics 11:25 – Stevens comments on the impact he felt from the two COVID seasons and the bubble 15:30 – Stevens gives his take on the key differences between his current role and coaching 19:30 – Listen to Stevens recall his first trade deadline experience 23:15 – Stevens goes into the hiring of Ime Udoka and how Udoka has performed this season 28:15 – What’s it like trading someone for the first time? Stevens answers that question 29:50 – Marc asks Stevens about his incredible basketball intuition 35:20 – Marc and Grande react to their conversation with Stevens 39:15 – Grande comments on Stevens taking on his new role, as a new challenge 40:00 – Marc revisits his experiences of interacting with Stevens’ intuition See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What's it like to bask in the glory of being a Boston Celtics cult hero? It's time to hear straight from the horse's mouth. There’s a long list of obscure players in the team’s history who, for reasons other than their play, became some of the most popular players on their team. In this episode, Marc and Grande talk to not one, not two, but THREE of those players, as Brian Scalabrine, Tacko Fall and Gigi Datome all join the pod to discuss what it was like them to become a cult hero in Boston. How did it happen? Why did it happen? What did it involve? And most importantly – what were their favorite memories from their cult hero days in Beantown? They answer all of those questions and many more. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With the college basketball tournament well underway, former collegiate stars and current players within the Celtics organization Payton Pritchard and Denzel Valentine join the show to look back on their tournament experiences. Pritchard appeared in two tournaments as a member of the Oregon Ducks, including a run to the national semifinals back in 2017 that ended in heartbreaking fashion. Valentine, meanwhile, played in four tournaments as a. member of the Michigan State Spartans, including a trip to the national semifinals and being shocked in the first round by 15th-seeded Middle Tennessee in 2016. 1:20 – Payton Pritchard joins the pod 3:20 – Pritchard remembers his close second-round game against Rhode Island, and why it mattered 4:40 – Pritchard dives into the experience of playing at the Final Four 5:37 – The discussion goes deep into Oregon’s gut-wrenching, semifinal loss to UNC in 2017 10:50 – Denzel Valentine joins the pod and explains what it’s like playing in the NCAA tournament 16:15 – The conversation begins to detail Valentine’s experience as Michigan State was shockingly upset in the first-round in 2016 by 15th-seeded Middle Tennessee 21:58 – Valentine speaks on the lack of pressure small schools and lower seeds feel when playing big programs, and how that leads to upsets 25:50 – Valentine remembers his experience as Michigan State made a run to the Final Four during his junior year 29:45 – What’s it like playing for Tom Izzo in a tournament? Valentine explains 32:00 – Valentine speaks about his brother, Drew, who coached his team at Loyola-Chicago to the tournament this year See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In celebration of Women’s History Month, we’re proud to deliver our first-ever all-female podcast episode featuring a handful of accomplished women and trailblazers in the basketball world. Abby Chin and Amanda Pflugrad host and bring in Big East Commissioner and the first president of the WNBA Val Ackerman, Connecticut Sun President Jen Rizzotti, and Boston Celtics scout and three-time national champion Ashley Battle. The group weaves through a long list of topics all centered around what it’s like to be a woman in the sporting world, and in particular, the world of basketball. 2:20 – Abby and Amanda welcome in their ridiculously impressive list of guests 3:35 – Val Ackerman explains the path she’s taken to becoming the Commissioner of the Big East 5:55 – Ashley Battle jumps in to tell the story of her career 7:55 – Jen Rizzotti rounds out the group by explaining how she came to be president of the Connecticut Sun 11:20 – Rizzotti and Battle explain how the WNBA bubble empowered the players of the league 15:00 – Ackerman states her ‘four buckets’ between the connection of women and sports 18:00 – Ackerman recalls an experience that scarred her and proved to her just how much more work needs to be done within FIBA to embrace women in basketball 23:43 – The group discusses the challenges women face of having a family while trying to build their careers 28:15 – The group gives advice on how to overcome challenges while discussing their own stories 32:40 – Allison Feaster, the Celtics’ Vice President of Player Development and Organizational Growth, is discussed amongst the group 36:05 – Rizzotti reveals her perspective on women in the workforce See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s a Kevin Garnett Mega Pod! Ahead of the retirement of KG’s No. 5 on March 13, we hit the Garnett story from all angles. First by bringing in two of his former teammates in Eddie House and James Posey to explain what it’s like to be KG’s teammate. Next by bringing in Wyc Grousbeck to break down how the Garnett megadeal came together back in 2007. And last but not least, the man who is credited with discovering KG, William “Wolf” Nelson, who coached Garnett in high school at Farragut Academy and has been alongside KG ever since, joins the pod to talk about Garnett’s early years and how the two first met back in the day at the Nike All-American camp. 4:00 – Eddie House and James Posey join the pod 5:00 – House and Posey comment on how the Kevin Garnett trade influenced them to sign with Boston, and how House recruited Posey to the team 8:45 – House and Posey explain what it’s like being KG’s teammate for the first time 10:20 – Posey tells the story of when Doc Rivers told KG that KG would be fined if he stepped on the practice court 14:00 – House recalls how KG used to get himself amped up before every single game and every single practice 15:50 – The two former Celtics reveal the time before a game when they knew not to speak to KG anymore because he was in the zone 18:15 – Celtics lead owner Wyc Grousbeck joins the pod and reveals when and how he told KG that he wanted to retire KG’s No. 5 22:20 – Grousbeck recalls the preparation that went into the Celtics preparing for and completing a trade for KG back in 2007 25:30 – Marc and Wyc recall the story that Paul Pierce told Wyc during a free throw against Minnesota back in 2006 that KG was Boston’s missing piece 27:00 – Grousbeck comments on the lasting impact Garnett made and left on the Celtics 31:08 – KG’s high school coach at Farragut, William “Wolf” Nelson, joins the pod 33:00 – Nelson recalls when and how Garnett first moved to Chicago, and what made him allow KG to play an unconventional style of basketball for a big man 37:00- Nelson remembers the famous KG pre-Draft workout, and when he first told Garnett to not restrain his emotions on the court 42:00 – Nelson recalls when he first saw Kevin Garnett at the Nike All-American camp 49:30 – Nelson compared Garnett to Jack and the Beanstock 52:30 – Marc and Grande reconvene to break down the pod interviews 56:30 – What were plan rides and hotel experiences like with KG? Competitive. Loud. Profane. Marc and Grande remember their experiences alongside the Big Ticket 1:00:00 – Wait… KG. turns elevator rides into competitions? 1:05:30 – Grande gives context to KG’s defensive greatness See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.