POSTGAME POD: Why you should feel optimistic despite Celtics’ loss to Thunder

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1:00Xfinity tech support? How can I help? I can't get Jurassic Park back online without... Oh, you just need Xfinity. Plug in your gateway and you're good. All set. Luckily, Xfinity has reliable self-healing Wi-Fi that keeps you safe from threats. Wow. You can even boost speeds to your most important devices. Get reliable Wi-Fi at one price for five years. Guaranteed. Xfinity. Imagine that. Watch Jurassic Park with Xfinity. Restrictions apply, select plans only. Celtics Talk Podcast is presented by 24autogroup.com. New England gets more at 24. What's up, everybody? What's up? I like your what's up. I know, right? We're not angry. What's up tonight? Yeah. Like a few days ago. This was an angry what's up. It's a little harsh. Celtics fall to the Oklahoma City Thunder, 104-102. But a highly entertaining playoff intensity type game.

2:04And I think we both set it on our post game show. You kind of come away. And a lot of nights, if the Celtics had a final shot and walked away losing a close game, you'd be like, ah, man, you'd be like, you'd be down, kicking the dirt in front of us. But no. In part because you don't have Jay Stata, you don't have Derek White. Celtics still go out there and be competitive. And I know the Oklahoma City was missing guys as well. And the last sequence where Sam Houser picks up a foul on Chatholmgren is frustrating because you played good defense and got the ball out of S.G. His hand. But Kayla, am I crazy to be like, I don't do silver linings around here very often. But I thought there was a lot we can take from this one. Period. And I left this game being like, this game was awesome. And you know what's interesting? Jalen Brown post game felt the same way, Peyton Pritchard, even after he airballed that game when it would you know, Peyton beat himself up if he doesn't nail those buzzer BP

3:06even though he did going into the half. I felt so overly, maybe too overly optimistic. I am an overly optimistic person like Sumi. But. Green teamer. Green teamer. Green freaking teamer. Green freaking teamer. But in all honesty, I just felt like this was, you know, going into this matchup, this was a big test and even going into the spurs and we couldn't really see the true test without Jalen Brown rejected whether you choose this side or this side, whatever. Going into this game, now you don't have Jason Tatum and I think the headline coming out of it was like, okay, if O.K.C wins, oh, they did it without Jason Tatum and Derek White. But I don't feel like it's that hostility headline. Yeah. I think instead, it's like, wait, these are two MVP, excuse me, NBA finals preview. Yeah, that's what I got from it. And I think that the Celtic's depth, Baylor Shireman, man, I continue to say each day and each night, like he is so vile to this team.

4:06The hustle plays, the extra, the loose balls that he's going after, the glass, being like, you know, strong on the glass, even U of Gonzalez's defense. Everyone, Jordan Walsh, I can go down the wire. Yeah. I just feel like I'm taking a lot of positives from this instead of there have been games this year that I was like, man, if the Celtic didn't turn it over X-Men times and you can argue that, but I just got a very positive feel after this game. Well, to emphasize your point, I think that's the biggest positive that I come away with is, okay, if you're going to have a night where you don't have Jason and Derek to throw Baylor, Jordan, Ugo, and Ron Hopper Jr. And even Neemi, like we forget, yes, the core of this team has won championships. They know how to perform on a big stage. But there's still a lot of core pieces now. Young guys that are going to be thrust into bigger roles this season. And so for Baylor Shireman to have to guard SGA down the stretch

5:07for Ugo to have to be, it's just like the Tasmanian devil for half this game and flying around and doing everything. Like that has to matter and has to help you that when these games do arrive. And it's easy to be like, well, it's still in the future. Come on the way. You know, we're down to what, 14, 16 games ago. That's what makes me so excited. 16 games to playoffs. And it's fun to play like this. And you're here to have it. We'd say going into this week that this was going to be sort of like the last test. And that was probably overstating it. This was the last string of games from Cleveland to San Antonio to OKC that will really challenge you. But you get to see these guys again in two weeks. You got to go on the state coming to town. I know they're not playing great. But you know, if Porzingus and Aller out there, or if they're even in the building, you know, that matters. And so there still be like elevated games along the way. But this was fun because so many guys got put into it. And I think there's been one Peyton who, if there's been one flaw,

6:10and I didn't even say flaw. But if there's been one like thing you could go at him about this year, it's that in matchups against both physical teams and like the best of the best. He hasn't always performed his best. And I thought Peyton was great in this game. He'll kick himself about a pull-up jumper that he missed, would about a minute to go after making one to keep this thing close. And then he got that look at the buzzer to it. You know, and we know how good he is at the buzzer. A long-winded way of saying, there's a lot you can pull from this one beyond the final score. And maybe too, because you see SGA, SGA, man. He is insane. He is insane. Just take it. For him to do what he did against Denver, when every team is keying in on, we are going to guard him, double him, do everything that we can to make sure that he does not score. He's going to get his points. But scored to a degree where the hearing is, passing Will Chamberlain's record for a while. 127, no?

7:10Yeah. There you go. 20 was points. Teams are keying in on the him. And they should. And so at the end of the game, I love the end of the game scenario where he goes and does a mid-range game, of course. And then like also just nails a shot. Jalen Brown, though, to counter that. Answers. I thought that was more encouraging than anything. It's kind of like, I question. I'm like, OK, Jalen Brown got ejected the game before. How is he going to respond? I felt like he didn't argue. If at any call, maybe a couple he threw his hands up, but it wasn't the whole maybe JB that we've seen earlier in the season, where it's like, man, and he still stands on what he stands on and thinks that he deserves more calls. But it was actually a very, you said this in the post game. A very mature professional response of him to not like the continue to fester on like, hey, I deserve more calls. It was just, hey, I'm going to get fouled in one. And you know what? You guys already know where I stand. I'm going to run back on defense and try to make a play offensively. At the end of the game scenario,

8:10him scoring with point whatever seconds and then it was point eight to go. All right. That was fun. That's what makes me think, man, if these two teams are in the NBA finals, you want to talk about a series with Jason Tatum and Derek White. And then who, okay, he has two because they had that some players out. A lot of hurdles to get through to get there. But it is fun to think about because what you can just see the difference level in when things are going and when things are clicking. The shot making was outrageous. You mentioned JB. You know, the pull-up jumper he had overdought was just, I mean, like insane that just to give yourself a chance to tie the game and make this competitive down the stretch. You know, with JB and we'll, essentially, we'll play the audio here. I'll see if the podcast people can stitch it in at the end. Because I just thought so much focus was on him, the aftermath. I thought I was telling that the league didn't find him and you'll hear JB say that as well. He tweeted from the locker room at half time of that game and sort of wasn't hard to tell what he was suggesting

9:11and how demonstrative he was on the court. It would have been easy for the league to find him, failure to leave the court, you know, escalating the situation, all that. The fact that they didn't do that tells me that the league is like, okay, you probably shouldn't have been tossed. We'll meet you in the middle here. We have stuff. You know, like, we'll quietly take some fault without admitting fault and everybody moves on. I thought Jalen was pressing a little bit at the start of this game and I think that was just the magnitude of the game. You know, I think he missed five of his first six shots, had a little cup of turnovers and you know, hoping the first to lament the six turnovers overall. And yet, he was just so fantastic for various stretches. The block on chat that turned into a dunk in the fourth quarter was one of the most absurd plays. I have ever seen. I love that he screamed at the camera too. He was like, ah! The pick six? Oh, it's amazing. You don't see that scenario where a guy who is giving up more than a half a foot blocks a dude and goes the other way

10:11for a Tomahawk slam. So, Jalen deserves a lot of credit. As always, against MVP level competition, he always seems to go up a level. You know, even the assists, I know he only finished with seven assists. They didn't have a lot late. But you could tell he was playing the right way, trying to get others involved. And on a night, you don't have Derek and you don't have Jason. Man, he just continues to do what he's done. I'll see you then give you a chance. He's been, I mean, we know this. He's been awesome. And I personally just liked his response. I didn't know which way it was going to go. I knew he would play Matt. I thought he would play Matt to a degree. But he played professional. And I'm not saying he hasn't played professionally. He's very professional. But I can't stand when, and I'm still standing on business when I say Jalen Brown shouldn't have been ejected. I think that was ridiculous. You already said your piece on it. We've let a game of that. Right. I think everyone and their mother and father have said their piece on it. But I just think that. I've never given in like what we said, but we said we said.

11:11I hate when the game is about the rest. We've already talked about that. And so for this game, not to be so much about the refs, when all eyes were like, okay, he got ejected. Is he going to complain? Is he? And he just played. And SGA just played. And this game felt competitive. It felt like both guys, but like Jalen was 13 to 14 at the free throw line. Yeah. So we got to the line. Selfish got to the line more than. Okay, see. But also the other contributing factors, including Ron Harper Jr. Hello. It was funny too, because Drew on the call was like, right before this, an NBC put out an Instagram video already. But Drew was like, SGA doesn't turn it over. And right when he said that, Ron Harper Jr. gets the seal and the transition basket. And he goes, until then, like Drew is very witty and adaptable. Yeah. But just how collectively this group plays, no matter whose number is called. And that's what I think makes the Celtics so lethal. You don't know. You can have two of the five starters out. You can have three of the five starters out. And you just don't know the Scattering Report. How's Baylor Sharming going to play?

12:12Ron Harper Jr. coming out of nowhere. Maybe a Murray Williams gets up if Nemesh-Kate and Luca Garza are in trouble. Like, you don't know the depth of this team and how impactful they are. Having a vehicle you can rely on, that's important. That's why you can rely on 24 auto group. They will treat you like family. And that's because they are family owned and operated. They're honest, easy to work with, and they just get it. Whether you're looking for something sporty, something luxurious, or just a solid everyday ride. 24 auto group always comes through. With nine brands and 11 locations across New England, there's something for everyone. And here's the best part. They've got the NAC to save you more. On a new or pre-owned vehicle. And the NAC to pay you more for your trade. Up to $2,400 overbook value. You can even drive home with just $24 down. So if you want the best deal without the runaround,

13:12go see my guys at 24 auto group. Because you'll always get more at 24. Online at 24autogroup.com. But again, on a night you're down to essentially two starters. It's impressive. I thought really all the wings just had a good night. They all had their moments. Jordan Walsh came in and knocked down shots. Wait, can you gush? Can we do what you want? Do the Hugo Gushing? I mean, I'm not trying that though. My eyebrows are raised. I have Botox, but anyway, they're raised. I mean, he was the one sequence where he blocked a shot, scrambled with help defense, then got a steal on like one possession. I'm finally almost as much as Jalen Williams on Oklahoma City. Do you see? People actually get mad because he smiles so much. I was like, imagine that being the one negative. This is a leap. Damn, he pisses me off because he smiles so much.

14:13He's just, he's like throwing darts all over the court and people are like, stop smiling. You're in an NBA basketball. That's what they feel about you guys. I can't be mad at that guy. The ability for Oklahoma City to just find Jalen Williams and throw them onto the court and they're all great. Incredible. SGA is definitely, to me I think tonight was another indication that SGA deserves the MVP. It's just because 11-13 inside the arc. Selfies had no answer for him whenever he got inside the three-point line. Good on the Celtics. They, part of the reason they gave up the foul late was like, you can tell everyone in the bench was telling Ron Hopper Jr. to go, be the second defender on SGA and take away the driving lanes. And that forced SGA to move the ball to Crusoe, and now everyone's scrambling. And that left chat ability to sneak in behind. So I wonder if they'd rethink that and just let Jalen try to go one-on-one and be the defender in that instance. But after watching SGA, the last thing I wanted to see in that sequence was him trying to hit a pull-up. He's definitely going to the line if not.

15:13So, yeah, I just, I come away impressed with both sides. We don't see enough Oklahoma City. I know, all I see, watch these games on league pass, but you only can take so much from it. You just know that they're defending champs, that they're rolling. You know it would be so sick to see in the NBA Finals? I was thinking of this, and even though this, we're the prisoner of the moment right now, and despite like Peyton Pritchard being short on that buzzer reader, but remind you like all the buzzer reader pees that we've seen, even the one at the half going in this game. But like SGA lives for the moments of end of the game shot, you end of the game scenario, you saw it against Denver, and then you see it now against the Celtics, two top teams in each of their conferences. End of the game scenario, the ball is in SGA's hands, you're like, oh boy, same with Peyton Pritchard. End of the game, and then the shot clock scenario, Peyton Pritchard, like buzzer be key. If you were to see this in the NBA Finals, and we already saw it for Peyton and the buzzer beater, and then the first half of this game. Like this would be, this matchup, I am so here for.

16:14I know everyone's like, oh, the spurs are creeping up, which they are. Look, however it shakes out, all I wanted, actually that'd be amazing headline too, because JB will finally play. All I want is for the West to beat each other out. And that way, if the Celtics are lucky, don't think I'm out of the East, we'll see where it goes from there. All right, I need to go watch you go highlights, and before I go to bed. I watch Housewives, he watch you go. This is what happens. I don't want to say one sequence over and over again. He's going to be. He's going to be. He's going to be so. Yeah. It's good, whatever you're doing is working. Derrick White, Jr. So, we are back tomorrow, a special off day edition of the Celtics Talk podcast will be streaming live on the NBC Sports Boston YouTube page. I believe that news. Excuse me. Kevin O'Connor. Oh, Kev's here. Noah Dale Zell will be here. Oh, we got the crowd. Yeah, you're getting booted for. Well, excuse me. You're making a lot of them coming out of your life. I didn't know about this. I'm a little like. I didn't mean to shut you up. I didn't. I'm not invited to the party. I do it out and told.

17:14Whatever. We'll be recap. Don't be salty at all. We'll be recapping this road trip. We'll be looking ahead to the final stretch. And then me and Kayla are back with you on Saturday night. When the Celtics play the wizard. So, you know, like I said, to go like, go subscribe. Go ahead, that little bell thing that like alerts you when we put up a new podcast or when there's a live or whatever. You need this in your life. We're going to go drink the green, cool-aid, because we're green tamers. And we'll catch you next time on the Celtics time podcast. I don't have a comment on it. To be honest, you know, sardine the past. It's over with. I just got to move forward. To be honest, I don't think I deserve to get ejected. But, you know, it is what it is. I mean, I wasn't more motivated. Obviously, I was pissed that I didn't get to compete in that game. That was another big time matchup that I had circled on my calendar. Obviously, planning against the Spurs was a good team. And I came out to a great start. I felt great. I felt like I was ready to have a big time performance. And, you know, my night got into short. You know, in certain spots, maybe I could have been a little bit better.

18:14But, you know, you're passionate. It's a big game. You know, you want to see a motion. You want to see your start players showing that emotion. I don't think I deserve to get tossed. And, you know, I think the NBA agree because I didn't get fined or anything like that. So, it is what it is. You know, happens. People make mistakes. But, I'm just looking forward now. You have 14 free throws. Yeah, I think that might be a record this season. So, I don't know. Maybe it all works in the end. But, you know, I just, I don't foul bait. I'm not looking to, you know, flop or anything like that. But, it's almost like you got to, it's almost like there's a couple of plays in the fourth quarter, where I feel like I drove strong, went up strong, and I didn't get the benefit of the doubt. But, maybe if I were to flop, maybe I would have able to sell that call and those decide games. So, it's like, you know, we commend players for, you know, playing the game the right way. But, you know, we give the benefit to those who, you know,

19:19who necessarily are trying to manipulate the game into their advantage. I just don't think it's basketball. Like, let's just play basketball out of foul bait. I think it's, it's whatever for me. But, I thought we played good tonight. I thought we competed tonight. One possession game. If we come up with that rebound, maybe we make a play and we can still win on the roll. It didn't happen. But, I'm proud of my group. What do we do tonight? I was foul baiting. Just, you know, accentuating contact. It's one thing to get foul, but it's like when you're not even trying to, to score when you're like, you know, driving and flailing your body into them just to, to make it look like you're getting foul. You know, I think that's the part where it's like, all right, like, come on. You know, but, I mean, that's where our league is at. It's, you know, that's what NBA is at. So, it's like, it's like getting on the lay down. So, maybe I'd need to flop a little bit more. You're juggling a lot, but you can still squeeze in a financial plan.

20:29With the Northwestern Mutual Financial Advisor as your partner, it's not only possible, it's personalized. So, if you're tying the knot, closing on a house, or welcoming a little one, you'll be ready for whatever life tosses your way. It's the right time to feel less stressed and more certain. That's a better way to money. Let's get started at nm.com. The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company Milwaukee, Wisconsin.