Are the Boston Celtics DESTINED to Win it ALL This Year??

The Boston Celtics have surprised everyone this season with their dominance and find themselves as the No. 2 seed for the playoffs. The Boston Globe's Dan Shaughnessy joins Gabby to talk about this year's rendition of the squad and their championship hopes.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Can the Boston Celtics win the entire thing this year? Hello, everyone, and welcome to Boston Balling, your home for all things Boston sports. I'm your host, Gabby Maljanian, also currently the host of the Locked On Red Sox podcast as well. So if you want daily Red Sox talk, be sure to check out Locked On Red Sox on any podcast platform because I am there Monday through Friday talking all things related to that team and what's been going on with the Boston Red Sox. Make sure you subscribe to that on all podcast platforms. Also, subscribe to Boston Bowling on all podcast platforms here too, because I am here to talk about all the things that are going on that are exciting in Boston sports. And one of those big things that's really exciting right now with Boston sports is the playoff runs of the Boston Celtics and the Boston Bruins. Obviously, tough first game of the playoffs for the Bruins, where they had that 2-0 lead late against the Sabres and then allowed four unanswered goals. So that was obviously not ideal and ended up falling for three in the game. So hopefully they can turn things around. But the Celtics, a lot of people didn't expect them to be in the spot that they're in right now, myself included. I definitely thought going into this season, well, they lost some key pieces between Porzingis, Holiday, Cornet, and then with Jason Tatum going down with an injury. I kind of felt like this wouldn't be their year. I said, well, maybe they'll sneak into a playoff spot because a lot of teams at least make the play-in and maybe they'll have a shot at winning a series. But I did not think they would be as competitive as they were. And Jalen Brown really stepped up into a big leadership role for this team this season without Jason Tatum. Joe Mazzula's coaching definitely has done a lot for this team, being able to really navigate and figure out how to use everybody on this team and how to get guys to elevate their game. I mean, we're even looking at guys like Luca Garza, Baylor Shireman coming off the bench and really stepping up. I mean, you look at Derek White and the way he's been able to just be a true playmaker for this team and working well with this team. Peyton Pritchard and Sam Hauser really have stepped up this year into key roles. Namias Cada really stepped up big after this team lost Christoph Porzingis. And you just see his confidence that he's playing with out there. So even some of their bench pieces that people didn't really expect to make a big impact this season have been making an impact. And for me, it's been really cool to witness and see the way that this team's been able to come together this year and the way that this team has been able to make it work and are sitting here, probably considered a favorite, to go all the way and win the NBA Finals. And then Jason Tatum came back in March, which was so exciting, and social media was buzzing because nobody thought Jason Tatum was going to play at all this year. And now here we are, and he's playing and he's ready to help this team win a championship. So I'm very much looking forward to seeing how things play out for this Celtics team. I think the biggest question is going to be: are they going to be able to face some tougher competition? You have the Knicks and the Pistons in the East who are really competitive. The Western Conference has the Thunder and the Spurs, who are both playing very well at the top. And for the Celtics, the Eastern Conference opponents that they'll face, I feel like they have the capability of beating any of those teams in the Eastern Conference. It's just a matter of if they do go to the finals, if they face a team like OKC or San Antonio, where things would stand for them afterwards at that point, how things would play out in a best of seven finals. And so I'm really intrigued to know okay, can the Celtics beat those teams at the top? And are their rosters deep enough to be able to do so? And something that's very exciting was legendary sports reporter Dan Shaughnessy of the Boston Globe actually joined me. I had him on locked on Red Sox also to talk about his extensive Red Sox coverage for the Boston Globe. And his baseball coverage extends decades. He's been writing for the Boston Globe since 1981, including stints as beat writer covering both the Red Sox and the Celtics. He's also a recipient of the J.G. Taylor Spink Award, given by the Baseball Hall of Fame, and the Red Smith Award, which was given by the Associated Press Sports Editors Organization. So this is a guy who's very passionate about Boston teams. He was born in Groton, Massachusetts. And after graduating from Groton High School, he then subsequently attended the College of the Holy Cross, where he graduated from in 1975. So he's a Massachusetts guy. When you have people who are from Massachusetts and are rooting for these teams that these are genuinely the teams they like, and then they get a job covering one of those teams. A lot of times you can see that passion sign through of wow, you can tell that this reporter or writer is so heavily passionate about the teams that they cover. And that's exactly what you want in your team's writers. And that's exactly why he became so successful and has won awards as a sports journalist. So essentially he did work part-time for the Globe from 1973 to 77. And his first byline with them was on October 4th, 1973, when he was a 20-year-old college junior. So articles by Shahney about the Boston Neighborhood Basketball League appeared in the Globe during the summer of 1974. And he then served as a beat reporter covering the Baltimore Orioles for the Baltimore Evening Sun in 1977 and 78. And he was then the national baseball writer for the Washington Star from 1979 until the newspaper folded in 1981. So that's when he returned to the Boston Globe in September of 1981. And at the Globe, he has served as a beat writer covering both the Celtics and the Red Sox and has been a sports columnist since 1989. He also has books that he's written as well, including books about the Red Sox Yankees rivalry. His book, Curse of the Bambino, details the Boston Red Sox struggles for 86 years and their search for a World Series championship after selling Dave Ruth to the Yankees. And then he subsequently wrote Reversing the Curse after the Red Sox won it in 2004. So Shaughnessy is really well known. He's been a contributor to ESPN The Magazine and a regular guest on a Sunday night sports show, Sports Extra. He's also discussed sports and current events on radio shows airing on WTKK, on ESPN's Rome is Burning, and on Nessen's Sports Plus and Globe 10.0. On July 9th, 2008, he made his debut as a guest host on the ESPN show, Pardon the Interruption. And he also had a weekend radio show on WBCFM alongside Adam Jones. So this guy really has done it all. And it was such a pleasure to talk to him because the 1980s Boston Celtics team furnished Shaughnessy with the Silberinka Shank for the often unflattering and critical nature of his articles. And Red Sox player Carl Everett, during a heated discussion with sportswriter Gordon Edis in September 2000, actually referred to Shaughnessy as the curly haired boyfriend, which was a nickname that was sometimes referenced by Red Sox fans. So on top of his Curse of the Bambino book, he also has a few other books that are really famous, including one about the 1980s Boston Celtics, where he talked about the Larry Bird era. He also wrote Francona the Red Sox Years, and the book about the Celtics was wish it lasted forever, Life with the Larry Bird Celtics. And it chronicles the glory years of that team, particularly the 1982 to 86 era. And the Francona Red Sox Years book, that one's a memoir by Terry Francona and Dan Shaughnessy together. And it basically details Francona's eight-year tenure managing the team, including two World Series wins, clubhouse dynamics, and the pressures of the Boston media market. The book essentially offers an inside look at the highs and lows from the 2004 championship to the 2011 collapse and covers his relationship with players, executives, and ownership. So that one's really interesting too, and is a super famous book by him. And then he had his curse of the Bambino ones. He also wrote a book called Evergreen: The Boston Celtics: A History in the Words of Their Players, Coaches, Fans, and Foes from 1946 to the present. So that's a long title, but essentially it involves interviews with people involved with the team from stars like Larry Bird and Bob Coosey to fans and rivals covering the dynasty years through the 1980s and beyond. So essentially, Dan Shaughnessy is a guy who was able to maximize and make the most of his time covering these teams because not only does he have articles where he is giving input on a variety of different things related to the Red Sox and Celtics, but he's not afraid to provide criticism where criticism is warranted. He's not afraid to call out the front office or the coaching staff or ownership or the players if the team isn't performing at the level that they should be. And when you have that honest, unbiased reporting, that's when you feel like you can be the most informed. And when I was talking to him a little bit about the Red Sox and his coverage of them, he said, you know, I had inside access to be able to get interviews with players and coaches, things that the fans don't always see. And that was something that I felt helped me a lot when it came down to being able to write my articles effectively, was being able to go and say, okay, I heard personally from, you know, Francona or from whoever else. And I thought that was really interesting. So in a little bit here, you're going to hear my discussion with him about the Boston Celtics. But one thing I wanted to bring up about the Celtics was because DeAn Shaughnessy's been doing this for so long. I mean, we're talking decades of coverage. He's seen some really good teams and he's seen some really bad teams. And the way that he is able to cover the Celtics team now, a team that's super exciting and has really surprised people in terms of their abilities this season to step up and be among the best teams in the Eastern Conference. Nobody expected that. And he even mentioned the Patriots and how nobody really expected them to go to the Super Bowl this year. And it's been a fun ride, but he's also had to deal with the really difficult times in Boston sports. And I thought that was really interesting. So the question now becomes okay, Dan Shaughnessy is here talking about this year's Celtics team, their playoff chances to potentially win the whole thing. Really nice win in game one against Philly. I don't see that series going more than four to five games. I genuinely think it could be a sweep, but Philly might sneak a game at home. You never know. That's why you play the games. But if this Celtics team is healthy and playing at its best, there aren't many teams in this league that can compete with this team. So it'll be interesting to see who really steps up here over the rest of the playoffs to be able to help this team to win. So something I found to be really interesting in game one was that it genuinely was a true team effort when it came to them stepping up and winning that game. We had Jalen with 26 points, Tatum with 25, and then all the starters were in double digits, which included Sam Hauser, Namias Cada, and Derek White. So all of those guys were in double digits with Peyton Pritchard coming through with 12 points off the bench as well. And then they got some scoring from Luka Garza, Ron Harper Jr., Baylor Shireman, and Jordan Walsh, as well as Nikola Vucevic, got himself on the board as well, but he also had six rebounds to contribute to the effort. So it really was spread out a lot. Tatum actually had a double-double in this game because he added 11 rebounds to go along with those 25 points. So it really was a good overall team win by this Boston Celtics team. And that was definitely something that I was really happy to see because you want to spread the wealth out. And when you're spreading the wealth out, it further emphasizes your ability to utilize depth. And we always hear about the word depth. Okay, what team has the most depth in the sport? And in order to have good depth, that means you have guys that you're able to turn to both as starters and off the bench, and guys who you know can step up and perform the way that you need them to perform. And this Celtics team definitely has guys who can fill those shoes in multiple capacities. And I really hope that they are able to continue to execute at the highest level. Because now that Tatum's back and slotted himself back in there nicely, things have gone smoothly. Because the last time I talked about the Celtics on this show, it was prior to Tatum returning. There were questions about whether he was actually going to return this season or not. And then he did. And then at that point, then my question became all right, Jason Tatum's back, which is awesome. But what does that mean for the Boston Celtics? Because they've seemed to have established some strong team chemistry here. And if Jason Tatum comes back and throws off that chemistry, then what do we do? And how do we respond to that? And how does that get fixed? So ultimately, Jason Tatum came back and there was no issues. Everybody just slotted him right in and they're really excited to have him back. And Joe Mazzula definitely deserves to be in the conversation for coach of the year. I think he deserves to get it. Obviously, it might not happen because there are other coaches in the mix. But for him to take a Tatum-less team with all of the projections for how people thought that the Celtics team was gonna do without him, and for him to coach this team to the second seed in the Eastern Conference, and then to be able to then be a team that is a finals favorite at this point now, you have to credit coaching for a lot of that. So when it comes to these awards, the question is going to be is that Joe Mazzoula's award or is another coach going to win it? And then the same with MVP. I mean, I don't think Jalen Brown is going to end up winning MVP, but I do think that he should at least be in the conversation because when you think about his season this year and you think about the word valuable, you think about what does that player do to be valuable to their team? And this Celtics team literally needs Jalen Brown to be where it is now. This team would not be the two seed in the East without Jalen Brown. He's averaging career highs of 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game. And despite the adversity that the Celtics team has faced, those are still really good numbers. He probably won't win over top candidates like Jokic or SGA, but LeBron James endorsed him and he has received other endorsements because when I think about the word valuable, I associate that with okay, would this team be the same team without this player? And the answer is no, the Boston Celtics would not be the team that they are without Jalen Brown. So to me, that is what the word valuable means. So the question's going to be do the voters and does the league see that as enough of an argument for him to be MVP? But either way, even if he doesn't win MVP, the focus should still be a championship. And because the Celtics are hungry right now and they want to continue to prove people wrong and continue to show the doubters that they shouldn't be doubting them, even though they were missing Tatum. I think they're pretty adamant on really wanting to make the most of this opportunity and really try to push for another championship. And it's crazy that they just won it two years ago and they have a good shot again this season. So I'm definitely excited to see how that all plays out because obviously the way that the season ended for them last year was disappointing, both in regards to the fact that they lost against the Knicks, but also the fact that Jason Tatum went down with his injury at that point. And then for a lot of this season, the Celtics had to listen to all these comments of, well, they don't have Jason Tatum this year, so they don't really have a shot. So because they had to listen to all that, that made them a little bit extra motivated to say, are you sure? Do you really think we don't have a shot? And so here we are with a team that is hungry and really wants so badly to win another championship. And I am excited to see if that is how they succeed this season. And they do win because there are definitely lots of guys who have been stepping up. And ultimately, at the end of the day, the better teams shall win. And ultimately, the Celtics have the talent and the depth with the confidence that some of these guys have developed this year and the experience that the guys at the top have of winning an NBA Finals together. They are definitely at a place of being able to be set up well to go out there and win it all. So I'm really excited to see if that is how that plays out. But you're about to hear my conversation about the Celtics that I had with Boston Globe writer Dan Shaughnessy, who's been covering this team for decades now. And I also did speak to him as well about the Boston Red Sox on Locked On Red Sox. So if you want to hear that full interview, make sure you're subscribing to Locked On Red Sox on any podcast platform, and you can check that out too. And he talked a lot about where this year's Red Sox team stands and the ownership group and whether or not they're doing enough to really build a contending team. So make sure that you check that out as well. But enjoy my Celtics talk with Dan Shaughnessy. The team that has been putting together a good product is the Celtics. And I know you've done a lot of Celtics coverage over your time with the Globe, too. And you know, I can imagine that's been pretty fun.

SPEAKER_01 19:33

Yeah, I expected to be there tonight, unless they changed my assignment of going in there tonight. I was at the first game on Sunday. Uh, yeah, they're they're in a sweet spot right now. I mean, the Patriot thing, we didn't expect a ride to the Super Bowl this year, and it happened after a four-win season. This is similar in a way. I mean, the Celtics won the NBA championship two years ago and were great last year coming into the playoffs, and then it just came apart in rapid fashion. Tatum gets hurt, they get bounced in the second round, six games, they blow two 20-point leads at home, and then the rosters disrupted with the bowing to the second apron and having to take care of things. So five of their nine rotation were gone when the season started. That's five of the nine guys that played regular minutes last year. You know, Holiday, Porzingis, Cornet, Horford, and Tatum. Excuse me. Yeah, Tatum. So I'm like, how good can they be? But it turns out that Brad Stevens really knows what he's doing. The drafting development's been good. Keeping guys around for a couple years on the you know, Jordan Walsh. And I I didn't know Scheimer was any good. He's really been good. And the center Catum, they've gotten a ton out of this guy that got released and from Portugal, and he's it's just really good. I think Stevens has done a masterful job assembling that roster. Missoula's had a really good year. Brown obviously had MVP caliber type year. So yeah, you're um way ahead of where we thought they would be in this season. Tatum comes back, and the Sunday thing was was quite a demonstration to the rest of the league because uh Tatum played his best game. He had 25, 11, and 7. Brown had his usual 26, and uh and they're deep. So um I don't know where it's going. And the Knicks could bop him in the second round, I suppose, but a lot of things can happen. I I think they'll go to the finals. I'm very bullish on them. And uh it feels like a kind of a gift season because this was one it was just gonna be a bridge here and wait till Tatum comes back and see what else Brad can do. But I they're they're way ahead of schedule in every way on what we thought they would be in this season.

SPEAKER_00 21:34

Yeah, I mean, when Tatum got hurt and I was like, well, they're gonna have to play without him. I was like, I mean, maybe they can sneak into a playoff spot. Like I thought, like, maybe, you know, that because like so many teams at least make the play in. Now that I was like, all right, I can't imagine they'll be one of the worst teams in the Eastern Conference because they still have a talented roster. But I'm like, they're not gonna be a top team in the East. Like, I just I'm not expecting that. And then, I mean, the season that Jalen Brown had for sure really deserves a lot of credit this year, too. I think, you know, he really um he did a lot to maximize his role with this team and step up without Tatum. And it's really been a pleasant surprise that I was like, all right, they can still be one of the best teams in the East without Tatum. Then you add Tatum back in. And if I'm a fan of another Eastern Conference team, you know, I'm very, very worried about uh having to face the Celtics now. And Joe Mazzula also, I mean, his coaching deserves a ton of credit this year, too, for being able to figure out the best way to utilize all these guys. And like you said, some of these guys who kind of came out of nowhere this year and stepped up in these roles, I think has been so good for this team.

SPEAKER_01 22:43

Yeah, it's really uh uh there's a lot to like and the playoffs or the playoffs, you don't know, but that was that was an impressive game one, and uh I don't think Philly can win more than a game in the series. So the Knicks thing really intrigues me. And the Knicks got bounced last night, they're in a one-one situation. So that would be good for Boston, have that thing get extended and have them go seven games or whatnot. But that's gonna be one of the one of the top second-round series that you'll that you'll see, in my view, if they can get those two facing each other in the next round.

SPEAKER_00 23:14

Yeah, it was interesting to me seeing the Knicks blow a lead because I was like, wow, this is so similar to the way that the Knicks were beating the Celtics in the playoffs last year, because the Celtics had those big leads in those first two games and blew both of those and lost. And I was like, Well, I feel like I'm watching that happen again, except this time the Knicks are on the opposite side of it. And I just thought that was so interesting because the Hawks just-I mean, I I thought that the Knicks were winning that game, and then you know.

SPEAKER_01 23:41

Yeah, I haven't seen the Hawks that much, but people talked about them. They won 20 the last 26 after they traded Trey Young and all that stuff. So, but yeah, though some of those guys were really getting it done in the crunch time last night. They were down by eight with like five minutes to go and won the game. So hard to do in the road against that team with all the trappings of Madison Square Garden. So that looks like a pretty good six, seven game series.

SPEAKER_00 24:02

Yeah, and you know, this is a Celtics team that is just as talented as anybody else if they are able to play at their best. I mean, now that they have their guys healthy, even the teams in the Western Conference. I mean, I don't pinpoint a team in the West and say they're noticeably better than the Celtics. Like, I think this Celtics team, as long as they're healthy, can be anybody, you know, which is exciting.

SPEAKER_01 24:27

Yeah, I think you know that they will be underdogs against Oklahoma City, probably even San Antonio at this point. Um Denver, they lost last night, but they're in the mix too. That that conference, in my view, is a little bit better than the East this year.

SPEAKER_00 24:41

Yeah, so that would be, yeah, I do think there will be a challenge for sure. But you know, the Celtics luckily do have experience on their side. Obviously, the Thunder do now too, but the spur is not as much. And I think, you know, if the Celtics can match up with a Western Conference team, if they I mean, I'm getting ahead of myself, they need to get to the finals first, but if they do, you know, I think the fact that they have an experienced playoff team is something that could work in their favor down the road.

SPEAKER_01 25:08

Absolutely. I mean, the two Jays have been in the moment, Derek White's been there. Uh Pritchard, he doesn't he doesn't coward to anybody. So they're they're they're a legit threat. That's gonna be it's good for Boston to have that kind of a thing, could be playing deep into June.

SPEAKER_00 25:22

Yeah, exactly. And I know you uh had written a book about life with the Larry Bird Celtics. Um, can you talk a little bit about that?

SPEAKER_01 25:29

Yeah, that was sort of a pandemic book. You know, I traveled with that team 40 years ago, and and um they were really fun. You watch those clips, you know, all of us old guys talk about how much better the ball was in the 80s, and it was. But yeah, when the NBA really grew up, you know, Magic and Larry getting it going, then Michael Jordan coming in, David Stern, Dream Team, they go global. That all kind of was launched in the in the great 80s, and I got to be there every day for three or four seasons with that team. So been telling those bar stories, you know, for 40 years. And my agent finally said, Yeah, just put put that in a book during the pandemic. Everybody's home. Call them up, they'll talk to you. And that's what happened. And I was very happy with that uh product. So that that came out I don't know, three or four years ago. And yeah, and I expect that to be the last one, but I was happy with it. Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 26:14

Yeah, no, really, really good work for sure. And I mean, you brought up a good point because during the pandemic, too. I mean, that time period where there was nothing going on. It's like, all right, what else is everybody supposed to do? You know, like there was no like live sports going on right now for people to consume. So, like, why not?

SPEAKER_01 26:30

You know, yeah, we were watching replays of those 80 games, remembering how great it was, and that kind of fueled the whole thing. Uh, let's go back to that, let's go back in the wormhole here and way back machine, go back in time. We did that.

SPEAKER_00 26:42

Yeah, right. That bubble thing was so weird, though. Like, I think back on that, and I'm like, that was just so strange. Like, it just felt like such a weird way to watch basketball. That was like such a strange time.

SPEAKER_01 26:52

Yeah, and Gary Washman of the Globe, we sent him to cover that. You check into the hotel, and the players are all there, you're there, but it's the bubble and stuff delivered to your door. And but he you had to sign a waiver as a reporter that if you bumped into somebody away from the court, away from game events, you you couldn't interview them or talk to them. And I said, That's unfortunate. Well, that's how we did all of our best work covering that team 40 years ago. We were with them away from the arena, and and when that's like living the life being in college with somebody, you're just with them all the time, and you really get to know them and able to tell the readers and the fans what they were like.

SPEAKER_00 27:25

Yeah, that's what's cool about it too, is you have the personal connection and the personal stories to go along with it. And obviously, you've done so much baseball coverage, but being able to also cover that side of things too, and be able to experience, you know, a Celtics franchise that also obviously has the success to go along with it as an organization. I think that's awesome that you were able to also have done that as well.

SPEAKER_01 27:49

Yeah, it was a level of access that nobody's fault, but you can't replicate that anymore. I mean, it's just the way it was then and the way it's never going to be again now because they they're really secluded and sort of a big moat between the media and and the teams now. And that's just the way it's evolved, and it's unfortunate for the for the fans and readers.

SPEAKER_00 28:08

Yeah, yeah, totally. I mean, I love being able to just watch Boston teams and the success that they've they've had. And I think, you know, like for me, somebody growing up with a lot of the Boston teams being successful. I mean, conveniently growing, like, you know, I was born in the 90s and like, you know, so conveniently the Patriots start playing well under the Britney Belichick era, you know, the um the Red Sox, I mean, and how much success they've had like in the 2000s so far, too. And I mean, obviously the Celtics winning their first championship in a while a couple of years ago, and then you know, the Bruins were still still waiting on them for uh for one, two, but but we'll we'll uh we'll see what happens with them too. But I feel like for me, I kind of got lucky growing up in an era where these teams all just started playing well.

SPEAKER_01 28:57

You did, Gabby. You never had to learn what it was like to wait. It happened for you right away. You're spoiled.

unknown 29:02

I know, right?

SPEAKER_00 29:03

I know, right? But I mean, hey, we uh people can thank uh our generation for coming in and uh bringing some good luck to these teams.

SPEAKER_01 29:10

Yeah, we'll take that.

SPEAKER_00 29:12

Yeah, right. Well, this was an absolute pleasure. I really appreciate you taking the time to come on here and join me. And let's just hope that as we continue to hopefully enjoy these maybe hopefully long playoff runs for the Bruins and the Celtics here, although the Bruins had a tough loss in game one against the Sabres. Um, that maybe the Red Sox will get some motivation from them and start to turn things around a little bit here too.

SPEAKER_01 29:37

Well, that would be a good thing for everybody, I think. And I wish you the best with your program. It's been a pleasure.

SPEAKER_00 29:41

Yeah, thank you so much. And thanks so much as always, everybody, for tuning into the show. You can find the show Monday through Friday, wherever you listen to podcasts. So thanks so much as always. I'll be here again tomorrow and uh go Red Sox, go Bruins, go Celtics, go Pats, you name it, go Boston Sports.