We breakdown the C's win vs Cleveland Cavalier, look into the C's rect poor job of defending the 3, and highlight thier powerful performances at home.
We’ll provide insights into missing out on Vegas, the benefits of less travel. We also shine a light on key bench players like Peyton Pritchard and Sam Hauser,.
We breakdown the C's win vs Cleveland Cavalier, look into the C's rect poor job of defending the 3, and highlight thier powerful performances at home.
We’ll provide insights into missing out on Vegas, the benefits of less travel. We also shine a light on key bench players like Peyton Pritchard and Sam Hauser,.
You're listening to. They're gonna call it a heartfelt.
Mike Quigley:They're gonna call it a heartfelt Offering in-depth analysis on all things Boston Celtics With your hosts, Jim and Mike Quigley. Good morning, several listeners of the Hard Fowl podcast and welcome back as we are gonna dive into the Boston Celtics with your host, Jim Quigley, and myself, Mike Quigley. It's been a really up and down week for the Celtics. They got into the playing tournament and unfortunately lost on the road to the Indiana Paces, but last night, a very entertaining game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Celtics came out flat, probably because they've had a lot of time off. Cleveland took an 18-4 lead and Boston really just kept fighting and fighting, and fighting and then in that fourth quarter it looks like Cleveland ran out of gas.
Mike Quigley:Why the Celtics were locked in over the last couple of games, Jim, and we can spend some time on this today. I think the third quarter is still an area to talk about. The Celtics won the third quarter last night but also gave up a 13-2 run. Obviously, a third quarter in Indiana was a problem and I think it's more prevalent on the road than it is at home. An impressive win against Nix as well, and obviously how the Celtics closed last four minutes last night was impressive and this look ahead, the Celtic schedule is pretty hard over the next couple of weeks. So it'll be interesting to see how they do on some of these tough, active acts, these home and homes and this road trip against really good Western Conference opponents. So I'll kick it off to wherever you want to start, Jim, and I will go from there.
Jim Quigley:Yeah, there really has been a lot that has happened. It's been a couple of weeks since we've done a part, unfortunately, and I want to say apologize to the Westerners for my voice I'm a little bit under the weather, but I'll stop. Last night, yeah, I think you nailed it Slow start, but the way they were able to fight back and I think these type of games are good for teams that want to win a title they went 26 for 26 from the line I think whether they start off for nine for three point line or something like that and then ended up being over 40. I thought the way they closed the game, particularly in the last four minutes, where they you know, I think it was a tie game or one point game and they pushed it to a 17 point lead. You know the defense really stepped up over those last four minutes and they continued to get good looks and then one time they didn't, when Tatum went into an ISO3, they hustled and created a turnover when the Cavs had a fast break opportunity. So they are just, you know, at home they've become a juggernaut. I know they give them 13 to two to run in the third quarter at home, but their court is really on a problem at home. They you know their votes go their opponents pretty significantly. You know, last night you would consider one of their closest games at home, but they still have a seven point margin. You know it's not like it was a one possession game, so they have continued just really just dominate, you know, and I think that's a really good sign, considering, you know, how things have gone there in the playoffs the last couple of years, and I think it's a really good side of a team that's, you know, wants to do bigger things. Usually those teams really clean up at home, you know, especially during the regular season they make a statement.
Jim Quigley:But I guess the bigger thing for me is I just want to look at a couple of trends that you know. One is worrisome to me a little bit and this league has really become about three-point shooting. You know the Celtics lost. You can point to a lot of reasons why they lost to Miami, but more than anything else is they got killed from the three-point line last year.
Jim Quigley:Yeah, they got killed, and some of that was luck, some of that was maybe they could have defended the line better, some of that was them shooting very poorly, whatever, but they did not compete there Against Indiana in the playing game. You know Indiana just outshot them. You know I was texting you the entire game when it was a two-point game or a four-point game and I just kept saying the difference here is that Indiana is making their threes and that's why they're staying in this thing, and the Celtics, you know, were minus. You know continuously through that game they're minus 12 or minus 15 from the three-point line. And then last night you know Cleveland's one of the worst three-point shooting teams in the league and they shoot well north of 40% and that is percentage.
Mike Quigley:I kind of dropped. Yeah, when you do a drop coverage against Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell, that's what's going to happen.
Jim Quigley:Yeah, and you let Max Trost get loose and I just I think there's a little bit. I don't think it's a huge alarm or concern right now, but they need to clean that up, how they're defending the three, because not all of this is over this season, over these last few games. It's just been bad luck. Some of it has been how they've defended that luck is how they defended that three-point line, you know.
Mike Quigley:Yeah.
Jim Quigley:Go ahead, Mark.
Mike Quigley:I definitely think, too. Part of this was what we saw a lot of in Milwaukee over the years with the way they defended the three with Coach Charles Lebe in there, and I think we're seeing some of that this year. Last night they didn't really make adjustments until like the last four minutes of that fourth quarter, but really they were allowing Garland and Mitchell to just pull up really uncontested for most of the game because they would come off that pick or they would come off a crossover in Horford or Porzingis or Cornette who was ever in the game. They would drop into the paint and not challenge shot. When they're hot as they are, you have to switch up and do something different. You can't just have all these of my defensive principles, so I'm going to stick by them.
Mike Quigley:I think that's stupid. That's stupid. I can't stand when teams operate like that. They were just killing you, I mean the two of them. It's like the hoop is bigger at the garden than any other court in the NBA for them. But I think this is what we're going to see. I don't know how much better it's going to get because of the way the Celtics play defense now. Maybe I'm wrong, but they can make some slight adjustments to be better. But when you're going to defend the paint as much as they do and they do a good job defending the paint right I think they're going to sacrifice the three point shot, which I don't know how smart that is in today's game and how much I agree with that philosophy. I'm not a big fan of it. Well, that was definitely the philosophy of Milwaukee.
Jim Quigley:I thought earlier in the season they were getting over those screens pretty well and then we talked about it, what they were doing in the preseason and the regular season where it was absolutely a drop coverage, but you saw almost how holiday and why we're reading the offense and where those screens were coming and they were able to get over those screens and get out on shooters or to stay with that man. You know pretty consistently, I think you know, and I don't know if it has something to do with holiday being a little hobbled. You know we saw that happened at the end of the next game. Yeah, but you know you definitely I feel like there's been a bit of a difference where they seem to be switching a lot more again and we're seeing a lot more of the like you mentioned, that drop coverage, and those Cleveland Gods are just able to, you know, take advantage of it.
Jim Quigley:Now, some of that could have been the game plan against Cleveland coming in. They have their gods really have not shot the ball well at all. The ship Gullin included. They one of the worst three point shooting lead teams in the league. So maybe, yeah, you know that was the game plan coming in and Cleveland made them. But there's been a little bit of a trend with it. Even the Knicks in that first half shot the ball pretty well. You know the second half, to me the Orlando Magic shot the three well against Celtics.
Mike Quigley:They did. Orlando Magic yeah, they don't shoot the three well against anybody so I do think that needs to be cleaned up.
Jim Quigley:I think we saw it to begin to the other pick capable of doing it. So be interested to see what their approach is tomorrow night. The other thing that you hit on, mike, and I think you know I'd love to hear from you, but just a schedule like I not just it's hot coming up, it's been a difficult schedule to start, you know the credible yeah, I they played.
Jim Quigley:I think I want to say they're like 11 and 3 against the top eight teams in the league right now and you in the East and you still have three more this week against Cleveland and Orlando seems like traditionally kill the Celtics.
Jim Quigley:Yeah, yeah, really yeah, 11 and 3. You've cleaned up at home. You've definitely struggled on the road, but this is. You know you got these next three games and continuing out west and I want to tie this back to the end season tournament. So we obviously, as fans, one of them to win. It would have been cool to see them play in Vegas. Do you think this was better for the team, based off of how this schedule has been to start the season? You know that they didn't fly to Vegas, fly back to Boston and they had to fly back out west. You know that's, that's a lot of travel against a lot of good teams early in the year when you already have a tough schedule. Is this, you know, is by not making it? Is it better for this team, you know, health-wise and whatnot, going forward?
Mike Quigley:Yeah, and I think the other part of it, too, is that I wasn't a fan of that. Teams would travel all the way to Vegas to play a game, and then it doesn't count on your, on your standings.
Jim Quigley:Yeah.
Mike Quigley:For that last championship game. That is something the NBA should fix. That makes no sense to me, and Potomy was relieved that the Celtics were doing that, because then you're playing the.
Mike Quigley:Lakers three times and if you won that game, the chances of you winning the next two versus Lakers and sweeping them three is really tough. So I just I just thought that was a stupid part of it and I don't understand. Now, like the Knicks got screwed, the Knicks have to play the Celtics five times, I know because of that. How is that fair? You know that's not fair, that's ridiculous. And obviously this year the Knicks can't figure out the Celtics, so it's possible they could go 0-5 and that that for a team that has playoff aspirations, that could kick them into the playing. And so I agree, yeah, I think. I think in hindsight it would have been fun, but it's probably better.
Mike Quigley:And to your point about the Celtic schedule, it's it's funny like how hard it's been and how hard it's going to be. You would think in the second half is going to be some easier games, because I was looking at Philly schedule. After this week they're going to have played Washington the Hornets and there's another team. I'm missing another horrible team. Who am I missing? Washington the Hornets. Who's another really bad, bad person? Detroit.
Jim Quigley:Detroit, yeah yeah, they don't have Detroit play yeah, memphis Ten games.
Mike Quigley:Yeah, ten games are, so three teams. So you can only imagine what Philly schedule is going to look like after the all-star break. But yeah, this is a tough stretch and the Celtics traditionally no matter who the opponent is in these home and homes they don't win. The both of them easily go one in one. That's going to be a real challenge for them to keep this undefeated streak going at home. I think Thursday night's going to be really tough. Then they got Friday night back to back with Orlando and then a Sunday afternoon game before they fly out. And then, when you look at that, that West Coast they play, their last day game before they fly out is Christmas. Yeah, so that's the end of their West Coast trip. Oh, yeah.
Mike Quigley:And I know we're all excited for that LA game but we might have a like tired hobbled Celtics team that doesn't show up on Christmas Day.
Jim Quigley:Yeah, I mean it's just human nature to think that that's going to happen it might, and you know it's also under the spotlight for a team that you know you're going up against LeBron. You anticipate them being up for that regardless. You don't know how they're going to adjust, how they're going to feel. I do think you know you talk about these next three. Hopefully we can see them go two and one, continue this streak or even go undefeated. I think for this team where they want to go, when you have these back-to-back kind of playoff situations, I think this week you'd want to see at least three in one. But yeah, the schedule is tough.
Jim Quigley:Maybe it'll go well if they continue to win. They're what? 17-5 right now, 18-5, 17-5. So if they continue to win, you should have a soft second half of the schedule of the season where they should be able to eat and take advantage and do well. But yeah, I think if they can go three in one, that would be a good way to end this week. But, mike, why don't we end this on just a couple of player thoughts? Sean First.
Mike Quigley:Yeah and Cam. I think there's a good possibility this three-in-one could happen and the one loss they're going to have is on Sunday afternoon when you go to the game. Yeah, the last game before a road trip on a matinee on a Sunday.
Jim Quigley:Yeah, I could definitely do the case.
Mike Quigley:Yeah, so I did want to touch this. Last night I thought that a big part of the reason the Celtics were able to take themselves out of this hole was Peyton Pritchard.
Mike Quigley:He came in he hit the first three of the game, which was big, to get them going. And then he hit a corner three in that quarter as well. That got him within two points and I think just his shooting spread the floor as well where it was just, and that first quarter was just Kaelin Brown who was outside of the game there was only one guy for the first half of that quarter that scored for the Celtics. It was Kaelin Brown. That's how bad things were.
Mike Quigley:And then the second half I thought we saw more of that when Pritchard came into the game Hauser was part of this too, but I think it was more Pritchard last night it's on the ball defense in that third quarter. So the Celtics gave up. That 13-2 run came out of a timeout, threw the ball out of bounds. Next possession came down. Peyton dribbled off his leg. Luckily the defense picked up and it wasn't a 17-2 run. But the bench came in and that was a big part in the first half and the second half with their shooting. That got the Celtics in that game. And then at the beginning of the fourth quarter the Celtics stayed in the game with Kaelin Brown and the bench unit in, and so I just think overall Pritchard had a really tough start to the season and he's really picked it up since then.
Jim Quigley:The shooting I don't know what his shooting numbers look like.
Mike Quigley:I'm just assuming. Over the last month or so he's got to be shooting close to 50% from three, so it's been really impactful for them.
Jim Quigley:Yeah, he started off the season like three for 17. So he's really got him going. And then Hauser I mean his confidence right now in his shot is just through the roof. But he's shooting it on the move, really, you know, even go to the dribble. He even fades away a little bit. He is just. It's almost like a shock when it doesn't go in now.
Jim Quigley:And it's just such a. It's an interesting shot to watch too because it's kind of high arching and that doesn't hit any rim at all. It doesn't really feels like it hits the net and so soft going right through. So you know the way he's shooting and it's been a while now too. It's been a while now and I know he had to run like this a little bit last year, but I feel like it just feels more confidence in his game overall and his shooting.
Jim Quigley:The last thing I want to hit on Mike I don't know if you caught this Jason Tatum was on Evan Turner's podcast and they asked him a bunch of things. But one of the things that stood out to me just because it used to be a storyline here and it really hasn't been anymore but they asked him about Boston and you know he talked about initially how he hated Boston. You know because he blamed the Patriots for the reason the Rams left for beating them in 2001. And you know the Kobe in the Celtics, so it was like it was a sports hatred, which I actually really respect. And then he talks about how much he loves it here now and how it's home and you know how much winning is important here and just not winning games or winning the championship, and you're not really mentioned with the great Celtics unless you do that, and how much that means to him, to Juan, and there's nowhere else he wants to be.
Jim Quigley:You've heard you know Brown talk about wanting to be here in the city as well. It's just it's kind of it's nice to hear you know a guy as young as they are in a league where it feels like superstars heads their comments about where they are right, where they play consistently and constantly. And I know he still has another year before he can sign his extension, but he's not being shy about where he wants to be. You know, I don't feel like we're going to go into this extension with, you know, questions about whether or not he wants to stay here or not.
Mike Quigley:He's not saying no to that money. Yeah well, it's not about the money, I'm just saying yeah, it's always about the money, but it's it's always about the money.
Jim Quigley:But I do feel like, all things being equal, he wants to finish the job here and I don't know if that's, you know, has to do with kind of how he was raised. I'm sure it has a lot to do with that. You know his mom being a single mom and going through law school and you know that kind of, you know, finish your job type thing mentality that they must have in that family. But it just it was. There was other parts of that conversation I'm really interested in to, just about how he wants to raise his kid and you know, he really does just come across as a, A bright and introspective kid. You know that, oh, young man. Yeah, it's nice to hear that he wants to be here.
Mike Quigley:That's all. That's all the time he comes off that way, doesn't he like guys? Yeah, any time you hear and speak, I remember there's something over the summer. I don't know if he's at the basketball camp or whatever he's talking to you about why he plays every day, why doesn't he games off? And really it was both the fans, yeah.
Jim Quigley:Yeah, I go into that too. Yeah, yeah, yeah, really, that's part of the game you have to respect because again in the league and you know I'm not saying it's a bad thing, but they take games off and they do it to you know, you know but the way, the way he brought those because I would get on Tatum for not taking games off I would say you need to write play last minutes.
Mike Quigley:It's just in here and him speak and say you know, these people are paying for tickets to see me in some of them. This is like a really big deal to pay for that ticket. I need to be up there. He goes, I only go to whatever city Phoenix wants to hear.
Jim Quigley:Yeah.
Mike Quigley:If I don't play that game, they don't get to see me play. I have a lot of respect for him and we're lucky to have him here and I hope he gets his championship. I really do. I'm room for him. I want it really bad for him because he's really easy superstar to room for.
Jim Quigley:So yeah, it sounds like an interesting podcast. Yeah, it was good and the last thing I'll say, the other thing you talked about is how much he just loves the game and you know what you would expect, but I don't think it's post-ports that you know.