Mike and Jim breakdown the Boston Celtics' nine-game winning streak and join us as we dissect the C's play post-All-Star break. We analyze the recent play of Tatum, Horford, and Holiday. Touch on roster chemistry and the Celtics overall basketball IQ.
We tackle the narratives and stats surrounding the MVP debate around Tatum, Luka Dončić, and Nikola Jokić. We challenge the notion of past playoff performances influencing current MVP discussions, calling out inconsistencies and standing up for stellar seasons that deserve the limelight.
Our crystal ball gazes into the Western Conference battleground, where the Denver Nuggets and LA Clippers emerge as formidable forces. We size up contenders, debate the significance of playoff experience, and ponder how the Celtics would stack up against the West's best.
Mike and Jim breakdown the Boston Celtics' nine-game winning streak and join us as we dissect the C's play post-All-Star break. We analyze the recent play of Tatum, Horford, and Holiday. Touch on roster chemistry and the Celtics overall basketball IQ.
We tackle the narratives and stats surrounding the MVP debate around Tatum, Luka Dončić, and Nikola Jokić. We challenge the notion of past playoff performances influencing current MVP discussions, calling out inconsistencies and standing up for stellar seasons that deserve the limelight.
Our crystal ball gazes into the Western Conference battleground, where the Denver Nuggets and LA Clippers emerge as formidable forces. We size up contenders, debate the significance of playoff experience, and ponder how the Celtics would stack up against the West's best.
Hey everyone. Today is Thursday, february 29th, and the game I like tonight is I like Atlanta Magic given six and a half to the Utah Jazz. Now, I know six and a half is a lot of points, but the magic are kind of rolling right now. The Jazz are struggling. I think they've only covered once in their last nine or 10 games I think it's nine that was against the lowly Spurs. Outside of that they've been beating I mean getting beat and not really being competitive. The only other game they've been competitively was a home loss to the Warriors. They even got squashed against the Hornets. So I like the magic and the magic are rolling right now. They, just after kind of playing 500 or below 500 basketball for a while, they've won. I think it's eight straight and they've moved right into the discussion to possibly not only avoid the plan but compete for that number four seed in the East. So magic at home. Given six and a half, they're my bet for the night.
Mike Quigley:You're listening to offering in-depth analysis on all things Boston Celtics With your hosts, jim and Mike. Quickly, all right.
Jim Quigley:For the first time in a long time we are back with another episode of Hot Foul. I'm Jim with my brother Mike, as always. Hope you guys are all doing well. We haven't talked to you since well before the All-Stop break in the Celtics. Right now we're on a nine game win streak. They're longest of the season, I think, tied for the longest win streak in the NBA all year with a few other teams and it's something like the six to seven five game win streak. So this is. You know they've just been consistently very, very good all season.
Jim Quigley:And, mike, they've come out of the All-Stop break, I think, playing really good basketball. And you know what's been really interesting to me, just to kick things off, is they kind of doing this a little bit differently than they did Pretty all-stop break where it was a lot of just. They were by far the way the runaway best first half team in the league. You know it's routine for them to score anywhere from 62 to 70 plus points and a half and then shutting down their opponent on defense in the first half and then just kind of, you know, settling in and surviving a win or cruising to a win in the second half. This to start post All-Stop break.
Jim Quigley:They've kind of taken the opposite approach right.
Jim Quigley:They've got a team that has felt their way out in the first half, have not really been an offensive juggernaut in the first half of games, and then the third quarter is they've just killed teams.
Jim Quigley:Particularly it's been led by Jason Tatum. It's felt like Tatum's kind of felt his way through the first half right and then in the third quarter it's just gone in for the kill, whether it's you know he's moving the ball or he's, you know, defending, or he's going to the hoop, whatever the game needs, he seems to give it in that third quarter and the other Celtics just seem to fall suit. You know, it seems they're playing off of the tone that he's set and he's been playing at a high level for a long time now, a very, very high level for a long time now. So that's the most interesting thing to me. Mike is just the you know the way they've come out in third quarters and finished teams off and they've done it to the Sixers, they did it to the Nets, nothing, that's the Nicks and they did it to the Bull when they come up break.
Jim Quigley:So, from there. I'd love to hear your observations on what you're seeing and what you're thinking.
Mike Quigley:Yeah, I think the teams they're playing have a sense of urgency that you're seeing in the first half because they're fighting for playoff positioning. So the Bulls didn't make any important impact on the team they care. You know Vucovic had that huge first half where you know Pozengas couldn't figure him out. And then you know the Bulls were really locked in and playing hard. You saw the same thing with the Nicks and Jalen Brunson the way he came out, and then with Philly really throwing. You know Nick Nurse was doing everything he could to try to win that game with different lineups and four guard lineups and unique defenses. And so those first halfs I feel like the Celtics were taking some punches right, even though they were the more talented team and probably winning at half time in all those games, just because they were still better, those teams were given the Celtics problems in the first half.
Mike Quigley:And what I've been appreciated and really enjoyed about these last three games is the Celtics are adjusting to the game, making adjustments at half time and coming out and attacking certain things that they probably talked about in the locker room. So a great example of that was obviously the second half against Philadelphia. Philadelphia wasn't even helping on drives, they were just literally taking away the three point line, and so the Celtics adjusted to the game. And so the Celtics adjusted in the second half was to just find the matchup or to get guys off screens. You saw the Celtics doing guys cutting to the basket and getting passes off cut, similar to what Denver does. It was just a really, really impressive second half and their ability to get to the free throw line and the difference obviously between this year and last year, with having Pozingas too is that they're finding different ways to win because they have the talent to do it. They can be outshot by three, by a lot and still win games.
Jim Quigley:It's unseen, you don't see it.
Mike Quigley:Yeah, but it's unbelievable and I know people get really nervous when they're seeing it because they're like, oh, nba teams can't win when they're this outshot by three.
Mike Quigley:But the Celtics has so much talent that they can outscore you so much in the paint. They can outscore you so much at the free throw line, if they're dedicated to that, that they can beat when they're outshot by three and in that way they're really similar to Denver and when the Celtics lock in defensively like they have been in these second halves you know, jim, I don't know if you noticed it, but Pozingas and Al Horford don't ball defense against Philadelphia, and the second half was like it was playoff intensity, like really, really good, like if that's what we can expect from those two, yeah, that's. Uh, the Eastern Conference has got a problem.
Mike Quigley:They're gonna have a real hard time figuring out the Celtics. I know we'll talk about matchups later, but this team healthy and the way they're playing and if we can get them to really buy into going to the basket and going to the post as part of their regular offense, that's playoff formula winning basketball Moving when you don't have the ball, screening when you don't have the ball, having your best players do stuff like that. You're gonna win games that way. You're gonna win tough, tough playoff battles when you're willing to do the other stuff To get other guys open and create lanes to the basket. Because teams in the playoffs traditionally cover the three-point line Way better than they do in the regular season and the Celtics adjustments in the playoffs in the past that killed them, whether turning the ball over and they can't figure out a way to finish in the Paint. This team is different and I really like what I'm seeing.
Jim Quigley:Yeah, the personnel is more suited to that, as you brought up and and they look to six Just didn't have a guy over six nine in the game. The entire fourth quarter, you know, bomb, their and Reed were on the bench so it kind of made it easier. They were defending the three-point line at a high level but there was no one in the paint. So if Tatum, you know name the Celtic, if they could get past that first line, it was. It was gonna be a layup or foul and that's exactly what happened and you know.
Mike Quigley:It was a great way to do it against the the Knicks to they were they were able to get to the paint. Yeah, they were.
Jim Quigley:I thought that was more impressive. If you want to know the truth, I thought it was more impressive. The Knicks had cut the game down to eight or nine points or something like that, and Maybe it was even closer in the fourth quarter. And then the Celtics just found a different way to win, and it wasn't just them attacking the basket, it was grinding out defensive rebounds, it was getting steals and turnovers that were leading to transition. It was, you know, really grinding offensive possessions, getting second chance points. And I'm glad you brought up L Horford, because a Horford in a Holiday with two guys I wanted to talk about in particular, I think, horford's defense, and I don't even I don't know if he's made a three since he all stopped right, I really don't right. I'm sure he has, oh, he has, but it hasn't been many.
Mike Quigley:But he's made one shot so yeah, well, that's it, he's.
Jim Quigley:He's gotten a lot of key offensive rebounds. He's taken advantage of mismatches really well on the post. The Celtics have found him Way more than they used to and I think that's a result of him playing with prosenius at times and he's in his defense in particular. This permanent defense has been really, really good. I he had a key block against Alec Burke who you know went to abuse him on the field.
Jim Quigley:The sixes went after him a lot and with some success the other night, but he more than held the zone and he's given them great, great minutes. He's such an unselfish guy, accepted a role that he's never had before and you can say he's 38 years old or whatever and he should, but he's accepted it and he's done really excellent and um, you know these low minute totals that he's had. You know, there there may be games in the playoffs where he has to play much bigger minutes because of matchups and he's gonna be more suited for that. This season was at any point last season when you're gonna see a much fresher Hal Horford, which is a really good thing. The other guy drew holiday, drew through holiday.
Mike Quigley:He had go ahead. Al's match, the honest and some of these playoffs series. Minutes for minutes.
Jim Quigley:Yeah, yeah, yeah, he'll be needed at times. You're absolutely right, and you know. And then holidays just been great. He's been great for a while now. What he does is really underrated. You know the way he switches and can cover anybody, whether it's a bigger guy or a smaller guy. He's caused so many stales with you know just incredibly quick hands. He's become such a good defensive rebounder he I've he always has been that. You know his shooting from the corners Threes he's over 60%. You know is shooting on pull-up threes off the break. He's excellent at it. He's been excellent at it. We have such a top top four are so good that I think the quality of his plays being lost. He never tried. He never tries to do too much. It doesn't feel like he's just been Underratedly excellent over the last month or so and you know we talked about him On earlier pods if we were disappointed in how he was playing and he seems more comfortable being here and his performance has been really, really good.
Mike Quigley:Going into the Philly game he had made was like 16 out of his last 17 corner threes Unreal. Yeah, so he's a. Abby chin was interviewing about him about it and he was like he just looked at me he's like, yeah, maybe I should be taking more. Yeah, maybe you should. He's a little that's a thing with him too, it's like he.
Jim Quigley:You know, you heard about the quality of guy he is before he got here and he's won like the teammate of the year award like three straight seasons when he was with the Bucks and you can just see it. You can just see what he brings to the team, the type of person he is they're lucky to have. They really are. Yeah, he seems like a really good person he just seems to be a good person.
Mike Quigley:He just seems really relaxed during interviews. He nothing really changes with him Kind of need that, especially when you have Jalen Brown on the team, for thing is, is a Bit of the same kind of personality actually too. Yeah, I think personalities have been actually really. It's a good it. We don't have talked about this and we probably don't have time today, but you know, marcus smart, malcolm Brogdon, those guys weren't like even Kale not all Robert Williams probably was, but those two weren't and they were outspoken leaders in the locker room.
Mike Quigley:These two are Leaders in the locker room that don't have to say much and when they do speak it's always something really well thought KP and in Drew. And it just feels like they're both really well liked by everybody and and they've both been able to like adjust their games to fit in to the team rather than like forcing the team to adjust to them. And the other part of too is, you see it like, their relationships with Jalen Brown in particular, the way Jalen Brown plays a two man game with KP is not really anything you would have seen him do with the other guys that went out the door. And Grant Williams is another one, like I think he was another addition by subtraction that you're kind of seeing around the league. He's not well liked. So something different about that locker room and I don't want to talk shit about these guys that left but there's something different about the locker room that also fits into just the way this team conducts itself. That we're, I think we're seeing.
Jim Quigley:I think the thing we definitely know and see is that the basketball IQ of the collective group you know it is, it's high, you know really is high and I think a lot of that is through experience. Most of these guys are veterans. Now this isn't Tatum, and Brown there really is trying to figure out matchups and double teams and things like that. I mean Tatum out of a double team now is brilliant. You know, very rarely does he make the wrong pass or read. And then you know you talk about the Derek Whites and the obviously holiday and Horford and presenters and in Brown's even better at it. Now there's just a lot of guys with high level. I keep basketball IQ that you know it's tough to put them in spots and it's great for Missoula because Missoula can go out and he can try different things, like you're seeing.
Jim Quigley:You see Brown now playing with the second unit just to see how that looks and maybe get it better in case. You know Tatum has to play, tatum has to miss a game in the playoffs, right, you know. So you can prepare for that. You see them playing that two one, two that we hate, but sticking with it and because it gives you another wrinkle for the playoffs.
Jim Quigley:If you play a non shooting team, I don't think you'll see that as a fixture in the playoffs, unless of the match it dictates that. So you're able to experiment with these different things. One because you're so ahead in the standings, but two because you have high level IQ guys that are willing to accept it and know that you're going to have some struggles from it. But the bigger goal is more important and you know, struggle now, the struggle now with those things and then figure it out later on in the playoffs. So I think you ran it all this and I think it allows the coach to do an experiment more than your other eyes could have if you didn't have those type of players.
Mike Quigley:Yeah, Tim, so I have about like 15 to 20 minutes left that we can do the pod. I know you had some good questions put together for us to answer today. I think we should segment towards towards those. I know you want to talk about the upcoming schedule for the Celtics a little bit. I'll just say that I don't think these games fail important anymore because there's like games I don't even like look forward to walking, which is weird.
Mike Quigley:Like I had the NBA league pass and it was nights where I'd rather watch like Denver or the Clippers play and the Celtics are on Because the Celtics have I think it's a nine game lead or whatever. But this upcoming schedule as a basketball fan I don't know how much these games really matter anymore, but they're going to be good games. We got Cleveland, we got Golden State, we got Dallas in Denver, we got Milwaukee coming up at the end of the month I'm probably missing a game or two. I was Phoenix twice, right, so you probably look at those Phoenix games definitely the Golden State and Denver games as games that are like tests for the Celtics. But yeah, it's a good, good schedule here in March with some really good marquee matchups.
Jim Quigley:Yeah, I feel like you get through much, and then they just on cruise control. They'll play hot in these marquee matchups. I'm sure it's starting tomorrow night in Dallas, especially with an MVP candidate in the house. Yeah, you're right. You know, when you play with a team like the Sixers the other night, it's like it's even as a fan it's. You can't have this expectation for the players to be up and ready to go. But even in a fan you're like, ok, well, what are we actually watching for here? Like what's it again? And there was, you know, they played a different style and one a different way and got outscored by 38 from three. So all those things are Are interesting. But yeah, I think the stretch is going to be fun and then after that I think we're all just going to be begging for the playoffs to start.
Jim Quigley:So let's start, let's start with these questions. There was a narrative, particularly around the All-Star break, about Tatum not getting consideration for MVP, not because of his play on the court, because what? Because of how we performed in the finals two years ago and the Celtics not making the finals last year. You know, I'll let you go first on your thoughts. I have certainly mine, including how, the way Tatum handled it afterwards. But go ahead, mike, on that.
Mike Quigley:That narrative may be true. Dreymond Green certainly put it out there Guys everywhere, right? Dreymond Green's like in your face all the time. Now. I don't think Tatum.
Mike Quigley:Tatum's not a top three MVP candidate, just sorry. And maybe it's because of the roster he's on and that's part of it. But the numbers that Donchik, luca Donchik and Yolkic are putting up and what SGA does every single night he mock it down 31 to 34 points. It's like clockwork with that guy. I just don't know how you compete with those numbers. And MVP is above the numbers, right? Steve Nash won a bunch of MVPs and never won the NBA finals because of the numbers he put up. And he's a great player, right?
Mike Quigley:It's not to say that Tatum's not as good as those guys, but his numbers don't show that he's playing as good as those guys. I guess, when it comes down to like how we judge an MVP, I don't know how I could argue that Tatum deserves the MVP more than those guys do with, just like I think Luca's averaging like 39 and eight or something. It's insane numbers. I mean, russell Westbrook used to win MVPs too, right? So like he's not better than Jason Tatum. But at the end of the day, I don't think that's what it comes down to. I would pick Jason Tatum over Luca, but I would pick Jason Tatum over SGA when I start my team, but that doesn't mean he's in the MVP conversation, that's I guess.
Mike Quigley:Maybe I'm not being fair. I'd love to hear what you all thought as far as how Tatum handled it. I think Tatum's really good with the media. I don't have any issues with how he speaks about himself and what he says. I think he's a confident guy. You know somebody should talk to him about. Hey well, maybe the MVP you should be striving for is the NBA Finals MVP, because that's one you can control. That's one you have control over and you can actually win.
Jim Quigley:Well, what he actually said I thought was pretty good. He said I'm not saying I am in that top three. Those guys have had an incredible season. But the idea that I shouldn't be considered because of you know, a Finals performance or I was not making the Finals last year is an unfair standard. When you start, take the top three guys Joke, it's one of the MVPs before you won the Finals.
Jim Quigley:Sga has done nothing in the playoffs Like I don't think he's been past the first round. Luca didn't even make the play-in last year and you know it hasn't gone to an NBA Finals. So that standard I'm in agreement with him. That's a stupid standard. You know, if you just want to say you don't think he's in the top four, you got to throw Giannis in that top four, I think. I think that's fine. You know that's completely understandable. But I just think in treating the Celtics like they've been a failure, it's interesting when you don't treat Embiid like he's been a failure, you're not treating Luca like they've all been in the league about the same amount of time and they've had a lot less playoff success. I mean, embiid's never been past the second round and he was the odds on favor to win another MVP this year and he continually gets eliminated by Jason Tatum and the Celtics. You know, in fact, tatum scored 55 points, or whatever it was, in game seven last year and Embiid was a complete no-show.
Jim Quigley:So I just think that whole narrative not only is it unfair, because it only seems to be centered around Jason Tatum, it's just a stupid narrative for any player and it doesn't make sense. And it isn't. You mentioned yourself Steven Gash won multiple MVP's and never won a final. So what are we talking about here when we start saying that about Jason Tatum? I don't think Tatum's in that top four. I think he probably leads the second class of players. You know, I think he would be fifth or sixth on that list. A lot of it is, you know, he doesn't. He's on the bench a lot of the fourth quarter in a lot of these games, you know. And then the team doesn't need him to do what these other guys have to do for the teams to be.
Mike Quigley:I mean, like I don't think Kobe won MVP's for Anishake is right. Yeah, he doesn't, because Kobe wasn't the best shooting guy in the NBA, it was because he didn't have the opportunity to put up these incredible numbers. Like, get Tatum a season with. He's the guy and he'll be. You know he can be in that conversation and you said something that I thought was right too.
Jim Quigley:You said that you would take him on a team over SGA in Luca, and I think that's 100% true, especially, as you know, when you look at them as defenders. But I also don't think Luca could play this way. I don't think he could play team basketball, and you know, not being the absolute focal point, you know, I don't. It doesn't really matter who's been on Luca's team.
Mike Quigley:He doesn't change his style and I, you know so, like I, Another guy too that like so won't be in the MVP conversation, but a guy that I would seriously consider or probably take over. Luca is like an Anthony Edwards. Like that's a guy, I'm one, that's a guy I'm gonna win with Jimmy Butler. Another one they're never gonna be in the MVP conversations but, like you want me to put these guys in a position where I'm gonna go try to win a championship, I'm gonna go with these guys. Mvp doesn't always tell you who the best player is. They really. I mean I don't like the Jordan years where he won, probably like I mean calm alone when MVP's over Michael Jordan.
Jim Quigley:Think about that you know Exactly one one one year. Yeah, I think it was kind of like to take to give it to him, but a lot of times it does. I mean, indeed, was probably the best player last year and then he got her going in the playoffs. Yoke has just certainly been the best player in the world for a while and he's won them, so let's go to it. Mike, who is your MVP, yoke?
Mike Quigley:He is. I know he didn't play great in the first half. Watch him since he all stopped breaking. This isn't gonna stop. Did you see his pass against the Wizards? The 80 foot alley-oop to Aaron Gordon? No, I missed that, yeah. So like this guy is incredible, Jimmy, and like yeah, he is.
Jim Quigley:He's just unreal.
Mike Quigley:It like when you watch him against some of these teams like a Wizards or like Detroit, and you watch him out there. He's just trying new stuff, because he's just doesn't respect his opponent.
Jim Quigley:And I thought he toyed with Dreymon in the Warriors, so like he played him for the pass on defense every time and Dreymon had like eight turnovers. He just toyed with him. You know we talk about pass people IQ.
Mike Quigley:Yeah, he hit him on the head that he doesn't play hard, like watch him out, fast breaks. He just looks weird, but he runs his ass off. Yeah, yeah, he is this, it's not even close a Second best player in the league to him and I'm really worried that nobody in the NBA can beat Denver because of him. I'm really concerned about that. Maybe this is we're gonna be talking about three or four in a row and this guy is one of the best players serve playing NBA.
Jim Quigley:It is a physical player. He takes a lot of punishment. He's not a flopper, which I appreciate. You know which a lot of these guys are. You know mine would probably be him, with the caveat I think if Dallas keeps winning, I Would look at if they keep winning.
Jim Quigley:I do think a lot of Lucas stats early in the season were hollow. I I think the way Dallas plays you know there's not a lot of team basketball at all and you saw that in the with the Celtics game I think he's a very poor defender. Luca you saw that in the Celtics game again with Jalen pretty much attacked him for the last four or five possessions of the game and Luca couldn't do a thing. And I think, if we talk about floppers, I think there's a lot of NBA in hot in in him, where he just he flails and pitches, and I Don't enjoy watching him play at all like I enjoy and love watching Yolkage. I and I Enjoying, love watching SGA.
Jim Quigley:I do not like watching Luca play, but I think if they continue to win, he I might, with his numbers, he may be the MVP. I just don't know if they're gonna continue to win. We'll see. What's interesting, though, if Dallas gets into the playoffs. Outside of a handful of teams like Denver, the clip is in the Celtics. That style actually works in the playoffs because you can find isolations and switches and you can have success. But if you're getting a look at Lucas, yeah well, that's a thing because you can in the playoffs you can just kill mismatches. The problem with guys, with teams like Denver and the clip is in the Celtics, there's not as many mismatches and that style doesn't work as much.
Mike Quigley:There's much to eat. The player, kyrie Irvings, had a great season.
Jim Quigley:He is, he is and he fits into what they're doing. But, like I said, I just don't think I. I presume this wasn't good there and he deserves playing. But now watching this and Lucas style doesn't really change and Really his surrounding cast does not get better. You know you don't look at his surrounding cast and think a player's got him better playing with Luca. It just doesn't really happen. They may numbers might go up, but you don't think they're really a good player. Look at what Brunson stuns. Since he's left there he's been outstanding. The biggest challenge OD's Mike, for you as far as the Celtics go right now.
Mike Quigley:I Just look at that jumps, jim. And I still think Milwaukee has time to figure this out. And the other thing that Milwaukee has his size. So, thinking about this the other day, like how do you actually cover the Celtics? Maybe where Milwaukee lacks the wings, they go double-bigs with porters and Low-peds and they put like a porters on drew holiday and try to put you on us on Tatum. I don't know, but yeah, I I think that Just that two-man game with Lillard and the honest and fourth quarters of the game is close. That scares me. So, even though they they don't play great all the time, their effort level is suspect. I just think they are built for the playoffs and their size and ability to score in the half-port they are built to beat the Celtics and the Celtics are built to beat them, but they, I guess, yeah, right now I know what Cleveland's doing is fun, but and, jim, obviously my aim I don't give a shit what their record is and how they look when they play Boston. It's a seven game series and it's gonna be stressful.
Jim Quigley:So I think it's Milwaukee still to, I think, and it's nothing that they can do defensively. I think they just don't match up with the Celtics at all on that end of the court. Celtics just have too many guards and wings that can abuse matchups against Milwaukee and they don't have enough guys out there that that can defend, no matter what their lineups are. You know, whether they put Yanis on Tatum, then you know they'll find a mismatch with prosongus or they'll find white or brown or whomever to go after these less than stellar defenders that they have a, a particularly Dame in that instance they're gonna hunt him out. But on the other end, you know I think Dame still remains one of the best clutch perimeter players in this hour and you know if he starts to really get going early in games they become dangerous, and obviously Yanis to Giannis.
Jim Quigley:So it's still them. You know the Knicks, if they get healthy, could be a real aggravating team. Much of the line like the heat He'd have been the way they built, and they have OG now and some wing defenders. So that's an interesting team to me too. Mike, you have a head coach of the Celtics, you know. Obviously talk about the stretch they have, but the one seat is wrapped up pretty much Not only in the East but also League wide. How do you manage this team? The rest of the way?
Mike Quigley:I think I'm trying to bring Tatum's minutes down. That's what I'm looking at. He had to play 43 minutes against the Nixie other night. That's OK, they came out. They also have a break down, a long break. They have these two consecutive two nights off before a game. But now that we're playing every other night again, we're going to send back the backs. I know he doesn't trust O'Shea per set. He doesn't trust Mahalu. Maybe that's playing Sam Hauser way more minutes. But yeah, I think it's time to pull in the reins on Jason Tatum's minutes for the rest of the season.
Jim Quigley:Yeah, I'm with you. You've got to manage his minutes. I also don't think I'm playing for Zengas Horford a holiday, more than three games in a row at any stretch, whether they're back to backs or number of games in between days, in between games or whatever. I think it's time to give those guys as much rest as possible Horford and Hallway due to their age and for Zengas due to their injury history. It's all about getting ready for the playoffs now and that's the most important thing.
Jim Quigley:The last question for the pod is who do we fear the most out West and there's a ton of really good Western Conference teams. When you talk about what the Timberwolves have done this year and they've sustained it, they're for real. Any questions about that I think should be thrown out the window right now. What they can do in the half court defensively. Are you going to see Dallas tonight, who's kind of leapfrogged back into that discussion? Whether they stay there I think is a real open question. I don't think they will.
Jim Quigley:You have Oklahoma City who's having really their breakthrough season, and in the Clippers, who I think are real threat to potentially, if we talk about one team that can knock off Denver in the playoffs, I think if the Clippers got this shit together would be them, and the Suns have the talent the West is, way you know, just in terms of top teams are is just a much stronger conference in the East this year. So what which bodes well for the Celtics, because that means these teams are really going to have to battle out in the playoffs. I think you answered it earlier, mike. I'm going to just guess you're going to say Denver. So if it's not Denver, who would be your one B coming out of the West that you would feel the most?
Mike Quigley:Yeah, it would be the Clippers, despite what a comeback last night by the lake is, by the way, but LeBron out squad. I think the clip is in the fourth quarter, 19 to 16.
Jim Quigley:Yeah, and so you throw the Lakers into the Western Conference discussion too. That's some extent, yeah.
Mike Quigley:Yeah, and Golden State is going into that Denver game. Last Sunday night they were 11 and five since Raymond return, but at a Golden State's issue is outside of stuff. They just don't have that guy. For me it's, it's Phoenix and in LA, okc has a lot of talent. I guess I get worried about their experience showing up in a playoff series but to certainly the way they play, the way Oklahoma City plays, makes them a tough matchup.
Mike Quigley:The thing with the Clippers that I don't think gets talked about enough is do they really have possessions where they don't get a good shot? Yeah, like they rarely have possessions where they don't get a good shot up and they're so good in the halfport offense and then, like my one C, like right with, like that Phoenix team is Minnesota because of the way they defend. But Jimmy Denver, the way they just fit, the way they're built, the way you'll get plays, like you'll get plays in a way that sometimes he looks like he doesn't even want to touch the basketball. He wants to. He wants to just move around screen, screen again, and just the way he impacts the game is so scary with the way those guys play around them, especially Aaron Gordon.
Mike Quigley:Yeah, the way he's able to cut to the hoop and the way you'll get is able to find him. You'll get touches the ball 100 times a game, which is the most in the NBA. But, as you said, created is only 20 seconds. And think about that in the way he's able to still win and put up crazy, like when you see him shoot the ball sometimes and he scores. It looks like he's aggravated, that he had to shoot it. It's just. And the other thing about Denver is because of their size, with Aaron Gordon playing the four, with Michael Porter playing the three and the way Pope can defend right, I just ACP yeah, yeah, they're just a scary team to me and for I think it's Boston, I think it's Denver, I think that's what the NBA Finals is gonna be and I'd be concerned as a Celtic saying going into that series.
Jim Quigley:Well, the thing that was you know where they'd struggle early in the season is when the second unit would come in and the point differential between Yolkets minutes and on off, where it's just huge. But in games that matter to them and you saw it versus Celtics Aaron Gordon plays a small ball, five right and then they surround their second unit. They play like seven, eight guys and Murray's out there with that second unit and it's a completely different look than what you saw early in the year when they went with their backup centers and stuff. And that's what they did in the playoffs as well last year and it was extraordinarily effective and it's been really good against really good teams again. So you don't have that huge drop off in the Yolkets minutes that you had at points during the year in games that seemed to matter to them. So I think that's the other part of their. The other wrinkle is we talk about their benches and as good as it was last year, well, they know how to combat that. Barring injury, they're in really good shape. The 1B team is the same.
Jim Quigley:I just think it's the Clippers. I don't know if they're the most likely to the throne Denver out of all the other Western Conference teams, but they'd be the team that I'd fear the most to match up against the Celtics. I just think they match up really well against what the Celtics do defensively. They have really good wing defenders in George and in Kauai and they have bigs that do their job and play their situational defense well. They're not tremendous shop walkers but they're in the right spots all the time and that would be the team that would really I'd be most concerned about.
Jim Quigley:Tim Wolves they're a good defensive team, but Towns and Govert I feel like the Celtics have the medicine on how to deal with them. They're not guys that I think they worry about defensively at all, despite their defensive stats. Okay, see, I think the Celtics we just killed them with size and you go down the list I think you could find a fatal flaw in each one of those teams that the Celtic could abuse the nuggets and the Clippers it just gets much more difficult for the Celtics than I think those other teams, mike hey.
Mike Quigley:We're at the end of this pause.
Jim Quigley:Any closing thoughts from you?
Mike Quigley:Yeah, the Clippers do a great job of shrinking the floor defensively too, and you saw that in that blowout in Boston. Even with Daniel Tyson in the game, they just took away the pain I can't say something and it was really impressive the way they just dominated that game when they were focused in. I think one thing about the Clippers that I'd be concerned about is that you have James Harden in your team, so wow.
Jim Quigley:Yeah, but you have a great coach. Tyler might be one of the very best coaches in the entire league, to kind of counter that.
Mike Quigley:Yeah, my closing thoughts is really, I'm ready for the playoffs to start thinking about matchups and paying attention to some of these other teams and doing our homework. This game with Cleveland coming up is a great opportunity to watch them. They've been playing out of their mind for like two months now, so maybe we should be talking a little bit about Cleveland, because there's certainly a playoff matchup that's going to be there for the Celtics Miami's one-six in a row. They're another team to keep an eye on. So I think, as we think about these in conference, stop paying attention to some of these teams and what they're doing and how they're playing.
Jim Quigley:Yeah, cleveland with the healthy Evan Mowbly. How does he match up against Pryzingis? We didn't see that earlier in the year. I think that's definitely interesting. Rinko, I don't think the way Cleveland plays offensively is something that would be effective against the Celtics in a seven-game series. Not saying they don't win next week they very well could at Cleveland. They're going to be amped up and they're going to be amped up, but I just don't think Cleveland really matches up great against the Celtics in a playoff series. Yeah, mike, I'm with you.
Jim Quigley:It's time to get to the playoffs of Celtics. They're like 24-1 against teams under 500. They're the only team with a 500 record against the top six teams in the league. They've decimated the Eastern Conference top teams. For the most part They've taken the regular season seriously. You know we've nitpicked times where we thought they can be better, but no one's taken it more seriously than this team right now and has 0-8 vibes to it. But the question becomes what can they do once we get to the playoffs? Does some of those ugly habits pop up? I want to get there. I'm ready to watch it. I've seen enough of the regular season right now. Unfortunately, we still have over a month to go, so let's just pray they stay healthy, and we're ready to roll once this thing starts. That's how I'm going to close, and we'll talk to you much sooner than we did before. That's a promise I'll make, because it's been way too goddamn long since we've jumped on a pod.
Mike Quigley:All right, everyone be well and can't make a quick prediction. I think Blake Griffin's going to be on the Celtics within the next two weeks.
Jim Quigley:We'll see. Yeah, yeah, I thought so a while ago. I'm kind of off that wagon now, but I hope you're right. All right, see you guys.