Are the Celtics' recent stumbles are just bumps in the road or signs of a playoff breakdown waiting to happen? Mike and Jim dive into the Celtics' late-game meltdowns and coaching choices that leave fans scratching their heads.
As the playoffs loom, could the shift towards a tougher, more hands-on style of defense, and the whistles that seem to have gone silent, change the game for the Celtics and the league at large?
Are the Celtics' recent stumbles are just bumps in the road or signs of a playoff breakdown waiting to happen? Mike and Jim dive into the Celtics' late-game meltdowns and coaching choices that leave fans scratching their heads.
As the playoffs loom, could the shift towards a tougher, more hands-on style of defense, and the whistles that seem to have gone silent, change the game for the Celtics and the league at large?
For the bets of the day, I'm going to give you two and one bonus one. All right, here are the two that I really like. They're in the same game. So I really like the Pacers giving two and a half to the Bulls tonight. This is a revenge spot for the Pacers. They lost in overtime a little week ago to the Bulls 132-129.
Jim Quigley:But more than that, I feel like this team is starting to score again. They kind of got into a funk when Halliburton got hurt. The trade for Siakam and three-point variance went way down. The percentage went way down. The scoring went from first in the league to sixth in the league. But they've kind of come back to life over the last few games. They put up 145 in a loss to the Lakers. They scored on Monday night 133 against the Clippers. They scored 123 against the Warriors, 122 against the Pistons.
Jim Quigley:Pacers' team total tonight is 118.5. I like them going over that mark against this Bulls team. That isn't a great defensive team that gives up a good amount of points. I think they're going to hit that. I think they're going to cover. They're giving two and a half. I think they're going to win this one going away. So those are my bets for the day.
Jim Quigley:My bonus bet is I know Cleveland's still without Mitchell, but they're playing Charlotte. Charlotte's been pretty terrible. I think they've kept one game within 10 over the last 10 games. They just got crushed by Cleveland. You might say, oh, this is a revenge spot. They just don't care anymore. Charlotte doesn't care anymore. There is no revenge spot. They packed their bags and they're already in Cancun and Cleveland's going to kick their ass again tonight. Even Sons Donovan, mitchell, the Garland's still playing well, allen's playing well, mobley's doing his thing. They're going to win, going away. They're giving 10.5. That's my bonus bet, but the one I really like it's the Pacers Given two and a half Team total 118 and a half. Those are my picks for the day. You're listening to Offering in-depth analysis on all things Boston Celtics with your hosts.
Mike Quigley:Jim and Mike Quigley.
Jim Quigley:All right, good morning everyone. We are coming to you Not the morning after but the morning after. The morning after the Celtics Huge collapse I guess is the only way to put it against Atlanta Hawks up 30 points in that first half and seen it all go away in you know kind of dramatic fashion to not just lose the lead but also lose the game. And Mike, I guess I'll start off with this I know there's been a couple of blown leads this month, been a couple of blown leads this month, and you know there's been a couple of blown leads when they've won. You know the vast, vast majority of the game since the all-star break that I think they're I want to put them in separate buckets and maybe you don't, but I I thought the milwaukee blown lead and the cleveland lead, those are fourth quarter. We're going to walk it down.
Jim Quigley:Habits that we've seen from the Celtics before that were really that are kind of troubling. You know we've seen it in the playoffs and past teams where they kind of walk down a lead and then you know playing to officials and the other team gains momentum and starts making shots and the next thing you know we're a one-possession game in the final minutes of the game. This one was kind of and I texted you in the second quarter saying I think Atlanta's going to come back in this thing, because they were so disinterested that the Celtics got bored and just stopped playing basketball and Atlanta was able to crawl back into it. But there were things late in the game that I think were more worrisome than losing the lead or Atlanta making a comeback and making a game. I almost expected that to happen.
Jim Quigley:What was more worrisome for me was some of the trends with the coach and some of the execution on defense in the clutch more so than on offense. There was a really bad offensive possession down there in the final two possessions of the game but for the most part they scored going down the stretch against Atlanta pretty handily. But they scored going down the stretch against Atlanta pretty handily. I thought the defense and it's been a concern, I think, of late in the clutch for this particular rendition of the Celtics. So I want to get into all that. That's my opening kind of salve at this right now and I'll hand it over to you.
Mike Quigley:Well, I agree with you, jim, but I want to focus on the offense just as much as the defense, with some of the things I saw in this game. That I think is part of the Celtics' DNA and I thought Brian Windhorst made a really good point that the Celtics have the fastest pace or one of the fastest paces of play in the first quarter in the NBA, but when they're in the fourth quarter games they're second to last. And Jason Tatum getting an eight second violation with nobody covering him. That's ridiculous. And then Jalen Brown dribbling the ball like 22 times and launching a three when you're down two. What are you doing like? You should be in your set really quick. Why are we going into iso sets dribbling the clock out when we're losing?
Jim Quigley:I don't think that was. I don't think that was an iso. I put that much as much on missoula and I'll get into it later but I thought Atlanta killed action and with about 10, 12 seconds left you could see it going nowhere. And this is again a trend when Missoula is watching from the sideline seeing an offensive set going nowhere at the end of a quarter, at the end of a game, and he doesn't blow a timeout and cost his team a possession. I thought Atlanta took away action, which happened.
Mike Quigley:Even when he finally calls a timeout. With nine seconds left in the game, you're down four and Tatum's driving to the basket, ISO shooting a two.
Jim Quigley:Yeah, you've got to go for a three. You've got to go for a three there.
Mike Quigley:It's just so much stupidity with this team and the Celtics did that entire fourth quarter Just drain, clock their possessions. Yes, they scored, but I mean it's not going to work. And the playoffs play in this way. You have Christoph Porzingis. You're not even posting him up, you're not even throwing him the ball, you're just relying on Tatum and Brown to go iso. And we've seen it time and time again in close games at Celtics play this way and to your point, on Missoula, you're up 30.
Mike Quigley:You use one timeout during a 34-6 run. And you use it with what? When your team's up three. So that's when you use the timeout. You don't use the timeout when the lead's cut to seven. You wait till it's cut to three and you're watching this team the way they're playing. Like what's that about?
Mike Quigley:I know Scalise was defending them like, oh, the guy's going to play through this. When the fuck in the playoffs are you not going to call a timeout during a 34-4 run? What are we preparing them for? When are you not going to call a timeout during a 34-4 run? What are we preparing them for? When are you not going to call that timeout? That doesn't make sense. How are we preparing them for the playoffs by not calling the timeout? That's just throwing the game away, and we've seen this before in the playoffs, with him last year not calling timeouts during big runs. It's a trend. It's scary and I'm really nervous about him as a head coach with this team moving forward, with him making mistakes that are going to be really costly. And the other point I want to bring up is again Jalen Brown with missed free throws. That's something that concerns me too as we get into the playoffs. Can we trust this guy to make free throws in big moments?
Jim Quigley:because, once again, yeah, so there's a lot there. So where should I start? Because you brought up a lot of points. Okay, well, let's start with the clutch play down the stretch. I thought their offense in the fourth quarter. I agree with you for the most part, I think, especially the way they started the fourth quarter. They started very slow. They were getting into the sets late.
Jim Quigley:Yeah, the eight-second violation is just inexcusable to put yourself in that position Whether it really was or not, it doesn't matter. The fact that you're putting yourself in that position again and again and this isn't the first time this has happened to this team is just, you know, is troublesome. You know, I was kind of glad in some ways that they were in this spot in the fourth quarter. I was glad Atlanta to come back. I wanted to see how they would respond. And again, I thought it took Jordan Springer to come into the game to give this team energy, which you know when a team comes back versus you like that, that was disappointing to me and kudos to Springer. I thought he performed really, really well. You know, when a team comes back versus you like that, that was disappointing to me and kudos to Springer. I thought he performed really, really well, but I thought for the majority of the fourth quarter it was troublesome. Now, I didn't think their late game execution was bad. I know what you're saying, where it was ISO. I don't think it was as much ISO as finding matchups. It wasn't what I was used to seeing.
Jim Quigley:There was a brown play that came off a curl for a little bit of a jump shot by the foul line. Tatum got a high screen and immediately went to the basket for a monster dunk. It was what would happen after they made the shots. They, they, they got great looks. They got great looks and they made him. They would then hit him, fouled Murray after that monster dunk, going for a steal. So instead of being up three with momentum, murray kills, the momentum goes to the line, makes two. There was another instance where they fouled again away from the ball after they made a jump shot.
Jim Quigley:To go up three Puts Atlanta right back at the line. I mean, so we're talking about Atlanta not even have to work for points down the stretch. You know, in the clutch they didn't even have to work for points on a couple of their possessions. We just fouled them early in the shot clock, away from the basketball, going for a steal Early in the shot clock, away from the basketball. Going for a steal, you know taking a gamble where you really shouldn't have to take a gamble. Jason Tatum covering Murray. Murray's a good player, but you're one of the best defenders in the league. You're big, you can stay in front of him. Let's take our chances. There Makes no sense.
Jim Quigley:And then what happens? On that last possession for the Hawks, their last offensive possession, they get a switch. They miss a shot because it's a switch. Capella's out there rebounding against Smalls. The Hunter shot was stupid, but he shot it and made it and it put him up four Again. You got to know he shot it and made it and it put him up four Again. You got to stop but you didn't finish it. How many times have we seen that this season I'm not even talking about past playoff performances how many times have we seen that in the clutch this season? You saw it against Milwaukee, you saw it against Cleveland. The defense in the clutch has been really poor. It's been really poor and I don't know what's going on there, because it shouldn't be the case. They're too good for that to lose focus on that end. So that's to me really surprising.
Jim Quigley:So you have the majority of the fourth quarter doing what you said on offense, whether you know they really killing the pace, which was odd because they finished the third and you've seen this so many times where they finished the third really solid, right, mike? And then they, and they did I think they built it up a little bit. Maybe Atlanta cut it to six or whatever. We built the lead back up and then they just fall asleep to start the fourth, just fall asleep. And a lot of that falls on Tatum it really does and then the Missoula stuff. So I agree with you about the one timeout in that huge run. I also agree with Scal that you know to the players you did this, you fix it.
Jim Quigley:But again, where my concern is, or what yours is, we've seen him not called in the if he was really good at this, mike, the game management part, and he did that and he said you fix it, I wouldn't care at all, I really wouldn't, I'd be like I get it, coach. I. And he said you fix it, I wouldn't care at all, I really wouldn't, I'd be like I get it, coach. I actually understand that. Make your players their stars. You got three high-level players in Przingis, brown and Tatum on the floor. You guys figure this out. This is your mess. But he hasn't shown a fail for the game in those situations. So when he's not call it a timeout, I don't know if he's doing that or he's just watching. I can't give him the benefit of the doubt right now because of his past performance. And then it really concerns me. On that possession with Brown, it was clear that Atlanta took away actions. I don't know if they were trying to find a mismatch on the floor or whatever it was.
Mike Quigley:They literally shoved Christoph Porzingis off the action.
Jim Quigley:Yeah, but it didn't get called. With about 12 seconds, even 8 seconds, 7 seconds left on the clock, just call timeout and run a sideline out-of-bounds play and get the best shot you can. I almost am concerned that he doesn't have confidence in himself to draw those up because time and time again he just watches that take place. I want to say the assistant's going to be saying something to him, but they really can't do that. They can't go up to a head coach and say you've got to call timeout now. That's just simply on the coach.
Jim Quigley:And this is the exact same thing that happened in Cleveland. Right, they get the defensive rebound, they're down one or down two I forget Tatum's dribbling up looking to find the mismatch with Garland Gets it late, too late, and settles for a jump shot and again you let the shot clock wind all the way down when you had multiple possessions to attack this and the South Victorian position had multiple possessions down one to attack this and the South Victorian position had multiple possessions down one to attack Atlanta. And instead, you know, brown misses a shot. I don't even remember what the final result. I know they didn't score and that Atlanta.
Mike Quigley:Oh against. Oh yeah, brown took like a fall away three that had no chance and. Atlanta goes down and shoots a three.
Jim Quigley:That had no chance and Atlanta goes down and shoots a three and it's a two-possession game with 10 seconds left and the game's effectively over. So I just look at these. So the comeback I kind of shrug my shoulders. It's March in the NBA. If you look across the league right now, it's like huge comebacks everywhere. Now the Celtics was about four or five points bigger than what you're seeing in other spots.
Jim Quigley:I mean, milwaukee blew a 20-pointer last night and lost in double overtime to a Lakers team without LeBron and they were at full force. Should Milwaukee panic over that? Absolutely not. No, that shit happens. It happens around the league all the time.
Jim Quigley:The comeback doesn't bother me. The loss doesn't even bother me that much. It's the trends that concern me the knuckle on the timeout, the defense in the clutch, the fourth quarter execution on offense. I think the fourth quarter clutch execution in the last two minutes have been better in some of these games. It was okay against Milwaukee, it was okay into that Tatum possession in Cleveland, but it's the overall offense in the fourth quarter which you hit on perfectly. So these trends, I think, as we get to the playoff, those are the things that I'm looking at and I'm kind of saying, oh, there's late game execution issues, there's coach concern issues here, and you know we've seen this, we've seen this cost this team series, we've seen this cost this team exits and championships over the last, you know, two seasons. And even with Adoka, you know his teams blew weeds and didn't execute down the stretch. So I think, so, I think, mike, you've raised a lot of good points. I differ with you slightly, but I think the overall feeling is the same, if that makes any sense.
Mike Quigley:Yeah, of course. And you know, something I just want to attack a little bit is I know that you're not overly concerned about the blown lead, but the three of them this month. Obviously they didn't lose all three.
Jim Quigley:The other two concern me more than this one the lead blowing yeah than this one did.
Mike Quigley:I can think of five this year. So twice against Milwaukee. Obviously, the one against Indiana was really bad and it's just. I know that people are saying a lot of people are saying experts around the league that this happens in March. We saw it with Milwaukee last night. But I'm focused on this team, just this team that has championship aspirations and God Jimmy, if they blow a lead like this in the playoffs, well, I guess what was different. Are they up 20 points in the fourth quarter?
Jim Quigley:Yeah, see, that's the thing. That's what's different to me than this game and the Milwaukee. Those games happened in the fourth quarter and that was because of the shit. We just talked about them marking the ball, taking the air out of it, not taking advantage of opportunities. Then all of a sudden the other team gets hot and you're late on rotations defensively and you let go of the rope and it's gone right In the fourth. This one was just weird, it was different. It was a team that was completely disinterested in the first half and then the celtics, I think, just got, you know, kind of it's like, if you're not gonna play, we're not gonna play, was almost what happened there and in the middle of march.
Jim Quigley:That that doesn't that.
Mike Quigley:That part of it doesn't concern me and it's like the little things Like the Milwaukee game, it's just a little defense, celtics can't figure it out right. And the Cleveland game, it's just not playing defense, letting Dean Wade just shoot whatever three he wanted to get up. And the Indiana game, it's just not respecting the opponent when they're up big. The other Milwaukee game when they blew the lead and won again it was Damian Lillard, yeah. I kind of chopped that up to oh what are you going to do about that?
Jim Quigley:Yeah, yeah, yeah, that happened, that was earlier in the season.
Mike Quigley:But overall, like this Celtics team has the talent right, they have it, it's right there. They have Derek White, they have Drew Holiday, they have Porzingis, they have Tatum and Brown. Now Pritchett and Hauser are playing out of their mind. I mean, they have the talent. Do they have the mental toughness, the coaching and intelligence to do it? I mean they're going to have the fourth biggest point in pre-entry in NBA history.
Mike Quigley:Like everything's lining up to say you guys should win it. And like what can hold them back? What can beat them Other than Denver might be better? But like what can stop them? Is it them? Like are they? Is it just the Celt?
Jim Quigley:the celtics, well no, it's not just yeah. So to some extent all that's true and I just want to like. So people don't misconstrue what you're saying. Intelligence you mean basketball intelligence. You don't mean that they're stupid people. Um, no, no, I don't think yeah. So I I just sometimes like decision making. Yeah, yeah, no, I know what you mean, I just wanted to be clear on the part exactly what you mean. Yeah, so I just sometimes Like decision-making.
Mike Quigley:Yeah, yeah.
Jim Quigley:No, I know what you mean. I just wanted to be clear on the part exactly what you mean.
Mike Quigley:And I question Cornette's intelligence a little bit.
Jim Quigley:What's that?
Mike Quigley:I question Luke Cornette's intelligence a little bit.
Jim Quigley:He went to Stanford. He can't be that dumb.
Mike Quigley:I'm just joking.
Jim Quigley:I know, I know, I know. Yeah, this you asked a really good question. Are they the only thing outside of Denver that can beat them? The question is. The answer is I don't know. Look the style they play too. The style they play, the variance on the three is good, because teams against a Milwaukee or Philly or Denver if it's going well, it really helps you beat those teams. You all of a sudden create an edge that other teams can't Right. Of course, it can also cost you a series against a miami heat. It leaves you open to get upset. And now the question becomes and you saw it in this first half in the atlanta game and you've seen it at other points this year where they, the threes indiana did it to them and um at philadelphia did it to them and Philadelphia did it to them where they just focused on taking away the three and the Celtics punished teams. They just punished those three teams in the paint.
Mike Quigley:I loved it.
Jim Quigley:Yeah, now you see, the Celtics got away from it in the second half against Atlanta. I thought the officiating allowed for that and I thought the officiating called the game differently for the two teams down the stretch. Honestly, I don't think that's the reason why they won or lost, but I do think it had an impact. Will they do that? If, let's say, miami's focus is just to take away their three ball, do they just punish them and they did that actually to Miami earlier this year they did punish them. They found mismatches with Porzingis and they just took advantage of it. That's why they were able to beat Miami all four times this season. Will they do that? Because that's supposed to be the difference, right With bringing in Porzingis, than what you had last year. But your question, you asked it and that's the answer. I don't know. I don't know if they can focus on doing that over a course of a series if the three-point variance that they depend on so much isn't going as designed, which can happen in a series.
Jim Quigley:We've seen it happen just last year and it cost them. It really cost them. Miami got red red, red hot hotter than they've been probably in a decade from deep and you got ice cold and you could not adapt to it. Even though you got ice cold, you could not adapt to it, even though you have more talent, and this year you have a lot more talent. So let's say you get Miami in the first round. You have a lot more talent, more talent than you had last year. Versus them, the disparity is huge. So if that same thing happens, can you adapt and then win the series in five or six instead of losing or going seven?
Mike Quigley:Yeah, I mean they adapted last year. It was just too late. It dug way too big of a hole Because I thought that three-game winning streak the Celtics did dominate inside the paint. Tatum just took over that series and then obviously game seven was a friggin' nightmare.
Jim Quigley:Yeah, but, mike, what ended up happening was the Celtics shot better than Miami, I think all three or two out of three in those games. So it was, you know, the variance went their way In the games, the variance didn't go their way, they lost, they lost them all, they lost them all. And so that's what I'm kind of getting at is, like you know, can they adjust to that? And the jury's really out.
Mike Quigley:Right, the jury's really out well, and that's why they brought in Porzingis. And that's what really drives me nuts. Is that just this one Atlanta game? I think for the most part this season in the fourth quarter.
Mike Quigley:they've really used him, yeah, and I just didn't see that. And to your point, let's jump into the officiating. I think that had something to do with it. In this Atlanta game, bruno Fernando in particular was allowed to play very physical with Porzingis and credit to him because he just kept doing it. And I saw what happens to Poringas sometimes when the game's too physical, kind of gets away from the free throw line, he's extended up more, sending more screens, looking for that three. To me that's what I saw from him. I even seen him in the corner a couple of times which is like what is he taking Two or three corner threes all year? So it's like why are you even over there?
Mike Quigley:And obviously on the Celtics side of the ball, I thought the Celtics were playing the physical style of defense, but we're getting getting called a lot more. And I think overall there's a trend in the NBA where the officiating has changed and it's led to a more physical game, has changed and it's led to a more physical game. I think we're still seeing high point totals but in my opinion, I think the physical game has been an advantage to the home team because, like the crowd gets into it, the refs are human and I think the home team doesn't. Always they get a better whistle. I thought.
Mike Quigley:I thought, in my opinion, the Atlanta game was a really good example of that, especially like that last Celtics meaningful possession where porzingis was trying to get into the action to set that screen with brown. I think they were going to try to do that two-man game. Um, and whoever was covering porzingis I actually don't think it was fernando literally just shoved them. Um, it was so obvious off the spot. There was no call, they hadn't been calling at all game and that certainly disrupted the play of the Celtics.
Jim Quigley:It calls it way down. I'm actually trying to find the stats on it right now, but they're calling less of everything. They're calling less block charge. They're calling less away from the ball stuff. They're calling less illegal screens. They're calling a lot less on the ball, you know, with the clutching and grabbing. They're calling a lot less. Now I don't hate it and I know you said this too. I think you know it kind of makes for a better product. But there is an effect, you know, and if you look at free throws attempts that are down across the league, it really are the two top teams. I kind of injury explained in some way it's the Knicks and the Sixers who've seen their free throws really drop, but the third team is the Celtics.
Mike Quigley:Who don't shoot many free throws to begin with.
Jim Quigley:What's funny is the Lakers are not really impacted at all.
Mike Quigley:They're never impacted.
Jim Quigley:And Milwaukee isn't impacted, although Dame's free throw rate has gotten from about 8.5 a game to 5.5 since they're impacted Because he actually hits his free throws. But you know, Giannis, that number hasn't changed.
Mike Quigley:And I mean, Giannis is so huge, he does get fouled on almost every possession, but I also think it's like I'm excited when I'm playing Giannis in the playoffs and he's at the line.
Jim Quigley:Yeah, there's something for that and so, and then you look at just individual players from the Celtics, the two that have really been impacted the most have lost at two free throws a game, or just you know, right around that mark is White and Tatum, and I think for White that's a big deal.
Mike Quigley:Oh, so Tatum's lost it? Huh, Because I felt like Tatum was going to the free throw line more recently.
Jim Quigley:Yeah, since the All-Star break it's gone down and the guy I thought has been impacted, you know, and where it's happening, is Przingis. I don't feel like he's getting that foul call on the post up around the foul line anymore, like he got consistently early in the season. So what's interesting about this is I feel like this is kind of how they call it in the playoffs anyways, in a lot of ways, um, I feel like whistles are way down and I feel like that's why you've always had like and be kind of struggle because you can't adjust to that style of play. Or Harden really struggling in the playoffs because they just don't have the ability, because their brain is trained so much to just draw fouls. Yeah, which makes Trey Young so interesting because he has been able to adjust and play well in the playoffs, right, and yet he plays that way during the regular season. You would think that it would adversely affect him too. It hasn't.
Mike Quigley:But it's he's also like the only guy you know, so he's still gonna get his so what does that mean for the celtics?
Jim Quigley:well, you shouldn't have these clutch defensive situations, be so poor, and I I thought in the last game the foul they were. You know the fact that they were calling the celtics for bumps, when you know wesley matthews is just hammering Tatum on the other end, which I'm fine with, but you can't call it on the other end.
Mike Quigley:Can I tell you what this game was missing, jimmy Tommy Heidson, he would have made that game so much better.
Jim Quigley:Yeah, he would have been all over it. Yeah, he would have been all over it. But the Celtics they need to be, they need to recognize that this is how the league's calling it. I thought they were doing this in the first half. I thought they were lazy against the Bulls with this and then they got lazy against the Bucs in the fourth quarter with this. But they need to be physical on defense. They need to be really, really physical. They're big, strong, athletic guys and if the officials are going to let it, go, get after it.
Jim Quigley:I think especially yeah, and the only two guys you see out of it consistently right now, I feel like, are Holiday and Brown and Pritchett I should say too, they have just been so physical on the ball. Yeah, and Pritchett, I should say too, they have just been so physical on the ball. It's great. Tatum should be the same way, white should be the same way. Anyone that's coming into the game it should be physical on the ball. And you saw it with Jordan Springer and he gave him that spark in the fourth quarter. He was able to stop penetration, whether it was on Donovich or it was on Murray. Then he got a couple of cheapies, the way they were calling it too. I thought he got a real couple of cheapies, but it's interesting. So I wasn't sure if it was just how we felt that they were calling less, but the numbers have shown it and it's definitely something.
Jim Quigley:An onus from the league. Now I don't. My only concern with all the officiating the last thing I'll say on it is they've gone in this direction. You know I don't like switching trends mid-season. You're switching how you call them things mid-season. I think it confuses them. But they have, but they have. So it's fine. It better stay in this direction come playoffs. You know, if this, all of a sudden we get into a game where it's 25 fouls being called, I'm going to lose my mind after going through this.
Mike Quigley:Let me put it this way it will. The trend will stay, but if a team's up 3-1 on the road, it's not going to stay that way. Well, that's my problem. Yeah, so I think we know the NBA enough to know that. But I will say this one thing I have noticed and I got to get off this soon Jen is in the Celtics home games with the new way they're calling it.
Mike Quigley:I have noticed that the Celtics get away with a lot defensively and it almost looks like they pay. I'd like to see the home splits as far as defensive rating goes, compared to the road, since they've changed the way they call games, because I feel like the Celtics. There's been a lot of possessions during this stretch post-Alstom break where I'm like, oh my God, like the Celtics got away with like four fouls there. No, call my thing.
Mike Quigley:I hear you saying Tatum should play that way too. I'm okay if Tatum doesn't do it in the regular season, but come playoff time, absolutely Maybe this style of calling games will work to the Celtics' advantage because they're going to have home playoff throughout, so this could be. I do think that this style of calling like, if you think back to the 90s and early 2000s the home court advantage was so much more prevalent than it is now. We see a lot of road teams winning, I think, in the playoffs more now than we do, higher seeds being upset more than we did back then, and I do think that was the change in the game of play and how they allowed more scoring over defense and if they're going to call it this way.
Mike Quigley:In the playoffs I think we're going to see less upsets and more higher winning percentages at home, and obviously that could be a big benefit to the Celtics. So I do have to get off. I'm sorry, jim, if you want to continue the pod without me, but great pod.
Jim Quigley:I'll just close it this way we talk about these things on the margins because for a team like this, it's important you know how they execute, how the coach reacts, but at the same time, we do acknowledge on this pod that they've only lost three times since the All-star break and they've been absolutely dominating teams, and so it's still better to be a Celtics fan than it is to be most fans today. Mike, I'll jump to Always great talking to you. We'll talk to you all soon.
Mike Quigley:All right, see you, thanks, bye.