April 30, 2025 • 23 mins
Jayson Tatum was in his bag Tuesday night as the Boston Celtics demolished the Orlando Magic to close out a gentleman’s sweep and advance to the second round. Tatum logged his second straight 30-point double-double as the Celtics exploded during the second half to turn a two-point deficit into a 31-point win. We’re sounding off on Tatum’s performance, the moment the game changed when Jaylen Brown drew a fifth foul on Paolo Banchero, and on the vibes the Celtics are feeling as they await either the New York Knicks or Detroit Pistons in the next round.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
Sound Off with me, folks on the Boston Celtics punching
the Orlando Magic right in the mouth and then punching
their way into the Eastern Conference semi finals. And this
is all while they sent the Orlando Magic packing right
into the offseason. Welcome into the sound Off Postgame podcast.
Thank you for hanging out with me. I'm Mark Tmiko,
(00:27):
and I appreciate you giving us a watch or listen
on whatever channel you are consuming this podcast on. Make
sure that you subscribe, and please, if you're on YouTube,
shoot some comments in below. All right, we want to
hear from you what your thoughts were on this game.
This is a two way conversation. You are a part
of this podcast, so make sure you're sending in your comments.
As I said, the Celtics landed a knockout punch and
(00:50):
it was a big one. This wasn't a punch that
just wobbled the Orlando Magic. This is a punch that
knocked them down to the ground and they never got up.
Speaker 2 (00:59):
This game was tight in the third quarter.
Speaker 1 (01:02):
The Celtics led just fifty nine to fifty eight with
less than six minutes left in the third quarter, and
then from that moment on the doors were blown open.
It was a complete onslaught the rest of the third quarter,
a twenty four to four run to close out the
third quarter, which gave the Celtics a twenty one point
advantage heading into the fourth quarter. This is just when
(01:25):
the Celtics got back to looking like the Celtics. For
much of the series, they haven't been able to take threes.
The defense, to Orlando's credit, has taken away three pointers.
This was the moment where the Celtics look like they
have all season long. They were not only taking threes,
but they were making them and they were doing it
at a very high volume. Some crazy stats that we
(01:47):
can relay about the second half in general, that third quarter.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
The end of the third quarter was the start of this.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
Boston shot zero percent from three point range during the
first half. The Boston Cells, who led the league in
three points makes and three point attempts, shot zero percent
from the three point line during the first half. They
were only the second team all season long to go
the entire first half of a game without making a
(02:15):
three pointer.
Speaker 2 (02:16):
That's crazy in and of itself.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
This team didn't make a three pointer, but during the
second half, they not only made three pointers, but they
made them, like I said, in high volume. During the
second half, they shot thirteen of eighteen from.
Speaker 2 (02:35):
Three point range.
Speaker 1 (02:36):
Ridiculous shooting percentage from long range for a team for
an entire half of basketball. You know what percentage that is,
seventy two percent from three point range. There are teams
that don't shoot that well at the rim in an
entire game. The Celtics shot seventy two percent from three
point range for the entire second half. It was impressive
(02:58):
and it was a complete knockout punch. And the Celtics
continued to pour it on from that twenty four to
four run to close the third quarter, they carried it
on through the entire fourth courd quarter. It didn't matter
if the bench was checking in, Tory Craig checks in
boom immediate three pointer, Baylor Shireman checks in boom immediate
three pointer. It was every single player who was firing
(03:20):
up shots was connecting during the second half. And exactly
what I said, that is what the Celtics look like
all season long. And boy did they get back to
looking like themselves during that second half. Just a complete onslaught,
a wave of momentum, a title wave that Orlando just
had no answers for and the biggest reason why we
(03:41):
can rewind to one moment that happened early on during
the third quarter, and it's all because of Jalen Brown.
We talked about this after the last game on the podcast.
The Celtics were playing with aggression during Game four. They said, Okay, Orlando,
you want to take away the three point line.
Speaker 2 (03:59):
We've got the guys, We've.
Speaker 1 (04:00):
Got the dogs, We've got the superstars that can dominate
the game by taking the ball off the dribble. Jalb
Brown and Jason Tatum did that during Game four by
getting to the line for twenty four free throws. They
made and attempted more free throws during Game four than
Orlando did as an entire team. Jalen Brown, at the
start of the second half, continued that aggression.
Speaker 2 (04:22):
He scored fifteen points during the second half, nine during the.
Speaker 1 (04:25):
Third quarter, and he drove on Paalo Bancaro twice in
the early moments of the third quarter. Twice picked up
fouls that left Palo Banco the best player unquestionably on
the Orlando Magic, with five fouls with nine to forty
six left in the third quarter. Jamal Moseley, Orlando's head coach,
(04:47):
had no choice but to take ben Caro out of.
Speaker 2 (04:49):
The game at that point, and the game was tied.
Speaker 1 (04:52):
It was fifty three to fifty three when ben Caro
checked out of the game and went to the bench.
By that time he came back at the start of
the fourth cour Orlando was down by twenty one. This
game was over. By that point. The Celtics had already
punched their ticket. They were going on to the conference
semi finals, and it was just a matter of what
the final score was going to be and if everyone
(05:12):
made it out of the game healthy, and it wound
up being a one hundred and thirty excuse me, one
hundred twenty to eighty nine win for the Celtics, and
everyone did make it out of this game healthy.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
So a great job for the Celtics.
Speaker 1 (05:24):
But it was very interesting to me to see how
Jamal Moseley handled that situation with Paulo. Benkerra to me,
as I'm watching this and listen, credit or defense given
to Jamal Mosley here. He hasn't been inside TD Garden
to see a run like that. I've had the pleasure
of seeing that in person for years now. And in
(05:45):
particular last season when the Celtics made that run to
the NBA Finals and win winning the championship. You can
feel when something is building. You can feel when there
is a tidal way building that will not be able
to be stopped by the other team. I could feel
that when the lead went from zero up to about
ten twelve. At that point it was like, Orlando, you
(06:06):
better get a stop and you better make a couple
baskets or else this game is over. That was the
moment when I thought that Jamal Moseley his only choice
was to bring ben Carro back. At that point, if
the game gets away, you're going to bring him back.
You're preserving his eligibility for the rest of the game
by having him not foul out. But by the time
(06:26):
he's going to come back at that point, the game's
going to be gone. Well, Mosley decided I need to
have ben Caro in the fourth quarter, and he did
come back in the fourth quarter, but Orlando was already
down by twenty one. So two key moments there when
Jalen Brown was applying pressure against Paula ben Caro, when
the ball was in Jalen Brown's hands, drawing those two fouls,
(06:47):
making it five fouls on the night with ben Caro
with nine to forty six left in the third quarter.
That's number one. Number two was the decision by Jamal
Moseley not to bring him back. And I understand the
fear of you could possibly bring him back and then
lose your best player for the rest of the game.
But in the end, it didn't matter that they had
him for the fourth quarter because the game was already over. So,
(07:11):
you know, I'm not an NBA head coach, but I
felt that when it got to about ten or twelve points,
it just felt like, you better bring him back if
you want to have a chance to win this game
during the fourth quarter.
Speaker 2 (07:22):
They did not bring him back.
Speaker 1 (07:23):
They did not have a chance to win this game
in the fourth quarter, and the Celtics just kept pouring
it on.
Speaker 2 (07:28):
So that was an interesting moment for me. Heading out of.
Speaker 1 (07:32):
The series, you do have to give credit to the
Orlando Magic. They played hard, they played tough. This was
a hard fought series and the Orlando Magic can go
into the offseason being proud of what they brought to
the table. I think, you know, I talked to I
have some relationships with people down there. I worked there
for a year before I came up here to Boston
to work for the Celtics, and some of the people
(07:53):
that I spoke to like they were proud of the
way they competed during this series. They were proud of
the way that they brought their defense to the table
and the way they played physical basketball. So certainly for Orlando,
they've got something to build upon going into the offseason.
That team is close. That team is very close. They
need a couple more pieces, and by the way, they
(08:13):
were missing some pieces, namely Jalen Suggs during this series,
their elite defensive point guard. But there are a couple
pieces away from being a legit threat in the Eastern Conference.
Speaker 2 (08:25):
So keep an eye out for them.
Speaker 1 (08:26):
But I said before this series, I sent it out
on X I said, this is the perfect first round
series for the Boston Celtics. Why because you knew what
Orlando was going to bring to the table elite defense
and a super high level of physicality, and the Celtics
were going to be forced to meet that.
Speaker 2 (08:47):
They had to meet the moment. They had to meet the.
Speaker 1 (08:50):
Level of physicality right out of the gates in this postseason.
It's not like playing Listen or I think Orlando would
have been their number four seed in the East or
better if they were healthy all season long. They wound
up in the seven seeds, so it wasn't like playing
a normal seven or eight seed that barely gets into
the postseason, not a very competitive team that you're just
gonna crush. We just saw what Cleveland did during the
(09:12):
first round of the Miami Heat that it wasn't even
a series. But this series was a series, and the
Celtics had, as I said, the Celtics had to meet
the moonment. They had to meet the level of physicality
right out of the gates during the postseason. And now
they're already at that level. They don't have to now
turn the switch on and meet that level heading into
(09:33):
the next round.
Speaker 2 (09:34):
They're already there.
Speaker 1 (09:35):
So I personally believe that is a huge benefit of
being able to get out of the series in a
gentleman's suite four games to one.
Speaker 2 (09:43):
You're feeling good about yourself.
Speaker 1 (09:44):
You just demolished the team during the second half of
the closeout game, but you really had to bring the physicality.
Speaker 2 (09:51):
You had to play through that, and by the.
Speaker 1 (09:52):
Way, you had to figure out a way to win
games that was different than the way you won games
all season long. The Celtics one games all season long
by dominating the three point line. They took a lot
of threes, and they made a lot of threes. Orlando
took that strength away during the series. Yet the Celtics
are so great and they are so talented, and they
(10:14):
are so balanced that they found a way to win
four out of five games by not taking and making
a lot of three pointers. So that just goes to
show the level of skill and deep in depth that
the Celtics have on this roster that they found a
way to win four out of five games without that
ability that they showcased throughout the regular season, which was
(10:36):
taking and making a lot of three pointers. So props
to Boston for figuring it out. Props to Orlando for
giving us a very competitive series. It was fun to watch.
I thought it was the perfect first round matchup for
the Celtics. Now, let's hope that Drew Holliday can get
healthy with that hamsterring. Let's hope that Jalen Brown and
Jason Tatum are feeling good going into the next round.
(10:56):
But by closing this out tonight, they just bought themselves
in extra couple days of rest. My assumption is this
game's not This next series is not going to start
until at the very earliest, probably Sunday, maybe Saturday, but
I'm guessing later than that because the Pistons and Knicks
are going to battle it out in Game six on
Thursday night. Who knows what happens there. If Detroit wins,
(11:18):
we're going to a Game seven. So the Celtics shaping
up to be in good shape and feeling good about themselves,
feeling physically well heading into the next series. Great on them,
and props to them for closing this out tonight at home.
Let's dive into some comments from our fans, shall we.
First up, we've got d Pedro d on Jason Tatum's
(11:38):
impressive performance this series. I cannot wait to highlight this.
Next up, we've got Bucky on where they think the
Celtics step up stack up against the rest of the
league right now. And then, last, but not least, we've
got Timmy McDonald on the bench vibes for the Boston Celtics,
and those vibes are very high right now, all right,
First up to pedro d on you all right, to
(12:03):
Pedro d. You are up first. Here's your comment, JT
with MVP performances in this series.
Speaker 2 (12:11):
That's a fact. No one in the.
Speaker 1 (12:13):
Right mind can disagree with that comment right there. Jason
Tatum was unbelievable when he came back from injury after
Game two.
Speaker 2 (12:22):
As we know, he fell down.
Speaker 1 (12:23):
He injured that right wrist during Game two and he
had to head out. He didn't come back until Game three.
Now the stats, let's outline these of what Jason Tatum
did during games three, four, and five. Unbelievable numbers here
from Jason Tatum coming back from injury. Game three thirty
six points in nine rebounds, Game four thirty seven points
(12:48):
in fourteen rebounds, and then tonight in Game five in
a closeout opportunity, thirty five points in ten rebounds. He
averaged a thirty six point double double over the final
three games of this series. That is MVP level basketball.
That is what you want to see out of your superstar,
and that is exactly what Jason Tatum brought to the
(13:10):
table during this series after he came back from injury. Clearly,
it seems like that risk is feeling just fine, and
we see it from the celebration. He said Baylor Shyerman
gave him the idea of what this celebration was to be. Now,
after he makes a three, he's grabbing that right wrist
and saying, I'm feeling just fine, folks, And I'll tell
you what he looked like he was feeling just fine.
(13:31):
Tonight finishes the night, as I said, with thirty five points.
He was ten of sixteen from the field. That's sixty
three percent from the field. He was four to five
from long distance, that's eighty percent from three point range,
and he was a perfect eleven four to eleven from
the free throw line. Jason Tatum played like a super
duperstar in this series. He played like an MVP, and
(13:55):
you gotta love the way that he is playing heading
into the next round. The Soltics, No, they're going to
need superstar performances from him if they want to get
to where they want to get to, if they want
to get to where they.
Speaker 2 (14:06):
Got to last season.
Speaker 1 (14:08):
Sure looks like he's ready to answer the call, especially
after what we saw out of him during this series
after he came back from injury. All right, Next up
is Bucky, who's got a very confident statement here for
the Celtics. All right, here it is we are the
best team in the league. That win was needed. Now
(14:30):
it's raps went on that run without Drew. And that
last part is what I want to start out with
because some people might not be paying attention to the
fact that the Boston Celtics just did that without Drew Holliday,
their superstar two way player who gets it done.
Speaker 2 (14:46):
And listen when I say superstar.
Speaker 1 (14:48):
Obviously he's not making First Team All NBA. He could
do that defensively every single year. If you really know
what you're talking about when it comes to defense, Drew
Holliday is unquestionably one of the top five defenders in
the NBA. Ask anyone who knows what they're talking about
when it comes to basketball, they will agree with that.
But the Celtics played the final three games of the
(15:08):
series without Jew Holliday. They played without Jew Holliday tonight,
and yet they wind up with, like I said, a
blowout one twenty to eighty nine victory, thirty one point
win in a closeout game without their two way star,
without their Swiss Army Knife, who is just critically important
(15:29):
to what the Boston Celtics want to and get to
do on a nightly basis at both ends of the court.
He's so important to their long term goals. And let's
hope that he comes back from the next round feeling
good with that hamstring. Let's hope he doesn't tweak it
the rest of the way and he's just good to go.
Great down the Celtics for closing this series out just
in time to get him a little bit of rest
(15:51):
going into the next series. Now, the rest of this comment,
we are the best team.
Speaker 2 (15:54):
In the league. That win was needed.
Speaker 1 (15:57):
The Celtics certainly looked like the best team in the
league during that second half. There's no question about that.
I mean, no one was gonna stop them. The way
that they were playing, the way that they were moving
the ball, the way that they were shooting the ball,
the way that they were defending and rebounding. Everyone from
top to bottom who checked into the game was bringing
the goods. That was excellent team basketball and certainly enough
(16:18):
to make Bucky say after this game that the Celtics
are the best team in the league. Now, we're gonna
find out in the next month and a half or
so if they really are the best team in the league.
There are some other very very good teams playing basketball
right now, as we just saw the number one seed
in both the East and the West swept their first
round series going away. Oklahoma City dominant over Memphis during
(16:40):
the first round. We saw Cleveland dominant in the first
round over Miami, a fifty point win to close out
their series just last night. So let's not get too far,
let's not put the card ahead of the horse. Let's
wait and see how this unfolds. But certainly it felt
like the Boston Celtics could very well be the best
team in the league when they are playing they that
they did during the second half tonight.
Speaker 2 (17:02):
That win was needed.
Speaker 1 (17:03):
It was great to see the offense come back to life.
Now the Seeds are feeling good about that offense as
they head into the next round. We still don't know
who that's gonna be. The Celtics took care of business tonight.
The New York Knicks did not, all right, So the
Knicks and the Pistons will go at it again on
Thursday night in Game six out in Detroit. Detroit's looking
for a home win on their home court in the
(17:25):
postseason for the first time since I believe two thousand
and eight.
Speaker 2 (17:28):
It's crazy.
Speaker 1 (17:29):
It's been seventeen years since they've had a win in
their own arena out in Detroit in a playoff game,
but they've got an opportunity to log a big one
Thursday night that would wind up sending that game or
that series to a seventh game. So all the while,
the Celtics and Drew Holliday, they played like the best
team in the league tonight, and now as a result,
they get the rest up and hopefully be feeling very
(17:50):
good about themselves, both physically and mentally by the time
the next series comes around. All Right, folks, Our final
comment of the night coming in from tim Me MacDonald,
who says Baylor Shireman brings awesome vibes. Tatum was giddy
after Shireman's three that chemistry matters in my opinion.
Speaker 2 (18:11):
All Right.
Speaker 1 (18:12):
I love Baylor Shireman and what he brings to the
vibes on the bench, There's no question about it. I
was looking at Taylor Snow during the second half of
this game, and Taylor was like, isn't it awesome that
Baylor's wearing his headband even while he's on the bench,
Like he's got it out. He's like ready to go,
no matter what he's dressed, ready to check into the
game at any moment. He's got that headband on. Doesn't
(18:34):
matter if he's playing, if he's starting, if he's coming
out the bench, He's ready to roll. But tonight he
was just bringing such great vibes to the bench. Every
time Jason Tatum made a big play, he was throwing
up that risk celebration. Actually, I'll reverse it, grabbing the
right wrist as Tatum celebrates after the three pointer. As
I said earlier in this episode, Jason Tatum told us
all that Baylor Shireman came up with that idea for
(18:56):
Tatum's new celebration after he makes a three. I love
thee He's basically saying, like, my wrist is just fine,
and you just saw it on that play right there
where I came to three in my defender's eye.
Speaker 2 (19:08):
So things get reversed a little bit. The Celtics are
up by thirty points.
Speaker 1 (19:12):
They take Jason Tatum out of the game on Baylor
Shyerman winds up checking in and he makes a three
pointer of his own, and then as he comes back
down the court, he's throwing up his own risk gravy
he's a lefties, so I gotta grab the left wrist
and then you pan over to the camera, pans over
to the bench and Jason Tatum is doing it right
back at him, celebrating both of them throwing up the wristthold.
(19:35):
You just love to see that chemistry. To Timmy's point here,
and that stuff does matter. Last year, after the championship
and coming into this season, Brad Stevens spoke about it,
Jason Tatum, Jalen Brown spoke about it, Joe Missoula spoke
about it. It was how great all of the players
got along last season, like they were really rooting for
(19:57):
each other, pulling for each other. No one cared what
their roles were, no one cared what their numbers were.
Everyone just enjoyed being a team together. And Baylor Shireman
is one of the new pieces, basically one of the
only new pieces on this roster, essentially replacing either Oshape
(20:17):
or Sett if you want to consider that, or he
replaced one of the players who were no longer here.
And he comes in and fits in like a glove.
I mean, these guys have been loving having him on
the bench. He has loved cheering his guys on when
he has been on the sideline cheering, and then when
he gets in. He made an impact for a solid
(20:38):
stretch of the regular season where he was showing okay,
here's why the Boston Celtics invested a first round pick
in me. So just great to see Baylor Shireman bringing
the vibes on the bench and then the roles getting
reversed at the end of the game when Shireman's out
on the court and Tatum is bringing the vibes on
the bench because now he wants to support his guys,
(21:00):
Baylor Shiman who's drilling three pointers and celebrating out on
the court.
Speaker 2 (21:05):
The vibes were up for.
Speaker 1 (21:07):
Everyone on the roster, and how could they not be
a gentleman sweep. They closed the series out in five games.
You gotta take cara business early to try to preserve
as much energy and in physical wellness as possible if
you want to make a long playoff run. The Boston
Celtics just took care of business their very first closeout
opportunity of this postseason. They knocked the Magic out. As
(21:32):
I said at the start, they didn't just hit them
with a punch that wobbled the Magic. They hit them
with a punch that knocked them down to the ground
in Orlando, never got back up, and now it's the
Celtics who are dancing into the second round awaiting whoever's
going to be their opponent. It will be either the
New York Knicks or the Detroit Pistons. New York has
(21:52):
a chance to close that series out Thursday night in
Game six out in Detroit. If New York doesn't win
that game, we're coming down to a Game seven back
at MSG in New York to find out who it
will be advancing to the second round to take on
the Boston Celtics. The Celtics will host games one and
two of that series. We don't know when it's starting,
(22:13):
we don't know who the opponent will be, but we
will be talking about it Friday afternoon on Celtics Weekly.
Make sure you tune in to Celtics Weekly right here
on YouTube on Friday afternoon. We don't know the exact
time is coming out, but keep checking the channels, check
our social channels.
Speaker 2 (22:29):
You'll know when it's live.
Speaker 1 (22:30):
And we want to make sure that you tune in
and watch, and we could talk about everything that just
happened with the Celtics and everything that's about.
Speaker 2 (22:36):
To happen to the Celtics.
Speaker 1 (22:37):
We might know who their opponent is by that time,
so we'll see you Friday. In the meantime, I appreciate
you tuning in as always, thank you for sending in
your comments on X and I'll see you sometime whenever
that next home game is for the Boston Celtics, game
one of the second round.
Speaker 2 (22:51):
Appreciate if folks have a great rest of the week.
Sound Off with me, folks on the Boston Celtics punching
the Orlando Magic right in the mouth and then punching
their way into the Eastern Conference semi finals. And this
is all while they sent the Orlando Magic packing right
into the offseason. Welcome into the sound Off Postgame podcast.
Thank you for hanging out with me. I'm Mark Tmiko,
(00:27):
and I appreciate you giving us a watch or listen
on whatever channel you are consuming this podcast on. Make
sure that you subscribe, and please, if you're on YouTube,
shoot some comments in below. All right, we want to
hear from you what your thoughts were on this game.
This is a two way conversation. You are a part
of this podcast, so make sure you're sending in your comments.
As I said, the Celtics landed a knockout punch and
(00:50):
it was a big one. This wasn't a punch that
just wobbled the Orlando Magic. This is a punch that
knocked them down to the ground and they never got up.
Speaker 2 (00:59):
This game was tight in the third quarter.
Speaker 1 (01:02):
The Celtics led just fifty nine to fifty eight with
less than six minutes left in the third quarter, and
then from that moment on the doors were blown open.
It was a complete onslaught the rest of the third quarter,
a twenty four to four run to close out the
third quarter, which gave the Celtics a twenty one point
advantage heading into the fourth quarter. This is just when
(01:25):
the Celtics got back to looking like the Celtics. For
much of the series, they haven't been able to take threes.
The defense, to Orlando's credit, has taken away three pointers.
This was the moment where the Celtics look like they
have all season long. They were not only taking threes,
but they were making them and they were doing it
at a very high volume. Some crazy stats that we
(01:47):
can relay about the second half in general, that third quarter.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
The end of the third quarter was the start of this.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
Boston shot zero percent from three point range during the
first half. The Boston Cells, who led the league in
three points makes and three point attempts, shot zero percent
from the three point line during the first half. They
were only the second team all season long to go
the entire first half of a game without making a
(02:15):
three pointer.
Speaker 2 (02:16):
That's crazy in and of itself.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
This team didn't make a three pointer, but during the
second half, they not only made three pointers, but they
made them, like I said, in high volume. During the
second half, they shot thirteen of eighteen from.
Speaker 2 (02:35):
Three point range.
Speaker 1 (02:36):
Ridiculous shooting percentage from long range for a team for
an entire half of basketball. You know what percentage that is,
seventy two percent from three point range. There are teams
that don't shoot that well at the rim in an
entire game. The Celtics shot seventy two percent from three
point range for the entire second half. It was impressive
(02:58):
and it was a complete knockout punch. And the Celtics
continued to pour it on from that twenty four to
four run to close the third quarter, they carried it
on through the entire fourth courd quarter. It didn't matter
if the bench was checking in, Tory Craig checks in
boom immediate three pointer, Baylor Shireman checks in boom immediate
three pointer. It was every single player who was firing
(03:20):
up shots was connecting during the second half. And exactly
what I said, that is what the Celtics look like
all season long. And boy did they get back to
looking like themselves during that second half. Just a complete onslaught,
a wave of momentum, a title wave that Orlando just
had no answers for and the biggest reason why we
(03:41):
can rewind to one moment that happened early on during
the third quarter, and it's all because of Jalen Brown.
We talked about this after the last game on the podcast.
The Celtics were playing with aggression during Game four. They said, Okay, Orlando,
you want to take away the three point line.
Speaker 2 (03:59):
We've got the guys, We've.
Speaker 1 (04:00):
Got the dogs, We've got the superstars that can dominate
the game by taking the ball off the dribble. Jalb
Brown and Jason Tatum did that during Game four by
getting to the line for twenty four free throws. They
made and attempted more free throws during Game four than
Orlando did as an entire team. Jalen Brown, at the
start of the second half, continued that aggression.
Speaker 2 (04:22):
He scored fifteen points during the second half, nine during the.
Speaker 1 (04:25):
Third quarter, and he drove on Paalo Bancaro twice in
the early moments of the third quarter. Twice picked up
fouls that left Palo Banco the best player unquestionably on
the Orlando Magic, with five fouls with nine to forty
six left in the third quarter. Jamal Moseley, Orlando's head coach,
(04:47):
had no choice but to take ben Caro out of.
Speaker 2 (04:49):
The game at that point, and the game was tied.
Speaker 1 (04:52):
It was fifty three to fifty three when ben Caro
checked out of the game and went to the bench.
By that time he came back at the start of
the fourth cour Orlando was down by twenty one. This
game was over. By that point. The Celtics had already
punched their ticket. They were going on to the conference
semi finals, and it was just a matter of what
the final score was going to be and if everyone
(05:12):
made it out of the game healthy, and it wound
up being a one hundred and thirty excuse me, one
hundred twenty to eighty nine win for the Celtics, and
everyone did make it out of this game healthy.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
So a great job for the Celtics.
Speaker 1 (05:24):
But it was very interesting to me to see how
Jamal Moseley handled that situation with Paulo. Benkerra to me,
as I'm watching this and listen, credit or defense given
to Jamal Mosley here. He hasn't been inside TD Garden
to see a run like that. I've had the pleasure
of seeing that in person for years now. And in
(05:45):
particular last season when the Celtics made that run to
the NBA Finals and win winning the championship. You can
feel when something is building. You can feel when there
is a tidal way building that will not be able
to be stopped by the other team. I could feel
that when the lead went from zero up to about
ten twelve. At that point it was like, Orlando, you
(06:06):
better get a stop and you better make a couple
baskets or else this game is over. That was the
moment when I thought that Jamal Moseley his only choice
was to bring ben Carro back. At that point, if
the game gets away, you're going to bring him back.
You're preserving his eligibility for the rest of the game
by having him not foul out. But by the time
(06:26):
he's going to come back at that point, the game's
going to be gone. Well, Mosley decided I need to
have ben Caro in the fourth quarter, and he did
come back in the fourth quarter, but Orlando was already
down by twenty one. So two key moments there when
Jalen Brown was applying pressure against Paula ben Caro, when
the ball was in Jalen Brown's hands, drawing those two fouls,
(06:47):
making it five fouls on the night with ben Caro
with nine to forty six left in the third quarter.
That's number one. Number two was the decision by Jamal
Moseley not to bring him back. And I understand the
fear of you could possibly bring him back and then
lose your best player for the rest of the game.
But in the end, it didn't matter that they had
him for the fourth quarter because the game was already over. So,
(07:11):
you know, I'm not an NBA head coach, but I
felt that when it got to about ten or twelve points,
it just felt like, you better bring him back if
you want to have a chance to win this game
during the fourth quarter.
Speaker 2 (07:22):
They did not bring him back.
Speaker 1 (07:23):
They did not have a chance to win this game
in the fourth quarter, and the Celtics just kept pouring
it on.
Speaker 2 (07:28):
So that was an interesting moment for me. Heading out of.
Speaker 1 (07:32):
The series, you do have to give credit to the
Orlando Magic. They played hard, they played tough. This was
a hard fought series and the Orlando Magic can go
into the offseason being proud of what they brought to
the table. I think, you know, I talked to I
have some relationships with people down there. I worked there
for a year before I came up here to Boston
to work for the Celtics, and some of the people
(07:53):
that I spoke to like they were proud of the
way they competed during this series. They were proud of
the way that they brought their defense to the table
and the way they played physical basketball. So certainly for Orlando,
they've got something to build upon going into the offseason.
That team is close. That team is very close. They
need a couple more pieces, and by the way, they
(08:13):
were missing some pieces, namely Jalen Suggs during this series,
their elite defensive point guard. But there are a couple
pieces away from being a legit threat in the Eastern Conference.
Speaker 2 (08:25):
So keep an eye out for them.
Speaker 1 (08:26):
But I said before this series, I sent it out
on X I said, this is the perfect first round
series for the Boston Celtics. Why because you knew what
Orlando was going to bring to the table elite defense
and a super high level of physicality, and the Celtics
were going to be forced to meet that.
Speaker 2 (08:47):
They had to meet the moment. They had to meet the.
Speaker 1 (08:50):
Level of physicality right out of the gates in this postseason.
It's not like playing Listen or I think Orlando would
have been their number four seed in the East or
better if they were healthy all season long. They wound
up in the seven seeds, so it wasn't like playing
a normal seven or eight seed that barely gets into
the postseason, not a very competitive team that you're just
gonna crush. We just saw what Cleveland did during the
(09:12):
first round of the Miami Heat that it wasn't even
a series. But this series was a series, and the
Celtics had, as I said, the Celtics had to meet
the moonment. They had to meet the level of physicality
right out of the gates during the postseason. And now
they're already at that level. They don't have to now
turn the switch on and meet that level heading into
(09:33):
the next round.
Speaker 2 (09:34):
They're already there.
Speaker 1 (09:35):
So I personally believe that is a huge benefit of
being able to get out of the series in a
gentleman's suite four games to one.
Speaker 2 (09:43):
You're feeling good about yourself.
Speaker 1 (09:44):
You just demolished the team during the second half of
the closeout game, but you really had to bring the physicality.
Speaker 2 (09:51):
You had to play through that, and by the.
Speaker 1 (09:52):
Way, you had to figure out a way to win
games that was different than the way you won games
all season long. The Celtics one games all season long
by dominating the three point line. They took a lot
of threes, and they made a lot of threes. Orlando
took that strength away during the series. Yet the Celtics
are so great and they are so talented, and they
(10:14):
are so balanced that they found a way to win
four out of five games by not taking and making
a lot of three pointers. So that just goes to
show the level of skill and deep in depth that
the Celtics have on this roster that they found a
way to win four out of five games without that
ability that they showcased throughout the regular season, which was
(10:36):
taking and making a lot of three pointers. So props
to Boston for figuring it out. Props to Orlando for
giving us a very competitive series. It was fun to watch.
I thought it was the perfect first round matchup for
the Celtics. Now, let's hope that Drew Holliday can get
healthy with that hamsterring. Let's hope that Jalen Brown and
Jason Tatum are feeling good going into the next round.
(10:56):
But by closing this out tonight, they just bought themselves
in extra couple days of rest. My assumption is this
game's not This next series is not going to start
until at the very earliest, probably Sunday, maybe Saturday, but
I'm guessing later than that because the Pistons and Knicks
are going to battle it out in Game six on
Thursday night. Who knows what happens there. If Detroit wins,
(11:18):
we're going to a Game seven. So the Celtics shaping
up to be in good shape and feeling good about themselves,
feeling physically well heading into the next series. Great on them,
and props to them for closing this out tonight at home.
Let's dive into some comments from our fans, shall we.
First up, we've got d Pedro d on Jason Tatum's
(11:38):
impressive performance this series. I cannot wait to highlight this.
Next up, we've got Bucky on where they think the
Celtics step up stack up against the rest of the
league right now. And then, last, but not least, we've
got Timmy McDonald on the bench vibes for the Boston Celtics,
and those vibes are very high right now, all right,
First up to pedro d on you all right, to
(12:03):
Pedro d. You are up first. Here's your comment, JT
with MVP performances in this series.
Speaker 2 (12:11):
That's a fact. No one in the.
Speaker 1 (12:13):
Right mind can disagree with that comment right there. Jason
Tatum was unbelievable when he came back from injury after
Game two.
Speaker 2 (12:22):
As we know, he fell down.
Speaker 1 (12:23):
He injured that right wrist during Game two and he
had to head out. He didn't come back until Game three.
Now the stats, let's outline these of what Jason Tatum
did during games three, four, and five. Unbelievable numbers here
from Jason Tatum coming back from injury. Game three thirty
six points in nine rebounds, Game four thirty seven points
(12:48):
in fourteen rebounds, and then tonight in Game five in
a closeout opportunity, thirty five points in ten rebounds. He
averaged a thirty six point double double over the final
three games of this series. That is MVP level basketball.
That is what you want to see out of your superstar,
and that is exactly what Jason Tatum brought to the
(13:10):
table during this series after he came back from injury. Clearly,
it seems like that risk is feeling just fine, and
we see it from the celebration. He said Baylor Shyerman
gave him the idea of what this celebration was to be. Now,
after he makes a three, he's grabbing that right wrist
and saying, I'm feeling just fine, folks, And I'll tell
you what he looked like he was feeling just fine.
(13:31):
Tonight finishes the night, as I said, with thirty five points.
He was ten of sixteen from the field. That's sixty
three percent from the field. He was four to five
from long distance, that's eighty percent from three point range,
and he was a perfect eleven four to eleven from
the free throw line. Jason Tatum played like a super
duperstar in this series. He played like an MVP, and
(13:55):
you gotta love the way that he is playing heading
into the next round. The Soltics, No, they're going to
need superstar performances from him if they want to get
to where they want to get to, if they want
to get to where they.
Speaker 2 (14:06):
Got to last season.
Speaker 1 (14:08):
Sure looks like he's ready to answer the call, especially
after what we saw out of him during this series
after he came back from injury. All right, Next up
is Bucky, who's got a very confident statement here for
the Celtics. All right, here it is we are the
best team in the league. That win was needed. Now
(14:30):
it's raps went on that run without Drew. And that
last part is what I want to start out with
because some people might not be paying attention to the
fact that the Boston Celtics just did that without Drew Holliday,
their superstar two way player who gets it done.
Speaker 2 (14:46):
And listen when I say superstar.
Speaker 1 (14:48):
Obviously he's not making First Team All NBA. He could
do that defensively every single year. If you really know
what you're talking about when it comes to defense, Drew
Holliday is unquestionably one of the top five defenders in
the NBA. Ask anyone who knows what they're talking about
when it comes to basketball, they will agree with that.
But the Celtics played the final three games of the
(15:08):
series without Jew Holliday. They played without Jew Holliday tonight,
and yet they wind up with, like I said, a
blowout one twenty to eighty nine victory, thirty one point
win in a closeout game without their two way star,
without their Swiss Army Knife, who is just critically important
(15:29):
to what the Boston Celtics want to and get to
do on a nightly basis at both ends of the court.
He's so important to their long term goals. And let's
hope that he comes back from the next round feeling
good with that hamstring. Let's hope he doesn't tweak it
the rest of the way and he's just good to go.
Great down the Celtics for closing this series out just
in time to get him a little bit of rest
(15:51):
going into the next series. Now, the rest of this comment,
we are the best team.
Speaker 2 (15:54):
In the league. That win was needed.
Speaker 1 (15:57):
The Celtics certainly looked like the best team in the
league during that second half. There's no question about that.
I mean, no one was gonna stop them. The way
that they were playing, the way that they were moving
the ball, the way that they were shooting the ball,
the way that they were defending and rebounding. Everyone from
top to bottom who checked into the game was bringing
the goods. That was excellent team basketball and certainly enough
(16:18):
to make Bucky say after this game that the Celtics
are the best team in the league. Now, we're gonna
find out in the next month and a half or
so if they really are the best team in the league.
There are some other very very good teams playing basketball
right now, as we just saw the number one seed
in both the East and the West swept their first
round series going away. Oklahoma City dominant over Memphis during
(16:40):
the first round. We saw Cleveland dominant in the first
round over Miami, a fifty point win to close out
their series just last night. So let's not get too far,
let's not put the card ahead of the horse. Let's
wait and see how this unfolds. But certainly it felt
like the Boston Celtics could very well be the best
team in the league when they are playing they that
they did during the second half tonight.
Speaker 2 (17:02):
That win was needed.
Speaker 1 (17:03):
It was great to see the offense come back to life.
Now the Seeds are feeling good about that offense as
they head into the next round. We still don't know
who that's gonna be. The Celtics took care of business tonight.
The New York Knicks did not, all right, So the
Knicks and the Pistons will go at it again on
Thursday night in Game six out in Detroit. Detroit's looking
for a home win on their home court in the
(17:25):
postseason for the first time since I believe two thousand
and eight.
Speaker 2 (17:28):
It's crazy.
Speaker 1 (17:29):
It's been seventeen years since they've had a win in
their own arena out in Detroit in a playoff game,
but they've got an opportunity to log a big one
Thursday night that would wind up sending that game or
that series to a seventh game. So all the while,
the Celtics and Drew Holliday, they played like the best
team in the league tonight, and now as a result,
they get the rest up and hopefully be feeling very
(17:50):
good about themselves, both physically and mentally by the time
the next series comes around. All Right, folks, Our final
comment of the night coming in from tim Me MacDonald,
who says Baylor Shireman brings awesome vibes. Tatum was giddy
after Shireman's three that chemistry matters in my opinion.
Speaker 2 (18:11):
All Right.
Speaker 1 (18:12):
I love Baylor Shireman and what he brings to the
vibes on the bench, There's no question about it. I
was looking at Taylor Snow during the second half of
this game, and Taylor was like, isn't it awesome that
Baylor's wearing his headband even while he's on the bench,
Like he's got it out. He's like ready to go,
no matter what he's dressed, ready to check into the
game at any moment. He's got that headband on. Doesn't
(18:34):
matter if he's playing, if he's starting, if he's coming
out the bench, He's ready to roll. But tonight he
was just bringing such great vibes to the bench. Every
time Jason Tatum made a big play, he was throwing
up that risk celebration. Actually, I'll reverse it, grabbing the
right wrist as Tatum celebrates after the three pointer. As
I said earlier in this episode, Jason Tatum told us
all that Baylor Shireman came up with that idea for
(18:56):
Tatum's new celebration after he makes a three. I love
thee He's basically saying, like, my wrist is just fine,
and you just saw it on that play right there
where I came to three in my defender's eye.
Speaker 2 (19:08):
So things get reversed a little bit. The Celtics are
up by thirty points.
Speaker 1 (19:12):
They take Jason Tatum out of the game on Baylor
Shyerman winds up checking in and he makes a three
pointer of his own, and then as he comes back
down the court, he's throwing up his own risk gravy
he's a lefties, so I gotta grab the left wrist
and then you pan over to the camera, pans over
to the bench and Jason Tatum is doing it right
back at him, celebrating both of them throwing up the wristthold.
(19:35):
You just love to see that chemistry. To Timmy's point here,
and that stuff does matter. Last year, after the championship
and coming into this season, Brad Stevens spoke about it,
Jason Tatum, Jalen Brown spoke about it, Joe Missoula spoke
about it. It was how great all of the players
got along last season, like they were really rooting for
(19:57):
each other, pulling for each other. No one cared what
their roles were, no one cared what their numbers were.
Everyone just enjoyed being a team together. And Baylor Shireman
is one of the new pieces, basically one of the
only new pieces on this roster, essentially replacing either Oshape
(20:17):
or Sett if you want to consider that, or he
replaced one of the players who were no longer here.
And he comes in and fits in like a glove.
I mean, these guys have been loving having him on
the bench. He has loved cheering his guys on when
he has been on the sideline cheering, and then when
he gets in. He made an impact for a solid
(20:38):
stretch of the regular season where he was showing okay,
here's why the Boston Celtics invested a first round pick
in me. So just great to see Baylor Shireman bringing
the vibes on the bench and then the roles getting
reversed at the end of the game when Shireman's out
on the court and Tatum is bringing the vibes on
the bench because now he wants to support his guys,
(21:00):
Baylor Shiman who's drilling three pointers and celebrating out on
the court.
Speaker 2 (21:05):
The vibes were up for.
Speaker 1 (21:07):
Everyone on the roster, and how could they not be
a gentleman sweep. They closed the series out in five games.
You gotta take cara business early to try to preserve
as much energy and in physical wellness as possible if
you want to make a long playoff run. The Boston
Celtics just took care of business their very first closeout
opportunity of this postseason. They knocked the Magic out. As
(21:32):
I said at the start, they didn't just hit them
with a punch that wobbled the Magic. They hit them
with a punch that knocked them down to the ground
in Orlando, never got back up, and now it's the
Celtics who are dancing into the second round awaiting whoever's
going to be their opponent. It will be either the
New York Knicks or the Detroit Pistons. New York has
(21:52):
a chance to close that series out Thursday night in
Game six out in Detroit. If New York doesn't win
that game, we're coming down to a Game seven back
at MSG in New York to find out who it
will be advancing to the second round to take on
the Boston Celtics. The Celtics will host games one and
two of that series. We don't know when it's starting,
(22:13):
we don't know who the opponent will be, but we
will be talking about it Friday afternoon on Celtics Weekly.
Make sure you tune in to Celtics Weekly right here
on YouTube on Friday afternoon. We don't know the exact
time is coming out, but keep checking the channels, check
our social channels.
Speaker 2 (22:29):
You'll know when it's live.
Speaker 1 (22:30):
And we want to make sure that you tune in
and watch, and we could talk about everything that just
happened with the Celtics and everything that's about.
Speaker 2 (22:36):
To happen to the Celtics.
Speaker 1 (22:37):
We might know who their opponent is by that time,
so we'll see you Friday. In the meantime, I appreciate
you tuning in as always, thank you for sending in
your comments on X and I'll see you sometime whenever
that next home game is for the Boston Celtics, game
one of the second round.
Speaker 2 (22:51):
Appreciate if folks have a great rest of the week.
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