Celtics Life Nba Basketball Podcast

The Boston Celtics won Game 4 of their 2026 NBA Eastern Conference Playoffs first round series with the Philadelphia 76ers 128-96 behind a monster game off the bench from Payton Pritchard (32 points, 5 assists), with string play from Jayson Tatum (30 points, 7 boards, 11 assists), and Jaylen Brown (20 points, 7 rebounds). The Celtics bench added 57 points overall, nearly more than Joel Embiid (26 points, 10 boards) scored in tandem with Tyrese Maxey (22 points, 6 assists) for Philadelphia in Embiid's return, the Sixers big man ending the night a -25 despite his impressive line. What went right for Boston? What did Philly do wrong? And most importantly, what do we expect in Game 5 of the series as the play shifts back to TD Garden? The hosts of "Havlicek Stole the Pod" convened after the win to hear what was said in the locker room as well as what we think might be coming down the (Mass) pike, so be sure to tune in for this playoffs edition of the show. Outro: Whistle by Benjamin Banger - https://tiny.ee/Jk4U

The Boston Celtics won Game 1 of their first-round series of the 2026 NBA Eastern Conference Playoffs vs. the Philadelphia 76ers in decisive fashion, blowing out the Philadelphia 76ers 123-91 at TD Garden on Sunday (April 19) night. Plenty went right for the Celtics, and little Philadelphia, so we can expect Game 2 to have a different contour than we saw in these two ball clubs' first meeting of the postseason. But what, specifically, can the Sixers do to counter the scoring onslaught we saw from star Boston forwards Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum? Is there a way for Philly to boost their 3-point shooting to a level they will need to get to in order to beat Boston? And what else do we need to know about the postseason so far? The hosts of "Havlicek Stole the Pod" sat down to talk through Game 1, and how it may inform what we see on the court in Game 2. We also get caught up on the news, so be sure to tune in to this episode. Outro: Whistle by Benjamin Banger - https://tiny.ee/Jk4U or BenJaminBanger.com  Hosted

Now that the Boston Celtics are set to take on the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round of the 2026 NBA Eastern Conference Playoffs, what do we need to know about the series? It has become something of a ritual to face the Sixers early in the postseason for Boston in recent years, and up until now, it has typically gone the Celtics way even in series where the games were close. Now, Philly is in the midst of the start of a new era with rising stars Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe set to take the reigns from aging vets Paul George and Joel Embiid. And with latter dealing with a serious injury and the former still untested in the postseason, just what sort of an opponent are the Celtics facing? The hosts of "Havlicek Stole the Pod" sat down to flesh out the outline of the seven-game series set to kick off Sunday, as well as what we expect in terms of matchups, play style, and outcome. We also get caught up on all the news of Boston's off week and more, so be sure to tune in. Outro: Whistle by Benjamin Banger - h

There are just a few games left in the 2025-26 NBA regular season. What do the Boston Celtics need to do before they start the 2026 NBA Playoffs? The hosts of "Havlicek Stole the Pod" sat down with Forbes beat writer Bobby Krivitsky to talk through what Boston has in terms of unfinished business before the start of the postseason, how the playoff picture has changed since our last pod, and where Derrick White and Jaylen Brown are in the All-Defense and All-NBA races, respectively. We also touch on the rumbles connecting Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo to the Celtics, Boston President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens to college coaching vacancies, players gearing up for postseason pushes after extended absences due to injuries, recent games, and more. We even get into Neemias Queta's odds at being named Most Improved Player, so be sure to tune in. Outro: Whistle by Benjamin Banger - https://tiny.ee/Jk4U or BenJaminBanger.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for info

The 2025-26 NBA regular season is more than 90% over, with the Boston Celtics having just six games left to play. But after that of course comes the 2026 NBA Playoffs, and the Celtics are poised to make some serious noise in the Eastern Conference postseason scrum thanks to an MVP-caliber campaign from star Boston forward Jaylen Brown, big steps forward from several rotation players, and a surprisingly capable incoming cohort of rookies, new Celtics, and a healed Jayson Tatum. This then begs the question of which East ball club Boston will likely face in the first round of the 'offs -- and more to the point which teams we most (and least) want the Celtics to face in the first round. With three likely opponents and another trio of less likely ones pending who comes out of the play-in tournament (and where Boston finishes in the standings), the hosts of "Havlicek Stole the Pod" took some time on this episode to talk through the field of potential opponents for the Celtics, along with which we feel would be the

As we approach the end of the 2025-26 regular season, the NCAA tournament is heating up. There, we will get our best glimpse yet of most of the incoming cohort of 2026 NBA Draft, and who the next members of the Celtics organization might be. The league is also elevating their assault on the tendency of teams to make their play worse to get said players after a recent Board of Governors meeting laid out a number of routes the NBA could take to lessen tanking. To get a read on who Boston ought to consider drafting and what the league should (not?) do to fix tanking, the hosts of "Havlicek Stole the Pod" sat down with USA TODAY draft guru Bryan Kalbrosky to talk through a very future-focused episode. We also cover some important health news in the context of the Celtics stretch run and more, so be sure to tune in. Outro: Whistle by Benjamin Banger - https://tiny.ee/Jk4U or BenJaminBanger.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal dat

The Boston Celtics are currently well past the three-fourths mark of the 2025-26 NBA regular season. And with that point in time having been arrived at, we are seeing an uptick in talk about the full-season awards that various Execs, coaches, and players from around the league are in the running for. There are a handful of awards that a member of the Celtics organization have a shot at, from Jaylen Brown being in the hunt for this year's Most Valuable Player award to Joe Mazzulla being a frontrunner for Coach of the Year and Boston President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens Executive of the Year. And there are a host of awards that ought to exist, yet for some reason do not. To thread the needs of all the above, the hosts of "Havlicek Stole the Pod" sat down with CelticsBlog's Ian Inangelo, diving deep into the award races, both real and made up. We also get caught up on a busy week of news, so be sure to tune in to this week's episode. Outro: Whistle by Benjamin Banger - https://tiny.ee/Jk4U or BenJamin

Derrick White has carved out a critical role with the Boston Celtics on the court since being dealt to the team in 2022. And he has also become an integral part of the greater Celtics community off the court, from his Curbside Care charity events to his beloved Sam Adams commercials for their Derrick White Ale. And the Colorado native has also had a privileged view on the rehab and return of his star teammate Jayson Tatum. The University of Colorado - Boulder alum sat down this week to talk to "Havlicek Stole the Pod" about all of the above, as well as his own "White Noise" podcast, his preternatural defense this season, and a new Sam Adams ad campaign among several other topics in this wide-ranging interview. We also get caught up on how Tatum has been doing in his return from injury, what the Nikola Vucevic injury means for Boston, and more – so be sure to tune in to this special episode. Outro: Whistle by Benjamin Banger - https://tiny.ee/Jk4U or BenJaminBanger.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company.

With a certain St. Louis native having his injury report status changed from "out" to "questionable," the world of Boston Celtics (and NBA) fandom just kicked into overdrive. How will he change the Celtics season to date, where will he fit into this version of the team, and how should our expectations change are just a few of the relevant questions in need of some answers. But we can also turn back the clock to talk about Hall of Fame Celtics legend Larry Bird's origin story in 'Heartland: A Forgotten Place, an Impossible Dream, and the Miracle of Larry Bird,' a new account of the years that basketball truly grabbed a hold of the Hick from French Lick and didn't let go – to all our benefit. On this week's episode of "Havlicek Stole the Pod", your hosts address the likely imminent return of Tatum and what that means for Boston before we take a closer look at the new Bird tome with author Keith O'Brien. Make sure you tune in for one of the most packed episodes we have put out so far this season! Outro: Whistle

Jayson Tatum is playing 5-on-5 basketball again with the Boston Celtics, and fans of the team can almost feel his return to the court this season. But such a return is still, even now, not certain – nor is what will happen to the Celtics when he does. The surprise success of Boston in his absence (and that of Al Horford, Luke Kornet, Jrue Holiday, and Kristaps Porzingis, while we're at it) might be the story of the season in the NBA. But how the Celtics respond to Tatum's return could very well be the story of the decade depending on how it pans out, good or bad. What can we expect from the St. Louis native when he does start playing again? How will Boston reintegrate the Duke alum into what has been a play style very different from what he has grown used to? How will Tatum and his costar on the wing Jaylen Brown share the load? And most importantly, could this team win it all with Taco Jay playing for them again? To assess the likely imminent return of Tatum to the Celtics, the hosts of "Havlicek Stole the P

All-Star Week is now behind us, and the Boston Celtics and the wider NBA turn their attention to the stretch run and the postseason beyond. Which Eastern Conference ball clubs are contenders, pretenders, or somewhere further down the hierarchy of the East? Taking into account the moves made by these teams and their general health (and predilection for accumulating lottery odds while we're at it), the hosts of "Havlicek Stole the Pod" took some time to assess the order of the Eastern Conference now that the dust has settled and we have some returns on the moves made around the conference. We also touch on one of the more interesting antitanking proposals we've come across, reflect on All-Star week itself, and make sense of the two signings made by Boston this week so be sure to tune in. Outro: Whistle by Benjamin Banger - https://tiny.ee/Jk4U or BenJaminBanger.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Boston Celtics and the NBA have taken the week off for the league's 2026 All-Star Week proceedings, opening the door for all manner of debates about how the league conducts business as is often the case in the absence of games that count to talk about. But with a few of those issues rising to greater prominence than usual for better or worse this season, some of these debates have become especially polarized.We are of course talking about the discourse surrounding gambling in the NBA, teams tanking more egregiously than ever. And the prospect of the Association expanding to 32 (or more!) teams! Did we mention the All-Star game is kind of a mess? With so much to talk about, the hosts of "Havlicek Stole the Pod" sat down with Gio Rivera of Celtics Blog. We take the pulse of these hot-button issues from a Celtics-leading point of view while we wait for Jaylen Brown to suit up for...(checks notes) one of the US teams as an All-Star starter for the first time in his career.Join us for a wide-ranging episode th

The 2026 NBA trade deadline has passed and the dust has started to settle on the many moves made by the Boston Celtics and the rest of the league ahead of the annual cutoff on moving players between teams. This week, the Celtics dealt Anfernee Simons for Nikola Vucevic, and then moved Chris Boucher, Xavier Tillman Sr., and Josh Minott with only two way player John Tonje coming back. Did we mention that Boston got below the luxury tax without using a first round pick to get there from what would have been the costliest roster in the history of the league?While easing the pinch on Bill Chisholm's pockets may not get the attention of most Boston fans, the fact that these moves put the Celtics in position to go all-in on spending once they are out of the luxury tax repeater status the season after next ought to register some interest. And now the questions of why the Celtics made the moves they did at the deadline starts to come into focus. To get a better idea of which players might also be added to Boston's ros

The Boston Celtics have traded former Portland Trail Blazers guard Anfernee Simons for Chicago Bulls big man Nikola Vucevic, and the move has landed with mixed reactions from fans and analysts alike. On one hand, Boston was able to minimize the risk of losing Simons in free agency for nothing as an unrestricted free agent this summer while also creating a traded player exception (TPE) they can use down the road to add a long-term solution at the 5.Did we mention they also got a center who can play a style more amenable to a certain injured star forward than anything the Celtics had to work on their roster right now? We are of course referring to Jayson Tatum, who could benefit from a pick-and-pop center like Vucevic. But with the trade, Boston also loses an electric, capable young scorer some hoped might stick with the team for the long haul.The hosts of "Havlicek Stole the Pod" took a moment to react to the trade soon after news broke. Check it out below to hear what they had to say about this unexpected mov

The 2026 NBA trade deadline is less than a week away, and the Boston Celtics will have some tough decisions to make ahead of it. Add in the news that star Celtics forward Jayson Tatum may actually NOT return this season after all, and what Boston's playoff picture (and what they should do to improve it) got a little murkier as a result.But some things remain constant, such as the Celtics needing an upgrade in their frontcourt, and some more ballhandling on the bench might also be a concern. At the same time, as teams increasingly negotiate through the media, we are hearing more reports tied to Boston than ever. What rumbles are worth paying attention to, and which should Celtics fans take with a grain (or a pile) of salt? This week, the hosts of "Havlicek Stole the Pod" sat down with Forbes and Hardwood Houdini's Bobby Krivitsky to talk ourselves through the glut of Celtics trade rumors, the Tatum news, and more.So be sure to tune in to get your bearings ahead of what might be a massive trade deadline for Bos

The Boston Celtics have a tough decision to make ahead of the 2026 NBA trade deadline when it comes to whether they will retain the services of Anfernee Simons. The Celtics dealt for the former Portland Trail Blazers guard this offseason when they moved on from vet guard Jrue Holiday due to cap and perhaps age concerns.The assumption at that time was that Simons was likely to be a short-timer with the Celtics given his large, expiring contract and seemingly ill fit with Boston to start the 2025-26 NBA regular season. But since then, the Longwood, Florida native has found his niche off the bench with the Celtics, even helping the team to win a few games. How to decide whether Boston should keep him or trade him? To that end, the hosts of "Havlicek Stole the Pod" linked up with "Third Apron" founder and cap guru Yossi Gozlan to host a mock trial on which way the Celtics could go with Simons at the deadline.This was a fun and informative exercise for us, so be sure to tune in to hear how the trial played out (no

Are there any realistic big man trade targets out there for the Boston Celtics ahead of the 2026 NBA trade deadline? The Celtics find themselves a ball club of note tied to a number of trade candidates just weeks before the last day in the league calendar teams can swap players. Some of them are sexy names with dubious availability and other concerns, like Jaren Jackson Jr., and Ivica Zubac of the Memphis Grizzlies and Los Angeles Clippers, respectively.Others are perhaps more likely to be dealt but not quite the impact players Zubac and Jackson are, like Dallas Mavericks big man Daniel Gafford, or former Celtics (and current Portland Trail Blazers) center Robert Williams III. Still more might be bargain options with upside like Brooklyn Nets big DayRon Sharpe, and there's plenty of names we aren't hearing that might be reasonably dealt for.The hosts of "Havlicek Stole the Pod" took some time to look at the Boston big man rumor mill as well as look at some other options, and got caught up on news as well, so

The NBA is roughly midway through the 2025-26 NBA season, and with that passage comes some clarity on what teams really are compared to what we thought they were heading into their current campaigns, particularly the Boston Celtics. Plenty of preseason and early-season narratives have become clearly incorrect, Others have emerged to take their place, but have yet to be proven -- and some will need the rest of the regular season and then some to test.We know the Celtics aren't tanking, ethically or otherwise, that Joe Mazzulla can coach developing players, and expect to see Jayson Tatum return from injury at some point in the regular season. And the question is no longer whether Jaylen Brown can lead a team, but how far, and with what individual accolades. But do the Celtics (and more specifically Brown) really get such a bad whistle? Does Joey Mazz have a shot at Coach of the Year (and does he care)? Most importantly, do we really think this is a contending team?To get a better view than just the media perspe

The Boston Celtics have a top-five Most Valuable Player candidate in Jaylen Brown and have cracked home court advantage in the Eastern Conference standings. The San Antonio Spurs have made the Oklahoma City Thunder look mortal again, but also lost to the Brooklyn Nets. The Cleveland Cavaliers appear to be frauds, and the hot start of the Detroit Pistons is slowing down while the Denver Nuggets are somehow staying afloat despite a number of injuries.At the midway point of the 2025-26 NBA regular season schedule, which teams are contenders, which are pretenders, and what do we think the Celtics are? To get some answers to these questions, the hosts of "Havlicek Stole the Pod" sat down with Oklahoma City Thunder Wire editor Clemente Almanza.We also touch on the big trade sending Trae Young to the Washington Wizards, the rumbles about Boston interest in Los Angeles Clippers big man Ivica Zubac, and more, so be sure to tune in.Outro: Whistle by Benjamin Banger - https://tiny.ee/Jk4U or BenJaminBanger.com Hosted by

The Boston Celtics and the rest of the NBA are closing in on the midway point of the 2025-26 NBA regular season, and the players who signed new deals this offseason are becoming available to be dealt or will be soon. And with that, the rough outline of how the season might play out (and what teams can do to change those outcomes via trades) is coming into focus.Teams that don't have the horses to compete for titles will need to make hard choices under the current, punitive collective bargaining agreement (CBA), while others that are overachieving may need to decide whether their current successes are worth investing assets in. For the Celtics, what are the team's needs in the trade market? Bigs? Wings? Cutting salary regardless of the return? A mix of goals? The hosts of "Havlicek Stole the Pod" sat down with HoopsHype's Cyro Asseo to talk about what Boston ought to do at the trade deadline, but also about wider trends in the league impacting the trade landscape and what other moves might be coming.We also ge