LIVE Celtics Win NBA Finals Reaction
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Welcome to the Low Post Hoop Collective live stream. I don't even know what else. The Boston Celtics have won banner 18, blowing out the Dallas Mavericks. The confetti is on the floor. People are celebrating everywhere. The drinks are flowing. And Brian Wynhorst, I have one thing I want to start with. Remember before the season, Calvin Booth gave some comments about, you know, I don't know, about repeating. We want to win multiple. How about them damn Celtics? Oh!

Hey, you faking Lakers. Bye-bye. We'll see you later. Cedric Maxwell. This is what you did to me last time, Worthy. This is what I'm doing to you now. Night, night. See you later. Bye-bye. Did you not kick anything over this time? No, I'm not kicking anything over. I'm just trying to say this team is set up. This is the crazy thing about it. This team is set up right now the way Brad Stevens has it.

they'll be in the mix again for the next couple years. They needed to break through, they broke through, and they'll be more relaxed, and people right now will be more confident. As good as they were, I saw both you guys talk about them from time to time and saying, eh, I'm not sure. And they had a record that was unblemished, but nobody believed them.

- I will not let you besmirch me, Cedric Maxwell. I picked the Celtics to win the championship before the season, and we had a segment on NBA Today where someone asked, the question was, how many Western Conference teams can beat the Celtics in a playoff series? I said, zero. - Listen, it doesn't matter what was said. Once you're the champs, you're the champs forever. - You're the champs forever. You're the champs forever. And you know, and I have to say this, the guy I feel worse about is maybe Marcus Smart.

Because Marcus Smart was part of what this organization was all about. And that he isn't here to celebrate this. But then again, Drew Holiday came in, man, he fit like a charm. Cedric, it was a good trade. I figured it out. I can't say it wasn't a good trade. I just said I feel sorry for the fact that Marcus was one of those pieces that was here that was playing. I understand about the trade. And the results are, you can't argue with the results. Well.

Win the championship, but leaving them damn fakers behind. I just love it. It's a bitter day in L.A. Oh, my God. People in L.A. right now are jumping off of freaking bridges. There's not a Laker around. Worthy, Byron Scott, Cooper, Magic. I go down the line. And hold on. Let me say this. Worthy. Cedric Maxwell. He made my point for me. My point is this.

64 wins, 16-3 in the playoffs.

plus 11 point differential in the regular season plus eight in the playoffs. By any measure, it is an all-time single-season accomplishment. People are going to say, oh, they had an easy road to the finals. Everybody got injured. All of that is fair when you try and place it in context. But here's what I'm saying. If you're the Celtics, I want you to come out and say, six straight champions now without a repeat. That's our goal. I want you to lean all the way into it.

We want the repeat stated on the record. Don't do it to Nuggets. He'd be like, I don't know, repeat. Like we want to win multiple championships like the Spurs. If you break the no repeat streak next year, they're going to enter the season as favorites. Then there is no dispute about your place in modern basketball history. Yeah, but I don't in all honesty, I don't really want it. Let him enjoy. It's so hard to win.

Forget about a repeat right now. It's so hard to win. We were here on this floor two years ago with the confetti and it was... No confetti. No confetti. Was there confetti? There was always confetti. And it was misery because they were head 2-1 in that series and they lost on their home court. Last year, Game 7 against the Heat, had a great chance to get to the finals, lost on their home court.

I remember being here in Game 7 in 2018, Uncle Jeff Green game. LeBron had a brilliant game, had 40, played all 48 minutes, lost on their home court. I know that the players on the team changed a little bit. The coaching situation was definitely changed a little bit. Brad Stevens took over. A lot of things happened, but that is all part of this. It is all part of it, and so they need to celebrate what this is, which is the end of a journey that really started in 2013.

when they made the Pierce-Garnett trade. And think about everything they went through in that stretch. Remember they went all in to get Kevin Durant, and they thought they had a chance? And then they allegedly finished second, I don't know. And then they finally had the Kyrie trade, and it didn't work. And then the Emeu Doka thing fell apart. They had a lot of different times where it looked like it was a great opportunity, and they just couldn't finish. So now that they have finished...

they must be celebrated. These are the rules. - On draft night in 2013, there were two huge trades in the NBA. Pearson Garnett to Brooklyn, those picks became Tatum and Brown. Drew Holiday got traded from Philadelphia to New Orleans, beginning the process. Then he was the missing piece in Milwaukee. Now he's the missing piece here. And you're right to look at the journey.

because you have the Kyrie Hayward sliding doors moment of like, what if Gordon Hayward never gets hurt? Like, what does that do to develop? Who do we got? Who do we got? I want Zara to come over here. Mike will come. And then that era goes bust. And I keep saying this.

You already mentioned the Warriors finals, the Heat Conference finals. Three years ago, this was a 500 team that got obliterated in the first round by the next alleged super team in Brooklyn. Their roster around Tatum and Brown was a mess. Danny Ainge steps down. Brad Stevens steps down and steps up.

and they completely remake the team highlighted by four trades. Step one was bring Al Horford back, and everyone in the entire freaking NBA is thrilled for Al Horford. I'm thrilled for Al Horford. 17 years. Called me biased all you want. I'm thrilled for Al Horford. He had some miserable, not him personally, but when he was in Atlanta and they were getting swept, they had good teams that just weren't even close to good enough.

you know like when he went to philly he thought that was going to be a great opportunity like he had some bitter ends to seasons derek white masterstroke drew holiday his teeth are all messed up poor zingas like he's gonna need our seriously they're coming onto the floor is the head coach joe mizzoula who got a lot of criticism last year i thought most of it was frankly unfair

He's kind of a mad scientist. His way worked, and he's doing some interviews. It's madness. It's madness. It's a live stream. It's madness. They just won the championship. Jackie McMullen. Jackie Mack. Do you want to stop by and say hello? This is a live stream. This is both of, I think it's fair to say, you are a hero to both of us. You mean a lot to both of us. You've helped us both. Here, Jackie, sit down. Don't sit. Boston legend. She's a true hoop collective person.

Legend channel 7 it's like it's like Well you use this mic

Yeah, that sounds better. How about that? Does that sound better? Yes, thank you. Jackie, you're supposed to be retired. I know, but this was too good to pass up. Honestly, I was. I was retired, and my friend Coon, who worked at Channel 7 when I worked for us, I used to do stuff for them, too, you know, on the weekends and whatever. He said, why don't you come back? And I said, I haven't been around the team in three years. I'd be such a frontrunner. And they're like, well, we'll pay you. And I'm like, okay.

But no, they're great friends, and it's been really fun because I got to come to the games. I got to see everybody again, and it's been very enjoyable. We were just saying how much of a journey this has been for this team, and you've been around for most of it. Oh, God, yeah. It really has been. I was saying to someone tonight, I'm like, you know, I was with Mike Zarin, Game 7 when they lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers. You were just talking about it, yeah. That series. And I was having trouble with my neck.

And I literally had to go lie down in this room because I couldn't sit up anymore. I was in real pain. And Kevin Love was in there because he was injured. He had a concussion, remember? Yeah.

At the end of the game, Mike Zarin, the assistant GM, walked into that room, took off his blazer and threw it against the wall because they almost won that series. And that was the story of their lives for a bunch of years. They almost won. And the truth was they really weren't a complete enough team to win. And in talking to Pags tonight, Cipaleuca, one of the owners,

Trading Marcus Smart, you know, it kind of put this city in shock a little bit. But we all knew, right? We all knew what it meant because we knew Drew Holiday. And we knew what Porzingis would do and all the dominoes that fell from that deal. And they had to change what they were to get here. They had to. They had to change their identity. And they did. And that was such a great trade. They got the picks and the player. No, it was unbelievable. They got the picks and the player. And, you know, Drew, I tell this story. I'm going to tell it again to you guys.

My daughter's getting married. We were in the fitting room. She was getting fitted for her wedding gown. And I was there with my mother, my sister, her best friend. We're all like ridiculous basketball fans. And she's trying on these dresses and we're all sitting there smiling. And someone texted us, the Celtics just traded for Drew Holiday. So we're like little bitties going, she's whispering. And my daughter's like...

Why are they being so rude? This is like my moment. They're supposed to be. And so then when the woman left, she said, what the hell is wrong with you guys? And we said, no, Ali, it's okay. They traded for Drew Holiday. And she understood where we were. Well, I remember, Jackie, I remember coming here for Media Day. Remember, the Holiday trade happened the day before. Right. I went to Media Day and I watched, I mean, obviously I knew it was on the team, but I watched all these players come up on the KS and I was like, damn.

That's different. Hell of a team. I'm like, they're going to win a ton of games. That was the moment where I picked them to win the championship. The minute they got through holiday, I was like, this is the best team. He's the adult in the room, man. He's the adult in the room and the adult they were missing. He was also great in this game tonight. He was great in every game that mattered. And that includes some regular season games where they would go into these malaise and they would have these crazy things happen. And he was the guy that just always settled them. He's the king of hockey assists.

I don't care how many assists they say he had. He's the guy that set the screen or made the extra pass or made the little deflection so someone else could get the steal. He sacrificed a lot for this team. A lot of shots, a lot of points, a lot of recognition. He averaged seven fewer points a game. I remember there was a radio station, to be unnamed here in Boston, one day they said, of the starting five of the Celtics, which is the worst player? And they're like, oh, it's Drew Holiday. And I was like, you guys are idiots. Yes.

You know, you're a bunch of idiots. I'm sorry. He was awesome tonight. He set the tone, slipping screens, making all the extra passes. Getting loose balls, getting rebounds. They really went after the boards tonight. They were going after loose balls like their life depended on getting loose balls. Because they got out-rebounded by 20 the other night. No, that's it. And you know what? This team, when they won the rebound game, they won games. I thought what was interesting in the first three to four minutes, and you guys have seen this a thousand times, it's a big game. Everyone's jacked up.

And, you know, Doc Rivers used to say about Kevin Garnett, I never ran a play for him in the first eight minutes of a playoff game because he'd break the backboard because he was so hyped up. And I felt that both Tatum and Brown were that way. I think they started one and nine. Right. They were in the first few minutes, but not Holiday. Not him, man. He's coming in just being Drew, being the adult in the room. So you've seen three eras of Celtics championships. Obviously, Bird McHale in the 80s.

Then the big three. Right. The 2000s and now in the 20s, this team. Yeah.

Very different teams, all of them. For sure. Yeah, and I mean, someone just said to me, how would they compare to, say, the Bird era? And I'm like, well, that team was tough. They were one of the toughest group of guys I've ever seen. The game was played so differently, as you guys know. So physical and all that. But this team, I mean, historically, a historic offense, never seen before. And they drove me crazy because there were a lot of ups and downs. But people forget, and you guys don't, with the KG, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce group,

They went to game seven against the Atlanta Hawks. Like, can you imagine if they lost that series? How history about them with the Cavs the next day. Right. Lost every road game against Atlanta. Right. So think about that and how history could change things for you. And for these guys in the early years, that's what history did to them. They didn't win games they should have taken care of.

But now they have. And, you know, people talk about, well, they've been in the finals this many times. I'm like, they were 12. I mean, you know, they were just learning. Tatum and Brown are 26 and 27 right now. Right now. That's why, like, they have all the pieces they need to go forward again. But to your point, let's bask in this for a second. Because I think you just –

wax poetic about Drew Holiday. Every single Derek White shot in this series felt like a gut punch to the Mavericks. 100%. Jason Tatum today, 31 points, 11 assists, just kept on driving to the basket over and over and over again and making the right play. And then halfway through, you're like, wait a second.

Is he going to backdoor into the finals MVP? There's like, well, Jalen Brown was good the first year. Well, maybe it could be a case for Drew Holiday. And that's what the Celtics are. That's like, how great is that? They have like five of the 40 best players in the league. And Porzingis, when he played, I think he played 59 minutes in the series. They were plus whatever.

He was awesome. He wasn't whole, but he was awesome. I think in the 59 minutes played, he had more points than Al Horford and Xavier Tillman combined. And they played a lot more minutes. I mean, he was so important to how they spaced the floor. We are burying the lead. We are burying the lead. The lead is...

I think Peyton Pritchard discovered a new role in the NBA. Is he the equivalent of the left-handed relief pitcher who gets one guy out? Yeah. That was remarkable. They bring him in for one play, and he makes another half-court heave. Jake came from the athletic, called him the heave god. He's the... Is there anyone in the conversation? Jerry West, because he made the one that tied the game at the end. This is...

Unbelievable. I can't... And you know what's funny about him? Think about him. Last year at this time, in February, he wanted to be traded. He's like, I don't have a role in this team. I don't want to be here. Now he has a role. It's just coming at the end of every half. And you know, he played more in the other series. He's important to them. No, he's good. I'm a piece of the series. No, but what I'm saying is, like, Brad Stevens said, I'm not going to trade you because I believe in you, and I know you think I don't, but there's going to be a role for you on this team. Everything Brad Stevens did turned to gold. Everything. Starting with trading for Derek White. He was hiding in the back...

Well, that's his personality. I know. He didn't want to be seen by all rights. He should have been standing up there next to Whit Grusbach and next to Joe Mazzulla because he was the guy who put the team together, but that's not who he is. No, definitely not. He is on as hot of a streak as I've seen. He is, but think about him too. He's the other guy that was always oh so close as the coach of the Celtics and at Butler. So I'm so happy for him too. He brings it across the finish line. I'm still hoping that Gordon Hayward shot went in.

Looks right on line. If they had Peyton Pritchard would have made it. There you go. Well said. Absolutely correct. Well said, Zach. Well said. Absolutely correct. Well, Jackie, thanks for stopping by. Oh, it was my pleasure. You're always welcome. Yeah, go do your actual job. We'll bring it back. No, I've lost my laptop. No one's going to take Jackie McGowan's laptop. My shoes are there. There are my shoes. See, my shoes are there. Because Jackie does not need a credential in Boston. All right, guys. Enjoy. Thanks, Jackie. All right, Jackie.

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What else should we talk about? I was just saying, Derek White's going to need hours of dental surgery. He got slammed onto the floor. Oh, my God. It was a vicious hit. He didn't even miss a beat. His face, his teeth are so messed up. Like, it's all broken. I saw him a minute ago. They were going, I mean, their defense, as sexy as their offense was all year, the bedrock of this team, equally if not more, was defense every game.

every night, and they just smothered, with the exception of one game, which was such a dramatic blowout, it completely warped their point differential for the playoffs. I know. They just absolutely smothered the Mavericks. Yeah, they were just so much a better team. Wait a second. We're all bearing the other lead. By the way, I don't think Peyton Pritchard is the lead. No, I'm being facetious. We should talk about how Kyrie Irving was awful again in Boston. I mean, awful. Missed good shots, missed bad shots, totally out of sorts. It's a thing.

Yeah, there's no question. He's lost 13 straight games here or something like that. And, you know, he doesn't need to prove anything. You know, he's a Hall of Famer if he doesn't play another game. Oh, no question about that. This was not good. And I know that he showed incredible sportsmanship at the end and hugged everybody. He had a very good post-game press conference where he was very contrite and everything. But this was not good for him. No. And I also will say...

I still don't know what would have happened in this series. The Celtics win it no matter what. I still don't know what would have happened in this series if Luka doesn't foul out with four minutes in game three. That game... We just won't know. The swings of emotion in game three from...

Third quarter, maybe the best quarter Boston played. How big was Lee? 29? 21. 21. 91-70. And third quarter was like Tatum and Brown are finding each other on cuts. They look like LeBron and Wade. It's like this is the Celtics. Given the stakes, this is the best quarter they've ever played maybe. Fourth quarter, it's like, oh, man.

Maybe this is also still the Celtics. And then they just find a way to hold on to the game with Luke on the bench. Right. Four minutes left. It's a long time. It's 93-90. I didn't think they were going to win the game. It felt like, oh, my God, they're going to fall all the way from ahead. 50-50 at best at that point. And honestly, since Mavericks were on a 22 run and at home, I'd almost swing 60-40 Dallas' way until he fouls out. And so then it's 2-1.

And we don't know what happens in game four. Celtics could have had this game in game four and come back here 3-1 and had us anyway. But we will never know what would have happened if he had not fouled out of the game. And if you're going to focus on Kyrie just not getting it done here in Boston, having three dog games, you have to focus. And by the way, Luka could not make a three. He came into the game tonight. He was like one of 20 or something. Too little, too late at the end. And he took like his first three shots were like –

out of rhythm three-pointers. He had an air ball in the second half. I thought he had – I thought it was a completely wrong mindset to start the game. I mean, that's not why they lost. I'm just saying completely wrong. He came out in game four with just like a pristine mindset. He didn't complain to the officials tonight. That was good. He got back on defense. That was good. But he had the wrong offensive mindset, and that hurt. Because Boston got off to a very cold start.

and the Mavericks couldn't really take advantage of it. So the Celtics never felt any pressure. I thought it was important for Boston to get off to a good start, even though the Mavs got it back to one or whatever, two. I was worried that what happens if this is 19-8 Mavs, you know, eight minutes into the game? What is this crowd going to be like? What is the mood going to be like? But it wasn't. They got off to a good start. What's up, Dave? Congratulations to Dave Lewin, assistant GM.

We would interview him, but they're not allowed to talk to the media. No, he fled the scene with his champagne goggles on, as he should, quickly. How do you want to talk about this team, like, historically? 64 wins, 16-3 in the playoffs is up there with one of the best playoff records of all time, like one of the five or six, plus 11-point differential in the regular season, one of the best of all time, plus eight in the playoffs, not one of the best of all time, but very, very good.

They have every metric of an all-time great single-season team. They're not going to be considered, I think, quite at that level, and I think that's okay, but the numbers are beyond dispute. Our friend Bill Simmons, he wrote this book about 10 or 12 years ago called The Book of Basketball. It was meticulously researched.

And I loved reading it, except for one part where he went like championship by championship and threw asterisks on various things. And it really is one of those things that really like triggers me because championships are so hard to win that you never, ever, ever, ever apologize. We have to make an agreement. You and I have to make an agreement that we will never, ever, ever,

minimize this championship because I've never minimized any championship. Why haven't either? And I've just like, I'm making like a, like a point here. I'm not saying you're actually going to do it. It's a compliment to the Celtics that we're asking the question because what we're really asking is when you start stacking up the 10, 12, 15 greatest teams since the merger, where is this team? You know what I mean? That's the question. For example, everybody downplays the bubble. They all, they all get this little face.

And I just am not here for it. And like just the other day, Embiid's on countdown and he's saying, well, everybody was hurt, which is fine. Joel Embiid can say whatever he wants, but like the Lakers fans can complain about it because it's a tough day to be a Lakers fan. But come on, we have to, as a basketball community, we have to recognize that the injuries would not have stopped this team. If they played everybody healthy, okay, maybe it's not 16-3, but you're not stopping this team. Do not stop.

I know I'm saying this to you, but I'm not directing this at you. Yeah, it's a personal attack. Do not...

I won't stand for anybody minimizing this one. Everyone hear that? Brian Wynhorst will not stand for it. You throw an asterisk on this, you throw a semi-asterisk, you throw a semicolon, Brian Wynhorst won't stand for it. How many little points in an asterisk? You throw one point of an asterisk on there, I don't like it. I totally agree with you. This is a great single-season team. By the numbers, it's in an echelon where I can't quite get there because those teams that are in that echelon,

were here multiple times over a long period of time, and they beat great, great teams. But this team, that's my point. They could just be just starting. If you repeat, a repeat changes everything. I know, but I don't want to talk about it. I do, because that's the kind of discussion that this team was so dominant all year long that it should trigger that kind of discussion. Because, again, that implies that unless they repeat, it's not. No, no, not at all. They're a great single-season team. I just think they have...

They have a little entryway into some pretty goddamn hallowed conversations. Well, I will say this. If Denver was in this series, we'd still be playing. They didn't play the team that gave... Denver was the only team all year...

that they didn't manage. They were 0-2 against them. Look, Denver didn't get here. I'm not saying, you know, Denver didn't handle their business. They lost their freaking game seven on their home court. They didn't belong here. But, like, before you, and I don't mean you necessarily, but a year ago we thought, well, Denver, when we were on that court in Denver, you know, we thought, well, they're going to be back again. It's never. That's why this is six straight, well, five straight and pending games.

Mike Zarin, what's your title these days? Zach Lowe, vice president of basketball something, NBA champion. And this is your father. This is my dad, Dr. Harvey Zarin. You're now on ESPN's Best Basketball Podcast. That's nice of you to say. Here's what people need to know. I don't listen to podcasts. It's a problem. That's not true. I don't believe that for one second. I don't listen to podcasts. I really don't. I don't believe that for one second.

um you are the you are truly one of the biggest celtic fans like generally a fan you work for a team but you're generally genuinely a fan i got brainwashed by this guy next to me when i was three or four years old and it's been all green all the time yeah yeah tell me about the night in 2013 when you guys made the garnett pierce trade

Because that was where this began. That was a crazy night. We worked on that trade for weeks and weeks and weeks. And, I mean, it really only sort of came to fruition like the night before. And then there were details that day, and we had to get KG to agree to it. But, I mean, when it was over, when you're like, okay, we are starting the path that led you to today. Well, the other crazy thing was we knew we were changing coaches, and so we had sort of got Brad to sign up.

with one team and then suddenly the team was very different and so we had to talk about all of that with him afterwards but crazy that night was crazy and you know I

You always hope that things like that lay in the groundwork for things like this, but you can't know. Well, the deal was you got Tatum and Brown that night. I know it was a lot of work between there and then. That team was really good until Lopez and Williams got hurt. They beat the Heat. The Nets. No, they beat the Heat, though.

Nothing else. You're just clarifying. Yeah. So they beat the Heat who were the champions a bunch of times that year, but then Lopez and Williams got hurt and Paul and KG were their best two players and that was kind of like us the previous year. We thought when we made that trade that like the out pick might be really good, but the first few, they were going to be good for a while. Nobody could tell you who was there that time that we thought it would work out as well as it did, obviously.

Can I ask you're asking hardcore? I got one more now. I'm gonna take you forward Take us on a journey first Porzingis trade falls apart one year ago like right now you guys are scrambling because for some reason I don't know why I wouldn't extend his deadline But he wouldn't and you guys had to put that thing together and that's again while you're here those two trades That was big Mike Zarin

If we had known at the time we made that trade that we also could get Drew, it would have been a lot easier. Trading smart was hard. Right. And then that was a weird day. I won't get into all the details, but it was a weird, messy day. And at the end of it, we had traded for Chris Dobbs, and we knew he would help us, and we knew he would improve our team. And we knew our offense could be really, really good. I don't think we thought at the time best in NBA history, but we knew it could be really good. But...

Then when the Drew trade became available, it became more clear that the pieces would just fit really, really well. So you came to games when you were a kid at the old garden with your dad? Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. They gave us new seats in this building, and we were in those seats for the first half of tonight. The non-basketball question. That's what I was going to ask. I was getting there. I don't know how much. We've talked a lot about this over the years. I believe you came to.

um game four of the warriors celtic series right um and it's it's been an interesting five years in the world i like it was a big deal that you were here tonight i know it was a big deal to mike that you were here tonight and me and he got and he got you to sit in the lower bowl tonight we came downstairs for the second half because your seats have always been upstairs yeah

And when you win, you know, you like to wear the same things. There's no superstition involved. So that's what you wore in 2008? He's not superstitious. He's just a little stitious. But I remember hearing you came in 2022 hoping to see something, right? No, he would have come. If we had the chance to win, he was coming. That's what it was. COVID was a little difficult for my family. COVID was hard. And this has just been a special year having them all back here.

Here's the thing, Zarin. When COVID was going on, you became well-known for your cheering. Well, there were no other fans in the league. Someone had to do it. I know. But see, here's the thing. People didn't know that you always cheer like that. So how many people who work in a professional sport are really, really, really invested as fans in that team?

Almost none. Right. Well, I mean, they're all sort of fans, but none of them share. Not the way this guy has been. That's true. That's true. And not the way our family has been. And, you know, the thing that's amazing for me always is he works for every last thing he gets, and he does it nicely. He's just nice. I love it. What other teams say that you do it nicely?

I like to think so. I like to think so. Sometimes the trades work out. Sometimes they don't. But I don't think anybody thinks I don't. Now I remember in 2022, you were hoping. Yeah, no, listen, we we lost. We lost game five in San Francisco and I was in tears in the locker room.

And everybody thought it was because we lost the game. And it was because he hadn't been to a game in three years. And we grew up, I mean, like, you know, that's like a big part of my life, going to Celtics games with my dad. And he was just staying at home because of COVID. And he said, if we have a chance to win at home, I'll come to the game. And so when we lost game five, I knew I wasn't going to get to sit at a game with him that year. And it was really, really hard for me.

so this is this is now pretty special for me right here it's amazing the other thing is nice is a big part of my family history my dad i sold cars in belmont was an automobile dealer and i still run into people who he sold their first car and have only nice things to say about and this guy

Fits that mold and I didn't say he can't be card and and and do the business But people like him because he's likable, you know, he's just he's nice. We don't need to turn this All right Z goes to go celebrate go. Yeah, go enjoy congratulations. It's so Well, it's very very very very hard to win as you know, and so I demand that

of every team that wins that you must enjoy. And I know you know. In 08, I was so focused. The draft was a week away.

Who are you taking with 30? You've got to understand. I didn't understand this. What's your draft board at 30? After we won in 08, I told myself, like, halfway through the next season, shit, if we win again, I'm freaking enjoying it. Don't you worry. Go to the party. Thank you, guys. The party is somewhere. The party is somewhere. I think I know where the party is, but I don't know if I have the stamina in my old age to try and crash it. I crashed the Warriors party a couple years ago.

I mean, Mike Zarin's been with them for many, many, many years. He looks young, but he's been around a long time. So I was hoping he would tell the story about Game 5 in San Francisco and what it cost him as a sister over there. One of the last people I saw before the world ended in 2020, Sloan Conference 2020, Celtics Games 2020. What else should we talk about? I don't know. Joe Mizzoula? Should we talk about Mizzoula? I mean, Brad Stevens giving Joe Mizzoula the job was pretty gutsy.

because their window is really sort of two or three years where they can keep this team together. They were never going to have to trade Tatum or whatever, but their window was kind of narrow. They're spending a little bit more money than they're comfortable spending. It doesn't matter if you win. If you win, it doesn't matter. But they were trusting a premium team. I said this before. I've used this before on the HIP Collect. They were treating a Ferrari to a new driver. This was a Ferrari team. And Brad Stevens trusted them.

We could take the metaphor further, but I'm afraid on a live stream that I'll take it in the direction it should go. But it was a driver that was very suddenly thrust into the driver's seat of the car under very unusual circumstances. And then he faced a torrent of criticism. I don't remember. Why was he criticized? Well, not a torrent, but, you know, I mean...

I don't recall him being – I mean, maybe my memory is just off. No, there was definitely a lot of, like, is this guy really ready? Can he go toe-to-toe with Spolstra? Can he get this and that? Yeah, that's true. And Joe's young. Joe's very young. That's true. And not as experienced as some of those guys. But he figured out – they gave him a team this year –

that really dovetailed with what he wanted to do as a coach in terms of play five shooters all the time. They don't have four shooters and one guy who's kind of a shooter. They have five capital S shooters, and he just leaned all the way into that. Brad Stevens, even when they didn't have this kind of a good team, even when they were just, that's obviously a great team, but they just had a good team. Brad Stevens always wanted to play his five best players, and that's something that Joe Mazzulla obviously followed through on.

There's lots of people smoking cigars. I'm just looking for other people who could just suddenly crash in here. Mizzoula would be great. I mean, Mizzoula, you just don't know what. We could ask you about anything. You don't know where the answer is going to go. I think he's a legitimately awesome coach. The stuff he does with their defense, he's not afraid to be creative with matchups. He's not afraid to keep you. When was the last time, I mean, youngest to win a title in your 30s as a head coach? I think he and Bill Russell, the two youngest guys. And Bill Russell, it's not really a fair comparison because he was playing. No.

I love watching this team play. I think they're awesome to watch. I think their pieces fit together so beautifully and, you know, nitpick their crunch time offense, not really this season, but there was always something that people wanted to nitpick. There were sometimes justifications to it, but it's a goddamn great team. For sure. And they're very deserving.

We're going to wrap this up. What do you think? Are they going to kick us out? They're not going to kick us out. They're going to kick nobody out tonight, buddy. That's true. And we're not going out on those streets. I hope they've calmed down. I'm walking. I'm walking through the gauntlet. If I don't go to the party, I'm walking through the gauntlet. Here's the thing. At 2 o'clock when the bars close, it's going to be a rough situation here in Boston. They wouldn't just keep them open?

I don't know, man. I'm not a bar owner. The Puritans are long gone. Let's go. You just won the NBA championship for the 18th time. 18. Now we've got to talk about Banner 19. It's all about Banner 19. So you know what's funny? So the company that owns the Celtics. I apologize for how unhinged this is, by the way, but this is how this podcast is. This is good, but this is what we wanted. The company that owns the Celtics, they're owned by a company called 17 Banners. I mean, it's this group of owners, but they own. And when they bought the team, they had 16 Banners.

So they wanted, they called it 17 banners because they wanted to win their 17th banner. Then they won 17. And then it was appropriate, 17 banners. More Hoop Collective podcast after this. My dad works in B2B marketing. He came by my school for career day and said he was a big ROAS man. Then he told everyone how much he loved calculating his return on ad spend.

My friend's still laughing at me to this day. Not everyone gets B2B, but with LinkedIn, you'll be able to reach people who do. Get $100 credit on your next ad campaign. Go to linkedin.com slash results to claim your credit. That's linkedin.com slash results. Terms and conditions apply. LinkedIn, the place to be, to be.

Go to your happy place for a happy price. Go to your happy price, Priceline.

Oh, Bontemps is coming in. Anyway, I was telling the story, but it's over. Well, now you're going to have to switch the name of their company. I have to, right?

A new LLC. He's going to be a new owner of the Celtics. Bontemps, we've been going for a long time. We're about to wrap up. You better bring the heat here. What do you got for us? I got Chris Asporzinghi's surgery news. Oh, bring it. He needs it. He's going to have surgery. He's going to be out for a few months, as he told me. So much for Latvia's chances of qualifying for the Olympics. Yes, I think that's going to take a big... That was my snap assessment. I mean, it's...

Latvia, by the way, Latvia should have beaten Germany. I know. Latvia had an amazing World Cup. They're hosting a qualifier. They gave the ball to Davis Bertans for the three at the end, and they should have given it to this little guard who I can't remember his name. They're hosting a qualifier. I talked to Chris Dasbotta the other day, and I guess there's a chance he could wait. I assume he's not going to be playing for Latvia in that. But look, like he just said to me, I was going to do whatever I could to play Latvia.

He's game today. They attacked him. They attacked him tonight, but he held his own. Look, he hit they hit Josh Green, hit a couple threes on him. But look, Porzingis a year ago was playing for the Wizards and now he's won a title with the Celtics. And we were just talking to Mike Zarin. Like, again, that trade fell apart. Yes. The Brogdon trade fell apart. Yes. Mike Zarin might have been upset with something I said on first take and called me.

that morning, not happy. But by that night, they had Christas Porzingis. - Listen. - And now they got a championship. - It worked out pretty well. And they made two trades. They got Christas Porzingis.

They got Drew Holiday. They got a title. Getting those two guys for Marcus Smart and Malcolm Brogdon and Robert Williams. So we haven't talked about this yet. We already talked about all that. That's why I'm cutting you off. You guys have been here a long time. You had a vote for finals MVP. I did. Thank you. I did. The vote, I believe, was 7-4. That's what I heard. I don't know. You know what? I want you to talk about what your thought process is. Why verify the vote? I mean, look. I voted for Jalen Brown.

I wanted to vote for both Jason Tatum and Jalen Brown, frankly, because like every other goddamn Celtics MVP vote, there's a, it was a literally a point flip between the two guys. I ultimately went with Jalen Brown because he was playing very good defense on Luka Doncic in the series, and he was the more consistent player between he and Jason Tatum. Easily could have voted for Jason Tatum, and frankly, I think the fact that

Once again, the Celtics did not have an obvious choice for MVP. It's why they have been the best team in the league this season. It is why they won the title. They have as deep and versatile and awesome a team as you could probably build, frankly, in the modern NBA. And they are in the position they are in because they –

have Brad Stevens, who's done a phenomenal job as their lead executive. They have Joe Mazzulla, who's done a phenomenal job over the past two years as head coach and has gotten very little credit for it all the way through. I think that will change now. And they have a deep, versatile roster that can play in any different way and has a lot of guys who sacrificed to get here. I have the official voting. You got the tally. There it is. Seven to four. Okay, read them off one by one. I want dramatic. Sam Amick of The Athletic, Jalen Brown.

Malika Andrews, ESPN, Jason Tatum. Tim Bontemps, ESPN.com, Jalen Brown. Doris Burke, ABC, Jason Tatum. PJ Carlissimo, ESPN Radio, Jason Tatum. The ESPN contingent went hard, Jason Tatum, except for Bontemps, who went with Jalen Brown. Mike Curtis, Dallas Morning News, Jalen Brown. Vince Goodwell, Yahoo Sports, Jalen Brown. SeanPowellNBA.com, veteran, long veteran, Sean Powell. Jalen Brown.

Simone from La Gazzetta dello Sport from Italy. Simone Sandri. Jalen Brown. Gary Washburn, Boston Globe. It would have been appropriate if it was unanimous and Gary won with another one because Gary's famous for keeping LeBron from winning the game. No one voted for Sabonis? No one voted for Sabonis. Deep cut. If you get that joke and you're this steep in the podcast. Gary Washburn, Boston Globe, Jason Tatum, Jeff Zilga, USA Today, Jalen Brown.

I mean, look. I would have considered Drew Holiday. I was asking a lot of people. I got several Drew Holidays as possible votes. I mean, look. But again, this is why the Celtics are in the position they're in. By the way, people are voting for Jason Tatum. It's not a wrong answer. No. There is no wrong answer. That's the whole point. They have an incredible team. Also, we were talking to Jeff Wexler. I don't even know if you know about this. Jeff Wexler is Jason Tatum's agent. We wanted to know if we saw the commercial.

because I hadn't seen it. The first commercial after the championship, after they draw the trophy was a Jordan brand commercial with Jason Tatum having voiced it over about, and there was a, there was a billboard at the end of it that says, don't stop disbelieving kind of a, like a chess beating, like take that world.

And Jeff didn't elaborate much on it. Well, listen, Tatum got up on the podium and said, Tatum got up on the podium and I asked him, what were you thinking as you were going through the handshake line at the end of the game? It was the first question of the presser. And he said a few things about how he was trying to wrap his head around it. And then he said, I had to listen to a lot of the bleep that people said about me over the years. And it was all worth it.

Talk your talk. Listen, that's... Talk your talk, buddy. You say a lot of things. You create a lot of memes. But the smartest thing you've ever said is that if you win a title, you never have to say you're sorry. And this is a Celtics team that has had to say they're sorry a lot. They've been banging against the door a lot. And it's a group of really good guys who I've spent a lot of time around. I personally like them all a lot.

And I'm really happy that they have gotten to the mountaintop and they have crossed this off and they're not on the list of teams. You used to live here and used to come to 25 or 30 games a year. I was probably at 30 games this year, including road games. So we did a segment. I don't know if we did it or we were going to do it on Get Up earlier this week. And the prompt was going to be,

what does it mean for Jason Tatum and the Celtics and Jason Tatum's legacy if the Celtics win, but he doesn't win finals MVP? And I was like, respectfully,

I think this is a ridiculous topic. I agree. And... Steph Curry is one of the 10 or 15 best players of all time before he won finals MVP. The winning the title is the whole thing. That's what matters. Once you win a title, you are a champion. And so, sure enough, they win the title. He doesn't win finals MVP. I also would have voted for Jalen Brown by a hair. And no one is ever going to be like, well, at that time, he didn't win finals MVP. If anything, they're going to be like, the time when they needed one last win to get over the hump, the dude played all day.

He was great.

He was playing very well. Yeah, he was. Like, in every other facet of the game. Yeah. It doesn't matter. Yeah. As I said a couple days ago, number zero and number seven.

are going up there oh they're locked in they're already like at the top of the team they're locked in i know somebody got a playoff they're going up there look you could see you could see after the game just like the visible stress coming off of all these guys you got al horford who played dozens and dozens and dozens of playoff games and you guys talking to derek white who's obviously been here the last couple years been through all these ups and barely talk

He's drinking his champagne through a straw. Yeah, I mean, his teeth were just... Wait, is that real? I don't know. No, his teeth were... I saw him walking out. I mean, his teeth were a kaleidoscope. You got Porzingis who's walking around on one leg. You say his teeth were a kaleidoscope? That's what I said. What a line. And then you got Jason Sitteman and Jalen Brown who have had all these people try to split them up and say they got to move on from them and all this other stuff. And now they're at the top of the mountain and it's great.

They're at the top of the mountain. You know what they're going to do next year? We talked about this before. They're going to be kicking people who are trying to come up because they start next season at the top of the mountain. Listen, to me, I think it's only up for those guys because so much of this has just been trying to get there for these guys. Well, I would like to have seen them play Denver.

No, listen, but I'm just saying, like, now to me, all the pressure's off him now. Like, all the pressure's been about gotta get one. And that's off the board. And you could see the pressure kick in in Game 3. They, like, froze up in Game 3 when they got a big lead and they could start smelling it. Even Al had a couple of goofy turnovers. And in Game 3, it was Jason Tatum in the first half who kept him in the game. And it was Jalen Brown in the third quarter who had probably the best quarter of his career and won him the game. And like that...

I wish they both could have won the award. Because, like, they both were awesome. Yeah, people were saying they should share it. There's 11 votes. You can't share it. I mean, obviously, the NBA could have, you know, made some... You know, Adam Stoker on the spot. Somebody could have voted for, like, Drew Holiday and they could have split it. But, like, the point is... Oh, I guess that's true. But, again, the point is, like... That would be very Celtics who were, like, 4-4-2-1. A bunch of us were texting about it during the game. Everybody was agonizing about it. And it's like this is... Every time I have to vote for one of these Celtics series awards, it's always like this. Every single time. But that's...

It's what makes them great. I mean, 20 years ago, the Pistons won a title with this kind of team. The Celtics are just a much deeper, better version, in my opinion, of what that team was. With all due respect to that Pistons team, I love their identity and everything. The Celtics team is awesome. No, I mean, they're awesome. And again, I think Joe Mazzola has not gotten nearly enough credit for what he's done with this team. Man.

They play, they maximize the numbers at both ends. They maximize their talent at both ends. Turn Sam Houser into a really good player. Sam Houser was awesome tonight. Awesome. I mean, awesome. Like setting screens for Drew Holiday. Got a deflection. He was defending. Well, they had that sequence in the first quarter where he had a deflection and I think Brown got a layup and then Tatum got a pick six on P.J. Washington. And it was like all of a sudden they're roaring and puffing their chest out. Yeah.

Sam Houser's a free agent now. They should give Jason Tatum... He's extension eligible, yeah. They should bring the contract. Wouldn't that be amazing? Because free agency has now started. You have your own free agents. Wouldn't it be amazing if they brought the $315 million contract and said, Jason Tatum, you can sign your $300 million contract tonight? With a novelty check?

It's like a publisher's clearinghouse novelty check. That's the thing. Jason Tatum is a champion. He's going to have a parade in a couple of days whenever they're doing it, the duck boats. And he's 26 years old and his whole career is ahead of him. And by the end of the week, he will have a $315 million contract. Tell me, don't stop disbelieving is a nice slogan. Listen. He's doing just fine. His whole career is ahead of him. His whole career is ahead of him. And all the all-time playoff stats, it's all him and Magic and Kobe and Tony Parker. Like,

It's all ahead of them. This team is built to be good for at least the next couple of years, if not longer. Yeah, listen, even if they have to retrofit because Al Horford is getting close to the end and they may not be able to afford both Holiday and Derek White in two years and all that stuff, they can retrofit around Tatum and Brown. Just keep Tatum and Brown, baby. They've got a decade out of them left. They've done an unbelievable job at every level. And...

People want to say whether Tatum's a fifth-best player or sixth-best player or whatever. If you don't have a super-duper star, number one, top three guy on your team, that's how you've got to win. It's truly a team championship. Semi-regular reminder that Jason Tatum was not only a Nets pick but was the product of a swap.

with the Markel Fultz pick, and they got a Kings pick in addition to that. And they tried to get Donovan Mitchell in the same draft. How was the Mavericks locker room? Tim McMahon, Bam McMahon. Howdy, partners. How was the Mavericks locker room? You know, guys in and out, ready to hop on the flight and head back home. Obviously a somber locker room, an optimistic group they can get.

back to the stage, but they just took a pretty thorough butt-kicking. Not just tonight, but aside from Game 4 and the series in general. They realized, look, that's a championship team in the Boston Celtics. The winners were in that tunnel, as some might say. They were. As much as the Mavericks, I think, are well-positioned to contend for years, there's a big step that needs to be made. You just can't kick a finals game. That was my point. Yeah, and look...

you know luca didn't luca wasn't super reflective tonight um he did say he's not sure if he's going to be playing for slovenia uh because he's obviously dealing with injuries or whatnot but you know he's talked about this being a learning experience and like it's not hard to figure out what are the things you can take uh as a guy 25 year old playing in the first finals and

People can be mad at you for what you said after game three, and they can say you were maybe hamming it up a little bit, that you're good on TV and entertaining, a jerk even. They can't say you were wrong, and the things that Jason Kidd has really been trying to

hammering a Luka or prod Luka into doing, leaving the refs alone, not letting that affect your focus, being locked in on defense, those came back to bite them in that game three. Look, if they win that game, do they win the series? Still highly doubtful, but that's something that he's going to, Luka's going to have to live with. The proper result

came to fruition. Yes. But I said tonight when I was on Scott Van Pelt, we're sitting here with the white and green confetti. A couple years ago, did they have the... They had Warriors-colored confetti here two years ago, right? I wish I could remember. All right. Well, I think two years ago there was Warriors-colored confetti. I doubt it was white and green. I remember the Nuggets confetti last year. I think that sometime in the near future, there's a good chance we'll be potting on the court.

after a game with blue and white, blue, white, and green confetti. The Maddox have a chance because they have a guy who's the first or second best player in the world. And they've put together, they got him a co-star. They put together a supporting cast around them, but they've, they've got still work to do and it ain't going to be easy to get out of the West. They, you know, they, they know that,

Getting back here won't be easy. They're confident they can. The West is a different beast. I was talking to some Celtics coaches before the game, and Luka didn't have his best series in this series, particularly shooting-wise. The level of respect bordering on fear that the Celtics, even with a 3-1 leader, that dude controls the game perfectly.

Like LeBron, like peak LeBron. That was the phrase that was used over and over. And they smothered him tonight. They really, really, really well. And he went through a like he couldn't hit a three until the game was way out of hand. You know, he's been playing on the sprained knee the whole series. Like he's banged up. But again, the Celtics, it really just does get back to the Celtics with their star tandem. Kind of went through the years of growing pains, made the final roster additions. Ironically, one of which was

Porzingis, the co-star who fizzled out next to Luka in Dallas. But it was a long path for the Celtics to get here. And the Mavs, in a lot of ways, this is pretty early in their journeys. Luka's six years, but as far as this group... Don't you think the Mavs can make another trade? Yeah. No. The Mavericks, so come draft night, they will have two first-round picks and then a couple swaps. And...

Let's just call it like it is. They've been trying to trade Tim Hardaway Jr. since the ink was dry on that deal. Well, now it's an expiring contract, and it might actually have some value in the trademark. I would say this. Also, if you put Hardaway, Maxi Kleba together, he gets your salary in a decent spot, and you can add the picks. I mean, Josh Green might have some appeal around the league. I would say...

Max, he's pretty deeply rooted into the franchise as far as... I'm just thinking about role players that have contracts you can put together. I'm not saying you're trading them to minorly upgrade. Sure. And the thing about it, there's...

Obviously, Luke is as untouchable as any player in the league. Kyrie's not going anywhere. And then Derek Lively didn't have a great night tonight. Didn't have, honestly, like Kyrie. If they could trade for a star, it would probably take, including Lively, but...

We're premature. Boy, it'd have to be at one hell of a start because Lively, I'm not saying he's untouchable, untouchable, but I'm saying. Well, this is for podcasts in the near future. Too soon. Too soon. All right, let's just, we're going to wrap. Let's wrap. We've been going a while. Yeah, we have. But there's no more games for a long time. Yeah, we have free agency started already. Has anyone signed yet? I haven't checked my phone. Has there been anything? I hope not. I hope they respect the Celtics enough to wait until tomorrow. Agreed.

We respect the Celtics. Worthy champions. No question. Congratulations to them. Wire to wire. Wire to wire. Best team in the NBA. Enjoy it. Enjoy your parade. Enjoy your duck boats. The draft is one week from, is nine days from today. Find me a Samuel Adams. I'll bet there will be some available tonight. All right. Thank you, everybody who went through this whole process.

postseason run with all of us. We did a bunch of really late podcasts because we care so much about you. One last sleep update. I got six AM flights in New York. There it is. Thank you to Jackson, our producer. Thank you to Adi Khan, who is leaving us. Oh my gosh. I just found out today, which I guess I'm happy for, but not really.

You respect his agency, his free agency. You're right. That's absolutely right. We have to do that. Just like you did in Boston here with Kyrie. Well. Thank you to Zach. Thank you to Bontemps. Thank you to McMahon. Thank you to our special guests tonight. We had a few. We had several special guests. Mike Zarin and his father. We had Jackie McMullen.

We had Cedric Maxwell. Man, all kinds of them. He booked himself. He just sort of stomped into the pod. Well, did he knock the camera over? I was going to say, everything okay over there with the equipment? You should have seen Jackson and Adi scramble. They fortified a perimeter of chairs. The best box out of the night. By the way, that was like a really good podcast. I know. It's dead to the world. Never happened. It was like some of our best stuff. Yeah.

Low bar. Oh, wow. All right, thank you. You have to say goodnight. You took us in. You've got to say goodnight. Goodnight. Congratulations to the Boston Celtics, 18 NBA championships, 64 wins, 16-3 in the playoffs, wire-to-wire best team in the NBA. Congratulations. All right, goodnight and good luck. Adios, amigos.