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00:00High noon on a Wednesday, Jones and Keefe, W-E-E-I, it means it's time for Pure Hoops with Terp, Justin Turpin, W-E-E-I.com, check out all his work there on Twitter, at Justin M. Turpin, lots of good Celtics coverage throughout the postseason, Joe Mazzula, all the players, game breakdowns afterwards with Meggo, I saw after game one a loss for the Celtics, 108-105 in overtime, Terp, how are we feeling about the Celtics down on one?
00:30I mean, I feel fine. I had them sweeping, so I feel alright after one loss. I think if this loss came in game two or game three, we'd be talking about it a lot differently. It's the fact that it came in game one that people are kind of alarmed by it.
00:41What about Mazzula's reaction to the whole thing? Basically like, hey, we missed shots, we need to make shots, what a novel concept, Knicks made shots, we missed them. I mean, it's kind of a classic Mazzula thing in many ways, but what about the most recent?
00:54I feel like a lot of people, the issue with the three-point shooting wasn't the volume, it was the quality of the shots. Like, they were taking a lot, I know the NBA tracking data suggested that most of them were open to wide open, but if, I mean, come on, we all watched the game, those were not non-contested shots.
01:10Like, even that Drew Holiday one in the corner, like, that one automatically comes to mind. Jason Tatum forced one late in the fourth quarter. They were, there were some contested shots in there, so I think more of it was to do with, though, like, the quality of them.
01:21Like, they took 30 pull-up threes. That's just, that's not a good sign.
01:24Right, they were, yeah, it was not a ton of catch and shoot, you know, by their standards. It was a lot of pull-up three-point attempts, to your point. I personally have a problem with the volume, and if they're, if you're making them, if it's game one against New York, meaning of the regular season, the season opener against the Knicks, and you're 29 out of 61, well, go ahead and launch them.
01:42Like, it's going in. When it's not going in, and it's not going in really all night, from the first quarter, to the halftime, to most of the second half, they got a little hot in the third quarter, but largely, they're not making their threes all night long.
01:57At some point, to me, the volume does become a problem, and that's my only critique of the Celtics, and when Missoula's like, oh, well, the Knicks just made them, and we just missed them.
02:07He just assumes if they keep launching them sooner or later, they're going to go in. On some nights, game one, a prime example of it, that's not the case. I wish they just had a little more awareness of that.
02:16Especially when they had guys in foul trouble for New York, they were getting downhill, getting to the free-throw line, especially in the first quarter, too. That's what kept them in the game, was they were getting to the free-throw line, because they were not making any shots whatsoever.
02:27Hart went out almost right away with two fouls. Brunson and Towns both had three by halftime.
02:30We talked all week about these mismatches that they have, and they really just didn't utilize them.
02:35It's kind of obvious. Well, obviously, the assist numbers won't be high when you're attacking mismatches, because it's a lot of ISO balls.
02:40That's why you see some of those pull-ups, but we've been talking about how easy it is to just blow by these guys, get them up in the post and all that, and they just didn't really take advantage of that.
02:49I'm okay with the three-point attempts. They were 31-7 when they attempted 53s this year. The three-point attempts is fine. The quantity is fine. It's the quality.
02:56When you're taking 30 of them, the ball's not really moving around. I mean, they've had two games this postseason when they've had 20 assists.
03:02They need to get the ball moving up. That's when they're at their best, when the ball's hopping around.
03:06And, of course, they have two wins by double digits this postseason. Both of those were the 20-assist games.
03:11What about the defense from the Celtics against the Knicks? Anything there?
03:15I think that was actually the bigger problem in the second half. Guys were just overhelping. There was some breakdowns.
03:20There was one in the third quarter where Jalen Brown was just completely out of the play.
03:24Today, OGN Inobi comes up and hits a three. Another thing we talked about this week is not letting the other guys beat you.
03:29All in all, until the fourth quarter, they did a great job with Jalen Brunson.
03:32Same thing with Carl Anthony Towns. It's when you have OGN Inobi going for 30 points and Mikael Bridges making those big plays, those different makers.
03:41That's a big deal, and that's where the Celtics lost that game.
03:43All in all, they did a good job on Brunson and Towns.
03:46You'll take those performances against them, but you can't be falling asleep on those other guys and letting them punish you.
03:51That's where the Celtics got into trouble.
03:53You want to talk Celtics? You got questions for Terp? 617-779-7937.
03:57We do it every Wednesday at high noon, Pure Hoops, talking Celtics here, so you can jump in with all your questions for Terp.
04:06I think the Celtics are ripe for an upset, and I started the show saying this, Terp.
04:12I look at the matchup, and I think the Celtics are going to win this series.
04:16I had it in six going in. That still feels about right to me, so I'm not picking the Knicks by any means.
04:20But if you just take a step back and you take the particulars out of it for a moment, I would say the Celtics are acting like a team whose crap doesn't stink.
04:29Their coach is more worried about getting into it with the media than he is about any adjustments in Game 2.
04:35Tatum was getting yelled at by Missoula earlier in the postseason.
04:39It was a miserable Game 1. Outside of the second half of Game 5, I don't know how many stretches they've played up to their potential in this postseason.
04:46They just feel like a team that has not impressed, despite only dropping two games to this point.
04:52Are they ripe for getting picked off at some point, perhaps as early as this series against New York?
04:57I mean, if you look at their losses, their two postseason losses this season, it's hard to think that way.
05:02I mean, the first one against Orlando, they scored 11 points in the third quarter and 34 points in the second half.
05:08It only lost by two points. It was a one-possession game.
05:11Game 1 against New York, they missed 45 three-point attempts, got nothing from Kristaps Porzingis.
05:17Jason Tatum went like a quarter and a half without scoring, and they couldn't make really any shots, and they still only lost by two in overtime.
05:24So it's hard to really think that way. I get it, like how they're coming out now and kind of talking.
05:29Like, I understand why you might think that, but look at their losses.
05:32Like, it's been extremes, the games they've lost, so I think they have the reason to be confident.
05:37But do you think they're playing well? Like, I just haven't, outside of, again, the second half where threes were falling of Game 5 against Orlando, I don't think they played well.
05:43No, I'd agree. I don't think we've seen the best version of this team whatsoever.
05:46I mean, Orlando, we talked about it, and that was a tough matchup for them, but they did not play a good game against New York at all, and they were still able to hang around.
05:53So I think at times, like, you're right, the talent itself has just been carrying them, because we really haven't seen them put together a full game.
06:00I mean, even Game 1 against Orlando, that game they were losing at the half, and in Game 5 against Orlando, too, when they pulled away and had a double-digit win, that was close until the third quarter.
06:10So, no, we haven't really seen them dominate from start to finish yet.
06:13Well, it's funny, because not to let them off the hook for that, but, I mean, Cleveland's down 0-2, and I know they have injuries.
06:18The Thunder are down 0-1, and they also, besides that one crazy blowout win they had in Game 1, I don't know if they've played their best, but they at least do have that one game they can hang their hat on.
06:27In Round 2, a higher seed has yet to win a game.
06:29Correct.
06:30Yeah, it's pretty wild.
06:32As for Chris Stapp's poor Zingas, we see him leave the game, non-COVID illness, as we find out later.
06:39He's now probable for tonight.
06:42He missed a bunch of games for some unknown real reasons.
06:46I think it was eight games, yeah.
06:47It was an eight-game stretch.
06:48Any more info on what's going on with poor Zingas?
06:50Seems to just be an illness.
06:52I thought he was going to play in the second half the other night.
06:53He came out at halftime, was skipping around, was in the shot lines, warming up, looked like he was going to go, and then that was it.
07:00He didn't come back out.
07:01But there are going to be more from him.
07:02We talked about this, too, going into the series, that this was a good opportunity for poor Zingas to bounce back.
07:07And he wasn't himself in the first half that he played in Game 1 against New York, either.
07:11He was 0-4, didn't attempt a three-point shot.
07:14And now, if you look at his averages, I mean, they kind of just tell the story.
07:17He's averaging 10 points.
07:18He's shooting 32% from the field.
07:20Like, 32% from the field is tough to do.
07:23That's this playoff?
07:23This is this playoff.
07:25And those numbers aren't much better, either.
07:27Wow.
07:29Rebounds, 5.5, one assist.
07:31Like, his numbers just aren't good enough.
07:32They're going to need him.
07:33We talked about it.
07:34Like, they're going to need him to really go back-to-back and to win this thing.
07:37And he just hasn't been good enough.
07:39Do you, even if he's available tonight, do you think he starts?
07:42Is there a way to, like, ease him in because he didn't finish Game 1?
07:46You could start Horford?
07:47Like, do you think, even if he's available tonight, he's in the starting lineup?
07:50I do think he'll start.
07:51I think that will be the case.
07:53I don't see them changing that.
07:54But, I mean, if this continues, you have to look at it as, like, maybe he would be better off coming off the bench.
07:59I mean, we had that conversation that was a really hot topic earlier in the season.
08:03Because last year he came off the bench.
08:04In Game 1.
08:05The best playoff game.
08:06Yeah, his best game.
08:07Yeah, we had that big Game 1 run against Dallas.
08:09If you look at Al Horford, like, he's been terrific on both ends of the floor.
08:13Defensively, it's going to be overlooked.
08:15But what he did in the fourth quarter in overtime in Game 1 against New York was fantastic.
08:19His switchability against Orlando was great.
08:21The opponents are shooting, like, 34% against him this postseason.
08:25So, yeah, Al's been great.
08:26You're going to want him on the floor for both ways.
08:29And at this point right now, Porzingis has been, like, a negative player on the floor.
08:32So, maybe he could benefit from that kind of change.
08:35But I think the Celtics, I don't think they're going to make that move going into tonight.
08:38Lost in the loss was Drew Holiday.
08:41Not only back, but was their best player.
08:43He was great.
08:43He was the best player they had on the floor.
08:45With five offensive rebounds.
08:46We're just making play after play.
08:48It was funny because when we were watching it, I was like, Al Horford and Drew Holiday have been the story.
08:52Like, the older statesmen here really carrying them down the stretch.
08:55And, unfortunately, they lost.
08:57So, those will be forgotten.
08:58Let's mix in some calls with Terp.
08:59High noon every Wednesday.
09:00Pure hoops.
09:01617-779-7937.
09:04Matt is in Brighton.
09:05Go ahead, Matt.
09:07Hey.
09:08Good afternoon, gentlemen.
09:09I wanted to ask a question of you.
09:11What is the worst defeat in NBA playoff history?
09:15The worst defeat?
09:17The worst defeat?
09:18The Lakers in Game 6 in 2008.
09:20I don't know.
09:20Like, the margin of victory?
09:22Yeah.
09:22Guess what?
09:23We're going to set the bar a little high tonight because the Celtics are going to demolish the Knicks tonight.
09:29Okay.
09:30So, I think, did the Thunder actually set the record?
09:33Or, at one point, they were like, they had the biggest lead, I think, ever in Game 1 against the Grizzlies.
09:38Yeah, they were up like 50.
09:39They had some insane lead.
09:40No, it was up there last year.
09:41It was Game 4, Celtics-Mavericks.
09:43The game they lost was up there, and nobody will ever talk about it because it's obviously forgotten because they won the finals.
09:48The largest margin of victory.
09:50I remember they lost that game.
09:51They got smoked that bad.
09:52Yeah, it was the biggest margin of loss in an NBA Finals game.
09:572009, the Denver Nuggets defeated the New Orleans Hornets, 121-63.
10:04I don't know if they'll break that.
10:06I don't know if they'll get that.
10:07And then the Lakers in 1956 also had a game.
10:09So, 58 points is the biggest.
10:11Matt says lay the 60.
10:13Who's going to win it?
10:14The Celtics.
10:15Because there's no other reason why.
10:17The Celtics are the ball.
10:19Fair.
10:19Do you think, and we're all guilty of this.
10:21Carmelo had 26 in that game.
10:22Disrespecting the Knicks to a degree, right?
10:24Like, they're soft.
10:25They're finesse.
10:25They're just, head and shoulders, a better offensive team than Orlando.
10:29They're a worse defensive team, and, you know, they're not as tough or physical.
10:32But do you think we all kind of overlooked, because we looked at it as the Pistons gagging away round one,
10:37do you think we all kind of overlooked the Knicks' ability to pull out some of these games late?
10:41For sure.
10:41But they kind of earned it.
10:42They were 0-10 this year against Boston, Cleveland, and Oklahoma City.
10:46And like you said, they probably should have lost that series against Detroit.
10:49So, I think they've earned that.
10:50But you've seen, like, they're a good team down the stretch, mainly because of Jalen Brunson,
10:54obviously won the Clutch Player of the Year award.
10:57So, they're a good team.
10:58They have two All-NBA players in Carl Anthony Towns and Jalen Brunson.
11:01And every time we talk about those guys, it's kind of in a negative light because of their defensive liabilities
11:06and how the Celtics punished them.
11:07But we've shown, like, they've shown they can win them games.
11:10Do you think they go back to the hack of Mitchell Robinson strategy tonight?
11:13Yeah, what do you think of that?
11:14I kind of liked it.
11:16You know what?
11:16I felt bad for him a little bit, though, when Tibbs is telling him, like,
11:19intentionally follow Drew Holliday so we can get you off the floor so they can stop intentionally following you.
11:24Like, that is embarrassing.
11:26That's brutal.
11:27Burn a foul on you so they stop following you.
11:28Like, we're going to get you out of the game, so intentionally follow him.
11:30What do you like about that?
11:32I mean, it just, that's a good way, I think, when you're playing with the lead to just, like,
11:36you know he's not going to make them.
11:37Like, if it's going to work.
11:38I would do it the other way.
11:39I would do it when you're behind and you need to steal possessions and get back into a game or the end of a quarter.
11:43I mean, the way they look at it, though, it's every possession.
11:45I feel like it interrupts your flow of the game.
11:47Yeah.
11:47And the Celtics have such a good, like, when they're going, like, their offense is fun to watch and everybody touches it.
11:51But they didn't have a flow.
11:52Like, they were missing all their shots in the first half.
11:54No, that's true.
11:55So, you're already playing at a slow pace.
11:57Might as well.
11:57But then it's also like, hey, let's get Mitchell Robinson off the floor, too.
12:00And you're like, okay.
12:01You did burn a couple fouls there.
12:03Yeah, that was the thing, too.
12:05For sure.
12:05And I just, what, you can't beat the Knicks straight up?
12:08Like, why do you got to resort to gimmicks?
12:10Oh, that's a good point by the Twitch chat, Dark and Stormy Nights.
12:13That's not pure hoops, too.
12:14That's true.
12:14That is not pure hoops.
12:15It's actually not ethical hoops.
12:16How come Mitchell Robinson is not pure hoops?
12:19I think it's decidedly not.
12:21Tim is in Springfield.
12:22Go ahead, Tim.
12:22Yeah, my only concern is analytics and momentum.
12:30It just seems that they don't switch gears if, you know, they're just going to keep trying
12:34to knock three-pointers down.
12:36And I don't know if there's a game plan to say, hey, this isn't working.
12:39We need to shift gears here.
12:40And as the series go on, let's say they go to the next round, someone's just going to
12:45figure it out.
12:45These guys are just going to keep throwing threes.
12:48So we're just going to keep coming up and hammering them, and let's see what happens.
12:53What's the over-under on threes tonight?
12:54We set it at 60 earlier, Terb.
12:57Put it at 50.
12:58We'll put it at 50.
12:59I think it'll be down.
13:00I think it will be down, because they will have a more...
13:0350 for them is, like...
13:04Concentrated after getting down.
13:05Gun-shy, yeah.
13:06But it also could be one of those things where if they end up blowing them out, you kind
13:10of milk the clock a little bit in the fourth quarter.
13:12You have, like, your scrubs are in...
13:15They blew them out in the season opener.
13:15They shot 61.
13:16Those guys still...
13:17I mean, if Peyton Pritchard's still out there, he's still going to be falling away.
13:18But how many did they take in the fourth quarter there?
13:20Because they were purposely going for the record there, and they missed, like, all of them
13:24in the final seven minutes, because there's no reason they shouldn't have broke it.
13:26They were missing wide-open shots.
13:28It's kind of similar to game one.
13:29True.
13:30Yeah, I think it's the over.
13:31I think they're going to take a ton.
13:32I think they're going to make more...
13:34Way more than...
13:34They're going to make way more than 15.
13:36Yeah, I'll take the over on 50 for sure.
13:38Yeah, yeah, yeah.
13:39I think I'd take the over on 60.
13:40New York does deserve credit, though, for the way they stopped Boston from driving.
13:44Like, even the Celtics driving later in the game, a lot of their turnovers came on their
13:48drives.
13:48Their wings did a really good job of being physical and cutting off those lanes.
13:51Look, I do feel this way.
13:53I mean, we spent a lot of time talking about Brunson and Towns, and those are really bad
13:57matchups for New York.
13:58Like, the Celtics can exploit those.
13:59Other guys can defend.
14:00And Anobi and Hart?
14:01Yeah.
14:01And I was mildly impressed with Bridges.
14:03We dumped on him a lot going in.
14:05Like, those other two, though, those guys are stout defenders.
14:07Those guys are...
14:08I mean, they would fit in on Orlando last round.
14:10Like, so I think we probably overlooked those guys to a degree.
14:14They took away some of that from the Celtics, for sure, in Game 1.
14:17Is tonight...
14:18Our good friend Kendrick Perkins...
14:19Yeah.
14:20...said this yesterday.
14:21Is tonight a must-win for the Celtics' turn?
14:23It's about as big of a must-win that this iteration of the Celtics have seen.
14:27Obviously, they haven't been behind in this series since 2023.
14:31So I don't know if it's necessarily a must-win, because, again, there is such disparity between
14:34these two teams.
14:35It's not.
14:35It's not a must-win.
14:36But it's a big game for these guys.
14:39But I like the biggest game.
14:39Spin it out that way.
14:41Is it the biggest game that this group has played?
14:43Is it the biggest game...
14:44That the Porzingis and Holiday Celtics...
14:45Right, those are the two years.
14:46Obviously, the year before, they played two games.
14:48Right, right.
14:48No, you said it.
14:49This iteration.
14:50Maybe.
14:50The last two years, probably, they've never been down in a series.
14:52You get nervous...
14:53I forgot how badly they got whooped in Game 4 of the NBA Finals.
14:56You get nervous at all when they were up 3-0 and got smoked going into that Game 5
15:00coming back to the Garden?
15:02No.
15:03Wait.
15:03When they were up 3-0?
15:05No, no, no.
15:05After they lost Game 4, I felt like that Game 5 closing out the NBA Finals was important
15:12for them.
15:13No, no, no.
15:14I wasn't.
15:14You think it's more important than that?
15:16I think that's more important.
15:17They still had a 3-1 lead.
15:19Yeah, but I was nervous about that group closing, to be honest.
15:22I was still nervous.
15:22Really?
15:23Well, they hadn't done it yet.
15:24Yeah, they hadn't.
15:25After the way they closed against Indy, though?
15:27Closed against Indy?
15:28It was a sweep.
15:28Yeah, and they were very close to being down 3-1 in that series.
15:31Indy kind of closed.
15:32That was the toughest series they played.
15:33They closed every game in that series.
15:36No, they closed some games.
15:37No, I don't disagree.
15:37They closed some games, but when they were up 3-0, they didn't blow a lead up.
15:40You really thought they were going to become, that team was going to become the first team
15:43in NBA history to blow a 3-0 lead?
15:44I think closing out the NBA Finals was a bigger game than this one.
15:47Yes.
15:48No.
15:48Yes.
15:49I mean, I guess in the grand scheme, it's the NBA Finals, but there was no concern that
15:54they were going to lose that series.
15:55You're losing two home games and being down 0-2 to the Knicks versus being down 3-2, I
16:01guess, in that case, to the Mavericks.
16:02Yeah.
16:03And going back to Dallas, I didn't want that.
16:05Would you be more nervous if they were down 3-2 to Dallas or down 2-0 to New York?
16:11I'm saying.
16:11I just answered that.
16:123-2.
16:12Yeah, I'd be more nervous 3-2 to Dallas dropping those last two.
16:15Yeah.
16:15Yeah, that might be more respect, too, to Kyrie and Luka than it is to these guys.
16:19I mean, I don't think this is a must win at all.
16:21I think if they go down 0-2, they can go to New York and win the next two.
16:23I'm with you.
16:24Again, I picked a sweep, so yeah, they can win 4 or 5, yes.
16:27They should.
16:28What do you think of the other series?
16:30That Pacers team, that's...
16:32We've been talking about them all year.
16:33They're a good team.
16:34They are.
16:35And they gave a lot of teams...
16:37They were down 0-2 last year to New York.
16:38Playoff Nembhard.
16:39Yeah, playoff Nembhard.
16:40Halliburton has been great.
16:41He's really leaning into that overrated thing.
16:43Seriously.
16:43Like, 12 players voted the most overrated.
16:46Shaq came out and was like, he's not overrated, right?
16:49On the TNT, they were talking about it.
16:50He's like, guys, he's not overrated.
16:52That team's good.
16:52Properly rated.
16:53And I don't think Cleveland can use the excuse that they didn't have any of their guys because
16:57they led by 20 and had a 7-point lead with under 53 seconds.
17:01Well, if they lose the series, they'll point to that.
17:04But you're right.
17:04In that game, they should have won the game.
17:06Yeah, I mean, in the series.
17:07And they missed Garland tremendously in Game 1.
17:09But you also had a 20-point lead and a 7-point lead.
17:12And then you allowed two offensive rebounds.
17:14Yeah, that's rough.
17:15You threw the ball away on an inbounds.
17:16Like, that can't happen.
17:17You mean to tell me out of all the guys on the roster, nobody can inbound the basketball?
17:21Like, that's a little ridiculous.
17:22That's bad.
17:23Curry's injury?
17:24How concerning is that?
17:25I mean, we were just talking about it with Drew Holiday, right?
17:28Like, an older 34-year-old who was dealing with something.
17:30Now Curry's a little bit older than Drew Holiday, dealing with the hamstring.
17:33And obviously, they're going to need him.
17:34I don't think Minnesota matches up well against Golden State anyway.
17:38And they have other guys that I think Golden State could get through that series without
17:41them.
17:41But if they want to challenge either Denver or Oklahoma City, they're definitely going
17:44to need Steph Curry.
17:45Yeah.
17:46I would say so.
17:47Okay.
17:47That is Pure Hoops with Terp.
17:49High noon every Wednesday here on Jones.
17:51And Keith, you've got full coverage tonight.
17:53Game 2?
17:53Yes, sir.
17:54What can we expect?
17:55We've got stand-ups with Meggo.
17:56We've got all the social media videos and everything going out there.
17:58All of it.
17:59Yeah.
17:59Right up.
17:59Terp stays up until like 5 in the morning.
18:01Yeah.
18:01All right.
18:02Seriously.
18:02He's up grinding away.
18:04To the love of hoops.
18:05Make sure the man loves the purest of pure hoops and hacking Mitchell Robinson.
18:11So you can follow him on social media at Justin M. Turpin for all your Celtics coverage there.
18:15Turp, we'll talk to you next Wednesday.
18:16All right, guys.
18:17Thanks, sir.
18:17That's Pure Hoops with Turp.