Jaylen Brown was named Player of the Week on Monday, the third Celtics player to win the award this year (Derrick White, Jayson Tatum). Brown was great, but John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal thinks Brown still has a lot left he can do to reach his full potential. Plus, Gregg Popovich's answer about his 2014 Spurs serves as a message the Celtics need to hear and take to heart. And, we'll take a quick look to see if the Celtics can actually reclaim the top seed.

Jaylen Brown scored 41 points to keep the Boston Celtics rolling, this time blowing the doors off the San Antonio Spurs thanks to a monster second half. Brown was aggressive and attacking the paint again, continuing a run that's made him the NBA's ninth-leading scorer and Boston's most consistent player since the All-Star break. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal discusses Brown's brilliance, why it was a smart idea to give Jayson Tatum this particular night off, and why the Celtics understand they messed up by letting the top seed slip through their fingers.

For the second straight game, the Celtics played with the right pace and energy, and we saw it pay off in performances from Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart, Derrick White, Robert Williams, and Grant Williams. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal runs through why this was so impressive, and why he still doesn't believe it's a full turnaround until we see what happens on Sunday.

Robert Williams is back, but he's not moving into the starting lineup right away. Joe Mazzulla was asked about it at Celtics practice and had an interesting answer about how it might not be set heading into the playoffs. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal and Tom Westerholm discuss how that impacts the team, the rotations, and maybe could work out for Malcolm Brogdon. Plus, new perspective on what Jaylen Brown said in The Ringer that could change how some of what he said is perceived.

Jaylen Brown gave interviews to The Ringer and New York Times, and some of his answers had people buzzing about whether he could leave town. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal discusses the contemplative Brown, who likes to spend a lot of time alone, and what he might actually be angling for and what could happen this season that would solve everything. Plus, Al Horford appears to be fed up with the poor play, and he let the Celtics know about it. Could that have fueled their turnaround in Sacramento?

It's been a while since the Celtics offense has looked this good. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown combined for 63 points, Derrick White was slinging dimes, and the offense was in attack mode for most of the game. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal discusses the win, why the team was fully aware of how poorly they were playing, why this is the kind of game where Tatum looks like an MVP, and why Joe Mazzulla's decision to not start Robert Williams could be a signal that he's not going to go with double bigs moving forward.

The timing felt right for another palate cleansing mailbag podcast, where we get into Jayson Tatum's shooting, criticisms of his game, and whether it rises to the level of slander. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal has that and, Robert Williams injury history leading to an offseason move, leaning on the Celtics depth, Damon Stoudemire leaving, peaking too soon, and Joe Mazzulla's gum chewing. Plus, a question about John's path to becoming a reporter and separating fandom from analysis.

The Celtics got themselves a nice win over the Portland Trail Blazers but their loss to the Utah Jazz raises more questions about their chance to win it all. Yes, they were shorthanded on a tough back-to-back, but they also had multiple chances to win the game and either couldn't box out or made bad choices. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal and Tom Westerholm discuss the loss, Jayson Tatum's really off night, the final play, Joe Mazzulla's choices, Malcolm Brogdon's mistakes, and more.

Jaylen Brown has been on a heater both on the court and on the podium after games. He has not only been Boston's most consistently good player lately, the things he's saying after games are really standing out as he gets stronger as a leader. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal and Tom Westerholm discuss Brown holding his teammates accountable and building a better bond with Jayson Tatum. Plus, how he and Tatum and get together to fix the end of game execution.

The Celtics won in Minnesota, but it wasn't pretty. Jaylen Brown scored 35, but Jayson Tatum was up and down on their way to a 2-point win. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal explains why this was the exact kind of game Boston needed even though it's not what any of us wanted. Plus, the fourth quarter execution needs to be fixed and it's getting beyond frustrating. Also, why Marcus Smart's 3-point shooting seems to be a product of Joe Mazzulla's coaching.

The Celtics aren't exactly peaking at the right time, and that's raising everyone's concern levels. That includes some of the more level-headed analysts out there. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal and Chad Finn of the Boston Globe discuss their anxiety levels over the Celtics, how everything starts with Jayson Tatum, even when Jaylen Brown has it going, and Joe Mazzulla's ability to coach them out of this mess... especially after Damon Stoudemire's departure.

The Celtics lost to the Rockets in a game where they simply decided to take it easy at first (except for Jaylen Brown, who was great throughout) and then try to turn it on later. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal says this is just part of who they are, and we have to stop expecting them to do anything but play down to bad teams and try to get away with it.

Grant Williams got his second DNP-coach's decision of the month (and effectively, it's three), with his minutes going to Blake Griffin instead. Williams hasn't played well, but the benching is still a little surprising. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal and Tom Westerholm discuss the move, why it seems to be happening, and the potential message Mazzulla might be sending to his young forward.

The 30,000 foot view of the Celtics win over Atlanta is they started trading punches, built a big lead, absorbed a late Hawks run, and then closed the game out. That's a good win. But John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal still thinks some of that fourth quarter was still a lack of discipline that could cost them against better teams, including Marcus Smart's altercation with Trae Young.

The Celtics have a couple of days off before their big six-game road trip, so we opened up the mailbag for a variety of questions, including: The top seed & rest, using the depth, the Knicks as a playoff opponent, Grant Williams' potential new contract, and finding Sam Hauser for 3-pointers. Plus, John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal answers a question about transitioning from a Celtics blogger to a beat writer covering the team.

The Celtics got an easy, kind of boring win over a Blazers team that had a very off night in Boston. Al Horford set the tone early, Jayson Tatum got hot, and a Blazers run got shut down. It all sounds good, but Jaylen Brown wasn't too happy with the win, and it really resembled the Celtics jumping into a flight simulator so they could get back to figuring out how to close games. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal explains all that, aplogizes to Malcolm Brogdon for the jinx, and then says getting Grant Williams right is a top priority for Boston.

We're still getting some feelings out about the Celtics 3-game losing streak, and the very frustrating way it's happening. Also, the difference between generating 3-pointers and taking 3-pointers. Then John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal and Tom Westerholm discuss how the Celtics need to play Derrick White more because he plays the way the Celtics should, and why it might mean Marcus Smart has to go to the bench down the stretch.

The Celtics were short handed (no Jayson Tatum, Robert Williams, or Al Horford) but Jaylen Brown was great and the Celtics built another big lead. And then... well... same old story. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal discusses the Celtics third straight collapse, and answers Joe Mazzulla's question about "who are we when we're at our best." The Celtics know what that looks like and they have those answers, because these are the same problems Brad Stevens addressed after the Finals. It's now up to the team to commit to them.

The Celtics have now lost a brutal one to Brooklyn after losing a 28 point lead, and a tough double OT game to New York with a 25 point swing from the third to fourth quarters. This pattern is looking familiar, and it means something has to change fast. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal discusses how we've seen this before last season and why the pressure is on to right the ship now! Plus, Al Horford's responses to John's questions show how he might be concerned as well. And... the offense doesn't look good and this over-emphasis on the 3-pointer is part of it.

Grant Williams had his first DNP in two seasons, and while it could just be a blip that motivates him right away, there are layers to this that could impact him and the Celtics. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal and Tom Westerholm discuss all the angles of the Williams situation and how it impacts his free agency. Plus, a dive into Jayson Tatum's comments about load management, and why they're not as great as some people make them out to be.

The Celtics offense has been up and down lately, but it looked great for a long stretch against the Cavs. They were finally attacking and getting to the paint and the rim, and Jayson Tatum especially benefitted. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal looks at that, the quotes from Jaylen Brown that should be set to music, Al Horford's amazing night, and some other great all around performances. Plus, Grant Williams was a DNP-CD, which was a big message sent to an important player.

There's still a bitter taste left from the Celtics loss to the Knicks, and it seems like the team needs a big performance against the Cleveland Cavaliers Wedensday night to send a message. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal and Tom Westerholm discuss that and the need to find Jayson Tatum some rest ... and the spot on the schedule coming up where they might do that. Plus, a rant on the 2-for-1 shot, and why the Celtics take it too far sometimes.

Jayson Tatum did not have a good night at all, and he was eventally thrown out of the Celtics loss in New York. It came after a very tough shooting night where Boston missed almost every 3-pointer they took. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal gets into the frustrating early shot selection for the Celtics, the bench giving them nothing, Joe Mazzulla's use of Mike Muscala, and why something is off about Jayson Tatum and his recent performances.

The Celtics beating the Sixers is always sweet, but beating them this way is extra sweet, especially because Al Horford played such a critical role. John Karalis of Boston Sport Journal gets into the beauty of a win like this and how it fits right into the rivalry, the great individual performances from Jaylen Brown and Derrick White, the nice contributions from Malcolm Brogdon, Grant Williams, and Robert Williams, and how it was nice to see Jayson Tatum shake off a bad game and do other things to help win. Plus, why Joe Mazzulla needs to be able to go with whoever is playing well, even if it means a regular sits, if that's what the game calls for.

The Celtics looked foggy but they were good enough to hold off the Pacers 142-138, which is basically an All-Star game score. Jayson Tatum put up big numbers but didn't play well, but he still combined with Jaylen Brown for 61 combined points, putting them pretty close to history in the NBA. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal talks about that, the overall vibe of a win a lot of people might have thought would be cleaner, and the great games from Malcolm Brogdon and Derrick White. Plus, why a good problem to have is still a problem, and the problem facing Joe Mazzulla is a tough one.