The Celtics won their 9th straight game, beating the New Orleans Pelicans but not without a fight. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal was inside Smoothie King Center and has more on the team showing poise after it was its own worst enemy, the calming force that was Derrick White, and why Joe Mazzulla has a point about not calling timeouts, but it's still not a good enough reason.

The Boston Celtics are on a big roll, and they're hoping to make it 9 straight wins after their matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal is in New Orleans for a crossover episode with Locked On Pelicans host Jake Madison to discuss the game and what makes each other's teams tough to beat.

The Celtics were missing Marcus Smart and Malcolm Brogdon, Jayson Tatum had his worst shooting and scoring night of the season, Jaylen Brown was in foul trouble, and the Celtics STILL blew the doors off the Atlanta Hawks. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal explains how the Celtics were still able to get the blowout win and why Derrick White was the best player on the floor for Boston. Plus, let's give Joe Mazzulla his flowers.

New odds show Jayson Tatum taking the early lead as the betting favorite in the MVP race. What does that really tell us about the Celtics? Plus, Marcus Smart is playing great basketball right now, and John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal and Tom Westerholm take the opportunity to appreciate him a bit. Also, the Celtics 4th quarter defense is really good... why is it so bad the rest of the game?

The Boston Celtics are the hottest team in the league, and after a not-so-pretty win over the OKC Thunder, they're the best team in the league with an 11-3 record. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal explains how Derrick White and Payton Pritchard woke up the sleepwalking Celtics in the third and completely changed the energy and how Marcus Smart was the savior in the fourth. Plus, Jayson Tatum's questionable technical foul, Grant Williams needs to chill after he got another tech, and more.

With the Celtics traveling back to Boston for Monday Night's game vs OKC, it's time to dip back into the mailbag for questions about Robert Williams' return and the impact on the lineups, and the few different ways it can go for Boston. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal discusses the possibilities and answers questions about Sam Hauser's opportunity, keeping Payton Pritchard, the Cleveland Cavaliers getting better, and ballin' in sweatpants.

The Boston Celtics and Detroit Pistons were a whole lotta blah in the first half of their game Saturday night, but Jayson Tatum went off in the second half, dropping 43 points to carry the Celtics to a 117-108 win. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal discusses Tatum's night, Grant Williams having a great game in 45 minutes of play, and Marcus Smart continuing his point guard wizardry in 43 minutes.

The Boston Celtics have now won five straight games thanks to their win over the Denver Nuggets. Tatum played at an MVP level, Jaylen Brown was just about as good, Al Horford was hitting everything and Payton Pritchard made a big contribution with Malcolm Brogdon out. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal has that and how Grant Williams and the Celtics defense was able to limit how much damage Nikola Jokic was able to inflict.

It's only been two games, but the difference between Grant Williams on offense as a starter and as a reserve has been pretty stark. Yes, he's taken on some big defensive assignments, but he's nowhere near as aggressive on offense. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal and Tom Westerholm discuss that before dipping into the mailbag for questions about Marcus Smart's All-Star chances, Joe Mazzulla dropping the interim tag, and Sam Hauser's impact on other teams... and whether he can finish games.

The Celtics started off like a good team in a trap game, but they snapped out of the early funk thanks to Jaylen Brown going off early, Sam Hauser getting hot, and Jayson Tatum going supernova in the third quarter and second half overall. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal talks about all that, Marcus Smart's continued great point-guarding, and how the Celtics offense is being brilliantly run to get some really open Sam Hauser 3-pointers.

After 10 games, the Celtics are 7-3 with the league's best offense and a meh defense. Where do they stand at this point? Are there any outliers? Who is due for a regression? Who moves to the bench when Robert Williams comes back? John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal and Tom Westerholm discuss all that ... and ... did Joe Mazzulla send a message to Marcus Smart in the Bulls game that spurred these last two brilliant games?

It wasn't as smooth finish, but the Celtics were able to get their third-straight win thanks to brilliant performances by Jayson Tatum and Marcus Smart. Tatum out-dueled Ja Morant, showing how he's leveled-up this season. Smart played perfectly for the second straight game. And the Celtics defense is showing real signs of improvement. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal discusses all that and why he's impressed by Jaylen Brown, even though he had a bad game overall.

Robert Williams is talking like a guy who might be coming back in the not too distant future. He's two weeks away from the early end of his 8-12 week timeline, and things seems to be going well. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal and Tom Westerholm discuss how Rob will help fix the Celtics defensive problems and how he solves a lot when it comes to the closing lineups. Plus, why Malcolm Brogdon and Marcus Smart are perfect in their current roles, so no one should want to change what's working.

The Boston Celtics set a team record, hitting 27 3-pointers on their way to a 133-118 win over the New York Knicks. Everyone who played hit one, Tatum and Brown had six each, and Sam Hauser hit five. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal talks about that, the lack of defense that still plagues them, and the good news about Robert Williams.

Marcus Smart expressed some confusion about Ime Udoka's soon-to-be move to Brooklyn. And while he also expressed love for his current situation and Joe Mazzulla, the Udoka situation continues to be a source of confusion and conversation in the locker room. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal and Tom Westerholm discuss the situation, why it's hard for players to separate themselves like the rest of us, and whether this should be any concern for Boston.

The Boston Celtics lost to the Cavs again in overtime... again... but this time there was a lot less to be worried about after the loss. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal says he's coming out of this one feeling a lot better than after the last loss. Also, why Al Horford is playing too much, Sam Hauser's minutes were wasted, and Marcus Smart almost undid a lot of the good stuff he had done with one play. And, a closer look at the end of game after timeout plays from Joe Mazzulla.

The Brooklyn Nets made waves by firing Steve Nash on Tuesday, and then made even bigger news when it was revealed they're about to hire Ime Udoka to replace him. The Boston Celtics are letting him go without fighting for any compensation. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal explains all the reasons why the Celtics might have been very happy to stand back and let him walk without any discussions about getting something in return. Also, should we be worried that Udoka is going to make the Nets significantly better?

The Boston Celtics keep getting killed on the boards. Is that a sign that they need another big man, or is there something else to it? John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal has looked at every offensive rebound the Celtics have given up so far to find the answer. Plus, Marcus Smart is not 100%. Is it time to give him some time off? And, other thoughts on the win over Washington, including Jayson Tatum needing to be the screener a lot more.

Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown got things started with a dominant first quarter, then the Celtics hit their typical lull by giving up a ton of offensive rebounds. Then Malcolm Brogdon slammed the door on the Wizards with a huge run in the 3rd. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal discusses the win with Tom Westerholm, other players who stepped up, as well as some elements from the OT loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Grant Williams was suspended for one game for bumping an official. He talked about it at practice on Thursday. You'll hear everything he had to say about it. Plus, John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal is joined by Chris Manning of the Locked On Cavaliers podcast to discuss everything about the Celtics-Cavaliers matchup Friday night in Boston.

Grant Williams, unsurprisingly, got suspended for a game for making contact with an official. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal discusses that before getting into mailbag questions about Joe Mazzulla holding the Celtics accountable, a wake up call loss in Chicago, zone defenses, and Bol Bol.

A second look at the Celtics defense recently shows just how much work they need, but it's easily fixable. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal and Tom Westerholm discuss the ways it can be helped and why they can't wait until Robert Williams comes back to do it. Plus, Grant Williams vs. the refs needs to stop.

The Celtics looked great for about eight minutes or so in Chicago, but then it all fell apart after that. They got away from what was working on offense, leading to one of Joe Mazzulla's most stinging comments about the team so far this season. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal discusses why this team needs to follow a specific offensive formula to win, the defensive issues plaguing them in the early going, and the complete meltdown that led to Joe Mazzulla and Grant Williams getting ejected.

The Celtics are currently the NBA's only 3-0 team after sweeping both weekend games in Florida. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal reviews the win in Orlando with Locked On Magic host Philip Rossman-Reich, including Jayson Tatum's amazing performance, before previewing the Monday night game in Chicago with Locked On Bulls host Pat The Designer.

This was exactly the kind of night I feared against the Orlando Magic. Luckily for the Celtics, the Magic are too young to know how to close games, and the Celtics had Jayson Tatum and Derrick White. Tatum dropped 40, White had an amazing 27 point night, and the Celtics survived a sluggish effort to hold on for the 126-120 win.