The Milwaukee Bucks surprised the Boston Celtics with their physicality in Game 1 of their semifinal series, holding the Celtics to historically low shooting, forcing a ton of turnovers, and baiting Boston into taking the exact kind of shots they wanted. John Karalis of Boston Sports journal looks at some easy areas of improvement for Game 2, Jaylen Brown's bad Game 1, why the defense on Giannis Antetokounmpo was actually okay, and why Ime Udoka has earned the benefit of the doubt when he says Game 2 will be different.

Al Horford is a huge part of the Celtics plan against the Milwaukee Bucks and Giannis Antetokounmpo. In this 1-on-1 interview with John Karalis, he talks about coming back to Boston, understanding this might be one of his last chances at something special, Jayson Tatum's leadership, and more.

The conference semifinals between the Celtics and Bucks begin this weekend. Who will make the biggest difference in this series? How much does losing Khris Middleton hurt Milwaukee? What's the key for each team to winning the series? John Karalis and Kane Pitman get together for a crossover episode to dive into the series and predict a winner.

It's official: It's going to be the Boston Celtics vs. Milwaukee Bucks in round two. This means both the Celtics offense and defense will be different in the second round. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal explains what the differences will be, including one play the Celtics can run a lot to take advantage of a Milwaukee flaw. Also, the Ime Udoka team meeting plan that ended up working wonders, even if Al Horford wants to call them something else.

The Celtics swept the Brooklyn Nets, but they didn't come away unscathed. Robert Williams returned but didn't look like his full self and Jaylen Brown was grabbing his hamstring at the ends of the game. John Karalis and Tom Westerholm discuss their level of concern for Williams and Brown before taking an early look ahead to a potential series against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks.

The Boston Celtics swept the Brooklyn Nets out of the playoffs, the only team in the NBA to pull off a first round sweep this year. Jayson Tatum fouled out, but the Celtics got clutch performances from Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart, and Al Horford to pull out another tough win. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal gets into how the Celtics survived, why the most important part of this game might have come in the second quarter, and how this sweep might actually push the Celtics into the NBA Finals.

Ime Udoka is winning the coaching battle against Steve Nash, who was never supposed to be in this situation. What makes the Boston Celtics coach so much better than what the Brooklyn Nets are dealing with? What's Kyrie Irving's impact on Nash? John Karalis and Tom Westerholm discuss that, the Celtics making Kevin Durant quit, the luxury of Robert Williams returning, and Ben Simmons being ruled out of Game 4, which makes that whole situation a complete farce.

The Boston Celtics are one game away from sweeping the Brooklyn Nets in their opening round series, taking a 3-0 lead on Saturday night. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown closed out the Nets with big fourth quarters, and the Celtics defense was once again elite. John Karalis has that and more from inside Barclays Center

The Celtics are heading to Brooklyn for Game 3 against the Nets, and they're taking Robert Williams with them. Does that mean he's going to play. And Grant Williams hit some big shots in Game 2, but it was him hitting Kevin Durant over and over that made an even bigger difference. John Karalis and Tom Westerholm discuss all that and Ime Udoka's great coaching and his inside knowledge of Durant and the Nets that's given Boston an edge in this series.

The Boston Celtics now have a 2-0 lead in their opening round series against the Brooklyn Nets thanks to a monster 4th quarter and huge bench contributions from Payton Pritchard and Grant Williams. John Karalis goes live from the TD Garden, where Williams scored 17, Pritchard scored 10, and the Celtics overcame a 17 point deficit to pull away and lead by as many as 12 in the fourth quarter. Also, the one thing about Kevin Durant that makes it seem like Brooklyn is toast

What can the Brooklyn Nets do to get Kevin Durant going? Can the Celtics slow Kyrie Irving down? What's the deal with Brooklyn bigs Andre Drummond and Nic Claxton? John Karalis and Adam Armbrecht discuss all that, the possible Game 2 adjustments, and who they think will win.

Marcus Smart's campaigning worked. He has won Defensive Player of the Year in a vote that validates the work perimeter players are doing in today's NBA. Daniel Theis, however, isn't winning any defensive awards after Game 1 of their series with the Brooklyn Nets. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal gets into what made Smart such a great choice for DPOY, what made Theis an issue in Game 1, and how the adjustment to Theis might shed light on Robert Williams coming back. Plus, mailbag questions on Robert Williams, recognizing Boston's stars, and Ime Udoka's coaching staff.

The Boston Celtics and Brooklyn Nets went down to the wire in this one, and it was Jayson Tatum's buzzer beating layup that was the difference in a 115-114 win. Kyrie Irving had an amazing game, but he also got into it with the fans. John Karalis and Tom Westerholm break down the final sequence, including the incredible defense by Al Horford and Marcus Smart, the unselfish play from Jaylen Brown (who was great in this game), and Smart's point guard decision to find Tatum. Plus, Boston's great defensive plan against Kevin Durant, issues with Daniel Theis, and a lot more!

Who is going to win? Can the Brooklyn Nets defense stop the Boston Celtics offense? Can the Celtics slow down Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving? What adjustments can each team make? John Karalis is joined by Locked on Nets hosts Adam Armbrecht and Doug Norrie to preview the series ... and fair warning, someone isn't happy.

The Boston Celtics are getting ready to face the Brooklyn Nets in round 1 of the East playoffs, but there's still a little bit of a feeling out there that things might not really be real for them. There's also a feeling that Ben Simmons can come in and make an impact for at least a short time. John Karalis is joined by the Boston Globe's Chad Finn to discuss those things and Chad's piece making sure Danny Ainge gets his proper due for being the architect of most of this team (and how this compares to the championship Red Sox).

The Brooklyn Nets beat the Cleveland Cavaliers in the play-in, so that means the Boston Celtics and Brooklyn Nets will face off in the first round of the NBA playoffs. John Karalis and Tom Westerholm break down some of the Nets win over Cleveland and why this doesn't change much of the opinion of how the series will go. The newly announced schedule does favor the Nets, but the Celtics might benefit, too. Bruce Brown had some things to say, which might get Al Horford and Daniel Theis riled up. In the end, both John and Tom think this series will go Boston's way.

The Brooklyn Nets are either a juggernaut lying in wait or a flawed team about to get trucked, but either way, now is the best time for the Boston Celtics to play them. John Karalis and Tom Westerholm get into why facing Brooklyn sooner rather than later is absolute best option, as well as Ime Udoka's coaching. Plus, the five elements of an elite NBA team and how Udoka has helped create an atmosphere for those to thrive.

Jayson Tatum gave un one more "wow" moment with his performance against the Memphis Grizzlies to clinch the 2 seed in the Eastern Conference. That's something John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal is totally fine with, and it shows where the Celtics are mentally. Ime Udoka is a huge reason for that success, and he deserves some real recognition for the 51 win season.

The Boston Celtics held a late lead against the Milwaukee Bucks but ended up losing despite Jaylen Brown's triple double. Marcus Smart was also great as the Celtics pieced together a real feel-good performance. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal talks about that, where this leaves Boston in the standings (and why nothing is still really settled), and why Sam Hauser might have leapfrogged Aaron Nesmith in the depth chart. Plus, the secret sauce that makes Boston's chemistry so good.

The Boston Celtics blew out the Chicago Bulls behind a still-hot Jaylen Brown and a really good all-around game (and near triple-double) by Jayson Tatum. They also go a huge game from Al Horford, who might need a rest but is playing out of his mind regardless. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal runs through all that, Jaylen Brown's new move, Tatum's ball movement, and Horford's grab-and-go offense. Also, why the Celtics should be trying to give Horford a birthday unlike any he's ever had, and a quick look at the standings situation heading into Thursday night.

The Boston Celtics got no real help on Tuesday night with the Brooklyn Nets, Milwaukee Bucks, and Philadelphia 76ers all winning their games. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal explains why the Bucks are especially dangerous now that Brook Lopez is back and playing well. Also, what makes the Sixers dangerous and why the Nets are still not enough of a concern to make Boston try to engineer their playoff seeding. Plus, Danny Ainge is gone, but his draft legacy lives on in these Boston Celtics.

The Celtics are heading out on the road for a regular season-ending road trip that will finally determine who they are playing in the playoffs. Where will they land? Who could they play? John Karalis and Tom Westerholm discuss the final playoff push, Marcus Smart's case for Defensive Player of the Year (and the one stat that really supports his argument that guards do a lot more work than people realize), and the team trying to push some more physicality out of Derrick White.

The Boston Celtics destroyed the Washington Wizards by 42 point on Sunday afternoon behind a great game from Jaylen Brown, Grant Williams regaining his shooting touch, and a bunch of 3-pointers from Derrick White, Payton Pritchard, and the bench. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal discusses why Grant's shooting is the most important aspect of this game, and why people are sleeping on Jaylen Brown's passing. Plus, a full look at the standings and where Boston stands after Sunday's NBA action. Plus, Robert Williams talk about having his surgery.

Robert Williams may be back even sooner than the 4-6 week expected timeline, which is great news for the Boston Celtics. Not so great news is their play in the clutch, which may be the result of some old bad habits creeping back in. John Karalis and Tom Westerholm discuss that, and all the talk about the Celtics vaccination status that could impact them if they face Toronto in the playoffs.

Robert Williams had successful meniscus surgery on Wednesday and is expected back in 4-6 weeks, which is good news for the Boston Celtics. It came on a night that Boston lost to the Miami Heat, which they say is actually a good thing. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal explains why Boston has earned the right to say that, but it's easy to lose that capital if they don't follow up on it. Also, why Daniel Theis should be starting.