NBA MVP Joel Embiid made his return to the Sixers in Game 2, but it didn't matter much. The Celtics got out to an early lead behind Jaylen Brown, who was awesome on both ends of the floor, and then broke things open with a dominant third quarter. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal says this is the exact kind of defensive effort that could win Boston a championship. Plus, why Embiid returning actually helps Boston. And, how the Celtics were able to win with Jayson Tatum scoring just 7 points.

Game 2 is Wednesday night and Joel Embiid is likely out again, which means the Celtics might have some adjustments to make from Game 1. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal runs through three of them, including doing what they did in Game 1 but just better, defending him straight up (and Jayson Tatum getting the assignment) and maybe even moving Al Horford to the bench. Plus, why it's important to throw out the numbers and possession-counting down the stretch.

James Harden dropped 45 on Boston and the Sixers stole Game 1 of the series even though Boston's offense started out blistering hot. But John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal says it wasn't Harden's scoring that killed Boston, it was the Celtics defensive choices that let others get hot and kept the Celtics from pulling away. Also, the turnovers didn't help much. The Celtics now have to adjust their attitudes if they're going to win Game 2.

The Celtics and Sixers tip off their semifinal series Monday night. There's a lot of confidence on the Boston side, but is it rightfully placed? Is Joel Embiid going to play? How healthy is he? What about James Harden? Who covers Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown? Will Doc Rivers win the coaching battle? John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal is joined by @LockedOnSixers hosts Keith Pompey and Devon Givens to break down the series.

It was a fight from the beginning, and Trae Young made it very hard early on, but the Celtics held on behind Marcus Smart and Malcolm Brogdon early, then rode Jaylen Brown until he and Jayson Tatum could close the door on the Hawks with a late run. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal has all that, plus a look at the performances from Smart, Grant Williams, Al Horford, and Joe Mazzulla's adjustments. Plus, there are no style points in winning a series, and this one might have been worth the one loss if it taught Mazzulla something.

The Celtics late-game stagnation continues to be a problem for the Celtics when they're trying to nurse leads. Are they relying on Jayson Tatum too much down the stretch instead of just running their offense? John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal breaks down one play in particular from Game 5 that highlights that. Tom Westerholm also joins the show to discuss that, whether Dejounte Murray's return is actually good for Boston, and how the path to a title is looking even easier.

The Celtics led by 13 with 6 minutes to go and it looked like they were wrapping up their opening round series against the Hawks. Then they completely fell apart while Trae Young went nuts. Next thing we knew, the Hawks were celebrating a win, and the Celtics were embarrassed. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal says the Celtics just simply can't be trusted with leads, and they should be completely embarrassed by not being able to score more than two buckets in the final five minutes. Plus, all the things the Celtics lost by choking this game away, Joe Mazzulla's missed opportunity to stop a run, Marcus Smart's weird stretch run, and more.

Dejounte Murray has been suspended for Game 5, which means this series should be over after Tuesday night. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal and Tom Westerholm discuss Murray's stupid decision, the Hawks defense that just has no shot against the Cetlics, why there's so little to take out of this series that carries forward for Boston. Also, Ime Udoka gets the Houston Rockets job.

The Atlanta Hawks were pesky, thanks to De'Andre Hunter dropping 27 points, but the Celtics held it together to hold them off and take a 3-1 series lead. Jaylen Brown ditched his mask, Robert Williams was everywhere, and the Celtics showed poise and maturity in coming up with the win. John Karalis talks about all that, how the rebounding improved, Al Horford making a monster impact even while scoring zero points, and why Tuesday's Game 5 is a must-win game. Plus, why Dejounte Murray will probably be suspended for Game 5 and why the refs were sending the Hawks a message in Game 4.

The Celtics dropped Game 3 to a hot-shooting Atlanta Hawks team, but they had their chances to win a few different times in the fourth quarter. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal looks at all the little things that swung this game in Atlanta's favor, and explains why this series is following the script perfectly, and what should be coming next.

With the Celtics cruising and a couple of days off, it was a good time to rip through a monster mailbag that included questions about Malcolm Brogdon winning Sixth Man of the Year, Derrick White on All-Defense, Jaylen Brown's hand injury, potential Finals opponents, Boston media bias, and more. Plus, John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal reveals the conditions under which he will podcast in a Trae Young jersey.

No matter how many ways we look at it, the Boston Celtics are making things look too easy against the Atlanta Hawks. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal is joined by Howard Beck to discuss if there's anyting the C's can take away from this series, who the Celtics might hope to play down the road, and Derrick White (and Boston's role players) as game changers in this potential championship run.

The Celtics are up 2-0 against the Hawks and they can thank Derrick White for some big plays on both ends of the floor. Not only that, his play in these two games can have a long-term impact on how the Celtics are guarded. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal discusses that, how the Hawks won some important battles in this game and STILL ended up down 22 in the fourth, and why the overrated chants for Trae Young were right on point.

The Celtics held practice on Monday and their message was clear ... they're focusing on themselves in practice, which means there isn't much about the Hawks that they're worried about. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal and Tom Westerholm discuss that, and why the Hawks making open shots might change Boston's minds (but actually probably not because the adversity would be good. Also, after Giannis Antetokounmpo and Ja Morant got hurt (and Jayson Tatum earlier this season), should the NBA ban charges?

We take a deeper look back at Game 1 to see how the Atlanta Hawks can play better, starting with De'Andre Hunter and Bogdan Bogdanovic. What's their main adjustment that the Celtics should be looking for? John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal discusses that, plus takes a look at Boston's defense and whether they can match their Game 1 effort? Can Malcolm Brogdon and Al Horford do more? Is their strategy something that will continue in Game 2? And Robert Williams has a little Dennis Rodman in him?

The Boston Celtics made it look easy for a half against Atlanta, then they took it easy to make the score look close. But there is no mistake, the Celtics are the superior team, especially with Marcus Smart getting back to his Defensive Player of the Year level and the Boston defense following suit. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal and Tom Westerholm discuss the win, the defense, the big performances, and why the Hawks look like they have no chance.

The Celtics are getting ready to take on the Hawks in Game 1 of their first round series Saturday afternoon, so John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal welcomes Locked On Hawks host Brad Rowland to discuss Atlanta's disappointing season, whether the offensive rebounding has a chance to really hurt Boston, Quin Snyder's impact, and whether the Celtics can make Trae Young one-dimensional.

The Celtics took Wednesday off so this was a perfect opportunity to get a pre-playoff mailbag in and answer questions about the Hawks figuring stuff out and whether this series can be a trap for Boston. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal gets into that, whether the Celtics should have gone after Dejounte Murray instead, and also a look to the future and JD Davison.

The Atlanta Hawks beat the Miami Heat in the play-in game, setting up a first round matchup with the Celtics. And according to the numbers, the Boston offense should have a field day. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal has a quick look at the matchup and then shares his 1-on-1 interview with Marcus Smart. We hear from Smart about his injury, the ways the defense will be different in the playoffs, what it means to have Robert Williams behind him defensively, and how Smart is looking to make up for a subpar defensive season.

This is a great time to take a day to look back at some of the big storylines from the regular season and then see how they might apply to the Celtics playoff run. Will they regret losing some winable games? How does Jayson Tatum's minutes load, especially early on, impact his ability to stay fresh in the playoffs? What about Joe Mazzulla's coaching and whether he's learned enough to help him adjust when needed? John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal and Tom Westerholm discuss all that and more.

The Celtics won their 56th and 57th games this weekend with wins over Toronto and Atlanta to close out the regular season with a bit of fun. Sam Hauser dunks highlighted one game, then a Payton Pritchard triple-double punctuated the second. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal and Tom Westerholm discuss the two wins, Jaylen Brown's surprise hand injury, Joe Mazzulla's progress, and then the suddenly real chance for a Finals rematch.

In the second part of our discussion about the new CBA, we look at how it impacts the players like Jaylen Brown and his extension, Grant Williams and his restricted free agency, and Jayson Tatum's impending opt-out and new supermax contract. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal and Keith Smith of Spotrac discuss all that, the impending TV deal, and the one-and-done rule going away.

The Celtics won an ugly game over Toronto where no one could make a shot and clinched themselves the second seed in the East. Malcolm Brogdon was the hero for Boston, who was without Jayson Tatum or Marcus Smart, and John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal thinks that should be enough to give him the Sixth Man of the Year award. Plus, Joe Mazzulla's interaction with Chris Boucher shows the coach might be an absolute maniac.