The NBA Last Two Minute Report shows the Celtics should have gotten the ball back with 4.8 seconds against Philadelphia. That missed call by the official needs to be addressed, says John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal and Tom Westerholm. They get into that and then look at how the Celtics are still learning each other, where along the learning curve they might be, and what they should avoid while they're figuring things out. That includes Joe Mazzulla's interaction with the media.

The Celtics were looking good early in Philadelphia, but then the second quarter happened, and they fell apart. Tyrese Maxey was too much, Joel Embiid was a beast, and it looked like Boston was cooked. But then they found some magic with a little more than two minutes to go and they nearly came all the way back. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal explains what happened in the second and why Joe Mazzulla's timeout strategy was instrumental in getting them a chance to tie with the final shot.

Once again, how Joe Mazzulla used his timeouts became part of the story after the loss to Minnesota, but there's a method to his madness. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal and Tom Westerholm discuss the strategy and then get into how the Celtics got away from Kristaps Porzingis in the clutch when there was a way to use him even with Rudy Gobert defending him. Also, here's hoping the Celtics don't ditch their late game execution as quickly moving forward as they did in Minnesota.

The Celtics dropped their first game of the season Monday night in Minnesota, thanks to a monster performance from Anthony Edwards and a lot of late-game mistakes by Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Jrue Holiday, and Al Horford. John Karalis runs through the game while wondering why Kristaps Porzingis wasn't used how he was supposed to be used. In end, this could be a good thing, because there were a lot of lessons to be learned.

It's a Mailbag Monday, and we're full of questions, including Marcus Smart and his potential return to Boston, ownership's willingness to take a risk, Jayson Tatum becoming Kobe Bryant, and how many All-Stars Boston might get. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal gets into all that and then gets into podcast rivalries, friendships on the Celtics beat, regular listeners, and his clone.

The Celtics looked like they might have an easy win on their hands against a shorthanded Nets team (even though Derrick White was out for Boston), but the Nets were pesky and would not go away. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal goes over the things he liked (Tatum's like 10,000th point) and things he didn't (can we call it a letdown?).

The Celtics are only four games into the season, which is not exactly a time you usually hear about stats. But there are a few here that are interesting, including the post up numbers for Jayson Tatum and Kristaps Porzingis, the pull up shooting numbers, and a dip in passing. What's real? What's fake? What do these even mean so early in the season? John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal and Tom Westerholm have all the answers for you.

The Celtics came out focused and hungry, playing up to their potential rather than down to their opponent, and it led to a monster 51 point win over the Pacers. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal has (almost) nothing but positive things to say about the team's focus, Jayson Tatum's easy 30 points, the bench bounce-back performance, and the amazing combination of Jrue Holiday and Derrick White.

The Philadelphia 76ers have finally traded James Harden, but does what they got back make them any better? Should the Celtics be concerned with the Sixers? And is there a way for them to capitalize on the deal? John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal and Tom Westerholm discuss it and then give some of their big takeaways from Boston's 3-0 start.

The Celtics stayed focused for a game that they might not have approached so well last season. They attacked the paint when Washington's big man wasn't available, and they got monster games from their two stars. It all adds up to a very satisfying win. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal discusses all that went well (Tatum and Brown's big nights, Kristap Porzingis, the post ups, and the defense from Jrue Holiday and Derrick White) and the didn't go so well (the fourth quarter... ugh).

Time to open up the mailbag again (johnkaralis.com/mailbag) to get a lot of questions about Jaylen Brown, his shots, his weaknesses, and his future. Also, questions about the second unit, their production, and giving them a chance to play. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal gets into those, Joe Mazzulla's style, Jordan Walsh, Romeo Langford, the top 5 games to watch in 2023, and more.

The Boston Celtics moved to 2-0 thanks to a 119-111 win over Miami, and it was another tough one. But the Celtics executed well in the fourth quarter again thanks especially to Derrick White and Jaylen Brown. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal runs through the things he liked (Jrue Holiday gets a mention as well), things he didn't like (no bench production and too many Tatum minutes), and something that made him go hmmm (another big night from 3 for a Celtics opponent)

Upon further review, the opening night win over New York seemed pretty good after all. And even though Jaylen Brown didn't have a great game, did do some thing that helped Boston win. So did Joe Mazzulla. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal and Tom Westerholm discuss that, the meeting between's Boston's top-6 players to discuss someone coming off the bench, and why Jayson Tatum might just be a big liar.

The Celtics opened their season in New York and it looked pretty good until the fourth quarter when they started to play like their old selves (not good). But they were able to get it together down the stretch behind a nine-point stretch from Porzingis to close out the win. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal gets into what he liked (Porzingis, Jayson Tatum's early dominance, the fact that they held on to win), what he didn't like (Jaylen Brown's game, the rebounding, bench production), and things that made him go "hmmm," (the fourth quarter execution.

The Rainin' J's ride again, as the original Locked On Celtics crew reunites for their annual "pick every game" podcast. But before they predict every game, they continue the Locked On Celtics season preview with a look at the coaching and players trying to stay healthy. Then they get into postseason award prediction like Jayson Tatum for MVP, Joe Mazzulla for Coach of the Year, anyone for Sixth Man of the Year, and more.

We've gone through a full preseason and the opening night game is coming up fast, so it's time to get one more big preview together. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal and Tom Westerholm discuss the coaching improvements that could help propel Boston to a title, the player improvements that could fix what they couldn't do last season, and where they think this Celtics season can go.

We open up the mailbag once again to get questions on Jayson Tatum looking like a true power forward, Kristaps Porzings playing like Kevin Durant, and extensions for Jrue Holiday and Derrick White. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal answers all that, plus why teams on fast breaks flare guys out to the corners, getting Neemias Queta off the two-way, Celtics culture, and getting Terry Rozier off the Hornets.

The Celtics blew the doors off the Charlotte Hornets in their preseason finale, showing a dominant defense that helped pile up the points despite them shooting poorly. They didn't show any of the bad habits that have plagued them in the past. That, combined with all we've seen this preseason, shows they're ready to win a championship this season. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal breaks it all down, along with some of the great plays from guys like Payton Pritchard, Derrick White, Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis.

A closer look at Tuesday night's preseason game shows the Boston Celtics looked a little better than first thought, including Jayson Tatum working out of the post. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal looks at how Jayson Tatum did, how he can be even better, and why this is a potential game-changer for him. Plus, the Celtics curveball (still not a zone defense) looks like it might be full court pressure, which can work in a variety of scenarios. And Kristaps Porzingis fixes a problem he identified in his first preseason game.

The Celtics, at full strength, beat the Knicks, who were resting their starters. But the Celtics looked good for most of the first half before hitting a little bit of a lull. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal breaks down the things he liked (Porzingis looking good again, Al Horford energy off the bench, Jayson Tatum shooting), disliked (poor rebounding, Jaylen Brown's turnovers, a general lack of clarity), and things that made him go hmmm (the substitution pattern).

With Jeff Van Gundy now on board as a senior consultant, there are a lot of people who think he's around to push Joe Mazzulla out of his seat. But the opposite is actually true. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal and Tom Westerholm discuss Brad Stevens' continued moves to support Mazzulla and give him the one thing the has lacked so far: experienced voices to lean on. Plus, Jrue Holiday is slowly adjusting to the system, even if his move to Boston isn't going great.

Time to open up the mailbag again to get into a roster breakdown halfway through camp and the Celtics bringing in Jeff Van Gundy and the very specific thing he can help Brad Stevens with. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal gets into all of that, Jayson Tatum trying harder on defense, Derrick White getting the credit he deserves, a starting five of departed Celtics, and getting into color commentary.

The Celtics have played three preaseason games in rapid succession. So what have we learned so far? Is it fair to judge all of these bench players and fringe guys based on what we've seen? What about Payton Pritchard, who has been awesome so far this season? Is he going to be able to carry this into the regular season? And what have we seen from the regulars in limited minutes? John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal and Tom Westerholm discuss it all.

The Celtics beat the Sixers again on Wednesday, but there was no Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Joel Embiid, or James Harden in the game. On top of that, Boston's four remaining stars only played 17 minutes. But John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal thinks we can already tell that Kristaps Porzingis is going to unlock a ton for the Celtics offensively. Also, Derrick White plays basically perfect basketball on the day ESPN leaves him off their top 100 players. Plus, Jrue Holiday looks more comfortable, Payton Pritchard is in a groove, Sam Hauser found his (so did Svi Mykhailiuk), and ... are the rest of the guys getting a fair look or is the schedule robbing them of their opportunity to be properly evaluated?