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.

The Celtics had a chance to beat Philly without Jaylen Brown and Robert Williams thanks to the Sixers nearly collapsing in the last 10 seconds of the game, but Joel Embiid's 52 proved to be too much to handle. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal discusses the loss, why the Celtics seemed cool with how the night went, and why they didn't guard Embiid like they normally would have. Plus, thoughts on Jaylen's interview with Shams Charania and his comments about Marcus Smart and Jayson Tatum.

The NBA has a new collective bargaining agreement, and there are a few key changes to it that will directly impact the Celtics in a significant way. In part one of a discussion between John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal and Keith Smith of Spotrac, we dive into all the way the Celtics will no longer be able to add talent to the roster moving forward, including losing the mid-level exception and being limited on what kinds of trades they can do. Does that mean some guys might end up getting more money? What other ways can Boston deal with the changes?

Milwaukee beat Philadelphia, so while a couple of things can technically still move around, it looks like the top 6 in the East is set. That means the Miami Heat could easily be Boston's first round opponent. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal breaks it all down and then discusses an impressive win over Utah that featured a monster Jayson Tatum performance in a game he was supposed to sit out if the team plan had gotten back in time. Plus, Malcolm Brogdon's underrated impact, and Blake Griffin's energy that will probably win Boston a playoff game down the road.

The Celtics seemed to be pretty motivated Thursday night in Milwaukee and they proved it by beating the Bucks by 41 points. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown dropped 70 combined points (they almost matched the entire Bucks team through 3 quarters) to show us all that they know exactly where the switch is an how to flip it. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal gets into that, why the matchups are really in Boston's favor against Milwaukee, and how their record against good teams shows we shouldn't worry about any other losses as the regular season winds down.

The Milwaukee Bucks beat the Pacers, meaning they have a three game lead with six games left. That basically locks up the top seed for the Bucks and pushes the Celtics to the second seed regardless of what happens Thursday night. The Celtics don't seem to be bothered by this, despite what Malcolm Brogdon said, but a lot of fans are. Should we be? Is it our own fault for caring too much about the top seed? John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal and Tom Westerholm talk through their feelings.

The Celtics streak of great basketball is over. They didn't have the same energy as they had over the past few games and it cost them against the Wizards. After the game, they chalked it up to "one of those games" but that brushes past some of the real issues, like the crappy defensive effort. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal talks about that, how the top seed is probably no longer in play, and why this game shows how Joe Mazzulla needs to develop a better feel for the game as it's happening.

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.