Locked On Celtics - Daily Podcast On ...

Locked On Celtics is a daily Boston Celtics podcast by Boston Sports Journal beat writer John Karalis. It's an inside look at the C's from a former professional basketball player who is at practices & games. Hear from players, call in to the voicemail line, and hear from some great guest hosts. It's the #1 podcast choice for Celtics fans. Part of the Locked On Podcast network.

Sports
Basketball
101
Derrick White, Jaylen Brown huge in Boston Clet...
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)
24 min
102
Boston Celtics top-six team meeting and Jayson ...
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.
36 min
103
Kristaps Porzingis bails out Boston Celtics in ...
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.
31 min
104
Boston Celtics preview part 2 and postseason aw...
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.
38 min
105
Boston Celtics season preview: coaching & playe...
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.
36 min
106
Mailbag: Jayson Tatum playing big, Kristaps Por...
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.
32 min
107
Boston Celtics defense dominates in preseason f...
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.
31 min
108
Ultimate NBA Preview Contenders: Who is the Rea...
47 min
109
Jayson Tatum post-ups, full-court curveball, Kr...
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.
30 min
110
Boston Celtics beat New York Knicks, Al Horford...
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).
29 min
111
Joe Mazzulla growing as a coach, Jrue Holiday a...
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.
37 min
112
Mailbag: Boston Celtics hire Jeff Van Gundy, Ja...
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.
34 min
113
What have we learned from Boston Celtics bench,...
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.
34 min
114
Kristaps Porzingis impact on Boston Celtics off...
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?
31 min
115
NBA GM Survey has high expectations for Boston ...
The annual NBA GM survey was released on Tuesday and it featured a lot of Boston Celtics love. They are the favorites to win the East and the title, and surprisingly, there is more love for the defense than the offense. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal runs through the interesting questions and answers, the weird dichotomy of how the league views Jayson Tatum, and the love for Brad Stevens' moves.
30 min
116
Payton Pritchard, Dalano Banton, Boston Celtics...
The Celtics sat their top 6 guys and the Knicks started out playing their actual starters, but the reserves held their own. Payton Pritchard was his usual really good self (minus the minutes he had to guard Jalen Brunson), Svi Mykhailiuk showed some nice stuff (including some ridiculous dunks ... who knew he had that in his bag?), but John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal thinks Dalano Banton was the standout player who might have pushed himself up the rotation in this game.
31 min
117
Kristaps Porzingis looks good, Payton Pritchard...
The Celtics beat the Philadelphia 76ers Sunday night in their preseason debut. Kristaps Porzingis looked pretty good in his debut, but it was Payton Pritchard who stole the headlines (on a day where he signed a $30 million extension) by getting the crowd rocking with a monster fourth quarter. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal explains why that was important for more than just the game, and then goes over how Jrue Holiday, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and others played in their somewhat limited time.
35 min
118
Taking a closer look at the Jrue Holiday trade ...
We're still trying to process the Jrue Holiday trade to the Celtics, and one of the criticisms we've heard is that we focused maybe a little too much on the negative like how it impacts the depth and makes the Celtics very expensive and unsustainable for more than a year or two. So John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal brought on former blogging partner Chuck McKenney to get a little bit more of a fan's perspective and look at the trade in ways we might have missed the first time around.
43 min
119
Boston Celtics introduce Jrue Holiday; Joe Mazz...
The Boston Celtics introduced Jrue Holiday, which is to say they gushed over him relentlessly as he held up his new jersey. The Celtics are clearly thrilled to have him, and while Holiday is getting over the sting of being traded, he's on a path to teach the Celtics some championship lesson. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal and Tom Westerholm discuss that before getting into THREE things Joe Mazzulla said in a recent podcast that are worth celebrating.
36 min
120
Does Jrue Holiday trade to Boston Celtics negat...
The Milwaukee Bucks got Damian Lillard, but they let Jrue Holiday go to their biggest rival, which begs the question: Are the Milwaukee Bucks better off by getting Lillard while letting Holiday get to Boston? Should they have kept Holiday and rolled the dice and leave Boston to deal with Malcolm Brogdon and roll with Robert Williams? John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal brings on Locked On Bucks host Kane Pitman to discuss. And also, John talks about Kristaps Porzingis first full official practice and how his post up game can really be a massive help to the Celtics.
30 min
121
Brad Stevens on Jrue Holiday trade, Joe Mazzull...
The Boston Celtics held media day on Monday and Brad Stevens talked about getting Jrue Holiday and the price they had to pay for him. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal discusses that, Joe Mazzulla talking about reinventing himself, Jayson Tatum's wrist, and Kristaps Porzingis' plantar fasciitis.
31 min
122
Boston Celtics get Jrue Holiday in trade for Ma...
The Celtics have acquired Jrue Holiday from the Portland Trailblazers in exchange for Malcolm Brogdon and Robert Williams, along with two first round picks (Golden State's 2024 pick and Boston's unprotected 2029 pick). John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal and Tom Westerholm break down the trade and try to answer the question "did Boston get better?" while also looking at the depth Boston gave up and the financial situation they're now in.
36 min
123
Can the Boston Celtics trade for Jrue Holiday? ...
The Boston Celtics are reportedly among the teams inquiring about Jrue Holiday after he was sent to Portland as part of the Damian Lillard trade. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal looks at the numbers and explains everything we need to know about trading for Holiday, all the little tricks that people suggested but actually aren't allowed, and whether Boston should pull the trigger. Also, Porzingis scrimmaged on Thursday, but is that enough to make us feel okay about his plantar fasciitis?
32 min
124
Damian Lillard traded to Milwaukee Bucks, how i...
Damian Lillard has been traded to the Milwaukee Bucks. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal and Tom Westerholm discuss the deal, how it helps (and hurts) Milwaukee, how it impacts the matchup with the Celtics (and why the Celtics still match up well against the Bucks), and where this leaves Miami, including one move Miami can make that might be better than getting Lillard.
36 min
125
All good with Malcolm Brogdon, Boston Celtics e...
Brad Stevens spoke to the Boston Globe and says he's had several conversations with Malcolm Brogdon and that he's healthy and ready to go for camp. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal discusses that, the high expectations for the Celtics and why this year is their best chance at a championship, and what motivation Jayson Tatum should take from the new ESPN preseason survey.
30 min