The Celtics did it again, beating the Heat in Game 5 to force Game 6 on Saturday night back in Miami. Derrick White and Marcus Smart were awesome, hitting 10 combined 3-pointers while playing great defense. Jayson Tatum nearly had a triple double and Jaylen Brown was seeing the floor very well. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal has all that, Joe Mazzulla on a hot timeout streak, why Game 6 will be an epic slugfest, and why the Celtics are basically in Fight Club.

The Celtics started their comeback with a win in Game 4, so what did they do that can carry over into Game 5. What are the odds they can actually pull this off? John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal discusses that with Howard Beck, as well as how the little things added up, how the Celtics can troll the Miami Heat with their guests at the Garden, and even the origin of 1-2-3 Cancun.

The Celtics finally got back to Celtics basketball with a defensive-minded game where they got a lot of points off turnovers, which helped fuel a return to hot shooting from deep. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal discusses the runs Boston was able to make, how the role players hitting shots makes all the difference, and how Joe Mazzulla might have accidentally fallen into a lesson when it comes to calling timeouts.

There is almost nothing to be optimistic about when it comes to the Celtics and their 3-0 hole in the Eastern Conference Finals. However, John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal and Tom Westerholm spend some time trying to be positive so they can see if there's a sliver of hope in a seemingly hopeless situation.

The Celtics needed a win in Game 3 to make this a series, and instead they completely fell apart in Miami. Their 3-pointers weren't falling and Gabe Vincent was tearing them apart, and they just seemed to quit. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal discusses the ridiculous shooting numbers, the complete lack of respect Boston has for Miami, the lessons they just don't learn, and why Joe Mazzulla is part of the problem, but not THE problem.

The Celtics had a 9 point fourth quarter lead but fell apart in the final six minutes of the game, sending them to Miami down 2-0. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal discusses the loss, Grant Williams interaction with Jimmy Butler, and why Butler has something Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown don't. The Celtics could still win it all, but there's only one way for them to do it.

The Celtics lost Game 1 of the ECF, but does that mean lineup changes are coming? Robert Williams was not happy after the Celtics Thursday film session, and it's because he was not good on defense. Is the answer for Boston to simply try harder in Game 2? John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal and Tom Westerholm discuss that, Joe Mazzulla clearly wanting to ditch the double-big lineup (but will he?), why Payton Pritchard over Grant Williams, and why Jayson Tatum didn't get as much scoring opportunity as he should have late in the game.

The Boston Celtics were looking pretty good through the first half of Game 1, but then the third quarter happened and the Celtics could never recover. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal discusses the Celtics lax attitude vs. Miami's never say die approach, Joe Mazzulla's non-timeout, and the Celtics right back in a place they're very familiar with.

Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals is Wednesday night and the Celtics are facing the Heat again. What's Jimmy Butler capable of? What can Jayson Tatum do? Who will guard him? Who will start? What's the defense look like? John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal is joined by Locked On Heat hosts Dave Ramil and Wes Goldberg to discuss all that and make completely opposite predictions.

With an extra day between series, this was a great day to look back at the Celtics series against the Philadelphia 76ers to talk about how Joel Embiid is a total frontrunner and how James Harden is a complete playoff fraud. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal and Tom Westerholm discuss all that before getting into the Heat series, how Boston SHOULD win the series easily but Miami is just too good to blow off like that.

Jayson Tatum was awesome as he dropped 51 points to eliminate James Harden, Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 7 of the semifinals. Tatum torched the Sixers and Embiid in a dominant third quarter while Al Hoford and Jaylen Brown helped keep Harden and Embiid in check defensively (with help from Robert Williams). John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal discusses that and how Brown's calling out of the crowd worked so well, we got one of the most amazing quotes about the Celtics from Tatum.

Jayson Tatum couldn't hit a damn thing through three quarters but he woke up in the fourth to outscore the Sixers on his own. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal has that, the impact of Robert Williams starting, Marcus Smart having a huge game, and Joe Mazzulla's growth

Jaylen Brown made second team All-NBA and Jayson Tatum made third team. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal and Tom Westerholm discuss the impact that will make on both their contracts and their futures in Boston. Plus, the real way Joe Mazzulla is getting out-coached, and why the confidence level is still high ... though not as high as before.

The Celtics are a loss away from their season being over after an inexplicable Game 5 dud. They couldn't score, they couldn't defend, and they couldn't give themselves a chance to win. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal discusses the complete lack of focus, the rough start for Jayson Tatum, the rough night for Al Horford, and how the Celtics got burned by Tyrese Maxey. Plus, despite all this, are we being set up for a great Game 6?

Joe Mazzulla talked to the media on Tuesday and admitted that he should have called a timeout at the end of the game. Yes, he made a mistake, but he wasn't the only one. Marcus Smart and Jayson Tatum had big roles in the last play falling apart (Al Horford is excused but maybe he shouldn't be because everyone should have known better). Toss in the failure on James Harden and Jaylen Brown added a fourth level to the failure. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal and Tom Westerholm discuss all that, look at all the ways the last play went wrong, and how the team has so far to go to reach their full potential.

The Celtics looked bad to start this game, then they were in a position to steal Game 4 from the Sixers, and then they ended up blowing it. They went from scrappy comeback to facepalm over the last 30 seconds of overtime when Jaylen Brown left James Harden open for 3-pointer with Philly down 2. Then with the ball and 18 seconds, the Celtics didn't even get a shot off. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal goes in depth on those final two plays before sharing that Al Horford is coming out of this game encouraged.

The Celtics took a 2-1 lead over the Sixers on a night where Joel Embiid played 39 minutes and was pretty good, mostly because James Harden was a no show. The Celtics started the game strong, defended really well (when they weren't fouling) got a huge shooting game from Al Horford, and they closed the game strong. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal is joined by Jared Weiss of The Athletic to discuss all that, Jaylen Brown being awesome on both ends, and Jayson Tatum's big closing kick.

The Celtics are tied in their series against the Philadelphia 76ers, but Joe Mazzulla is taking a ton of heat. Some of it is warranted, but John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal and Tom Westerholm think the reactions have grown into overreactions, and it's getting out of control. They discuss that, Marcus Smart winning the NBA's hustle award, and whether Joel Embiid is more of a liability for the Sixers at this point.

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.