Bam's Sacrilegious 83, Jaylen's Bad Whistle, Wemby's Presence, and a Preview of Celtics vs Thunder

Summary

Green With Envy: A Boston Celtics Podcast (March 12, 2026)

Episode: Bam's Sacrilegious 83, Jaylen's Bad Whistle, Wemby's Presence, and a Preview of Celtics vs Thunder

Main Theme & Purpose

Will and Greg return from San Antonio with a jam-packed episode dissecting an unforgettable NBA evening: Bam Adebayo’s shocking and controversial 83-point game, Jaylen Brown’s ejection and the “bad whistle,” the awe-inspiring impact of Victor Wembanyama against the Celtics, and a preview of the looming Celtics vs. Thunder matchup. With the help of fan interactions, in-arena observations, and guest input, the hosts give raw, immediate insight into the Celtics’ road to Banner 19 and the shifting NBA landscape.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Bam Adebayo's "Sacrilegious" 83 Points

Timestamps: [01:01]–[14:31]

• Shock and Disgust Over the Record-Breaking Night

  • Will and Greg are stunned by Bam’s out-of-character, historic 83-point performance, which shatters Kobe Bryant’s 81-point modern NBA record.
  • Will describes the event as “sacrilegious,” criticizing the Miami Heat’s decision to manipulate the game's final minutes to chase the record:
    • "The fact that the Miami Heat turned the last five minutes of that game into a circus to break Kobe's record just drives me crazy, dude… That is utter bullshit." (Will, [03:27])
  • Greg notes that Bam, typically a defense-first player with few 40-point games in his career, was being spoon-fed looks and benefited from repeated intentional fouling.
  • Greg adds context: "It just doesn't feel right that that's how it happened. All we saw was basically the last five minutes… where it became a circus." ([05:35])
  • The hosts compare Bam’s 83 unfavorably to Kobe’s 81 (which featured less “chasing” and more legitimate offensive momentum), and relate it to past examples of stat-padding or questionable record chases (e.g., Booker’s 70, Towns’ near-70).
  • Will speculates on “basketball karma”: "I truly believe in basketball karma...I don't think the Heat have any shot in the playoffs now. This just completely killed all basketball karma." ([08:25])
  • Both hosts lose respect for Bam and feel the hallowed significance of Kobe’s 81—and its status in NBA lore—has been diminished.

• Notable Quotes

  • "I kind of just lost all respect for Bam Adebayo. He had been one of the guys that I always wanted to see on the Celtics. After seeing that game, I’m just like, I don't know if I like this guy anymore."
    • Will, [12:52]

• Memorable Moment:

  • The hosts relay texting and spreading the news while in the San Antonio arena, emphasizing the surreal experience of tracking Bam’s point total as it steadily rose off-court.

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2. Jaylen Brown’s Ejection and Refereeing Controversy

Timestamps: [16:30]–[24:06]

• Recap of the Incident

  • Jaylen Brown was ejected late in the second quarter after a no-call on what he felt was excessive physicality by San Antonio’s Steph Castle. Brown confronted the referees, was assessed two technical fouls (the second by a junior official), and tossed.
  • Will breaks down the emotional escalation and the consequences of an inexperienced referee making a crucial call:
    • "He’s the one that makes the call. That cannot happen. That has to be a Tyler Ford decision. That’s just the way it goes in the NBA, and everybody knows that…" ([18:46])
  • Both hosts agree: Jaylen deserved his first tech for reacting, but the second, which led to ejection, was overkill.
  • The hosts cite commentary from Jason Tatum postgame about the NBA wanting stars to play and how officiating conflicts with league messaging.
    • "NBA wants to make a big deal about stars playing, load management… then you have a ref that throws a guy out. Like, make up your mind—do you want your stars available or not?" (Will paraphrasing Tatum, [21:24])

• Spurs’ Physicality & Its Role

  • The Spurs’ aggressive, 94-feet defense and allowed physicality by refs contributed to the frustration and outcome.

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3. Victor Wembanyama’s Game-Changing Presence

Timestamps: [24:06]–[31:11]

• In-Person Impressions

  • Seeing Wemby live blows both hosts away; his defensive presence warps the game, allowing the Spurs to defend aggressively across the court.
    • "After seeing last night's game, if he plays enough, I would probably have my vote for Victor Wembanyama for MVP… His impact was unbelievable." (Will, [25:04])
  • The Spurs use a 2-1-2 zone with Wemby patrolling the free throw line-to-paint, deterring rim attacks and warping shot selection for Celtics’ perimeter players.

• Offensive Impact

  • Wemby posts 39 points (eight threes), 11 rebounds, and two blocks—yet the hosts argue his real influence is deeper than the box score.
  • Greg: "He feels like another half player, if not a full player out there...There was one time I thought they had six players on the court, but it was just Wemby." ([26:34])

• The "Rule of Cool"

  • The hosts marvel at Wemby’s unusual putback slam—technically offensive goaltending, but so unprecedented, even the refs “let it fly.” ([28:13])

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4. Celtics Game Analysis: Tatum’s Return & Roster Rotation

Timestamps: [31:11]–[38:26]

• Jason Tatum’s Physical Return

  • While some box score-watchers called it a rough night, Will and Greg see positives in Tatum’s movement, ball-handling, and few moments of assertiveness—especially after Jaylen’s ejection.
    • "When Jalen went out...Tatum immediately took over the game for three minutes… those types of moments matter more than his overall performance or shooting numbers." (Will, [31:57])
  • Both focus on Tatum’s ability to rip and run, handle the ball, and impact the Celtics’ pace and transition.
  • Greg provides a stat from Jason Timf (The Volume): Of Tatum’s 31 post-injury threes, only one was unguarded—context for his shooting struggles. ([33:18])

• Depth, Bigs, and Rotation Challenges

  • With Jalen Brown out for half, Peyton Pritchard missing, and the Spurs’ defense, Derrick White (34p/5r/7a) stepped up, but the Celtics struggled to find offense.
  • The hosts discuss the importance of having a “stable of bigs” for deep playoff runs, noting that Nemikeda and Garza were negated by Wemby, and the void left by injured Vucevic.
  • "Nimi is having a great year but let's settle down...If you’re a top 10 center, you can’t be played off the court...he was kind of just played out of this game..." (Greg, [28:13])

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5. Looking Ahead: Celtics vs. Thunder Preview

Timestamps: [36:33]–[40:30]

• Lessons from the Spurs Game

  • Both hosts feel better about the Celtics’ readiness for OKC’s defense, citing their resilience in San Antonio despite multiple adversities.
  • Greg: "They wouldn’t die last night…Every time (the Spurs could have cut them off), the Celtics kept coming back."
  • Depth will again be tested; Ron Harper Jr. and Baylor Scheierman played significant roles under heavy pressure.

• Key Matchup Questions

  • Can Tatum increase his aggressiveness?
  • Can the bigs contribute against another elite defense?
  • Who will be available for OKC, and what impact will that have?

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6. Arena & Fan Atmosphere

Timestamps: [41:18]–[End]

• San Antonio Takeaways
  • Both praise the Spurs’ in-arena atmosphere, fan section efforts ("the Jackals"), and chants over piped-in music—suggesting the Celtics could adopt similar approaches at the Garden.
  • Shout-outs to Section 112, Rob Williams stories, and memorable meetings with fellow fans.

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Notable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• Will, on Bam’s record:
  "I truly believe Kobe’s 81 in modern NBA…The fact that they did that is utter bullshit…It was pathetic." ([03:27])
• Greg, on the circus finish:
  "The fouling to get the ball back was the grossest part…the three pointers that Bam was throwing up at the end of the game, it was a joke…not even real shots anymore." ([05:35])
• Will, on basketball karma:
  "I truly believe in basketball karma…I don’t think the Heat have any shot in the playoffs now." ([08:25])
• Will, on Jaylen’s ejection:
  "That has to be a Tyler Ford decision…Everyone knows that. And this guy just, like, completely up." ([18:46])
• Greg, on Wembanyama:
  "He feels like there were six players on the court…it was just Wemby." ([26:34])
• Will, on Tatum’s return:
  "Those types of moments are the moments that I think matter more than his overall performance or shooting numbers…" ([31:57])

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Segment Timestamps

• Bam Adebayo’s 83 & Reaction: [01:01]–[14:31]
• Jaylen Brown’s Ejection: [16:30]–[24:06]
• Wembanyama’s Impact: [24:06]–[31:11]
• Celtics Game Analysis (Tatum, White, Rotation): [31:11]–[38:26]
• Thunder Preview: [36:33]–[40:30]
• Arena/Fan Experience: [41:18]–[End]

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Tone & Style

Conversational, passionate, unwaveringly honest—mixing diehard fandom with measured in-arena analysis. Will is animated, candid, and sometimes incredulous; Greg offers granular breakdowns and measured contrarian takes.

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For New Listeners

This episode is a rollercoaster of NBA history, frustration, and admiration—from record-breaking controversy to the awe of witnessing new superstars, all woven through the eyes of Celtics diehards seeking the franchise’s next banner while immersed in league-wide drama.

Transcript

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[Greg]

This is Mike Gorman and you're listening to Green with Envy with Will and Greg. All right, everybody, we are back from San Antonio and we've got thoughts. Bam Adebayo. Bam freaking Adebayo. Dropped 83 points, took over the arena. While we were watching Wemby play, while we were watching Jason Tatum, while we were watching two seed in the east versus two seed in the West, Jaylen Brown was crashing out. A lot was happening in one night. So we've got a lot to cover. So we're going to do it here live on Green with Envy. As always, you guys know the deal. Let's lock in. What up, what up, what up? Welcome into another edition of Greenwood's Envy. As always, this is your boy Will. We checking in. How you doing? How you living? Joining me as he does each and every time, my best friend, co host and the coach of our podcast, the one and only Greg Manakis. Greg, who was crashing out harder last night? Jaylen Brown? Or you trying to comprehend that Bam Adebayo is going to break Kobe's record and score 83 points?

[Will]

I think it was me. As disappointing as I was, you know, seeing Jalen get tossed from the game and as disappointed as Jalen was getting tossed from the game, I'm sitting there getting test text messages from my brother like, yo, Bam, Bam might break Kobe's record. And I'm like, get the out of here. Bam's gonna break Kobe's record. And as, as the numbers pile up and I'm getting updates, I'm getting text messages 65, 69, 72. You and I, we pull out the phone and we're watching on. On. On the NBA app.

[Greg]

We had our whole road locked in. Everybody was. We were spreading information across the arena.

[Will]

We were. But I'm turning around to some people, like when you went to the bathroom, I turned around, I was like, yo, Bam, out of bio is 70 points right now. And people are looking at me like, why are you telling me this? I was like, do you not realize how insane of a stat that is? And the fact that he ends up with 83 points, man. Like, can we do the Bam thing now? Can we just do it and get it out of the way? Yeah.

[Greg]

I mean, we're talking about Bams. Let's do it now. We'll get to all the Celtics thoughts coming up here. But, you know, when something this historic happens, like, it. It's just kind of what leads. So, yeah, let's get into it.

[Will]

So I was really thinking for the title of this episode, what would be the perfect word to describe bam? Adebayo scoring 83 points. And I settled on sacrilegious. Just because I. I truly believe Kobe's 81 in modern NBA. The fact that Will Chamberlain's hundred, obviously you got the picture and everything, but you don't have anything else. You don't have any footage of it. We saw Kobe's 81. It. It had just been this hallowed mark, this 81 that no one's ever going to break. And no one, especially after Kobe passed, nobody really seemed to want to break it. It was like this record. Like everyone kind of had this unwritten rule, like, hey, we don't touch Kobe's 81, right? Unless it's a real game. And the fact that the Miami Heat turned the last five minutes of that game into a circus to break Kobe's record just drives me crazy, dude. I'm just like, what? What were you thinking? Like, this Heat culture and the, you know, this organization that's supposed to. The top notch organization that cares about the NBA and cares about culture and a brotherhood and all this. The fact that they did that is utter bullshit, dude. Like, the more I think about it, the more upset I get. Especially when I went back and rewatched the final five minutes of that game and like, shout out to Bam for putting up those points. But he did it in a game where they. They literally just fouled the last couple minutes of the game to get him more possessions, which you never see. Up 30. The other team ends up doing what we were like why don't they just follow them back so that Bam can shoot the free throws like the, The Wizards end up having to do that. I almost didn't want to mention their name. They might as well call them the Washington Generals as bad as they were playing. And with Bam Adebayo doing all the. That he was doing, that's just not the way that you break Kobe's record, man. I was really hoping as we were watching live that when he got to 81, he would have the wherewithal to be like, okay, I'm subbing myself out of the game. I tied Kobe. But I know where I am in NBA history and I am not above Kobe Bryant. I'm not above 81 points because everything that they did was not above board, and it was pathetic.

[Greg]

First of all, love, love the vitriol that I'm getting from you right now.

[Will]

Love it. Well, I just, I just watched a little Stephen A. Smith to get me fired up.

[Greg]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Just like this is your best step, A Smith impression. It's crazy because there's out of the 83, there's probably somewhere around the 70 point mark. That's actually probably pretty ethical out of. Out of Bam at a bio in the heat. And that alone in itself is nuts. That a guy like Bam, who is a defensive first guy, has averaged over 20 points once in his entire career. It's like 20.4 points per game. I didn't look it up. He probably has maybe one 40 point game in his career, maybe two. Like there's not, there's not going to be a long list of 40 point games, which, you know, he had 43 points at the half, which is when I think we first got alerted to it. Shout out to. To Alex. He texted us, like, hey, just so you guys know, Bam has 43 at the half. And then when it got up around 70, you know, we were, we said, what's up? To shout out to Drew Carter came up and said, what's up? At halftime. I said, we texted him while he's on the mic, like, hey, man, I'm pretty sure someone's told you this, but just so you know, like, Bam has 73 points right now. He's like, oh, we're all watching right now. And it's exactly kind of the words that you are using here. And that's where it gets just so. Just gets gross, man. Like it doesn't, like it just doesn't feel right that that's how it happened. And like all we saw when we were in the arena and the buzz kind of started happening was the last five minutes, basically, of the fourth quarter, and it was kind of coming and going just based off the, you know, the Wi Fi and the reception. And, dude, the. The three pointers that were being thrown up with double teams. And really, the following more than anything, like, the. The following to get the ball back was the grossest part. Like, otherwise, they're. You know, they're just trying to spoon feed Bam and let Bam just take whatever wild shot and, like, it became a Circus, right? Like, Kobe 81 game, which had a lot of free throws. I think Kobe shot, like, 36, 37, 38, somewhere in that range of, like, free throws. So comparable amount of free throws, like, for Kobe. But when you go back, if you go to watch that game, like, yes, Kobe is going two on one, but go look at the three pointers that Bam was throwing up at the end of the game. Like, it was a joke, right? Like, it was. It was a joke. Like, Kobe was still taking real shots. Like, these weren't even real shots anymore. And it was, you know, to. Again, partially to Bam's credit, he was just putting his head down. I watched the full video today of, like, all the fouls that got called. They looked like they were all fouls. Like, Wizards, stop following. Like, I'm sorry. Like, that's partially on them.

[Will]

Yeah, you got. You got to put some of the blame on the Wizards for sure. Kobe's box score will. Just to. Just to clarify, 81 points on 28 of 46 from the field, 7 to 13 from 3, 18 of 20 from the line.

[Greg]

It was 1820. So it was far less than I thought. Right. So it's like, that's. Yeah, that's. It's just gross, man.

[Will]

It's disgusting. And I Honestly, the one thing I was thinking about, like, I truly believe in, like, basketball karma. And when they went over 81 and they did it in the way that they did, I was like, Like, I don't think the Heat have any shot in the playoffs. Like, I know, you know, Bill Simmons talks about the zombie heat and all that. I'm like, I. This just completely killed all basketball karma for them for the rest of the season. Like, I wouldn't. I wouldn't be surprised if Bam at a bio got hurt the next couple weeks. Like, I. I really, like, I just think they went that far against the spirit of the game that I think there's going to be some comeuppance.

[Greg]

It was already a great night. It just sucks that it was Already a great night. Why.

[Will]

Why go to that next level, like,

[Greg]

going to the way that this went down. And like, you know, I think. I think it was in the first quarter, he scored like 30 plus points and he was like five of eight from three. He finished seven of 22. Greg, he finished seventh of 22. He made two of his next. Basically, like almost like 18, you know, threes, whatever that. Like, just ridiculous. Like, just ridiculous stuff. And yeah, it's. I mean, you. You know, we talked about this on the ride home last night. I. I didn't really think it was inconceivable that somebody would break Kobe's mark, but, you know, we would have got to like a hundred guys before we ever got to bam. And it's one thing if it was, you know, oh, yeah, Steph Curry hit 13 threes. Dame Lillard went off Donovan, like. And I think if you go below, like, Steph and you even get to like, Donovan and Dane, you're like, man, you know what? Those guys are capable of those type of nights. So it is what it is when it's bam. And it's like, it was just already a great night. It didn't need to get to this. And like, this. This conversation didn't need to happen. It is like, the frustrating part, the

[Will]

game, it reminds me of Will is Carl Towns. A few years back, I think he was going for 70, right. And I remember this. The T Wolves, they just completely abandoned their game plan. It was like, still somewhat of a close game. And I. I feel like the T. Wolves ended up losing that game as a result of. Of Carl Towns going after they did.

[Greg]

Remember, we. I remember we podcast after that because we were watching it, and then he got benched. At the end of the day. He got. He had. I think he. I think he fell just short of 70, and he got benched at the end of the game. It was one of the wildest things you'll ever see.

[Will]

Yeah. And like, the, like, the. The game was well out of hand for. For the Heat and the Wizards. Right. But that is like Chris Finch having a backbone in that moment to bench Towns and to like, be like, this is not. Like this is turning into a circus. That's what basketball coaches are supposed to do. People that respect the game are supposed to do. I, like, honestly, I cannot believe that Spolster in the Heat allowed that to happen. It was disgusting.

[Greg]

Yeah, I heard. I was listening to the Athletic Daily this morning. J. King was on there talking with our guy s and Dave DeFore. And he. You Know, similar to like, the towns thing he thought of, like, dev. Kevin Booker's 70. I don't know, 70 or 71 against the Celtics where, you know, again, he had a very ethical 50, 60 points in like a loss. And then they just, you know, it was just kind of nasty, like, just to get to 70 to say you got the 70 right.

[Will]

Right.

[Greg]

So it's. It's just disappointing all around and. Because now it just crossed out this really hallowed number that was like a really significant. Like, it's Wilt and then it's Kobe. Right, right. Like, now that you have to fill that in with bamboo and. Yeah, it just. Just. There's nothing about it that feels right. It's. It's a really weird moment. I think it's the most random because, like, I was trying to think of, like, what else even outside of basketball could have been this random, right? Like, maybe Joe Flacco's like, Super bowl run, but that's extended over like a bunch of games. Like, but I don't even think that's it. Like, Joe Flacco was like, you know, a capable quarterback. Like, there's. There's nothing in baseball where it's like, yeah, a random guy can hit four home runs. There's a bunch of different pitchers that have thrown no hitters or perfect. Right.

[Will]

I think. Well, I, I was thinking about. I know he's. He's better than, Than Bam, I think, equivalently, but like Cal Raleigh for the, for the Mariners and what he did this past year, unless he goes on

[Greg]

a run, like, he's a. Yeah, I, I hear what you're saying. I don't. I don't know if that. That would be something that, That I would consider. Like, it's exceptional, but I don't think, like, like, it's just especially because it was a guy like, this is like Ben Wallace and if we're talking about like 2000 and maybe not quite to that extent, but it's like a guy that fathom would get any, like, sniff anywhere near this. Like, and it's not that.

[Will]

It's not that Bam's not talented. It's just like, not the type of player that he is. He's just not a guy that hunts shots. It's like, so out of character for him as a. As a player and like, seemingly as a human being. Right. That. That he would do that. Like, I, I don't know. I kind of just lost all respect for Banham Adebayo. He had been one of the guys that I always wanted to see on the Celtics. And after seeing that game, I'm just like, I don't know if I like this guy anymore.

[Greg]

But that's the thing, dude. It's like, the thing is, like, it's not even the game, it's the last five minutes because the game is, you know, for the most part he just drove and the Wizards just couldn't stop bowling him. And like he gets hot early from three and then he just kept driving and the Wizards were following and like all of that was fine. Like everything was fine up until we got to this just like gross performance at the end from all teams around. Like, it just didn't turn. It turned into a non basketball game that, you know, NBC apparently cut into, like for the Celtics spurs game, which was great. We're going to talk about how that ended up flipping here in a second. But like, this was such a historic moment that like NBC cut to it. And I don't know if you saw this. This is on Twitter, so probably not. Ice Cube son had one of the worst takes in history though, where he's a huge Kobe fan. And so he went on this like, Twitter rant about how the NBA was out to take down Kobe's record. It's like, all right, listen, man, there's a lot of things wrong with what happened. The NBA was not conspiring for a Heat Wizards game, not on national tv and for Bam Adebayo to go break Kobe's record. I don't think anybody wanted this, including the NBA. This was something that unfortunately came up organically. And only the Miami Heat had enough nerve to actually go through with the full plan in the in the last part of the fourth quarter.

[Will]

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[Greg]

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[Will]

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[Greg]

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[Greg]

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[Will]

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[Northwestern Mutual Announcer]

You're juggling a lot, but you can still squeeze in a financial plan with the Northwestern Mutual Financial advisor as your partner. It's not only possible, it's personalized. So if you're tying the knot, closing on a house or Welcoming a little one. You'll be ready for whatever life tosses your way. It's the right time to feel less stressed and more certain. That's a better way to money. Let's get [e-mail], the Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

[Will]

And this is coming from somebody who, like, isn't a quote unquote Kobe fan. I respect his game. I think he's overrated historically, just in terms of, like, where he ranks in the top 10 and all that. I. I think his, you know, super tragic.

[Greg]

By the way, not a slight. What you're saying is he's not top three, but he's probably top eight to 12.

[Will]

Like, that's right, exactly. Then I, like, I respect the hell out of Kobe Bryant and what he accomplished on a basketball court. So I don't know, man. It's the fact that I feel this way about it. It's. It tells you something.

[Greg]

Yeah, you're hot, man. You don't get this way very often. So I was curious.

[Will]

I. I've been thinking about this non stop dude like, all day. I was talking to people at work about it. I. I was like, I felt like I was rehearsing for the podcast, talking to people at work about it. And I don't know, man. Like, bam. Out of bio. Miami Heat, you got some comeuppance coming your way. The. The con. The karma gods are coming for you.

[Greg]

All right, let's move on from this because, yeah, it is what it is. BAM. Now number two in the history books all time. 83 points. Can't change it now is what it is. Our kids will look at it one day and be like, yeah, what about that? Bam. 83 night. And we'll have to. We'll have a thumb about it, but we'll have a thumb about where we were because we were in San Antonio last night, Greg. We're in San Antonio. Spurs, Celtic, spurs. End up with a 125 to 116 victory. Victor Wembanyama, 39 points, 11 rebounds. Knocks down eight threes. Derrick White was unbelievable for the Celtics. 34 points, five rebounds, seven assists. We got to look at Jason Tatum in his now 3 3rd game back, but we got to start with the Jaylen Brown. We got to start with the Jaylen Brown moment near the end of the second quarter. Jaylen's on the right sideline. I believe it was Steph Castle was guarding him. He gets shoved and falls into the stands. Doesn't get a call. Ball out of bounds, going the other way. Jaylen gets up and is irate. Just looking for the ref. I can't remember his name. Something Ford of his. Tyler Ford, I think his name was looking for him. Can't find him. Runs down the other end, I would say definitely gets his money's worth and, you know, gets attack. It happens like in this dude. Tyler Ford, from everything I saw on Twitter when we got home last night, like, has a reputation. His players do not like this dude. They think he's smug. They think he tries to take over the game for refs. Like in this dates back to. I forgot about this until afterwards, Greg, that Jalen already had a big fu to refs in his mind. Because this is the game where you think back to Boston earlier in the year where Jaylen had his rant about the Celtics getting bad whistles in big games against other teams. And that was against the spurs where the Celtics had, I think, like four or zero free throws or four or whatever. It was very low free throw count in that game. And that became a whole debate for, you know, a few. A few for the rest of that week. And so Jaylen just losing his lid. And then a secondary ref, the crew chief, who's not involved in this, comes from out of nowhere, tees up Jalen. That's two. He's gone big prime time NBC matchup now you're without one of the two MVP candidates in the game. It was. A lot of people had some good comments on it that we can get into, but I'll just let you have the floor here, Greg, because this was. I mean, this changed everything about the game last night.

[Will]

It did. And I thought Jalen was the best player on the court up until that moment. It was really unfortunate he got tossed from that game. And the perspective of the secondary official, we didn't really talk about that in the moment, but when we talked to Drew, because shout out, Drew came up and we were chopping it up with him at halftime, and he kind of gave us that perspective. He was like, listen, this is like an early into his career referee. He's a young ref. He doesn't have any reputation with. With the guys in the league. He's like the third ref on the crew. He has the least amount of, like, authority on that crew, and he's the one that makes the call. That cannot happen. That has to be a Tyler Ford decision. That's just the way it goes in the NBA, and everybody knows that. And this guy just, like, completely up. Drew was, like, really fired up, and I was. I was like, oh, damn. Like, I didn't. I. I didn't consider that before, and I think that makes a lot of sense. I do think with the Jalen situation as it was happening, you. You can attest to this. I was screaming. I was like, somebody grab him. Like, what? Like, what are we doing? Like, why is nobody getting in between Jalen and the referees? And eventually Sam Hauser did, and Jalen pushed him out of the way, but it was after he had already been talking.

[Greg]

That's like, the. Your boys might start a fight. Like. Like, hey, listen, man, I'm here to help you out. But, like, he shoved the. Out of Sam.

[Will]

Yeah, he really did. I don't think he saw whoever was in front of him. I think he completely blacked out at that moment. But I do think in that moment, it had to have been Derrick White. Like, you even mentioned this at the game. You're like, it couldn't. It's not going to be Baylor that's going to get in there. Like, Derek White's the GU guy that's got to go in there and calm Jalen down, pull him away and. And all that. But going back to the. The call that Jalen was so upset about, I don't think Castle, like, pushed him all that hard. It was the culmination of all of the times the spurs are grabbing him throughout the game. If you just go and watch it the whole game, they had their hands on his hips. Anytime he was going off a screen, they were yanking on his hip bone, trying to throw him off balance. And right before Castle pushes him out of bounds, you see that happen because Jalen uses a screen, and Castle grabs him and hooks him. Jalen's off balance, and he's looking at Tyler Ford like, oh, you're not going to call that one. The next time he touches me, I'm going to exaggerate it because you're not calling the ones that I'm, like, trying to fight through, right? And that was the. That Tyler Ford just, like, dismissively turns around, runs down the court, and Jalen's looking at him. He's like, yo, like, you're gonna allow them to just put their hands all over me, right? So you're asking me to exaggerate, though. I don't want to be a flopper, but I'm gonna have to flop because you're allowing them to just do whatever the they want in this game. And he got that fire. He was just, like, ready to go.

[Greg]

He's like, yo, I can't remember seeing Jaylen that fired up. Like, that was one where it's like, I, like, like, to your point, you knew that first tech was coming and it was earned. It's fine. Like, that was. That was certainly earned. But when he kept going, I was like you. I was waiting for someone to hold him back. I still think there's no way you can make that second technical call unless he, like, literally, like, like, touches a ref or like, like, he hadn't got. He got to the point where you could still walk away. He hadn't got to a point where a ref couldn't. Where a ref couldn't walk away. Like, that was still on the table. And I think Tatum had a comment after the game that made a lot of sense, right? The. He was talking about how, well, NBA wants to make a big deal about, you know, stars playing load management. Like, you got two of the top teams, two of the top four teams in the league right now. It's a big national TV game. Jaylen's the MVP candidate. Wemby's out there. Like, all the stars are playing in this game. And then you have a ref that throws a guy out, like, because he can't control himself. Like, make up your mind, do you want your stars to be available or not? Like, like, he got the tech that he deserved. Like, that's where it ends. Like, that's part of the ref's job is to be that bigger person, right? Like, you, like, especially when it's the outside ref that's coming in. So there's a lot of things that I think went into this, Greg. Like, like you mentioned San Antonio. I think this is something just from the actual game that we can, you know, input here is how physical San Antonio was. Start to finish, like, and I mean start to finish, game wise and also, like, court wise. Like, from the time you get the ball, from the time you get a rebound, like, you're feeling pressure. They're constantly challenging shots. And I think a little bit of that is just like, they looked at, like, hey, this is what OKC did last year, right? Like, so we're gonna. We're gonna force ourselves to. To make the refs, like, make enough calls that will stop. Right? Until they do that, we're going to continue to do it. And like, I, to be honest, I respect it. Like, I respect the way that the spurs play. Like, I have nothing against. Against the Spurs. Like, it's on the rest. If you want to control that game, if you want to set, like, your boundaries, do it. But then don't be in between about. On it. On. On different. You know, on different circumstances. And, you know, like you said, like, did Jalen get pushed that hard? Probably not. Like, it didn't really kind of. Kind of look like it. And that's where it's like, Jalen, you know, you do. Jalen does want more of a physical game. So, like, if you don't get p that hard, you kind of can't. But I understand the point that you're making is, like, every player has been through this before. Like, okay, I'm gonna sit here and take a charge, and you're not gonna call it because I didn't go flopping and fly all over. So next time when I stand here and take the charge, I'm gonna hit the ground, I'm gonna go, ah. And I'm gonna scream bloody murder. And I'm gonna do all this other theatrics because that's what responds. And. And everyone that's played basketball can understand and relate to that point.

[Will]

Right, Right, Exactly. And I. I want to go to the spurs physicality, because this is something that you. You don't notice until you're there live, like, how strong and how physical these guys are. We were talking about that in the layup lines. We were looking at Jalen Brown. We're like, holy, this dude is yoked. Like, Jalen looks like a goddamn action hero, dude. He's. He's so strong. But the spurs and the way that they play, they're. They contest every inch of the court. They can test every dribble, they can test every pass. They can test every single shot. And the reason that they're able to do that, obviously, is who. I think after seeing last night's game, if he plays enough like, I. I would probably have my vote for Victor Wembanyama for mvp. Like, seeing him live in the impact that he had on the game was unbelievable, because all the spurs have to do is they sit in this, basically a 2 1, 2 zone where they put Wemby at the free throw line, and he just patrols from the free throw line all the way down in the basket and in the entire key.

[Greg]

Right?

[Will]

So what that allows them to do. And you mentioned this at the game when you were talking about Drew Holiday and how we talked about when he was the best he ever was with Anthony Davis behind him because of the rim protection. That's what the spurs do, but they do it 94ft, and they have every single guy guarding 94ft because they know if they get beat off the dribble no one's going to go attack Victor Wyama. And that's what you saw with the Celtics last night. You saw a lot of pull up three pointers with the rear view contest.

[Greg]

Right.

[Will]

They didn't want to go into the mid range. Tatum and Brown both got Wemby when they drew him out and they got a switch. They were able to get him into the air and then attack the basket. But in general, their base defense just allows them to be super physical, super handsy and take chances because they know those chances are not going to hurt them in the long run because they got Victor Marmon Yamaga in the rim. Right. And that was the most impressive thing that I saw. It's just like actually seeing the game plan and seeing it live and watching the Celtics have to adjust in real time to it. Watching Joe Missoula realize I can't play Nimi Keda when Minyama's on the court because I need a stretch five out there. It's got to be Luka Garza. Right. And you mentioned how not having Vuchevic in the game last night, maybe that was one of those games. You want to see Vuch out there just as a different look as Garza didn't really have much to offer for Wemby as. As that's like the most obvious statement ever. Right. So a lot of, a lot of things to clean. I'm going to stop there because I could talk for 40 minutes straight about the game last night. So I'll let you jump in.

[Greg]

Yeah, I mean, you know, on the web note, you know, he's at least worth another half player, if not another full player. Right.

[Will]

So it feels like there was one time on the. I, I literally said I think they have six players on the court and like it was a trick of my eye where I went. Wemby looked like two people and I was like, oh my God. No, it's just Wemby.

[Greg]

His entire presence is an optical illusion. Right. Like it's really like even like the, like the put back dunk he had was just like, wait, did he jump? Did he move? Like what happened?

[Will]

Did you see what happened on that? You know why it looks so weird?

[Greg]

So why did it look so weird?

[Will]

So it came off the rim and then he tapped it above the rim and then he dunked it. So that. So it was actually, it was actually offensive goaltending.

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[Will]

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[Greg]

I mean but to be fair that's pretty cool because I've never seen that before. So like I'm okay with it not being called like when there's for sure the rule of cool like applies there, right? It's like that's never been done before. So we'll, we'll let that fly. No one knew what was happen but yeah, I mean with the spurs like having Wemby is just you know, such a cheat code and yeah, I mean last night on the, on the V point like this is and obviously you're only going to see Wemby if the Celtics make it to the finals. But it's more to the point of like I think they need a stable of bigs if they're going to get through you know, three rounds to even get a chance to play the spurs or the Thunder, whoever it might be. And you know I love Nemik is having a great year but like you know I, I mentioned this to you at the game like after some of his big games the last week or two like I saw some. Is he a top 10 center in the league? And I was like let's calm down guys. Like I, I like mimic just as much. I want to get him on like a 15 million dollar deal. 10 to 15 million. But like let's settle down because if you're a top 10 center like you he was kind of just played out of this game for the most part last night. Really like, like not, not much of an effect on this game really. And then you're left just with Garza. Right. And so you know at that point that's where you know vuch bigger body if you're going to have him in there for like, he's the best box out, you know, he has the best box out game of anybody on the team. Three point shot, you know, it's a quicker release. Like Garza's got kind of a longer release. So even that, you know. And that's another thing, like, we've talked about this a bunch of times where when we saw Dwight Howard in his prime, never seen somebody change a shot like that. Well, now we have. His name is Victor Webman Yama and he does it just with his presence. Like there was a couple shots who shout out to Ron Harper, who had a career high 22 points. Great game from Ron Harper. 6 of 9. He made at least two, if not three threes, where I was convinced he didn't know what he was shooting at. Like, I thought they were gonna hit the side of the backboard because I was like, there's no chance he can see through Wemby. And to his credit, he knocked him down. But it felt like every time Wemby closed out or got his hand up, he was gonna block the shot. So for those guys with those longer release, it's just that extra second you're gonna think about. And even a guy with a quick release like Sam Houser, you saw a couple times he was thinking about it, right? So it's just this. It's just this. Wemby is just this factor that you can't quantify, man. It's. And it's one of those things that you have to see in person to really understand it. Because I think he only had. Let me see what. He only had two blocks. But, you know, he does so much more than that. And the other part of Wemby that was really scary last night is he had 39 points. And as we walked out, I told you, I was like, his. His offensive game is still so unrealized. Like, the potential that lives there, like for him to have, you know, three field goals outside of the eight three pointers he made, I think was just that one dunk that we're talking about. Or maybe he had two dunks. Like, it feels like he should be in that shack territory of like five, six dunks a game. Different way of getting it than Shaq. But, like, there's a world in which Victor Wembanyama's. I think his offensive game still has at least another level, if not two they can go to, which is really scary considering he knocked down eight threes last night as a 74 guy.

[Will]

Yeah. Seeing him in person was really impressive. And another guy that we got to see in person last night for the first time since he came back from injury was jt. And I did want to talk about Tatum because I was talking to some people in the office today who watched the game and they're like, ooh, tough game for Tatum last night. And I was like, I don't know, like, watching it live, I didn't feel like it was as tough of a game as maybe the box score ended up showing. I thought he looked good. He was moving well on the court. There were a couple scary moments that are just going to be what Celtics fans have to live through. It's like Rob all over again. Yeah. And I. I do think that aside from like the kind of a rhythmic shots that he took, like the. The one footed three pointer runner that he took in the first half.

[Greg]

Yeah, we can put that one back in the bag. That's. You might want to go into your bag at some point. Let's put that one back in the bag.

[Will]

Yeah, that's got to stay in there. There was just like a. A few moments that when you saw out of Tatum, just the versatility that he brings back onto the court and you could see him in real time kind of working off some of the cobwebs and finding a rhythm. And we saw like the moment Jalen went out of the game, he comes back in and he immediately takes over the game for three minutes. Right. Like, those types of moments are the moments that I think matter more than his overall performance or shooting numbers from three in the game last night. Because the game plan for the spurs was, hey, they're going to either have to attack Wembanyama at the rim or they're going to shoot contested rearview contested threes. Right. That was basically all the options the Celtics had. Unless they really work to move the ball and get open corner threes, which are then contested by Victor Wembanyama. Right. So it's like not great shots all around. And I think the Celtics and Derrick White, who was awesome in the game last night, did such a great job of just manufacturing points against a team that makes you work for every inch on the court.

[Greg]

Yeah. No, no JB for a full half. No Peyton Pritchard all game. Like the off. Like where the offense was going to come from was slim. Like, it really felt like at one point just Derek White was gonna have to literally take every shot out there and manufacture it to your point. Like, these weren't easy. Looks like he. I'm Gonna be curious to see how he bounces back because he, he played 40 minutes. It probably felt more like a 50 minute night for Derek White for being really honest.

[Will]

Yeah.

[Greg]

With what that, with what that game was. But to your point about Tatum, I thought about this earlier today and you know, I, I think for people that are not as locked in as we are, and it's like some people in the chat, some of the, you know, Celtics fans in general. Right. People that are just more casual new fans are going to start to earlier than you probably should start just looking at the box score and being like, man, it's looking tough for Jason Tatum. It's like if you really talk to people that like, are locked in or are, you know, like the, you know, like, like Zach Lowe's or whatever of the world's like, it's all about just how he looks physically. Like, I don't really care yet about the, the shots and the percentages. Like, I want to see what shots he's getting, how he's getting his shots. Like, you know, still right now I think he's shot like maybe two or three free throws in three games. Like, that's pretty a no. Like that's something I'm gonna look to see if there starts to be more of a tick up as he starts coming back and feels like stronger about driving. I do think right now, you know, he's certainly probably settling a little bit more for jump shots, which is, you know, pretty reasonable considering what he's coming back from. And I saw this earlier, Greg, from our guy Jason Timf over at the volume he tweeted out. If it feels like Tatum has been taking really tough shots so far your eyes aren't deceiving you. Of the 31 threes Jason Tatum has attempted, only one has been classified as an unguarded catch. Catch and shoot look, per synergy. Everything else has either been contested or off the dribble. Right. And so like, that's one of the things where it's like this percentages aren't going to be great because of that result. I think it's probably him settling a little bit, but he's still getting like his feet under him. So I, I think for. And I'm gonna have to probably check myself on this in a week or two where it's just like, don't worry about the stats right now, like, just how does it look physically? And then I think, to your point, and we've talked about this since he's come back, it's all the other little Things that he does that are the reasons that I wasn't worried about him coming back. The ball handling, the, you know, the. The ability to rip and run, like, that's something that's actually really stood out to me in three games that I forgot is like a thing that like, like, oh, we just have guys again who can grab the rebound and just start. Just go, just start the offense, like, right. I'm used to like, even these 16 rebound games from Ugo or Baylor shine, which, by the way, it was nice seeing Baylor get some reps handling the ball last night. I think that's gonna be something that we need to see is like, those guys are still like, get the ball. Like, even if they're crashing and get this nice rebound and they're like, where's Jalen, where's Derek, Where's Peyton? Right? There's not really this emphasis to push or have something now. You're usually going to have at least probably three out of those four ball handlers or at least two out of those four ball handlers out there at all times. So it just opens it up more because, like, when you just had one of those three guys that was handling the ball all season, it. It felt tough. And you're just like, I gotta wait, gotta settle. And that's part of why the Celtics pace is so slow. And I don't think it needs to, like, improve rapidly, but I think adding that element of a guy that's just gonna go and like now maybe you get some more cross transition matches, like some mismatches in that cross transition game. So I think for me, it's just. I think he looked good. I think there's still things that I think you need to keep an eye on, like, how much more aggressive does he get? Does he start to take on, you know, tougher defensive matchups at I. We're three games in to a time where we talk, I wasn't gonna play this year. So we're nowhere near close to the time where it's like, I don't know, man. I'm a little worried how this is going. Everything's going fantastic right now.

[Will]

So we got another game coming up here against the OKC Thunder tomorrow in okc. The Celtics against the spurs, which is one of the NBA's top defenses, only turned the ball over eight times in the game last night, which is surprising because when the Celtics only turn the ball over eight times, typically they would win that game. Right? They're going up against another elite defense after seeing the Celtics live against the spurs, are you more or less concerned about how they're going to fare gome against the Thunder?

[Greg]

I probably feel better, to be honest, like, because I like the fact that. And it felt like there were times last night where the spurs could have suffocated the Celtics and kind of cut them off and just would have been like, all right, man, let's hit. Let's hit it. Halfway through the fourth, and it was like the Celtics kept coming back. They wouldn't die. Die. They would not die last night. Every time.

[Will]

Threes help that out.

[Greg]

Yeah, I mean, you need that. I mean, listen, Ron Harper's out there for a lot. For 33 minutes. Like, Jalen Brown played half a game, and there's no paying Pritchard. Like, you kind of need that sometime. And, like, your setters were negated by Wemby. Like, you had, like, six viable options to play last night. So that. That certainly helps. But I think being able to handle that and be able to handle that pressure without Peyton Pritchard, who's probably your best ball handler, even though offensively him scoring the basketball can be negated sometimes by, you know, the. The length and size, depending on who it is, he's still your best ball handler. Right. So not having him. Not having Jalen for half the game. You lost two out of the four outlets I just mentioned. Right. So you're back down to even less than what you normally have. And so Baylor, Shireman getting some of those reps, and, you know, he had two turnovers, but he played 35 minutes. And I thought Baylor was, you know, again, very, very solid. Even though I don't think his stats would jump out to anybody as anything crazy. 6.6 rebounds, 3 assists. Like, I. I was impressed watching Baylor be able to. To kind of, you know, I don't want to say run the offense, but participate more in the offense.

[Will]

Right.

[Greg]

And so I think getting him some reps makes me feel better about what it looks like versus okc. Now, of course, with okc, I don't know who's gonna play. Man, they. They kind of do. Like, so many guys are always out. Doesn't matter. They're all awesome on defense and they're all gonna harass you, so it will be a challenge either way. But I feel. Actually feel better about them playing okc. I still think OKC is going to win, but I do feel better about them going up against OKC after. After what I watched last night. How about you?

[Will]

Yeah, I would agree. And it's going to be a tough game. Going. Going into okc, where they're on an extra day of rest as well. So I would expect OKC to play more of their regulars. I don't know when J Dub's coming back. Like, he's been out.

[Greg]

Yeah, it's getting weird the whole season.

[Will]

So in terms of their ceiling, that's going to be pretty interesting as he is their second best player when he's healthy. But I. I do think, you know, in terms of other silver. Silver linings from this game, Ron Harbor Jr. That you mentioned, the fact that he was able to play 33 minutes in this game tonight's really impressive. He looked good out there on the court. He looked strong defensively. His shot was. He shot it with a lot of confidence. Charman had 35 minutes in the game, couple bad turnovers, but. But for the most part, I think he did a really good job handling 94ft of pressure without Pritchard. He was the backup point guard in the game last night. Right. One. One interesting stat here, Will, is I'm just looking at the. The box score. Luca Garza, 24, 24 minutes, 0 rebounds in the game last night. The fact that Luca Garza couldn't get one rebound when Luca Garza gets, like five rebounds in the first two minutes of the game when he normally checks in, tells you everything you need to know about Wemb.

[Greg]

Right? And. And that's my. This has been like. My other Vuj point is, like, even though guards is a really good offensive, I think he's a very bad defensive rebounder. And so, like, I think just Vuch's more consistent rebounding despite Luca's higher level of energy. Like, I think ultimately that would win out if Vuch gets back to being healthy. I just don't think. It just doesn't look as good. Even Luca looks great. Right? Like, it's a. So.

[Will]

Except those calves, man. In person, those calves. Those calves are. Those calves are popping, dude.

[Greg]

Great. Ca. Shout out.

[Will]

Shout out to our guy, Ian.

[Greg]

Yeah. Yeah, man. Yeah. Luca guard, zero rebounds. That's. That's a tough one. And, you know, like, Mimi only had four rebounds in 20 minutes or just under or just over 19 minutes. So you're getting four rebounds from your entire center position. That's. That's going to be tough to win. And I mean, a lot of that is Wemby, who just takes up so much space, man. He's. He's. He's truly the alien for a reason. There's no doubt about it. Yeah. Any other thoughts you have here before we we sign off here. Celtics. He said game on Thursday. So we'll check in later this weekend. We'll have some more insights to kind of go over. But yeah, anything else here before we wrap up?

[Will]

Shout out to our. To our homies in in section movie section section 112 section 112. Row 17. I think my guy's name was Jack. Jack. His dad and his, his sister, who is apparently good friends with Robert Williams at Texas A M, had some great stories about Rob and some of the extra curricular activities that he would do before games. So shout out to Rob, shout out to Jack and his family and, you know, appreciate everyone who's tuning in for the first time.

[Greg]

And also just. Hey, real quick. So we talked about this in the last podcast, the Jackals. The. The fan section for the Spurs. It was okay. I think not, not to be fair, not their fault. The spurs need to give them more real estate. They're too far up, they're too small. Like, I think they want to be bigger. I think they can be bigger. So shout out to the spurs for at least trying something. Bill Chisholm. Let's get something going in the guard. I feel like the Celtics, if they had a true fan section that was designed to, to make noise, make an impact in the game. And Greg, you mentioned this on the way out, they weren't playing, you know, music every, every possession. Like it was actually fan base chance that we're taking over and it made for. I thought the environment was great at the spurs arena last night. I thought I had a great time. Like, I think that was, that was a fun part of it. So I think there's some, some notes there. So Celtic staff, go check out a game at the Spurs Arena. I think there's some notes so we can take back to the Garden and do it even better than they did the Frostbite Center. So. And the end of my rant right there, that's gonna do it for this episode here of Green with envy. As always. Appreciate you guys rocking with us. Make sure you guys are locked in with us across socials. We'll have clips of this episode clash, clips of our past episode, and we will be back later this weekend, everybody. Enjoy the rest of your week. Enjoy your weekend. We'll talk to you guys later.

[Will]

Until I hit the floor

[Greg]

Every time I hit this high it's you I find it don't take much no more Until I met you Dark.

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