Green With Envy: "What Did We Learn From The Celtics' First Loss?"

Date: October 23, 2025

Hosts: Will & Greg Manakis

Guests/References: Coverage and reactions from Celtics community; analysis of Sixers with mentions of Mike Gorman, Drew Carter, and more

Episode Overview

The new NBA season tips off with a narrow 117–116 loss for the Boston Celtics against the Philadelphia 76ers. Will and Greg deliver instant reactions, lively banter, and honest insights into a dramatically changed Celtics roster. From promising showings and critical missed opportunities to standout Sixers performances, this episode grapples with what Boston fans should expect this season: growth, unpredictability, and learning to enjoy the ride—win or lose.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Stage: Embracing a New Kind of Celtics Season

• This year’s expectations are tempered; the Celtics are likely a .500 team, rebuilding and developing rather than contending ("I'm oddly excited for a 500 basketball team... I remain excited at this team and seeing it grow." – Will, 04:13).
• Emphasis on monitoring player development: “Growth is going to be, I think, a word you hear us use in this podcast a lot this season.” (Will, 07:17)
• The need to enjoy the nuances of a non-championship favorite team: “It's been a while since we've had a team that I feel like we can really trace their growth…” (Will, 04:13).

2. Frontcourt Focus: The Big Men Carousel

• Nemeias Queta’s big night & the continuing frontcourt query
  • Queta posts 17 points, 8 rebounds in 25 minutes before fouling out.
  • Praised for screen setting, rolling, and “vertical spacing” (Greg, 05:27).
  • Defensive presence felt, especially in the 4th: "The way that he was rolling, using his verticality, just being aggressive...defensively, I think he at least made you feel his presence at the rim." (Will, 07:17).
  • The show proposes a “Big Man of the Night” segment to highlight who steps up from the rotating cast each game (Will, 10:50).
• Supporting Bigs:
  • Boucher underwhelmed, Tillman and others competent but unspectacular.
  • Loss of Queta to fouls exposed small-ball vulnerabilities versus Sixers' guard-heavy lineups (Greg, 09:06).

3. Jalen Brown: The Burden of Leadership

• Strong line: 25 pts, 4 assists, 6 rebounds—huge first quarter, faded late (Greg, 12:53).
• Critique on late-game presence:

  “You want to feel Jalen ... like you felt Maxey and Edgecombe.” (Greg, 13:17)
  “He was there, you knew he was there, but you didn't feel him ... especially late, like, when you look at this game ... this was really a Sixers team that didn’t have ... Joel Embiid, for all intents and purposes ... Jalen, you're that dude.” (Will, 14:17–15:29)

• Celtics didn’t exploit favorable matchups against fouled-up Maxey; missed chance for Jalen to fully take over (Will, 15:59).
• Balanced, controlled floor game but needs to assert “superstar” status in crunch time.

4. Backcourt and Playmaking: White, Pritchard, Simons

• Derrick White:
  • Aggressive but inefficient (25 pts, 4-13 from three); took most shots and FTs.
  • Defensive matchup with Maxey proved difficult ("Best player on the court by far, Tyrese Maxey tonight." – Greg, 24:26).
  • Need to balance offensive uptick with defensive responsibilities.
  • “I really liked this game. I think he just missed shots.” (Will, 22:30)
• Peyton Pritchard:
  • Struggled late as the designated buzzer-beater option—questioned by both hosts. (Greg, 27:57; Will, 27:57)
  • 1-7 from three, 6-14 overall. Looked overmatched in the trees, especially at the end.
  • Concerns over playmaking, vision, and size at starting PG. “He's just a small point guard...” (Greg, 29:12)
• Simons & Support: Simons solid in stretches as a scoring guard but still adjusting to his bench leader role.
• Team-wide low assists (16) underline need for improved cohesion and playmaking.

5. The Philly Perspective: Maxey & Edgecombe Steal the Night

• Tyrese Maxey:
  • 40 pts (7-9 from 3), 6 assists, + lethal speed.
  • “Maybe the fastest guy in the NBA.” (Will, 25:57)
  • Dominated especially when Celtics bigs stretched by aggressive pick-up points.
• B.J. Edgecombe:
  • Historic rookie debut: 34 pts, 7 rebounds, 3 assists in 42 minutes.
  • Athleticism, composure, and highlight dunks wowed hosts: “That was the most impressive thing I've seen in 5 years...” (Greg, 37:25).
  • Drew direct comparisons to players like Victor Oladipo, Derrick Rose, and Dennis Smith Jr. for blend of bounce and poise (Will & Greg, 38:37–39:19).
• Philly’s youthful core appears threatening for the future.

6. Celtics Shooting and Shot Quality

• Celtics 11–43 (25.6%) from 3-point range.
• Hosts agree that most attempts were quality shots by the right shooters, just didn’t fall tonight (“...for the most part they took and got pretty good threes…” – Will, 20:49).
• Will debunks myth that Luca Garza is a shooter ("Why does everyone keep saying Luca Garza is a shooter?... Luca Garza is not a shooter." – Will, 21:05).
• Stat lines show main gunners (White, Hauser, Simons, Pritchard) must be more efficient for this offense to function.

7. Tactical Notes & Broadcast Talk

• New Amazon Prime “high angle” broadcast camera angle draws mixed feelings ("If they stayed on that camera a little bit longer...I could get used to it. But just cutting in and out. Not a fan." – Greg, 41:33).
• The team frequently lost the 3-point battle, a trend to monitor.

8. Around the League: Opening Week Impressions

• Rockets–Thunder double OT thriller praised as evidence for high-level NBA defense and fun (“If that's what the product, the peak level of the product is...how can anybody complain about basketball anymore?” – Greg, 45:12).
• Celtics may struggle when facing stacked, athletic teams like OKC and Houston.
• Quick recaps of key results: Bucks, Grizzlies, Bulls, Raptors, etc.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On the need for patience this season:

"Find the parts that bring you joy. That's what I'm going to tell everybody. Find the parts that bring you joy, and let's go along for the ride." — Will (50:30)

On Edgecombe’s debut:

"That was the most impressive thing I've seen in like 5 years. Dude, how..." — Greg (37:25)

On Jalen Brown’s new role:

"That's the number one thing to me…when Jalen gets out of control, it tends to snowball, right?...But...you didn't feel him. To your point." — Will (14:17)

On Queta and the frontcourt uncertainty:

“We need to denominate a big man of the night because it’s going to be a rotating cast...there’s going to be probably some nights where nobody gets the award.” — Will (10:46)

Key Timestamps

• [03:47] – Season expectations; embracing growth mindset
• [06:39] – Queta’s performance and frontcourt analysis
• [12:53] – Jalen Brown’s night: stats, late-game questions
• [20:30] – Celtics cold shooting from three, shot selection
• [22:12] – Derrick White’s increased offensive role, defensive limits
• [25:57] – Maxey’s speed and big night, defensive challenges
• [27:52] – Pritchard struggles late, point guard questions
• [35:07] – Edgecombe’s historic debut recap and takeaways
• [41:33] – Reactions to new broadcast camera angle
• [43:57] – League-wide opening week reactions, Celtics outlook
• [50:30] – Message to Celtics fans: “enjoy what you can” this season

Conclusion

In their Opening Night recap, Will and Greg stress that Celtics fandom this season means focusing on growth, realistic expectations, and enjoying the flashes of promise from a reshuffled roster. The hosts critique player performances and coaching decisions, marvel at Sixers’ young stars, and place this narrow loss in broad perspective: “Don’t get too upset after losses this season. There’s 82 of these games...enjoy every one because we don’t know if we’re going to get playoff basketball this year.” (Greg, 50:19)

Next up: Celtics face Knicks (Friday, Amazon Prime), then Pistons (Sunday); podcast returns after Sunday’s game.