Locked On Celtics – "CHEESECAKE FACTORY" Offense: Must Be Ready for Anything

Date: December 17, 2025
Host: John Karalis (with guest Tom Westrom)

Episode Overview

In this episode, John Karalis digs into the evolving and unpredictable nature of the Boston Celtics’ offense this season, coining it the “Cheesecake Factory” offense—overflowing with options, diverse strategies, and constant adaptation. Alongside Tom Westrom, Karalis explores how the Celtics’ ability (or at times, necessity) to shift between isolation play, ball movement, and various lineups—especially small ball—makes them both versatile and at times inconsistent. The hosts discuss the challenges this presents, highlight the strengths and risks, and reflect on the unique coaching and player dynamics at play in Boston right now.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Celtics’ Offensive Identity Crisis (04:13–09:48)

• The Celtics were recently ranked as high as 2nd in NBA offensive rating but have now slipped to 4th (04:13).
• Their offense is a blend of fast and slow-paced play, heavy isolation, and fluid ball movement, making it hard to characterize a singular “style.”
• John Karalis: “Celtics play too fast, then too slow. Isolate a bunch, then pass the ball a bunch. What are they? They're the Cheesecake Factory.”
• The team roster features multiple “genuine bucket getters”—players like Jaylen Brown and (when healthy) Jayson Tatum who excel at one-on-one scoring.
• Celtics’ isolation numbers are elite: 19 isolations (15 single-covered), averaging nearly 1.5 points per possession (05:53).
  • For context, pick-and-roll possessions yield significantly less efficiency.

2. Isolation vs. Ball Movement – Finding the Balance (05:53–11:54)

• Jaylen Brown is highlighted as one of the league’s best ISO scorers, carrying a substantial offensive load in Tatum’s absence.
• Matchup dependency: The Celtics tailor their approach to opponents (e.g., hunt mismatches like Duncan Robinson vs. Brown, but avoid ISO-heavy sets vs. turnover-dominant defenses like OKC).
• A danger of relying too much on isolation: It can leave role players disengaged and reduce ball movement, making the offense less dynamic.
  • John Karalis: “The last thing I want is for the offense to be predicated on, ‘Well, Jalen, just go get a tough bucket,’ because that's... too much for Jalen to do all the time.”
• Key stat: Role players’ shot attempts dip when the offense gets bogged down in ISO play (e.g., Jordan Walsh getting just 3 shots vs. Milwaukee).

3. The “Cheesecake Factory” Metaphor – Adapting on the Fly (30:29–33:47)

• John Karalis (30:29): “Here's what the Celtics are. They are the Cheesecake Factory. The menu at the Cheesecake factory is, like, 30 pages long… Now the Celtics have to be Cheesecake Factory chefs.”
  • The team needs to be ready to serve up any kind of offense—ISO, pick-and-roll, small ball, etc.—depending on the opponent and the game context.
• No singular style or “signature dish”: Boston needs to “do everything well,” adjusting quarter by quarter, sometimes even possession by possession.
  • Tom Westrom: “Just gotta do the thing that's in front of you…”

Memorable Exchange:

• Tom Westrom (32:55): “It is a shame that you came up with the Cheesecake Factory metaphor at the 32-minute mark, because that one's a banger.”
• John Karalis: “We're flipping this. We're clipping this. Getting it out there.”

4. Small Ball Lineups: A Solution or a Stopgap? (20:20–24:01)

• Recent skepticism among fans regarding the viability of small ball lineups, especially as injuries and absences expose depth concerns.
• Calls for acquiring another playable big man heat up as the “Chris Boucher experiment” and “Garza experiment” lose support.
  • Tom Westrom: “The small ball lineups will continue until morale improves or until another big [is acquired]…”
• Both hosts agree the small lineups are here to stay—at least until a trade, as Missoula seems to trust these lineups over seldom-used options.
• Flexibility is key: Coaches must keep “all options on the table” and adapt rotationally to each game’s needs.

5. Big Picture — There Is No Perfect Formula (24:01–33:47)

• The Celtics can’t rely on a single approach; every game might require a different recipe.
  • “They’re just not good enough to say, ‘This is the style that we play and we're just going to ram it down your throats.’”
• Role players need touches and bench production is essential—for example, “just 10 more bench points and you win that game” (16:43).
• Outlier shooting nights still haunt the offense; “hitting some threes would make a big difference.”
• Both hosts trust Joe Mazzulla to keep players on-task and suitably engaged, though games with extreme shooting variance will always look uglier and more stagnant than they might be in reality.

Memorable Quotes & Moments

On Versatility and Inconsistency:

• John Karalis (30:29): “They are the Cheesecake Factory. The menu at the Cheesecake factory is, like, 30 pages long… Now the Celtics have to be Cheesecake Factory chefs.”
• John Karalis (24:01): “You need... the depth available to give the game what it needs.”

On Isolation Play:

• Tom Westrom (06:29): “One of the most interesting things about this year’s team, to me, is the number of just genuine bucket getters. It has, like, guys who, you know, like, you just... put somebody in front of them, and they’re like, all right, bet, like, I can beat this guy.”
• John Karalis (09:48): “This year, Jaylen is Jaylen, and there’s no Jayson. There’s no second guy.”

On Coaching and Adjustments:

• John Karalis (33:47): “It’s crazy how much adjusting… every game is 100 adjustments from everybody all the time.”
• Tom Westrom (29:37): “[Joe Mazzulla] said basically, like, zone isn’t really a thing where you’re like, ‘oh, it’s good, it’s bad.' ... What really matters is just how it’s going in this exact moment, and if it stops going a good way, then we go to something else…”

Lighthearted Moment – The Chef Metaphor:

• Tom Westrom (33:19): “I also like the idea of Jaylen… just the mean chef, like screaming at everybody. There are the potatoes! I ordered the MF potatoes!”
• John Karalis (33:31): “Just him, like, putting two pieces of bread but, like, around Jordan Walsh’s face, like, what is this? An idiot sandwich.”

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Celtics offense "Cheesecake Factory" introduction: 01:39–04:13
• Isolation vs. ball movement discussion: 05:11–11:54
• Small ball lineup pros & cons: 20:20–24:01
• No singular style—breadth of options: 24:01–30:29
• “Cheesecake Factory” metaphor explained: 30:29–33:47
• Final thoughts and wrap-up: 33:47–34:30

Conclusion

This episode confronts the core reality for Boston: Success means mastering an ever-expanding menu of offensive and defensive approaches, blending isolation with movement, size with speed, and adaptability with execution. The “Cheesecake Factory” Celtics may induce headaches for fans—and their own coaching staff—but that ever-ready, ever-changing toolkit might be the path they need to survive in a competitive Eastern Conference.

For Celtics fans looking for certainty: You might not get it, but you’ll never be bored.