Joel Embiid Gives Sixers NO CHANCE To Win | Neemias Queta Concerns

Summary

Locked On Celtics | April 28, 2026 – Episode Summary

Main Theme

This episode dives deep into the impact of Joel Embiid’s return to the Sixers’ lineup and why, far from threatening the Celtics, his presence actually makes Boston’s job easier. Host John Karalis is joined by Tom Westerholm to analyze Embiid’s effect on the Sixers’ style and Team performance, praise Tyrese Maxey, bemoan Philadelphia’s offense, and then turn attention to the Celtics’ own playoff worries—namely, Neemias Queta’s foul trouble and its wider implications.

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Segment Breakdown & Key Discussion Points

1. Joel Embiid’s Return: Help or Hindrance for the Sixers?

Timestamps: 01:06–14:00

Main takeaways:

• Despite Joel Embiid’s impressive individual stat line (26 pts, 10 rebounds, 6 assists), his return actually hurts the Sixers’ team dynamic against Boston.
• The Sixers lose their rhythm—they stop playing fast, up-tempo basketball, instead falling back into slow, Embiid-centric possessions.
• Other key Sixers (Tyrese Maxey, Kelly Oubre, BJ Edgecombe) lost their offensive rhythm, in part due to decreased touches and the offense grinding to a halt.
• Sixers fans and even some media realize the series is likely over with the way Embiid is being used.

Memorable Quotes:

• John Corrales:
  “The way the Sixers got themselves to the playoffs was largely because in all of Joel Embiid’s absence, they played fast, they played an up-tempo style… And so from a Boston perspective, I was very happy to see Joel Embiid get in there because I knew he was grinding everything to a halt.” (05:16)
• Tom Westerholm:
  “He was minus 25 in the plus-minus. He was on the floor for most of the bad stuff… If Joel Embiid continues to be himself and plays the amount of minutes that I assume he expects now to play, this series is done. I don’t see the Sixers winning it.” (02:29, 10:16)

Insider Analysis:

• Boston doesn’t have to double-team Embiid, making their defense simple and effective.
• Maxey’s reduced shots and usage percentage (from 34 to 19) drastically lessen Philly’s offensive threat.

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2. The Sixers’ Fatal Flaw: Heliocentric Embiid

Timestamps: 10:31–14:00

Key Insights:

• Embiid is labeled a “Joel-first player,” focused on his own production, to the detriment of his team.
• His need to dominate (driven by MVP runs in past years) likely led to his present injuries and ultimately limits Philly’s ceiling.
• With Embiid on the court, Boston faces simple reads and easy decision-making on both ends.

Notable Moment:

• John Corrales:
  “He still is Embiid first. Embiid should have known that coming back, like, coming back the way he looked, that that was not helping the team. But hey, again, I’m happy that he came back because it’s going to make everything easier. Like you said, just put him in the actions…” (11:36)

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3. Celtics’ Simplicity on Offense – “Simple By Design”

Timestamps: 14:50–19:47

Points Discussed:

• The Celtics rarely need to run complex offensive sets against Philly—just attack Embiid in the pick-and-roll, react to his coverages, and exploit mismatches.
• John Corrales: “It’s so simple. It is such a simple offense. It’s just the ultimate read-and-react… Just attack [Embiid]. Just put him in, pick and roll and whatever he does—easy, easy, easy counters.” (17:56)
• Any possible major Celtics "adjustments" so far simply haven’t been necessary.

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4. Tyrese Maxey: The Real Sixers Threat

Timestamps: 08:08–10:14; 18:41–19:47

Highlights:

• Both agree Maxey is the archetype who truly troubles Boston—he’s “faster than Donovan Mitchell” and the kind of guard the Celtics struggle to defend.
• Taking shots away from Maxey (as Embiid’s return does) is a big win for Boston.
• Tom Westerholm: “I am sky high on Tyrese Maxey right now. And it’s just… it’s just simple. It’s Embiid. That’s the problem here.” (19:13)

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5. Coaching Carousel Speculation (Light Sidebar)

Timestamps: 20:20–22:44

A quick detour:

• The hosts speculate on the future of coaches like Nick Nurse, Jamahl Mosley, and Ime Udoka, hinting that Nurse’s time in Philly may be ending soon—possibly affecting how much Embiid plays.
• Fun, tongue-in-cheek banter about job security in the NBA.

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6. Neemias Queta Playoff Concerns

Timestamps: 25:29–37:41

Major Themes:

• Queta’s smart regular-season play has disappeared in the playoffs—persistent foul trouble, undisciplined defense (biting on upfakes, unnecessary help leading to putbacks), and mental lapses.
• The issue is not physical regression, but a lapse in mental discipline, timing, and adapting to playoff intensity.
• “He has shown in this series the flashes of what he’s been during the regular season… but the reach-in, tangle-up foul now, now you have to go up against Embiid, like, this is the ultimate test.” — John Corrales (30:03)
• Analogy: Queta must be like a dog resisting a tempting treat—Embiid is all grift and fakes, Queta needs to resist leaping for blocks.
• They're looking for just "8 solid minutes" from Queta in Game 5 with minimal fouls.

Quotes:

• Tom Westerholm: “He needs to… why are you reaching? Why the fourth foul he picked up? What are you doing? That’s the thing. Queta all season, has played a really smart brand of basketball... Now it doesn’t look good.” (25:36)
• John Corrales: “If Keita is not playing like himself, that fundamentally changes what the Celtics are. Because he’s been a constant all season long.” (34:20)

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7. Broader Celtics Playoff Outlook

Timestamps: 32:17–36:45

• The Celtics’ defensive/structural identity is built on Queta—if he can’t deliver, their rotations, rim protection, and offensive rhythm are all affected.
• Backups like Vucevic and Garza are not adequate long-term solutions if Queta is unable to contribute due to fouls or mental errors.

Metaphorical Take:

• “Neemi’s foundational… it’s the difference between siding on your house and the foundation—if the foundation goes, all the siding in the world is coming crashing down.” — Tom Westerholm (36:44)

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Memorable Moments & Notable Quotes (with Timestamps)

• John Corrales: “Joel Embiid is just a big old pile of sand that you threw into [the Sixers’] gears… Did he do anything to help their team win? No, not in the slightest.” (05:35)
• Tom Westerholm: “Maxey… is the exact archetype of the reason that we talked about Cleveland… he is really hard, exactly the kind of player that the Celtics have struggled with.” (08:08)
• John Corrales: “Joel Embiid is my Trey Young All Stars… this is never personal, really… I just don’t like how he is as a player. I think Joel Embiid is a Joel Embiid-first player.” (10:31)
• Tom Westerholm: “He’s (Queta) got that dog in him. Be the dog that doesn’t take the piece of chicken.” (30:15)
• John Corrales: “If there’s anything I want to see in Game Five, besides another 30-point win, it’s Queta playing eight minutes in the first quarter—just give me eight minutes… that you can stay on the floor, especially against Joel Embiid.” (31:42)

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Engaging Takeaways for Non-Listeners

• The Celtics’ path is actually simplified—not complicated—by the Sixers’ reliance on Embiid in his current form.
• Philadelphia’s “process” is undone by an over-centralized offense that chokes out its athletic guards, especially Tyrese Maxey.
• Neemias Queta is a foundational figure for Boston’s playoff success; his current mental lapses are a silent, but critical, storyline that could shape the team’s ceiling.
• The episode mixes sharp technical analysis with relatable metaphors and a relaxed, fan-friendly tone.

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Final Thoughts

This episode is quintessential Locked On Celtics: insightful, irreverent, relentlessly focused on the details that matter, and always colored by the perspective of a host who knows the team inside and out. Embiid may still have the stat line, but according to Corrales and Westerholm, his return is good news for Boston. Meanwhile, the outcome of the Celtics’ playoff run, they argue, could hinge as much on Neemias Queta’s fouling as on any superstar duel.

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For Celtics fans and NBA junkies alike, this episode delivers smart, accessible playoff analysis—blending laughter, banter, and basketball Xs and Os.

Transcript

[Tom Westerholm]

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[John Corrales]

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[John Corrales]

If you thought we were done talking about Joel Embiid, you are sadly mistaken, my friend. Plus, our concern level for Nami Esqueda. Welcome back to the show. I am John Corrales, back after a very successful weekend in Philadelphia. Later on, we'll talk about those Namish K concerns. Are there any concerns? We'll get into some more of the game. For leftovers, we got to start the conversation with more Joel Embiid talk. I'm not done talking about them. And I brought Tom Wester home along with me because Tom wants to talk about it, too.

[Tom Westerholm]

I mean, in the same way that when Trey Young got traded and we, you know, we're like, we've been trying to tell you. All right, like that, like, you know what? Trey Young on the Wizards to try to rehabilitate his career is, like, appropriate, right? We were like that. Yes, Fair. Now we're in the right zone for this. Man, I feel like this, like, you want to talk about your victory laps? I mean, my goodness, like Joel Embiid at this current juncture. I mean, you must be like, like, how do you have the breath? How are you drawing breath from the amount of victory lap that you were able to take?

[John Corrales]

I. I don't know what you're talking about. He had 26 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 assists and his return. It's a great game.

[Tom Westerholm]

Come on.

[John Corrales]

It's a great game, Tom. Come on, guys.

[Tom Westerholm]

Oh, come on.

[John Corrales]

Talking points are. Oh, let's get well.

[Tom Westerholm]

Yeah. Here's the thing, though, right, it's like the funny thing to me is that, I mean, like, I'm. There's plenty of not smart ones out there, but the Sixers fans that I run into generally are so smart and are not. Like, they're all. I mean, there's so many funny, smart Sixers fans who are just so, you know, despairing over this matchup.

[John Corrales]

And it's.

[Tom Westerholm]

I. I feel for them to some extent because, yeah, this must be unbelievably frustrating to.

[John Corrales]

To.

[Tom Westerholm]

To watch this time and time and time and time again. Yeah. But anyway, yeah, let's just dive.

[John Corrales]

Let's dive deeper into the box score just a little bit. Kelly Oubre was, I think, universally regarded as awful in this game. Just an awful game. He was a minus 31 in a game they lost by 32. He was there for basically all of it.

[Tom Westerholm]

Yeah.

[John Corrales]

So, okay, who was second? Second worst plus minus. I was minus 25 by Joel Embiid. He was on the floor for most of the bad stuff. Okay, so I think there's two conversations happening here. Number one, here is a guy coming back after 17 days by, because of an appendectomy, and he comes in and scores 26 points, 10 rebounds, six assists. That, for a guy in that situation that is actually, I will say, it's really impressive. It's really impressive that any, any player at any level, regardless, can come in individually in that situation and put up 26, 10 and 6 in an NBA playoff game. Scoring and doing all that stuff is very difficult. Joel Embiid is a very talented player. Individually he is. He can be good and is good enough to find a way to be individually good in a playoff game. The other side of this conversation is that this was a playoff game that they lost. And Tyrese Maxey, 14 shots. Why is he only getting 14 shots? BJ Edgecomb, nine shots, six points. Even Kelly Oubre. Not in any sort of rhythm. None of these guys were in any sort of rhythm. The. The way the Sixers got themselves to the playoffs was largely because in all of Joel Embiid's absence, they played fast, they played an up tempo style. Tyrese Maxey just blazing down the court. They. They played a high risk, high reward defense worth a lot of steals. Not the best defensive team, but when they got the steals, they were really, really good. And so from a Boston perspective, I was very happy to see Joel Embiid.

[Tom Westerholm]

Yeah.

[John Corrales]

Get in there because I knew he was grinding everything to a halt.

[Tom Westerholm]

Yep.

[John Corrales]

It wasn't the most precise timepiece, but the gears moved, and it told time. That's what the Sixers were. And Joel Embiid is just a big old pile of sand that you threw into those gears. And, yeah, hey, again, individually effective. But did he do anything to help their team win? No, not in the slightest. And I will say, because this is the Lockdown Celtics podcast, I hope that Joel Embiid starts and plays 34 minutes again, because that game will be an easy game. 5 closeout. Embiid coming back. Listen, I won't even say who the reporters are, but I know that one of the reporters came in, not a Boston one. That came in and said, this series is over. Joel Embiid is playing. And, like, that was. I think, the. Like, I think within that building, within our press room, everybody understood. Joel. Joel's back. This thing is over. Because he. They do not. It does not function well in the Celtics. Just. Oh, awesome. You get to feed me slow and out of shape Joel Embiid. And our defense only has to worry about covering him one on one. Awesome. Awesome. Bring it to me. So please, anybody who's out there thinking, like, well, Joel Embiid tried, but the rest of the Sixers couldn't do it, like, please give us Joel Embiid again in Game 5, please, because that I can start writing my game story.

[Tom Westerholm]

I did see the sentiment of, like, Joel's teammates letting him down yet again. He must be so tired of this.

[John Corrales]

And I was like, did you.

[Tom Westerholm]

Have you watched basketball before? Because, like, here's the thing, right? If you're the Celtics, like you said, there's no reason to cover him. You don't have to double him anymore. Like, that is a thing of the past. You can put one. And, hey, you know what? Yeah, he might. He might score some baskets on Vucevic. Like, okay, that's fine. Give. I mean, especially nine for 21, right? He scored 26 points. He needed 21 shots to do it. Every one of those 21 shots is a shot that Tyrese Maxey is not taking. Tyrese Maxey puts an unbelievable amount of pressure on the Celtics perimeter defense. Like, he is. He is trouble. Like, he's a. He is really hard, and he's exactly the kind of player that the Celtics have struggled with. He's. He is the exact archetype of the reason that we talked about Cleveland.

[John Corrales]

Yeah.

[Tom Westerholm]

Yeah. When we were talking about Cleveland and we were like, man, I. I like facing Donovan Mitchell is just brutal. That's exactly the type of guy that we were talking about. That is Tyrese Maxey. Maxey at this point is like, I mean, he's. He's faster than Donovan Mitchell. He's so fast. So, yeah, I mean, like, that's the guy that's the danger in this series for the Celtics. Joel Embiid gives the Celtics endless options on the offensive end. Just put him in the action, and you're going to get something. You're going to have some kind of a look that you like, whether that's a mismatch because somebody had to switch, whether that's a kick, you know, kick, swing, swing. Three, whether that's just the pick and roll guy going down the lane and blowing past everybody and getting a layup. Like, these options are all going to be there if you involve Joel Embiid in the action. And that's just the one end, because then on the other end, again, he's taking, you know, the. The usage percentage yesterday. Maxi 19 usage in the game before he was at 34. Usage. Like, that's the scenario where the Sixers have a chance in this series is if tyrese maxey has 34. Has 34 usage percentage. Joel embiid was 37 and, like, 37 and a half yesterday. It's just. He just flipped with Maxi. That's. It's. Yes, he. It is series over. If Joel Embiid does that again, it. It's done. And I mean, look, maybe Nick Nurse is a very brave individual, and he's able to somehow tell Joel Embiid. Like. Like, you know, but I. Real quick. This is the biggest difference between the way that Embiid returned and the way Tatum returned. Right? Because when Tatum returned, there was that. That, like, there was that. Okay, like, this is Jason Tatum's night. You know, yada, yada. But in those early games, it was pretty clear that this was still Jalen Brown's kind of team for the time being, at least, right? It was like, Tatum is here to facilitate and grab some rebounds and. And fill some gaps, and Jalen is the superstar here, and that's how it should be in Philly. Embiid should be trying to fill gaps, but that's not how he is.

[John Corrales]

And that's. That's right.

[Tom Westerholm]

It's not who he is. And. And it's. It's who he would need to be if the Sixers were going to win this series. But if Joel Embiid continues to be himself and plays the amount of minutes that I assume he expects now to play, this, this series is done. I. I don't see the Sixers winning it.

[John Corrales]

And this is why Joel Embiid is my Trey Young All Stars. And this is why, you know, not again. This is never personal, really. Even though it sounds it, I just don't like how he is as a player. I think Joel Embiid is a Joel Embiid first player. I've always thought that he. When, like, all of this that's happened. Well, not the appendicitis, but like all of the knee stuff that's happening now is because he made that run for the MVP that one year. He absolutely needed to be an MVP. He had to play the 65 games, and he ruined his knee going for it. And the. The Sixers do not have any chance at winning. Like, their only chance of winning a championship was with Embiid being healthy and dominant and being the focal point. So much of a focal point. So dominant that you can't help but make your teammates better. Now, he is such a shell of himself, but he still is Embiid first. Embiid should have known that coming back, like, coming back the way he looked, that that was not helping the team.

[Tom Westerholm]

No.

[John Corrales]

Why come back? But hey, again, I'm happy that he came back because it's going to make everything easier. Like you said, just put him in the actions. It. You have to know, like, if. If. If your return. And I. I was listening to Lockdown Sixers, Keith Pompei basically said this. Like, when the Celtics see Joel Embiid, they're like, yes, because you know he's going to grind everything else to a halt. You know, he's going to take a bunch of shots, and when he. What ends up happening is he comes in, he becomes a heliocentric thing. Other guys don't get into rhythm, so he feels like he has to do it all by himself. And then he sits down the other team, the rest of the guys are like, well, I'm just not in any kind of rhythm. You. We have to find it. And then he comes back in, he's like, it's not working. I got to be the one that does it. And then he ends up getting tired, and at the end of the game, he's just jacking a bunch of three pointers. And it might just come down to, is he feeling it from three or not? And even if he is, so what? Who cares? Joel and B could have 50 in game five. And this. The Sixers might still not score 100 points. That's the beauty of it all. And the Celtics don't have to do anything. When I write on the. On the rundown here. Simple by design. I think there's a lot of reasons why the Celtics have kept this entire game plan super, super simple. And Joel Embiid's return means that you don't have to complicate anything at all. Still simple that is Coming up when we come back. Today's show is brought to you by five Hour Energy. If you got a sweet tooth, you know how tough it is to find that perfect treat without all the sugar. That's why Fruity Rainbow five Hour Energy Shots bring that nostalgic flavor back in a whole new way. Fruity Rainbow 5 hour energy shots treat your taste buds through an explosion of fruity flavor with a tasty caffeine kick. It's quick, it's easy. It satisfies that sweet craving while keeping things simple and on the go. I made the drive from Philly back home and very simple. He's not that much sleep and then you're on the road. Even if it's the middle of the day, you can feel that, that highway hypnosis coming in. Just reach for one of those fruity five hour Fruity Rainbow five Hour Energy Shots.

[Tom Westerholm]

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[John Corrales]

Thank you for making lockdown Celtics your first listen every day here for you Monday through Friday. Bonus Podcast I have a conversation I have about four minute conversation with Peyton Pritchard. A one on one that I will air in a bonus podcast before tomorrow's game. So that'll be what something to look forward to before game five. So in addition to this, I got a bonus podcast for you. Bonus podcast can be during the week, on the weekends, whenever. So make sure you're subscribed. Watch the show on YouTube. Join me I'm John Corrales. If you don't know who I am. I cover the Celtics for Sports Illustrated. Celtics on us. I've been doing a job covering the Celtics for 20 years. Been doing this podcast for 10 years. 10 years. Podcasting is a long time, Tom Westerholm to be doing a podcast. Ten years. I say it every, every podcast and just every once in a while I'm like, man, it's wild.

[Tom Westerholm]

The podcasts are. Have been around for 10 years.

[John Corrales]

I don't even know. I think, I think for two of those years it wasn't even called a podcast.

[Tom Westerholm]

I mean, listen, I didn't. Yeah, some of my favorite podcasts are 10 years old. Like are doing 10 year anniversary shows. It's wild.

[John Corrales]

It's wild. Anyway, so when I write simple by Design, I think one thing that I think has stood out to me is the Celtics haven't really gotten to any of their super creative offense. It's just been kind of attack mismatches. The talent is there. There are adjustments being made, no doubt, but. And especially within bead back, it's very simple to just keep, keep going at that matchup. In fact, there was one late in the game where Tatum, Tatum was going to attack it and then it didn't quite work out so he pulled it back out and passed it out and he wanted it back to attack and beat again. And it just swung. It was like jumping up and down. He's like, oh man, that's how bad they want that matchup. But it's so, it's so simple. It is such a simple offense. It's just the ultimate read and react. I haven't seen them run a ton of their different plays. I haven't seen them run a ton of different variations. They had. I think Tatum set a screen for the first time on ball in this game. I gotta look it up. I think it's only. He's only done it once this series. They haven't gone to any of that stuff. They haven't had to.

[Tom Westerholm]

Yeah.

[John Corrales]

And so I think, I think a lot of this, a lot of their potential kind of tweaks and stuff like that. I don't want to say Joe hasn't made adjustments. He has. If you, if you were to hear me saying this right now, he'd be like, John, you're not paying attention. I've done blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. But what I'm saying is big like Grant, like the adjustments that we can see.

[Tom Westerholm]

Yes.

[John Corrales]

Right. Like, like it's, it's the good place. It's. We got all Four of the clues that you left me, and it. Joe's like, no, I left you 100, like, whatever. Million clues.

[Tom Westerholm]

Actually left you thousands of clues. But it's good that you figured it out in the end.

[John Corrales]

Those four. Yeah. So that. That's our level, but it's those four that I'm talking about that we all. That we all see. He hasn't had to do the big, blatant, most obvious ones and things by design, because you don't need them to beat the Sixers. You definitely don't need them to beat them now because, again, I'm harping on the Embiid thing, because just attack him. Just put them in, pick and roll and whatever he does. Oh, he's up to touch, no problem. Just, we're going to hit the roller. If he. If he stands, if he drops, we're going to step into it. Anything that he decides to do. Easy, easy, easy. Counters. All you got to do is read it. And these guys are good at that. So that's what I mean by simple. By design.

[Tom Westerholm]

Yeah. I mean, if you want a series that kind of looks a little bit like. In some ways, you know, it's kind of like the finals, right, against the Mavericks, where it's like, there's kind of one guy that we can just keep hammering at, and there's no way to stop it because you can't take him off the floor. You need him on the floor all the time. And, you know, if, you know, it's. It's tough, man. I mean, it. You know, it's funny, right? In the. In the last segment, I. We were getting close to the break, but, you know, you said something about how the Sixers would never win a championship with Joelle Embiid, or just how they would never win a championship. Like, they missed a chance. And I mean, it's. It's funny, right, because it's like, I. I don't know. Surround maxi with the right guys. That guy's awesome. Like, I am sky high on Tyrese Maxi right now. And it's just it, like, again, like you said, it's just simple. It's. It's just. Indeed, that's the. That's the problem here. I mean, there's. There's other problems, too, right? Like, the Celtics are better. Like you again, right. It's more complex than.

[John Corrales]

Than.

[Tom Westerholm]

It's just Embiid. The Celtics are also, like, significantly better than the Sixers.

[John Corrales]

Yes.

[Tom Westerholm]

Full stop. Right. There's a reason everybody, like, you know, alarms started blaring as soon as they lost game two. And everybody's like, whoa, this isn't right. Like, yeah, the Celtics are the better team here. But, but when, when, when embidons on the floor, it kind of becomes less about who's the better team and more about just, just this, just this giant bullseye that the, the Sixers have attached to their chest and are just letting the Celtics, you know, throw darts at. It just is really easy. Now.

[John Corrales]

I am curious, I am very curious to see how they approach this moving forward, because they, they could just like, hey, you know what? He's back. I don't care. Like, Nick Nurse is probably done. He's got to be done. Philly. Like that, that's not, that can't last anymore. So he's probably out. I mean, we might. How many, how many coaching vacancies are going to be after these playoffs? Nurse is out. Mosley will be out eventually. Even though Orlando. We're recording this as Orlando leaves, see

[Tom Westerholm]

how far Orlando goes.

[John Corrales]

Listen, my, my wild theory about Orlando is that as soon as the Jamal Mosley is going to get fired, no matter what story came out, they were like, oh, great, no problem then. Okay, we'll try then. We'll look. Seriously.

[Tom Westerholm]

I, I, it does feel like that.

[John Corrales]

It really feels like this. The story came out like, hey, you know, they're, they're not. He's not saving his job. And like, the magic, we're trying to tank the season to get him fired. And now it was like, well, if he's gonna go anyway, then, hey, we might as well make a run. And if he wins the games, why, why continue to embarrass ourselves in an effort to get. He's gone. Okay, great. Ding dong, the witch is dead. We're just go out there and we're gonna. Oh, we're good again. Oh, hallelujah. I can see. I can see I have legs like that.

[Tom Westerholm]

You guys all know this is not Jamal Mosley, right? We're all, we're all clear that this is not Jamal Mosley.

[John Corrales]

Yeah.

[Tom Westerholm]

Okay. All right. Bet.

[John Corrales]

Good. Good. All right, so let's just go beat the Pistons. Let's just go beat the one seat. Let's just go beat him. Yeah. So, yeah, that's. So Mosley's gone. Nurse is gone. Eme Udoka. He's talking like a guy who's gone.

[Tom Westerholm]

He is talking like a guy who is gone.

[John Corrales]

I mean, that's kind of like Ime's ethos anyway. Yes. But, but he's really taking it to another level. So he's probably there's gonna be some interesting job openings here. But anyway, this whole thing started with me saying like, Nick Nurse. Maybe Nick Nurse just be like, whatever you want to play. The sooner. The sooner we play Joel and bead 35 minutes, the sooner I am out of here. I can grab my guitar and go and like, whatever. Like, that's, that's it.

[Tom Westerholm]

I. I don't love how relatable that is, so let's move on.

[John Corrales]

Are you tanking this podcast so you can be done with it and go play the guitar? If I come back from break and you're playing a guitar.

[Tom Westerholm]

Yeah, to be upset.

[John Corrales]

I don't know how to finish that sentence, but I'm gonna take a break right now and see what happens.

[Tom Westerholm]

All right.

[John Corrales]

This message is brought to you by Apple Card Spring always feels like a reset, clearing things out, simplifying what you don't need. Apple Card is built with that same idea in mind. No annual fee, no late fees, and no foreign transaction fees. No fees, period. Get started and apply in the Wallet app on your iPhone today. Subject to credit approval. Variable APRs for Apple Card range from 17.49 to 27.74 based on credit worthiness rates as of January 1, 2026. Existing customers can view their Variable APR in the Wallet app [e-mail] Apple Card issued by Goldman Sachs Bank USA, Salt Lake City branch terms and more at applecard.com you're juggling a lot, but you

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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 started at nm, the Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

[John Corrales]

Thank you for making Locked on Celtics your first listen every day. You are an everydayer. So let's go ahead and make this thing official. Join the Lockdown Every Dayer club and get ad free audio access to our members only. Discord and more. All built for our Most loyal fans. That's you. Check it out at lockdownceltics.super cast.com lockdownceltics.supercast.com it's five $5 a month or $50 for the year to join the everyday club. I'll also drop a link in the show.

[Tom Westerholm]

No, you would have been disappointed if I didn't have one. Right. Like that. That was.

[John Corrales]

I did set you up for that.

[Tom Westerholm]

Yeah, you did.

[John Corrales]

Yeah. You gotta play something at least.

[Tom Westerholm]

It's really out of tune. I'm not playing anything on the podcast right now.

[John Corrales]

Oh, man. All right, we'll save. You gonna do, like. Maybe you playing guitar is gonna be like the new open music. Because I don't really. I can't play open music anymore. I got to get right to the start of the show. So maybe you just do, like, a quick riff or something.

[Tom Westerholm]

Yeah.

[John Corrales]

Like a world thing.

[Tom Westerholm]

Yeah, Just a little, like. Just, like, lockdown. Yeah.

[John Corrales]

Yeah. Excellent.

[Tom Westerholm]

I'll figure something out for you. I'll. I'll come back with, like, a pitch deck, and we can. We'll.

[John Corrales]

We'll talk. Are you concerned at all by Namishkeda this series? A little bit. A little bit, right?

[Tom Westerholm]

I mean, it's like, one time is one thing, right? You go out, get foul trouble the first game. All right. I mean, you know, we're. Before the pod, we were just saying, like, all right, try again. Fail better. You know, like, it's like, all right, you'll be all right, whatever. Game two, it's like, buddy, you gotta not do that. You know, game by game four, it's like, you gotta stop fouling. Like, you need to. You need to be on the floor. Like, you need to. Why are you reaching? Why that fourth foul he picked up? What are you doing? That's the thing. Kada, all season, has been really. Has played a really smart brand of basketball. I've been so impressed by the way that. Because he used to play a not as smart brand of basketball. And like, that. That was the biggest change this year, right? It was setting better screens. Not get. You know, getting. Not. Not getting off his feet at the wrong times. Not. Not picking up dumb fouls all the time. Now it's like, at the time that you really need to show everybody, like, hey, look at. You know, look how much better I am on this. On the. The big stage, the stage that everybody's been waiting for all season. It doesn't look good. So, look, I mean, it's only the first round. Plenty of time to turn this around. But I don't love it. I don't love the start, that's for sure.

[John Corrales]

I agree wholeheartedly because it's. It really is. The types of files. There's some. There's some illegal screens. They're calling a lot of illegal screens.

[Tom Westerholm]

They are calling a lot of illegal screens. If it was just illegal screens, it would Be one thing.

[John Corrales]

It'd be one thing. The biting on up fakes, jumping forward into players like, okay, you gotta. You got to stay vertical, man. You gotta stay vertical. You have to have the discipline of understanding. You don't have to try to block all the shots all the time. Like beyond the foul trouble, each game now has a couple of those plays where a player is driving down one side of the lane. A Celtic is defending him. And the layup is going to be contested. And Nene is now taking the bait again.

[Tom Westerholm]

Yes.

[John Corrales]

And he's flying over Hassan Whiteside style.

[Tom Westerholm]

Wow.

[John Corrales]

I know. But he's. That's what he's doing. He's flying over to try to block a shot that's already contested. And the. The net effect is a putback. And now obviously wasn't really much of an issue in game four. They weren't. The Sixers weren't offensive rebounding. But those plays can be hurtful. I'm not even. I don't even care about the Sixers series anymore. The Celtics are going to play the Hawks or the Knicks and that's going to be a problem because if he's on the floor with Mitchell Robinson and he. Josh Hart is driving on Sam Houser.

[Tom Westerholm]

Right.

[John Corrales]

And he's driving and Sam's got him. Like maybe, maybe Hart has like a half step on him and how. But Hauser's kind of there. Let just, just get in position for the rebound. If he scores that bucket, let him do it. But Neemi has gotten away from the. Ah, okay. No, that's. That's a contested shot. The percentages on that are low. I have to offensive rebound because a Mitchell put back is a very high percentage thing. That's what he does. You can't have that happen. That's my concern. Nami Esh Keda has been. We did a podcast where I shocked the hell out of you by saying Namish Kaeda was like my number one storyline.

[Tom Westerholm]

Yes.

[John Corrales]

But here we are.

[Tom Westerholm]

We've done way too many Maya Culpas this season for him to be doing this crap like. Like with you. How many times we said our bad. No, like, stick with it, man. Come on.

[John Corrales]

It's a very simple thing. It's a very. Like, he has shown in this series the flashes of what he's been during the regular season. I thought in game one, the only issue was foul trouble for the most part. In game one, I thought he was great.

[Tom Westerholm]

Yes.

[John Corrales]

Otherwise game two was bad. Game three was game four, it didn't matter. But he. The reach in Tango up foul now. Now you have to go up against and be like, this is the ultimate test. You ever see like those videos of someone holding like a piece of chicken in front of a dog and being like, no, you can't take it. Like, Joel Embiid is the ultimate piece of chicken in front of Namishkada. Embiid is going to do everything to grift the foul. Don't take the piece of chicken. Don't take the treat. Don't go for it. Have the discipline. Be the stoic one there. You got that dog in you. Be the dog that doesn't take the piece of chicken. That's what I'm saying to Mishkada. Like, you got to sit there and understand, you know who's in front of you. He is going to up fake. Embiid cannot jump anymore. He can't jump anymore. He got a dunk in that game, but it's like he has to jump like 6 inches to dunk the ball. Just, he's. He's always going to fake, always when you're around. So don't bite on it. Right. Don't be like, I'm going to block this guy. So that every, every issue that he's having right now is upstairs.

[Tom Westerholm]

Yes.

[John Corrales]

It's all scouting report. It's all understanding the situation. Has been a fast learner all season long. This is a very compressed situation. So he has to be an even faster learner.

[Tom Westerholm]

Yeah.

[John Corrales]

Okay. If there's anything I want to see in game five, besides another 30 point win, it's. It's Keita playing eight minutes in the first quarter. Just give me eight minutes in the first quarter and I will be happy because it's at least a sign of progress that you can stay on the floor, especially against Joel Embiid. That's the number one thing I'm looking for. If he can do that. The Celtics. I think the Celtics can win easily anyway. That's it.

[Tom Westerholm]

I. I think that. Yeah, I think that's great. I think that one of the other biggest concerns that I have with this. Right. Is the Celtics were really, really, really good this year for a lot of reasons, but one of them was the fact that their center was outplaying a lot of other centers. Right. And that's not going to be the case if they have to rely really heavily on Vuch. And I'm not, I'm not saying that to, to, to bag on Vuch at all or. That's not what I'm doing here. Like, I think Vuch has his, his, his uses and his flaws. I think there's, there's good things, there's bad things, but they didn't bring him in to be a starting center. They brought him in as a backup. And if he's the guy who's going to have to play a lot of minutes, because the guy that really lifted you at the center position was one of your plus minus superstars all year, one of your best on off superstars all year. That guy's got to be good if the Celtics want to do what they hope to do. So, you know, I mean, right on that podcast. I was, I mean, just from a narrative perspective, I, I, yeah, I was stunned when you were like, you know, Kate is, you know, one of the biggest stories of the year, but, or I think you said the second biggest story of the year or the first. I don't remember where you had him, but maybe second. Did you have him second?

[John Corrales]

Well, as far as narrative wise, I forget where I said, like, on the court, basketball wise, I, I had him first.

[Tom Westerholm]

You had him first. Okay. Yeah. So, like, I thought that was quite lofty, but the, the truth is, right, he's, he. Where we landed on all of that was that it all is mixed together. It's all tied together. It's very hard to separate that out. And he's a big piece of that, a massive piece of that. So, yeah, I mean, he's got to be great for the Celtics to, to win a title this year. And, you know, what we're seeing so far is not if, if it's like this going forward, the Celtics aren't going to win a title. That's just, I think that's pretty simple.

[John Corrales]

I think that I'll, I'll make my final point just by saying it simply. If Keita is not playing like himself, that fundamentally changes what the Celtics are.

[Tom Westerholm]

Yeah.

[John Corrales]

Because he's been a constant all season long. Think he's been there all year long. He's been their center. He's. Yes, he's grown, but he has been their center. They have spent 82 games of the regular season minus whatever, whatever. You missed a couple here or there working with him. Having him be an integral part of their offense and defense, if he's not there, that fundamentally changes who they are as a team. Because if you have to go to Vuch on a regular basis and Garza on a regular basis, that changes the type of defense you can play. If those are your two main guys. I'm not talking about filling in here or there, putting Garza in as a backup for a few minutes. Like, that's fine.

[Tom Westerholm]

Yes.

[John Corrales]

But if those are your main guys now, you have to. Oh, God. We don't have a rim protector back there. Your entire offense is built on Mimi, the rim protector. The. Your entire defense, your offense is built on Mimi the screener and hard roller and guy who's developed into a good passer in the short role. You've developed all of that. Like, Tatum can be in and out. Jalen can be in and out. You've learned how to work with that. You can go to Baylor in situations and Jordan situations, and that doesn't fundamentally change who they are. Nene being in foul trouble or Nene not being himself, that's the one player who fundamentally changes the entire defense and a large part of their offense. He is. To me, he is that important just because of how he keeps everything snapped into place for everybody else.

[Tom Westerholm]

Yep. Yeah, I agree. I mean, it's like Neemi's. Neemi's foundational. Right. Like, to this team, he is. You are. Things are built on Neemi, you know, Garza Vuch. These are. These are good players. They. They do good things for you sometimes. But it's, you know, it's the difference between, you know, like a color of siding on your house versus the. What The. The foundation. Like, you.

[John Corrales]

You.

[Tom Westerholm]

The foundation is what you really need in place. If that goes away, all the siding in the world is coming crashing down. Right. So it's. Yeah, I. I think it's. It's very important that Keda is himself.

[John Corrales]

Yes. So let's hope he does that. Just eight minutes in game one. Eight minutes in the first.

[Tom Westerholm]

Imagine eight. Eight minutes and like, eight minutes and. And like zero or one fouls in the first quarter.

[John Corrales]

Right, Right.

[Tom Westerholm]

That'd be like.

[John Corrales]

I'd be like, oh, okay, good.

[Tom Westerholm]

Yeah.

[John Corrales]

Yeah. And listen, he. He. The way he's gone this season, wouldn't be surprised by it. I'm not saying, like, I like the. I am not saying that. Oh, God, he's lost it. Correct. I have not used the word revert or regressed. I've not used those words specifically. I do not think he's reverted or regressed. Just think he's having a problem with the fouls and he's. He's just falling. Like, some of the bad habits are. Are kind of resurfacing. But it's just.

[Tom Westerholm]

We didn't say we grassed. We said resurfaced.

[John Corrales]

There's a difference. No, but, like, that.

[Tom Westerholm]

Yes.

[John Corrales]

No, that's all important. Like, to me. I want to be specific about that.

[Tom Westerholm]

Yeah.

[John Corrales]

So eight minutes in the first quarter of game five. That's the target. Get that. Be fine.

[Tom Westerholm]

Yeah, it's good.

[John Corrales]

All right, Tom, thank you.

[Tom Westerholm]

Appreciate you.

[John Corrales]

I appreciate you, too. I really do appreciate you. Tom Wester home, even though you tried to play the guitar. Tune that thing up for next time, will you? I appreciate you listening, watching. Thank you for being here. The Celtics fans who said hi in Philly, I love it. I love seeing Celtics fans locked on, Celtics fans on the road. Thank you so much for making the show part of your daily routine. Being an everydayer, seeing a married couple at both as everydayers. Come on. This is great. I keep marriages together and healthy and happy. Sure, let's go with that. Thank you for listening. Thank you for watching. I do appreciate all of you, especially if you share the podcast. Tell everybody they should be listening to and watching the Lockdown Celtics podcast here on the Lockdown Podcast Network. It's your team. Every day, Liberty Mutual customizes your car and home insurance to save you money. That's it. That's the ad. No bells and whistles?

[Tom Westerholm]

No, guys.

[John Corrales]

I said no bells and whistles. No

[Tom Westerholm]

trombones are fun.

[John Corrales]

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[Commercial Announcer]

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[Tom Westerholm]

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