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Locked On Celtics - Daily Podcast On The Boston Celtics
NAUGHTY OR NICE: Boston Celtics, Brad Stevens, and Jaylen Brown DOMINATE Early Season Surprises
00:43:53
Boston Celtics fans get their Naughty and Nice lists just in time for Christmas as John Karalis and Tom Westerholm dissect the biggest surprises and disappointments on the roster. Is Brad Stevens leading an off-court masterclass, and has JaYlen Brown’s evolution pushed him to true superstar status? The hosts spotlight Joe Mazzulla’s Coach of the Year credentials, Neemias Queta's unexpected rise, and which young Celtics—including Jordan Walsh and Hugo Gonzalez—are outperforming expectations. Meanwhile, the Naughty List raises tough questions: what’s gone wrong with Sam Hauser and Chris Boucher? Can the Celtics count on their secondary shooters in pivotal moments? The conversation heats up with rapid-fire takes on the Eastern Conference landscape, Giannis Antetokounmpo’s future, and why Trae Young remains a franchise dilemma. Stay tuned for candid analysis, smart stats, and a festive spin on the highs and lows driving the Boston Celtics’ season.
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- [00:02]
John Corrales
It's the Locked on podcast network your team every day.
- [00:10]
Tom Westerholm
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- [00:39]
John Corrales
Guys, thanks for helping me carry my Christmas tree. Zoe. This thing weighs a ton. Drew Ski, lift with your legs, man. Santa.
- [00:45]
Tom Westerholm
Santa, did you get my letter?
- [00:46]
John Corrales
He's talking to you britches. I'm not.
- [00:49]
Tom Westerholm
Of course he did.
- [00:50]
John Corrales
Right, Santa, you know my elf Drew Ski here. He handles the nice list. An elf? I'm six' three. What everyone wants is iPhone 17 and at T Mobile. You can get it on them. That center stage front camera is amazing for group selfies. Right, Mrs. Claus? I'm Mrs. Claus, much younger sister. And AT T Mobile, there's no trade in needed when you switch, so you can keep your old phone or give it as a gift. And the best part, you can make the switch to T Mobile from your phone in just 15 minutes. Guys, my side of the tree is slipping. Timber. The holidays are better. AT T Mobile switch in just 15 minutes and get iPhone 17 on us with no trade in needed. And now T Mobile is available in US cellular stores with 24 monthly bill.
- [01:29]
Tom Westerholm
Credits for well qualified customers plus tax and $35 vice connection charge credit and.
- [01:31]
John Corrales
Balance due if you pay off earlier. Cancer Finance 256 gigs, $830 eligible board in a new line, $100 plus a month plan with auto payments, taxes and fees required. Check out in 15 minutes or less per line. Visit t mobile.com Primal Kitchen is known for outrageously delicious sauces and condiments. And now their pure avocado oil can be a staple in your kitchen too. With its high smoke point, neutral flavor and healthy fats, it's perfect for grilling, baking, sauteing, marinating, whatever you're cooking. Primal Kitchen pure avocado oil gets the job done. Pure, quality tested and trusted. Grab a bottle at Walmart stores nationwide or online@walmart.com It's Christmas Day, so we're doing our Celtics and Eastern conference naughty and nice lists right now on the Locked On Celtics podcast.
- [02:18]
Tom Westerholm
Huh?
- [02:19]
John Corrales
Yep, yep. Be town be ever ready. It's the se. Who else could it be? What they Gonna say Now, screaming like J.T. corralis, recap the madness. Every game, every practice, crime time, Depp and D. White on the sideline. Rennie J. How we started raising banners, how we finished locked on Celtics pod. Home of the winners, baby. Hey, there. Welcome back to the Lockdown Celtics podcast right here in the Lockdown Podcast network. Where is your team every day? Your team is the Boston Celtics, and I'm talking about them every day. Yes, it's Christmas day. For those of you who celebrate, Merry Christmas. Those of you not celebrating, if you're celebrating something else, I hope you have a great holiday. If you're not celebrating anything, happy Thursday. You know, this is. We're gonna celebrate anyway. We're gonna do it Christmas style, though. I've got the ornaments up on the YouTube page, so let's. Let's just have fun today. This show's free, available everywhere Monday through Friday. Bonus podcast on the weekends. I invite you to be coming every day or join me every Monday through Friday. Uh, if you're new to the show, let me introduce myself. I'm John Corrales, beat writer for Boston Sports Journal. I have been doing a version of this job for about 20 years now, this podcast for 10, and I've written a couple books about the team. So, like I said, we're doing naughty and nice lists, and I'm bringing Tom Westerholm back. Tom, we did this podcast yesterday, and we're back a full day later to record a podcast. Amazing.
- [03:46]
Tom Westerholm
Time is. Time is weird, man. I. I don't. I don't.
- [03:49]
John Corrales
Feels. Yeah. Slept in these clothes yesterday, woke up and did. And we're doing another podcast.
- [03:59]
Tom Westerholm
It's true.
- [04:00]
John Corrales
So, yeah, it's time just. Yes. So the whole show is our Naughty and Nice list, starting with the Boston Celtics. I don't know, Tom, you want to go naughty list or nice first?
- [04:16]
Tom Westerholm
Well, let's do. I mean, listen, it's Christmas. What are you. Scrooge, We've been talking about this. I thought you were nice, Scrooge. I was, but then when we talked.
- [04:24]
John Corrales
Yesterday, that was yesterday when we talked a full day ago. So you want to do Nice list? Okay.
- [04:32]
Tom Westerholm
Nice.
- [04:32]
John Corrales
Yeah. Who's on the nice list? I'm gonna start with Brad Stevens on the nice list.
- [04:38]
Tom Westerholm
Yeah.
- [04:38]
John Corrales
Brad Stevens is, I think, first on a nice list. I think he's going to get the best gift this year because not only did he draft Hugo Gonzalez, a guy I'm mildly excited about, I think he's going to be a, you know, potentially decent player. So I think He's. He's the. I think one of the, the big storylines from the Celtics this season is how many hits they've had on the fringes. And, you know, it's. Part of it is Nish K coming up and being a much better center than I expected and I think than a lot of people expected. His internal development is. Has been great and just kind of sticking with him and giving him that opportunity. Hits with like, Josh Minot, obviously, Ugo, Jordan Walsh, like all of these guys. Luke Garza, who, you know, I don't know what Luka is going to end up being, but, like, he's. He's helped the Celtics win games, you.
- [05:34]
Tom Westerholm
Know, and twice in a row. Yeah.
- [05:37]
John Corrales
So when you acquire players that come in and help you win games, that's a hit for you, man. That's a hit. And I think everything, everything has come up. Milhouse for Brad Stevens. So I think when we talk about nice lists for the Celtics, he's got to be at the top.
- [05:55]
Tom Westerholm
Yep. I agree with that. I think number one on my nice list is Jalen. I. I think.
- [06:01]
John Corrales
Yeah.
- [06:02]
Tom Westerholm
I mean, what, what a season. You know, yesterday or two days ago, because time is passing, you know, after the game, you know, he's like, you know. Yeah. I don't even remember when the last time was when I. I didn't score 30 points. Like. Yeah, me neither, dude. Like, you just keep. Just keep getting buckets, keep winning a row.
- [06:22]
John Corrales
Seven in a row, right.
- [06:23]
Tom Westerholm
And I believe 10 of 11. Yeah. Like, crazy run, crazy season. He's. He's been awesome. You know, I thought it was. There is a. There are two, like, archetypes of players who get MVP chance from home fans. Right. And one is like, you're not just a star. You're, like, doing some special stuff as, as a superstar. That's when. That's when you earn a really good, you know, an arena, like TD garden. And that's when they will chant MVP for you. They're not going to chant MVP for just any old all star. They're going to chant MVP for somebody who is doing something really noteworthy over the course of. Over a course of time. And Jalen has done that all year. He's been that good all year. And then the other archetype of player who gets chanted MVP for is like a random dude who just has like a hilarious great game and then it's like a circuit. Like not a sarcastic, but like a factious MVP chant. Those are great. But, yeah, like Jaylen's. I mean, I, I Just, I'm so impressed by the way he's playing, by the way he's, you know, the way he's like the game is slowing down and he's slowing down within the game. You know, he's, he is playing at his own pace. So much better this season. There were times in that Indiana game, especially late, where he's, he's playing at a Luca Doncic speed, you know, like that really exaggerated. I am doing precisely what I want, when I want to do it, how I want to do it, and there's nothing you can do about it because I have, you know, the, know how the strength and the skill at this point to, to get where I want and do what I want. So I, my. I, I mean, top of the nice list for me is Jaylen just, just endlessly impressed by him this year. And I, it's. And it's fun that he's having fun, you know, that he's like, yeah, this is, this is the most fun I've had in my. Yeah, that's awesome, man.
- [08:16]
John Corrales
I'm glad to watch. So I think, I think that's 100% right. Like, it's, he, he's kind of like a different person. He's the same person, but like outwardly he's, he's different. Like he's expressing himself a little bit differently. So it is set seven in a row and then what is it? 1, 2, 3. So 10, 10 of 11. And the 11th game was a 19 points, 12 rebound, 11 assist, triple double. So he's on. We typically call that a heater. And he's, he's on one, baby. Yeah, he's, he's, he's playing great. Definitely an all NBA player this year. I would have to be something catastrophic to, to keep him off that. And as we see, like, I don't think Victor Wembanyama is going to play 65 games. I don't think Giannis gonna play 65 games. You got guys that are not going to make that 65 game threshold. He could get a first female NBA. So.
- [09:14]
Tom Westerholm
And that's the other, and that's the other thing about him is how durable he's been this year. You know, it's like I joked, I joked on Boston.com after the last game, like, you know, he blew out his shoes, right? And it's like, oh, no, for a fledgling brand, don't blow out your seven, four ones. No, but, but if you want the counter. And this is from somebody who, this is from somebody who prefers Tatums, right? Like I'm not. I'm not some brand ambassador here unless Tatum wants to send me some free stuff. But, like, the. The 741s, like, Jalen is more durable and having the best season of his career than he's been at any point in his career so far. So if you want, there's. There's a free talking point for you. 741s might have busted his shoe, but the man has been on the court, so I did.
- [09:56]
John Corrales
I did ask him if he was going to contact the manufacturer and send a. Send in a complaint and ask for a refund. He said, I might do that. So hopefully you can get in touch with those guys. Yeah, I'll do. I'll do one more. Nice list quickly. That's Joe Missoula, who I've talked about at length this week. And I think the way things are going is, you know, obviously coach of the year type of material. The. The decision, obviously, like, you should have seen Press Row when it was like, hey, it. That's interesting. Jalen's not in the game. Oh, my God. None of the starters are in the game.
- [10:32]
Tom Westerholm
It's.
- [10:32]
John Corrales
What is 9, 20 to go in the third quarter? Oh, my God. He benched everybody. Oh, my. Like, is he. Is he mailing it in, like. And then, like, they're making a run, and we're like, oh, my God. So now we know everybody's writing the same story. It's just this. This is now a cooking competition. We're all doing. We're giving the same ingredients, and it's like, who can come up with a different version of the same thing? And, like, I don't know how. Who won, but we all. We all presented our version of oh, my God. Joe Missoula benched everybody, and it worked. What a brilliant move. He's. He's been. I'll just. I'll just say it quickly this way. A lot of people asked to see, like, okay, let's see him coach these guys up. If he's such a good coach, let's see him coach up this group. Well, they're 18 and 11. They're the third seed right now and playing well. And everybody that he puts in finds a way to contribute. And if they don't, they sit and someone else comes in to contribute, and they're all cool with it. They're all cool with it.
- [11:32]
Tom Westerholm
He benched his franchise superstar, and his franchise superstar afterward was like, I was pissed. But, you know, that was a good call by Joe, like, with that, you know, and it's because he is so uniquely himself and he is.
- [11:47]
John Corrales
So. He is.
- [11:48]
Tom Westerholm
He's not. He does not have an agenda other than just winning basketball games. Like, he is. There's no. No, what you see is what you get all the time with him. And like, I. There. There's a genuineness about obviously, like, sometimes he's. Sometimes I think he's doing a bit, but, like, the bit fits with who he is and like, the players know who he is and are like, well, this is just Joe being Joe. Yeah. Like he wants to get a wolf. Sure.
- [12:18]
John Corrales
Joe. Sure, sure. Of course he does.
- [12:22]
Tom Westerholm
Of course you want a wolf.
- [12:24]
John Corrales
Yeah. Like, yeah. It's not like no one's. No one's, like, looking at each other like, oh, my God, this guy's crazy anymore. Everybody's just like, yeah, yeah, that's sounds. It's gonna happen. That's. Joe's gonna ask for a wolf. Sometimes you just gotta be, you know, you gotta be ready for that.
- [12:43]
Tom Westerholm
Real quick. On the nice list, I wanna. I want to do two very, like, lightning round ones. Kate has been awesome. So much better than I expected. So much better than I know you expected. He's. He's been. He's been so helpful for this team. I. I mean, like, the. The plus minus on all that, but also just like, the improvements that he's made to his game and the level of control that he's playing with, that I did not expect. I did not expect him to be. I expected him to foul out of every game by setting moving screens, and that has not happened. So he's been. He's been quite good. He deserves a nod. And then I. And then I also think, you know, like, you're Minots. Like, all those guys, like, they've been like Jordan Walshes. They've just been pretty good, right? Like, better than, like, you touched on it with Brad, but they've been solid. Just good players. Unexpectedly good players.
- [13:37]
John Corrales
So great. It's been great. Okay. My last one.
- [13:40]
Tom Westerholm
Yeah.
- [13:42]
John Corrales
Gonzalez. Of course he is, man. Hugo. That's. That's yesterday's show.
- [13:48]
Tom Westerholm
I was gonna say, like, we did.
- [13:50]
John Corrales
We do another.
- [13:51]
Tom Westerholm
Gonna do another 38 minutes and get.
- [13:53]
John Corrales
Your 24 hours naughty list. We'll come back with the Celtics naughty list when we return. Today's show is brought to you by Prize Picks. You know, the holiday season, it's a great time for sports. We've got bowl games, we've got playoff football. We got big basketball matchups. This is Christmas Day. This is the huge day for basketball. And one of the most fun places to make the right call is prize picks. It's the easiest way to get in on daily fantasy. You pick more or less on at least two player projections. You lock in your lineup. You're in the game. Very simple. It's fast. It's available in 45 states, including California, Texas, Florida and Georgia. You create a lineup in less than a minute and the app makes the whole process smooth and intuitive. The early payout feature is a great bonus. When your lineup starts strong, you say, hey, you know what? I'm going to cash out right now. You have the option sometimes there with the early payout feature to get that cash out early. The new stacks feature lets you choose the same player. You get it up to three times, right? So if you want to do Drake, maybe you can pick more or less on his passing yards, touchdowns and rushing yards. Which is fun because watching Drake may play football is fun. And the deposits and withdrawals are super easy. Keeps everything flowing. Download that prize picks app today. Use the code locked on NBA. You get $50 in lineups after you play your first $5 lineup. That's code locked on NBA to get $50 in lineups after YOU play your first $5 lineup. Prize picks. It's good to be right Locked on.
- [15:25]
Tom Westerholm
Listeners asked for more and now you can get it with the Every for just $5 a month. You'll get every episode ad free plus access to our members only Discord Exclusive audio from Locked On Sports today and other perks you won't find anywhere else. If you never miss a show, this is the next step. Join the Everydayer club today@lockedonpodcast.com everydayerclub or visit the link in the show notes. That's lockedonpodcast.com everydayerclub club part of the Locked On Podcast Network. Your team every day.
- [16:04]
John Corrales
Thank you for making Lockdown Celtics the number one Boston Celtics podcast on the number one podcast network. Sports Podcast Network Lockdown Podcast Network is the number one sports podcast network you're already in every day or now. Level up. Join the Everydayer club. You get ad free audio. You get access to our Discord Server merchandise, all of that stuff. It's $5 a month for all of that stuff or 50 bucks for the year. You can sign up at lockdown celtics supercast.com lockdown celtics.supercast.com to join the everydayer Club. Tom Naughty List who's at the top of your Boston Celtics Naughty list?
- [16:46]
Tom Westerholm
Well, haven't loved what we've seen from Sam Houser this season That's a, you know, it's a tough one because I think, you know, with a shooter, you just got to keep shooting and you just, you gotta, you gotta find it. You just gotta keep doing it and keep doing it and keep doing it. And I mean, he's improved as a defender, right? Over the course of his, over the course of his career. He gets some rebounds, but yeah, I mean, it's. I think before the season we expected Hauser to start. Right. There's just not even a question of who should be in the. I mean, there's a question of who should be in the starting lineup, but it's, it's not Hauser. You know, it's, it's not Sam Houser. And I mean, I, I think a big part of the problem is just how much it would help the Celtics if he was making shots. Yeah, they're doing great. They're doing great without it. They're, they're playing awesome. But I mean, the fact that, you know, he's a, I mean, he played major minutes on, you know, title teams and on a title team and was a real contributor and then, you know, it just hasn't really done much to speak of this year. So I, is. He's, he's pretty close to the top of the list for me.
- [17:59]
John Corrales
So I will say that the three point percentage in December over nine games is at 39. So he's, you know, and I think, you know, he's had like a couple of big games, a couple of like, big ones and then some struggles. So it's, it's not a consistent. And honestly, one of the biggest problems with, with Hauser is he is a little bit more, for lack of a better term, hit or miss. Like, he is either, yes, shooting 60 or 70 from three or he's, he's shooting 20 from three and then he ends the season shooting 40. You're like, wow, man, he's a 43 point shooter. But it's, it's just the swings. And I know the three point shot is a higher variance shot, but I think this is just who he is. He's going to have his 32% months. January might end up being a 49 shooting month, and people are like, whoa, yeah, you know what I mean? So.
- [19:07]
Tom Westerholm
And if it is, by the way, the Celtics are like, might win 70 of their games, 75 of their games that month. Because when Hauser's hitting threes, that's, that's part of the thing with it, right? When he's hitting threes, like your Team has these, like, 15 point bursts that it's just like, good Lord, how did this game go from 4 points to 19 points? Like that? And the answer is Sam Houser. Right? So, like, that does happen. But, yeah, I mean, it's tough. It's. It's a tough thing. It's a tough thing as a shooter. I've been there, you know? Like, I. It's one of the reasons I always, like, I feel for him because I've. I've been in his precise position of like, you were a really good shooter last season. Why are you not shooting well this season? And it's like, dog, I don't know. I'm trying.
- [19:57]
John Corrales
I can guarantee you no one wants to make these shots more than I do. Correct that much. Yo, yo. So, yeah.
- [20:06]
Tom Westerholm
What? Balls and strikes. Corralis say Sam Hauser. That's. That's my first one.
- [20:11]
John Corrales
I'm gonna say. Chris Boucher is on.
- [20:14]
Tom Westerholm
Yeah.
- [20:14]
John Corrales
Yeah, that's. That's an easy one, right? That's an easy one. But, but, like, look, he. I, I'm sure, like, the expectations weren't high. He was a late signing. So it's not that anybody expected him to come in and be like, you know, prime Chris Boucher. But also, I kind of thought he might do something.
- [20:37]
Tom Westerholm
Yeah.
- [20:37]
John Corrales
And he isn't doing anything. And I just. I feel like he's. He. He has been trending this way over time. I just thought he would be more useful. And I don't have anything else to say, really, about Chris Boucher, because, you know, look, he's been around for a while. This may just be the end of the road for him. And he's had a very nice career. He's got a ring. He's made plenty of money. Like, you play in the, in the league for any amount of time, you've made plenty of money. You know, if you want to give me one minimum contract, right, for, you know, one season, I will gladly take the veteran minimum for one season. And just like, I'm almost. I'm like, basically, I was ever life. So. But anyway, Boucher is, is like, it would be. It would be nice if he would be playable in some, like, the small ball lineups where you've got Minot and Walsh at center. That's because Boucher hasn't been playable in those lineups. And I thought that's where he would have his, his impact. That when you wanted to go with a change of pace, you had big dude Mishkeda. You have medium dude who's still big in Luca Garza, but, you know, offensively, you know, and then you have like, kind of like an in between Boucher who's, you know, can still block shots and he can go out and hit some threes. And he was kind of like that in between that. If you want to go for some small lineups here and there, he, he would be your guy and just hasn't materialized.
- [22:09]
Tom Westerholm
Yeah, no, that's a good one. The, the only other guy, I, I have him on kind of both. Because here's the thing, right? I know you, you and I, I think, literally posted the same thing four seconds apart the other day. Baylor Simon is on both lists because, like, he does stuff, and you're just like, oh, this dude's just not an NBA player. Like, you know, he'll, like, hoist some, you know, like, like, you'll just, it's just like, it comes out on the field, comes out on the field, comes out on the court, and it's just like, you know, like, what, what are you, what exactly are you doing out there? And then all of a sudden, he gets a stop, like, flicks a pass behind his head in transition. And then, you know, and then, like, you know, the next game, like, he, you know, like, hoists some shot that looks like, you know, he's twisting his entire body around. And like, his form just looks busted sometimes. And then, like, you know, he'll, he'll fire a three from like, 30ft, and I'm like, dude, Missoula is gonna pull you off the court and pull your head off your shoulder, and then it goes in and it's like, oh, okay, I, yeah, never mind. Like, so I don't know. He's both.
- [23:13]
John Corrales
Okay, so I think, I think Shiren is pretty smart to become Hugo Gonzalez's best friend because he's gonna, you know, I've already said that Hugo is going to become, like, hall of Famer, mvp, multiple time mvp. So you want to hang around because Hugo's gonna have some of that, that sway and be like, no, you need to keep, you know, Baylor around just because he's my best buddy. So that's smart. Obviously, I'm joking around there.
- [23:37]
Tom Westerholm
No, I mean, listen. Like Emil Jefferson, right? Like, it's.
- [23:42]
John Corrales
Listen, I, I think I'm at a place where I've, I've been aggregated enough where I want to, you know, be clear that that was a joke.
- [23:52]
Tom Westerholm
Yes.
- [23:53]
John Corrales
So, yes, please, please, I, I, I make that joke because I do think it's fun that Charman and Gonzalez have become like, Such good friends.
- [24:06]
Tom Westerholm
The duolingo thing was very funny. That was.
- [24:08]
John Corrales
That's hilarious. Like. Like that. I don't know why I say it's an unlikely pairing, but. But it's not what I expected, right?
- [24:17]
Tom Westerholm
Like, two relatively young teammates or friends. Oh, like, what do you know? Like. But.
- [24:20]
John Corrales
Yeah, right. But also, like, you know, I. I do think it's fun. I do think.
- [24:24]
Tom Westerholm
I think it's the Nebraska and Spain thing. Like, I've spent a lot of time. I've spent a lot of time in Nebraska in my life. Like, I. I grew up, like, right next to it, right? Like. And like, Baylor looks like a Nebraska guy. He's got, like, a Nebraska guy haircut. Like, the whole thing is just screams rural Nebraska. Right? And then, you know, then you got Ugo.
- [24:45]
John Corrales
Great.
- [24:45]
Tom Westerholm
It's very funny.
- [24:46]
John Corrales
The only thing I'll say about Sherman is I think his form is a little bit busted. Yeah, I will. I. I think sometimes he might struggle to get some of those shots to reach the rim. Like, I feel like sometimes he's trying too hard. Watch. Watch him shoot. And when he is, like, the launch angle of his arm, when it's at, like, 45 degrees to me, it means he's kind of, like, pushing too hard to get that ball to the rim. And I don't like that arc, and that almost always misses. But when he gets that arm up to, like, 65 degrees, you know, 70 degrees, not like that full 90. He gives a little. Everybody's got a little bit of a bend to it, but when he gets that arc up, that shot goes in. Just watch for that. When. When his. When his follow through is more slanted, the shot has a less. Less of a chance of going in. When it's a little bit higher or straighter, that's when it's. It's soft. He's not trying as hard to get it there. I just think that there's some. Some struggle here or there. Or maybe it's just like his shot is just a little bit janky. I. I don't know. That's. That's my last thing about charming. I completely agree. We're on the same page. We did. We did post the same thing, like, within five seconds of each other. Unrelated the other day about, like, I was done with him and then he played awesome. So. All right, we'll come back. We'll do NBA quick, rapid fire and, like, Eastern Conference. Nice, naughty, Nice lists. We'll do that when we return. Today's show is brought to you by DoorDash season is heating up even though it's cold outside. And who wants to go outside anyway? Doordash has a way of keeping fans in their bag the whole season long. Whether you're watching the highlights the tunnel fits or Your favorite player, DoorDash makes the entire season fun because each player has his bag. And with doordash, you have one too. Doordash keeps your snacks stocked, your gear fresh, and your watch party vibes absolutely on point. There are nights where your team stresses you out. You can let doordash become your post game therapy because sometimes you just want dessert right now. Those late nights when you suddenly need chips at midnight, DoorDash is built exactly for that. And if the group chat says pull up DoorDash, make sure that you show up prepared snacks, cups, even a phone charger for their friend who's always at 2% from tip off to overtime. Stay in your bag and order Door Dash. Get snacks, drinks, gear, whatever gets you through the season delivered right to your door. Door dash in your bag all season long. Guys, thanks for helping me carry my Christmas tree. Zoe. This thing weighs a ton. Drew, ski lift with your legs, man. Santa.
- [27:40]
Tom Westerholm
Santa, did you get my letter?
- [27:41]
John Corrales
He's talking to you, Bridges. I'm not.
- [27:44]
Tom Westerholm
Of course he did. Right Santa?
- [27:46]
John Corrales
You know my elf Drewski here, he handles the nice list. And elf. I'm six' three. What everyone wants is iPhone 17 and at T Mobile. You can get it on them. That center stage front camera is amazing for group selfies. Right Mrs. Claus? I'm Mrs. Claus much younger sister. And AT T Mobile there's no trade in needed when you switch. So you can keep your old phone or give it as a gift. And the best part, you can make the switch to T mobile from your phone in just 15 minutes. Nice. My side of the tree is slipping. Kimber. The holidays are better. AT T Mobile switch in just 15 minutes and get iPhone 17 on us with no trade in needed. And now T Mobile is available in US cellular stores with 24 month bill credits for well qualified customers plus tax.
- [28:25]
Tom Westerholm
And 35 device connection charge.
- [28:26]
John Corrales
Credit balance due if you pay off earlier. Cancel Finance Agreement. 256 gates $830 eligible for in a new line $100 plus a month plan with auto pay plus taxes fees required. Check out 15 minutes or less per line. Visit t mobile.com thank you for making Lockdown Celtics your first listen every day. It's the number one Celtics podcast on the planet. Lockdown Podcast Network is the number one sports podcast network on the planet. For your Next. Listen. Listen to lockdown. NBA Lockdown. NBA game night. Game night. Has every game covered seven days a week and locked on. NBA has all the big stories five days a week in the afternoons. So check it out. Where have you got the Lockdown Celtics podcast? All right, Tom, let's go to the Eastern Conference. Let's do. Let's just do quick. Nice. Naughty. Where do you want to start?
- [29:11]
Tom Westerholm
I mean, I'll start right at the top. You know, Michigan forever, whatever. But, like, the business has been awesome, and I. I like so much of their team. I. I love Cade. I've been a Cade guy. This is. This is vindication for anybody who was watching him in high school and was like, that's a star. That's a star right there. We were right, so that feels good. I like the way they've constructed their team. I like the. The, you know, turnaround story is fun. Like, to go from where they were two years ago to where they are now is just fun. I. Big Detroit fan. Like, I'm. I like. I like what we're seeing there. So, yeah, they're the top of my. Top of the Eastern Conference. Top of my nice list.
- [29:56]
John Corrales
Has to be. Has to be. I'll go naughty. Cleveland Cavaliers are frauds. The Cleveland Cavaliers on the naughty list for sure.
- [30:04]
Tom Westerholm
Yep.
- [30:04]
John Corrales
Not. And it's not like. Like, I won't put Orlando on there because there's injuries, and I still think, whatever. Right. But the Cavs 100 now, they also have injuries for sure, but super expensive over the second apron. They are. They were so reliant. You didn't realize how reliant they were on Darius Garland being good. Like, he's. I mean, he's good, but is he really the linchpin of the entire.
- [30:29]
Tom Westerholm
And he's the kind of guy that you and I just, like, bag on all the time. Like, what is the difference between Darius Garland and Trey Young?
- [30:35]
John Corrales
Come on. That's gonna. That was gonna be my grand finale. Naughty list. Sorry. No, but she is seriously, like. Well, I think. I think it's attitude and that. That's always been my. My younger. My training. It's not about his play. It's been about, like, his whole demeanor. Like, you haven't.
- [30:57]
Tom Westerholm
You.
- [30:57]
John Corrales
You haven't got anything. What you expected out of Evan Mobley. The shooting last year was off the charts. I'm starting to think, like, the Cleveland Cavaliers maybe, like, were way over the top, like, when it came to the shooting last year, because that has all gone away. And if your team is reliant On Max Strus being out, like, if that's killing you, then you're not as good as you think you were. So that's. That's my. That's my naughty list.
- [31:24]
Tom Westerholm
I. I mean, I. I gotta. I guess one of my naughty list teams, by the same token, of, like, frauds. The Bulls were always frauds. At the start of the season when they were winning games, they were frauds. You knew they were frauds. Everybody who, like, was. If anybody was like, oh, no, like, the Bulls, something. Something's working there. It's like, it's not. Come on. It's not gonna last. Don't. Don't give me that. So that's an easy one. I. I think I have two more on my nice list. And Celtics fans are not gonna like either of them. Right.
- [31:54]
John Corrales
Okay.
- [31:55]
Tom Westerholm
The Knicks are genuinely a good team. I think the Celtics and them would have an awesome playoff series. I don't know who I would pick, because I think the Celtics can do a lot of damage to that Knicks team. But the Knicks are really good. And honestly, I gotta give a nice list to the Sixers. Joel Embiid has not. Did I just rob yours?
- [32:14]
John Corrales
That's okay. No, that's good. That's good. This is good, because that's what's one of mine.
- [32:19]
Tom Westerholm
Yeah. Like, to. To be doing all this with, like, in what any other year would have been, like, a transitionary year. But, like, Maxi's awesome. Edgecomb is awesome. Like, they're on the nice list. They're fourth in the Eastern Conference with everything going on within bead and all of that, like, really impressive stuff.
- [32:39]
John Corrales
I won't even go full Sixers. My. My nice list was going to be the Sixers backcourt. Maxi and Edgecomb are they. Are it. Like, that is if we're looking at future things that could bother the Celtics. Like, I don't know what the Sixers are going to have to do with Embiid and with Paul George and all that stuff. They're like, They're. They're in a weird place right now. But the Maxi Edgecomb backcourt is really nice. And if it's almost like, from a Boston perspective, like, man, why do they have to be on Philly? Why can't they be on, like, Portland so I can enjoy them, like, consequence free.
- [33:18]
Tom Westerholm
Like. Like watch them after a Celtics game. Yeah. You know, like. Like, this game gets over, I can throw on Maxi and Edgecomb. Like, come on.
- [33:26]
John Corrales
Like, you're. You're killing me here. You're killing me here. And they're in Philadelphia, like so. But I'll put Joel Embiid on my naughty list because, as always, he's in my Trey Young All Stars. But because, yeah, I. I've heard the numbers, like, they're better with him on the floor or whatever, but they don't win with him on the floor. I think the Sixers are better without Embiid now because he just changes their entire play style. Maxine Edgecomb are so good. And they're good because they don't have to slow down for Joel Embiid and, like, defer to him when they are the. The show. They're really good. So. So that. So they get the nice. Joel Embiid gets. Gets the naughty. I got.
- [34:12]
Tom Westerholm
I got a spicy one for my last one, if you want. It's a nice one. So my nice one is. You'll see. So the Eastern Conference in general, I think, is so much better than people are giving it credit for. I think there is genuine talent in the Eastern Conference. And here's where it gets a little spicy for me. I think the way. I think OKC is an awesome team. I think the way people are talking about them is a little insane. This, like, the, like, recency bias, like, this.
- [34:42]
John Corrales
The.
- [34:42]
Tom Westerholm
The way that people are treating them as this completely untouchable, nobody has a chance. The Thunder are the favorites. I have no problem. Like, yes, absolutely, they won the championship and they look awesome. And they, you know, they started off this season killing all these bad teams that they were playing. They didn't have, like. They had, like, a relatively small schedule. They. The way people were talking about them was insane to me of just like, they're untouchable. Nobody. We might as well stop the season now. They're put. Put them in the championship. Like, they've done an awesome job building their team. They're scary going forward. It's scary that they'll probably get a really good pick. All of that stuff is true, but, like, it's the NBA. Weird stuff happens all the time. And if you're sitting here at, like, in December telling me that everybody else should just quit the NBA season because OKC is going to win everything, and we know that in December.
- [35:32]
John Corrales
I.
- [35:32]
Tom Westerholm
That's. That is crazy to me.
- [35:34]
John Corrales
Can I interrupt you for a second just to add to your point, please. The Thunder are 18 and one against teams below.500. They are taking care of business, right?
- [35:47]
Tom Westerholm
That's. That's what a great team does, right?
- [35:49]
John Corrales
They're 8 and 2 against teams above.500. Right? So 2 of their losses have come against teams above.500. 8 and 2. The Celtics against teams above 500 are 11 and 8. They have played 19 games against teams above.500. This. The Thunder have played 10. And that's insane for a team in the Western Conference.
- [36:08]
Tom Westerholm
This.
- [36:09]
John Corrales
All of these Western Conference teams are so good. How have the Thunder only played 10 games against Good teams? Or. Or like decent to good teams? It does. They're one and two and three point games. They're. They're. They have a losing record in close games. And, you know, that's, that's, you know, an interesting little thing. 100% agree with everything you said about OKC. Just naughty list is everyone who's, well, we'll use the term. The youth are talking about glazing the Thunder uncontrollably. Like, yes, they're good, they're the champs, and they went off on this incredible run, but they are not invincible.
- [36:44]
Tom Westerholm
Geez, that's my thing. If you want to tell me that they're the favorites, I'm with you. I, like, I. If I was an NBA champion, I'd pick the Thunder. I'm not crazy. But like, this. But this idea that they're invincible, that's. That is.
- [36:58]
John Corrales
Right.
- [36:58]
Tom Westerholm
That's bonkers to me. Like, that is like flying in the face of everything that we've seen in NBA history of like, you know, Right. Like, no team is invincible. The. The warriors were not invincible. The. The. The. You know, no team is invincible. I'm sorry, this is not how this works.
- [37:14]
John Corrales
I got another naughty list. Giannis and Tentokounmpo, Greek brethren. Greek brethren. Giannis, enough. Either say you want to treat. Say you want to trade or stay. Don't, don't. Like. I have been on Giannis's side the whole way. The whole way. Never had anything bad to say about Giannis. I don't. I don't think that he's like, you know, all of the travel stuff I think is over all that. All that stuff. I love Giannis and Tetan Kompo and it's not just a Greek thing. But at this point, like, stop. Stop trying to be the good guy.
- [37:57]
Tom Westerholm
Yeah.
- [37:58]
John Corrales
If you want out, just say you want out. Don't be like, oh, my agent's doing this. Oh, I don't want the. Like, just be up front. Let Milwaukee know it's okay. We get it. Kevin Durant. People have come around on Kevin Durant. People love him again. You can, you can say, I've had my run in Milwaukee. We all understand it's 2026. You don't have to be like, he'll probably be hated in Milwaukee, and it's probably what he doesn't want. But, hey, if you're, if your time in a certain city is done, it's done. When it's time to leave a job, you say, okay, look, I respect. With respect, it's time for me to leave this job. I got to go. I got to go work somewhere else. Everybody does it all the time. It's okay. But stop hemming and hawing and. Because it's hurting the team. Yes, it's hurting the team. So 100% Giannis on the Naughty List.
- [38:48]
Tom Westerholm
Could not agree more. I love that take. I think he is like you. I, I think that if you want to be traded, you, like, you have to accept the consequences of wanting to be traded. And you know what? If you're Giannis, give it a little bit of time, right? Like, just, if you get traded, you're going to be hated for a little bit, but then people, eventually people will be like, man, that guy won. It's a championship. That guy's like, number is going up. Like, people will. It will be okay. If you want to be traded, just be direct about it. And if you want to be traded, not be hated, trust that Milwaukee won't completely screw you and, like, send you to some. Like, like, just tell them I want to be traded, you know, and, and, like, let the chips fall where they may. I don't think Milwaukee would trade him to some awful situation if he's just direct with them and says, like, my time here is done. I appreciate everything that this organization has done. Love the fans, love the city, but it's time for me to leave. I think everybody. A lot of people might not like it, but, like, that's that kind of directness. I think people just would appreciate that in 2025. I think people appreciate directness and, like, just get, get to the point. Like, that's, I don't know. I, I, I, I think that's. I think that is a fantastic addition to the Naughty List.
- [40:00]
John Corrales
Thank you. Anyone else? Anyone else, real quick, before we go.
- [40:04]
Tom Westerholm
Do, I mean, do you want to get in some shots at Trey Young quick?
- [40:07]
John Corrales
Yes.
- [40:08]
Tom Westerholm
All right.
- [40:09]
John Corrales
Yes, 100%. Because you know what? It's just funny to hear Zach Low talk about, like, Zach was on that Atlanta train, and he just. His last show, he was like, I can't believe I fell for it again. And I've been sitting here, he, he literally said he's. I can't believe I Fell for it again. And when he was picking the Hawks, I'm screaming at my. My. You know, in my car, like, zach, don't do it, Zach. You're better than this. And he, you know, like, I understand tantalizing, but you're not going to win when you got Trey Young as your best player. Trey is super talented. Might be top two or three passers in the league. Sure. But until he accepts who he is and until he stops thinking that he's the whole show, that he's a franchise changer, then you're not going to win, because he is not a franchise changer. Trey Young is not a number one guy.
- [41:06]
Tom Westerholm
He's.
- [41:06]
John Corrales
He's a number two guy at best. At best, he's the number two guy, but he thinks he's the whole show. And he had, like, that one great run, and after they made that one great run, he was like, oh, man.
- [41:19]
Tom Westerholm
He acts like he won a championship.
- [41:20]
John Corrales
Like, dog talking about, man.
- [41:22]
Tom Westerholm
No.
- [41:23]
John Corrales
No way, man. No way. I forget who I heard. Maybe it was. It was. It was big walls on. On. Might have been on. On Zach's show, like the previous show where he brought that up. I'm like, finally someone understands why I am a certified Trey Young hater. Because that attitude has been pervasive. He's been a coach killer. He's come back, and he's just like, we're doing things my way. I call the shots. And Atlanta has just been like, look at where they are. They just. You cannot win. And he came back, what, a couple games ago? He's what? They've lost both of those games. He's. He's just. You. You cannot. You're just never going to win. Facing a Trey Young team in the playoffs. I know sometimes they're. They're capable of some crazy things. I'm like, bring it on. Oh, you're facing a Trey Young team. I'm gonna start booking my hotels for the second round because that. That's a win. I don't care what, when, where. That's a win. So they've got good players. They've got good players.
- [42:20]
Tom Westerholm
Here's a naughty list. Pots, because I do feel bad for Porzingis. That sucks.
- [42:26]
John Corrales
That's a good one. That's a good one. I do feel bad. Can I just.
- [42:30]
Tom Westerholm
Just.
- [42:30]
John Corrales
Let's end the show on that. Yeah, I. I think his career might be done, man. I think it might be done. Like, might be done because, first of all, he can't stay healthy. Second of all, like, this is a scary thing. And you're like, it's like, stop trying to play basketball if this is how it's going to go all the time. And yeah, just, just from a pure basketball perspective, who's going to give him a contract? Who gives them a contract? Like, even a minimum. Like, you can't even give them a minimum. You have to give them like a non guaranteed minimum. So you can cut them by like January 15th and be like, oh, we didn't, we didn't get lucky either. Everybody takes a spin of the wheel on Porzingis. It really makes me think that, man, the Celtics got like, it's like Luke Skywalker blowing up the Death Star. They, they hit that exhaust port perfectly with, with Porzingis that one season that he was like, super good and even then he was hurt, but he came back like, that championship season with Porzingis was his, like, last truly useful season. Yeah. And now with this, with this illness, it's a shame because I want to see him play. I think he's so much fun when he's, when he plays and when he's healthy. And on a personal level, all my interactions with him have been so great. I, I don't want to see him go away, but at this point, I just, I kind of just want to see him like, feel better and be healthy and just like, buddy, you've made, you've made your money. Yeah, go home to Latvia and just chill out. You got right, you know, you've done your thing. You've done your thing. You've done a lot in this league, you know, so just go back, enjoy your cars, enjoy your little Mercedes Benzes and just, just kick back and, and just chill. I think that's the best thing. But it is sad. It is sad because you, you. I always want to see guys go out on their own terms, but, yeah, for sure. All right, well, that'll do it. We went for, you know, bonus this, bonus episodes, Christmas Day, you know, keep it on. We can keep going. If you want to give people to just have it up on the screen, put it up the tv, over the mantle. And while you're opening up your gifts and you get to this point, like, yeah, you know, please spend time with your families.
- [44:51]
Tom Westerholm
Please don't listen to, please don't listen to us talk about basketball. This is.
- [44:56]
John Corrales
We're perfect for a family get together because you could put it on and if you want to ignore us, you can spend time with your families. But if you've got that drunk uncle that's starting to go down a Road. That's, like, problematic. You could just, like, shift your gaze, tune that out, and just come to us and be like, this is all nice and ni List. We're sliding through topics. And I love saying this at the end of the podcast because this should have been at the beginning of the podcast where somebody like, oh, that's good advice, but you know what? Go back and start it again. No one else is paying attention. Start it over. People feel like something, right? Somebody be like, is this still going? Like, yeah, man. Like, I thought I heard them say this, but no, no, it's so totally different. Just start it over again. And you know what you're giving.
- [45:40]
Tom Westerholm
Talk about Trey Young a lot, guys.
- [45:42]
John Corrales
Like, that's what we really talk about a lot. And, like, it's more listens, it's more views for us, and it ups our stats. So, like, it's. It's like you're giving us a Christmas gift. Do that. Just do that and have fun with it. Tom, appreciate you, man. Merry Christmas to you and your family.
- [46:01]
Tom Westerholm
Appreciate it, man. You as well. Yeah.
- [46:02]
John Corrales
Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas to everybody who is celebrating. I know not everybody is celebrating, so I do want to say, you know, happy holiday. Whatever holiday you are celebrating at this time, I hope you are. Are celebrating it with family and friends, and you are enjoying yourself and just. Just enjoying this time of year, this basketball season where, you know, heading into a. A new year in a little while. And I just want to express my thanks for everybody. It's truly a passion of mine and of Tom's to sit here and talk basketball. It's. It's like my mo. My. I have so much fun sitting here. And it's kind of funny because I look around, I'm like, I am in a basement office and I'm talking into a camera, but really, I know I'm talking to you, whether you. Wherever you are, however, you're listening. And it's because you have chosen to give us the gift of, hey, you're including us in your enjoyment of the Boston Celtics. I do very much appreciate that and for. For helping me, like, talk through some stuff when it comes to the Celtics as well. So really do appreciate it. Hope everybody's having a great holiday. Stay safe out there. Enjoy your food, enjoy your drink, but do everything safely. And I hope everybody's, like, letting you be this Christmas. Enjoy the basketball. Enjoy everything. I only ask you now, just share the podcast. Tell your friends, family, everybody, they should be listening to and watching the Lockdown Celtics podcast here on the Lockdown Podcast. Network. It's your team every day. Calling all fun lovers and memory makers, Texas invites you to cheer from our stadiums.
- [47:47]
Tom Westerholm
And dance like no one is watching.
- [47:51]
John Corrales
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