WRONG! Jayson Tatum Takes, Gap Year, Tanking Talk OFF BASE | Boston Celtics CULTURE Prevails

Summary

Locked On Celtics Podcast - February 27, 2026

Episode: WRONG! Jayson Tatum Takes, Gap Year, Tanking Talk OFF BASE | Boston Celtics CULTURE Prevails

Host: John Karalis (w/ guest Tom Westerholm)
Theme: Debunking national narratives around Jayson Tatum, why the Celtics shunned a “gap year” or tanking, the value of team continuity and culture, and a breakdown of Boston’s missed opportunity vs. Denver.

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Episode Overview

John Karalis and Tom Westerholm break down the recent Jayson Tatum “should he return?” national narrative, dismissing ideas of a gap year or tank, and stressing why the Celtics’ culture of continuity and competitiveness sets them apart from many NBA franchises. The latter portion of the podcast focuses on the missed tactical opportunity in the loss against Denver and what it signifies for both coaching and player usage.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Tatum Return “Debate” and National Hot Takes

[01:12] - [06:43]

• Jayson Tatum's status remains a headline, with national voices questioning if he should return this season.
• John mocks punditry:

  “A certain national opinion guy who includes his middle initial…said, ‘No, Jayson Tatum should sit out. Listen buddy, you should be safe, be sure, don’t come back…Do you really want to face the Knicks again?’” (John, 05:27)

• Tom admits his own previous error in predicting Tatum’s earlier return, with plenty of self-effacing jokes:

  “I said it. I know that me saying that really moved the gambling markets...I apologize for nothing. You deserve to lose your money if you bet based on what I had to say. But I was wrong.” (Tom, 03:28)

• John confidently asserts Tatum is on track for an early March return and that nothing in his reporting contradicts that.

2. The Gap Year or Tanking Conversation – Why It Never Fit

[06:43] - [12:30]

• Tom originally speculated on a “gap year” for strategic draft position, but the team never projected to be bad enough.

  “Whether or not this was a gap year, this team was never going to be bad enough for it to be a true gap year.” (Tom, 06:43)

• Even without Tatum, the Celtics' secondary stars and deep rotation (Jalen Brown, Derrick White, Peyton Pritchard, others) kept the team too competent to bottom out.
• National calls for tanking ignore the agency of the player and the realities of the Celtics’ roster.

  “Anything that says what Jayson Tatum should do that doesn’t come from Jayson Tatum is the wrong thing. It’s his body, it’s his career.” (Tom, 08:16)

• The only way to tank would have been to fire Joe Mazzulla:

  “You...would have had to fire Joe Mazzulla...He was never going to do it.” (John, 09:45)

3. Celtics Culture, Chemistry, and Continuity

[15:08] - [22:18]

• Tom highlights the “DNA” of the Celtics: the franchise’s investment in chemistry, continuity, and a core group growing together.

  “They have, like, a certain level of DNA to them at this point...There’s a lot of value in that. And if you start ripping that apart...it’s so hard to build that chemistry and that DNA.” (Tom, 15:08)

• John and Tom discuss how situation and fit can transform a player's impact (e.g., mentioning Luka Garza and Keda).
• John traces the post-Kyrie/Tristan Thompson pivot to a “culture setter” roster full of hardworking, community-oriented players:

  “This is the nicest group of guys...just a bunch of gentlemen who play basketball, and none of them get into any sort of trouble. They’re all active in their community.” (John, 20:12)

• The Celtics are not above tanking when the time comes, but strategic pivoting will only occur naturally, never forced or at the cost of culture.

4. Jayson Tatum’s Return – Analogies and Rationality

[22:08] - [22:32]

• John entirely dismisses the logic behind holding out Tatum as “playing it safe”:

  “You don’t leave a car at the mechanic for an extra two weeks just to play it safe...Your car is fixed, you sure? ‘I’m just gonna leave it there for another week just to be sure’?” (John, 22:08)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Tom’s Self-Own on Tatum Prediction:
  “I feel like the Rick and Morty episode where he’s a shy pooper...I apologize for nothing.” (Tom, 03:03)
• John on National Media’s Tatum Take:
  “Jason Tatum should never have come back. This should have just been—never even give them the opportunity to be anywhere near good.” (John, 06:12)
• On Celtics’ Refusal to Tank:
  “Credit to the Celtics for not doing something stupid. Not doing the, you know what, we need to tank...Jaylen Brown would have sat through, like, Thanksgiving [in Utah].” (John, 11:32)

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Segment Timestamps

• [01:12] Start of Celtics Talk — Tatum's injury status and media takes
• [03:00] Tom admits error on Tatum prediction
• [05:27] John lampoons the national media’s tanking push
• [06:43] Tom and John thoroughly discuss tanking and “gap year” logic
• [09:45] HoopsHype piece on Mazzulla’s culture; why Boston would never tank
• [15:08] Tom’s deep dive on the value of continuity and “Celtics DNA”
• [17:18] John on situation and fit in the NBA
• [20:12] Celtics’ shift to a culture-driven roster
• [22:08] Car-at-the-mechanic analogy for Tatum’s return
• [26:45] Nuggets game breakdown and the 40-20 milestone
• [28:00] Did Joe Mazzulla miss a tactical opportunity with Luka Garza?
• [31:07] Tom: “We’re saving the best for last”—Garza misusage discussion
• [34:30] Why Garza needs more minutes and playoff readiness
• [35:41] Wrap up, jokes, and episode close

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Missed Opportunity vs. Denver Nuggets

[26:45] - [35:41]

• Not achieving the “40 wins before 20 losses” milestone, historically a title precursor.

  “If you win 40 before you lose 20...you are going to be in the mix for a champion. I think it's been all but five teams since like 1980.” (John, 26:45)

• The loss is dissected: John lobbies for playing Luka Garza in the third quarter, arguing his energy and offensive rebounding could have shifted momentum:

  “Who better than Luka Garza to pick up a low energy team that’s missing a ton of shots? That’s his whole thing.” (John, 28:00)

• Tom agrees it was a reasonable window to experiment, especially as Vucevic struggled.

  “I bet you...when Missoula goes back and looks back...he probably had a little bit of ‘yeah, probably could have given that a shot.’” (Tom, 31:07)

• Both agree limited regular-season minutes for Garza could have short- and long-term playoff benefits.

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Summary: Why Celtics Culture Wins Out

• The Celtics’ commitment to winning, continuity, and player agency overrides national narratives about tanking or unnecessary caution with stars.
• “Gap year” plans contradicted the reality of Boston’s depth and Mazzulla’s competitive philosophy.
• Team chemistry and culture are cited as differentiators—not only for the current core but as a blueprint for future transitions.
• Tactical tweaks—like more minutes for high-energy reserves such as Luka Garza—are small but telling in how the Celtics leverage their tools for regular-season and playoff success.

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Final Thoughts

This episode is a spirited, insightful pushback to outside narratives, full of inside jokes, direct attribution, and a relaxed but thoroughly informed vibe. John and Tom’s back-and-forth blends statistical insights, organizational philosophy, and the occasional well-timed roast, giving lifelong and new Celtics fans alike a window into why Boston basketball “doesn’t do” tanking—or silly, top-down narratives.

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Share with fans who want the REAL story of the Celtics’ culture — and how it beats out the short-term quick-fix NBA mentality.

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Transcript

[John Corrales]

It's the Lockdown Podcast Network your team every day.

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[Tom Westerholm]

That is all.

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[John Corrales]

We have the meats at participating Arby's

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for a limited time. If you're the purchasing manager at a manufacturing plant, you know having a trusted partner makes all the difference. That's why hands down, you count on Grainger for auto reordering. With on time restocks, your team will have the cut resistant gloves they need at the start of their shift and you can end your day knowing they've got safety well in hand. Call 1-800-granger. Click granger.com or just stop by Granger for the ones who get it done.

[John Corrales]

Now on the Locked on Celtics podcast, Jason Tatum still not playing for the Boston Celtics and I think Joe Missoula missed a big opportunity against the Denver Nuggets. Hey, welcome back to the Lockdown Celtics Podcast Raider here on the Lockdown Podcast Network. Where is your team every day? Your team is the Boston Celtics and I talk about them Monday through Friday here on this old podcast Bonus podcast when they play like Friday night against the Denver. Not the Denver Nuggets, the Brooklyn Nets at home. I will be at the at the Garden. So bonus podcast after that. There is a bonus podcast on the feed here. A little mini mailbag that I did so that's on the feed as well. So just subscribe and get the show however you want it. Audio video on YouTube it's there if you're new to the show. My name is John Corrales. I'm a beat writer covering the Celtics for Celtics on SI. I've been covering the team for 20 years doing this podcast for 10 and just happy to be with you on this Friday where this show is brought to you by five Hour Energy. You can have your cake and drink it too. Birthday cake flavor is back. No fork needed. It's vanilla E Cakey. It's got a caffeinated kick and no sugar. It's party time. [e-mail] or on Amazon. Later on we'll get to the big opportunity that I think was missed against the Denver Nuggets. Joe Missoula doesn't make very many mistakes, I don't think, but I think this might have been one of them. But we've got to start today. We absolutely have no choice but to start with Tom Westerholm, who was wrong. Time you were wrong. Stupid. How stupid do you feel? Stupid.

[Tom Westerholm]

So stupid.

[John Corrales]

Stupid.

[Tom Westerholm]

We, I feel like the Rick and Morty episode where he's a shy pooper.

[John Corrales]

Like, oh, wow. Well, look at, look at Mr. Big

[Tom Westerholm]

man over here, you stupid idiot.

[John Corrales]

That's right. That's right.

[Tom Westerholm]

Yep.

[John Corrales]

So, yeah, Jason Taylor still not back. Not back. Not against the Brooklyn Nets, as you so confidently predict.

[Tom Westerholm]

Just, I, I, I said it. I, I like. And listen, I know that me saying that really moved the gambling markets. Lots of people, lots of people putting money on this. It's, I, I apologize for nothing. You deserve to lose your money if you bet based on what I had to say. But I, I, I, yeah, I was wrong.

[John Corrales]

Yeah.

[Tom Westerholm]

Missed swinging a miss.

[John Corrales]

Swinging a miss. That's okay. That's okay. He is still on par on, on

[Tom Westerholm]

tracks out, and he's almost as good as me.

[John Corrales]

So, I mean, that's, that's right. I always think that you are the Shohei Otani of podcasting. Yeah, something along those lines. Absolutely. And yeah, Tatum's still out and you know, you hear that he is a full go in these scrimmages, which we've, I talked about a little bit last night. He, not surprising. He, he looks, he's looked like he's a full go. It's, he's scrimmaging. If he was scrimmaging against the male main Celtics. The male Celtics, again, like what, the female, like the Celtics dancers. What's he scrimmaging against them? The main Celtics as in the state and now also the main Celtics as in the main guys that he's going to be playing with. He's scrimmaging against them as well. Is you remove one Ian, it means a completely different thing. I still think that he's on par for, on track for a, a return. It's got maybe next week, like, we could be like a week or two away. I, I went back and I looked back. September 18th was the earliest I could find of me saying early March is the targeted return date. So I don't see anything that says otherwise. I don't see any reason for him not to. Even though a certain national opinion guy who includes his middle initial has came out and May or may not have had his favorite team in mind when he said, no. Jason. Jason Tatum should sit out. Jason should know. Listen, buddy, you should be safe, be sure, don't, don't come back. You don't want to, you don't want to face the Knicks again, do you? You saw what happened the last time you faced the Knicks in the playoffs. Do you really, do you really want that to happen again? That's what it sounded like to me. I, I, I don't know. Tatum's. Tatum's back, and I don't, I don't think the Celtics. I think this is the right move. I don't know about you. I, I've, I've been anticipating this. I've said it's the right move from the beginning. What do you, do you think that there's any credence to the people who are like, they should have, they should have taken the gap year. They should have, you know, the. Tatum should never have come back. This should have just been, Never even give them the opportunity to be anywhere near good.

[Tom Westerholm]

Well, I mean, it's clear that whether or not this was a gap year, this team was never going to be bad enough for it to be a true gap year. Right? That was the reason in the off season, I said at least once, I think, on this podcast that I didn't think that Tatum should come back because I thought that the Celtics should take a gap year. And I, you know, you look at the amount of talent that's at the top of this draft board this year, it really would. There, there would have been a lot, a strong case to be made that if the Celtics could have been bad, that taking that gap year, throwing this season away and coming back with whatever you got, whatever you got in the draft, and then, you know, whether you move that for somebody else for, you know, some other, I mean, if you get a shot at Aj Die Bansa, right, you've got a chance at having a genuine superstar on your team or whatever that, like a future superstar on your team or whatever, that kid could get you in a trade that lines up better with your current roster. I mean, millions of options abound, right? What would Brad Stevens do with that option? Would be a pretty compelling question, I think. Right. On the other hand, this team clearly was not bad enough without Tatum to do that. And as long as that's the case, as long as you have Jalen Brown, as long as you have Peyton Pritchard, as long as you have Derrick White, as long as you have a bunch of guys who just came out of nowhere to be pretty solid rotation players. Of course, Tatum should come back, of course, like that. And of course, if he can, if he feels comfortable with it. Right. I think.

[John Corrales]

Right.

[Tom Westerholm]

That's the thing. And I think that's the problem that I have with the certain personality who's uses a middle initial. That's the. That's the problem I have with his take, is that it's like anything. Anything that says what Jason Tatum should do that doesn't come from Jason Tatum is the wrong thing. Right. Whatever Tatum decides to do is what Tatum should do. It's his body, it's his career, it's his situation. And obviously, you know, things are certainly trending in a certain direction. I don't think you make an amica commercial where you are in the starting lineup at the end of it if you aren't coming back pretty soon. You know, I don't think that you drop a YouTube documentary, like.

[John Corrales]

Right.

[Tom Westerholm]

A trillion things that I just don't think you do if you're not coming back soon. But if Tatum decided, hey, I'm not coming back this year, it doesn't feel right to me. Okay, bet, like, that is his decision. His body, his. He gets to make that choice. So that's the problem I have with that, you know, unnamed pundits take. But, no, I don't think that. I think at this stage in the proceedings, it's very clear that this team was always too good to do the thing that I was like, oh, maybe they should do this instead. Nope, Sorry. Too good. Wasn't gonna happen. Joe Missoula is too good. The talent's too good is what it is. And as much as, yeah, Brad Stevens with, you know, AJ dibanza would have been pretty interesting. Not gonna happen.

[John Corrales]

Yeah. No, and that.

[Tom Westerholm]

That.

[John Corrales]

That is true. That's. There was an interesting thing on Hoops Hype where an agent wrote about Joe Missoula and how impressed he was and how the Celtics aren't tanking and couldn't tank and wouldn't tank. And it was like, you. They would have had to fire Joe Missoula. Yeah, right. Like that. Honestly, that's. They would have had to, just because he was never going to do it. And the best way that I. I saw in that piece was Joe sees this as an opportunity. We saw it as a. Well, you know, there's all the negative sides. It's. You don't have this, they don't have that, they don't have that. And so it's over. Like, just Take the year and whatever. But Joe's like, no, this is an opportunity. This is a chance for us to do a certain thing a certain way, and let's. Let's take advantage of it. Let's take advantage of the thing that most people are calling a negative. Let's turn it into a positive. And Jalen Brown was always, yeah, too good. Derek White, too good, even though he's not shooting well. Peyton Pritchard, too good. All these other guys ended up being too good. Baylor, Shireman, Namish, Kada, like, all these. They're just. They're too good. And Joe is too good at his job. And you know what? Credit to the Celtics for not. Not doing something stupid. Not doing the. You know what? We need to tank. Not doing the. You know what we. We're going to come up with. Hey, hey, Jalen, you. You have a hamstring issue, right? You're sitting out the first month of the season. He came out of training camp and was like, oh, I got a little hamstring thing. And they were like, yeah, all right. You're going to try to play through it, no problem. And he did. And they managed it and all of that. The Utah Jazz, sorry, Ange family, to take a random shot at you. They would. Jaylen Brown would have sat through, like, Thanksgiving.

[Tom Westerholm]

Yeah.

[John Corrales]

And Jalen wouldn't have been happy about that. The fans. I mean, the fans would have been like, hey, this is what it is. We. You know, we're gonna pick it up later, and maybe. Maybe once you've tanked hard enough, you end the season on a hind. Whatever. But I. I credit the Celtics for not playing that game. And here they are, right? They. They've. They. They're going to bring Tatum back. Tatum's coming back soon. They're. They're going to be. They're going to be good, and they're going to be good for a while, and they didn't have to do this stuff like. Like. Like other teams have done. So I think they deserve. Deserve credit for that.

[Tom Westerholm]

Yeah. No, I agree. And I think I. I have a longer point that I could make, but I know we got to get to a break here, so I'll hold on to our second.

[John Corrales]

Okay. How about that? Yeah. Look at Tom. Look at Tom.

[Tom Westerholm]

Tom. I get brought in with booze, and here I am, just the ultimate professional. Thank you. Thank you.

[John Corrales]

We'll be right back. Today's show is brought to you by Doordash. The season heating up as we wind it down, and Doordash has a way to keep fans in their bag the whole way through. Whether you're watching highlights, tunnel fits, or just Your favorite player, DoorDash makes the entire season more fun because every player has their 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, especially if you stayed up late for that game against the Nuggets. You could have called DoorDash to get your post game therapy early and have that dessert delivered for you. You could have a nice little halftime snack as you were kind of getting through that game. You also, you know, when it gets to these late night interviews, you suddenly need chips at midnight. Door Dash is built exactly for that too. From tip off to overtime, stay in your bag in order on Door Dash. Get snacks, drinks, gear, whatever you you need to get through the season delivered right to your door. Door Dash in your bag all season long.

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[John Corrales]

Thank you for making Lockdown Celtics. Your first listen every day would like to invite you to join the Everydayer club. It's at lockdown celtics.supercast.com it's five bucks a month or 50 bucks for the year. You get ad free audio. So for five bucks a month you get all the podcasts audio ad free and that's compatible with all the major podcasting apps. You also get access to our Discord server, live chats for Celtics fans, for NBA fans and more. Check it out at lockdown celtics supercast.com lockdown celtics.supercast.com all right, Tom Westerholm, you had a point to make. Go ahead, make it.

[Tom Westerholm]

All right. No, I think the other thing to remember right about this Celtics team and I think one of the reasons that it it didn't make a lot of sense to tear them down was just the fact it is really hard to build the kind of continuity and the kind of again, we talked about this last time and I, I genuinely, I'm starting to sound like I, you know, podcast about the Heat, right? But it's like, you, you have, like. They have like a certain level of DNA to them at this point where they, they have won a championship and they have played together for a while and they've. You know, Peyton Pritchard has, like, grown with this team. And with Jalen Brown and with Jason Tatum, Derrick White, it just kind of. I mean, he seems to have, I don't know, kind of been born with that DNA. I don't know. He just kind of. He just kind of wins games. Right. He knows how to win Keda, even Keda. Right. He has come from a point like he. He wasn't in the rotation, but he's been around this team for a little bit now, and he understands the DNA of this team. There's a lot of value in that. And if you start ripping that apart, right. Because if you were going to tank, you would not only have to get rid of Joe Missoula, you would have to get rid of some of these really good players.

[John Corrales]

And it's just.

[Tom Westerholm]

It's so hard to build that chemistry and that DNA. And these are guys, I think in a lot of ways, these are guys who are more valuable to the Celtics than they might be somewhere else in. I think they would be valuable elsewhere, but I think they're more valuable to the Celtics than they would be somewhere else because they're a part of this and because they sort of, I don't know, like, know what it takes. That's not exactly what I'm trying to say, but it's. They've got this. Because they've got this continuity together.

[John Corrales]

Yeah. Like, it's. It's something that works here. And it may not work necessarily if you take Keda and put them on, I don't know, the Phoenix Suns. Right.

[Tom Westerholm]

Exactly.

[John Corrales]

Yeah, it might. But like, the, The. The dynamic is just different. It works here. And there is. There is something to be said for this team, this franchise. Situation matters. We talk about situation matters all the time.

[Tom Westerholm]

Yeah, exactly.

[John Corrales]

You know, you can be an NBA player, you can be a Luca Garza, and we're going to get to Luca in a second. You can be Luca Garza and have it just not work out in Minnesota. And then you come to Boston and then it works and the situation changes and. And now you're not playing anymore. And, you know, maybe. Maybe it was good before, maybe it's not good now. And then maybe. Maybe there's another team or maybe it's still with the Celtics, maybe, Who knows how it goes. But the situation matters. And the situation is like an ever Evolving thing. So the Celtics, just to wrap up this portion. They're not. They're not. I'm not going to say they're not tankers because there'll be a day guys age, right? Jalen Brown is going to turn 30 at some point, he will no longer play basketball at some point. And at some point, he will no longer play basketball for the Boston Celtics. Whether those two things coincide or they don't, we don't know. But at some point, Jalen will go away. Jason will go away in a new. A new era begins. What that looks like, we have no idea yet.

[Tom Westerholm]

You have a guess. I think it looks like Hugo Gonzalez

[John Corrales]

is going to come take that baton and like that next. That next leg. But is Ugo going to be enough. Where are they before then? Is it. So I'm not going to get all righteous and be like, the Celtics are too good to take. They're not like, listen, when it comes time to make that decision, they may. They may be in a position to

[Tom Westerholm]

be like, you know what?

[John Corrales]

We don't have to. We're just going to pivot, and Ugo's going to be good, and somewhere else is. Some other guy is going to be good, and we're just going to. You start to make a trade, and maybe there'll be a dip, but it'll be a short one.

[Tom Westerholm]

Or

[John Corrales]

they might bottom out and win 15 games, and who knows? Maybe I'm as unlikely as it sounds wrong about Hugo Gonzalez. I can't believe he even said that out loud. But there's. You don't know what's going to happen, so. But the Celtics are still. They're not. They're not going to make these egregious decisions because culture matters. To the Celtics, I swear that after the Kyrie and what's his name. No, the. The Cleveland center, that. That they had Thompson. Thompson. Yeah. I've erased his name from his. From my. You really have. I really just.

[Tom Westerholm]

I respect it.

[John Corrales]

Yeah. After those guys, I think the Celtics made a very clear decision. They were going for guys that were culture setters and, you know, the good guys. Not to say that they're bad people, but they're not. They were a little more abrasive, disruptive, and the Celtics really didn't want that. This is the nicest group of guys. This. This is just a bunch of gentlemen who play basketball, and none of them get into any sort of trouble. They're all active in their community. They're like, Jason Tatum's whole thing is like, he's Just a great dad. Jalen's thing is that he wants to change the lives of people in. In unfortunate situations, in oppressed situation. Like, think about the. The thing that defines these guys. What's Peyton Pritchard's thing? Oh, he just works ridiculously hard. Like, oh, God. You know what I mean? Like, that these guys have a culture that they want to stick to, and so they're not going to compromise that. So I credit them for not. Not compromising that and being, like, telling Joe, hey, you know what? Sorry, but you're gonna have to play these guys. And in the fourth quarter, you're not playing Jalen, okay? You're playing Ugo and you're playing these other guys and whatever, you're playing Ron Harper. Who knows? Maybe that. Maybe nothing would have changed, but they were never. They were never going to do that. So Tatum. Tatum coming back just fits. It just fits right in, and he will fit right in. And there's just no. There's no reason to. To pull. Pull any of the tired old tropes of Tatum. Should. Shouldn't risk it. What are you risking? What are you risking? Nothing.

[Tom Westerholm]

What do I.

[John Corrales]

It doesn't make any sense to me. The analogy I was. I've been making online is you don't. You don't leave a car at the mechanic for an extra two weeks just to play it safe.

[Tom Westerholm]

Right.

[John Corrales]

You know what I mean? Like, your car is fixed. You sure? I'm just gonna leave it there for another week just to be sure.

[Tom Westerholm]

Like, listen, that car, if you leave it at the mechanic, it's not like if it doesn't move, it won't get in a car accident for two weeks. So, you know, there's that.

[John Corrales]

The argument sounds like, to me. Yeah. So anyway, Tatum will be back soon,

[Tom Westerholm]

and the Celtics might tank, and at some point and we shouldn't be too precious about it.

[John Corrales]

But for now, for now, Tatum's going to come back and we'll talk about what that means in another time. Like, for the millionth time. Yeah, for now, should. Should Luca Garza have come back against the Denver Nuggets? I argue. Ah, he should have. We'll talk about that when we come back. Today's show is brought to you by Five Hour Energy. We're going to do the Five Hour Energy draft. They've got 18 new flavors. I talked about a few of them. So today in the. In my draft, we're going to go sleepers. In the. In the five Hour Energy draft, they have a lot of upcoming flavor innovations planned and if you want to get one of these limited time like fruity rainbow, that's a flavor that say, you know, it's so all encompassing bright blend of a sort of fruit candy flavors. I feel like it's like just one of those rolls of candy with all the different colors. It's a multi fruit taste profile. It's smooth, it's easy drinking texture, a sweet colorful finish that lingers ever so lightly. But I think the most underrated one here might be the Blue Raspberry which is a sweet tangy flavor with a taste that nature couldn't make but should have. Bold blue raspberry candy flavor, smooth, easy drinking texture and a clean sweet finish. All of these sound sweet but there's no sugar in any of these. So what, what flavor would you like to see made? It's an interesting kind of question there from Five Hour Energy. You can find your new favorite flavor at Five Hour Energy.com that's the number five Five Hour Energy.com or on Amazon. Today's show is also brought to you by Game Time. You want to download that Game Time app because you're going to get yourself tickets to the to an NBA game or whatever sporting event. I've used Game Time plenty and the best part about Game Time is the price that you see when you when you find the tickets you want, that's the price you're going to pay. You're not going to get a million extra fees. Between that and checkout, you'll get to see the view from your seat. When you call it up and you decide, I like this view, I don't like this view. If you like the view from a certain section, you can just take the zone deal. Say this is the section I want to be in. Game Time picks the seats and you save a little extra money that way. They've got great last minute options too. With NBA tickets showing up at solid prices, it's quick, intuitive and stress free. So take the guesswork out of buying NBA tickets with Game Time. Download the Game Time app, create an account, use the code locked on for $20 off that locked on for $20 off your first purchase. Locke locked locked on $20 off your first purchase at game time. Download the gametime app and if you're online, it's gametime co gametime co. Thanks for making locked on Celtics your first listen. Your number one locked on Celtics podcast Locked on Celtics is the number one Celtics podcast out there on the number one podcast network. So thank you for making it number one on both the platform and the podcast. Appreciate that you're in every day or you're with me every Monday through Friday, and it's thanks to you for making that happen. All right, let's get back to the discussion. Tom. Celtics against the Nuggets. A loss they didn't get to the 4020, which historically, winning 40 before you lose 20 is, is the hallmark of a champion. It's pretty solid historically that if you win 40 before you lose 20, you, you are going to be in the mix for a champion. I think it's been all but five teams since like 1980 or something. So the Celtics missed their opportunity.

[Tom Westerholm]

Yeah. And can I just really quick interject and say it's, it is. I, I, it is. It is funny to me how perfect that is in describing this year's Celtics team, right. Where it's like they're almost a contender, but like, not quite, but they still could be, potentially. But you know, because like, maybe 4020 doesn't apply to them because most 4020 teams don't have their best player coming back. But also, like, it just, it is, it's very funny how that number is just picture perfect on this Celtics team. Anyway.

[John Corrales]

I haven't really thought about it that way. That is a good point. That, yeah, they're, they're right there. Are they container.

[Tom Westerholm]

They're not quite. But like, I wouldn't pick Western Conference teams, but like, or against whatever Western Conference team presumably comes out of the West.

[John Corrales]

Yeah, man, they're close.

[Tom Westerholm]

And what about Tatum? Who knows? Like, I don't know.

[John Corrales]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Which is the exception. Right? It's one of these things. Yeah. Like Greenie on Twitter, like, he's just been like, you know, the Rockets, when they, you know, they didn't make, they won the championship and they didn't go 40, 20, but they added Clyde Drexler. Yeah.

[Tom Westerholm]

Yeah.

[John Corrales]

So it's like the Celtics are basically adding an all NBA player into, so that's the exception.

[Tom Westerholm]

Yeah.

[John Corrales]

So it's not perfect, but there's, there are exceptions. So, you know, look, but you're right. I like, I like the way you're looking at it, but maybe, maybe they could have won. I don't know if, I don't know if this would have, would have changed much. But my, my contention is they were missing a lot of shots and they, so they needed an offensive rebounder and they were, they were low energy and who, who better than Luca Garza to pick up a low energy team that's missing a ton of shots? That's his whole thing, that's his whole Persona. He works hard. He looks like he's, you know, dragging a tractor up and down the floor. By the time he's done with the game, he's, like, pouring sweat. He's the hardest working guy in the world, apparently, and he's like an elite offensive rebounder. Why wouldn't they go to him? Especially when Vuch was struggling. I'm, I'm a little surprised that they didn't at least try it. And I, I, I think that I've been saying, obviously, Vuch should probably start or will probably start. But even if he doesn't, him and Kater are the two guys. And it makes perfect sense that Luca is a dnp. But every once in a while, you're going to have a game like this where the energy is low and they're missing a bunch of shots. It's the perfect. Okay, it's Luca time. That's when you got to go to him. I think, I think it was just a missed opportunity there, and I'm sure Joe has his reasons, which might have been. You really want to throw Luca Garza out there against Nikola Jokic? All right, go for it. But I still think, like, it wasn't going great in, in that third quarter run. Why not? Why not go to him?

[Tom Westerholm]

Yeah, I, I think that's fair. I, I don't know. You know, it's funny, right? Because I, I mean, I. Listen, I've been a big Vucevich, like, oh, man, I think this guy's gonna fit really well. And last couple of games, it's been a little rough. Hasn't been shooting the three as well as I kind of thought he was. So, you know, and I think especially against, in that Nuggets game, I, I mean, it's funny, right, because they, they, they played the Suns the night before. Jalen sits, and so you're like, okay. They're like, hey, if we pick up this Suns game, that's great, but we're going to go for it against the Nuggets, right? Like, that's kind of what that feels like, right? If Jalen is going to come back, it means you probably are really kind of going for it on the Nuggets game. But, I mean, you know, it was getting away from them late. Like, there were, there were opportunities to just kind of be like, all right, screw it, you know, we're at altitude, end of a road trip, whatever. Let's just, let's just, let's just, let's just give it a shot.

[John Corrales]

Let's just, yeah.

[Tom Westerholm]

See what happens. I, I agree with you. I, I don't, I don't think it needs like, and I, and I know you're not saying it needs to be a big thing, but I don't, I don't think it needs to be a big thing. I think like this, I think this

[John Corrales]

story in Celtic history.

[Tom Westerholm]

Well, and listen, that's why we're addressing it at many minute 29 in the podcast is because like you saved the best for last. Yes.

[John Corrales]

Thank you.

[Tom Westerholm]

Yeah, you're, we're saving the best for last year. But I do think, I do, I do agree with you that it is a missed opportunity. Garza would have made some sense. There's and I bet you I, I, I, I don't know, I would guess that when Missoula goes back and, and looks back, he probably already has at this point. But as he went back and looked at it, I would bet you that Missoula had a little bit of like, yeah, yeah, yeah, probably done. Probably, probably could have given that.

[John Corrales]

Probably could have cracked that glass.

[Tom Westerholm]

Yeah.

[John Corrales]

I think honestly the third quarter was the perfect opportunity to do it, especially when it was clear like Vuch was, that was his worst in the third quarter. It wasn't going great with him and the Celtics were in the bonus. This is, this is the part of the game that really, really killed me in the bonus in the third quarter. Jokic files Neemi with 755 to go. So Neemi gets two bonus free throws and those are the only bonus free throws of the quarter.

[Tom Westerholm]

Terrible.

[John Corrales]

Yeah, that's, that's just disgustingly bad. It's a horrible thing. It's, it's basketball malpractice. Like, you just, you got them on the ropes there, you're cold. You have an opportunity to get to the line, use it, take advantage of it. If Vuch isn't going to do it, throw Garza in there. Not just because he's energy, not just because he's an offensive rebounder, because he's a screen setter and you're going to get them stuck on screens. It's not like Denver was playing great. They, they turned it up at the 2 minute mark of the third quarter and then they went on their run.

[Ross Jackson]

Right.

[John Corrales]

But get cars are out there setting some of those screens, force the nuggets to kind of like overreact and maybe you pick up two, three, four more fouls. That's all you need. Six, eight more free throws. All of a sudden, instead of being down 11 at the end of the quarter. You're like, you're up 8 at one point. You know, let's just assume that they hit all those free throws. That just changes the dynamic. Maybe they, Maybe they. They go a different way. Maybe they keep Jokic in longer and he gets tired and it does like, there's so many different, like, offshoots. So I think that there was an opportunity in that third quarter to kind of steal that game. Even though they weren't playing well, I think Garza could have been the guy to make him do it. And it just. It's one of those things where I think sometimes maybe Joe gets a little too kind of. He does get a little too tunnel vision every once in a while when it comes to. And he admitted it after that Miami game where he's like, I over prepared and I just got too caught up in certain things. It'll happen from time to time. Maybe they're trying to get vouch, kind of like crash course, which I totally understand. But also, you. You have to make sure that you're using all the tools in your. In your toolbox. You have an opportunity to win that game. You gotta. You gotta be willing to do that. Which like you said, I'm sure Joe afterwards is like, yeah, yeah, next time. Next time I'll. I gotta remember, gonna. Remember we got a Luca Garza sitting there that can do all of these things.

[Tom Westerholm]

But, yeah, and to be clear, you also have to use all the tools in your toolbox because you might need those tools in the playoffs too, right? So you can't, you can't just let Luca Garza sit until. Until the first round or whatever. You know what I mean? Like, you can't just have him be like a garbage time guy for the rest of the season. He's a little too good for that.

[John Corrales]

He needs.

[Tom Westerholm]

The guy needs some minutes. The guy needs some. Some confidence if nothing else, right? Like, he's earned it. He has earned it. He literally has just earned it. He needs to get out there a little bit.

[John Corrales]

So, yeah, he's earned it. Like, that should be like a, like Joe. One of Joe's things this year is, oh, you missed the rebound. Quick, quick. You.

[Tom Westerholm]

You call. You. You forced me to.

[John Corrales]

You, you.

[Tom Westerholm]

You forced me to use a challenge that we didn't win. You're out for the rest of the game, buddy. Jordan Walsh.

[John Corrales]

Jordan Walsh. Hell, that was nuts. Oh, man. So, like, there's nothing wrong with sitting vouch for a little while and being like, okay, it's all right. We're just going to pick it back up. We'll go over the. Like, it's. It's okay. So I just. Yeah. Anyway, so that's. I don't want to belabor the point. I think Garza should have played.

[Tom Westerholm]

Yep.

[John Corrales]

All right. Well, with that, we're gonna say good night. Goodbye. Bye, Tom. Tatum's still out.

[Tom Westerholm]

Ah.

[John Corrales]

All right.

[Tom Westerholm]

It's tough. All right, man.

[John Corrales]

Appreciate you, man. As always. I do appreciate Tom Westerholm, even though he was just wrong. That's okay. I'll probably be wrong too rarely, but it happens. Thank you for listening. Thank you for watching. I do appreciate you being here, being an everydayer, maybe joining the Everydayer Club again. Five bucks a month or fifty bucks for the year. You get ad free audio on all the major podcasting apps. You get access to the Discord server for live in game chats. So check that out. And I would love it if you share the podcast now. Please spread the word. 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.

[Ross Jackson]

What's up, everybody? This is Ross Jackson, one of the hosts of the Locked On Podcast network. And if you haven't heard yet, we started a club and we would love for you to join. It's called the Everydayer Club. And one of the things that you get as a member is an ad free version of the podcast that you're listening to right now. It works with whatever podcast app you already use. Same episodes every day, just no ads. There's also a members only group group chat for fans of your team, plus a lot more. You can check it out by tapping the Everydayer Club link in the show notes.