Loading summary
Transcript59 lines
- [00:01]
Shopify Advertiser
This episode of Talk of the Devils is brought to you by Shopify. When we're kids, we dream of being anything. A footballer, an astronaut, an international man, a mystery. But as we get older, reality kicks in and dreams change and we focus on how to take our skills and ideas and turn them into something tangible, like owning your own business. And for that, you'll need a website, a payment system, a logo, and a way to advertise to new customers. It can all be overwhelming and confusing, but that's where Shopify comes in. Shopify is the commerce platform behind millions of businesses around the world and 10% of all e commerce ecommerce in the US from household names like Mattel and Gymshark to brands just getting started. When it comes to websites, Shopify's got beautiful ready to go templates to match your brand style. And you can amplify that brand with Shopify's easy to run email and social media campaigns. Shopify's AI tools are created for commerce and can help you with tasks like generating discount codes, writing product descriptions and enhancing product images. And whenever you get stuck, Shopify's award winning 247 customer support is always there. So turn those dreams into sales and get the best shot at success with Shopify. Sign up for your $1 per month trial and start selling today at shopify.co.ukreddevils that's shopify.co.ukredDevils all in lowercase and with no spaces. One last time.
- [01:18]
Wayfair Advertiser
Shopify.co.ukredDevilS Summer is almost here and there's no better place to go for outside furniture than Wayfair. Wayfair's huge selection of outdoor essentials will help you make your outdoor space more comfortable, funct and most importantly, more you. Get your outdoor space rated today so you can enjoy it all season long. When you have kids, they love to be outside, so you gotta be out there to watch them. From Wayfair, you can have outdoor sofas, maybe a set of chairs, a gazebo, some umbrellas because it's really hot down here in the South. No matter the need. Wayfair's huge selection of home items makes it easy to find exactly what's right for you. There's something for every style and every home. No matter your space or budget. Wayfair makes it easy to tackle your summer home goals with endless inspiration for every space and budget, including the outdoors. Free and easy delivery even on the big stuff. No more huge delivery fees for patio furniture. Get big stuff like patio sets, gazebos, hot tubs, outdoor dining sets and more shipped free. Find all your outdoor must haves from seating to pool lounges to trampolines all in one convenient place. Shop a huge selection of outdoor furniture online this summer. Get outside with wayfair. Head to wayfair.com right now. That's W A Y F A I R.com wayfair every style every Home.
- [02:54]
Apple Card Advertiser
This message is brought to you by Apple Card. Apply for Apple Card today and start earning up to 3% daily cash back on everyday purchases. And that daily cash can even grow automatically when you open a high Yield Savings account through Apple Card. What are you waiting for? Visit Apple Co Card Calculator today to see how much daily cash you can earn. Subject to credit approval Savings available to Apple Card owners subject to eligibility savings and Apple Card by Goldman Sachs Bank USA Member FDIC terms and more@applecard.com.
- [03:37]
Zach Harper
Welcome to the Athletic NBA show podcast here on the Athletic Podcast Network. I'm Zach Harper. Got Jared Weiss from Indianapolis. The Boston Celtics beat The Indiana Pacers 105. 102. The third close game in this series. It is a sweep. The brooms are out. The Celtics are headed to the NBA Finals. The Celtics hold the Pacers scoreless in the final 3:33 of this ball game to win. 105. 102. Jared just business as usual for the Celtics team. Right? That's what they do.
- [04:10]
Jared Weiss
The irony is they finally get a sweep and it's by far their hardest series yet.
- [04:14]
Zach Harper
So.
- [04:14]
Jared Weiss
Right. You know, like as I've been covering a team that's just been waltzing through the postseason, so I don't remember exactly what it's like to see a challenge up close, but I think this kind of counts. It didn't go seven games. They never thought that their entire lives were ruined, but they at least had to try.
- [04:31]
Zach Harper
Yeah. Can you have a close sweep? This feels like it was very close. But also after game one, when, when Indiana gave that away, probably at no point did I think the Celtics were going to lose a game. I did think they were about to lose game one. And then once they went to overtime, it was. It was all Celtics. Obviously Game two was a blowout. Game three was very close, but another game given away. Game four, very close. But I don't even know if you can call this one given away. I think the Celtics just won it.
- [05:01]
Jared Weiss
Yeah. I mean, like the turnovers were absolutely insane at the end there. Indiana has been doing that. I guess one of the separators between these teams is that Boston's very late Game execution generally is a little bit more composed. Indiana kept turning it over in these huge moments and fumbling it away, but also Boston was able to manufacture some of the shots that they needed, like the Jalen Brown block to the. To the Derrick White 3, which was pretty much all Brown. Making that happen like that was the clean execution that you need to win these big games and late in the postseason, and they at least got that. So, you know, I. I think you got to credit the Celtics more so for it. And the baby you got to credit the Pacers for is like, Andrew Nemhardt stepped up and was he better than Tyrese Halliburton? Like, he was incredible. The Pacers got better once they lost Halliburton.
- [05:50]
Zach Harper
Yeah, they actually kind of did, which is weird.
- [05:53]
Jared Weiss
Yeah. Yeah. Is he Trey Young now?
- [05:56]
Zach Harper
I think he's also. He's Trey Young and Steph Curry. Right. I think that's how that works. If. If the Celtics are struggling with an Andrew Nemhard, and struggle is maybe a dramatic word if it's close with an Andrew Nemhardt Pacers team, is that more about the Pacers fighting, or do you think that's. You know, the Celtics do have a tendency to play down to their competition. Maybe they just kind of felt like, all right, we can get through this. And then. And then there were several times in game three, and then obviously in game four tonight where maybe the Celtics realized, oh, we've got to, like, knuckle up here. This is. This is go time.
- [06:28]
Jared Weiss
Yeah. You know, I mean, the Celtics have been the front runner for a minute now this year especially. And what's really interesting about the idea of playing down to a team is that the Celtics identity has kind of been to play to the team that they're playing against. It's their versatility allows them to match up with whomever, and they can play the style that works for them. And so it's like kind of playing down to your opponent in a way, but it's also like relying and expressing your versatility as a virtue. And I think that leads the Celtics to just get stuck sometimes because they are kind of trying to be adaptable more than trying to be themselves in a lot of ways. So you definitely saw that in this game. It definitely happens. It's also inherent to playing the Pacers. Like, the Pacers are a tornado of chaos, and they're just going to have these moments where they're just unbelievable. And that's been a huge part of why they got past New York, obviously, in that last Game. It's a huge part of why the series was so close was there was just like a. There was just. There are moments in these games where TJ McConnell was genuinely the greatest player in NBA history. And Jaylen Brown even said at the podium after the game, he said, when I was talking about Michael fucking Jordan, I was specifically talking about T.J. mcConnell. I mean, hey, the, you know, Miles Turner went out with five fouls. He brought McConnell in. You could argue that that was a foul thing, but I don't know. That was kind of just like you got to put the goat in kind of thing.
- [07:46]
Zach Harper
Yeah, I think you do just have to put the gun right.
- [07:49]
Jared Weiss
How fitting is it the Celtics kept going at Turner over and over, got into a foul trouble, and then I'm pretty sure, if I remember correctly, Brown got past Turner to make the kick out to win the game. Right. So maybe they should have kept McConnell in there. Yeah.
- [08:04]
Zach Harper
Why. Why do you think Andrew Nemhard had such great success? And I don't want to take anything away from, but you're going against Derrick White, Drew Holiday, Jalen Brown, Tatum at times. Why was he able to have so much success in the last two games?
- [08:19]
Jared Weiss
Well, let's credit him first. His shot making was unreal. Yeah, I mean, his. Him and Siakam, their shot making in the series was. It was truly unforgettable, especially considering the circumstances and how they had to step up. Just absolutely incredible what they pulled off. And you know, Nemhard, I think was a little bit of that. Like what Boston saw with the Kayla Martin ascension in the conference finals last year. He was on just an incredible heater at an incredible moment, and he hit a lot of contested mid range shots. But I think the big thing with him is like one, he was playing with that fire, and sometimes guys in these big moments, they just play with this insane amount of momentum and freedom. They're in that flow state, and that was a big part of it. But also one thing that Indiana did really, really well was they were trying to take advantage of Boston switches, get the ball as low to the baseline as possible, and then send guys cutting back from like, you know, the top of the key area into the middle of the lane, and they would pass it back while all the Celtics were kind of fighting for rebounding position already. And so I think Nemhard was really huge, both in making those plays as a passer and being the cutter there too. And so that was something the Celtics never quite were able to clean up in the series. And also just Indiana's shape of their offense was tricky because they're so good at using that baseline area. And Boston's whole thing has always been, we're going to switch and keep everything in front of us.
- [09:42]
Zach Harper
Now Jaylen Brown, they've, they've played 14 games. Obviously they're 12 and two. Jalen Brown has had three games in which he shot less than 50% from the field. It's time to ask the question, Jared. Is this Jaylen Brown's team or is this Jayson Tatum's team?
- [09:58]
Jared Weiss
I mean, isn't it kind of Jrue Holiday's team?
- [10:01]
Zach Harper
There you go. That's what I like to hear.
- [10:03]
Jared Weiss
You know, it was great. So you know, Stephen A had that thing. I love how Stephen A did it where he's like, I'm gonna read a text a source sent me.
- [10:11]
Zach Harper
Yes.
- [10:11]
Jared Weiss
Where we say excoriating things that are completely unprofessional, say on air without any sort of validation. However, Jaylen Brown isn't a marketable piece of shit. I think was basically what it was. And you know, Jalen quote tweeted it says saying like show your source, which you we don't do as journalists.
- [10:27]
Zach Harper
Sure.
- [10:27]
Jared Weiss
Stephen A is kind of threading the line of journalism there. And what was great was when Jalen was asked in this post game about criticism, he was like, you know, people might think I'm not marketable. And he basically like listed off all the different factors that Stephen A said when he was reading that message. So, you know, Jaylen, Jalen, you know, literally I think early in the series he said I don't got time to give a about not making all NBA as he very clearly was very sour about making not making all NBA. And all of his teammates took every opportunity to say that he should have been first team all NBA. That's what Drew Holiday said. It's probably is inaccurate but you know, Jaylen is someone who loves saying I don't care while clearly caring. And I think he's found that he's found that balance of pretending like he doesn't matter without it like overwhelming him. And I think he has the proper amount of motivation now. But I think he genuinely enjoys making non scoring plays and I think that's a big difference for him now. It's like he actually seems to be wanting to do it as opposed to doing it as a matter of necessity.
- [11:25]
Zach Harper
If we're going to nitpick a little bit, Tatum was really good tonight, but he has had some problems with turnovers. He's three point shot hasn't been falling nearly as much. It did fall last game, but 3 of 11 tonight. Is there any concern there or has he played well enough to that you just. He'll be fine.
- [11:43]
Jared Weiss
No, no, there's. I mean, it's definitely something to be worried about. I mean, how fitting was it that this series ended literally with Jason Tatum missing an open 3? Like, is that not the most on brand way for series to end? Sorry. There's literally like a hurricane happening in the background.
- [11:58]
Zach Harper
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- [11:59]
Jared Weiss
Can you guys hear that? That's absolutely insane. Anyway, Jason Tatum's shooting has to be not terrible. Like, they're going against Dallas. Dallas hopefully won't have anyone get knocked out of the series, and they're going to be really good at closing games, and Indiana was not good at closing games in the series. And you're going to need JT to probably go shot for shot with Luka and Kyrie at some point. It's probably going to be a lot of that kind of stuff he can't shoot. I can't imagine the Celtics beating the MAVS with Tatum shooting 25%. Considering how. From deep, considering how well Luka and Kyrie have been playing, I feel like it's probably like they might win the game or win the series in seven games. It's going to be really tight. Boston has enough talent that they could probably win a little bit more easily, shooting really well. But Tatum has gotten good enough at everything else, from his playmaking to, you know, deciding when to go to the post versus playing from, like, up to, you know, above the arc, everything on defense. Like, he's gotten good enough at everything else that he doesn't have to be a dangerous shooter anymore to be the best player on the team with.
- [13:02]
Zach Harper
With Kristaps Porzingis, obviously he hasn't. He hasn't played in a while. He didn't play in this series. Was there ever a. Was there ever a likelihood that he was going to get into Game four or. Since they have anywhere from a week to nine days between now in the start of the NBA Finals, it was just not worth it to get him back on the court just in case.
- [13:23]
Jared Weiss
Yeah, I think the way they were always going to do this was if he's like, guys, I'm Gucci, I'm perfect. My legs feel incredible. Let's do this. They would do it. They didn't clearly get that feedback at this point. And if he really felt that way, they would have played him because you don't want his first game back after being out For a month to be in the NBA Finals against a team whose centers are so active and hyper. Aggressive, aggressive. So, you know, Porzingis would love, I'm sure, would have loved to get those reps in the series. And, you know, maybe game five would have been the time that it happens. And also maybe they're up in game four. They're up 3, 0. Indiana has nothing to lose. Maybe you don't want to throw Porzingis into that kind of situation. So, you know, maybe that's why he didn't play. Brzega certainly seems like he's gonna be ready. I don't think there seems. There seems to be no doubt whatsoever he will be playing in Game 1amid.
- [14:14]
Zach Harper
The turnovers and the missed shots and all the chaos. You perfectly summed up the Pacers in that. It is just chaos out there. It's a tornado of chaos out there. But in the final three, 33 in which they did not score, at what point did you think, I'm obviously going back to Boston regardless, but I think we've got a game five.
- [14:36]
Jared Weiss
I'm surprised that the series is over. I'm really surprised because 333 is a long time to not have any basket on the board, especially because of how many possessions happened in that span of time. Like, there were a lot of bites at the apple here and the fact that Brown getting that block, that was the shocking one because, you know, that block has happened a few times in the series. But Indiana's just been so good at getting downhill and just beating the shot blocker and getting the ball off the glass toppin. Had that earlier in a horror for a cold culture. Goal 10, like, I thought for sure they were going to score there, maybe even a three point play there, and Boston wasn't going to pull this one out and Jaylen made the play. And you know that. Honestly, what's interesting is that play probably defines Jaylen Brown's career at this point. In that it was like the kind of play that he would probably often come up short on or maybe even foul on or just like he would get blown by and he would just kind of like stand there and just watch it happen. And I think his determination to actually make that play was kind of reflective on how the Celtics just kind of turned it up a little bit extra and took the Pacers out of the rhythm at the end.
- [15:44]
Zach Harper
The Celtics are now 76 and 20. They have, I don't know, I think won 80 of those 76 times by. By double digits. It feels like They've been dominant. Tell the people who aren't Celtics fans listening to this why this isn't boring dominance.
- [16:02]
Jared Weiss
It is foreign dominance. I don't know what you're talking about. Hopefully it won't be in the finals.
- [16:07]
Zach Harper
Yeah.
- [16:07]
Jared Weiss
I mean, come on. They just. They just beat three teams and missing their best player. Like, this is.
- [16:11]
Zach Harper
Yeah.
- [16:11]
Jared Weiss
This has never. This has never happened before, has it? I don't ever happen.
- [16:14]
Zach Harper
I don't think so, no. Yeah.
- [16:16]
Jared Weiss
I mean, hopefully Luca, it's, you know, gets healthier and the time off helps and everything, and he stays healthy because, like, if they beat four teams without their best player, like, that would be. That would be like the ultimate hollow championship. Right? So. But championship's a championship. The Celtics are, I think, a really interesting team in that they don't have one person that, like, they're kind of. They're, like, so different than Dallas. Dallas. It's like the balls go into two dudes for the last five minutes of the game, right?
- [16:43]
Zach Harper
Yeah.
- [16:43]
Jared Weiss
Like, it's. That's happening. The Celtics, they're. They're going to run everything through, Brown and Tatum at a certain point, but they are not pounding out the clock very often. And that was something that they were doing even earlier this year. They were doing a lot in the last couple years. They've kind of worked that out. Like, they don't. They don't really do that very often that you do not know who is going to be the Celtics second best player every single game. Like, that's always up in the air, and I think that's what makes them interesting. And then also, once Porzingis gets back, like, they're just also going to be so fascinating offensively to watch that I think people are going to enjoy that. Just, like, they're such a. There's such a distinct offense. Like, they're, I mean, really unique offense. There's nothing quite like it in recent history.
- [17:22]
Zach Harper
Yeah, when they're clicking, I mean, it's just. It's a whirlwind. It's just a barrage of three pointers. Right. Like, it's just in ball movement and up and down. And I actually, you know, I thought there were a couple of moments in the series. I was like, I think they're playing too fast with Indiana. But then once Tyrese Halliburton's out of the picture, I'm like, okay, they can kind of do whatever they want. Is this last question for you before we. Before we let you go? Right. Are the Celtics cowards for not waiting for everyone to get healthy before they played them.
- [17:52]
Jared Weiss
That's true. The NBA should have just put a pause on the season so that the Celtics couldn't be challenged.
- [17:57]
Zach Harper
It's not long enough. So you kind of have to.
- [17:59]
Jared Weiss
Right, right. I mean can we like run it back in like three weeks and let every. Like they should do. Every single team at the Celtics face should get one game. It's like a do or die game. Like if that team wins and they have to play another seven game series, that seems the only fair way to do it.
- [18:13]
Zach Harper
I think you just invented the new playing tournament. I think that's the way to the way to go. And that's how we're going to get another streamer on the broadcast platform.
- [18:22]
Jared Weiss
It's the Play out tournament.
- [18:24]
Zach Harper
The Play out tournament. Yes. That is coined by Jared Weiss. You have to pay him all of the ad money that gets sold for the playoff tournament. Make sure you check out. Make sure you check out Jared's coverage of the Celtics on the athletic. The best coverage of sports on the Internet for Jared Weiss on Zach Harper. Keep it locked on the athletic.
- [18:50]
Jared Weiss
SA.
- [19:15]
Zach Harper
Foreign.
- [19:24]
Apple Card Advertiser
As we head into the playoffs, it's safe to assume there will be a few calls made by the refs that will be hard to accept. But you know what isn't hard to accept? Discover. Believe it or not, Discover is accepted at 99% of places that take credit cards nationwide. You heard that right, 99%. So make a good call for your wallet and get discovered. Based on the February 2024 Nielsen report. Learn more at discover.com creditcard this podcast.
- [19:50]
Aura Advertiser
Is brought to you by Aura. By the time you hear about a data breach, your information has already been exposed for months. On average, companies take 277 days to report a breach. That's nine months where hackers have access to your personal data. That's why we're thrilled to partner with Aura. Aura is an all in one digital safety solution that monitors the dark web for your phone number, email and Social Security number, sending real time alerts if your info is found. It also includes a vpn, password manager and data broker removal. To help keep you safe for a limited time. Aura is offering a 14 day free trial plus a dark web scan to check if your personal information has been leaked. All for free@aura.com safety. That's Aura.com safety to sign up and protect your loved ones. That's a U r a.com safety terms apply. Check the site for details.
- [20:43]
Jared Weiss
Acast powers the world's best podcasts.
- [20:47]
Wayfair Advertiser
Here's a show that we recommend.
- [20:51]
Paige Desorbo
Hey guys. Welcome to Giggly Squad, a place where we make fun of everything, but most importantly ourselves. I'm Paige Desorbo. I'm Hannah Burner. Welcome to the squad. Giggly Squad started on Summer House when we were giggling during an inappropriate time. But of course, we can't be managed, so we decided to start this podcast to continue giggling. We will make fun of pop culture news. We're watching fashion trends pep talks where we give advice, mental health moments and games. And guests listen to Giggly Squad on Acast or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [21:23]
Wayfair Advertiser
ACAST helps creators launch, grow, and monetize their podcasts everywhere.
- [21:28]
Jared Weiss
Acast.com.