48 Minutes with "Banner Year" author Mike Isenberg on building a champion in Boston

0:00 ... Bruce welcomes the audience to 48 Minutes and introduces Mike Isenberg, and five time author and 11 time Emmy Award winning producer whose new collaboration with Celtics legend Cedric Maxwell is their second book project together.

1:03 ... Mike briefly explains the "double track" method that the Celtics used to win the 2024 NBA Championship.

1:57 ... Some felt that Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown weren't a championship combo but the Celtics management felt otherwise and showed patience with the duo.

3:02 ... With Tatum and Brown just hitting their prime, the only way they'd be split up now has nothing to do with their performance on the court.

4:07 ... How Tatum's snubs regarding the NBA Finals MVP voting and 2024 Olympics benching drove him to even greater levels of achievement this season.

5:22 ... Tatum has finally achieved a level of "Basketball IQ" that has placed him in rare company.

6:53 ... Tatum leads the Celtics in a way this is somewhat like Nikola Jokic in Denver and he has placed individual accolades well behind his desire to get a ring.

8:10 ... Patience and aggressiveness are not easy to combine in one person's emotional makeup. But Celtics president Brad Stevens has mastered that balance.

10:09 ... Bruce tells the story of how the 48 Minutes podcast's interview with Giannis Antetokounmpo set the stage for Stevens to acquire Jrue Holiday. Mike describes how Brad keeps a "wish list" of players he covets and also how Joe Mazzulla told Holiday that they were destined to work together months before the trade was even considered.

13:15 ... It wasn't easy for Stevens to trade Robert Williams III but having already acquired Kristaps Porzingis made it easier to Stevens to part with the "Time Lord."

14:28 ... The health of Porzingis is the key for Boston in the postseason. Mazzulla risked losing some games along the way in order to manage the workload of key players like KP and veteran Al Horford while giving reserve players like Sam Hauser meaningful minutes.

17:51 ... Boston is not concerned about having home court advantage in the playoffs, so they didn't have to go all out to win every game during the regular season. Stevens and Mazzulla had a plan for what they're doing and never wavered or listened to the noise from outside.

19:54 ... Mike's co-author Cedric Maxwell played for 6 different NBA coaches with various different styles, so what is his take on Mazzulla?

21:29 ... Mazzulla's no nonsense style has been effective with the players because of his self-awareness and willingness to be his authentic self.

23:32 ... Mazzulla effectively navigated the move from assistant coach to head coach OF THE SAME TEAM, which isn't easy to do when you go from being the players' "friend" to their boss.

25:09 ... Mike explains the relationship between Stevens and Mazzulla. As a former coach, Stevens could have been heavy handed in his approach to a young coach like Joe, but he avoided doing that.

26:53 ... Stevens' moves were reminiscent of previous moves by legendary Celtics executives like Red Auerbach and Danny Ainge. Mike points out how many of the team's big moves usually led to instant success and gives three great examples.

30:47 ... Ainge is currently angling to get Cooper Flagg in the 2025 Draft for the Utah Jazz.

31:54 ... Bruce resets the show and asks Mike about the future of the team with new ownership. Mike explains how some of their recent big money signings could have negative repercussions down the road, especially if the Celtics don't repeat in 2025.

34:15 ... Bruce and Mike discuss whether guys like Holiday, Porzingis, and Horford would be willing to sign "team favorable" deals to keep winning championships.

36:57 ... Mike likes the OKC Thunder to make the NBA Finals from the west and the Celtics to come out of the east.

38:01 ... Bruce compares the OKC defense to a hockey power play with 6 players against 5. Mike explains how the Thunder just come at you in waves.

39:27 ... The guys discuss how Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is a mini version of Nikola Jokic and how Tatum is also in that category when it comes to the game "slowing down" for him.

40:43 ... Bruce and Mike praise Derrick White for his clutch play when the team needs a bucket.

41:52 ... Mike explains how to find the book "Banner Year" and the "big picture" philosophy that makes the organization tick.

43:59 ... Bruce wraps it up and teases the next episode with TNT's Jared Greenberg and the 48 Minutes playoff preview next week.

TRT 44:32

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.