601: Has Jayson Tatum Surpassed Giannis Antetokounmpo w/ Keith Smith

So long February.  Another week in the bag for the Boston Celtics.  And now here comes March and the BOSTON CELTICS PLAYOFF PUSH!   Kyle Draper returns to Celtics Beat to square things away once and for all with LHR.  Does he still feel the Celtics should’ve done more at the deadline? Will Isaiah Thomas live up to the billing? And oh, the game tonight.  Kyle is the host of Celtics Pre and Post Game Live and he’ll give his take on tonight’s huge matchup in Boston against the Golden State Warriors.  And there may be some Rajon Rondo discussion in there too.   Celtics Beat will also welcome Josh Planos of the Wall Street Journal to the show.  Much of the NBA’s top teams are from small markets and/or franchises that are not familiar to success.  All while the Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, and New York Knicks are down.  Is this good for the NBA? And could such success lead to the NBA putting franchises in more flyover states?   LHR will also wrap the show up by going Around the NBA in 5. So tune in this Sunday for another edition of Celtics Beat, presented by lynda.com/clns.  Available for download on iTunes and Stitcher Sunday, March 1, 2015.  Powered by CLNS Radio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

1 Mars 20151h

The NBA Trade Deadline has come and gone for the NBA and for the Boston Celtics.  To say we don’t have plenty to talk about on Celtics Beat would be an understatement.   First up, Sean Deveney of Sporting News drops by the show once again to recap the wild, wild deadline in the NBA.  The Celtics are seemingly being lauded as the biggest winners after scoring flashy point guard Isaiah Thomas.  How does Sean feel about the newest Celtic? What does that mean for the future? And what in the world are the Philadelphia 76ers and the Los Angeles Lakers doing?   Speaking of the Lakers, the Celts are in LA Sunday to face their arch-rivals at the Staples Center.  It may not be the classic matchup its known to be, but tonight is a key game for the Celtics in their case for the Eastern Conference’s eighth seed.  We’ll chat with Corey Hansford of LakersNation.com about the game as well as the state of the NBA’s glamour franchise.   Plus - a special trade deadline edition of Around the NBA in 5.   So tune in this Sunday for another edition of Celtics Beat, presented by lynda.com/clns.  Available for download on iTunes and Stitcher Sunday, February 22nd, 2015.  Powered by CLNS Radio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

22 Feb 20151h 3min

NBA All Star Weekend is finally upon us and the Boston Celtics are off until next Friday night when they resume action out West against George Karl and the Sacramento Kings.   The Celtics head into the break on a high note, winning their lone game of the week -- a buzzer-beating win against the NBA’s best team, the Atlanta Hawks.  Larry H. Russell is becoming ever more so pleased with the development and improvement of certain individuals on the Boston roster as well as the positive steps the team seems to be taking.  The Celtics may not be there yet, but there should be some serious intrigue in this team the second half of the season which some would’ve considered a feat in itself just a month ago.   And as intriguing as these Celtics are, the NBA may be as interesting as it has ever been.  Longtime NBA veteran, two-time NBA World Champion, 1996 Slam Dunk King and current NBAtv analyst Brent Barry will hop back on the show.  There’s a lot to talk about at the NBA All Star break.  Are these Hawks truly for real? Are the Hawks or Warriors truly the favorites despite having the best record in their respective conferences.  And Charles Barkley - he called out the analytics movement.  What’s Bones’ take on that? Brent and LHR will discuss this and more on this All Star Sunday edition of Celtics Beat.   There’s still even enough to talk about more NBA topics.  LHR goes Around the NBA in 5 at the conclusion of the show. So tune in this Sunday for another edition of Celtics Beat, presented by lynda.com/clns.  Available for download on iTunes and Stitcher Sunday, February 15th, 2015.  Powered by CLNS Radio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

15 Feb 201559min

Busy week for the Boston Celtics, and a fairly successful week at that.  Boston dropped a tough contest last night to the Milwaukee Bucks, ending their three-game winning streak.  But are we now seeing some noticeable improvement from certain individuals as well as the team?   Host Larry H. Russell seems to think so.  The team has made marked improvements in three key areas since the beginning of the season, and that’s a very positive development for the Boston Celtics.  LHR also spoke with Wyc Grousbeck and Rich Gotham regarding how they feel about the team in a feature piece that is available on clnsradio.com.  LHR will further discuss the piece and how he personally currently feels about the team now and going forward on the show.   And that’s not all.  Longtime Boston Celtics beat reporter for the Boston Herald, Steve Bulpett, will join Celtics Beat once again and provide the latest buzz surrounding the Celts.  Is there still a possibility for more moves? Is LHR’s optimism justified? Can this team really make a playoff push? Steve will have this and more on Episode 91.   We’d also like to welcome the return of our longtime friend - Around the NBA in 5. So tune in this Sunday for another edition of Celtics Beat, presented by lynda.com/clns.  Available for download on iTunes and Stitcher Sunday, February 8th, 2015.  Powered by CLNS Radio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

8 Feb 201559min

The Celtics returned home from a 6 game road trip and square off against old rival the Miami Heat on Super Bowl Sunday.  The team is showing signs of life with their first 3 wins on the road in the Western Conference in a couple of years but still can't get over the hump against the iron teams. Celtics Beat hosts Rich Conte and Dr. Andre Snellings of Rotowire talk about today's game, the recent roadtrip and reminisce about the Celtics - Heat rivalry.  We also welcome guest RealGM.com's Shams Charania to talk about the rapidly approaching NBA Trade Deadline as well as some players called up from the NBA Developmental League making surprising impacts. All this and Rich and Dre go around the NBA in 5.  You won't want to miss it. So tune in this Sunday for another edition of Celtics Beat, presented by lynda.com/clns.  Available for download on iTunes and Stitcher Sunday, February 1st 2015.  Powered by CLNS Radio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

1 Feb 20151h 1min

So far, so good. The Boston Celtics are rolling out West.   Well, sort of. But two wins in a row is a start, particularly on a back-to-back beating the Portland Trail Blazers and Denver Nuggets. What does this mean? Can the Celtics make a run at the Eastern Conference’s final playoff berth?   LHR doesn’t seem to think so. While there are a lot of positives that have come out of the Celtics continued-inspired play despite all the adversity and the challenges of this season, reality is still reality.  The Detroit Pistons seem to be a step ahead, and the continued drama with trades will prove to be too much to overcome for these ever-so-gritty 2015 Celtics.  However, this may be something they can build upon.   Despite the recent success of the Celtics, it’s still ever-so important for fans to keep an eye on the 2015 NBA Draft.  And who better to talk to than Jeff Goodman of ESPN and ESPN.com, who has made a living off knowing college basketball prospects over this last decade.  LHR and Jeff will get into an elaborate discussion on not just the Draft, but where the Celts stand in their rebuilding as well.   We’d also like to welcome the return of our longtime friend - Around the NBA in 5.   So tune in this Sunday for another edition of Celtics Beat, presented by lynda.com/clns.  Available for download on iTunes and Stitcher Sunday, January 18th 2015.  Powered by CLNS Radio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

25 Jan 20151h 6min

Championship Sunday in the NFL is not championship sunday for the Boston Celtics.  In fact, it’s a bloody Sunday.  Two Eastern Conference juggernauts - the Atlanta Hawks and Chicago Bulls - humbled the Celts on their home floor in two contests this week.  And now the Celtics go out West.   Boston’s first stop will be in Los Angeles to face Doc Rivers, Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and the Los Angeles Clippers.  Who better to talk to to talk Clippers basketball than the best color commentator in the NBA - FOX Sports West/Prime Ticket - Michael Smith.  Mike and LHR will reunite and the conversation will be sure to provide insight about the Celts first stop in their West Coast guantlet.   LHR will also chat with Dan Shaughnessy of the Boston Globe.  Dan is the author of an array of books including Ever Green, one of the definitive accounts of the Celtics and their illustrious history.  Dan and LHR will talk about Larry’s author debut, Fall of the Boston Celtics, as Celtics Beat continues to relive the Dark Ages of Celtics basketball.   So tune in this Sunday.  Another Fall of the Boston Celtics edition of Celtics Beat.  Powered by CLNS Radio.  Available for download on iTunes and Stitcher Sunday, January 18th 2015.  Powered by CLNS Radio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

18 Jan 20151h 2min

These are dark times for the Boston Celtics.  The losses are piling up and fans are depressed.  But is this as bad as what it once was?   Esteemed Celtics historian Larry H. Russell will re-live the infamous Dark Ages in this special edition episode of Celtics Beat.  LHR will speak with realGM’s Elrod Enchilada and they’ll discuss Larry’s landmark author debut Fall of the Boston Celtics: How Bad Luck, Bad Decisions Brought the Mighty Celtics Empire to Its Knees and Ushered in the Dark Ages.   This show is not faint-hearted.  Those were certainly some dreary times.  LHR will talk with Elrod for the full 60 minutes and they’ll dissect what went wrong, who was most to blame, and what were the primary factors for the team’s full and ensuing stagnation.  And how do the Celtics struggle of today compare to yesterday? Are they going down that path again?   So tune in to find out.  A special Fall of the Boston Celtics edition of Celtics Beat. Powered by CLNS Radio.  Available for download on iTunes and Stitcher Sunday, January 11th 2015.  Powered by CLNS Radio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

11 Jan 20151h 5min