00:00The Celtics play the very first game of the NBA season, and for some reason, Adam Silver and his posse
00:04decided to put it on when no one's home to watch it.
00:07Well done.
00:08Kids are home.
00:09If you're like 12 years old and you're coming out of middle school, bang.
00:12I thought Adam Silver kind of came into the league as commissioner with a bang.
00:16He was just doing a lot of really good things in these high-profile cases.
00:20I think the owner of the Clippers was the stuff he was doing.
00:25He handled that well.
00:26He handled a lot of stuff well early on.
00:28I feel like it's been a while since Adam Silver's really done anything noteworthy with that league.
00:36It's true.
00:36But, yep, you got Jason Tatum, Derek White, the old guy who isn't Jalen Brown, and Jalen Brunson 2.0,
00:41all taking the court this afternoon against the Detroit Pistons.
00:44And, hell yes, here we go in what I believe will be a very good but boring regular season for
00:50your Boston Celtics.
00:51Stiz, do we have any people from the Celtics talking about being Boston Celtics?
00:55This will probably be the last time you see me in here the whole year, but I just wanted to
01:00say this.
01:01You'll be asked all about the past.
01:03You'll be asked all about what you're looking forward to.
01:07And you'll be asked almost nothing about today.
01:09Okay, stop.
01:09The thing that I would just...
01:10This is the Boston Celtics hype video they put out.
01:13Cello, what is that?
01:14That's a harp.
01:15That's Jalen's harp.
01:16That's a harp.
01:17That might be the most...
01:18You know what?
01:18It's just par for the course.
01:19That might be the most boring hype video I've ever seen in my life.
01:23I actually like this quote from Brad, you're going to call me a nerd, but I love the be where
01:27your feet are quote.
01:27And this is a variation of that.
01:29He's trying to say that, but be spicy.
01:31Herb Brooks, he is not.
01:32Don't talk about the past.
01:33Don't talk about the future.
01:34Ray Lewis.
01:35I'm pissed off.
01:36Ray Lewis, he is not.
01:38Herb Brooks of the Miracle Speech, he is not.
01:42This is like literally the thing that they got you to get hyped for the season.
01:45And it's Brad Stevens.
01:45Let me just hear like one more second of this Brad Stevens.
01:47I would suggest, as you're going through this whole experience is, just stay in the moment.
01:52If you can live in that moment, that's what builds the stamina to go as far as we ultimately want
01:59to go.
01:59I'd be working in the front office.
02:01I like it.
02:01I want to run through a wall for you.
02:03I think guys respect Brad.
02:05I think because around the league, he's known as being, you know, a good basketball mind.
02:11Well, this is interesting because NBC Sports Blossom, they did this thing with, they put
02:19the season into the Stratomatic, which they do every year.
02:23It's this prediction machine.
02:24I love Stratomatic.
02:25And they've got the Celtics beating the Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals four games
02:29to one, and then ultimately losing the championship in seven games to San Antonio.
02:35I'll take that.
02:35Did not consult with Perk on this, if you heard Perk this morning on ESPN.
02:38Oh, do we have Perk by any chance?
02:40Oh, let's take a listen.
02:41He was not hearing it.
02:42I thought it had rules, and what you have allowed this morning on the opening day of
02:49the NBA season is for Stephen A. and Wendy to tap dance all around the topic.
02:55No definitive statement whatsoever.
02:58The question is, do we believe, are the Celtics contenders this season?
03:04And the answer is, hell no.
03:06I don't care about them winning regular season games.
03:09I don't care about them winning the Atlantic Division.
03:13Are they legit title contenders?
03:15The answer is hell no.
03:19He's never getting onto a duck boat now.
03:21Never again.
03:22That's it.
03:23What did they do to him?
03:24Like, I know that there was that thing where he was like.
03:26He made fun of Mazzouli.
03:28He called him like a bird brain or something.
03:29And then from there, it was all over.
03:32And he just dug on in.
03:34All right.
03:35Well, I mean, we might as well do it now.
03:37Your predictions for the 2026-2027 season.
03:40Regular season wins.
03:41Gentlemen, what are you putting at?
03:43Your prediction.
03:44I'll start with you, Ken.
03:45I am going to go this over-under.
03:46Vegas is so good.
03:47It's great.
03:4851.5 is the over-under.
03:49I'm going to go 52.
03:51I think they're built a little more for the regular season.
03:53That's fourth place.
03:54I think the Sixers finish in fifth place.
03:56I think you'll have a chance with home court against Philly in the first round.
04:00And they will get eliminated.
04:02Philly over Boston.
04:03Oh, for sure.
04:03Unless, unless, asterisk, Brad makes a trade at the deadline and goes out and gets somebody.
04:09Steph Curry.
04:10Who do they need?
04:10Steph Curry.
04:11Who do they miss?
04:12Or Anthony Davis.
04:13Or maybe Zion.
04:14Are you kidding me?
04:15Kai, I'm thinking big.
04:16That would change it.
04:17That would change it.
04:18Man, wow.
04:18I got them for exact same.
04:20I was thinking my jersey number.
04:22So, I like.
04:23I think they're going to be down from last year.
04:25Regular season wins.
04:26Who had that 56 last year.
04:28So, I'm going to say 52.
04:28But they go.
04:29They go at least to the second round of the playoffs.
04:32Okay.
04:32This time.
04:33So, that's what I'm anticipating.
04:35And them getting bounced in the second round.
04:37Where the analytics just don't work in the playoffs.
04:39But it will get them through to the first round.
04:41Into the second round.
04:42I'm going to say they're going to win exactly the same amount as last year.
04:4556.
04:46I think it's going to be a big number.
04:47I think you're going to see almost.
04:49That's going to be the storyline.
04:50It's like now that you've got Jason Tatum by himself.
04:52He's going to be all of a sudden this badass like Jalen Brown was.
04:56And I do believe that Jason Tatum will be not only in the top five for MVP.
05:02He might be higher up than he's ever been in the MVP voting.
05:05Really?
05:06I think fifth is the highest he's been.
05:08I would predict like fourth or third.
05:10It's because this is like the perfect.
05:12This is like the perfect ingredients for somebody who would get a lot of votes.
05:16Is when you're now the guy on a team.
05:18And nobody really expected you to be the best.
05:21Because you've got the champs in there.
05:23And you've got the Sixers.
05:24So, if your team does indeed do well.
05:26And you're, let's say, first in the East.
05:28Or even second in the East.
05:29But you're killing it.
05:29You're going to get a lot of votes.
05:31The problem is everybody loves the Knicks.
05:32So, as long as they're decent.
05:34Brunson will get more MVP votes, I think, than Tatum.
05:37People love the honest story in Miami.
05:39If the Heat finish higher than you, he'll get more votes.
05:43And obviously, Luka.
05:44People love the Lakers.
05:45They're just going to vote him by default.
05:46Like, don't you worry about those stereotypes?
05:48I don't think Tatum's going to get a lot of love.
05:50I don't think people like the Lakers anymore.
05:51I don't.
05:51There's no hype about the Lakers.
05:53I know Luka's there.
05:54And I know Luka's one of the more exciting players.
05:56But I'm not hearing any talk about the Lakers.
05:58Don't say that hurts Luka's defense is optional.
06:01So, he's really not a two-way player.
06:03Who would you rate as the best player in the Eastern Conference?
06:07You know who Perk said?
06:08It was Kawhi.
06:09He said he's the most dangerous player in the East.
06:12Man.
06:12Which is stunning.
06:13I haven't watched him.
06:14I know.
06:15Best player in the East, I'd probably still say Jalen Brunson.
06:18But I think...
06:19If you were starting a team today, would you take Jalen Brunson or Jason Tatum?
06:23Jalen Brunson.
06:24Oh, you'd be in a minority, I think.
06:27I might be.
06:28I might be.
06:28Is Pritchard an option?
06:31Donovan Mitchell's always overlooked.
06:32But I think Donovan Mitchell's up there.
06:34Kate Cunningham's great, too.
06:35This is going to be a really good game today, by the way.
06:37But I think that's...
06:39I ask that because, to highlight, if Jason Tatum is one of the top two players in the East,
06:45shouldn't he be in the MVP?
06:47Exactly.
06:47I think you'd take Tatum because he's two years younger.
06:49He's 28 and...
06:49It's just the length.
06:50It's just the length.
06:51Overall, I think he's a better defender.
06:53Maybe, you know, he may not have the clutch gene like Jalen Brunson does, but I think
06:58people would say he's an all-around better player.
07:01But Tatum has a worse roster, Rich, you would admit.
07:04Oh, the Knicks?
07:05No, than last year's team.
07:06Because JB had Tatum at the end for like the last 20 games.
07:09So once he came back, it was a better roster for him to get to 56.
07:13So if you're saying Tatum gets to 56, he's kind of doing it with a totally new team and
07:18a worse roster, at least off the start.
07:20It's a better roster than when Tatum came back.
07:23Like, if you're just saying switch J...
07:24Because, I mean, that wasn't that great of a roster that Jalen Brown was able to do that
07:28with.
07:28And now at least he's got Mitchell Robinson.
07:30He's got like a big man in there.
07:31You know, some of these younger guys, it's another year in the league.
07:34They're able to kind of find, you know, they've got some time on the court.
07:36Or, you know, I think 56.
07:38I think they're going to match what they did last year.
07:41I do not think they are going to win a championship.
07:43I think that they might get bounced in the second round.
07:48I think they're a second round team.
07:50But I will say that I do believe, and we can talk a little about this later, that this
07:54is a huge season for not only Joe Mazzula, but Brad Stevens.
07:59I've got a little sign above my desk that says, what do you want?
08:04What's true?
08:04And how do you get there?
08:06A man, a motivator.
08:08I got it at HomeGoods.
08:09It was on sale.
08:10He's a master motivator.
08:13Okay.
08:13Who is the most responsible for JB not being?
08:18So who's the most pressure on?
08:19It's funny you say that.
08:20I just did a new lame pie today on the social media.
08:23Don't we think that's the key question?
08:25You could be right.
08:25Let's take a two-minute break because I do like what Ken came up with.
08:28But it is true.
08:29I think that this is a huge season.
08:32Everyone's saying the pressure's on Jason Tatum.
08:34To me, the pressure's on Missoula and Brad Stevens.
08:38And the owner because you could have been a money reason and they got rid of JB too.
