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The Boston Celtics are back in action tonight, this time facing the Indiana Pacers. I’m joined by Alex Golden to preview the game, along with what the Pacers are looking to do ahead of the trade deadline and whether the franchise is chasing a high draft pick after an injury-hit start to the season.

We also touched on Siakam’s illegal screen, the Celtics own need for a center, and much more.

If you prefer to watch on YouTube, the episode is already live.

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Tonight, we get to see the best two teams in the Eastern Conference duke it out.

The Boston Celtics vs. the Detroit Pistons.

If the Celtics win, they will close the gap in the conference standings to 3.5 games, and potentially add some more breathing space between themselves and the New York Knicks.

To preview the game, I was joined by Ku Khahil of the Locked On Pistons podcast. We dove into the Pistons' season so far, including their defensive identity. Interestingly, Detroit has a top-10 offense this season, despite struggling from each shot location. According to Cleaning The Glass, the Pistons’ shot accuracy looks like this:

66.4% at the rim — 17th in the NBA

43.1% in the mid-range — 19th in the NBA

35.4% from 3-point range — 20th in the NBA.

Yet, despite those struggles, the Pistons keep finding ways to win…Ku explains how Detroit is winning the possession battle.

We also touch on the upcoming trade deadline and what Detroit may look to do. What Celtics fans should expect during tonight’s game, such as who Ausar Thompson guards (and why it should be Jaylen Brown) and the potential of adding a floor-spacing four to the Pistons roster.

Of course, we wrap up with our game predictions.

If you prefer to consume your podcasts on YouTube, the show is already live. Just click the embedded video below!

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We’re officially less than two weeks away from the Feb. 5 NBA trade deadline. We’ve already seen the Celtics be linked with multiple players ranging from Ayo Dosunmu to Jaren Jackson Jr.

However, we’ve come to expect the Celtics to do their work in silence. The names that are often floated with the franchise are seldom the ones who walk through the doors of the Red Auerbach Center on their first day of practice with a new team.

To get us ready for the upcoming two weeks, I was joined by cap expert Keith Smith on the latest episode of the Celtics Chronicle podcast.

We started out by exploring some trade ideas that Billy Calabrese and I had crowd-sourced from Spotrac’s trade machine. We went through each idea individually, looking at why they would or wouldn’t work, and whether the Celtics would be willing to part with the pieces being offered.

In the second half of the show, Keith and I discussed the confusion surrounding the repeater tax, Anfernee Simons value as both a trade chip and a long-term piece in Boston, what Simons next deal could look like if he stays with the Celtics, and much more.

If you haven’t already, please subscribe to the podcast feed and leave a *kind* review, as that helps the show grow — which ultimately helps the newsletter too :)

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The Boston Celtics are defying expectations this season. They’re third in the Eastern Conference with a 19-11 record, are on a four-game win streak, and are heading out West to face four teams with sub-500 records.

It might be a lofty goal, but with the current trajectory of the Celtics, there’s a chance they could hit the 40-20 mark in the coming months. However, Joe Mazzulla’s team would need to go 21-8 over their next 30 games to make it happen.

Can the current roster achieve such a lofty goal? Will changes at the trade deadline improve their chances? And does it even matter in the grand scheme of the season?

Boston is playing with house money this year. Nobody expected them to be among the better teams in the East. Still, it makes sense for them to chase the best record possible, especially if they have their eyes on a fairytale postseason run…

I mean, the Miami Heat had one of those playoffs a few years back. Isn’t Jaylen Brown playing at, or close to, the level we saw from Jimmy Butler that season?

Billy Calabrese and I dive into all this and a little more in today’s episode of the Celtics Chronicle podcast…Also available on YouTube…

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Anfernee Simons saw his playing time limited to just 12 minutes as the Boston Celtics secured a win over the LA Clippers on Sunday.

The 26-year-old has been inconsistent to start the season, but at times, has provided valuable scoring off the bench. The primary issue has been how frequently the ball sticks in his hands when working in the half-court — where he leads the Celtics in average seconds per touch (4.39) and average dribbles per touch (3.94).

Joe Mazzulla has been cuthroat this season, yanking guys when they miss rebounds or when their shot isn’t falling. And while that style of coaching is clearly resonating with the roster, there is a risk of hurting players’ confidence. So, it will be interesting to see whether Simons responds or recoils at his limited playing time.

In today’s episode of the Celtics Chronicle podcast, I’m joined by Bruce Veliz (formerly of Celtics Digest) to discuss Simons’ limited minutes, where he’s struggling and why it’s important to get him going — both in terms of production and trade value.

The episode is also live on YouTube if you prefer to watch the show.

During the episode, we also touch on Derrick White and Payton Pritchard’s impressive night against the Clippers, how their roles are slightly adjusting and why that’s a good thing, and Sam Hauser’s shooting slump — where his gravity should still hold significant value.

If you haven’t already, please subscribe to the podcast feed and leave a *kind* review, as that helps the show grow — which ultimately helps the newsletter too :)

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When the Celtics fell to a 0-3 start on the season, talk of a potential tanking season began to gather steam. The Celtics own their draft pick heading into next summer, the 2026 draft class is deep, and the dream of adding an elite-level lottery pick was an easy sell for some sections of the fanbase.

However, back-to-back wins against the New Orleans Pelicans and Cleveland Cavaliers have likely given everyone some food for thought as far as tanking is concerned. We know this year’s team isn’t going to be bringing home a chip, but that doesn’t mean they’re going to be sub-500, either. Sure, it’s possible that Joe Mazzulla’s squad endures a losing season; however, at present, it feels like things could go either way.

With that being said, I was joined by Gary Webster — an 18-year season-ticket holder and former podcaster for “Section5ive” — to discuss Wednesday’s win over the Cavaliers, and more importantly, the pros and cons of potentially pulling the rug on the season.

So, tap in to today’s episode with Gary, and, of course, let us know if you are on “Team Tank” or “Team Competitive.”

As usual, if you prefer to watch these podcasts, the episode is already up on YouTube…

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The Boston Celtics only have one game left on their preseason slate. So far, every team they’ve faced has kept some, if not all, of their starters out of the rotation. So, while we’ve gotten a taste of how the Celtics are trying to play, we haven’t seen how it will work against primary rotation NBA players.

In today’s episode of the Celtics Chronicle podcast, Billy Calabrese and I discuss some of the things we’ve noticed over the past three games and how that could, should or shouldn’t translate into the regular season.

We touch on:

* Queta’s limited playing time, and why that could be

* The importance of defensive rebounding in order to control the tempo

* How “Pace” is a wide-ranging concept that isn’t just sprinting the floor to attack in transition

* Why building the right framework is more important than immediate results, this early into the retooling process

* Whether there is a redundancy with both Anfernee Simons and Payton Pritchard on the same roster

* Shot creation + quality vs. shot volume

* And a brief discussion over Josh Minott’s hot start to the preseason.

If you prefer to watch the video version, it’s already up on YouTube. Oh, and be sure to subscribe on your podcast player of choice so you never miss an episode!

If you know someone - or a social platform - who/that would enjoy this episode, and potentially become part of the Celtics Chronicle community, you know what to do!

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The Boston Celtics got their preseason schedule underway with a win over a Memphis Grizzlies team missing most of its starters. Boston, on the other hand, started the game with Jaylen Brown and Derrick White in the backcourt and Sam Hauser at the power forward spot.

This was the first time we’ve seen the Celtics in action since their flurry of cost-cutting moves over the summer. As such, I - and most likely we - had multiple questions we were hoping would begin to be answered in this game. Some were, some weren’t, and of course, new questions arose.

In today’s episode of the Celtics Chronicle podcast, Bill Calabrese and I discuss

* Boston’s shot profile

* The pros and cons of Tillman at the 5

* What we saw from the new and young recruits

* Questions about the pace of play, and how pace can mean different things

* Defensive observations, upside and concerns

And a bunch more.

If you prefer to watch the video version, it’s already up on YouTube. Oh, and be sure to subscribe on your podcast player of choice so you never miss an episode!

If you know someone who would enjoy this episode, and possibly becoming part of the Celtics Chronicle community, you know what to do.