Celtics Beat

Now the real fun begins as this is judgment week for the Boston Celtics.  Five games in the next days starting with the Doc Rivers, Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan and the Los Angeles Clippers in Boston Sunday night.  Then of course three critical contests await the Celtics starting with a trip down to Charlotte tomorrow to face the Hornets, then some home games with the Indiana Pacers and Milwaukee Bucks, before a trip north of the border to finish the week against the Toronto Raptors.  The NBA Playoffs may very well be on the line for the Celtics this week.

Boston concluded the last full week of March by sweeping two New York foes in the Nets and Knicks, but dropped some winnable games at home against the Pistons and Heat.  Are there some signs of fatigue that could be setting in? Were those games a warning sign? LHR will discuss this topic and more with new Celtics beat reporter for the Boston Globe, Adam Himmelsbach.

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 and Peak Organic Brewing Company.  Available for download on iTunes and Stitcher Sunday, March 29, 2015.  Powered by CLNS Radio.

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Spring is here and so is the sprint to the finish line for the Boston Celtics and the rest of the NBA.  The green team finds themselves right in the midst of the chase for the final two spots in the Eastern Conference NBA Playoffs.  Larry H. Russell will break down the week that was for the Celtics.  Was it a successful week? Two tough, but somewhat expected losses against two elite Western Conference foes in the Oklahoma City Thunder and the World Champion San Antonio Spurs followed the end of the Celts’ five game winning streak.

Whatever one makes of it, it’s in the books.  LHR will look ahead to what could very well be a make-or-break week for Boston’s playoff hopes with huge games against foes like the Brooklyn Nets and the Miami Heat.  Let’s not get ahead of ourselves either, as Boston has their hands full tonight when Greg Monroe comes to town with the rest of the Detroit Pistons.

And of course, the guest: LHR will be privileged to be joined by Basketball Hall of Famer Jackie MacMullan of ESPN Boston.  There are few in the media who know more regarding the state of the Celtics than Jackie, and she’ll be sure to provide the Celtics Beat audience the lowdown on Brad Stevens, the Celtics now, and the Celtics in the future.  What does Jackie make of them? More importantly, what do those in an around the NBA make of the Boston Celtics franchise.

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 and Peak Organic Brewing Company.  Available for download on iTunes and Stitcher Sunday, March 22, 2015.  Powered by CLNS Radio.

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The Ides of March are upon us: A major checkpoint in the NBA season.  The sprint to the finish line now begins.  Who knew as late as mid January that the Boston Celtics would play a major factor in the outlook of the 2015 NBA campaign?

The playoff chase is officially on.  It was a busy, but successful week for the Celtics with a real highlight win over the Memphis Grizzlies at home on Wednesday.  Plus the team picked up some solid victories against the Miami Heat and Orlando Magic.  Fans are thrilled, and host Larry H. Russell is one of them.

LHR will be joined by Ian Thomsen, now of NBA.com.  Ian wrote a feature on Danny Ainge and the Celtics rebuilding project back on February 17th titled “Danny Ainge’s Balancing Act.”  LHR will discuss that feature with Ian, and will dive into further detail with where Ian thinks the Celtics stand in all of this.  How does Boston’s rebuilding plan stack up? Particularly against the rival New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers and Los Angeles Lakers?

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 and Peak Organic Brewing Company.  Available for download on iTunes and Stitcher Sunday, March 15, 2015.  Powered by CLNS Radio.

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Busy week for the Boston Celtics - I mean real busy.  Plenty of games to talk about, both good and bad.  And plenty of news to talk about, which has been mostly good.

There’s a lot of talk of who the Celts will sign this off-season, and there was even a possible transaction this week with Javale McGee.  Alas, it fell through.  Host LHR will be sure to touch upon that as well as the possibilities this summer as he did in today’s column.

The Celts stayed busy on the court as well with a slew of games this week.  LHR will react on the week that was and look ahead to tonight’s game with former Orlando Magic player Jeff Turner, now serving as the Magic’s color man on FOX Sports Florida.  After a respectable start, Orlando was really fizzled out.  What went wrong? And how can the Celtics exploit some of Orlando’s weaknesses if they want to get this much needed road win?

That’s not all - there’s plenty to talk about around the league as well.  Boston fans saw first hand the greatness of Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors.  Is he the front runner for the NBA’s MVP award? What about James Harden or LeBron James? Tas Melas of The Starters on NBAtv will stop by to discuss that and more with LHR.

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 and Peak Organic Brewing Company.  Available for download on iTunes and Stitcher Sunday, March 8, 2015.  Powered by CLNS Radio.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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