Havlicek Stole the Pod NBA Basketball Podcast

Under the current NBA collective bargaining agreement (CBA), what a contender looks like has started to change – and how contenders play in the postseason as well. As the Boston Celtics begin the process of shifting their team from a contender under the former regime to the present one, fans of the team might be expecting moves that may never come to pass.

To be clearer, the days of spending deep into the tax for multiple seasons as franchises pile on talent to a talented core are likely gone for the foreseeable future. Teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs, and New York Knicks have instead leaned into depth and flexibility in ways it looks like the Celtics could already be emulating. What does this look like in practice? How will the way the players play and the coaches coach change? And how are we seeing current contenders like the Spurs and Knicks play out this new model of contention in the 2026 NBA Finals?

To get a better idea of what this might look like in practice, the hosts of "Havlicek Stole the Pod" linked up with cohost of the "How Bout Them Celtics!" podcast, Jack Simone, to break down what we're seeing unfold, and what we think might be coming. We also get caught up on the news still emerging this deep int a longer-than-usual offseason, so be sure to tune in.

Outro: Whistle by Benjamin Banger - https://tiny.ee/Jk4U or BenJaminBanger.com

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New England is the home of basketball excellence, whether we are talking at the NBA level with the Boston Celtics, or at the college level with the University of Connecticut. And Huskies beat writer Dave Borges just wrote a book tracing the history of the latter, including several key junctures where UConn and the Celtics share history.

Focused on the rise and continued success of the Huskies in "UConn Men's Basketball: An Illustrated Timeline," Borges joined the hosts of "Havlicek Stole the Pod" to talk all things New England sports, but mostly his new book and the two ball clubs' entangled history. We also talk about potential future entanglements with an assessment of how 2026 NBA Draft prospects Alex Karaban and Tarris Reed might fit with Boston, how Stephon Castle is exceeding expectations with the San Antonio Spurs in the 2026 NBA Finals, and more.

We also get caught up on all the trade rumbles, finals action, coaching searches and the rest of the Celtics and NBA news, so be sure to tune in.

Outro: Whistle by Benjamin Banger - https://tiny.ee/Jk4U or BenJaminBanger.com

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With the Boston Celtics out of the 2026 NBA postseason, attention turns to building the roster of the future for fans and executives of the team alike. So with that in mind, the hosts of "Havlicek Stole the Pod" sat down with Motor City Hoops and Game Theory analyst Bryce Simon to talk through what prospects the Celtics ought to be working out.

With the Nos. 27 and 40 picks in the 2026 NBA Draft, Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens and company have a lot of directions they could go in for this draft, from taking the picks where they are slated to trading up, down, or out of this year's draft. We also touch on how Boston and the Detroit Pistons have had similar ends to great regular seasons, how they might approach their offseasons differently, and whether there might be a deal to be made between these East ball clubs.

We also get caught up on what little news is still trickling out, so be sure to tune in!

Outro: Whistle by Benjamin Banger - https://tiny.ee/Jk4U or BenJaminBanger.com

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With the Boston Celtics now in their offseason after losing to the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round of the 2026 NBA Eastern Conference Playoffs, retooling the roster is a given. But in the meantime, the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs are locked in a battle for the ages that is giving 28 other front offices pause when it comes to building a competitive contender.

And we can and should include Boston and Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens in that camp, meaning teams that want to compete for titles will need a roster able to counter the buzzsaw that is the Thunder AND the Victor Wembanyama-led Spurs behemoth arising out of the West. To get a better idea of how OKC and San Antonio might be looking at the future (and the series mentioned above, yikes), the hosts of "Havlicek Stole the Pod" sat down with Thunder Wire editor and OKC beat writer Clemente Almanza.

Take a look at the clip embedded below to hear what they had to say about what the Celtics and the rest of the NBA need to consider when building contenders, just how worried we ought to be about Wemby, and more.

Outro: Whistle by Benjamin Banger - https://tiny.ee/Jk4U or BenJaminBanger.com

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What might the Boston Celtics offseason moves look like? The Celtics are all but assured to make some significant changes to the roster they used in the 2025-26 NBA regular season. After Boston President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens effectively said as much in his end-of-season press conference in the wake of an unceremonious first-round exit at the hands of the Philadelphia 76ers, and there is good reason to believe him.

Whether we think that means trading a core player like Jaylen Brown or Derrick White likely has as much to do with whether you think the return they could get is better than the core they have now. But splashier moves are always tougher to pull off in a way to a team's advantage, and Stevens has shown he tends to make consistent smaller- and medium-sized moves in place of home-run attempts. So what does all this tell us about what to expect this summer?

To try to get an answer, the hosts of "Havlicek Stole the Pod" linked up with HoopsHype's Cyro Asseo as we take a deep dive into a range of possibilities for Boston this offseason. Check it out below!

Outro: Whistle by Benjamin Banger - https://tiny.ee/Jk4U or BenJaminBanger.com

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What tools do the Boston Celtics have to reshape their roster this offseason? After an unceremonious exist in the first round of the 2026 NBA Eastern Conference Playoffs, it soon became apparent that the feel-good season of Boston overachieving ahead of the playoffs was not as solid as it perhaps looked.

But that also does not mean that the team is a disaster far from true contention either, both points of view addressed by Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens in his end-of-season press conference. And while some of that early exit can be blamed on the moves Boston made to get out of the tax, they also gave the Celtics a robust toolkit to improve the team over the next season or two.

To get a better idea of what Boston has available to work with in terms of teambuilding tools and constraints, the hosts of "Havlicek Stole the Pod" sat down with Third Apron head honcho and NBA cap guru Yossi Gozlan. We also get caught up on the news of the week, so be sure to tune in.

Outro: Whistle by Benjamin Banger - https://tiny.ee/Jk4U or BenJaminBanger.com

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The Boston Celtics run in the 2026 NBA Eastern Conference Playoffs came to a grinding halt with a loss to the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 7 of the first round series they led 3-1 four tilts into the round. With the loss, their pursuit of Banner 19 comes to an end until the start of next season, but also provides a window into what that version of the team will need.

How do we feel about what was supposed to be a 'gap year,' as well as the rollercoaster it became in terms of expectations? What did we learn about the stars, role players, and deep rotation? Where do the coaches need to get better? And who played their way onto (or off of) the next iteration of the ball club?

The hosts of "Havlicek Stole the Pod" sat down with Boston-based theater actor and friend of the pod Evan Turrisini to talk it all over as well as catch up on the news, so be sure to tune in, drop out -- and reload.

Outro: Whistle by Benjamin Banger - https://tiny.ee/Jk4U or BenJaminBanger.com

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The Boston Celtics have somehow found a way to squander a 3-1 series lead to the Philadelphia 76ers in their 2026 NBA Eastern Conference Playoffs first round series after dropping Game 6 in all-too-familiar fashion. Now the Celtics find themselves in their last chance to close out the series before watching an otherwise magical campaign come to a screeching halt as old bad habits resurface at the worst moment possible/

What went wrong for Boston? Will Jayson Tatum be able to play after appearing to hurt his leg? How important is playing their depth and executing to this team? Where did the accountability culture disppear to? What do the Celtics need to do to win Game 7? And while it's something we'd rather not think too much about, what could be coming down the pike this offseason if the unthinkable happens and the Celtics are a first-round exit?

The hosts of "Havlicek Stole the Pod" sat down with Celtics Blog's Gio Rivera to talk through all of the above and what little news has happened since the last pod, so be sure to tune in.

Outro: Whistle by Benjamin Banger - https://tiny.ee/Jk4U or BenJaminBanger.com

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The Boston Celtics won Game 4 of their 2026 NBA Eastern Conference Playoffs first round series with the Philadelphia 76ers 128-96 behind a monster game off the bench from Payton Pritchard (32 points, 5 assists), with string play from Jayson Tatum (30 points, 7 boards, 11 assists), and Jaylen Brown (20 points, 7 rebounds).

The Celtics bench added 57 points overall, nearly more than Joel Embiid (26 points, 10 boards) scored in tandem with Tyrese Maxey (22 points, 6 assists) for Philadelphia in Embiid's return, the Sixers big man ending the night a -25 despite his impressive line. What went right for Boston? What did Philly do wrong? And most importantly, what do we expect in Game 5 of the series as the play shifts back to TD Garden?

The hosts of "Havlicek Stole the Pod" convened after the win to hear what was said in the locker room as well as what we think might be coming down the (Mass) pike, so be sure to tune in for this playoffs edition of the show.

Outro: Whistle by Benjamin Banger - https://tiny.ee/Jk4U or BenJaminBanger.com

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The Boston Celtics won Game 1 of their first-round series of the 2026 NBA Eastern Conference Playoffs vs. the Philadelphia 76ers in decisive fashion, blowing out the Philadelphia 76ers 123-91 at TD Garden on Sunday (April 19) night. Plenty went right for the Celtics, and little Philadelphia, so we can expect Game 2 to have a different contour than we saw in these two ball clubs' first meeting of the postseason.

But what, specifically, can the Sixers do to counter the scoring onslaught we saw from star Boston forwards Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum? Is there a way for Philly to boost their 3-point shooting to a level they will need to get to in order to beat Boston? And what else do we need to know about the postseason so far?

The hosts of "Havlicek Stole the Pod" sat down to talk through Game 1, and how it may inform what we see on the court in Game 2. We also get caught up on the news, so be sure to tune in to this episode.

Outro: Whistle by Benjamin Banger - https://tiny.ee/Jk4U or BenJaminBanger.com 

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