Grant Williams and the Charlotte Hornets were no problem for our Latvian Hero and the vastly superior Boston Celtics. However, there were a few takeaways that might have playoff implications. Has Kristaps Porzingis begun to find his rhythm? Will Sam Hauser be a key playoff rotation piece? Is Jrue all the way back despite his poor shooting night?
Plus, how the Joel Embiid return impacts the Celtics, and previewing the upcoming OKC game.


Porzingis finding rhythm, and Joel Embiid is coming back

Welcome to First to the Floor, a Boston Celtics channel bringing you levelheaded overreactions, occasional coherent analysis, and a few laughs (we hope). The First to the Floor team, Ben Vallis, Jake Issenberg, and Wayne Spooney, might not be traditional members of the media, but that’s some of our charm. As part of the CLNS Network, we have unique access to great guests like Abby Chin, Chris Forsberg, Drew Carter, and sometimes we even let Barstool’s Dan Greenberg join. No matter how you like your Celtics content, we’ve got you covered. Between full-length pods, live game watch-a-longs, articles for Celticsblog, clips, and film breakdowns, let us be your spot for everything Celtics. We aren’t in this for the money (otherwise we’d all be homeless by now), we do it because it’s fun. And what makes it fun is interacting with our listeners. F2TF isn’t just a podcast, it’s a community. So, jump into the community, join the Discord, subscribe on YouTube and your favorite podcast app.


Sports

Basketball

The Boston Celtics wrapped up their Round 2 series against the Cavs in 5 games, which means it's time to hand out end-of-series awards! Plus, the evolving Jayson Tatum conversation, and a look around the rest of the league.



End of Series Awards | Round 2

Go ahead and scratch "Al Horford Game" off your Celtics bingo card. Al Horford made the Cavs regret their gameplan by torching them on both sides of the ball. We break off a nice chunk of Horford on this one, celebrating his Game 5 performance and discussing his broader impact on the whole Celtics organization. Plus, Jayson Tatum is finding some consistency in these playoffs, Derrick White trending in the right direction, and much more.
Jack Simone and Sam LaFrance from the How 'Bout Them Celtics podcast joined us for this one.


The Al Horford Game | Celtics Return to the ECF

Jayson Tatum's 33 points helped the Celtics outlast a Donovan Mitchell-less Cleveland Cavaliers to take a commanding 3-1 lead in the series. How did the Celtics perform in their first crunch time minutes of the playoffs? Can we expect this version of Jrue Holiday for the remainder of the playoffs? Plus, adjustments for Game 4, and a look around the league.



Jrue's defense and Tatum's all-round play lift Boston to a 3-1 lead

Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics responded to recent criticism in the best way possible, by winning convincingly on the road in the freakin' playoffs. How did the Celtics adjust? What was different about Tatum in this one? How did Jaylen Brown change his approach? Plus, predictions for game 4 and a look around the rest of the league.


What a response! Celtics go up 2-1

Well, that was rough. Just not good no matter how you slice it. What went wrong for the Celtics in Game 2? What's up with Jayson Tatum? How will the Celtics respond to this (to borrow Gary Washburn's words) a$$ kicking? Plus, Kristaps news, and at least Payton Pritchard is awesome. 
Check out Wayne Spooney's piece for CelticsBlog on Joa Mazzulla's tightrope walk of adjustments: https://www.celticsblog.com/2024/5/7/24148237/joe-mazzulla-tightrope-walk-of-adjustments-boston-celtics-cleveland-cavaliers-kristaps-porzingis 



Porzingis finding rhythm, and Joel Embiid is coming back

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