Prepare yourself for nearly 40 minutes of Joe Mazzulla gold! From comparing Formula 1 racers to NBA players, to revealing that he has a text thread dedicated to Pet Peeves, to explaining why he’s asked all of the Boston Celtics players to share PowerPoint presentations about themselves with the team this season, this episode has it all. Mazzulla also answers whether he trusts his gut or the data more throughout an NBA season, and dives into how the Celtics have pursued being the smartest team in the league, what stands out most from Jaylen Brown’s MVP-level season, and Anfernee Simons’ professionalism and impact on the C’s. Enjoy the Season 6 finale of View from the Rafters, with Mazzulla, Marc D’Amico and Sean Grande. 

00:25: Pursuit of becoming the smartest team in the NBA
04:20: The perception of “depth” in the NBA is changing
08:20: Players being ready for unpredictable roles, highlighted by Luka Garza
10:20: Why the Celtics don’t have a consistent “rotation”
11:45: Anfernee Simons’ impressive growth with the Celtics
13:42: Mazzulla makes fun of Marc
14:48: Mazzulla’s constant pursuit of expanding his horizons and knowledge
18:56: Are younger players becoming more open to new ideas?
20:35: Celtics players presenting PowerPoints about themselves to the team
24:50: Jaylen Brown’s MVP-level season
27:10: Rapid Fire: Gut or Data, Pet Peeves, Who He’d Want to Fight, Sleep Habits & More

Scratch your 90s nostalgia itch with Dee Brown, who starred for the Celtics from 1990-1998. Brown touches on entering the league on a stacked Celtics team that featured Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish and Reggie Lewis, and winning the NBA Slam Dunk Contest as a rookie. He also comments on parallels to Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum’s careers, as each of those players entered the league on title-contending teams. Brown goes on to reveal what it meant to him to be named Celtics captain, and his experience participating in and winning ESPN’s ‘Dream Job’ show that featured Stuart Scott, Stephen A. Smith, Woody Page and other famous ESPN personalities. 

00:20: Brown on being back in Boston and getting a standing ovation during the Celtics-Bulls game
06:25: Rookie year, starting out 29-5, Dunk Contest, learning from Bird/McHale/Parish
10:48: Parallels to Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum’s careers
13:30: Shock factor of moving to Boston, seeing Hall of Famers at every practice
15:05: Being named Captain of the Boston Celtics
18:25: Exchanging “Brown No. 7” jerseys with Jaylen Brown, and JB’s legacy
20:02: Brown’s scare with Wellesley police, who mistook him for an alleged bank robber
23:44: Experience of wining ESPN’s ‘Dream Job’ and working alongside Stuart Scott & Stephen A. Smith

Phil Pressey has gone from Celtics player, to Celtics assistant coach, to Maine Celtics head coach. He covers his journey in detail in this week’s episode, including how Brad Stevens and Joe Mazzulla have influenced his coaching philosophy and daily approach to the job. Pressey tells a crazy story from this season that encapsulates the nature of life in the G League (and he sounds a bit like Joe Mazzulla while telling it). Plus, Pressey gives his insights on Celtics rookie draft picks Amari Williams and Max Shulga, plus two-way player Ron Harper Jr. 

00:10: Becoming head coach of the Maine Celtics and coaching philosophies
06:52: How Brad Stevens, Joe Mazzulla and European coaches have influenced his coaching style
12:03: Handling the inconsistencies of life in the G League
15:51: Insights on Amari Williams, Ron Harper Jr. and Max Shulga
21:53: Coaching Maine to a franchise-record nine-game win streak
27:53: Crazy stories from life in the G League

Jordan Walsh made a presentation to his Celtics teammates this season about anime. He tells you how it came up and what he taught them, and how the exercise has built team chemistry. Walsh also details the mental struggles of his first two seasons in the NBA, and what has led to his sudden emergence as a critical player for the Celtics. The third-year forward, who sits next to superstar Jaylen Brown on the team plane, also brings viewers into what it’s like to be next to Brown every day, and the comment from Jayson Tatum that got Walsh through his first two seasons. 

00:30: Walsh explains his love of anime and his presentation to the Celtics
04:50: Favorite nicknames so far
05:42: What led to his sudden emergence
08:15: Sitting next to Jaylen Brown on the team plane
11:45: Defending opposing superstars
14:20: Getting through the difficult times
17:45: Secret sauce of the development program at the Celtics

Dominique Wilkins, knnown as the Human Highlight Film, had one of the most successful returns from a ruptured Achilles in NBA history, as he returned to action after just 10 months and averaged 30 points per game that season. As Jayson Tatum recovers from his own Achilles tear, Wilkins gives advice and insight into what it takes to successfully return from the injury. Wilkins also turns the clock back to his memorable matchups against Larry Bird and the dynasty Celtics of the 1980s, and details his experience of signing with the Celtics in 1994 and what made him choose to live in Boston for years after his retirement.

00:55: Suffering an Achilles tear and the process of returning to play
08:00: Playing in Boston as a visiting player in the 1980s
13:45: Historic battle with Larry Bird in Game.7 in 1988
19:45: Top memories of playing for the Celtics and living in Boston
23:30: Leaving North Carolina and the ACC to play for Georgia in the SEC
24:45: Playing in the final game in the old Boston Garden
26:30: Jaylen Brown honoring Dominique in the Slam Dunk Contest

At just 19 years old, Hugo Gonzalez has made the leap from the Euroleague to the NBA look easy. He explains how signing into the Real Madrid basketball program in Spain at nine years old, and growing up in the Euroleague world, helped to develop him beyond his years. Gonzalez also explains the similarities and differences between Euroleague ball and NBA ball, as well as the challenges of his move to the league. We also learn of the impact Hugo’s parents, who were both professional players overseas, had on him growing up, and how they led him through the process of growing up in the Real Madrid program. Last but not least, Hugo comments on the legend of Luka Doncic, who also played for Real Madrid and faced the Celtics in a preseason game back in 2015. 

00:24: On joining Real Madrid at 9 years old
04:25: On being teammates and roommates with Egor Emin, of the Brooklyn Nets, with Real Madrid
05:28: Similarities between the Boston Celtics and Real Madrid
06:25: Describing Euroleague basketball as the most tactical basketball in the world
11:15: What else is in his offensive bag that we haven’t seen?
12:12: Which is a stronger feeling for Hugo: his love for winning, or his hate for losing?
13:15: How his parents, who both played professionally in Europe, helped to mold him growing up
15:00: How he chose his first agent
16:20: The legend of Luka Doncic within the Real Madrid program

Josh Minott joins VFTR on his birthday – and he’s bringing the gift of storytelling. The rising Celtics forward dives into his NBA journey, the grind of earning minutes on a championship-level roster, and why humor helps him stay locked in through the ups and downs of a season. He shares what wearing No. 8 means to him, how Celtics fans have embraced his energy, and why playing hard is non-negotiable. Minott also opens up about his role in Boston’s depth-driven rotation, learning through real NBA reps, playing alongside another sparkplug wing in Hugo Gonzalez, and feeding off team energy. He touches on what it’s like guarding star players (preparing for war), his Jamaican heritage, championship hunger, and the fiery dynamic between him and Joe Mazzulla. 

00:18: A birthday surprise for Josh
00:55: Navigating an inconsistent role on a deep roster
02:45: Josh seeing his hard work pay off
04:29: Building a winning routine
05:34: Why Celtics fans fell in love with Josh’s energy
08:20: The meaning behind No. 8
10:19: Playing alongside Hugo Gonzalez & feeding off team energy
11:08: Defensive mindset: guarding the opponent’s best
13:08: Jamaican heritage & hopes for Jamaican hoops
17:45: Championship goals & fiery relationship with Joe Mazzulla

Celtics Legend Robert Parish joins the VFTR pod for a wide-ranging conversation on one of the greatest eras in Boston basketball history, while connecting it with the game today. Parish reflects on the unselfish culture of the 1986 Celtics, reconnecting with Larry Bird and Kevin McHale, and what it meant to be a part of the original Big 3. He shares stories of the moment he knew how special that Celtics team would become, the hard lesson he learned when joining that team, and the underappreciated legacy of Cedric Maxwell. The Hall-of-Famer also dives into going head-to-head with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, winning titles with both Bird and Michael Jordan, and comparisons between the 1986 and 2024 championship teams. He gives his thoughts on why Jayson Tatum is a “generational talent,” and his view on Victor Wembanyama and the evolution of big men. From Celtics City nostalgia to a Maxwell Hall of Fame campaign, The Chief delivers honesty, humor, and timeless perspective on what makes championship basketball.  

1:36 – What made the 1986 Celtics so special
4:44 – Reuniting with Larry Bird and Kevin McHale
6:21 – Cedric Maxwell’s overlooked impact
8:08 – When Parish knew the Celtics were championship material
10:14 – The origin story of No. 00
12:11 – Jayson Tatum as a “generational talent”
14:26 – Similarities between 1986 and 2024 title teams
14:40 – Parish on load management & his games-played record
19:30 – Battling Kareem & the most unstoppable big men
22:48 – Winning titles with Bird and MJ, their different leadership styles
28:54 – Cedric Maxwell’s Hall of Fame campaign

Remember when Isaiah Thomas popcorned Jaylen Brown’s car during JB’s rookie season? Isaiah Thomas does, and he tells the whole story here. IT joined the VFTR crew in studio during his recent trip to Boston to remember the glory days of when he and Celtics Nation first fell in love, and how it still feels like he’s on the roster. Thomas describes what it felt like to become a bona fide superstar for the Celtics during his 2.5 seasons in Boston. He became an MVP candidate. As a result, he earned some dream opportunities that he still remembers like it was yesterday, like hearing Shaq and Kevin Garnett respect and compliment him during a trip to the Inside the NBA studios, and his first experience as an NBA All-Star. 

00:55: IT explains why Boston feels like home to him, and how it feels like he’s still on the roster
05:30: Isaiah promises it felt “different” the first time he suited up for the Celtics at TD Garden
07:00: IT touches on his height, at 5-foot-9, and how that supercharged his story
09:00: Grande says IT was “the match to the flame” for those underdog teams
10:50: Telling the story of a memorable trip to the Inside the NBA studios
14:00: Remembering his first All-Star experience and being like “a kid in a candy store”
17:00: What it was like playing with rookie Jaylen Brown
20:45: IT tells the story of when he popcorned Jaylen Brown’s car at TD Garden
23:50: IT plugs is hew podcast – the Point Game Pod

Luka Garza grew up an East Coast guy, and after eight years in the Midwest, is excited to be back after signing with the Boston Celtics this past offseason. He explains what separated the Celtics from other potential suiters in free agency, including the fact that some members of Boston’s front office still remembered his pre-Draft workout from 2021. Garza also dives into the astonishing lineage of athletic success in his family, and opens up about a life-threatening surgery he underwent heading into his sophomore year of college that led to a 10-pound cyst being removed from his abdomen.

00:15: Living in downtown and settling into Boston
02:10: On the drivers in Boston
03:00: The Celtics have had an eye on Garza for a while
05:50: Attractiveness of the Celtics’ player development program and what sets it apart
09:10: On the developing chemistry of the new frontcourt with Neemias Queta and Xavier Tillman
11:50: The astonishing lineage of athletic success in his family, dating back decades
16:05: Reliving a life-threating surgery that led to a 10-pound cyst being removed from his abdomen