Locked On Celtics - Daily Podcast On The Boston Celtics Locked On Podcast Network

The Sixers are about to take on the New York Knicks, and that's exactly what they wanted instead of facing the Celtics, calling it the easier team. Were the Sixers ducking Boston? Will they meet up in the playoffs anyway? John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal and Tom Westerholm talk about that before getting into Jayson Tatum's trainer saying he wants Tatum to become the 'nicest a-hole'

The Philadelphia 76ers won their play-in game against the Miami Heat, sending Miami home to face the Chicago Bulls, who beat Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks in their play-in game. Now the Sixers go to New York to face the Knicks in the 2-7 series, which doesn't rule out a future matchup with the Celtics. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal and Tom Westerholm discuss the Heat and Bulls chances against Boston and why injuries to Butler and Caruso are the worst-case scenarios for both potential opponents.

The Celtics hit the practice floor on Monday and it was a long, tough session. Al Horford called it a harder practice than training camp, and says he's happy with how the guys looked. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal gets into that and the difference this team is already showing from last year's team. Plus, hear Brad Stevens talk about how this team compared to his expectations and Joe Mazzulla's progression as a coach.

While we wait for the Celtics to find out their playoff opponent, we open up the mailbag to figure out how to avoid playoff stress, worries about how the Celtics will play, how deep they'll get into the bench, and the toughest playoff path. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal answers all that, plus questions about Derrick White's contract, Neemias Queta's impact on the depth chart, Robert Williams coming back, Jeff Van Gundy, and riding on duck boats.

The Boston Celtics wrapped up the season with 64 wins, the fourth-most in team history. Payton Pritchard, Svi Mykhailiuk, Sam Hauser, and Neemias Queta all showed good stuff in the final win of the season, without Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and the regulars. We also now know the path through the playoffs for the Celtic and it looks like it might be a fun one. Plus, honoring the legend Mike Gorman on his special tribute day at the Garden.

The Celtics mailed it in again against the Knicks, falling behind by 30 before the bench made the final score look respectable. There isn't really much to take from this game, but John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal tries to answer the question of whether the Celtics are relaxing to end the season, or relapsing into their worst habits. Also, a look at the playoff picture and why this loss might actually work out come playoff time.