View From The Rafters: Behind the Scenes with the Boston Celtics

Luke Kornet joins us this week to discuss his career path and the challenges that come with just trying to make it to, and remain in, the NBA. He opens up the conversation diving right into the camaraderie in the Celtics locker room this season, specifically with the Bus 1 Boys and unique experiences they have together arriving to arenas four hours ahead of games.   The conversation then shifts to Luke’s journey into the NBA after initially receiving zero Division 1 offers in high school and eventually going undrafted. Luke recalls questioning multiple times if continuing to pursue professional basketball was the right choice for him. He discusses the trials and triumphs he endured since then, which ultimately led to him signing with the Boston Celtics G League affiliate, the Maine Celtics, and how that decision has impacted his life since.   Maine Celtics General Manager Jarell Christian then joins the podcast to provide a bit of insight into the business side of the G League, how it differs from the NBA and the challenge of running a team full of players whose individual sights are all set on making it to the next level. Jarrell talks about roster construction and how the Maine Celtics can be a useful development resource for players on the Celtics roster like Sam Hauser to develop in their role with more time and opportunity.   1:05 – Chemistry In The Celtics Locker Room 2:06 – The Bus 1 Boys Experience 9:07 – Luke Kornet’s Career Path 14:10 – Life In The G League 20:31 – Living In Uncertainty 33:10 – Making Business Decisions Based On Values 39:12 – Defining Roles 42:55 – Creating A Development System In Maine 48:38 – What Makes This System Work?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In episode five of this season, Al Horford, Brad Stevens and ESPN’s Doris Burke join hosts Marc D’Amico and Sean Grande to look back on the chaotic ending to Game 3 of the 2018 Eastern Conference Semifinals against Philadelphia, which has been called ‘The Confetti Game.’ Marco Belinelli hit a desperation shot for Philly to send it to OT, but the combination of a 19-year-old rookie named Jayson Tatum bursting onto the scene, and the timely play of Playoff Al Horford, boosted the Celtics to a dramatic win and 3-0 series lead over Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons and the 76ers.   1:22 – Celtics/Sixers Rivalry 7:48 – Remembering The Confetti 9:29 – Belinelli’s Game-Tying 3 14:27 – Brad Stevens Explains How He Came Up With After-Timeout Plays 20:12 – Jaylen Brown Ties The Game With 24 Seconds Left 28:15 – Jayson Tatum’s Coming Out Party 33:25 – Inside The Horford Basket That Won The Game 41:55 – How Playoff Experience Has Impacted The Celtics’ CoreSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Coming out of the All-Star break, co-hosts Marc D’Amico, Sean Grande and Abby Chin sit down together to look back at the first half of the Celtics’ season. The group starts by discussing Joe Mazzulla’s impressive handling of the team through his challenging circumstances, and getting the team to turn the page. From there they switch gears to dive into the depth of the team, including Derrick White’s impact. Throughout the episode, the trio bounces around talking about the importance of the one seed for a long playoff run, their favorite moments thus far, the All-Star game, and Jayson Tatum’s chances of winning MVP.    2:48 - Obstacles To Begin The Season 7:30 - Joe Mazzulla’s Impressive Transition 16:44 - Derrick White’s Impact 22:52 - Learning’s From Last Year’s Playoff Run 25:10 - Importance Of The Number One Seed 27:10 - Favorite Moments Of The Season 37:03 - Jayson Tatum And Jaylen Brown In The All-Star Game 42:11 - Jayson Tatum’s MVP ChancesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Celtics scouts Austin Ainge, Ashley Battle and Benas Matkevicius talk about their experiences as NBA scouts. The episode begins with Austin and Ashley sharing travel stories, the value of seeing players in person vs remotely and the importance of intel gathering. As one of few female scouts, Ashley recaps how her WNBA career ended and her journey back into basketball as a trailblazer in scouting. The group then shifts to the skillsets needed in scouting and how accurate (or inaccurate) Adam Sandler’s movie, Hustle, depicted the life of an NBA scout. International scout Benas Matkevicius then joins the conversation to share some of his wildest travel stories and how he landed his role years ago.   1:45 – Travel Stories 8:04 – Advantages To Being In Person To Evaluate And Gather Intel 16:11 – Ashley’s Journey From The WNBA To Scouting 23:16 – Diversity Of Skill Sets And Experiences  39:40 – Introducing Benas Matkevicius 43:34 – Scouting Internationally 1:06:05 – Communicating Intel Back To The CelticsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the second episode of season three, Celtics forward Danilo Gallinari takes a break from his rehab work to join hosts Marc D’Amico and Sean Grande. They begin by talking about what it means to represent Italy in the NBA and hopefully be an inspiration for the growth of the basketball in his home country. As a young player, Gallo learned quickly how to hold his own and not be intimated by veteran players, a skill that helped him early on in the NBA to earn respect from Kevin Garnett. Off the court, Danilo shares how becoming a father changed his perspective and how valuable it’s been to have his dad around, supporting him through his current rehab. Throughout the episode, Danilo talks about the injuries he’s had to work through in his career and how sports science has played a role in continually teaching him ways to improve managing his body.    1:38 – Growing up in Italy and being an inspiration for growth of the sport 8:54– Earning the respect of veteran players 12:22 – Injury management, past and present 24:32 – Being a family man 30:40 – Constantly learning how to better take care of his body 36:36 – Inside look at the Celtics season and leadership in the locker roomSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Blake Griffin tips off Season 3 of ‘View From The Rafters.’ In this episode, Blake dishes details about his Celtics bench role and team chemistry, specifically between the famed “Bus 1 Crew.” He also discusses growing up in Oklahoma City and adjusting to starting his NBA career in a big market like Los Angeles. As a 13-year vet, Blake shares his thoughts on what makes Jayson Tatum so special while touching on Joe Mazzulla's leadership style. Listeners also learn about Blake’s hobbies outside of basketball as he discusses his interest in comedy and where he gets his stand-up material from. Blake closes out the episode sharing how Paul Pierce impacted his career, his thoughts on Boston fans, and details from his busy All-Star Weekend experiences including winning the 2011 NBA Slam Dunk Contest. *This episode was recorded in a live environment and has a few moments of brief, imperfect audio.  7:46 – Blake on the Celtics bench, team chemistry, and inside jokes 11:50 – Blake’s upbringing and NBA start 17:29 – Blake’s analysis of Jayson Tatum’s talent and Joe Mazzulla's leadership 26:15 – Blake’s interest in comedy and meeting Dave Chappelle for the first time 34:05 – How Blake set #NBATwitter on fire while convincing DeAndre Jordan to stay with the Clippers in 2015 40:45 – Blake’s relationship with Paul Pierce, opinion on Boston fans, plus his All-Star Weekend experiences Listen to new episodes of View From The Rafters every Tuesday or watch on YouTube every Wednesday.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We wrap up Season 2 in style with an audio documentary dedicated to answering one question: What is it that makes playing for the Boston Celtics so special? A long list of current Celtics, including Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart, Al Horford and Ime Udoka, answer that question and explain their experience of donning the Green and White. Also hear the players explain in their own words the Celtics' culture, as well as what it feels like to be on the parquet - and even on the road - while thousands of Celtics fans create an absolutely electric atmosphere around them. This is the Season 2 finale - enjoy!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New England Patriots star running back Damien Harris loves the Celtics, and he knows what it takes to win. He joins Marc to dive into his fandom of the team and his relationships with Celtics players off the court. Harris regularly attends games and talks about sitting right behind Kevin Garnett at KG’s number retirement ceremony, and his excitement to attend Sunday’s Game 1 against the Brooklyn Nets. Harris also gives insight into what it’s like to be a young, professional athlete in New England with pressure to win, he gives his view on Boston’s exciting turnaround this season, and he previews the Patriots’ upcoming offseason workouts. 0:55 – Damien Harris joins the conversation and gives some context on his basketball background 2:10 – Harris talks about being a regular at Celtics games and his relationships with Celtics players 7:30 – Harris comments on playing under the pressure to win that exists in Boston sports 8:50 – Harris talks about Boston’s potential in the Playoffs and its incredible turnaround this season 12:50 – Harris comments on grinding through the tough days to come out on the other side 14:45 – Weight room talk! Harris comments on the C’s postgame lift sessions, and how the weight room helps to bring teams together 17:15 – Guess who was sitting behind KG at his retirement ceremony game? 19:45 – Harris says he’s big on individual handshakes, and discusses the art of them 21:00 – Harris gives an update on his offseason and what’s next for him and the PatriotsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ten months after shocking the basketball world by leaving the sidelines to take the President of Basketball Operations job for the Boston Celtics, Brad Stevens joins the pod for his first lengthy and exclusive conversation about the entire process. With his good friend Sean Grande on the pod with him, you’ll hear a whole new side of the new Celtics boss. What prompted him to switch roles? What does he have to say about his new responsibilities, including hiring a new coach and navigating the trade deadline? What does he think about the potential of this year’s team? Stevens touches on all of that and much more with Marc and Grande. 1:00 – Grande explains how and why he and Brad Stevens became close friends 8:55 – Brad Stevens explains why he moved from coaching into President of Basketball Operations for the Celtics 11:25 – Stevens comments on the impact he felt from the two COVID seasons and the bubble 15:30 – Stevens gives his take on the key differences between his current role and coaching 19:30 – Listen to Stevens recall his first trade deadline experience 23:15 – Stevens goes into the hiring of Ime Udoka and how Udoka has performed this season 28:15 – What’s it like trading someone for the first time? Stevens answers that question 29:50 – Marc asks Stevens about his incredible basketball intuition 35:20 – Marc and Grande react to their conversation with Stevens 39:15 – Grande comments on Stevens taking on his new role, as a new challenge 40:00 – Marc revisits his experiences of interacting with Stevens’ intuitionSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What's it like to bask in the glory of being a Boston Celtics cult hero? It's time to hear straight from the horse's mouth. There’s a long list of obscure players in the team’s history who, for reasons other than their play, became some of the most popular players on their team. In this episode, Marc and Grande talk to not one, not two, but THREE of those players, as Brian Scalabrine, Tacko Fall and Gigi Datome all join the pod to discuss what it was like them to become a cult hero in Boston. How did it happen? Why did it happen? What did it involve? And most importantly – what were their favorite memories from their cult hero days in Beantown? They answer all of those questions and many more.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.