How the NBA can lessen injuries, bring Jayson Tatum back sooner, and help your aching back
The Boston Celtics know as well as any ball club in the NBA the importance of keeping your star players healthy after losing star forward Jayson Tatum to an Achilles injury that transformed their title window. But as we have seen around the NBA, it is not just Tatum dealing with serious injury this season. Tyrese Haliburton of the Indiana Pacers, Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers, and others are currently working their way back from the same injury, and many other star players are riding the pine while waiting for calf injuries to heal. But what if there was a way to change the way we prevent such injuries? What if it weren't just NBA athletes who could benefit from the techniques some of the greatest minds in sports medicine are currently honing, but all of us? That's where the guest for this week's episode of "Havlicek Stole the Pod" comes in -- TrueHoop's Henry Abbott.
On this week's show, we dive into his new book, "Ballistic: The New Science of Injury-Free Athletic Performance," and how sports science is showing us new ways to prevent injury to not only athletes, but everyone.
We touch on everything from what exactly can be done to keep stars healthier to who is already making use of this tech -- and how it could impact Tatum's return to the court. We also cover the news around the Celtics and the league, so be sure to tune in.
Outro: Whistle by Benjamin Banger - https://tiny.ee/Jk4U or BenJaminBanger.com
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1:13:28
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Celtics face a tough stretch, and what we're thankful for this year
The holidays are upon us as the Boston Celtics gear up for one of the toughest stretches of their 2025-26 NBA regular season schedule, with games against some of the best Eastern Conference teams set to go down over the next week. And Thanksgiving falls right smack in the middle of that gauntlet for Boston. Will fans of the team be celebrating their success with a mighty feast, or drowning their sorrows in comfort food and family time?
Either way, there's a lot to be thankful for if you are a fan of the Celtics, the NBA, or in general despite some general bleakness in the world these days. To that end, the hosts of "Havlicek Stole the Pod" put together a special Thanksgiving-oriented episode to help us get through the festive gatherings and tough opponents ahead of Boston this week.
We also get caught up on on the news, so grab some sides, settle in, and keep your fingers crossed while the Celtics remind us of at least some of what we should be thankful for.
Outro: Whistle by Benjamin Banger - https://tiny.ee/Jk4U or BenJaminBanger.com
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51:37
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How the Pistons got good, why the Celtics look better and what to expect when they play
The last time the Boston Celtics and Detroit Pistons crossed paths, the Celtics were seen as a team leaning into development for the season and the Pistons an interesting ball club projected to end up somewhere in the middle of a weaker Eastern Conference milieu. Then the two teams played, and Detroit center Jalen Duren had what then seemed like an outlier game with 24 points and 18 rebounds in a 119-113 Pistons victory Boston might have won had it been able to keep up on the boards.
But as we near the end of the month of November and the two Eastern Conference clubs get ready to square off again, it's become clear both teams are better than many expected, and the Pistons especially so. Duren appears to have taken a major leap forward that compliments Cade Cunningham expertly, and while not on Detroit's level, Boston has shown they aren't trying to lose and might even make the actual playoffs come April.
The hosts of "Havlicek Stole the Pod" got Motor City Hoops and Game Theory's Bryce Simon back on the pod to get us up to date on how Detroit has transformed their season and expectations with it, as well as getting an external set of eyes on how the Celtics have been playing of late. We of course preview their matchup and get caught up on news, so be sure to tune in this week.
Outro: Whistle by Benjamin Banger - https://tiny.ee/Jk4U or BenJaminBanger.com
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1:05:31
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1:05:31
Larry Bird, Boston ghosts, Celtics grail stories y Expensive Basketball
The Boston Celtics are the winningest team in the history of the NBA, and with that success comes a lot of historic moments that left indelible marks on our collective consciousness over the years. But with that success has also come a fair share of heartbreak that can only come from coming right up to the edge of winning it all and falling short.
These are the sort of moments that famed NBA writer and cultural historian Shea Serrano evokes in his new tome "Expensive Basketball," out as of late October at anywhere books are sold (Serrano prefers you grab it at an independent store if you can), and as alluded to above, it is not without a significant Celtics presence. The Hick From French Lick (Larry Bird, to you youngsters) has a prominent presence, and plenty of moments Boston fans would also like to forget pepper the book, which you should already be making plans to buy even before listening to the latest episode of "Havlicek Stole the Pod".
In it, the hosts sit down to talk about the book, how it came together, and why the sort of moments you just know are the expensive sort of basketball matter so much to us. We also get caught up on the news around the Celtics this week, so be sure to tune in.
Outro: Whistle by Benjamin Banger - https://tiny.ee/Jk4U or BenJaminBanger.com
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1:08:39
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1:08:39
Early slumps, defensive woes: The Celtics, Magic, the NBA Cup, and the season ahead
Beset with shooting slumps early in the season, trying to play faster and struggling with the results, and running into issues integrating new players are early-season road bumps that the Boston Celtics are trying to contend with (pun unintended) to start their 2025-26 campaign, but we could also easily be talking about the surprisingly underwhelming start of the Orlando Magic this season as well.
And these two Eastern Conference ball clubs will take the court at Kia Center this Friday, Nov. 7, to play a game included in the 2025 NBA Cup schedule. They will then follow it up with a rematch on Sunday, Nov. 9 as part of a home-and-home series hosted by the Magic. What's behind Orlando's rough start? Can the Celtics capitalize on their disjointed play to steal a win or two on the road? And what does the longer-term future hold for these teams based on what we've seen so far this season?
The hosts of "Havlicek Stole the Pod" sat down with Rookie Wire editor Cody Taylor to talk about the team he covers and what's afflicting it to start 2025-26, and get caught up on all the important Celtics news to date. Be sure to tune in!
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