Havlicek Stole the Pod NBA Basketball Podcast

Exhibitions, extensions, and expansions share more than alliteration in shaping the future of the Boston Celtics. Preseason, of course, is upon us, and we will get our first look at how this iteration of the Celtics look on the court, as well as a glimpse at what we might be able to see with Boston's opponents in the 2026-27 NBA regular season coming from that handful of exhibition tilts.Extensions have plenty to tell us about what the Celtics and the teams they are trying to outmaneuver have planned in terms of roster building, hinting at expectations and potential needs of the medium-term future. And NBA expansion is no longer a distant whisper but an increasingly concrete practice that could very well change the longer-term future of Boston's roster and the foes they take on in future seasons.To dive deep into how these forces are shaping the Celtics, the East, and the NBA beyond it, the hosts of "Havlicek Stole the Pod" sat down with "Third Apron" cohost and CBS Sports senior contributor Sam Quinn to talk us through all of the above and then some. Check it out below!Outro: Whistle by Benjamin Banger - https://tiny.ee/Jk4U or BenJaminBanger.com

Media Day for the Boston Celtics 2026-27 NBA regular season campaign has come and gone, with the players on regular and two way contracts having spoken to the assembled masses of local and national media in attendance to the annual bookend to the league's offseason. And while this Celtics Media Day proceedings had the stereotypical positivity about the season ahead and what members of the team did with their break from play, there were plenty of interesting nuggets to help us glean what we can expect in the season ahead.New additions to the team like Paul George, Mitchell Robinson, Mike Conley, Chris Cenac Jr., and Dillon Mitchell said all the right things while the team's rising tide of wing players like Hugo Gonzalez, Baylor Scheierman, and Jordan Walsh displayed the sort of camaraderie one wants to see from a cadre of prospective rotation players ahead of a key season in their development. Celtics president Brad Stevens and head coach Joe Mazzulla threaded the needle with forward-looking takes on what this team could be, but what did we actually learn from this year's Media Day?To answer that question as well as a quick look back at what little news there was for Boston fans last week, the hosts of "Havlicek Stole the Pod" sat down to dive deep into everything we learned at this year's big event.Outro: Whistle by Benjamin Banger - https://tiny.ee/Jk4U or BenJaminBanger.com

Media day for the Boston Celtics and much of the rest of the NBA is nearly upon us. And with that milestone will come the endless cavalcade of positivity, boilerplate claims of progress, and general hot air meant to hype up fans with exaggerated positivity for the season ahead.And while that time-honored trend may serve an important purpose in terms of fan engagement, it can also contribute to unrealistic expectations. To that end, the hosts of "Havlicek Stole the Pod" sat down with the Ringer's Howard Beck to pour some cold water on the Eastern Conference ball clubs, specifically by playing out all of the reasons each East squad (including Boston) may finish the 2026-27 NBA regular season lower than the fourth seed.Join us as we make the case why every team in the conference may end their coming campaign without homecourt advantage, as well as touching base on the trickle of offseason news still reaching our eyes and ears a week away from Media Day.Outro: Whistle by Benjamin Banger - https://tiny.ee/Jk4U or BenJaminBanger.com

What did we learn from the Boston Celtics introductory press conference for Paul George and Mike Conley? The Celtics introduced the pair of veterans to the media and their fans in a presser this past Tuesday (Sep. 15) afternoon, the duo opening up about a number of aspects of their joining the Celtics this summer.From frank admissions on how they saw the trade of Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers by team President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens to how they see Boston head coach Joe Mazzulla approaching his job as former outsiders, and their respective health, goals, and motivation, Conley an George joined Stevens and Mazzulla in a wide-ranging interview. To see what we can glean from what went unsaid or understated (as well as what we now know because of what they did share), the hosts of "Havlicek Stole the Pod" put their heads together with Hardwood Houdini Celtics beat writer Bobby Krivitsky.We also get up to speed on a smidgen of late-offseason Celtics and NBA news, so be sure to tune in to this episode.Outro: Whistle by Benjamin Banger - https://tiny.ee/Jk4U or BenJaminBanger.com

The 2026-27 NBA regular season is nearly here, with the Boston Celtics set to introduce Paul George, Mitchell Robinson, and Mike Conley this week, with training camp and preseason set to kick off soon after. And with this clarity comes the ability to assess our expectations for each of the 14 players on full contracts as well as the prospects who are on or likely to be on two way deals.To such an end, the hosts of "Havlicek Stole the Pod" put their heads together with "Celtics Chronicle" founder Adam Taylor to break down what we think are reasonable expectations for each player who will don the green and white next season. We also address their ceiling and floors in the coming campaign, as well as getting caught up on some fairly substantial Celtics news making the rounds.Be sure to tune into this week's episode of the show, if for nothing else than to hear which legendary fighter Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla might be able to glean more tactical advantages for the Celtics from.Outro: Whistle by Benjamin Banger - https://tiny.ee/Jk4U or BenJaminBanger.com