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

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!

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 Patriots

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’ intuition

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.

With the college basketball tournament well underway, former collegiate stars and current players within the Celtics organization Payton Pritchard and Denzel Valentine join the show to look back on their tournament experiences. Pritchard appeared in two tournaments as a member of the Oregon Ducks, including a run to the national semifinals back in 2017 that ended in heartbreaking fashion. Valentine, meanwhile, played in four tournaments as a. member of the Michigan State Spartans, including a trip to the national semifinals and being shocked in the first round by 15th-seeded Middle Tennessee in 2016.

1:20 – Payton Pritchard joins the pod

3:20 – Pritchard remembers his close second-round game against Rhode Island, and why it mattered

4:40 – Pritchard dives into the experience of playing at the Final Four

5:37 – The discussion goes deep into Oregon’s gut-wrenching, semifinal loss to UNC in 2017

10:50 – Denzel Valentine joins the pod and explains what it’s like playing in the NCAA tournament

16:15 – The conversation begins to detail Valentine’s experience as Michigan State was shockingly upset in the first-round in 2016 by 15th-seeded Middle Tennessee

21:58 – Valentine speaks on the lack of pressure small schools and lower seeds feel when playing big programs, and how that leads to upsets

25:50 – Valentine remembers his experience as Michigan State made a run to the Final Four during his junior year

29:45 – What’s it like playing for Tom Izzo in a tournament? Valentine explains

32:00 – Valentine speaks about his brother, Drew, who coached his team at Loyola-Chicago to the tournament this year

In celebration of Women’s History Month, we’re proud to deliver our first-ever all-female podcast episode featuring a handful of accomplished women and trailblazers in the basketball world. Abby Chin and Amanda Pflugrad host and bring in Big East Commissioner and the first president of the WNBA Val Ackerman, Connecticut Sun President Jen Rizzotti, and Boston Celtics scout and three-time national champion Ashley Battle. The group weaves through a long list of topics all centered around what it’s like to be a woman in the sporting world, and in particular, the world of basketball.

2:20 – Abby and Amanda welcome in their ridiculously impressive list of guests

3:35 – Val Ackerman explains the path she’s taken to becoming the Commissioner of the Big East

5:55 – Ashley Battle jumps in to tell the story of her career

7:55 – Jen Rizzotti rounds out the group by explaining how she came to be president of the Connecticut Sun

11:20 – Rizzotti and Battle explain how the WNBA bubble empowered the players of the league

15:00 – Ackerman states her ‘four buckets’ between the connection of women and sports

18:00 – Ackerman recalls an experience that scarred her and proved to her just how much more work needs to be done within FIBA to embrace women in basketball

23:43 – The group discusses the challenges women face of having a family while trying to build their careers

28:15 – The group gives advice on how to overcome challenges while discussing their own stories

32:40 – Allison Feaster, the Celtics’ Vice President of Player Development and Organizational Growth, is discussed amongst the group

36:05 – Rizzotti reveals her perspective on women in the workforce

It’s a Kevin Garnett Mega Pod! Ahead of the retirement of KG’s No. 5 on March 13, we hit the Garnett story from all angles. First by bringing in two of his former teammates in Eddie House and James Posey to explain what it’s like to be KG’s teammate. Next by bringing in Wyc Grousbeck to break down how the Garnett megadeal came together back in 2007. And last but not least, the man who is credited with discovering KG, William “Wolf” Nelson, who coached Garnett in high school at Farragut Academy and has been alongside KG ever since, joins the pod to talk about Garnett’s early years and how the two first met back in the day at the Nike All-American camp.

4:00 – Eddie House and James Posey join the pod

5:00 – House and Posey comment on how the Kevin Garnett trade influenced them to sign with Boston, and how House recruited Posey to the team

8:45 – House and Posey explain what it’s like being KG’s teammate for the first time

10:20 – Posey tells the story of when Doc Rivers told KG that KG would be fined if he stepped on the practice court

14:00 – House recalls how KG used to get himself amped up before every single game and every single practice

15:50 – The two former Celtics reveal the time before a game when they knew not to speak to KG anymore because he was in the zone

18:15 – Celtics lead owner Wyc Grousbeck joins the pod and reveals when and how he told KG that he wanted to retire KG’s No. 5

22:20 – Grousbeck recalls the preparation that went into the Celtics preparing for and completing a trade for KG back in 2007

25:30 – Marc and Wyc recall the story that Paul Pierce told Wyc during a free throw against Minnesota back in 2006 that KG was Boston’s missing piece

27:00 – Grousbeck comments on the lasting impact Garnett made and left on the Celtics

31:08 – KG’s high school coach at Farragut, William “Wolf” Nelson, joins the pod

33:00 – Nelson recalls when and how Garnett first moved to Chicago, and what made him allow KG to play an unconventional style of basketball for a big man

37:00- Nelson remembers the famous KG pre-Draft workout, and when he first told Garnett to not restrain his emotions on the court

42:00 – Nelson recalls when he first saw Kevin Garnett at the Nike All-American camp

49:30 – Nelson compared Garnett to Jack and the Beanstock

52:30 – Marc and Grande reconvene to break down the pod interviews

56:30 – What were plan rides and hotel experiences like with KG? Competitive. Loud. Profane. Marc and Grande remember their experiences alongside the Big Ticket

1:00:00 – Wait… KG. turns elevator rides into competitions?

1:05:30 – Grande gives context to KG’s defensive greatness

Derrick White’s road to becoming a member of the Boston Celtics is one of the most unique paths you’ll ever hear. During this episode, he takes you deep into the moment when Gregg Popovich knocked on his door on the day of the trade deadline, and what ensued during the minutes, hours and days afterward. Later on, he dives into his story of being told over and over again during high school that he wasn’t good enough to play D1 ball while not having a single scholarship offer. Then he details his redemption story of flipping that script over the course of the next few years to spur many basketball minds, including Chauncey Billups, to tell him that he had a chance to make it in the NBA.

0:33 – Marc and Sean open up the show by discussing their initial reaction to the Derrick White trade

3:33 – Derrick White joins the conversation and tells us how he’s settling into Boston and what his trade experience was like

5:30 – White recalls the specifics of Gregg Popovich calling him as the trade deadline approached to ask him for his room number, and what ensued afterward – including notifying his pregnant wife

9:20 – White details how he’s been helped by the fact that multiple former Spurs staff members, including Ime Udoka and Will Hardy, are now on Boston’s staff

11:14 – White recalls the moment he first checked into a game as a member of the Celtics

13:40 – White again discusses his preexisting relationships with Ime Udoka and Will Hardy

17:30 – The conversation returns to discussing White’s relationship with Gregg Popovich and what it’s like to play for the legendary coach

21:15 – White goes into detail on his fascinating story of turning from an unrecruited high school player into an NBA player

26:45 – White reveals when he began to believe that he could make it to the NBA

28:15 – White comments on his relationship with his father, who grew up a Celtics fan

31:00 – Marc asks White about his passion for supporting the Special Olympics and those with special needs

The relationships on the Boston Celtics’ coaching staff run deep - like, back to middle school and high school deep. Ime Udoka, Damon Stoudamire, Ben Sullivan and Aaron Miles all hail from Portland, Oregon, and in this episode, they turn back the clock to recall the stories of how they all first met, and to discuss how they all wound up in Boston together and coaching the Celtics.

0:50 – Marc opens up a conversation with Ime Udoka and Damon Stoudamire about growing up in Portland and the Portland hoops community

4:15 – Udoka explains why chose to bring in many of his friends from Portland to be members of his very first coaching staff

6:25 – Stoudamire explains his decision to leave his head coaching job at Pacific and join Udoka’s staff in Boston

10:40 – Udoka and Stoudamire recall some of their interactions from back in the day, including Stoudamire beating Udoka’s brother in a nationally-televised game that Mike Breen announced

19:35 – Udoka and Stoudamire begin to discuss other Portland natives who are on the coaching staff, including Aaron Miles and Ben Sullivan

23:10 – Udoka recalls the story of how he god Sullivan his first NBA job, with the Spurs

26:00 – Udoka explains why he pursued specific coaches to be a part of his staff, and what his pitch was to each as to why they should leave their previous teams to join him

31:50 – Aaron Miles and Ben Sullivan explain what made them leave their previous jobs to join Udoka in Boston

37:50 – Miles and Sullivan discuss the importance of being on a coaching staff with people they know and trust

40:00 – The group comments on how so much basketball talent comes out of such a small market like Portland

44:45 – Miles remembers watching Udoka lose the state championship at Jefferson High, and then winning it for Jefferson High just a handful of years later

50:45 – Sullivan discusses playing basketball at three different high schools and how he is the guy who changed the game for big men around the world

57:15 – Miles dives into the inspiration he and his peers got from guys like Terrell Brandon and Damon Stoudamire back in the day

1:00:30 – Miles, a former teammate of Udoka’s in the D-League, comments on the difference between coaching with Udoka and playing with Udoka

The NBA’s Executive Vice President of Global Events, Kelly Flatow, joins Marc D’Amico and Abby Chin to reveal the logistics that go into building All-Star weekend every year, some of her favorite All-Star memories, and she dives into some of the new events and celebrity performances that are taking place this weekend in Cleveland. Marc and Abby also discuss Jayson Tatum’s upcoming All-Star start, as well as Isaiah Thomas’ first All-Star game, and Marc somehow finding his way into the exclusive TNT Party at Chicago All-Star weekend.

• 1:25 – Marc and Abby discuss what they’re looking to learn about All-Star weekend from the NBA’s EVP of Global Events, Kelly Flatow
• 4:05 – Marc recalls his favorite memory from his All-Star weekend experiences
• 8:06 – Marc and Abby welcome Kelly Flatow to the conversation
• 10:21 – Kelly dives into the logistics that go into putting together All-Star weekend
• 17:35 – Kelly discusses the process of booking musical performers for All-Star weekend, and who will be performing in Cleveland
• 19:58 – The crew gets a preview of a new NFT art gallery the league is launching at All-Star weekend in Cleveland, and other new events the league is putting on
• 22:28 – Kelly recalls the moment she and her team were locked in a room in New Orleans as they and the league worked to move All-Star weekend from Charlotte to New Orleans
• 23:58 – Marc and Abby hit Kelly with a list of rapid fire questions, including best party at All-Star weekend
• 27:13 – Kelly drops her secret of something we might not otherwise know about Commissioner Adam Silver
• 31:58 – Marc describes what the exclusive TNT Party at NBA All-Star is like, and how he worked his way into the one in 2020 in Chicago
• 36:16 – Marc and Abby preview Jayson Tatum’s upcoming weekend at All-Star in Cleveland

Al Horford was a silent leader during his first stint in Boston, but he has been more vocal this season. What changed? We get the answers to that question, plus Rob Williams and Grant Williams join the pod to give their perspective on Horford’s leadership and influence on them as young players. Horford then joins the conversation to speak about how he views NBA leadership through his own eyes.

• 1:12 – Marc and Abby preview their conversation with Rob Williams and Grant Williams
• 3:08 – Marc and Abby preview their conversation with Al Horford
• 5:10 – Rob Williams and Grant Williams join the conversation to discuss veteran leadership in the NBA
• 6:55 – Grant Williams on the advice he has sought from Al Horford, and he remembers the first time he ever met Horford
• 8:35 – Rob Williams on how Horford influenced him after a rough start to Williams’ career
• 11:15 – Rob Williams reveals his nickname for Horford
• 14:50 – Grant Williams reveals what he heard about Horford before Horford’s return to the Celtics
• 16:15 – What qualifies a player as an “OG” in the NBA?
• 16:45 – Grant Williams discusses the tricks of the trade he’s learned from watching Horford
• 19:00 – Grant Williams and Rob Williams compare Horford’s style of leadership to Gordon Hayward’s
• 23:30 – Horford on his return to Boston and what makes the Celtics “different”
• 26:30 – Horford on how he has changed from his first stint in Boston to his second stint
• 31:45 – Horford discusses what he tries to teach his young teammates
• 32:27 – Horford comments specifically on Rob Williams ‘and Grant Williams’ growth as players
• 36:30 – Horford on when he developed his leadership style
• 41:00 – Horford on what initiated him to become a more vocal leader this season
• 44:30 – Is Horford thinking about coaching in future?
• 47:20 – What it means to Horford that he has played a role in young players finding their way in the league

To celebrate the release of the full 75th Anniversary All-Celtics Team squad, we brought three of the top 75 players of all-time and three members of the team in Bob Cousy, Dave Cowens and Paul Pierce onto the pod. This is the only podcast you can find that connects all 75 years of Celtics lineage together, from the voices who experienced it all first-hand.

• 0:35 – Marc and Sean intro S2E1 and the 75th Anniversary All-Celtics Team members who will join the episode as guests
• 2:53 – Bob Cousy joins the conversation and tells the unique story about how he wound up playing for the Boston Celtics
• 8:13 – Cousy on his relationship with Arnold “Red” Auerbach
• 12:53 – Cousy discusses his teammates and compared playing point guard to an art form
• 20:03 – Cousy remembers his ‘Houdini’ skills and playing in the NBA’s first All-Star game, which was played at Boston Garden
• 23:53 – Cousy describes what made the Big Three so special during the 1980s
• 27:22 – Dave Cowens joins the conversation and responds to being chosen to the 75th Anniversary All-Celtics Team
• 28:25 – Cowens remembers playing with John Havlicek and Jo Jo White
• 29:40 – Sean Grande asks how aware Cowens was of the history he was walking into with the Celtics back in 1970
• 30:50 – Cowens compared the game environment in the 70s to the game environment today
• 35:15 – Cowens on the pressure of trying to win titles in Boston
• 38:40 – Cowens recalls the 1974 championship series against Milwaukee
• 42:30 – Cowens on making the 75th Anniversary Team alongside his longtime coach, Tommy Heinsohn
• 45:10 – Cowens tells the story of when Larry Bird first joined the Celtics in 1979
• 51:03 – Paul Pierce joins the conversation and reacts to yet another accolade rolling in after his retirement
• 52:20 – Pierce recalls his first memory with the Celtics organization
• 55:00 – Pierce discusses how he, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen motivated each other behind closed doors with their individual work ethics
• 58:05 – Pierce reacts to Ray Allen being named to the 75th Anniversary All-Celtics team
• 59:30 – Pierce’s dog joins the conversation
• 1:00:00 – Pierce recalls his understanding of the Celtics organization before being Drafted, and how blown away he was by the history once he got to Boston
• 1:03:00 – Pierce tells the story of going out to dinner with Bill Russell for the first time
• 1:04:30 – Pierce on the environment around the team when it reached the 2002 Eastern Conference Finals
• 1:06:30 – Pierce on the importance of creating a legacy with one organization

Get to know the 18th head coach in Celtics franchise history in this in-depth conversation about how and when Brad Stevens approached him for the job and what crafted him into the coach and person he is today.

From the moment Doc Rivers first heard it, to the moment it helped to secure a record 17th World Championship banner, this is the story of the birth of Ubuntu within the 2008 Boston Celtics. We're ending Season 1 with a bang - audio documentary style! Hear from a long cast of Celtics Legends, including Rivers, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Wyc Grousbeck, who come together to tell this complete story like it's never been told before.

Fresh off his selection to the Hall of Fame, Celtics play-by-play man Mike Gorman joins the pod to take you inside the birth of his career and the many relationships he built along the way, including those with Tommy Heinsohn and Paul Pierce.

Audio disclaimer: we had some technical issues at the start of the conversation but they clear up as the conversation goes on.

Celtics assistant general manager Austin Ainge was born into the NBA nearly 40 years ago as rookie guard Danny Ainge’s son. He’s lived a life of a million tales that’s led him to where he is today, scouting the world for basketball talent and helping the C’s hit a home run in the 2020 Draft with the selections of Aaron Nesmith and Payton Pritchard.

We've got a perfect primer for you ahead of Hall of Fame weekend. Hall-of-Fame finalist Paul Pierce joins the pod to tell his favorite stories about Kevin Garnett before KG is enshrined this weekend, and to speak on Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, who are facing a similar situation to what Pierce faced 20 years ago as a young superstar trying to break through to the Finals.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver joins Marc D'Amico and Sean Grande to reveal the personal struggles he's faced while leading the league through 14 months of a pandemic, and to give his view of the future of the league given its infusion of young stars like Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

You know him as the quote god. We know him as Evan Turner. He joins the pod to take you through his life journey, how everything changed for him when he joined the Boston Celtics, and for a full segment of Story Time with Evan Turner.

This is where we typically provide a concise description of the podcast you’re about to listen to. But this is Bill Walton. There’s nothing concise about him, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.

Celtics guard Marcus Smart joins Marc D'Amico and Abby Chin for a candid conversation about the struggles he's faced throughout his life that have formed him into the player and the person he is today. Plus, hear why Smart and Danny Ainge have connected since Smart's first day in Boston, and why the All-Defensive First Teamer thinks he's Brad Stevens' "alter ego."

Our four hosts come together for the first time to introduce View from the Rafters before having a wide-ranging conversation with Celtics President of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge.

You might've heard the story, but you've never heard it like this. You might know it happened, but you don't know how it happened. You might think you know the person, but do you really? See basketball's most historic franchise from a whole new perspective with the team's first official podcast: View from the Rafters: Behind the Scenes with the Boston Celtics.