After Hours with Amy Lawrence PODCAST: Hour 1

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Price and coverage match limited by state law. We did have some touristy moments where I'm sure that people were laughing at us. I try not to be too touristy when I'm in an unfamiliar place.

Though this was the United States of America where we took our honeymoon, it still is very different on the islands of Hawaii. So we had some funny moments, and I hope to get to a few more of those for you tonight. For instance, the Uber driver that adopted us in Oahu or in Hawaii, I hope to get to a few more of those for you tonight.

Adelou slash Waikiki. She adopted us. That was pretty funny. And we spent the better part of our two days with her there.

And also some of the funny moments from the trip included searching for food. I swear. It's not what you think. If you haven't been to Hawaii, so I'd never been to Hawaii, I thought it would be a lot of fish, a lot of seafood.

Yeah, not so much. So we'll explain the one food item that I did not get that I really wanted to get. So there's one major fail. Just we kept saying we're going to do what we're going to do it and we ended up not doing it.

Even the morning of our departure, we decided we just didn't feel like going out to get it before we took off for the airport. So I promise some funny stories. By the way, Bob's toe is healing nicely in case you're wondering. He says it was much better on Wednesday, I suppose because we weren't hiking or walking to a beach or carrying luggage through multiple airports.

Yeah, I suppose just sitting at your desk and getting back to work can definitely help with the stress on a broken pinky toe. I know a lot of you listened or caught the podcast after the fact because I had more comments about Bob's broken pinky toe from the honeymoon than I did pretty much anything else. So I promise to mix in some stories and a few more pictures.

Maybe our favorite beaches or let's see, oh my gosh, some of the crazy hikes we did. Those are pretty incredible. I think I mentioned a few of them on last night's show. Thanks again for all of your messages. Goodness. You've continued to tell me how much I was missed and how glad you are that I'm back and how the show isn't the same without me. And that all means a lot. I suppose that should be the case considering the show is after hours with Amy Lawrence.

Just doesn't seem like it would work with anybody else who's not named Amy Lawrence. So thank you. You all are very sweet and I appreciate it. I have to just fess up to you though. I thought that I would be turning over a new leaf in 2024 and I would bury myself in the NFL schedule release. I really intended to.

You can ask Bob. I turned it on. I started watching the NFL network coverage which was anchored by Rich Eisen featuring a cast and crew of thousands.

Oh my gosh. They had formulas. They had Cynthia Freeland for the math. They had many different ways to analyze the schedule and predictors for win totals. You guys, it is not a knock on Rich or the talented hosts and analysts on NFL network because I really do appreciate them in season.

And Cynthia's not only the commissioner of the league that I participated in, Fantasy Football, but she's a great friend. Mindless. It's mindless. It's mindless in May.

I can't do it. Who gives a crap unless you're planning a trip to visit your team or a city where your team is playing on the road. Maybe you want to get your plane tickets now.

Maybe that's the key. You're planning a trip to Vegas. Jay, you're not going to believe what I heard about Vegas on the way in on the news, but I'll get to that. Maybe you're planning a trip to Vegas because your team is taking on the Raiders and you want to see the brand new stadium. Cool.

Okay. We'll just warn you. The south end of the strip is a madhouse. Anyway, you want to see Vegas. You want to see the new SoFi stadium and go to LA. Maybe you want to see your team play for the first time at the hallowed grounds of Lambeau Field. Maybe you've never seen AT&T Stadium.

That's me. I really would like to see Jerry's World and go to a game at AT&T Stadium. I would love to.

Haven't done that yet. I wouldn't say it's a bucket list item, but I really would like to get there before he builds something new. Maybe just maybe you want to achieve. Maybe you want to go to game at the dog pound. Maybe you have family that live in Pittsburgh and you're really excited about going to visit the Steelers. Hosting your team and that's what you've got circled on your calendar.

You want them to be fat and sassy and spoiled. Right. Maybe you really want to attend a Thanksgiving Day game or how about a Christmas Day game?

Because it's a new thing. Or maybe you want to go to Brazil. Maybe you want to follow your team to Germany or to England.

So for those reasons, I get it. But be honest. If you really do care about your team's schedule and looking it over, maybe you memorize it, you committed to memory, you start making plans. Do you care that much about every other team's schedule?

Are you in May engaging in the mindless activity of predicting win totals for every team in the NFL? Oh my gosh. Jay, I'm just going to be honest.

And I did exclaim out loud in the living room. I turned over in a break from the basketball game. At the time it was Celtics and Cavaliers. Relatively close game. In fact, it was still a one point, one to three point margin of separation, I should say. A lead for the Celtics in fourth quarter.

It was a good game despite the Cavs being shorthanded. I turn over. I hear Rich.

I see them go to the schedule predictor. I exclaim, No! No!

It's May! Out loud in my living room. And that was it.

I was done. I saw Rich do a Q&A with Kevin Burkhardt, who's the lead announcer for Fox. I know they were probably talking about Tom Brady. It's May. Please, can we do this in August?

When it's training camps? I'll even take mandatory OTAs. I'll take holdouts. I'll take contract disputes that need to be settled.

I'll even take quarterback competitions in May over the schedule release. Oh, my eyes rolled back in my head and I just, I couldn't. It was a waste of time. So I wrote to Jay and I described the exercise as brief as it was. Mindless. I couldn't do it.

I tried. I was going to turn over a new leaf. This was going to be the year that I got really pumped. And I pulled out a notepad and I started taking notes about the NFL schedule.

Here's what I found out about myself. I couldn't care less in May. There's a lot of crap going on and that does not matter at all.

I'm determined that I'm going to sing it from my radio studio and from any rooftop where it won't be creepy that I'm climbing on. The only reason it's important is because the NFL tells us it's a big deal. It's not important other than maybe you checking out your team schedule and seeing where you might travel this year. If that's you, great. Otherwise, and honestly, right after I said that to the hubs, he fell asleep on the couch. I mean, it was a valiant effort on your part. Thank you. Thank you. What about you? How, how valiant was your effort?

Oh, not as valiant as yours. So when I texted you, it was, I don't know, maybe 8, 12 or so Eastern time and it started at 8 Eastern time and I immediately was like, oh crap, I forgot about the schedule release show. And I put it on. I think that lasted about 35 seconds. But I was like, oh yeah, this is, this is it, huh?

This is why we don't watch it. I can't. I just, I can't. I'm trying, I tried. I was going to try too. I really was.

I was going to do 8 p.m. right there on the couch. The thing is, I'm not, well, I am a good faker. I shouldn't say I'm not. I can do the poker face thing. I can pretend like various games are the best games we've ever seen for the sake of a radio show.

I can do that. I can generate energy and enthusiasm because I love my job even when it's a game I don't really care about all that much or I have no personal interest in. People say that to me a lot. Do you like hockey, for instance? Or do you like soccer? As if that matters whether or not we talk about them.

Yeah, that doesn't matter. My personal preferences and my favorite sports have nothing to do with the show. The show is based on knowledge of the audience. The show and the topic lists and the various subjects we get into are based on what people are talking about, not what I like. Which is why I don't talk about my teams and my personal rooting interests very often. So that has nothing to do with it. I can certainly be enthusiastic about the human interest or the drama of a particular game in which I would otherwise have no personal interest.

If it's good for the show, I'm in. But how in the world do you make the NFL schedule release interesting? Even the NFL Network, which has access to some of the brightest minds and most entrenched insiders in the world. What are they doing? They're predicting win totals in May. And if that's something that you're really interested in, great. But there's no way the ratings for the NFL Network schedule release are anywhere near what we saw for the draft.

The interest is not the same. It's not. We don't even have depth charts solidified yet for these rosters. We're analyzing games of teams that aren't real yet. They haven't had a mandatory OTA. We've got rookies that aren't signed yet. Training camp of preseason injuries, excuse me. Oh my gosh, I can't.

Not right now. I'm sorry. I really did try. I feel terribly that I let you down. I am apparently not as good a radio host as I thought I was. But here's something that did jump out at me.

And I do want to mention this because I would love to regurgitate this particular question again. Are you inclined if you don't have it? And I'll just admit, I don't have Netflix.

OK, I don't have Peacock. I don't have Netflix. My husband and I, and now we make these decisions together, we have particular apps or streaming services that we use a lot. Paramount Plus, we love a lot of the dramas on Paramount Plus. Amazing races on Paramount Plus. We enjoy watching that together. So we keep Paramount Plus not only for football, but also because it's one of the streaming services that we use on a pretty regular basis. I share Disney Plus.

Thank you, Jay. We share, we share. Is that against the law? No. It's not really against the law.

It's just, it's frowned upon. By Disney, maybe. So anyway, we share Disney Plus. I actually share my Amazon Prime with people. So I also have Amazon Prime. Those three streaming services have become valuable in not just sports, but in my personal life. So I appreciate those. My hubs loves YouTube TV and he does that whole subscribe and then cancel and subscribe and then cancel because he only uses it primarily for college football. And so we also have the YouTube TV component in the fall during football.

OK, so those are the ones we have. You, it does crack me up sometimes when people assume that I make hundreds of thousands of dollars doing radio. No, we essentially live paycheck to paycheck like the vast majority of Americans. We do not have unlimited funds, but in fact, we're still looking at ways to cut costs because inflation has changed our expenses and groceries and gas cost a hell of a lot of money, not to mention a mortgage.

And so anyway, all that to say, I'm not so different than you. And I do have a ceiling. I have a limit to what I can afford. And no, the company does not pay for it. People come back to us every time we have this conversation. What is in the company pay for it?

Are you freaking kidding me? The company doesn't even pay for our travel the vast majority of the time. So no, the company does not pay for it. Is it a tax write off?

Sure, I can do that. But federal taxes don't actually allow you to deduct a lot of your work expenses anymore. All that to say, I cannot sign up for any more streaming services.

I can't. We've got a couple of websites that we subscribe to as well. So kind of news, news, more newsy websites that and I'm not going to talk politics, but just essentially the news that kind of fits what we're looking for.

OK, so they go with our political bent. That's it. I'm done. So I'm not subscribing to Netflix. When I watched the quarterback series, I borrowed a password.

And I'm sure a lot of you do the same. I'm not subscribing to Peacock. I do have Sirius XM so I can listen to every single game with its home radio crew. I do that routinely on Sundays because I don't have access to every single game. I don't have NFL Sunday ticket.

So I'm constantly filling in the blanks with radio. Now that you know there will be multiple games on Netflix coming up on Christmas Day. Does this make you think about adding another streaming service or is it Peacock that you're going to add this year? We did see last year that there were a lot of new subscribers to Peacock because the NFL had no such a regular season game, but a playoff game on Peacock. I know many of you get mad about it.

There's not a whole lot we can do. So I choose not to get mad about it. It's not just the NFL. The NFL may be diving in hot and heavy more than most leagues at this point, but it's going to happen. You're going to see a lot more of your favorite teams and the leagues themselves jump into streaming because there is a ton of money there. So does this not can you stop it because you can't. You can't stop it. Trust me, even if no one was watching and that's not the case. Even if nobody was watching these games on streaming, the leagues would still take the money.

Why? Because it's not dependent upon how many people tune in. Now the subscription services, for instance, Netflix is hoping they get a major bump from having NFL games because they've kind of plateaued. A lot of these streaming services coming out of COVID now have plateaued. They're not seeing the drastic increase in subscriptions that they used to. Amazon Prime has actually indicated that they feel like they've hit their ceiling when it comes to new subscribers. So what they're trying to do now is milk their current subscribers for more money, meaning more products, more services. So Amazon Prime, they've seen a slight bump from the NFL. They hope that it continues as they add more games, but the NFL doesn't care because they're getting the money from the streaming services up front. Are you more likely to add Netflix or to add Peacock or to add Prime or to add YouTube TV, whatever it happens to be, Paramount Plus, if it means you have access to more NFL broadcasts. So Netflix will stream two games.

These are damn good games. The Chiefs at the Steelers, the Ravens at the Texans on Christmas Day. If I remember correctly, Christmas is a Wednesday this year. So that's the other piece of it, too, is it's very it's rare for the NFL to play on a Wednesday.

It's not the first time, but it is rare. So will you add Netflix for Chiefs and Steelers, Ravens and Texans coming up on Christmas Day? And not just that, Netflix will get at least one NFL game on Christmas for the next three years. And honestly, I don't know how much more Netflix does in the sports world. Maybe Jake can tell me that.

Maybe some others of you who are listening can tell me that. But these are rare Wednesday regular season games. It's a bit of a novelty. And we know that the NFL is not giving up its Christmas real estate because it was a pretty impressive debut on Christmas Day.

Well, I would say debut. It's a new thing they're trying. Last year on Tuesday, they loved, loved, loved the viewership numbers and the fact that so many people tuned in to watch football on Christmas Day. I'm sure the NBA is thrilled by this because for years the NBA has claimed Christmas as its kind of marquee holiday, if you will. So, yeah, here we go.

Back to back years on Christmas Day, rare Wednesday regular season games and a doubleheader on Netflix. Might this convince you that you got to subscribe? Or does it just make you roll your eyes?

I mean, for me, I've taken a hard-line stance. I'm not adding, we're not adding any more streaming services. Unless you want to give it to us free. Does Netflix do a seven-day trial? Probably. Disney actually got rid of that. There are some that still do a seven-day trial, but Disney got rid of it.

That's not right. No, that's because they know that's what people will do, right? We'll see.

We'll see whether or not it changes anything, right? We'll see whether or not people dive in who don't already have Netflix. And I get it. I'm super uncool. I'm maybe one of the last 18 people on the planet that don't have Netflix. But I don't. I also don't have Apple TV because I don't have Apple products.

I'm trying to think what? I don't have Peacock. I don't have ESPN Plus. I'll take my Sirius XM and get off my lawn. That's really what I'm saying.

So I've had to draw the line. My husband's not really into sports that much other than college football. He'll watch the NFL with me, but he prefers college. So it doesn't matter to him whether or not we subscribe for more sports. I'd love to hear from you.

Will you add more subscription services for the upcoming NFL season or for the fall in sports? On Twitter, ALawRadio. On our Facebook page, too, it's After Hours with Amy Lawrence. Our phone number 855-212-4227.

That's 855-212-4CBS. We have one NBA team that has reached the Final Four. We have another NBA team that is on the cusp. And we have an MVP candidate.

Now, granted, we know Joker is the MVP, but one of the best players in the league this season who looked like his old self for some reason. Oh, he'll tell you why. Glad to have you with us.

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Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates price and coverage match limited by state law. Again, for all your kind words, it's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on the Infinity Sports Network. You are listening to the After Hours podcast. Luca on the move. Luca to the block. Banks scoring foul. Three point play chairs for Doncic. And he's starting that open mouth scream to whoever he makes eye contact with in the crowd.

When you see that, you know, good things are happening. Lively out the screen to the right. Luca goes that way. Luca bumps in and shoots a little runner and hits it.

And he is on tonight. Washington left wing threes, long and left. Rebound tipped out by Kyrie to Luca. 27 footer. Good.

And the stare and that head nod to the crowd. 31 for Luca. You wanted a bounce back game. You've got a bounce back game. Blocked by Holmgren. Taken out of there by Gildas Alexander. Right to left. Lost the handle.

Got it back. Luca with the blocked shot. Spectacularly so. What a play by Doncic. Jones now fouled by Williams with 50.1 seconds to go.

This is After Hours with Amy Lawrence. Chuck Oberstein on Mavericks radio. Luca Doncic looked a hell of a lot like an MVP in Game 5. Man, it was a raucous crowd in Oklahoma City. I've said this before.

I'll say it again. From my time in Oklahoma when I worked there four years. This is pre-Thunder being purchased from Seattle and then being moved. That fan base, as much as they have college teams that they are rabid about. That fan base there in Oklahoma.

And it's not just the city. It's the entire state desperately wanted its own professional team. And now that they have one, they have not wasted the opportunity because they remember what it was like. They'll never get Thunder fans to take their team for granted.

And they've gone through some really bleak years. Obviously seeing the breakup of Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant. Kevin then moving to the Warriors and winning a title there. The Warriors standing in the way of the Thunder multiple times.

Pursuing a championship. Then you have different superstars that come through OKC. Only to have Russ, in their opinions, kind of break his commitment to them and leave. And so it's just been a revolving door since Kevin Durant left. And here they are, one of the youngest teams in the NBA. And they are dynamic. It's been a rebuild the hard way.

It's not been fast or easy or hey let's hit the reset button and start over. Nah, it's been multiple different iterations, different coaches, different leaders. But they love their MVP candidate, Shea Gildas Alexander. And he led a charge in game number four. If you remember, they were up ten points, the Mavericks, at halftime.

They lost that game. And I had Thunder friends of mine who were texting me, Oh my gosh, the Thunder is so great, blah, blah, blah. So here they were at halftime, up by ten, Dallas in Oklahoma City. And you've got the Thunder fans who are trying to spur a comeback. It's after hours with Amy Lawrence, except Luka Doncic.

He made a very specific decision that he will tell you about. That certainly seemed to take a load off of his shoulders. 31 points, 11 assists, oh, elite passing in this one. In fact, the Mavericks had four, five alley-oop dunks in the first half alone. Also had ten rebounds in his 41 minutes.

I know he's playing with injuries. But they were aggressive. And there were contributions from everywhere. Not just Luka and this MVP-like performance. Derek Jones with 19 points. Washington had a double-double.

Off the bench, the rookie Derek Lively had a double-double. They were really able to hold the Thunder at bay. And a lot of it had to do with, yes, Luka spearheading the charge, but also the fact that they were dictating.

They weren't reacting to what the Thunder were doing. They were setting the tone. They were setting the pace. And it made a difference in them kind of keeping that lead most of the game. I think we were playing great defense. But, you know, some little stuff we didn't do in the past game we did today. I think, I don't know how many offensive rebounds they had, but they had like four in the first three minutes.

And then we cleared that up. And we just played with a lot of pace. When we're playing that way and playing very free, very liberated, and having a good time out there, not taking the game for granted, but just showering each other with positivity and doing the little things, that's the maturity that we've shown, you know, post All-Star break. Just being able to be there for each other on and off the court. Off the court, most importantly, just telling each other that we're going to be okay and just keep believing. The text threads that we have, it just goes a long way just for our emotions. This is a new space for a lot of guys on the team, including myself as one of the leaders on the team. This is one of the hardest series I've ever played. So, you know, just the focus level has to be at a level that reflects that, you know, we have what it takes to win, but also we understand that we're not going to get there without guys feeling like they're best selves.

And that's what we like to speak on. A dozen points for Kyrie, but mostly says they were loose. And that certainly applies to Luka Doncic because he said, my mindset was different for game five. Just focus on basketball.

Remember the thing I love, the thing I love to do, and just play basketball, man. But does that mean not complaining to the officials? Because I got to tell you, I noticed, and the question was posed to Luka after the fact. Does that include intentionally ignoring the referees?

Intentional. Like I said, just focus on basketball. You know, I talked to them normal without complaining and nothing.

I think it was the whole game, nothing. So I just go out there, hope, have fun, man. Have fun with the old Luka. So smile on my face.

I like that. Honestly, it's pretty obvious to everyone that watches the Mavericks play that Luka complains about nearly every call. And I'm not saying he's unique in this case because it's one part of the NBA culture.

And honestly, it's probably most pro sports, but it stands out to me as much, if not more, in the NBA because of the fact that the NBA and pro basketball, late 80s, early 90s, that's why I'm in this business. It used to be that only captains could speak to the officials, and it used to be that you didn't have rookies coming in bitching about not getting a call and complaining about how they were fouled on every single trip down the court. It drives me insane. It takes away from my enjoyment of the game.

I can't stand it. I know the rules have changed, and the NBA is not quite as contact sport as it used to be. I mean, these days it's all about motion and spacing and facilitating, scoring and offense.

And honestly, I don't know why I just said honestly again. You now see scores that are routinely 125 to 130 points per night. A game in which you've got two teams under 100 points at the end of the final buzzer is extremely rare. So the NBA has done exactly what a lot of the sports have done. They've tried to facilitate and promote more offense and tilt the court, in this case, in favor of more scoring. So yeah, they've gone in favor of more whistles in that case because even hand checks these days, right? The flagrant fouls, all of these things, to me, they take away from the game. Not that I want guys getting hit in the head, but just in general, it seems like there are more whistles, and I don't love the way the game has gone in that regard.

I prefer a little more contact. I prefer that these guys are allowed to play physical. But over the last 10 years, you've seen pretty much everybody, the vast majority of players, decide that, hey, if I campaign for calls, campaign for fouls, it's not just superstars anymore. It's everyone, even guys who haven't yet, quote, unquote, paid their dues in the league. So I appreciate that Luke has decided, I'm just going to let the officials do their thing. I'm going to play for joy. I'm not going to be freaking out about calls I got or calls I didn't get.

And instead, just focus on what matters and the way that I can make a difference. And hello, playoff triple-double, despite the injuries that he's got going on. And so I appreciate that Kyrie said they were looser because Luka clearly was looser.

So, yeah, they get contributions from everywhere. They went on the road, that game five edge now, as they go back to Dallas for game number six. Shay Gildas-Alexander, still terrific, ends up with 30 points and eight assists. I feel like every time we were about to make a run, they got an offensive rebound. But beyond that, I'm not too sure. Those are just the things that it felt like. I'll have better answers once I watch a film and stuff, but that's what it felt like. The thing I was encouraged by offensively was I just thought we kind of looked like ourselves again, stylistically. I actually thought we made pretty good progress in terms of attacks. There was times in games, two, three, four, that it just felt like we were in a headlock offensively and we were just jammed up against their defense. And tonight I thought there was way more flow.

I thought there was way more driving kick. There was way more stuff that we want to get going. So it's taken us, obviously, a couple games in the series to calibrate that. But I thought we were kind of there tonight. He mentions the offense, Mark Daniel, but obviously when you look at how well Dallas shot, 53% from the floor, the defense also need to be a little more aggressive to match the intensity. And as I say, Dallas was forcing the issue most of the game. You could see them try to take advantage of the opportunities, whether it be loose balls, hustle plays, the rebounding edge was significant as well. So I like what we saw from Dallas on the road. And I think it's really important that the Mavericks didn't lose all of that fourth quarter lead that they had because that's what happened last game and it hurt, it stung for them. All right, coming up, we have our first team that's into the NBA's Final Four, the Celtics. They are able to polish off the Cavaliers, though the Cavs gave them a fight despite not having Donovan Mitchell and a couple other guys that were missing. But here are the Celtics into the East Finals for the third time in three years. Can they capitalize this season though because they seem to come up short at this point? It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence.

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You're kidding me. 11-point lead. Celtics by 11. Tatum steps to his left. Quick three.

Got it. Leland. A 13-2 run. It's in the hands of Tatum. Morris down in his defensive stance. Tatum moving to his left. Pushes Garland away. Zips it under the basket in the dunker spot. Waiting is Drew Holliday. Lays it up and in. Timeout J.B. Bicknerstaff.

But they are running out of real estate. 2.15 to go in game five. Celtics by 14. This is After Hours with Amy Lawrence. The voices of Sean Grady and Cedric Maxwell. Grady and Max on Celtics radio. And for the third straight year, Boston reaches the Eastern Conference final and the NBA's final four.

It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence. I love the Al Horford story. His journey has been marked by some interesting stops. This is his second one in Boston. They love him in Boston because he is willing to do whatever it takes to win.

He's one of the guys that doesn't mind getting his uniform dirty, so to speak. And here he is, just a few weeks shy of turning 38. Oldest player on the team. 17 NBA seasons. And yet he'll dive on the floor for a loose ball. He'll get underneath the hoop and battle for a rebound. And yeah, he can go long games and sometimes long series without hitting a three. But when he does hit a three, the crowd goes wild.

How's the OG, man? Great example of this. Game number five, the closeout game, the Cavaliers missing critical pieces, including Donovan Mitchell. Al had shot just four of 22 from beyond the arc in the first four games of the series.

It drives me a little batty. I love Al. I think every team needs an Al Horford. Not only does he lead by example and with wisdom and experience, but he leads because he'll do anything out there to win. He sets a tone with energy, with intensity. And again, he's 38 years old and he's throwing his body around like he's 18.

Doesn't care. He'll defend hard against guys who are half his age. There's no challenge that Al Horford won't take on.

And every team needs a guy like that. But it drives me batty sometimes when he won't stop shooting the three. This is not Steph Curry.

It's not Kaitlyn Clark. It's Al Horford. If you're not hitting the three, stop shooting them. You can impact the game in so many other ways. So I know when he gets in those stretches like he was earlier in the series, I'm not the only one who's doing the face plant, the face palm, the face plant. No, stop it.

Stop wasting possessions like that. He was 0 for 10 in the two games in Cleveland. So the offense that you get from Al, to me, I prefer if Al's cleaning up on the boards, if he's forcing turnovers, if he's getting hand in the passing lane, if he's coming up with points because of his defense or because he's kind of playing the junkyard dog role and he's hanging out around the rim. But then there are times when he gets into a rhythm and he's able to hit threes. So that was huge too. So the Boston Celtics, they take their cue from the OG. Al finishes with 22 points, 15 rebounds, 5 assists. He was out there 35 minutes. And according to those who are in the know, I love these types of stats.

He's only the third player in NBA history at his age to have such numbers behind LeBron James and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. It feels great because we won. So that's the only satisfaction I get out of it. You can have a game like that and if you don't get it done, you know.

But I'm happy because I was able to help the team, you know, win this game. He certainly did. And when he wasn't on the court, it almost seemed like the energy waned. Yeah, they don't need that from him every game.

Jason Tatum, he nearly had a triple-double. They've got guys who can force the issue. They're very talented.

They're deep. I know they're still without Kristaps Porzingis. It's been, what, about three weeks now?

He got hurt before I left for my honeymoon. He was actually tweeting about the game though. Yay. Anyway, so when the Celtics need a pick-me-up or when they need a guy to take the lead, it's Al Horford. And I love the fact that age does not slow him down. Al leads instrumentally.

Not much of a talker. Tonight you saw, you know, his gift. His gift is just passion, inspiration, toughness, competitive nature. And, you know, obviously those games are tough, right? The other team is fighting for their lives and you're trying to play as hard as you can.

And, you know, you don't want to make mistakes and, you know, whatever the case may be. But just that's who Al is, is a person. You saw his personality. So I thought he was tremendous. I thought he started it for us. And all the guys responded well. We needed to get it done. I felt like we were a little flat early. And the urgency of taking advantage of this opportunity that we had in front of us. So, you know, I just figured out bringing more energy. I felt like we needed more energy.

So I try to bring it up there in the second quarter. And that's Al on, is that NBC Sports Boston? Yeah, so good for Al Horford because these types of games are instrumental for the Celtics. And I think it kind of puts them back into that place where they're, and I'll use the Kyrie Irving phrase, it's actually a phrase that makes me roll my eyes, but they're playing like they're their best selves.

So awkward. Anyway, the Celtics advance to now the Eastern Conference Finals and wait on either the Pacers or the Knicks. So they've still got business to attend to in their series. Meanwhile, for the Cleveland Cavaliers, there's a lot of talk about whether or not they will keep J.B. Bickerstaff and what happens with Donovan Mitchell.

So, yeah, they've made progress, but maybe not enough for ownership. We've got a good team. We've got good individual players. We've got high character players, you know, that are concerned about winning. And, you know, anytime you have that, you're going to give yourself an opportunity.

You know, I would love to see what we look like when we're whole, you know, for an entire season and put pressure we can put on the league from that standpoint. But we've got a good basketball team of guys who want to win and guys who want to get better. He was asked in the postgame press conference whether or not he wants to continue coaching the Cavs. And his answer was, yeah. And then talked about building it the right way. Quote, this is definitely a place I want to be.

So I'll keep showing up until they tell me not to. But Adrian Wojnarowski, he actually said the Cavs plan to evaluate Bickerstaff and the team's future and decide whether or not they want to move forward with him. According to Woj, the front office is fond of him. I'm not sure what that means, but that's the word he used.

They're just not sure if he's the right guy to lead them to that next level. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence. We'll be right back. Thank you.