After Hours with Amy Lawrence PODCAST: Hour 2

Have you ever covered a carpet stain with a rug? Ignored a leaky faucet? Pretended your half-painted living room is supposed to look that way?

Well, you're not alone. We've all got unfinished home projects. Whether it's a door that sticks, or a disorganized closet, or an AC unit that only works half the time.

It all matters. You just haven't taken care of it yet. But there's an easier way. Just download the Thumbtack app. You can search for what you need done and find tons of highly rated pros right in your neighborhood.

Check prices, reviews, and book a pro right on the spot. Plus, you'll know what to tackle next. Because Thumbtack is the app that shows you what to do, who to hire, and when. Pull out your phone, and in just a few taps, say goodbye to all those unfinished home projects. And say hello to caring for your home the easier way.

Download Thumbtack and start a project today. in the IONIQ 5 and IONIQ 6, or the adventure-seeking spirit of the Kona Electric, or the groundbreaking 601 horsepower IONIQ 5N. And it's not just the comfort in knowing that every Hyundai EV is backed by a 10-year, 100,000-mile limited electric battery warranty. Hyundai's EVs transform a low hum into a loud adventure. They bring color to your journey and turn energy into main character energy. So forget everything you thought you knew about EVs and turn the extraordinary into something truly electrifying.

There's joy in every journey. Well, if you know you know about this music. Peyton Pritchard, Jalen Brown, Jason Tatum, Joe Mazzola, Al Horford. He said in the halftime locker room, the Celtics knew. They knew after Peyton Pritchard nailed the half-court three at the buzzer. Called it demoralizing to the Mavericks. Can only look and imagine what it felt like to be in the arena when Pritchard nearly brought the house down. In fact, if you didn't know, you would think they'd won the title in that moment.

It was shades of a celebration to come and confetti so thick that you couldn't see through it. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence, producer Jay. He's putting all the montages together and doing a great job. Of course, there were multiple calls of the game, not just the Celtics version on their own radio network with Sean Grandy. Also Chuck Cooperstein, who we had last week on the Dallas Mavericks radio network.

Always a class act. And the national radio call with Mark Hestisher on ESPN radio. The coaches shake hands. Joe Mazzola and Jason Kidd. The final four seconds tick away. Get ready to raise an 18th banner, Boston. The Celtics are once again the winningest franchise in the history of the NBA. It's an 18th title for the Celtics, the 2024 NBA champions. The green and white confetti falling now as the Boston Celtics defeat the Dallas Mavericks in five games. Marilyn Brown and Jason Tatum finally have their championship. And P.J.

light up a cigar for red. The Celtics are once again the world champs. We did it. We did it!

Oh my God, we did it. A little bit like Kevin Garnett from exactly 16 years ago Monday night. And that voice of Mark Hestisher joining us now from Boston following a nice celebratory hey we did it dinner. Finally wrapping up the NBA season. I don't know, Mark, when you hear the Jason Tatum, we did it! Did it remind you of Kevin Garnett?

Anything is possible! It was kind of in that same tenor. You're right, Amy. Good to be on with you. I actually ran into Sean Grandy and his family in the north end of Boston a short time ago. As the celebrations continue here in Boston and as you're describing everything, I'm actually... I was pulling out my box score just to make sure I remembered everything. And I swear to you, little bits of green and white confetti just fell out of my bag.

It was thick. And I have a little tradition. I take some of the confetti. I put it with my last scorecard of the year. I'm the luckiest guy on earth to have called eight of these. And I always have the clinching game with whatever.

Last year in Denver, I think it was blue and gold. And I keep that in my little bookcase to look back on some day. It's pretty cool. And I was in this building 16 years ago today. I was a studio host.

And I remember Doc Rivers getting sloshed with the orange Gatorade and then Kevin Garnett yelling into the microphone. It's a surreal experience. It feels like it was just yesterday. And yet I met a kid. He's a full grown man now. And he was introduced to me by a friend. And the friend said he was in the building for the 2008 championship. And I'm like, how old were you?

And he goes, I was four. And I'm like, oh man, how about that? Yeah, no doubt these fans were just waiting for the eruption. I have to tell you something about the confetti though.

A listener replied to me on social and said, I think they've been saving up that confetti since 2008. I'm not sure I've ever seen it that thick. Could you even see the court when it started falling?

No. It started trickling and it looked like it was on the other side of the floor on the court. You know, we're like two or three rows off the floor at center court. And then all of a sudden it was like a tsunami of green and white. It was so thick. You know, all of a sudden you couldn't see your notes. If you breathed in the wrong way, you probably had like three of them go down the wrong pipe. It was a blizzard there for about 15 seconds.

And of course in modern day, you know, I always yell at my daughter because everybody's doing everything on their phone all the time. There I was putting it into camera mode and making sure I got a few seconds of the blizzard. So it was hard to see there for a second.

So you can check that out on Mark's Twitter at Mark Kestisher and that's Mark with a C and Kestisher with a K. Let's go back to that Peyton Pritchard moment. What did it sound like from your vantage point right there on the court? Oh, it was, you're right. It was an explosion of sound because I think everybody recognized what was about to happen. I don't know.

Maybe you could tell me. Maybe they talked about it postgame. I remember the last time Peyton Pritchard just checked himself in to the game, end of the third quarter, he did the first time. And we queried him like, we're like, so you just checked yourself in? He's like, well, I give this look to Joe Missoula. And of course, you know, Joe's like, yeah, you know, kind of like nodding his head or whatever. And so inbound comes and I just see that green number 11. And I think all of us at the same time, whether you were Sean Grandy on Boston Radio or Mike Green over on ABC, you just and the crowd 20,000 people were like, oh, my goodness, this is about to happen again.

And Boss, who was on the trip with me, he was in the upper deck and he had a perfect angle behind Pritchard. And he said, as soon as it left his hand, he knew it was going in. And you're right. That was a demoralizing moment. I thought the end of the first quarter felt demoralizing enough for Dallas. That conclusion to the second and you were like, well, you know, I know they came back from down 21 nearly in the fourth quarter of game three. But it just became obvious that this was about to become a party.

And then it did. Mark Kestacher is with us from Boston still following game five in the coronation of the Celtics as they win the championship. First one since 2008.

It's after hours with Amy Lawrence. I have to ask and then we'll we'll come back to game five because you were there in the building for game four. How the heck does this team lose by nearly 50?

It doesn't even seem possible. And the only explanation I can come up with is they didn't need to win. They they knew they didn't need to win. It's strange because and look at the three losses they had in the postseason. This was as dominant a postseason run as there is not the most dominant but close 16 and three. I mean, that was they got torched by Miami. Remember the heat hit like 23 three-pointers. They got pretty badly by Cleveland in game two in the second round. And then they had game four where, you know, for whatever reason, I think it's just, you know, P.J.

Carlissimo, my analyst, as you know, and he's been around college and professional basketball forever. And he just said sometimes there's just you don't plan on it. You may not think, hey, let's you know, let's get this thing at home. I think some days you just don't have it. You know, you don't have the force. The other team brings the force and you can't match it no matter what you try.

And then you start, you know, taking bad shots. And I have no other explanation how it got to what it was, you know, 46, 48 points at one night. But one team let go of the rope and they knew they had three more chances at it.

And they knew they had their own floor. But it comes with a little bit of, you know, a cost in that you better not mess up game five because now you're going back on the road six. But that was never that was never a possibility. But I just would submit the three games they lost.

And you just have to burn all those tapes because none of those were recognizable to what I think. I'll see if you agree with me. You know, we're caught in the moment. And you're like, well, I don't know if this is one of the great teams of all time in NBA history. But I think when we look to five, maybe 10 years down the road and I'm talking team, not just two stars. I mean, this is among the best constructed teams that I can remember in a long time. And I think history, you know, will look very favorably on the 24 Celtics. It's funny, too, because Brad Stevens, who coached these guys at the beginning of their careers, wants to take no credit.

He said, I don't deserve any thanks at all. I sat in a sweet and ate popcorn for 100 games. But it's true that he had taken what he knew about the team and he's now built a winner that includes Kristaps Porzingis, that includes Drew Holliday, who, of course, is now a two time champion. And it's so neat to see how he was enveloped in the culture right away. But I want to ask you about Jalen Brown. And I know a lot has been made of their 22 run and how they lost to the Warriors in Boston in Game 6. But I remember the Jalen from last year, from Game 7 against the Heat.

He's used the word embarrassed and embarrassing multiple times to talk about what happened the last couple of years. In your opinion, from your perspective, what's the biggest difference in Jalen going back a year ago? I think, well, first of all, there's a confidence that all of them got from having a guy like Drew Holliday, who was the ultimate pro coming over, Al Horford, who's a calming force and is just a total pro. I think there was addition by subtraction with the roster. And I just think this has been an unbelievable season when you think of opening day and you check in in November, you check in in January, they were so much better than everybody else in the NBA.

And I think all of them grew. And I think especially Tatum and Brown realized that they needed each other more than they probably realized. And as much as me personally, when I try to tell the story of the Celtics, to me it was the disappointment and the learning of losing to the Warriors in 22. And then I think it was my mistake to not consider what went on last year when they fell down 0-3 to Miami, a team that played great. And we're not taking anything away from the Heat because they were spectacular. But the Celtics felt they were a better team and that they didn't perform. And even though it was a little too late when they got it to seven, and I think I remember Jason Tatum got injured early in game seven and Jalen Brown struggled. I think there was more of a, we need to reassess what we're doing here personally last year than it was losing to Golden State in the end of that dynastic run for the Warriors. So I think it was, we're getting closer, we don't know if this is going to work, us. And then you mentioned Brad Stevens, who wants no credit.

We asked multiple times for interviews and Brad, a good friend of PJ's, we had great interactions over the years. He really did want to be in the shadows and he made two of the biggest moves of the season. And if you go back and look at the timing of those moves, there was no guarantees that Drew Holiday ends up there. They moved on Market Smart in the trade with Porzingis. And you're wondering like, well, how's this going to work? And this is going to crush the defense.

You're losing the heart and soul of it. Little did any of us know Milwaukee was going to make that move and they were going to trade Drew to Portland. And then I remember we were talking to Drew Holiday last week and I asked him, I said, what were those four days like before you were traded to Boston? We were talking with the Trail Blazers about what the roster would look like. And it got to a point where Drew wasn't comfortable, like, I don't know if this is going to work.

Can you move me? And then he gave all credit to the Trail Blazers who didn't look to hold anybody up for tons of draft picks. And he got sent to Boston a week before training camp and had to learn on the fly. And I just think it's it's an amazing story how it all came together, because when you look at how the pieces were first starting to fall, there was no guarantee that they were going to be better than they were last year.

And I think Brad deserves a lot of that credit. And that all goes with selecting Joe Missoula. And I love the Danny Ainge story about, you know, trying to hire Joe from a Division two school. And Joe said no, because he had brought all these transfers in to his Division two school at Fairmont State and he didn't want to leave them. And so Danny Ainge tells Joe, well, you know, these offers don't come all the time.

There's no I mean, there may be a chance where you don't even get the shot. And Joe stuck to his guns. And not only did Danny Ainge appreciate that, you know, he realized, you know, I like this guy even more because he stands on principle. And so he offered him the job a second time a year later.

And Joe took it. Who would have thought, you know, four years after being a D2 head coach, he's now one of the youngest NBA head coaching champions in league history. It's amazing. Marquez is here with us from Boston in the wake of Game five called the national broadcast on ESPN radio. How many of these NBA finals have you done now?

We just finished number eight. Getting old. Man, time is flying.

And yet you're still rocketed at three fifteen Eastern Time in Boston. So I'm glad you brought up Joe because he was an unlikely candidate when Imei Yudoka got suspended. But over the course of a few years of listening to him and talking to him, what makes him the right guy for this job? Yeah, you know, we spent two years as a media and, you know, we're a little different because we get our little five ten minute meetings as a national rights holder with him.

And I feel like it's like chipping away at a big giant iceberg. You know that I think we've gained his trust, I think. But, you know, he doesn't.

He's very guarded. And, you know, he knows. But he's so smart. You know, that's the thing I gleaned all these times. Every question I ask, I learn a little something more about how he sees the world and how he sees basketball.

And it does impress me to no end. And from what I'm told, because we don't see, you know, the coach Joe Missoula that the players see. But from everything I hear, he commands the room. You know, he he certainly has the backing of his star players, which includes a guy who's actually three years older than him and Al Horford. So it's he's a remarkable young coach who's just getting started. He knows who he is.

He knows he believes in, you know, he's he knows what the X's and O's are that he wants to run. And just a magical year. And you think a guy that's been two years of the head coach. And last year found out, you know, what, a week before the season started. Right.

You know, didn't didn't have his assistance. And you go to game seven of the Eastern Finals and then you win an NBA championship. So I've got a lot to learn about Joe, the guy. I may never really know him, but I am very impressed with his basketball acumen and his ability to lead men.

He does definitely seem like he will fight the world if you get too close. You can get a little salty, but I suppose they work long hours. Same thing with Mike Malone last year. I always wondered why he was so cranky, even when the Nuggets were dominating and were on their way to an NBA championship.

Mark, you bring up Al Horford. I love old dudes in sports because they're in touch with their own sports mortality. They recognize these opportunities don't come around every year. And even Jason Tatum said, you know, when you're young and you make it, you think it's going to happen every year.

No big thing. But the closer you get to the end of your career, the more legs are the more. Yeah, the more legs your career has, the more mileage you put on that body, you recognize you better cherish every moment. And yet he will do anything to help this team win. What have you heard from him about this and about finally getting the chance to win a title at age 38? Yeah, well, first of all, you know, LeBron James gets a lot of credit and deservedly so for how he's taken care of his body to be almost 40 years old and play in the NBA. And I think very far under the radar, you don't notice that Al Horford is doing very similarly.

And now that he was on the stage and had the brightest spotlight on him, you know, you start to learn that there's so much sacrifice. I know, you know, we're not using it in real world term. We're using it in sports terms. But at that age and as you know, you and I creep north of 40, right? We just turned 40 last week.

You know, it's harder and harder to maintain it. And so that's the thing I learned about Al is, you know, he really is taking care of his body. Chris Taps Porzingis goes down and we know how important, you know, KP was to this team. And Al just, you know, joins the starting lineup and, you know, you don't even miss a beat. You know, the guy can hit threes.

Sometimes, sometimes. You know, winning two national championships in college and then, you know, he went through kind of not the NBA wastelands, but he wasn't on, you know, those when he was in Atlanta, those early years, you know, they weren't, you know, real contenders. And then you come to Boston and then he left and he comes back. And you think two years ago, that is probably his best chance to win a title and they probably missed out on it. So I think and it was fun watching his dad Tito, who was sitting in front of us during the ceremony when Al was up there with the Larry O'Brien.

And he interviewed by Lisa Salters on ABC. You could see some tears welling in his eyes, just the pride, you know, that he has lasted all this long, all this long 17 years to wait for this championship. So there's so many great stories on that team. You know, Tatum and Brown have their championship.

I love the Al Horford story, the Joe Missoula story. And you know the nature of sports now. It's can you do it again? But but for one night, they always say, you know, that first championship, it's never, ever, ever going to be the same.

And that's the one thing as I get older that I watch these guys. It was so joyous and it's the first time. And I think you can never really recreate that kind of stacking championships if you're fortunate. So it was fun to watch these Celtics, even though it's an 18th banner, go through it for the first time. I have to ask about Kyrie. At any point did the fans seem to let up on him in Boston?

I think the easy answer would be no. Although at the very end, when he went over and shook everybody's hand, gave some hugs while there was still time on the clock. And he went over to the Boston bench, hugged a few guys.

I did see some front row folks that were like, you know, I could read lips, classy, that kind of stuff. But I think as soon as I got outside of TD Garden and we were walking back towards the fourth end, I can't even say some of those chance that. So, yes, it was easy for Kyrie, that's for sure. You guys probably noticed on the television call, Mike Green's statistician got taken out by Kyrie when he flew over there.

I didn't know, we're across the way, but I couldn't tell. Apparently there was a fan that started kind of getting into it verbally with Kyrie. And I think Mike Green actually told the guy to, hey, relax, that kind of thing. So he was the center of attention, the target for all the fans, just didn't like the fact that he left or how it all ended here at Boston. And Kyrie, I mean, outright admitted that it kind of got to him and his numbers in Boston certainly showed it. He wasn't the same player in the three games here than he was the two games in Dallas. I would say the fans also had an issue with him burning sage inside or, you know, like waving sage around, stepping on the logo saying, I actually thought it would be louder following game number one.

I guess be careful what you wish for. What about these Mavericks make you believe that they could be a contender again moving forward? Well, I think learning experience for Luca, that's for sure. Luca and Kyrie, I think, surprised many of us. You know, we all knew they could be a good offensive partnership.

And then they go out and make the trades and turn into a pretty decent defensive team, corner three-point shooting team. I love Eric Lively. I mean, he's 20 years old. And the first time we interviewed him, you're like, OK, I could see how he got into Duke, you know, for his year. He's very smart, very heady.

Look, it's going to be tough. The West is a gauntlet and it was pretty remarkable that they made it as far as they did. But I think, you know, it's a good young team that went farther than anyone had expected.

I'm sure they'll have some moves that they can make. You know, they've got one of the best players on the planet in Luca, who himself, you know, went through some learning that was, you know, well discussed, I'm sure, throughout this series. And, you know, he's only going to get better from it. You know, we would think, look, there's some things he'll need to work on in the offseason, even though, you know, he's got a terrific game. I think some of it certainly will be, you know, taking a little better care of himself. He was banged up pretty good.

That's not his fault. He could probably, like Nikola Jokic, even take another level to get into some really good shape. And then, you know, we'll see what roster they build around him. Jason Kidd is, you know, a smart coach, smart young coach. I think the toughest thing for them is the competition because there are some really good young teams.

Some of them they played and some of them they beat as well. So credit to them to get this far. It's a team that, for me, probably didn't pay attention enough even after the trades and, you know, shame on me.

They turned out to have a whale of a year. Before I let you go, one more thing just because it's important to you, I know, and it's certainly important to me. Any woman who wants to do play-by-play or is now in play-by-play, Doris Burke is the standard. As an analyst, she becomes the first to call an NBA Finals on TV. I know you lost her as your analyst, but you worked with her for a couple of years on the radio side. How special for you because you're a friend, but also for her to be able to be in this position in 2024.

I'm so proud of her. I mean, we all are, you know, that work with her. I got to call four Finals with her, I think, three or four.

We started in the bubble, so I think it was four. And when the booth was changing, I just had a feeling like, you know what, I think Doris was going to be moving up to the TV side. And she probably, I don't know if she would admit it, but I'm sure there had to be nerves before game one. I mean, she could not have been seamless with us.

And obviously on the radio side, it's not nearly the amount of pressure, the amount of TV, you know, for eyes and certainly, you know, the ears on our side. And I think she handles it well. You know, she has the ultimate respect from Mike Breen, you know, his Hall of Fame.

They're both, you know, Kirk Goudy Award winners. And, you know, she was ready for it. She was ready for the moment. I hope that folks enjoyed her presentation. You know, she's one of the smartest basketball people that I know. And I know she cares greatly for the product and realized, you know, as much as it is an honor, it was also a, this is special and I want to make sure I live up to the moment. And I'm looking forward to watching some of those games. I didn't get to hear all of it, obviously, as we're calling it on the radio side. But I always check in with her after every game.

I saw her tonight and, you know, she felt really comfortable with how it all went down. And I hope everybody enjoyed it. I wanted seven. You know, I don't care who wins. I just want close games and seven.

I didn't really get any of those. But I do enjoy a home clinch, even though it can get a little messy trying to get through the streets and honking horns and the celebrations that go on. But it's those great memories that you take with you. Well, and if you want to see a photo, Mark on his Twix header, Doris is part of that because they were in that same radio booth, I guess you can call it, for lack of a better term, the same radio row. For the last few years on Twitter at Mark has to share national radio voice of the NBA finals on ESPN radio. Long time pro been doing this for. Well, you know, we're in our 40s, so a long time. And we always appreciate two years old. All right. We always appreciate our NBA finals conversations. Mark, thank you so much.

Well, we go back a long way. So it's always good to check in every once in a while. And I'm glad I could come on for a few minutes. Thank you. Good stuff, especially about Doris, Kyrie, the confetti that ended up in his bag. Some of the perspective on the Celtics before and the Celtics now. Love that. If you missed any of it, we'll post the whole thing on our podcast.

Come first thing on Tuesday morning. I'm sure they have a lot of confetti that's now spread out around Boston. People taking it with them on their shoes, in their bags, in their hair, or just grabbing it up and put it in their pockets.

Thanks for joining us. Who are other teams, sports teams and franchises who have nearly impossible sky high expectations of championship every year, which we know is not realistic. And yet they persist in light of the Celtics winning their record 18th NBA title on Twix at a law radio and also on our face. Worried about letting someone else pick out the perfect avocado for your perfect impress them on the third date guacamole? Well, good thing Instacart shoppers are as picky as you are. They find ripe avocados like it's their guac on the line. They are milk expiration date detectives.

They bag eggs like the 12 precious pieces of cargo they are. So let Instacart shoppers overthink your groceries so that you can overthink what you'll wear on that third date. Download the Instacart app to get free delivery on your first three orders while supplies last.

Minimum $10 per order additional term supply. Start your summer road trip at Midas and get up to $30 off your next repair service. Plus get a free closer look vehicle check to make sure your road trip ready. So if you need a break service and alignment check or tune up, hit up Midas for up to $30 off.

For more details request your appointment at Midas.com. Have you ever covered a carpet stain with a rug? Ignored a leaky faucet? Pretended your half painted living room is supposed to look that way?

Well, you're not alone. We've all got unfinished home projects. Whether it's a door that sticks or a disorganized closet or an AC unit that only works half the time.

It all matters. You just haven't taken care of it yet. But there's an easier way. Just download the Thumbtack app. You can search for what you need done and find tons of highly rated pros right in your neighborhood.

Check prices, reviews and book a pro right on the spot. Plus you'll know what to tackle next. Because Thumbtack is the app that shows you what to do, who to hire and when. Pull out your phone and in just a few taps, say goodbye to all those unfinished home projects. And say hello to caring for your home the easier way.

Download Thumbtack and start a project today. The Boston Celtics are champions of the NBA for 2023, 2024 and for the 18th time in franchise history. As they defeat the Dallas Mavericks in five games. Winning game five tonight, 106 to 88.

This is After Hours with Amy Lawrence. The voice of Chuck Cooperstein who was with us last week in the wake of game three. Which the Mavericks lost. And then they come back in game four and they put on I suppose you could call it their best performance of the playoffs. It seemed as though the energy was a bit lopsided. And the Celtics didn't need to win the way the Mavericks needed to extend the series. So yes they got one. And now what? Just had a chance to ask Mark Kester.

Sure not Ark. Ask Mark Kester sure why he believes the Mavericks could build on this and use this as an opportunity to springboard to another title at some point. He mentions Luka of course in the development. Luka getting healthy.

Maybe taking physical fitness in a different direction. Kyrie Irving of course who talked about Kyrie. But also Jason Kidd being a really smart savvy coach. Recognizing how to put his guys in position to win.

Also agree with him that Derek Lively is a huge asset. And then the questions were asked of the Mavericks following this game five. What can you take away?

Well the answers are very different right? So from Luka to Jason Kidd to Kyrie they really don't have the same sentiments which I find interesting. Right now I don't really know. It's not what I'm thinking but you know they're a great team. They've been playing together for a long time. And they had to go through everything. So we just got to look at them.

See how they play. Maturity and they have some great players. I know we can all learn from that. And you know we got to fight next season. He's one of the best players in the world. And so I think the biggest thing for him is that we all would like to be healthy.

But there's going to be bumps and bruises along the way. And so for him at the age of 25 to get to the finals to be playing his basketball at the level that he's playing is now is just being consistent. And I think we all would say he led the league in scoring.

And so he also has won. So now it's just a matter of being consistent. And again always being in the talk for MVP because when you have one of the best players in the world you should be always fighting for a championship. A positive note that we can take from this series just how far we made it and you know how proud I am of the guys. And you know we answered a lot of questions this year on what we were capable of doing. And now it's just about being consistent. I think you know probably in the last week I said that I wanted to be remembered as one of the best teams in this era. The last few champions have been a new one each and every year.

So I see an opportunity for us to really build our future in a positive manner where this is almost like a regular thing for us. And we're competing for championships. It is their second conference finals. It was their second conference finals in three years. And getting back to the NBA finals for the first time since that title.

In 11 I still think it's one of those points that's worth making. They won a title more recently than the Celtics had until this Monday night and now the 16th. Exactly 16 years, 16th anniversary of the 2008 championship.

It's after hours with Amy Lawrence. Marco Belletti is here in studio and we are mentioning that we're deciding which of these franchises and teams out there have the sky high expectations regardless of whether or not it makes sense. I feel like Lakers and Celtics for sure in the NBA. Is there a team in the NHL though? We were trying to decide if there's one team in hockey that has those expectations.

Not really. I mean Montreal's always thrown a lot of expectations on them right or wrong. Same for Toronto but I feel like they're carrying the weight of Canada on their shoulders more than anything else.

No. I mean the Rangers have a little bit but no. Because they don't have enough, I don't know, they don't have enough history behind them. I mean they have two cups since 1940.

I mean there's expectations but it's not, I mean some of these are not justifiable but that, no. I don't know if anybody truly believes every year that they're supposed to win. So no, I don't really feel, I can't think of a team that comes to mind for hockey with that. Baseball, in addition to the Yankees, I was thinking St. Louis Cardinals. And I know they haven't been the same lately but their fans are so intelligent.

It's the only, I feel like with the St. Louis Blues as much as they can tell us it's a hockey town. And they had their run from worst to first a couple years ago. I think the Cardinals are the team, the only one there that you can really look at and say, okay this is a team that's got that type of tradition and culture.

So they have been through multiple managers and just the iterations lately, the constant change has been hard. Yeah, I would say the expectation would be Yankees and Dodgers and I think the team three would be the Red Sox. Those are the three teams every year, it seems like, you know, the weight of the world. I mean the Red Sox haven't been good for a while, basically since they won the title in 2018. But there's still the expectation that you're the Red Sox, you should be better than this.

You should have a chance to be able to win a title. And I think the Yankees and the Dodgers carry that weight each and every year, right or wrong. Tough.

You know, the Yankees in, you know, they had a three or four year span where they didn't make the playoffs in 2013, 14, 15. Didn't matter, tough. You walked into the year, you're the Yankees. You got the NY on your cap, you're expected to win.

We know you're not that good. Tough. That's basically what it comes down to. Dodgers hold that same thing too. I mean, they're both good teams now, but each and every year it doesn't matter what your off-season was. You're expected to win. Cowboys we agree on, even if it's completely unfair.

But, in fact, they haven't done it since the mid-90s. But the expectations there as America's team, do the Chiefs now fit in that category? Is it not long enough for the Chiefs to fit in that category?

It does for now. Whenever Patrick Mahomes is your quarterback, yes, you're going to wear that. When the Patriots had Tom Brady in their dynasty, yes.

But that comes and goes. Patriots aren't expected to win now. When Mahomes is not there, I would imagine the Chiefs are probably not expected to win. The Cowboys doesn't matter who your quarterback is. You're expected to win. I would say I would put the Packers in that spot. I know you can go, well, you put Brett Favre and then Aaron Rodgers and then Jordan Love.

Yeah, I get it. But they're still title town to the Packers. There's an expectation that they should be in it each and every year, right or wrong.

Whether your defense is good enough or whether your offense is balanced. We don't seem to care. We expect the Packers to be in the running for a Super Bowl championship. And they haven't won one in a long time. So I think those, the Packers and the Cowboys are probably the two teams. I think the Steelers are in that category as well. Jay just suggested one. Maybe the Ravens?

I don't know if I could put them to there. I think we expect the Ravens to be a quality team. But when their quarterback was Kyle Bowler, did we expect them to win a title? Like there are certain guys, I mean like when the Cowboys, when they ran out Quincy Carter, we are the Cowboys. You should, you should win. Gary Holcomb is your quarterback. I don't care.

Go win. Like there are certain teams that it doesn't seem to matter whether or not we feel like you're good enough. Yeah.

We look at the uniform that you're wearing and that should be enough. UConn women's basketball for sure. Absolutely. Certainly UConn men's basketball now as well. Duke. Duke, definitely. You know, North Carolina. There's some blue bloods that, you know, Kentucky. Kentucky. Yeah. Kentucky.

No matter who your coach is, but certainly with John Calipari. All right. Those are some great answers.

I've seen some other ones as well. So I'd love to hear from you. 855-212-4227 on Twix at Amy After Hours and then also on our Facebook page, we continue reflecting on the end of the NBA season. Oh my gosh, it was a two month run and potentially a Stanley Cup champion coming up on Tuesday if they wrap up with the game five as well.

You are listening to the After Hours Podcast. Ten on the shot clock. Jaylen coming downhill.

Finds the cutter. Porzingis, two hand slam. The first points in the fourth corner come nearly three minutes in, time out Jason Kim.

Big fella. He's game right there. He is game right now.

This is After Hours with Amy Lawrence. On the Celtics radio network, Sean Grandy, Cedric Maxwell and Christoph Porzingis got the crowd fired up early, even before tip when he came out dressed and ready to go. And he was not the same guy that we saw in the opener in which he really sparked the Celtics to that early run, that early lead in game number one of this finals. But he did come off the bench for 16 minutes along with Sam Houser, the most of any player off the bench. He missed both of his threes but did hit a couple of field goals, finished with five points and this is very strange, one rebound, no block shots, kind of indicating that he's not the same guy, didn't have the same lift, really not able to get up and down the court as easily.

Remember dealing with that very rare injury, a tendon that had kind of come off the bone and what we've heard post game is that he will need a surgery and will have a few months in which he has to recover from this torn medial retinaculum, retinaculum, retinaculum, I feel like I have that, I could be totally wrong but we have multiple retinaculums. Oh see, you just have to practice it, it's like Tua Tango Valoa, once you say it a few times and practice it, it doesn't seem nearly as scary. Very honest on Tenecumpo, it took a while.

Yeah but it's actually a lot easier than what it's spelled, Tenecumpo, a Greek freak though is just the two syllables. So Chris Stops is able to play in this game, as I say not a stats sheet stuffer but really lifted up the crowd and his team by being out there. TuneIn is the audio platform with something for everyone, news, in order to secure convictions in a court of law, it is essential that we conclusively, sports, clock at four, Doncic, the step back three, you bitch, music, and even podcasts, whatever you love, hear it right here on TuneIn, go to TuneIn.com or download the TuneIn app to start listening. Plug in a Hyundai EV and the extraordinary happens, it's not just the ultra fast charging capability and long range in the IONIQ 5 and IONIQ 6, or the adventure seeking spirit of the Kona electric, or the groundbreaking 601 horsepower IONIQ 5N, and it's not just the comfort in knowing that every Hyundai EV is backed by a 10 year, 100,000 mile limited electric battery warranty, Hyundai's EVs transform a low hum into a loud adventure, they bring color to your journey and turn energy into main character energy, so forget everything you thought you knew about EVs and turn the extraordinary into something truly electrifying.

There's joy in every journey. EPA estimated 303 mile driving range for 2024 IONIQ 5SE SEL limited rear wheel drive and 361 mile driving range for 2024 IONIQ 6SE long range rear wheel drive with fully charged battery. Estimated range varies for other models and trims and depends on battery capacity, temperature options and other factors. Limited battery warranty covers defects in materials for 10 years or 100,000 miles, whichever occurs first.

See owner's manual for complete warranty details and limitations. Visit hundayusa.com or call 562-314-603 for more details. Selling a little or a lot, Shopify helps you do your thing, however you cha-ching. Shopify is the global commerce platform that helps you sell at every stage of your business.

From the launch your online shop stage to the first real life store stage, all the way to the did we just hit a million orders stage. Shopify is here to help you grow. Whether you're selling scented soap or offering outdoor outfits, Shopify helps you sell everywhere. From their all-in-one e-commerce platform to their in-person POS system, wherever and whatever you're selling, Shopify has got you covered. Shopify helps you turn browsers into buyers with the internet's best converting checkout.

15% better on average compared to other leading commerce platforms. And sell more with less effort thanks to Shopify magic, your AI-powered all-star. Shopify powers 10% of all e-commerce in the US. And Shopify is the global force behind Allbirds, Rothy's, and Brooklinen, and millions of other entrepreneurs of every size across 175 countries. Plus Shopify's award-winning 24-7 help is there to support your success every step of the way.

Because businesses that grow, grow with Shopify. Sign up for a $1 per month trial period at shopify.com slash odyssey podcast, all lowercase. Go to shopify.com slash odyssey podcast now to grow your business no matter what stage you're in.

Shopify.com slash odyssey podcast. It meant the world to me. Obviously I was not healthy at all, but the love that I have for this team just pushed me through. And I was able to get out there a little bit and help my team and hopefully inspire them a little bit also.

You know, and then everybody was just playing at a high, high level and we got the job done. His story is interesting. The fact that he was drafted by the Knicks and at the time there were a lot of people reacting in New York. Who? Who is this guy?

Why? Not again, not another obscure European player that is never going to make an impact. And he didn't like New York much. I don't think he and the franchise saw eye to eye his post or not postseason, but off-season plans when he would disappear and he wouldn't be back or he would go home and he wouldn't be back. And they just felt like he should be around more, but he was also dealing with injuries and he didn't feel like the team gave him the support that he needed to get healthy and to become a whole player. So there's a lot of friction there and no love lost when they traded him to Dallas where he played with Luca for a few seasons, but also he was not healthy there either. And it's clear that when he was healthy and when he was on the court, he was exactly what Brad Stevens brought him for, which was to protect the rim, to alter the shots and even the drive trajectories and the drive lines, well the lanes I guess, the open lanes of the basket.

They wouldn't always be opened at length and reach. He would alter shots, of course the blocks, the rebounds. He would stretch the defense, he would run up and down the court, and I'd have to go back and look at exactly how many games he played this season, but he went for five weeks without seeing the court in the postseason, managed a couple of games and then was hurt again. So the hope is, from the Celtics' perspective, that he can get healthy in this offseason and stay healthy and get all the way through next year.

But it's obviously a big challenge when you're as large a man as he is. Year number nine, is it possible that this is year number nine in the NBA for Kristaps Porzingis, KP? Fourth overall, he was drafted out of Latvia in 2015 and now an NBA champion in year number nine. Wow, I wouldn't have said that, that's a long tenure.

Not quite as long as Al Horford, but you know, nearly a decade. We're halfway through, it's After Hours with Amy Lawrence. Plug in a Hyundai EV and the extraordinary happens. It's not just the ultra-fast charging capability and long range in the IONIQ 5 and IONIQ 6, or the adventure-seeking spirit of the Kona Electric, or the groundbreaking 601 horsepower IONIQ 5N. And it's not just the comfort in knowing that every Hyundai EV is backed by a 10-year, 100,000 mile limited electric battery warranty. Hyundai's EVs transform a low hum into a loud adventure. They bring color to your journey and turn energy into main character energy. So forget everything you thought you knew about EVs and turn the extraordinary into something truly electrifying.

There's joy in every journey. EPA estimated a 303 mile driving range for 2024 IONIQ 5SE SEL limited rear wheel drive and 361 mile driving range for 2024 IONIQ 6SE long range rear wheel drive with fully charged battery. Estimated range varies for other models and trims and depends on battery capacity, temperature options and other factors. Limited battery warranty covers defects and materials for 10 years or 100,000 miles, whichever occurs first.

See owner's manual for complete warranty details and limitations. Visit hondausa.com or call 562-314-4603 for more details. Tune in is the audio platform with something for everyone. News? In order to secure convictions in a court of law, it is essential that we conclusively review sports, music, and even podcasts. Whatever you love, hear it right here on TuneIn.

Go to TuneIn.com or download the TuneIn app to start listening. Start your summer road trip at Midas and get up to $30 off your next repair service. Plus get a free closer look vehicle check to make sure you're road trip ready. So if you need a brake service and alignment check or tune up, hit up Midas for up to $30 off. For details, request your appointment at Midas.com.