Picks 'n Pops: Running away the East, Mazzulla's mindset, & the Steph Curry effect

Every week I gather some thoughts about the Celtics, the NBA, and beyond and dump them here. Because I traded last week’s column away and now it’s thriving in Memphis.

- The Celtics are on a 64-win pace. As long as they keep up that pace and don’t pull a Bruins, the second-place Cavaliers would have to go 29-0 to close the season to take first. Time to start checking in on the eighth-seed probabilities.

Ahhh c’mon. I’m so sick of the Miami Heat. How long can they milk the scrappy underdog thing anyway? 

- Adding to Nick Cattles’ point about Jayson Tatum: Tatum is about to turn 26, which is how old Steph Curry was when he won his first title. LeBron James was 27. Kevin Durant was 28. Maybe it just takes time to win a championship because winning a championship is hard. 

- Luke Kornet should be permanently mic’d up:

"I don't know if you're a stats buff, Neemie, but a 15 point quarter would be a good defensive quarter ... historically speaking” was my favorite line. There has to be a role for him in Wyc Grousbeck’s sitcom. 

- Joe Mazzulla cracking jokes in the huddle of a game against Washington that wasn’t going as smoothly as they hoped reminds me of another Joe cracking jokes to break sports tension

You have to be able to grasp the moment. 

- Tatum’s giving back to his community in St. Louis in a wonderful way. Partnering with SoFi, he’s helping single moms put down payments on houses with a multi-year commitment of $1 million. 

The goal is to help build generational wealth, and with so many single moms stuck in the pattern of renting because they can’t save up for a down payment, this will help get a lot of people out of a lifelong rut. 

The Celtics have some good dudes on this team. 

- “Winning is just as dangerous as losing if you don't handle it the right way," is a great way to approach a season, and it shows where Mazzulla wants his guys’ heads to be. 

- I have a feeling the East All-Star team is going to try to get Tyrese Haliburton the All-Star MVP.

- Look at where Caitlin Clark pulled up from to break the women’s all-time scoring record:

We live in the golden age of basketball shooting. It’s ridiculous. The best shooters in the world can hit from basically anywhere. 

You can “blame” Steph Curry if you want, but I prefer to credit him for revolutionizing how the shot is taken so smaller people can get a lot of power behind their shots. He revolutionized basketball. 

- I loved that Dunkings commercial more than I thought I would. Probably because of Matt Damon. 

- Speaking of which, Pete Rogers never misses: 

- I’m not sure Danilo Gallinari is helping anyone. 

- PJ Tucker getting fined $75,000 for public trade demands but it coming after the trade deadline is funny to me. 

- Grant Williams will be fine, but some humbling was probably in order. 

- Related note, to paraphrase my friend Tom Westerholm on my latest podcast, it’s funny that guys who come to Boston tend to have their best seasons playing alongside Tatum and Jaylen Brown, and not quite as well when they leave. 

- So you’re telling me it’s a story that the Warriors asked the Lakers if they’d trade LeBron James and the Lakers said no? How many teams have called the Lakers or Rich Paul to ask if he’d be willing to go somewhere else? Would a GM be doing his job if he didn’t? 

Here’s breaking news: Brad Stevens and members of Boston’s front office called most, if not all, of the other teams in the league to ask about potential trades. He’s been told no a lot of times. Also, it led them to Xavier Tillman and Jaden Springer. That's how the job is done. 

- Klay Thompson dropped 35 off the bench for Golden State last night. Maybe this is what rejuvenates his career.

- Tatum dropping 31 in a first half and then not trying to join all the monster scoring nights around the league isn't getting enough attention.

- Mazzulla loves going to bat for his guys more than anything. 

Actually Joe, no, winning is not that important when it comes to All-Stars. The league is going to choose its more marketable star every time. Winning matters more in postseason awards. That's why those were tied to contracts and not All-Star games. 

- Maybe Adrian Griffin wasn’t the problem in Milwaukee. Or maybe he was and Doc Rivers is also a problem.  

- I’m rooting for Tony Snell, who needs one more year of NBA service for lifetime health benefits. He has two kids with autism, so he really needs those benefits. 

But at 32 and with a diminishing role in the G League, Snell might want to start considering a different path to those benefits. 

Side note: I bet he’d have gotten a contract from someone if the league was under the old CBA and the second apron didn’t exist. 

- Spencer Dinwiddie gets one dollar if his new team, the Lakers, wins the championship. 

Don’t plan on getting that buck, Spense. 

- So Major Leaguers are going to be playing in T-Shirts now? 

- The "art but make it sports" Twitter account is a must-follow:

- This week's Bing AI-generated image: Break time

- Your current NBA Belt champion: The OKC Thunder

- Here’s my latest podcast, if you’re bored: