Getty Antoine Walker #8 (L) and Paul Pierce #34, Boston Celtics
Former Boston Celtics stars and teammates Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker talked about their former team on their podcast Tap In on November 18. While showering the Celtics with praise for their 12-3 start, Walker predicted who would be the Celtics’ best competition in the Eastern Conference that he believes will meet up with them in the Eastern Conference Finals.
“Them and Milwaukee man,” Walker said. “They’re the teams that are gonna be the one and two seed because they got enough bodies. They can play 10, 12 guys, both teams. I see them playing in the Eastern Conference Finals. It’s gonna be another seven-game, classic series like we saw last year in the (second) round.”
Since Giannis Antetkounmpo and Jayson Tatum came into the league, they’ve faced off against each other three times – in 2018, 2019, and 2022 – and this season, the Celtics and the Bucks have the top two records in the Eastern Conference at 12-3 and 11-3, respectively.
Walker and Pierce were teammates in Boston from 1998 to 2003, then again in 2005.
Walker Says Celtics Fueled by Finals Loss
While praising the Celtics, Walker said that his former team is playing as well as they are in response to losing to the Golden State Warriors in the 2022 NBA Finals.
“They’re playing with a purpose. They’re playing like a team that’s upset that they lost in the finals. It looks like a team that’s focused. They look together. Their chemistry is just so good. They don’t fight over the ball. Everybody contributes off the bench. They got that good balance of guys that come off the bench and know their role. In the league, they look like the more together team of anybody that’s in the league right now,” Walker said.
Walker also praised the duo of Tatum and Jaylen Brown for how well they work together, among other things.
“To see those two guys, that tandem. They don’t fight over the ball, man. They get their numbers. They’re never in each other’s way. You don’t see any turmoil or anything going on with the team. The bench guys, Grant Williams, those guys are going off playing really, really well. They figured it out. They look like a team that’s on a mission.”
Jae Crowder ‘Likely’ to be Traded to Bucks
On the November 17 episode of “Please Don’t Aggregate This,” Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports reported the Bucks were most likely to be former Celtics wing Jae Crowder’s next team.
“The only thing I feel really comfortable and confident in sharing is that people around the situation have said that Milwaukee is the most likely team to land him. I can say that,” Fischer said.
Fischer also suggested why the Bucks would take an interest in a player like Crowder.
“They’ve been looking to fill that PJ Tucker role ever since he left them in free agency for Miami after they won the title,” Fischer said.
The Bucks adding Crowder would add some intrigue to the Celtics’ matchup against the Bucks because Crowder played for the Celtics from 2015 to 2017. Crowder also has plenty of playoff experience since he made the NBA Finals with the Miami Heat and Phoenix Suns in consecutive seasons.