All-Star Week is now behind us, and the Boston Celtics and the wider NBA turn their attention to the stretch run and the postseason beyond. Which Eastern Conference ball clubs are contenders, pretenders, or somewhere further down the hierarchy of the East?

Taking into account the moves made by these teams and their general health (and predilection for accumulating lottery odds while we're at it), the hosts of "Havlicek Stole the Pod" took some time to assess the order of the Eastern Conference now that the dust has settled and we have some returns on the moves made around the conference.

We also touch on one of the more interesting antitanking proposals we've come across, reflect on All-Star week itself, and make sense of the two signings made by Boston this week so be sure to tune in.

Outro: Whistle by Benjamin Banger - https://tiny.ee/Jk4U or BenJaminBanger.com

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The Boston Celtics and the NBA have taken the week off for the league's 2026 All-Star Week proceedings, opening the door for all manner of debates about how the league conducts business as is often the case in the absence of games that count to talk about. But with a few of those issues rising to greater prominence than usual for better or worse this season, some of these debates have become especially polarized.

We are of course talking about the discourse surrounding gambling in the NBA, teams tanking more egregiously than ever. And the prospect of the Association expanding to 32 (or more!) teams! Did we mention the All-Star game is kind of a mess? With so much to talk about, the hosts of "Havlicek Stole the Pod" sat down with Gio Rivera of Celtics Blog. We take the pulse of these hot-button issues from a Celtics-leading point of view while we wait for Jaylen Brown to suit up for...(checks notes) one of the US teams as an All-Star starter for the first time in his career.

Join us for a wide-ranging episode that might even have some novel ideas on how to solve at least one of these concerns.

Outro: Whistle by Benjamin Banger - https://tiny.ee/Jk4U or BenJaminBanger.com

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The 2026 NBA trade deadline has passed and the dust has started to settle on the many moves made by the Boston Celtics and the rest of the league ahead of the annual cutoff on moving players between teams. This week, the Celtics dealt Anfernee Simons for Nikola Vucevic, and then moved Chris Boucher, Xavier Tillman Sr., and Josh Minott with only two way player John Tonje coming back. Did we mention that Boston got below the luxury tax without using a first round pick to get there from what would have been the costliest roster in the history of the league?

While easing the pinch on Bill Chisholm's pockets may not get the attention of most Boston fans, the fact that these moves put the Celtics in position to go all-in on spending once they are out of the luxury tax repeater status the season after next ought to register some interest. And now the questions of why the Celtics made the moves they did at the deadline starts to come into focus. To get a better idea of which players might also be added to Boston's roster in the coming days and weeks, and what else Celtics fans should watch for in the medium term, "Havlicek Stole the Pod" linked up with Third Apron founder and cap guru Yossi Gozlan.

We also get caught up on the news, from the presser for Vooch and his debut, to what the White Noise head honcho has been up to in his offcourt adventures, so be sure to tune in.

Outro: Whistle by Benjamin Banger - https://tiny.ee/Jk4U or BenJaminBanger.com

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