Contending with Boston Celtics narratives at the midpoint of the season

The NBA is roughly midway through the 2025-26 NBA season, and with that passage comes some clarity on what teams really are compared to what we thought they were heading into their current campaigns, particularly the Boston Celtics. Plenty of preseason and early-season narratives have become clearly incorrect, Others have emerged to take their place, but have yet to be proven -- and some will need the rest of the regular season and then some to test.We know the Celtics aren't tanking, ethically or otherwise, that Joe Mazzulla can coach developing players, and expect to see Jayson Tatum return from injury at some point in the regular season. And the question is no longer whether Jaylen Brown can lead a team, but how far, and with what individual accolades. But do the Celtics (and more specifically Brown) really get such a bad whistle? Does Joey Mazz have a shot at Coach of the Year (and does he care)? Most importantly, do we really think this is a contending team?To get a better view than just the media perspective, the hosts of "Havlicek Stole the Pod" linked up with Richard White, Boston sports fan, and father to Celtics guard Derrick White. Don't miss this special pod where we, uh, contend with Boston Celtics narratives.Outro: Whistle by Benjamin Banger - https://tiny.ee/Jk4U or BenJaminBanger.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.