Washburn On NBA Playoffs: "These Ratings Can't Be Great. This Is Bad Basketball"
Boston Globe National NBA Writer, Gary Washburn joined the Big O Show on 560 WQAM to discuss the Celtics-Wizards series, the NBA playoffs and the need for more evenly matched teams in the league. They also talk about the Miami Heat and head coach Erik Spoelstra.
On the Heat- "James [Johnson] went down to Miami and saw how serious they are about winning, the culture, and said 'Okay it's time for me to get in premium shape.' Same with Dion Waiters. You play for Spo, you gotta be in shape, you gotta be ready."
On 'One and Done'- "I think the NBADL is another means to train some of these guys. I think these guys have been convinced they're going to be super stars. If you look at the one and done in the last 10 years, it's not a flawless record. The NBA is not like college. These guys will tell you what to do but not make sure you do it. When you get to the NBA, it's all on you to get better. If you don't have that work ethic, you're not going to make it."
On Isaiah Thomas- "It's been really impressive what he's been able to endure. For him to have gone through what he's gone through and still play basketball, you can't even put that into words. Right now there's no way his mind is clear. When that season is over and when it's quiet, he's going to reflect. I think he's done a remarkable job."
On Isaiah carrying the Celtics- "He is going to need help. He can't carry this team through the series. The pressure is on [Boston] to step up. This is the playoffs, you have to play with all your heart. Someone other than Isaiah has got to do something."
On the Cavaliers- "You wished Indiana and Toronto would give a little resistance to Cleveland."
On the Western Conference- "I think the most compelling series would have been the Clippers-Warriors. You would have a little bad blood."
On the Heat's impressive run this season- "The Heat needed to make the playoffs. No one wanted to play the Heat. The Heat would've been an interesting team. No one wanted to play Miami in the first round. That would have been a challenging series."
On the competition in the NBA- "These ratings can't be great. When a team is up 3-0 you don't want to watch game 4. The NBA is going to have to figure this thing out. You want great competition. You want to even out the teams. A lot of these teams are not managed well. This is bad basketball."