I'm Locked On to the Locked On Celtics Podcast

I’ll start by saying I’m a giant Celtics fan. Growing up in Cincinnati, we didn’t have an NBA team. When the Cincinnati Royals of Oscar Robertson fame left and eventually became the Sacramento Kings before I was born, Cincinnati’s NBA interest went with it. But when I was a kid in the 90s, I somehow stumbled upon a Kansas Jayhawks game, and loved the way their then-star Paul Piece played. When he was drafted by the Celtics in 1998, I became a Celtics fan and stayed through his Hall of Fame career. Through the ups and downs since, I still remain a die-hard fan.

My fandom was always a bit removed though, until I found this podcast. The host, John Karalis, is a former college player and played professionally overseas. But before you think this is the stereotypical former-jock show, think again. We Celtics fans are spoiled having Karalis as the host of our Locked On show.

For those that don’t know, Locked On is a network for daily sports shows that vary from just fine to stellar. For Celtics fans like myself, it’s Karalis that makes the show so exceptional. Besides being a former player, he’s an author of a great Celtics history book and has become one of the trusted media personalities around the team. His ability to get players to sit down for one on ones gives the show a special feel and is one of the major reasons Locked On Celtics is such a popular and high ranking show. Now, I start every day during the season, and especially during the playoffs, by listening to the show to hear Karalis’ take on what’s going on and his Twitter is my trusted source for Celtics news.

The one point I can’t say enough about is Karalis’ awareness that not everyone is on the same level of understanding basketball x’s and o’s like he is. So when an important play happened, he takes the time to help listeners with less of a basketball IQ understand what exactly happened and WHY it was so impactful, which is simply exceptional. No offense to guys like Charles Barkley or Shaq, who are wonderful commentators, but they don’t do that. I enjoy their brand of basketball conversations but often feel I may have missed something. I never feel that way listening to Locked On Celtics.

I also have to give it up for Karalis for how frequently he is the last guy to leave the arena each night. Given how late these games go, I don’t think anyone would fault him for publishing shorter shows. But it seems like almost every post-game episode Karalis is laughing as the stadium lights get turned off on him as he records his show. He recently started publishing on YouTube as well as the podcast and I’ll eventually get around to watching an episode on there too, just to see this happen.

If you’re a Boston Celtics fan, this is the show is a must. My wife asks not infrequently how I don’t get tired of listening to this show every day, and every time I tell her because of John Karalis. I can’t recommend it enough.

Score: 9.5/10.

Listen on Apple or check it out at Great Pods!