He's a die hard fan, so on a personal level the struggles of the Boston Celtics this season are hitting NY Times NBA writer Sopan Deb particularly hard. But they have a simple explanation, at the root: The C's let an All-Star caliber player in Gordon Hayward go to Charlotte, and replaced him with... nothing. So add in a banged up Kemba Walker and an injured Marcus Smart, and what did people think was going to happen? That they'd be better than last year?

Meanwhile, there's actual cause for optimism in New York, where Julius Randle has made the All Star team for the first time in his career. Deb profiled Randle for the Times, and we talk about the former first round pick's growth from Los Angeles through New Orleans and now for two years with the Knicks. What has helped him grow so much this year? It starts with stability, which is a weird thing to say about that franchise, but it seems they might have some.

Finally, it's some music talk. Nobody stans for the Dave Matthews Band like Sopan, and he/they recently received quite an honor, one Deb feels he may have helped bring about. And what's the deal with the "dad" vibe Springsteen is putting out these days?