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Wednesday, 19 June 2024
CELTICS CELEBRATE, CONFIDENT CHAMPIONSHIP WINDOW IS WIDE OPEN
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| USA TODAY Sports |
BOSTON -- With a Game 5 win on Monday night the Celtics sealed the NBA title, but Boston had actually been waiting for this moment for over a decade.
Just over five years after the Celtics claimed their 17th championship, Boston went into a complete rebuild on June 28, 2013, trading franchise centerpieces Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for a package that included role players and draft picks.
What followed was a stretch of nearly 11 years that featured ups and downs, plenty of change and a constant belief that Banner 18 was always just one season away.
Two of the draft picks in the Brooklyn deal ended up turning into Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, drafted third overall in 2016 and 2017, respectively. The Celtics decided to build around the duo, and it ended up being the right choice.
But before the arrival of Brown and Tatum, Boston went through the 25-57 2013-14 campaign that featured Jeff Green as the frontman. Then a 5-foot-9 Isaiah Thomas came to town and started to establish himself as "The Little Guy," in the words of the late Tommy Heinsohn.
Those teams may not have realized it at the time, but they were laying the foundation for something special.
Once Brown's rookie season rolled around, the Celtics were really starting to look like contenders. Thomas averaged 28.9 points per game during the 2016-17 season, leading Boston to its first Eastern Conference finals appearance since 2012.
The Celtics came up short but proceeded to load up the following offseason, trading for Kyrie Irving and signing Gordon Hayward. Even though Hayward fractured his left tibia just minutes into his Boston debut, the Celtics ended up returning to the East finals, where they fell to the Cleveland Cavaliers in seven games.
From there, Boston overcame a fallout with Irving and an underwhelming two seasons with Kemba Walker running the point to punch its ticket to the Finals in 2022. Heartbreak was again in the cards, though, as the Golden State Warriors raised the Larry O'Brien Trophy after beating the Celtics in six games.
After getting bounced in the Eastern Conference finals once more a year ago, Boston went all in.
The Celtics parted ways with fan favorite Marcus Smart, considered by many to be the heart and soul of the team, to acquire Kristaps Porzingis via trade, and they also made a deal with the Portland Trail Blazers to bring in Jrue Holiday.
Those moves paid off, and now a league-record 18th banner will be raised this fall.
While this year's team was the one that broke a 16-year title drought, Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla is forever thankful for Green, Thomas, Smart and every other player that checked in for Boston over the past 11 seasons.
"I think the most important thing, something that's really been going through my mind throughout this process, is you can't lose sight of the people that came before us," Mazzulla said. "And I want to make sure every person that's worked for the Celtics, that's played for the Celtics that didn't win, knows that their work and what they have done has not gone unnoticed or it doesn't play a part in where we are at today.
"It can be so easy when you work for this organization and you don't win that the work that people put in just gets brushed over or gets ignored. ... So I think that's one of the first things that came to mind, was just because we won this doesn't mean what the people have done before us isn't just as important."
Through everything over the past seven years, Brown and Tatum have been the one constant.
"We've been through a lot, the losses, the expectations," Brown said. "The media have said all different types of things: We can't play together, we are never going to win.
"We heard it all. But we just blocked it out, and we just kept going. I trusted him. He trusted me. And we did it together."
Brown was named Finals MVP. He averaged 20.8 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.0 assists in the series, and Tatum quickly shot down any notions of him being jealous of his co-star.
"Extremely happy for him. This is a hell of an accomplishment," Tatum said. "The main goal for us was to win a championship. We weren't -- we didn't care who got Finals MVP. I know that I need him through this journey, and he needs me."
The Celtics had plans to fly down to Miami on Tuesday to celebrate for a bit before returning to Boston for their championship parade on Friday morning. And if all goes to plan, Celtics fans should get used to lining the streets and watching the city's duck boats roll by.
"I think we definitely have a window," Brown said. "We take it one day at a time. We definitely have to make sure we stay healthy. But, you know, we'll enjoy the summer, enjoy the moment, and then we get right back to it next year."
--Nick Galle, Field Level Media
Thursday, 13 June 2024
CELTICS BEAT MAVS IN GAME 3
DALLAS -- For a few minutes in the fourth quarter of Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday night, it looked like the Boston Celtics' bad habits would come back to haunt them.
The Dallas Mavericks, who appeared finished when they trailed by 21 points with 10 minutes to go, roared back with a 22-2 run, putting Boston's lead in peril and threatening to make this a series.
But just when things looked their bleakest, the Celtics flipped the script, holding Dallas to one field goal over a five-minute span, and claimed a 106-99 victory for a 3-0 series lead.
Boston is one win away from a record-setting 18th NBA championship -- one the Celtics can capture Friday in Game 4 here at American Airlines Center.
"Experience is the best teacher," said Jaylen Brown, who finished with 30 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists in 41 minutes. "All year long we've been hearing about the Celtics are the past, for the last six to eight months, that's all we've been hearing is all the different shortcomings we've had in the past.
"This is a new team, you know what I mean. We've learned from those experiences. And in these moments, you can see that we learned from it. We stepped up to the plate, and we found a way to win."
It looked like Boston had found a way much earlier, having responded to a 25-12 spurt by the Mavericks over the opening seven minutes -- a run that saw Kyrie Irving, who finished with 35 points after combining for 28 in the two games in Boston, get going for the first time in the series. The Celtics' 79-45 burst over roughly the next 29 minutes allowed them to take a commanding 91-70 lead with 11:07 remaining.
At that point, Dallas appeared to be staring at another loss despite Boston's Kristaps Porzingis sitting out Game 3 and his status in doubt moving forward because of an unusual tendon injury in his left leg sustained in Game 2.
But just as quickly as Boston had established control, Dallas rediscovered itself. As Boston went 1-for-11 and committed three turnovers over the next 7:57, Dallas pulled to within 93-92 on an Irving layup with 3:37 remaining despite playing without Luka Doncic, who fouled out a few seconds earlier. However, things started to swing back in Boston's direction, as a Brown putback of a Jayson Tatum miss was followed by a Derrick White 3-pointer and a Tatum dunk, pushing the Celtics' lead back to six points.
"Yeah, I think just we had some turnovers, which allowed them to get out in transition," White said. "And just a couple of things that we've been doing really well, we kind of just let go of the rope for however many minutes that was. It seemed like, what, two minutes, they cut it to two, three or something.
"It happened quick, and we just settled back down. Understand it's a game of runs, and we just trust what we do."
In the past, it might have been a moment when the Celtics let go of the rope and allowed Dallas to close the game out. But Boston persevered and improved to 7-0 on the road in these playoffs. It is 21-7 on the road over the past three postseasons -- the best winning percentage over a three-year span in NBA history, breaking a tie with the 1991 to 1993 Chicago Bulls.
And the Celtics did it by getting contributions from across the board. Backup center Xavier Tillman stepped into the rotation and played 11 impactful minutes, hitting a corner 3, grabbing 4 rebounds and recording 2 blocks, including one against Doncic. Sam Hauser went 3-for-4 from 3-point range and was a game-high plus-16 off the bench after going 0-for-5 from 3 in Game 2.
And Tatum, after going 6-for-22 in Game 2, finished with 31 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists as he and Brown combined for 61 points. The Celtics are within one victory of moving ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers for all-time league titles.
But after the Celtics were down 3-0 in the Eastern Conference finals last year and forced a Game 7 against the Miami Heat, Boston knows the job isn't done.
"Honestly, not too difficult from the standpoint of last year [when] we were down 0-3 in the conference finals, and we really felt like we were going to come back," Tatum said. "We almost did. You know, we were [my] sprained ankle away from having a real shot.
"So, you know, we are not relaxing or anything like that. You know, not even focusing on winning or Friday or whatever. However long it takes, that's our motto. However long it takes, that's what it's going to take, and nobody is not trying to relax at all."
- Tim Bontemps, ESPN
Wednesday, 22 May 2024
CELTICS SURVIVE PACERS IN OT TO TAKE GAMES 1 OF EAST FINALS
The Indiana Pacers came into Boston and pushed the Celtics to the brink on Tuesday night in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals.
Indiana was up by five with just under two minutes left in regulation, but Boston found a way to force overtime before going on to win 133-128 to open the best-of-seven series on a high note.
Now the top-seeded Celtics will try to win Game 2, something they haven't been able to do this postseason. They failed to go up 2-0 on the Miami Heat in the first round, then had to settle for a 1-1 series against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the semifinals.
"We just gotta be prepared," Boston star Jaylen Brown said. "We know it. We've seen it. We've been hearing it. Now we just have to come out and execute and be better. We will."
Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals is scheduled for Thursday in Boston.
Jayson Tatum collected a game-high 36 points and 12 rebounds in Boston's Game 1 victory against Indiana. He scored 10 points in overtime, including five straight that gave the Celtics a 127-123 lead with 42.9 seconds to play.
Jrue Holiday added 28 points and Brown finished with 26 for Boston.
Andrew Nembhard canned a 3-pointer to put the Pacers up 115-110 with 1:57 remaining in the fourth quarter, but then the Celtics took over.
Holiday converted a layup and Brown sank two free throws to get Boston within one, 115-114, with 57.4 seconds to go. Nembhard stemmed the tide with a jumper, and Indiana took its 117-114 edge into what was originally supposed to be the game's final seconds.
But Brown knocked down a trey from the corner, knotting things at 117 with 6.1 seconds on the clock. Indiana star guard Tyrese Haliburton missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer, sending the contest to overtime.
Three free throws from Haliburton in the extra session put the Pacers ahead 123-121 with 1:46 left, but Tatum answered with a three-point play, and the Celtics never gave up the lead the rest of the way.
Haliburton had 25 points and 10 assists. Pascal Siakam finished with 24 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists for the sixth-seeded Pacers, who received 23 points from Myles Turner.
"Our guys just need to concentrate on fighting the way they fought in (Game 1) from start to finish, and we'll be back Thursday," Indiana coach Rick Carlisle said. "We did a lot of good things that we need to continue to do. We've been a tough-minded and resilient team, really for almost the entire second half of the year. We have to continue with that and come back in here on Thursday night."
Indiana made 9 of 10 free throws in the game. Boston was 24-for-30 from the foul line.
The Pacers committed 22 turnovers that led to 32 Celtics points.
The Celtics led 34-31 after one quarter, and it was 64-64 at halftime. The Pacers used a 9-0 spurt to pull within four points, 92-88, late in the third quarter, and they trailed 94-93 entering the fourth.
"They scored a lot of points in transition," Brown said. "We gotta clean that up. We want to get them in a half-court game as much as possible.
"Defense is where we have to hang our hat. We have to make sure we execute on defense and the majority of it is transition -- getting back in transition. No layups. Gotta run."
- Reuters
Saturday, 18 May 2024
PANTHERS PUT AWAY BRUINS IN GAME 6 ON GUSTAV FORSLING'S LATE GOAL
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| USA TODAY Sports |
It took a grueling six-game effort and withstanding the Boston Bruins' attempted comeback from a 3-1 series deficit to get the job done, but the Florida Panthers found a way to advance into the Eastern Conference finals for the second straight year.
Gustav Forsling's rebound goal with 1:33 left in regulation lifted the Panthers to a 2-1, series-clinching win in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference semifinals on Friday in Boston.
According to center Anton Lundell, the Panthers will be on a high entering best-of-seven conference finals against the Rangers, a set that will begin on Wednesday in New York.
"I think we're a very confident group. We're trying to keep it loose and enjoy the moment," Lundell said. "Everyone really stepped up at the right time. (Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky) was there when we needed him, made a couple huge saves that kept us in it."
Lundell had his initial shot stopped by Boston goaltender Jeremy Swayman (26 saves), but from the left side, Forsling slipped the loose puck inside the near post for the deciding goal.
"I'm not usually the guy that scores the game-winning goal," Forsling said. "It's fun to score and help the team, but I'll stick to defense."
Lundell finished with a goal and an assist after scoring the tying tally at 12:44 of the second, helping the Panthers to their sixth straight playoff win at TD Garden.
Pavel Zacha scored Boston's lone goal.
Bobrovsky made 22 saves for Florida, including nine in the third period.
After a 5-1 win in Game 1 of the series, the Bruins scored no more than two goals in any game.
"I didn't sense frustration, but the lack of our ability to score in the playoffs in general (was a key factor)," Bruins coach Jim Montgomery said. "You can't win every game 2-1."
The Panthers, however, have appeared comfortable in such situations.
"At our core, we're a pretty good defensive team and we have Sergei Bobrovsky," Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. "At (a 1-1 score), we're comfortable there."
Bruins captain Brad Marchand returned to the lineup following a two-game absence caused by an upper-body injury, providing what Montgomery called a "huge lift."
After the Bruins were unable to clear a shot blocked by Jake DeBrusk, Lundell picked up a loose puck in the slot and unleashed a dart to beat Swayman and tie the game in the middle frame.
"He's playing a different game now than I've ever seen him play," Maurice said of Lundell, who finished the series with two multi-point efforts in three games.
A roller-coaster first period saw the Bruins post the first four shots on goal before a span of 14:11 without one, but Zacha buried the opening goal -- the first of his 25-game playoff career -- with 52.8 seconds left to make it 1-0.
DeBrusk continued his strong playmaking run with a dish off the neutral-zone wall to spring Zacha for the breakaway, which he brought to his backhand and slipped under the crossbar.
Bobrovsky came up with several key saves in the second period that allowed his Panthers to tie the game, including denying Justin Brazeau's one-timer on the same shift as Lundell's goal.
Florida looked to take a 2-1 lead in the opening minute of the third. Brandon Montour took a slapper from the right point that Swayman initially thought beat him through the five-hole, but the Boston netminder had the puck behind his pads after it clanked off the post.
Bobrovsky made another important stop eight minutes into the final frame, keeping out Charlie McAvoy's driving attempt to the crease.
Neither team could cash in on a power-play attempt late in the third period, which included 22 overlapping seconds of four-on-four action.
- Reuters
Wednesday, 3 January 2024
LAST RIDE? BILL BELICHICK STILL GIVING 'MY BEST' EVERY DAY' TO PATRIOTS
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| USA TODAY Sports |
Considering his track record for discipline and consistency, it would be a surprise if Patriots coach Bill Belichick prematurely rode off into the sunset as he prepares for what is rumored to be his final game in New England.
Sparked by reports of owner Robert Kraft's decision on Belichick's future with the team, speculation mounted in November that New England was ready for a change at the position.
With six Super Bowl titles in 24 seasons with the Patriots, Belichick is regarded as one of the greatest coaches of all-time. But at 4-12, the Patriots are headed for their third losing season in four years since Tom Brady left in free agency.
Belichick, 71, rarely engages in discussions around hypothetical or speculative topics in his media sessions, and kept that usual nose-to-the-grindstone portrait intact on Tuesday in an interview aired on WEEI in Boston.
Saturday, 28 October 2023
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Friday, 26 May 2023
Monday, 24 April 2023
Wednesday, 19 April 2023
BOSTON MARATHON #2 GABRIEL GEAY WITH PRESIDENT JAKAYA KIKWETE
Boston Marathon number 2 Gabriel Geay is flanked by former United Republic of Tanzania President Dr. Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete (on the left of Geay) and on the right is Zanzibar's Miniater of State in the Presidents Office - Finance and Economics, Hon. Saada Mkuya.