Digital Sports Desk

Online Destination for the Best in Boston Sports

Digital Sports Desk

Pistons Extend Streak, Crush Celtics

by

BOSTON – Malik Beasley scored 26 points in 22 minutes off the bench and the host Detroit Pistons extended their winning streak to eight games by cooling off the Boston Celtics 117-97 on Wednesday.

YouTube player

Detroit now has its longest winning streak in 17 years. The last time the Pistons won eight or more consecutive games came in 2008, when they strung together 10 victories from Jan. 23-Feb. 13.

Cade Cunningham had 21 points and 11 assists for Detroit, and Tobias Harris tossed in 16 points while grabbing nine rebounds. Jalen Duren added 13 points and 11 rebounds.

Jayson Tatum led the Celtics, who saw their six-game winning streak snapped, with 27 points. Derrick White and Payton Pritchard had 18 points apiece, while Kristaps Porzingis chipped in 11 points. Al Horford logged nine points and 10 rebounds.

Boston played without Jaylen Brown (left thigh contusion).

The Pistons led by nine points after the first quarter and pushed the advantage early in the second. Boston rallied to tie it at 55-apiece entering halftime by making 11 3-pointers in the second quarter.

Tatum led the Celtics at the break with 15 points, while White and Pritchard had 12 apiece. Beasley led the Pistons with 12 points.

Detroit regained the lead by scoring the first six points in the third quarter, including a Cunningham 3-pointer. The Pistons extended the lead to double digits, 77-66, with 4:38 left in the quarter on a Duren tip-in. Duren also scored the next two Detroit baskets off passes from Cunningham.

A Beasley 3-pointer upped the advantage to 84-71, and the Pistons were up 90-79 as the quarter ended.

Boston committed turnovers on its first three possessions in the fourth. Beasley took advantage on the first two giveaways by knocking down 3-pointers. Ronald Holland II’s putback gave Detroit a 98-79 lead. Cunningham made a layup midway through the final quarter for a 106-87 advantage.

Boston coach Joe Mazzulla soon went deep into his bench, essentially conceding the Detroit victory. The Celtics still won the season series, 3-1.

–Field Level Media

Pistons Bid for 8th Straight vs. Celtics

by

DETROIT – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The surprising Detroit Pistons will try to do something on Wednesday that they haven’t accomplished in 17 years. They’ll look to stretch their winning streak to eight games when they host the defending champion Boston Celtics.

Embed from Getty Images

The last time Detroit won eight or more consecutive games came in 2008, when it strung together 10 victories from Jan. 23-Feb. 13.

The Pistons reached the Eastern Conference finals for the sixth straight time that season and lost to the eventual champion Celtics.

Detroit posted back-to-back victories in very different ways on Sunday and Monday. The Pistons won an offensive showdown at Atlanta, 148-143, then relied on a solid defensive effort to defeat the Los Angeles Clippers, 106-97.

“It took grit. It wasn’t easy,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “I think both teams were coming in a little fatigued. The style of basketball they play is rough, rugged and physical — a lot of hands, a lot of grabbing and holding. So, it wasn’t going to come easy for us.”

That game began a four-game homestand for the Pistons. They’ll also face Denver on Friday and Brooklyn on Saturday before heading out on a four-game road trip.

“I know how much this team means to this city when our guys are playing at the level they are playing at,” Bickerstaff said. “They aren’t doing it for themselves. We need our fans. We love it when they’re in the building. They’ve got our back. It just brings a different vibe to the group because we want to make them happy.”

No one is making them happier than All-Star Cade Cunningham, who is averaging career highs in points (25.8 per game), assists (9.5) and rebounds (6.3). Cunningham believes Bickerstaff, who replaced Monty Williams after he was fired by Cleveland following last season, deserves a lot of credit for the franchise’s turnaround.

“I think he’s Coach of the Year, obviously,” Cunningham said. “The things that he’s done, how prepared that we’ve been, I’m not surprised that we’ve won so many games. We feel more prepared than other teams.”

Boston will be playing the second game of the back-to-back. The Celtics collected their sixth consecutive victory by defeating Toronto, 111-101.

Jaylen Brown led the way with 24 points, Derrick White supplied 22 and Payton Pritchard contributed 20 off the bench.

Pritchard has reached the 20-point mark in four of his last seven games.

“He’s really well rounded where he can score at all three levels,” head coach Joe Mazzulla said. “He can do it in transition, he can do it in the half court, he can do it off offensive rebounds and he can create his own shot.”

The Celtics didn’t have two of their starters as Jrue Holiday was rested and Kristaps Porzingis was a late scratch due to illness. Reserve big man Al Horford (left big toe sprain) also sat out but all three are expected to play on Wednesday.

“He wasn’t feeling well and at the same time we wanted to make sure that we’ll have him for tomorrow,” Mazzulla said of Porzingis. “We kind of all made that decision together, just kind of as a team, that it’d be best if we make sure we have him tomorrow.”

The Celtics will be aiming for a four-game series sweep. They won the season’s first three meetings over the Pistons.

–Field Level Media

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | Feb 25

by

The Gate D Press Elevators at Fenway Park Await (Photo by DSD)

By TERRY LYONS, Editor-in-Chief of Digital Sports Desk

BOSTON – The Polar Vortex has been doing cartwheels all around North America as the glaciers melt in the Northern 51st. With it, the ice surrounding our homes is deeper, darker and as dense as the ice at TD Garden, where Team Canada recently defeated the U.S. of A. in overtime of the championship game of the 4 Nations Tournament

 

4 Nations was missing the sanctioned Russian Federation team and possibly the next best, the Czech Republic, for sure, but for an NHL contrived mid-season tournament, the event(s) in Montreal and here at TD Garden in the cold North End couldn’t have gone better, sans the injuries sustained by Charlie McAvoy, the Bruins’ best defenseman and Florida Panthers star forward Matthew Tkachuk who sat out Saturday’s 2-1 loss to the Seattle Kraken because of a lower-body injury. Panthers coach Paul Maurice announced Tkachuk’s absence after the pregame morning skate. Tkachuk first experienced discomfort during the 4 Nations, when he helped lead the United States to the tournament final.

McAvoy had “an infection in his right shoulder” and suffered “a significant injury to his AC joint” during Team USA’s 4 Nations opener last week, the Bruins said. He was released from the hospital on Thursday and is reportedly on a week-to-week timeline to return.

With McAvoy out, the Bruins’ new top backline pairing heading into the second half of the regular season will be Nikita Zadorov and Andrew Peeke. Recent call-up Michael Callahan is skating on the second pairing with Brandon Carlo, while Parker Wotherspoon, who has not played since January 30, is on the third pairing with Mason Lohrei.

Boston has an uphill climb, as they’ve dropped to sixth place in the NHL’s Atlantic Division, but they remain only one point behind the Detroit Red Wings for the final Wild Card spot. The Bruins are the fourth worst team in the Conference in +/- goal differential.

Down the hallway, the Boston Celtics are among the top three teams in the Eastern Conference but trail the Cleveland Cavaliers for the coveted top spot. Not surprisingly, the New York Knickerbockers are only two games behind Boston in the loss column. Even though the Celtics have won eight of their last nine games, the Sunday, Feb 23 (today) 1pm game against the Knicks at TD Garden will be a key indicator for the second half of the NBA season. The Knicks are coming off a 142-105 thrashing at the hands of the Cavs.

Similarly, on February 8, the Celtics slapped the Knicks’ ears with a 131-104 lesson at Madison Square Garden. Jayson Tatum put up 40 points in that game to anchor the Celtics’ scoring effort. Guard Payton Pritchard had 25 points off the bench. … NY Knicks ‘glue’ man, Josh Hart, has been sidelined with patellofemoral syndrome, a painful knee condition.

In other NBA news, San Antonio’s amazing All-Star center Victor Wembanyama will be sidelined for the rest of the season due to deep vein thrombosis (blood clot) in his right shoulder. His injury pretty much buries the Spurs underneath the four Western Conference play-in teams but assures them of another substantial pick in the NBA Draft.

All in all, we’re coming down the homestretch, and I don’t mean at rain-soaked Daytona.

If you’re watching the calendar and awaiting the great sports days of the spring, you’re not alone. We’re only 22 days away from the first pitch of the 2025 Major League Baseball regular season, as the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs have the honor of opening the season in Tokyo. In doing so, the great fans in Japan will see some combination of the outstanding Japanese pitching trio of Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and newcomer Roki Sasaki, while Chicago is likely to throw SP Shota Imanaga in the opener. … The rest of the MLB teams open their 2025 season on or about Thursday March 27 with the Red Sox at Texas. … It’s 40 days and 40 nights until Opening Day at Fenway Park in Boston.

SPRINGTIME SPORTS CALENDAR

  • February 22 – MLS Regular Season begins
  • March 2 & 5 – Atlantic Sun and Big South Tournaments begin
  • March 9 – Daylight Savings Time begins
  • March 11-15 – ACC Basketball Tournament (Charlotte)
  • March 12-15 – BIG EAST Conference Tournament (MSG)
  • March 16 – NCAA Selection Sunday
  • March 17 – St. P☘️trick’s Day
  • March 18-19 – MLB Regular Season begins (in Tokyo, Japan) (LAD/CHI)
  • March 20-21 – NCAA Basketball First Round (Play-In is March 18-19)
  • March 20-21 – Hockey East Semifinals and Championship (TD Garden)
  • March 27-28 – NCAA Sweet 16
  • April 3-6 – NCAA Women’s Final Four (Tampa Bay)
  • April 4 – Boston Red Sox home opener vs. St. Louis (2:10pm)
  • April 5-7 – NCAA Men’s Final Four (San Antonio)
  • April 10-13 – The Masters (Augusta, GA)
  • April 10-12 – NCAA Frozen Four (St. Louis)
  • April 15-18 – NBA Play-In Tournament
  • April 19 – NBA Playoffs begin
  • April 20 – NHL Playoffs begin
  • April 21 – Patriots’ Day (Boston Marathon/Red Sox @11:10am)
  • May 24-26 – NCAA LAX Final Four (Foxboro, Mass)

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: The 4 Nations Face-Off concluded on Thursday night with Canada defeating the USA, 3-2, in overtime. According to ESPN and Nielsen, the championship game delivered 9.3m viewers, ESPN’s largest audience for ice hockey, ever. The previous high on any broadcaster was 8.9 million for NBC’s telecast of Game 7 of the 2019 Stanley Cup Final between the Boston Bruins and St. Louis Blues. During the USA loss to Canada, the ESPN audience peaked at 10.4 million viewers and gave the network its largest non-NFL or college football viewership on the network’s platforms since the 2024 NBA Finals.

Former New England Patriots QB Tom Brady purchased part of a Foxborough-based trading card retailer and wants to help it score new business, according to the Boston Business Journal. … The Pats’ GOAT acquired a 50% stake in CardVault and is lending his name to the company, which will be known as CardVault by Tom Brady, according to the news release issued this week. The company did not disclose specific terms of the deal. … CardVault sells sports trading cards and other sports collectibles through its stores at TD Garden in Boston, Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, and at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut.

TIDBITS: “The Trade,” as it is now known, seems to be one of those occurrences in sports where everyone “knows where they were” when they heard the news. While it’s not of the level of Michael Jordan leaving the NBA in his prime for minor league baseball, the Dallas Mavericks’ trade of Luka Dončić for LA’s Anthony Davis (and other assorted goodies) just stopped the NBA/sports world in its tracks. … Mavericks great Dirk Nowitzki was in – get this – The Maldives, vacationing with family, when “his phone blew up,” according to the franchise’s all-time best player. … In the truly global NBA, the news of the trade travelled 10,022 miles in a matter of seconds.

Is Boston Brewin’ or is it just another cup of coffee? Brad Marchand, captain of the Bruins, winning member of Team Canada at the 4 Nations tournament and a six-time NHL All-Star, is launching a new business – his own brand of ground coffee. Brad’s Brew will soon be available at 90 Market Basket grocery stores in New England, according to a news release issued this week. … The coffee comes in medium and dark roast blends and is roasted by a family-owned business, Boston’s Best Coffee, which is based in South Easton.

The 2014 NBA Rookie of the Year, Michael Carter-Williams of Syracuse University, is hoping to land a WNBA franchise for Boston, whether it’s through expansion or being a destination for a current team that wants to move. Williams is part of the Boston Women’s Basketball Partners group that is spearheading the initiative. The group hasn’t submitted a bid to the WNBA, although it has talked with the third party the league hired to handle the expansion bidding process. “The main objective is to get a team in Boston,” said Carter-Williams to the Associated Press earlier this week. “It doesn’t matter if it’s an expansion team or a team that wants to sell and move to Boston.” … The hint was being dropped to the nearby Connecticut Sun franchise, playing out of the Mohegan Sun resort in Uncasville, Connecticut – about a 107 mile drive from TD Garden. Should the Sun wish to set up in Boston, complete with its loyal following and NESN broadcasting deal. … The WNBA already announced three expansion teams that will start play over the next two years, with Golden State beginning this summer, followed by Toronto and Portland starting in the summer of 2026. … One other expansion franchise is expected in 2027, and that will come from a long list of bidders, including Cleveland (again) – where are the Rockers? – Detroit (again) – where are the Shock? Houston (again) – where are the champion Comets? They’re all lined up along with Philadelphia, Kansas City and Nashville, among others.

THIS JEST IN: Where’s Johnny Damon when you need him? …Why? …It’s “Bring back the beards to the Bronx” year for the New York Yankees. Yankees managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner declared “well groomed beards” would be permitted in declaring an end to the franchise’s longstanding policy that allowed mustaches but not beards or unruly sideburns.

“In recent weeks I have spoken to a large number of former and current Yankees – spanning several eras – to elicit their perspectives on our longstanding facial hair and grooming policy, and I appreciate their earnest and varied feedback,” Steinbrenner said Friday morning in a statement. “These most recent conversations are an extension of ongoing internal dialogue that dates back several years. Ultimately the final decision rests with me, and after great consideration, we will be amending our expectations to allow our players and uniformed personnel to have well-groomed beards moving forward. It is the appropriate time to move beyond the familiar comfort of our former policy.”

The policy on player appearance includes the length of their mane — stating “hair cannot touch the uniform collar” — and came about in 1976. When George Steinbrenner died in 2010, his daughter and Yankees managing partner, Jennifer, insisted the team’s rule not be changed. … A generational shift that came too late for infamously shaggy stars such as Damon and Randy Johnson takes effect immediately.

IS IT COINCIDENTAL timing or part of a plan, as Steinbrenner claimed? Yes, there is at least one current Yankees player who appreciates the razor relief. New closer Devin Williams reported to Tampa with the goatee look he’s had for several years. When the topic of the facial hair policy came up, Williams was coy and said only “we’ll see” when pressed on his plans for altering his appearance.

CAN’T MAKE IT UP: PGA Tour pro Blades Brown made the cut at the 2025 Mexico Open at Vidanta World. To do so, he shot 68-69 for -5 when the cut came at -3. Brown made his PGA Tour debut about a month ago at the American Express at LaQuinta. Since then, it’s been a challenge. “I mean, I’m hitting a lot of golf balls. The weather back in Nashville isn’t amazing right now, but I’m super happy to come down here to Mexico and speak some Spanish,” said Brown. “I took Spanish four years in high school, so I’m really happy I chose that over Latin. I’m having so much fun here at the resort and I can’t wait for the next two days.”

Red Sox Add More with Moore

by

FT MYERS – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – The Boston Red Sox added left-handed pitcher Matt Moore to the club’s 2025 Spring Training roster as a non-roster invitee. He will wear number 56.

Moore, 35, posted a 5.03 ERA (27 ER/48.1 IP) with 41 strikeouts in 51 relief appearances for the Los Angeles Angels in 2024. The left-hander did not allow an earned run from July 25 to August 19 (10.2 IP) and did not surrender an earned run in 37 of his 51 total appearances. Since the start of 2022, he owns a 2.98 ERA (58.0 IP/175.0 IP) and .210 opponent batting average (134-for-639) in 164 games. Originally selected by the Tampa Bay Rays in the eighth round of the 2007 First-Year Player Draft, the Florida native has a 4.39 ERA (557 ER/1,142.2 IP) with 1,053 strikeouts in 369 career Major League games (164 starts) with the Rays (2011-15), San Francisco Giants (2016-17), Texas Rangers (2018, 2022), Detroit Tigers (2019), Philadelphia Phillies (2021), Cleveland Guardians (2023), Miami Marlins (2023), and Angels (2023-24). The 2013 American League All-Star has also posted a 3.33 ERA (9 ER/24.1 IP) in five career Postseason games with the Rays (2011, 2013) and Giants (2016).

Bring Back the Beards

by

TAMPA – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Where’s Johnny Damon when you need him?

Why?

It’s “Bring back the beards to the Bronx” year for the New York Yankees.

Yankees managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner declared “well groomed beards” would be permitted in declaring an end to the franchise’s longstanding policy that allowed mustaches but not beards or unruly sideburns.

Embed from Getty Images

“In recent weeks I have spoken to a large number of former and current Yankees – spanning several eras – to elicit their perspectives on our longstanding facial hair and grooming policy, and I appreciate their earnest and varied feedback,” Steinbrenner said Friday morning in a statement. “These most recent conversations are an extension of ongoing internal dialogue that dates back several years. Ultimately the final decision rests with me, and after great consideration, we will be amending our expectations to allow our players and uniformed personnel to have well-groomed beards moving forward. It is the appropriate time to move beyond the familiar comfort of our former policy.”

The policy on player appearance includes the length of their mane — stating “hair cannot touch the uniform collar” — and came about in 1976. When George Steinbrenner died in 2010, his daughter and Yankees managing partner, Jennifer, insisted the team’s rule not be changed.

A generational shift that came too late for infamously shaggy stars such as Damon and Randy Johnson takes effect immediately.

Ironic timing or part of a plan as Steinbrenner claimed, there is at least one current Yankees player who appreciates the razor relief. New closer Devin Williams reported to Tampa with the goatee look he’s had for several years. When the topic of the facial hair policy came up, Williams was coy and said only “we’ll see” when pressed on his plans for altering his appearance.

–Field Level Media

Red Sox Sit Top Prospect

by

FT. MYERS – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston’s top prospect Roman Anthony was scratched from the Red Sox lineup Friday with right elbow soreness.

Embed from Getty Images

Manager Alex Cora said the move is a precaution after Anthony was hit by a pitch in the right elbow on Thursday, and he might be back after sitting out Boston’s spring training exhibition opener against Northeastern.

Anthony was slated to hit leadoff and play left field with Boston’s “Big Three” prospects in the top three spots in the batting order. Second baseman Kristian Campbell and shortstop Marcelo Mayer remained in the lineup Friday.

“He’s sore,” Cora said after Anthony arrived to take batting practice.

The No. 2 prospect in baseball, Anthony was replaced by Trayce Thompson, a spring training non-roster invitee. Thompson has played seven seasons with five teams prior to joining the Red Sox.

Anthony, 20, was a second-round pick in the 2022 draft. Baseball Prospectus ranks him first among all MLB prospects with Major League Baseball Pipeline and Baseball America ranking Anthony second.

In parts of three minor league seasons, he has a combined .284 batting average with 32 home runs, 141 RBIs and 38 stolen bases in 245 games.

–Field Level Media

Oh, CANADA 🇨🇦

by

BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Canada’s Connor McDavid scored 8:18 into overtime, propelling his national team to a 3-2 win over the United States in the championship game of the inaugural 4 Nations Face-Off on Thursday.

Embed from Getty Images

McDavid, the Edmonton Oilers star received Mitch Marner’s centering feed and buried a wrist shot from the slot to score the golden goal, his third tally of the tournament.

Marner assisted on Canada’s final two goals. Sam Bennett scored the tying marker with six minutes left in the second period.

Nathan MacKinnon’s tournament-leading fourth goal opened the scoring for Canada.

Jordan Binnington made 31 saves in the Canadian net, including six in overtime.

Embed from Getty Images

Binnington was spectacular while denying a U.S. surge early in the extra session, including a stop on Auston Matthews’ drive to the doorstep at 2:51. Less than two minutes later, the St. Louis Blues goalie stopped another Matthews shot, then saved Brady Tkachuk’s rebound chance.

Tkachuk and Jake Sanderson netted back-to-back goals to lead the U.S. out of an early 1-0 deficit. Matthews assisted on both.

U.S. goaltender Connor Hellebuyck stopped 24 shots.

It was the North American archrivals’ first best-on-best championship meeting since the 2010 Vancouver Olympics — also won by Canada 3-2 in overtime. The U.S. earned a 3-1 victory over Canada in the teams’ round-robin clash on Saturday in Montreal.

MacKinnon scored first 4:48 in, receiving Thomas Harley’s pass from the left point and curling into the slot to send a shot into heavy traffic and past Hellebuyck’s blocker.

ESPN: “Baseball Been Very, Very Bad”

by

NEW YORK – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – ESPN and Major League Baseball will no longer be partners following the 2025 season, as the sides agreed to mutually opt out of their broadcast contract Thursday.

Embed from Getty Images

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred sent a memo to clubs that was obtained by The Athletic, in which he confirmed ESPN had asked the league to “reduce the amount (ESPN) pay for MLB content over the remainder of the term.” MLB put that on the record in a statement released Thursday night.

“Unfortunately in recent years, we have seen ESPN scale back their baseball coverage and investment in a way that is not consistent with the sport’s appeal or performance on their platform,” the statement said in part. “Given that MLB provides strong viewership, valuable demographics, and the exclusive right to cover unique events like the Home Run Derby, ESPN’s demand to reduce rights fees is simply unacceptable. As a result, we have mutually agreed to terminate our agreement.

“… The positive energy around the sport has also led to significant interest from both traditional media companies and streaming services who would like to obtain rights to MLB games. We will be exploring those opportunities for a new agreement which would start in the 2026 season following the conclusion of ESPN’s agreement at the end of this year.”

ESPN’s current deal was for seven years and $550 million annually, and featured Sunday Night Baseball, the Home Run Derby and wild-card games. But Apple and Roku have since negotiated slimmer packages of games for less cash.

MLB did not want to renegotiate, and the league felt ESPN wasn’t doing enough to promote baseball on its platforms.

“Furthermore, we have not been pleased with the minimal coverage that MLB has received on ESPN’s platforms over the past several years outside of the actual live game coverage,” Manfred wrote in his memo.

“While ESPN has stated they would like to continue to have MLB on their platform, particularly in light of the upcoming launch of their DTC product, we do not think its beneficial for us to accept a smaller deal to remain on a shrinking platform. In order to best position MLB to optimize our rights going in to our next deal cycle, we believe it is not prudent to devalue our rights with an existing partner but rather to have our marquee regular season games, Home Run Derby and Wild Card playoff round on a new broadcast and/or streaming platform.”

“We are grateful for our longstanding relationship with Major League Baseball and proud of how ESPN’s coverage super-serves fans,” the statement said. “In making this decision, we applied the same discipline and fiscal responsibility that has built ESPN’s industry-leading live events portfolio as we continue to grow our audience across linear, digital and social platforms. As we have been throughout the process, we remain open to exploring new ways to serve MLB fans across our platforms beyond 2025.”

MLB’s other main broadcast partner on linear TV is Fox. Comcast (NBC) and Paramount (CBS) may have interest in working with the league, while Amazon and Netflix are potential streamers to join Apple and Roku as Manfred eyes a larger streaming package for 2028.

–Field Level Media

A Walk Down NBA All-Star Memory Lane

by

By TERRY LYONS, Editor of Digital Sports Desk

BOSTON – The NBA All-Star Game has taken a few lumps over the past few years. After years and years of entertaining games – earning the recognition as the best All-Star Game in sports – the Sunday night All-Star Games and the NBA Rookie/Rising Stars Games turned into three-point hoists and dunk fests, with barely a lick of defense being played on either end of the court.

The final scores of the last four All-Star Games tells the tale:

  • 2024 – East 211, West 186
  • 2023 – Team Giannis 184, Team Lebron 175
  • 2022 – Team Lebron 163, Team Durant 160
  • 2021 – Team Lebron 170, Team Durant 150

In 2020, barely a month before the global pandemic shut down the NBA, the world of sports and then the world itself, the league experimented with the infamous “Elam Ending” which resulted in a Team Lebron 157, Team Durant 155 thriller at the United Center in Chicago.

It was at the 2020 game in Chicago when the critics and nay-sayers thought the NBA finally stumbled into the perfect solution to the end the lackluster games. The fourth quarter of that 2020 NBA All-Star Game was as intense as any NBA Playoff game, the biggest stars in the league holding nothing back, blocking shots, taking charges, you name it. At the end of three quarters, a 133-124 Team Giannis lead over Team Lebron placed the final/winning “target score” at 157.

Team Lebron came storming back with James’ teammate Kawhi Leonard taking MVP honors and Anthony Davis draining the game-winning free thrown to cement the comeback victory. The intensity and excitement was back in the NBA All-Star Game, but the wonderous story of Chicago was short-lived. The most recent pair of ASGs sealed the deal. Changes had to be made.

That brings us to this weekend as the NBA has completely changed the format and instituted a Friday night play-in for one team to advance to Sunday. The G-League All-Stars faced the Rising Stars, the latter led to victory by San Antonio’s Stephon Castle who helped his team qualify for Sunday night. The four teams of eight players will compete in a mini-tournament with all three games played to the target score of 40.

The Friday night contests were highly competitive and entertaining, so there’s some cautious optimism for a tripleheader of great games Sunday Night. WWYI is sticking to its deep-rooted thoughts of enjoying the All-Star Weekend and not putting the exhibition to the same litmus test as a regular season or playoff game. Overall, the weekend is supposed to be fun. And that means fun for everyone, the fans, the players, the NBA industry as a whole (sponsors, guests, family members). Too often it is forgotten that the All-Star Game was initiated by original NBA publicity man Haskell Cohen, on March 2, 1951, as a way of gaining interest in the game of basketball. In other words, it’s a giant photo op.

Let’s not forget that on Sunday night.

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: This section of notes might qualify as a “Humor Me” and “Read On” section as the NBA All-Star Weekend brings back a lot of great memories from this columnist’s 25+ year stint of attending the games. Here’s a random list of memories, anecdotes and some “Inside Stuff” from the 1981-1993 era of NBA All-Star events. I’ll shoot for 1993 to 2025 another day.

1981: Although I’d watched many an NBA All-Star Game (ASG), and scored a bunch in my very own basketball scorebook, my first ASG working with the NBA put me in front of the TV screen once again. … As an intern, I did not make the cut to attend the game in Richfield, Ohio as the NBA celebrated its 35th Anniversary. I did create my very first NBA Media Guide, cranking out bios of dozens upon dozens of players to prepare for the 24 players selected to play. There were a few traveling hockey tournaments when “the boys” were playing cards or going out for a refreshment and I was holed-up in my hotel room typing (yes, typing on paper) a half-dozen or more bios per night.

1982: The game was at the brand-spanking new Brendan Byrne Arena in beautiful East Rutherford, NJ (Meadowlands) and I was excited to work (and enjoy) the festivities as hotel HQ was the Grand Hyatt in NYC. The league was kind enough to furnish me with some tickets for friends and family, too. … Trivia note: The Saturday of the 1982 weekend was the starting point for official NBA All-STAR SATURDAY events. In ‘82, that merely consisted of a few media pick-up games and the Continental Basketball Association All-Star Game.

Now, I’ll start a little word association for a whole slew of games but will call it quits with this section in about 1993.

1983: Marvin Gaye doing the greatest USA National Anthem of all-time at The Fabulous Forum and CBS Director, the late Sandy Grossman in his Century Plaza suite, playing a recording of the anthem and the first 10-minutes of the game itself, which might’ve been one of the great segments in NBA history. Every time someone new came into the suite, Sandy cranked it up again, saying, “You’ve gotta see this!” (I’d rank the ‘83 game as No. 2 on my all-time list).

1984: The “real” beginning of NBA All-Star Saturday. A great “Old Timer’s Game,” featuring the likes of the late Celtics’ great Tommy Heinsohn and Chicago’s Johnny “Red” Kerr pulling on each other’s shorts, then tossing pinpoint behind the back bounce passes for lay-ups. … A post ASG recap meeting hatched the idea of calling them all “Legends” rather than Old Timers and that term certainly stuck. Legends they are.

1985: A crowd of 43,146 witnessed Michael Jordan getting the 10th Avenue Freeze-Out and Earvin “Magic” Johnson deciding Ralph Sampson was going to be the MVP. One memory stands out: The game was played in the inflatable Hoosier Dome in Indianapolis, and at some point someone wrongly opened a door and the air flow created a giant draft that blew every single piece of paper, including all of our special 1985 NBA All-Star Game logo play-by-play sheets all over the Dome in the pregame.

1986: In a pregame production meeting, CBS producer extraordinaire Michael Burks asked that we have an old fashioned chalk board in the East Locker Room because KC Jones would always sketch-out some plays and important team goals and instructions, and Mike wanted the visual – something he could never do in a “real” game. The problem? Reunion Arena had not an old fashioned chalkboard in the house. … However, the Hyatt Regency had a very nice chalkboard or two, and it was within walking distance to the arena, across a large courtyard. … Seemed fine, until a rare winter, ice storm hit Dallas that Saturday when I “stole” the blackboard and wheeled it to Reunion in the snow. … I wonder if that chalkboard ever made it back?

1987: A great overtime All-Star Game when injury replacement Tom Chambers of the Seattle SuperSonics won (and earned) MVP honors in a sold-out Kingdome. There’s memorable footage of Dallas’ Rolando Blackman draining two free throws to put the game into OT, shouting, “Confidence, baby, Confidence.” → MUST WATCH CLIP is HERE. (Notice the four East players converging on Blackman as he drove the lane).

1988: Chicago Stadium. Coldest day I’ve ever experienced in my life, but a “normal” day for anyone from Chicago. The Saturday temperature read (-22) – (-60 with the wind chill factor) but it warmed up to a balmy ZERO degrees on Sunday. Larry Bird won the Three-Point Contest in grand fashion and Michael Jordan took flight that weekend, that is for sure. (I’d rank this one as No. 3 on my list).

1989-90-91: Houston, Miami and Charlotte. … In Houston we utilized the infamous Astrodome, a place I’d seen on TV as a young New York Mets fan when the Mets played against the Toy Cannon (Jimmy Wynn) and the Astros. … In 1990, the All-Star Saturday buzz was undermined when Buster Douglas upset heavyweight champion Mike Tyson in Tokyo. … In ‘91, the Gulf War broke out about 10 days before the ASW and security became a main focus, turning a lot of plans made the previous March (I scouted the ACC Tournament) upside down and sideways. … A stunning national anthem by pianist Bruce Hornsby, accompanied by Branford Marsalis stands out more than Charles Barkley’s MVP effort. Getting that piano on and off the court was a major accomplishment.

1992: The ‘92 All-Star Game was the best and most memorable of my lifetime. The entire story of Earvin “Magic” Johnson retiring from the NBA after he learned he had contracted the HIV virus shook the league (and the sports industry) at the core. Earvin’s performance was a storybook unfolding one play at a time until the 4th quarter crescendo of amazement. No writing can do it justice.

1993: A very vivid memory leads me to a last two minutes of the ‘93 game and a sprint around courtside which produced an MVP vote that was never counted, as the

ASG at Salt Lake City went into OT. We tore up the ballots and, ten minutes later, it was deja vu all over again. The West defeated the East 135-132 and hometown stars, Karl Malone and John Stockton actually tied for All-Star MVP. I remember doing the counting on a press table in the far right corner of the Delta Center and showing the media who happened to be sitting there the result to prove its authenticity, stacking the voting ballots (if I remember it was six-six and one for Michael Jordan). I think I counted it three times before we passed the news of the tie along to the NBA Game Operations people at the scorer’s table and to NBC Sports as they staged the presentations.

There are thousands of other great memories from 1994 to 2008 when I bid adieu to my job at the NBA. There’s also quite a few from ‘08 until today, as I rarely missed a game – either returning in person in NOLA (twice), Houston, or watching on TV.

In general, I might call myself a traditionalist but for the ASW, I like the new ideas and attempts by the league office to make the weekend more exciting and the games more competitive. We’ll see on Sunday night if it works in the new format.

THIS JUST IN: The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame announced this weekend that Boston Celtics Vice President of Media Services and Alumni Relations, Jeff Twiss, has been named the 2025 recipient of the John W. Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award.

The John W. Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award was instituted by the Basketball Hall of Fame’s Board of Trustees in 1973 and is the most prestigious award presented by the Hall of Fame outside of Enshrinement. Named in honor of Hall of Famer John W. Bunn (Class of 1964), the first chairman of the Basketball Hall of Fame Committee who served from 1949-64, the award honors coaches, players, and contributors whose outstanding accomplishments have impacted the high school, college, professional, and/or the international game.

“Jeff’s contributions to the Celtics organization are too numerous to list, but perhaps his biggest impact is as a living embodiment of the best aspects of what it means to be a Boston Celtic,” said Rich Gotham, President of the Boston Celtics. “It was Red Auerbach who said, ‘The Celtics are a way of life,’ and Jeff represents the selflessness and the drive to uplift others for the greater good that is at the heart of that notion.”

Jeff Twiss has been a leader of the Celtics PR staff through 40 post-season experiences, including nine Eastern Conference Finals appearances, seven NBA Finals appearances, and four NBA Championships (1984, ‘86, ‘08, ‘24). Twiss joined the organization in 1981, after being hired by Red Auerbach. He has served as a conduit for the media with Celtics coaches, players and staff and has overseen alumni relations for the organization. Twiss was elected by his peers to serve as President of the National Basketball Public Relations Directors Association in 1987. In 1992, he received the Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Vermont. In 1999, Twiss received the University of Massachusetts Sports Management department’s Harold J. VanderZwaag Distinguished Alumni Award. In September 2004, he was inducted into the New England Basketball Hall of Fame. And in 2005, Twiss received the NBA’s McHugh/Splaver “Tribute to Excellence” award. Twiss was recognized by the Boston Press Photographer’s Association as their Sports Personality Award winner for 2009. On September 18, 2024, he received the International Sports Heritage Association Legacy Award.

“Jeff Twiss is a beloved member of the Celtics, and we are all so excited that he is being honored with the John Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award,” said Boston Celtics President of Basketball OperationsBrad Stevens. “Jeff is the definition of a servant-leader and has made an incredible impact not only within these walls, but on his peers across the league. In addition to his great work in Public Relations, he has been a caretaker of our history and an ambassador that keeps multiple generations of Celtics players and staff connected. I’m personally thankful to have had the privilege of working with Jeff for the past twelve years – roughly a quarter of his total time with the Celtics. When I think about that impact over time, it’s clear why he’s a Hall of Famer.”

Sox Officially Ink Bregman

by

FT MYERS – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – After a few days of speculation, the Boston Red Sox today signed infielder Alex Bregman to a three-year MLB contract through the 2027 season. He will wear No. 2. To make room on the 40-man roster, Boston placed left-handed pitcher Patrick Sandoval on the 60-Day Injured List. 

Embed from Getty Images

Bregman, 30, is a two-time All-Star (2018-19), two-time World Series Champion (2017, 2022), and winner of the 2019 Silver Slugger Award and 2024 Gold Glove Award at third base. He has earned American League Most Valuable Player votes in four seasons (2018-19, 2022-23), finishing second in 2019 and fifth in 2018, and was named Ted Williams All-Star Game MVP in 2018. The right-handed hitter has batted .272 (1,132-for-4,157) with an .849 OPS, 694 runs scored, 265 doubles, 18 triples, 191 home runs, and 663 RBI in 1,111 career games with the Houston Astros (2016-24). Selected by Houston in the first round (No. 2 overall) of the 2015 First-Year Player Draft, he has made 977 career starts at third base, 107 at shortstop, 13 as the designated hitter, and two at second base.

In 145 games during 2024, Bregman batted .260 (151-for-581) with 30 doubles, two triples, and 26 home runs while making 142 starts at third base and three as the designated hitter. It marked his fifth season with as many as 30 doubles (also 2017-19, 2022) and his fourth season with 25 or more home runs (also 2018-19, 2023). From May 9 through the end of the season, he batted .280 (127-for-454) with 25 doubles, 25 home runs, and an .838 OPS in 112 games.

The two-time World Series Champion has played in the Postseason in each of his eight full Major League seasons (2017-24), tied for the longest current streak in the Majors. In those eight seasons, he has reached the American League Championship Series seven times and the World Series four times. Since his debut in 2016, his 99 Postseason games are tied for most in the Majors. In that span, he ranks second in runs scored (63) and extra-base hits (37), and tied for second in home runs (19) and RBI (54).

Bregman owns the highest OPS (1.240) of any player with at least 75 career plate appearances at Fenway Park and ranks second in on-base percentage (.490), trailing only Ted Williams (.496). In 21 games at the ballpark, Bregman has hit .375 (30-for-80) with 24 runs scored, nine doubles, and seven home runs. The New Mexico native was selected by the Red Sox out of Albuquerque Academy High School in the 29th round of the 2012 First-Year Player Draft, but did not sign and attended Louisiana State University.

Along with his wife, Reagan, Alex founded the Bregman Cares Charity to accelerate life-changing resources to those in need. The foundation has focused on autism awareness and at-risk youth, raising two million dollars. He was named the Astros’ Roberto Clemente Award nominee three times (2019-21).

Sandoval, 28, was signed by Boston to a two-year contract on December 23, 2024. The left-hander made 16 starts for the Los Angeles Angels in 2024 before undergoing Tommy John surgery on June 26. Originally selected by the Houston Astros in the 11th round of the First-Year Player Draft, the California native has posted a 4.01 ERA (239 ER/536.0 IP) with 529 strikeouts in 107 career Major League games (100 starts) with the Angels (2019-24).