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While We’re Young (Ideas) – October 10

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TL Sunday Sports Notes – NBA @ 75

By TERRY LYONS

BOSTON – Last weekend, I teased my personal NBA @ 75 list of the Greatest Players in NBA history. If you need a refresher, click HERE. In that column, I promised to reveal my Top 10 players and the Final 15 to go with the 60 players named in groups of 10 last weekend.

Here are my Top 10 (listed in ALPHABETICAL ORDER):

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Elgin Baylor

Larry Bird

Kobe Bryant

Wilt Chamberlain

LeBron James

Earvin “Magic” Johnson

Michael Jordan

Oscar Robertson

Bill Russell

For my NBA @ 75, I don’t feel compelled to list the group in order (1-75). To make the NBA @ 75 is an honor in itself and it shouldn’t be tainted by being No. 74 or 75. In fact, in this column, I plan to list a bunch of players I considered for the final five spots. Please note this columnist is NOT on the NBA’s voting committee for the honors.

For continuity sake, I’ll now pick-up with the 60 players listed in groups of 10 last week:

NBA at 75: Next 10 or No. 11-20:

Rick Barry

Tim Duncan

Julius Erving

Karl Malone

Moses Malone

Dirk Nowitzki

Hakeem Olajuwon

Shaquille O’Neal

Bob Pettit

Jerry West

Next Ten: (21-30)

Charles Barkley

Steph Curry

Kevin Durant

John Havlicek

Allen Iverson

George Mikan

Scottie Pippen

David Robinson

John Stockton

Isiah Thomas

Next Ten: (31-40)

Bob Cousy

Walt Frazier

George Gervin

Dan Issel

Sam Jones

Bob McAdoo

Kevin McHale

Willis Reed

Dwayne Wade

Bill Walton

Next Ten (aka No. 41-50):

Ray Allen

Nate Archibald

Dave Bing

Dave Cowens

Artis Gilmore

Hal Greer

Elvin Hayes

Earl Monroe

Lenny Wilkens

James Worthy

Next Ten: (51-60)

Paul Arizon

Billy Cunningham

Clyde Drexler

Alex English

Patrick Ewing

Reggie Miller

Jason Kidd

Wes Unseld

Russell Westbrook

Dominique Wilkins

Now, the most difficult part! Here are my Final 15:

Vince Carter

Kevin Garnett

Connie Hawkins

Tommy Heinsohn

Bernard King

Pete Maravich

Steve Nash

Robert Parish

Nate Thurmond

Jamaal Wilkes

The Final 5:

Giannis Antetokounmpo

James Harden

Kawhi Leonard

Paul Pierce

David Thompson

Those highly considered but fell short on my list:

Carmelo Anthony

Zelmo Beaty

Walt Bellamy

Adrian Dantley

Dave DeBusschere

Luka Doncic

Joe Dumars

Joe Fulks

Pau Gasol

Tom Gola

Gail Goodrich

Spencer Haywood

Grant Hill

Dennis Johnson

Gus Johnson

Bobby Jones

Nikola Jokic

Damien Lillard

Bob Lanier

Jerry Lucas

George McGinnis

Tracy McGrady

Chris Mullin

Calvin Murphy

Tony Parker

Chris Paul

Gary Payton

Dennis Rodman

Arvydas Sabonis

Dolph Schayes

Bill Sharman

Klay Thompson

Andrew Toney

Yao Ming

CONSIDER: Many voters contemplated their votes with both the NBA at 50 and the league’s 25th Anniversary team in mind. Can you drop members voted for the NBA at 50 team? For the 25th Anniversary team, a panel framed nominees, and then a team (by position) was selected.

Here was the 25th Anniversary Team: (December 1971)

Name, Career Years

Forwards

Paul Arizin*, 1950-1962

Joe Fulks*, 1946-1954

Harry Gallatin*, 1948-1958

Tom Gola*, 1955-1966

Vern Mikkelsen*, 1949-1959

Bob Pettit*, 1954-1965

Jim Pollard*, 1947-1955

Tom Heinsohn*, 1956-1965

Dolph Schayes*, 1948-1964

George Yardley*, 1953-1960

Centers

Neil Johnston*, 1951-1959

Ed Macauley*, 1949-1959

George Mikan*, 1946-1954, 1955-1956

Bill Russell*, 1956-1969

Maurice Stokes*, 1955-1958

Guards

Richie Guerin*, 1956-1970

Bob Cousy*, 1950-1963, 1969-1970

Bob Davies*, 1946-1955

Bob Feerick, 1945-1950

Sam Jones*, 1957-1969

Slater Martin*, 1949-1960

Dick McGuire*, 1949-1960

Bill Sharman*, 1950-1961

Bobby Wanzer*, 1947-1957

Max Zaslofsky, 1946-1956

NBA 25th Anniversary Team

List of honored players, sorted by position

F Bob Pettit

F Dolph Schayes

F Paul Arizin

F Joe Fulks

C Bill Russell

C George Mikan

G Bob Cousy

G Bill Sharman

G Bob Davies

G Sam Jones

Coach: Red Auerbach

Bill Russell was the only unanimous selection to the team. Furthermore, all nominees of the 25th Anniversary Team besides Feerick and Zaslofky were inducted into Naismith Basketball Hall Of Fame. You might note, Wilt Chamberlain was left off the 25th Anniversary all-time team as only two centers (Russell and Mikan) were selected.

To further complicate the process, the NBA celebrated and selected a 35th Anniversary team in 1980-81 and only four players from the 25th Anniversary Team were selected into NBA 35th Anniversary Team (Pettit, Cousy, Russell, and Mikan). However, along with them, four other players of this team (Arizin, Jones, Schayes, Sharman) were selected into NBA 50 Greatest Players of All-Time in 1996. Here is the NBA @ 50 list.

FEEL FREE TO COMPLAIN, ARGUE … BUT: If you are going to complain about any player left off the list, you are required to name the player or players that must be removed.

There’s a slight chance I missed a player and will be mortified if it’s a player we all know merits Top 75 selection. If so, I apologize in advance and will own up to the mistake. I just ask, please also indicate the player to be removed.

LAST BIT: Last week, I noted that my beloved NBA seems to have a knack for ruining a great story in the making by having a terrible, and usually off-court issue, make headlines. The NBA players who are choosing to forego anti-COVID-19 vaccination(s) dominated the news just as training camp began. Instead of stories about the players, the contending teams and exciting changes, a story about COVID stole every headline. Since then, Andrew Wiggins of Golden State decided to get the vax. Kyrie Irving of the Brooklyn Nets did not and he plans to miss all the Nets home games and many others played in municipalities which require proof of vaccination for entry. Somehow, the Nets were able to clear Irving for practices in their state-of-the-art Brooklyn practice facility, as it is a private building. His decision remained the dominant story in the NBA preseason season of 2021 until this week when we learned of 18 former NBA players being indicted for an illegal health care scheme. The players were allegedly filing fraudulent health and dental claims to their retirement benefit plan to the tune of $3.9 million in false claims.

The saddest part of this indictment is the fact the players are allegedly stealing from their own – the NBA – and it truly upsets the very essence of what the NBA and its players try to instill in its member players.

The Highs and Lows of MLB Postseason

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Red Sox to Face Tough Tampa Bay Rays in ALDS

By TERRY LYONS

BOSTON – When it comes to postseason baseball, when they go low – WE GO HIGH!

Before the Boston Red Sox eliminated the New York Yankees in the American League Wild Card game, you might’ve heard about the New York Post rattling their once mighty sabres to taunt all things Boston with a column listing dozens of suggestions why “Boston Sucks.”

The reasons included gems like:

  • Incapable of making a good pizza.
  • Use the word “wicked” to describe everything other than witches.
  • The accent.
  • The people with the accent.
  • Bill de Blasio roots for you.

Besides the fact we’ll put the North End’s Regina Pizzeria up against Patsy’s any day of the week, the focus today is more a call-out of the ill-fated column’s sophomoric content and the old-as-time, typical New York trash-talking before any major league playoff series. One might harken back to 1994 when the Houston Rockets met the New York Knicks in the NBA Finals and the New York Post and the Houston Chronicle got into a trash-talking match which was led by then-NYP columnist Wallace Matthews going so far as to describe America’s fourth most populous city as “a steamy, bug-infested nondescript prairie town.” Matthews’ editors and headline writers took it from there with the memorable “This place is a hellhole” banner.

When the Houston Rockets took Game 1 of the NBA Finals, the Chronicle shot back with: HELLHOLE 1, N.Y. 0.

That brief history lesson brings us to the present day and the upcoming ALDS series pitting the Boston Red Sox against the Tampa Bay Rays which starts tonight in Florida.

The so-called New England elite might begin to compare the two cities by citing the differences between Harvard, MIT, Tufts and Boston College against Tampa’s University of South Florida (which is not even in South Florida), but let’s not go there. As it says, New York went low, so we’ll go HIGH.

How can you rip Tampa in 2021 when the Tampa Bay Bucs are the reigning NFL Super Bowl champions? The Buccaneers maneuvered their way to acquire New England treasure and greatest NFL quarterback of all-time Tom Brady, along with our favorite knucklehead tight end Rob Gronkowski to build a football team than might even repeat as NFL champions.

On the skating rink, you’d think the Northerners would have the advantage, but … No … the Tampa Bay Lightning are the class of the National Hockey League and have three Stanley Cup titles to prove it. Since 2003, they’ve made more trips to the Stanley Cup Playoffs than Patriots’ team owner Robert Kraft has made to the Orchids of Asia spa. The Lightning are the defending Cup champions as the new NHL season begins and there’s nothing on paper to think they won’t be standing in front of NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman for another presentation in 2022.

Thank goodness, Tampa-St. Pete doesn’t field a franchise in the NBA or the vaunted Boston Celtics might be in big trouble.

The subject of SPORTS is not the only distinguished merits of the City of Tampa, although you might note Mets fireballer Doc Gooden and LA Dodgers great Steve Garvey are both from Tampa, along with scores of major leaguers and even a few pro wrestling greats (Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage, to name two).

Let’s discuss music, starting with the fact both the great Ray Charles and sax-man extraordinaire Cannonball Adderley hail from Tampa.

If you want to get real serious, the charming and amazing actress and model Lauren Hutton spent her formative years in Tampa and graduated from Chamberlain High School before attending UCF and later Tulane University.

Back on the music scene, you can’t overlook that alto saxophone superstar David Sanborn was born in Tampa and Ray Charles’ band played a huge influence on his life as one of the purest sax players in history. Do you like Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young? If you want to *teach your children well, Stephen Stills – the genius songwriter, musician and voice of the ’60s – grew up in Tampa and Gainesville, Florida.

Tampa has enough history and success stories to continue, but we’ll conclude with the fact that the orchestrator of the “Evil Empire,” the late New York Yankees team owner George Steinbrenner was born in Ohio and bounced around until settling down in Tampa in 2006 until his death there at age 80 (2010). ‘Nuff said about that, right?

Remember, we’re going HIGH except for one last “Big Dig.” New York, you can have Bill de Blasio.

The prediction: Sadly, Tampa in four games.

Note: *Teach Your Children was written by Stills’ CSN sidekick Graham Nash.

Boston’s Training Camp Roster

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BOSTON – (Source: Official Team News Release) – The Boston Celtics announced today that they have signed guards Ryan Arcidiacono, Garrison Mathews, and Theo Pinson, and forward Juwan Morgan, finalizing the team’s 20-player roster that includes nine returning players, three NBA All-Stars, and one first-year player.

Arcidiacono (6-3, 195), 27, joins the Celtics after previously spending his first four NBA seasons with the Bulls from 2017-18 to 2020-21. The four-year Villanova standout produced 4.8 points (43.1% FG, 37.3% 3-PT, 80.7% FT), 2.0 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 17.6 minutes in 207 games (36 starts) with Chicago, while shooting at least 37.0% from beyond the arc in each of his last three seasons. Arcidiacono has made at least three 3-point field goals in 14 games over the past three years, including a career-best five threes at Milwaukee on Nov. 28, 2018.

Mathews (6-5, 215), 24, has averaged 5.5 points (41.3% FG, 38.9% 3-PT, 89.1% FT), 1.4 rebounds, 0.4 assists, 0.5 steals, and 15.4 minutes in 82 career games (24 starts) over two NBA seasons with the Wizards. The Franklin, Tennessee native played in 64 of the team’s 72 games in 2020-21, producing 5.5 points on 40.9% shooting (38.4% 3-PT). He notched five games of 15+ points, including a season-high 22-point performance on 6-of-12 shooting (4-7 3-PT) against Miami on Jan. 9.

Pinson (6-5, 212), 25, has played in parts of three NBA seasons with Brooklyn and New York from 2018-19 to 2020-21, averaging 3.0 points (30.0% FG, 89.5% FT), 1.4 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and 9.0 minutes in 68 career games. Pinson also spent time in the G League with the Long Island Nets between 2018-19 and 2019-20, where he produced 19.6 points (44.2% FG, 38.4% 3-PT, 82.9% FT), 6.1 rebounds, 5.9 assists, and 34.8 minutes in 43 games (all starts).

Morgan (6-7, 232), 24, has played in 50 games over two NBA seasons with the Jazz, shooting 51.8% on 56 field goal attempts (1.4 ppg), while averaging 1.1 rebounds. A native of Waynesville, Missouri, Morgan also played in 15 games with the Salt Lake City Stars of the NBA G League in 2019-20, producing 14.3 points on 60.1% shooting, 7.7 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.8 steals, and 1.7 blocked shots.

The Celtics’ current  20-player roster features nine returners from the 2020-21 season, including a pair of 2021 NBA All-Stars in Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, and the team’s longest-tenured player in guard Marcus Smart.

Five-time All-Star and 14-year NBA veteran Al Horford rejoins the Celtics, after having previously played in Boston from 2016-17 through 2018-19. He joins an experienced group of newcomers, which include veteran guards Josh Richardson and Dennis Schröder, forward Juancho Hernangomez and center Enes Kanter.

Boston opens preseason action against the Magic at TD Garden on Oct. 4, its first of four preseason contests.

Mac Defeats Zach with Patriots’ Attack

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EAST RUTHERFORD – (Staff and Wire Services Reporting) – New England’s rookie quarterback Mac Jones and the Patriots prevailed in a battle of rookie quarterbacks as New England earned a 25-6 win over New York quarterback Zach Wilson and the Jets on Sunday afternoon. Jones, the No. 15 overall pick by New England in the 2021 draft, completed 22-of-30 passes for 186 yards en route to his first NFL victory. Damien Harris rushed for 62 yards and a touchdown and James White also had a rushing TD for New England (1-1), which bounced back from a season-opening 17-16 home loss to Miami.

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No. 2 overall pick Wilson was intercepted four times and threw for 210 yards on 19-of-33 passing for the Jets. Wilson has thrown five interceptions in his first two NFL games after tossing just a lone interception in the Jets’ 19-14 loss at Carolina last Sunday. New York (0-2) suffered its 11th consecutive loss to New England over a six-year span.

Nick Folk made all four of his field goal attempts for New England, eclipsing Stephen Gostkowski’s franchise record with his 32nd consecutive made field goal from 32 yards on his third of four attempts to make it 22-3 late in the third quarter. His final kick in the closing moments of the fourth quarter, from 26 yards out, made it 33 in a row.

Two plays after Wilson’s fourth pick of the game early in the third quarter, Harris carried four Jets defenders on his back while powering in for a 26-yard touchdown to put the Patriots ahead 19-3.

Celtics Finalize Deal for Juancho Hernangómez

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BOSTON – The Boston Celtics acquired forward Juancho Hernangómez from the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for guards Kris Dunn and Carsen Edwards, and the right to swap second round draft picks in 2026. Hernangómez, 25, holds career averages of 5.7 points on 43.0% shooting (35.1% 3-PT, 69.3% FT), 3.5 rebounds, and 16.4 minutes in 257 games (57 starts) with Denver and Minnesota. The five-year pro was originally selected by the Nuggets with the 15th overall selection in the 2016 NBA Draft.

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Hernangómez (first player on right) for Spain

In 52 games with the Timberwolves in 2020-21, Hernangómez produced a career-high 7.2 points on 43.5% shooting (32.7% 3-PT) to go along with 3.9 rebounds, and 17.3 minutes. He reached the 20-point mark twice, including a season-high 25 points on 10-of-14 shooting (5-8 3-PT) at Denver on Jan. 5, and scored at least 15 points on seven occasions.

Edwards played in 68 games over two seasons with the Celtics after being selected in the second round (33rd overall) of the 2019 NBA Draft, averaging 3.6 points, 1.1 rebounds, 0.6 assists, and 9.2 minutes. Dunn was acquired by Boston as part of a three-team deal earlier this offseason on Aug. 7.

As part of the transaction, Memphis will own the right to swap a 2026 second round draft pick (the better of Miami’s or Dallas’s) with Boston’s 2026 second round draft pick.

Bruins: Bergeron to Play-Out Contract

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BRIGHTON – (Staff and wire service reports) – Boston Bruins team captain Patrice Bergeron will play the final season of his current eight-year, $55 million contract before deciding if he’ll return to the team in 2022-23. Bergeron, 36, has played his entire 17-year NHL career with the Bruins. He will be an unrestricted free agent in July.

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“I’m going to play out this year, and then talk about that after,” Bergeron said this week as the team assembled for rookie camp and captain’s training sessions in Boston.

A four-time Selke Trophy recipient as the NHL’s best defensive forward, Bergeron previously said he is focused on winning a Stanley Cup this season. After that, he’ll let the chips fall where they may.

“That’s something that a lot of people have asked me this summer,” Bergeron said. “I think for me, the way that I approach this year is I want to concentrate on this year. I have a year left on my contract, and I think it’d be useless of me to think about the future.

Bergeron recorded 48 points (23 goals, 25 assists) in 55 games last season. He was named a finalist for the Selke for a record 10th consecutive season in 2020-21 after winning the trophy in 2011-12, 2013-14, 2014-15 and 2016-17. A Stanley Cup champion in 2011, Bergeron has 917 points (375 goals, 542 assists) in 1,143 career games since being selected by Boston in the second round of the 2003 NHL Draft.

“I think I want to create something special, as I said. We obviously want to work towards winning a Stanley Cup. I know everyone says that, but it’s definitely our goal as a team. And I think we always are competitive to be in that group of teams. So, I think that’s where that’s where my focus is at right now.”

Patriots Lose to Miami in NFL Opener

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FOXBORO – (Staff and Wire Services Reports) – Miami quarterback Tua Tagovailoa passed for 202 yards and a go-ahead three-yard touchdown to rookie Jaylen Waddle as the Dolphins spoiled New England’s rookie quarterback Mac Jones’ NFL debut with a 17-16 win over the Patriots in the season opener on Sunday afternoon.

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Waddle, the No. 6 overall pick in this year’s draft, grabbed his first career touchdown catch with 10:51 remaining in the third quarter to put Miami on top for good at 17-10. Nick Folk‘s 42-yard field goal with 2:50 left in the third and another from 33 yards out at 10:36 of the fourth pulled New England within 17-16.

Tagovailoa, who also had a rushing touchdown, finished 16-for-27 passing and was also intercepted by New England defensive back Jonathan Jones with 8:07 to play in the fourth. Mac Jones and the Patriots drove 41 yards before running back Damien Harris lost a fumble at the Dolphins’ 11-yard line.

Waddle finished with four catches for 61 yards and the score and DeVante Parker had four catches for a team-high 81 yards for Miami (1-0).

Mac Jones, the No. 15 overall pick in this year’s draft, completed 29 of 39 passes for 281 yards and a touchdown in his pro debut. Harris rushed for 100 yards on 23 carries and Nelson Agholor made five catches for 72 yards and a score for New England (0-1).

Miami and New England were tied 10-10 at halftime.

Tagovailoa capped a 10-play, 80-yard opening drive with a three-yard TD run off the right tackle to put the Dolphins up 7-0 with 5:29 to play in the first quarter. Folk kicked a 27-yard field goal to put the Patriots on the board at 10:17 of the second.

Jones connected with Agholor for his first career touchdown pass with 2:30 left in the half to put New England ahead 10-7. The rookie faked a handoff to Harris before firing a seven-yard strike to Agholor.

Jones and Tagovailoa were teammates at the University of Alabama. Tagovailoa led the Crimson Tide to a national championship in the 2017 season and Jones guided the program to its 18th title last season.

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Celtics Make Williams Deal Official

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BOSTON – (Source: Official Team News Release)  – The Boston Celtics extended the contract of center Robert Williams III. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

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“Rob has worked hard to turn himself into a very impactful player, and his talent and selfless play give him an even higher upside to reach going forward,” said Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens. “Rob has embraced being a Celtic from day one. He is a great teammate and is completely committed to getting better. We’re excited that he will continue to do so here in Boston.”

Originally selected by the Celtics in the first round (27th overall) of the 2018 NBA Draft, Williams III has averaged 5.7 points on 72.0% shooting, 5.0 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 0.7 steals, 1.5 blocked shots, and 14.7 minutes in 113 games (16 starts) over three seasons in Boston. He has increased his scoring, rebounds, and assists in each year since joining the NBA.

Playing in a career-best 52 games (13 starts) in 2020-21, Williams III produced a career highs in points (8.0 ppg), rebounds (6.9 rpg), assists (1.8 apg), steals (0.8 spg), blocked shots (1.8 bpg) and minutes (18.9 mpg) last season. The Shreveport, LA native tallied a career-high 20 points on a perfect 9-of-9 shooting on April 2 vs. Houston, making him the first Celtics player in franchise history to produce 20+ points, 8+ rebounds, and 8+ assists while shooting 100% from the field.

Williams III set (modern-day) franchise marks during the 2021 NBA Playoffs as well, becoming the first Celtics player ever to record nine blocked shots in a postseason game during the team’s series-opening game against the Nets on May 22. He played in three games during that First Round matchup, averaging 6.3 points (64.3% FG), 5.0 rebounds, and 15.3 minutes. (Note: Legendary Celtics center Bill Russell surely topped the numbers in the days before the NBA charted blocks).

Celtics Acquire Josh Richardson

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BOSTON – (Source: Official Team News Release) – The Boston Celtics acquired guard Josh Richardson from the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for center Moses Brown in a post NBA Draft transaction, among the first of the 2021-22 NBA season.

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Richardson played inconsistently when give opportunity by Miami Heat (Getty Images)

A six-year NBA veteran, Richardson, 27, has posted career averages of 12.3 points (42.7% FG, 35.8% 3-PT, 83.2% FT), 3.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.1 steals, 0.6 blocked shots, and 30.6 minutes in 373 career games (299 starts) with Miami, Philadelphia, and Dallas. He has averaged at least 10.0 points in each of his last five seasons from 2015-16 to 2020-21, including a career-high 16.6 points per game with Miami in 2018-19.

Richardson produced 12.1 points (42.7% FG, 33.0% 3-PT, 91.7% FT), 3.3 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.0 steals, and 30.3 minutes in 59 games (56 starts) with the Mavericks last season, marking the fourth time over the last five seasons he has recorded at least 10.0 points and 1.0 steals. The Oklahoma native was one of four NBA players to average 10.0 points and 1.0 steals while shooting at least 91.0% from the free throw line in 2020-21 (Paul/Curry/Irving).

Acquired from Oklahoma City as part of a three-player deal earlier this offseason on June 18, Brown has averaged 7.3 points (54.0% FG), and 7.6 rebounds in 52 career games over two seasons with Portland and Oklahoma City.