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TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | June 19

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@WhileYoungIdeas @DigSportsDesk Look at NBA, LIV, PGA

By TERRY LYONS

BOSTON – This week, the 2022 NBA Finals ended here in Boston with a thud, the hometown Celtics drubbed and scrubbed by the team they call the Dubs, as in “W,” as in “Warriors,” as in “Ws,” as in “Winners.”

The Boston Celtics fell victim to:

  • Steph Curry and a better team
  • Golden State’s very good team defense, often overlooked when examining a high octane team
  • Fatigue brought on by a tough playoff road via:
    • Brooklyn
    • Milwaukee (also a better team, but were short Kris Middleton).
    • Miami (also a better team, record-wise, but no Lowry-Herro, as point guard Kyle Lowry was terribly out of NBA game shape and timing and Tyler Herro was injured).

We still wonder? Were the Celtics one last second, wonderful, sweeping turn-around, spin and game winning lay-up away from being in a real, long series instead of a surprising sweep of the Brooklyn Nets?

Would the Celtics have advanced past the Milwaukee Bucks if the Great Place on a Great Lake had their all-star forward and an extra offensive and defensive weapon?

And in the case of the seven-game, knock down, drag-out NBA Eastern Conference Finals, the Celtics skillfully, painfully and willfully outlasted the Heat to rightfully earn their place in The NBA Finals.

Many of the Celtics players stepped-up big time to advance the cause and the team. Specifically:

  • Robert Williams III – Played with soreness in his knees, but excelled.
  • Al Horford – He was just incredible the whole way.
  • Jaylen Brown – Provided consistent, big game scoring and rebounding throughout the 2022 NBA Playoffs.
  • Jayson Tatum – Led the Celtics throughout the postseason but came to a screeching halt in The NBA Finals, final Game 6.

Going forward, the Celtics will need – at least one or two more pieces to be strong and talented enough to win a championship. Next season, advancing to The NBA Finals will not be enough. It’s either the rings or failure.

To do that, the Celtics will need to decrease Horford’s minutes played. Daniel Theis is a big part of that remedy but the Celtics will need another rim protector and rebounder that can play meaningful minutes from November through June.

Robert Williams III is the other piece of that puzzle. Can he take it up a notch, stay healthy and be in the discussion of becoming an NBA All-Star? If he does, the Celtics will have their third “Big 3,” with Williams, Tatum and Brown.

The key issue might be the role of “true point guard.” While Marcus Smartwon NBA Defensive Player of the Year and brought the Celtics right to the brink, the team is best served when he plays the “2” (shooting guard). Reserve guard Derrick White might be able to rise to the starting point guard role. White is two years into his $73m rookie extension and 2022-23 will be crunch time for the 27-year old, 6-4 guard. His presence after a Feb 10, 2022 (trading deadline) deal with San Antonio coincided with the departure of Dennis Schroder (traded with Enes “Freedom” Kanter and BrunoFernando to Houston for Theis). The team cleansing moves set the current Celtics roster on a course for success. Yet, when the playoffs rolled around, Celtics first-year head coach Ime Udoka went with a seven or eight-man rotation with the starters aided by White, three-year veteran Grant Williamsand second-year man Payton Pritchard who played well.

Certainly the 40+ minutes per game drag, the physical nature of the Celtics’ road to The NBA Finals and the outstanding two-way efforts of the Golden State Warriors placed the Larry O’Brien Trophy on a shelf in San Francisco. At the end, the Warriors were beating the Celtics to every 50-50 ball, first tips on most rebounds and even smacking the previously tougher Celts around. Udoka had no answer.

Golden State was not the Vegas favorite in the West as the postseason rolled around. The Phoenix Suns and Memphis Grizzlies finished with better regular-season records and on April 1, a team that started the season 18-2 and enjoyed a nine-game winning streak lost 16 of 23 post trade deadline games and was 48-29.

The Dubs won their final five regular season games and hit full stride after that, defeating Denver in five games, the tough Grizz in six and Dallas in five before meeting the Celtics.

Team GM and former head coach Brad Stevens worked some serious magic at the trade deadline. This off-season, he needs to work two more acts before the curtain rises this Fall. The championship window is open but in the NBA, it shuts quickly and like a guillotine.

By the way, it’s important to note, the Milwaukee Bucks, Miami Heat and Brooklyn Nets will be awaiting the Celtics next season, too.

2022 Father’s Day Special (Biggest Discount for Today Only with a One-Year Sub)

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HERE NOW, THE NOTES: As promised a week ago, let’s delve into golf’s new, rival, upstart LIV, the Car 54 of Golf (for you Roman numeral fans out there). At this point of the LIV season, with only one event in the books – the controversial and inaugural 54-hole London broil, there are more answers but still many questions for the Saudi-based and funded rival to the PGA TOUR.

Using the Car 54 analogy (youngsters better google it), Officers Gunther Toody and Francis Muldoon must be played by Phil Mickelson and LIV Commissioner Greg Norman, rather than original cast members Joe E. Ross and Fred Gwynn.

The sitcom enjoyed two 30-episode seasons. From September 17, 1961 to April 22, 1962, season one aired 8:30pm (ET) to 9:00pm (ET), right smack in the middle of two all-time TV greats, Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color and Bonanza. That would be a little like LIV Golf airing after the Super Bowl.

The second and final season aired from September 16, 1962 to its completion, totaling 60 episodes, on April 14, 1963. Two seasons? Prime-time between Disney and Bonanza? How could it be cancelled?

You get where we’re going, right?

The business model of LIV is not sustainable, no matter how many Saudi dollars pour into the endeavor. Reports call for some $2 to $4 billion to be invested before they check the balance sheets.

The LIV, previously and throughly reported, paid upfront acquisition costs to attract Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Patrick Reed, Pat Perez, Bryson DeChambeau, Sergio Garcia and first event winner Charl Schwartzel.

Schwartzel pocketed a cool $4,475,000 for his efforts, banking the $4m first prize and sharing in the $1,900,000 team prize for first. Relatively unknown (in the USA), Hennie Du Plessis had to settle for second place leftovers of $2,125,000 and his $475,000 for being No. 2 on Schwartzel’s “Stinger GC” team.

By comparison, Rory McIlroy, an outspoken critic of the LIV and staunch backer of the legacy of the PGA Tour, made a hefty $1,566,000 for winning the RBC Canadian Open, one of the lower purse outings on the Tour. This week’s winner of the USGA’s U.S. Open will pocket $3,150,000 an all-time high purse of $17,500,000. In other words, the Price of Purses “JUST WENT UP!”

But can the LIV make it?

Worldwide TV syndication can provide significant dollars, but the USA TV market might be slow to pony-up major dollars. The PGA TOUR has the Golf Channel and the interested networks (CBS, NBC and ESPN) locked with multi-year deals, especially the new ESPN+ streaming pact a much-improved version over previous offerings via NBC Gold via the defunct cable NBC Sports Network.

Streaming on YouTube might attract a few eyeballs, but the European start times of the London event hurt American interest and viewership. The LIV will next tee-it-up at Pumpkin Ridge in Oregon on June 30th and then wait nearly a month before the July 29-31 third event at, get this, Trump’s Bedminster Golf Club in New Jersey.

The challenges are daunting and let’s count the ways:

  • The lack of week-to-week continuity will be troublesome.
  • Lack of a bigtime USA Network TV deal a drain on revenue and publicity
  • The strength of the PGA Tour is a hill too far to climb, especially come FedEx Cup playoff time which ends, appropriately, just before the NFL begins and college and pro football dominate the USA TV schedule, every day of the week.
  • The LIV will stage two events in September and three in October (Hello, Baseball?) One event, October 7-9, will be played in Bangkok, Thailand, while another, October 14-16, to be staged in … you guessed it … Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
  • The LIV 2022 season concludes October 27-30 at yet another Trump facility, the Trump National in Doral (Miami).
  • 48 golfers will be playing in a no-cut format, the low man pocketing $120,000 per event, as Andy Ogletree did in London for shooting 82-77-75 (+24).

Like Car LIV, after some 60 episodes, it just won’t add up, and the decision to lose another $1 billion or two will be a difficult pill to swallow.

DIAMOND DUST-UPs: Going into Saturday night’s Game of the Week on FOX, the Boston Red Sox are 12-3 over 15 games in June, outscoring opponents 74-36 over that span. After a very rough start to the season, the Red Sox found themselves at 23-27 as May 31 passed with a loss to the Cincinnati Reds. After a win at Fenway Park Friday night, the Sox are 35-30 – five games over .500 – for the first time in 2022. Over the last 16 games, Red Sox starting pitchers posted a 1.87 ERA (19 ER/91.1 IP) with 81 strike-outs and only 17 Base-on-Balls. Starter Michael Wacha has allowed only two runs or fewer in nine of his 11 starts, with the Red Sox going 7-2 in those nine starts. Sox SP Nick Pivetta has won six of his last seven starts to increase his ‘22 record to (6-5) after an (0-4) start. The Red Sox lost all six of Pivetta’s first six outings before the turn-around. … Reports have ace Chris Saleupping his efforts in the rehabilitation process. He threw his first simulated game on June 16. … The Milwaukee Brewers designated veteran offensive threat Lorenzo Cain for assignment.

A Happy Father’s Day to all the fatherly figures out there and a meaningful Juneteenth for our nation and the African-American community.

Wet and Wild at the U.S. Open

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BROOKLINE – Will Zalatoris and Matt Fitzpatrick, the two highest-ranked players in the Official World Golf Ranking without a win on the PGA Tour, share the lead at the U.S. Open entering today’s final round.

Last player to earn first PGA Tour win at a major championship was Danny Willett, at the 2016 Masters while the last player to earn first PGA Tour win at the U.S. Open was Graeme McDowell in 2010.

At the recent PGA Championship, Zalatoris and Fitzpatrick both entered the final round T-2. Fitzpatrick played in the final pairing and finished T-5 while Zalatoris went on to lose in a playoff.

Fitzpatrick won the 2013 U.S. Amateur at The Country Club.

Defending champion Jon Rahm made a double bogey at No. 18 and will enter the final round one stroke back. The last player to successfully defend title at a major championship was Brooks Koepka, 2019 PGA Championship.

Scottie Scheffler (T-4), Sam Burns (T-7) and Rory McIlroy (T-7), who have combined for nine TOUR wins this season, are within three strokes of the lead.

36-hole leader Collin Morikawa carded a 7-over (77), tying his highest score on the PGA Tour, his second score of (77) in his last four rounds on Tour.

U.S. Open Leaderboard | After 54 Holes

Will Zalatoris 69-70-67—206 (-4)

Matt Fitzpatrick 68-70-68—206 (-4)

Jon Rahm 69-67-71—207 (-3)

Keegan Bradley 70-69-69—208 (-2)

Adam Hadwin 66-72-70—208 (-2)

Scottie Scheffler 70-67-71—208 (-2)

Full Leaderboard: (link)

Final round Tee Times at The Country Club start at 8:49am (ET) and go to 2:45pm (ET) when 54-hole leaders Matt FItzpatrick and Will Zalatoris tee-off on No. 1.

Weather: Sunday morning rain and cloudy skies will greet the patrons and golfers for the final round of the 2022 U.S. Open at The Country Club. Chilly temperatures from 52-to-63 degrees. Showers diminish between 11am and 1:00pm while winds drop from 14 to 9 mph.

A Challenging Moving Day at U.S. Open

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BROOKLINE – Collin Morikawa, winner of the 2020 PGA Championship and 2021 Open Championship, holds a share of the lead as he attempts to win a major for the third consecutive season and would be well on his way for the career Slam.

The top three players in the Official World Golf Ranking are all within two strokes of the lead:

  • ‘22 Masters Tournament winner and FedEx Cup leader Scottie Scheffler (No. 1)
  • Defending U.S. Open champion Jon Rahm (No. 2)
  • Four-time major champion and winner last week Rory McIlroy (No. 3)

Joel Dahmen, playing in his ninth career major, is tied for the lead with Morikawa. Dahmen has his first 36-hole lead/co-lead on Tour.

Notables to miss the cut include Cameron Smith, Viktor Hovland, Tony Finau and Phil Mickelson.

Cameron Young made a hole-in-one at No. 6, his first career ace on Tour. Young, who began the round on No. 10, also made a quadruple-bogey-8 at No. 3 and was 9-over with five holes to play before finishing 4-over and missing the cut by one stroke (Nos. 5-9: birdie, ace, birdie, birdie, par).

ESPN dot com noted: As stat guru Justin Ray pointed out on Twitter on Friday, 25 of the past 26 U.S. Open winners have been tied for sixth or better after two rounds. That’s enough of a trend to make seventh place — or worse — the spot you don’t want to be headed into the weekend. That’s not good for Scheffler (T-7), Matt Fitzpatrick, Sam Burns (T-13) and more. The weekend could bring another exception to the rule.

U.S. Open Leaderboard | After 36 Holes

Collin Morikawa 69-66—135 (-5)

Joel Dahmen 67-68—135 (-5)

Hayden Buckley 68-68—136 (-4)

Jon Rahm 69-67—136 (-4)

Rory McIlroy 67-69—136 (-4)

Aaron Wise 68-68—136 (-4)

Beau Hossler 69-67—136 (-4)

Full Leaderboard: (link)

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | June 12

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The 2022 NBA Finals Boston’s TD Garden (Photo by T. Peter Lyons)

By TERRY LYONS

BOSTON – In the 2007-08 college basketball season, I watched from afar and in amazement as Davidson College in North Carolina plowed through their Southern Conference schedule with a 20-0 record. Davidson coach Bob McKillop told me all about a sophomore guard and miracle worker, Stephen Curry, right from the first time he set eyes on him.

McKillop, born in Queens and a real Long Islander in the way rock and roll star Billy Joel loves his Downeaster’ Alexa, was once the head varsity coach at Holy Trinity High School on Long Island. He was also my history teacher and the instructor of the very first sports administration course I was fortunate to take, “Sports in Society.” From 1977 and onward ‘til this day, McKillop is a mentor for many of us and the common denominator as the great sport of basketball forged a lifelong friendship and deep bond. We speak often. We text less.

When a TV viewer watches Davidson play a game, one sees a coach, hair turned Irish white, calmly coaxing the very best from his team. He is known by anyone and everyone in college basketball as perhaps the best coach in the whole shooting match. Just this week, Jeff Goodman – the highly respected college basketball reporter from Stadium – ranked McKillop as the No. 2 most under-rated coach in the game. I shook my head in wonder why he listed Kelvin Sampson, coach of the University of Houston (via Washington State, Oklahoma, Indiana (see five year show cause penalty), via Milwaukee Bucks assistant, via Houston Rockets assistant) as the No. 1 underrated.

All that time, as Sampson bounced around, McKillop was coaching and teaching his players at Davison College, first in obscurity down in the Southern Conference but then with brighter lights as his Wildcats joined the Atlantic 10.

This Fall, McKillop (71), will coach his 34th season and he’ll begin the year with a prior Basketball Hall of Fame nomination in his portfolio. But, in all that time and all the success (he’s one of only nine coaches in history to coach 1,000 games at one school), McKillop is no longer referred to as “Coach McKillop.” He’s been upgraded to become “Steph Curry’s coach,” and it’s a tag he wears proudly. The two men remain incredibly close, but McKillop has a knack of keeping in touch, forging that bond that he built with all of his past players and students who – over the years – become friends rather than pupils. In that area, McKillop works more 1,000 more miracles than Curry.

McKillop will be at the pivotal Game 5 of The Finals in San Francisco Monday night, watching live what he sees often on TV or DVR – Steph Curry dominating a basketball game, as that’s what happened on Friday night when his student of the game dropped 43 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists on the Boston Celtics in a 107-97 Golden State Warriors win at the TD Garden. The game tied the NBA Finals at 2-all, setting up a best-of-three to decide the 2022 NBA champion.

Curry shot 14-of-26, with 14-of-26 field goal shooting including 7-of-14 from downtown and an easy 8-for-9 at the line. Curry was nursing a sore foot, a condition suffered in Golden State’s Game 3 loss to the Celtics. Yet, at this time of the season, anyone and everyone still standing in the NBA postseason in banged-up.

“The heart on that man is incredible,” Warriors guard Klay Thompson said of Curry post Game 4. “The things he does, we kind of take for granted at times, to go out there and put us on his back.”

“He wasn’t letting us lose. That’s all it boils down to,” said Warriors veteran and mix-it-up man Draymond Green. “I could tell in his demeanor, last couple of days, even after Game 3 that he was going to come out with that kind of fire.”

That’s what McKillop saw when he first set eyes on Curry, in a game when Curry didn’t play well but kept his composure, looked his coach in the eyes and never complained or pointed a finger at another.

I was told in 2006 what McKillop told everyone. “Steph is something special.” That was out of ordinary for Coach McKillop as he rarely gushes over one single player and he never exaggerates.

When we sat in the Players’ Lounge area at the 2009 NBA Draft, McKillop wasn’t his coach anymore. Steph was joining the rest of us in having a trusted mentor in his corner, one that will tell you the truth, tell you how to be a better player, better person. Maybe, he’ll tell you something funny or a good story about something or someone he reconnected with on a recent scouting trip.

At the NBA Draft that year, and ever the worrier, I was concerned if Curry’s lack of size would catch-up with him in the big time NBA, where players are much bigger and stronger than at any college program. “Can he get his shot? Can he defend? Can he adjust? Can he handle the physical nature of the NBA?”

When the No. 5 and No. 6 pick came up that June 25, 2009 night at Madison Square Garden, and the Minnesota Timberwolves had not one but the next two selections in the NBA Draft, I was sure Curry would be packing his winter coat for Minneapolis.

Nope.

The Timberwolves selected Spain’s Ricky Rubio who came with legendary status and stories dating back to his teenage years, scoring and entertaining fans with a Pete Maravich-type flair. The Timberwolves’ need for a scoring guard was filled and Curry dropped from what many thought would be a Top 5 selection. But, then the shocker, with the No. 6 pick, Minnesota selected Syracuse guard Jonny Flynn. Incredible!

Stephen Curry fell right into the lap of the Golden State Warriors at No. 7. It was perfect for the Warriors, perfect for Curry and it became the cornerstone of a rare air dynasty in the NBA, anchored by Curry and built by GM Bob Myers, team president Rick Welts, all-star players Klay Thompson and Draymond Green and a host of others from the front office, to Ray Ridder and the PR department to the athletic training room. Add a strong collection of complimentary players and other stars like Kevin Durant and Andre Iguadola, and the wins began to flow, some 73 Dubs in the 2015-16 season when they fell short in the Finals (Cleveland Cavaliers, 4-games-to-3).

The architect who placed the cornerstone will remain his under-rated self when he sits in the stands for Game 5 of the 2022 NBA Finals at the brand new Chase Center in downtown San Francisco this Monday. It will mark the sixth time the Golden State Warriors will compete in the NBA Finals in an eight-year span. People will point in McKillop’s direction, and say, “That’s Steph Curry’s Coach.”

SOUTHERN MEN: The Tampa Bay Lightning are a home win away from advancing to the 2022 NHL Stanley Cup Final where they’d face the Colorado Avalanche. The Avs advanced via a 4-0 sweep of Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers.

Only the hopes of an Original Six New York Rangers team stands between a Final between the Avs and the Bolts – certainly not a bad match-up.

The Final will be fine, but the earlier rounds of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, arguably the greatest event for live viewing in all of sport, had a strange vibe to it for traditional ice hockey fans.

No Montreal Canadiens. Out went the Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins. No Philadelphia Flyers, Detroit Red Wings or Chicago Blackhawks to be found. In their place were the Carolina Hurricanes, the Florida Panthers, and the Nashville Predators.

The ice has tilted to the South and it’s an issue for the NHL as the times change.

TID-BITS: The Boston Red Sox own MLB’s best record since May 18th at 17-6 (.739) They’re 21-9 (.700) over their last 30 games and stand 12-4 (.750) in 16 road games since May 10th. … After a terrible start to the 2022 MLB season, the Red Sox have won eight of their last nine games, outscoring opponents 41-18 over that span.

Front Office Sports reports what might seem obvious to sports fans, sports organizations and TV executives, but the numbers remain impressive and worth a good look: The NFL is the most dominant property in television, leaving news, dramas, comedies and reality shows in its dust. Live NFL games accounted for 75 of the Top 100 most-watched TV programs in 2021. … With an average audience of 19.3 million across linear/digital platforms, NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” has reigned as prime time’s No. 1 TV show for a record 11 straight years.

TL’s SUNDAY SPORTS NOTEBOOK is brought to you by Digital Sports Desk and PGA TOUR Brunch. Subscriptions to PGA Tour Brunch or this missive are the perfect gift(s) for your friends or family members who love pro golf and sports, in general. Here’s a sample edition. CLICK HERE.

Celtics Dominate in Paint, Win 116-100

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While Tatum, Brown, Smart Score and Do Their Thing, Boston’s Robert Williams III Makes the Difference

By TERRY LYONS

BOSTON – Teams that are talented enough to make it to The NBA Finals have their superstar players, maybe three of them. Those players perform at high levels all season long, as every single game might mean a playoff berth and an edge in the all-important race for home court advantage, especially when criss-crossing East to West for The Finals.

For the Boston Celtics, it’s been Jayson Tatum and Jalen Brown, carrying the team with Tatum looking more and more like Kobe Bryant’s student and protege each and every night.

For the Golden State Warriors, it’s been their Splash Brothers, Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, although Thompson splished more than splashed when he tore his right Achilles and missed the entire 2020-21 NBA season, a good year to miss if there ever was one.

Quite a few NBA teams have their “regular season” stars. They register their share of points, rebounds and assists, maybe make The NBA All-Star Game at mid-year, but then crap-out at NBA Playoff time. We’ve seen it this spring, as good teams from Utah, Phoenix, Philadelphia, Brooklyn and Memphis didn’t have what it takes to progress through the rough and tumble NBA postseason.

Here in Boston, the Celtics were dealt a rough hand back in April, as their playoff journey was scheduled through a formidable but inconsistent Brooklyn Nets team, then two heavyweight and former NBA champs, requiring a set of skills and size to play as physical as it gets with Boston series wins over 2021 NBA champion Milwaukee (sans Kris Middleton) and then the Eastern Conference top seed, the Miami Heat.

While Tatum and Brown carried the Celtics, key elements of the 2022 Celtics’ personnel emerged. Let us count the ways:

  1. Center Al Horford stepped up to play the best basketball of his career in the September of his career.
  2. Guard Marcus Smart, in many ways, the backbone and spark to the Boston team, as he scored, defended and scrapped.
  3. The difference-maker, center Robert Williams III, returned from a knee injury and nursed his sore knees from April to June to create the secret weapon, the rim protector, the clutch defender and capable finisher, especially when an alley-oop dunk is concerned.

Williams was a risky No. 1 draft pick by the Celtics (GM Danny Ainge) when he fell to the 27th overall slot after two years at Texas A&M. Williams had a bit of a “rep” from college and he even missed his inaugural “introduction” media conference when the lines of communication were somehow crossed on his first day in Boston that June.

But what did Williams turn into?

Despite the injuries, he’s classified by NBA Coaches as a second team NBA All-Defensive player. His presence this spring lifted the Celtics as Williams guarded every player under the rafters, including Milwaukee MVP level superstar, 6-foot-11 Giannis Antetokounmpo and then Miami’s All-Star Bam Adebayo.

While Tatum and Brown earn and deserve their hefty paychecks, Tatum a supermax to be sure, the Celtics would not be in The 2022 NBA Finals if it weren’t for Robert Williams III. In fact, if it weren’t for Williams, the Celtics might be trailing by a game in these Finals instead of their current situation, leading 2-games-to-1 after a through and convincing 116-100 victory over the Golden State Warriors.

Just how and when did Williams make such a difference tonight?

In the first half, he scored only four points with four rebounds and two blocks. He finished the game with eight points, 10 rebounds, three steals and four blocked shots. Down the stretch, when the Warriors were applying pressure after outscoring Boston 33-25 in the third quarter, Williams stepped-up.

When the Warriors were within six points of the Celtics with 11:16 remaining, Williams grabbed a key defensive rebound. From there, he made his mark.

  1. At 10:41, Williams made a steal off of Curry’s bad pass.
  2. At 9:29, he recorded another steal off another bad pass from Curry, the Warriors’ 12th turnover.
  3. At 9:19, yet another steal of yet another Curry bad pass, the Warriors’ 13th turnover.
  4. At 9:11, a rebound and put-back to make it 102-91 Boston.
  5. At 8:53, Williams came up with a key defensive block against Curry.
  6. At 7:10 and 6:45, he controlled two rebounds, one on each end of the floor.
  7. At 3:52 he scored on an alley-top pass from Horford to extend the Celtics lead to 112-98.
  8. He grabbed another rebound at 3:34 and the Celtics’ victory was sealed.
  9. At 2:19, Ume Udoka subbed-in for all his starters and Williams took a well-deserved seat and victory.

“Yeah, it was huge,” said Udoka postgame. “Not only the shots that he did block — I think he got four tonight — but the ones he altered and his presence down there of course deters guys from driving. He was a big part of what we did. Staying big tonight, getting those 15 offensive rebounds and 22 second-chance points.

“So those were much needed. We want to try to impose our will and size in this series. It’s going to be a back-and-forth battle as far as that, but when we get nights like this from him and Al, obviously it pays dividends for us,” said the Celtics coach.

Never a basketball stat to rival points, rebounds and assists, Williams led the Celtics team in +/- with his +21, as he finished the game shooting 4-for-5, with 10 rebounds and eight points.

Flashing back to that summer night in June 2018, there’s not a chance Ainge, then coach, now GM Brad Stevens or current Celtics Coach Udoka thought Robert Williams III, drafted at age 20 and now 24 years old, would be a difference-maker in an NBA Finals game just four years later, providing a little help to the stars.

Oh yeah, Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 27 points and nine rebounds, Jayson Tatum scored 26 points and added nine assists and six rebounds while Marcus Smart added a significant 24 points, seven rebounds and five assists.

For Golden State, guard Steph Curry led all scorers with 31 points on 12-for-22 shooting. Draymond Green, an older and more experienced version of Williams III, minus the attitude and technicals fouls that come along with it, had two points and four rebounds. Green fouled out with 4:07 remaining in the game.

Studying that inside game and comparing the difference, Boston scored 52 points in the paint while the Warriors had only 26. Boston had a 47-31 edge on the boards.

Game 4 of the series is Friday night at Boston’s TD Garden.

NBA Finals: Game 3 Notebook

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BOSTON – (Staff Report from Official Stat Release by The NBA postgame) – The Boston Celtics took a 2-games-to-one edge in the 2022 NBA Finals. Game 3, a 116-100 Boston victory, was the first NBA Finals game in Boston since Game 5 of the 2010 NBA Finals between the Celtics and Lakers on June 13, 2010.

• Teams that win Game 3 in a 1-1 NBA Finals have gone on to win the series 82.1% of the time (32-7).

• Teams that lead the NBA Finals 2-1 have gone on to win the series 80.3% of the time (49-12).

• With their victory in Game 3, the Celtics improved to 7-0 after a loss in the 2022 NBA Playoffs. The Warriors have not lost consecutive games in this postseason either; they are 5-0 after a loss, including a victory in Game 2 of the NBA Finals.

• Boston’s Jaylen Brown (27 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists), Jayson Tatum (26 points, 6 rebounds, 9 assists) and Marcus Smart (24 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists) are the first trio of teammates to each have at least 20 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists in an NBA Finals game since the Los Angeles Lakers’ Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson and Michael Cooper against the Celtics on June 10, 1984.

• Boston’s Al Horford (11 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists) joined Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum and Marcus Smart in having at least 10 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. This is the first time that four players on the same team have reached those totals in an NBA Finals game since the Celtics’ Bill Russell, Sam Jones, K.C. Jones and John Havlicek against the Lakers on April 26, 1966.

• Golden State’s Stephen Curry made six three-pointers in Game 3. He has made at least five threes in three consecutive games, matching the longest streak in a single NBA Finals. Curry’s 18 threes in the series are tied for the most in any three-game span in a single NBA Finals.

• The Celtics’ Robert Williams III had eight points, 10 rebounds, four blocks and a career playoff-high three steals. The four blocks match his 2022 postseason high, set in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

Boston’s Veteran Center Al Horford Gets Back to Where He Once Belonged

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By TERRY LYONS

BOSTON – In the spring of 2007, Al Horford capped two NCAA Final Four basketball championships by being the third overall pick of the 2007 NBA Draft, selected by the Atlanta Hawks. Together with Florida Gators frontcourt-mate and fellow rim protector, Joakim Noah, and impressive collegiate scorer, Corey Brewer, Horford thought a trip to the Final Four was his birthright. After all, his father, “Tito” Horford had made it to the NBA, playing four years with a combination of the Milwaukee and Washington. Surely. there’d be plenty of success in the future.

Life in the NBA can have a cruel side. The money’s great but the competition is pretty tough. You’ve got the pay your dues if you wanna play the Bulls, and playoff shares for NBA Finalists don’t come easy.

Horford toiled for nine years with the Hawks and his team made the playoffs every year sans one, 2013-14, when he was injured. He bounced right back and played in 76 of 82 regular season games and all 16 of Atlanta’s playoff games as the East’s No. 1 seed that won enough to make the Eastern Conference Finals. Not quite enough, as the Hawks were swept away, 4-0, by LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

No NBA Finals for Big Al.

In the summer of 2016, Horford’s fortunes increased when he was signed to a multi-year contract by the Boston Celtics. In the spring of 2017, he played in 18 NBA Playoff games, again with the No. 1 seed in the East, but fell victim to James and the Cavaliers once again.

No NBA Finals for Big Al.

That cruel side of NBA life moved on and Horford signed with the Philadelphia 76ers in 2019 and later traded to Oklahoma City in 2020.

No Finals.

On June 18, 2021 Horford’s NBA destiny and legacy would change for the better once again. He was packaged by Oklahoma City in a deal for Kemba Walker and returned to Boston to anchor the front court.

On Friday night, June 3, Horford celebrated his 36th birthday a day after playing his 142nd playoff game and doing so in a “Star of the Game” role in Game 1 of the 2022 NBA Finals, a 120-108 Celtics road win against the Golden state Warriors.

Big Al led the Celtics in scoring with (26), including a 6-for-8 performance from three-point FG range. No NBA player had ever gone 141 playoff games without reaching the Finals and those six ‘threes’ were the most for any NBA player making his Finals debut. Two of the “threes” put the Celtics up 106-103 and 109-103 with about five minutes remaining in the game, and his 17-foot jumper at 3:40 in the fourth quarter made it 111-103 Boston, bolstering a 40-16 Celtics run in the final 12 minutes of the game. That’s not bad for a team that trailed by 15 late in the third quarter.

Horford’s eight important points keyed the Game 1 victory, but his offense is not what makes him such a valuable player for his team. Ask any Celtics player, coach or front office worker what Al Horford provides for the club and you’re likely to get the same answer.

“Phenomenal,” said Jaylen Brown of the Celtics. “That’s what we need. That’s what we want. We want that veteran leadership to carry us over. He came out for his first Finals game and played amazing. He carried us and led to a victory.

“His energy, his demeanor, coming in every day, being a professional, taking care of his body, being a leader, I’m proud to be able to share this moment with a veteran, a mentor, a brother, a guy like Al Horford, man,” added Brown after defeating Miami and earning g the Finals appearance for Horford. “He’s been great all season, really my whole career. I’m happy to be able to share this moment with somebody like him.”

What did Horford think?

It wasn’t about an offensive role, it was all about defense.

“Coach Udoka was very clear what he wanted us to be as a team, our identity, defensively, hang our hat on the defensive end,” said Big Al. “And on offense, play freely, use Jaylen and Jayson and just kind of just go. (Our team) understanding and buying into that – it took us a while – but I feel like once we started to understand how we needed to play, we became more consistent.

“This journey is not easy. We had a hard path. Brooklyn, Milwaukee, the defending champs, and Miami’s s a team that – look what they did – they took us to the brink.

“For our group it’s resiliency, it’s switching the page, moving on to the next thing, and we did that all season. I really noticed it, and I was telling this to JB (Brown), but it was like February, early February, that I just noticed how we started to click.

“People were like, ‘Well, you guys are beating teams that have guys out, guys are hurt and all these things,” and I was like, “It doesn’t matter, I’m seeing something different in how we’re playing. That’s how we’re just going to carry it on, and that’s what we’ve been doing.’”

Up 1-0 in The NBA Finals, the Celtics’ journey continues Sunday but there’s a long, long way to go. If you don’t believe that’s true, just ask Al Horford.
Al Horford (center) in his leadership role with Celtics (USA Today photo)

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | June 5

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By TERRY LYONS

BOSTON – In the spring of 2007, Al Horford capped two NCAA Final Four basketball championships by being the third overall pick of the 2007 NBA Draft, selected by the Atlanta Hawks. Together with Florida Gators frontcourt-mate and fellow rim protector, Joakim Noah, and impressive collegiate scorer, Corey Brewer, Horford thought a trip to the Final Four was his birthright. After all, his father, “Tito” Horford had made it to the NBA, playing four years with a combination of the Milwaukee and Washington. Surely. there’d be plenty of success in the future.

Life in the NBA can have a cruel side. The money’s great but the competition is pretty tough. You’ve got the pay your dues if you wanna play the Bulls, and playoff shares for NBA Finalists don’t come easy.

Horford toiled for nine years with the Hawks and his team made the playoffs every year sans one, 2013-14, when he was injured. He bounced right back and played in 76 of 82 regular season games and all 16 of Atlanta’s playoff games as the East’s No. 1 seed that won enough to make the Eastern Conference Finals. Not quite enough, as the Hawks were swept away, 4-0, by LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

No NBA Finals for Big Al.

In the summer of 2016, Horford’s fortunes increased when he was signed to a multi-year contract by the Boston Celtics. In the spring of 2017, he played in 18 NBA Playoff games, again with the No. 1 seed in the East, but fell victim to James and the Cavaliers once again.

No NBA Finals for Big Al.

That cruel side of NBA life moved on and Horford signed with the Philadelphia 76ers in 2019 and later traded to Oklahoma City in 2020.

No Finals.

On June 18, 2021 Horford’s NBA destiny and legacy would change for the better once again. He was packaged by Oklahoma City in a deal for Kemba Walker and returned to Boston to anchor the front court.

On Friday night, June 3, Horford celebrated his 36th birthday a day after playing his 142nd playoff game and doing so in a “Star of the Game” role in Game 1 of the 2022 NBA Finals, a 120-108 Celtics road win against the Golden state Warriors.

Big Al led the Celtics in scoring with (26), including a 6-for-8 performance from three-point FG range. No NBA player had ever gone 141 playoff games without reaching the Finals and those six ‘threes’ were the most for any NBA player making his Finals debut. Two of the “threes” put the Celtics up 106-103 and 109-103 with about five minutes remaining in the game, and his 17-foot jumper at 3:40 in the fourth quarter made it 111-103 Boston, bolstering a 40-16 Celtics run in the final 12 minutes of the game. That’s not bad for a team that trailed by 15 late in the third quarter.

Horford’s eight important points keyed the Game 1 victory, but his offense is not what makes him such a valuable player for his team. Ask any Celtics player, coach or front office worker what Al Horford provides for the club and you’re likely to get the same answer.

“Phenomenal,” said Jaylen Brown of the Celtics. “That’s what we need. That’s what we want. We want that veteran leadership to carry us over. He came out for his first Finals game and played amazing. He carried us and led to a victory.

“His energy, his demeanor, coming in every day, being a professional, taking care of his body, being a leader, I’m proud to be able to share this moment with a veteran, a mentor, a brother, a guy like Al Horford, man,” added Brown after defeating Miami and earning g the Finals appearance for Horford. “He’s been great all season, really my whole career. I’m happy to be able to share this moment with somebody like him.”

What did Horford think?

It wasn’t about an offensive role, it was all about defense.

“Coach Udoka was very clear what he wanted us to be as a team, our identity, defensively, hang our hat on the defensive end,” said Big Al. “And on offense, play freely, use Jaylen and Jayson and just kind of just go. (Our team) understanding and buying into that – it took us a while – but I feel like once we started to understand how we needed to play, we became more consistent.

“This journey is not easy. We had a hard path. Brooklyn, Milwaukee, the defending champs, and Miami’s s a team that – look what they did – they took us to the brink.

“For our group it’s resiliency, it’s switching the page, moving on to the next thing, and we did that all season. I really noticed it, and I was telling this to JB (Brown), but it was like February, early February, that I just noticed how we started to click.

“People were like, ‘Well, you guys are beating teams that have guys out, guys are hurt and all these things,” and I was like, “It doesn’t matter, I’m seeing something different in how we’re playing. That’s how we’re just going to carry it on, and that’s what we’ve been doing.’”

Up 1-0 in The NBA Finals, the Celtics’ journey continues Sunday but there’s a long, long way to go. If you don’t believe that’s true, just ask Al Horford.
Al Horford (center) in his leadership role with Celtics (USA Today photo)

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HERE NOW, THE NOTES: Chelsea went for some $3 billion, the Denver Broncos are on the market, valued at $3.8 billion, and attracting a list of buyers a mile high. Nike founder Phil Knight tossed his $2 billion into a pair of basketball shoes in an attempt to acquire the Portland Trail Blazers, on the market as part of the estate of the late Paul Allen of Microsoft fame.

The piggy bank broke when Los Angeles Clippers team owner, Donald Sterling, was banned from The NBA for racist remarks and conduct unbecoming an NBA franchise governor and his $12.5 million purchase in 1981 turned into a $2 billion sale of the Clippers in 2014.

Professional franchise valuations soared and in 2022, it’s a matter of what someone will pay to join an exclusive club of team owners for any sport.

DIAMOND DUST-UPs: With those incredible franchise valuations comes payroll, too, and Major League Baseball payrolls and the subsequent tax levied against clubs above the $230 million salary threshold have hit record numbers.

The Los Angeles Dodgers might as well change nicknames to the Los Angeles Dollars as the club’s Opening Day salary was an all-time high $310.6 million,. That resulted in a $47 million tax according to figures compiled by Major League Baseball and obtained by The Associated Press on Friday.

The New York Mets, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies and Boston Red Sox rounded-out the Top 5 of MLB teams over the threshold. The Phillies fired Joe Girardi, their manager of two years, as the club is mired in third place in the National League East, playing sub-.500 baseball at 23-29 (.442).

The Payroll Tax List: (Team, Opening Day Payroll, MLB Luxury Tax)

  1. Los Angeles Dodgers, $310.6m, $47m
  2. New York Mets, $289.3m, $22.5m
  3. New York Yankees, $261.4m, $7.6m
  4. Philadelphia Phillies, $233.1m, $629k
  5. Boston Red Sox, $232.3m, $466k

Meanwhile, Nashville is actively pursuing a Major League Baseball and a WNBA franchise, if and when they become available, most likely through expansion. The Tennessee city already has the NFL Titans and the NHL Predators.

We all used to love the Major League Baseball’s Game of the Week, one game on national TV (NBC) with Curt Gowdy and Tony Kubek on the broadcast. In the ‘60s, NBC paid some $6.1 million for 25 broadcasts and MLB tossed in some holidays, like Memorial Day, 4th of July and Labor Day. … Joe Garagiola took over for Gowdy at some point in the mid-60s. … On Saturday, June 4, there were four national “Games of the Week,” and that excludes the regular Boston broadcast of the Red Sox by regional sports network, NESN.

NBA IN SEATTLE? VEGAS? – As far as The NBA is concerned, the league has a franchise in Memphis and NBA Commissioner Adam Silver denied any active maneuvering to expand with a media inquiry about possible expansion to Seattle and/or Las Vegas coming Thursday night in Silver’s bi-annual State of the NBA address.

“Just to answer the first part of your question directly, that talk is not true,” said Silver of rumors of Seattle and Las Vegas. “At least maybe there are people talking who are not at the league office about us potentially expanding after the 2024 season.

“We are not discussing that at this time.

“As I said before, at some point, this league invariably will expand, but it’s not at this moment that we are discussing it. But one of the factors in expanding is the potential dilution of talent. … I find it remarkable that when you have the second-most-played sport in the world after soccer, tens of millions — now just talking on the NBA side — of young men playing in this game, and then you have the 450 best in the world in this league, that there’s a few of them who separate themselves even among those 450 as the very best of the best, but there is then a fall-off, a drop-off in talent after that.

“So expansion does create a certain amount of dilution. And even sort of adding another 30 players or so that are roughly comparable, there still are only so many of the truly top-tier super talents to go around. That is something on the mind of the other teams as we think about expansion.

“But those (Seattle/Vegas) are wonderful markets. Again, as I’ve said before, we were in Seattle. I’m sorry we are no longer there. We have a WNBA team in Seattle in an almost brand-new building that’s doing spectacular. And Las Vegas, where we will be at our Summer League in July, has shown itself to be a great sports market as well.

“We’ll be looking at it at some point, but there’s no specific timeline right now.”

Bradley Gets a Dad Break

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BOSTON – (Staff Report from Official Team News Release) – The Boston Red Sox placed outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr. on MLB’s paternity leave list and recalled outfielder Jarren Duran from Triple-A Worcester to fill his roster spot. Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom made the decision.

Bradley Jr., 32, recorded a season-high four RBI on Wednesday against the Cincinnati Reds, including a three-run triple in the eighth inning. The left-handed hitter is batting .227 (34-for-150) with 20 RBI in 48 games this season. Bradley has made 37 starts in right field and three in center field in 2022, leading major league right fielders in ultimate zone rating (4.2).

Duran, 25, has played in one game for Boston this season, going 1-for-4 with a triple and run scored on May 6 against the Chicago White Sox. The left-handed hitter is batting .314 (48-for-153) with a .916 OPS in 37 games for Worcester this season, recording 20 extra-base hits and stealing 11 bases.

Eovaldi Tosses Complete Game Gem

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Red Sox Defeat Baltimore, 5-3, in First of Saturday Twin Bill

BOSTON – I’ll take Baseball Wins & Losses for $500, Mayim.

This is the most important thing for a major league baseball club, like the 21-24 Boston Red Sox, when they’re playing a day-night double-header a few hours after blowing a 6-0 lead and losing to the last place Baltimore Orioles, 12-8?

What is, have your starting pitcher throw a complete game?

Is right.

Embed from Getty Images

Boston’s Nathan Eovaldi settled down to earn a 5-3 complete-game victory after he shook-off a 5th inning two-run home run by Baltimore catcher Robinson Chirinos which tied the early-bird first of a two games admission twin bill, 3-3. It was Eovaldi’s first complete game win of his career and one of only two CG the Red Sox pitching staff has enjoyed this season, the other by Nick Pivetta on May 18 (a 5-1 Boston win over Houston).

Eovaldi allowed seven hits, walked one and struck-out six while throwing 108 pitches (75 strikes) during his effort. Baltimore scored three runs, two earned and positioned the Sox bullpen for the evening game. Friday, Sox starter Garret Whitlock was spotted a 6-0 lead which was cut to 6-2 in the fourth inning, but was undermined by his relievers to the tune of 10 other runs scored from the 7th through 9th innings.

Today’s matinee was a different story, as Boston manager Alex Cora made a smart strategic play, having right-handed batter and first baseman Bobby Dalbec pinch hit for lefthand hitting starting first baseman Franchy Cordero to lead-off the 6th inning. Dalbec deposited a 397-foot, game-winning homer to right, giving Eovaldi the support he needed for the win.

Boston secured an insurance run in the 7th inning when designated hitter J.D. Martinez walked, shortstop Xander Bogaerts doubled and second baseman Christian Arroyo reached safely on an infield hit to score Martinez. Arroyo went 2-for-4 with a run scored, a double and RBI. Meanwhile, Sox third baseman, Rafael Devers went 4-for-5 to set his season high of hits in a single game to extend his MLB-leading collection of hits to (69).

Devers hammered a first inning single with a (106.1 mph) exit velocity, doubled in the 2nd inning with the ball leaving his bat at 97.1 mph and added two other hits, with his 5th inning single clocking NASA control towers at 107.5 mph. Devers leads the majors in hard-hit balls  with 84 clocking over 95 mph exit numbers.

The AL East cellar-dwelling Orioles fell to (19-28) and are (2-3) over this eight-game road trip. Baltimore is 7-17 on the road, going into the Saturday night tilt against the Sox (weather permitting). Baltimore pitchers have allowed 10+ hits in nine of their last 13 games, dating back to May 15th.

Keegan Akin (1-1) took the loss after pitching 2.1 innings and allowing two runs on two hits.