Online Destination for the Best in Boston Sports
BOSTON – (Staff Report from Official Team News Release) – The Boston Celtics said center Kristaps Porzingis underwent successful surgery to repair a torn retinaculum and dislocated posterior 
tibialis tendon. Porzingis is expected to return to play in 5-6 months.
Further medical updates will be provided as necessary, said the team in a brief statement.
BROOKLYN – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The second round of the 2024 NBA Draft tips-off tonight switching from Barclays Center in Brooklyn to ESPNS’s New York City studio. The second round will begin with the No. 31 pick, held by the Toronto Raptors.
With well-known names and unknown talents vying to be selected before the draft ends with the 58th pick, here are 10 prospects viewed as the top available players:
1. SG Johnny Furphy, Kansas
Australian late bloomer lacks pure strength but has the traits to be an-off-the-bench shooter at 6-foot-9 while he grows into his frame at age 19.
2. PG Tyler Kolek, Marquette
Not explosive enough to run by NBA on-ball defense but crafty with the vision to lead the second unit and dominate in pick-and-roll sets.
3. Kyle Filipowski, Duke
Fundamentally sound with the touch as a shooter to be a mismatch problem. NBA teams fear he’ll be in chase mode too often on defense.
4. SG Cam Christie, Minnesota
Lead guard with room for growth at 18, he’s more of a project than most shooting guards in this class but patience could be richly rewarded.
5. PF Bobi Klintman, Sweden
More mobile than given credit for, Klintman has size (6-9, 212) and the range to space the floor.
6. SG Justin Edwards, Kentucky
All the tools to take off in the right role, Edwards has a nearly 7-foot wingspan, giving him a foothold as a defensive stopper until his 3-point shot becomes more consistent.
7. Tyler Smith, G League Ignite
Southpaw shoots it well and at age 19 has enough upside to earn a spot because of his potent finishing skills.
8. PG Juan Nunez, Spain
From the Ricky Rubio mold of pass-first point guards with a slick handle and creativity, Nunez lacks the mid-range game and jump shot to be more than a backup for now.
9. SF Kevin McCullar Jr., Kansas
Competitive and experienced, McCullar isn’t elite in any single area. His value is versatility, particularly consistent rebounding and defense for his 6-7, 212-pound frame.
10. SG Pelle Larsson, Arizona
A gamer who makes winning basketball plays and decisions. Size and savvy are Larsson’s calling cards, even if he didn’t test exceptionally well or finish with ease against NBA bigs.
–Field Level Media
BROOKLYN – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Atlanta holds the top pick in the 2024 NBA Draft and even the Hawks were not clear how that card might be played tonight.
Drafting in the top three for the first time since selecting Luka Doncic at No. 3 in 2018, the Hawks are hopeful they can turn their good fortune in the draft lottery order into something long-lasting. Atlanta finished 10th in the Eastern Conference and had only a 3 percent chance of winning the lottery and picking first. But now that general manager Landry Fields has the keys to the draft, he’s not planning to cede control or trade the pick.
“The more that we uncover, like we go, great, I’m glad we have No. 1. I keep joking around like I’m not giving it back,” said Fields, who was promoted to general manager in 2022. “So, I think we’re in a really good position here. I’m excited about it, frankly.”
Media pundits are not as excited about the crop of talent some have described as the worst in a decade or more.
Consensus from NBA evaluators place two French stars near the top of the draft board one year after the San Antonio Spurs drafted Victor Wembanyama No. 1 overall.
Alexandre Sarr and Zaccharie Risacher are narrowly ahead of Kentucky sharpshooter Reed Sheppard and UConn 7-foot-2 center Donovan Clingan, but at least six players are thought to be in the running for the No. 1 spot one day before the draft.
“We’re planning on picking No. 1,” Fields said of his constant contact with NBA trade suitors.
The NBA moved to a two-day draft format in the first change since adopting the current structure in 1989. The first round is Wednesday in Brooklyn with picks 1-30 announced before restarting the event Thursday night with the 31st selection. There are only 58 total picks in the 2024 draft because of the Nets and Suns being docked second-rounders for rules violations.
Washington won 21 fewer games than Atlanta but holds the No. 2 pick with needs at almost every position and draft lottery mainstay Houston sits third. The Wizards haven’t had a pick this high in the draft since 2010 when John Wall was the top pick out of Kentucky, two years before Washington added Bradley Beal with the No. 3 pick in 2012.
Wizards general manager Will Dawkins said he doesn’t “agree with the narrative” that the 2024 draft class lacks talent at the top. He said after 30 visits with prospects and private workouts, about 10 players remained in the conversation to be considered at No. 2.
The Rockets reportedly are higher on Clingan than most but also met privately with Sheppard and multiple other big men. Houston’s pick is part of the franchise’s return for trading James Harden to the Brooklyn Nets.
A countryman to pair with Wembanyama could be an option for the Spurs, who select fourth and also have the No. 8 pick via trade from Toronto. Another 7-footer, Sarr spent last season in the Australian Basketball League after playing for Overtime Elite the two previous seasons. He has high-end mobility and athleticism for his size but isn’t on Wembanyama’s level as a shooter or creator on the offensive end.
Risacher is 6-9 and skilled in almost every facet of the game, earning high marks for his range and perimeter shooting with plus defensive ratings propped up by a 7-foot wingspan.
Sheppard has drawn comparisons to Steve Nash, but he was primarily a shooter in his only season at Kentucky, where his father helped the 1990s Wildcats achieve great success. Sheppard is a hair under 6-foot-4 but flashed a surprising 40-inch vertical and lateral agility at the draft combine to solidify his standing in the lottery.
Clingan’s UConn teammate Stephon Castle was praised for his versatility in his one season with the Huskies. At 6-6, he has point guard skills and dynamic traits as a defender.
Brian Wright has been GM of the Spurs since 2019 and said he’ll never deviate from the best-player-available strategy unless other means to improve the roster — such as packaging picks for a veteran — steers San Antonio away from its momentous youth movement.
Sarr’s older brother, Olivier, was one of 14 French-born players in the NBA last season and has played for the Thunder the past three seasons.
Wembanyama was never on the same team as Alexandre Sarr, but said his rapid improvement is a result of his “crazy talent.”
Behind the Spurs, the Detroit Pistons are set to draft fifth. New VP of basketball operations Trajan Langdon said he’s drawn to edgy and competitive athletes to complement 2021 No. 1 pick Cade Cunningham. This is the third consecutive draft in which Detroit enters with the No. 5 pick.
One year removed from picking No. 2 and 3, Charlotte is in the No. 6 spot and Portland at No. 7 plus the final selection of the lottery, No. 14.
Memphis (ninth), Utah (10th), Chicago (11th), Oklahoma City (12th via Houston) and Sacramento (13th) all hold picks as a result of the lottery or trades.
–Field Level Media
BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – With a Game 5 win on Monday night the Celtics sealed the NBA title, but Boston had actually been waiting for this moment for over a decade. Just over five years after the Celtics claimed their 17th championship, Boston went into a complete rebuild on June 28, 2013, trading franchise centerpieces Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for a package that included role players and draft picks.
What followed was a stretch of nearly 11 years that featured ups and downs, plenty of change and a constant belief that Banner 18 was always just one season away.
Two of the draft picks in the Brooklyn deal ended up turning into Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, drafted third overall in 2016 and 2017, respectively. The Celtics decided to build around the duo, and it ended up being the right choice.
But before the arrival of Brown and Tatum, Boston went through the 25-57 2013-14 campaign that featured Jeff Green as the frontman. Then a 5-foot-9 Isaiah Thomas came to town and started to establish himself as “The Little Guy,” in the words of the late Tommy Heinsohn.
Those teams may not have realized it at the time, but they were laying the foundation for something special.
Once Brown’s rookie season rolled around, the Celtics were really starting to look like contenders. Thomas averaged 28.9 points per game during the 2016-17 season, leading Boston to its first Eastern Conference finals appearance since 2012.
The Celtics came up short but proceeded to load up the following offseason, trading for Kyrie Irving and signing Gordon Hayward. Even though Hayward fractured his left tibia just minutes into his Boston debut, the Celtics ended up returning to the East finals, where they fell to the Cleveland Cavaliers in seven games.
From there, Boston overcame a fallout with Irving and an underwhelming two seasons with Kemba Walker running the point to punch its ticket to the Finals in 2022. Heartbreak was again in the cards, though, as the Golden State Warriors raised the coveted Larry O’Brien Trophy after beating the Celtics in six games.
After getting bounced in the Eastern Conference finals once more a year ago, Boston went all in.
The Celtics parted ways with fan favorite Marcus Smart, considered by many to be the heart and soul of the team, to acquire Kristaps Porzingis via trade, and they also made a deal with the Portland Trail Blazers to bring in point guard Jrue Holiday.
Those moves paid off, and now a league-record 18th banner will be raised this fall.
While this year’s team was the one that broke a 16-year title drought, Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla is forever thankful for Green, Thomas, Smart and every other player that checked in for Boston over the past 11 seasons.
“I think the most important thing, something that’s really been going through my mind throughout this process, is you can’t lose sight of the people that came before us,” Mazzulla said. “And I want to make sure every person that’s worked for the Celtics, that’s played for the Celtics that didn’t win, knows that their work and what they have done has not gone unnoticed
“It can be so easy when you work for this organization and you don’t win that the work that people put in just gets brushed over or gets ignored. … So I think that’s one of the first things that came to mind, was just because we won this doesn’t mean what the people have done before us isn’t just as important.”
Through everything over the past seven years, Brown and Tatum have been the one constant.
“We’ve been through a lot, the losses, the expectations,” Brown said. “The media have said all different types of things: We can’t play together, we are never going to win.
“We heard it all. But we just blocked it out, and we just kept going. I trusted him. He trusted me. And we did it together.”
Brown was named Finals MVP. He averaged 20.8 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.0 assists in the series, and Tatum quickly shot down any notions of him being jealous of his co-star.
“Extremely happy for him. This is a hell of an accomplishment,” Tatum said. “The main goal for us was to win a championship. We weren’t — we didn’t care who got Finals MVP.”
The Celtics traveled to Miami on Tuesday to celebrate for a bit before returning to Boston for their championship parade on Friday morning. And if all goes to plan, Celtics fans should get used to lining the streets and watching the city’s duck boats roll by.
“I think we definitely have a window,” Brown said. “We take it one day at a time. We definitely have to make sure we stay healthy. But, you know, we’ll enjoy the summer, enjoy the moment, and then we get right back to it next year.”
– Field Level Media
BOSTON – (Staff and wire Service Report) – Forward Jayson Tatum dominated with 31 points and 11 assists as the Boston Celtics locked up their league-record 18th championship with a 106-88 blowout of the Dallas Mavericks on Monday night in Game 5 of the 2024 NBA Finals.
Tatum also had eight rebounds while teammate Jaylen Brown added 21 points, eight boards and six assists for Boston, which celebrated the 16th anniversary of its previous title by completing a 16-3 playoff run. The Celtics defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2008 Finals, and those two teams shared the league record with 17 championships apiece before Monday.
Jrue Holiday had 15 points and 11 rebounds and Derrick White chipped in 14 points as Boston wrapped up the best-of-seven series on its home court.
Luka Doncic paced the Mavericks with 28 points and 12 boards, but he committed seven turnovers. Kyrie Irving finished with 15 points and nine assists for Dallas, and Josh Green netted 14 points.
After Dallas called a timeout with 3:11 left in the second quarter, trailing by 11 points, Boston completely broke the game open.
The Celtics scored 17 of the next 24 points, six of which came from Brown. Boston reserve guard Payton Pritchard capped the outburst in jaw-dropping fashion, canning a 49-foot heave from beyond half-court at the buzzer to send Boston into the break with a 67-46 lead.
Holiday’s layup pushed the Celtics’ lead to 78-52 with 9:10 to go in the third quarter. Green then converted a putback and knocked down a 3-pointer as part of a 10-2 run that got the Mavericks within 80-62.
Dallas later got the deficit down to 17, but Boston took an 86-67 lead into the fourth.
The Celtics were on top by at least 18 the rest of the way.
A three-point play from Tatum put the Celtics up 46-31 with 7:08 remaining in the first half, but Dallas then took over down low. The Mavericks scored all of their points in the paint during an 8-2 spurt to get within nine before Al Horford stemmed the tide with a hard-nosed layup.
Horford’s bucket came just before the Mavericks’ timeout that preceded Boston’s game-changing run.
Boston came to life in the final 1:39 of the first quarter, ripping off nine unanswered points to take a 28-18 lead into the second.
The Celtics wound up shooting 42.7 percent from the floor. Dallas shot 44.9 percent overall but was outscored by 10 points at the foul line and committed 13 turnovers to Boston’ nine.
– Field Level Media
Celtics’ Defense Closes Out Dallas, 106-88, to Earn Title
BOSTON – (Staff Report) – As NBA Commissioner Adam Silver performed his most important job function of the year 2024, he was able to say something to the Boston Celtics’ team, its management and fans that has never been stated to any team in the history of the League.
Said Silver as he presented the iconic gold Larry O’Brien Trophy, “this is for the Celtics’ NBA record 18th championship.”
No other NBA franchise can say that!
Banner 18.
The Celtics closed-out the 2024 NBA Finals with a 106-88 defensive masterpiece to take the Finals in five games. Surprisingly, the game and the title were decided in the very first quarter as Boston held Dallas’ five-time All-NBA forward Luka Doncic to five points while shutting down Mavericks All-Star point guard, Kyrie Irving, to zero points and one assist as Boston established a 28-18 lead. A lead they’d never relinquish.
Boston countered with a balanced first quarter score sheet with guard Jrue Holiday and forward Jaylen Brown leading the Celtics with six points, each, while guard Derrick White added five points, NBA All-Star Jayson Tatum had four points, three rebounds and four assists and veteran center Al Horford added three points with his patented and reliable long distance shooting.
The balanced scoring set the tone, and Boston’s team defense held Doncic to single figures (nine points) in the first half. He finished with 28 points on 12-for-25 shooting, including a low 2-for-9 from long distance. Irving finished with 15 points on 5-of-16 shooting with 3-of-9 from three-point land.
Boston increased its lead to 26 points (61-35) at the half and coasted to victory as Dallas shots fell short and both teams’ energy level dropped from utter exhaustion. Throughout the game, there were no lead changes and no ties.
Brown finished Game 5 with a solid 21 points, eight rebounds and six assists, but struggled from the field, shooting 7-of-23.
Oft-injured center Kristaps Porzingis was able to give his team effort of 16 minutes of playing time, contributing five points and rebound, much to the delight of the 19,158 sold out TD Garden crowd.
Developing Story …
BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – If any player knows how badly the Boston Celtics want to close out the Mavericks in Game 5 of the NBA Finals on Monday night, it’s Dallas guard Kyrie Irving.
Irving spent two seasons with Boston (2017-19), but he’s been a villain in the eyes of Celtics fans since leaving to sign with the Brooklyn Nets in the summer of 2019. Chants ragging on Irving frequently echoed throughout TD Garden in Games 1 and 2 — a pair of Mavericks losses — before Boston hit the road and came out of Dallas with a 3-1 lead in the series.
And with the Celtics now knocking on the door of the 18th title in franchise history, Irving has seemingly found peace with his place in Boston history as he prepares to return to a hostile environment.
“Now being older with hindsight looking back, I definitely would have taken time to know the people in the community and talked to some of the champions that have come before me,” Irving told reporters on Sunday. “They have championship pedigree here. … They expect you to seamlessly buy into the Celtics’ pride, buy into everything Celtics.
“And if you don’t, then you’ll be outed. I’m one of the people that’s on the outs. I’m perfectly fine with that, you know what I mean. I did it to myself.”
But the Celtics greats of years past are the last thing on Boston coach Joe Mazzulla’s mind.
Mazzulla was asked how special it would be to join coaches such as Red Auerbach, Bill Russell and K.C. Jones as those to lead a Celtics team to a championship. Without hesitation, he immediately shifted the focus to Game 5.
“That will never happen if you don’t run back on defense, rebound, execute and get to your spacing,” Mazzulla said. “That’s the most important thing.”
Boston lacked those fundamentals on Friday, failing to put the Mavericks away while ending up on the wrong end of a 122-84 blowout in Game 4.
Jayson Tatum finished with a team-high 15 points for the Celtics, and he’s hoping that Boston rediscovers the brand of basketball that has led it to 79 wins in 100 games between the regular season and playoffs here in 2023-24.
“I think we maybe put too much pressure on ourselves at that moment to be perfect or think it was going to go how we wanted it to go,” Tatum said of why the Celtics came up short on Friday. “Joe did a great job (Sunday) of reminding us that it’s OK to smile during wars. It’s OK to have fun during high-pressure moments. That’s what makes our team unique and special.”
Luka Doncic went for 29 points and Irving supplied 21 on Friday to keep Dallas’ season alive. The Mavericks are trying to become the first team in NBA history to overcome a 3-0 deficit in a best-of-seven series.
Teams are 0-156 when losing the first three games of a series.
“I think the most important thing is to show that we believe,” Doncic said. “I think we showed in Game 4. If not, if we wouldn’t believe, we probably wouldn’t have won that game. So I think obviously the talk is easy to talk about it, but then showing it is another thing.”
The stars could be aligning for Boston, though, as Monday marks the 16-year anniversary of the Celtics’ 2008 title. Boston hasn’t gone all the way since.
– Field Level Media
DALLAS – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Luka Doncic wasn’t going to let the Dallas Mavericks go down quietly. With Dallas facing a 3-0 deficit in the NBA Finals, Doncic rose to the occasion and led the Mavericks to a 122-84 shellacking of the Boston Celtics on Friday night in Game 4 on his home court.
Doncic went for 29 points, five assists, five rebounds and three steals, a performance that virtually erased a fourth-quarter collapse in Game 3 that subjected the Dallas star to scrutiny from media across the country.
In that game, the Mavericks trailed by 21 following a Derrick White 3-pointer with 11:07 left in the game before mounting a feverish rally that got them within 93-90 with 6:11 to go. But with 4:12 remaining, Doncic stepped in front of Jaylen Brown to try and draw a charge and was called for a blocking foul — his sixth personal.
Dallas challenged the call, which stood, sending Doncic to the bench for the remainder of the contest. Doncic committed four of his fouls in the final quarter.
BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Boston Celtics are reportedly considering moving Jeff Van Gundy from his senior consultant role to one courtside, but they may not be alone in a desire for Van Gundy’s services.
While the Celtics are exploring making Van Gundy an assistant coach, the Los Angeles Clippers are reportedly interested in doing the same, according to NBA reporter Marc Stein, via Substack.
Stein reported Friday that the Clippers have a “strong interest” in Van Gundy as an assistant coach, and that L.A. has “a strong chance at succeeding in that pursuit after the NBA Finals are complete.”
Clippers coach Tyronn Lue is already very familiar with Van Gundy, having been coached by Van Gundy on the Houston Rockets in 2004. The two were also together on the Team USA staff at the 2023 FIBA World Cup.
The Celtics are likely eager to keep Van Gundy on board. Boston coach Joe Mazzulla has sung the praises of Van Gundy’s work using a “non-biased perspective” to help the organization.
Additionally, the Celtics already know they’ll lose top assistant Charles Lee, who accepted the head coaching position with the Charlotte Hornets, and could lose veteran assistant Sam Cassell, who has been interviewed for multiple head coaching openings.
The Celtics can claim a record 18th NBA title if they win Friday night’s Game 4 against the Dallas Mavericks.
Van Gundy, 62, compiled a 430-318 record as head coach of the New York Knicks and the Rockets.
–Field Level Media
DALLAS – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston’s Jayson Tatum poured in 31 points and Jaylen Brown supplied 30 as the Celtics held off a late rally by the Dallas Mavericks for a 106-99 victory on Wednesday night in Game 3 of the NBA Finals.
By taking a commanding 3-0 lead in the series, Boston pulled within one victory of its 18th title in franchise history. The Celtics will have a chance to complete the sweep on Friday when they face the Mavericks in Dallas for Game 4.
Tatum bounced back on Wednesday after combining for just 34 points in Games 1 and 2. Brown added eight rebounds and eight assists for Boston, which also got 16 points from Derrick White. Big man Kristaps Porzingis (lower leg) didn’t play after getting injured in the third quarter of Game 2.
Like Tatum, Kyrie Irving made up for a lackluster showing in each of the first two games of the series, and he paced the Mavericks with a game-high 35 points. Luka Doncic went for 27 points, six boards and six assists, but he dealt a critical blow to Dallas’ comeback hopes by fouling out with 4:12 left in the game.
The Mavericks challenged the foul on Doncic, but the call stood, forcing him from the game.
It looked like the game was over when White drilled a 3-pointer with 11:07 left in the fourth quarter to put the Celtics up 91-70.
But Dallas then took over, rattling off 28 of the next 37 points to get within 100-98 following a Dereck Lively II dunk with 1:20 to go.
Brown made sure Boston never let the Mavericks draw even, though, and his mid-range jumper at the top of the key made it a four-point game with 1:01 remaining. P.J. Washington and Irving both missed 3-point attempts down the stretch before two free throws from White and two more from Tatum put the finishing touches on the victory.
Doncic’s layup had the Mavericks within six, 71-65, with 5:11 left in the third quarter. The Celtics answered with a 7-0 spurt and later took an 85-70 lead into the fourth.
After Dallas led by as many as 13 in the opening 12 minutes, neither team led by more than four in the second quarter. The first half ended with the Mavericks clinging to a 51-50 edge behind 20 points from Irving.
Boston outshot Dallas 46.3 percent to 44.2 percent for the game.
– Field Level Media