Digital Sports Desk

Online Destination for the Best in Boston Sports

NBA Finals: Coach Joe Preaches

by

BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – With a long wait for the NBA Finals begin, Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla made it known that there is one storyline he will not delve into any further in the days before Game 1, scheduled for this Thursday.

The relationship between Celtics stars Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum has been analyzed for years. Brown is Boston’s former No. 3 overall pick in 2016 out of Cal, and Tatum was selected No. 3 overall from Duke a year later.

The draft pick slots were acquired through a pair of savvy trades by the Celtics’ front office and have restored a winning culture to a legendary franchise, but drama has followed the duo since they were paired together in the NBA.

While talk of the fractured dynamic has slowed somewhat in recent years, Mazzulla was asked about it potentially being a talking point before Game 1 when the Dallas Mavericks visit Boston.

“I’m kind of (considering) how deep I want to get into that because the whole thing about that really (angers me),” Mazzulla said at a news conference Friday. “I think it’s unfair to both of them and I think it’s stupid that people have to use those two guys’ names and use information they don’t know to create click bait so that they can stay relevant.”

The Brown-Tatum duo has never missed the playoffs. In fact, they have led Boston to the Eastern Conference finals in five of the past seven seasons and into the NBA Finals this season and in 2022, when they fell to the Golden State Warriors.

A bruising forward with long-distance shooting range, Tatum has finished at least sixth in NBA MVP voting in each of the past three seasons. Brown, an All-Star in three of the past four seasons, is a scoring guard who has averaged at least 20 points in each of the past five seasons.

“It’s very unfair that those two get compared,” Mazzulla said. “They’re two completely different people, two completely different players. They’re great teammates, they love each other and they go about winning and they go about their process in a different way. So why they have to be lumped together I think is unfair and people just use it for their own (relevance).”

[Read more…] about NBA Finals: Coach Joe Preaches

Tigers Get Four in 10th to Win

by

BOSTON – Detroit’s Wenceel Perez had three hits and scored twice while Javier Baez drove in two key insurance runs for the Tigers, who rattled off a four-run 10th inning to finish off a come-from-behind, 8-4 win over the Boston Red Sox on a gorgeous Sunday afternoon at Fenway Park.

Embed from Getty Images

Baez hit a two-run single that highlighted the go-ahead inning against Boston reliever Cam Booser (0-2), helping Detroit salvage a four-game series split.

Riley Greene, Matt Vierling and Carson Kelly all had two hits apiece as part of Detroit’s 14-hit effort. Andrew Chafin (1-1) recorded the last four outs to earn the win.

After Detroit climbed out of a 3-0 deficit with four straight runs between the fifth and seventh innings, Boston’s Rafael Devers hit a game-tying solo shot off Alex Faedo in the eighth, clearing the Green Monster in left-center field.

In the ninth, after a Rob Refsnyder two-out single through the right side and back-to-back walks issued by two Detroit relievers, Connor Wong’s deep fly ball was caught in right to force extras.

Mark Canha’s infield single started the Tigers’ go-ahead rally in the 10th. Ibanez’s pinch-hit double inside the third base line made it 5-4 before Baez stroked a two-run, two-out single to left and Kelly doubled off the Monster to add insurance.

Devers and Jarren Duran were both 2-for-4 for Boston.

Boston struck first as Enmanuel Valdez knocked a two-out RBI single into center. Wilyer Abreu’s one-out double sparked the rally.

The Red Sox built a 3-0 lead with single runs in each of the early innings.

In the second, back-to-back singles by David Hamilton and Jarren Duran allowed Boston to double its lead. Duran ripped a liner back past Tigers starter Casey Mize (four innings, five hits, two earned runs) on the mound to make it 2-0.

A leadoff walk to Dominic Smith and a Devers triple deep into the right field corner added the third Red Sox run in the third.

Boston starter Brayan Bello allowed just two hits across the first four innings and finished 6 1/3, but Detroit got on the board in a three-hit fifth which began with an Urshela double to center and Akil Baddoo single through the right-side hole. Urshela scored the first run on a wild pitch.

Urshela hit a sacrifice fly that helped get the Tigers within 3-2 in the sixth.

After back-to-back singles with one out in the seventh ended Bello’s day, Detroit flipped the score for the first time at 4-3 on Perez’s double and a Canha groundout. Bello was charged with four runs on eight hits, with three walks and five strikeouts.

One of Boston’s ninth-inning walks was drawn by Springfield, Mass., native Jamie Westbrook, who was making his MLB debut after spending more than a decade in the minor leagues.

–Field Level Media

PGA Tour: MacIntyre Win in Canada

by

HAMILTON 🇨🇦  – Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre won his first PGA Tour event by shooting 2-under par 68 for a one-stroke victory in the RBC Canadian Open on Sunday at Hamilton Golf & Country Club in Ontario.

Embed from Getty Images

MacIntyre, a left-hander who earned his PGA Tour card via the DP World Tour Race to Dubai rankings, finished at 16-under 264.

Ben Griffin, who was in the final pairing with MacIntyre and also vying for his first title on the tour, had a late rally with three straight birdies, but was unable to sink a putt from the fringe on the last hole. His 65 left him 15 under.

When MacIntyre made the turn, he held a four-stroke lead with six golfers sharing second place. But this tournament had been far from decided, not to mention MacIntyre’s apparent irritation because of noise stemming from a drone from CBS equipment.

Griffin, who was among a group in second place entering the round, had a strange day, with a birdie on the par-4 third hole after his tee shot settled on the seventh fairway. He recovered then, but he had all pars until birdies on Nos. 15, 16 and 17. The putt on the 16th green was from nearly 40 feet.

Third-place finisher Victor Perez of France shot a bogey-free 64, capped by a birdie putt on the final hole.

When Perez finished, MacIntyre had four holes left and only a one-stroke edge. He immediately birdied No. 15 to go up two, with Griffin joining Perez at 14 under.

South Korea’s Tom Kim and Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy made charges with 64s to share fourth place at 13 under and Canada’s Corey Conners (65) was sixth at 12 under.

MacIntyre’s lead grew to five shots after a birdie on No. 11. But by the time he bogeyed the next two holes, Kim and McIlroy had wrapped up their rounds to sit just two shots back.

While Canada’s Mackenzie Hughes moved into contention by late Saturday, it was Conners who made a strong push in the final round in an effort for a Canadian to win the event for the second straight year. Nick Taylor won the event last year, but didn’t make the cut this weekend.

Conners had four straight birdies from Nos. 11-14, moved closer with a birdie on No. 17 before closing with a bogey. Hughes (70) finished in a tie for seventh at 10 under.

Kim opened the final round with three consecutive birdies and moved to 6 under for the day through 12 holes.

Griffin and Maverick McNealy (65), who tied for seventh, were the only U.S. golfers to finish inside the top 10.

–Field Level Media

TL’s Sunday Notes | #Grateful4Bill

by

By TERRY LYONS, Editor of Digital Sports Desk

BOSTON – The first thing I thought when I heard the terrible Memorial Day news of Bill Walton’s death was of Bill’s wonderful wife, Lori. Then, a flashback, worthy of an Orson Welles Hollywood movie. It came from two summers ago at a Basketball Hall of Fame press conference at Mohegan Sun when Bill and Lori sauntered into the auditorium just as the function began. Bill, ever so politely, asked me to scoot over a bit so the three of us could sit together in a comfortable booth on the venue’s concourse floor. A perfect vantage point.

After all the many years of working with the NBA and alongside of the best of the best in commissioners, executives, coaches, players and media, it meant so much that BILL WALTON felt comfortable enough, welcome enough and secure in our friendship to sit right down and join little old me.

That flashback quickly dissolved into a highlight film, mostly of a player in UCLA Bruins Blue and Gold, but a little highlight reel of two Celtics – Bill and Larry Bird – in Green and White. The UCLA segment first, of course, reelin’ in the years of the famed 21-of-22 FG performance. It was Walton’s greatest game – the 1973 NCAA national championship against Memphis State. Walton, UCLA’s starting center, was in foul trouble in the first half, but went on to score 44 points on 21-for-22 shooting, while he grabbed 13 rebounds, had two assists and a blocked shot in UCLA’s 87-66 victory. It was the school’s ninth title in 10 years.

Fast forward a year, and the Red and White of North Carolina State and David Thompson eeked into the picture, defeating Walton’s Bruins in the NCAA championship of 1974.

In between, on January 26, 1974, John Shumate, Adrian Dantley and Gary Brokaw’s Notre Dame team ended UCLA’s 88-game winning streak with a 71-70 victory in South Bend, Indiana. It was a devastating loss for Walton’s Bruins as they’d drop two more regular season games, their lost weekend of February 15-16, 1974, losing at Oregon State and Oregon on consecutive nights. The NC State game would be their fourth loss vs. 26 wins.

Walton went 86-4 (30-0; 30-0; 26-4) in his college career. If you add the two title-winning seasons, the first 13 games of his senior season at UCLA, his season on the Bruins’ freshman team, and his final two varsity seasons at Helix High School in La Mesa, Walton owned a personal 142-game winning streak.

That thought brought me back to reality and the need to reckon with the fact I’d never see Bill again. The stream of ESPN 30-for-30s airing on my TV screen in tribute further proved the point. The rest of my days, my memories of Bill Walton – playing basketball, talking basketball, talking music or politics or the injustices in this world – would need to air on the reel-to-reel in my mind, tucked right next to the music of the late Jerry Garcia and long ago memories of the Grateful Dead.

Bill and Lori Walton Celebrating Robert Parish – “Hail to the Chief” at TD Boston Garden’s “Tradition” with yours truly (Photo by Steve Lipofsky)

I woke up on May 28, hoping it was a bad dream.

It wasn’t.

Bill Walton’s name sat atop the trending topics of Yahoo news and X. The story of his death was summed up by CBS’ Dana Jacobson in a classy segment on the CBS Morning show. Dan Patrick did a terrific job relaying his feelings for Walton , a frequent guest on the morning radio show, while past appearances of Walton as a guest tied a bow around the three-hour show.

As usual, ESPN’s Jay Bilas had the most compelling commentary, noting Bill would always call him “Jake,” rather than Jay and he wore that like a badge of honor from his basketball idol. Bilas noted he had a list of two people who were welcome in any room at any time and in any situation. Two people who always raised the fun-factor and made everyone smile or laugh when they came on the scene – (former Seton Hall Coach and current college basketball commentator) Bill Raftery and Bill Walton.

Reality kept setting in. It was honest heartache, a feeling of depression and funk, a feeling that I could not shake, although I did my best to “Shake it, Shake it, Sugaree.”

Bill was gone. He’ll be blessed as they play him off to “Fire on the Mountain.” This tribute will bring you right there. It will also bring his friends to tears. MUST WATCH

“Long distance runner, what you holdin’ out for?

Caught in slow motion in a dash for the door

The flame from your stage has now spread to the floor

You gave all you had, why you wanna give more?

The more that you give, the more it will take

To the thin line beyond, which you really can’t fake

Fire! Fire on the mountain

Fire! Fire on the mountain.” – by Mickey Hart and Robert Hunter

ESPN’s art for the three episode 30-for-30 on Bill Walton (ESPN)

Where do we go from here?

As Patrick said as he began his radio show, Bill would never want to be the subject of his friends and family being stuck in a funk, carrying on or crying. He’d prefer we celebrate the fact he was the self-proclaimed luckiest man in the world.

He is. He was. He always will be just that, because Bill will ride off to the sunset, locked in our minds, dancing his way to the next show as “Fire on the Mountain” plays him through the backstage to the exit ramp.

Just from reading all the wonderful tributes written to and about Bill this past week, all of them with the common theme of how he was truly unique, one of one, spirited, generous, and a hundred other wonderful characteristics, there’s still a funky void left in the life of everyone who knew him – and there are thousands of his disciples.

Maybe it’s from the shock. No one in my considerable circle had heard Bill was deathly sick with cancer. He kept it tight. Many had seen him at the 2024 NBA All-Star Weekend and Tech Summit this past February. Maybe it’s the larger than life persona that simply can not be replaced. The outpouring of love and admiration must be of comfort. The soundtrack of the Grateful Dead can act as a shot of morphine to dull the pain. The plentiful supply of UCLA, Portland, San Diego, and Boston highlights supply the memories, along with an endless string of hysterical or profound sound bites and full length interviews.

But it just can’t end.

Surely, there’s deeper meaning to his life, aside from the fact he lifted us in spirit, he lifted us in soul, and he made us all better people and his teammates better players while instilling a super-human spirit of love, love of people, the game of basketball and the world of music – the common denominators for most of those who intersected at Haight-Ashbury or Causeway and Canal.

Delving deeper, from Bill’s book, “Back From the Dead,” the liner notes and reviews read: “In February 2008, Bill Walton suffered a spinal collapse so devastating he was unable to get up. From the time of his spinal collapse until his eventual recovery, he spent most of three years flat on the ground. The pain was excruciating, and he thought seriously about killing himself. But he survived, and Back from the Dead is the story of his injury and recovery, set in the context of his amazing athletic career.

“Walton grew up in southern California in the 1950s and was deeply influenced by the political and cultural upheavals of the 1960s. Although Walton identified strongly with the counterculture, especially in music, the greatest influence on him outside his family was UCLA Coach John Wooden, a thoughtful, precise mentor who seemed immune to the turmoil of the times. The two men would speak every day for forty-three years until Wooden’s death at age ninety-nine.

Wooden once said that no greatness ever came without sacrifice. In this “frequently stirring memoir…Walton’s love for life and the people and things in it – including his college coach, John Wooden – is infectious. You can’t stop reading, or rooting for the man,” wrote Publishers Weekly.

“Back from the Dead shares his dramatic story, including his basketball and broadcasting careers, his many setbacks and rebounds, and his ultimate triumph as the toughest of champions,” concluded Kirkus Reviews.

Walton’s battle with mental health was personal, but he made the decision to make it very public and help others by telling his story – a story that made it very clear just how close he was to taking his own life.

Walton’s death came the same week that NBA coach and TV broadcaster Stan Van Gundy made public that his wife, Kim, died by suicide in August 2023 after battling mental health issues. The same week, PGA Tour golf pro Grayson Murray also died by suicide, just a day after withdrawing from the Charles Schwab Challenge golf tournament in Ft Worth, Texas. Murray had long battled depression and anxiety and was outspoken to the Tour officials to improve its mental health awareness and approach, which it did.

Walton was able to fight off the demons of depression and claw his way back to rejoin his band of NBA colleagues and broadcast partners. His will to live and his love of life, his family, especially his wife, Lori, surely the spiritual guide. But Walton’s final battle was an unwinable match against cancer, a plague that touches us all.

Through his life, his game, his career and his spreading the gospel of hoops, music and an everlasting love for everyone he interacted with along the road, Bill Walton will live on in all of us. Just remember the words to the songs, especially the one Walton quoted most often.

“Now he’s gone, now he’s gone, Lord he’s gone, he’s gone

Like a steam locomotive, rollin’ down the track

He’s gone, gone, nothin’s gonna bring him back… He’s gone,

Nine mile skid on a ten mile ride, hot as a pistol but cool inside

Cat on a tin roof, dogs in a pile

Nothin’ left to do but smile, smile, smile.”

– by Robert Hunter and Jerome Garcia

Red Sox and Bello Go for Series Win

by

BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Boston Red Sox aim for their third straight win when they cap a four-game series against the visiting Detroit Tigers this afternoon. After Ceddanne Rafaela recorded his first career two-homer game on Friday, Enmanuel Valdez — who was just recalled from Triple-A Worcester — turned the trick in a 3-for-4 day. He also doubled, scored three runs and drove in three ini Saturday’s 6-3 win.

Embed from Getty Images

The Red Sox overcame a first-inning deficit with a 10-hit attack and moved back above the .500 mark for the season. Valdez set the tone in a much-needed situation, especially with Vaughn Grissom going down with a hamstring strain Saturday and landing on the injured list.

“He’s a good player. He puts up good at-bats,” Cora said of Valdez. “Like I said when we sent him down, he didn’t do anything wrong. … When you look at the numbers, he’s hitting .180, but it doesn’t feel that way. He manages the at-bat just like (Wilyer Abreu). … Overall, a good (game).”

Brayan Bello (6-2, 4.18 ERA) looks to continue his winning run on the mound for the Red Sox. He earned his second straight win and fifth in six starts on Tuesday in Baltimore, striking out seven across five innings. He allowed three runs in the first inning and none thereafter.

“I like to come out with an aggressive mindset as opposed to being relaxed,” Bello said after that start. “I feel like when I come in relaxed, things don’t go the way that I want them to.”

However, Bello has not pitched at Fenway Park since May 12, when he held the Washington Nationals to two runs on four hits in five innings. His last three starts have been away from home.

The 25-year-old right-hander has made just one previous start against Detroit, and it didn’t go well. He took the loss last Aug. 12 after allowing four runs on nine hits in 4 2/3 innings.

Following Saturday’s defeat, the Tigers have lost three of their last four games since a four-game win streak and have dropped six of their last seven on the road.

However, Gio Urshela’s two-run home run in the ninth inning extended Detroit’s streak of consecutive games with a homer to eight.

“We did get a few good swings. Matt Vierling swung the bat very well,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said, noting Vierling’s two doubles. “But not enough in this park when you’ve got to create offense.”

Tigers righty Casey Mize (1-3, 4.71) is winless in six starts since beating the Twins in Minnesota on April 21. On May 26 against Toronto, he gave up three runs in 4 1/3 innings for a no-decision in a 14-11 Detroit win. He allowed eight hits and two walks.

Five days earlier, Mize was whacked for nine hits and six runs in just 1 2/3 innings at Kansas City.

Mize is 0-1 with a 4.09 career ERA in two starts covering 11 innings against Boston. Both starts came in 2021. He missed most of 2022 and all of 2023 following Tommy John and back surgeries.

On Saturday, Hinch also offered an update on outfielder Kerry Carpenter’s lumbar spine stress fracture. However, there is no update on his return.

“There’s a lot of unknowns still in terms of timetable, which is why we don’t put one on it,” Hinch said. “We’re going to kind of go week-by-week with him and continue to check in on what the best next step is for him.”

–Field Level Media

Red Sox: Rafaela Powers Sox to Win

by

BOSTON – The Boston Red Sox will look to get the upper hand in a four-game series against the visiting Detroit Tigers this afternoon. Ceddanne Rafaela homered twice in his first career multi-homer game while leading the Red Sox to a 7-3 win Friday night that evened the series at 1-1. Boston recorded 12 hits and snapped a two-game skid.

Rafaela, a 23-year-old rookie who had gone back-to-back games without a hit after a four-game hitting streak, drove in five runs.

“We just (have) to make sure (Rafaela) understands that it takes time to adjust,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “It’s not about instant results.”

Amid the rookie ups and downs, which included a 2-for-12 slump entering Friday, Rafaela has led all major league rookies and the Red Sox with 33 RBIs this season.

“It’s difficult for me to get frustrated. I don’t get frustrated that (easily),” he said.

On Friday, David Hamilton went 3-for-4 while Dominic Smith and Connor Wong each finished 2-for-3 for Boston.

Red Sox right-hander Cooper Criswell (2-2, 3.96 ERA) will start on Saturday. In his last start, he allowed seven runs in four innings in Boston’s 11-3 to the Baltimore Orioles on Monday.

Criswell will make his first career start against Detroit.

The Red Sox had won five of Criswell’s first six starts but now have lost two of the past three.

On Friday, Detroit took a 1-0 lead in the first but recorded just five hits after that inning. Riley Greene went 2-for-4 with a double, while Colt Keith hit a two-run home run in the eighth.

Designated hitter Mark Canha was scratched from Friday’s lineup with hip soreness.

Spencer Torkelson, who was 0-for-4 with three strikeouts on Thursday, has slumped of late. He is hitless in eight of his past nine games.

“I appreciate his consistency in caring about the team win first and his performance second, even though I know it’s eating him up to not be a more central part of our offense,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said.

Tigers right-hander Reese Olson (1-5, 1.92 ERA) will start on Saturday. He has received some tough luck this season but finally earned his first win of the year last Saturday over the Toronto Blue Jays. He gave up just one unearned run on three hits in 6 1/3 innings in Detroit’s 2-1 victory.

“I just try to do my job every time I go out there,” Olson said.

Entering his first career start against Boston, Olson has allowed 12 earned runs in 10 starts this season, six of which he allowed April 8 against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

“He’s going to make you beat him,” Hinch said. “He’s not going to concede with any pitch.”

–Field Level Media

 

Rafaela Homers Twice in 7-3 Victory

by

BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston’s Ceddanne Rafaela recorded his first career multi-homer game and drove in five as the host Boston Red Sox pulled away from the Detroit Tigers for a 7-3 win on Friday.

Embed from Getty Images

David Hamilton went 3-for-4 while Dominic Smith and Connor Wong each had two hits as the Red Sox finished with 12 hits.

Boston starter Tanner Houck (5-5) gave up one run on three hits with six strikeouts and two walks in seven innings. He lowered his ERA to 1.85.

Riley Greene went 2-for-4 with a double, and Colt Keith hit a two-run home run for the Tigers.

Detroit jumped out to a first-inning lead. Greene lined a one-out single to center, stole second and scored on Gio Urshela’s single to right.

Houck quickly settled in after that, retiring six straight batters and working around Greene’s two-out double in the third.

The Red Sox broke through against Detroit’s Kenta Maeda (2-2) in the fourth. Rafael Devers started the rally with a leadoff double to center before scoring the tying run on Smith’s double into the left field corner. Rafaela hit a three-run homer to left later in the inning to give Boston a 4-1 lead.

In the fifth, Rob Refsnyder increased the lead to 5-1 on his two-out double that plated Wong, who reached on a double.

Rafaela’s second homer of the game — and seventh of the season — pushed the lead to 7-1. David Hamilton reached on a one-out infield single, stole second and came around to score on Rafaela’s blast to left-center.

Keith hit a two-run shot in the eighth inning off Boston reliever Greg Weissert to trim Detroit’s deficit to 7-3.

Maeda allowed eight hits and five runs in 4 2/3 innings. He struck out six and walked two.

–Field Level Media

Celtics Complete the Sweep

by

INDIANAPOLIS – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston’s Derrick White had missed seven of eight  3-point attempts when he found himself open in the right corner of the floor in the final minute of a tie game with an NBA Finals berth at stake.
YouTube player
He watched Jaylen Brown handle the ball and was just waiting for his Boston Celtics teammate to deliver a pass. Once Brown did just that, it was White’s turn to make a play.
“Just was trusting that JB is going to make the right play like he has this entire year,” White said. “I got a good look and wanted to stay in the shot and knock it down.”
White drained the 3-pointer with 45 seconds left and the Celtics finished off a four-game sweep of the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference finals with a 105-102 victory on Monday night at Indianapolis.
“It’s a credit to him,” Boston coach Joe Mazzulla said of White. “He’s another guy who has short-term memory. The last (missed) shot doesn’t bother him, he plays with a sense of presence.”
Brown scored 29 points and Jayson Tatum added 26 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists as the top-seeded Celtics landed a spot in the Finals for the second time in the past three seasons.
“It’s been nothing but a grind,” Brown said. “We didn’t skip no steps all season. We have a bunch of great guys in this locker room. We have a bunch of tough guys and our coaching staff and front office has been great. Now we want to take it to the next step.”
Andrew Nembhard had 24 points and a playoff career-high 10 assists for the sixth-seeded Pacers, who lost in the East finals for the eighth time in nine trips. Indiana’s only victory was over the New York Knicks in 2000.
Boston overcame a nine-point deficit in the fourth quarter while once again playing better basketball down the stretch.
A defensive breakdown by the Pacers left White standing alone in the right corner on the decisive shot. Brown, who was named the MVP of the series, spotted him and his pinpoint pass was on the mark, and White’s shot swished through the net.
Nembhard missed a 3-pointer with 33.6 seconds left and Tatum got the rebound. Indiana decided not to foul, and Tatum missed a trey with 8.3 seconds remaining. But Jrue Holiday collected the offensive rebound with 4.7 seconds left, and the Celtics ran out the clock.
It was Boston’s second straight comeback win in Indianapolis. The Celtics overcame an eight-point deficit with 2:38 left in Game 3 to post a 114-111 victory. Boston trailed by as many as 18 in that contest.
“We never say die,” Tatum said. “These were some tough games we had to play in, and we always find a way to figure it out. It’s different guys every single night and we sacrifice in order to reach our ultimate goal.”
Holiday had 17 points and nine rebounds and White added 16 points, five steals and three blocked shots for the Celtics, who will face either the Dallas Mavericks or Minnesota Timberwolves in the Finals.
Pascal Siakam had 19 points and 10 rebounds and T.J. McConnell added 15 points for Indiana. Aaron Nesmith scored 14 points and Obi Toppin added 12.
Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton (hamstring) missed his second straight game.
“The level of fight was tremendous all the way through this,” Indiana coach Rick Carlisle said of his team. “Circumstance never fazes them one way or the other. They were in this to win every possession that they could and any game that they could.
“A lot of respect to our players and how they conducted themselves in the series.”
The Celtics shot 44.9 percent from the field, including 14 of 44 from 3-point range. Indiana made 46 percent of its shot attempts and was 10 of 29 from behind the arc. McConnell scored six points in 64 seconds early in the fourth quarter to give the Pacers an 89-82 lead. A three-point play by Nembhard made it 94-85 with 8:57 remaining.
After Boston moved within four, Nesmith made back-to-back baskets to give Indiana a 98-90 lead with 5:56 to go. The Celtics answered with an 8-2 run, moving within 100-98 on Holiday’s three-point play with 3:54 remaining. Brown’s runner tied the score at 102 with 2:40 left.
Tatum scored 16 points before halftime as Boston led 58-57 at the break. Nembhard also tallied 16 points in the first half.
The Pacers took an 83-80 advantage into the final stanza but were outplayed by Boston down the stretch of a close game for the third time in the series. Indiana lost Game 1 in overtime.
“It’s hard because I think when you look at all those games, we were right there,” Siakam said. “It stings and it’s hard because I know how hard we work.
“It’s heartbreaking losses after heartbreaking losses. … It doesn’t matter how good we played. We didn’t get it done.”
–Field Level Media

Celtics Pursue East Sweep vs Pacers

by

INDIANAPOLIS – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Boston Celtics are in the driver’s seat but Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle says his club will be controlling the throttle in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals.
Embed from Getty Images
There’s no reason for Indiana to do anything other than push the pedal to the metal on Monday night in Indianapolis since no team has recovered from a 3-0 deficit in NBA playoff history.
“We’re not going to be deterred,” Carlisle said of the mountain to navigate. “We’re going to be back here Monday night looking to extend the series and we’re going to come at it even harder. We have to. We don’t have a choice. … Believe me, we are going after them.”
While the Pacers will stay off the brakes, the Celtics will be trying to close the door on the series.
Top-seeded Boston moved within one victory of advancing to the NBA Finals for the second time in three seasons by rallying from an 18-point, third-quarter deficit to post a 114-111 road victory in Game 3 on Saturday.
“We’ve met every challenge,” Celtics star Jayson Tatum said. “We’re in great position right now, one win away from the finals. But we can’t look past Monday or anything like that, and we have a special opportunity to go back to the finals.”

PGA Tour: Riley Wins at Colonial

by

FT. WORTH – Davis Riley accomplished a lot on his final day, five stroke cruise to victory at the 2024 Charles Schwab Challenge:

  • He secured his second PGA TOUR victory in his 90th start at the age of 27 years, 5 months, 9 days.
  • He earned his first individual victory on TOUR with the other being a team match play tournament at the 2023 Zurich Classic of New Orleans with partner Nick Hardy.
  • He earned 500 points to move to No. 55 in the FedExCup standings and entry in the two remaining Signature Events this season (Memorial Tournament presented by Workday and the Travelers Championship).
  • He moved from No. 250 to No. 78 in the Official World Golf Ranking.
  • He won $1,638,000 and a new Chevy Corvette
Embed from Getty Images

Charles Schwab Challenge | Final Leaderboard

1 Davis Riley 66 64 66 70 266 (-14)

T2 Keegan Bradley 68 66 70 67 271 (-9)

T2 Scottie Scheffler 72 65 63 71 271 (-9)

4 Collin Morikawa 68 69 67 68 272 (-8)

Final Leaderboard: (link)