Digital Sports Desk

Online Destination for the Best in Boston Sports

Chiefs Beat Bills for Super Bowl LIX Bid

by

KANSAS CITY – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Harrison Butker kicked a tiebreaking 35-yard field goal with 3:33 remaining as the Kansas City Chiefs recorded a wild 32-29 victory over the visiting Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship Game on Sunday to reach the Super Bowl for the third straight season.

Patrick Mahomes accounted for three touchdowns (two rushing, one passing) as top-seeded Kansas City eliminated the Bills from the postseason for the fourth time in the past five seasons. Kareem Hunt rushed for a touchdown, and Xavier Worthy had six receptions for 85 yards and one score.

The Chiefs will face the NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX on Feb. 9 in New Orleans. Kansas City will be looking to become the first team to win three consecutive Super Bowls.

Mahomes completed 18 of 26 passes for 245 yards and added 43 on 11 rushes as the Chiefs won their ninth consecutive postseason game.

YouTube player

Josh Allen was 22-of-34 passing for 237 yards and two touchdowns for the second-seeded Bills, who were trying to earn their first Super Bowl appearance in 31 years.

James Cook rushed for 85 yards and two touchdowns while Mack Hollins and Curtis Samuel had scoring receptions for Buffalo.

Kansas City drove 51 yards in eight plays to set up Butker’s go-ahead kick.

The Bills faced fourth-and-5 from their own 47-yard line on their next possession when the Chiefs heavily blitzed Allen, and his desperation throw for Dalton Kincaid fell incomplete with 1:54 left.

Two plays later, Kansas City’s Isiah Pacheco took a short pass 10 yards for a first down. The Bills then had a chance to force a punt on third-and-9, but Mahomes hit Samaje Perine out of the backfield for 17 yards to clinch the victory.

Buffalo took a 22-21 lead on Cook’s 1-yard TD run with 2:56 left in the third quarter to cap a 12-play, 80-yard drive. The ensuing two-point conversion try failed.

The Bills later had possession, but Allen was stopped for no gain on fourth-and-1 from the Kansas City 41-yard line, giving the Chiefs the ball with 12:55 remaining in the game.

Just five plays later, Mahomes ran to the end zone for a 10-yard score and followed with a two-point conversion pass to Justin Watson to give Kansas City a 29-22 lead with 10:14 left.

Buffalo answered and tied the score on Allen’s 4-yard touchdown pass to Samuel on fourth-and-goal with 6:15 to play.

Kansas City held a 21-16 halftime lead.

The Chiefs drove 90 yards in nine plays on their first possession, with Hunt scoring on a 12-yard run.

Buffalo scored the next 10 points on Tyler Bass’ 53-yard field goal in the opening quarter and Cook’s 6-yard TD run with 10:25 left in the first half.

Kansas City took a 14-10 lead on Mahomes’ 11-yard touchdown pass to Worthy with 4:13 left in the second quarter. Mahomes added a 1-yard scoring run with 1:55 to go to give the Chiefs a 21-10 advantage.

Buffalo responded with Allen’s 34-yard touchdown pass to Hollins with 23 seconds remaining in the frame. A two-point conversion attempt failed.

–Field Level Media

Philly Crushes DC for SB LIX Berth

by

PHILADELPHIA – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley rushed for three touchdowns apiece, and the Philadelphia Eagles pulled away for a 55-23 win over the visiting Washington Commanders in the NFC Championship Game Sunday afternoon.

Barkley rushed for 118 yards and Hurts threw for 246 yards and a TD for Philadelphia, which advanced to play in Super Bowl LIX on Feb. 9 in New Orleans. The Eagles scored eight touchdowns and reached the Super Bowl for the fifth time in team history and the second time in three seasons.

The Commanders pulled within 14-12 midway through the second quarter. Zane Gonzalez made a 46-yard kick for his second field goal of the afternoon, and McLaurin broke a tackle on his way to a 36-yard touchdown catch with 7:05 remaining in the half.

The Eagles pulled ahead 27-12 after scoring two touchdowns in 65 seconds. Hurts lurched forward for a 1-yard score with 1:44 left in the half, and after the Commanders fumbled on the kickoff return, Philadelphia took advantage as Hurts found A.J. Brown for a 4-yard touchdown.

YouTube player

Gonzalez cut the deficit to 27-15 with a 42-yard field goal just before halftime.

Hurts put Philadelphia on top 34-15 with 8:58 left in the third quarter. He took the snap out of the shotgun and weaved through traffic for a 9-yard score.

Daniels brought Washington within 34-23 on the next possession. He scored on a 10-yard run, then passed to Olamide Zaccheaus for a two-point conversion.

Hurts’ third rushing touchdown made it 41-23 with 12:24 to play. Washington drew multiple penalties for encroachment trying to stop the “Brotherly Shove,” and ultimately Hurts and the Eagles got their way as teammates pushed the quarterback across the goal line yet again.

Barkley scored his third touchdown on a 4-yard run with 7:58 remaining.

Rookie Will Shipley finished the scoring with a 2-yard rushing touchdown with 3:03 to go, two plays after ripping off a 57-yard run. The Eagles finished with 229 yards on the ground.

–Field Level Media

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | Jan 26

by

By TERRY LYONS, Editor of Digital Sports Desk

BOSTON – Take your Super Bowl Sunday and toss it in a Crock Pot of chili. Let it simmer. Take your World Cup final and toss it in a vat of the best guacamole you’ve ever had in your life. Take Sunday at The Masters and go dine at the Augusta House of Pancakes. The Kentucky Derby is a great day but it stands alone. I’ll take the AFC/NFC Championship Sunday over all of those great sporting events every day of the year.

Get the Smorgasbord of All-Time ready. Sunday (January 26, 2025) is our day!

Yes, there are a bunch of great days in sports, but the doubleheader on tap today is certainly one, if not, “the” best days on the annual calendar of sports specialties. This year, it’s the upstart Washington (DC) Commanders against the venerable Philadelphia Eagles at The Linc in the first game (3pm ET) on FOX while the nightcap of the Buffalo Bills at Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead (6:30pm ET) on CBS, might prove to be the best game of the year.

In the NFL season, the conference championships are the best because of the fact it’s a twin bill. The Super Bowl is great, don’t get me wrong, but Championship Sunday brings memories on top of memories. Maybe another great day for NFL football, opening week Sunday can compare, especially for us Fantasy Football geeks who are wondering how our teams will fare, inevitably benching two great wide receivers while starting a pair of duds.

While it’s been touched on here before, humor this WWYI columnist as some of the other great days in sports are listed in the paragraphs to come. It can be an endless list, to be sure.

Let’s put aside Game 7s, as they take on a life of their own during the World Series, NBA Finals or the NHL’s Stanley Cup Final. A Game 7 overtime to decide the Stanley Cup Champion is the most intense experience in sports, no doubt. But we’re here to focus on some of the most amazing days sports has to offer.

Looking back, the U.S. Open tennis tournament had an all-time day when the men’s semifinals sandwiched the women’s final on a Saturday to remember, especially when John McEnroe played Jimmy Connors in the nightcap. The USTA, so rightfully, changed the schedule to give the women’s final a night of its own.

Here in Boston, we have some pretty good twin bills. Patriots’ Day, with the Boston Marathon blending with an 11:00am first pitch at Fenway Park, is one of the best day of the year and certainly the most inspiring as you witness the everyday runners competing on the same course as the champions. And take an afternoon NBA or NHL Playoff game and pair it with an April or May or June night game at Fenway, and you’re looking at a day in paradise.

But there’s plenty of other sporting events to contemplate. Here are just a few:

  • NCAA Opening Round Thursday and Friday
  • NCAA Final Four Saturday
  • BIG EAST Thursday and Friday
  • The ACC Basketball Semis
  • Breeders’ Cup Championship (seven World Series games on one afternoon)
  • The Beanpot (BC, BU, Northeastern & Harvard playing ice hockey)
  • NCAA Lacrosse Final Four Semis
  • The Frozen Four Semis
  • Olympic Gold Medal and Bronze Medal games in Men’s Basketball
  • The new CFP (College Football Playoffs) – First Round Tripleheader
  • Thanksgiving Day NFL Football (Detroit and Dallas hosting)

The only thing Better in sports or entertainment?

How about the Allman Brothers Band at Red Rocks (near Denver, Colorado) playing Jessica, Les Brers In A Minor, Dreams and In Memory of Elizabeth Reed at the same show?

Oh, we’re talking rock shows?

Don’t get me started.

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: Picks for NFC/AFC Championship today? Tough calls, as the Commanders keep winning and the Bills and QB Josh Allen are due. After all, you’re either hot or you’re due.

The Philadelphia Eagles (-6) is the play in the National Football Conference with the fact that Saquon Barkley and the vaunted Eagles’ fans at The Linc will help bring it home.

The American Football Conference championship is a much tougher call, especially since two of my dearest friends in the whole wide world support the teams that will play and – undoubtedly – beat each others brains to bits.

The Chiefs are healthy but the Bills are a bit banged up, especially in the secondary.

While I think the Buffalo Bills and Josh Allen are due, I just can’t recommend anyone betting against KC QB Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. That said, if you’re thinking of playing KC, I’d go with the money line, and if you’re thinking of playing the Bills, take the measly (+2) and picture an overtime when KC scores and kicks an extra point, only to leave the Bills a chance to score and go for two points to win it.

It’s only 18 days until Red Sox Pitchers & Catchers report.

  • Truck Day: Monday, Feb. 3
  • Pitchers and catchers report Wednesday, Feb. 12
  • Full Squad Workout: Wednesday, Feb. 17

It’s only 49 days until NCAA Selection Sunday.

Minnesota Wild team owner Craig Leipold broke the news during a podcast interview when asked about the current state of the NHL. Although the esteemed NHL Commissioner Gary B. Bettman has made no formal announcement of his future plans, Leipold indicated the NHL governors are beginning to make plans for a hockey league without Bettman at the top. Bettman, 72, has been the NHL’s commissioner since February 1993. His tenure has been the longest in league history, surpassing Clarence Campbell, who was the NHL President for 31 years from 1946–1977. “The fact that Gary is going to be retiring, you know, that’s a concerning factor,” Leipoid said on “The Sick Podcast” with Pierre McGuire and Jimmy Murphy. “There’s a lot of us who know how well Gary has been as a commissioner in this league, and what he’s done for all the teams and the players. It’s going to be a sad day when he’s not part of it. … But you know, that’s a couple years down the road and we’re doing the planning now. We have to make sure we get it right when he leaves. Right now, that’s kind of the only thing that’s on the horizon.”

Who’s Got Next? That’s the toughest question on the ice.

The logical answer would be to promote Bill Daly, the current NHL deputy commissioner and chief legal officer, but the NHL is known to act in strange ways and an outsider might be the choice of the Canadian power brokers of the NHL (Toronto and Montreal).

NHL aficionados might suggest a famous former player to take on the job, but a multi-millionaire legend, usually yucking-it-up at celebrity golf outings or being paid nicely to adorn the set of an NHL broadcast, is not likely to seek a job where they work 12 to 15 hour days dealing with the vast problems and financial difficulties, or league/player collective bargaining negotiations, difficult decisions on Olympic participation or enforcing player safety rules with fines and suspensions.

TIDBITS: One thing the NBA didn’t anticipate for the first of two NBA Paris Games? How about a 30-point blow-out, with the San Antonio Spurs crushing the Indiana Pacers, 140-110. A line score for San Antonio’s incredible Wemby? 30, 11, 6 and 5 blocks, including a 2:25 span to end the third quarter with four points, three rebounds, three blocked shots and two assists. The crowd of 15,935 at the Chia Pet of arenas certainly went home happy this past Thursday. … The Pacers returned the favor and blew out the Spurs on Saturday, 136-98.

The NCAA – with the exception of member schools like UNLV and Nevada Reno – was dead set against the ‘evils’ of Las Vegas until Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Conference Championship tournaments filled the coffers of schools and televison partners. In 2027, it’ll be even bigger, as the College Football Playoffs will culminate at Allegiant Stadium in Vegas to crown the national champion.

“Las Vegas has shown the world they have amazing venues and boundless energy to host an event like the College Football Playoff national championship in spectacular fashion,” said Rich Clark, executive director of the College Football Playoff. “I can’t think of a better stage to crown the best team in college football in 2027. I want to thank Steve Hill and the entire Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority for the hard work and dedication they put in to making this day a reality for their city.”

Hill reeled in another huge event for sin city. “Pairing the energy of Las Vegas with the College Football Playoff National Championship will make for a truly extraordinary event, both on and off the field,” said Hill, president and CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. “We appreciate the opportunity the CFP has provided us to welcome college football’s great athletes and biggest fans for an unmatched national championship experience in the city built for celebration.”

Las Vegas will become the third city in the Pacific time zone to host the CFP title game, joining the Bay Area (2019) and Los Angeles (2023). Here is the whole list:

Looking Ahead:

  • 2027 Las Vegas
  • 2026 South Florida

Looking Back:

  • 2025 Atlanta
  • 2024 Houston
  • 2023 Los Angeles
  • 2022 Indianapolis
  • 2021 South Florida
  • 2020 New Orleans
  • 2019 Bay Area (California)
  • 2018 Atlanta
  • 2017 Tampa Bay
  • 2016 Arizona
  • 2015 North Texas

THIS JEST IN: Our friends at Sportico reported on Fanatics, noting: ‘“Fanatics Commerce, which includes its core apparel and merchandise sales, represented about $6.2 billion of sales, or 77% of total revenue. Fanatics Collectibles, the trading card unit, brought in about $1.6 billion. Revenue at Fanatics Betting & Gaming was about $300 million.” Add it up and you’ve got an $8.1b company.

YOU CAN’T MAKE IT UP: There’s a Long Islander who played a game of “Free Parking” at the local pro hockey rink that even hockey Hall of Famer Brad Park would’ve sniffed out in a two minute call for “charging.” It’s a crime that might land the crook a jail sentence and serious fine, never mind the loss of a good job at the UBS Arena – home of the New York Islanders. A parking attendant working the lots around Belmont Park pocketed nearly $5,000 since last spring, offering concert goers and Islanders’ fans a discounted parking rate at the arena lots by sending the fees directly to his personal Venmo account instead of being processed to the UBS coffers, according to Nassau County prosecutors. … Tremayne Brown, 26, of Queens, was charged with falsifying business records and grand larceny after authorities said they discovered Brown promised a discount to drivers attending events at the Elmont, Long Island (New York) venue. … Prosecutors say the alleged scheme unraveled after his supervisor overheard him tell a woman heading to the January 12 “Disney on Ice” performance to “pay using Venmo to save on fees.” … Easy surveillance and follow-up caught the digital thief red-handed as records showed Venmo deposits dating back to last spring, all coinciding with events and Islanders games at The UBS. … The parallel parking pilferer pleaded ‘not guilt’ at a preliminary hearing and was released with the case pending.

While We’re Young (Ideas) is a weekly (every weekend) collection of Sports Notes and News written by Terry Lyons. The posting of each notebook harkens back to the days when you’d walk over to the city newsstand on Saturday night around 10pm to pick-up a copy of the Sunday papers. Inside, just waiting, was a sports-filled compilation of interesting notes, quotes and quips in a column that always sold a few newspapers.

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes is brought to you by Digital Sports Desk.

-TL-

NFC/AFC Championship Previews

by

KANSAS CITY – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Four teams are left in the race for the Lombardi.

Two-time defending champion Kansas City, the top seed in the AFC, welcomes an opponent the Chiefs know all too well — and not just because of a 30-21 loss at Buffalo on Nov. 17.

YouTube player

This is the fourth postseason meeting in five years between the Bills and Chiefs, with marquee quarterbacks front and center.

A new name in lights, rookie Jayden Daniels, orchestrated a landslide upset of the NFC favorite and No. 1-seeded Detroit Lions last week to set up the Washington Commanders for a third game in three months against East division rival Philadelphia.

The Eagles are crossing their fingers quarterback Jalen Hurts can be ready after a knee injury slowed him down in a 28-22 home win over the Los Angeles Rams in the divisional playoffs. Philadelphia’s plan still centers around the man lined up behind Hurts — running back Saquon Barkley — who delivered the goods in both games with Washington in the regular season.

More details and all the dirt on Sunday’s AFC Championship and NFC Championship in the capsules below:

NFC Championship Game
No. 6 Washington Commanders (14-5) at No. 2 Philadelphia Eagles (16-3)
Sunday, 3 p.m. ET, FOX/FOX Deportes

The NFC title game in Philadelphia completes a trilogy between rivals and the fifth time teams from the same division square off in the conference championship. This is Washington’s first championship game appearance since 1991, when the franchise won its last Super Bowl.

Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni has 52 wins in his first four seasons. Only George Seifert, who inherited a gunpowder-infused roster in San Francisco, has more victories (57). Joe Gibbs and Mike Tomlin are the only head coaches with two Super Bowl appearances in their first four seasons. Sirianni would join them with a win over Washington today.

Previously this season, the Eagles defeated the Commanders, 26-18, on Nov. 14 as Barkley rushed for 146 yards, including two rushing touchdowns in the final five minutes of the fourth quarter to seal the win. In Week 16, Washington overcame a 13-point fourth quarter deficit to defeat Philadelphia, 36-33, as Daniels set a career high with five TD passes. He threw the game-winning TD with six seconds left after Eagles backup Kenny Pickett’s pass to likely seal the win was dropped by Barkley.

Philadelphia ranked No. 1 in total defense in 2024 and intercepted Daniels three times in two games. At the heart of the defense, second-year defensive tackle Jalen Carter took over late in last week’s win over the Rams with a key sack and forced fumble. Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury threw a few bouquets at Carter this week, calling him “maybe the best I’ve ever seen” at the position. The Eagles have more firepower behind Carter with Defensive Player of the Year candidate Zack Baun and all-rookie defensive backs Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean. Mitchell’s shoulder injury forced him out of last week’s game.

Barkley has the third-most rushing yards (2,329) and is fourth in total yards (2,638) in the NFL’s single-season record books. Broncos running back Terrell Davis set the record in 1998.

The game is a second homecoming for Commanders tight end Zach Ertz, who is second in Eagles franchise history to Hall of Famer Harold Carmichael with 639 receptions. Ertz caught a TD pass for visiting Washington when the teams played in November.

AFC Championship Game
No. 2 Buffalo Bills (15-4) at No. 1 Kansas City Chiefs (16-2)
Sunday, 6:30 p.m. ET, CBS/Paramount+

Buffalo beat the Chiefs after Kansas City’s 9-0 start to the regular season, taking a 30-21 victory to push the Bills’ regular-season winning streak over the Chiefs to four games. But Kansas City rattled off six consecutive wins to earn the No. 1 seed and first-round bye in the AFC. The Chiefs have three consecutive victories over the Bills in the playoffs — the 2020 AFC Championship Game and 2021 and 2023 AFC divisional wins.

Quarterback Josh Allen is tightening the margins for opponents by taking care of the ball. Buffalo sports a plus-27 turnover margin and is the first team in NFL history with zero turnovers in four consecutive playoff games. Including the postseason, the Bills lead the NFL with 35 takeaways and a league-low eight turnovers in 19 total games. No team has ever reached the Super Bowl with 10 or fewer turnovers.

Counterpart Patrick Mahomes knows a thing or two about coming out on top in close games. Turnovers? It’s been eight games — since Week 12 of the regular season — without losing the ball for Kansas City, as the Chiefs peak on schedule. The Chiefs have won eight playoff games in a row, the third-longest such streak all-time (2001-2005 New England Patriots – 10 consecutive wins; 1961-67 Green Bay Packers – nine) and since Week 12.

Stopping the run will be a vital element to winning Sunday, Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo noted this week. He pointed to James Cook’s 16 rushing touchdowns and Allen’s game-sealing rumble that beat Kansas City earlier this season.

Buffalo allowed 176 yards rushing to the Ravens, who gained 416 total yards but had three critical turnovers.

Bills safety Taylor Rapp was ruled out with a hip injury on Friday. It’s likely rookie Cole Bishop will be in the starting 11 against Mahomes on Sunday night.

Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce is two TD receptions shy of tying the all-time playoff record held by Jerry Rice (22). Kelce hauled in a pair of Mahomes TD passes in the Chiefs’ playoff win at Buffalo last year. He added a touchdown reception as part of a seven-catch, 117-yard game last week to beat the Houston Texans.

Mahomes and Andy Reid have the Chiefs in the AFC Championship for the eighth consecutive season. Mahomes’ 16 playoff wins are second among all starting quarterbacks, he owns the second-highest postseason passer rating (105.6, minimum 150 attempts), fifth-most postseason touchdown passes (42) and eighth-most postseason passing yards (5,312) in NFL playoff history.

Only three teams have reached the Super Bowl three consecutive seasons: the 1990-93 Bills (four consecutive), 1971-73 Miami Dolphins (three) and 2016-18 Patriots (three).

–Field Level Media

Celtics Tops Mavs in Finals Redux

by

DALLAS – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston’s Jayson Tatum scored a game-high 24 points and Derrick White added 23 to lead the visiting Celtics to a 122-107 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday.

YouTube player

Tatum and White each made four 3-pointers, while the Celtics were 20 of 52 (38.5 percent) from 3-point range as a team in the victory.

All five Boston starters scored at least 17 points. Jaylen Brown tossed in 22, Kristaps Porzingis finished with 18 and Jrue Holiday had 17. Holiday was 5 of 10 from 3-point range.

Kyrie Irving scored 22 points for the Mavericks, who have lost six of their last eight games. Quentin Grimes scored 20 points off the bench for Dallas, and Daniel Gafford had 19 points and 15 rebounds.

It was the first meeting between the teams since they faced each other in the 2024 NBA Finals. Boston has won five straight against Dallas during the regular season and won four of five games in the Finals last season.

Dallas led 16-6 just four minutes into the game and had a 29-25 advantage after one quarter. The Celtics built a 15-point lead in the second quarter, but the Mavericks scored the final five points in the half to trail 59-49. Boston had no turnovers in the first half.

The Mavericks scored the first six points of the second half to make it 59-55, but the Celtics owned the rest of the quarter. Boston led 93-68 following a Sam Hauser 3-pointer with 1:57 remaining in the third.

The Celtics made eight 3-pointers in the third and had a 96-76 lead heading into the fourth.

White scored 16 points in the third, when he was 6 of 9 from the floor. It was the most points he scored in a quarter this season.

Dallas was within 11 points after a Grimes layup with 3:44 to play but failed to get any closer.

The teams will meet again Feb. 6 in Boston.

–Field Level Media

Will Howard Shines for Ohio State

by

ATLANTA – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – All Ohio State quarterback Will Howard ever wanted was a chance to show off his talents.

The spotlight was all his on Monday night.

Embed from Getty Images

Howard built off a record-breaking first half to complete 17 of 21 passes for 231 yards and two touchdowns, lifting the Buckeyes to a 34-23 victory over Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff title game at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

It was after a 56-yard completion to Jeremiah Smith with 2:38 left in the game that reality seemed to set in for Howard, who took some time to showboat a bit by throwing his arms up while running downfield while Ohio State coach Ryan Day jumped for joy on the sideline and Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James celebrated from box seats.

Such a moment was always the goal for Howard, a Kansas State transfer who had always dreamed of performing on college football’s biggest stage.

“If you were to ask a 19-year-old or 18-year-old Will Howard if he’d be at Ohio State playing in the national championship, I think he’d probably say, ‘You’re crazy, man,’” Howard said earlier this week.

Now, Howard is a champion, and teammates think that this is just the beginning for the 23-year-old.

“Just the type of quarterback he is, in my eyes he’s a first-round draft pick,” Smith said. “Will’s just a great leader — on and off the field.”

Howard made CFP championship game history by completing his first 13 passes on Monday, and he was 14-for-15 passing for 144 yards and two TDs before the break. Ohio State scored a touchdown on all three of its drives in the first 30 minutes of action to build a commanding 21-7 lead by intermission.

The Fighting Irish rallied but couldn’t find a way to get past Howard and the Buckeyes, with the Ohio State signal-caller being named Offensive MVP following the game.

“They’ve changed my life in more ways than I can say, man,” Howard told ESPN, referring to the impact that Day and his new teammates have had on him. “Coach Day and these guys here have completely, completely changed my life. … I can’t believe God gave me the chance to be a Buckeye.”

–Field Level Media

Celtics Deal GS Worst Loss in 40 Years

by

SAN FRANCISCO – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston’s Jayson Tatum led six Boston players in double figures with a game-high 22 points on Monday as the Celtics steamrolled the Golden State Warriors 125-85 as part of the NBA’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day slate.

Kristaps Porzingis chipped in 18 points and Jaylen Brown scored 17 for Boston, which for the fourth straight season dropped the season-series opener to Golden State before getting even – and then some – in the rematch.

YouTube player

Golden State had not lost by 40 at home since Jan. 15, 1985.

The 40-point margin was similar to the 140-88 pounding the Celtics dealt the Warriors last March after Golden State had won 132-126 in overtime three months earlier. This time around, the Warriors surprised the defending champs on their home floor with a 118-112 win on Nov. 6.

Tatum also found time for a game-high nine rebounds to go along with seven assists and two steals. Payton Pritchard paired his game-high nine assists with 14 points.

Sam Hauser added 11 points and Jrue Holiday tallied 10 for the Celtics, who have alternated wins and losses in their last nine games. Derrick White had three of Boston’s nine blocks to complement eight points, five rebounds and five assists.

Boston dominated the rematch on both ends of the court.

Led by Brown, who was 8-for-14 from the floor, and Holiday, who made two of his three 3-point attempts, the Celtics shot 53.3 percent overall and 41.7 percent from beyond the arc, making 20 of 48.

The Warriors, meanwhile, were held to 34.8 percent shooting overall and 26.4 percent from deep, connecting on just 14 of 53 tries. Andrew Wiggins especially struggled for Golden State, missing all four of his 3-point tries and finishing just 1-of-11 from the floor in a four-point effort.

Stephen Curry led the Warriors with 18 points but was just 4-of-12 from 3-point range.

Moses Moody added 13 points for Golden State, which was missing Draymond Green, Jonathan Kuminga, Brandin Podziemski and Kyle Anderson due to injury.

Moody also posted six rebounds and a team-high five assists, while Kevon Looney snatched a team-high seven rebounds for the Warriors.

The Celtics led 54-39 at halftime before taking control in the third quarter. Tatum scored 12 points in the third as Boston hit 16 of 24 shots, including eight threes, to open up a 34-point lead entering the fourth.

–Field Level Media

Bruins Win in Matinee at Garden

by

BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston’s Charlie Coyle scored the tying and winning goals in the third period as part of a three-point effort, helping the Bruins surge past the visiting San Jose Sharks 6-3 on Monday afternoon.

Embed from Getty Images

Coyle was the beneficiary of Matthew Poitras’ primary assists on both late-game goals, including the deciding tally at 14:11

David Pastrnak, Brad Marchand and Elias Lindholm each registered a goal and an assist, while Vinni Lettieri also scored for Boston, which is 3-0-1 in its last four games.

Bruins goaltender Joonas Korpisalo made 25 saves.

Rookie Will Smith, a native of nearby Lexington, Mass., led the Sharks with a goal and an assist in his first NHL game in Boston.

Barclay Goodrow and Fabian Zetterlund also scored and Yaroslav Askarov stopped 27 shots for San Jose, which has lost three in a row and six of seven.

Performing well with new linemate Marchand, Coyle took a Poitras feed off the rush and banked the go-ahead goal off Askarov’s pads. The game-tying goal came several minutes earlier at 8:22 when Poitras fed Coyle a backhand pass, who sniped a shot past Askarov from the slot.

Marchand and Lindholm iced the game with empty-netters in the final 1:15.

The Sharks had scored twice in the second period to turn around a 2-1 deficit, with Smith bringing them back even at 8:52. The local native capitalized on a neutral-zone turnover by placing a perfect glove-side wrist shot off a give-and-go with Mikael Granlund.

Smith’s goal was his seventh and the 25th goal by Sharks rookies this season, the most in the NHL.

A successful penalty kill helped vault San Jose to its first lead when Zetterlund scored with 4:42 left before the second intermission. After Smith’s shot was blocked, Zetterlund picked up the puck, skated down the wing and buried his own rebound after a net drive.

Boston’s opening goal came as Vinni Lettieri tipped Jordan Oesterle’s shot from the right point five-hole on Askarov at 9:21 of the first. It was his second tally in as many games.

Goodrow evened the score for San Jose at 13:16, charging down the middle of the ice to snap home Nico Sturm’s centering pass from behind the end line.

The Bruins’ power play converted for the fourth time in as many games at 7:02 of the second. Pavel Zacha circled the cage and fed Pastrnak for a one-time goal from close range just below the right circle for a 2-1 Boston lead.

–Field Level Media

Surging Hawks Top Celtics in OT

by

BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Atlanta’s Trae Young had 28 points and 11 assists to help the visiting Hawks extend their winning streak to three games by defeating the Boston Celtics 119-115 in overtime on Saturday.

YouTube player

Dyson Daniels added 23 points for the Hawks, who won despite shooting 9-for-37 from 3-point range and committing 18 turnovers. Atlanta received 19 points and 13 rebounds from Onyeka Okongwu and 14 points and 13 boards from Jalen Johnson.

Young, Johnson and De’Andre Hunter (16 points) all returned after missing time because of injuries.

Boston trailed by three in overtime when Jayson Tatum missed a 3-point attempt with 6.6 seconds to play. Tatum had 23 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in the loss.

Jaylen Brown led Boston with 24 points but went 9-for-27 from the floor. Derrick White added 21 points and eight rebounds.

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | Jan 19

by

By TERRY LYONS, Editor of Digital Sports Desk

BOSTON – Way back in 2008, then-President Barack Obama – half-kidding – told a 60 Minutes TV audience, “I’m gonna throw my weight around a little bit. I think it’s the right thing to do,” he said, speaking about the collegiate football season. “I think any sensible person would say that if you’ve got a bunch of teams who play throughout the season, and many of them have one loss or two losses, there’s no clear decisive winner that we should be creating a playoff system.”

By the time the 2015 College Football championship game rolled around, the Ohio State Buckeyes made a trip to The White House as national champions after defeating Oregon in the first full-scale playoff victory. “I will say, it was about time,” the president joked. “I cannot claim full credit. I will point out that I pushed for a playoff system in 2008.

“You’re welcome, America,” he added. “It was a great playoffs.”

The BCS had fiddled with the system, the rankings (AP, New York Times, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and others but never really got the job done. This year? It was a 12-team playoff with the first round on campuses spread across the nation. Then, on New Year’s eve and New Year’s day, the quarterfinal teams played off – super-charging the annual Fiesta Bowl (Arizona), Peach Bowl (Georgia), Rose Bowl (Pasadena) and Sugar Bowl (New Orleans).

The semifinals were even better games as Notre Dame defeated Penn State (27-24) at the Orange Bowl (Miami) and Ohio State beat Texas (28-14) in Arlington (Dallas area).

Tomorrow night, at 7:30pm (ET), it’ll be Notre Dame against Ohio State at the Mercedes-Benz Dome in Atlanta for the national championship to define all national championships.

But, it’s been a lot of football since the week before Labor Day and a long postseason.

“To lead the country in plays snapped wasn’t our goal,” said Ohio State offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, the former Oregon head coach. “Our goal was to get to the national championship game.

“The fact that we have two running backs that can rotate all the time, We’ve rotated our receivers and, we have a bunch of receivers that can play. We have a bunch of tight ends that can play.

“A part of it was the length of the season has changed. Before, back when I was at Oregon, you were in the regular season and then you go to a bowl game. We had 37 days off between the final regular season game against Oregon State and then our bowl game against Auburn.

“That’s an entirely different thing. You play your last game in the regular season. Two weeks later you’re playing Tennessee. If you beat Tennessee you go to the Rose Bowl. If you win the Rose Bowl, you go to the Cotton Bowl. If you win the Cotton Bowl, you go to the national championship. The whole landscape of the schedule has really impacted what we did on both sides of the ball,” said Kelly in a Thursday media day session.

Kelly notes that OSU head coach Ryan Day talked to our entire staff about the marathon season Ohio State was planning for all the way back to the summer.

“That’s been on the forefront of our strength and conditioning program, our nutrition program, how our offense plays, how our defense plays, how our special teams play.

That was an overall program decision from the head coach down of how do you handle this length of a season, because it hadn’t been done before. It wasn’t, like, hey, let’s go call this guy because he did it. At this level it hadn’t been done.”

Day recognized the challenge of the season and the opportunity ahead: “I think in life — that’s why they call them “growing pains,” because in life you only grow when you go through difficult times,” said Day.

“I say all the time to our players, ‘the first time you got on a bike you didn’t just ride the bike, you fell down, and how quickly did you learn from falling down to get back on the bike to learn to ride a bike? Well, it’s like that in life.’

“You learn from going through difficult times like that. I think our team has done that, but now we have to go finish what we started. There are great stories on this team individually. There’s great stories on this team collectively. But I’ve said this before, the only way those stories get told is if we win, and we have an opportunity to become the ninth team in Ohio State history to win a national championship and the third team in over 50 years, and there’s been a lot of really good football teams in Ohio State history.

“We talked about that, looking up at the banners of those years, and to see just a couple of them over 50 years of great teams. We have an opportunity to separate ourselves, so that’s it. That’s the only thing right now that matters, and how do we do that? By being in the moment, preparing ourselves.”

On the Notre Dame side of the field (which is the opposite side than when ND defeated Georgia Tach back on October 19), there are no secrets to be shared from head coach Marcus Freeman.

“Yeah, I think more than anything, each team has a plan to do what they do well,” said Freeman on Saturday. “Again, we know we’ve got to be able to run the ball and we’ve got to be able to stop the run, or it’s going to be a long day.

“That’s the reality of when you talk about playing in this game, you have to do what you do well and do the things that have given your program a chance to be in this situation. That’s we’re going to do.

“You have to be able to make adjustments. If your plan going into the game isn’t having success, then you’re insane not to make adjustments to try to give your program a better chance to succeed. This game will be about, hey, who has the best plan going in, but how you make adjustments in terms of having success on offense and being able to stop them defensively.”

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: “For more than 50 years, George (Kalinsky) was synonymous with Madison Square Garden,” the MSG family of companies said in a statement announcing the death of The Garden’s official photographer. “There wasn’t a single important moment at The World’s Most Famous Arena that George didn’t capture. From Willis Reed‘s inspiring walk onto the court for Game 7 of 1970 NBA Finals to ‘The Fight of the Century’ between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier, George and his lens were there.”

MSG Networks announcer Mike Breen told Newsday, “First off, he just was so kind, and whenever you ran into him, he made you feel that he was so happy to see you. There’s nobody that’s that happy to see me. But George was like that. He did really make you feel good.”

Other tributes came in after news of Kalinsky’s death spread throughout the Garden’s longtime dwellers. “The kindest guy,” said Walt “Clyde” Frazier during Friday night’s Knicks telecast on MSG Net. “He took my first ‘Clyde’ pictures. [It was] his ingenuity, folks. The Garden has been able to find a facsimile for Clyde, for Reed, for Ewing. No one has come close to replacing George Kalinsky.”

In 1979, Pope John Paul II visited the Garden, and Kalinsky spoke to him briefly backstage. Later, Kalinsky captured the Pope singling out 6-year-old Geralyn Smith in the crowd and lifting her up by her lower legs onto his “popemobile.”

Pope John Paul II at The Garden, quite possibly George Kalinsky’s greatest photo

The Pope liked the image so much he asked for a copy and put it on his desk at the Vatican.

Kalinsky was awarded numerous high honors during his career, including the Basketball Hall of Fame’s Curt Gowdy Media Award in 2021, the highest tribute for writers, broadcasters and photographers in the world of basketball.

Kalinsky is survived by his daughter Rachelle Kalinsky, his son Lee Kalinsky and grandchildren Emily Birnbaum, Jason Birnbaum, Josh Kalinsky and Jackie Clarke, his sister Marilyn Kalinsky and brother Howard Kalinsky, according to Newsday.

TIDBITS: The International Basketball Federation announced its 2025 Hall of Fame Class. The group is headlined by Spain’s Pau Gasol, South Carolina and USA Women’s national team head coach Dawn Staley and former Duke and USA Basketball senior national team coach Mike Krzyzewski. Staley was named as a player.

Pau Gasol was a “colossus on the floor for Spain,” said the FIBA statement, “inspiring unprecedented success with his towering performances and leadership. He achieved superstardom status at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2006 in Japan when he earned MVP honors alongside winning Spain’s first-ever major trophy.” A five-time Olympian, the center was Spain’s flag bearer at London 2012 and led his nation to three medals at the Olympic Games. These accomplishments also came alongside three titles at the FIBA EuroBasket, as well as two NBA Championships with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Said the statement of Staley: “Dawn Staley, a floor general for the USA during her playing days, lifted the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup titles in 1998, in Germany, and in 2002 in China. The point guard played at three Olympic Games and conquered the gold medal on each occasion. She stepped out in 1996, 2000, and in Athens in 2004, when she was the flagbearer for her country. Staley won a total of 10 gold medals as an athlete, before transitioning to the sidelines. As the head coach, Staley steered the USA to gold at the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2018 and at the 2020 Olympic Games.”

Mike Krzyzewski masterminded USA’s effort to return to the summit following a blistering defeat in the Semi-Finals of the 2006 World Cup. He was at the helm of the star-laden Team USA that was nicknamed Redeem Team and conquered the Gold Medal at the 2008 Olympics and followed up by steering a Kevin Durant-led USA to World Cup glory in 2010, in Turkey. … ‘Coach K’, as he is affectionately known, led USA to one World Cup title and two more Olympic gold medals before stepping down as his nation’s head coach in 2016 to focus exclusively on his illustrious NCAA career, where he has no fewer than five championships.

Here is the full list of inductees that make up the 2025 Class of the FIBA Hall of Fame:

Players

– Alphonse Bilé (Côte d’Ivoire)

– Andrew Bogut (Australia)

– Leonor Borrell (Cuba)

– Pau Gasol (Spain)

– El Khatib (Lebanon)

– Ticha Penicheiro (Portugal)

– Ratko Radovanovic (Serbia)

– Dawn Staley (USA)

Coach

– Mike Krzyzewski (USA)

The members of the Class of 2025 will be honored at an enshrinement ceremony on May 17 that will take place alongside the FIBA Mid-Term Congress in Bahrain. A total of eight players and one coach are being recognized for their stellar individual contributions to the sport.

On Friday, the University of South Carolina’s board of trustees approved a contract extension for women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley that will make her the highest-paid coach in women’s college basketball. … The extension keeps Staley in Columbia through the 2029-30 season with an annual base salary of $4 million per year. Previously, she was the third-highest-paid coach in the country — behind LSU’s Kim Mulkey and UConn’s Geno Auriemma — at $3.1 million per year in base. With a signing bonus and annual increases, the total contract is worth more than $25 million

THIS JEST IN: The January 5th WWYI prediction, among many for the calendar year 2025, was as follows:

  • Free agent pitcher Roki Sasaki will sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Check ✅ marks the spot.

On Friday night, news broke that the San Diego Padres, one of three MLB team finalists in the Sasaki-Derby, had folded the tent and offered their international free agent pool money to other prospects based in the Dominican Republic. Team 2, the Toronto Blue Jays, tried to sweeten their pot of signing bonus gold but to no avail. That left the door open for the Los Angeles Dodgers to sign Sasaki, pay the international player signing bonus, but then recoup the benefits, equivalent to securing a rookie and having him sign a minor league contract. The reigning MLB champion Dodgers secured the best 23-year old free agent starting pitcher for the duration.

SIGN OF THE APOCALYPSE: Again, stealing a title from Sports Illustrated in its glory years, Bill McCartney, a football coach who in the 1980s took the University of Colorado from perennial losers to national champions, but who later left behind his $350,000 annual salary to refashion his locker-room message about prayer and sacrifice into a sprawling men’s evangelical movement, died on Friday in Boulder. He was 84 and the cause of death was complications of dementia, his family announced in a statement released by the university. … According to The New York Times, “As the founder of the Promise Keepers, a men-only Christian group based in Denver, Mr. McCartney reached his greatest influence in 1997, when an event he staged in Washington drew an estimated half-million men to the National Mall. … Historians described the movement as “one of the fastest-growing religious revivals in American history,” The New York Times reported afterward on its front page. The group then lost momentum — but regained it in recent years, when new leaders relaunched it as a vehicle for support of Donald J. Trump to express a newly assertive Christian masculinity, wrote the Times. … The Promise Keepers are not to be confused with the Oath Keepers who played a major role in the January 6 insurrection at the United States Capitol. More than 500 Oath Keepers either pleaded guilty or were convicted for their role in the riot at the Capitol on January 6, 2021. More than 1,000 cases stemmed from January 6, with sentences of 18 years for seditious conspiracy. The Promise Keepers have distanced themselves from those of the Oath Keepers, but with little to no comment.

YOU CAN’T MAKE IT UP: A gold medal awarded at the 1904 Olympics, the first Olympic Games hosted by the United States, was sold at auction for over half a million dollars, part of hundreds of lots of memorabilia from the Games gone by.

The 1904 St. Louis Olympics medal sold for $545,371. It bears the inscription “Olympiad, 1904” and shows a victorious athlete holding a wreath on the front. On the other side, Nike, the goddess of victory in ancient Greek mythology, is shown alongside Zeus, the pantheon’s king of gods, and the words for the 110-meter hurdles. The medal, awarded to American Fred Schule, included the original ribbon and leather case.

Similarly, an “extraordinarily rare gold winner’s medal from the St. Louis 1904 Olympics, issued by the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) to American gymnast George Eyser for placing first in the rope climbing competition,” was auctioned for a cool but more affordable $80,163.

While We’re Young (Ideas) is a weekly (every weekend) collection of Sports Notes and News written by Terry Lyons. The posting of each notebook harkens back to the days when you’d walk over to the city newsstand on Saturday night around 10pm to pick-up a copy of the Sunday papers. Inside, just waiting, was a sports-filled compilation of interesting notes, quotes and quips in a column that always sold a few newspapers.

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes is brought to you by Digital Sports Desk.