NBA Playoffs

NBA Playoff Round-Up

April 27, 2024 by Digital Sports Desk

INDIANAPOLIS – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Pacers’ guard Tyrese Haliburton converted a three-point play with 1.6 seconds left in overtime, lifting the Indiana Pacers to a 121-118 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference first-round series.

Haliburton gained separation after using a nifty crossover on Patrick Beverley before sinking a shot from the foul line. He added a free throw to complete his 18-point, 16-assist, 10-rebound performance and overcome a scintillating 42-point effort by Milwaukee’s Khris Middleton.

Myles Turner collected 29 points and nine rebounds and Pascal Siakam added 17 points and nine rebounds to help the sixth-seeded Pacers seize a 2-1 lead in their best-of-seven series. Game 4 is Sunday in Indianapolis.

Damian Lillard, slowed by an ailing Achilles tendon, overcame an apparent left leg injury late in the first quarter to finish with 28 points, eight assists and three steals. Bobby Portis collected 17 points and 18 rebounds for the third-seeded Bucks, who played their sixth straight game without two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo (left calf strain).

Mavericks 101, Clippers 90

Dallas all-star Luka Doncic had 22 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists to help Dallas beat visiting Los Angeles in Game 3 of their Western Conference first-round playoff series.

Kyrie Irving scored 19 of his 21 points in the final 14 minutes for the Mavericks, who lead the best-of-seven series 2-1. Game 4 is set for Sunday in Dallas.

Norman Powell and James Harden each had 21 points for the Clippers, who committed 19 turnovers. Ivica Zubac added 19 points and eight rebounds.

Timberwolves 126, Suns 109

Anthony Edwards recorded 36 points and nine rebounds as Minnesota beat host Phoenix to take a 3-0 playoff series lead for the first time in franchise history.

The Timberwolves will aim for a sweep in Game 4 of the best-of-seven, first-round Western Conference series on Sunday night at Phoenix. Rudy Gobert added 19 points and 14 rebounds and Karl-Anthony Towns added 18 points and 13 boards for third-seeded Minnesota.

Bradley Beal scored 28 points, Kevin Durant added 25 and Devin Booker registered 23 points and eight assists for the sixth-seeded Suns.

–Field Level Media

TL’s Sunday Sports Notebook | April 16

April 16, 2023 by Terry Lyons

While We’re Young (Ideas) Looks at The Week That Was, the 127th Boston Marathon, and Trying to Move On; Recognizing and Respecting our Mortality | And, The Boss!

By TERRY LYONS

BOSTON – It’s the pipes. Much like the playing of Taps at a military funeral honor ceremony, the bagpipers tear your heart and soul out as they led the procession down Boylston Street in the Back Bay to honor the victims of the senseless 2013 Boston Marathon bombing – now a full decade in the past.

On Saturday morning, the pipes played and time stood still. The memorial services hurt more than they ever can help. We try to move on, but with every running of the Marathon, from here to eternity, we’ll close our eyes and see eight-year old Martin Richard’s face. Then, we see his family photo with his surviving siblings at his side. One is Martin’s sister, Jane, who lost a leg standing alongside her little brother – both innocently watching the 2013 race and the mid-range runners all crossing the finish line on a beautiful afternoon in Boston.

It all ended in 14 seconds and 200+ yards apart. It was sheer terror, smoke and carnage.

There were others who perished nearby. Lingzi Lu of China was here in Boston studying. She went home in a body bag after being torn to bits, dying from blood loss because of massive injuries from shrapnel, plastic bits and pellets, nails and other deadly propellents stuffed into a pressure cooker and concealed in a backpack. Lu will forever be a 23-year old in our mind’s eye.

Bostonian Krystle Campbell was killed by one of the two explosions purposely set-off in the areas where innocent people were enjoying one of America’s finest and longest standing sporting events. Campbell will forever be 29 years old, smiling that wonderful, endearing smile. She was the best of friends to those lucky enough to be within her inner circle.

Sean Collier, an MIT police officer and Boston Police Sergeant Dennis “DJ” Simmonds died in the aftermath of the terrorist bombing. Collier was assassinated by the two morons, shot at point blank range as he sat in his squad car on patrol on university grounds in Cambridge. He had no chance. They wanted his gun. They didn’t get it and the manhunt was on.

The final victim, Simmonds, was injured during a firestorm shootout in nearby Watertown after police identified the bombers and began the manhunt, the largest and most organized police detail every undertaken in one of America’s oldest, most beautiful and symbolic cities. Simmonds died of his wounds a year after that terrible day when the entire city of Boston was shut down as its citizens were instructed to shelter in place.

One of the terrorists was killed in the shootout in Watertown. He was then run over by the very S.U.V. being driven by his younger brother who was trying to escape but was later found bleeding and cowering in a winterized pleasure boat parked right in our backyards. The younger of the two domestic terrorist, the guy who chose to lay his backpack right next to the Richards family, was tried by his peers, convicted and sentenced to death by lethal injection. He awaits, sleeping on the USA’s dime on death row in a SuperMax prison in Colorado. I am very much against the Death Penalty. I do not think it acts as a deterrent to the criminal mind. However, there are exceptions. Regardless, I never want to see or hear about this guy ever again.

This Saturday afternoon, the bells tolled at the Old South Church in Copley Square at precisely at 2:49 p.m. to mark the time of the first explosion ten years ago. The cold, cruel facts of the domestic terrorist event and names of the victims are spoken and written today, over-and-over again to be sure we never forget. We have to remember their faces, those family smiles from the images. We have to recognize the overall importance of the victims to us all. Their diversity in age, occupation and nationality, symbolize what all that is great about Boston, a small college town with a huge heart and an extraordinary love of sports – from the Marathon to the Head of the Charles. The citizens of New England and all who come to run, visit and study here, will be out in force on Monday. After all – paraphrasing what David “Big Papi” Ortiz once said, “This is our F’ing city,” and we’ll all agree, “It’s our F’ing Marathon, too.”

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: While the lead-up to the 2023 Boston Marathon has taken on a somber note as the 10-year anniversary is marked this weekend, there was a certain complexity to the entire week just concluding.

This week began on Easter Sunday – and for those who believe – it was a day to reflect on death, resurrection and eternal life. The week continued – for this writer – with attendance at one of the most moving rock shows ever staged. It was a week when abortion rights were turned upside down by courts throughout the land, only to have the Supreme Court call a temporary “time out” for the very issue they tossed into the air last June 24th after 50 years of law settled the issue.

It was a week of extreme weather, deadly tornadoes in the Midwest and South and floods in Ft. Lauderdale while thousands of acres remained underwater from equally terrible flooding in California. It was a week when one of our own national air guardsman leaked classified documents and put the United States’ national security at risk, once again.

But, with all the upheaval and all the trouble lurking, we must endure and move forward as that is the only solution. “Survive and advance,” we said so confidently during March Madness. Now, we have to live by that saying. Yes, we will.

This week, the entire City of Boston will rally and move forward, as it must do to make any sense of the mental anguish of a monumental event in the city’s history now a full decade ago.

What might be a personal salve for the challenge as the anniversary comes along? Boston’s Sports will get the job done. The Celticws, the Bruins and the Red Sox will remember the best of times as they pay respect to the worst of times with ONE Boston Day celebration and day of service. After all, the Boston Bruins just completed the most successful regular season in National Hockey League history and one of its stars, David Pastrnak, netted 61 goals in his 82 games played. Things are looking good in 2023.

The Bruins and the NBA’s Boston Celtics (57-25) will embark on an every-other-day playoff march and it will be coupled with the Boston Red Sox attempt to compete in the ultra-tough AL East. Just 14-games into the 2023 season, the Sox (7-8) find themselves in last place in their division and trailing the first place Tampa Bay Rays by 6.0 games. Nevertheless, Fenway Park will be filled with hopefuls, especially Monday with the traditional 11:10am first pitch.

Here’s a sampling of what we’re up to, if the beer-guzzling, Sam Adams-loving, 26.2 chugging crowds can endure and the word “upset” isn’t uttered in this town until June:

Saturday April 15th:

2:30pm – Boston Marathon Opening Ceremony
3:30pm – NBA Playoffs, first round, Atlanta Hawks at Boston Celtics (112-99)
4:10pm – MLB, LA Angels and Shoehei Ohtani at Boston Red Sox (9-7)

Sunday, April 16th:

1:35pm – LA Angels at Boston Red Sox, Fenway Park
Eve of Pasta and Pastrnak!

Monday, April 17th:

8:30am – The running of the 127th Boston Marathon
11:10am – LA Angeles at Boston Red Sox, Fenway Park
7:30pm – NHL Playoffs, Florida Panthers at Boston Bruins

Tuesday, April 18th:

7:00pm – Atlanta Hawks at Boston Celtics, Game 2
7:10pm – Minnesota Twins at Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park

Wednesday, April 19th:

7:10pm – Minnesota Twins at Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park
7:30pm – Florida Panthers at Boston Bruins at TD Garden

And, on we’ll go.

OHTANI’S IN TOWN: As noted, Major League Baseball’s two-way (pitcher and batter) sensation and most talented player, Shohei Ohtani, is in town this weekend and is scheduled to be the starting pitcher when the Angeles face the Sox on Patriots’ Day and that 11:10am (ET) start. (That’s eight in the morning for the Southern California crew).

The Sho is a fantasy baseball player’s dream and nightmare, especially in weekly leagues. Do you start him as a batter or a pitcher? Will he get two starts this week, with the first coming Monday morning?

A lefty batter, can he wrap a shot around the Pesky Pole or will he go with his picture-perfect stroke and line one out into left center field for a single? Will he steal a base or two? Will MLB superstar, but oft-injured OF Mike Trout be on base for Ohtani to knock-in, like a pinball wizard?

Friday night saw the Angels draw the devilish imprint of the game of baseball. They committed three costly errors, tossed wild pitches and allowed passed balls, all resulting in a 5-3 Boston victory. The Angels left 11 runners on base. The great Ohtani went 1-for-4 with two strike-outs. Boston only had five hits to produce the five runs needed to win. Saturday, the Angels were felled by consecutive catcher interference botch-ups. LA was winning 7-6 in the 8th and lost, 9-7. The Angeles are 2-for-2 in handing away wins.

LAST MAN STANDING:

“Faded pictures in an old scrapbook

Faded pictures that somebody took

When you were hard and young and proud

Backed against the wall running raw and loud”

BRUCE AND THE E STREET BAND: “It was 1965 and I was 15 years old,” began Bruce Springsteen this past Tuesday at the New York Islanders brand-new UBS Arena situated alongside the greatness of Belmont Park Race Track. Springsteen was doing an intro to the key song of his latest LP, the most important and telling song on the album. “I’d been playing guitar for about six months when one summer afternoon I heard a knock on my front door. It was George Theiss (The Castiles). “He was an old friend of mine and he was dating my sister at the time. She told him I was playing some guitar and he asked me to audition for his band. So that weekend, I followed him to a small shotgun shack of a house, just one block from the town’s road mill. It was there at that little house that I embarked on the greatest adventure of my life. I joined my first real rock ‘n roll band. And, we lasted for three years! That’s a lifetime for teenagers. We lasted from 1965-66-67, an explosive time in American history and an incredible moment to be in a rock band.

“Now, if you cut forward – cut forward 50 years from that summer afternoon – on another summer day, I found myself standing at the side of George’s deathbed. George had been in a terrible battle with lung cancer in the last years of his life and he only had a few days left to live.

“I realized with his passing, it would leave me as the last surviving member of that small group of guys that got together in that little corner house that afternoon. It will give you pause to think. It’s like you are standing on the tracks with the white, hot light of an oncoming train, bearing down upon you. It just brings a certain clarity of thought. Death’s final and lasting gift to the living is an expanded vision of life itself.

“It gives you another chance to look at life – to look at your life – to look at the lives you and your friends are leading.

“It was shortly after that afternoon when George passed away, just a little while later, I wrote this song. It’s just about the passions you follow as children, not knowing where they’re going to lead you. And, how at 15, it’s all tomorrow and tomorrow and hello and hello. And, later on, there’s a lot more yesterdays and good-byes.

“It made me realize how important living every moment is. So, be good to yourself. Be good to those you love and to this world we live in.

“This is Last Man Standing”

During the many years (48 for yours truly), watching Springsteen evolve into the man he is today, he told many a short story as he introduced new songs and gave listeners deep insight into his song-writing processes. But, never have I witnessed a very deep introspective viewpoint such as what he chose to share this past Tuesday night in Elmont, New York. While he reached into his soul every night as he performed Springsteen on Broadway, this week, he paused in the middle of his two hour, fifty minute rock show to lay his mortal soul on the line, warning us all of the fact death is inevitable.

Put simply and very clearly: “It kicked my ass.”

To the many aging, gray haired, gray bearded faithful in the audience, it was as much an awakening as it was a death knell. After all, that train is coming – for some of us sooner than later – for some – unexpected and quick – while others might suffer the fate that George Theiss suffered, fighting dreaded lung cancer for years to the end.

“Rock of ages lift me somehow

Somewhere high and hard and loud

Somewhere deep into the heart of the crowd

I’m the last man standing now”

SPRINGSTEEN AND THE E STREET BAND’S SET LIST: The April 11, 2023 concert’s set list for the Boss & his E Street Band reflected his journey since that summer day in ‘65 and guided him through a lifetime of great success coupled with personal challenges which included immediate family issues and a very public break-up and divorce.

Unlike most concert trails, Springsteen has stuck with a core of meaningful songs which all tell of the journey he’s been on with his Band. The dedication of his passion and belief in his music via “No Surrender,” to the pursuits of the “Promised Land.” The April 11th show was not a “Farewell Tour” of all the greats in chronological order. No, it was a life lesson.

He remembered some of our darkest days of “The Rising,” and performed a version – like always – that provided inspiration if not relief. A first time in a LONG time was the insertion of “Born in the USA,” which reminded us of the tough times in these United States when a country was divided and George Theiss’ Castiles were performing during the heat of the Viet Nam war.

In a Michael Jordan “Last Dance” timeline kind of way, the concert waves (or was it sways) back and forth, to insert the glorious rock anthem of “Because the Night” intertwined with memories of New Jersey days gone by “Wrecking Ball” or additional Springsteen anthems like “Badlands,” “Thunder Road” and “Born to Run.”

Just when you’d think he had performed the greatest song of all-time in “Because the Night,” you were reminded of the iconic lyrics and ass-kicking rock of “the night bustin’ open and two lanes will take us anyplace.” When Springsteen was ready, he brought forth the greatest of ‘em all.

“Born to Run” reminded us of that fact, “The amusement park rises bold and stark, Kids are huddled on the beach in the mist, I wanna die with you, Wendy, on the street tonight, In an everlasting kiss.”

But, there was still time for a little “Rosalita (Come Out Tonight),” a purposeful look back again via “Glory Days,” a vision of Courtney Cox “Dancin’ in the Dark,” and a tribute to The Big Man himself, Clarence Clemons via his nephew, Jake, playing “Tenth Avenue Freeze Out” as a contemporary and equal of Springsteen, not a fill-in any more.

When it was time to close it down, Springsteen did so with an acoustic guitar and a good-bye (for now, as he heads to Europe from April 28 to June 28 for a 20 concert, 13 city, 11 country tour segment) with a message of “I’ll See You in My Dreams.”

Here’s hoping it’s not a dream with a locomotive and a single bright light bearing down upon him.

To end this column of deep thinking … How about some SUN.

PARTING WORDS & MUSIC: From the morning weather reports not more than 10-days ago, we awoke to hear it was 19-degrees on The Vineyard. Twenty-five degrees in Boston with the wind blowing. It was not pretty, as March came in like a lion and went out like old T-Rex.

Now, the 10-day forecast had smiley sun faces after smiley sun faces, temperatures in the 60s, 70s and maybe 80s. Sadly for tomorrow, Marathon Monday – more commonly known as Patriots’ Day in these parts – we’re looking at 45-to-67-degree temps and a 51% chance of rain in the morning but 14 mph SxSW winds which can provide a tailwind for the runners.

Generally, it’s Springtime in Boston and the Sun is King. It’s a great time of year. We’ll leave this column with an upside of inspiration, written by the great George Harrison and performed here by bass player extraordinaire Will Lee and The Fab Faux.

NBA Playoffs: Round-Up

June 20, 2021 by Digital Sports Desk

PHILADELPHIA – Atlanta’s Kevin Huerter scored a playoff career-high 27 points, while charismatic and exciting point guard Trae Young added 21 points and 10 assists to lead the fifth-seeded Atlanta Hawks upset the host Philadelphia 76ers 103-96 in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals on Sunday.

The Hawks will face the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference finals.

Atlanta’s John Collins had 14 points and 16 rebounds while Danilo Gallinari had 17 points and Clint Capela 13 for the Hawks, who reached the conference finals for the first time since 2015. The Hawks won three games at Philadelphia in this series.

Philly’s all-star center Joel Embiid led the top-seeded Sixers with 31 points and 11 rebounds yet committed eight turnovers. Sixers’ forward Tobias Harris added 24 points and 14 rebounds, while Seth Curry had 16 points and guard Ben Simmons contributed 13 assists.

The Sixers haven’t reached the conference finals since 2001 and Simmons was met with much criticism for not scoring nor taking shots in the crucial fourth quarter. Simmons attempted only one shot in the fourth quarter in the final six games of the series — a total of 43 minutes played — and passed up a certain game-tying layup with 3:30 left in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s Game 7 loss.

In Phoenix, Suns guard Devin Booker posted his first career triple-double Sunday afternoon, when he scored 40 points and collected 13 rebounds and 11 assists as the Phoenix Suns defeated the visiting Los Angeles Clippers, 120-114, in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals.

Booker scored 16 consecutive points for the Suns in the third quarter and 29 in the second half for second-seeded Phoenix, which was without All-Star point guard Chris Paul (health and safety protocols).

Deandre Ayton scored 20 points for Phoenix with nine rebounds while Mikal Bridges (14 points), Jae Crowder (13 points), Cameron Johnson (12 points) and Cameron Payne (11 points, nine assists) also got into double digits.

Reggie Jackson had 24 points and DeMarcus Cousins added 11 points off the bench for the Clippers. Kawhi Leonard missed his third straight game with a right knee injury.

Neither team led by more than five points in the first half, during which there were 18 lead changes and eight ties, before George (16 points) and Booker (18 points) put on a show in the third quarter, when they combined to score almost half the combined points generated by both teams.

Finalists for 2020-21 NBA Awards

May 20, 2021 by Terry Lyons

NEW YORK – The NBA announced the finalists for six awards that honor top performers for the 2020-21 regular season: NBA Coach of the Year, Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year, Kia NBA Most Improved Player, Kia NBA Most Valuable Player, Kia NBA Rookie of the Year and Kia NBA Sixth Man.

The three finalists for each annual award, based on voting results from a global panel of sports media and sports/game broadcasters, are listed in alphabetical order below:

NBA Coach of the Year

Quin Snyder, Utah Jazz
Tom Thibodeau, New York Knicks
Monty Williams, Phoenix Suns

Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year

Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz
Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors
Ben Simmons, Philadelphia 76ers

Kia NBA Most Improved Player

Jerami Grant, Detroit Pistons
Michael Porter Jr., Denver Nuggets
Julius Randle, New York Knicks

Kia NBA Most Valuable Player

Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers
Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets

Kia NBA Rookie of the Year

LaMelo Ball, Charlotte Hornets
Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves
Tyrese Haliburton, Sacramento Kings

Kia NBA Sixth Man

Jordan Clarkson, Utah Jazz
Joe Ingles, Utah Jazz
Derrick Rose, New York Knicks

The NBA on TNT studio and game crew will announce the winner of each award during coverage of the 2021 NBA Playoffs.

Celtics Play Well, Play “In”

May 19, 2021 by Digital Sports Desk

BOSTON – Boston’s all-star forward Jayson Tatum scored 23 of his 50 points in the third quarter and the Celtics advanced to the NBA Playoffs with a 118-100 victory over the Washington Wizards in the NBA’s new “play-in” tournament. Washington will play the Indiana Pacers (144-117 winners over Charlotte) on Thursday with the winner grabbing the final Eastern Conference playoff slot.

All-Star Kemba Walker added 29 points as Boston, which had lost five of its final six regular-season games, claimed the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference bracket. The Celtics will meet the second-seeded Brooklyn Nets in a first-round matchup, with Game 1 set for Saturday night.

Washington, which went 17-6 to finish the regular season and outscored Boston 33-25 in the second quarter of play, led 56-55 at the beginning of the third quarter before the Celtics exploded with 14 straight points as part of a 19-2 run.

Slumping Celtics Take on Washington

May 18, 2021 by Digital Sports Desk

BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Services Reports) – The oft-injured, chemistry-challenged Boston Celtics ended the NBA regular season in a deep slump, while the surging Washington Wizards soared to the finish line. Yet, with the NBA’s new Play-In pre-playoff tournament beginning this week, the two teams will converge Tuesday night when the Celtics host the Wizards. The winner will land the No. 7 seed for the Eastern Conference Playoffs, while the loser will get another attempt to play their way in on Thursday night.

The play-in games are going to be exciting for fans and it puts an added weight and added importance,” Boston coach Brad Stevens said. “And then once you get into the playoffs and teams dial into each other and prepare for each other, you see everybody’s level rise.”

The Celtics (36-36), who finished seventh in the Eastern Conference, need to raise their level now as they struggled down the stretch with five losses in six games and nine of their past 13. In previous NBA seasons, the Celtics would be facing the No. 2 Brooklyn Nets in a first-round Best of 7 series, beginning in Brooklyn.

Regardless, the Celtics are limping into the postseason, having recently lost standout swingman Jaylen Brown (wrist) for the rest of the season. He averaged 24.7 points per game and losing Brown’s firepower hurts even more when the opponent trots out Bradley Beal and Russell Westbrook as the starting backcourt.

Washington (34-38), which is in the eighth position, was red-hot down the stretch with 17 wins in its past 23 games. Westbrook went into high-level triple-double mode and finished with 38 on the season and 184 for his career, eclipsing NBA legend Oscar Robertson‘s long-held record of 181.

Beal finished second in the NBA in scoring at 31.3 points per game but is less than full strength due to a strained left hamstring that caused him to miss three games before he returned Sunday and scored 25 points in a 115-110 win over the Charlotte Hornets.

“There’s no set-backs, which is good,” Beal said. “I didn’t injure it any worse than what it was. Obviously, it still probably won’t be 100 percent. It is just a matter of managing it as best I can.”

Westbrook recorded triple-doubles in 20 of his past 24 appearances and his first season of teaming up with Beal has been a big success. He averaged a triple-double for the fourth time in the past five seasons, recording an NBA-leading 11.7 assists to go with 22.2 points and a career-high 11.5 rebounds.

After having to yield to James Harden last season with the Houston Rockets, Westbrook has been free to play the game his way under Washington coach Scott Brooks, who was previously his coach in Oklahoma City.

“You gotta give credit to our coach because he’s done an amazing job of making adjustments on the fly,” Westbrook said of Brooks. “The players always get the recognition, but Scotty has done a hell of a job of being consistent and finding ways to make us better along with the coaching staff.”

There will certainly be the eyes on the Boston coach as well as Stevens’ club took a step back this season after losing in the Eastern Conference finals in three of the past four seasons.

This time, the Celtics are still trying to make it into the field and multiple players have been ailing down the stretch, including star forward Jayson Tatum (ankle).

Tatum isn’t worried about the injury for Tuesday, but he understands his club needs to step up its performance.

“It’s been such an up-and-down season,” said Tatum, who averages 26.4 points per game. “Obviously, the last couple of games haven’t gone our way.”