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Tatum and Celtics Look at Big Picture

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – With the NBA All-Star Game returning to the Eastern Conference vs. Western Conference format, Boston Celtics stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown were able to giddily team up.

Tatum and Brown combined for 56 points as the East coasted to a 211-186 victory, and now the duo will return to the court for the top team in the league when Boston faces the host Chicago Bulls on Thursday night to open the second half of the season.

“It was pretty cool,” Brown said of getting to play alongside Tatum in Indianapolis. “We got the win, and we had fun. I think it’s just another platform to continue to raise for yourself but also raise for the city of Boston, just represent. I think that’s what we kind of look at it as. That’s what we’ve become.”

Boston entered the All-Star break with six straight wins — its third streak this season of at least that many victories –and is coming off a 50-point home win against the Brooklyn Nets on Feb. 14.

Balance has boosted the Celtics, who have five players with scoring averages in double figures, led by Tatum (27.1 points per game), Brown (22.0) and Kristaps Porzingis (20.2).

Also the team leader in rebounds per game (8.6) and the co-leader in assists per game (4.8), Tatum is aware of the chatter about his league MVP candidacy, but he is quick to cast it aside as the Celtics pursue a championship.

“They have individual awards for a reason,” Tatum said. “As a competitor, as a player, you grew up watching your favorite players winning MVP and first-team All-NBA and all that.

“Of course you want to win those things. But you can’t take precedent over playing the right way and doing the things that you have to do in order for your team to essentially be the best team in the league and have a chance to win a championship.”

Chicago hopes to gain stability for the stretch run after resetting during the break. While the Bulls have not been over .500 this season nor at the break-even mark since Oct. 30, they enter the second half in ninth place in the East with room to ascend.

“The last couple of weeks have been kind of crazy for us with injuries, dealing with all the noise on the outside and the trade rumors,” said Bulls leading scorer DeMar DeRozan (22.7 ppg). “Emotionally, physically, mentally, we took on a tall task, and we pushed through it. Now we can kind of just breathe a little and gather our minds and emotions.

“Get some bodies back and get rejuvenated for the next 27 games. We’re going to need to put everything and more into those.”

The Bulls’ front office stood pat at the deadline after learning potential trade chip Zach LaVine needed season-ending foot surgery.

Steady play and leadership from DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic — coupled with the emergence of guard Coby White, who is averaging 24.2 points per game and shooting 44.7 percent from deep in February — have fueled the organization’s optimism.

Boston routed the visiting Bulls 124-97 on Nov. 28. Brown poured in 30 points and Tatum chipped in 21 to lead six Celtics scorers in double figures.

The teams are 5-5 in their past 10 meetings and split four games last season, with the home team prevailing each time.

–Field Level Media

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | Feb 18

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While We’re Young (Ideas) | ’24 NBA All-Star Weekend

BREAKING NEWS FROM SATURDAY NIGHT: The ups and downs, ebbs and flows of the annual NBA All-Star Weekend were on display Saturday night. The verdict for the NBA this year was another serious high mark.

Highlights of the night included a very competitive three point contest won by Milwaukee’s Damian Lillard who is now a back-to-back champion, defeating Atlanta’s TraeYoung on the final shot.

NY Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu set the bar very, very high by shooting an incredible round at the NBA three-point line and scoring 26 points (which included her hitting her first seven shots and 8-of-9 of the “money balls” which counted for two points each.

Under pressure in the single round of competition, Steph Curry of the Golden State Warriors met the mark and scored 29 points to secure the victory and a ‘boxing or MMA-like” championship belt. Curry drained two perfect racks of five basketballs and then went three for five on his final rack of all money balls.

The end result was a significant ($55,000) donation by State Farm Insurance to benefit each player’s charity efforts.

In the final scene of the night, Mac McClung, the former Georgetown and Texas Tech guard, turned pro via the NBA G-League’s Osceola Magic (Orlando’s minor league club) became a back-to-back champion by defeating Boston Celtics All-Star Jaylen Brown.

Brown brought out some of the classic Dominique Wilkins’ power dunks and fit them into a creative repertoire of well choreographed dunks. It wasn’t enough as McClung scored an amazing “50” on his final dunk of the night to take honors.

For an event that always seems to have some high notes and clinkers, Saturday night scored well and was a highly entertaining evening. Turner (TNT) Sports outdid itself with dozens upon dozens of well-placed cameras, super slo-mo replays and great commentary and back and forth humor – especially by Kenny Smith.

In the column below, you’ll read of other All-Star Weekend memories, noting – It was a great night from the couch and the home LED Hi-Def TV.

By TERRY LYONS, Editor of Digital Sports Desk

BOSTON – While I’m very accustomed to being on site and – in the case of this year -listing an Indianapolis dateline, it’s very nice and comfortable writing from Boston and watching the All-Star festivities from the couch.

It was 16 years ago tonight that I watched the NBA All-Star Saturday events from a couch, joining former NBA referee Bob Delaney and his wife, Billie, at their home in Florida after a 12-day tour promoting Bob’s first book – COVERT. The last couple days were in the NBA All-Star city – New Orleans – where we did hundreds of interviews and enjoyed the Thursday-Friday tip-off of a great event in one of the greatest American cities. Overall, we were exhausted but had a great time tuning in to watch.

This weekend, it’s quite the same. I’m scoring from home.

At his pre-event media availability, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver stated that the league examined many of the intricacies of the All-Star Game and the league and its players – largely behind the experiences of new NBA Players Association executive director Andre Iguodala – have agreed to put the focus on the game of basketball.

Amen.

“We returned to the East versus West format and the 48-minute game format because we thought what we were doing was not working,” said Silver at his Saturday media availability. “I’d say people uniformly were critical of last year’s All-Star Game and felt it was not a competitive game. It was not a position held solely by the league. I think the players collectively recognized, as well, that it wasn’t what they wanted to see, either, that they had not put their best foot forward.

“I’d say Andre Iguodala now, who is the executive director of the Players Association, and a former player, shares that view with the league office; that we’re not necessarily looking for players to go out there as if it’s the Finals, necessarily, but we need players to play defense, we need them to care about this game.

“And the feeling was that maybe — and I’ll take responsibility for it … as you know, I used to run something called NBA Entertainment … that we’d gotten carried away a little bit with the entertainment aspect,” added Silver.

“By that I’m not just talking about the halftime or the intros, per se. One of the things we heard from the players, was on one hand now, ‘you’re telling us you want us to play this as if it were a real game, but there’s nothing about it that feels like a real game.’ You have us standing up on stage, operating through this draft (of players choosing sides). Then once the intros start, we get cold, we’re standing there forever, we don’t get to go through our usual routines. Then come halftime, you’re adding not just a little bit of extra time but a lot of extra time, so we get cold in the locker rooms.

“I think we sat down with the players and we listened to them, and we said, all right, we have to return to basketball, back to basketball, so to speak. It’s about the game. That’s ultimately how we’re going to be judged.”

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: It’s worth noting – ahem – that this columnist was fortunate enough to work 25 consecutive NBA All-Star Games, dating from 1982 to 2007 and attend another four as a media member for a grand total of 29 NBA All-Star Games. The line of demarcation was the 1984 NBA All-Star Weekend in Denver where the Nuggets’ organization encouraged the league to stage a Slam Dunk contest, reminiscent of the great ABA Slam Dunk Contest of 1976 when NY Nets forward Julius “Doctor J” Erving squared-off against Denver’s David Thompson – both Hall of Famers – for the greatest slams in basketball history.

That February, as Commissioner Larry O’Brien passed the torch to David Stern, the league paired the Slam Dunk with a valiant attempt to organize an “Old-Timer’s Game” which was very well received and began a long process for the league to proiperly reconnect with the players of yesteryear. Recognizing the opportunities ahead, we quickly switched the phrase from “Old Timers” to “Legends.”

The Legends Game made its way through the late ‘80s and early ‘90s until a couple serious injuries – to LA Lakers/Clipper great Norm Nixon and to Thompson – called for an end to the Legends Game and the introduction of other contests like 2Ball, the Skills Contest and the inclusion of WNBA Players into the various events. For the most part, a good time was had by all but certain weekends were much beter received than others. There was a definite ebb and flow, with the likes of Larry Bird (3-point king) and Michael Jordan (Slam Dunk champion) getting high praise for their participation.

In one man’s opinion, high points over the years included:

  1. Jordan and Dominique Wilkins going mano-a-mano at the ‘88 Slam Dunk in Jordan’s home court Chicago Stadium.
  2. Vince Carter dominating the Slam Dunk when the weekend was played in a rain-soaked Oakland in the Year 2000.
  3. Bird, Craig Hodges, Mark Price and Peja Stojakovic shooting the lights out at various Three Point Contests over the years.
  4. Spud Webb amazing the Dallas crowd and his peers with dunk after dunk to defeat his teammate, Dominique Wilkins.
  5. The NBA at 50 celebration.
  6. Dee Brown slamming it down with a blindfold on at the ‘91 Slam Dunk Contest in Charlotte.
  7. Blake Griffin jumping over a car in the Slam Dunk leading to Dwight Howard popping a sticker high up on the backboard, then later blowing a candle out of a strategically placed cupcake on the backboard.
  8. Of course, there were dozens of other highlights over the years, NYK Kenny “Sky” Walker reaching new heights in Houston – The Space City; Jason Kidd in the Skills competitions; The WNBA’s Diana Taurasi and Sue Bird proving they could compete at the highest level; among many others. (Feel free to add your suggestions in the comment section).

The greatest of NBA All-Star Weekends and my favorite, for sure, was the 1992 NBA All-Star Weekend in Orlando, when Earvin “Magic” Johnson returned from his abrupt and forced preseason retirement (HIV Virus) to lead the West to a decisive 153-113 victory, while gaining Most Valuable Player honors in an astonishing and emotional event.

Of course, Johnson would later play on the ‘92 Dream Team and eventually return for limited action in the NBA.

NBA ALL-STAR WEEKEND in INDIANAPOLIS: Tonight, as noted, the NBA will return to its roots with an old-fashioned EAST vs. WEST all-star game. No more shenanigans with LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo choosing up sides. Thankfully, the league didn’t fold to pressure mounting for a USA vs The World contest, as that’s for the Olympic Games and Basketball World Cup, not an NBA mid-season exhibition that’s supposed to be fun. … That’s the one, “key” factor that everyone seems to overlook as they criticize the players for not competing as though its the NBA Finals. The weekend is a three-ring circus of events, parties, meetings, interview sessions, network media obligations and late-night hanging, and that’s encouraged as the norm. It makes it damn near impossible for the All-Stars to compete at a high level after a three-day gauntlet of commitments. … Over the years, the level of high competition only comes when the score is relatively close at the end of the third quarter and very close at the 6:59 timeout in the fourth quarter. Then, the players’ competitive spirits kick-in, the adrenaline flows, the coaches call for solid team defense and the stars shine. It’s somewhat cyclical. The league had a great experience the first time they tried the “Elam Ending” with a 157-155 thriller (2020 in Chicago), tacking on “24” points to the 133 points “Team Giannis” had accrued as of the end of the third quarter. With the clock turned off, and as fate would have it, “Team LeBron” kicked it in gear and outscored “Team Giannis” 33-22 down the stretch to win a very exciting game, much to the pleasure of Nick Elam, a professor from Ball State, who came up with the idea ((although his version called for a 35 point addition to the leading team at the end of the third quarter but the NBA shortened it to “24” in honor of the late LA Lakers star Kobe Bryant and his uniform number.

Tonight (Sunday night), the NBA will return to its East vs West roots created when the NBA All-Star Game began (1951 in Boston) – five years after the birth of the Basketball Association of America. The league considered the long history of the game of basketball in the State of Indiana, and decided to go the traditional route. Maybe it was the thought of coach John Wooden, or paying tribute the the love of the game at the high school and college levels. Regardless, the 2024 game will have no gimmicks, no choosing up sides – playground style. Just basketball.

MORE WWYI INVESTMENT IDEAS: Join the While We’re Young (Ideas) New Investment Club for promising financial success. Guaranteed to return 0.0% or lose your shorts but generate a few laughs. … We’re bullish on the food industry. Inflation be damned. The big BUY is into a start-up producing Lavender Goddess Dressing. … The company has a deal – signed and sealed – with our new fast food venture – The Pizza Out House. … IBM has sunk billions into its industry leading Chat Bot assistant, “Watson.” … Meanwhile, WWYI has gazzillions into Quantel’s latest with “Faldo” Chat Bot AI. … The only issue seems to be the mainframe shuts down automatically at 3pm for a Cup of Tea. … We’re fronting a new rock band out of Oregon called, Bubonic Plague. They’ve been around forever. … We’re ready for a suggestion on a great New York City Drinking Saloon. Gone are Toots Shors owned by Bernard “Toots” Shor with a great location at 51 West 51st Street in Manhattan , there was Harry M. Stevens right by the Garden’s press entrance. … Gone too, are Runyons and even Runyons II. Many a night passed at The Grill (Smith & Wollensky steakhouse side hustle and we had a good run with No Idea and Antarctica where there was always a great AFC/NFC Championship party. The Corner Bistro in the West Village is still a “Must Go” for the best burger (The Bistro Burger). … In Boston, while there’s no longer The Four’s – a victim of the pandemic – we have West End Johnnie’s by TD Garden and Fenway Johnnie’s over by the ballpark. Great Places … Great Food … Great Drinks … Great People. … Serious Investments Only.

Nets Next Up for Streaking C’s

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BROOKLYN – Shortly after the final buzzer, the Boston Celtics were ready to move on from the intensity of another game with the Miami Heat while appreciating the physicality of Jaylen Brown in an exchange with Duncan Robinson in the fourth quarter on Sunday.

After a pair of close wins that saw their composure tested late, the Celtics attempt to push their winning streak to five games tonight when they visit the Brooklyn Nets.

The Celtics are 15-6 over their past 21 since winning six straight Dec. 20-31 and are attempting to win five straight for the fifth time this season. Boston’s current streak started with a 40-point win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Feb. 4, and the Celtics won their next three over the Atlanta Hawks, Washington Wizards and Heat by a combined 18 points.

After surviving Washington’s late comeback in a 133-129 win on Friday, the Celtics kept the streak going with a 110-106 win at Miami on Sunday. Boston held a 15-point lead early in the third and a 12-point edge early in the fourth before holding on.

Shortly after holding a 12-point lead, Brown was called for a flagrant foul when he collided with Robinson. The Celtics were outscored 17-10 until getting two defensive stops in the final 61 seconds.

“I enjoy watching physicality with poise, and I thought our guys did that throughout tonight,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said Sunday. “You obviously need to rise to the occasion, and I thought that it goes back to the expectation.”

Besides the composure down the stretch, the Celtics were aided by an offense that shot 50.6 percent and hit 16 3-pointers. The Celtics improved to 22-1 when shooting at least 50 percent and 30-4 when making at least 16 3s.

Jayson Tatum led the Celtics with 26 and is averaging 28.8 points during the winning streak. Kristaps Porzingis added 25 and is averaging 29 during the winning streak.

Including a four-game sweep in the opening round of the 2022 playoffs, the Celtics are 12-1 in the past 13 meetings with the Nets. Boston is also on a seven-game winning streak in Brooklyn. Tatum scored 32 in Boston’s 124-114 win there on Nov. 4.

The Nets are playing their second game with new acquisition Dennis Schroder and hoping to get rolling after earning a 123-103 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday.

The Nets are 6-11 in a 17-game stretch in which they have played 12 home games. They play 14 of their next 20 on the road after Tuesday.

On Saturday, Schroder made a successful debut for his new team with 15 points and 12 assists in 27 minutes, highlighting his effort with a lob that led to a Nic Claxton alley-oop dunk at the end of the third quarter.

“Just be aggressive, try to find my open teammates, push it in transition, play defense,” Schroder said. “They made it easy for me, but … I’m glad that we won the game.”

Cam Thomas led the Nets with 25 points after following up a 40-point showing by shooting 29 percent (16 of 55) in Brooklyn’s three-game skid to Cleveland, Dallas and Golden State.

Perhaps the most encouraging sign for Brooklyn was Ben Simmons continuing his ramp-up after missing 38 games with a back injury. Simmons added 13 in 22 minutes and was constantly showing aggressiveness in a game where Brooklyn matched a season best by shooting 56.3 percent.

–Field Level Media

Sports Law: Porter Reaches Plea Deal

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NEW YORK – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Former Houston Rockets guard Kevin Porter Jr. reached a plea deal Tuesday in his New York assault case involving former girlfriend and WNBA guard Kysre Gondrezick.

Embed from Getty Images

Porter, 23, pleaded guilty in a Manhattan court to charges of reckless assault in the third degree and harassment in the second degree.

According to his attorneys, he will be able to withdraw the plea following the completion of a 26-week counseling program.

Porter was arrested at a New York City hotel on Sept. 11 after police initially said he fractured one of Gondrezick’s neck vertebrae in an alleged attack. Prosecutors later dropped one of his assault charges after finding insufficient evidence that Porter injured her neck.

Gondrezick told the New York Post in October that Porter “didn’t hit me.”

“The resolution will allow Mr. Porter to put this incident, which involved false felony allegations and false facts, behind him with no criminal record and move forward,” Porter’s lawyers said in a statement on Tuesday.

The Rockets traded Porter to Oklahoma City on Oct. 17 and the Thunder waived him the next day.

Porter averaged 19.2 points, 5.7 assists and 5.3 rebounds in 59 games (all starts) for the Rockets in 2022-23.

The 2019 first-round draft pick has career averages of 15.3 points, 5.0 assists and 4.3 rebounds in 196 games (146 starts) with the Cleveland Cavaliers (2019-20) and Rockets.

–Field Level Media

Well Rested Mavericks Await Celtics

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DALLAS – (Staff and wire Service Report) – It’ll be a well-rested Dallas Mavericks team that takes the floor against the visiting Boston Celtics on Monday night.

Dallas hasn’t played since dropping a 127-110 decision to the Los Angeles Lakers on the road on Wednesday night. The Mavericks were scheduled to play at Golden State on Friday, but that game was postponed following the death of Warriors assistant coach Dejan Milojevic.

Boston, meanwhile, will be playing its second game in as many nights. Despite a lackluster second half, the Celtics won 116-107 at Houston on Sunday. The Celtics led 70-55 at halftime but were limited to 46 points in the second half (20 in the third quarter).

Former Maverick Kristaps Porzingis led Boston with 32 points, six rebounds and five blocked shots. Derrick White added 21 points and 11 rebounds, and Jaylen Brown finished with a triple-double (13 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists).

Boston, which boasts the NBA’s best record (33-10), shot 43.9 percent from the field (43 of 98).

“I think that’s the recipe and something that we took from last year is when we’re not shooting well, can we have a different switch attack?” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said after the Houston game. “Which is what Kristaps is able to bring us in the post and how do we fight for extra possessions, which is our offensive rebounding and our crashing. It’s something that we stress this year.”

Guard Jrue Holiday (sprained right elbow) and center Al Horford (rest) didn’t play in Boston’s victory over the Rockets. Horford typically doesn’t play in both games of back-to-backs.

Luka Doncic was back in the Dallas lineup for the loss to the Lakers after he missed three games with a sprained right ankle. Doncic scored 33 points, collected 13 rebounds and had 10 assists.

Doncic shot 12 of 24 from the floor but was just 2 of 9 from 3-point territory. He leads the Mavericks in points (33.6), rebounds (8.3) and assists (9.2) per game.

“First game back was tough with the legs,” Doncic said. “I thought a lot of threes were going in and they didn’t.”

Dallas trailed by two at halftime but was outscored 42-27 in the third quarter. The Mavericks were 11 of 40 on 3-point attempts.

“Some shots didn’t fall,” Dallas center Dereck Lively II said. “There were some times where we came down the court, and we just weren’t moving the ball well. We were just kind of getting up jumpers instead of trying to get into the offense and trying to move the ball around so we could get a better look.”

Most of the misses came from the Mavericks’ top scorers, as Doncic, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Kyrie Irving were a combined 3 of 21 from behind the arc.

“We generated a lot of wide-open looks and they didn’t drop for us,” Dallas coach Jason Kidd said. “They made it a point to have pace and took advantage of the misses. When you miss open shots against a team like that, they are going to make you pay.”

Monday’s game is the first of two meetings this season between the Celtics and Mavericks. The teams will also play in Boston on March 1.

–Field Level Media

Celtics, Porzingis Dispatch Rockets

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HOUSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Kristaps Porzingis scored a game-high 32 points while Jaylen Brown added a triple-double as the visiting Boston Celtics outlasted the short-handed Houston Rockets 116-107 on Sunday.

Porzingis finished 6-for-11 from behind the arc as the Celtics went 17-for-47 from deep as a team. Brown had 13 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists and Derrick White finished with 21 points and 12 boards for Boston, which was without Jrue Holiday (elbow) and Al Horford (rest).

The Rockets were without starters Fred VanVleet (back) and Jabari Smith Jr. (ankle). Rookies Amen Thompson, who had career highs of 15 points and 14 rebounds, and Cam Whitmore were inserted into the starting lineup, and the Rockets produced a valiant effort, closing within 93-90 when Dillon Brooks (25 points) scored with 9:13 to play.

But Whitmore missed two free throws and Porzingis answered with a midrange jumper before Payton Pritchard nailed a corner 3-pointer that enabled the Celtics to reclaim control for good.

Alperen Sengun notched a triple-double for Houston with 24 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists.

Houston, having trailed by 17 points in the first half, pulled within 85-80 when Aaron Holiday buried a 3-pointer with 2:25 left in the third quarter. But the Celtics extended their lead back to double digits entering the fourth when Brown sank a floater and White drilled a step-back 3-pointer with 31.9 seconds left in the third.

Back-to-back Porzingis threes provided the Celtics with their first double-digit lead at 18-8 with 5:52 remaining in the first quarter.

Porzingis tallied 15 points in the first period to help Boston grab a 35-25 advantage, but Houston kept clawing despite its short-handed rotation. Jalen Green followed his circus layup with another bucket in the paint to pull the Rockets within 44-39 with 7:39 remaining in the second quarter.

But the Celtics surged to a 17-point lead behind triples from Pritchard, Sam Hauser and Porzingis. White, meanwhile, scored in the paint four times down the stretch of the first half, and his 12-foot floater with 2.4 seconds left extended the Boston lead to 70-55 at intermission.

Porzingis and White combined for 36 first-half points, and Boston did additional damage on the offensive glass by converting nine offensive rebounds into 19 second-chance points.

–Field Level Media

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | Jan 21

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While We’re Young (Ideas) | On Midyear in the NBA

By TERRY LYONS, Editor of Digital Sports Desk

BOSTON – Twenty and one. The Boston Celtics are no longer undefeated at home where 17 NBA Championship banners hang in the rafters of TD (Boston) Garden, high above a parquet floor that many of us remember from viewing on a Black and White television set when the Celtics were positioning nine of those 17 banners during the 1960s. Only the 1967 Philadelphia 76ers (once voted the NBA’s Greatest Team of All-Time) broke the streak for the full decade.

While We’re Young (Ideas) is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

At the halfway mark of the NBA season, the Celtics are atop the league-wide ladder, and they’ll face the Houston Rockets who will be coming off a game against the Utah Jazz – a back-to-back the Rockets could live without. Boston’s 32-10 (.762) record was blemished when the reigning NBA champion Denver Nuggets earned a had-fought victory on the parquet and under Boston’s revered 17 banners.

Denver (29-14) is two games behind Midwest Division leader, the Minnesota Timberwolves, surprise leaders in the NBA’s Western Conference. At the Half, the West is full of surprises as the Los Angeles Clippers lead the Pacific and New Orleans Pelicans lead the Southwest Division.

If the NBA Playoffs were to start this weekend, Sacramento, Utah, Phoenix and the Los Angeles Lakers would all be competing as “Play-In” teams, ranked No. 7-10 out West. All four of those clubs were preseason favorites. In the East, the standings have proven-out as many predicted with the Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers leading the pack. Only the Cleveland Cavaliers, winners of a league-leading six straight as they faced the (18-23) Atlanta Hawks, can be considered a surprise contender.

The midyear layout of the NBA standings call-out one question at this point of the season: Why?

In the EAST:

BOSTON: The deepest and most talented of the NBA’s 30 teams. The Celtics boast a starting five who could all be considered NBA All-Stars. Jayson Tatum (27, 8 and 4) leads the team, but is backed-up by Jaylen Brown (23, 5 and 4), newly acquired center Kristaps Porzingis (19, 7 and 2) while the backcourt of Derrick White (16, 4 and 5) and Jrue Holiday (13, 6 and 5) round out the talented starters. Depth and defense remain plentiful and the Celtics’ main concern to to start the month of May healthy, especially at the center (“bigs”) position with Porzingis and 37-year old Al Horford needing to guard rivals such as Philly’s Joel Embiid and Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo.

MILWAUKEE AND PHILADELPHIA: There are no big surprises with the fact both Milwaukee (Central) and Philly (Four games behind the Celtics in the Atlantic) will all strive for the top spot and home court advantage throughout the Eastern Conference Playoffs. If Boston holds on to the No. 1 spot, it will force a very difficult and physical Eastern Conference Semifinal match-up between the Bucks and 76ers.

Out WEST:

The West is much more complicated and volatile. Only 3.5 games separate the Timberewolves from the Clippers (No. 1-4) and the fact the Nuggets and Finals MVP Nicola Jovic are ranked third, poses potential Playoff match-up nightmares for every round. Add to the turmoil, the NBA’s first “In-Season Tournament” champion LA Lakers hover in the dangerous No. 10 slot, only a half game ahead of the Rockets.

Minnesota, Oklahoma City, Sacramento New Orleans, Dallas and Phoenix are all formidable opponents and will all meet one or the other in the early rounds come April and May.

Good luck predicting the Western Conference bracket.

MVP: The logical recipients of the 2023-24 NBA Most Valuable Player are (possible repeat) Joel Embiid (who has only played in 30 of the club’s 40 games thus far); Giannis Antetokounmpo; and Nikola Jovic.

Coach of the Year: The media always seeks out the underdog, rather than the league leader, so that bodes well for Minnesota’s Chis Finch or Oklahoma City’s Mark Daigneault ahead of Denver’s Michael Malone, Boston’s Joe Mazzulla or Philly’s Nick Nurse.

Rookie of the Year: With all the very well deserved hype and praise for San Antonio’s amazing center Victor Wembanyama (team-leading 19, 10 and 3.1 blocks), the midyear favorite for RofY is Chet Holmgren of Oklahoma City. Holmgren who is averaging 17 points and a team-leading 7.2 rebounds per game while averaging 30 minutes in all 41 of OKC’s games. The Thunder are 28-13 and in serious contention in the West while Wembanyama’s Spurs are in the West basement with only seven wins and 34 losses. With two viable candidates, usually the one on the winningest team gets the vote. Holmgren is also considered an elite defender.

Most Improved: Houston’s Alperen Sengun, who has raised his scoring averages from a rookie year of 2021-22 (9.6 ppg), to 2022-23 (14.8) to this season at (21.5), seems to be the most deserving candidate. That noted, sometimes voters go for players drafted in the NBA Lottery positions instead of someone like Sengun who was picked 16th and only played 20 minutes a game as a rookie.

Philadelphia’s Tyrese Maxey is considered the favorite for Most Improved, and again, he’s playing for a real contender. Since being drafted in R-1, No. 21 in 2020, Maxey has steadily increased his PT and scoring averages (8.0, 17.5, 20.3 and this season, 26.2 ppg).

Defense Wins Championships: If you are one to focus on defense rather than any offensive statistics or current place in the standings, the Minnesota Timberwolves (with Defensive Player of the Year favorite C Rudy Gobert) are the league-leaders. Minnesota has the league-leading defensive rating of 108.6. Here are the Top 10:

  1. Minnesota 108.6
  2. Boston 110.6
  3. Cleveland 111.2
  4. Orlando 111.5
  5. Philadelphia 111.6
  6. Oklahoma City 112.0
  7. Houston 112.5
  8. New Orleans 112.6
  9. New York 112.8
  10. Miami 113.0

BOLD PREDICTION: It’s January 21 and the Super Bowl has yet to be played, never mind the NBA All-Star Game. In the second half of the NBA regular season, a team’s fortunes can turn upside down with one season-ending injury to a key player. That can happen to any team, any night.

Forsaking any major injury to any NBA All-Star or key rotation player, there’s absolutely nothing going on in the Association that makes me think the Denver Nuggets can not repeat as NBA champions. Miracle worker, center and 2023 NBA Finals MVP Nikola Jokic is the best player in the game and Michael Malone just might be the best head coach in the NBA. The deep, experienced Nuggets roster – starters and reserves – can play with the best of ‘em. The Nuggets have a tremendous home-court advantage, even when they don’t have the extra home game in a seven game series. Playing at altitude in the Mile High City is worth a game. On Friday night, the Nuggets proved they could win at TD Boston Garden, albeit a slim 102-100 victory with Jamal Murray scoring 35 points while Jokic had a 34, 12 and nine performance against the defensive-minded Celtics.

No matter which team comes out of the East, they’ll have played a very demanding Eastern Conference Finals.

Yes, a Minnesota, Oklahoma City, LA Clippers, Sacramento or New Orleans are capable of upsetting the defending champions, but it’s not likely. Take Denver as your 2024 NBA Champion.

STRAT-O-MATIC: The folks at Strat-0-Matic frequently use their software to predict the results of “real-life” sports. Before the 2023-24 NBA season played a game, Strat-O-Matic predicted the Boston Celtics would take home the NBA’s Larry O’Brien Trophy as winners of the NBA Finals. The Celtics were tapped to finish with a 64-18 record, and they were named as winners over the Minnesota Timberwolves (nice pick, eh?).

The Strat-O-Matic technicians thought they’d give it another run at the NBA’s halfway mark, simulating the season thousands of times and guess what? The Celtics finished with the same record of 64-18 and advanced to the NBA Finals once again.

Let’s wait and see if the Strat-O-Matics have properly scouted Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets.

Pete Rose (l) and Bud Harrelson squared off behind second base, leading to a bench-clearing brawl between the Reds and Mets in Game 3 of the 1973 NLCS. (file photo).

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: On January 11th, the Harrelson family, the New York Mets and Major League Baseball lost one of the great players and ambassadors of the game of baseball in Derrel McKinley “Bud” Harrelson.

Harrelson died at the age of 79 as a result of the complications of Alzheimer’s disease of which he was diagnosed in 2018. Harrelson played shortstop for the Mets from (1965 to 1977) and later managed the club for a portion of the 1990 season. He was the only person to be on the roster for both the 1969 Mets World Championship (as a player) and the 1986 Mets World Championship club (as a coach). Harrelson coached and managed in both the major league and minor league levels, and, in 2000, he settled in as part owner and manager of the Long Island Ducks independent league team. Harrelson made Long Island his home, living in Hauppauge and East Northport.

The outpouring of love and appreciation of Harrelson by nearly all New Yorkers was evident in the week after his death, especially by his Long Island Ducks franchise.

There’s a personal story to be told about Buddy Harrelson and it stems from the tussle he had with Cincinnati Reds all-star Pete Rose in Game 3 of the 1973 National League Championship Series (NLCS).

It was some nine or ten years after that October ‘73 day, and my story took place on an off-day of the NBA Playoffs in Philadelphia. My Hall-of-Fame level boss, Brian, and I finished up our NBA duties for the afternoon and decided to catch a couple innings at the Vet. We walked directly across the street from The Spectrum, and bought two upper level tickets – HIGH – behind the plate – section 503, if I remember. We grabbed a cold beer and a hot dog and settled in alongside a rather sparse crowd.

Minutes later – beers yet to kick in – Pete Rose (playing for the Phillies) – gets up to bat and I stood up and just start screaming at the guy. Keep in mind at that time, there wasn’t any inkling of gambling controversies and he is the all-time hits leader for MLB.

“YOU SUCK Rose. YOU SUCK!”

“You should retire. You’re washed UP.”

Brian looked at me as though I was Regan MacNeil (Linda Blair). His jaw dropped and he had no idea what the hell I was doing, except being quite likely to provoke a fight with the CRAZY Phillies fans.

Rose grounded out, and I lit into Rose all over again. “You see, a weak ground-out, YOU BUM!

“ROSE – YOU SUCK”

All the Phillies fans moved a row or two away from us until the inning ended, and a brave soul walked over and said something like, “You two seem like nice guys,” in that GREAT South Jersey/Philadelphia accent.

“Why did you yell at Pete Rose like that? He’s one of the best players ever.”

I just dead-panned, “Well, this is the first time I’ve seen him since the fight with Buddy Harrelson and I thought I’d give him a piece of my mind.”

Rest in Peace, Bud.

Twenty and One

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Jamal Murray scored a game-high 35 points and Nikola Jokic added 34 to help the Denver Nuggets hand the Boston Celtics their first home loss of the season with a 102-100 victory on Friday night.

Murray made 15 of 21 shots from the floor. He also had eight rebounds and five assists. Jokic finished with 12 rebounds and nine assists.

Jayson Tatum missed a 17-foot jump shot that would have tied the score with three seconds to play. Denver came up with the rebound and ran out the clock.

Boston entered the game 20-0 at home this season, and had won 27 straight home games dating back to last season.

Derrick White led the Celtics with 24 points. Tatum finished with 22 and Kristaps Porzingis had 21. Porzingis, who scored Boston’s first 11 points, was held to two points in the second half.

Al Horford had 10 rebounds for Boston, which had its three-game winning streak end.

The Celtics were 14-of-44 from beyond the 3-point arc. Jaylen Brown scored 13 points, but was 1-of-9 on 3-point attempts. Tatum was 1-of-8 on 3-pointers.

The Celtics went on a 7-0 run to take a 98-95 lead with 4:51 to play, but Denver took the lead for good on a Jokic basket that put the Nuggets in front 99-98 with 3:36 remaining.

Michael Porter Jr. finished with 13 points and eight rebounds and Aaron Gordon added 10 rebounds for Denver.

Boston led 32-31 after one quarter, built a 12-point lead in the second and had a 61-55 advantage at halftime. Porzingis, Murray and Jokic each scored 19 in the first half.

A Jokic 3-pointer put Denver in front 69-68 with seven minutes left in the third, but Boston responded with a 9-0 run to take a 77-69 lead. The Nuggets scored the final eight points in the third and trailed 82-81 entering the fourth. White scored 13 of Boston’s 21 points in the third.

–Field Level Media

Long-range Game Sinks Spurs

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Jayson Tatum tossed in a team-high 24 points and the short-handed Boston Celtics made 18 of their 38 3-point attempts en route to a 117-98 victory over the visiting San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night.

Jrue Holiday finished with 22 points and Jaylen Brown added 21 points, seven rebounds and five assists for Boston. Holiday made six of his seven shots from beyond the 3-point arc.

The Celtics played without starting center Kristaps Porzingis (right knee inflammation) and starting point guard Derrick White (left ankle sprain).

The victory improved Boston’s home record to 20-0. The Celtics are the only NBA team that hasn’t lost on its home court this season.

Victor Wembanyama led the Spurs with 27 points and five rebounds in 27 minutes. He shot 10 of 19 from the field and made 2 of 6 3-point attempts.

Wembanyama entered the game leading all NBA rookies in scoring (19.6 ppg), rebounding (10.3), blocks (league-best 3.2) and steals (1.14).

 

 

Devin Vassell scored 21 points for San Antonio, which received nine points and 10 assists from Tre Jones. The Spurs never led after the first quarter.

San Antonio shot 41.9 percent from the field (39 of 93) and 20.6 percent from 3-point territory (7 of 34).

The Celtics, who received 12 points off the bench from Payton Pritchard, outrebounded the Spurs 54-41. Boston hit 46.7 percent of its field-goal attempts (42 of 90).

The Celtics led 30-25 after one quarter and outscored the Spurs 40-20 in the second to take a 25-point halftime lead. Boston shot 60 percent from the field in the first half, when it made 13 of its 19 3-point attempts. The Celtics ended the half on a 12-2 run.

 

 

NOTES: Boston had a 30-point lead early in the third, but San Antonio shaved 14 points off of its deficit and trailed 94-78 entering the fourth. The Spurs failed to pull closer than 16 points in the final 12 minutes.

It was the second game between the teams this season. Boston won the first meeting 134-101 at San Antonio on Dec. 31.

–Field Level Media

It’s Midway Point for NBA

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The NBA has reached its midway point, with most teams having played half of their 82-game schedules — and we’re finding some betting trends and angles worth pursuing.

In our preseason guide, we tabbed Oklahoma City coach Mark Daigneault (then a +750 play) as a terrific value for NBA Coach of the Year futures. He’s now the favorite at a paltry +115 (odds per DraftKings, unless otherwise noted). Not a ton of value left in that market.

We pointed toward Tyrese Maxey as a prime play for the Most Improved Player award. He was +1100 at the time but now offers virtually no value as a -240 favorite.

So what kind of value in team and individual futures can we find now?

–EASTERN CONFERENCE FUTURES

The Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks appear to be on course to collide in the conference finals.

Not much value in picking a conference champ, with the Celtics at +130 and the Bucks at +200.

The trade deadline is looming, however, so if you believe the Philadelphia 76ers (currently +500) or Miami Heat (+1400) are set to make a big splash and push their respective chips to the middle of the table, jump aboard.

The belief here, though, is that the Celtics are too good, and, should they stumble, the Bucks have too much offense to be stifled in the playoffs.

The best value bet here is to back the 2022-23 NBA MVP, Joel Embiid, to repeat. Earlier this week, he was out there as the fifth choice in this betting market at +800 (at BetMGM, behind Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luka Doncic and Giannis Antetokounmpo).

Embiid had seen his odds slip due to some missed games recently. New rules say the MVP must play in at least 65 games and the Sixers big man can’t miss more than seven more games the rest of the way.

Bet on Embiid to stay injury-free and he’s a legit threat, having made his point with a 26-point first half Monday against the Houston Rockets and a 41-point game Tuesday against Jokic and the Nuggets.

Immediately thereafter — unfortunately for value seekers — Embiid shot up to third, just behind Jokic and SGA.

Embiid retains some DraftKings value at +330 but he has sportsbooks concerned, as evidenced by BetMGM dropping him to +275.

As for the reigning NBA Finals MVP, Jokic, the regular-season MVP voters likely felt shamed by Jokic’s big playoff performance and — prior to the Embiid-Jokic matchup — were leaning hard at the Denver star. He was a +165 favorite at BetMGM but now is tied with Gilgeous-Alexander for the top spot at +250.

Keep an eye on the Sixers-Nuggets rematch Jan. 27 in Denver. And on Jokic, who could become the value play if Denver chases home court advantage down the stretch.

The door is open.

–Eastern Conference bonus bet

The Indiana Pacers, who remain on pace to set the NBA’s scoring mark at more than 125 points per game, are among the better first-half stories in the league.

But they’re being solved, little by little, and they fit nicely into a DraftKings market, the “To Participate in Play-in” option.

That means they can’t finish among the top six but also must not finish 11th or worse. They’ve hovered near the Nos. 6-7 spot for the past few weeks and played more at home, 21 to 19 over their first 40 games.

The -110 is a nice coin flip number, and we believe the Pacers aren’t quite good enough to reach the top six but will remain competitive enough to finish in the Nos. 7-10 range.

–WESTERN CONFERENCE FUTURES

More than any team in the West, the Los Angeles Lakers are providing the intrigue and narratives to keep podcasters and sports-talk humming for weeks.

At 20-21 entering Wednesday, the Lakers were on the wrong side of the “to make the playoffs” odds, sitting at +125 this week.

A closer look at the standings, coupled with L.A.’s strong showing Monday against the Oklahoma City Thunder, shows the hill isn’t too steep for an investment.

The Lakers might not finish among the top six, but let’s see what teams they would need to push aside in the play-in process to make the playoffs.

We like OKC, Minnesota, Phoenix, Denver, the L.A. Clippers and Sacramento Kings as the top six, leaving the Lakers to fight it out with Dallas, Utah, New Orleans and perhaps Houston or Golden State for the final two playoff spots to be earned during the play-in tournament.

The Lakers, clearly, will be active in the coming days. One key addition, a little luck and continued chemistry would help dispatch a potential play-in opponent or two.

LeBron James and Anthony Davis have been terrific — and have avoided injuries. Anyone think this team isn’t among the eight best teams in the West?

We’d bet that they will be among those top eight.

–Western Conference bonus bet

This is more a bet against the surging Clippers than anything else.

The James Harden trade and the health of Paul George and Kawhi Leonard have led to L.A.’s push up the standings — but are Harden’s happiness and George/Leonard’s good health sustainable?

The Clippers are +425 to win the conference title and they have helped keep the defending champion Nuggets at a reasonable — and bettable — number.

Grab this deal — Jokic and his guys to make it back to the Finals — at +210 and enjoy Denver’s quest for a repeat.

–Field Level Media

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