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Celtics Edge Trail Blazers, 116-115

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PORTLAND – Boston All-Star forward Jayson Tatum scored 32 points, and added nine rebounds and five assists to lead the Boston Celtics to a 116-115 victory at Portland on Tuesday. The Celtics’ other All-Star, Jaylen Brown, scored 24 points and guard Kemba Walker had one of his better all-around games with 21 points, eight rebounds and seven assists as Boston won for the fourth straight game and sixth time in the past seven.

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Portland’s All-Star phenom Damian Lillard had 28 points and 10 assists, and veteran forward Carmelo Anthony scored 25 points on 10-of-15 shooting for the Trail Blazers. Norman Powell added 20 points and CJ McCollum had 16 points as Portland lost for the fifth time in the past seven games.

Robert Williams added 16 points and seven rebounds and Marcus Smart had 13 points and seven assists for Boston.

Pro Teams Postpone Games in Minnesota

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MINNEAPOLIS-ST PAUL – Monday’s 2:10pm series opener between the Boston Red Sox and Minnesota Twins was postponed as a cautionary move by the Twins and local authorities as the greater Minneapolis-St. Paul reacts to the fatal shooting death of Daunte Wright after a police traffic stop in the Brooklyn Center area.

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“Out of respect for the tragic events that occurred yesterday in Brooklyn Center, and following the additional details in this evolving situation, the Minnesota Twins have decided it is in the best interests of our fans, staff, players and community to not play today’s game.

The decision was made by the Minnesota Twins after consultation with Major League Baseball, and local and state officials. Information regarding the rescheduling of today’s game, and corresponding ticket details, will be released in the near future.

The Minnesota Twins organization extends its sympathies to the family of Daunte Wright.”

The NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves and the NHL’s Minnesota Wild also postponed home games because of a 7:00pm (local) city-wide curfew put in place as authorities brace for another display of civic protests. The Minneapolis area was at the heart of intense protests last Memorial Day weekend after the fatal shooting of George Floyd. A dismissed Minneapolis police officer is currently on trial for that incident which was the root of nation-wide protests last May.

The NBA issued the following statement in announcing the cancellation of the Brooklyn Nets at Timberwolves game:

“The National Basketball Association announced that in light of the tragic events in the Minneapolis area yesterday, tonight’s game between the Brooklyn Nets and the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center has been postponed. The decision to postpone was made by the NBA after consultation with the Timberwolves organization and local and state officials.

“Our thoughts remain with the family and friends of Daunte Wright during this difficult time.”

Brooklyn Center police held a news conference and stated the officer that shot Wright Sunday afternoon did so accidentally, confusing a fire arm with a police taser.

 

TL’s Sunday Sports Notebook – April 11th

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Sports Notes, Thoughts, and Observations on Masters Weekend

By TERRY LYONS

BOSTON – This will be a column of free-flowing thoughts and observations from the past week. In honor of the Masters, I bring you a Sunday Sports Notebook “Unlike Any Other.”

“One Shining Moment” was lauded last week just before the 2021 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament came to a wonderful Final Four close with one amazing semi-final game (Gonzaga over UCLA) and an incredible display of overall offensive and defensive talent by the 2021 NCAA Champion Baylor Bears with their title win over the previously undefeated Gonzaga Bulldogs.

Little did we know that “One Shining Moment is actually a not-so-distant cousin to the famous Masters mantra “Tradition Unlike Any Other”  – a phrase made famous by CBS Sports’ Jim Nantz. The catch-phrase, can be attributed (once said Nantz) to the same man who was behind “One Shining Moment.” That is Doug Towey, the CBS Sports Creative Director who so sadly passed away in 2009 at the age of 61. … In the sports industry, it’s important to “Make a Mark,“and Towey did that behind the scenes at Blackrock with two iconic spring sports traditions that will – hopefully – last forever.

Speaking of “Making a Mark,” Rick Welts, the President of the Golden State Warriors, this week announced that this season would be his last with the franchise. In full disclosure, I used to report to Welts when he was the head of communications and marketing at the NBA – a bit before his promotion to the President of NBA Properties.

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In one of Welts’ senior management presentations at an internal business summit held at the Doral Conference Center in Rye Brook, NY, he noted the most important things to consider if you were to be a success at the NBA. Four of them always resonated with me and rose to the top of Welts’ list:

  1. Know the NBA’s History
  2. You’re Often Judged by the Way You Contribute to the Goals of Others
  3. Conflict is Good; Un-resolved Conflict is Not Good.
  4. Make a Mark

That, indeed, is what Welts did and will continue to do so, in some fashion, I am sure.

Winning seems to follow Rick Welts around, as evidenced by a laundry list of amazing career accomplishments. Here are a few off the top of my head:

  1. In his first sports job, as a ballboy for the now defunct Seattle SuperSonics, the Sonics won the NBA Championship (1979). More importantly, those years struck the chords for a lifetime friendship between Welts and Bill Russell, the NBA’s “Babe Ruth.”
  2. As the head of NBA Properties, the business and marketing arm of the league, Welts spearheaded the launch and marketing of the WNBA, together with USA Basketball and his staff, he planned and executed all media, marketing and PR efforts behind the 1992 USA Basketball Dream Team – from inception to the staging of the Basketball Tournament of the Americas in Portland (the USA had to qualify for Barcelona ‘92) and right up until the USOC took over marketing rights at the ‘92 Summer Games. Welts built NBA Properties and further grew its influence in Consumer Products (think NBA Hoop Cards, E/A Sports video games, apparel, you name it) into a $2 Billion operation that had a mantra of, “we’re not just in the business to sell, but more importantly to renew and improve existing sponsorships, licensees and advertisers.” … Aside from those major marks, Welts was behind the expansion of the NBA All-Star Game into a full NBA All-Star Weekend, complete with All-Star Saturday’s Slam-Dunk and popular Three-Point Shootout. … He played a lead roll in most of the NBA’s International business and marketing efforts, including the establishment of regional offices around the world. … There’s plenty more but column inches, even online, are somewhat limited.
  3. After his stint at the NBA league office, Welts took a side-step to work with Chase Carey and FOX Sports’ interests in professional sports, including STAPLES Center, the LA Dodgers and other investments but the lure of the NBA came calling and he joined the Phoenix Suns as President, and later team CEO, running the franchise’s business operations. … In 2002, when Welts joined, the Suns went 36-46 but by 2004-05, they soared to a 62-20 record under Coach Mike D’Antoni. (The Suns fell short in the Western Conference finals.)
  4. After his nine-year stint with the Suns, Welts joined the Golden State Warriors as team President in October, 2011. Of course, most credit is due to all-star level talent and strong coaching by Steve Kerr, but welts helped place an organizational foundation under the Warriors that resulted in five appearances in the NBA Finals and three NBA Championships (2015, ‘17 and ‘18).
  5. In addition to his successes around the court, Welts also made a huge mark when, in May, 2011, he announced to the sports industry and the world that he was gay, and in doing so, was the first executive in m major sports to take that step so publicly in a front page New York Times story, nonetheless. … Welts noted he received thousands of notes, emails and not one was negative in any manner. … His tireless philanthropic work and true inspiration to all in the SF-Bay area just might outshine those 60+ win seasons and three NBA championship rings.
  6. Most recently, Welts next took on one of the most difficult tasks in the sports industry as the Warriors’ lead exec for the club’s move from Oakland to San Francisco and the building of the brand new Chase Center and its surrounding, privately financed “Thrive City” multi-purpose entertainment facilities.

What’s Next or Who’s Got Next? Welts seems to be keeping it close to the vest while looking forward to a near-future, post global pandemic return to some normalcy and maybe travel to some of the spots he didn’t really get to see while on the job, whether they be Paris or Barcelona or other points in the worlds.

His interview with Mark Spears of The Undefeated touched on many of these very topics. Click HERE to read that column.

While Welts takes a well-deserved break from the pressure and running an organization in the middle to third quarter of the COVID-19 pandemic, this columnists wonders aloud what might happen if the Seattle SuperSonics franchise were to be resurrected sometime soon in the Emerald City and an ownership stake and President/CEO position came calling for a man to jump-start the expansion franchise?

To SUBSCRIBE and receive the entire While We’re Young (Ideas) sports notes column, sent once a week for your Sunday morning brunch-time enjoyment, click HERE.

Tatum Scores 53; Celtics Win in OT

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BOSTON – Boston Celtics all-star forward Jason Tatum scored a career-high 53 points, including 18 in the fourth quarter and overtime, to lead the Celtics to a 145-136 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night. It was the first 50-point game for the 23-year-old Tatum. Boston’s Jaylen Brown had 26 points. Marcus Smart added 24 points, eight assists and six rebounds to help Boston to its fourth win in five games.

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“Scoring 50 is a big thing in this league,” said Tatum. “It’s a night I’ll always remember. First 50-point game and we got the win on top of that. Every win right now is big. So we’ll take it.”

Boston erased a 17-point deficit in the third quarter and then led by eight points in the fourth before Minnesota was able to fight back and send it into overtime. The Celtics took a 135-129 lead on a three-pointer by guard Kemba Walker.

Minnesota got within 135-132 on a three-point play by D’Angelo Russell. But Boston outscored the Timberwolves 10-4 to close-out the home victory. Center Karl-Anthony Towns led the Timberwolves with 30 points and 12 rebounds. Russell finished with 26 points and Anthony Edwards had 24 points in the loss.

Boston finished their seven-game homestead at (4-3) and now depart for a three-game Western swing that starts in Denver on Sunday, April 11. Boston also plays at Portland and at Los Angeles against the Lakers on Thursday night.

NBA: Celtics Approach Final Month

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Boston Celtics Competing for Playoff Spot in Eastern Conference

BOSTON – Since dropping six of eight games between March 11 and 24th, the Boston Celtics utilized the NBA Trading deadline to shake-up an inconsistent line-up and have won three of their last four games and five of their last eight. After a home game against the Minnesota Timberwolves tonight which caps a seven-game home stand (3-3), Boston heads out west for three games to begin the crucial final month of the NBA regular season.

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Remember! The NBA season began a month later than usual and will conclude on May 16, rather than the normal mid-April finish.

Boston is coming off an important and hard fought victory over the Knicks, (101-99) at TD Garden. Celtics’ all-star swingman Jaylen Brown had a double-double effort with a game-high 32 points and 10 rebounds with two steals while fellow all-star forward Jayson Tatum added 25 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. Boston’s team-leader in guard Marcus Smart had one of his best all-around performances of the season with 17 points and nine assists.

Celtics forward-center Tristan Thompson made his return to the lineup and recorded seven points, eight rebounds and a season-high three blocks in just over 22 minutes coming off the bench.

The Knicks were led by RJ Barrett and his 29 points and five rebounds while Julius Randle added 22 points, nine rebounds and six assists.

Newly acquired Celtics forward Evan Fournier is out and under league protocol guidelines. Just a week ago, Fournier scored 20 of his 23 points against Houston (April 2) during the fourth quarter on seven-for-seven shooting including six three pointers.

Fournier’s performance came after his scoreless, 0-for-10 debut with the Celtics after his trade from Orlando. According
to ESPN Stats & Info, Fournier is the second Boston Celtics player in the last 25 seasons to score 20 points on 100% shooting in a quarter, joining Paul Pierce who recorded the feat in 2009 against Chicago.

Fournier’s seven three-pointers on the night was also tied for the second most by a Celtic in franchise history coming off of the bench behind Eddie House’s eight three pointers which he made against Sacramento on Jan. 28, 2009.

Boston tonight faces a (13-39) Minnesota team, losers in three of their last four games, including a 141-137 loss at Indiana (April 7) to begin this current two-game road-trip. Minnesota’s head coach, Chris Finch, took over on February 22. He is 6-15 since taking the reigns from dismissed Coach Ryan Saunders.

ShotTracker Obtains Added Financing

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KANSAS CITY – (Source: Official News Release) –  DDSports – doing business as – ShotTracker, a revolutionary sports technology that captures rich performance data via sensors and provides statistics and analytics with sub-second latency, today announced a new round of financing by Hearst Ventures, the venture capital unit of Hearst. The $2 million investment by Hearst Ventures is in addition to an $11 million USD investment led by Evertz Technologies Limited (Evertz) and Verizon Ventures, which was announced earlier this year. It completes the current funding round for the company.

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Early funding for ShotTracker came from a group of investors, including the late David Stern, former NBA Commissioner and Earvin “Magic” Johnson, among others.

“We are proud to have brought on Hearst Ventures as our latest investment partner,” said ShotTracker Chief Executive Officer Bill Moses. “Their expertise and knowledge of the media partnerships space will be pivotal as we refine and grow not just our offering to NCAA men’s and women’s basketball programs, but to broadcast partners as well. That broadcast integration has been the most requested element for our technology and we feel will be a key for our growth in the coming years.”

“Our goal with ShotTracker from day one is to go beyond the work we do with our partner schools,” said ShotTracker Co-Founder and President Davyeon Ross. “This investment, on top of our work with Evertz and Verizon Ventures, gives us a much wider runway and a greater opportunity for scaling success of our business going forward. We will continue to focus on our platform for NCAA men’s and women’s basketball, but additional opportunities are now coming into focus that will make this partnership very important for us.”

ShotTracker brings elite-level, real-time analytics to the court. The company’s patented technology tracks data in three parts: a ShotTracker-enabled ball, sensors on players’ jerseys and court sensors that map the court in 3D. Data is processed through the company’s proprietary algorithm displayed on the ShotTracker app and dashboard and is also integrated with Evertz’s cloud-based live production solutions. The real-time data can be used to automate camera productions from remote locations and can be licensed by media and sports data companies and will be enhanced by all the innovation Verizon is bringing through their cutting-edge work in 5G.

NBA Sets 2021 Draft Date

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NEW YORK – The NBA announced that NBA Draft 2021 presented by State Farm, is scheduled for  Thursday, July 29, beginning at 8pm EDT. The first round will be televised by ESPN and ABC, and the second round will air on ESPN.

The NBA also announced additional key dates relating to the draft.

NBA Draft Combine: Subject to evolving public health conditions, Microsoft Surface NBA Draft Combine 2021 is scheduled to take place Monday, June 21 through Sunday, June 27. ESPN networks plan to televise the NBA Draft Combine, with coverage featuring five-on-five games and strength and agility testing.

NBA Draft Lottery: NBA Draft Lottery 2021 will take place on Tuesday, June 22, airing on ESPN at 8:30 p.m. ET.

NBA Early Entry Application and Withdrawal Deadlines: The deadline for an early entry player to apply for this year’s NBA Draft is Sunday, May 30 at 11:59 p.m. ET. The deadline for an early entry player to withdraw from the NBA Draft is Monday, July 19 at 5 p.m. ET.

Additional information regarding the Draft, Combine and Lottery, including the location for each event, will be announced as details are finalized.

Basketball Africa League: Debuts in May

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DAKAR – (Source: Official FIBA News Release) – The Basketball Africa League (BAL) announced that the league’s historic inaugural season will tip off Sunday, May 16 at the Kigali Arena in Kigali, Rwanda, with 12 teams from the continent of Africa competing in the new professional league.

The BAL, a partnership between the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and the National Basketball Association (NBA), builds on the foundation of club competitions FIBA Regional Office Africa has organized on the continent and marks the NBA’s first collaboration to operate a league outside of North America. The first BAL Finals will be held Sunday, May 30.

The BAL has created robust health and safety protocols for the 12 teams and personnel traveling to Rwanda, based on guidance from the World Health Organization and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, with advice from public health officials and medical experts.

“We are thrilled that the inaugural Basketball Africa League season will take place at the world-class Kigali Arena,” said BAL President Amadou Gallo Fall. “Through the BAL, we will provide a platform for elite players from across the continent to showcase their talent and inspire fans of all ages, use basketball as an economic growth engine across Africa, and shine a light on Africa’s vibrant sporting culture.”

“We are extremely happy to finally launch the highly anticipated first season of the BAL,” said FIBA Africa and BAL Board President Anibal Manave. “FIBA and the NBA have been working closely together to develop protocols to address the health and safety of all players, coaches and officials. The experience of hosting the FIBA AfroBasket 2021 Qualifiers in Rwanda late last year will contribute to a safe and successful inaugural BAL season.”

The league today also announced an adjusted competition format for the inaugural season, which will feature a total of 26 games at the Kigali Arena. The competition will tip off with an 18-game group phase with the 12 teams divided into three groups of four. During the group phase, each team will face the three other teams in its group once. The top eight teams from the group phase will qualify for the playoffs, which will be single elimination in all three rounds.

Below are the 12 club teams from 12 African countries that will compete in the inaugural BAL season:

COUNTRY TEAM
Algeria GSP (Groupement Sportif des Pétroliers) **
Angola Petro de Luanda (Clube Atlético Petroleos de Luanda) *
Cameroon FAP (Forces Armées et Police Basketball) **
Egypt Zamalek*
Madagascar GNBC (Gendarmerie Nationale Basketball Club)**
Mali AS Police (Association Sportive de la Police Nationale) **
Morocco AS Salé (Association Sportive de Salé) *
Mozambique Ferroviàrio de Maputo**
Nigeria Rivers Hoopers BC (Rivers Hoopers Basketball Club)*
Rwanda Patriots BC (Patriots Basketball Club)**
Senegal AS Douanes (Association Sportive des Douanes) *
Tunisia US Monastir (Union Sportive Monastirienne)*
*Champion from national league that earned representation in the inaugural BAL season
**Secured participation in the inaugural BAL season through a BAL qualifying tournament

Champions from the national leagues in Angola, Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal and Tunisia earned their participation in the inaugural season.  The remaining six teams, which come from Algeria, Cameroon, Madagascar, Mali, Mozambique and Rwanda, secured their participation through BAL qualifying tournaments conducted by FIBA Regional Office Africa across the continent in late 2019.

The BAL groups and additional details about the league will be announced at a later date.

Celtics Rally for Win at OKC

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OKLAHOMA CITY – Jayson  Tatum scored 20 of his 27 points in the second half and the Boston Celtics rallied in the fourth quarter to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 111-94. Celtics All-Star swingman Jaylen Brown added 25 points to help the Celtics close out a four-game trip and even their season record. Boston had lost five of six before winning at Milwaukee on Friday and at Oklahoma City on Saturday.

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OKC’s Moses Brown scored a career-high 21 points and tied a Thunder record with 23 rebounds. The team announced before the game that veteran center Al Horford will be inactive the rest of the season while the team’s young players develop. Brown moved into the starting lineup and set a franchise record for rebounds in a half with 19 before the break.

Theo Maledon chipped-in with 22 points for Oklahoma City.

The Thunder led 80-76 heading into the fourth quarter. Jaylen Brown kept the Celtics in it with 13 points in the third.

NBA: Celtics Strike Buck

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MILWAUKEE – Boston struck Buck, errr … back.

A night after the Boston Celtics lost to the Milwaukee Bucks at the TD Garden in New England, Jayson Tatum scored 34 points and added six rebounds, Marcus Smart had 23 and the Boston Celtics beat Milwaukee 122-114 on Friday night and snapped a Bucks’ eight-game winning streak and spilt the two-game home and home mini-series.

The Celtics, who led 60-55 at the half, hit nine of 14 three-pointers in the third quarter to build the lead to 103-89 entering the final period.

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Newly acquired Celtics bigman Moe Wagner and veteran Celtics guard Smart extended Boston’s lead to 118-97 with three-pointers in the fourth quarter. Boston’s All-Star guard Kemba Walker added 21 points, and All-Star swingman Jaylen Brown had 18 for the Celtics.

Boston finished 22 of 47 from beyond the arc. Smart was 7 for 10, and Brown and Tatum added four apiece.