Boston Celtics Jaylen Brown has had a slow start to the 2018-19 season. Here’s a look at his performances and whether it’s time to worry.
Jaylen Brown has entered his third year in the NBA and is struggling thus far in the 2018-19 season. The Boston Celtics have a lot of talent and it’s not easy finding shots for everyone. However, in Brown’s case, he is taking the same amount of shots as last year and shooting at a very inefficient clip.
Brown had a solid sophomore season, looking like a potential Most Improved Player candidate for some stretches. Some Celtics fans even thought he was deserving of consideration as an All-Star replacement when so many Eastern Conference All-Stars were sidelined by injury. This year, it’s been a completely different story.
Before diving further into his slow start, it’s worth mentioning that his teammates have had a lot of early season struggles on the offensive end too. The Celtics are talented enough to correct these issues as the season continues.
His rookie season was not one to remember. In his second season in the NBA, Brown found a lot of success, mainly from 3, shooting an efficient 39.5 percent from deep. He didn’t come into the league as a good shooter, which is why it was so impressive that he shot that well from 3 so early in his career.
This season, his scoring has dropped by nearly three points per game. At first glance, it would be assumed that it’s because Gordon Hayward has entered the starting lineup again. However, he’s taking about the same amount of shots as he did last season.
His field goal and 3-point percentage has dropped by nearly 10 percent. No matter who the player is, it’s not good to see them shooting 38.8 percent from the field and 30 percent from 3. Maybe some of this struggle has stemmed from his foot injury that held him out one game this season.
He may be feeling a little discomfort in the way he’s moving on the court. One thing that hasn’t decreased is his level of confidence, as Tom Westerholm of Mass Live reported before the game against the Denver Nuggets:
“I’ve been playing basketball my whole entire life. I know how to hoop. It’s a different situation, but at the end of the day, it’s just basketball. So take the pressure off, just go out there and play, have fun, win games and ultimately that’s what matters. “
It’s good to see a young player deflect any negativity and make it out to be positive. Brown might have a little too much confidence, for that matter.
It’s good to see that Brown isn’t worrying about his sluggish start to the season. It’s early enough in the year where there isn’t a reason to panic, especially hearing the way he talks.
SALT LAKE CITY -- Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart is tired of seeing the type of individual offensive performances Boston has been surrendering on this road trip.
Victor Oladipo killed the Celtics with a buzzer-beating triple in Indiana. Jamal Murray burned them for a career-high 48 points and a win. Devin Booker nearly hoisted the Suns to a win. And on Friday, Joe Ingles escaped Boston's defense repeatedly in the first half, pouring in 20 points in two quarters before finishing with 27.
Ingles' explosion was part of a stretch that allowed the Jazz to build a 20-point lead. The Celtics rallied, but Utah had too much firepower down the stretch and finished with a 123-115 victory.
"We have a lot of guys, they can score the ball in the offensive end, but you have to play defense as well," Smart said. "It's one thing to out-score your opponent, but another to stop them from scoring as well. Right now we're not out-scoring our opponents, so you have to stop them. The day we decide we've had enough and own up, and hold our ground one-on-one and team defense, we're going to continue getting hit in the mouth."
Smart said the problems are partly schematic.
"We're letting guys that we know are going to do certain things do those things," Smart said. "That's a slap across Brad (Stevens)'s face and this coaching staff that spends countless hours countless days preparing us and giving us the tools that we need to go out there and cut that off. Like I said, until we decide as a team and as individuals that we are going to stand our own, we are going to continue to keep getting hit in the mouth."
For his part, Stevens didn't sound as upset as Smart. While the Celtics let go of the rope briefly between the second and third quarters, Stevens said he liked what he saw in the interim.
"Those 12-0 runs in the first, then they had another in the second half, then another one to start the third, you just can't have those," Stevens said. "Puts you in too big of a hole. Otherwise, we played pretty well. It's tough to beat a good team if you play 36 minutes of good basketball. I'm encouraged. I think we did a lot of good things tonight. I think we can get a lot better. We played a really good team that was playing well."
If the Celtics start putting together 48-minute games, and if their moments of offensive and defensive brilliance begin lining up, they could be really good. But as Smart said, those moments are yet to materialize, and the season is 11 games old.
"I mean at this point, gradually is out the window," Smart said. "We're in it. Everybody has been here. The same guys that have been here last year. It's time for guys as a team to own up and take that ownership. We're the ones out there, so we've got to figure it out. That's the problem. We just ain't figured it out."
SALT LAKE CITY -- Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum has experienced hostile environments before, and he has even experienced environments where the hostility was directed at one player in particular.
Ironically, that player was on the opposing bench on Friday, when the Boston Celtics took on the Utah Jazz: Tatum's former Duke teammate Grayson Allen.
On Friday, Allen was an afterthought. All of the vitriol was directed at Celtics wing Gordon Hayward, who finished with 13 points. Hayward, of course, left the Jazz in free agency in the summer of 2017 to join the Celtics. Utah fans certainly hadn't forgotten.
"When I played in college, everybody used to boo Grayson," Tatum said. "So I'm used to it."
Allen was generally disliked by college basketball fans, many of whom believed he was a dirty player. A first-round selection by the Jazz, Allen is averaging 11.3 minutes per game so far.
Hayward's reception in Utah probably outstripped Allen's in various college arenas, even against the noisiest college fans. Jazz fans booed Hayward from shootaround to layup lines to the starting lineups to the final buzzer.
Still, Tatum felt the experiences were similar.
"That's what it kind of felt like, when they would do that," Tatum said. "But he was fine."
Fair, but did ACC crowds ever boo Allen every time he touched the ball in the layup lines?
Tatum paused and raised his eyebrows.
"They used to boo Grayson a lot," he said. "But Grayson didn't mind. It didn't bother (Gordon). You just have to laugh it off."
Boston Celtics wing Gordon Hayward's return to the court -- after a fractured tibia and dislocated ankle ended his season last year -- hasn't been particularly smooth, which is to be expected.
The Celtics need Hayward to reach their potential, and they have let him try to work his way back into shape despite his early struggles. Through 13 games, Hayward is scoring just under 10 points on 39.6 percent shooting -- well under his career averages.
But facing a 7-6 record and two likely playoff teams later this week, Boston might need to make some changes to its lineup to avoid falling below .500 a little less than a quarter of the way through the season. That might mean subbing Marcus Smart for someone in the starting lineup, to inject defensive energy and jumpstart the Celtics in transition.
On Tuesday prior to Celtics practice, Hayward said he would be willing to come off the bench, if necessary.
"For me, I'm happy to be on the court, No. 1 more than anything and, No. 2, whatever I can do to help us win,'' Hayward said. "I said it before the season, it's whatever to me."
After going 1-4 on their latest five-game road trip, the Celtics still appear to be searching for answers. At times, the offense looks like a juggernaut -- the ball whips in and out of the paint and around the perimeter, finding open shooters only to rim in and out or clank sadly off the rim.
"We have to figure something out because for whatever reason we're not playing our best basketball right now," Hayward said. "... There's obviously a little bit of rust and sometimes you just go through those phases. You go through slumps. The shot feels good in practice and looks good and for whatever reason in the game, they're in and out."
Still, Hayward knows what he has to do to break out of his slump: Keep shooting confidently and expect the next shot is going to go in.
"Sometimes it gets frustrating, but for me, I've played in the league long enough to know you just have to put in the work in practice and shoot with confidence, shoot your way out of it."
Should the Boston Celtics be worried that their Eastern Conference rival just traded for Jimmy Butler. Are the Philadelphia 76ers a real threat in the East now?
Minnesota has agreed to a deal to send Jimmy Butler to Philadelphia for a package that includes Robert Covington and Dario Saric, league sources tell @ZachLowe_NBA and me.
We knew the Timberwolves were going to trade Butler eventually given all the drama that’s surrounded him this season, but it comes as a bit of a surprise that he ends with Philadelphia, a rival of the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference and an Atlantic Division foe.
How does the trade effect the balance in the Eastern Conference? Did the Philadelphia 76ers put themselves in the conversation among contenders with the addition of another All-NBA talent?
As good as Jimmy Butler is–and he’s probably one of the 12 or so best players in the league–he doesn’t make the 76ers true contenders, at least not immediately.
Long term, Philadelphia has put itself in great position moving forward, adding a star two-way wing to pair with Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons and give its roster a clearer pathway to contention. This season, however, the 76ers are still, at best, the fourth best team in the East, clearly behind Boston, Toronto, and Milwaukee.
Butler, Simmons, and Embiid will be a dynamic, talented trio, but they are not natural fits alongside each other and it will take time for them to figure out how to merge their talents, as well as rearrange the roster to augment their strengths and minimize their weaknesses.
All three players are at their best scoring in the paint. Simmons has scored more points in the paint per game than any guard in the league this season besides Russell Westbrook and Zach LaVine. The point forward ranks 10th in the NBA in field goal attempts per game inside of five feet with 7.9, while Embiid is right behind in 14th at 7.7.
Meanwhile, Jimmy Butler is a downhill scorer at heart, too. This season, 63 percent of Butler’s shot attempts are at the rim or in the short mid-range, according to Cleaning The Glass. Among guards, he ranks 11th in field goals made inside of five feet.
While Embiid is a more-than-willing three-point shooter, he only shoots 32 percent from distance for his career. Butler is a bit better, at 34.1 percent for his career, and has improved as an outside shooter, but he’d still rather attack the basket. Simmons is afraid to even attempt a three.
In order to maximize these players offensively, the 76ers must surround them with three-point shooters. Players who like to score in the paint need space to be most effective, and the court is already going to be shrunk with those three playing together.
After losing Ersan Ilyasova and Marco Bellineli in the offseason, Philadelphia was already short on shooting in their rotation this season. Giving away Robert Covington (39 % 3-PT) in the trade, though necessary, will only make matters worse in that department.
J.J. Redick is one of the best three-point shooters in league history, but he’s the only consistent threat from beyond the arc in the Sixers rotation, unless you include rookie Landry Shamey (38% 3-PT), who has played well thus far and might be thrust into a bigger role after the trade.
Dario Saric was in a horrific shooting slump through the first 10 games for Philly, but he was a big who could stretch the floor for Simmons and Embiid. Now, the 76ers will have to hope Wilson Chandler or Mike Muscala can help fill that void.
Philadelphia was weak around the edges of their rotation before they made this trade, and that’s the case even more-so now. Sixers management is hoping the star power will negate the lack of depth, or they can make another move, either this season or in the summer.
Reports are that Butler is going to agree to a long-term deal with Philadelphia and the Sixers will still be players in a big free agent market with cap space to spend this summer. Perhaps they can pull Kyle Korver, who played his first five seasons in Philadelphia, from the Cleveland Cavaliers. Surely, role players will now be attracted to Philadelphia as a destination.
Though Covington was a a First Team All-Defense selection last season, the Philadelphia defense should also improve with the addition of Butler, who is a more versatile and complete defensive player than Covington. However, the offense, already ranking 21st in the league before the trade, will have an adjustment period, and could be schemed out of the playoffs by the right opposing coach.
In the playoffs, against deeper, more complete teams like Boston and Toronto, Philadelphia will come up short until it can improve around its new core. When you have weak links in your playoffs rotation, teams with five offensive threats like the Celtics and Raptors will pick on players like Redick, Fultz, Muscala, and Shamet.
In the playoffs, smart teams will wall off the paint completely, like we saw the Boston Celtics do to Simmons in the postseason last year, and the top-tier talent won’t matter if the role players can’t make enough shots to keep the defense honest.
The Philadelphia 76ers have done well to secure a top NBA talent in the prime of his career and they have put the rest of the Eastern Conference on notice with this move. But Boston and Toronto aren’t shaking in their boots and the Sixers still have a ways to go before they reach the upper echelon of the NBA.
It's time for Brad Stevens to start making changes.
After a mediocre start to the season punctuated by a 1-4 road trip that ended with a loss in Portland on Sunday, the Celtics (7-6) are on the verge of becoming a .500 team.
Their formula -- fall behind by double digits and then crawl back – is not sustainable. Stevens needs to adjust his starting lineup to prevent massive first-half deficits while also strengthening his bench.
Here’s where he should start: bench Gordon Hayward and make Marcus Smart a starter.
Boston trailed by at least 16 points at halftime in three out of five games on the trip. The only game they won, at Phoenix, saw them overcome a 20-point deficit.
It's time to shake things up, and it starts on the defensive end of the floor. Adding Smart to the backcourt is step one.
Opposing guards have been a thorn in the Celtics' side of late. Scorers like Jamal Murray (48 points), Devin Booker (38 points) and Victor Oladipo (24 points) have had their way against Kyrie Irving and Jaylen Brown. Bringing Smart into the fold will turn things around and sending Hayward to the bench while switching Brown to the small forward position will open up opportunities on both ends of the floor.
Hayward will thrive off of facing opposing team's secondary defenders, giving the reserves an edge. Terry Rozier's offense has been very streaky this season, and Smart's scoring (5.4 ppg) has been almost non-existent.
You can say something similar about Hayward's production. He averaged eight points on the five-game road trip and shot 34.1 percent from the floor in 26.8 minutes per game.
Marcus Morris has provided the only consistent scoring punch off the bench. The simple defense-for-offense switch between Hayward and Smart will protect the Celtics from surrendering so many points while opening up scoring opportunities for both Hayward and Rozier.
The two scorers are very effective when they're on the floor together. Hayward's playmaking abilities allow him to find Rozier via backdoor cuts and in transition, while Hayward's outside touch makes him a threat against opposing defenses that are forced to cover him, thus opening the floor for a slashing Rozier, who can create off the dribble.
They would feed off each other nicely. Hayward could also play off the ball and develop in pick-and-roll sets with Aron Baynes, while Smart secures opposing backcourts and wouldn't have to worry as much about wanting to score.
Smart, who expressed his frustration with his team's defense or lack thereof, says he isn't seeing the kind of effort on the defensive end that Stevens commands from his guys and told reporters after their loss against the Jazz that the Celtics are simply letting opponents feel comfortable. Meanwhile, Stevens is putting the blame on himself, which he made clear following the Portland loss when he was asked how the Blazers managed to lead the Celtics for all 48 minutes.
"Just thoroughly outplayed," Stevens said. "I don't know what else to say. When we're desperate and urgent, we're pretty good. We've got to do a better job and I've got to do a better job of making sure that we start games that way."
Stevens even went as far as to say that he's not guiding his team towards the right direction.
"You find your flow by making the next right play and playing hard, that's it," Stevens said. "When you're in the game, you have a job to do on that possession, you do it. Then if you do it really well over and over again, you have a good team. We're not there yet and so that, to me, is well-coached teams get there. We're not a well-coached team right now, that's pretty obvious."
The best place for Stevens to start is by tweaking his starting lineup. Insert Smart and bench Hayward before things get worse. The Celtics are already five games behind the first-place Raptors -- whom they will face Friday night at TD Garden -- and are currently tied for fifth place in the Eastern Conference.
It's time for Stevens to hold his players accountable. He's already accepted the blame for the slow start -- it's now time to take action.
SALT LAKE CITY -- For 16 months, Boston Celtics forward Gordon Hayward has had to think about what it would be like to return to Salt Lake City and face the Utah Jazz, the team he played for during the first seven years of his NBA career.
On Friday night, he finally did. And after scoring 13 points and dishing out seven assists in a 123-115 Celtics loss, Hayward admitted he had entered the day unsure of whether he was excited about returning -- or dreading it.
"Something in between," Hayward said, after a long pause and with a smile. "More than anything, I was looking forward to seeing [people]. I spent seven years here, so I built some great relationships and was looking forward to seeing some of those people ... maybe dreading a little bit about just the hoopla of the whole thing.
"We're focused on our own thing, and I know the Jazz are focused on their thing too."
That, in the end, is what made this night such an odd one. Sure, the Jazz fans did what everyone expected them to do -- unleash a torrent of boos on their former favored son whenever he came anywhere close to the ball and an equal number of cheers whenever he did something wrong. But for Hayward and the Jazz organization, this was a day neither side was exactly thrilled was happening.
Hayward, who never has been one to seek the spotlight, did his best to downplay the occasion for the past week, repeatedly saying how much he liked his time with the Jazz and respected the organization. He declined to talk to the media before Friday's game, avoiding any questions about his return until after it had taken place. The fact that it came long after it was supposed to, due to the gruesome leg and ankle injuries Hayward suffered six minutes into last year's season opener in Cleveland, only added to the awkwardness.
But that didn't prevent Hayward from taking advantage of the chance to catch up with people he had rarely seen -- if at all -- since leaving the organization.
"Yeah, that was part of the cool part, to see and talk to those guys I don't see anymore," Hayward said. "Joe Ingles, all the people on the staff, some of the front office. Some of the fans, I saw [owner] Gail [Miller]. All that stuff was good."
The Jazz, meanwhile, did their best to downplay the moment as well. Jazz coach Quin Snyder opened his meeting with the media at the team's shootaround Friday morning by announcing he wouldn't be answering any questions about it.
He didn't change his tune postgame.
"It is just another game," said Snyder with a straight face, though no one could truly believe him. "The significant thing about this game is Boston's a really good team and we needed a home win."
While Snyder and his players were preparing to face Hayward on the court, the rest of the Jazz organization was deciding how -- or if -- it should honor Hayward's return after seven years that included an All-Star Game appearance and two playoff berths. It eventually chose not to give Hayward any kind of acknowledgement during the game, instead posting a video early Friday afternoon on the team's Twitter account.
The thinking was that playing one during the game would simply provide an opportunity for fans to unload on Hayward rather than celebrate him. Judging by the replies to the tweet, and the way Hayward was treated during the game, the team probably had a point.
The tenor in the building was no different. While Hayward got booed time and again, at least one fan -- 16-year-old Carson Taylor, a junior at Layton High, which is located about 20 miles north of Salt Lake City -- took things to another level by arriving in a Hayward jersey with his name replaced with "COWARD."
"I got it when Gordon played here, and then after he left, I didn't want to burn it, so I just put 'COWARD' on it," said Taylor, whose grandfather has Jazz season tickets and who hadn't worn the jersey since Hayward left. "I wanted to go to [the Celtics game] last year, but he got injured. My jersey has just been sitting in my closet for two years."
Taylor was just one of the vast majority of fans in the sellout crowd of 18,306 who showed up to give Hayward a piece of their mind.
Donovan Mitchell said afterward that it reminded him of the way Jazz fans treated Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook during the first round of last year's playoffs, when Westbrook became persona non grata in these parts. Jayson Tatum, on the other hand, said it reminded him of his college days at Duke, when he was playing alongside Grayson Allen -- then college basketball's most-hated player and now a rookie guard for the Jazz who didn't see the floor Friday night.
But once the game began -- after Hayward was showered with another round of boos during introductions and exchanged pleasantries with Ingles, Rudy Gobert, Derrick Favors and Mitchell before tipoff -- it became like any other contest.
The Jazz immediately made it clear that they wouldn't be taking it easy on their former teammate. Instead, Snyder and the Jazz mercilessly pursued Hayward -- beginning with him being on the receiving end of a Gobert screen on the game's opening play, which resulted in an Ingles layup.
It was a sign of things to come. Utah ran Hayward through one screen after another whenever he was on the court, doing everything it could to make sure a player who still is trying to get his rhythm and conditioning back as tough a time as possible. All told, the Jazz drove at Hayward 11 times -- the most of any player on the team, according to Second Spectrum.
The most symbolic moment came late in the third quarter, when Mitchell was isolated on the right wing against Hayward. After calmly getting to his spot near the right block, Mitchell lofted a floater over Hayward and through the hoop to push Utah's lead to 15 and give the fans exactly the kind of moment they were hoping to see between their old star player and their new one.
Snyder frantically instructed his team to get the same matchup with just over a minute to go in regulation -- only that time, Mitchell's drive to the rim was well defended by Hayward and he missed the layup.
While Hayward still has plenty of work left to do, this was one of his best performances of the season. That was particularly true in the second half, when he had seven points and four assists and helped drag Boston back into the game after it fell behind by as many as 20 points. He was the Celtics' best playmaker -- a positive sign of things to come if he can continue to make progress, as it would then allow Kyrie Irving, who missed Friday's game to attend his grandfather's memorial service, to play off the ball and go into attack mode offensively.
That is something the Celtics have the next several months to worry about -- as well as Hayward's recovery from his injuries and reacclimation into the way Boston wants to play. Friday night's game was not only a milestone because Hayward returned to Utah, but it also was the first time he played in both halves of a back-to-back.
"I thought he did a lot of good things," Celtics coach Brad Stevens said. "It's probably not the easiest position to be in, but I thought he handled it well from a playing standpoint."
When the game ended, Hayward quickly exchanged greetings with Ingles and Ricky Rubio and was off the court and into the Celtics locker room within 30 seconds of the final buzzer going off.
It had taken him longer than he expected, but Hayward's long-awaited return to Utah was finally over. Now there's just the rest of the season -- and his attempt to once again become the player he was before he got hurt -- left to play.
Live stream will be available after this brief ad from our sponsors
Chris Forsberg Joins Show To Talk Celtics
Chris Forsberg of NBC Boston Sports joined Jones and they talked all things Celtics. The guys discuss what has been the Greens biggest problem to date. Does the team need to make a trade to solidify itself, the guys talk about this and much more.
CHARLOTTE – The NBA 3-point shot has evolved over the last few seasons, not just in terms of higher volume, but also in terms of greater depth. The rise of ...
The Boston Celtics had been winners of four consecutive games prior to their five-game road trip. The Celtics were able to take down two of the NBA's more explosive teams in the Milwaukee Bucks and Oklahoma City Thunder. Even with that type of success, the road trip just seemed to get the better of Boston over the last five games in which they came up with a 1-4 mark despite all five of those contests being within single digits.
The latest loss came on Sunday when the Celtics fell short against the Portland Trail Blazers in a 100-94 loss. The Celtics scored just 37 points in the first half and were anemic from the perimeter at times in the opening half. The team hit just two threes in the opening 24 minutes, but were able to bounce back in the second half. In fact, Boston outscored Portland 57-46 in the second half and rode the hot shooting night of Jayson Tatum. Tatum ended up finishing the game with 27 points on 9-of-18 shooting on the night. Here's how the NBA media reacted to the action on Sunday.
The holidays are just around the corner, so now is the time to take care of all the Boston Celtics fans in your life. And we’re here to help with this gift guide.
Before you know it, you’ll be swapping presents and guzzling egg nog. It’s just that time of year. Don’t let it sneak up on you this time – get out ahead and take care of all the Boston Celtics fans in your life by using this handy gift guide – and Fanatics’ full line of Boston items.
Boston Celtics Nike Replica Jersey
There’s nothing quite like a brand new jersey. Unwrapping this would bring a smile to any fan’s face.
Fanatics
Boston Celtics Nike Therma Performance Hoodie
There’s nothing better than getting nice a cozy in a hooded sweatshirt during the winter months.
Boston Celtics Majestic Court Tek Patch T-Shirt
Whoever gets this shirt is going to look sharp for all of 2019 (and beyond).
Boston Celtics Nike Icon Shorts
These would be a great look for the gym or for game day. Make someone look official with these shorts.
Boston Celtics Nike Practice Long Sleeve T-Shirt
This t-shirt will have every fan looking great and feeling good.
Boston Celtics Nike Performance Polo
From the office to the golf course to the arena, this performance polo is a great look for anyone.
Boston Celtics New Era 9FIFTY Adjustable Snapback Hat
Look good, feel good, fan good. It’s just that simple.
Boston Celtics New Era Cuffed Knit Hat
Don’t let cold weather stop your friends or family from displaying their passionate fandom. Get them this knit hat instead.
Boston Celtics Nike Swoosh T-Shirt
A simple shirt, but a comfortable one that loudly proclaims one’s fandom.
Boston Celtics Mitchell & Ness Throwback Name and Number T-Shirt
Jerseys are great, but sometimes they’re a little too expensive. Thankfully, that’s not a problem with name and number t-shirts.
Didn’t find that perfect item on this list? Be sure to check out Fanatics. They have hundreds of Boston items that are in stock and ready to ship. Happy Holidays, FanSiders!
Live stream will be available after this brief ad from our sponsors
Felger & Mazz: Celtics Win in New Orleans, Bruins Lose in Toronto, and One More Threat in the AFC (Hour 3)
During Hour 3, Felger and Mazz got into the Boston Celtics and last night’s 124-107 win over the New Orleans Pelicans. The guys also discussed the Boston Bruins and last night’s loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs. Finally, which AFC team is Mazz finally taking seriously?
PORTLAND -- The Boston Celtics' sixth loss -- a 100-94 final against the Portland Trail Blazers to close out a five-game road trip -- felt a lot like the five that came before it.
The Celtics started poorly and fell behind big. They rallied a few times, and even tied the game at one point, but Portland's shot-making down the stretch stopped the comeback in its tracks.
Boston went through cold stretches and put together stretches that looked like a championship contender. Wash, rinse, and repeat the same quotes.
"We have to start the game off better. We just, we might be just a little bit too cool when we start," Jayson Tatum said, repeating a phrase Jaylen Brown dropped after the Celtics nearly lost to Phoenix. "When we come back, we're in desperation mode. We play like that the whole time, we look pretty good."
Brad Stevens tried to take responsibility for the inconsistencies, but much of the Celtics' struggles seem to trace back to simple missed shots, despite his protests to the contrary.
"We come out and clearly we outmatch teams at dang near every position," Irving said. "We have a lot of good players. And when I say outmatch, I mean in terms of the groups we have out there we pretty much have a mismatch every time out there down the floor. So it comes with discipline. It comes with understanding. It comes with experience of just being on a team like this. We can't have empty possessions, so whoever is shooting the shot, if they feel like it's a great shot, then we all have to feel comfortable with it."
Irving added that additional experience might help. Al Horford, a 12-year veteran, is by far the most experienced player in the locker room. Much of the rest of the team is made up of players on rookie deals -- Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Terry Rozier, Semi Ojeleye and others.
"I think it just comes with, just some experience," Irving said. "Looking at this locker room, me being in my eighth year and being a 'veteran' as well as Al and Baynes. Right now I think it would be nice if we had someone that was a 15-year vet, a 14-year vet that could kind of help us race along the regular season and understand it's a long marathon rather than just a full-on sprint, when you want to play, when you want to do what you want to do. It's all about attitude and effort. That's all it is."
Irving thinks the 1-4 stretch was necessary to remind the Celtics how difficult it is to win in the NBA.
"We needed this," Irving said. "We're not as good as we think we are. I said it at the beginning of the season. The excitement is done. It's real basketball now, so it's not just about the potential of the team or where we'll be at the end of the season. It's right now and taking care of what presently is in front of us. We have challenges. We have barriers to get over as a team and individually. I'm going to be the most patient out of everyone. I'm not going to get too frazzled, too high or too low or stuff like that. It's a long season. I just understand that for us to be special we just have to get through some challenges."
Tatum agreed.
"It probably will help us, the reality check that we might not be as good as everybody said we are at this moment," Tatum said. "So we gotta get back home, I know everybody wants to go back home, and we need to figure some things out."
A good chunk of the basketball world already has given up on the Boston Celtics’ NBA Finals chances this season, but Doc Rivers is not of that company.
The Celtics haven’t even come close to meeting their high expectations in the 2018-19 campaign, as they’re an underwhelming 11-10 at the unofficial quarter mark of the season. If you ask the man that preceded Brad Stevens as Boston’s head coach, though, it’s only a matter of time before the club turns things around.
Rivers makes a great point by bringing up the 2010-11 Miami Heat. The first season of the Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh era in South Beach didn’t get off to a hot start, as those Heat began the campaign with a mediocre 10-8 record before marching to the NBA Finals. You even can look as recently as the 2016-17 Celtics, who started 13-12 before reaching the Eastern Conference finals.
The current C’s ultimately have too much talent, both in player personnel and at head coach, to be a middle-of-the-road team this season. And even if the Celtics aren’t the East’s No. 1 seed in the postseason, it’s hard to imagine any team will want to cross paths with Boston on the big stage.
Thumbnail photo via Greg M. Cooper/USA TODAY Sports
LINCOLN, R.I. — A casino in Rhode Island became the first in New England to accept bets on professional sports Monday.
The state's legislative leaders, Democratic Senate President Dominick Ruggerio and Democratic House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello, placed the first bets at Twin River Casino's Lincoln location with John Taylor, chairman of Twin River Worldwide Holdings. Rhode Island is the first New England state to legalize sports betting since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a federal law this year that made most sports gambling illegal.
About 50 people lined up during the ceremony to place bets of their own. Many were betting on Monday night football and on the Boston Celtics. Zack Natola, 30, of Watertown, Massachusetts, said he frequently travels to Las Vegas and appreciates having a place for sports betting nearby.
"I will be a regular," he said. "I watch sports all the time. This just adds a little more fun to it."
Twin River expects to begin sports betting at its Tiverton casino in December. Bets must be placed in person. Rhode Island will get 51 percent of the revenue from sports betting. The vendor will get 32 percent and the casino will get 17 percent.
Twin River's two casinos are the only places where bets will be accepted, for now. The state plans to explore ways to expand sports betting in the future. That could entail allowing bets at locations of existing lottery agents, such as places with Keno machines, as well as at sports bars, according to the state Department of Revenue.
In neighboring Connecticut, a planned special legislative session to take up legalized sports betting was put on hold in August due to opposition from lawmakers.
Unlike many other states, Connecticut needs to be careful not to legalize something that could risk an existing revenue-sharing agreement it has with the tribes who own two southeastern Connecticut casinos. Both currently have exclusive rights to certain forms of gambling under that arrangement.
Connecticut's Democratic Gov.-elect Ned Lamont supports legalizing sports betting.
In Massachusetts, lawmakers have yet to open the door to sports betting, although that could change in the coming year. Democratic House Speaker Robert DeLeo has indicated that lawmakers will "listen to all sides pro and con" before coming up with a proposal to legalize sports betting in the new legislative session, which begins in January.
The Massachusetts Gaming Commission estimates sports betting could bring in tens of millions of dollars in tax revenues annually. Massachusetts is also home to DraftKings, the Boston-based company pushing to expand its daily fantasy sports offering to include sports betting.
Both Ruggerio and Mattiello spoke at Twin River about the importance of sports betting as a revenue generator for Rhode Island. Ruggerio has been advocating for legalized sports betting in Rhode Island for decades. He wants to look into mobile wagering for sports betting too.
State officials had hoped to launch sports betting on Oct. 1, but they said negotiations with the vendor who is managing sports betting services took longer than expected. The state budget included $23.5 million in revenue from sports betting through June 30, assuming an Oct. 1 start. Analysts recently cut that total by $12 million because of the delay.
Twin River spokeswoman Patti Doyle said Monday she did not currently have projections for how much money people will bet on sports immediately after the launch.
A sports betting lounge with dozens of television screens is expected to open at the Lincoln casino in December. The casino is currently using part of its area for simulcast betting on horse and dog races for sports betting. Bets will be accepted on professional and college games, but not on teams from Rhode Island colleges.
Alex Greenwood, 22, of Cranston, was among the first in line to place a bet Monday.
"I'm happy I can come here legally and get the money in my hand, instead of online," he said.
Kenneth LaFazia, 87, lives near the casino. He said he bets on sports with neighborhood bookies.
"Finally," he said as the betting began. "I'm ready!"
Any winnings from the bets placed by Ruggerio, Mattiello and Taylor will be donated to charity, with Twin River guaranteeing at least a $500 donation regardless of the outcome, Doyle said.
Ruggerio chose the Rhode Island Community Food Bank. He bet on the Houston Texans over the Tennessee Titans Monday. Mattiello, who represents a district in Cranston, chose the Cranston Animal Shelter. Taylor picked the American Red Cross of Rhode Island. Both Mattiello and Taylor wagered on the Boston Celtics over the New Orleans Pelicans Monday.
___
Associated Press writers Susan Haigh in Hartford and Steve LeBlanc in Boston contributed to this report.
Hero ball is giving the offense of the Boston Celtics hiccups. That should change.
Over the course of their Western Conference road trip — and briefly before, in a game against the Orlando Magic — the Boston Celtics have found themselves drawn into a frustrating pattern outlined by Celtics writer John Karalis: They miss open shots; when they miss open shots, they don’t necessarily stick to a system or start running plays or making the extra pass to get themselves shots; instead, it appears they just switch to hero ball.
That kind of choice may work if you’re Jimmy Butler seeking to prove a showy point, but in the current iteration of the NBA, it appears to be a one-way ticket for the team to spend time over the course of three different games down by 20 points.
Hero ball should not be a damagingly seductive choice. Ball movement creates open shots. You don’t need to be a deep-seated fan of Gregg Popovich’s philosophy to believe that. You can take a glimpse of the back-of-the-napkin mathESPN did in 2012. You can read this anonymous paper from the 2015 Sloan Analytics Sports Conference. You can squint at the charts.
The authors of the Sloan paper argue that a ball-handler has a high likelihood of scoring if he attempts a shot where there’s an immediate opportunity. If the offense is efficient, he should be taking those shots.
So what happens if the shots aren’t falling when there’s an opportunity? You pass until you get an opportunity. By doing this, you’re adding something unpredictable to the offense. And — if you click through to the paper — you’ll note that the data backs it up: The more you pass, the greater likelihood there will be that you’ll have a chance to take an open or guarded 3 from the top of the key, as well as baseline shots, perimeter shots and restricted area shots.
Even though ball movement doesn’t fix a player’s shooting ability, there’s a greater likelihood that you’ll make a more open shot than a contested shot. If you compare tightly guarded shots vs. uncontested shots over at NBA.com, for instance, you’ll note that even the “worst” players making uncontested shots on the first page are in the 40 percent range while the “worst” tightly guarded player might make 20 percent of their shots.
And the nice thing about this is in a world of switching, you might be able to hide an unpredictable player. Consider: The player who brought the “highest entropy situation” to a game, per the paper’s calculations, was found to be Kevin Garnett playing the center 3. I’ll bet anything that mathematical subtlety is one reason why Marcus Smart has the kind of impact on the game that he does.
But the complicating thing is hero ball is a seductive choice. It’s what happens when you figure out how to beat the odds. It can sometimes happen when you exploit a mismatch. It can happen when you want to control the clock in a high-pressure environment, like the playoffs or the Finals. You crack open the math and the joy of a job well done comes sailing through.
The Celtics enter Monday night’s matchup with Anthony Davis and the New Orleans Pelicans with a 10-10 record and a sixth-place standing in the Eastern Conference.
In essence, they have been the Forever .500 Hartford Whalers of the NBA this season, which is not quite what was envisioned when they were proclaimed the preseason favorite to win the at last LeBron-less Eastern Conference.
The biggest issue is a rudimentary one: They have shot the ball terribly, with only Daniel Theis better 50 percent from the field this season. But it is far from the only issue, with the struggle to cohesively meld a collection of talent into a true team being perhaps the most troubling problem.
Here’s a look at each player on the roster individually and what their role has been through this bewildering first quarter of the season . . .
Al Horford: Tough start for those habitual Horford heralders among us, of which I am one. His scoring, rebounding, and assist averages are down across the board. It’s the last one that surprises me the most, figuring that whenever the Celtics would fall into an offensive rut, the wisest option might be to get the ball to Horford and let him find the right scoring option. He’s also shooting just 32.4 percent from 3. Man, this whole team is due to get hot at once, isn’t it?
Jayson Tatum: I suppose we should have fathomed some turbulence as a possibility. He was 4 minutes from being the hero against LeBron James and the Cavaliers in a Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals as a rookie, and now he’s getting fewer rations of the ball with Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward back. That must be annoying to some degree. But Tatum has been so disappointing — from his low-percentage, late-career-Kobe Bryant selection of 2-point shots to his lackadaisical defense when his shot isn’t falling — that priority No. 1 for Brad Stevens right now has to be figuring out how to get Tatum’s game and attitude back to where it was during his beautiful playoff performance.
Gordon Hayward: I understand that he’s been a problem in the sense that opposing offenses — especially the vengeful Jazz — targeted him defensively early on. And his shot, though better lately, is wayward (28.6 percent from 3). But how can he be blamed for any of this? He’s coming back from one of the ugliest injuries we’ve ever seen, he’s playing with remarkable unselfishness and has truly superb — and surprising — court vision, and he’s gradually improving. I have no issue with Hayward, but I do have one with anyone who thought he would be an instant All-Star again after going through what he did. He deserves our patience.
See Your Boston Teams Up Close
Jaylen Brown: He’s still an enigma. Incredibly athletic even by NBA standards, talented, and smart and conscientious, too. It felt like another big leap would come in his third season. But so far, he’s been the odd man out in the offense. I’m not sure whether it’s because he’s regressed or if it’s the cause of his regression, but he’s shooting just 39.8 percent from the field, 25.3 percent from 3, and 62.2 percent from the line. He’s not taking advantage of the opportunities he does have — he’s still a poor finisher on contested layups — and the notion that he’s having a hard time meshing with Hayward is a reflection on Brown more than anyone else.
Kyrie Irving: One of the big reasons to hope this mess gets resolved soon is so we can stop wondering whether he’ll get frustrated enough to reconsider his verbal commitment to stick around even as free agency beckons in the offseason. It’s hard to be critical of someone who seems like he can score at will but still plays relatively unselfishly, but at some point we have to look in his direction as one small guard after another roasts the Celtics defense, right?
Aron Baynes: Kind of surprising that he’s averaging just 14.4 minutes per game, because his impact seems much greater than that. He needs to finish better around the basket — he’s shooting just 40.5 percent overall, and 45.7 percent from 2-point territory — and his pick-and-roll defense has been spotty. But not much is on him. If anything, the Celtics could use a Baynes clone to power-dribble any of those pesky point guards who so easily have been getting into the lane.
Marcus Smart: Love his passion and unrelenting intensity. I’m glad he stayed as a free agent. When he calls out teammates for a lack of effort — which he has done more than once lately — he’s speaking from the position of someone who leaves it all out there. That said, if I were one of those teammates at whom he is aiming his ire, my response might be, “Yeah, and you shouldn’t be jacking up over three 3s per game with that rock of a shot.’’
Marcus Morris: Entering the season, I thought he might be one of those guys who would get caught in the minutes crunch and not handle it well. Instead, he’s been as reliable as anyone, averaging 13.2 points per game while shooting 48.2 percent from the field (second only to Theis among Celtics) and a team-best 43.2 percent from 3.
Terry Rozier: I don’t know, maybe they should trade him, though the way things are going, Irving’s knee would start barking the moment Rozier was sent to a new destination. He’s salvageable, of course, but it’s pretty obvious free agency is on his mind and he’s trying to score a game’s worth of points in every six-minute stretch of action. It doesn’t help that he’s shooting an atrocious 36.7 percent from 2-point range.
Semi Ojeleye: He’s not exactly a Giannis Stopper, but he’s definitely a Giannis Agitator, and that’s a valuable role to play. Sometimes I think he should play more because of his toughness . . . and then he shoots. And shoots again. He’s at 23.5 percent from 3-point range, and he looks like a 23.5 percent 3-point shooter.
Daniel Theis: His 3-point shooting is up (he’s hitting 42.9 percent compared to 31.0 as a rookie), his free-throw shooting is bizarrely down (42.9 percent compared to 75.3 last year), but otherwise he’s the same 11-to-15-minutes-per-game energy boost he was last year as perhaps the team’s most pleasant surprise.
Gerschon Yabusele: His court awareness and poise have improved this season — he’s a downright clever passer — but right now the ceiling remains garbage-time All-Star unless he ends up with a team with more minutes to share.
Robert Williams: Horford is second on the Celtics in blocks per 36 minutes at 2.0. First? Oh, you knew this: The rookie Williams, at a remarkable 6.3. Sure, he’s played just 23 minutes, and he won’t be a real factor this year, but I don’t see how his impression has been anything but a cause for optimism. Especially after he started showing up on time.
Brad Wanamaker: The Euroleague veteran has played just 31 minutes, so it’s tough to draw any conclusions on what his NBA future might be. But the Celtics do miss Shane Larkin’s ability to come in and play well when called upon.
Jimmy Butler has been traded to the Philadelphia 76ers. Here’s how this trade impacts the Boston Celtics.
The Minnesota Timberwolves finally ended their fiasco and traded Jimmy Butler to the Philadelphia 76ers. Behind the excitement of this trade, it’s hard not to think how this directly impacts the Boston Celtics.
Butler is once again a member of the Eastern Conference. To start the year, the Celtics looked like they were the favorites to win the East. However, the Toronto Raptors have had a red-hot start to the season, holding the best record in the NBA at 12-1.
The Milwaukee Bucks and Indiana Pacers are good teams, but not many anticipated the Bucks starting this well. Then there’s the 76ers, who got a whole lot better through the Butler trade. That is, of course, if nothing dramatic happens in Philadelphia like it has when Butler was a part of the Chicago Bulls and Timberwolves.
Right now the Celtics are sixth in the conference after another loss Sunday night. Here’s a look at the standings as of now:
Toronto Raptors: 12-1
Milwaukee Bucks: 10-3
Philadelphia 76ers: 8-6
Indiana Pacers: 8-6
Charlotte Hornets: 7-6
Boston Celtics: 7-6
Detroit Pistons: 6-6
Brooklyn Nets: 6-7
Oddly enough, the Celtics have had a slow start to the season. The main reason for this has been the team’s offensive struggles. Boston has had issue s all season long from players like Kyrie Irving, Gordon Hayward and a few others (though Irving has picked it up as of late).
After the Butler trade, it’s not hard to wonder if the Sixers and Raptors are the two best teams in the East. The Bucks have put them in that mix with their hot start. Before the Bucks played their way into the conversation, the Celtics, Raptors and Sixers were thought to be the three top teams.
It’s still way too early in the season to determine where each team will place, but the Celtics don’t want to get to the point in the season and realize that it’s too late to make a move. This deal by the Sixers could potentially push Boston outside of the top-three.
The Celtics have several assets they could move. The trade deadline isn’t till early February, so the team does have time. Because the Celtics have so much talent already, a trade doesn’t necessarily have to be a blockbuster, but one that potentially shores up some offensive struggles.
The best assets they have to offer are Jaylen Brown, Terry Rozier and draft picks. Despite Hayward’s early season struggles, he doesn’t have the value other teams would want right now given his contract. Once he knocks off the rust from his injury, he may return to an All-Star form. He just needs time and it would be unlikely he’s moved.
Come December and January, the Celtics must evaluate where they are. The Eastern Conference is a lot stronger now and they haven’t looked like the same team everyone expected coming into the season.
This trade impacts the Celtics to the point that they may need to potentially make a deal. The Sixers certainly got a lot better by adding four-time All-Star Butler, who will add toughness, defense and offense to Philadelphia. Because of Boston’s slow start and early season woes, the Celtics may be on the outside looking in for the time being.
Among planned innovations is new ‘street-to-seat’ private entry experience.
Posted: November 12 2018
By: Stephan Georgiou
Getty Images
Boston’s TD Garden, home to National Basketball Association (NBA) team Boston Celtics and the National Hockey League’s (NHL) Boston Bruins, is to undergo a US$100 million expansion.
Announced by arena operator Delaware North, the hefty investment from the Jacobs family follows the completion of the first phase of its ‘The Hub on Causeway’ joint venture development with Boston Properties, which began construction in 2015.
The second ‘Legendary Transformation’ phase is already underway, with the hospitality company officially announcing a further expansion taking place across the next two years, providing 50,000 square feet of additional space with extra dining areas, restrooms and larger team locker rooms.
Work will also take place within the arena’s surrounding area, improving public transport links to the venue and increasing the size of stadium car parks.
Also among the first year of innovations is the new ‘street-to-seat’ experience, which allows private members to reach their seats quickly thanks to a smart technology elevator system that streamlines fans’ entry to the arena when scanning their ticket at private entrances.
The latter phase of TD Garden’s expansion will see the creation of additional hospitality spaces, including a top-floor party deck for members and studios for group events, as well as improved bar and lounge areas. Arena concourses will also be expanded, while improvements will be made to general seating and the venue’s lighting displays.
On the expansion, TD Garden president Amy Latimer said: “The Jacobs family’s expansion investment will further the goals to redefine the fan experience and cement the arena’s reputation as an innovator and industry leader.
“The ‘Legendary Transformation’ will bring new entry experiences, expanded concourses and gathering areas, new clubs, enhanced food and beverage offerings, and new team locker rooms.”
Both current tenants of TD Garden, the Celtics and Bruins have played at the arena since 1995.
