Boston Sweeps Brooklyn In A 116-112 Game 4 Win & Rolls To The Second Round Of The Playoffs

 

    Who had the Celtics being the only team to sweep their opponent (the Nets) in the first round of the NBA playoffs this postseason? What seemed hard to believe came true tonight at Barclays Center as Boston held off Brooklyn 116-112 to abruptly end the series 4-0 in favor of the C's. If you were worried about how the Celts would do in close games, this was the fourth time already this postseason that the contest was decided by single-digits. The Nets knew that it was over before this one had even started but they made it interesting in the fourth quarter as they outscored the Celtics 34-26. Boston advances to the second round for the fifth time in the last six seasons where they will likely face the Bucks who lead the Bulls 3-1 with Game 5 in Milwaukee on Wednesday night (7:30, TNT).  

    Just like Nets point guard Kyrie Irving (20 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 blocks) in Game 1, power forward Kevin Durant exploded for 39 points along with nine assists and seven rebounds. It took Durant 31 shots to get 39 points and he was 3-for-11 on three-pointers but it was still by far his best performance of the series. Likewise, Brooklyn's shooting guard Seth Curry added 23 points in his top outing in the four games. Power forward Nic Claxton had 13 points, six rebounds, three blocks and two steals but he broke Shaq's infamous playoff record by missing his first 10 (!!!) free throws of the night. Point guard Goran Dragic (10 points, 8 rebounds) was also good off of Brooklyn's bench one last time. 

    For Boston, shooting guard Jaylen Brown notched 22 points and eight rebounds while point guard Marcus Smart was great with 20 points, 11 assists and five rebounds and ageless center Al Horford added 13 points and six rebounds. Boston's bench was led by power forward Grant Williams (14 points, 3 blocks) and point guard Derrick White (9 points, 6 rebounds). The Nets certainly didn't want to go back to Boston for pointless Game 5 and for the first three quarters, the Celtics made sure of that. The C's led 30-26 after the first quarter and 58-50 at halftime. The C's were up double-digits going into the fourth quarter, as they led 90-78. Boston scored 12 more points in the paint than Brooklyn (44-32) and they grabbed seven more rebounds overall (45-38) including five more defensive boards (35-30) and two more offensive boards (10-8). 

    Considering that Milwaukee has blown out Chicago in the last two games, I fully expect them to beat the Bulls on Wednesday but it would be nice to see Chicago extend the series (don't count on that) and give Boston a little more rest not that they really need it after a sweep. Regardless whenever it starts, a Celtics-Bucks playoff series would be epic. Giannis is the best player in the world right now and even with shooting guard Khris Middleton-their other All-Star-out, Milwaukee is still the defending champ and a team that has given the Celts problems for years. This is why Boston pushed for that two-seed though, they will have home court for the next series which as we all know is typically a huge factor in the NBA playoffs.

The Celtics Have Officially Broken The Nets, Taking A 3-0 Series Lead With A 109-103 Game 3 Victory

 

    So it turns out that we should not have feared the Nets at all this postseason. They are complete frauds as proven by Boston's 109-103 win tonight in Game 3 of the first round at the Barclays Center to take a 3-0 series lead. Boston's superstar swingman Jayson Tatum (game-high 39 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds, career-high 6 steals) was absolutely brilliant, shooting guard Jaylen Brown added 23 points, five assists and two steals while point guard Marcus Smart notched 14 points, six assists and two steals. Both of Brooklyn's stars were nowhere to be found as power forward Kevin Durant was held to 16 points, eight rebounds and eight assists and point guard Kyrie Irving had a similarly uninspiring performance of 16 points, nine assists and three steals in a must-win situation. Game 4 is Monday (7, NBC Sports Boston) at Barclays, you can hear the Nets mumbling "1-2-3 Cancun" already while head coach Steve Nash prepares to return to broadcasting Champions League soccer or some other random gig. 

    Given that no NBA team has ever rallied to win a playoff series when they have trailed 0-3, you figured that Brooklyn would show at least a little pride and play with some urgency from the start tonight. Not so much as Boston led 30-25 after the first quarter and 53-50 at halftime. The C's owned the third quarter (28-22) and hung on in the fourth quarter as the Nets made some three-pointers in garbage time to outscore them 31-28 in the final frame. One of the big storylines of this contest was the juxtaposition of Celts center Robert Williams returning less than a month after arthroscopic surgery on his knee while Ben Simmons continues to appear exclusively on Brooklyn's bench in his cartoonish outfits. Haha we'll see if he still returns in Game 4, what's the point? 

    Boston didn't get as much from their role players in Game 3 but those guys still made some valuable contributions: power forward Daniel Theis had nine points and six rebounds, center Al Horford's (2 blocks) lone basket was a clutch three-pointer in the fourth quarter, point guard Payton Pritchard notched 10 points off the bench for the second game in a row and power forward Grant Williams put up seven points and five rebounds in 32 minutes off the bench. Dorchester native and Nets small forward Bruce Brown was great yet again as he submitted a career-high for the second straight game with a team-high 26 points, eight rebounds and two steals, shooting guard Seth Curry had 10 points, center Nic Claxton (who should be starting!) added 13 points and seven rebounds off the bench while veteran point guard Patty Mills notched 12 points as a substitute. 

    Celtics head coach Ime Udoka has made Nash look like a fool in these first three games. I loved Nash as a player but he is so overmatched in this situation, he rolled with the same lineup in Game 3 and he appears incapable of making any type of in-game adjustments. Then again, what do you expect from a guy that had never been a head coach before this? Boston's defense was really good as they had six more steals than Brooklyn (13-7) and four less turnovers (18-14). The Celtics just outworked and outhustled the Nets, as they posted eight more points in the paint (50-42), 16 more fast break points (25-9) and 12 more points off turnovers (37-25). All three games in this series have been decided by single-digits but there has been no doubt who the better team is. Monday should be fun as I fully expect Brooklyn to fold like you read about.

Trailing By 17 Points, The Celtics Rallied For A 114-107 Win In Game 2 Vs. Nets & 2-0 Series Lead

 

    It took them awhile to get started as they trailed by nine points after the first quarter (33-24) and by 10 points at halftime (65-55) but when the dust settled on Game 2 of the first round tonight at TD Garden, the Celtics came out on top of the Nets by a score of 114-107. With that result, Boston held serve to take a 2-0 lead in the series which heads to Brooklyn this weekend. As you can tell, this was not easy by any means for the Celts who were down by as much as 17 points (62-45) late in the second quarter but they stuck with it and eventually wore down the Nets. Game 3 at the Barclays Center on Saturday night (7:30, NBC Sports Boston) is obviously a must-win for front-running Brooklyn since no NBA team has ever come back from a 0-3 series deficit. 

    Nets star power forward Kevin Durant scored a game-high 27 points but that is pretty misleading since he was once again ice cold from the floor (4-for-17) and had a game-high six turnovers but he made a living at the free throw line (18-of-20). Brooklyn's other star-point guard Kyrie Irving-was nowhere to be found as he put up a pathetic 10 points and eight rebounds in 40 minutes. Boston native and Nets small forward Bruce Brown opened the game on a personal 9-0 run and he parlayed that into an excellent performance: 23 points, eight rebounds and two blocks. Shooting guard Seth Curry was good for Brooklyn with 16 points and off the bench point guard Goran Dragic remained lethal with 18 points. 

    I said after Game 1 that the Celtics have more depth than the Nets and they proved it this evening since all five starters scored at least 12+ points and two of the three bench guys also added double-figures. Boston's star shooting guard Jaylen Brown had a team-high 22 points, six assists and three steals while their other star-small forward Jayson Tatum-struggled with his shot (5-for-16) but still put up 19 points, a game-high 10 assists and six rebounds. Center Al Horford predictably wasn't as good as he was in Game 1 but he still managed to get 16 points, six rebounds and two steals while power forward Daniel Theis was better with 15 points and six rebounds. The NBA's Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart notched 12 points and five assists. Given the stage, power forward Grant Williams had his best game as a Celtic with 17 points, six rebounds and two blocks in 32 very productive minutes off the bench and even second-year point guard Payton Pritchard gave them a lift with 10 points in 16 minutes as a substitute. 

    They had an extra day off between Games 1 and 2 but KD was still in a funk and Kyrie played like he couldn't wait to get the hell out of here. If both of those guys have off nights then the Nets have virtually no chance to win against the more focused and locked in Celtics. Head coach Ime Udoka (who should have been one of the three nominees for NBA Coach of the Year) must have made some good adjustments at halftime as the C's were a different club in the second half. They outscored the Nets 30-25 then knocked them out in the fourth quarter (29-17) in front of Coach K and McLovin among other random celebrities. 

    For the game, Boston shot nearly six percent better from the field (52%-46.1%) and they had 11 more assists (27-16) than Brooklyn. As we thought, the Celts are a true team while the Nets are just a collection of big name talent surrounded by the island of misfit toys. For many reasons, a Celtics win in Game 3 would be huge; I don't want to completely look past the Nets yet since both Games 1 & 2 were decided by single-digits and you have to believe that Durant at some point will look like one of the best players on the planet. With that said, Boston's defense is superior to Brooklyn's which gives you confidence even away from the friendly confines of the juiced up Garden. If Boston can go up 3-0 in the series, I can definitely see Brooklyn completely folding and getting swept like you read about. For now though, let's just be happy that the Celts are up 2-0 and they haven't even played a complete game against the Nets.

It Was A Tough Day For The Haters: Marcus Smart Named The NBA's Defensive Player Of The Year

 

    To quote Bill Belichick, "stats are for losers" and I will add to that my own flair by saying that "individual awards in sports are also mostly useless." That is until they are won by somebody on your favorite team and more importantly, they go against the grain in terms of who typically takes home said award. This afternoon, Celtics guard Marcus Smart was named the NBA's Defensive Player of The Year for the 2021-22 regular season. In doing so, he became the first guard to win the award-that is typically dominated by big men-since Hall of Famer and former Celtics legend Gary Payton in 1996. Another Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett is the only other Celtic to win the award (which has been around since 1982), way back in 2008. 

    If you follow the Celtics even casually, you probably know that Smart has been perhaps the most polarizing guy in Boston sports that I can ever remember in my lifetime. You either love him or you hate him, there really is no in between. He's the longest tenured Celtic-now in his eighth season here-and his journey has been nothing short of a roller coaster both on and off the court. He's had numerous tantrums, dumb plays and costly mistakes while also being the subject of near constant trade rumors but despite it all, he finally put together a complete season both physically and emotionally. He is the king of making an incredible play on one end of the floor (usually defensively) then making you scream in anger at the TV or in person at the game when he jacks up a ridiculous 3-pointer or flopping like a clown on the other end. 

    Smart has always possessed the ability to be a really good player in the league, after all he was the No. 6 pick out of Oklahoma State in 2014 for a reason. He will never be considered a great 3-point shooter or very polished offensive player in general but he makes (cliche alert!) winning plays that help Boston win basketball games. He dives on the floor and makes the hero plays that most of the millionaires in the NBA couldn't be bothered to attempt these days. At 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds he's big and strong enough to matchup with almost any other top offensive player in the game. This season he averaged 12.1 points per game, 5.9 assists per game, 3.8 rebounds per game and 1.7 steals per game in the regular season. All-Stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown will get most of the headlines but if the C's are going to make any real noise in the playoffs this spring, they'll need Smart to be at his annoying best. Haha if anything, this special recognition should only boost his already limitless and irrational confidence. 

Instant Classic: Celtics Beat The Nets 115-114 In Game 1 On Jayson Tatum's Buzzer-Beating Layup

 

    For the Celtics, the 2022 NBA playoffs began this afternoon at TD Garden vs. the Nets and when it was over, we were all treated to an Easter miracle. Boston had led by as much as 15 points (84-69) in the third quarter before unraveling in the fourth quarter as Brooklyn outscored them 29-19. Thankfully, the C's made one final winning play to escape with a thrilling 115-114 victory (their first playoff buzzer-beater since Paul Pierce vs. Miami in 2010!) in Game 1 of the first round. Celts shooting guard Jaylen Brown (23 points, 5 rebounds, 4 steals, 2 blocks) started the sequence by driving to the basket before finding point guard Marcus Smart (20 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals) who surprisingly passed up a hero three-pointer and threaded a pass to Boston's superstar small forward Jayson Tatum (team-high 31 points, 8 assists, 2 blocks) for a spinning layup as time expired. 

    This would have been a crushing loss for the home team and we all know in the NBA how important home court is along with the outcome of Game 1s. We got the full Kyrie Irving experience as the Nets mercurial point guard dropped a game-high 39 points, six assists, five rebounds and four steals while he also made fun of the TD Garden crowd and flipped them off on multiple occasions. Happy Ramadan everybody! Kyrie probably won't have a better game in this series while conversely his fellow star Kevin Durant (23 points, 6 turnovers) could never really get things going. What are the odds that Brooklyn's normally unstoppable power forward shoots 9-of-24 from the field again vs. Boston? Answer: highly unlikely. 

    The unexpected star for the Celtics in Game 1 was center Al Horford (20 points, 15 rebounds) who was forced to play 41 minutes at age 35 with Robert Williams likely out for this series. The Nets bench is not one of the strengths of their team but they outscored the Celtics 30-17. Boston killer and ageless point guard Goran Dragic had 14 points and five rebounds while bouncy power forward Nic Claxton added 13 points, eight rebounds and three blocks (while he went 1-for-5 on free throws). One of the main reasons that the C's were able to survive this contest was their dominance on the glass: they had 14 more total rebounds (43-29) including nine more offensive boards (14-5). Boston is not the biggest team in the league but against Brooklyn, they have to take advantage of their size around the basket. 

    Boston led 29-28 after the first quarter and it was tied at 61 at halftime. The Celtics got rolling in the third quarter (35-24) before their offense mostly disappeared in the fourth quarter. This being the NBA, Game 2 won't happen until Wednesday (7, NBC Sports Boston). After losing in five games last season to Brooklyn in the first round (the Nets are 3-0 all-time in playoff series vs. the C's), Boston will have to flush this result and get focused on the next matchup. Durant and Irving are spectacular talents but let's be honest, the rest of the Nets (including first-time head coach Steve Nash) are much less impressive. The Celts are deeper, play better team basketball and have a legitimately qualified head coach in Ime Udoka. Then again, the league has always been and will always be superstar driven so we have to hope that Tatum and Brown at least play Durant and Irving to a draw. PS is there any chance that Kyrie leaves his Four Seasons (I'm assuming Brooklyn is staying there) hotel suite for anything but practice these next few days? Haha he will be booed non-stop no matter where he shows up around the city this week.

The Red Sox Finally Spent Some Money Once Again & Signed A Legit Free Agent In Trevor Story

 

    Between the Patriots and Red Sox, it had been a very frustrating few weeks for fans as neither club had done much of anything to improve their team in free agency or via trades while many other teams loaded up and spent tons of money to improve their rosters. Thankfully that all changed today-at least for the Sox-as they reportedly signed shortstop Trevor Story to a six-year, $140 million deal. In terms of both length and the amount of money, it's by far the most that chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom has given out since he came to Boston. It would also be the team's most years and money since they signed David Price. It always comes back to the Rays doesn't it whenever you mention Bloom? For a guy that I'm pretty sure should be reminded every day that he works for a big market club in the Red Sox and not the penny-pinching Rays, this was a welcome change from his usual habits of signing nobodies, injured and/or washed up guys because that best fits some goofy analytic models on his computer. 

    The obvious question with Story's signing is what happens with Xander Bogaerts? Both players have been exclusively shortstops in MLB so obviously one of them will have to try a new position (second base) starting now. It sounds like the newcomer will be the one to move over to his left in the infield which sounds scary except Story has been a Gold Glove finalist so unlike say Kyle Schwarber last season who had never played first base (and frankly shouldn't be allowed to play any position in the field), this transition figures to be much smoother. Boston's lineup was already pretty strong but the addition of a two-time All-Star and two-time slugger in the prime of his career (he's 29 years old) means that it will be even deeper and more powerful. 

    The only other major issue in my mind with this move is seeing how Story does outside of the Little League park that is known as Coors Field since he has only ever played for the Rockies in MLB. As you would expect, his numbers at home were much better than on the road: 95 HRs, 279 RBIs, .303 BA, .369 OBP & .603 SLG vs. 63 HRs, 171 RBIs, .241 BA, .310 OBP & .442 SLG. Then again, Fenway Park has always been known as a hitter's park as well particularly for right-handed guys with some pop in their bat. With that said, he should continue to be a star here because he's played on mostly crappy teams in Colorado (he's only appeared in five career playoff games) and for the Sox, he won't need to carry nearly as much of the load on a daily basis.

    Story has good size (6-foot-2, 213 pounds) and surprising speed with 100 career stolen bases. In six major league seasons, he has put together what I would count as two excellent campaigns-his All-Star years in 2018 and 2019. In 2018, he hit .291/.348/.567 (tied career-high) with a career-best 37 HRs, 108 RBIs and 27 stolen bases (career-high) in 157 games. He played in 12 fewer games the following season but still managed to record some stellar statistics: .294 (career-high)/.363 (career-high)/.554 with 35 HRs, 85 RBIs and 23 stolen bases. 

    With Boston coming off a playoff run to the ALCS last fall and not to mention his huge paychecks, much will be expected of Story from day one. We won't know how he will be in a tough market like this until he goes through the inevitable prolonged slump. Let's hope that he is not similar to Price in that way in terms of a fragile ego and that he can power through any struggles that he might have getting acclimated to a new league, team and city. Overall, today was a great day for the Red Sox and easily the best that they have made us felt since last season ended. With Opening Day coming up soon on April 7, Bloom's next task has to be to find some more starting pitching, that appears to be their biggest hole at this juncture.

Two Days Before The Trade Deadline, Bruins Help Their Defense By Trading For Hampus Lindholm

 

    After an uninspiring start to the 2021-22 regular season, the Bruins (38-19-5) have played some great hockey particularly in the last few months. With the NHL Trade Deadline fast approaching on Monday afternoon (3 pm EST), GM Don Sweeney was a little ahead of the rush as he made a significant move this evening: he traded three draft picks (2022 first-round, 2023 second-round and 2023 second-round) along with defensemen Urho Vaakanainen and John Moore to Anaheim (27-26-11) for defensemen Hampus Lindholm and minor leaguer Kodie Curran. To sweeten the deal, the Ducks will also retain 50% of Lindholm's salary. He is a free agent after this season so plenty hinges on whether Sweeney can retain him with a long-term deal (they are rumored to be working on an 8-year extension with an average annual value of $6.5 million) otherwise this move will be mostly a waste (except if the Bruins win the Stanley Cup this summer).

    Other than head coach Bruce Cassidy, the Bruins player that figures to benefit the most from this move (assuming that they are paired together) is their franchise defenseman Charlie McAvoy. Ever since Zdeno Chara left in free agency two seasons ago, McAvoy has yet to find a consistent defensive partner that can keep up with him on both ends of the ice. At age 28 and already in his ninth full season in the NHL, Lindholm profiles as just that type of guy that can be a top defenseman on a good team. He was the sixth overall pick by Anaheim in 2012 and if he played either not on the West Coast or for a better club, he would likely be more of a household name. 

    The Swede is that coveted left-shot defenseman and puck mover with prototypical size (6-foot-4 and 216 pounds). He probably won't win a Norris Trophy at this point and he won't be the top scoring defensemen in the league but he is on a tier just below those highest levels. His numbers won't wow you this season but keep in mind that the Ducks are basically a .500 team that isn't going to the playoffs: five goals, 17 assists, plus/minus of zero, 42 penalty minutes and four power play points (1 goal) in 61 games. His career-highs are 13 goals (in 2017-18), 27 assists (in 2014-15) and plus-29 in his rookie season (2012-13). For his career, he has 57 goals, 165 assists, 57 power play points (12 goals) and he is plus-74 in 582 regular season games. In 55 career playoff games, he has four goals, 17 assists, five power play points (1 goal) and he is plus-11.

    As for what they gave up, I really don't believe that it's that much. Vaakanainen was a first-round pick in 2017 (18th overall) but he's barely made an impact at the NHL level thus far, playing in just 31 games (only 15 this season that has been affected by injuries). Moore is a journeyman and the draft picks don't bother me that much considering how poorly Sweeney has drafted for most of his time in charge here. This is a win now move which is nice to see for an older team that is still led by Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand while also hopefully building something for the future when those guys will be long gone and the team is led by McAvoy and possibly goaltender Jeremy Swayman who has firmly taken over as the No. 1 goalie for the B's. Lindholm's Bruins debut could come on Monday (7, NESN) when they visit lowly Montreal (17-36-9) at the Bell Centre.

UPDATE 3/20/22: Before he has even played a single game for the B's, this afternoon Lindholm signed that reported eight-year extension with the average annual value of $6.5 million per year). Wow!