Less than 14 months ago, the Philadelphia 76ers were four minutes away from a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals. Four players remain from that team. Less than 14 months ago, the Boston Celtics were one win away from a trip to the NBA Finals. Two players remain from that team. The Celtics prevailed against Philadelphia on that Saturday in May, 2012, with Rajon Rondo recording a triple-double after Paul Pierce fouled out with 4:16 to play and the Celtics clinging to
Boston Celtics rookie big man from Gonzaga, Kelly Olynyk, may not have been turning heads in the Orlando Summer League with amazing athleticism, but he left his mark and certainly made an impression with his offensive skill. Not including Friday’s game, Olynyk had proven himself to be an effective scorer, averaging 19.5 points on 57-percent shooting to go along with eight rebounds and just over two steals in 26.5 minutes per contest. That comes from a sample size of four Summer
Doc Rivers’ exodus to the Western Conference, where he joined the Los Angeles Clippers, left a giant chasm needing to be filled on the Boston bench. No more. The Boston Celtics have announced the hiring of their new head coach. [Read more…]
Unpredictable. Chaotic. Climactic. Frenetic. Turbulent. These are just several words to describe Thursday night’s NBA Draft at the Barclays Center in downtown Brooklyn. For the first time in a while, nobody had any idea what was going to happen. And from the first selection down to the humongous blockbuster trade that went down, the theater and drama of the 2013 draft more than made up for the lack of an impact player among this year’s talent pool. With very few surefire
My snap judgement on the 2013 NBA draft? David Stern emerged a winner, because the crowd embraced him. The Utah Jazz were big winners, because they got the best point guard in the draft, Trey Burke, and added a Frenchman with a 7-foot-9 wingspan. Biggest losers? The Celtics, maybe — although those three first-round draft picks could become valuable assets if the Nets go into the tank after 2-3 years of trying to win old, which didn’t work for the Knicks. A final
It is not often that you are eating dumplings in Chinatown at 3 a.m. on a Friday morning and learn that Kosta Koufos has been traded, but that true story only just added to the bizzarro nature of the 2013 Draft — the craziest draft night I have ever witnessed in more than 20 years of covering them. [Read more…]
BROOKLYN — You know that scene in the Exorcist where Linda Blair’s head spins completely around? That was what it was like to be at the 2013 NBA draft. David Stern got booed, then cheered heartily. Nerlens Noel sat slumped in his chair as the second, third, fourth and fifth picks were called — and his name was not attached. [Read more…]
The 2013 NBA Draft is here. And, as the future of many NBA hopefuls draws nearer, the NBA front office phones ring with regularity. Many are trying to trade up or trade down in the draft. Some are trying to acquire players. Two of the latter include the Boston Celtics and the Brooklyn Nets, who have been engaged in “advanced talks” for the better part of an hour, to finalize a deal that could send Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett to Brooklyn