Category: .Other leagues

Why Jayson Tatum should be starting for Team USA at the 2024 Paris Olympics

Should the St. Louis native be starting for Team USA? Or would his skill set be better put to use by him coming off of the bench?

There is a very real case for Team USA having snubbed star Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown, but there is also a case that another star Celtics forward ought to start for the US National Team. All the while his Team USA teammate Anthony Edwards is claiming that he ought to be the No. 1 option at the 2024 Paris Olympics, there is a strong argument for starting Jayson Tatum for similar reasons.

Should the St. Louis native be starting for Team USA? Or would his skill set be better put to use by him coming off of the bench for the US National Team this time around?

The hosts of the CLNS Media “Bob Ryan, Jeff Goodman, and Gary Tanguay!” podcast debated this question on a recent episode of their show. Take a look at the clip embedded below to hear what they had to say about JT starting at the Olympics.

If you enjoy this pod, check out the “How Bout Them Celtics,” “First to the Floor,” “Celtics Lab,” and the many other New England sports podcasts available on the CLNS Media network.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Boston’s Payton Pritchard reportedly named to US select team ahead of 2024 Paris Olympics

Jayson Tatum, Derrick White, and Jrue Holiday will see a familiar face when the US select team scrimmages with Team USA.

The Boston Celtics already have three of their players suiting up for the US National Team at the 2024 Paris Olympics this summer in Jayson Tatum, Derrick White, and Jrue Holiday. But when that squad practices as they gear up for another run at Olympic gold, a familiar face will also be on the other side of the court.

That face would be one Payton Pritchard, who will participate in the USA Basketball select team, who scrimmage with Team USA, per recent reporting from the Associated Press’ Tim Reynolds. Pritchard will be joined by Duke star Cooper Flagg, the Miami Heat’s Jaime Jaquez Jr., the Detroit Pistons’ Jalen Duren, and the Orlando Magic’s Jalen Suggs.

The team will also feature the Golden State Warriors’ Trayce Jackson-Davis, and Brandin Podziemski, the Houston Rockets’ Jabari Smith Jr., and Amen Thompson, the Charlotte Hornets’ Brandon Miller, and the New Orleans Pelicans’ Trey Murphy.

Also on the select team roster are the Sacramento Kings’ Keegan Murray, the Utah Jazz’ Micah Potter, Fenerbahce’s Nigel Hayes-Davis, and Reggio Emilia’s Langston Galloway.

If you enjoy this pod, check out the “How Bout Them Celtics,” “First to the Floor,” “Celtics Lab,” and the many other New England sports podcasts available on the CLNS Media network.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Boston’s Kristaps Porzingis joins Latvian National Team’s roster for the Olympic Qualifying Tournament

This all hinges on Porzingis being healthy after the finals.

Fans of the Boston Celtics are laser-focused on the looming 2024 NBA Finals and their favorite team’s chances against the Dallas Mavericks, but several members of the Celtics organization are likely participants in the 2024 Paris Olympics for their respective national teams.

And star Boston big man Kristaps Porzingis may well be one of them if he ends up suiting up for his native Latvia and Latvia makes the cut, per BasketNews. The Celtics center has recently been announced to have joined the Latvian National Team’s roster for the Olympic Qualifying Tournament. With a total of 24 players including fellow NBAer Davis Bertans and former Brooklyn Nets small forward Rodion Kurucs, Latvia has a solid shot with KP on the court.

This all hinges on Porzingis being healthy after the finals, but with his likely return to the court for Game 1, that outcome is looking more probable of late.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Former Celtics floor general Shane Larkin inks new 4-year deal with Anadolu Efes

Larkin has inked a new 4-year deal with his current ball club that will have him under contract until the 2027-28 season in that league.

When former Boston Celtics floor general Shane Larkin left the NBA to play overseas in 2018, many thought it would be for just a few seasons at most before he made a return to the NBA. But more than five years later, the Cincinnati native is still playing in the Turkish Super League (BSL) for Anadolu Efes S.K., and appears likely to do so for another four seasons.

Recent reporting from Basket News relates that the 31-year-old Larkin has inked a new 4-year deal with his current ball club that will have him under contract until the 2027-28 season in that league.

And while that might not be until the end of career in the sport, it will be a deal that brings him through the end of his prime years, which are rapidly drawing to a close.

The Miami alum has put together a Hall of Fame-worthy career already with his overseas play, notching a host of Euroleague and BSL records since making the second leap to European ball in his career.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Celtics Lab 251: NBA expansion and covering Boston (and the league) from abroad with Josh Coyne

To get a bead on the international future of the NBA (and the Celtics in the first round), make sure you don’t miss this bonus episode.

The NBA is inching closer to a new, inevitable round of expansion, and based on what we have heard from league commissioner Adam Silver, it might not just be within the US and Canada. And while Mexico City might not be among the frontrunners, the growth of the league in popularity around the world will only continue to grow.

What will NBA expansion look like this time, and in the future? How is it different for fans and international media to enjoy the NBA we have now? And what else might the future of the Association look like, with the accelerating growth of the NBA continuing apace?

To talk it over and his trip to cover the end of the Boston Celtics’ 2023-24 season and the playoffs ahead of them, CLNS Media’s “Celtics Lab” podcast linked up with British Basketball League and Give Me Sport’s Josh Coyne.


To get a bead on the international future of the NBA (and the Celtics in the first round), make sure you don’t miss this special bonus episode of the pod.


The Celtics Lab podcast is brought to you by Prize Picks.

If you enjoy this pod, check out the “How Bout Them Celtics,” “First to the Floor,” and the many other New England sports podcasts available on the CLNS Media network.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce weigh in on NIL’s impact on the college game

The change in how the NCAA game works in terms of compensation has had some major impacts on the college game.

The 2024 NCAA Tournament is over, UConn the champs, and most of the college basketball world now focused on the 2024-25 season ahead. But perhaps more than ever, the impact of the “name, image, likeness” rules that allow college players to make money off of endorsements.

Known more commonly as NIL, the change in how the NCAA game works in terms of compensation has had some major impacts on the college game. And not all bad, either. But can this band-aid fix a more substantial issue of athlete compensation at the college level? Or will so-called “student athletes” end up getting paid outright?

To talk over what NIL means for the college game and the wider world of basketball, Boston Celtics Hall of Famers Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett recently weighed in on the phenomenon on a recent episode of the “Ticket and the Truth” podcast.

Check it out above for yourself!

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Everything you need to know about the Maine Celtics’ title run

It is the first-ever shot at a title for the Boston Celtics’ developmental affiliate, with the best-of-three series currently knotted up at one game each.

The Maine Celtics will take on the Oklahoma City Blue for the 2024 G League Championship on this Monday (April 13) night. It is the first-ever shot at a title for the Boston Celtics’ developmental affiliate, with the best-of-three series currently knotted up at one game each for Maine and the Oklahoma City Thunder G League squad.

How did they get here? How good are they, and how do G League playoffs work? What are games in Portland like in the regular and postseason? And how is the synergy between Boston and Maine in terms of developing players and winning games? 

The hosts of the CLNS Media “Celtics Lab” podcast recently sat down with Celtics Blog’s Noa Dalzell to get all the details you need to know about what might be G League Banner No. 1 for Maine.

If you enjoy this pod, check out the “How Bout Them Celtics,” “First to the Floor,” and the many other New England sports podcasts available on the CLNS Media network.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Boston’s Jordan Walsh helps lead Maine Celtics to 2024 G League Finals

The win secured Maine a spot in the G League Finals vs. the Oklahoma City Blue.

Boston Celtics rookie forward Jordan Walsh scored 15 points with 7 rebounds and 3 steals as the Maine Celtics beat the Long Island Nets (the G League affiliate of the Brooklyn Nets) in the G League Eastern Conference Finals this week. Walsh joins the newest addition to the regular roster, Neemias Queta, in the series along with Boston’s remaining two way players, JD Davison, and Drew Peterson in playing the Blue for the G League title.

The win secured Maine a spot in the G League Finals vs. the Oklahoma City Blue (the developmental affiliate of the Oklahoma City Thunder), which will be a three-game series that will see at least one finals tilt played on Maine’s home court in Portland.

The folks behind the CLNS Media “Celtics All Access” YouTube channel put up some highlights from Maine’s recent win vs. Long Island via Celtics Blog’s Noa Dalzell. Check them out below!

If you enjoy this pod, check out the “How Bout Them Celtics,” “First to the Floor,” and the many other New England sports podcasts available on the CLNS Media network.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Maine Celtics set to take on Oklahoma City Blue in 2024 G League Playoffs Finals

Maine will face off with the Oklahoma City Blue in a best-of-three-series.

 It is not just the Boston Celtics who are gearing up for a run at a title this month, with the Boston-based ball club’s G League affiliate up in Portland having advanced to the G League Finals. The Maine Celtics just finished beating the Long Island Nets (the G League affiliate of the Brooklyn Nets) to earn a spot in their league’s finals for the 2023-24 season.

In it, Maine will face off with the Oklahoma City Blue, the developmental affiliates of the Oklahoma City Thunder in the G League. It has rarely been the case that the ball clubs with such good records at the NBA level have met in the G league postseason. So, this new wrinkle will add a bit of extra sauce to an already intriguing matchup.

The folks behind the “News Center Maine” YouTube channel recently ran a short on the looming three-game series. Check it out in the clip embedded below for details.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Shams: Former Boston Celtics point guard Isaiah Thomas to sign with Utah Jazz G League squad

Reunited with his former team president in Boston with Danny Ainge now calling the shots in Utah, this could be Thomas’ last, best chance to get back into the NBA.

Former Boston Celtics floor general Isaiah Thomas is not back in the NBA, but the former King in the Fourth is as close as one can get without actually being in the league. According to recent reporting from The Athletic’s Shams Charania, the former Celtics point guard, in “pursuit of NBA return for stretch run, 11-year veteran Isaiah Thomas is joining the Utah Jazz’s G League affiliate Salt Lake City Stars.”

“The two-time All-Star could be another guard option in (the) marketplace” for teams looking for cheap veteran talent ahead of the 2024 NBA Playoffs, notes Charania of IT’s potential path back into the Association.

Reunited with his former team president in Boston with Danny Ainge now calling the shots in Utah, this could be Thomas’ last, best chance to get back into the NBA for the first time since 2022.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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