Tag: 2023 NBA Playoffs

Celtics three goals: Robert Williams must remain healthy

Here are three goals for Robert Williams to work on during the Boston Celtics upcoming season.

In the second edition of CelticsWire’s “three goals” mini-series, we will be looking at Robert Williams. The explosive big man faces additional competition for minutes on the Boston Celtics this season, courtesy of their recent acquisition of Kristaps Porzingis. Nevertheless, Williams’ rim-protection and upside as one of the best rim-runners in the NBA will ensure he gets ample playing time.

Still, Williams has some areas he needs to improve. After missing a significant portion of his career due to nagging injuries, the veteran center has seldom been afforded opportunities to improve during the offseason. Still, this summer has been one of health for Williams, and now, the fanbase will be excited to see what he’s added to his game.

With the training camp right around the corner and the new NBA season hot on it’s heels, here are the three goals we would like to see Williams work on in the coming months.

Jayson Tatum hilariously shuts down Miami Heat fan

The Boston Celtics star shut down the Miami Heat fan before the Basketball Hall of Fame ceremony.

Throughout his tenure with the Boston Celtics, Jayson Tatum has experienced a number of highs and lows against the Miami Heat. On two occasions, Erik Spoelstra’s team has sent Boston home from the Eastern Conference finals, the most recent being this past season.

As such, it’s likely that Tatum views Miami as a rival due to how difficult they make his route to winning a championship. So, when a Heat fan recently asked him to join the Miami, Tatum’s smile and head shake before responding ‘nah,’ was as telling as it was hilarious.

It’s clear that Tatum wants to bring a championship banner to Boston, and that means defeating the Heat, not joining them. Miami is also embroiled in a tug-of-war to bring Damian Lillard to South Beach, which would only further complicate Tatum’s path to a championship ring – and will likely make him even more competitive when facing the Heat moving forward.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cv5hNbstvoJ/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

You can watch Tatum shoot down the Heat fan in the embedded clip above.

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Windhorst: Joe Mazzulla’s job as head coach of the Boston Celtics was never in danger

“They are absolutely headlong into the Mazzulla mindset,” said Windhorst.

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Despite speculation by fans and analysts during the 2023 NBA playoffs, it was recently revealed that first-year head coach Joe Mazzulla‘s job was always secure.

On a recent episode of ESPN’s “The Hoop Collective,” senior writer Brian Windhorst shared what he had heard about the lack of heat under Mazzulla’s seat moving forward in spite of that speculation.

“Not only was (Mazzulla) never in trouble, (but) team president Brad Stevens’s biggest moves as the president of the team has been to lean into more of the way Joe Mazzulla wants to play, which is high-volume 3-point shooting and offense over defense,” Windhorst told Boston.com’s Luke Scotchie. “They are absolutely headlong into the Mazzulla mindset. This is the way Stevens and Mazzulla want to play.”

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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Emergency Kristap Porzingis pod: Reacting to the surprise trade by the Boston Celtics

Is this the right move for the Celtics? What are the other implications of this trade?

The Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Clippers and Washington Wizards reportedly involved in a three-team trade that will send Kristaps Porzingis to the Celtics in exchange for Boston sending Malcolm Brogdon to the Clippers and Danilo Gallinari to the Wizards among other moving parts.

Is this the right move for the Celtics? What are the other implications of this trade? How does this deal affect the rest of the roster, and what players will likely end up starting for Boston on opening night in light of the news?

The host of the NBC Sports Boston “Celtics Talk” podcast linked up with the host of the CLNS Media “Winning Plays” podcast Brian Robb to talk over all of the questions above and more.

Take a look at the clip embedded above to hear their takes on how this move might play out for the Celtics.

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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The best of Al Horford with the Boston Celtics in the 2023 NBA Playoffs

Veteran Boston Celtics big man Al Horford was a critical part of the Celtics’ postseason defense in the 2023 NBA Playoffs. 

Even after playing the most minutes per game than he had played since the 2019-20 NBA season, veteran Boston Celtics big man Al Horford was a critical part of the Celtics’ postseason defense in the 2023 NBA Playoffs.

The Florida alum put up 6.7 points, 7.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1.7 blocks per game with Boston in the playoffs this season. Horford’s shot was off for some reason in the postseason with the Dominican big man hitting just 38.6% from the field overall, 29.8% from beyond the arc, and 75.0% from the free throw line compared to his career averages of 51.3%, 37.4%, and 75.9%, respectively.

Horford was his usual self regarding turning the ball over with just 0.6 turnovers per game and picked up 2.4 personal fouls per contest.

To see the best of his postseason play with the Celtics in 2023, take a look at the clip embedded below that was put together by fan videographer Tomasz Kordylewski.

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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The best of Marcus Smart in the 2023 NBA Playoffs with the Boston Celtics

The Flower Mound native was an indispensable part of the ball club’s play even as his defense took a bit of a step back after winning the 2022 Defensive Player of the Year award.

Though it did not end the way he probably would have liked it to have, veteran Boston Celtics point guard Marcus Smart had himself a very solid postseason run in 2023, making it back to the Eastern Conference finals the Celtics would eventually lose in six games in a rematch with the Miami Heat.

Smart put up 14.9 points, 4.0 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and 1.3 steals per game in the 2023 NBA Playoffs over 34.0 minutes played per contest, and shot 45.3% from the field overall, 36.1% from beyond the arc, and 80.0% from the free throw line, fouling just 1.9 times per tilt, and turning the ball over 2.3 times per game.

The Flower Mound native was an indispensable part of the ball club’s play even as his defense took a bit of a step back after winning the 2022 Defensive Player of the Year award.

To see his best postseason plays of 2023, check out the clip put together by fan videographer Tomasz Kordylewski embedded above.

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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The best of Derrick White in the 2023 NBA Playoffs with the Boston Celtics

White’s play was so strong in the playoffs that he is widely seen as the safest best to be on the roster next season not named Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown, and he has earned that level of respect from fans and analysts.

For much if not all of the Boston Celtics‘ run in the 2023 NBA Playoffs, guard Derrick White was the Celtics’ third-best player — and on more than a few nights the second-best player on the floor for Boston. We would be remiss if we did not mention his buzzer-beating win to keep the team’s season alive a little longer vs. the Miami Heat, but White was a steady force for Boston throughout almost the entire postseason.

The Colorado native put up 13.4 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.0 blocks per game while shooting 50.5% from the floor overall, a sizzling 45.5% from beyond the arc, and 91.2% from the free throw line.

White’s play was so strong in the playoffs that he is widely seen as the safest best to be on the roster next season not named Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown, and he has earned that level of respect from fans and analysts.

To see the best of his play from the 2023 postseason, check out the highlight clip put together by fan videographer Tomasz Kordylewski embedded above.

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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Reminder: Nikola Jokic was drafted during a Taco Bell commercial. Now he’s won the NBA Finals

Jokic has come a long way since his unceremonious NBA entry.

Editor’s note: This story was originally published in May 2023 and has been updated.

Nine years ago, one of the greatest players to ever step foot on a basketball court was officially drafted into the NBA. And like hundreds of players before him, that moment was captured on national television.

It was June 26, 2014, and future MVP Nikola Jokic was selected by the Denver Nuggets with the 41st pick of the draft – one of the biggest steals in NBA draft history.

So, how was that momentous occasion memorialized in the annals of ESPN telecasts? With an unappetizing Taco Bell commercial for the fast-food chain’s most-recent food Frankenstein, a quesadilla-burrito called, get this, the quesarito.

Not quite as creative as Jokic’s game turned out to be.

The quesarito did turn out to be a big success, though. It stuck around all this time until finally being removed from Taco Bell’s menu last month. And so was Jokic, who just added a Western Conference finals MVP trophy to a mantle that already includes two league MVPs

Forever connected, maybe the end of the quesarito was a sign that we needed to pay the Nuggets big man more attention. While we were all expecting long playoff runs from teams like the Phoenix Suns and Milwaukee Bucks, Denver was the best team all along.

After sweeping the Lakers, Jokic and the Nuggets are now just four wins from being crowned champions.

The best of Jaylen Brown with the Boston Celtics in the 2023 NBA playoffs

There were more than a few games during the 2023 NBA Playoffs that star Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown was the best player on the floor for his team.

There were more than a few games during the 2023 NBA playoffs that star Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown was the best player on the floor for his team, carrying the load as teammate Jayson Tatum had off nights and lingering injuries impeding his play for the Celtics.

The Georgia native might have stalled against the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference finals this postseason, but Brown still showed growth on both ends of the floor. The former Cal standout put up 22.7 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.1 steals per game in the playoffs while shooting 4.6% from the field overall, 35.4% from beyond the arc and a rough 68.9% from the free-throw line.

To see the best of Brown with the Celtics in the 2023 NBA playoffs, take a look at the clip embedded below put together by fan videographer Tomasz Kordylewski.

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 champ, broadcaster Cedric Maxwell wants Boston to keep their core together

Maxwell wants to see the team keep the core together for another deep run at an NBA title.

Not much went right for the Boston Celtics in their Game 7 matchup with the Miami Heat in the 2023 Eastern Conference semifinals.

Star swingman Jayson Tatum twisted his ankle on the very first possession of the contest. Big man Robert Williams III was dealing with a stomach bug throughout the contest, running to the locker room periodically to throw up. 2023 Sixth Man of the Year Malcolm Brogdon and reserve forward Grant Williams were playing through injuries. And star forward Jaylen Brown was having one of the worse postseason series and games of his career.

Despite all of this, the eponymous host of the “Cedric Maxwell” podcast on CLNS Media wants to see the team keep the core together for another deep run at an NBA title.

To hear what he and co-host Josue Pavon have to say about what they want to see change about this club for the 2023-24 season (and what went sideways last season), take a look at the clip embedded below.

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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