Tag: History

Was Dennis Johnson Larry Bird’s best teammate on the Boston Celtics?

A two-time titlist with the Celtics, the team retired the Hall of Fame point guard’s No. 3 jersey to the rafters.

With the recent retirement of the Boston Celtics‘ last championship point guard, Rajon Rondo, the folks behind the CLNS Media “NBA History and Storytellers” YouTube channel felt it appropriate to look back through Celtics championship history.

In this video, they looked deeply into the top five point guards in Celtics history who have won a title, narrowing the focus to 1980s Boston floor general Dennis Johnson. A two-time titlist with the Celtics, the team retired the Hall of Fame point guard’s No. 3 jersey to the rafters to honor his contributions to the team’s storied history.

Take a look at the clip embedded below to hear what they had to say!

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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Former Boston Celtics sharpshooter Matt Ryan inks new deal with the New Orleans Pelicans

Ryan got his start as an undrafted free agent who signed with the Celtics in 2022, playing a single game with the team that season.

Former Boston Celtics sharpshooting wing Matt Ryan is solidifying his place in the NBA, having earned himself a new, multi-year contract with his current ball club, the New Orleans Pelicans, according to recent reporting from HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto.

The White Plains, New York native had the best season of his career since joining the league in 2021, putting up 5.4 points and 1.4 rebounds per game with the Pelicans in the 2023-24 regular season while shooting a sizzling 45.1% from beyond the arc. Per Scotto, his new contract is “a 3-year, $6.1 million deal, which is guaranteed for $1.5 million this season, non-guaranteed for the 2024-25 season, and includes a team option for the 2025-26 season.”

Ryan got his start as an undrafted free agent who signed with the Celtics in 2022, playing a single game with the team that season.

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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Could champion Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo one day be inducted into the Hall of Fame?

It is admittedly a close case.

Could champion Boston Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo one day be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame? The University of Kentucky alum has won two NBA titles, one each with the Celtics and their longtime rival Los Angeles Lakers.

He also got the All-Star nod four times, made an All-NBA team, four All-Defensive teams, and was the league assists leader for a total of three seasons in his 16-season career. That has to be pretty close if it is not over the line of what should get one into the Hoops Hall, but it is admittedly a close case.

The hosts of the CLNS Media “Cedric Maxwell” podcast, Maxwell himself and cohost Josue Pavon, weighed in on this question on a recent episode. Check it 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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On this day: Celtics icon Red Auerbach retires as coach, 1966 championship won

On this day, renowned Celtics head coach and GM Red Auerbach retired as coach of the team after winning the franchise’s 9th championship.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, legendary head coach Red Auerbach retired after taking the Celtics to their ninth championship with a 95-93 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 7 of the 1966 NBA Finals the day prior.

Auerbach coached Boston for all nine of its championships up to that point — eight of them consecutive between 1959-66 — before passing the baton to player-coach Bill Russell. His 16 seasons as head coach produced a 795-397 regular-season record (a .667 winning percentage) and a 90-58 postseason record (.608), the winningest in league history to that point, a record that would hold for many years.

Auerbach would remain with the team in an executive capacity until his death in 2006.

Dick Raphael-USA TODAY Sports 

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Who had the better rookie season: San Antonio Spurs’ Tim Duncan or Victor Wembanyama?

When it comes down to the actual numbers put up by each, and things quickly get interesting.

We often hear San Antonio Spurs rookie phenom Victor Wembanyama compared to all-time NBA greats, despite the fact that the French forward has played but a single season in the Association. But how does he compare to one of the best ever to play his position as a tweener big man?

If we look at the rookie seasons of Spurs legend Tim Duncan, Old Man Riverwalk clearly had a better result with the team he had around him. But that is not fault of Wemby’s, and when it comes down to the actual numbers put up by each, and things quickly get more interesting.

The scoring averages are almost identical at about 21 points per game each, and Duncan edging Wembanyama by more than a rebound per game at 11.9. But the Frenchman averaged more assists, steals, and blocks, and shot better from the floor overall, from deep, and from the free throw line.

To talk about it, the host of the “Locked On Spurs” podcast, Jeff Garcia, and his guest, Sweep The League’s Rudy Campos, discuss who had the better rookie season.

Check it out above!

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Every former Wisconsin Badger selected in NFL draft first round since 2000

Every former Wisconsin Badger selected in NFL draft first round since 2000:

The 2024 NFL draft enters its third day of action on Saturday, April 27 with rounds 4-7.

Three rounds are already in the books, and no former Wisconsin Badger was selected in that frame for the fourth time since 2011.

Related: Wisconsin football 2024 spring transfer portal window tracker

There will be several former Badgers selected on day three of the draft —  including running back Braelon Allen, offensive lineman Tanor Bortolini and running back Isaac Guerendo (via Louisville). Several others have a chance to be selected but will likely sign as undrafted free agents.

The Wisconsin football program is in the midst of a cold streak of turning players into top draft picks. Numerous recent players have turned into NFL stars, including Leo Chenal, Jonathan Taylor, T.J. Edwards and Andrew Van Ginkel — though none were first-round selections.

Luke Fickell and his staff are working to revamp the roster, which should lead toward that streak changing. But until that happens, here is every former Wisconsin Badger to be selected in first round since 2000:

On this day: Celtic legend Red Auerbach hired as coach; Heat eliminated in 2010

On this day in 1950, the Celtics hired Red Auerbach as head coach, and 60 years later, Boston would eliminate the Miami Heat from playoff contention.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, Arnold “Red” Auerbach — former head coach of the Washington Capitals and Tri-Cities Blackhawks — was hired as head coach of the Boston Celtics in 1950.

Auerbach would go on to coach the Celtics for 16 seasons. He amassed nine championships over that run with a 795-397 record in the regular season and a 90-58 postseason record, good for .667 and .608 respective winning percentages — the winningest coach in NBA history. Red would step down as head coach in 1966 in favor of player-coach Bill Russell but would remain general manager of the team well into the 1980s.

He would be awarded the Coach of the Year award for the 1964-65 NBA season, was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach in 1969, and was named a top-10 coach in league history in the 1996-97 season.

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Bob Ryan is happy Los Angeles Lakers legend is headed to the Hall of Fame

Boston’s greatness can’t be appreciated without him!

While he may be an all-time great of the Boston Celtics‘ oldest and greatest rivals, Los Angeles Lakers legend Michael Cooper was a critical part of the Celtics’ battles with Los Angeles in the 1980s. And Boston’s greatness can’t be appreciated without him!

So it ought to come as no surprise that Celtics beat writer emeritus Bob Ryan of the CLNS Media “Bob Ryan, Jeff Goodman, and Gary Tanguay” podcast was happy to see Cooper finally get the nod for the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame for this year’s induction class.

Cooper, the host of his own CLNS Media pod, was the topic of a recent clip on the “CLNS Media History and Storytellers” YouTube channel. Check it 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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Boston Celtics 1984 reunion: Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish, and Cedric Maxwell are together again

You know that the title town vibes are high when these guys are in the house.

You know that the title town vibes are high when legendary Boston Celtics alumni Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish, and Cedric Maxwell are in the city of Boston ahead of the Celtics taking on the Miami Heat in the first round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs.

CLNS Media reporters Josue Pavon and Nick Gelso were there in the flesh to provide us with exclusive coverage from the 1984 Celtics reunion featuring Bird, Maxwell, Parish, and McHale. The iconic Celtics players gathered for the grand opening of Dick’s House of Sport at Prudential Center on this past Saturday (April 20).

Take a look at the clip embedded below to see the reunion for yourself.

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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On this day: Kevin Garnett presented with Defensive Player of the Year award; John Bagley born

On this day in Celtics history, Boston guard John Bagley was born, and KG was presented with his 2008 Defensive Player of the Year award.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, former Celtics point guard John Bagley was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut in 1960. Bagley would play his college ball at Boston College before being drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 1982 NBA draft with the 12th overall pick. He would play with that franchise and the (then) New Jersey (now, Brooklyn) Nets before being traded to the Celtics in 1989.

Bags would play for the Celtics for three seasons between 1989 and 1992 but missed the 1990-91 season entirely due to a knee injury and subsequent surgery. He would average 5.7 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 5.8 assists in that stretch with the team.

Bagley would sign a deal with the Atlanta Hawks in November 1993, his last stop in the league before retiring.

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