Tag: in-season tournament

You can never take the In-Season Tournament title from these Lakers

Never forget the historic accomplishment of the 2023-24 Lakers

It’s not all doom and gloom in Lakers Land, folks.

Sure, Los Angeles just got handled a gentleman’s sweep by the Denver Nuggets thanks to two extremely unfriendly buckets from Jamal Murray. Sure, the LeBron James-Anthony Davis era is barreling towards uncertainty. Sure, there’s been more talk about adding Bronny James this offseason than plans to add proven difference-makers to the roster.

But lest you forget, this is still the only team in the NBA to win a title this season.

Oh what, you thought everyone forgot about this team’s historic accomplishments? You think that just because L.A. went 47-35 and had to fight its way into the postseason through the Play-In games that this season is a failure?

Not in Adam Silver’s NBA it’s not. No sir. Banners will be hung from the rafters at Staples Center Crypto.com Arena after the 2023-24 season and true Lakers fans won’t forget why.

Yeah, that’s right. There’s only ONE team in NBA history that gets to claim the inaugural then-yet-to-be-sold-to-a-sponsor in-season tournament that casual fans didn’t really understand. You thought that gimmick was just about selling jerseys no one liked and displaying weird courts? You clearly don’t know ball.

These 2023-24 Lakers will go down as champions. How dare anyone suggest otherwise.

Joe Mazzulla on what he takes from the in-season tournament for the rest of the season

Speaking at the first Celtics practice since the team was eliminated by the Indiana Pacers, Mazzulla admitted he did not watch the IST once Boston was eliminated.

Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla knows his players wanted to win the NBA’s new in-season tournament (IST), but for the Celtics coach, the main takeaway for the IST from a Celtics point of view, the elevated levels of effort and focus throughout the IST games are simply something Mazzulla wants to cultivate in every tilt Boston plays.

Speaking at the first Celtics practice since the team was eliminated by the Indiana Pacers, Mazzulla admitted he did not watch the IST once Boston was eliminated. For him, the focus is now on maintaining a winning mindset throughout the remaining games of the 2023-24 campaign, stressing the importance of maintaining the right mindset for the entire season.

CLNS Media reporter Bobby Manning provided a report from the Auerbach Center following practice Monday.

Check it out in the clip 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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Former Celtic Jeff Teague says he warned Jayson Tatum about Tyrese Halliburton

Teague also shared how he was impressed by the quality of basketball in the in-season tournament.

The NBA’s new in-season tournament (IST) exceeded expectations among fans and analysts of the game, providing entertaining basketball to fans of the Boston Celtics and the rest of the league in November and December, even if it ended poorly for fans of the Celtics at the hands of Indiana Pacers star point guard Tyrese Halliburton and Co. in Monday’s IST quarterfinals road loss to the Pacers.

Speaking on a recent episode of his “Club 520” podcast, former Celtics floor general Jeff Teague revealed he had tried to tell star Boston forward Jayson Tatum abut how deadly Hali can be with his Pacers. Teague also shared how he was impressed by the quality of basketball in the IST, saying it felt like the playoffs — quite an achievement so early in the season.

Take a look at the clip embedded below to hear what Teague had to say about the Celtics-Pacers tilt, the IST, and more.

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 vs. New York Knicks: How to watch, broadcast, lineups

After losing their respective quarterfinals tilts in the NBA’s new in-season tournament (IST), the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks face each other on the Celtics’ home court.

After losing their respective quarterfinals tilts in the NBA’s new in-season tournament (IST), the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks face each other on the Celtics’ home court of TD Garden this Friday night.

If you happen to be looking for a way to watch the on-court action live on cable television or a local or national online streaming service that carries the game, keep reading while we get you up to speed on everything else you need to know about the game. Along with player injuries and likely starters for both teams, we of course will have how to watch it listed below.

Let’s begin with the players available to play.

Boston Celtics fans didn’t really care about the in-season tournament — right?

How do we feel about the in-season tournament on the outside looking in?

NBC Sports Boston broadcaster Drew Carter and the NBA’s new in-season tournament (IST) are both new things to the fans of the Boston Celtics. For Carter’s sake, hopefully his tenure covering the Celtics goes better than Boston’s first run at winning the tourney did — a good start marred by a late fumble — but the NBC Sports color man took some time to talk about Boston’s play in the IST and more on a recent episode of the “First to the Floor” podcast after his own string start in his new gig has won over fans.

They also get into how the job has been for him so far and what it entails behind the scenes, what it’s like to walk in such big footsteps, and what he thinks of Boston’s season so far.

Check out the clip embedded below to hear their conversation in full.

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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NBA Twitter reacts to Pacers beating Bucks in IST semifinal: ‘Tyrese HaliburtHIM’

The Indiana Pacers advanced to the In-Season Tournament’s Final after a 128-119 win against the Milwaukee Bucks. Tyrese Haliburton was the best Pacer again with another monster performance: 27 points, 15 assists and zero turnovers. Giannis …

The Indiana Pacers advanced to the In-Season Tournament’s Final after a 128-119 win against the Milwaukee Bucks.

Tyrese Haliburton was the best Pacer again with another monster performance: 27 points, 15 assists and zero turnovers.

Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 37 points and 10 rebounds while Damian Lillard scored 16 of his 24 points in the third quarter.

Here’s how NBA Twitter reacted to the Pacers upsetting the Bucks.

What went wrong in the Boston Celtics’ recent in-season tournament loss to the Indiana Pacers?

Is there anything specific to point to?

What went wrong in the Boston Celtics’ recent loss to the Indiana Pacers? Given the clear desire from the Celtics to compete in the NBA’s new in-season tournament as was on display in the Celtics’ brutal beatdown of the Chicago Bulls, one would think an even greater level of focus and intensity would have been brought to bear against the Pacers in the quarterfinals.

But lost the Celtics did in the knockout round, with the Celtics’ defensive struggles, poor showing from the bench mob, mediocre play by the backcourt, and tough second half from star forward Jayson Tatum all contributing to the loss — to say nothing of how Indiana caught fire.

The hosts of the CLNS Media “Big Three” podcast got together to talk it over on a recent episode.

Check it out in the clip 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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Do the Boston Celtics need to fix their offense after their Indiana Pacers loss?

The crux of the issue lies in a pervasive problem for Boston in recent games — turnovers.

In the aftermath of the Boston Celtics‘ recent loss to the Indiana Pacers in the quarterfinals of the NBA’s new in-season tournament, questions loom over the team’s offensive play of late. Once positioned in the top tier of the league’s scoring charts, the Celtics have since witnessed a concerning dip in their production on that end of the court, currently at the ninth spot in offensive rating over the last nine games.

The crux of the issue lies in a pervasive problem for Boston in recent games — turnovers. The team finds itself mired in the 25th spot in turnover rate, with a glaring 15% of possessions ending in turnovers over the past nine contests. This trend is hampering their offensive flow, leading to a struggle in executing plays and a noticeable breakdown in spacing.

CLNS Media reporter Bobby Manning recently broke down the situation after speaking with Boston head coach Joe Mazzulla after practice on Wednesday, check it out in the clip 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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Was the Boston Celtics’ in-season tournament loss to the Indiana Pacers Jayson Tatum’s fault?

Analysts are suggesting that the reason Boston is not headed to Las Vegas, Nevada to play in the IST’s semifinals is because of how the St. Louis native comported himself.

Was the Boston Celtics‘ in-season tournament (IST) loss to the Indiana Pacers Jayson Tatum‘s fault? From afar, the Celtics are rolling and Tatum is the NBA’s Player of the Month for November, currently on the fringes of the league’s 2024 Most Valuable Player conversation.

But in the Celtics’ recent loss to the Pacers in the IST, some prominent analysts are suggesting that the reason Boston is not headed to Las Vegas, Nevada to play in the IST’s semifinals is because of how the St. Louis native comported himself in the second half of that tilt that sent the Celtics packing for a Friday tilt against the New York Knicks instead.

The analyst would be Jason Timpf of the eponymous “Hoops Tonight with Jason Timpf” podcast from the folks at Volume.

Check it out in the clip 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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Devin Booker, Kevin Durant sound off on Lakers’ phantom timeout that helped eliminate Suns from In-Season Tournament

Kevin Durant and Devin Booker saw that Lakers “timeout” VERY differently.

The Phoenix Suns had a berth in the NBA’s In-Season Tournament semifinal in the palm of their hand. Almost quite literally, in fact. But a “phantom timeout” that allowed the Los Angeles Lakers to keep possession in a thrilling 106-103 win on Monday night nullified Phoenix’s chances of advancing.

After the loss, Phoenix’s two franchise players — Kevin Durant and Devin Booker — sounded off on what sure seemed like a horrific call in the worst possible moment. To put it lightly, let’s just say that both approached the situation … very differently.

First, there was Durant. The prolific scorer said he didn’t want to complain about calls and that he felt Phoenix had lost the game long before that, particularly with 20 turnovers as a team. This, to me, is an excellent response from a leader. The sign of a superstar who knows he and his teammates simply have to play better so a win or loss isn’t decided by one instance of poor officiating. Sometimes, you just have to take responsibility for not bringing your absolute best to the court.

Here’s a video of Durant’s reflection:

Here’s a short transcript of Durant refusing to blame officials for the Suns’ elimination:

Meanwhile, Booker didn’t seem as enthused or measured, at least in comparison to Durant.

Booker spent a lot more time fielding questions about the phantom timeout and did not, in fact, say he didn’t want to complain about officiating costing the Suns.

What’s more, Booker posted (and then later deleted) an Instagram story that seemed to signal he was complaining about the key final sequence.

Gee, I wonder why he deleted it?

Credit: @dbook on Instagram

This defeat should not cost the Suns any of their long-term ambitions this season. They remain a top Western Conference power. But the contrast between their two leaders’ reactions in another elimination game is eye-opening. That’s not even mentioning the difference in their performances in a win-or-go-home affair, which was as follows:

  • 31 points, seven rebounds, and four assists on 12-of-17 shooting for Durant
  • 16 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists on 6-of-16 shooting for Booker

Call it a hunch, but this kind of contrast will be something to monitor as the Suns try to get in a groove for an NBA title push over the next few months.