Tag: orlando bubble

What was the NBA’s Orlando Bubble really like?

Former Boston Celtics guard Kemba Walker joined Carmelo Anthony to discuss what the 2020 NBA Bubble was like for the players.

The NBA bubble took place in 2020. The Boston Celtics were eliminated in the Eastern Conference Finals by the Miami Heat. The Los Angeles Lakers secured the championship courtesy of some stellar play from LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Since the NBA returned to normal, there have been multiple stories about life in the bubble and how players took to the change in atmosphere.

Kemba Walker joined a recent episode of “7 PM in Brooklyn with Carmelo Anthony and Kid Mero,” where the former NBA stars discussed their experiences in Disney World and how the close-knit community of players heaped pressure on each other to perform.

Both Anthony and Walker participated in the bubble, and both admitted the experience was fun, but neither of them would participate in that environment again. Walker recently announced his retirement from professional basketball and has teamed up with former Celtics assistant coach Charles Lee on the Charlotte Hornets coaching staff.

You can watch the full clip by clicking on the embedded link above.

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On this day: Crawford, Pinkney born; G. Williams, Edwards, Watt debut

On this day, Jordan Crawford and Kevinn Pinkney were born and a number of Celtics made their debut.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, shooting guard Jordan Crawford was born in Detroit, Michigan in 1988. Crawford played collegiately with the Indiana Hoosiers and the Xavier Musketeers, having been drafted 27th overall by the (then) New Jersey Nets (now, Brooklyn). He would not play for that club, however, his rights having been traded to the Atlanta Hawks later that summer.

Crawford would play with Atlanta and the Washington Wizards before he was traded to the Celtics for Leandro Barbosa and Jason Collins in February of 2013. He would begin his second season with the team as Boston’s starting point guard with Rajon Rondo out injured.

As a result, Crawford would start in 35 of the 39 games he played with the Celtics that season.

On this day: Pierce narrowly survives stabbing; Fred Roberts trade; last win in Orlando bubble

On this day in 2000, Boston Celtics icon Paul Pierce narrowly survived being stabbed 11 times in his face, neck, and back – only to return and play all 82 games that season.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, Hall of Fame Celtics champion small forward Paul Pierce was nearly stabbed to death in a Boston nightclub 22 years ago today.

The University of Kansas standout was taken by the Celtics with the 10th pick of the 1998 NBA draft and was poised to return for his third season in the league when he was stabbed 11 times in the face, neck, and chest at the popular “Buzz Club” in the city of Boston’s Theater District. Teammate Tony Battie saved Pierce’s life, quickly rushing the Los Angeles native to a nearby hospital to treat his wounds.

There, Pierce underwent emergency surgery that likely saved his life.

On this day: former Celtics Ricky Davis, Eric Montross born; drop G4 in 2020 ECF

On this day, former Boston Celtics Ricky Davis and Eric Montross were born, and the team lost Game 4 of the Disney bubble Eastern Conference Finals vs. the Miami Heat.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, former Celtics shooting guard and small forward Tyree Ricardo “Ricky” Davis was born in Las Vegas, Nevada in 1979. A standout at the University of Iowa, Davis was taken by the Charlotte Hornets with the 21st pick in the 1998 NBA draft.

He played with that team, the Miami Heat, and the Cleveland Cavaliers before being dealt to the Celtics with Chris Mihm, Michael Stewart, and draft assets for Tony Battie, Eric Williams, and Kedrick Brown in 2003. While the trade was initially criticized, Davis grew on the fans as a player, becoming a popular fixture.

During parts of three seasons with Boston, the Nevada native averaged 16.2 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.2 steals per game.

On this day: Ex-Celtics Sidney Wicks, J.R. Bremer and Jim Ard born; Bob Doll signs

On this day former Boston big men Sidney Wicks and Jim Ard were born, as was ex-Celtic guard J.R. Bremer.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, former Boston power forward Sidney Wicks was born in 1949 in Los Angeles, California (though there are other records that indicate he was born in Contra Costa County, California instead). A product of the University of California Los Angeles, Wicks was instrumental in their winning three consecutive championships while he was with the team.

The California native would be selected second overall by the Portland Trail Blazers in the 1971 NBA draft and played a total of five seasons for the Trail Blazers before they dealt his rights to the Celtics in 1976.

Wicks would play three seasons with Boston, averaging 14.2 points, 9.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game.

On this day: former Celtics Rasheed Wallace, Kermit Washington born

Former Celtic big men Rasheed Wallace and Kermit Washington were born on this day.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, former Boston big man Rasheed Wallace was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1974. A product of the University of North Carolina, Wallace made First Team All Atlantic Coast Conference in 1995 before he would be taken by the Washington (then) Bullets (now, Wizards) fourth overall in the NBA draft that same year.

Wallace would play for that team, the Portland Trail Blazers, Atlanta Hawks, and Detroit Pistons (where he would win a title in 2004) before joining the Celtics in free agency in 2009. The UNC product would sign a three-year deal with Boston that summer.

The big man had a tough season with the team in terms of production during the regular season, registering at or near-career lows in several counting stats.

On this day: Cs best Raptors in Disney bubble; A.J. Wynder born; Kendrick Perkins extended

Boston advanced to the 2020 East Finals, AJ Wynder was born and Kendrick Perkins extended on this date.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, point guard A.J. Wynder was born in 1964 in the Bronx, New York. Wynder played his college ball at the University of Massachusetts and Fairfield University, earning MAAC second-team status at the latter. The New Yorker helped carry the Fairfield Stags to back-to-back MAAC championships and two NCAA Tournament appearances in 1986 and 1987 before going undrafted in the 1987 NBA draft.

After several seasons playing in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA — that era’s equivalent of the NBA G League), Wynder landed a 10-day contract with the Celtics in March of 1991. He turned it into a rest-of-season deal.

Appearing in just six games for Boston, he averaged 2 points and 1.3 assists per game as a Celtic.

On this day: Raptors even 2020 Disney bubble East Semis vs. Boston

Lockdown perimeter defense helped the Raptors tie the series at 2.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, the Toronto Raptors evened their 2020 Eastern Conference semifinal with the Celtics at 2 with a 100-93 win. The series played at Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex, located in  Lake Buena Vista, Florida, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, began with Boston jumping to a two-game series lead before the Raptors came charging back.

Toronto forward Pascal Siakam put up 23 points and 11 boards in Game 4. Celtics small forward Jayson Tatum led all scorers with 24 points and 10 boards, and point guard Kemba Walker added 15 points and 8 assists.

Forward Jaylen Brown logged another 14 points and 6 rebounds, but no other Celtic broke double figures in scoring.

On this day: Boston loses Game 3 to Raps in ’20 Disney bubble; Sauldsberry passes

Champion Celtics big man Woody Sauldsberry left us on this day in 2007, and Boston dropped Game 3 of the East Semis to the Raps in 2020.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, the team lost Game 3 of their 2020 NBA Playoffs’ Eastern Conference Semifinals series with the Toronto Raptors 104-103 to drop to a 2-1 lead after winning the first two contests of the series.

The loss came via a last-second 3-point shot from Toronto forward OG Anunoby that a court-long pass from point guard Kyle Lowry made possible despite the efforts of Boston big man Tacko Fall, the 7-foot-5 center brought in to make things difficult for Lowry. The loss came despite 29 points from veteran Celtics guard Kemba Walker, Boston’s first in the Disney bubble postseason.

The Celtics also saw forward Jaylen Brown add 19 points and 12 rebounds and swingman Jayson Tatum another 15 points, 9 boards, and 6 assists.

On this day: Howell/Counts trade; Seminoff, Gomes born; Cs beat Raps in G2 of Orlando bubble second round

On this day, the Boston Celtics traded Bailey Howell for Mel Counts, former Celtics Jm Seminoff and Ryan Gomes were born, and the team beat the Raps in the bubble.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, the storied franchise traded for big man Bailey Howell, sending center Mel Counts to the (then) Baltimore Bullets (now, Washington Wizards). Counts, who played collegiately at Oregon State, was drafted by the Celtics with the seventh pick of the 1964 NBA draft. He won a title in each of his two seasons with Boston while averaging 6.8 points and 5.8 rebounds per game.

Howell had played for Mississippi State collegiately and had been drafted by the Detroit Pistons, playing there before his stint with the Bullets. The Tennessee native played four seasons as a Celtic, part of an eventual Hall of Fame career in the NBA.

He won two titles with Boston, logging 18 points and 8.4 boards per contest over his four seasons as a Celtic.