Tag: orlando bubble

WATCH: Kemba Walker’s best of Sixers-Celtics Game 4

Watch all of Boston Celtics point guard Kemba Walker’s best plays against the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 4 on Sunday.

Boston Celtics starting point guard Kemba Walker is looking like his four-time All-Star self again, which is a whole lot of bad news against his potential opponents in the 2020 NBA Playoffs.

With the Toronto Raptors next on the slate in the East’s second round, a look back on his Game 4 performance against the Philadelphia 76ers is in order.

The UConn product, who had been working his way back into game shape slowly out of concern for a sometimes-balky knee, hung 32 points, 4 rebounds and as many assists on 8-of-15 shooting (including 4-of-9 from beyond the arc) on the Sixers in a must-win Game 4.

Philly did not win, finding themselves swept by their Eastern Conferences foes for the first time in franchise history.

If you want a look at Kemba Walker’s performance in the series-clinching win to see what the Raptors are in for, or just want to catch up on the game, watch the video embedded above for all of the former Husky’s best plays.

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Celtics officially facing Raptors in 2nd round after Nets elimination

The Boston Celtics are officially set to face the defending NBA Champion Toronto Raptors in the second round of the 2020 East Playoffs.

After their Game 4 defeat of the Philadelphia 76ers in the first postseason sweep of their Atlantic Division rivals in franchise history, the Boston Celtics officially have their second-round opponent set after the Toronto Raptors eliminated the Brooklyn Nets in four games as well.

The Celtics have the regular season advantage heading into the series, having won three of the four contests between the team in the 2019-20 NBA season.

But the expectation seems to be that Boston will have a much tougher challenge awaiting them when they face the NBA’s defending champions, who return the same team that won it all last season with the glaring exceptions of Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green.

That is of course no small decampment, but the Raptors cruised to the No. 2 seed in the East making quick work of much of their schedule despite being plagued with injuries for much of campaign before the pandemic hiatus, only to pick right back up where they left off at the Disney restart.

And while the Nets were pummeled into submission in their 150 – 122 coda to a rough, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant-less end to their season, it came at the cost of point guard Kyle Lowry’s wrist, which he sprained early in the win, forcing his exit.

That is to be sure a situation to monitor, as Lowry has been a thorn in Boston’s side for years, particularly on defense.

On the flip side, the loss of veteran forward Gordon Hayward will be felt much more considerably in this series, especially given Toronto is about as good a defense in the league and Hayward’s passing and shooting — and mere gravity on the court — are all important tools for beating it.

Despite the Celtics success against their northern neighbors this season, we should expect a hard-fought series, one that could come down to the most important ability of them all in this league.

Avail-ability.

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Celtics sink Sixers, advance to second round with 110-106 win, sweep

The Boston Celtics finished the job Sunday, sending the Philadelphia 76ers fishing to advance to the second round of the 2020 NBA Playoffs.

The Philadelphia 76ers showed up to fight for their playoff lives in Game 4 of their series with the Boston Celtics, winning the tip and getting Shake Milton to the line where he converted both.

The Sixers kept attacking early, forcing a turnover and getting a foul on Boston’s Daniel Theis in just the first few possessions. An early substitution for Enes Kanter had an immediate effect, with a Jaylen Brown trey getting the Celtics on the board.

Boston went on the attack, with a Kemba Walker 3-pointer putting the Celtics up 13-9 with 8:30 to play, and another from Marcus Smart set the lead at 5. Fouls — including a technical from Smart for jawing the refs early — and sloppy play kept Philly close, the Sixers tying it at 22 with four to play.

An Al Horford make put Philly up two, and a Tobias Harris trip to the line capped off an 11-0 run to put the Sixers up 28-22 with 2:30 left in the quarter. Boston kept fouling at a high rate, going into the second quarter down 32-27.

The Celtics started the second quarter with a trip to the line of their own, Smart converting one of two. A trey from Theis cut the lead to 1 with 10 to play, and a Walker 3 soon after tied the game up at 36 on Boston’s next possession.

A scary collision with Embiid put Walker on the ground, but he shook it off as both teams traded blows. Neither team seemed able to get separation, forcing a Philly timeout with 5:30 to go in the half. A technical from Harris after being stripped by Tatum tied it up at 51.

The two Atlantic Division rivals continued to struggle to break away from one another until Harris hit a 3 with 2:30 to play in the quarter. Another tech from Philly on Josh Richardson after a Walker strip sent the UConn product to the line to cut the lead to 58-57.

The penultimate quarter started with Brown missing a 3-pointer as both teams struggled to score early. A drive by the Georgia native would give Boston back the lead, which Walker extended to 63-60 from the charity stripe with 9:15 to play in the frame.

Philly fought back, but Walker nailed a 3 from the top of the key to extend the lead to 4. The Sixers wouldn’t quit however, cutting the lead to just 1 on a Milton layup. Both teams continued to trade baskets until Sixers coach Brown got himself a tech on an apparent push-off by Walker.

An and-1 from Horford nearly erased the advantage, and an Alec Burks drive tied it at 77 with 3:20 to go in the quarter. Grant Williams would nail a trey after a stretch of rough play, but Harris would take a hard fall soon after, forcing a stoppage in play with head trauma from the fall.

Tatum would extend the lead with a floater, and a late trey from the Duke product would extend the lead to 12 to end the quarter.

Boston began the final frame up 89-77, and the Celtics extended their lead with an Enes Kanter make, but Embiid would put up some fight, getting the Sixers to within 12 with eight minutes left in the game.

Philly kept trying to claw into the league, but made little headway. Harris was able to check back into the game despite that hard fall, but Tatum would push the lead to 14 off a Walker strip of Richardson.

The Sixers wouldn’t quit, but simply couldn’t make up the gap in the time remaining. The Boston Celtics would outlast Philly  to advance to the second round of the 2020 NBA Playoffs to face the winner of the Toronto Raptors – Brooklyn Nets series the reigning champs hold a 3-0 lead in.

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WATCH: Comparing Kemba Walker’s G3 stepback to a classic at UConn

Boston Celtics star point guard Kemba Walker unleashed an eerily familiar step-back jumper against the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday.

We got a bit of a throwback moment to reminisce over in Boston Celtics point guard Kemba Walker’s Game 3 performance against the Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference 2020 NBA Playoffs first round.

The UConn product hearkened back to his legendary postseason run, where he won 11 straight games to win the Big East and NCAA titles without losing one of them, unleashing a filthy stepback against Pitt in the Big East Tournament that bears a striking resemblance to the one he stick on former Celtic Al Horford’s face Friday.

“Cardiac” Kemba — so called for the heart attacks Walker gives fans with those late-clock daggers — called up a little of that Connecticut magic for the Celtics in a moment of need.

True fans of the game over at NBC Sports Boston, their announcing crew couldn’t help but contrast the two step-backs, near mirror images separated by nearly a decade.

So much so it elicited a comment from teammate Brad Wanamaker, who happened to be on the other side of he court for the first one in 2011, noting he was happy to be on this side of that jumper this time around.

Watch the clip embedded above to see the two shots compared yourself.

Something tells us it isn’t the last time we’ll have a Cardiac Kemba moment this postseason, too.

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Stevens: Hayward to return when near ‘ready to play;’ left Friday

Boston Celtics Head Coach Brad Stevens gave an update on Gordon Hayward’s rehab and the overall state of the team ahead of their Game 4 meeting with the Sixers.

Ahead of an early afternoon Boston Celtics Game 4 contest with the Philadelphia 76ers, Head Coach Brad Stevens gave an update on the overall health and mindset of the team as they are poised to sweep their Eastern Conference foe, beginning with injured veteran forward Gordon Hayward.

“He left Friday,” offered Stevens, who was much less confident over when the Butler product might return given he and his wife are expecting a child, and Hayward had planned to miss several games in early September to be present for the birth.

I don’t have any idea on that timeline,” noted the Celtics coach.. I mean, that’s all obviously dependent [on his decisions], though the plan of attack from everything that I’ve been told is when he’s closing in on being ready to play, he’ll be back.”

Boston, according to Stevens, is in pretty solid shape given almost every roster in the league still playing is also dealing with an assortment of injuries to their players as well.

“Just Javonte [Green] and Gordon [Hayward are] out, otherwise everybody’s available and … I think it’s that time of the year where [in the] playoffs there’s certainly everybody playing so hard in every game, every team. Certainly there are nicks and bruises, but for the most part, [we’re] pretty good.”

Asked how the team will keep its focus and not start thinking about the next series when they are so close to advancing, the Indiana native reiterated his desire to keep the focus on each game as it comes.

A recurring facet of Stevens’ Celtics tenure has been this focus in the regular season as much as it has been playoffs, so it rings a bit more true than when offered by most caches.

Particularly when considering it’s been born out in practice by the team, at least so far, in this series.

“We’re going to try to play it as well as we can, whether we’re up three or whether we’re down three or whether we’re up to one. Whatever we’ve got to win the next possession, that’s all we’re focused on. And it’s hard to win this series; [it] could easily be 2-1 Philadelphia, and that’s the way every series I’ve ever been in has; you just play as well as you can.”

“You have an opportunity today to play again,” he added.

And indeed they do, a desperate Sixers franchise and a hungry Celtics squad tipping off at 1 p.m. Eastern Time.

If you haven’t, be sure to check out our preview, and if you don’t know how to tune in, we’ve got you covered there too.

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Previewing Boston Celtics-Philadelphia 76ers Game 4 Round 1

The Boston Celtics are poised to sweep the Philadelphia 76ers from the first round of the 2020 East NBA Playoffs — but can they pull it off?

The Boston Celtics go for the kill in Game 4 of their first-round series with the Philadelphia 76ers, finding themselves surprisingly in a position to sweep the Pennsylvania franchise despite losing Gordon Hayward to a severe ankle sprain in Game 2.

The Sixers, down their own All-Star forward in one Ben Simmons themselves, are on the brink of elimination with few obvious moves to make after roster shake-ups and pep talks right out of your favorite sports movie flopped like Joel Embiid near the cup.

But if the Philadelphia center’s acting skills nor his bully-ball are enough to get the Sixers a win in the previous game, should we expect one to come in Game 4?

Even with the Celtics’ success against Philly so far, it would be foolish to count them out just yet.

With neither team having significant issues in the injury department beyond Simmons and Hayward (wings Glenn Robinson III and Javonte Green of Philly and Boston respectively may also miss Game 4, but neither is a key part of their respective team’s rotation), the one thing the Sixers have left is pride.

Their spirit to win it all might be broken, but they don’t want to leave without a win, so expect an assault even more furious than their Game 3 attack.

If we are being honest though, the biggest danger to a Celtics sweep is Boston themselves.

They talked the talk after Game 3 about showing up prepared, and based on recent play we have little to doubt them, but it wouldn’t be the most unusual outcome to see the Celtics drop a game by simply trying too little when the Sixers try their most.

Most online bookmakers doubt Philly will pull a rabbit out of this particular hat, however — granting Boston a -8 spread — and the Celtics Wire has to agree.

Our prediction is another close one, Boston winning 119-117.

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WATCH: Jaylen Brown – Donovan Mitchell joke takes a frigid turn

A new cold war may be brewing in the Disney bubble between off-court friends and on-court rivals Jaylen Brown and Donovan Mitchell.

If you’re the sort of person who follows such things, you’ve probably noticed Boston Celtic shooting guard Jaylen Brown and Utah shooting guard Donovan Mitchell give each other a hard time when they bump into one another on the self-contained ‘bubble’ that is the Disney NBA campus.

Hosted at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, the running joke is that the two can’t seem to get away from each other no matter where they go, and in this latest clip, the pair is at it again.

This time, however, things get frigid between the two, who are friends in real life.

We won’t give you any more details than that, as the clip itself will only do it justice.

But go ahead and hit play on the video embedded above to see the latest turn in the saga of the ubiquitous Spida Mitchell and the ice-cold travails of Liberation Brown.

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How to watch, stream Boston Celtics-Philadelphia 76ers Game 4 Round 1

These are all the ways you can watch or stream Game 4 of the first-round playoff series between the Boston Celtics and the Philadelphia 76ers.

The Philadelphia 76ers’ back is against the wall in Game 4 of their series with the Boston Celtics, but their season isn’t over — at least not yet.

But if you aren’t sure how to watch the Celtics go for a sweep in the 2020 NBA Playoffs’ East first round given the funky dynamics of having a single-site postseason at Disney’s NBA campus far from the local arenas they usually take place in, you are in luck.

The Wide World of Sports complex that is hosting the ‘bubble’ has a variety of ways for us to watch the games, some of them even free.

If you happen to have a cable provider who carries NBC Sports Boston, they’ll have every game the Celtics play for the rest of the season available to watch, and it won’t cost you a penny.

ABC will be carrying the game nationally as well for no cost for those of you who get a local station owned by that media outlet.

And you can use their ‘MyTeams’ app or go to NBCSportsBoston.com if you’d prefer to stream the game instead, an option otherwise only available for paid options.

Speaking of, there are multiple paid options you can use to watch the game, ranging from NBA TV and NBA League Pass to Hulu +, and FuboTV.

The game tips off at 1 p.m. Eastern Time for an early contest, so be sure to have your beverages of choice and broom ready.

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WATCH: Kemba Walker’s best of Celtics – Sixers Game 3, Round 1

Boston Celtic starting point guard Kemba Walker exploded to carry his team to a Game 3 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers Friday.

He’s been lurking in the shadows, waiting until the need arises for him to attack, and in Game 3 of the series between the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers, Kemba Walker did exactly that — to impressive effect.

The UConn product stepped up in a massive way to help cover for fallen teammate Gordon Hayward, out for at least four weeks with a severe ankle sprain, scoring a team-high 24 points, an unusually high 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals on 8-of-16 shooting.

The Bronx native also played some of the best defense of his Celtics career, even taking a charge at one point in the game.

The former Husky has been content to let the team’s two young wings in Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum do the bulk of the heavy lifting when it came to offense, but with the loss of Hayward, it’s been clear the New Yorker will need to shoulder a heavier load.

Compared to what he held down while a Charlotte Hornet, it’s still a comparative feather — watch the four-time All-Star go to work in Game 3 in the video embedded above.

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A Sixers sweep is in reach, but don’t expect Brown, Boston to ease up

The Boston Celtics could sweep the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday, don’t expect the Celtics to take the game lightly.

Boston Celtics star shooting guard Jaylen Brown may be up three games on the team that beat his Celtics as many times in the regular season, but that doesn’t mean he’s going to be taking it easy in Game 4 on Sunday.

In fact, we should probably expect him to come out as he did in Game 3, hyper-aggressive and ready to put his Atlantic Division rivals on a plane back to Pennsylvania.

“We’ve got to understand that every game is important and that the playoffs are different from the regular season,” he explained after the Game 3 win. “They’re down a guy, we’re down a guy; we’ve still got to come out and play, no matter what time it is — on Sunday it’s an early game.”

“You’ve just got to come out ready to play,” he added.

It’s been that confrontational style of play that has worked so well for Boston against Philly in the series so far, and kept the Sixers on their heels.

“Being aggressive, and in attack mode at all times is really good for our team,” explained the Marietta native.

He’s not wrong, given his Celtics are among the most bothersome defenses in the league, and have been a top-five team on both ends of the floor in 2019-20, in large part due to their formidable array of offensive tools.

Much of those tools have been pulled from the skillsets of Brown and teammate Jayson Tatum, who new arrival but veteran point guard Kemba Walker has been more than content to sit back and let them do the attacking.

But with the loss of veteran forward Gordon Hayward for at least four weeks, the UConn product’s number has been called to step it up on the offensive end, and he has not disappointed, particularly in Game 3.

“When [Kemba’s] getting it going on, he’s tough for teams to guard, and we can all start playing off of him once he starts making a few shots,” explained Brown.

That synergy will be critical to weathering Hayward’s absence and making a deep run, and not just in Game 4 on Sunday.

Should Boston advance to the second round to face the winner of the Brooklyn Nets – Toronto Raptors, they’ll likely be facing a determined defending champ who figure to be at least as much of a problem as the Sixers, and probably more so.

But with this kind of outlook and this sort of play, you have to like the Celtics’ odds.

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