There were multiple reports of the sound of furniture being thrown inside the Celtics locker room, and the sight of Marcus Smart storming out as he uttered some choice words. 891 more words
Celtics drop Game 2, fall behind Miami 2-0 — Boston Herald
Is Magic Johnson on to something or was the Los Angeles Lakers legend simply a victim of the moment? Bam Adebayo helped seal the Miami Heat’s 117-114 win over the Boston Celtics in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals on Tuesday night by stuffing Jayson Tatum at the rim with seconds remaining in overtime. […]
Best Defensive Play Ever? NBA Legend In Awe Of Bam Adebayo’s Game 1 Block — NESN.com
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Kemba Walker and Jimmy Butler entered the NBA on the same night. They’ve paid their dues since the 2011 NBA draft. Butler is a five-time All-Star, Walker a four-time selection. Walker has the better scoring numbers, Butler the better defensive numbers. Butler leads with a style that’s often erroneously […]
Celtics’ Walker, Heat’s Butler waited years for East finals — The China Post, Taiwan
The Celtics are back in the Eastern Conference Finals, where they’ll face the Miami Heat. At the moment, we know when three of those games will be played.
Celtics-Heat Eastern Conference Finals Will Tip Off Tuesday Night — CBS Boston
The Celtics are back in the Eastern Conference Finals, where they’ll face the Miami Heat. At the moment, we know when three of those games will be played.
Well, for the most part, at least. We don’t know exactly what time some of those games will be played, but we do have some dates. So we’ve got that going for us, which is nice.
Game 1 of the Celtics-Heat Eastern Conference Finals will tip off on Tuesday night, Sept. 15, but the time of that game depends on the Clippers-Nuggets Western Conference Semifinals. If the Nuggets force a Game 7, then the Celtics and the Heat will tip off at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. If Los Angeles closes out Denver on Sunday afternoon, then Boston and Miami will tip off at 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
After a late night Friday, everyone should be rooting for a Game 7 in the Clippers-Nuggets series.
Game 2 of the Celtics-Heat series is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 17, with the time TBD. Game 3 is set for Saturday, Sept. 19 at 8:30 p.m., according to NBA.com.
Nothing after that is on the docket yet, but chances are the NBA will keep its every-other-day schedule, meaning Games 4-7 would be Monday (Sept. 21), Wednesday (Sept. 23), Friday (Sept. 25) and Sunday (Sept. 27). You know, if Games 5-7 are necessary.
The Celtics needed seven games to send the defending champion Toronto Raptors home, while the Heat moved on after dispatching the Milwaukee Bucks in five games in the second-round. Like Boston, Miami swept their first-round series against the Indiana Pacers. Miami is 8-1 in the playoffs after going just 3-5 in its seeding games.
One of those seeding-game wins came against the Celtics, a 112-106 victory on Aug. 4 without Jimmy Butler. The Celtics won their two matchups against the Heat during the regular season.
“I know we always think we’re going to win every game we play,” Jayson Tatum said of the upcoming series. “We didn’t come down here just for the first and second rounds. We didn’t really pay attention to outside noise, whether we were favorite or not. That doesn’t matter to us. It’s all about the guys in that locker room. We know what we’re capable of, we just got to get out there and do it.”
“We’re going to just take our time, rest our bodies up, take a few days and get prepared for a great team,” added Kemba Walker. “Those guys, they balled last series. Those guys are nothing but players.”
Sign In Marcus Smart did Marcus Smart things. Again. The Toronto Raptors cut the Boston Celtics’ 10-point lead to two points, taking over momentum and, even more importantly, having the opportunity to tie up the game with 58 seconds left. Toronto’s Pascal Siakam hauled in a defensive rebound after Jayson Tatum’s drive to the rim…
Celtics Notes: Marcus Smart Explains What Happened On Game-Altering Block — NESN.com
Marcus Smart did Marcus Smart things. Again.
The Toronto Raptors cut the Boston Celtics’ 10-point lead to two points, taking over momentum and, even more importantly, having the opportunity to tie up the game with 58 seconds left.
Toronto’s Pascal Siakam hauled in a defensive rebound after Jayson Tatum’s drive to the rim was off the mark. Siakam found teammate Norman Powell, who took the ball the length of the floor, committed to going to his left when he got to half court only to see Smart matching him stride-for-stride.
Smart then did what he always does. He made arguably the most important play of the game, blocking Powell at the rim and saving a game-altering basket. (You can watch the play here.)
He explained what was going through his mind after the Celtics’ claimed the 92-87 win in Game 7, ultimately advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals.
“As soon as Norman caught the ball, instantly I remembered last game where that exact same play came full court and he got the and-1 in the same type of standard where, close game, and it put them up I think three,” Smart said, as seen on NBC Sports Boston’s postgame coverage. “So, when he caught the ball in my mind I’m just telling myself ‘He has to dunk it. I’m not going to give him no foul, I’m just going to meet him up top and see who wins that battle.’
“I bet on myself 100 percent of the time,” Smart continued. “And I’m first team All-Defense for a reason. I believe that wholeheartedly.”
Smart contributed three steals to go along with his one block. He also helped the Celtics defense force 18 turnovers with 12 steals as a team. That specific play, however, was what stuck out in the minds of head coach Brad Stevens and Kemba Walker.
“I thought two best plays of the night were Smart’s block and Tatum’s (offensive) rebound,” Stevens said, per NBC Sports Boston. “Those were both incredible effort plays by two of our best players.
“The hustle, the block, the toughness,” Stevens added of Smart. “He had a couple loose balls, he almost came up with another couple rebounds there towards the end of the game. Yeah, I mean he’s a huge part of our team. He’s a huge part of organization.”
Walker said much of the same.
“That block was, that block was so special. It was unreal,” Walker said. “This is why he’s first team All-Defense. He shows it night in and night out. He made so many huge plays tonight. A lot of the things he does just goes unnoticed. But that kid, he’s special. He’s on a different level on the basketball court.”More:Celtics Wrap: Boston Wins Game 7 Vs. Raptors, Advances To East Finals
Here are some other notes from Friday’s win:
— Of note, the other play Stevens was referencing was Tatum’s offensive rebound after a missed foul shot by Grant Williams. It helped Tatum go back to the free throw line, where he made one of two to give the Celtics a 90-87 lead with 34.9 second left.
— Despite a slow start from Walker, who took just two shots in his first 17 minutes, the point guard finished strong by scoring eight of his 14 points in the fourth.
Stevens was happy to see Walker play well down the stretch, as well as advance to his first conference finals.
“I’m really happy for him. He deserves to experience this,” Stevens said of Walker. “He’s everything that’s good about basketball. He loves the game, he’s a great teammate. He doesn’t care if he gets any of the glory, like he’s just a special guy. Guys like that deserve to play on these stages, for all the marbles and I’m glad he gets to keep doing it.”
— Rookie Grant Williams was forced to play some key minutes down the stretch when center Daniel Theis fouled out. And he did so admirably, playing strong defense on what would have been a game-tying 3-pointer by Toronto’s Fred VanVleet.
“He’s not even a rookie the way he plays, the way he sees the game, the way he comes in the game and brings energy,” Smart said of Williams. “For him to come in the game like that, Game 7, a rookie, to come up with that play, the fact that he was even in the mix to come up with that rebound was incredible.”
— Celtics’ fans may have had their hearts skip a beat with 9:40 left in the fourth quarter when Jaylen Brown went down with what looked to be a knee injury.
Brown never left the game, explaining that he was able to stay in due to his adrenaline. He admitted he was feeling the injury a bit more after the game.
The Celtics will take the floor next Tuesday for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Miami Heat.
Thumbnail photo via Kim Klement/USA TODAY Sports ImagesMore NBA:Gordon Hayward, Marcus Smart Among Celtics Who React On Twitter After Win
The post Celtics Notes: Marcus Smart Explains What Happened On Game-Altering Block appeared first on NESN.com.
Scott Foster will be manning the whistle on Friday night for Boston-Toronto, and that is certain to mean controversy.
Celtics Get NBA’s ‘Most Hated’ Referee for Game 7 vs. Raptors — Heavy.com
There may not be very many things that NBA fans of different teams can agree on, but one thing that has crystallized during the NBA restart in Orlando, especially in the playoffs, has been the general disdain for referee Scott Foster.
Actually, that goes back well before the advent of the bubble, but since this is the epicenter of the NBA at this point, Foster makes for an ideal bubble villain. And Celtics fans nationally are groaning over the fact that Foster will be on the floor as one of the referees for Friday’s Eastern Conference semifinal Game 7 against the Raptors.
FWIW, I don’t think Scott Foster favors Boston nor Toronto. What I do think is that his presence in a Game 7 gives the losing side a built-in gripe. He’s going to make some sort of controversial call at some point, and probably more than one.
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) September 11, 2020
Scott Foster in a Celtics game 7? Might as well bet your life savings on the Raptors because you know Foster did too
— Barrett Fitzgerald (@barrettfitz) September 11, 2020
Last week, Foster was on the floor for the Thunder-Rockets Game 7, which featured Chris Paul—a player Foster appears to have a personal beef with going back years. Foster made the unusual step in that game of whistling Paul for a delay of game—he was tying his shoe—that gave the Rockets a free throw. Paul also claimed that Foster reminded him before the game that he reffed the Game 7 in 2008, when Paul’s Hornets lost to the Spurs.
“That s*** don’t make no sense,” Paul said. “But I don’t know. That’s crazy. He just – I don’t know. We could’ve won the game, but that situation – the league knows. Yeah. They’re going to fine me. I said his name. Yeah. We already know the history.”
Thunder guard Chris Paul says referee Scott Foster made a point to tell him before the Game 7 loss to the Thunder tonight that he also reffed his Game 7 loss to the Spurs in 2008 when CP was with the Hornets.
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) September 3, 2020
It’s not that Foster has a long negative history against either the Celtics or the Raptors. In fact, when the Raptors have had games with Foster and crewmate Zach Zarba, they were 10-0 in the regular season and 2-1 in the playoffs. The Celtics under the same circumstances were 4-2 in the regular season and 3-0 in the playoffs, according to Raptors beat writer Kevin Rashidi.
Officials for Raptors-Celtics Game 7 are Scott Foster, Zach Zarba, and David Guthrie. Raptors were a combined 10-0 during the season with Foster and Zarba, 2-1 in playoffs. Celtics 4-2 during season, 3-0 in playoffs.
— Kevin Rashidi (@KevinRashidi) September 11, 2020
Point is, Foster has gained a reputation as the most hated referee in the NBA because of his quick trigger with technical fouls and his tendency to make the final minutes of important games more about the referees than the players on the floor.
Four years ago, the Los Angeles Times surveyed NBA players and coaches for their thoughts on the best and worst referees in the game. Foster was voted the worst by a longshot—he had 24 votes, and the second-worst on the list (Lauren Holtkamp) had 14.
As one anonymous player told the Times, “You can’t talk to him. He’s never wrong. I like refs where they say, ‘You know what, I made a mistake. I saw it at halftime. You were right.’ But Scott Foster thinks he never makes a mistake.”
And you’ll forgive Celtics fans for not exactly having the warm-and-fuzzies when it comes to referees these days. The NBA’s Last 2-Minute Report on the Game 6 loss to the Raptors revealed that those referees missed two calls, both against Boston. That included Kemba Walker’s drive to the rim with 3.5 seconds left in regulation, a play that saw Walker get hammered without getting a foul call.
If Walker got the foul call, the Celtics likely would have won.
The NBA’s Last 2 Minute Report says two crucial calls were missed in last night’s 2OT thriller between the Celtics and Raptors, both against Boston.
The first missed call was that OG Anunoby fouled Kemba Walker on the arm on this potential game-winning shot attempt. pic.twitter.com/xUNFOA6QtH
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) September 10, 2020
By Tim Reynolds AP Basketball Writer LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — An exhausting, double-overtime Game 6 had just concluded and neither Boston nor Toronto would leave the floor. Marcus Smart had some things to say to the Raptors. Fred VanVleet had some things to say to the Celtics. The scrum decided nothing — just like the […]
Celtics, Raptors set for Game 7 — Lowell Sun
Tension flared after the Raptors’ Game 6 win over the Celtics Wednesday night.
Jaylen Brown bothered by Jayson Tatum-Nick Nurse play (video) — ProBasketballTalk | NBC Sports
By Dan FeldmanSep 10, 2020, 9:15 PM EDTLeave a comment
Tension flared on the court after the Raptors’ Game 6 win over the Celtics last night.
It continued into Jaylen Brown‘s postgame press conference.
In double overtime games, there are always plays that could have swung the result in the other direction. One came late in regulation, when Jayson Tatum drove and passed… directly to Toronto coach Nick Nurse, who was standing near Celtics center Daniel Theis in the corner. Nurse was hunched over and touching the out-of-bounds lines – maybe even crossing them at one point.
Tatum, via Darren Hartwell of NBC Sports Boston:
“That was my fault. Can’t blame Nick Nurse. He’s not playing. It was my fault,” Tatum told reporters.
Jaylen Brown, via Hartwell:
“Things like that — sometimes things seem to go overboard at times,” Brown told reporters when asked about Tatum’s turnover. “Let’s keep it in check. Let’s keep it respectable, and let’s keep playing basketball. Grown men should be able to control themselves, especially coaching staffs.”
Tatum showed a lot of maturity with that answer. It is his responsibility to avoid a turnover.
But that play shouldn’t fall on him.
The NBA should crack down on coaches and bench players crowding the court. It’s not safe. It’s not basketball.
This had been better in the bubble – a potential factor in the offensive surge. But it’s obviously not good enough.
Sign In Things between the Boston Celtics and Toronto Raptors have gotten contentious, to say the least. Especially after Wednesday evening’s Game 6 of their Eastern Conference semifinals series. The match went into double-overtime and ended with a verbal altercation between Celtics guard Marcus Smart and Raptors guard Fred VanVleet, that caused quite a commotion.…
Celtics, Raptors Share Hotel In NBA Bubble Amid Contentious Playoff Series — NESN.com
Things between the Boston Celtics and Toronto Raptors have gotten contentious, to say the least.
Especially after Wednesday evening’s Game 6 of their Eastern Conference semifinals series. The match went into double-overtime and ended with a verbal altercation between Celtics guard Marcus Smart and Raptors guard Fred VanVleet, that caused quite a commotion.
But unlike most NBA Playoff series, where teams can go home at night and forget about what happened in the last game to clear their minds ahead of the next one, the Celtics and Raptors can’t escape each other.
That’s because they share the same hotel within the NBA Bubble.
“Personally speaking, from what I know, I like the guys. But right now, I hate them,” VanVleet on Thursday said during a Zoom conference from the Coronado Springs Resort at Disney World, via USA Today’s Jeff Zillgitt.
And to make things more awkward, a number of Celtics players, coaches and staffers were seen walking by as VanVleet was doing his media availability.
“I don’t want to see them,” VanVleet said. “I don’t want to look at them. I don’t want to talk to them. It’s a little weird, but it’s just where we’re at.”
Fortunately after Friday, they won’t have to see each other much longer, as the result of Game 7 means someone is going home.
Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens was careful to emphasize the Celtics still have work to do to be the best version of themselves.
Stevens: ‘we have to play every possession better’ to close out series — Celtics Wire
This is essentially a love letter to Daniel Theis, because the Celtics center really doesn’t get as much love as he deserves. Especially not from the officials.
An Appreciation For Daniel Theis, The Unsung Hero Of The Boston Celtics — CBS Boston
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — The game plan from Boston coach Brad Stevens was simple: Start things off with an increased effort on defense to set an immediate tone. The Celtics did exactly as he asked — and put the reigning NBA champions on the ropes. Jaylen Brown scored 27 points and the Celtics never […]
Celtics roll in Game 5, take 3-2 series lead on Raptors — Sentinel and Enterprise
The view from left field 