Category: News

The Big Story – Celtics Season Ends Early: That’s all she wrote for the 2024-2025 Celtics. And maybe for 2025-2026 as well with Jayson Tatum likely out for much or all of next season after tearing his Achilles tendon in the closing minutes of Game 4. The loss of Tatum had nothing to do with why they were eliminated by New York in six games. It’s because of their horrid fourth-quarter play in Games 1, 2 and 4 as they were blowing 20-point leads in those games. Helped along by the truly awful coaching by Joe Mazzulla in the first two losses.

Sports 101: Who was the lowest-seeded team to win an NBA title?

News Item – Tanner Houck: After giving up nine runs and 12 hits in 2.1 innings vs. Detroit last week Tanner Houck inthismonth alone has had the two worst starts in the Red Sox’ 135-year history.

New Items – 3 Things To Like About The Knicks: (1) The resilience and mental toughness showed in the series. (2) The Villanova threesome of Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and Mikal Bridges and yes foul shooting challenged, but offensive rebounding machine Marcus Robinson, who I’ll take all on my team any day. (3) That Brunson has clearly demonstrated how much better he is than Kyrie Irving after Dallas let him walk to sign the more expensive Irving.

The Numbers:

.122 –batting average of Red Sox shortstop Trevor Story while in a protracted 22-game slump dating back to April 22 in which he’s 11 for 90 with one home run and five RBI.

5 – margin of victory at the PGA Tournament on Sunday as Scottie Scheffler won his third major championship.

265 – million-dollar contract given 49er QB Brock Purdy, quite a pay increase for a guy who not long ago was the last person picked in his draft class.

… Of the Week Awards

Alumni News – Chris Sale: It probably didn’t look familiar because it was Fenway Park and he was healthy. But that was the Sox one-time ace lefty who bested their current ace lefty Garrett Crochet 4-2 Friday when Sale held the Sox to five hits and a run while striking out eight over seven innings.

Four Leaf Clover Award – Dallas Mavericks: For getting the NBA’s top pick after entering the lottery with a 1.4 percent chance to get it. Not to mention getting Cooper Flagg should quiet those still ticked over the Luka Doncic trade.

Coward of the Century – Rob Manfred: The Baseball Commissioner gets it for his capitulation on admitted baseball gambler Pete Rose’s eligibility for the Hall of Fame so Donald Trump won’t be mean to baseball. Of particular offense was the excuse that MLB’s objection should end after a guy dies. Earth to Rob, Shoeless Joe Jackson, who was better than Rose, died in 1951, so why the sudden rush now? And as a matter of point, when Whitey Bulger got offed in prison, did they vacate his murder convictions? No, because crimes don’t go away after someone dies. Rose broke baseball’s cardinal rule. Which, after lying about it for 15 years, he finally admitted, to juice book sales.

Random Thoughts:

With the Red Sox wearing green uniforms with yellow trim at Fenway against Atlanta last weekend, am I the only one who thought the Oakland A’s were in town? I know the answer is merchandise sales, but what is the point of the city edition uniforms?

Another reason to like the Knicks: they refused to talk to Steven A. Blowhard on ESPN after their Game 6 win.

Prediction – NBA Conference Finals: Indy over New York in six. Oak City takes out T-Wolves, setting up a Pacer-Thunder Finals.

Sports 101 Answer: The six-seed 1995 Houston Rockets were the lowest seed to become NBA champions. After going 47-35 to finish third in their division, they swept Orlando four straight in the Finals.

Final Word – Patriots Hall of Fame: Congrats to Julian Edelman for his election to the Patriots Hall of Fame. But with all due respect, he was erroneously selected because it was done thanks to recent popularity over the chronology of worthy contributions. First, Adam V should have won — and wouldn’t it have been a nice touch to see him go in with Bill Parcells, who first signed him in 1996? But second, how could Edelman go in before Wes Welker? Edelman has an incredible postseason resume for sure with arguably the greatest Super Bowl catch ever. But Welker came first and his per year averages of 112 catches, 1,243 receiving yards and 6 TDs are off the charts compared to Edelman’s 59, 620 and 3.5.

Overall it’s Welker 672, 7,549, 37 TDs, five 100-plus catch and 1,000 receiving yard seasons in six Patriot seasons to Edelman’s 642, 6,822 yards, 36 TDs and just one 100 catch and three 1,000 receiving yard seasons in 11 years. No complaint about Edelman’s worthiness. But how dominant Welker was in the slot as Tom Brady’s first big target is being lost to time. Email Dave Long at dlong@hippopress.com.

Email Dave Long at dlong@hippopress.com.

The Big Story – C’s Go Down 1-2 to New York: There’s not enough space to list the number of coaching decisions and non-decisions Joe Mazzulla made to cause the Celtics to lose Games 1 and 2 at home to the Knicks, in an astonishingly poor job of inaction to adjust during a game.

In Game 3 they were much more aggressive going to the rack. But ironically Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown missed tons of those shots and they got their 115-93 win thanks to making 15 more 3’s than NY. Game 4 went off after I filed this column.

Sports 101: Name the only Division I players in history to lead college basketball in scoring and rebounding in the same season.

News Item – Mazzulla Game 1 and 2 Box Scores: The players had something to do with it by missing an NBA record 45 three-point shots and being 25-100 overall. But those 45 misses were the point. They kept firing blanks with no intervention by Mazzulla as they blew a 20-point third-quarter lead without adjusting to stop the bleeding by going inside for better shots or to get free throws.

The first-quarter hacking of poor foul shooting Mitchell Robinson was dumb for two reasons. (1) You don’t have key people (Jrue Holiday, Payton Prichard, Luke Kornet) accumulate unnecessary early fouls because you can’t predict when more will come as the game proceeds. So Mazzulla handcuffed his end-of-the-game decision-making when Kristaps Porzingis couldn’t play in the second half and the now needed Kornet was chained to the bench with five fouls. (2) You don’t give free points to a guy who doesn’t have the ball or is nowhere near the basket. And guess what? While he only went 3 for 10, no free 3 points, no OT and C’s win Game 1 by two. Plus it puts teams in the bonus much earlier than normal to give the better shooters more free throws.

End of Regulation: As usual the C’s have no set play. Just a Tatum isolation that leads to a bad 23-foot fallaway, which (as usual) he bricked. Meanwhile Jalen Brunson got a back screen and slithered into a 10-foot leaner that went in and out. He missed it, but it was a good final shot.

Finally — with three seconds left in OT and down three — again no set play, and in the game are frigid three-point shooters Brown (1-10), Tatum (4-15), Holiday (2-7), Horford (1-5) and White (5-16). Who’s not in? Prichard, their best three-point shooter, who shot 45% on the year 2-5 in Game 1. The 91-90 Game 2 loss mirrored Game 1.

News Item – Here Comes The Judge: If the season ended today Aaron Judge would win the triple crown and be the first .400 hitter since you know who in 1941. To go along with the .409 average, his 14-homers 39-RBI stat line after 40 games projects to 64 and 156 to rank among the greatest single seasons ever.

News Item – Rest In Playoffs: A long rest after ending an NBA playoff series early isn’t as good as some think. It was the opposite again last week as the rested higher-seeded Celtics, Cavaliers, T-Wolves and Oak City all blew home court advantage with rusty, unfocused Game 1 play.

The Numbers:

21 – runs allowed by Colorado in a 21-0 loss to Arizona that dropped them to an astonishing 6-33, which got manager Bud Black fired the next day.

31 – years streak Toronto, Winnipeg and Edmonton are trying to end of a Canadian team (Montreal) not winning the Stanley Cup.

600 – cheapest ticket price in dollars at MSG for Celtics-Knicks Game 3.

… Of the Week Awards

Thumbs Up – Mike Tirico: For calling out ESPN’s Stephen A. Blowhard talking about being a Knicks fan during halftime of NBA playoff broadcasts. Sorry, nobody gives a flip who you’re rooting for, Steve A.

What A Stupid I Yam Award – Me: For last week’s Sport 101 Answer, which numerous people mentioned was wrong. I assumed Rickey Henderson holdingthe record for lead-off homers meant he’d broken up the most no-hitters by homer. It didn’t occur to me, but the Babe and others got up after two outs in the first inning and then homered to end the no-hit bid more often.

Random Thoughts:

The NBA shouldn’t limit coaches to just two replay challenges. Why should a team be penalized if the refs keep missing calls? Instead they should retain their right until their challenge fails.

Sports 101 Answer: Wichita State’s Xavier McDaniel (1985) and Loyola of Marymount’s Hank Gathers (1989).

Final Thought – Raphael Devers: Absolutely hard to believe the Red Sox let this immature player tell them he won’t switch from DH to first base. What they should say is, that’s insubordination. You’re suspended without pay. We’re bringing Roman Anthony up to DH, Marcello Mayer to play second base and moving Kristian Campbell to first base. And if you don’t like it, too bad.

Email Dave Long at dlong@hippopress.com.