Category: Sports

I don’t make U-turns very often. But I have made one in recent days and it’s a major-league about-face.

It concerns Red Sox owner John Henry, whom I’ve always defended amid all the whining that goes on around here. I defended him for two reasons.

First: All I heard in the first 30 years since I moved behind enemy lines was the whining about bad luck as the Sox World Series streak kept growing until it reached 86 years after the cruelest loss of all to the Yanks in 2003; that ended the next year in glorious fashion and was followed by titles in 2007, 2013 and 2018 to give them four in his first 16 years on the job, yet after a short abatement the whining started all over again. So with the knowledge that no other team has won as much as during his time on the job, I’ve always been willing to stand up for him and ask the question, what more do you ingrates want?

The second reason is obvious: John I. Taylor notwithstanding, he is the best owner in franchise history. It’s been a time when they have mostly spent big on payroll and made the wise decision to save/reinvest in their landmark ballpark, all while ending the curse and delivering some of the most exciting moments in franchise history. Not the least of which was climbing out of an 0-3 hole to finally beat the Yanks in 2004.

But, sadly, I’ve come to the conclusion It’s time for Henry to sell the Red Sox.

Here’s why, and I’ll start with the little things.

It Just Feels Old: There is no vitality in the ownership group. It’s a long way from when Henry pulled up at the Sports Hub to defend his team after listening to the endless negativity of Michael Felger and Tony Mazz while tooling around town in his car. Pretty unusual, but I liked the fight.

Not Dealing With the Media: I’m sure team president Sam Kennedy is a fine fellow. But since the owner deigns to speak to the nuisance media once a year he seems like a lap dog when he constantly is answering for the owner. I get it – the media can be obtrusive. But sorry, pal, it’s part of the job and I shouldn’t have to tell that to the guy who owns the Boston Globe. The Nation wants to hear from the boss.

It’s Become Just an Investment: Again I defended him when Fenway Sports Group bought the soccer team. But now there is an auto racing team and the Pittsburgh Penguins along with soccer, and the team seems like just part of the investment portfolio.

The Tampa Bay Way: I have pointed out many times that over the last few years Tampa Bay has won more than the Red Sox while spending millions less. But it wasn’t in support of how they conducted business. It was to show that it’s not what you spend, it’s how you spend it. Like wasting $170 million on Pablo Sandoval and Hanley Ramirez as an overreaction to fan discontent after a last-place finish in 2014. Or losing Jon Lester thanks to a ludicrous lowball offer and then having to spend $8 million per more the next year to bring in the soon to be hated David Price to replace him.

I’m Chaimed Out: I not only hate his stat geek, cookie-cutter, bargain basement vision of baseball, but I also find it insulting that one of the great franchises in sports history is copying the ways of one of the worst franchises in baseball history, one that barely draws 10,000 a game while the Sox had a 10-year sellout streak.

I thought he was going to come in to do what his Tampa Bay boss Andrew Friedman did when he landed in L.A.— clean up the payroll, build a farm system and then when he was done use their big market financial clout to fill out the line-up with big-time players like Mookie Betts and now NL home run leader Kyle Schwarber.

But that has not materialized, as it looks more like his place in Red Sox history will be as the 21st century’s answer to Harry Frazee by giving Raffy Devers and Xander Bogaerts insulting (idiotic) lowball contract offers on top of already dumping Betts.

Which brings me to the point of this diatribe. I was OK with not giving Betts what he wanted based on the risk of giving a 12-year contract. And I’m right about that.

But more deals like that have followed, and with Juan Soto (somehow) turning down a 15-year, $550 million deal last weekend it’s not likely going to go in the other direction. So if you don’t want to play that game it’s time to leave. Plus while the overall record is good, amid constant turnover at GM and manager there appears to be no real plan, which might be why they’ve finished last three times and missed the playoffs seven times since 2010.

Take The Money and Run: The team is now worth $3.9 billion, which is a 459 percent return on the $700 million you bought it for in 2002. For the mathematically challenged that’s $187 million appreciation per year or a $3.2 billion profit before whatever they made in annual profits.

So at the risk of understating the case: You have made your money. How much more do you need?

Bottom Line: While you technically own the team, Patriots owner Bob Kraft gets it right when he says teams are a public trust owned by fans who’ve been here longer than any owner ever was or will be.

So unless you still have the passion and energy to lead, along with the willingness to invest at today’s rate, take your $3.9 billion and ride into the sunset.

Yankees fans would never accept anything less. And neither should the fans who you are asking to pay the highest ticket prices in baseball while letting Chaim Bloom turn the Sox into baseball’s version of TJ Maxx.

Email Dave Long at [email protected].

Count me among those who liked that Brad Stevens did not stand pat after the Celtics’ surprising season.

Adding real scoring punch to the bench was met with near universal approval in these parts and around the league, as trading for Indiana guard Malcolm Brogdon and signing free agent Danilo Gallinari serms a perfect fit.

Except, maybe by me.

Not because I don’t like either player, but because on paper they fill two slots.

Gallinari has always been the 3-point-shooting instant-offense wing they’ve needed forever, with the added benefit being he’s big enough and versatile enough to do it at the 3 or 4. And if you read this space regularly you know I like Brogdon’s combo guard game a lot, especially his ability to get below the foul line and score. I’ve suggested/begged that the Celtics should trade for him (and teammate Domantas Sabonis, who I liked even more) on numerous occasions. Including when Danny Ainge blew a chance to make a larger sign and trade deal when the Pacers were lusting to bring free agent Gordon Hayward home to Indiana two summers ago — a trade that, oh by the way, also would have filled the glaring hole (see below) this deal created.

The deal also makes them deeper and didn’t cost any of the first eight guys in the playoff rotation. Plus his contract gives them another big-number contract to include if a deal for a great max player presents itself.

So having said all that, what’s not to like, Dave? It’s not so much what’s not to like, as much as that each guy brings a red flag. For Brogdon it’s durability. He’s played as many as 70 games in a season only once, and that was six years ago in his rookie season of 2016-17. The six-year career average is just 51 games per and last year it was a worst of all 36. I hate guys who get hurt a lot and can’t recover quickly. So beware.

For Gallinari it’s aging. In the last four years his scoring averages have been, in order, 19.3, 18.7, 13.3 and 11.7, while for the 3-point shooting averages it’s been a career best .433, .405, .406, .381. That seems like a trend to me.

Then there’s the giant hole behind 37-year-old Al Horford and the brittle Lob it to Rob Williams. It remains to be seen who the new guy turns out to be. But don’t underestimate this; filling this spot with the right guy is important. Of the available names, I like athletic defender Nerlens Noel best.

Now some thoughts on the other big stories going on.

Kevin Durant: Due to their unrealistic demands — an all-star player, two role players and five first-round picks — it’s looking like he’ll stay in Brooklyn.

If I’m Miami, as good as he is I’d be reluctant to give up mid-20 Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro for him. With one including Andrew Wiggins, Jordan Poole and James Wiseman the best package could come from Golden State. But they just won the title, so why not keep the young guys to try to extend their reign beyond the Curry era.

As for the unrealistic demands? They’re fine, but to make that work you need a sucker and I don’t see one right now. Which brings us to an old friend.

Danny Ainge: Nobody is better at finding suckers than Danny. He did it with Brooklyn to eventually get Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown for fool’s gold in 2015. And now comes a deal for a guy (Rudy Gobert) who couldn’t get his team out of the first round of the playoffs in April with Minnesota for five unprotected first-round picks and five players. Given their gruesome 21st-century history, I give Minnesota points for trying something different. But I’m guessing after a few productive years it eventually ushers in a decade of more awfulness. The good news is, since he’s now a part owner, A-Rod will be one of the sufferers.

Now watch what Danny does with Donovan Mitchell and the two best guys he got back, Patrick Beverley and Malik Beasley.

Kyrie Irving: Speaking of Celtics alumni, I guess hell has frozen over. It appears no one is dumb enough to want team-killer Kyrie Irving. Well, except the Lakers, who have turned into a sad, desperate mess. Except the Nets aren’t dumb enough to take back the hard to play with Russell Westbrook and his $49 million contract. Beyond that, the Nets can’t find any takers for the alleged “superstar” who led the Nets to 11-18 in the 29 games he played last year.

James Harden: I was wrong about him again. He not only stayed put in Philly; he took a big pay cut so his boss had more cap space to bring in players to help them win. Kudos to him. Now all he has to do is lose 30 pounds or adjust his game to a bigger, maturing body

Steph Curry: There was some chatter last week saying he is the second best player in NBA history. Putting him in the Top 10 never even occurred to me, to be honest. But after gaining a new appreciation for him as he annihilated the Celtics in the Finals I’m willing to entertain the Top 10 debate. But who would he replace? On his side, his 3-point shooting changed how the game is played and his four titles is one more than Larry Bird and three more than Oscar Robertson. Can’t go No. 2 as among LeBron and the Greek Freak I’m not even sure he’s in the Top 2 of his era as that’s still being determined. But he’s climbing.

Ja Morant: I don’t know if it’s youthful enthusiasm or youthful ignorance but I did get a kick out of him saying last week he could beat an in-his-prime Michael Jordan playing one on one.

I’ll take Mike because of his unmatched killer instinct.

Email Dave Long at [email protected].

We are a few days away from baseball’s All-Star break, the time in the good old days when Manny Ramirez would announce (again) the same relative had died for an eighth time to get him out of playing in the once great game.

Even though it’s long past that point in games, it’s the unofficial midway point for the season. So let’s take a look at some of the big first-half stories and one looming on the horizon.

Pennant Race: After splitting last weekend’s series in Boston, the Yanks were 61-25, among the best starts ever. Meanwhile, after their glacial start, Boston was 47-39 and 14 back. A big but not insurmountable lead, as history shows Boston led NY by (gulp) 14.5 on July 17 in 1978 and lost.

Assuming 95 wins takes the division, the Sox need to go a doable 48-28, a .613 winning percentage, which translates to a 102-win season. But it requires a 34-47 Yankees collapse, not for Boston to play out of their jocks.

AL News

I’m not against it and I’ll sorta buy the nod for the 8-4, 2.44 pitching record, but with him 14th in homers (19) and 15th in RBI (54) can we all agree taking Shohei Ohtani as a “two way” All-Star is a gimmick?

There was a time Merlot Joe Maddon was considered a managerial savant as low-budget Tampa Bay won with him in the dugout. But after ending the Cubs’ 108-year curse in 2016, it’s been straight downhill since. He got pushed out of Chicago in 2020 and then didn’t even last till June in Year 2 with Anaheim. In the meantime, still budget-conscious Tampa mostly just kept winning. So maybe it wasn’t Joe after all.

NL News in case you’re interested

Thealwaysunlikable Manny Machado is living up to the big money he got from the Padres (.309, 14 bombs and 50 RBI). That’s not good news for the Xander Bogaerts contract front. Because with Xander better and more reliable it’s another benchmark his agents can use at the bargaining table.

How about the Freddie Freeman nonsense? In his first trip back to Atlanta since leaving last winter he acted like a homesick puppy, which followed his firing the agent who convinced him to take the bigger deal from the Dodgers. We can only guess how that played in the Dodgers locker room.

What is it with the Dodgers and the weird (dis) spirited first baseman? A couple of years back an injured Adrian Gonzalez actually went on vacation when they were in the playoffs. Though with those hated Dodgers on pace to win 106-games (again) Freeman hasn’t been an issue yet.

Alumni News in case you’re wondering

Andrew Benintendi: Off having a nice first half hitting. 327 with 3 homers and 35 homers, rumors have him headed to the Yanks at the deadline.

Kyle Schwarber: His 28 homers are second in baseball. Along with his 57 RBI and the modest deal he got in Philly, it makes not re-upping him to DH a titanic mistake by Chaim Bloom.

Hunter Renfroe: With him hitting .247 with 13 homers and 27 RBI he’s no loss.

Eduardo Rodriguez: Amid family problems he left Detroit a month ago and hasn’t been heard from since. Sad news for him and Detroit, but a disaster averted for Boston.

News From The Empire

With all due respect to the upcoming Bogaerts free agency saga, it’s not gonna touch the looming drama that could ignite a full on war in the Big Apple.

If you ain’t been paying attention there’s a gigantic game of chicken going on between Aaron Judge and the Yankees, which the Yanks are really screwing up with a lot more at stake than usual.

First, since Yankee fans have never seen them lose a free agent they wanted to retain, Judge has the leverage in the contract negotiations in a normal year.

But with him challenging The Babe (60) and Roger Maris (61) for the Yanks’ treasured single-season home run record, the leverage grows stronger, as that’s a pretty good way to walk into free agency.

Finally, that leverage will explode if the Mets step up to try and outbid them for Judge after a historic year, a very real possibility.

Their (still) new owner Steve Cohen is nuts enough to do it because (a) he’s a lifelong diehard Mets fan from Long Island who’s been taking guff from Yankee fans his whole life, (b) after bringing in Max Scherzer and Francisco Lindor he’s already shown he’ll spend big, and (c) since he’s the richest owner in baseball he’s got the incentive and dough to do it.

Most importantly, even with the extreme expense, it would be good business for New York’s JV baseball team to steal the face of the Yankees franchise away from them, because (a) it would be like when the Jets gave rookie to be Joe Namath the richest contract in sports in 1965, which sucked in all the PR oxygen and the tabloids ate it up,and(b) it could swing the pendulum their way in NYC if it leads to an immediate World Series with Judge as the star, as, oh by the way, it would make a beloved former Yankee star the face of their hated crosstown rival. Thus it’s the biggest event in their joint history since the Mets arrived in 1962. Not to mention likely the biggest and most expensive free agent battle in history.

So all the pressure is on Hal Steinbrenner and GM Brian Cashman. Who have played it so far the same lowball way that sent Jon Lester to free agency all ticked off in 2014.

The only thing missing is George Steinbrenner, who would have it in the headlines every day while making it a nasty fight to boot!

Please, Steve Cohen, make it happen.

Email Dave Long at [email protected].

It’s time to chronicle what’s been a totally under-the-radar first half of the baseball season despite having some notable highs and, considering their horrid April, really low lows.

Let’s get to the annual first half Red Sox report.

Holy Cow Moment

Alex Cora went against type to let Nick Pivetta and Michael Wacha pitch actual complete games that each exceeded 100 pitches. Wacha’s was a three-hit shutout of Anaheim in early June. No word yet on whether the final balls were sent to Cooperstown for their Herculean feats.

The High Points

Middle of the Order: I was for signing Kyle Schwarber and trading J.D. Martinez, and with Schwarber having 23 homers and 50 RBI to J.D.’s 8 and 33 that would have been the right thing to do even if he’s hitting .217 in Philly. But with him hitting way over .300 all year, it’s hard to complain about J.D. With Xander Bogaerts and Raffy Devers being even better, it’s a great 3-4-5 middle of the order, occasionally wrecked when Devers bats second. Throw in Alex Verdugo’s 43 RBI and average-challenged Trevor Story’s team-leading 52 and 12 homers on either side of the first three and it’s a potent group.

Young Pitchers: It looks like they’ve found their close in Tanner Houck. He’s made 15 straight relief appearances since May 5, with the last 10 as the closer when they won all 10 and he got one win and eight saves and had an ERA of 1.54.

Personally, I wanted him to be the starter among their two best young pitchers and Garrett Whitlock the late-inning reliever. But Whitlock became a permanent starter in late April where, thanks to some ridiculous early yanks by Cora, he’s only 2-1. But the ERA is 2.05 as a starter and they’re 5-1 in his last six starts before going on the DL in June. Throw in Pivetta and that makes three emerging young guys to build the staff around going forward.

Do I Hear Four: A fourth may be Josh Winckowski. Bloom took a lot of flak when he traded Andrew Benintendi, especially after Franchy Cordero’s Dumpster-fire season. But getting Winckowski from the Mets was supposed to be the prize in the deal. While it’s too early to tell anything, it’s encouraging that in his four starts filling in for Whitlock and Nathan Eovaldi he’s 3-1 with a 3.60 ERA.

Chaim’s Best Trade: With being 19-13, with a spectacular, had-to-have-it extra-inning win over Tampa in the playoffs, since arriving in 2020 after being disappointing in Philly Nick Pivetta represents Chaim Bloom’s best trade/steal so far. This year it’s 8-5 with a 3.23 ERA.

Surprises and Miscalculations

Michael Wacha: Boy, did I get it wrong on him. I was thinking bargain-basement signing all the way. But at 6-1 with a 2.65 first-half ERA he’s exceeded all expectations in returning to the form he showed with the Cardinals at the start of his career.

What’s the Story? Despite a lower than usual average, no regrets on signing Trevor Story. The power numbers are there and his smooth transition to second base has helped the infield defense.

Not According to Plan: Bloom’s biggest miscalculation was thinking that after his solid final two months of 2021 Bobby Dalbec would evolve into a 30-homer guy to replace the power lost by sending Hunter Renfroe to Milwaukee last winter. Thus far it’s just 5 homers and 18 RBI for Bobby, who finally got over the Mendozza Line last week and is now splitting time with Cordero at first base.

A Little History: That walk-off grand slam by Cordero for an 8-4 win over Seattle in May was the first walk-off slam (as best I can remember) since Mo Vaughn also did it to the Mariners in the home opener in 1998.

To the stat geeks who think starters should face the order a third time: Seattle yanked Randy Johnson that day with a 5-2 lead after getting 15 strikeouts in 8 innings. They even scored two more runs before the Sox came up in the ninth. The stellar Mariners bullpen then let the Sox get it to 7-5 before Mo (money) came up to hit the slam for the 9-7 win. It’s a reminder that when you yank a starter who’s got it going on, you do so for the uncertainty of whether whoever comes out of the pen has their good stuff or not.

What’s To Come

Next Three Weeks: Their 16-5 streak in June came against the weaker teams, which has the naysayers saying they’ll come back to earth. But that’s what they said about the Celtics when they started to win all the time in January. So for me, I know you can only play who they tell you to play and I saw good things were happening as they did. Especially with the pitching. Which means they enter a critical stretch of 23 games (including losing the 2 of 3 from Toronto to start it) with the top three teams in the AL East and the White Sox with momentum.

Chris Sale: Who knows what they’ll get from him? Could be a big boost or a nothing burger. So instead of predicting I’ll be like Yogi Berra when his wife asked him where he wanted to be buried and he answered surprise me, as I let it play out.

Rumor Mill: The ones on Bogaerts being traded at the deadline have died out completely. Beyond that, crickets.

Help Wanted — Or Is It Needed: I don’t trust anyone in the bullpen beyond Houck, especially Ryan Brasier and Matt Barnes, so they need to add one, maybe two difference-makers.

Prediction: With bullpen help, the winning continues with a spot in the play-in game looming.

Next week, a look at all of MLB.

Email Dave Long at [email protected].

Many things have collected dust while we’ve been following the Celtics playoff run. It’s time to dust them off, with extra attention to some recent back-in-the-day stuff

Just so you know, I will not believe anything about how improved the Pats defense will be or the draftees are until I see it for myself.

I admit, though, I’m hoping Malcolm Butler has a great return season. I never liked how it ended here for the author of the greatest play in team history (tied with Adam V’s kick in the snow) and hero of SB win No. 5.

Dan Patrick is the best interviewer in sports. He asks real questions while showing his fandom at the same time and it’s always fun. Like with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in his George Foreman good-guy third act of life, the ones with the big fella are fun and interesting. Plus he loves Larry Bird trash talking stories.

The NFL Network just named its Top 3 Defensive Players of All-Time:

Lawrence Taylor: Deserved. Not only was LT a dominating, scary and destructive force, he also changed how his position was played. And his DC in NYC concurs.

Reggie White: I’m a no on Reggie. Great player, but always thought he was given a little too much credit for what he actually did. Guys like Dick Butkus and Deacon Jones dominated more and Deacon’s teammate Merlin Olsen made 16 straight Pro Bowls playing on better defenses than Reggie was ever on.

Deion Sanders: It is downright laughable the Kyrie Irving of football is in this trio. They say he shut down half the field with his coverage skills. Maybe, for a time, but the guy didn’t hit in either of the pro sports he played. Forget all positions, here are five cornerbacks who were better: Rod Woodson, Night Train Lane, Darrelle Revis, Darrell Green and Ty Law, not to mention Ray Lewis, Mean Joe Greene, Aaron Donald, and about five guys on Lombardi’s Packers.

In the merchandise era there are many stupid-looking uniforms out there. And while this may be a get off my lawn moment, I hate the Red Sox “city editions” worst of all. How does yellow and pastel blue have anything to do with Boston or the Red Sox? The Sox’ dumbest choice since making Bobby Valentine the manager.

If the rumor floating around is true Kevin Durant is not communicating with the Nets front office because “he’s frustrated” with them for not getting to know and “understanding” Kyrie Irving, it says his/their sense of entitlement now outweighs their talent and I’d dump both. Hope it’s not true, as I always liked KD. But seems like it may be.

That makes the trade rumor Miami is willing to give up Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro for Durant a little more interesting. With Durant turning 34 in September, it’s yes if I’m Brooklyn. But with team prez Pat Riley 77, he’s likely in “win now” mode so maybe.

I like Mad Dog Russo probably more than most, but with Lombardi’s Packers second and the Bradshaw Steelers third, the Top 5 Sports Dynasty Teams recently listed on Stephen A’s show was nuts. Both won less and didn’t last as long as the Patriots or Montana/Young 49ers. Not to mention the Celtics, Lakers and Montreal Canadiens.

For the record here are my Top 5 (which values long time at the top over the burst of a short-term great team that disappeared when the best guys got old like GB and Pitt): (1) Yankees, (2) Montreal, (3) Lakers, (4) Celtics and (5) Patriots, while acknowledging the 49ers’ run was cut short by the advent of the salary cap, which clobbered a team put together under different rules.

I’ll also take the Tom Landry/Jimmy Johnson Cowboys over GB.

Staying back in the day for a second. I just saw the fourth quarter of Bill Russell’s last title win in Game 7 in the 1969 Final on YouTube and was astonished how badly it’s been reported for history. First, the high bounding and fall-through-the-rim foul line jumper by Don Nelson was not the winning bucket as it’s been made out to be for decades. The final points came on foul shots by John Havlicek and Larry Siegfried. Second, I’ve never heard mention the Celtics blew a 17-point fourth-quarter lead before winning in the end. Third, while the score was 108-106 the C’s had a six-point lead with 10 seconds left and the last L.A. basket came as time expired, so it wasn’t as close as made out to be. And for Russo and the rest of the mis-remember folks who think the NBA was better back in the day because of their fundamentals: I didn’t see one box out the whole fourth quarter. Oh, and L.A. was 28 for 47 (Wilt 4-13) from the line in a two-point loss

If WNBA’er Brittany Griner is a political prisoner in reprisal for sanctions against Russian for its unprovoked attack on Ukraine, doesn’t that make “free Brittany” rallies counterproductive? Because the noise gives Vladimir Putin what he wants — attention.

I get the protests about the money coming from the sinister Saudi Arabia government and it does look like Greg Norman has been bought and paid for. But an entity challenging the PGA like the LIV tour being bad for golf? That’s what they said about the AFL and the ABA and it was just the opposite.

Personally I don’t follow the Bruins enough to give an informed opinion on whether Bruce Cassidy should have been fired as coach. But I did notice mild-mannered Boston Globe hockey writer Kevin Paul Dupont calling it a scapegoating by GM Don Sweeney and President Cam Neely after not getting enough good players to make the B’s more competitive. Since I can’t recall KPD ever being overreactionary or a blamer, what he says makes me wonder.

We’ll get to the surging Red Sox next week.

Email Dave Long at [email protected].

After coming up just two games short of winning the NBA title, the inevitable happens for your Boston Celtics. The exclamation point is that they had a 2-1 lead in the series before coughing up three straight losses to Golden State. And since they can only be described as (use your own word) bad to horrendous losses that saw them blow double-digit leads in all three, let the finger-pointing begin.

I don’t like the words “blame” or “fault” because those are words for losers who get stuck in the past and don’t focus on the future, which is where you need to be to find a solution, which is what Brad Stevens and the brass need to do.

So, while this may be semantics, I prefer to think about “responsibility” because it identifies areas that need to be improved in the off-season. That could be a weakness in personnel, questionable coaching decisions, repeated mental mistakes or just playing against a better team.

First thing is to assess what the season was in relation to expectations. This can be looked at two ways.

Glass Is Half Full: Getting to the NBA Finals was a major step forward with a disappointing ending. Especially in light of their train wreck first two months of 2021-22, which suggested we were in store for a repeat of the same infuriating under-achievement as last year. After somehow finding their mojo in early January it turned into a major step forward for a team that exceeded everyone’s expectations, which, after a few minor tweaks, makes the future look bright.

Glass Is Half Empty: This Celtics loss doesn’t approach a blown opportunity by the favored Lakers over the Celtics in 1984. They’re hardly the first underdog to blow a 2-1 series lead. I mean the Celtics put that same number on the defending champion Bucks just last month.

But what I care most about is how a team loses. And the way the C’s lost to GS raises major red flags about their heart and collective ability to hold their attention firm during adversity. They had their moments earlier in the playoffs, but they really needed the same mental toughness when the Warriors put the heat on, and this time the top three melted like a stick of butter in a hot frying pan.

Is that just part of the growing process, or in their DNA?

That’s where Stevens’ assessment should begin as he decides what steps are needed to win those last two games next year.

The Opponent

Golden State: First, the Celtics lost to a better team in a series GS earned. A surprise to me because I underestimated two things: their team defense and Steph Curry.

The D was exceptional because Andrew Wiggins (mostly) did a great job on Jayson Tatum in his forgettable series and their quickness to close out on open shots took away what the C’s do to put opponents on their heels. It especially flummoxed them in the half court during crunch time.

As for Curry, I somehow forgot how good he is at scoring around the basket, which destroyed my “crowd him to make him drive” strategy. This dude’s just good and raised an interesting question from my nephew, who asks, is he a Top 10 player all-time? I never thought of him that way, but since he’s the leader of a team that’s won more titles than Larry Bird did, maybe we should.

The Red Flags

Heart and Grit: They were resilient all through the playoffs even amid hiccups vs. Milwaukee and Miami. But it’s a tough call because good opponents can cause them. But at the end of it all, I’m back to where I was in December on Tatum. While he has the talent, does he have the make-up to be the team leader or do they need to find a Jimmy Butler team leader to pair with him?

Turnovers: Careless, mindless T.O.’s thrown up for grabs handed the Warriors free baskets that killed Boston all series. Tatum set a record for most T.O.s in a playoff season and in Game 4 alone Marcus Smart handed GS 10 free points himself on five totally mindless cross-court passes. As for Jaylen Brown, despite his occasional brilliance, almost every drive was an adventure because he has the worst handle I’ve seen since Tom Boerwinkle retired.

Can they fix this issue internally or do they need a point guard to do so?

The Bench: Despite some earlier heroics, Derrick White aside, it was mostly a Finals no show. So is it good enough?

IQ And Instincts: It made Jeff Van Gundy crazy all through the series and me for much longer than that. With the peak being Tatum giving take fouls to stop a fast break early in Games 5 and 6 that led to first-half foul trouble both times. Somehow he and Smart think that’s smart but risking early foul trouble over two points is just dumb.

Most amazing is they kept repeating the same dumb mistakes.

What Next

Since they also had similar collapses twice against Milwaukee and Miami, my view is they have to address all their red flag issues to take that next step.

Who To Build Around: I don’t think a big change is needed. But if a big deal surfaced to make them clearly better, the two untouchables are Tatum and Robert Williams. Though I’d be reluctant to move on from the wisdom, versatility and toughness of Al Horford as well. While I think everyone else deserves appreciation for a terrific season I’d be willing to part with anyone else in the right deal.

One-Player Wish List – Damian Lillard: Wouldn’t give up both Brown and Smart for him. But he’s a real point guard and the kind of seasoned leader to reduce that burden on Tatum.

So, overall mostly a job well done. But get to work, Brad, because you’ve got some holes to fill.

Email Dave Long at [email protected].