Boston Celtics Win the 2023-2024 NBA Championship

The Boston Celtics defeated the Dallas Mavericks four games to one to win the 2023-2024 NBA Finals.  The series played out like it probably should have.  We all wanted seven games or at a minimum some close games but it wasn't to be.  The Celtics won two games by seven points but the three other games were blowouts.  Boston was the better team hands down.  Too much talent and really good defense that came from multiple players.  Luka and Kyrie had good stretches in games but overall they didn't seem comfortable.  Neither could hit a three either.  Tatum and Brown couldn't either but the rest of the Celtics picked up the slack.  Jaylen Brown was MVP but I could make an argument for Jrue Holiday.  No complaints from me though.  Brown guarded Doncic a lot and he did a good job.  I had no dog in this fight but I've always been an Al Horford fan so it was fun seeing him be so happy at age 37.  Tatum, Brown, Holiday, White, Porzingis and head coach Joe Mazzulla all deserved this too.  Boston was great all season, great in the playoffs and great in the NBA Finals.  Congratulations Boston Celtics.

2023-2024 NBA Finals: Dallas Mavericks vs Boston Celtics

 2024 NBA Finals: The Finals start tonight as Dallas and Boston go at it.  Noone is surprised Boston is here.  The Boston-Indy series was closer than the sweep looks but still the Pacers were way overmatched.  But again, this was to be expected.  The Celtics are the best team in the East.  A healthy Milwaukee or New York would have been a fun Eastern Conference Finals but it wasn't to be.  Dallas surprised me by tearing through the darling Timberwolves.  And it was all about Luka and Kyrie.  They were great offensively and had zero respect for the Minnesota defense which looked great against Phoenix and Denver.  Dallas was also the hottest team coming into the playoffs.

I like Boston in The Finals.  I get Luka and Kyrie are playing out of their mind.  The Celtics just have too much talent.  That said they can lose this.  Is Porzingis healthy?  Can Al Horford keep up the hot shooting from three?  This will be key to stopping the Maverick bigs from clogging the lane.  The Celtics also have guys who can play defense on almost anyone in the Dallas lineup in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.  That said, Dallas is surging.  Boston will have to play defense and they shoot a lot of threes.  If they go cold the Mavs could easily win this series.  I'm going with Boston in six games and expect close games but I'm not putting money on it.  Let's hope for seven games and plenty of fun games.

2023-2024 NBA Conference Finals

 It's that time of the year and the NBA Playoffs are down to four teams.  In the East we get Boston and Indy.  Love Indy and their move to pick Piascal Siakam from Toronto.  It's helped them get to the Conference Finals for the first time since 2014.  This team is centered around Tyrese Haliburton, Myles Turner and Siakam.  Knicks may have been banged up but nobody expected them to come back from a 3-2 deficit in that series.  Even without Kristaps Porzingis dinged up Boston is too good not to get this far.  They have so much fire power with Tatum, Brown, Porzingis, Jrue Holiday and Derrick White.  

I didn't think Dallas could make it this far but they out muscled OKC and got enough from their big two in Luka and Kyrie.  They can score and they played defense in the last round to help win a huge game 7.  The Minnesota Timberwolves are the darlings of the playoffs.  Their tenacious defense and breakout star, Anthony Edwards, make them so much fun to watch.  Hard to think they could come this far after they looked so bad last year after trading for Rudy Gobert.  And that comeback against Denver in the Semi-Finals.  Down 3-2.  Down 20 points in the third quarter of game seven.  Amazing.

I'll be rooting for Minnesota, and Georgia alum Edwards, as well as Indiana.  Neither team has won a championship, and it would be so special to watch another team hoist their first banner.   We've already seen two teams do it in the last five seasons - Toronto and Denver.  That said, I think its the Timberwolves and Celtics in the NBA Finals.  I do think Dallas can make this a really good series but Minnesota is just too good right now.  Boston is just too good period.  Way too much talent even with Porzingis not on the floor while he heals.  I think those two teams would be a great matchup as well.  Hopefully no matter who we get in The Finals, I hope the Conference Finals series are fun.

NBA Conference Finals

 

Conference Finals are here and I'm excited.  Been some fun basketball so far in the playoffs.  Not the matchups we would have put money on but these are fun no matter how we got them.  Personally, I want to see a Denver-Miami Finals.  A Lakers-Heat Finals rematch or even a Lakers-Celtics Finals would be fun too.  But for me I want Jokic and the Nuggets to get there and see Jimmy Butler get another shot at a title.

Wow this one should be fun.  I already gush about Jokic and anyone who watches him play should as well.  This should be a great matchup against Anthony Davis.  Jokic and the Nuggets may have had some second half regular season issues but both have put all that behind them in the playoffs.  This dude is amazing.  I think the Nuggets take this in six games.  Can LA win?  Of course.  I don't discount LeBron and AD but the Nuggets as a whole are a better team.

I love Jimmy Butler and he has carried the Heat in the playoffs especially after Tyler Herro and Victor Oladipo went down. Who didn't think the Heat were done for at that point?  Boston is a great team and led by two superstars in Jayson Tatum and Jaylon Brown.  Maybe they haven't been on every game but they are by far much better than the Heat.  Boston should win this one in five.  Knowing Jimmy Buckets this could go seven for sure and it should be a hard fought series no matter how it ends up.

NBA Finals: Celtics @ Warriors

The NBA Finals start today so I'll show of some Steph Curry and Jayson Tatum cards I've recently pulled and give you my thoughts on the series.  Golden State is so good this year.  They got Klay back, Jordan Poole became a great third option, Andrew Wiggins has come up good in the playoffs and they are for the most part healthy.  Their offense is so fun to watch and will be hard to beat.

Love these Slam inserts.  Tatum and the Celts found their groove later in the season.  This team is built on defense and defense travels.  Will it be enough to stop the Warriors?  Miami isn't an offensive juggernaut so it's hard to compare the matchups.  Boston does have a really good offense and Golden State isn't exactly the best defensive team in the league.  Picking up Derrick White in season was a great move as well giving them depth.  This team won't roll over.

That second Tatum is a holiday parallel from a blaster.  Wish Panini had gone a bit heavier with the snowflakes.  This really should be a great matchup.  An excellent defensive team versus a great offense.  Seems like a fun series.

Still, someone has to win and I have to think Golden State has the edge.  The Warriors aren't unbeatable but I'm not sold that a defense, even as good and the Celtics', can stop them.

I'm going with Golden State in six.  Maybe we'll get a seven game series but that seems like a lot to ask for.

Steph Curry and Al Horford are two of my favorite players in the league so it'll be tough to watch but consistently this playoff run I've found myself rooting for the Warriors.  No matter who wins they'll deserve it.  Both are great teams and this should be a good series.
 

Kyrie Irving Traded to Boston Celtics

It finally happened and boy it didn’t disappoint.  Kyrie Irving was traded and headed to the Boston Celtics for Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic and the Brooklyn Net’s 2018 unprotected first-round pick.  I really like this trade and I think this is a win-win for both teams.  And this happens just as it looked like Cleveland was struggling coming up with a decent trade.      

Cleveland gets better by replacing Irving with Thomas while adding Crowder.  Thomas isn’t better than Irving but is a capable substitute while Crowder brings good defense and much needed depth.  I can’t say what Zizic brings to the table except for a cool name.  I think this team could be better than last season’s assuming everyone gels in Cleveland’s system.  For the future Cleveland would have a top 5 pick to help infuse the team with some young talent.  If Thomas plays well and Cleveland wants to retain him they can look at re-signing him once his contract is over at the end of the season.  It also means that if LeBron James leaves in free agency, something I don’t think will happen, they’ll have the Nets’ pick, can let Thomas go, find a new home for whatever holdovers are still on contract and start from scratch.  In theory they have all their bases covered. 

Boston gets a 25 year-old stud of a point guard for at least two years.  Irving may not be there past two years but if he is he can definitely be the cornerstone for years to come.  Combined with Gordon Hayward, Al Horford and some of the other young pieces they have to include the #3 pick in this year’s draft, Jayson Tatum, Boston should compete for years to come.  As with any trade you must worry about how players will gel but I’d expect this to be a good team.  If Irving does leave you still get two years of his top caliber play and Boston has stock piled other first-round picks which should help them reload or can be used to trade for top talent. 

Jack McCallum's Unfinished Business

I finished Jack McCallum's book, Unfinished Business.  The book chronicles the 1990-1991 Boston Celtic Season.  During that time frame I wasn't a Celtics fan as they continually beat up on my Hawks. That said I did respect them and that respect has only grown throughout the years.  The Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and Robert Parish era was truly a great time in Boston and the NBA for that matter.  The book provided me more insight into the players than I've ever gotten before.  During their playing days my only view of the players came from their games on cable or the NBA publications I subscribed to (Hoop Magazine & NBA Digest).  Local papers in small towns where I lived didn't carry much NBA coverage, if any.  So it wasn't until later in life that I learned how funny Kevin McHale is, how much of a loner Parish was, or that Larry Bird really was this big trash talker.  That is where these books are great.  You get that insight.  I wish I had read this book in 1992 when it was published.  It would have helped me to know who these greats of the NBA were while I could still see them live.

I've known this book was held in great regard among NBA books and it quickly moved to the top of my reading list when I found it for $5 at a collectibles show in October.  This was

one of the last years of the Larry-Kevin-Robert trio.  In fact this would be Bird's next to last season in the NBA.  It details Chris Ford's first year as the Boston coach and an era of when the younger Celtics were looked to to make a contribution as that of Larry-Kevin-Robert declined.  Injuries played a big part of the big three's issues as well as age itself.  For his part, Parish actually stayed healthy in the regular season.  It was an unlikely season where Boston entered the playoffs as the #2 seed in the Eastern Conference after a year in which they started strong but injuries derailed the season.    In the playoffs they reached the second round only to lose to bitter rival Detroit.  Again injuries took their toll.  Back to the title of the book, these Celtics were so good that until injuries did them in, it looked like they were a true title contender. 

While that is the framework of the book, the fun is in the details.  The behind the scenes stuff about the players, coaches and management.  McCallum does a good job giving each their space in the book and letting us get to know them while keeping a good pace.  Sometimes it is hard because I may have seen players in a different light in 1991-1992 even though I really didn't know much about them.  Again it is a good book, and a fun read and I expect anyone who likes the NBA should enjoy this book. 

Celtics Blockbuster Trade with the Nets

The Boston Celtics have agreed to trade Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Jason Terry to the Brooklyn Nets for forwards Kris Humphries and Gerald Wallace, along with guard Keith Bogans, and first-round picks in 2014, 2016 and 2018.  This is one of those blockbusters in which both teams win.  New Jersey gets a short window in which they can expect to be the third maybe even second best team in the Eastern Conference.  Their staring lineup will consist of Garnett, Pierce, Deron Williams, Joe Johnson and Brook Lopez.  Not a bad starting lineup for new coach Jason Kidd.  The price they pay is a short window considering the age of the three Celtics they received and one heck of a bill from the NBA for being over the salary cap.  Boston for their part will get some flexibility going forward in rebuilding their team.  The three draft picks will probably be late round picks (maybe a mid rounder by 2018) so don't expect LeBron James with any of these picks.  Still any rebuilding effort needs young players so three extra first round picks over the next five years is a good thing.  They can also be used to trade up or trade for veteran players when the team is on the uptick.  It'll be interesting to see how this plays out and how history views the trade.  There is a good shot at this being a wash.  Draft picks are always shot in the dark and the veterans the Nets received could all fall apart tomorrow.  No matter how it comes out I give both teams credit for making a bold move. 

NBA NOTES:  
Looks like the Spurs will resign Tiago Splitter for four years at $9 million per year.  Not surprising even though Splitter played poorly against the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals.  Splitter is a good fit in San Antonio though I still would have liked them to add a true big man who can defend the rim better........Clippers' Caron Butler and Eric Bledsoe to Phoenix for shooting guards J.J. Reddick (Milwaukee) and Jared Dudley (Phoenix).  L.A. and Phoenix each send a first round pick to Milwaukee.  Another trade I like for all teams involved.  Clips get shooters while Phoenix get a starting point guard and a three who can score while the Bucks get picks to help them build around one or more their free agent guards.......I think Dwight Howard should take his talents to Atlanta.  Would my Hawks get past the second round with him?  Doubtful but it would awesome to have a top tier player in the fold, which is something Atlanta hasn't had in a very long time.  But that won't happen.  So I think he should go to Houston.  I think they have the best shot do anything long term and pairing him with James Harden seems like a great deal.  Wherever he goes I hope he can settle down and repair his more recent legacy of being that wishy washy guy that everyone hates........David West is returning to the Pacers.  With Danny Granger returning from injury there is no reason to think Indiana can't once again be the number two team in the East. 

Hawks vs Celtics - NBA Playoffs Round 1

The Atlanta Hawks are the fourth seed in the NBA's Eastern Conference and will have home court advantage against the Boston Celtics in their best of seven series.  Boston won the season series two games to one.  Both teams averaged 86 points a game with all three games being close.   Atlanta made the playoffs for the fifth year in a row this year, three of those making it to the second round before losing.  Atlanta is led by Joe Johnson and Josh Smith with Jeff Teague running the point.  Marvin Williams, one time starter, is now providing much needed points off the bench. 

Boston's Ray Allen is a game time decision.  Still I believe the Celtics have more weapons.  The "Big 3" of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Allen are aging but still provide a formidable lineup.  Rajon Rondo runs the point and can put up big points when needed.  Brandon Bass is also having a career year adding some needed youth to the group.  Glen Rivers has showed some creativity by moving Garnett to center at times causing match up issues with the slower bigs in the league.  As a coach I think he is very good at making the right moves to put his team right there for the win. 

Still the Hawks are younger and I believe overall more talented. Star center Al Horford is out with an injury having only played 11 games this year.  While I don't see it as a positive it has provided JoshSmith some extra space in which to work on offense.  Johnson is averaging 18 points a game and hitting the three well (.388).  Point guard Jeff Teague made big strides this year more than doubling his points and assists per game totals.  This team has lacked good point guard play in the past so he may be the answer they've long been searching for.  He also shoots well from the floor (.477).  Again, Marvin Williams has moved to the bench and found a three point shot the Hawks have not seen from him in past seasons.  While center Zaza Pachulia won't make anyone forget about Horford he has filled in admirably. 

This series worries me.  Atlanta played well this season but I don't think they are really feared.  As in past years they haven't shown maturity in their play and it comes back to haunt them in the playoffs when they tend to fall on their face even if they do make it to the second round.  I think they are looked at as a team that will never make it past the second round as they are currently constructed but that is another post.  I think Boston's veterans will push them past Atlanta in the first round.  Heck the Celtics weren't even worried about home court advantage as they rested their starters late in the season.  Atlanta can definitely play with Boston and athletically play with almost anyone.  They can also spread the defense a little better this year but I think it will come down to the veterans of Boston performing at a better level come crunch time.  I shouldn't be such a defeatist and I hope I'm wrong but it just seems like a tough road ahead.