Theres way more parity in the Western Conference compared to the East, and as a result, the playoff chances are all skewed. Since Zion Williamson was injured on Jan. 2, the Pelicans have gone just 7-18 -- the fifth-worst record in the league over that span. --Bontemps, The Pelicans are struggling but are now dealing with even more injuries. But Jimmy Butler's competitiveness and confidence is the difference in Miami's Game 6 win. WebKeys to the Game: Celtics 110, 76ers 107 2/25 Putnam Pregame Interview: Skys The Limit Man in the Mask Rises to the Task: JB Leads Cs Past Pacers in Return 2/23 Putnam 2 pick in 2021 and No. He did not play in the previous four games. I agree to the Terms of Use and the Privacy Policy. Bam Adebayo and Jayson Tatum during a Celtics-Heat game in Dec. 2022. I believe the Raptors can still make the postseason (or win out via the play-ins) but Id need good value to bet on it. Speaking of the Knicks, Tom Thibodeau's squad might be on track to reclaiming the heart of New York. Jayson Tatum's performance vs. Brooklyn has taken his game to new heights as a potential series against the Bucks and Giannis Antetokounmpo looms. Jayson Tatum bounces back from a forgettable Game 3 with a 31-point, 8 rebound performance in Game 4. State of Nets entering offseason, Isiah: Nets' 1st-round flameout an 'epic failure', Nets fall short of Finals expectations this season, How Celtics kept Durant off balance yet again, Tatum: Mental toughness key to Celtics' 3-0 lead, Tatum scores 14 of 39 points in 4th quarter, Smart, Celtics set the tone defensively in Game 3, Full Focus: Brown, Tatum highlight Celtics' comeback, Veterans Horford, Theis give Celtics extra edge, NBABreakdown: Celtics game-winning sequence, Robert Horry uses 'Horry Scale,' rates Tatums shot, Smart receives DPOY award from Gary Payton, 5 takeaways from Celtics' impressive Game 3 win, Celtics take over late for big Game 2 victory, 5 takeaways from Boston's lockdown Game 2 finish, Celtics triumph as Tatum hits epic buzzer-beater, 5 takeaways from wild Celtics-Nets opener, Tatum lays in game-winner to defeat the Nets, From doubters to champs: What's next for Warriors, Ultimate Highlight: Best of the 2022 NBA Finals, Ultimate Highlight: Finals MVP Stephen Curry, 6 takeaways from Warriors' championship victory, Warriors cement place among NBA's greatest dynasties, The Finals Stat: Warriors stifle Celtics again, Curry wins NBA Finals MVP for 1st time in career, Finals MVP Ladder: Curry takes home trophy, Warriors championship gear available on NBAStore.com. Showing Editorial results for But recent offseason controversies in Brooklyn led to the organization shying away from getting Udoka, instead landing with assistant Jacque Vaughn for the head job. He is averaging 23.8 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists over his brief six-game Nets tenure. The 41 percent likelihood seems very accurate. Aaron Nesmith was selected as the #14 pick in the First Round of the 2020 NBA Draft by the Boston Celtics. So unstoppable that it has carried them into a comfortable spot in 3-seed and past the LA Clippers in one of the highest-scoring games in NBA history. two seed Boston Celtics defeated the No. He's not the fastest. But with the way the Bucks are playing right now, it'd be much better to have a deciding game take place in Boston. -- Andrews, Kevin Durant will make his debut for Phoenix on Wednesday against the Charlotte Hornets, three weeks to the day since the Suns traded for the former MVP. The Hornets are in desperate need of some lottery luck as the franchise continues to be struck by injuries, inconsistency and poor roster building.-- Friedell, James Wiseman put together his best game of the season, collecting 23 points on 9-of-11 shooting with seven rebounds in a loss to the Hornets on Monday. If youre looking for a more precise outlook on the NBA playoff picture, check out our NBA playoff odds or championship odds. The Nets have the fifth-most difficult remaining schedule, including two games each against the Celtics and Nuggets, which makes things extra challenging. They follow it up with another Celtics matchup on March 6. "The mission is the mission,"Anthony Davissaid. He's had bursts of energy and some bounce on offense, but he's nowhere near the defensive presence he can be for Boston. Joe Mazzulla, Boston Celtics: +180. The Magic have two big tests against the Milwaukee Bucks over the next week and need to find more consistency down the stretch to push into the play-In conversation.-- Friedell, Tyrese Haliburton collected double-digit assists in each of his first two games out of the All-Star break. Led by Jayson Tatums 31 points, eight rebounds and five assists, the No. Led by Jayson Tatums 27 points (8-13 FG, 4-6 3pt FG), along with five rebounds and five assists, the No. We're far from borrowing Bob Lobel's "Panic Button" and the Duck Boats could still be busy come July. Nov 02, 2022 - Cleveland 114 vs. Boston 113; Oct 28, 2022 - Cleveland 132 vs. Boston 123 Relive the Golden State sharpshooter's remarkable run to his 4th NBA championship and 1st Finals MVP award. But Udoka already garnered some interest even while he was suspended by the Celtics earlier this season. The reasons for their failure may have been inherent to the whole project. Houston is minus-350 when Green and Smith are on the floor together -- the second-worst plus-minus of any tandem in the league this season.-- MacMahon, Man stopped at Pa. airport with explosive concealed in checked luggage, Kiss reveal last dates of their farewell tour, ending in NYC, Devout 'God-fearing' woman killed by stray bullet in Austin. This best-of-seven series is now tied, 1-1, with Game three taking place on Saturday, May 21. one seed Heat defeated the No. Lindsey, Basically, if they play like they did last postseason -- this time with a much deeper and more talented bench -- the sky (or TD Garden rafters) is the limit for this team. I like the Jazz or even the Thunder to make the playoffs before the Lakers. The Boston Celtics have comfortably dominated the Eastern Conference this season but fell out of first place for the first time in 2023 after a lopsided loss to the New York Knicks on Monday. Marcus Smart (20 points, five rebounds, 11 assists) and Jaylen Brown (22 points, eight rebounds) added a combined 42 points for the Celtics in the victory, while Kevin Durant led all scorers with 39 points, seven rebounds and nine assists for the Nets. Millions of high-quality images, video, and music options are waiting for you. Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry brings the ball up the court against the Boston Celtics during the NBA Finals in San Francisco, June 13, 2022. Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Accessibility and Closed Captions | Do Not Sell My Personal InformationCopyright 2023 NBA Media Ventures, LLC.All rights reserved. 01, 2023, 8:04 p.m. Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka gestures during the first half of Game 7 of the NBA basketball Eastern Conference finals Man. Led by Jayson Tatums 29 points and five assists, the No. They will try to keep pace with the streaking Milwaukee Bucks atop the Eastern Conference.-- Bontemps, Even after all of the trade deadline madness, the Nuggets remain the strongest team in the Western Conference. Yet, with a LeBron James injury thats expected to keep their star out for multiple weeks, Im willing to source the largest megaphone I can find and scream FADE! Nik Stauskas signed a multi-year contract as a free agent with the Boston Celtics on March 4, 2022. Kevin Durant will make his debut for Phoenix on Wednesday against the Charlotte Hornets, three weeks to the day since They've got as good a shot as anybody else to bring home a title this summer. This post originally appeared onCeltics Wire. Series History. Full Focus: Celtics head to Finals after wild Game 7, Celtics receive conference championship trophy, Tatum wins 1st Larry Bird East Finals MVP award, Tatum's legend grows anew in Game 7 triumph, Horford, coach Udoka spark Finals-bound Celtics, Horford: Team defense 'what carried us this far'. Michael Pina. We are not making it all up in our heads, thinking well of Kris Dunn because we want to: he has real talents to bring, and a body that for the time being will allow him to use them. Robert Williams signed a multi-year extension with the Boston Celtics on August 24, 2021. The Celtics are still a really good basketball team. Relive the most memorable moments and storylines from Golden State's 4-2 victory over Boston. The Heat have a chance to get back on track as they start a six-game homestand with Wednesday's game, also against the Sixers.-- Friedell, The Warriors have to be pleased that they've managed to avoid a major drop-off without Stephen Curry (again), in addition to absences from Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins. He had 29 points, eight rebounds and four assists in Monday's road win over the New Orleans Pelicans. Finally healthy for the first time since Nikola Jokic's MVP reign, they're better than they were when they made the conference finals in the 2020 bubble, and have a real shot at the title this season.-- Andrews, Close losses to Boston on Saturday and Miami on Monday have all but eliminated Philadelphia from having a realistic chance of moving up to the top two spots in the Eastern Conference standings. Sign up for our newsletter and get every update delivered to your inbox! The Nets are still adjusting to life without Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, but Mikal Bridges continues to be a bright spot. Golden State looks flawless in clincher, Stephen Curry's legacy continues to grow and Jayson Tatum isn't quite at superstar status after a rough NBA Finals. Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart combine for 74 points as Boston eliminates Miami and advances to the Finals. Dallas has allowed 108.3 points per 100 possessions with Kleber on the floor this season and 116.2 without him.-- MacMahon, Miami dropped four straight before Jimmy Butler pulled them across the finish line against the Sixers on Monday night. Duality underpins practically everything about the brief existence of the KD, Harden and Kyrie Nets. Marcus Smart signed a multi-year extension with the Boston Celtics on August 21, 2021. Select the second team from the drop down menu. As is the norm, they hosted a photoshoot to get fans up to speed with their current roster. 21+ and present in Massachusetts. The Boston Celtics hosted their annual media day proceedings ahead of the 2021-22 NBA season on Monday, one day before training camp kicks off. Note: Throughout the regular season, our panel (Kendra Andrews, Tim Bontemps, Jamal Collier, Nick Friedell, Andrew Lopez, Tim MacMahon, Dave McMenamin and Ohm Youngmisuk) is ranking all 30 teams from top to bottom, taking stock of which teams are playing the best basketball and which teams are looking most like title contenders. Select the third team from the drop down menu. James Harden, Rockets Serious About Reunion; Sixers Currently 'Unconcerned', RealGM Radio: Mo Dakhil On The Season So Far (Mar 2023), Lester Quinones, Warriors Agree To 10-Day Contract. When he's been off, Tatum has reallybeen off. The defense is still playing at a high level this season, but nowhere near the terrifying peak it enjoyed in 2022 when it left opponents trembling. Jayson Tatum signed a multi-year extension with the Boston Celtics on November 25, 2020. If you are having difficulty accessing any content on this website, please visit our Accessibility page. WebComing off their first finals appearance since 2010, the Celtics return for the 2022-2023 season with many of the same characters responsible for their resurgent 2022 run. Here are the top 10 favorites to win Coach of the Year in 2022-23, courtesy of our betting partner, PointsBet: Mike Brown, Sacramento Kings: +100. Boston survives a furious late Miami rally and punches its 1st Finals ticket since 2010. Organize, control, distribute and measure all of your digital content. Jaylen Brown added 22 points, four rebounds and six assists for the Celtics in the victory, while Kevin Durant (27 points, 4-17 FG) and Kyrie Irving (10 points, 4-13 FG) combined for 37 points for the Nets. This season, the Celtics currently rank 11th at 3-point defense, with opponents hitting 35.6 percent of their attempts. Barry Chin/Globe Staff. Instant observations and real-time tweets from Game 6 of the 2022 NBA Finals as it happened in Boston on Thursday night. Cleveland have won 20 out of their last 38 games against Boston. A big part of this is that Rob Williams hasn't been Rob Williams all season. Jimmy Butler and Kyle Lowry do exactly what veteran stars need to do in a must-win Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals. With the two teams neck-and-neck in the East standings, their March 30 tilt in Milwaukee could ultimately decide the 1-seed in the conference. From a potential rebuild on the horizon to a half-baked buy-in at the trade deadline, Toronto hasnt maintained a clear direction in 2022-23. It's time to exact some revenge. The Celtics eke out a crucial victory with a team effort, offsetting a star turn by Kyrie Irving in his playoff return to Boston, where he once played. Golden State looks flawless in clincher, Stephen Curry's legacy continues to grow and Jayson Tatum isn't quite at superstar status after a rough NBA Finals. Former Celtics coach Ime Udoka is no longer with the organization, which was the expected move following his season-long suspension. The good news: The Spurs play their first home game since Feb. 3 when the Indiana Pacers come to town Thursday.-- Lopez, The Rockets have the worst record in the NBA for the third consecutive season, putting Houston in position to get another pick at or near the top of the lottery. San Antonio was a league-worst 2-24 since Jan. 1 and hadn't won a game since Jan. 17 before taking down Utah. Whats giving them hope? WATCH: Is there a way for the Boston Celtics to get involved in a Ben Simmons trade? But nothing is that easy. Without further ado, lets take a look at the 2021-22 Boston Celtics roster. Please confirm the wagering regulations in your jurisdiction as they vary from state to state, province to province and country to country. Series History. The Celtics will now play four of their next five games at TD Garden, but it won't be any walk in the park. two seed Boston Celtics defeated the No. That's the only way they'll win on nights when the offense isn't on point. Boston wins a wild back-and-forth Game 7 against Miami to punch its ticket to the 2022 NBA Finals, where it'll clash with Golden State. Key Player. Led by Jayson Tatums 19 points, six rebounds and 10 assists, the No. Thanks to the team's depth (mostly Derrick White and Malcolm Brogdon), the Celtics were 2-1 in those contests. The Raptors have the second-hardest remaining schedule in the NBA, but Toronto has gone 4-2 since the deadline and looks, finally, to be headed in the right direction. Over his last 11 games, Tatum is shooting just 42 percent from the floor and 35 percent from three. Golden State upholds the old adage that defense wins championships with a stifling performance to finish off Boston. Call 1-800-Gambler. 2022-23 record: 33-29. Sinking another game-winner Saturday night, Jayson Tatum's career clutch efficiency is at a historic pace. Jaylen Brown signed a multi-year extension with the Boston Celtics on October 21, 2019. Select the players you wish to trade from the rosters below. Boston's dominant start to the season is a thing of the past, and now, so is their lead atop the Eastern Conference. It's an issue -- especially considering their coach, Mike Brown, is considered to be a defensive wiz. With a six-game win streak, they have now surpassed their crosstown rival Brooklyn Nets in the standings. Luke Kornet signed a contract as a free agent with the Boston Celtics on February 11, 2022. This best-of-seven series is now tied 2-2, with Game five taking place on Wednesday, May 25 (ESPN, 8:30 p.m. There are a lot of fringe playoff candidates but the Jazz are among the most capable squads. With that in mind, let's take a look at each NBA team's playoff chances the rest of the way. Led by Bam Adebayos 31 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and four steals, the No. Choose the plan that is right for you. But that kind of inconsistency is really going to cost Tatum in the MVP race. Malik Fitts signed a contract with the Boston Celtics on February 23, 2022. two seed Celtics defeated the No. Aaron Nesmith signed a multi-year contract with the Boston Celtics on November 24, 2020. Horton-Tucker has averaged 13.3 points and 6.0 assists in eight games since Utah made the three-way trade. As his mind started to race, Derrick White couldnt think. NBA.com is part of Warner Media, LLCs Turner Sports & Entertainment Digital Network, *Translations are limited to select pages, Celtics edge Heat in dramatic Game 7, make Finals, 5 takeaways from Celtics' Game 7 win in East finals, Butler's masterpiece helps Heat force Game 7, 5 takeaways from Heat's gritty Game 6 victory, Celtics take over late in Game 5 for 3-2 series lead, Brown's 2nd-half takeover (19 points) fuels Game 5 win, Celtics knot up East Finals with dominant Game 4, 5 takeaways from Celtics' series-tying win vs. Heat, Heat overcome loss of Butler, big lead in Game 3, With Butler out, Heat get defensive to win, 5 takeaways from Celtics' impressive Game 2 win, Smart returns, helps Celtics steal home court, 5 takeaways from Heat's Game 1 win vs. Celtics, Disastrous 3rd quarter derails Celtics in Game 1, From doubters to champs: What's next for Warriors, Ultimate Highlight: Best of the 2022 NBA Finals, Ultimate Highlight: Finals MVP Stephen Curry, 6 takeaways from Warriors' championship victory, Warriors cement place among NBA's greatest dynasties, The Finals Stat: Warriors stifle Celtics again, Warriors championship gear available on NBAStore.com, Best clutch moments from 2022 NBA playoffs, Steph drops mic for signature 'Night Night' pose, Draymond goes viral with message to critics, Warriors Parade: Draymond Green + Andrew Wiggins, Warriors Parade: Steph Curry + Klay Thompson, Warriors Parade: Joe Lacob and Peter Guber.