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Will the defending champion Boston Celtics keep on winning at the same pace they did the last two years?
Your Boston Celtics are the reigning NBA Champions. That’s still fun to write and I may keep writing that at the start of every article all summer long. Oh yeah, and I have no intention of removing the “breaking news” banner at the top of the site until the Celtics actually raise their own banner. But I digress.
The Celtics are bringing back...pretty much everyone from their title team. They won 64 games in the regular season last year. The year before that they won 57 (we won’t talk about the playoffs because we never have to again).
Now we turn our attention to the upcoming regular season. Win totals are much less important than playoff results, but they are a pretty decent indicator of who will be there at the end.
I’m not a betting man, but I do enjoy seeing the Vegas over-under lines. They are a good early indicator of how teams stack up against each other in the minds of the consensus (yes, I know that betting volume tends to move the lines and I’m sure it is very complex - but this is close enough).
Draft Kings has the Celtics at 57.5 wins. So that begs the question, do you think the Celtics are going to exceed that number?
On one hand, the Celtics are just as good as they were a year ago and now have the swagger of an NBA champion.
On the other hand, they could take their foot off the gas a little believing that they can ramp back up in the playoffs. The rest of the league will be targeting the Celtics, though to be fair, I think most assumed they were one of the top teams to take down the last few years anyway. So they should be used to that. Of course Kristaps Porzingis will miss a few months of the season (and likely be brought up to speed slowly).
So I can see why the lines have the Celtics taking a little bit of a step back. Then again, they could take a step back and still be 2 steps ahead of the rest of the pack. So I guess we’ll see.
What do you think? Elaborate in the comments below!
Photo by Suzanne Kreiter/The Boston Globe via Getty Images
A deeper look at what Boston Celtics second-round draft pick Anton Watson brings to the table and areas he needs to improve.
The Boston Celtics summer league is over. Despite ending their participation with a 2-3 record, there were some fun games over the past week, with multiple members of D.J. MacLeay’s rotation impressing when given the opportunity. Even Jordan Walsh — who had struggled through four games, found a way to erase some of his tough nights from our memory courtesy of his performance on Sunday.
However, it was Boston’s two new rookies who stood out. We’ve already looked at Baylor Scheierman at what he could potentially bring to the Celtics rotation. If you missed that, you can find it here.
Today, we’re looking at the other new addition to Boston’s rotation: Anton Watson. The young “tweener” had a strong Summer League showing. He averaged 11.8 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists while shooting 51.1% from the field and 35% from deep.
Rather than looking at every aspect of Watson’s skill set, we’re going to focus on the areas that could translate to a potential role in Boston or Maine. Those areas are: Off-ball cutting, perimeter playmaking, catch-and-shoot threes and defense. Watson does have more to his game than those four areas, but as we move toward training camp and, ultimately, the start of the season, any potential role he receives will likely comprise those skills.
Off-ball cutting
During his final season with Gonzaga, 17.1% of Watson’s overall offensive production came via off-ball cutting. He shot 66.2% in these scenarios, going 47-of-71.
In Summer League, Watson generally comprises four offensive play types: floor spacer, ball handler, screener, and DHO initiator. However, at the NBA level, where touches are much harder to come by, Watson would likely rely on his cutting ability to generate scoring opportunities for himself and others.
Those opportunities won’t always come by cutting toward the rim. He could also cut onto the perimeter courtesy of exit screens or pin-downs, where he could then flow into a shooting motion or provide some secondary creation.
Knowing that Watson can work without the ball and still be effective is encouraging.
Still, Watson’s lack of size does place a question mark over his interior scoring at the next level. At 6-foot-8, Watson is prone to getting stuffed at the rim or being forced to escape dribble and slow the offense down.
Defenders in the NBA are stronger, faster and more explosive. If Watson wants to be a multi-level scoring threat, he must add some tricks to his interior scoring game while also packing on strength to finish through contact.
His lack of size and strength is a primary reason why I don’t expect his post-up game to translate from the college to the pros, which is why we won’t be looking at that play type today. For reference, he took 65 shots out of post-ups, shooting 47.7%.
What we have seen, though, is that Watson is a capable post-passer. He has good vision, makes quick reads, and has the size to see over perimeter defenders if they try to pressure him with digs into the post.
Boston’s post offense is usually reserved for Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis. Al Horford may operate in there from time to time, too. However, unless Watson has cut off a screen and found himself in a post-up position, I don’t envision him needing to create from the block on a consistent basis — at least, not during the earlier years of his career.
Instead, the role we’ve seen from him in Summer League is likely what he would be tasked with in the NBA (and G-League).
A perimeter hub
When I think of how Watson could crack the main Celtics rotation, it’s this play that comes to mind. Joe Mazzulla’s offensive system is predicated on a five-out offense. As such, the big must be reliable on the perimeter, not only as a scorer but also as a creator and screener.
In the above clip, Watson initiates two separate dribble hand-offs. He also fakes a DHO with JD Davison. He sets multiple screens. And then, when the spacing is there, and the corner is empty, he rolls toward the rim, providing a passing outlet for Jordan Walsh, and gets an easy bucket as the reward for all of his hard work.
Watson’s fingerprints are all over that play. His willingness to move the rock, attack second-side actions, and make the most of the space his work has created are all encouraging signs of a potential fit within Boston’s system.
Here’s another example. Once again, Watson is tasked with operating on the perimeter in a delay action. And once again, Watson showcases his patience and willingness to let things unfold around him. The play ends in a flare screen for Baylor Scheierman. The shot doesn’t fall, but the half-court action involving Watson is our focus in this instance, and in that respect, he showcased his perimeter creation ability.
Watson’s perimeter-based game does have shades of Al Horford. He’s a mobile screener, plays at his own pace and tempo, can score off the catch on the perimeter and in the corner, has some post-creation skills. The rookie has previously spoken about learning from the recently crowned champion big man.
“Shooting is obviously a big piece. Kind of like that Al Horford role. He’s a great shooter. I think learning from him is going to be huge for me and actually all the veterans on this team,” Watson said. “Shooting is going to be huge and just my defense, using that to my strengths and coming out and guarding every single game. That’s going to be big for me. Yeah, shooting is going to open up my offensive ability, but defense is where I’m strong at.”
Catch-and-shoot 3s
Let’s start by looking at Watson’s year-by-year catch-and-shoot numbers since he entered his rookie season with Gonzaga.
Year 1, 2019-20: Watson took shot 7 catch-and-shoot three-point shots, hitting 1, 14.3% conversion rate.
Year 2, 2020-21: Watson took 16 shots, hitting 3, 18.8% conversion rate.
Year 3, 2021-22: Watson took 13 shots, hitting 3, 23.1% conversion rate.
Year 4, 2022-23: Watson took 32 shots, hitting 10, 31.3% conversion rate
Year 5, 2023-24: Watson took 29 shots, hitting 12, 41.4% conversion rate.
In summer league, Watson took 12 shots, hitting 4 of them with a 33.3% conversion rate.
Shots like the one in the clip above are going to be there for Watson at the NBA and G-League level. If he can get comfortable re-locating into the corner and providing a catch-and-shoot release valve for the penetrating ball-handler, he will get plenty of reps to continue developing his shot, mechanics and range.
Horford took 257 corner threes last season, knocking them down at a 42% clip. The shot will be there for Watson when he’s on the court, as will the spacing and creation to give him high-quality attempts. The rest will be on him to keep working on his shot, building rhythm and making sure his motion is repeatable.
You can see a very similar play (and outcome) in the clip above, this time coming from the opposite corner. Once again, the ball-handler has engaged the defense, created space for Watson off the catch, and the Gonzaga product gets the shot to fall. We’ve seen the Celtics thrive off these spray actions since Mazzulla took over the head coaching gig, so it makes sense to believe Watson could spell minutes in a similar three-and-d role.
In this clip, you can see Watson run the floor to provide a “pitch-ahead” outlet in transition. When the ball doesn’t find Watson near the rim, he quickly relocates to fill the corner. JD Davison attacks off a stampede cut, draws multiple defenders and sprays the ball out to Watson for a wide-open three.
We’ve now seen three different clips of Watson hitting corner threes, all via dribble-drive penetration dishes. Those are the exact type of shots he will get with Boston and likely in Maine, too. The more of those he can take, the better he will get.
Of course, we’ve also seen that he’s capable of hitting a pull-up in space, too, which is vital for when he’s operating as a creation hub in the delay.
Defense
During his final year in Gonzaga, Watson spent a lot of time guarding on the perimeter, primarily getting switched onto guards or smaller wings. The result was he often got beat off the dribble. He also got caught when trying to rotate early, often finding himself having to close out hard on shooters.
When guarding spot-up shooting possessions like the one above, Watson held his opponents to a 50.9 effective field goal percentage, with them hitting 40% of their field goals and 38.2% of their threes.
Watson did have better success in summer league, primarily due to being matched up with forwards and rarely getting caught on tough switches. He also spent more time guarding corner shooters, which allowed him to use his size and ability to control angels to limit his opponents.
The above clip is the type of defensive possession and role we should expect to see from Watson. Tasked with guarding the corner, providing help defense around the rim, and switching on screens. He has the lateral quickness, low center of gravity and body control to cut off the court when guarding with the sideline and baseline as extra defenders.
His problem is when he’s tasked with guarding in space. Watson got dragged into 11 isolation defensive possessions in summer league, with his opponents shooting 72.7% against him. At this point in his development, he’s better suited as a supplementary defender who can guard fours and fives and protect the corner. If he’s switched onto quicker, shifter players, he struggled to keep pace with them.
Watson has some work to do on the defensive end. Don’t let his PnR defensive numbers fool you, either. Synergy has tracked him as holding opposing ball-handlers to 24.4% shooting when operating as the PnR ball-handler defender, indicating he can hold his own in a switch-based system.
However, when diving into the film, the majority of those possessions are show-and-recover, meaning Watson didn’t actually contest the shot but limited the ball-handler from penetrating before recovering to the rolling big.
Watson has the tools to become a reliable defender at the NBA level. However, it may be an area that limits his ability to crack the rotation over the next year or two while he continues to develop that side of his game. Still, if he can sustain solid defense across the low helpline and impact corner shooters while also rotating as a helper, he should have a defined role if he gets his number called.
After all, Watson was a late second-round draft pick; expecting him to be a finished product is unfair. While his offensive game has clear NBA translatability, his defense must catch up, especially after being drafted by a team that prides itself on being a lockdown unit.
Final thoughts
Watson emerged as my favorite Celtic at summer league. His NBA-ready approach on offense, coupled with his personal pace made him a fun prospect to track. His defense didn’t look to out of place due to his defined role, and for the most part, he projected as someone who could potentially spell minutes in a pinch.
However, with summer league now in the history books and some additional film work under my belt, I wouldn’t expect to see too much of the Gonzaga alumn in the coming season. He needs to considerably improve his defense if he’s going to hold his own at the NBA level — with guarding in space being a main focus point, in my opinion.
Fortunately for Watson, he’s landed on a Celtics team that has proven to be gifted at developing talent in recent years. If he can make some strides on the defensive side of the ball, he could be knocking on the door for a rotation spot next season when both Horford and Luke Kornet will be reaching the end of their current contracts. That timeline seems reasonable and potentially achievable for Watson.
For now, it will be fun tracking his progress in Maine.
The 2024 NBA Champions released their preseason matchups, including some international exhibitions.
After closing out Summer League in Las Vegas on Sunday against the Philadelphia 76ers, the Boston Celtics have released their preseason schedule. In an offseason full of championship celebrations and Boston well-represented on the Olympic squad, the NBA season feels like it’s just around the corner.
On October 4th and 6th, the Celtics will play overseas in Abu Dhabi at Etihad Arena against the Denver Nuggets. The move to play in Abu Dhabi was first announced back in March, with the aim to further grow the game of basketball internationally. It’s a very fitting matchup to do so, with the last two NBA Champions set to square off with one of the biggest international stars at its center in Nikola Jokic.
After returning to the United States, the Boston Celtics will have back-to-backgames on October 12th and 13th against the new-and-improved Philadelphia 76ers and Toronto Raptors at TD Garden. Their final game to close out the NBA preseason will be on October 15th at Scotiabank Arena against the Toronto Raptors.
All of these games will be available for viewing on NBC Sports Boston, with tickets available for purchase here.
Photo by Danielle Parhizkaran/The Boston Globe via Getty Images
The Celtics have dished out over a billion dollars in extensions to keep the championship team together. How might that play out?
The Boston Celtics are running it back. In fact, they may just be running it back harder than any team in the last 20 years.
With the singing of Sam Hauser to a four-year, $45 million contract extension on Sunday, the Celtics have now guaranteed that their entire championship top-nine will be returning for at least next year. And as far as I can tell, that’s the first time in at least the last twenty years that has happened. I couldn’t even find a championship top-eight staying intact, let alone a top-nine.
That is pretty much unprecedented, and it’s worth wondering if that’s actually a good idea. It’s also more worth wondering if they really had a choice, and the most worth wondering if it even matters right now. I’m like 91.2 percent sure it’s a good idea, but let’s play out all the various situations the Celtics have now gotten themselves into and see if we can figure it out. Break.
Just so we’re all on the same page: Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, Jrue Holiday, Sam Hauser and Payton Pritchard are all signed for at least the next four years, which is absolutely insane when you say it out loud. Kristaps Porzingis is under contract for the next two, and Al Horford will be an unrestricted free agent next summer, as will Luke Kornet.
That is the Celtics’ entire relevant rotation. They are likely to lose Oshae Brissett to free agency, a marginal contributor last year, but retained Xavier Tillman who basically subsumed Brissett’s role in the playoffs. He was particularly effective in spots in the NBA Finals, meaning that — for all intents and purposes — the Celtics are basically keeping their top-ten.
Photo by Maddie Malhotra/Getty Images
Let’s start with the fun stuff. That’s awesome, this is awesome, I love this, you love this, everyone loves this. These contracts are way more fun than last summer, which was the unfortunate media feeding-frenzy around the Jaylen Brown extension, at the time the richest contract in NBA history. It’s not that Celtics fans didn’t like the contract; most of us loved it. But none of it tasted as sweet as it should have coming off a crushing Eastern Conference Finals defeat.
But after winning the NBA Finals, this offseason has been dipped in so much Nutella, powdered sugar, and topped with so many strawberries and cream that we’re basically making a 5-year-old’s ideal IHOP order. Everything is inherently awesome, backed up by the endless sunshine and lollipops of winning the NBA Finals. Kornet one-year deal? Epic. Tillman coming back? Spectacular. Derrick White and Jayson Tatum extensions on the same day?! Someone set up another Duck Boat parade.
Depending on where you stand on the Official Celtics Love/Hate Spectrum — with “1960s Los Angeles Lakers Fan” at one end and “50-Year Celtics Season Ticket Holder” on the other — you’ll probably see the flurry of extensions dramatically differently.
At the positive end, the Celtics just won the NBA Finals and are going to be the favorites to win it again at the very least through November. When healthy, they are the best team, and while the Eastern Conference has improved, it’s not exactly prime LeBron James arriving in Miami to subjugate the conference like some sort of morally-depraved 16th Century Conquistador, like he did in 2010.
Let’s take stock: the Milwaukee Bucks are basically the same, but Giannis Antetokounmpo does still definitely exist. Paul George is now on the Philadelphia 76ers, which doesn’t guarantee them anything but does make them a lot better. Mikal Bridges is now on the New York Knicks, apparently looking to prove that reconstructing a college championship team in the NBA is the league’s best-kept secret. Again, nothing is guaranteed, but they are also better, which is the goal of teams that think they have a chance.
The radical Celtics positivist would argue that none of those teams actually have a chance, which I would argue is probably a little too much powdered sugar. Strength invites challenge, and the rest of the Eastern Conference wasn’t just about to fold in the face of a Celtics roster that, on paper, is absolutely cracked and isn’t going anywhere.
The 1960s Lakers fans among us will probably focus less on the quality of the roster and more on the absolutely bananas financial situation this is going to put the Celtics in. In 2025-26, once all those extensions kick in, the Celtics will be running by-far the highest payroll in NBA history, and almost certainly will be going over the NBA’s most-recently-established salary cap boogyman for two straight years: “The Second Apron.”
I don’t want to dwell on finances too much, since the practical implications of this newfangled device — invented last offseason to prevent overpowered superteams from existing — haven’t yet had time to play out, but here’s the upshot. Because the Celtics will be exceeding a super-high number in the luxury tax twice, they will only be able to make minute roster changes; limited to the veteran minimum, first round and second round exceptions. Their first round pick will also be moved to the end of the first round.
There has been lots of speculation about how teams view this “Second Apron,” most of it saying it’s basically the NBA’s fancy version of a hard cap, intended to basically save the owners from themselves by providing such a colossal disincentive to overrun the luxury tax that nobody would do it. Let alone twice in a row.
Well… it seems like the Celtics are going to do it. Whatever agreement Brad Stevens and Wyc Grousbeck have behind the scenes seems to boil down to “sign everybody regardless of consequences and then figure it out later.” By doing so, their roster flexibility is basically zero, which — so long as everything remains sunshine and lollipops for the next few years — shouldn’t matter.
This assertion is the 8.8 percent that scares me. Everything looks awesome now, but stuff tends to go wrong in the NBA, no matter how great everything might look on paper. Teams have gone all-in, built superteams, and flamed out so spectacularly that people are left wondering if the Brooklyn Nets should just move back to New Jersey.
I’ve quoted former Celtics assistant Jay Larranaga many times as saying to Brad Stevens, “If we’re not trying to improve, we’ll stop being good,” as I truly believe that remaining aggressive is the key to not getting passed by. But I take solace in the inevitability of it all, because what were the Celtics going to do? NOT re-sign the historically great team that just won the NBA Finals?
Whether or not this will wind up backfiring is a moot point, and it’s probably less likely than other financially-hamstrung teams. The Celtics have not achieved this quote-unquote superteam by trading draft picks. Their hardships are financial, not material, and whomever Grousbeck ends up selling the team to will know the situation they’re getting into. Also, if the Celtics have to trade someone in order to get under the Second Apron if things go sideways, then it will be a good thing since… you know, things have gone sideways.
Seneca the Younger said that a man who suffers before it is necessary suffers more than is necessary. When things are going well, we may as well just bet on them continuing to go well rather than freaking out about a yet-realized future. And for now, I choose to eat the 5-year-old IHOP breakfast.
The first thing I notice about Las Vegas isn’t the lights, although they’re bright, or the heat, although its 120 degrees — it’s the noise. The incessant jangling of slots, the music thumping from invisible speakers, and the din of excited conversation. Not only was this my first trip to NBA Summer League; it was my first trip to Vegas ever.
It’s July 11th, I’ve just landed flying in from Pittsburgh by way of Denver. As my silent cab driver drops me off at Planet Hollywood, I’m officially in Las Vegas. If you know nothing about me, which I imagine is almost everyone reading this, this trip wasn’t justabout going to Summer League. It was also about meeting with my podcast co-hosts from our pod First to the Floor.I think one differentiating factor of our show separating it amongst the plethora of Celtics and basketball pods, is that we do it from opposite corners of the world, none of which are Boston, or even New England. I’m stationed in West Virginia, while Ben and Jake are Australians. And they aren’t just “from” Australia. They currently live there.
Suffice to say, we don’t get a lot of opportunities to meet, even Ben and Jake live in different parts of Australia (apparently, they have states too, who knew?). In fact, I’d only ever met Ben in person once, when we went to the 2022 NBA Finals together, and Jake I’d never met. There’s a unique feeling that comes with meeting two people in-person that you’ve spoken to endlessly over the internet. A giddy excitement to see two people that I would consider very good friends at this point, mixed with a tinge of anxiety around seeing them in 3 dimensions instead of 2. I never thought a highlight of my 37th year on Earth would be meeting my internet friends, but welcome to 2024.
After I drop my bags off at my hotel room (incurring a $28.00 early check-in fee, welcome to Vegas), I start the search for somewhere to wait. Ben’s just landed after a 20+ hour journey and needs time to gather himself before meeting with me. Jake’s due to land around 6 pm. It’s this set of circumstances that leads me to Cabo Wabo.
Apparently, Cabo Wabo is a tequila brand. The bar feels like somewhere sunburned middle-aged folks would congregate at Myrtle Beach, a scene I’m not unfamiliar with. The bartender is pierced and tattooed, chatty, but not overly. We bond over mouthing the lyrics to Rage Against the Machine’s “Guerilla Radio” at the same time, a head nod of respect.
Time is just a suggestion in Vegas, but about halfway through margarita #3, I hear the familiar Aussie-twinged “Spooney!” from behind me. Ben has arrived.
I turn around, get out of my seat, and we execute a slightly awkward but wholly earnest dap/hug combination. We commiserate about our excitement for Summer League and Jordan Walsh (didn’t age well) and conclude with how much we love our kids after 20 minutes of complaining about them. We are off to a bar call Beer Park, where we have a drink and some wings as the Vegas sun creeps closer to the horizon.
Then it’s off to the Paris Casino where Ben loses an undisclosed amount in under 30 minutes. Time melts away and, as Janos would say, “whiskey is pour.” Then a text comes through. It’s time to meet Jake out front. The congregation complete.
Hugs are had, Jake mentions that it’s weird seeing me in the flesh (I think, it’s all a bit hazy by that point), I comment that I am actually real, not totally believing it at that point. We gamble for a while; Ben records a 10-minute conversation between Jake and I about the best starting Pokémon (we agree that its Squirtle). At some point we head to bed; all of our pockets just a bit lighter. Summer League officially starts tomorrow.
Jake (also staying at Planet Hollywood) and I meet Ben at the Aria where he is staying. We snag an Uber to the Thomas & Mack Center. It’s a modern venue not all that different from TD Garden, the jerseys of UNLV legends like Larry Johnson and Stacey Augmon adding to the hallowed nature of the proceedings.
We quickly learn that the beauty of Summer League is that the games are played at the Thomas & Mack and Cox Pavilion, which are attached. $45 to get in the door and then it’s all you can consume basketball until late into the night.
The first thing we hear when entering Thomas & Mack, even above the din of conversation, is the squeaking of sneakers on the hardwood. I dare someone to find a better sound than that — the basketball equivalent of Symphony Number 9. There’s an exclamatory cheer: someone must have dunked. I can feel the anticipation building, but first we stop off at aconcession stand.
Ben and I have the first of a series of beer-related miscommunications and we end up with 5 beers instead of 3. We persevere and find some excellent seats in the first row of the balcony.
Our introductory game is Timberwolves-Pelicans. It’s unremarkable other than Jake commenting on how many shots Jordan Hawkins is taking and missing (6/23 by game’s end), and me cheering for Jesse Edwards, who went to my alma mater of West Virginia University and who also promptly gets dunked on when he enters the game. Then, the real show starts.
Game 2 is the Los Angeles Lakers against the Houston Rockets. There are multiple interesting storylines at play here. For Houston, we’re giddy that Cam Whitmore is inexplicably playing, and excited to get a first glimpse at Reed Sheppard, 3rd pick in the draft. The heavy Lakers crowd (Vegas is a very short flight and an easy drive from LA) are here for one man: Bronny James.
There’s a massive cascade of cheers every time Bronny makes a shot in warmups.The Lakers fans are living and dying with Bronny. At one point, still in warmups, he tries to throw himself an alley-oop. It fails spectacularly, the Lakers fans audibly groan, and I can’t contain the guffaw that erupts from my mouth. As a LeBron hater, I have nothing against Bronny, but it’s difficult to separate father from son and I’m a bad person. The Lakers fan sitting next to us doesn’t appreciate it.
The Lakers crowd gives the game an electric atmosphere. Every Dalton Knecht three is met with raucous cheers; every Cam Whitmore dunk uncomfortable silence. Whitmore quickly establishes he’s way too good for Summer League, and Bronny quickly establishes he should have stayed another year (or two) at USC.
I won’t sugar coat it; we are watching a brutal game from James. The Lakers fans start loudly groaning for every missed Bronny jumper. It’s raw, uncut schadenfreude for Celtics fans.
At some point in the fourth quarter, the impossible happens. I start to feel bad for Bronny James. While he’s had every advantage that life can provide you, it’s still very difficult to watch someone struggle that loud. It wasn’t even just loud, it was cacophonously.
But the real highlight is Reed Sheppard. Reed is a 6’3” guard out of Kentucky. He was obviously highly rated after going 3rd in the draft, but what we are witnessing is the Shep-show. If you are primarily a Celtics fan and/or didn’t pay attention to Summer League, you are missing out.
Reed flashes it all. Absurd passing vision, quick defensive hands, and the shooting,
Oh baby, the shooting. I liked Sheppard as a prospect, but I didn’t anticipate this, especially in his first professional game. He doesn’t just look like he belongs. He’s making everyone else look like they don’t. There is no greater crowd sound than the “oooohhhhh” a player generates when he pulls off something truly nasty. Sheppard generated about a handful of those in his first game. It was intoxicating, or perhaps that was the beer. Either way, we were having fun.
After that game ends, we bounce around the building a bit, take a peek at Cox, and then settle in at Thomas & Mack for the big showdown with the number 1 pick versus number 2 pick. Zaccharie Risacher and Alex Sarr, can you fell the EXCITEMENT?
The fans in Vegas very much don’t feel the excitement. The crowd has palpably thinned after the Hawks and Wizards get under way with the Lakers fans leaving in shame. I disclose to Ben and Jake that I really like Alex Sarr as a prospect, which will come back to haunt me later. Risacher actually looks pretty solid in his early minutes and Alex Sarr is big, which can be helpful — not for him — but for some players.
It’s a pretty uneventful game although we all agree that Bub Carrington looked good. We end up heading back to the Strip sometime in the third quarter. The plan is to meet up with a few other CelticsBlog folks and go from there. First, however, we record and episode of the podcast in Ben’s hotel room.
We end up finding the Celticsblog crew, putt around the Aria for a bit, before ultimately settling in to grab burgers. We have a nice chat, headlined by everyone ganging up on Jack Simone for his take that Payton Pritchard is better than TJ McConnell. We all decide it’s best to call it an early night because tomorrow the real fun begins. The Celtics play.
Part 2 coming soon.
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Online sites for Boston Celtics basketball NBA live stream
Fans of the Boston Celtics can watch their team on various streaming services. Here's a guide to help you find the best options, prioritizing free services and those with free trials:
Free Streaming Options:
1. NBA.com: The NBA and its broadcast partner TNT occasionally offer free streamed presentations of particular games. To check availability, visit NBA.com and look for the "Watch" link next to the scheduled game. If available, you'll see "Watch TNT" as an option.
2. TNT Overtime: Sometimes available within the NBA League Pass selection box on NBA.com, offering free streaming for select games.
Paid Streaming Services with Free Trials:
1. YouTube TV: Offers a free trial period. Sign up here.
2. Hulu + Live TV: Provides a free trial. Sign up here.
3. fuboTV: Includes a free trial period. Sign up here.
Regional sports networks (RSNs) often air local NBA games. Ensure your streaming service package includes the relevant RSN.
Some streaming providers allow sign-in using credentials from your existing cable, satellite, or telco TV provider without additional cost.
By exploring these options, you can find the best way to watch Boston Celtics games, whether through free streams or by taking advantage of free trials from paid services.
TD Garden Arena location and map
TD Stadium Arena 100 Legends Way, Boston, Massachusetts 02114 Phone: 617-624-1331 Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. https://www.tdgarden.com/
Contact the Boston Celtics NBA Basketball organization Boston Celtics Arena and Headquarters 226 Causeway Street, Fourth Floor, Boston, Massachusetts 02114 Phone: 866-4CELTIX Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. http://www.nba.com/celtics
