NBA seasons often are trial by fire, and it’s clear the Boston Celtics still are figuring themselves out. The Celtics have shown flashes of brilliance early in the campaign, including Friday’s thrilling overtime win over the Toronto Raptors. But they’ve also turned in some flat-out duds, including the recent West Coast road trip and Saturday’s 98-86 loss to the Utah Jazz at TD Garden. The Jazz were the early aggressors in the teams’ final regular-season meeting of the 2018-19 set, but the Celtics punched back in the second quarter, effectively stealing back the momentum. That juice only lasted so long, however, as Utah stomped on Boston in the... NESN.com
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Why Marcus Morris, Not Jaylen Brown, Guarded Kawhi Leonard In Crunch Time
BOSTON — Jaylen Brown is touted as one of the Boston Celtics’ best defenders, but when Friday’s game was on the line, he was comfortably situated on the bench. Upon checking out at 5:22 in the fourth quarter, Brown never returned to the floor in the C’s big 123-116 overtime win over the Toronto Raptors. As such, when Raptors star Kawhi Leonard had the ball, oftentimes it was Marcus Morris guarding him. And ultimately, Morris made the biggest defensive stop of the game. Tied in the fourth quarter and barely a second between the game and shot clock, Leonard handled the ball at the top of the key. Morris closely guarded him, and
NFL Rumors: Josh McDaniels On Packers’ Radar If They Fire Mike McCarthy?
Josh McDaniels has spent most of his career with one an all-time great quarterback (no, not Tim Tebow). Is he about to spend the next chapter of his career with another? The New England Patriots offensive coordinator, despite his shocking decision to back out of a deal that would make him the Indianapolis Colts head coach last offseason, still figures to be a hot commodity when the NFL coaching carousel starts up again. One team that might be riding that ride this offseason is the Green Bay Packers. After yet another game in which Green Bay played well enough to win but couldn’t finish the job, the Packers are now 4-5-1 and very
Ex-MLB GM Goes Off About Alex Cora Not Winning AL Manager Of The Year
Alex Cora guided the Red Sox to a franchise-record and Major League Baseball-best 108 wins in his first regular season as Boston’s manager. The Red Sox won the American League East. It earned Cora a new contract with Boston but not AL Manager of the Year honors, as the voters — members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America — instead sided with Athletics skipper Bob Melvin, who led Oakland to 97 regular-season victories and an AL wild-card spot. Jim Bowden found the voting to be “a joke.” The A’s shocked a lot of people with their success this season despite having the lowest Opening Day payroll in MLB, but Bowden, a forme... NESN.com
Manny Machado’s Hustling Comments ‘Troubling’ To Hal Steinbrenner
Manny Machado will be one of the most sought-after free agents during the Major League Baseball offseason, but could he have hurt his chances on where he’ll end up because of his “Johnny hustle” comments? There’s no denying Machado is a talented baseball player and he’ll likely have a number of offers from teams around the league. But his comments potentially could come back to haunt him and hurt his chances of signing that long-term lucrative contract he desires. One team the 26-year-old repeatedly has been linked to is the New York Yankees, and the team reportedly is doing “extensive research” on him. But even all the deep-diving on the ... NESN.com
Gordon Hayward, Jaylen Brown Ready To Turn Things Around For Celtics
It hasn’t been the best start to the Boston Celtics’ season through their first 13 games, but the team is looking forward to turning it around Wednesday night. The C’s begin a three-game homestand when they welcome the Chicago Bulls to TD Garden on Wednesday. Despite a 7-6 record, the team knows it’s capable of playing better, and two of their promising players are ready to break out of the slump. Both Gordon Hayward and Jaylen Brown aren’t playing up to expectations, but they know what needs to be done in order to get up to speed. To hear from Hayward and Brown, check out the “NESN Sports Today” video above, presented
Tuukka Rask’s Leave Of Absence Ends As Goalie Returns To Bruins Practice
It appears Tuukka Rask’s leave of absence is over, and now we wait for more answers. The Boston Bruins goalie was on the ice for the team’s practice Tuesday morning, according to reporters in attendance. It’s Rask’s first appearance with the team since being granted a leave of absence for personal reasons on Friday. The nature of those personal reasons is still unclear, and perhaps Rask will speak with the media after Bruins practice. The B’s are going on a four-game road trip which begins Wednesday night in Colorado, and it’s still unclear whether Rask will make the trip with the team. However, goalie Dan Vladar, who was recalled on a... NESN.com