Boston, MA
How much have Celtics improved this season?
The Boston Celtics took down the Dallas Mavericks 119-110 for their 34th win of the season on Monday night, closing out the game with authority and staving off a comeback attempt from Dallas. Boston has tallied back-to-back wins to kick off their west coast trip after their 116-107 win over the Rockets on Sunday.
Through their first 42 games, the Celtics have delivered well on their potential as a contender, pacing the East and the league with a 32-10 record. Boston isn’t done growing and learning with their roster, but how much has the team improved in comparison to the past few seasons?
With an ample sample to work with, it’s time to look at some numbers. Last season the Celtics were 30-12 through the first 42, and the year before that, they were .500 with a 21-21 record before their miraculous in-season turnaround under Ime Udoka. Both years, Boston ended up as a top two seed followed by deep playoff runs, and based on some projections, the Celtics very well may finish with over 60 wins on the season; per Cleaning the Glass, Boston is currently on a 63-win pace this season.
In terms of advanced stats, Boston has kept the ball rolling, building off the past two seasons with very similar offensive, defensive, and net ratings. The biggest difference is how potent on offense the Celtics have become while still playing some of the best defense in the NBA, leading to a league-leading 9.8 net rating. Boston has dominated the glass, especially on the defensive end, leading the league in both rebounds per game and defensive rebounds per game, and they’ve ranked top two in blocks per game and block attempts.
This uptick is in no small part to the roster changes Boston made over the summer, and it’s hard to argue with the results so far. Kristaps Porzingis has been a massive addition, Jrue Holiday has done well in filling the void left by Marcus Smart, and Derrick White has continued to find another level to his game on both sides of the court as a key cog in the Celtics starting lineup. With All-Star weekend just under a month away, it’s also worth noting that Boston’s starting five is getting some serious recognition across the board.
LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo lead their respective conferences in the third fan returns of #NBAAllStar Voting presented by AT&T.
Fans account for 50% of the vote to decide All-Star starters. NBA players and a media panel account for 25% each. pic.twitter.com/fyGeQXgEhH
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) January 18, 2024
After thirteen seasons, the Celtics have a real chance of having more than two All-Stars with Holiday, White, Brown, Tatum, and Porzingis all in the top-10 in votes at their position through January 18th. If Boston has three or more players named to the All-Star Game, it will be for the first time since the Big Three era trio of Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett.
From 2007-2011, the Celtics had at least three players every season earn All-Star honors, with four players making the ASG roster between Allen, Garnett, Pierce and Rondo in 2011. That year, Boston tied the record for most All-Stars from one team, a feat that has happened 9 times in NBA history, most recently being in 2018 with the Golden State Warriors. As of now, the Celtics have the chance to make NBA history if their entire starting five makes the final cut. The NBA will announce the All-Star Game starters this Thursday, January 25th.
Beyond the roster changes and overall performance so far this season, the biggest question is the mentality of this team and breaking out of bad habits, including the team’s late-game offense and execution. After their narrow loss to the reigning champion Denver Nuggets, Boston’s late game offense became subject of conversations again after multiple missed shots. It’s a fair concern to have, especially with Boston’s track record of late game collapses in years past. So, how have the Celtics fared so far in the clutch?
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Through the first 42 this season, Boston is 13-8 in clutch game situations, tied for 5th most wins in the league. By comparison, the Celtics were 12-5 in clutch games last year and a dreadful 8-16 in clutch games during the 2021-22 season. When looking at clutch situations within the final minute, Boston had a record of 9-5 in 2022-23 and 9-8 this season, just barely above .500; the Celtics are also 2-3 in overtime. Despite this, the Celtics actually have a better clutch net rating this season than the last two years, and even with concerns over late game offense, Boston’s clutch offensive rating was top five in the league for the first half of the season.
The number of clutch games is slightly concerning, but that may be a byproduct of a tough schedule. Boston was tied with the Orlando Magic for 5th strongest strength of schedule through the first half of the season; as for their remaining games, Boston has the easiest remaining strength of schedule outside of the Magic, per Tankathon. Either way you slice it, the Celtics have kept finding themselves in close games, but it should help that their schedule softens up quite a bit after January.
Overall, the Boston Celtics have been markedly improved this season, and they still have ample time to improve in terms of chemistry and rhythm with the second half of the schedule already underway. Even with all of the success the Celtics have, it feels like this unit has another level of basketball it can reach, and it’ll be fun watching them try to unlock it in time for the postseason.
Boston, MA
The Seahawks ruin the ending to a magical Patriots season – The Boston Globe
Your Pats, who had won 16 out of 17 and not lost by more than 7 points all season, were shocked and awed Sunday by the Seattle Seahawks, losing Super Bowl LX, 29-13, at Levi’s Stadium. This wasn’t Bears, 46-10, like in New Orleans in 1986, but there were times it felt just as feeble. The Patriots were demolished and became the first team to lose six Super Bowls.
It was Starbucks over Dunks. By a lot.
“We had a really good year, one that I’m proud of,” said Patriots coach Mike Vrabel. “This game isn’t a reflection of our year. They [Seattle] are a good football team. I hope we’re able to learn from this. We understand how hard it is to get here.”
The offense in the first three quarters was historically bad. New England punted on its first eight full possessions, then fumbled on the ninth and trailed, 19-0, four plays into the fourth quarter. The Patriots became the first team in 51 years to fail to score in the first three quarters of a Super Bowl.
The dam burst at the end of the third when poor Drake Maye (two interceptions, a lost fumble, six sacks) gave the Seahawks possession on the New England 37. Less then two minutes later, Sam Darnold badly burned Patriots linebacker Jack Gibbens for a 16-yard touchdown pass. The rest of the game was for bettors only, the lowlight coming when a shirtless fan streaked across the field, avoided security, and was chased down by Patriot speedster Kyle Williams.
So much for New England’s Cinderella story. The clock ran out. The slipper wouldn’t fit. The charming narrative of the plucky Patriots, who vaulted from 4-13 all the way to the Super Bowl, can never be diminished. But it ended badly, and there will ever be suspicion that the Fortunate Sons of Vrabel merely took advantage of one of the easiest schedules in league history — the Pats played 11 games against teams who fired their coaches, plus the Jets twice — then got hot in the playoffs and advanced because of their place in the NFL’s weaker conference.
It was certainly a tough Super Bowl week for longtime Patriot owner, Robert Kraft. MAGA-Bob had his name leaked in the Epstein files, was again snubbed in his quest for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and Saturday was trolled at the Duke-UNC hoop game by Bill Belichick’s 24-year-old girlfriend Jordon Hudson with an Orchids of Asia T-shirt — the Florida spa where Kraft was charged with solicitation of prostitution in 2019. (Charges were dropped.)
And then this dismal game. The only way Kraft’s week could have gotten worse would be a second viewing of “Melania.”
Super Bowl LX was a rematch of Super Bowl XLIX in Arizona 11 years ago — a game won when Seattle coach Pete Carroll failed to give the ball to Marshawn Lynch on the 1-yard line. (Thanks, Malcolm Butler!) It was the worst Seattle sports moment since they lost the Sonics.
This time around, the Pats were 4½-point underdogs against a dominant Seattle team that won eight games by at least two touchdowns and compiled the league’s largest point differential. The Seahawks did not commit a single postseason turnover.
Underdog status was nothing new to your 2025-26 Pats, who ran through a raft of Tomato Cans to go 14-3, followed by impressive playoff wins against the Chargers, Texans, and Broncos. It all vaulted the Patriots to their 12th Super Bowl, four more than any other NFL team.
Maye had never played in a Super Bowl, nor set foot on Levi’s Stadium’s real grass surface, but he attended Super Bowl 50 in Santa Clara with his dad when he was 13 years old in 2016. A Charlotte native, The Drake grew up rooting for the Panthers and his dad brought him to Carolina’s 24-10 loss to the Broncos.
“It’s a full-circle moment,” Maye said after the Pats checked into their Santa Clara hotel last Sunday. “I think that’s the biggest thing. I’m just so thankful for my dad to be able to take me to a Super Bowl. I don’t take that for granted; not every kid gets to experience that. I was able to watch my favorite team at the time and I got to see Peyton Manning’s last game — what a cool experience that was. And now, to be here and playing in one for myself, I don’t take that for granted.”
Maye was the NFL’s MVP runner-up in 2025, throwing 31 touchdown passes with only eight interceptions, running for 450 yards, and completing a whopping 72 percent of his passes. Playoff Drake was not the same player. Competing against four of the NFL’s top six defenses, Maye’s completion percentage dipped to 58, he was sacked a postseason-record 21 times, intercepted four times, and lost four fumbles.
Don’t let Maye’s Super Bowl stats (27 for 43, 295 yards, two touchdowns) deceive you. The Drake couldn’t do anything when it mattered Sunday and much of it was not his fault. His offensive line couldn’t handle the pressure.
“They played better than us tonight and they beat us,” said Maye. “They brought pressure and got us a few times. There were times I could have made a better throw or a better decision. It comes down to who makes the play and they made more than we did.”
It was 67 degrees and sunny at kickoff in this rare outdoor NFL championship event. San Francisco legend Joe Montana flipped the coin, Seattle lost the toss, and the Patriots — just like in the old days — deferred. Butler was the official ringer of the bell for the Pats before Andy Borregales kicked off.
Seattle allowed the fewest points in the NFL this year and gave a great demonstration of its prowess. New England’s defense played well for most of the night, holding the Seahawks to four field goals in the first three quarters, but it became too hard when Maye started turning the ball over.
The blowout will reinforce the notion that the Seattle-Rams NFC Championship game was the de-facto Super Bowl of 2026. Maybe so, but that shouldn’t take away from the magic ride that got the Patriots to Super Bowl LX.
Remember this team fondly. Just try not to think about the last game.
It was bad.
Dan Shaughnessy is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at daniel.shaughnessy@globe.com. Follow him @dan_shaughnessy.
Boston, MA
FIRST ALERT: Headed out before the Super Bowl? It’ll be wicked cold
It’s a Super Sunday as we anxiously await the results of the Super Bowl. For anyone headed to a watch party, make sure you’re bundled up.
The wicked cold is locked in across the Northeast thanks to a piece of the polar vortex moving in and we’re north of a big dip in the jet stream.
By total contrast, out west, California continues to see pleasant weather, south of a jet stream and ridging, and therefore temps are in the 60s for Super Bowl Sunday. Game time and throughout will be comparatively sweaty, with temps in the low to mid 60s through halftime under a partly cloudy sky.
Our cold temps and wind chills relax slightly by Sunday night, though we still will see lows near zero and wind chills -10 for Monday morning.
By late Monday, highs reach the mid 20s with some sunshine. Make sure you have your sunglasses, as the sun reflects right off the bright snowpack, making it extra bright when driving.
A quick clipper system moves across the Northeast Tuesday night and brings us a quick chance for light snow into Wednesday morning.

Far in the southern reaches of New England, temps boost to the 30s, while northern New England is still stuck in the colder airmass. The jet stream positions itself over Boston and we are quite literally in between the colder air and milder air.
We’re hoping the pattern shifts more northward; if so, that allows our temps to be in the mid to upper 30s Wednesday through Friday.
There are no major storm systems for next week as milder temps look to stay for Valentine’s Day, too.
Boston, MA
Person stabbed in Mattapan, Boston police say
Boston police are investigating a reported stabbing Saturday night in the city’s Mattapan neighborhood.
Officers responded around 8:40 p.m. to the area of 95 River Street, according to police, and a victim was taken to a local hospital with unknown injuries.
No arrests have been made.
An investigation is active and ongoing.
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