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'Different' Celtics have more work to do, but so far, they've passed every test

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'Different' Celtics have more work to do, but so far, they've passed every test

INDIANAPOLIS — This time, a trip to the Eastern Conference finals by the Boston Celtics ended without any clamoring from the public and the press box that the coach must go and, oh, by the way, let’s aim a wrecking ball at the roster.

This time, it ended with the Celtics emerging with a 105-102 victory over the Indiana Pacers Monday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse to complete a sweep of the Indiana Pacers. Some rapid-fire play-by-play is required here, beginning with how the Celtics, trailing for most of the night, went on a late 10-2 run. Jayson Tatum made it 100-100 with a driving dunk, and then, ahem, series MVP Jaylen Brown tied it again, this time 102-102, with an 8-foot jump shot. Brown next delivered defense, blocking Andrew Nembhard’s would-be 3-pointer with 1:05 remaining.

And then? And then it ended, for all practical purposes, with Derrick White nailing a 3-pointer with 45 seconds remaining, this after the Celtics had rallied from an 8-point deficit with 5:56 remaining and a 5-point deficit with 4:14 to go.

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Celtics sweep Pacers to advance to NBA Finals

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Yes, White’s game-winner happened to fall on the first anniversary of his improbable game-winning buzzer-beater against Miami in Game 6 of last year’s Eastern Conference finals, but that’s just fodder for Trivia Night at the local sports bar, folks. In the real world, especially the real NBA, it means nothing. For these 2024 playoff Celtics are not those 2023 playoff Celtics, who rallied for three straight victories after losing the first three games and then got blown out in Game 7 at TD Garden. Nope, these Celtics are not those Celtics at all, a point that was made by Brown after the game when he said, “We have a different team every year, different coaches. We’ve had like three coaches in the last five years. And still, people want to make it seem like it’s the same, it’s the same, it’s the same. Time has gone by. Experience has been gained. And we are ready to put our best foot forward.”

Brown is correct, of course. Just as he was correct, and really, really funny, when asked if he was surprised to be named series MVP. “I wasn’t expecting it at all,” he said. “I never win (expletive), so …”

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Jaylen Brown wins Eastern Conference finals MVP

The yuck-yuck is that Brown didn’t walk away with any of the individual regular-season awards that a lot of NBA fans, including an NBA fan named Jaylen Brown, thought he should have won. It’s nice to roll it out there that Brown proved his skeptics wrong with his stellar effort against the Pacers — the 3-pointer from the corner to win Game 1 in overtime, the 40-point effort in Game 2, the solid two-way play in Game 4 — but it’s more than that. Yes, the Celtics “have a different team every year,” but this is where it’s the same, it’s the same, it’s the same: These are the Tatum/Brown Celtics, or, for those who believe placement on the marquee is important, the Brown/Tatum Celtics. It’s their time, their very own era, and they haven’t delivered a championship yet. Now they’re in the NBA Finals for the second time in three years, but with a better supporting cast — especially if Kristaps Porziņģis returns.

And so if expectations mean anything — and they do, they do — the Celtics have won nothing yet. There’s simply no scenario by which a Celtic fail in the NBA Finals against Dallas or Minnesota will be spun into silver linings, life lessons or glasses half-filled. But that’s for later on. For now, for today, the Celtics’ magnificent eyes-on-the-prize work ethic is to be saluted.

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Couple what happened in Game 4 with what happened in Game 3, when Boston rallied to victory after trailing by 18 points, and what we have here is a team that every coach at every level can use for show-and-tell when explaining that talented teams don’t win on talent alone. They also win because they’re capable of old-fashioned gut checks.

“We feel comfortable in any type of game,” White said. “We feel like we have the answers for anything teams throw at us, no matter what the scenario is.”

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Much will be written that the Pacers conveniently rolled over for the Celtics in this series. They probably should have won Game 1, and they could have won Games 3 and 4. They also have a lot of unhappy fans who believe Brown should have received a flagrant with 7:23 remaining when he inadvertently struck T.J. McConnell in the face — hard — as the Pacer was grabbing a rebound. It was ruled a common foul. “We feel that it was unfortunate, but it did not rise to the level of a flagrant foul,” crew chief Zach Zarba said, per a pool report.

There’s room for a grown-up discussion as to how that play should have been adjudicated. Kevin McHale clotheslining Kurt Rambis it was not, but it was a hit with hair on it, even if delivered by accident.

To argue that the Pacers should have won this or that game is to take criticism of the Celtics to an absurd level. It’s like saying the Seattle Seahawks should have won Super Bowl XLIX but lost to the Patriots because Russell Wilson decided to throw the ball. It’s like saying the Red Sox should have won Game 6 of the 1986 World Series but lost because Bill Buckner had the ball go between his legs.

Stop that. Really, stop it. The Celtics are now 12-2 in the playoffs. But they’re not mauling everybody. They just happen to be the team with the best record and the best gut checks.

(Photo of Derrick White’s winning shot over Aaron Nesmith: Dylan Buell / Getty Images)

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Growing forfeits in soccer because of ineligible players could spur change to CIF bylaw

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Growing forfeits in soccer because of ineligible players could spur change to CIF bylaw

Forfeits by high school boys’ soccer teams in the City Section and Southern Section playoffs continued Friday as both sections try to deal with violations of CIF Bylaw 600, which prohibits players from participating in outside leagues during their sports season.

Calabasas pulled out of the Southern Section Division 3 championship because of an ineligible player. Chavez became the sixth City Section school eliminated from the playoffs for using an ineligible player and was replaced by Chatsworth for the City Division I final.

There’s also an allegation about another Southern Section team that could result in another forfeit in the final.

Some high schools thought they had found a solution by not allowing players to play until after their club seasons ended in early December. Cathedral had several players miss its first three games because of several big club tournaments in November and early December.

“You communicate to students and parents,” Cathedral coach Arturo Lopez said. “Unfortunately, there’s more and more academies now.”

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Ron Nocetti, the executive director of the CIF, said, “I think we have to have conversations with our sections.”

CIF membership repeatedly has rejected the proposal of getting rid of Bylaw 600. Schools don’t want to have their coaches battling it out weekly with club coaches, which also would place additional pressure on athletes dealing with school work and then having to do double workouts.

The balancing act for students already is tough enough, with the amount of club teams growing in a lot of sports because it’s a lucrative business. The CIF briefly suspended the rule during the pandemic in 2020 but quickly reinstated it.

The problem is club soccer programs are holding competitions in the middle of the high school season, and players, knowing the rule that you can’t play high school and club at the same time, apparently have decided to try to do both with the hope of not getting caught.

This year, they are getting caught. Emails alleging violations started arriving to City Section commissioner Vicky Lagos before the semifinals. If a player is found to have played club, the high school team has to forfeit, and if it happens during the playoffs, the team is eliminated.

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Usually the pressure is on schools to make sure rules are not violated, but for Bylaw 600, schools can do everything right and still be punished for a player violating the rule on their own.

Several leagues are expected to present proposals to get rid of Bylaw 600. Nocetti said membership might be open to adopting changes.

“Maybe this is a tipping point for schools saying maybe it’s time to make a big change with the rule,” he said.

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Anthony Richardson free to seek trade after injury setbacks amid Colts’ shift to Daniel Jones

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Anthony Richardson free to seek trade after injury setbacks amid Colts’ shift to Daniel Jones

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Anthony Richardson Sr.’s future in Indianapolis faces more uncertainty than ever. 

The Indianapolis Colts granted Anthony Richardson, the team that used the fourth overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft on the quarterback, permission to explore a trade. His agent, Deiric Jackson, confirmed the latest development in the 23-year-old’s tumultuous career to ESPN on Thursday.

Veteran quarterback Daniel Jones beat out Richardson in a preseason competition for the starting job. Jones made the most of another opportunity as an NFL starter, helping the Colts win eight of their first 10 games of the 2025 regular season. 

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Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson heads off the field after an NFL football game against the Denver Broncos on Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024 in Denver, Colorado. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

However, his season was ultimately derailed by an Achilles injury. The setback came two years after he tore an ACL with the New York Giants. The Colts appear ready to move forward with Jones, clouding Richardson’s future in Indianapolis.

Jones is set to become a free agent in March, meaning the Colts must either use the franchise tag or sign him to a new deal. Richardson has started just 15 games in three seasons with the Colts, his tenure largely shaped by injuries. 

A shoulder surgery limited Richardson to four games during his rookie campaign, while a series of setbacks cost him four games in 2024. 

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson (5) looks for an open receiver during the game against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. (Troy Taormina/Imagn Images)

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Richardson suffered what was described as a “freak pregame incident” during warmups last season, landing him on injured reserve after attempting just two passes in two games in 2025. He has thrown 11 touchdowns against 13 interceptions in his NFL career. 

Colts general manager Chris Ballard said Tuesday that the vision problems stemming from Richardson’s orbital fracture last October are “trending in the right direction.” He added that Richardson has been “cleared to play.”

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson (5) celebrates his touchdown against the New York Jets during the fourth quarter at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Brad Penner/Imagn Images)

Riley Leonard, a sixth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, is expected to return to the Colts next season.

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When asked about Richardson’s standing with the Colts moving ahead, Ballard replied, “I still believe in Anthony.”

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Prep talk: Freshman golfer William Hudson of St. John Bosco wins Servite Invitational

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Prep talk: Freshman golfer William Hudson of St. John Bosco wins Servite Invitational

William Hudson, a 14-year-old freshman golfer, shot 71 on Monday at Western Hills Country Club in Chino Hills to win the Servite Invitational.

“It was very important to me and my school,” Hudson said.

Some think it’s the first time a St. John Bosco student won an invitational title.

Hudson is a straight-A student who picked up his first golf club when he was 3. He has a daily routine involving practicing at 6 a.m. before heading to school. He’s also enrolled in a school entrepreneur program that involves taking classes at a junior college that will qualify for college credits.

“They are long days, but I get through it,” Hudson said.

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He comes from a family that enjoys golf. His great-grandfather played until his death at 98 last year.

“I love how it can take me to interesting places and meet interesting people,” Hudson said. “I can play for the rest of my life. It’s a lifelong sport.”

It’s looking like another strong year for golfers in Southern California, with several individual champions returning, including Jaden Soong of St. Francis and Grant Leary of Crespi.

Now Hudson has thrust himself into the conversation.

This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.

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