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Remember when LeBron James forgot who Victor Wembanyama was? Or when Shaq tried to serenade Zendaya with his unique rendition of “Happy Birthday?” Hollywood and the NBA collided in hilarious ways, and the latest installment involves Celtics star Jaylen Brown and a serious case of celebrity name amnesia.
Picture this: TD Garden, Boston Celtics vs. New York Knicks, a classic rivalry reignited. But amidst the slam dunks and three-pointers, a different kind of drama unfolded courtside. Brown, it seems, needs a crash course in pop culture 101. Sabrina Carpenter? Chappel Roan? Apparently, these names didn’t ring a bell for the Celtics star, who was caught on camera looking utterly bewildered when he was asked to recognize the pop sensations.
Of course, the Knicks still couldn’t capitalize on Brown’s momentary lapse in pop culture awareness. Despite a valiant effort, particularly in the third quarter when they clawed their way back from a double-digit deficit, the Knicks ultimately fell to the Celtics 118-105. Even without Mikal Bridges for a chunk of the game, the Knicks showed flashes of brilliance, especially when Miles McBride injected some much-needed energy into the lineup. But the Celtics, as they so often do, simply found another gear. The re-insertion of Bridges and a quick breather for Jalen Brunson in the fourth quarter seemed to deflate the Knicks’ comeback hopes, and they succumbed to the Celtics’ relentless attack.
This game, however, wasn’t just about the score. It also reignited the age-old debate surrounding the Celtics’ leadership. While Brown has boldly declared himself the team’s “vocal leader” and “head of the snake,” even claiming he’s the “longest-tenured Celtic,” coach Joe Mazzulla’s recent comments paint a different picture. Mazzulla believes in shared leadership, stating that “everyone’s a captain” and emphasizing the collective responsibility for the team’s culture.
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Is Brown’s self-proclaimed leadership style aligning with Mazzulla’s vision? Or is this a potential point of contention within the team? It’s a question that will likely linger as the Celtics continue their quest for another championship. Perhaps Brown should focus less on his self-proclaimed captaincy and brush up on his pop culture knowledge. After all, in the world of the NBA, you never know who you might run into courtside. And unlike a missed free throw, forgetting Sabrina Carpenter is a foul that might go viral.
This time, the people marched in resistance to the harsh treatment of immigrants by the Trump administration.
“We descend from Immigrants and Revolutionaries,” read a battle cry beamed onto the side of the brick meeting house Tuesday.
“The society that stops seeing the people at the grocery line or the people that ride the bus with us, as human beings with beating hearts, then it’s not far off before our society devolves into no society at all,” Gilberto Calderin, director of advocacy at the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition said to the crowd of hundreds.
The protest was organized by activist groups Boston Indivisible and Mass 50501, and began at the Irish Famine Memorial Plaza, just steps from the meeting house.
The lively crowd held up signs, waved American flags, and chanted during the march along Milk Street and Congress Street to the harbor.
Janet England of Brighton held a sign that read, “Democracy Needs Courage.”
The protesters, she said are “true patriots because we want freedom and democracy.”
“Although protest is a long game, we can’t give up. If you think about women’s suffrage, gay rights, the civil rights movement, it took years, but we just can’t give up,” she said.
Gloria Krusemeyer, from Alrington, used a walker to join the march.
“I’m irritated that I haven’t done more, and I’m just lucky that I can walk fast enough to be doing this,” she said.
Rick Mueller, from Cambridge, was dressed as Uncle Sam and held a large sign that read, “Liberty and Justice For All.”
“We’re fighting for America, so I’m gonna be America,” he said of his costume.
He handed small American flags out to protesters who waved them enthusiastically.
Ice dumping duties was limited to volunteers and select people.
Among them was Sarah, a mother who brought her 4-year-old daughter, Fiona.
Sarah declined to share her last name for her daughter’s safety.
After throwing ice into the harbor, Fiona shyly said that she wanted to come to the protest to “help families stay together.”
Through tears, Sarah said her decision to bring along Fiona came from wanting to teach her daughter to care about people from all walks of life.
“Kindness and compassion are things we learn in kindergarten and she will be in kindergarten so it’s really important for her to be kind and compassionate,” Sarah said, kissing her daughter’s check.
Likewise, Sara Sievers, from Cambridge, brought her parents, sister, her nephews and niece to dump ice.
“I think this is one of the most brutal regimes we’ve had in this country, and I want my niece and nephew to remember that it’s important to protest, and that we in Boston are part of a proud tradition of dumping things into the harbor with which we disagree,” Sievers said.
The family wore costumes of historical figures including Abigail Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and King Charles.
As the protest came to a close, Martha Laposata, spokesperson for Boston Indivisible said she wanted protestors to walk away knowing their voices matter.
“We cannot stand down,” Laposata said. “When people rise up against an authoritarian government, if they stay consistent and they keep growing, ultimately an authoritarian government will stand down.”
Camille Bugayong can be reached at camille.bugayong@globe.com.
Crime
An MIT professor was shot and killed in Brookline on Monday night.
Brookline police responded a report of a man shot in his home on Gibbs Street, according to the Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office.
Nuno F.G. Loureiro, 47, was transported to a local hospital and was pronounced dead on Tuesday morning, the DA says.
Loureiro was the director of MIT’s Plasma Science and Fusion Center and a professor of nuclear science and engineering and physics. Originally from Portugal, the Portuguese Minister of Foreign Affairs announced his death in a regulatory hearing before the Committee on Foreign Affairs and Portuguese Communities on Tuesday, according to CNN.
“Sadly, I can confirm that Professor Nuno Loureiro, who died early this morning, was a current MIT faculty member in the departments of Nuclear Science & Engineering and Physics, as well as the Director of MIT’s Plasma Science and Fusion Center. Our deepest sympathies are with his family, students, colleagues, and all those who are grieving,” an MIT spokesperson wrote in a statement.
In January, Loureiro was honored as one of nearly 400 scientists and engineers with the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers from former president Joe Biden.
The investigation into the homicide remains ongoing. No further information was released.
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A man was hospitalized after being shot Monday night in Brookline, Massachusetts.
The shooting happened on Gibbs Street. There was a large police presence at the scene.
The victim was brought to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. His condition was not known.
Police said the victim was shot three times and grazed by another round.
Authorities did not say if any arrests had been made.
No further information was immediately available.
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