Boston, MA

Bill Belichick reportedly sitting for second Falcons head-coaching interview

Published

2 years ago

January 18, 2024

Bill Belichick reportedly sitting for second Falcons head-coaching interview

Former Patriots coach Bill Belichick will sit for a second head-coaching interview with the Falcons this weekend, according to the NFL Network.

Belichick, 71, reportedly met with Atlanta owner Arthur Blank one-on-one earlier this week. Belichick is the only candidate among the seven the Falcons have interviewed to earn a second meeting. He is expected to soon meet with a contingent including general manager Terry Fontenot and CEO Rich McKay.

Atlanta is the only franchise with a head-coaching vacancy known to have interest in Belichick, who parted with the Patriots last week after a legendary 24-year run. Under his leadership, the Patriots enjoyed unprecedented success highlighted by six Super Bowl titles. Owner Robert Kraft introduced Jerod Mayo as Belichick’s successor during a press conference Wednesday afternoon.

The Falcons fired ex-coach Arthur Smith last week after three consecutive 7-10 seasons. The other coaches who have interviewed to replace him include Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh and Ravens defensive coordinator Mike MacDonald among others.

Unless the Falcons hold an in-person interview with an external, minority candidate not currently employed by an NFL team in the coming days, the earliest they can hire Belichick is Monday, Jan. 22. Franchises with head-coaching vacancies must interview at least two external minority candidates during their searches and hold one in-person interview, per league rules. In-person interviews with coaches employed by NFL teams cannot be held until Jan. 22, and thus far, Belichick and Harbaugh are Atlanta’s only candidates not currently working in the league.

If Belichick is hired, it’s expected he will recruit assistant coaches from a candidate pool that Mayo will also be targeting. Most Patriots assistants have been on vacation the past two weeks and are due to report back to Foxboro on Monday. According to reports, Mayo has already initiated coaching searches for his next defensive coordinator and special teams coordinator.

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Boston, MA

Full-length Replay: Boston | FOX Sports

Published

9 hours ago

April 11, 2026

Press Room

Full-length Replay: Boston | FOX Sports

Boston boasts a passionate sporting culture.

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Boston, MA

A long line awaited the opening of Uniqlo in Downtown Crossing. Take a look inside. – The Boston Globe

Published

21 hours ago

April 10, 2026

Press Room

A long line awaited the opening of Uniqlo in Downtown Crossing. Take a look inside. – The Boston Globe

After 20 long, empty years, 399 Washington Street in Boston flooded once again with shoppers on Friday, as Japanese clothing retailer Uniqlo made its Downtown debut.

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu was on hand to help cut the ribbon at the store. A long line of eager shoppers queued up outside, taking in the opening-day festivities, which included a giveaways and a taiko drum performance.

A taiko drum performance entertained shoppers as they waited in line at the new Uniqlo store in Downtown Crossing.Jonathan Wiggs/Globe Staff

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu helped cut the ribbon to Uniqlo in Downtown Crossing.Jonathan Wiggs/Globe Staff

Once inside the brightly lit storefront, customers perused displays of floral maxi skirts, linen blend shorts, and workout T-shirts. Spanning more than 20,000 square feet across two levels, the storefront got a substantive refresh from Uniqlo, which bathed the space in an airy white but preserved the exposed brick ceiling, embellished columns, and central staircase.

The new Uniqlo store in Downtown Crossing had its grand opening Friday. Jonathan Wiggs/Globe Staff

Mannequins pose and shoppers browse at the new Uniqlo store in Downtown Crossing.Jonathan Wiggs/Globe Staff

The debut of Uniqlo marks the first time that this retail space has been occupied since Barnes & Noble moved out in 2006. Just down the block, Asian lifestyle store Teso Life is also preparing for an opening in another long-empty storefront, sparking optimism about the future of the neighborhood.

The downtown location is Uniqlo’s sixth in Massachusetts, joining outposts on Newbury Street, at the Shops at Chestnut Hill, at the Natick Mall, in Braintree’s South Shore Plaza, and at the Burlington Mall.

Take a look at some more photos at the scene from Uniqlo’s grand opening.

Throngs of shoppers wait in line outside the new Uniqlo store in Downtown Crossing.Jonathan Wiggs/Globe Staff

The crowd outside the new Uniqlo store in Downtown Crossing.Jonathan Wiggs/Globe Staff

Shoppers receive gift bags as they walk into the new Uniqlo store.Jonathan Wiggs/Globe Staff

Shoppers examine wares at the new Uniqlo store in Downtown Crossing.Jonathan Wiggs/Globe Staff

A display of shorts at the new Uniqlo store.Jonathan Wiggs/Globe Staff

A display of clothes at Uniqlo.Jonathan Wiggs/Globe Staff

Shoppers wait in line to pay for items at the new Uniqlo store in Downtown Crossing.Jonathan Wiggs/Globe Staff

Dana Gerber can be reached at dana.gerber@globe.com. Follow her @danagerber6.

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Boston, MA

Despite Celtics loss, Jayson Tatum feels weight lifted after New York return

Published

1 day ago

April 10, 2026

Press Room

Despite Celtics loss, Jayson Tatum feels weight lifted after New York return

NEW YORK — Jayson Tatum was not looking forward to his first game back at Madison Square Garden since he ruptured his Achilles there last May.

He won’t remember the outcome fondly, either. The Celtics lost to the Knicks in a 112-106 nailbiter, missing out on a chance to clinch the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference.

But regardless of the result, Tatum viewed Thursday night’s matchup as another important step in his comeback journey.

“It was a big moment, big hurdle for me,” he said. “I was nervous and anxious to come back here. Obviously, I wanted to win and play great, but more importantly, I just kind of wanted to walk off the floor on my own two feet.”

Tatum did that, delivering an uneven but productive performance in his 16th game of the season.

The good: He played a season-high 40 minutes and tallied 24 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists, narrowly missing what would have been his second triple-double in Boston’s last five games. The not-so-good: He shot the ball poorly (7-for-22; 2-for-10 from 3-point range), committed six turnovers and was a team-worst minus-16.

Despite the loss — just the Celtics’ third with Tatum in the lineup this season — he called the night a “huge” mental victory for him. He made the call earlier in the week to play in this game rather than Friday’s home matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans, which would have delayed his emotional MSG return until a potential Celtics-Knicks rematch in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Tatum admitted he was “not thrilled” about the prospect of returning to MSG, but he wanted to “face the challenge head-on” and remove one of the final pieces of mental baggage he’d been carrying since his injury. The anxiety he felt when he arrived at the arena for morning shootaround lingered past tipoff before eventually dissipating.

“Today was important to me, especially when I made the decision to come back and then made the decision to play today,” Tatum said. “I’m glad I did. I feel a lot better. Even (with) the loss.”

Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla said Tatum “looked good out there.”

“It looked comfortable,” Mazzulla said. “… Obviously a ton of emotions on a day like this, but once the game started, he kind of got in a game flow.”

Tatum now is likely to sit out against New Orleans, as he is not yet cleared to play on back-to-back nights. The Celtics can clinch the second seed by beating the Pelicans or the Orlando Magic in Sunday’s regular-season finale (both at TD Garden), or with a Knicks loss to the Toronto Raptors or Charlotte Hornets.

“I’m definitely checking off a lot of boxes,” Tatum said. “This was one of the last few. Obviously, playoffs coming up soon, but this is one of the ones that was at the top.”

Reserves Payton Pritchard (23 points, 10-for-20, six assists) and Baylor Scheierman (season-high 20 points, 7-for-8) starred in supporting roles for a Celtics team that was playing without top scorer Jaylen Brown. The Celtics got little offensive production from starters Derrick White and Sam Hauser, who scored a combined 14 points on 4-of-17 shooting in the loss.

The Celtics listed four-fifths of their starting lineup as questionable for Thursday’s game before upgrading White, Hauser and Neemias Queta to available. Brown was ruled out with Achilles tendonitis, the same ailment that sidelined him for wins over Atlanta and Charlotte late last month.

Jordan Walsh filled Brown’s spot, making his third start in the last seven games. Walsh sat through six consecutive DNP-CDs after Tatum’s return but recently reclaimed a spot in Mazzulla’s rotation. He spent much of the first half guarding Jalen Brunson, New York’s All-Star point guard, before getting in foul trouble and sitting for the final 20-plus minutes.

Knicks wing Mikal Bridges opened the game with a personal 7-0 run, but the Celtics responded by scoring 21 of the next 28 points. Tatum sparked that early rally with a steal and a fast-break layup, followed by a spinning and-one finish over Josh Hart and a drawn foul on another drive. He also lobbed an alley-oop to Queta, who added a putback off a missed Hauser 3-pointer and drew a foul on his second offensive rebound of the first quarter.

Boston Celtics center Neemias Queta, left, and New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns battle for a loose ball during the first half of an NBA game Thursday, April 9, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/John Munson)

Pritchard scored 11 points over the final five minutes of the opening period. Brunson countered with eight points in the final 63 seconds — free throws after a Walsh foul and two triples — to cut Boston’s lead to 29-26.

The Knicks built a five-point lead early in the second by capitalizing on a series of Nikola Vucevic miscues. The Celtics’ backup center allowed two makes at the rim by his counterpart, Mitchell Robinson, fouled Robinson on a lob and committed a turnover that led to a fast-break layup by Jordan Clarkson.

The Celtics were outscored by nine points during Vucevic’s first shift off the bench, continuing a trend that’s persisted since his return from a fractured ring finger last weekend. The trade-deadline pickup was a minus-15 in the first half Sunday against Toronto and a minus-11 in the first quarter Tuesday against Charlotte.

Vucevic eventually scored 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting and finished as plus-1 in 24 minutes. The Celtics view his often choppy minutes as necessary to get him reintegrated before the postseason.

“(They’re) very important,” Pritchard said. “He just came back from an injury, so he’s been out for a while. New team. So it’s an adjustment period, and we don’t have time to practice and play against each other, so this is kind of our practice time with him. He’s being thrown out there in these moments, but it’ll make us better and ready for the playoffs.”

Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens recently said Vucevic will benefit more than any other Celtic from the team’s upcoming weeklong break, which will afford him valuable practice time before the playoffs begin. He’s been Mazzulla’s go-to big behind Queta since his finger healed, resulting in three straight healthy DNPs for Luka Garza.

As Boston entered halftime down 54-53, Tatum was one rebound shy of a double-double — plus four assists and a block on an OG Anunoby 3-pointer — but hadn’t made a field goal since his pair of early-game layups (2-for-11; 0-for-5 from three). Pritchard was the Celtics’ top scorer and shooter in the first half, scoring 15 points on 7-of-12. The rest of the team shot just 32.4% from the field.

Walsh picked up his fourth foul two seconds into the second half, then surrendered a Bridges 3-pointer. New York proceeded to hit four of those in quick succession, mounting an 18-6 run to stretch its lead to 72-59.

That’s when the Celtics finally found their stroke from beyond the arc. Six 3-pointers from five different players — including Vucevic’s first two 3-point makes since March 4 — erased New York’s cushion and put Boston up 78-76.

Pritchard and Scheierman — who subbed in for Walsh at the 9:23 mark of the third and played the rest of the way — each hit two threes in the quarter, and the Celtics took an 83-81 lead into the fourth.

“It was a fun experience, obviously,” said Scheierman, a second-year pro who’s looking to cement his spot in Mazzulla’s playoff rotation. “I wish we could’ve won at the end of the day, (but) obviously, it was a lot of fun to do that.”

Tatum sat for the first 2:15 of the final quarter before checking back in and burying a 3-pointer moments later. He then converted an and-one fadeaway over Robinson that made it 92-85, only for New York to reply with a 7-0 run. Hart’s transition layup off a Tatum turnover tied it at 92-92 with 6:21 remaining.

Boston scored on five of its next seven possessions — including two more 3-pointers by the red-hot Scheierman, who went 6-for-7 from deep — but could not manufacture enough stops at the other end. Consecutive threes by Hart in the final minute iced the game for New York.

Hart finished with 26 points on 10-of-15 shooting to lead all scorers, with Brunson adding 25 and 10 assists.

“We’re just taking it a game at a time, “Pritchard said. “Obviously, we wanted this one. Didn’t get it. We’re looking forward to tomorrow and trying to get that win. Once that game’s over, we’ll look forward to the next.”

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