Boston, MA
Brad Stevens has built Boston Celtics team capable of winning multiple NBA Finals
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DALLAS — ESPN NBA analyst Bob Myers asked a question to the other on-air panelists.
Who is the MVP of the NBA Finals so far in the Dallas Mavericks-Boston Celtics series?
“Jaylen Brown,” studio host Malika Andrews answered.
Knicks guard and guest analyst Josh Hart said Brown.
“Jrue Holiday,” Michael Wilbon said.
It was a trick question, a set up by Myers, the former Golden State front-office executive, to recognize one of the most important people involved in the Finals.
Myers’ MVP? Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens.
Now, the award will go to a player, but Myers’ point should not be overlooked. Stevens deserves immense credit for building a Celtics team that can win a championship now and possibly more in the next few seasons.
Largely quiet and away from the hullabaloo that are the Finals, Stevens doesn’t want attention on him. He said as much when he was named the NBA’s 2023-24 executive of the year in late April.
“This recognition has everything to do with the team, and nothing to do with any one individual,” he said in a statement. “Great teams require that everyone in the building is fully committed to each other and moving in one direction.”
Since leaving the bench as Boston’s head coach for the front office in 2021, Stevens has tinkered with the roster, making moves for this season that have given the Celtics their best team during the Jaylen Brown-Jayson Tatum era and their best chance to win their first title since 2008.
Stevens’ acquisitions (Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday) before the 2023-24 season are two major reasons why the Celtics won a league-best 64 games during the regular season, had the No. 1 offense and No. 2 defense, and reached the NBA Finals where they have a 2-0 lead against the Mavericks.
Porzingis, who Boston acquired from Washington in a three-team trade a year ago, had 20 points, six rebounds and three blocks in Game 1, and Holiday, for whom Boston traded just before the start of the season, had a team-high 26 points, 11 rebounds, three assists, one block and one steal in Game 2. They have made the Celtics more versatile offensively and defensively, limiting what opponents can do.
To get Porzingis, Stevens made difficult decisions, sending longtime Celtics guard Marcus Smart to Memphis. As the summer turned to autumn, it looked like the Celtics were done making moves until possibly the February trade deadline.
However, when Milwaukee traded Jrue Holiday to Portland in the Damian Lillard deal, and the Blazers had no intention of keeping Holiday, Stevens went to work. If A doesn’t happen, then B doesn’t happen. But when A happened − the Bucks traded for Lillard − the Celtics were prepared for B – acquiring Holiday.
“When I first got traded here, he was obviously one of the first people that I talked to, and I just think (of) his positive nature,” Holiday said. “He’s kind of this kind soul, somebody who has great energy about him. So every time that I talk to him and every time I see him, he’s always been encouraging. This has been from the beginning. It’s always nice to have somebody like that have your back and, again, somebody like that in your corner in your organization.”
Stevens also traded Kemba Walker to Oklahoma City to get Al Horford back in Boston, and the 17-year veteran remains a positive force on the court and in the locker room, and acquiring Derrick White from San Antonio at the 2022 trade deadline is another move that has given the Celtics offensive and defensive options that most teams don’t have.
While the Brown and Tatum picks were Danny Ainge’s front office moves, Stevens’ influence on the roster is why Boston is just two wins from breaking a tie with the Los Angeles Lakers for most titles in the league history.
It was a stunner when Stevens decided to leave the bench. But it’s not like Stevens hasn’t pulled a surprise before. He had been a successful coach at Butler for six seasons, including consecutive Final Four trips in 2010 and 2011 before abruptly leaving college basketball for the Celtics in 2013. In eight seasons as Boston’s coach, he compiled a 354-282 record and had a 38-40 playoff record, reaching the Eastern Conference finals three times.
But the grind of the regular season wore on Stevens, and Stevens suggested players needed a new voice. When Ainge decided to leave the Celtics, Stevens became the perfect replacement.
Two years ago, Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck said of Stevens, “He’s such an insightful person. It come out in his coaching, but it just comes out in his analysis of the game day in and day out. … Brad’s fingerprints and DNA are on this team right now in terms of putting it together and helping Danny. … This is a role Brad has been preparing for his whole life.”
Said Jaylen Brown: “Just happy for him. His schedule has been able to settle down, probably putting a little bit less stress on him than we did when he was coaching us.
“Brad has been great since he’s been a part of the Boston organization. He’s helped bring this organization back in terms of winning. He’s now been able to move into that GM position and put the right pieces together to get us back to the Finals.”
There have been setbacks. The Celtics lost to Golden State in the 2022 Finals after taking a 2-1 series lead, and then-Celtics coach Ime Udoka was suspended indefinitely just before the start of the 2022-23 season for “violations of team policy.”
Stevens made Joe Mazzulla the interim head coach and then the permanent head coach. Boston lost to Miami in last season’s Eastern Conference finals. Mazzulla grew as a coach, and Stevens gave him a better roster this season.
“I’ve always had a lot of respect for how he went about coaching, how he kept family balance No. 1, how he treated people No. 1,” Mazzulla said. “That was always more important than whether there was a success or a failure. He spearheads the leadership, the temperature of the building, just as everybody else does.”
The Celtics still need two victories to capture their 18th championship, but Stevens also has positioned the Celtics to compete for championships in the next several seasons.
Brown is under contract through 2028-29, Holiday signed an extension in April that keeps him a Celtic through at least 2026-27, Porzingis’ contract is up after 2025-26 and Payton Pritchard’s deal is good through 2027-28.
There are contract situations involving Tatum and White that need to be addressed but it’s possible and even likely the Celtics reach extensions with both players, including a deal that will make Tatum one of the highest-paid players in the league.
If Boston wins the title this season, Brown, Holiday and Tatum are potential Finals MVP picks.
Stevens operates behind the scenes. You don’t see him often at playoffs games except from the suite in which we watches the game.
But Myers is right. Stevens is an MVP, too
As we reckon with summer’s departure, there are a variety of fun-filled events to welcome the first signs of fall. Visit two “carnivals,” each with its own twist: huzzah and hurrah with medieval jest at the Brighton Bazaar’s Knight Carnival or tinker and test interactive exhibits at the Cambridge Science Carnival. Also, Somerville celebrates its prized, local invention, Marshmallow Fluff, with the 20th annual Fluff Festival, complete with sticky games and extra sugary challenges.
Here are six no-cost activities and events for the week of Sept. 15-21, as well as two ways to save on the arts this season.
BOOK LOVERS UNITE If a book club had a silent disco equivalent, it might be the Boston Figurative Art Center’s BYOBook event. Unlike a traditional book club, everyone brings whatever book they’re currently reading to a guided discussion with fellow readers from 7-7:30 p.m. After, attendees are welcomed to read as they please on the studio’s couches or lounge area. Snacks and beverages from the studio will be available. Sept. 17, 7-9 p.m. Boston Figurative Art Center, 285 Washington St., Somerville. bostonfac.com
KNIGHT MARKET The Brighton Bazaar, in collaboration with roving merchant curators Medieval Merriment, will transform into the first-ever Knight Carnival for a night of Middle Ages-themed mischief. Immerse yourself in a live sword fight between armored knights from local melee club North Horde, a creature puppet show, fantasy-inspired musicians, a site-wide scavenger hunt, and a costume contest for attendees dressed in their Ren Faire best. If you have gold in your inventory to spend, vendors will be selling trinkets all night. Sept. 18, 5-10 p.m. Charles River Speedway, 525 Western Ave., Brighton. facebook.com/thebrightonbazaar
AUTUMN LEAVES The Boston Landing Fall Crawl celebrates the arrival of the season with a reptile show with snakes and lizards, pony rides, and pumpkin decorating. DJ Dukes will play a live set from 11 a.m.-2 p.m., and country singer Louis Bello will pick up from 2-4 p.m. Meanwhile, from noon-2 p.m., attendees can join a line dancing lesson. Churros are on the house (while supplies last), and barbecue eats and other Southern staples will be available for purchase. Sept. 20, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Boston Landing, 92 Guest St. bostonlanding.co
MARSHMALLOW MADNESS Don’t expect to come out of this one clean: Somerville, the birthplace of Marshmallow Fluff, celebrates this sticky-sweet legacy with the 20th annual Fluff Festival. In addition to live music and entertainment, the event will host unique games for prizes, including Fluff jousting, where participants use pool noodles with Fluff to knock others off a balance beam, and a Fluff hair-styling contest, where Fluff and Teddy peanut butter are provided for contestants to style the best ’do. .Attendees who arrive by cycle can access two free bike valets — one in front of Gracie’s Ice Cream and another by the intersection of Somerville Avenue and School Street. The fest is free to attend, but marshmallow-y foods and drinks will be available for purchase. Sept. 20, 2-6 p.m. 366 Somerville Ave., Somerville. flufffestival.com
UP, UP, AND AWAY The City of Quincy celebrates its 400th birthday with a Hot Air Balloon and Laser Light Show at Merrymount Park. On Pageant Field, attendees can play lawn games or journey 60 feet in the air in tethered hot air balloons. Meanwhile, roving costumed performers and food trucks can be found on Adams Field. At 9 p.m., the laser show begins, projecting streams and beams onto the overhead balloons and trees. Sept. 20, 4-10 p.m. Merrymount Park, Quincy. Reserve free balloon ride vouchers on the event’s website. quincy400.com
SCIENTIFIC WONDERS More than 150 booths showcasing STEAM’s finest (and most fun) will occupy the 17th annual Cambridge Science Carnival. Visit a robot petting zoo — featuring robots of the underwater, basketball, and gummy bear varieties — check out hands-on booths to make stomp rockets, sugar glass, or bath bombs. Members of the MIT Physics Department will perform demonstrations at 1 and 3:15 p.m., and the hosts of the “Tumble Science” children’s podcast will perform interactive songs at 1:45 p.m. Sept. 21, noon-4 p.m. Kendall/MIT Open Space, 292 Main St., Cambridge. cambridgesciencecarnival.org
Deals and Steals
FINE FOR FIVE Starting Sept. 18, the Museum of Fine Arts kicks off its $5 Third Thursdays programming. On the third Thursday of each month, from 5-10 p.m., general admission is pay-as-you-wish with a $5 minimum. A crisp Lincoln grants access to the main galleries, as well as special after dark programming exclusive to each event — this month is Latinx Heritage Night featuring drop-in art sessions to make Puerto Rican beaded bracelets and Ex-Votos paintings, live sets by the Rafa Moreno Band and DJ Montro, and special spotlight talks and guided tours. mfa.org
SYMPHONY SEASON PASS Full-time Boston students with a valid college ID can take study breaks with an (award-winning) symphony when they purchase a $20 H+H Masterpass. The exclusive pass can be redeemed to access up to eight Handel and Haydn Society performances through the 2025-26 season. (Some exclusions apply.) handelandhaydn.org/concerts-tickets/masterpass
Check individual event websites for the most up-to-date information.
Send info on free events and special offers at least 10 days in advance to ryan.yau@globe.com.
Ryan Yau can be reached at ryan.yau@globe.com.
Walker Buehler’s Red Sox tenure came to an unceremonious end on August 29 when he was released to clear a roster spot for top prospect Payton Tolle to make his major league debut. His Phillies tenure, however, got off to a pretty good start Friday night.
Buehler, who signed a minor league deal with Philadelphia within a couple days of Boston cutting him, got the start at Citizens Bank Park against the Royals and delivered, holding Kansas City to one run on five hits while striking out three batters and walking just one in five innings. Philadelphia, won, 8-2, and Buehler got the win, marking his first such result since August 8, when he turned in one of his best performances in a Red Sox uniform and tossed six shutout innings in San Diego.
For Buehler, who owned a 5.45 ERA in 112 ⅓ innings for Boston, it was the third outing since July 1 in which he didn’t issue multiple walks. In 23 games (22 starts) for Boston, he issued free passes at a rate of 4.4 per nine innings. He also allowed 22 home runs.
The Phillies added Buehler to the mix in an effort to give their top starters — Cristopher Sánchez, Ranger Suárez, Jesús Luzardo and Aaron Nola — some extra chances to rest down the stretch. For now, he’s slotting into Philadelphia’s rotation as a sixth option, but he could serve a bullpen role come October if he’s pitching well and manager Rob Thomson wants to try to tap into the playoff magic Buehler has provided throughout his career. The 31-year-old, who recorded the final out of the World Series last fall at Yankee Stadium, has a career 3.04 postseason ERA in 19 appearances and has pitched three times in the World Series.
“He fits right into that mold of being a Philadelphia baseball player,” Buehler’s new teammate, Bryce Harper said, according to The Athletic’s Matt Gelb. “Just a lot of fun to be around him. Obviously, he’s pitched in big moments, deep into the postseason. So getting a guy like that in our clubhouse is huge for us. And he went out there and did a great job tonight.”
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