According to ESPN, Boston has emerged as a leading destination in the Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes. No deal is on the table (that we know of), but the mere possibility might raise a few concerns.
Boston, MA
Brad Stevens has built Boston Celtics team capable of winning multiple NBA Finals
Kyrie Irving on Celtics: ‘They’re playing a great brand of basketball’
Kyrie Irving spoke to the media following the Mavericks Game 2 loss to the Celtics and explains the brand of basketball Boston is playing and why they take a lot of pride in it.
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
Boston is allowing outdoor drinking in two neighborhoods this summer while the city welcomes a wave of international visitors during the World Cup, Mayor Michelle Wu announced.
The social districts opened Friday and will run through July 31.
Boston public drinking zones
Patrons will be allowed to consume alcoholic beverages outdoors within designated areas at Union and Marshall streets in Downtown Boston’s Block Historic District, as well as on Temple Place in Downtown Crossing.
According to the city, the initiative along with the decision to extend last call until 3 a.m. for the World Cup “is creating vibrancy for patrons and expanding opportunities for Boston businesses during one of the region’s busiest summers in recent years.”
“As Boston welcomes people from around the world to gather and enjoy our city this summer, these new social districts will create even more opportunities to build community and have fun responsibly,” Wu said in a statement. “These districts help us open our streets in a safe environment for residents and visitors to enjoy themselves, ‘sip and stroll,’ and make lasting memories in our beautiful city.”
Last week, Gov. Maura Healey signed a new law that allowed for cities and towns to create designated areas for public drinking.
How drinking zones work
In order to participate, businesses within the designated zones must file a one-day amendment application with the Boston Licensing Board that states they wish to be included in the districts.
Businesses cannot sell alcohol for public consumption until they receive approval from the Licensing Board.
Hours for the Union-Marshall Street Social District will be 9 a.m. to midnight Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sunday. The Temple Place Social District will be open from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sunday.
Drinks sold for public consumption will be in clear plastic containers with a sticker or other label that shows where they were sold. Businesses cannot sell more than one 16-ounce alcoholic beverage for public consumption per customer in a single transaction.
Outside alcohol cannot be brought into businesses.
“We are grateful for this opportunity to activate our downtown, support businesses, and create a welcoming, relaxed atmosphere in two of Boston’s entertainment districts,” Corean Reynolds, director of nightlife economy, said in a statement. “Both residents and tourists can benefit from these Social Districts. After the summer, we look forward to continuing our work creating a nightlife infrastructure that works for everyone.”
Concern numero uno is obvious. Giannis is one of the handful of players capable of altering the championship picture by himself. Pairing him with Jayson Tatum would create an impressive combination of size, athleticism, versatility, and star power. The question is whether Brad Stevens and the Celtics can actually pull it off without creating a new set of problems for themselves.
Boston’s path to Giannis is narrower than it first appears. The Celtics would almost certainly need to move Jaylen Brown, either directly to Milwaukee or through a third team. Reports indicate Brown has little interest in joining the Bucks (in paraphrase: “Milwaukee?! Yuck!”), which complicates matters further. We start moving from a blockbuster trade to a three-team puzzle involving contracts, draft compensation, and competing agendas.
Even if Boston finds a way through that maze, there’s no guarantee the resulting team will succeed.
Giannis may be a better asset than Brown, but championships are not won by comparing players one-for-one. They’re won by building complete teams (case in point: YOUR WORLD CHAMPION NEW YORK KNICKERBOCKERS ).
Brown averaged more than 28 points per game last season while defending multiple positions. He can create his own offense, punish smaller defenders, and absorb primary scoring responsibilities when Tatum is unavailable (as Tatum was for most of last season, recovering from a torn Achilles). Replacing him with Giannis raises Boston’s ceiling, perhaps, but also changes the structure of the roster.
The Celtics have spent years building an ecosystem around two star wings. Remove one and the supporting cast suddenly becomes more important, which means Stevens would have many more decisions to make before the start of training camp.
What catches me up is, if the Bucks believed that Giannis has more great years ahead of him, would they so quickly offload him to a conference rival? Might he actually be a distressed asset?
Giannis will turn 32 this season. He has generally been durable over his career but has dealt with increasing lower-body issues (especially calves and knees) in recent years, leading to more missed time. To wit:
• 2022–23: 63 GP / 19 missed
• 2023–24: 73 GP / 9 missed
• 2024–25: 67 GP / 15 missed
• 2025–26: 36 GP / 46 missed
Wouldn’t that just be the worst if the Celts parted with Brown to get him, and then Giannis missed extended time due to injury? Like, the absolute worst? (Insert diabolical laughter.)
A healthy Tatum-Giannis pairing would present unique challenges for New York. The Knicks would need to defend relentless downhill pressure while also containing one of the league’s best bucket creators. But, given their depth, New York may be better equipped than most teams to handle it.
So if the Celtics’ pursuit of Giannis causes an initial flutter of worry, you can let that just drift on by. The scenario only noses toward Red Alert if Boston nabs him while somehow also acquiring a guard who makes up for what they’d lose with Brown’s departure.
But wait! This just in: Chris Haynes has pushed back on the idea that a Giannis Antetokounmpo-to-Boston deal is close. He writes that Boston does not appear to be a promising destination and suggested the situation could extend into July. Additionally, Marc Stein reported that the Celtics are frustrated by speculation involving Jaylen Brown, while Brian Windhorst said Brown has not been formally offered in a trade. So, to quote the great William Goldman (also a Knicks fan), “Nobody knows anything.”
It’s worth noting that the Miami Heat are also reportedly in the mix. We’ve heard that the lack of income tax is alluring to the Greek Freak. Plus Florida offers sunny, warm weather, which is not a defining feature of Wisconsin. In the end, though, joining Boston would allow Giannis to keep all his favorite green-themed items in his wardrobe, and shouldn’t looking good be a priority, too?
BOSTON — The Boston Bruins said Thursday they are retiring Patrice Bergeron’s No. 37 as part of a ceremony next season.
The date will be shared later, following the NHL schedule release that is expected next month.
Bergeron is set to join fellow 2011 Stanley Cup champion Zdeno Chara with his number in the rafters. Bergeron, when it happens, will be the 14th player to have his number retired by the storied franchise.
He spent his entire 19-year career in the league with the Bruins, playing 1,464 games counting the regular season and playoffs. That included the title run in 2011 and more trips to the final in ’13 and ’19.
“Patrice was the kind of rare, generational talent that every team wanted,” owner Jeremy Jacobs said in a statement. “He was a deftly skilled playmaker and the undeniable greatest defensive forward in the NHL’s history. But it was the leadership he provided on the ice and in the locker room that made him truly stand apart and an all-time legend of the Boston Bruins.”
Bergeron succeeded Chara as captain in 2020 and served three seasons in that role before retiring. He called this an honor that is difficult to put into words.
“When I arrived in Boston as an 18-year-old, I could never have imagined receiving this recognition one day,” Bergeron said. “I have always believed that any success I had was only possible because of the people around me. I was fortunate to play alongside incredible teammates, learn from outstanding coaches and staff and be supported by an organization that believed in me from the very beginning.”
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