Boston, MA
Celtics forward Jayson Tatum is looking beyond the past
Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum is embracing his second chance to win a first NBA championship.
The Celtics advanced to the NBA finals with a sweep of the Indiana Pacers and will engage the Western Conference champion Dallas Mavericks in Game 1 on Thursday night at the TD Garden.
The Celtics were the young up-and-coming team matched up against an aging dynasty when they encountered the Golden State Warriors in the 2022 NBA finals. The Celtics lost the series 4-2 and were beaten at home 103-90 in the deciding Game 6 on June 16.
“There was a lot myself and we can learn from the experience of being in the finals and this time, this go-around is a lot different.” said Tatum after Saturday’s practice at the Auerbach Center in Brighton.
“Obviously we’ve been there before and we came up short. It was a great opportunity to make it to the finals again and you don’t always get a second chance. So, I’m really just looking at it as a second chance and trying to simplify things as much as we can. It’s just another series we’ve got to win.”
Tatum and the Celtics learned the hard truth that talent alone does not guarantee success in the 2019 NBA playoffs. The tandem of Tatum and shooting guard Jaylen Brown were at the onset of a new era in team history that season, but the club was piloted by Mavericks’ point guard Kyrie Irving.
Irving experienced a falling out with the Boston fan base near the end of his tumultuous two-year tenure in Celtics’ green. The Celtics swept the Indiana Pacers in the opening round but were eliminated 4-2 by the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
“I think just learning that a talented team … and it is not just talent that is going to take you over the top,” said Tatum. “To have guys that are willing to sacrifice, guys that are willing to do the other things in order for the team to have a chance.
“It wasn’t just like a Kyrie thing. It was all of us. I think it was all of us, we all took part in why that season wasn’t a success. We all learned from it and moved on.
“Some of us stayed here and some of us left and have done great things since that season. I just look at that as a learning experience for my second year.”
One of the guys that decamped after the 2019 debacle was Irving, who brought his emotional baggage with him to the Brooklyn Nets. Irving’s tenure with the Nets proved to be another unsatisfactory stopover on the disgruntled superstar’s journey through the NBA. Irving lasted two and a half seasons in Brooklyn.
Irving was traded to the Mavericks on Feb. 6, 2023, and he appears to have found a fulfilling role on head coach Jason Kidd’s roster. Irving and All-NBA first team point guard Luka Doncic have the Mavericks sitting four games away from the franchise’s second NBA championship.
“It does seem like that Dallas has obviously been a great fit for him getting to the NBA finals,” said Tatum, who joined Doncic on the 2024 All-NBA first team.
“The staff and the team, they all just kind of jelled together and it is great to see Ky out there playing at such a high level. He’s doing all the special things we love to see him do and have fun doing it.”
After completing the sweep on the Pacers in Indiana on Monday, May 27, the Celtics had to wait three days before finding out they would be playing the Mavericks. Dallas eliminated the Minnesota Timberwolves 124-103 in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals on Thursday night at Target Arena.
That adds up to nine days between Game 4 against Indiana and Game 1 against Dallas. Maintaining a competitive edge can be difficult when the downtime is filled primarily with drills, practices, film study, and scrimmages.
“This is unique for a lot of us,” said Tatum. “The quickest we’ve ever got through a first and second and obviously a third round.
“A lot of the previous years we’ve had a couple of 7-game series that just kind of extend the playoffs. I think was great for us to close out a series when we were supposed to and to have this nice break. The work we put in in the regular season and that we get to start the finals at home.”
FIFA World Cup host cities lay out security plans ahead of matches
Host cities ramp up security and anti-human trafficking efforts ahead of FIFA World Cup matches across the U.S.
The FIFA World Cup is coming to Massachusetts, and when it comes to having a place for people to hang out together, there will be a free fan zone where everyone can celebrate the big event.
Seven World Cup matches will take place at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, MA this summer, and the first one is right around the corner, to be played on June 13, with Scotland taking on Haiti.
Fan Zones are a public space to watch the game for people who don’t have tickets to the actual game. Held in public places, they broadcast the mach on giant screens to offer an immersive experience to watch the game, according to FIFA>
“At the heart of FIFA Fan Festival Boston, (a) Cultural Showcase will ignite the stage with a vibrant celebration of the spirit, creativity, and cultural heartbeat of Boston and communities across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts,” FIFA said.
Where will the fan zone be located when the World Cup games start in just 11 days?
Where is the World Cup fan zone going to be in Massachusetts?
The official FIFA Fan Festival for the 2026 World Cup in Boston will be located at Boston City Hall Plaza at 1 City Hall Sq. Boston, MA.
“The festival will run daily from June 12 through June 27, offering live match broadcasts, cultural showcases, food vendors, and entertainment,” according to FIFA.
The fan zone will open between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. and will stay open until after dark, between 8:30 p.m. and 12:30 a.m. according to reports.
Activities at the fan zone
Here are some of the offerings at the fan zone in Boston, according to the FIFA website:
- Live broadcasts: Giant outdoor screens that broadcast tournament matches in high-definition.
- Entertainment & music: Live concerts, DJ sets, and performances celebrating global culture.
- Interactive activations: Skills challenges, mini-pitches, inflatable games, and sponsor booths.
- Food & merch: International food stalls, local beverage offerings, and official tournament merchandise.
How to go to the fan zone
While the game is free, you do need to register in advance.
“You can select which days and matches you plan to attend through the FIFA World Cup Boston 2026 website or the Meet Boston events page. Up to six people can register on a single application,” the World Cup Boston website says.
So you’re saying there’s a chance? Despite an abysmal start to the 2026 season, the Boston Red Sox remain in the mix for a playoff spot. At least according to FanGraphs, who gives the club a 27.1% chance of reaching the postseason.
Boston’s likely path to October means winning the wild card. FanGraphs gives the Red Sox a 26.1% chance of winning an American League wild card. The team currently sits threes games back of the third and final wild card, despite a record of 25-33.
Don’t look for a division title this year in Beantown. FanGraphs gives the Red Sox a 1% chance of winning the AL East. Which makes sense, since the team currently sits in last place, 11.5 games behind the first-place Tampa Bay Rays.
But SI’s Tom Verducci and Will Laws thinks Boston has a much tougher chance of making the playoffs. In their deep dive of the postseason, the pair came up with what they call the “Line of Doom.” According to their research, a team that starts “no better than 23–31 and your season is almost over only one-third of the way through the schedule.” Here’s why.
“In the wild card era (since 1995), only one team made the postseason starting with less than 22 wins in the first 54 games, the 2005 Astros (20–34). Of the 231 teams to start 23–31 or worse, only seven made the playoffs—once every 33 times,” Verducci and Laws note.
“Since the postseason field expanded in 2022, 31 teams began 23–31 or worse. Only one, the 2024 Mets (22–32), made the playoffs. That leaves such slow starters with a 1 in 31 chance—virtually the same as the larger sample size,” the pair add.
“The fact is one-third of the season does a good job separating pretenders from contenders. And as the calendar flips to June, understand that the playoff spots won’t change very much. In the four seasons with 12 playoff spots up for grabs, teams in playoff position when May ended kept a playoff spot 73% of the time—35 of 48 teams,” Verducci and Laws conclude.
So what does this have to do with the Red Sox, you ask? It’s Boston’s record after 54 games: 23-31. The “Line of Doom.”
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