Address Newsletter
Our weekly digest on buying, selling, and design, with expert advice and insider neighborhood knowledge.
The Boston Celtics took down the Dallas Mavericks 119-110 for their 34th win of the season on Monday night, closing out the game with authority and staving off a comeback attempt from Dallas. Boston has tallied back-to-back wins to kick off their west coast trip after their 116-107 win over the Rockets on Sunday.
Through their first 42 games, the Celtics have delivered well on their potential as a contender, pacing the East and the league with a 32-10 record. Boston isn’t done growing and learning with their roster, but how much has the team improved in comparison to the past few seasons?
With an ample sample to work with, it’s time to look at some numbers. Last season the Celtics were 30-12 through the first 42, and the year before that, they were .500 with a 21-21 record before their miraculous in-season turnaround under Ime Udoka. Both years, Boston ended up as a top two seed followed by deep playoff runs, and based on some projections, the Celtics very well may finish with over 60 wins on the season; per Cleaning the Glass, Boston is currently on a 63-win pace this season.
In terms of advanced stats, Boston has kept the ball rolling, building off the past two seasons with very similar offensive, defensive, and net ratings. The biggest difference is how potent on offense the Celtics have become while still playing some of the best defense in the NBA, leading to a league-leading 9.8 net rating. Boston has dominated the glass, especially on the defensive end, leading the league in both rebounds per game and defensive rebounds per game, and they’ve ranked top two in blocks per game and block attempts.
This uptick is in no small part to the roster changes Boston made over the summer, and it’s hard to argue with the results so far. Kristaps Porzingis has been a massive addition, Jrue Holiday has done well in filling the void left by Marcus Smart, and Derrick White has continued to find another level to his game on both sides of the court as a key cog in the Celtics starting lineup. With All-Star weekend just under a month away, it’s also worth noting that Boston’s starting five is getting some serious recognition across the board.
LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo lead their respective conferences in the third fan returns of #NBAAllStar Voting presented by AT&T.
Fans account for 50% of the vote to decide All-Star starters. NBA players and a media panel account for 25% each. pic.twitter.com/fyGeQXgEhH
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) January 18, 2024
After thirteen seasons, the Celtics have a real chance of having more than two All-Stars with Holiday, White, Brown, Tatum, and Porzingis all in the top-10 in votes at their position through January 18th. If Boston has three or more players named to the All-Star Game, it will be for the first time since the Big Three era trio of Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett.
From 2007-2011, the Celtics had at least three players every season earn All-Star honors, with four players making the ASG roster between Allen, Garnett, Pierce and Rondo in 2011. That year, Boston tied the record for most All-Stars from one team, a feat that has happened 9 times in NBA history, most recently being in 2018 with the Golden State Warriors. As of now, the Celtics have the chance to make NBA history if their entire starting five makes the final cut. The NBA will announce the All-Star Game starters this Thursday, January 25th.
Beyond the roster changes and overall performance so far this season, the biggest question is the mentality of this team and breaking out of bad habits, including the team’s late-game offense and execution. After their narrow loss to the reigning champion Denver Nuggets, Boston’s late game offense became subject of conversations again after multiple missed shots. It’s a fair concern to have, especially with Boston’s track record of late game collapses in years past. So, how have the Celtics fared so far in the clutch?
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25245313/Untitled__1_.png)
Through the first 42 this season, Boston is 13-8 in clutch game situations, tied for 5th most wins in the league. By comparison, the Celtics were 12-5 in clutch games last year and a dreadful 8-16 in clutch games during the 2021-22 season. When looking at clutch situations within the final minute, Boston had a record of 9-5 in 2022-23 and 9-8 this season, just barely above .500; the Celtics are also 2-3 in overtime. Despite this, the Celtics actually have a better clutch net rating this season than the last two years, and even with concerns over late game offense, Boston’s clutch offensive rating was top five in the league for the first half of the season.
The number of clutch games is slightly concerning, but that may be a byproduct of a tough schedule. Boston was tied with the Orlando Magic for 5th strongest strength of schedule through the first half of the season; as for their remaining games, Boston has the easiest remaining strength of schedule outside of the Magic, per Tankathon. Either way you slice it, the Celtics have kept finding themselves in close games, but it should help that their schedule softens up quite a bit after January.
Overall, the Boston Celtics have been markedly improved this season, and they still have ample time to improve in terms of chemistry and rhythm with the second half of the schedule already underway. Even with all of the success the Celtics have, it feels like this unit has another level of basketball it can reach, and it’ll be fun watching them try to unlock it in time for the postseason.
Real Estate
He set out to own Manhattan.
Now he’s coming for Massachusetts.
Celebrity real estate broker/diehard Patriots fan Ryan Serhant is bringing it all back home.
SERHANT., (styled with a period), his real estate brokerage featured on Netflix’s “Owning Manhattan” is expanding to Massachusetts, with a Boston office and “more than 15 agents,” per his Jan. 14. announcement.
“It’s exciting for me to get back to my roots,” the “Million Dollar Listing” star — whose firm deals in million-dollar listings — said.
“Boston is the biggest little city in the world. It’s built on culture, built on the ethos of the original founders of the United States — this get-up-and-go attitude. That’s what I love so much about Boston. It’s in everybody’s blood to get up and go and make things happen.”
A noted workaholic with a get-up-and-go-attitude himself, Serhant spoke of his Boston launch from the back of his car in New York City — presumably with Yuriy the driver, who has his own fandom.
For the initiated, if there’s such a thing as a real estate celebrity, it’s Serhant.
He’s a house-blend of Wall Street and Broadway. A savvy businessman, with the big personality of TV show host — magnetic Andy Cohen it-factor with Bostonian dry humor and an “I can sell ice to a snowman” sales attitude that revs up employees.
Watching “Owning Manhattan,” they look like they’d follow their silver-haired leader into battle if he raised his heavily-braceleted wrist. The knight’s steed? Social media. He’s harnessed the power of Instagram — with some 3 million followers— and social platforms. He also studied theater.
Two years after earning his broker license, he landed on Bravo’s “Million Dollar Listing,” then got his own Bravo spinoff shows.
In 2020, the author of three books founded SERHANT. He sells New York City apartments that look straight out of “Succession.” He repped Andy Cohen in the sale of his New York apartment, and Dave Portnoy’s Florida home.
Now that he’s “planted his flag” in Rhode Island andConnecticut, he’s expanding his empire back into what he considers his home state. “All my childhood memories” are here, he said. “My first date was at the Topsfield Fair.”
“When you walk to my office in New York City, the first thing you see is a Tom Brady autographed helmet. I have a football from the Falcons/Patriots Super Bowl signed, I have a lot of Patriots gear and jerseys,” he continued.
He took some time to chat about what the Boston office has in store:
You’re opening an office in Boston, but you’ll sell properties all over Massachusetts?
This is our 15th state. We’re starting in Boston with an office in Back Bay. We’re bringing our platform, our AI technology, ourapp, our brands, our production studio, our creative agency … It’s a big moment for us.
We’ll be selling all over Massachusetts. We have a lot of incredible listings that will come to market over the next couple days. They probably won’t be on the website site by Wednesday— the way licensure works, it takes a second. But I love Beacon Hill, the Seaport, South End, and all the neighboring suburbs, North Shore, South Shore. My little brother’s in Walpole. So I’m looking forward to painting Massachusetts SERHANT. blue.
You’re already in Connecticut and Rhode Island. Are you going to expand into other New England states?
They’re on the roadmap, yes.
We have some beautiful properties. We’re growing very fast in Rhode Island. A lot of those agents also have clients in Massachusetts, so Massachusetts makes a lot of sense for us.
Season 2 of “Owning Manhattan” just released on Netflix last month. Any chance we might be in Season three?
“Owning Boston”? Maybe. Depends on the properties. Every season so far, we’ve shown off a little bit outside of New York City. The show is predominantly based in Manhattan, obviously. But, last season we launched some beautiful properties in Miami, and the show came with us to South Florida. So we’ll have to see.
You said your parents moved, but you still have family here. Tell me a bit about your local roots.
I was born in Houston, we moved around a bit, then settled in Topsfield. I went to Proctor Elementary School in Topsfield, then Masconomet Regional for junior high and Pingree [in South Hamilton] for high school. I went to Hamilton College, a liberal arts school in upstate New York.
My dad worked at State Street. My [brothers work in finance]. I was the odd one out who got into real estate by way of theater.
So you learned to drive on Rt. 128?
Hilarious. My first real frustration [with driving] was the Big Dig. Remember the Big Dig?
Oh my gosh. That thing was endless, forever and ever. I mean, learning to drive on those roads is a thing. You go out to the Midwest where a lot of roads are straight, and you’re like, “These people have it way too easy. These roads were not carved by horses in any way, shape or form.”
And how did you get into real estate?
Real estate was never part of the plan. I went to school for theater and for English literature. When I graduated in 2006, my grandfather died and left $20,000 to each [grandkid.] That was the most money I’d ever seen. I was like, “I’m going to go to New York City, do Broadway — that money will last me 10 years.” It did not last me 10 years. It lasted me a lot less.
So I needed a job or I had to move home, which I didn’t want to do. And a friend of mine said “Sales is very similar to the skills you learn in theater. It’s listening to reply, listening to response, memorizing information, being a real human in front of people. Just get your real estate license.” So I did that in 2008.
What do you love about it?
I love that it’s a limitless career. The harder you work, the luckier you get. I love that every day is different. I love that you can be an inventor, a builder, a branded marketer, a negotiator, a therapist all at the same time. It personifies the American Dream.
How did you find your entertainment/celebrity/ real estate broker niche?
I got my real estate license in 2008, and after a year and a half, I went to an open-casting call for a reality show on Bravo, “Million Dollar Listing New York.” I was cast in 2010. We did that for a decade, and that was around the same time Instagram was invented. Instagram and Twitter and Facebook were a way to connect with those show fans, and clients. I was just able to build that profile.
I’m a businessman first, and I use social media and various forms of media to put out our message and our profile.
Will you be coming to Boston soon?
I was just there, actually. My little brother lives in Walpole. He and his wife just actually opened a gym in Walpole called Lifted Fitness, so I went to their opening, and went to one of their classes.
Interview has been lightly edited and condensed.
Lauren Daley is a freelance writer. She can be reached at [email protected] and @laurendaley1.
Our weekly digest on buying, selling, and design, with expert advice and insider neighborhood knowledge.
CLEMSON, S.C. — Nick Davidson scored 21 straight points in the first half and finished with a season-high 25 as No. 22 Clemson beat Boston College, 74-50, on Tuesday night to remain undefeated in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
The Tigers (15-3, 5-0 ACC) won their eighth straight game, one day after reaching the Top 25 rankings for the first time this season.
Davidson, the Nevada transfer, accounted for all of Clemson’s scoring in a 21-9 run to turn a four-point deficit into a 32-24 lead.
Clemson started the second half on a 9-2 run. The Tigers were led by RJ Godfrey’s 5 points and extended their lead to double digits.
Davidson’s two foul shots with 9:50 to play extended Clemson’s lead to 21 points and Boston College (7-10, 0-4) failed to respond. The Tigers eventually led by 25 in the second half.
Davidson made 8 of 11 shots from the field, including four of Clemson’s eight 3-pointers. He finished a point shy of his career high, set against Sam Houston State in November 2024.
Fred Payne led BC with 20 points.
Godfrey and Carter Welling each had 10 points and eight rebounds for Clemson.
BC opened quickly, hitting five of its first eight shots for a 15-11 lead. That’s when Davidson went on his run in a 10-minute stretch in which he accounted for all of Clemson’s offense.
Jestin Porter, who scored 26 points in Clemson’s last outing in a win at Notre Dame, added a pair of 3-pointers down the stretch as the Tigers led 37-27 at the break.
The Eagles host Syracuse on Saturday.
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu’s stalled tax shift bill will be taken up by the state Senate Thursday for the first time since it was killed there more than a year ago, but this time as an amendment filed for an alternate Senate-led tax relief proposal.
State Sen. Michael Rush, a Boston Democrat, filed an amendment to state Sen. William Brownsberger’s property tax shock bill that mirrors the language included in a home rule petition the mayor has been pushing for nearly two years that would shift more of the city’s tax burden from the residential to commercial sector.
“Property tax relief is a pressing issue for my constituents — and residents throughout the state,” Rush said Monday in a statement to the Herald. “On behalf of the people of Boston, I have filed the home rule petition passed by the Boston City Council to provide property tax relief for Boston residents.
“As the Senate considers several worthy proposals designed to address affordability in the Commonwealth, I am glad this proposal will be part of the discussion,” Rush said.
Wu’s office told the Herald Saturday that the mayor had requested the amendment.
“Every senator has the opportunity to submit amendments related to these bills by Monday, and we have asked Boston’s senators to offer an amendment with our residential tax relief language that has been vetted thoroughly and never received a vote,” a Wu spokesperson said in a statement. “We are following closely and hope the final bills will include this needed relief for residents.”
Wu has said her legislation is aimed at lowering the 13% tax hike the average single-family homeowner is projected to face this year. Third-quarter tax bills went out to homeowners earlier this month.
The mayor’s bill seeks to shift more of the city’s tax burden onto commercial property owners, beyond the 175% state limit, for a three-year period.
It is set to be debated, along with several other amendments that have been filed by senators for Brownsberger’s property tax shock bill, at Thursday’s session.
“All amendments filed by members of the Senate will be considered by the full body during our session on Thursday,” a spokesperson for Senate President Karen Spilka’s office said Monday in a statement to the Herald.
A vote is expected on the bill and underlying amendments on the same day, according to state Sen. Nick Collins, a South Boston Democrat whose alternative tax relief bill and amendments will also be considered.
Collins, who opposes the tax shift element of the mayor’s home rule petition and helped lead the push to kill it on the Senate floor in late 2024, has put forward a bill and amendments that include other elements of what Wu has proposed.
He’s pushing for tax rebates for low- and middle-income homeowners who already receive the residential tax exemption by using surplus funds, along with senior, veterans and small business tax relief provisions.
“I think that the relief measures are positive in terms of the amendments that I and others have filed that are relief in nature or relief options, but I think anything that involves a tax increase is going to be difficult,” Collins told the Herald Monday when asked about the chances for the mayor’s proposal.
“Especially when the city is sitting on $552 million of what they consider to be free cash, it’s hard to make the case that tax increase is necessary,” Collins added.
In a statement issued by his office, Collins added that the city’s decision to hike residential property taxes by double-digits “with so much in the City of Boston’s surplus fund” was “unnecessary, unfair and clearly inequitable.”
“To cancel out that tax increase, my legislation would authorize the city to issue direct rebates to homeowners,” Collins said.
He pointed to a similar approach that he said was taken at the state level in 2022, when the governor and legislature issued rebates after tax revenues exceeded the cap established under voter-approved state law, Chapter 62F, which limits the growth of state tax collections.
In terms of Rush’s amendment, Collins said he’s also concerned that the senator’s language would make the mayor’s tax shift bill applicable statewide, rather than just in Boston.
Collins said he has also filed an amendment that would allow for an extension of the abatement process to April 1, to allow homeowners and commercial property owners a longer period of time to challenge city property assessments that have an impact on how much they pay in property taxes.
The mayor added tax rebates to her home rule petition at the beginning of last year as a fall-back option, and renewed her push for the Senate to approve the bill last month.
Collins is a co-sponsor of Brownsberger’s bill, which seeks to shield homeowners from double-digit tax bills, by phasing in increases or offering targeted tax credits in years when property tax hikes are projected to exceed 10%.
Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr, a Gloucester Republican, co-sponsored both the Collins- and Brownsberger-led bills that will be debated on Thursday.
If the bills, and any related amendments, are approved, they will move onto the House of Representatives for consideration.
Service door of Crans-Montana bar where 40 died in fire was locked from inside, owner says
Power bank feature creep is out of control
MERR responds to dead humpback whale washed up near Bethany Beach
Anti-ICE protest outside Dallas City Hall follows deadly shooting in Minneapolis
Defensive coordinator candidates who could improve Cowboys’ brutal secondary in 2026
Virginia Tech gains commitment from ACC transfer QB
Pat McAfee praises Audi Crooks, plays hype song for Iowa State star
Video: This Organizer Reclaims Counter Space