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In Jayson Tatum, Mike Krzyzewski sees the maturation of a young talent he helped nurture – The Boston Globe

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In Jayson Tatum, Mike Krzyzewski sees the maturation of a young talent he helped nurture – The Boston Globe


“Thank God,” Krzyzewski thought to himself. “And a little bit of, ‘It’s about time.’ ”

As building legends go, what Tatum did across the final four-plus minutes of that Eastern Conference semifinal game is destined to be a foundational moment, going from one of the worst offensive nights of his basketball life to one of the best.

In forgetting the horror show of 12 misses in his first 13 attempts, in personally outscoring the 76ers in the final quarter, in leading the Celtics to a come-from-behind victory, Tatum wrote a story that accounted not only for his otherworldly physical skill set but for his mental toughness as well.

He never quit, and when that crucial shot finally fell — the first of four vital 3-pointers in the fourth quarter — the man who had coached him back in college, the coach who’d helped him believe he could be one of the game’s greatest players, could all but predict what would come next.

“With talent, all you need is to light the match,” said Krzyzewski, the former Duke coach. “And he lit the match. And all of a sudden he had a four-minute fire. If you’re a Celtic fan, it’s a beautiful thing.”

The story only got better from there, with Tatum’s 51-point outburst in the clinching Game 7 propelling the Celtics to the Eastern Conference finals for the third time in four years.

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Tatum starred for Krzyzewski at Duke before joining the Celtics.Kevin C. Cox

And when Krzyzewski flips the channel to Game 1 of that series against Miami (“I’ve watched them all,” he said of the Celtics’ playoff run so far through Atlanta and Philadelphia), what he sees is a story of maturation, of growth, and of ongoing evolution.

From the moment Coach K convinced the kid from St. Louis’s Chaminade Prep to head to Durham, N.C., that desire to improve was evident.

“He’s one of the best players in the world right now, and the thing, besides physically taking care of himself at a high level all the time, but with that investment and him being a father for this long, he’s matured,” Krzyzewski said.

“In other words, he’s not prone to get down on himself. A great player doesn’t get down on himself or herself. They can make a correction while they’re having a poor performance. They don’t have to wait and watch and find out why; they self-analyze. That’s the maturity of a great player, and that’s what I saw in him.

“Obviously there’s some stop action, end of quarter, a timeout, or whatever. But I think doing that fourth-quarter thing was maybe his best performance because it came after doing not well, and it came within the game.

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“Then, in Game 7, 51 points is spectacular, but he started out that whole thing, he was prepared for something great. In the sixth game, he was not prepared for it. He was prepared to lose that game.

“And I just think it’s great maturity, great competitive maturity, to go along with exceptional talent to do what he did. That’s what makes the great ones. You know. And he showed that.”

The show is far from over, and with the talent that surrounds Tatum on this Celtics roster, with the shadow of last season’s Finals loss to the Warriors still looming, nothing short of a title is a palatable ending. Krzyzewski knows Tatum knows how to win — the longtime USA Basketball coach watched his former charge win a gold medal for the US in the 2020 Olympics — but there’s nothing like an NBA title to lay the final brick of a permanent legacy.

“With the organization they have, the team they have, they’re right there,” Krzyzewski said. “And of course that puts you on a different level when you actually win the NBA championship. The MVP conversation, he’s right there, too. In other words, he’s right there for all the things. Not every great player gets them. But he’s still young. They have a team that could win it.”

Led by the player who can anchor it, the one who stood on that court in Wells Fargo Center after his miraculous in-game rebound and answered a question about how he’d done it by saying, “I’m one of, humbly, one of the best basketball players in the world.”

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Knowing how much Tatum has going on — playoff run, father to 5-year-old son Deuce — Krzyzewski doesn’t text him often. But he couldn’t help it. He had to reach out after Tatum’s candid response.

Krzyzewski is happy to see a former player like Tatum find success.Michael Dwyer/Associated Press

“I can’t tell you exactly what I texted him after they won it, but I started it out with, ‘Humbly, you are mm, mm, mm,’ ” Krzyzewski said. “I think I put a smiley face with it.

“I loved how he said that, ‘Humbly I’m one of … ’ He doesn’t want to brag. He should have said he is one of the great players on the planet. And maybe that’s what he told himself in that fourth quarter.

“When we talked to the Celtics about the draft, I said I think he’s the best player, and I know he’s the best offensive player. I’ll tell you he’s coachable. He’s unbelievably coachable.

“To me, he’s been a learner. He has not fought learning, sticking with something old when he sees it’s not working and someone brings to his attention how he can improve. Not just on the court. His discipline in nutrition, training, all of it is at the highest level. And so he has learned and he’s disciplined and he’s still open to more learning.

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“This kid, he’s not a kid anymore. This guy — he’s got it.”


Tara Sullivan is a Globe columnist. She can be reached at tara.sullivan@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @Globe_Tara.





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Boston, MA

Boston doctor Derrick Todd accused of sexually assaulting 200 patients charged with rape

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Boston doctor Derrick Todd accused of sexually assaulting 200 patients charged with rape


A prominent Boston-area doctor accused in several lawsuits of sexually assaulting more than 200 former patients was indicted by a grand jury on rape charges.

Dr. Derrick Todd allegedly assaulted two women during examinations in December 2022 and June 2023 at the Charles River Medical Associates in Framingham, Mass., the Middlesex County District Attorney announced Thursday.

Todd, a rheumatologist, appeared in Middlesex Superior Court Friday after he handed himself over to police the previous night.

Dr. Derrick Todd is arraigned in Middlesex County Superior Court after he was indicted on rape charges on Jan. 17, 2025. AP

The two women had either a pelvic exam or pap smear with the doctor when the alleged assault occurred, NBC Boston reported.

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The patients alleged the exams went beyond “normal.”

One of the women endured enough pain for her to scream at Todd to stop but the doctor didn’t listen and continued the exam.

The second patient alleged she didn’t give Todd consent to perform the specific examination but the doctor went ahead despite the rejection, the outlet reported.

Todd pleaded not guilty to the two rape charges.

He was held on a $10,000 bail.

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Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital in Boston, where Todd worked for 14 years. Google Maps

A judge ordered Todd to surrender his passport, not have any contact with his alleged victims, and give up all medical licenses.

Claims of abuse from Todd date back to 2010 but only surfaced in 2023 after Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital received anonymous complaints.

Todd is the former chief of clinical rheumatology at the Boston hospital but resigned after 14 years in 2023 when two other physicians questioned the appropriateness of pelvis exams for his rheumatology patients, the Boston Globe reported.

Over 200 of Todd’s former patients accused him of performing unnecessary pelvic floor therapy, breast examinations, testicular examinations, and rectal examinations.

The accusers include over 200 women and several men between teenagers and 60-year-olds.

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Attorneys for 180 of the former patients say the two rape charges are just the start of the doctor’s legal battle.

“It’s just the beginning of the criminal case against Dr. Todd, but it does help validate the civil claims that Lubin & Meyer is pursuing on behalf of so many of his former patients,” Attorney William Thompson said. “Fundamentally, it’s about a doctor abusing his position. And taking advantage of patients who put their trust in him for his own personal sexual gratification.”

Over 200 of Todd’s former patients accused him of performing unnecessary pelvic floor therapy, breast examinations, testicular examinations, and rectal examinations. LinkedIn

Todd voluntarily ceased his medical practice in Massachusetts in September 2023.

The announcement was made in a letter to the Board of Registration in Medicine.

The class-action lawsuit against Todd also listed the hospital as a defendant for allegedly knowing about the abuse and failing to stop it.

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Todd was fired from the hospital in July 2024.

With Post wires



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Boston, MA

O’shae Brissett, part of Boston Celtics championship, reportedly signs with Long Island Nets

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O’shae Brissett, part of Boston Celtics championship, reportedly signs with Long Island Nets


O’shae Brissett, who won a championship with the Boston Celtics in June but hasn’t played professionally since, has reportedly signed an NBA G-League level contract with the Brooklyn Nets G League team, the Long Island Nets.

Bobby Manning was first with the news Friday morning…

The 6’7” 26-year-old Brissett, a defensive specialist, will join Long Island having last played for the Boston Celtics as a part of the NBA Championship squad last year.

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In his defining moment of the title run, Brissett was inserted as a small ball center by Boston coach Joe Mazzulla in Game 2 of the Celtics-Pacers conference title series. It was his first playoff minutes, but he played a critical role defensively, picking up three steals and finishing a +15 in his 12 minutes on the court.

“Just his presence, his energy, his athleticism,” Mazzulla said after that game. “Just gave us, I think he had a dunk, got a steal, got us out in transition with a couple [of] rebounds. So just, he plays with such a high level of intensity and energy. It’s big for us.”

In his 55 games with the Celtics in the 2023-24 season, Brissett started just one and played roughly 11.5 minutes per game. He averaged 3.7 points per game, 2.9 rebounds, and 0.8 assists. He shot 44.4% from the field, 27.3% from beyond the arc. He adds yet another NBA veteran presence to the young Long Island Nets team with .

Brissett played three years with the Indiana Pacers, his best year coming in 2021-22 when he played 67 games, 25 starts, averaging 9.1 points and 5.3 rebounds.

However, he hasn’t played since the NBA Finals. Brissett, who turned 26 years old in June, declined a $2.5 million dollar player option with Boston at the end of June. He hoped that he could get more by testing the free-agent market. Similarly, the Toronto native dropped out of the Canadian national team, coached by Jordi Fernandez, to focus his free agency. However, offers or at least offers he liked never materialized and he remained a free agent until Friday.

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Brissett’s rebounding and size will give Long Island some added depth, and in Long Island’s case, a potential starter. Brissett always intended to pursue a return to the NBA, and his signing with the Long Island Nets is a first step to getting back to that dream.

Brissett also re-unites with Kendall Brown who had been his Indiana Pacers teammate two years ago.





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Magic Look to Bounce Back With More Energy at Celtics

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Magic Look to Bounce Back With More Energy at Celtics


BOSTON – Over two weeks ago, after the Orlando Magic’s latest rally fell short in a loss to the Detroit Pistons, fourth-year guard Jalen Suggs called out a worrying trend among his team in hopes of nipping it in the bud.

“We’re putting ourselves in these holes and spotting teams leads, then having to fight, scratch, claw just to get back in the game and give ourselves a chance,” Suggs said on New Year’s Day.

The Magic had developed a resilience that meant they were never out of games, no matter the score. Complimentary, energy-filled basketball helped Orlando do the fighting, scratching and clawing to get back into those games.

Did it always result in a victory? Not quite. But the relentless attitude and constant effort – especially for a team so handicapped by its shrinking list of healthy players – was commendable, and has been embedded in the Magic’s DNA.

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In the rare occasions when it doesn’t show face, though, Magic coach Jamahl Mosley says it’s “glaring.” That was the case when the Milwaukee Bucks delivered a 29-point shellacking to Orlando, marking the most lopsided loss for the Magic this year.

“There was an energy and effort issue,” said Mosley postgame.

Wendell Carter Jr. would later say his team was “out-physicaled” and made life too easy for their opponent.

Then, in the locker room, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope told reporters Orlando got its “a– whooped,” and Paolo Banchero told reporters, “[A]s a group top to bottom, we’ve got to be more ready to play. We’re down a lot of bodies, but we can’t make excuses and we’ve just got to come out and play for each other.”

To Banchero’s point, the Magic’s 124 missed games from players due to injury or illness haven’t been a catch-all, safety-net excuse when the team is struggling. Instead, their aforementioned resilience built an identity that helped them generate results throughout the entire first half of the season, regardless of available contributors.

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It justifies Mosley’s claims that the lackluster performance vs. the Bucks “wasn’t Orlando Magic basketball. Not even close.” Because although that was the case in Game 42, through the first 41 games, it wasn’t.

“It’s something that you can learn from, and you have to be able to bounce back, which this group has always done,” Mosley said.

With a national audience watching along, Orlando (0-4 in national TV games this season) pays its only visit to TD Garden Friday evening, squaring off with the defending champion Boston Celtics for the second of three matchups this season. The Magic host the 18-time champs once more in April to close the Kia Center’s regular season slate.

Boston has dropped three of their last five outings, including an uncharacteristic loss to the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night in Scotiabank Arena. The Celtics were without Jayson Tatum due to a last-minute spat with an illness in the Magic’s Dec. 23 home win, but Orlando was shorthanded as well. Of their top four scorers, only Suggs was available.

“We beat them last time at home, so I’m sure they haven’t forgot that,” Paolo Banchero said in Orlando’s locker room Wednesday. “They have a hell of a home atmosphere [and] home crowd, so they’ll be ready to play in front of their fans.”

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Heading into Friday’s tilt, where both teams are eager to wipe the slate clean from their mid-week malaise, Boston reports a clean bill of health. Now, only Banchero is available of the Magic’s top scorers, and other key reserves are unavailable as well.

MORE: Magic-Celtics Injury Report

Those who are available, however, say they shouldn’t have any issue getting back to their standard.

“Playing against teams like this is what hoopers get up for,” Anthony Black said. “Definitely getting up for this game. It’s always fun playing against some good hoopers, so I think we’re up and I think we’ll be ready to bring energy come game time.”

“You don’t like losing games, especially when you get your butt kicked,” Mosley said, “but you also have to know you have to bounce back, can’t hang your head, be ready to go and move on the next game.”

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