Boston, MA
It’s not that the Celtics squandered a chance to win an NBA title, it’s how they did it that’s become the real concern for Game 5 – The Boston Globe
It’s not that coach Joe Mazzulla planned for this type of effort and performance, but it happened. The Mavericks were the more desperate team. Rookie center Dereck Lively hit his first career 3-pointer during an early Dallas run. Derrick White countered with an airball on a 3.
Nobody played well. The Celtics were punished on the boards. They couldn’t hit threes and they couldn’t hit twos. Now they return to Boston with a 3-1 edge in the series, but perhaps not the psychological edge because the Mavericks finally saw its bench produce while the duo of Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic shredded a Boston defense that just wasn’t interested in guarding.
Both were able to drive to the basket with ease for layups and floaters. The Celtics perhaps believed the Mavericks were done, that they would lay down after trailing, 3-0, and on the brink of getting swept. Instead it was the Celtics who relented, reverting to their style of “playing with their food.”
The Celtics trailed by as many as 48 points in the third quarter, completely letting go of the rope and forcing Mazzulla to pull his starters with three-plus minutes left in the quarter. They needed to be benched. They were awful. Jayson Tatum missed layups or was stripped at the rim. Jaylen Brown looked two steps slow. Jrue Holiday missed a handful of layups.
White airballed another 3-pointer in the second half. And the Celtics faithful who traveled from Boston, snapped up the tickets on the secondary market and wanted to see history, actually witnessed one of the worst playoff losses in Celtics history. Only two previous Celtics teams lost by more points in the postseason.
What this loss does is create that slight doubt, that slight anxiety that maybe the Celtics have been figured out. The Mavericks played stifling defense in the fourth quarter of Game 3 but the Celtics made enough key buckets to hold on. On Friday, the Celtics couldn’t score in the paint and couldn’t hit even open threes.
Mazzulla was more complimentary of the Mavericks than critical of his own team, but he did think Dallas played harder. How in the world could the Celtics allow the Mavericks to play harder with so much on the line? Nobody had that answer.
“I mean, I don’t know, always in situations like this, it always goes back to us,” Mazzulla said. “But you have to give Dallas credit. They played well. They played really, really well. And that’s the reason why they’re in this, is because when they play like that. So I thought they just outplayed us. I don’t know. I thought Dallas played really [hard] — , because you have to give them credit. It’s not about us. It’s about our opponent and having respect for them.
“And you have to give them credit for how well they played, and that’s the most important thing. So it’s less about us and more about how they played. They played well. They played hard. We have to be more disciplined in how we defend and attack them.”
Adjustments will be necessary.
Mazzulla and his staff have two days to cool down Irving, make things tougher on Doncic, and limit the bench players who are now brimming with confidence.
The Celtics could have played one of their better games and still lost with the way Dallas performed, but they didn’t have a chance to find out because they didn’t offer their best.
Sweeps in the NBA Finals are extremely difficult. The last time an Eastern Conference team swept an NBA Finals series was 1989.
It’s not that the Celtics lost Game 4, it’s how they lost that is a concern. The Celtics still have the advantage. No team has come back from 0-3 and Boston is the better team, but they were so listless in Game 4 that they lost a considerable amount of momentum gained from such an impressive playoff run and winning the first three games of this series.
They’ll have to work hard to regain that and can’t just depend on being home to take this series.
“We learn from it. We take it. We don’t dismiss it,” guard Jaylen Brown said. “We’re going to learn from it. We’re going to see how and why, exactly where the game was won and lost. And then we take those experiences and then we come out and we play like our life depends on it. Because it does.”
The Larry O’Brien Trophy will be shipped to Boston for Game 5, and the Celtics have the precious opportunity to clinch in front of a title-hungry city. They’ll have to play with the ultimate passion, no arrogance and with all the sense of urgency.
Gary Washburn is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at gary.washburn@globe.com. Follow him @GwashburnGlobe.
Boston, MA
Proposed “perfect” Red Sox trade sees Boston deal Jarren Duran, prospects for $15.5 million two-time All-Star ace
The Boston Red Sox found their ace in Garrett Crochet this year, after trading for him around this time last year. Now, they’ve made some moves to finally get him some support in the rotation, but none of those moves are truly a No. 2 to back him up.
Fansided’s Cody Williams believes he has the perfect trade for a name that’s been floated around as an option: Milwaukee Brewers All-Star Freddy Peralta.
“While Boston has long looked like an obvious suitor for Peralta, the trade assets haven’t necessarily lined up perfectly for both them and Milwaukee…Now, the Brewers still aren’t in need of outfield help, so to speak, but there is certainly room to upgrade over the likes of Jake Bauers, Garrett Mitchell or Blake Perkins, which Duran or Abreu would allow them to do. Furthermore, in typical fashion for Milwaukee, they could flip an asset they’re unlikely to be able to pay in Peralta for immediate major-league upgrades with plenty of club control at low cost and prospects that could help keep the ball rolling under Pat Murphy,” Williams wrote.
MORE: Cubs predicted to trade for $3.75 million 150 SO ace to create 1-2 punch with Shota Imanaga
The trade would look like this:
Red Sox get: RHP Freddy Peralta
Brewers get: OF Jarren Duran, SS Franklin Arias (No. 1 Prospect), RHP Juan Valera (No. 12 Prospect)
MORE: Mariners predicted to trade for $5.75 million All-Star, Gold Glove as amazing replacement for Jorge Polanco
Peralta posted a 17-6 record, a 2.70 ERA, 204 Ks, and a WHIP of 1.075 over 176 innings pitched last season. Combine him with Crochet, and the Sox have a World Series-contending-level rotation.
The only problem with this is it’s basically a one-year rental. Peralta’s contract is up after this year, and he’s projected to get a five-year, $152 million deal.
The Sox have shown they don’t believe in giving long-term contracts out to players over 30, and Peralta will be 30 in the upcoming season. Hopefully, the Sox make an exception, get uncomfortable like they said they would, and pursue this trade.
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Red Sox predicted to be top landing spot for $116.5 million three-time All-Star, two-time Silver Slugger, would be massive upgrade from David Hamilton
Phillies predicted to be top trade candidate for $7.7 million All-Star MVP, would replace Nick Castellanos
Boston, MA
BU spoils Northeastern final game at Matthews Arena
BOSTON – Before the lights went out at Matthews Arena for the last time, they shined brightly on Boston University center Brandon Svoboda.
The sophomore from Pittsburgh scored two goals including the game-winner at 18:21 of the third to lift the Terriers to a 4-3 victory over Northeastern, on Saturday night. Svoboda’s fourth of the season was the final goal scored at Northeastern’s historic Matthews Arena.
The Terriers’ victory over the Huskies was the last sporting event played inside Matthews Arena, which officially opened its doors as Boston Arena in April of 1910.
“I got a lucky bounce and I capitalized on it and put it in the back of the net,” said Svoboda. “Playing the last game ever in this building is pretty special and what was it, 1910 this place was built so it was pretty special being the last team playing in this building.
“We are a young group and we are figuring it out so it was obviously a big deal to get a W in the last game in this arena.”
BU improved to 9-8-1 and 6-3-0 in Hockey East going into the semester break while the No. 11 Huskies fell to 10-6-0 and 5-4-0 in the conference.
“It was just a big win for us going into the semester break,” said BU coach Jay Pandolfo. “The first half has not been ideal for us so to finish it that way, to come back in the third period to win a hockey game in this environment, where this is their last home game here and they wanted to win and we found a way to pull it off.”
Northeastern purchased the structure in 1979 and renamed it Matthews Arena three years later. The demolition of the old barn nestled between Mass. Ave and Gainsborough Street will begin in January and the new arena is scheduled to go online in September of 2028.
“Having a new facility is definitely a big selling point,” said NU coach Jerry Keefe. “It is going to have all the amenities you need to develop players and I think this generation of recruits like the shiny and the new.”
The first Beanpot Tournament was played at Boston Arena in 1952, so it seemed appropriate that Northeastern would play its final game against a neighboring Beanpot opponent. BU played its home games at Boston Arena from 1918 to 1971 before moving into its new facility on Babcock Street.
Pandolfo enjoyed many Matthews moments both on the ice and behind the bench. Pandolfo also played in the final Beanpot game at the old Boston Garden.
“I always enjoyed playing here that’s for sure,” Pandolfo said. “It was a fun place to play and I always enjoyed it and I enjoyed coaching there. It is a great environment and a special old building.
“That’s the biggest attachment for me and that I just enjoyed it. My grandfather played at Northeastern, my mom’s dad and that makes it special as well. It was also Boston University’s home rink as well for a long time and that is a big reason we are here closing it out with Northeastern.”
The Huskies had some extra zip in their blades that created several scoring opportunities, all of which deftly handled by BU netminder Mikhail Yegorov.
NU went up 1-0 on a power play goal by freshman center Jacob Mathieu at 11:28 of the first. Mathieu found an opening outside the BU crease and redirected Giacomo Martino’s wrister from the left circle for his fifth of the season.
NU went up 2-0 at 14:36 when junior center Tyler Fukakusa finished a two-on-one break with his second goal of the season. BU got on the board when Svoboda netted a power play goal at 17:40, his third of the season.
“We were playing fine but we just made some mistakes so to get out of that first period 2-1 was important no question about that,” said Pandolfo.
BU tied the game 2-2 on sophomore center Sacha Boisvert’s second of the season at 13:38 of the second. NU went up 3-2 when sophomore left wing Joe Connor beat the buzzer at 19:59 with his sixth of the season. NU tied the game 3-3 on Kamil Bednarik tally at 18:02 of the third. Svoboda would score 19 seconds later to complete the comeback.
“You give up a late goal at the end of the second period after a power play, that can really hurt you,” said Pandolfo. “But our guys were determined to come back.”
Boston, MA
Boston city councilor pushes for state audit of federal grant funds after misuse by city program
Boston City Councilor Ed Flynn requested that the state auditor’s office conduct a formal audit of the nearly $560 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds the city received from the federal government, in light of misspending by a city program.
Flynn sent a letter to State Auditor Diana DiZoglio on Friday requesting an audit of the federal grant funds the city received through the ARPA legislation of 2021 that was issued as a COVID-19 pandemic-relief measure.
The councilor said Boston received nearly $560 million in federal funds for pandemic recovery. The money was committed by the end of 2024, and must be spent by the end of next year, he said.
“In May of this year, it was reported that the City of Boston’s Three Squares Main Streets program allegedly misspent ARPA funds in the amount of $32,000,” Flynn wrote in the letter. “Irresponsible funding and spending leads to inflated costs and missed opportunities to improve our communities.
“It is critical that the City of Boston spends taxpayer dollars responsibly to regain our credibility and show respect to the residents,” he added.
Flynn wrote that he chose to pursue a state audit due to the City Council’s failure to hold oversight hearings, and ensure that “Boston is in compliance with spending regulations.”
Auditor DiZoglio’s office said Friday that it had received Flynn’s letter and that the councilor’s request requires a majority vote from the City Council and approval from the mayor to permit the auditor’s office to conduct a municipal audit.
“Our General Counsel will be sending Councilor Flynn the legal process required, under the law, to engage the Office of State Auditor with respect to a municipal audit,” DiZoglio spokesperson Andrew Carden said in a statement.
“Unlike the Office of Inspector General, which has the full legal authority to audit and investigate municipal government entities without a request or permission from a city or town, the Office of State Auditor, while mandated to audit state government entities, is actually legally required to obtain permission from a municipality, via both a majority vote from the City Council and approval by the Mayor, to be permitted to conduct a municipal audit,” Carden added.
Flynn told the Herald he wouldn’t hold his breath for approval from his colleagues on the City Council, which is largely allied with Mayor Michelle Wu.
“Since the City Council failed to hold the necessary oversight hearings to determine how we spend federal funds, an outside audit is essential to ensure appropriate spending, demonstrate transparency and accountability,” Flynn said. “The Boston City Council will not support an independent audit of our financial records to ensure we are complying with federal spending laws.”
Mayor Wu’s office didn’t respond to a request for comment on whether the Wu administration would support Flynn’s request for a state audit.
Wu’s office launched an internal audit last May after the city main streets’ program’s alleged misuse of federal ARPA funds was flagged by the Boston Finance Commission, a City Hall watchdog.
“We’re grateful for city staff who have been working to ensure oversight of every dollar of federal funds spent on pandemic recovery, including grants to nonprofit organizations,” Wu spokesperson Emma Pettit said in a statement at the time. “Through their diligence, these financial irregularities were identified and reported to the appropriate agencies to take action.
“The city will continue to support any further investigation, and is undertaking a further audit to ensure full accountability.”
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