Connect with us

Boston, MA

The Celtics haven’t looked sharp lately; will it matter in the playoffs?

Published

on

The Celtics haven’t looked sharp lately; will it matter in the playoffs?


There’s no getting around it. The Celtics haven’t looked very sharp lately. There was the Clippers game blowout, some shaky wins over New Orleans and Indy, and then the embarrassing loss against the shorthanded Lakers. In isolation, any of these games could be written off as “one of those days” but when you cobble them together, it becomes more concerning. Just how concerning is a matter of debate.

The Celtics have all the firepower and talent that you could ask for. So from my viewpoint (on my comfy couch) it seems like it is just a problem of human nature. They stand firmly in first place with a 4.5-game cushion. So naturally, there are going to be days when the sense of urgency just isn’t there — in particular, when an opponent is missing two superstars.

That’s a problem because we’ve all learned that on any given day any team can rise up and steal a win if you don’t take them seriously and put in the right level of energy. The job is to perform day in and day out, regardless of opponent. Of course that’s easier said by a blogger on his couch than it is to perform on the court.

We want our stars to be flawless. To achieve those levels of success. You really have to be a monomaniac on a mission. Think Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and Kevin Garnett. They had that killer mentality, hyper-competitiveness, dialed up to 11 every minute of every day. Some select few are just wired that way and when you add in athletic talent, there’s no limit to what they can achieve.

Advertisement

Of course there’s a price to pay as well. I’m not the first to suggest that it can’t be healthy to live your life that way. Just go back and watch The Last Dance to see what I mean. MJ is still salty about perceived slights that may or may not have happened 30 years ago.

I do think that Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and the rest of the Celtics are super competitive. They might even be in the top 1% in the world (if there were a way to measure something like that). You don’t achieve their level of success without it. But perhaps they also have a healthy degree of perspective and balance as well. They allow themselves to fail and learn from those failures.

This doesn’t excuse the losses and slippage of play. The job is to win every game, but even the best teams will have lulls and slumps. What really matters the most is what happens in the postseason. Are the recent focus struggles something that will disappear when the challenge of the playoffs ramps up? Or is there some undercurrent issue going to raise its ugly head when it matters the most?

We have two recent examples to refer to. One is last year’s Celtics team that started off blazing hot, cooled off somewhat, and then lost their footing against the Heat in the playoffs (aided by some fluky shooting outliers). The other reference point is last year’s Denver Nuggets. Much was made about their seemingly aimless final few months of the regular season. But when the playoffs rolled around, the proverbial switch was flipped and they rode their superstar all the way to a title. It is worth noting that Nikola Jokic is able to dominate the game while also scouting horses halfway across the globe.

Call me over-optimistic if you want, but I tend to think that once the playoffs roll around, this team will be able to lock in and (mostly) stay focused on the challenge at hand. The key will be picking up wins early enough in the series to give themselves a margin of error if more fluky outliers happen later in the series.

Advertisement

The Celtics have the All-Star break coming up and it seems like they need the R&R. They also have the 2nd easiest remaining strength of schedule according to Tankathon. The team has an opportunity to do some experimenting with different rotations, schemes, and plays. If they retain their focus, they can still keep piling up the wins. (A big “if” based on recent play, but still)

The trade deadline or buyout season might be a good opportunity to add a new face and perhaps inject a slightly different element into the formula, even if that player doesn’t end up playing a ton in the playoffs.

One of the biggest challenges that a coaching staff has is to continually get the right level of focus and energy out of their players. Every one is wired differently and finding those right buttons to push and picking your spots of when to push them is incredibly tricky (and a moving target because people develop and grow over time).

Will this team figure things out in the spring? That might depend on the habits that they form the rest of this winter. We just won’t know for sure until we get there.



Source link

Advertisement

Boston, MA

Proposed “perfect” Red Sox trade sees Boston deal Jarren Duran, prospects for $15.5 million two-time All-Star ace

Published

on

Proposed “perfect” Red Sox trade sees Boston deal Jarren Duran, prospects for .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

Advertisement

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. 

Advertisement

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.

MORE MLB NEWS

Braves predicted to be top trade candidate for $325 million two-time World Series MVP, five-time All-Star as massive upgrade over Mauricio Dubon

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

Advertisement

Phillies predicted to be top trade candidate for $7.7 million All-Star MVP, would replace Nick Castellanos



Source link

Continue Reading

Boston, MA

BU spoils Northeastern final game at Matthews Arena

Published

on

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.

Advertisement

“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.”

Advertisement

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.

Advertisement

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.”

Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading

Boston, MA

Boston city councilor pushes for state audit of federal grant funds after misuse by city program

Published

on

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.

Advertisement

“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.

Advertisement

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.



Source link

Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending