It took longer than it should have, but Celtics finally found their game to advance
Making matters worse, the Celtics couldn't hit a three and fell behind by 9 points in Game 5 Tuesday. Boston trailed, 49-47, at intermission and made . . . zero . . . 3-point baskets in the first half. It was as if Marcus Smart and Greg Kite were back in the house.
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Hard to believe. This year's Celtics took more threes and made more threes than any team in NBA history.
Jayson Tatum (35 points, 8 rebounds, 10 assists) broke the ice in the second minute of the second half with a successful 3-point shot and then the Bostons overwhelmed the Magic with a hail of threes to take an 83-62 lead at the end of three. The lead swelled to 34 points in the second half. Boston made 13 threes in the second half.
So there. A gentleman's sweep.
Prior to the clincher, Celtic coach Joe Mazzulla was asked about the 'urgency' of a close-out game. Predictably, Joltin' Joe came back with 'just focus on the things you can control,'' 'stick to the process of winning,'' and 'matchups to coverage.''
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He knew what he was doing. Orlando's physicality made this series annoying and somewhat threatening. Some of us think that injuries are the only thing that can stop the Boston juggernaut from a second straight NBA title, which is exactly why the smash-mouth Magic proved problematic.
Jaylen Brown (23 points) came into the playoffs with a knee injury, but Boston sustained more gashes and bumps in the first four games vs. Orlando. Tatum suffered a bone bruise in his right wrist in Game 1 and missed Game 2. Kristaps Porzingis took a five-stitch gash to the noggin' in Game 2. Jrue Holiday missed the last three games of the series with a hamstring injury.
Worse, the Magic took away Boston's 3-point weaponry in the first 4½ games of this series, perhaps giving the rest of the NBA a blueprint for stopping the Green.
In this spirit, Boston needed to eliminate Orlando ASAP. Still, the Celtics came out totally uninspired. The Celtics went 0 for 3 on threes in the first quarter, committed a whopping six turnovers, got outrebounded, fell behind by as many as 9, and trailed, 27-23, after one. It was the full monty of suck.
When Orlando went ahead, 36-28, in the fourth minute of the second, a disgusted Mazzulla called time. It got so bad, even Derrick White looked lethargic. The Celtics trailed, 49-47, at intermission and did not make a 3-point shot in the first half.
Tatum broke the spell with a three in the second minute of the second half. The Celtics took the lead on a 3-point play by Brown a minute later. Banchero picked up his fifth personal foul on the play and went to the pine. And that was it for the Magic. Boston buried Orlando in 3-point makes and soon led by 20.
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The path to a championship is not supposed to be easy. Last year the Celtics went 16-3 in the playoffs, never losing two games in a single series.
It doesn't always go that way. It took the Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen Celtics a full seven games to eliminate the woeful Atlanta Hawks in the first round in Boston's championship spring of 2008. Those Ubuntu Celtics also went the full seven in Round 2 against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
That's a dangerous formula. And these Celtics know it.
So now there's no more Magic.
Take a few days and get some rest. Let the Knicks and Pistons beat themselves up for a couple more games.
As Bill Belichick and Jordon Hudson would say, we're on to New York.
Or Detroit.
Dan Shaughnessy is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at
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NBC Sports
an hour ago
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Tyler Stephenson - C, CIN: 36% rostered (HOT STREAK, POWER UPSIDE) Stephenson didn't exactly hit the ground running when he was activated off the IL, but he seems to be turning it on of late, hitting .308./373/.596 over his last 15 games with four home runs and 11 RBIs. I would consider him in one-catcher formats if you don't have the Contreras brothers, Cal Raleigh, Will Smith, Hunter Goodman, Logan O'Hoppe, or Adley Rutschman. If you're looking for an option in a two-catcher format, you can go with Carlos Narvaez - C, BOS (7% rostered). It seems as though Narvaez has emerged as the starting catcher and one of the better rookies in the AL. He was known primarily for his plus defense when he was acquired from the Yankees in a trade this off-season, but he's hitting .277/.355/.440 in 186 plate appearances with five home runs and 19 RBI. 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Parker Meadows - OF, DET: 24% rostered (POWER/SPEED UPSIDE, RETURN FROM THE IL) Meadows came off the IL this week and went 4-for-19 with three runs scored and two steals. More importantly, he started almost every game in center field and hit lead-off for the AL's best team. He did sit against the one left-handed pitcher they faced, so that may become a regular thing with Javier Baex and Wenceel Perez able to play center field, but Meadows needs to be rostered in way more leagues. Matt Wallner - OF, MIN (13% rostered) also returned from the IL this week and went 5-for-20 with three home runs and four RBI. The power is exactly what you're looking for with Wallner, and he's been batting cleanup against righties, which should provide solid counting stats. Sal Frelick - OF, MIL: 24% rostered (CONSISTENT PLAYING TIME, BATTING AVERAGE UPSIDE) Frelick has been a bit underrated in fantasy circles this season despite hitting .292 with 11 stolen bases on the season. 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Another option for similar skills is Ernie Clement - 2B/SS/3B - TOR (19% rostered). Over the same stretch of time, Clement is hitting .297/.339/.449 with three home runs, 18 runs scored, 12 RBI, one steal, and a 14/7 K/BB ratio in 34 games. Even with Andres Gimenez back, Clement is still an everyday player, just at 3B now. The 29-year-old has proved himself to be a solid batting average asset last season, and his multi-position eligibility makes him valuable in deeper leagues. Ryan O'Hearn - 1B/OF, BAL: 22% rostered (CONSISTENT PLAYING TIME, POWER UPSIDE) Ryan O'Hearn is a boring veteran who has also been criticized because he was 'blocking' the path of many of the Orioles' top prospects for the last couple of years. 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We keep expecting that Boston will trade for a 1B, but if they continue to fall out of playoff contention, they may just stick with Toro, who is 28 years old and hitting .325/.338/.506 in 23 games this season with three home runs, 10 runs scored, and eight RBI. This is probably more of a short-term add but not a bad one in deeper leagues. Marcelo Mayer - SS, BOS: 19% rostered (RECENT CALL-UP, BATTING AVERAGE UPSIDE) Both Marcel Mayer and Cole Young - 2B/SS, SEA (5% rostered) are off to slow starts to their big league careers. They're both also likely better real-life players than fantasy players, but they are talented hitters and could work themselves into being strong batting average assets. Mayer has a bit more power and Young has a bit more speed, but they're both worth a shot to be on your bench to see if they can get hot. Jordan Beck - OF, COL: 19% rostered (HOME PARK BONUS, PROSPECT GROWTH) Beck's roster rate has plummeted from 36% last week, and that makes some sense with the Rockies on the road last week, but they're back at home for six games this week. He's a young hitter with some power and speed who has a 14.3% barrel rate on the season. His exit velocities aren't great, but he's pulling and lifting the ball more this year, which is going to help him get to his power. He still has just a 70% contact rate and 14.4% swinging strike rate, so the batting average will likely regress, but the power is intriguing, and you can slot him into your lineup every time the Rockies are at home. Carlos Santana - 1B, CLE: 19% rostered (BATTING AVERAGE, RBI UPSIDE) Every year, Carlos Santana has strong stretches where his batting average spikes and he drives in a bunch of runs in the middle of the batting order. We are in one of those stretches right now. Over the last month, he has gone 22-for-76 (.289) with three home runs and 13 RBIs. The batting average will likely regress in the coming weeks, and this isn't a pick-up necessarily to hold for the remainder of the season, outside of deeper formats, but Santana is a solid veteran hitter who can be helpful for you when he's riding hot streaks like this. Similarly, veteran Josh Bell - 1B, WAS (6% rostered), has been getting a little hot of late, going 11-for-37 (.297) over his last 11 games with three home runs and seven RBI. It's getting warmer in the Northeast, and the ball is starting to fly a little bit. If Bell continues to produce decent numbers, could he wind up traded to a team like Boston, that might need a corner infield bat? Christian Encarnacion-Strand - 1B, CIN: 18% rostered (POWER UPSIDE, RETURN FROM THE IL) If you thought you were going to sneak CES through on waivers after he was activated from the IL on Saturday, his 2-for-5 day with one home run and three RBI likely didn't help you. He's going to play almost every day for a Reds team that is struggling with injuries and has little to play for this season other than player development. CES has had strikeout issues since being promoted to the big leagues and is not lock to produce, but he's well worth a gamble given his power upside now that he's back and healthy. Jo Adell - OF, LAA: 7% rostered (POWER UPSIDE, POST-HYPE PROSPECT) I know we've done this a bunch with Adell in the past, and I'm not sure I buy it, but I do feel the need to point out that he's been playing well of late. Over his last 27 games, Adell is batting .276/.382/.605 with eight home runs, 14 runs scored, and 14 RBI. More importantly, he has just a 19% strikeout rate over that span, with a 51% hard-hit rate and nine barrels. We've seen Adell have short stretches of improved contact in the past, so there's no guarantee that this sticks, but if it does, he will be a huge fantasy asset. A deep league option primarily for speed is. Jake Meyers - OF, HOU (8% rostered)A few weeks ago, I published an article on hitters who were being more aggressive and swinging at the first pitch more often this year than last year. Myers popped up for me on that leaderboard, and I explained in detail why I'm a fan of his new approach, so you should read that article to check out the analysis; however, I think he's a solid add for steals and something close to a .270 batting average. Kyle Teel - C, CWS: 6% rostered (PROSPECT CALL-UP, BATTING AVERAGE UPSIDE) Kyle Teel was promoted this weekend and has started three straight games at either catcher or DH. It seems like he's getting a chance to supplant Edgar Quero, who was fairly average in his first 39 MLB games and provided below-average defense. Teel also may have more offensive upside, slashing .295/.394/.492 in 50 games at Triple-A with eight home runs and seven steals. He's worth a look in all two-catcher leagues. Mike Tauchman - OF, CWS: 6% rostered (OFF THE IL, PLAYING TIME GUARANTEE) Teel's teammate Mike Tauchman has also been playing every day for the White Sox, batting leadoff and hitting .297/.410/.547 in 18 games since coming off the IL with three home runs, 12 runs scored, and 10 RBI. We've seen Tauchman be a solid deeper league fantasy asset in the past, and he may be locking into a strong stretch here as well. The Mets are also giving Starling Marte - OF, NYM (1% rostered) a chance to play more with Mark Vientos on the IL. Brett Baty has cooled a bit of late, and Marte has gone 8-for-25 (.320) in his last 11 games with eight runs scored, two home runs, and a steal. Marte no longer has the stolen base value he used to, but if he's going to DH and hit second regularly for the Mets, there is fantasy value there. Thairo Estrada- 2B, COL: 6% rostered (OFF THE IL, BATTING AVERAGE UPSIDE) Estrada was a big late-round favorite of mine early in the season now that he's in Colorado. I think he hurt his fantasy value by playing through injury last year, but he's a .270 15/15 type of talent who will not be playing in Coors Field. A fractured wrist could impact some of that power, but Estrada hit a solid 7-for-23 during his rehab assignment and could be a solid source of batting average and speed while being the likely everyday starter at second base for the Rockies. Colorado has six games at home this week, so fire Estrada up. If you wanted more upside, you could take a gamble on Ronny Maurico - 2B, NYM (12% rostered), who has gone 3-for-16 with one home run and one steal in his first four games since being called up. As I mentioned above, Brett Baty has come back down to earth, and Maurico has all kinds of raw tools. It's unclear what kind of opportunity he'll get, especially when Mark Vientos comes back, but Mauricio could be worth a shot. Ha-Seong Kim - SS, TB: 4% rostered) (IL STASH, SPEED UPSIDE) If you have space for a bench stash, Kim is another possible option if you need speed. He's currently in Triple-A on a rehab assignment, so it feels like maybe one or two more weeks until we see Kim back up, but he should play every day for the Rays, who may also then ship him away at the trade deadline. Even if that happens, Kim would have value wherever he winds up, so now may be the time to stash him. Waiver Wire Pitchers Eury Perez - SP, MIA: 44% rostered Yes, Perez doesn't technically qualify for this list since he's rostered in too many leagues, but he's set to make his season debut on Monday in Pittsburgh and gets a nice two-start week against Washington as well. Perez is a high-end talent and could be one of the more exciting pitchers in 2026. He's coming back from Tommy John surgery and one a bad team that isn't playing for anything. I doubt they push him past five innings in most starts, and his chances for wins are really small. He's talented, so he'll be worth streaming in some starts and picking up in deeper formats, but I wouldn't add him expecting a 'league winner' or whatever. I would much rather be adding Mick Abel - SP, PHI (43% rostered), who also doesn't qualify for this list. Given Aaron Nola's struggles this year and his setback on his rehab, I think it's possible Abel is in the Phillies' rotation for much, if not all, of June. If he pitches well enough, they could trade Ranger Suarez for bullpen help or an outfielder and open up a spot in the rotation for Abel. Or maybe trade Abel to the Red Sox in a package for Jarren Duran. Would love that for both teams. Bubba Chandler - SP, PIT: 32% rostered Much like with Roman Anthony, we have no idea when Chandler will be up this season, but it feels like it has to be soon. He has dominated Triple-A this year and has nothing left to prove. I know waiting is hard, but if you have the bench space for a stash, I think Chandler is the one. Edward Cabrera - SP, MIA: 24% rostered Cabrera was confusingly pulled after 63 pitches and four innings on Friday, but I had liked what I saw before his exit. The right-hander has long tantalized with his upside and disappointed with his command, but he is making some pitch mix changes that caught my attention. I dug into him for my starting pitcher news column last week, so I'd encourage you to check that out for a more detailed breakdown. Shane Smith - SP, CWS: 24% rostered It's rare you see a pitcher with a 2.45 ERA and 23% strikeout rate across 62 innings be rostered in so few leagues. But I guess that's what happens when you're on the White Sox. Smith has slowed a little bit of late, with two poor starts against the Mets and Mariners, but bounced back this week against the Tigers a bit. He has gone six innings only three times this season and has only two wins, so that can make him tough to start, but the ratios and strikeouts have been pretty good these past 6 weeks. Also, just some respect for Smith's teammate Adrian Houser - SP, CWS (4% rostered), who has a 1.48 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, and 20 strikeouts in 24.1 innings for the White Sox this season. It's still Houser, and he pitches for the second-worst team in baseball, so there's not tons of upside here, but he's been really good so far. Zebby Matthews - SP, MIN: 21% rostered With Pablo Lopez on the IL for the next two months or longer, the Twins will have both Zebby Matthews and David Festa in the rotation. I know Rocco Baldelli loves to pull them after 4.2 innings, but he realistically can't do that with two pitchers in his starting rotation for two months. His bullpen will fall apart. Zebby has the better track record of pitching deep into games, and if we get Zebby as a 6+ inning pitcher, I buy the upside here. Also, Chris Paddack - SP, MIN (34% rostered) has been solid this year and isn't getting enough respect. I covered him in the same article as Cabrera, linked above, so I'd recommend checking that out. Robert Garcia - RP, TEX: 19% rostered Garcia is now the closer in Texas. I think. I have no idea. He had the last two save conversions for the Rangers, but then 'blew' a save against the Rays this weekend. In truth, that was one of the unluckiest blown saves I've seen with TWO runners scoring on THE SAME infield single. Two of the three hits Garcia gave up in that inning were infield singles. It feels like a fluky poor performance. However, Chris Martin - RP, TEX (21% rostered) is also returning from the IL and could get right back into the closer conversation as well. Ryne Nelson - SP, ARI: 6% rostered I know his start this weekend was brutal, but it was also in Cincinnati, where we know we tend to want to avoid using our starters. I just wanted to highlight Nelson here because I think he's in the Diamondbacks rotation for the rest of the season. I expect them to be sellers at the deadline, which could mean moving Zac Gallen too. Nelson has some warts as a pitcher, but he was good in the rotation last season, and I expect him to settle in and be just fine for Arizona. Pierce Johnson - RP, ATL: 1% rostered It's been a really rough season for Raisel Iglesias. The Braves are also quickly falling out of playoff contention, Spencer Strider is not himself, and Marcell Ozuna is playing through a torn hip. This team could easily sell at the deadline, and even if they didn't do a full sell, trading away a struggling veteran reliever to a contender who may want Iglesias is not a bad idea. The Braves could get an interesting prospect or two and easily find a new closer for next season. Pierce Johnson did give up a huge home run to Matt Chapman, but he's been pretty good this season and feels like a solid gamble for saves. You could also try Kirby Yates - RP, LAD (39% rostered), who's off the IL and could sneak into a save share with the Dodgers. STREAMING STARTER PITCHERS MUST BE 40% ROSTERED ON YAHOO OR UNDER (ranked in loose order) Week of 6/9 Strong Preference Fairly Confident Some Hesitation If I'm Desperate
Newsweek
an hour ago
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Celtics Send Epic Jayson Tatum Message on Sunday
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The Boston Celtics saw their season come to an end in the second round of the playoffs against the New York Knicks. Unfortunately, that series loss also came with Jayson Tatum tearing his Achilles in Game 4. While there is no official timeline about when Tatum could return to the court, his 2025-26 season will also be in jeopardy as well. Different players have different recovery timelines. They range from between seven to 18 months. Usually, a torn Achilles results an entire missed season. For Tatum, that would mean the earliest he could return would be late next season. Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics celebrates after a play against the Dallas Mavericks during the fourth quarter of Game Five of the 2024 NBA Finals at TD Garden on June 17, 2024 in... Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics celebrates after a play against the Dallas Mavericks during the fourth quarter of Game Five of the 2024 NBA Finals at TD Garden on June 17, 2024 in Boston, Massachusetts. More PhotoTatum suffering the injury was a brutal blow for the Celtics. However, he has been attacking his rehab process already and underwent surgery very quickly after it occurred. Read more: Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo Trade Rumors Get Huge Update From Insider On Saturday, Tatum sent out a post on social media with an update on his recovery. "Day 25... days starting to get a little easier," he wrote. Now, Boston has responded to his update with an epic message of their own to their franchise face. "The comeback will be greater than the setback," the post read. The comeback will be greater than the setback 💪🏽⏳ — Boston Celtics (@celtics) June 8, 2025 Fans quickly took to the comments section of the Celtics' post about Tatum. The amount of support that he has received since the injury is overwhelming. "The comeback is gonna be a movie!" one fan wrote. Another fan commented, "No rush young soldier. We need you for Banner 19, 20 and 21." "Minor setback for a major comeback," a third comment said. A fourth fan's comment read, "What a legend." During the 2024-25 NBA season, Tatum put together another big-time year. He played in 72 games, averaging 26.8 points per game to go along with 8.7 rebounds, six assists, and 1.1 steals. Tatum also shot 45.2 percent from the floor and 34.3 percent from three-point range. At 27 years old, there is plenty of time for Tatum to get healthy and pick up where he left off. Read more: Lakers' LeBron James Strongly Urged to Retire By Former NBA Big Man Boston will be an interesting team to watch heading into the offseason. With new ownership, the Celtics are expected to be open to cost-cutting moves. Names like Derrick White, Kristaps Porzingis, and even Jaylen Brown will be talked about in the NBA rumor mill. Hopefully, the team is able to keep most of its core intact. When Tatum gets back on the court, Boston will continue being one of the top contenders in the Eastern Conference. For more on the Boston Celtics and general NBA news, head on over to Newsweek Sports.
