Are the Boston Celtics peaking at the perfect time?
Are the Boston Celtics peaking at the perfect time?
Are the Boston Celtics peaking at the perfect time in the NBA's 2024-25 regular season schedule? Fans of the Celtics got a little worried (and quite understandably so) with Boston's midseason slump that afflicted the ball club from around Thanksgiving to the start of the new calendar year, with the Celtics looking tired, bored, unfocused, and out of sorts against a number of inferior opponents.
But as the Celtics headed into the thick of the stretch run -- a notoriously dull part of the season for most teams around the league and especially for a defending champ -- the aforementioned issues evaporated while Boston bulldozed opponents good, bad, and everywhere in-between.
The hosts of the CLNS Media "Still Poddable" podcast, Brian Robb, Sam Packard, and Jay King, debated the topic on a recent episode of their show. Check it out below!
If you enjoy this pod, check out the "How Bout Them Celtics," "First to the Floor," "Celtics Lab," and the many other New England sports podcasts available on the CLNS Media network.
Listen to the "Celtics Lab" podcast on:
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
29 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Shane Battier on LeBron's 45-point performance against the Celtics in Game 6 of 2012 ECF: "It was the greatest game I saw anybody play"
Shane Battier on LeBron's 45-point performance against the Celtics in Game 6 of 2012 ECF: "It was the greatest game I saw anybody play" originally appeared on Basketball Network. In 2011, LeBron James' championship hopes in a Miami Heat uniform fell flat at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks. A year later, he stood on the edge of the same cliff, this time against the Boston Celtics in the 2012 Eastern Conference Finals. But instead of crashing out, he flipped the narrative and slammed the door on Boston's Big Three era. Advertisement The defining moment of that series came in Game 6, with the Heat teetering on the edge of elimination. The 2003 first-overall pick erupted with surgical fury, delivering a performance so commanding that Shane Battier swore it was the greatest thing his eyes had ever witnessed. "I mean, it was the greatest game I saw anybody play," Battier said of James' 45-point, 15-rebound performance on "Pablo Torre Finds Out." "Given the stakes, given the gravity of the situation, given the historical implications. Historical!" Man on a mission "Batman" wasn't the only guy who thought James's performance was the most brilliant ever on a basketball court. Heat veteran Udonis Haslem also felt the same way as he saw a pissed-off Bron pick the C's apart with terrifying precision. As Torre mentioned, "The Chosen One" dropped five dimes on top of 45 and 15 on a 19-for-26 clip! Advertisement Truth be told, James did not rise to the occasion when it mattered the most in the 2011 Finals. He never led in scoring in any game of the series while attempting only 10 shots in total in the fourth quarter of Games 4 to 6. As a result, he earned a reputation as somebody who couldn't finish the job and someone who lacked the killer instinct. The 2012 East Finals were starting to look like another heartbreak for LeBron. In Game 5, the image of Paul Pierce drilling a three on his face to give Boston a narrow win deepened the narrative. LBJ had 30 points and 13 rebounds, but he failed to score a single basket in the final 8:12 of the game. When Game 6 rolled around and the Heat facing elimination, the four-time NBA MVP decided to take matters into his own hands. After a 12-12 deadlock in the first quarter, Miami steamrolled Boston, leading by as much as 22, and settled for a 19-point win, 98-79. Game 7 was much closer, but "The Chosen One" made sure he saved the best for last. He dropped 11 of his 31 in the fourth period, including a three-pointer that stretched the lead to seven, a lead Miami never relinquished en route to a 101-88 victory. Advertisement Related: "God, if you let me get through this, I won't play no more" - Larry Bird describes the moment that made him retire for good Shane weighs in on the GOAT debate For Torre, "The Akron Hammer's" "seize the throne" moment in the 2012 ECF was his first real step towards all-time greatness. Battier agreed, all the more so that James won the first of his four championships later that year. As per usual, the Duke product had jokes to go along with it. "I'm always going with LeBron (in the GOAT debate) for a simple reason," Battier declared. "LeBron did something twice that Jordan, I don't think, could have done once. He won two NBA titles with Shane Battier as a starting power forward. No way Jordan could have done that. As great as Jordan was, LeBron dragged me across the finish line." Advertisement Battier's GOAT argument may be tongue-in-cheek and self-deprecating, but there's a kernel of truth to it. Game 6 was LeBron taking control of the narrative and showing he could carry legacy-level weight when it mattered most. Honestly, he could've played alongside an 80-year-old Bob Cousy that night and still come out on top. Related: Shaquille O'Neal reveals which two dunks in his NBA career are his favorite: "He was all over me, and I was like, 'Get the fu** off me'" This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jun 7, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
38 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trade Idea Sends Jarren Duran From Red Sox to Mariners For Luis Castillo
Trade Idea Sends Jarren Duran From Red Sox to Mariners For Luis Castillo originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Boston Red Sox have a surplus of outfield talent within the organization. Jarren Duran, Ceddane Rafaela, and Wilyer Abreu make up the Major League talent, but there's also the number one prospect in baseball, Roman Anthony, waiting for a call-up. Advertisement With Anthony sitting in Triple-A, the Red Sox have been speculated to move Duran to pave the way for Anthony. Multiple trade ideas have been made surrounding the potential of a Duran trade. But, a recent trade idea from ESPN's Paul Hembekides had the Red Sox swinging a deal with the Seattle Mariners for multiple MLB-ready pitchers, and one of their top-five prospects. Hembekides proposed an idea that would send starting pitcher Luis Castillo, relief pitcher Matt Brash, and fifth-ranked Mariners prospect, catcher Harry Ford, for just Duran. While Duran is a great player, there are some limitations to his game. His 2024, where he accumulated an incredible 8.7 WAR, is unlikely to be repeated. While he's under team control through the 2028 season, he is already 28 years old. Advertisement Hembekides' trade idea would net the Red Sox three players under team control through at least 2028, including a top 100 prospect and an All-Star starting pitcher. All for just Duran. Boston Red Sox left fielder Jarren Duran (16) runs out of the dugout before the start of a game against the Atlanta Braves at Fenway Canha-Imagn Images Brash is 27 years old and will be in arbitration years from 2026 to 2028. Castillo is under contract for $24.15 million through 2027, with a vesting option for 2028. Ford is a top 100 prospect with at least six more years of control left. Brash has a 0.00 ERA through his first 9.1 innings of work in 2025. In 2024, he threw in a MLB most 78 games, pitching 70.2 innings with 107 strikeouts and a 3.06 ERA. Castillo, in his ninth season in the Major Leagues, has a 4-3 record with a 3.03 ERA. He's struck out 55 batters and walked 23 over the course of 68.1 innings pitched for Seattle. The three-time All-Star is having another solid start to the year and would be a huge boost to the Red Sox rotation if traded. Advertisement Ford, meanwhile, is a 22-year-old catcher who is MLB's 64th-ranked prospect. He has a .321 batting average in Triple-A with six home runs and 28 RBIs, along with an impressive .921. Overall, the Red Sox would land multiple MLB-ready pitchers for the next three seasons, along with a young catcher prospect who's ranked fifth in the Mariners system. All for just Duran. While a great player for the Red Sox, with Anthony waiting in the wings in Triple-A, this haul for Duran would be a hard deal to turn down. Hembekides' trade idea is a wild one, and it would set the Red Sox up for success in 2025 and into the future. Related: MLB Insider Reveals Red Sox Stance Ahead of Trade Deadline Related: Red Sox Trade Idea Sends Jarren Duran to Padres for Three-Time Batting Champ, More This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 7, 2025, where it first appeared.
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
Boston Celtics jersey history No. 20 - Gary Payton Sr. (2004-05)
Boston Celtics jersey history No. 20 - Gary Payton Sr. (2004-05) The Boston Celtics have had players suiting up in a total of 68 different jersey numbers (and have three others not part of any numerical series) since their founding at the dawn of the Basketball Association of America (BAA -- the league that would become today's NBA), worn by well over 500 players in the course of Celtics history. To commemorate the players who wore those numbers, Celtics Wire is covering the entire history of jersey numbers and the players who sported them since the founding of the team. With 25 of those jerseys now retired to honor some of the greatest Celtics to wear those jerseys, there is a lot of history to cover. And for today's article, we will continue with the 25th of 31 people to wear the No. 20 jersey, Hall of Fame Boston guard alum Gary Payton Sr. After ending his college career at Oregon State, Payton was picked up with the second overall selection of the 1990 NBA draft by the Seattle SuperSonics. The Oakland, California native would also have stints with the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers before he was dealt to Boston in 2004. His stay with the team would span a single a season before he was dealt to the Atlanta Hawks in 2005. During his time suiting up for the Celtics, Payton wore only jersey No. 20 and put up 11.3 points, 3.1 rebounds, 6.1 assists, and 1.1 steals per game. All stats and data courtesy of Basketball Reference.
