On this day: Al Horford, Ramon Rivas born
On this day: Al Horford, Ramon Rivas born
On this day in Boston Celtics history, former Boston big man Al Horford was born in 1986 in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic. A product of the University of Florida, he helped lead that school to back-to-back NCAA championships (one of the only schools in history to do so) with center Joakim Noah before being drafted third overall in the 2007 NBA draft by the Atlanta Hawks.
After nine seasons with that franchise, he would sign with the Celtics in free agency in the summer of 2016, making the All-Star team twice with the team (in 2016 and 2018) before leaving in free agency in 2019, only to return to the team via trade from the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2021. He of course won a title with Boston in 2024.
Happy birthday, Al!
It is also the birthday of former Celtic big man Ramon Rivas, born in Carolina, Puerto Rico in 1966. He would play his NCAA ball at Temple University before being signed by Boston as an undrafted player in 1988 for the following season, his sole in the NBA. He would average 1.4 points, 0.9 rebounds and 0.1 assist per game while with the team.
Today is also the anniversary of guard Cecil Hankins leaving us in 2002. A product of Oklahoma State, Hankins joined the (now defunct) St. Louis Bombers in the debut season of the Basketball Association of America (BAA - a predecessor league of the NBA) in 1947.
At the end of that season, the Alabama native was dealt to Boston for Wyndol Gray, appearing in 25 contests for the Celtics over which he logged 2.8 points per game. Rest in peace.
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Yahoo
26 minutes ago
- Yahoo
NBA Finals 2025: How the Pacers present a different type of 'puzzle' for the Thunder to solve
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What's Job No. 1 when you're dealing with a quicksilver ball-handler who's a high-volume, high-efficiency shooter capable of popping for 30 in any given game, but who'd much prefer to set the table for his teammates all night to the tune of double-digit assists? What's the first thing your defense looks to take away? Wallace took a beat to consider. Then, with a smile, he decided. 'Everything,' he said. What Wallace's answer lacked in specificity, it made up for in sheer soundness of logic. After all, when you're as all-consumingly excellent as the Thunder's defense is — No. 1 in points allowed per possession during the regular season, No. 1 in the playoffs, one of the stingiest units the league has seen since the ABA-NBA merger — you don't have to choose; you just erase. Specificity is for lesser beings. Can the Thunder slow down Tyrese Haliburton? (Photo by) (William Purnell via Getty Images) 'I go into every matchup the same — just trying to take them out,' Wallace said. 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Advertisement Whatever the Thunder's plan of defensive attack, they'll need to be ready to match Indiana's intensity from Thursday's opening tip. Because if the unique brand of offensive pressure that the Pacers apply can make Oklahoma City blink, just once, in one of these first two games — as it did against Milwaukee, Cleveland and New York — then the tenor of a series that all us pundits seem to think we have pegged changes dramatically. 'We know this is a great team. If we were to win a championship, I don't want to win any other way. I don't want to go around or over. I want to go through,' Haliburton said. 'You want to go through the best team, the best challenge. This is the best challenge. This is the best team in the NBA.' And the Pacers are going to make the Thunder prove it.
Boston Globe
an hour ago
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NBA working on plan for US-vs.-world format at All-Star Game next season, AP source says
Silver addressed the idea on March 27 as well at the league's most recent board of governors meeting, when he revealed that the NBA was scrapping the All-Star mini-tournament format that was used this season. At that time, the AP reported that the 2026 game — to be played Feb. 15 in Inglewood, Calif., just past the midpoint of the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics — will be moved from its traditional prime-time Sunday night slot to one that starts on Sunday afternoon. That's happening because the game will be aired on NBC under the terms of the new 11-year media rights deals that kick in next season. NBC is also the Olympic broadcaster in the US. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up So, NBC could show Olympic events in the morning and early afternoon, then the All-Star Game, then have prime-time Olympic programming. Related : Advertisement The move comes on the heels of a popular tournament, the 4 Nations Face-off, that essentially took the place of the NHL All-Star Game this year, as well as strong competition at the Paris Olympics, where the Americans won a fifth consecutive gold medal by rallying past Nikola Jokic and Serbia in the semifinals, then topping host France and Victor Wembanyama in the title game — Advertisement 'What better time to feature some form of USA against the world?' Silver said on FS1. 'I'm not exactly sure what the format will be yet. I obviously paid a lot of attention to what the NHL did, which was a huge success. . . . But also, going back, last summer, our Olympic competition was a huge success.' There is one big challenge regarding any US-vs.-world format. About 70 percent of NBA players are American, while 30 percent are international, so it would in theory be easier for an international player to make the All-Star team — if the rosters are the same size. International players, when asked at this year's All-Star Game if they would want a US-vs.-world matchup, sounded enthusiastic. 'I would love to. My opinion is that it's more purposeful,' Wembanyama said back in February. 'There's more pride in it. More stakes.' Added Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo, who's from Greece: 'I would love that. Oh, I would love that. I think that would be the most interesting and most exciting format. I would love that. For sure, I'd take pride in that. I always compete, but I think that will give me a little bit more extra juice to compete.' The Advertisement The
Yahoo
an hour ago
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Mark Daigneault reveals Thunder's no-expectation ‘process' before NBA Finals
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