Celtics 5-Time All-Star Accuses Magic of Playing Dirty as Tensions Rise
The Orlando Magic continue to struggle against the Boston Celtics. Orlando is down 0-2 in the NBA playoff series.
Prior to Game 2, the Magic received accusations from a Celtics veteran on their style of play. Despite losing both games, Orlando has been physical and this continued in Game 2 with Kristaps Porzingis sustained an elbow from Goga Bitadze.
Advertisement
Even before this incident, 5-time All-Star Al Horford took exception to Kentavious Caldwell-Pope's foul on Jayson Tatum in Game 1. Tatum hurt his wrist on the play and was sidelined for Game 2.
Boston Celtics center Al Horford is held back after he was knocked down following a collision with Orlando Magic guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope during the second quarter of game two of the first round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs at TD Garden.Winslow Townson-Imagn Images
"There was something extra," Horford said following Game 1, per Sports Illustrated's Mason Williams. "There was a lot –– it was the second or third time that especially KCP went at him in that way."
Horford and Caldwell-Pope had a testy moment in Game 2 where the two had to be separated.
Early in the fourth quarter of Game 1, the Celtics had a play for Tatum. The star received the ball from Jrue Holiday after coming off a screen from Horford.
Advertisement
Unfortunately for the star forward, he was contested by Caldwell-Pope. It resulted in the former Duke star falling on his wrist after a physical contest from Caldwell-Pope. The officials reviewed what happened, and Caldwell-Pope received a Flagrant 1 foul.
Following the game, Orlando head coach Jamahl Mosley did not think the veteran deserved the flagrant foul.
"I think two guys were going for the block, and the fall was probably what set it off more than anything," the Magic coach said, per Williams.
Given that the intensity in the NBA playoffs is different, the physicality from both teams tends to increase. Unfortunately for Boston, the hard foul resulted in an injury for Tatum.
Related: Celtics Star Jayson Tatum Sends Clear Paolo Banchero Message
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Nate Oats lays blueprint, talks move-in for NBA-inspired Alabama basketball practice facility
Crimson Tide coach Nate Oats has had his hand in creating Alabama basketball's practice and training facility since the project was first announced last year. "They've had me heavily involved in the entire thing," Oats told The Next Round at the Regions Tradition. Advertisement Architects and construction workers probably wished that wasn't the case after Oats came back from Boston last summer. After a little less than a week with Celtics head coach Joe Mazzula, Oats returned to Tuscaloosa with some new ideas he'd stowed away in his suitcase. "I came back and kind of blew up the plans," Oats said. CONSTRUCTION NEWS: Where were cuts made on new budget approved for Alabama basketball's practice facility? FUTURE PLANS: Nate Oats gives timeline on replacing ex-Alabama basketball assistant "Literally, we're to the end, and I'm like no, we're doing it all different," Oats said. Advertisement The communication went all the way to UA Director of Athletics Greg Byrne and President Stuart Bell, who agreed to Oats' requests. "I think it's gonna be a one-of-a-kind facility. The people designing it said they'd pitched these ideas to people and they didn't really buy em," Oats said. Nate Oats talks blueprint of Alabama basketball training and practice facility "It's gonna be very integrated," Oats explained. "It's going to be a lot easier to build relationships with players, and I think that's very important in the transfer portal, NIL day." Oats said there won't be a player lounge or a staff lounge, but "one big shared space." Advertisement Where Oats' office is currently located in Coleman Coliseum, he's on the opposite end of where players are practicing, so he struggles to know when guys are coming in to shoot, or who's available for a quick conversation before a voluntary workout. Oats explained that his office on the practice floor neighbors three more for Crimson Tide assistants, all standing across from the weight room, which will conjoin with the training room. Using his hands to lay out the blueprint of the facility, Oats indicated his office will be closest to the stairs, which lead to the second floor that'll host support staff and the common area for all involved in the program. How much was the courtyard addition that Oats is so excited about? Oats gave a smirk when he brought up the courtyard, one of the more recent additions approved for the facility, going on to note he has one at his house and often finds himself tempted to work outside. Advertisement In February, the project's budget increased by $500k when the University of Alabama System Board of Trustees voted for the facility to include separate courtyards for men's and women's teams, which will serve as communal areas for players and incoming recruits. Two months later, trustees voted to slash $115k of the budget previously allocated to 'Landscaping.' "I hate being locked up in an office," Oats said. Oats' one rule? "No bird baths." The University of Alabama unveiled the first banner honoring the school's first Final Four appearance Friday, Oct. 11, 2024, in Coleman Coliseum. Alabama head coach Nate Oats shows off his Final Four ring after it was presented by athletics director Greg Byrne and president Stuart Bell. When is Alabama basketball expected to move in to new home? The facility is expected to be complete by "next summer," according to Oats, adding the team anticipates moving in "this time next year." By that estimate, all should be said and done by May 2026. Advertisement Byrne told the Tuscaloosa News in December that the facility will offer "the latest technology," adding that the "first step" Alabama takes towards renovations on Coleman start with the practice facility. "I'm super excited. I can't wait," Oats said. Emilee Smarr covers Alabama basketball and Crimson Tide athletics for the Tuscaloosa News. She can be reached via email at esmarr@ This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Nate Oats on blueprint, expected move-in for Alabama basketball practice facility
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
"One day I would wake up and the pain would finally be gone, but I was wrong" - Bird on struggles with his health even decades after retirement
Long before he became the stoic legend in Indiana Pacers polos and the face of blue-collar brilliance for the Boston Celtics, Larry Bird was already feeling the toll. It started with his back. Not in the form of a single injury or moment, but a slow, grinding wear-down. By the end of the 1991–92 season, the legend from French Lick had given all he could — not just to the Celtics but to the game. Years of diving for loose balls, taking charges, and battling under the rim with spinal discomfort had caught up to "Larry Legend." Bird's back pain Even years after he left the hardwood, the pain didn't leave Larry. And day after day, there was an endless feeling of pain and discomfort. Advertisement "I kept thinking that since I was retired, one day I would wake up and the pain would finally be gone, but I was wrong," Bird said. "The doctors were hoping my nerves would calm down, and I tried all sorts of treatments and stretching exercises to make that happen, but I was still miserable." By the end of his career, Bird had played in 897 regular-season games, averaging 24.3 points, 10 rebounds, and 6.3 assists per game. He did that with a body that, toward the end, was practically broken. After 1988, "The Hick from French Lick" missed nearly 200 games due to his back alone. Yet he still played in all 24 games of the '92 Dream Team run. His back was shot — not from one fall, but from thousands. Bird's performance in the Barcelona Olympics was the curtain call. He played through visible agony, unable to even sit on the bench for long stretches. Larry had to lie on the floor just to get a break from the constant nerve pain shooting down his legs. Advertisement Bird had quietly hoped time would heal what effort had broken, but the pain wasn't going anywhere. It lingered, gnawed, and stiffened his movements. Retirement didn't offer the relief the Indiana native imagined. The nerve damage didn't respect trophies, accolades, or jersey retirements. Eventually, even the mental weight became too much. Bird, once the image of grit and stubborn endurance, made the call. The Indiana State product reached out to his physical therapist, Dan Dyrek, the same man who had guided him through his worst playing days. This time, it wasn't about getting back on the court. It was about getting out of bed without misery. Related: Isiah Thomas recalls his college recruitment: "My mom closed the briefcase and said, 'My son's not for sale" Getting surgery His therapist advised that it was time for spinal fusion surgery. The procedure wasn't minor — far from it. In Bird's case, it involved removing pieces of bone from the side of his spine and screws were inserted into his vertebrae to act as anchors, and rods were attached to stabilize Larry's back. It wasn't a guaranteed fix, but anything to stop the pain. Advertisement The real risk lay in the aftermath. By immobilizing a section of the spine, the pressure shifts to the areas above and below. These segments, not designed to bear that weight long-term, can begin to deteriorate over time. Nobody, not even top surgeons, could promise it would hold up. "That's why shortly before I had the fusion surgery, Dan told me, 'Larry, you better go out and play golf, because you may never play golf again," Bird recalled. Larry didn't argue. He'd already pushed his body through an NBA career that spanned 13 years, three MVPs, and three championships. Bird had played through bone spurs in his heels, double Achilles tendinitis, and a crushed back. This was the final shot — not to play, but to live without constant pain. He had the surgery, and recovery took nine months. Nine months of cautious steps, patient stretches, and days filled with pain management. But then the cloud began to lift. That burning, electric agony that had haunted "Larry Legend" for years started to fade. And for the first time in decades, Bird could jog, swing a tennis racket, and hit a golf ball without grimacing. Advertisement Still, he had to be careful. Scrimmaging was out of the question. If Larry pushed his back too hard, the spasms would creep in. But they were manageable. Not like before. Related: "I don't know if it's going to let me do what I want to do" – Bird on how his sore back hindered his contributions to the 1992 Dream Team
New York Times
6 hours ago
- New York Times
The numbers behind the Pacers' 5 improbable NBA Playoff comebacks
The Indiana Pacers continue to be wizards of the comeback in the 2025 NBA playoffs. Tyrese Haliburton's game-winning jumper with 0.3 seconds left in Thursday's Game 1 of the NBA Finals was the latest in a series of shocking Indiana comebacks this postseason. There are so many ways to demonstrate just how unexpected the Pacers have been. Historical firsts and crazy stats have not been hard to come by. Advertisement For starters, the Pacers have trailed by 15 or more points in eight games this postseason. They have won five of those games. That means, so far throughout the playoffs, if you're a team leading the Pacers by 15 points, you've been more likely to blow that lead and lose than hang onto it and win. Thursday's comeback was an NBA Finals first: Pacers trailed by 9 with 2:52 to play. In play by play era (since start of 1997 playoffs), teams were 0-121 in NBA Finals when trailing by 7+ points in final 3:00 of 4th quarter or OT before tonight — Josh Dubow (@JoshDubowAP) June 6, 2025 Sure, that stat may sound super specific, but no team had ever come back from a seven-point deficit in the final three minutes of an NBA Finals game?! That doesn't sound like that impossible of a feat, yet it's just one notch on the Pacers' belt this playoffs. Let's take a deeper look at those five comebacks and how unlikely they seemed at the Pacers' lowest point, mixing in live betting odds and ESPN's win probabilities. This was the first of the Pacers' dramatics, and it involved two comebacks. Indiana entered Game 5 with a 3-1 series lead, and Milwaukee was without Damian Lillard, so it seemed like it would be a routine win for the Pacers. Then the Bucks scored the first 13 points of the game and expanded that lead up to 20. The Pacers cut the lead to six by halftime and took the lead with nine minutes to go in the third quarter. It stayed close for the rest of regulation, where Haliburton had a game-tying dunk with 10 seconds left. Things got real weird in overtime. The Bucks led by seven with 40 seconds left following an AJ Green free throw. Green missed the second free throw. The Pacers then closed the game with an Andrew Nembhard 3-pointer, a Nembhard steal, a Haliburton 3-point play, another Milwaukee turnover and then a Haliburton layup with 1.3 seconds left for the series win. The stakes have gotten bigger since, but the insanity of that game-ending 8-0 run still makes it an all-timer. The Pacers won Game 1 in Cleveland in relatively comfortable fashion, but the Cavs came out quickly and led Game 2 by 17 points after a quarter. That lead peaked at 20 twice, 35-15 early in the second quarter and 81-61 midway through the third. Indiana got the lead into single digits with just under 10 minutes to go, but it was the final minute that left Cleveland fans thinking back to previous horrors in franchise history. Donovan Mitchell made a pair of free throws with 57 seconds left to put the Cavs up 119-112. Pascal Siakam even missed two free throws on Indiana's ensuing possession, but Aaron Nesmith dunked home an offensive rebound off the second miss. Advertisement The rest played out eerily similarly to the end of Game 5 against Milwaukee: Cleveland turnover, Siakam layup, Cleveland turnover, before Haliburton was fouled with the Pacers trailing by three. He made the first free throw and was able to rebound his own miss on the second, leading to a game-winning 3-pointer with 1.1 seconds left. Two absurd last-minute comebacks in three games, both ending in Haliburton game-winners, was already the talk of the playoffs, but we're not even halfway through. Sorry, Cleveland fans, you're the only ones on this list twice (for now). This was a more run-of-the-mill comeback. The Pacers fell behind by 19 in the second quarter, but used a 27-9 run to get back in the game before halftime. Indiana eventually pulled away, leading by as many as 12 points and holding the lead for the final 19 minutes of the game. This 19-point comeback is ordinary by comparison, even when it resulted in a five-game series win against the East's No. 1 seed. This is arguably the magnum opus of the group. The comeback against the Bucks had similarly long odds, but this one came in the Eastern Conference finals in Madison Square Garden. New York and Indiana were neck and neck for three quarters until the Knicks gained daylight with a 14-0 run in the fourth that gave the Knicks a 108-92 lead with less than eight minutes left. The Pacers trailed by 14 with less than three minutes remaining and were down nine in the final minute until Nesmith channeled NBA Jam and was on fire. He drained three 3-pointers on three straight possessions to get Indiana within two. Karl-Anthony Towns and OG Anunoby both split free throws, which led to a Haliburton jumpshot that will long live in the lore for both fan bases. Haliburton's choke gesture is likely to be the lasting image of the 2025 playoffs. The Knicks almost recovered, leading by four in overtime and taking a lead in the final 40 seconds, but the Pacers had the answers. Of course they did. The most recent comeback involved the smallest maximum deficit to overcome, but also feels just as shocking because of how highly regarded the Oklahoma City Thunder are. The Thunder won 68 games in the regular season and entered this series as one of the biggest favorites in NBA Finals history. The Pacers didn't lead and were tied just once (10-10), right until the end. The Thunder built a 15-point lead in the fourth quarter and seemed to be in control throughout. Lee Corso must love this Indiana team because 'Not so fast, my friend,' can be a regular refrain. Indiana inevitably came back despite trailing by nine with less than three minutes remaining and took its first lead with 0.3 seconds left on, what else, a Haliburton jumper. If nothing else, Indiana has proven you should watch games until the end for the rest of the NBA Finals. 'With the growth and popularity of live betting, Indiana's late-game comebacks are keeping bettors locked in until the final buzzer — regardless of the score,' Johnny Avello, Director of Sports Operations at DraftKings, said. (Photo of Tyrese Haliburton: Matthew Stockman / Getty Images)
