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USA Today
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
How will the 'Celtics City' documentary series end?
How will the 'Celtics City' documentary series end? It is always a joy to watch the Boston Celtics in the thick of the title hunt for the fans of the team. But this season, we have a little extra juice in that regard from the folks behind the HBO "Celtics City" documentary series, and the finale of the momentous documentary series is upon us. The production team that put it all together recently made a video featuring director Lauren Stowell detailing how it will mesh together two distinct eras of title contention for a final crescendo Celtics fans are sure to love. Check it out below to see WBZ-TV's Dan Roche chat with her about the course of the docuseries on the storied franchise's eight-decades of history. 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: Spotify:
Boston Globe
28-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
‘Celtics City' is an absorbing documentary about an extraordinary franchise
So it goes with arguably the greatest dynasty in American professional sports. A superb current Celtic can mention his admiration for a legendary Celtic and icon in the sports, and we wonder if it's the right legendary Celtic and icon in the sport. Advertisement I mention this at the opening tip here for this reason: One of the many, many things that the extraordinary new nine-part HBO docuseries, titled 'Celtics City,' gets right is those through lines from one era of the franchise to another, and one special player to another. 'Celtics City,' directed by Lauren Stowell, is told chronologically, with a new episode available for streaming on Max each Monday beginning March 3. (Bill Simmons is an executive producer, and this is clearly a project he was always meant to do.) The brainchildren of HBO's "Celtics City" documentary (from left), Connor Schell, Bill Simmons, Lauren Stowell, and Aaron Cohen, attend the premiere last week on Feb. 21 in New York HBO Yet threads and juxtapositions and those through lines of Celtics history are deftly woven through each hour-long edition. Some are simple and charming — Tatum's appreciation for fellow St. Louis native Jo Jo White, and the contrasts of Dee Brown and Jaylen Brown in the dunk contest more than 30 years apart, and the comical difference between their spare former practice site at Hellenic College and their facility in Brighton now. And some are genuinely deep, particularly Bill Russell's path as a champion of social justice, now followed by Jaylen Brown. 'As I have learned what Celtics tradition is, there were a lot of misconceptions about what they stood for,' says Brown. 'This organization has been a pioneer for the social justice movement in society. … It's part of the fabric of the [Celtics].' Related : Advertisement 'Celtics City' tells the story of each era while simultaneously weaving together the eras, flawlessly. And it does so much more than that. Nothing Stowell, Simmons and fellow co-producer Connor Schell (who co-created ESPN's '30 for 30' film series with Simmons) have done here is cursory. And this is no infomercial, even with the Celtics partnering on the project. The stories of frequent triumphs, rivalries that span generations, and aching tragedies are told in full. But the docuseries' title confirms an even greater ambition. 'Celtics City' explores, unsparingly when necessary, the Celtics' place in the landscape of Boston, its neighborhoods, the racial tensions though the generations, and the cruelties and indignities its Black players endured. Stowell's lens is focused on a bigger story than basketball, without ever dismissing basketball. More than 80 people were interviewed for the documentary, and archival footage is used selectively for those who have died, including Russell, Tommy Heinsohn, John Havlicek, and rival Wilt Chamberlain. Game footage from the early years of Russell and Bob Cousy is sharper than any I have ever seen from that era. It makes you appreciate how extraordinary they were. Celtics legend Bob Cousy, now 96, was wheeled onto the floor of TD Garden when the Celtics raised banner No. 18 to the rafters back in October. Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff Cousy, now 96 years old, is interviewed at his Worcester home, and he might be the MVP of the entire docuseries. Cooz is sharp and funny and candid and just a little nostalgic, and he doesn't sound much different than he did broadcasting Celtics games a generation or two ago. 'All sports teams bond,' he says of being a Celtic, 'but not all teams have this.' If Cousy isn't, to co-opt a hockey term, the first star of the doc, that's only because Robert Parish has tucked away his legendary stoicism and become downright engaging. Advertisement 'I'm kind of an aloof, distant individual,' he explains. 'I don't allow people to get me to know me personally, so people don't know me as a person.' Related : He is anything but aloof while riding in a car to an event, reminiscing about how much he loved Newbury Street during his playing days and its outside cafes that 'remind me of Europe.' Chatty Chief is something to behold. I never know quite how much to reveal writing about something that has yet to air, so I'll hit a few quick bullet points here without giving everything away. ▪ Rick Pitino is interviewed, wearing a Nobull shirt, an obvious contrast with all the bull coming out of his mouth. ▪ The Reggie Lewis tragedy will break your heart all over again. 'He personified everything a Celtic should be,' said Red Auerbach when his No. 35 was retired posthumously. ▪ Paul Pierce opens up about the mental health struggles he faced after his Sept. 2000 stabbing. ▪ Many of the widows and grown children of deceased Celtics legends have a lovely and poignant bond. ▪ Longtime Celtics PR maven Jeff Twiss could write one heck of a book. It's apparent, because of the scope and national reach of 'Celtics City,' that it's intended to appeal at least to some degree to fans of other franchises. Los Angeles Times columnist Bill Plaschke does the Celtics Hater routine to hammy effect, and author/cultural essayist Chuck Klosterman pops up to pontificate from time to time. Lakers legend James Worthy is an amusing interview subject on the '80s rivalry. Will 'Celtics City' appeal to a broader audience? Perhaps there will be a good amount of envy-watching. For a New England audience, it's the best visual telling there has ever been of the beloved green-and-white's storied but imperfect history, and all of the remarkable through lines. Advertisement Current Celtics stars Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum wing coach Joe Mazzulla at the New York City premiere of HBO's "Celtics City."for HBO 'There's a DNA of Celtics basketball,' says current Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla in the doc, 'that has stood the test of time.' 'Celtics City,' and the people that put it together, understand that DNA. It, too, will stand the test of time. Chad Finn can be reached at
