Shootaround

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Taylor Snow

BOSTON – As someone who has always admired the Boston Celtics and their perennial success from afar, Xavier Tillman feels like he’s died and gone to heaven after being acquired by the C’s Wednesday ahead of the trade deadline.

Tillman, who was dealt from Memphis in exchange for a future second-round draft pick, joined the Celtics Friday morning for his first shootaround in Boston and expressed to reporters how excited he is to be in green.

“It’s crazy, to be honest with you,” said the 6-foot-7 center/power forward ahead of Boston's matchup with the Washington Wizards. “I’ve always watched the Celtics in terms of just the winning history of it, back with KG (Kevin Garnett) and all that stuff, and seeing these guys repeatedly go to the Eastern Conference Finals all the time; I’m always locked in on that. So for me to get the opportunity to be part of a winning organization, it’s pretty awesome.”

Tillman learned a bit more about the Boston experience through his former Memphis teammate, Marcus Smart. He also saw how much love the fans gave Smart Sunday night when the longtime Celtic made his first return to TD Garden with the Grizzlies.

“He was just telling me about his experience,” Tillman relayed. “I haven't talked to him since I've been traded, but the main thing he told me is it's very similar to Memphis in terms of the grit and the grind and how hard you have to work for the fans and appreciation and stuff like that. And once you do show that you're willing to hustle, they're gonna love you. I love that.”

Tillman played in 34 games, including 13 starts, for the Grizzlies this season, posting averages of 6.0 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.0 blocks per game.

The 25-year-old big man isn’t quite ready to step out onto the court just yet, as he’s recovering from a minor knee injury, but he doesn’t anticipate being out long.In the meantime, he’s getting to know Boston’s system in and out, so that he’ll be ready to hit the ground running once he’s fully healthy.

Tillman’s main strength is his defensive versatility, and he was able to start envisioning his fit and potential impact on that fit through Friday’s film session.

“Coming out of the film session, that’s something that I was learning about, the nuances of how they like to operate (defensively) and stuff like that. It’ll take a little bit, but I don’t think it’ll be too long or too hard for me to get adjusted to it, for sure.”

Brad Stevens also touched on the addition Friday morning, noting how Tillman had been on the team’s radar for a while.

“We've always liked&nbsp;Xavier,” said the C’s president of basketball operations. “Obviously he’s big and strong, moves his feet well laterally, so he’s&nbsp;been able to guard a number of people and a number of different&nbsp;positions well. Above that, he plays the game for the right reasons,&nbsp;right? He competes, he passes, thinks the game well – all the stuff that&nbsp;we've been fortunate with the guys we have around our best players&nbsp;that they bring to the table. He knows how to play. So we're excited&nbsp;to have him.”

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Tillman Thrilled to Become a Part of Boston’s Winning Tradition

BOSTON – The Boston Celtics felt that they left Game 1 of the second round slip out of their grasp Monday night. Two days have passed since that 119-115 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, and the bitterness hasn’t gone away.

Bitterness can be bottled up and used as fuel, and Malcolm Brogdon says that he and his teammates plan to use that to their advantage for Game 2 Wednesday night.

“There’s a frustration, there’s an anger,” Brogdon said Wednesday morning of the team’s lingering emotions. “We felt like we were supposed to win that game. We feel like we’re supposed to win every game. That’s the reality of the type of basketball we played this season. So for us, [Game 2] is definitely about sending a message. It’s about coming out and playing our basketball.”

They’ll need to come out and send a message because Philadelphia could be receiving a significant boost in their rotation. After missing Game 1 with an LCL sprain, Joel Embiid plans to return to action Wednesday night, barring any setbacks.

Having the NBA’s MVP back in the mix would totally change the approach for both teams, and the Celtics are ready to make any adjustments.

“It impacts everything, to be honest,” Brogdon said of Embiid’s impending return. “It’s a different style of play that we have to play defensively because they have a dominant scorer on the floor – the MVP of the league. He’s an incredible scorer, so you’ve got to take that seriously, you’ve got to change the way you play, and you gotta help. It’s not a one-man job to defend him. So it’ll be a team effort.”

The back-to-back league scoring champion isn’t the only offensive threat that Boston must deal with. They’ll also have to figure out how to better limit James Harden after the former MVP went off Monday night for a playoff career-high-tying 45 points.

Brogdon said that the C’s have to be more physical against Harden and do a better job of containing him from beyond the arc after he knocked down 7-of-14 from deep in Game 1.

“I think we’ll make in-game adjustments as far as which direction we're sending him, the bigs being more aggressive and not letting him get to those pull-up 3s,” said Brogdon. “He's a great player, he's gonna make adjustments as well. Doc (Rivers) is gonna make adjustments, but it's on us to really dictate how they're gonna play and the physicality of the game.”

The goal is to dictate the game right from the start. Brogdon said it’s imperative that the C’s control the first five minutes of both halves and if they can do that, the next task is to remain relentless and not let up.

“I think we’re such a good team sometimes that we get big leads, we get comfortable, and we let teams back in the game,” said Brogdon, “and that’s something, in the playoffs, that we have to be better at. We have to tighten up. And I think we will.”

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C's Hope to Use Frustration from Monday’s Loss as Fuel for Game 2

Jaylen Brown took a page out of Joe Mazzulla’s book Friday morning when discussing his second NBA All-Star selection: he's appreciative of the individual honor, but more focused on his team and their collective goals for the rest of the season.

Like many of us, Brown learned of his selection via Twitter Thursday night after the seven reserves from both conferences were announced on TNT. He took a moment to internalize the news and be thankful for the recognition before returning his concentration to preparing for Friday night's matchup with the Phoenix Suns.

“I’m grateful,” Brown told reporters Friday morning of his second All-Star selection. “But at the same time, there’s a lot more important things to worry about.”

One thing that Brown doesn’t worry about is getting caught up in the All-Star voting hubbub. As much as he appreciates the fans, the media, and his NBA peers, all of whom have a say in the voting process, he doesn’t let their perception of his worth get to his head. He, himself, is the only critic that he needs.

“From a mental standpoint, I’ve kind of just gotten a habit of not letting others determine my value,” he said. “People give you accolades, or people criticize you, but I try to stay the same. I’ve kind of got a habit of that. So forgive me if I’m not showing my excitement because I’m extremely grateful.”

Brown will be one of 12 Eastern Conference All-Stars headed to Salt Lake City for the Feb. 19 exhibition, and he’ll be joining Celtics teammate and East starter Jayson Tatum for the second time. They’ll be part of the selection process between captains Giannis Antetokounmpo and LeBron James which, for the first time ever, will take place right before the game's tip-off.

This will be the second time in three years that Brown will be representing Boston in an All-Star capacity after also doing so during the 2020-21 season when he averaged 24.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game.

He was left out last season despite a pre-All-Star stat line of 23.7 PPG, 6.5 RPG, and 3.3 APG.

However, there was no way he’d be snubbed this season when averaging career-highs of 27.0 PPG, 7.1 RPG, along with 3.2 APG. In fact, he was nearly chosen as an East starter, finishing only behind Kyrie Irving and Donovan Mitchell in the voting.

Despite all of that, Brown isn’t letting his All-Star status cloud his vision of the bigger picture at hand, regarding his team’s quest for an NBA championship. He’s pointed out recently how he doesn’t allow the day-to-day highs and lows to get to his head because doing so could cause a player to get off track.

As an example, he referenced not getting too down after missing two critical free throws against New York Knicks last week, and not getting too high when he redeemed himself the following game when he sank a critical free throw to send the Celtics to overtime against the Los Angeles Lakers.

“It’s all about the next day,” Brown said of his mindset. “So when it was All-Star (announcement) yesterday, it’s all about the next day. And we play Phoenix tonight.”

Brown can be as nonchalant as he’d like about his All-Star selection, but his fans and teammates are surely excited for him. He deserves to be back on stage with the biggest stars in the game because he’s among the best of them.

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Brown ‘Grateful’ for All-Star Nod, but More Focused on Team Goals

BOSTON – When the Boston Celtics’ injury report was posted to Twitter Thursday afternoon, an uproar of hope spilled out in the replies. For the first time this season, Robert Williams’ injury status was changed from “OUT” to “QUESTIONABLE” for Friday night’s game against the Orlando Magic.

On Sept. 23, it was announced that Williams had undergone a successful arthroscopic procedure to remove loose bodies and address swelling in his left knee, which would leave him with an expected recovery time of eight to 12 weeks.

Friday would mark 12 weeks to the day since that report came out. It seems possible that he could indeed return along with Al Horford, who is listed as “AVAILABLE” after missing the last five games for being in the league’s Health and Safety Protocols and for personal reasons.

Although Williams was not available to speak to the media following Friday morning’s shootaround, Malcolm Brogdon was, and he relayed the excitement that the team is feeling about the impending return of their All-Defensive center.

“I’ve seen him battle every day, trying to get over that injury, and he’s here now so we’re praying for a healthy season for him,” Brogdon said. “He’s going to make a huge impact for us and be great.”

Even though Brogdon hasn’t played alongside Williams before, he remembers what it’s like going up against the 25-year-old big man. And it doesn’t recall it as a particularly enjoyable experience.

“He’s a guy you’re going to put in the scouting report because he’s going to block shots and he’s going to come across (the court to defend the rim),” Brogdon recollected from his days with the Milwaukee Bucks and Indiana Pacers. “To beat the Celtics, we tried to make extra passes, touch the paint, and make extra passes to shoot open threes, because we knew we were not going to really be able to attack the rim.

“And then offensively, he puts so much pressure on the rim and on your defense, you’ve got to keep the roller in front of you as a defensive team against this team when Rob’s on the floor.”

Brogdon says that he’s had the pleasure of playing with another elite shot-blocker in Myles Turner, whom he believes, along with Williams, are the top two shot-blockers in the league.

However, he claims that he’s never played with a lob threat like Williams and is excited to potentially form a connection, “To play with a guy that can catch lobs, catch anything around the rim, and is a rim threat offensively.”

As someone who has been through his fair share of injuries, Brogdon understands that it can take time to get back to 100 percent full health in both body and mind. He noted that even though Williams is physically ready, there still could be mental adjustments to tackle. &nbsp;

“It’s really a mental thing more than a physical thing,” he said. “Your mind still has roadblocks on it to protect your body even when your body is ready, and that’s just a confidence thing. You’ve got to get back on the floor, get reps, and play minutes to get past the mindset.”

Though just having Williams’ presence back on the court will be a boost in itself for the Celtics, and it shouldn’t take long for him to be back to his All-Defensive and lob-threat ways.

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Celtics Fired Up for Rob Williams’ Impending Return

BOSTON – Knowing how special of a situation he’s found himself in with the Celtics, Al Horford wanted to make sure that Boston is where he’d remain for the foreseeable future.

On Thursday afternoon the 16-year veteran center secured his spot with the team beyond the 2022-23 season, signing an undisclosed contract extension.

“More than anything, you want to be in a place where you have a chance to contend, to win, and a place that’s, for me, more than basketball,” Horford said Friday morning of his decision to stay for the long haul. “In Boston, I feel a real connection here with the people and with what the Celtics are all about, and it’s something that just really excited me. The fact that I get that opportunity and [President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens] believing in me and bringing me here, it’s something that’s special, and I’m really grateful for the opportunity.”

Having bounced around the league a bit over the years, Horford knows how unique of an opportunity it is to play for such a talented, well-managed organization. That played a big part in his wanting to stay put rather than potentially explore more lucrative options in free agency next summer.

“I feel like we're building something really special here, and it's something that I want to be a part of and the reason kind of why I came here in the first place,” Horford said. “Everything is kind of coming together now.”

The Celtics are off to a league-best 18-4 start and Horford has played a major part in their success. Helping to fill the void of a rehabbing Rob Williams, the 36-year-old big man has put up 10.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game while shooting 55.5 percent from the field and a career-high 48.8 percent from 3-point range.

Such a successful start along with last season’s Finals run solidified Horford’s desire to stick around a bit longer.

“I've always wanted to win,” said Horford, a 14-time playoff participant in 15 NBA seasons. “That's always been my number one priority, and that hasn't changed since I got into the league. That's something that you can ask any of my teammates from my rookie year in Atlanta. My goal with that team was to make the playoffs because we hadn't made the playoffs in nine years, or a long time before I got there. So my whole thing my rookie year was I don't care about Rookie of the Year, I don't care about averages or anything like that. It's always been about winning and that's what I'm about.”

Putting himself back into his shoes as a rookie in 2007-08, Horford never could’ve imagined he’d still be playing late into his 30s, let alone playing at such a high level. He’s just thankful that his body has held up for so long as a result of hard work and consistent maintenance.

“I didn't think I was gonna play this long, but as I started to go along, I felt like I was gonna have an opportunity if I took care of myself to play for a long time,” Horford said. “And not only staying healthy but always finding ways to impact winning and trying to stay relevant as best I can.”

Returning to Boston last season allowed Horford the opportunity to win at the highest level of his professional career after making his first Finals appearance last spring. He believes that was only the beginning for a Celtics team that has a realistic chance to make it back to the championship round and win it all.

“Coming back here last year, I felt the strides the group started to make and we’ve continued to make strides in the right direction,” he said. “I feel like there’s a real purpose of trying to win and the group that we have is just a really good group. So, I’m happy and we know we have a lot of work ahead, but this type of stability, it’s hard to find.”

For that reason, he was determined to get his extension out of the way as early as possible.

“My family, we’re very happy about it,” said Horford. “This is where we wanted to be. So now that we know that that’s over with, we can just focus on continuing to do the things that we’re doing here, continuing to put in the work every day, and continuing to build what we’re trying to build here.”

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Horford Believes Staying in Boston Gives Him Best Chance to Win

While Marcus Smart was hosting his annual Boston Bowling Bash for his YounGameChanger Foundation Thursday night, a surprise guest showed up to meet him.

Former Celtic point guard Isaiah Thomas arrived at the event unannounced, overwhelming his old backcourt mate with joy. A shocked Smart greeted IT at the door and wrapped up the two-time NBA All-Star in a massive bear hug.

“It means a lot,” Smart said Friday morning of what it meant for his longtime friend to show up to his event, which was also attended by most of his current teammates. “Me and IT being here, battling for the years we did, with me and him, it’s always been more than just on the court. I look at IT as a brother and just keeping up with him after all those years of staying in touch. So it felt good to see him here because I had no idea he was gonna be coming. The fact that he took time to show up here means a lot.”

Especially considering the fact that Thomas hails from the opposite side of the country in Washington state.

Thomas also took time to visit a couple of his old favorite spots in the neighborhood including the Newbury Street shopping district and Strega, an Italian restaurant in the North End.

Following the bowling event, Thomas posted a series of photos of himself and Smart on his social media accounts. In an Instagram post, he wrote, “24hrs in the Bean and it was nothing but LOVE! Proud of bro @youngamechanger (Smart) for real. Keep making a REAL difference in people’s lives.”

Of course, Thomas made a big difference in the lives of many Celtics fans during his two-plus seasons in Boston, where he was a star on the court and an active member of the community off the court.

Thomas played just over 200 regular-season and playoff games for the C’s and is their all-time leader in points per game (24.7).

Since being traded from Boston in the summer of 2017, he’s made stops in Cleveland, Denver, Washington, New Orleans, Dallas, and Charlotte, along with two stints in Los Angeles with the Lakers. The 33-year-old is currently not affiliated with any NBA team.

With that being said, Boston will always be a home away from home for Thomas. He still has plenty of love to share with his old teammates, such as Jaylen Brown Al Horford, and Smart, who certainly felt that love Thursday night.

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Smart Thankful for IT’s Surprise Visit at YGC Bowling Bash

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The Boston Celtics are just one win away from punching their ticket to the NBA Finals for a matchup against the Golden State Warriors. Yet, as they take a 3-2 series lead into Friday's Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals, they’re of the mindset that their matchup against the Miami Heat is still far from over.

Although many pundits seem to believe that Boston is a surefire, Finals-bound team after its commanding, 93-80 Game 5 win on the road Wednesday night, the Celtics are not getting ahead of themselves as they get ready for Game 6 back at home Friday night, knowing how unpredictable the series has been to this point.

“You can't look past a team at any stage,” Grant Williams said of the Heat Friday morning after shootaround. “You can't think about the next game before you take care of the one that you're focused on. And for this team especially, this is a team that's going to come out and give you their best shot and their best punch. And you have to be willing to withstand that and also compete through it because this isn't a team that's just gonna lie down. They don't have guys like that on their team. So for us, it's a matter of understanding that today is the most important day for us.”

It's an important day because if they don’t win, the Celtics will not have to go back to Miami for Game 7. Despite winning two out of three at FTX Arena so far this series, that’s the last type of scenario in which they’d want to find themselves for a do-or-die Game 7.

“You want to take care of this on your home court,” said Williams. “You want to make sure that not only you come out with the right intensity, but you come out engaged because you don't want to give any hope or life to a team that may have been dealing with injuries and everything like that, but don't want to give them any chance to kind of have that exuberance, that pep, to come back and hopefully bounce back.”

Not many teams have bounced back from a 3-2 deficit. In NBA history, the leading team in that situation has gone on to win the series 83.8 percent of the time. The Celtics have an even higher success rate or closing out such series at 90.9 percent, having won 40 out of 44 series during which they held a 3-2 advantage.

However, in the past 17 years, the C’s happen to be the only team to cough up a 3-2 lead in the Eastern Conference Finals, which they did both in 2012 against the Heat and in 2018 against the Cleveland Cavaliers. More recently, Boston has also experienced being on the winning side of overcoming a 3-2 deficit after coming back to win Games 6 and 7 during its last round against the Milwaukee Bucks.

“We were in that position last series,” said Williams, “so we understand the intensity and physicality and everything that you kind of have to play with and expect to see.”

The best way for the Celtics to approach this game is to compete like they’re the ones who are playing from behind, fighting for their lives. They have to throw the first punch and maintain their intensity all the way through the final buzzer.

“We don't want to give them life,” said Derrick White. “Close-out games are the toughest games, and we know they're going to come out and up their physicality and do things they need to do to try to take the series. You can't relax and think it's over. They're not gonna give up, so we need to be ready to go.”

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For C's, There’s No Letting Up in Potential Game 6 Close-Out

After being sidelined for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, both Marcus Smart and Al Horford are preparing to return for Game 2 Thursday night in Miami.

Smart missed the series opener with a mid-foot sprain and Horford was a late scratch after entering the NBA’s Health and Safety Protocols. However, as of Thursday afternoon, the team had listed Smart as “probable” and Horford as “available” on its official Game 2 injury report.

Smart was back at shootaround Thursday looking like himself, according to teammate Grant Williams.

“He looked good,” said Williams, who filled Horford’s starting spot in Game 1. “Smart is competitive as heck, so I always expect him, whether he’s injured or hurt or anything, to make an attempt, so we’ll see what happens.”

The Celtics missed Smart’s presence dearly in Game 1.  Jimmy Butler had a field day not having to face the Defensive Player of the Year, as the Heat wing dropped 41 points and took 18 trips to the free-throw line while leading his team to a 118-107 win.

Head coach Ime Udoka seems confident that Smart will be back to help slow down Butler in Game 2. He said the starting point guard just needs to check off a few more boxes to be cleared to suit up.

“When he [goes through warmups] before the game, we’ll know from there,” said Udoka. “But he looked better in shootaround today and overall, we expect him to play.”

Horford, meanwhile, will certainly play Thursday night. He was initially listed as “doubtful” for Game 2 in the injury report that came out Wednesday. His status was then labeled as “questionable” at 12:58 p.m. Thursday before finally being upgraded to "available" at 2:29 p.m."

“He’s feeling fine, he's feeling okay. It's something that was unexpected,” Udoka said of Horford’s absence in Game 1. “He's feeling fine since that day.”

Having one or both of those guys back for Game 2 would be a massive boost, especially since Boston will be dealing with another key absence. Reserve guard Derrick White had to rush home Thursday morning for the birth of his first child. Fortunately for the Celtics, they’re used to dealing with the unexpected, so they are confident that they'll be able to cope with White’s absence just fine.

“We support our guys and always want them to be there and in those situations with their family,” said Udoka. “We’ve had guys out quite a bit this year, in this postseason, and had to make do. And so, Marcus being out last game, we beat Milwaukee without Marcus one game and three games without Rob (Williams). So kind of mixing and matching early in the season, going through COVID situations and injuries. You possibly get two back tonight and you lose one tonight. It is what it is, and you have to keep playing.”

Regardless of who’s in and who’s out tonight, the Celtics have proven throughout the season that they can overcome unexpected absences, and that shouldn’t change in the playoffs.

“You can’t control everything,” said Williams. “You can’t control officiating, you can’t control exactly what players are going to be out there, but what you can control is the heat and energy that you bring, but also the competitiveness and spirit of a team. So we just have to come out there, stick together and be ourselves.”