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Taylor Snow

PORTLAND, Maine – An inspiring run through the G League playoffs came to a devastating end for the Maine Celtics Monday night, as they came up 17 points short of their first championship.

The Oklahoma City Blue battled back after suffering a 20-point defeat in Game 1 of the best-of-three series by winning Game 2 on their home court before capturing the title with a 117-100 win in a do-or-die Game 3 at Portland Expo Building.

It was a tight contest until around the four-minute mark of the second quarter when OKC turned a 42-40 lead into a 63-40 halftime advantage. That 21-0 run was extended to a 28-0 run out of the break, as the Blue went up, 70-40.

Maine managed to cut the deficit in half by the 3:21 mark of the fourth quarter but didn’t have enough left in the tank to get over the hump.

The Celtics were already hobbled heading into the game, as two-way center Neemias Queta played through an illness after nearly having to sit out, and rookie wing Jordan Walsh played through an ankle injury that he suffered early in the first quarter.

Despite the frustrating result, head coach Blaine Mueller reflected fondly on the journey. After a .500 start through the first two-thirds of the regular season, his squad surged to a 10-2 finish before battling its first Finals appearance.

“Certainly not the result we wanted, especially at home,” he told Celtics.com after the game. "I wish we could’ve given a better game for our fans, a better game for our guys, overall. But a tremendous amount of individual growth over the course of the season. We set out as a staff to our three core tenets in terms of what we wanted to provide, and that was joy, development, and winning. All three of those things are very much intertwined and interconnected, and we had a hell of a lot of fun.”

Celtics two-way player JD Davison played a huge role in that run, all the way to the final game in which he tallied 22 points, 10 assists, four rebounds, and four steals.

“To be able to get to this point to where we’re at now,” the point guard said, “I just can’t explain the way this group fought and just came together from the beginning to now.”

Maine’s fans played a significant part in the team's success, as well, filling every inch of its small gymnasium with deafening cheers. The Celtics were a shining light for the state after it had gone through tragedy at the start of the season following the mass shooting that took place in Lewiston, Maine.

Mueller said that the environment those fans created, “was fantastic. It was palpable. You walk in there and feel the excitement, feel the buzz in the crowd. Our guys unfortunately didn’t get it done for them – I wish we could have given our fans a better performance – but they’ve been tremendous the whole year, especially throughout this playoff run.”

After the disappointment has settled, Mueller hopes his team can take a look back and appreciate the run that they made. It’s certainly something that he doesn’t take for granted in his first year as a head coach.

 “I told the guys, we didn’t need a championship to know how special a team this is, how special the locker room is,” Mueller concluded. “It would’ve been nice to have it so everybody else would know how special it is. But for me, this is the best year of my life. I had so much fun … And I couldn’t be more proud of them.”

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Maine Celtics Have a Lot to Be Proud of After 1st G League Finals Run

Marc D'Amico

The Boston Celtics took the court Monday morning for their first postseason practice, which lasted more than two hours and included live scrimmage action with TD Garden sound effects being pumped in over the speaker system.

Meanwhile, as the players were grinding on the floor downstairs, their President of Basketball Operations, Brad Stevens, was upstairs making a rare appearance with the media.

Stevens spoke to the media for about 13 minutes while covering a long list of topics. One of the most interesting takeaways from the session is that Stevens actually appreciates the fact that some of his players lack deep playoff experience.

Yes, you read that correctly. Stevens likes the fact that not all of his players have made deep playoff runs. He actually used the term “naivety” while describing how the lack of experience can actually be a benefit to the team.

“Shoot, we’ve got Al Horford. He’s lived it as much as anybody, right? Jrue Holiday’s won and lived it,” Stevens said. “I value some of the guys that haven’t lived it as much, because they’ll bring a fresh naivety to it. I just think that there’s power in all of that.”

One key player who falls into that category is Boston’s starting center, Kristaps Porzingis. The 7-foot-2 big man has participated in the Playoffs just twice in his career, and he has never won a playoff series. As Stevens indicated, however, that can be a positive for Boston.

“Kristaps just hasn’t been as far or deep into that as some of our other guys,” said Stevens. “And again, I kinda think that’s a good thing at times, because you’re naïve in some ways, and this is something that you are so looking forward to if you haven’t been through it.”

That’s really a microcosm of Porzingis’ season in Boston. He joined a championship contender and elite organization for the first time this offseason and he immediately brought a fresh attitude to the group. After stepping into that environment with a dose of naivety, Porzingis put forth arguably the best season of his career. Boston is hoping that will continue into the postseason.

In addition to those comments, Stevens also for the first time publicly addressed the extension that Jrue Holiday signed with the team last week. Stevens said that the team wanted to extend the versatile point guard not only for is tangible skills, but also for what he brings to the organization off the court.

“Jrue came here, joined our team, and all he tried to do was add to winning,” Stevens said of the two-time All-Star. “And for a guy who is as accomplished as he is, that’s used to more usage, more reps, more touches, and all of those other things, that never even came into play. All that came into play was, ‘What kind of a teammate am I being, and how can I help us win?’”

Stevens continued, adding, “I think that as you look at a person like him and you think of the long-term of a group, you think obviously you need really good players and guys who can play on both ends of the court, but you also want people that the young players can look up to. And he is a person they should look up to, and certainly do look up to.”

One of those young players is big man Neemias Queta. He is a 24-year-old big man who was a two-way player with the Celtics throughout this season until Boston signed him to a standard contract On April 8. Stevens gave some insight not only as to why they upgraded Queta’s contract, but also as to why they structured it to include multiple years.

“Oftentimes with Neemi, he's been able to come in and really fill a role and keep our team at a high, high level,” Stevens said. “The likelihood of anybody you sign at that 15th spot playing huge minutes in a playoff run is probably pretty low, but he’s shown that he’s able to do that if surrounded by the right guys and in the right role.”

Stevens then commented on the terms of the Queta’s deal, saying, “With the contract that we signed, we think Neemi is more than just a right-now player. We think he’s a player that can help us in the future.”

The signing of Queta to a standard contract gives Boston an official rotation of four big men, including three 7-footers. That group is comprised of Horford, Porzingis, Queta and Luke Kornet.

Some fans were questioning that group heading into the season, not knowing if it was strong enough for the Celtics to compete for a title. Those fans can stand proudly, knowing that Stevens wasn’t quite sure about the group, either.

“If you would’ve asked me going into the year with our four bigs, maybe we were a little bit unproven,” he said.

But now, with the 82-game regular season complete and with Queta signed to a full deal? Both Stevens and the fans have their answers.

“By the middle of the year, I was like, ‘Damn, that’s a really good group. They can really play.’”

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Stevens Previews Playoffs, Comments on Holiday and Queta Deals

BOSTON – Svi Mykhailiuk knew that signing with the Boston Celtics this past summer would result in a reduced role compared to what he experienced in previous seasons. But he also knew that he’d have scattered opportunities to contribute to a contending team’s winning formula, and one of those chances arrived Sunday afternoon while facing off against the Washington Wizards.

In resting their top six players for the regular-season finale, the Celtics called on an entirely new starting rotation. Among them was Mykhailiuk, who seized the moment by putting forth one of the best performances of his life.

The sixth-year wing poured in a career-high-tying 26 points on 10-of-13 shooting, including a career-best 6-of-8 effort from 3-point range. He also dished out a season-high five assists, tied a season-best with five rebounds, and was plus-21 in 37 minutes of a 132-122 Celtics win – their 64th of the season.

“I just took what the game gave me,” Mykhailliuk said. “I took some more shots, open shots, made some shots early. I feel like that gave me a little more confidence.”

Mykhailiuk opened the game with 12 points on a perfect 5-for-5 shooting, making him the only Celtic this season with a 12-point quarter on at least five attempts without a miss. The majority of his makes came from beyond the arc, but the most impressive one came in a magnificent display of athleticism during the first quarter when he went from a full-court sprint into an alley-oop dunk off of a dish from Payton Pritchard.

Pritchard was also among those who benefitted from an elevated role, as he logged a career-high 38 points to go with 12 assists, and nine rebounds, making him just the third Celtic to hit those marks along with Larry Bird and John Havlicek. He also shot 15-of-21 from the field, making him just the fifth player in NBA history to reach the aforementioned marks on at least 70 percent shooting, joining Bird, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Wilt Chamberlain, and Clyde Drexler.

Neemias Queta had a fantastic showing off the bench with career highs of 19 points and six blocks, as well as nine rebounds. He became just the fifth Celtic to reach those marks along with Dave Cowens, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish, and Kristaps Porzingis.

“We knew we were gonna have the opportunity to play a lot of minutes,” Mykhailiuk said. “Everybody came prepared, everybody was excited to get on the court and (have more) playing time, and everybody wanted to win and finish the regular season on the right note and start preparing for the playoffs.”

Most of the role players will see their minutes drop back down in the playoffs, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be any opportunities for them to step in during certain situations. That’s why they call the reserve unit the “Stay Ready Crew,” and head coach Joe Mazzulla knows that Mykhailiuk is one of the guys who will always be ready.

“When we asked Svi to come here, one of the things I told him was, ‘It’s going to be inconsistent at times. But because of how we play, we’re going to rely on you guys to win us games, so the things you do daily are important.’ And he bought into that, and that was great … He’s done a lot of great things for us. I love his work ethic on a daily basis, and he helped us win games this year.”

Mykhailiuk says that the conversation he had with Mazzulla recurred throughout the campaign. It made him feel better prepared for any chance he was given.

“[Mazzulla] mentioned that during the season a lot and it makes you cautious and makes you understand that you actually have to be prepared at any time for whatever happens,” Mykhailiuk said. “We understand that we are one of the best teams in the league and we have really big goals, so for me personally to help the team win, you’ve just always got to be prepared.”

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Svi's Career Game Helps C's Close Regular Season on High Note

BOSTON – Rather than putting their feet up between Games 2 and 3 of the G League Finals, Celtics players JD Davison, Drew Peterson, Neemias Queta, and Jordan Walsh decided that they wanted to get some extra reps at the NBA level.

Not even 20 hours after completing the middle game of the best-of-three championship round, those four made their way from Oklahoma City to Boston and stepped in against the Charlotte Hornets to combine for 39 points in a 131-98 Celtics win.

“I think it’s about building habits, good habits, winning habits,” Queta said after a 16-point, six-rebound, five-assist, two-steal effort. “Being able to come out on the floor and play meaningful minutes on the NBA court is something we value a lot and it’s gonna be important for our development long-term. So the more minutes we can play and be able to contribute to winning, the more happy we can be.”

Walsh was happy to contribute by knocking down the first two 3-pointers of his NBA career. He finished with eight points while shooting 3-of-4 from the field and 2-of-3 from long range, which was identical to the stat line posted by Peterson. Davison chipped in with seven points and was second on the team in assists with seven, trailing only Payton Pritchard’s 11-assist night.

Pritchard, who also scored a career-high 31 points, was impressed with the play of those guys coming off the bench, noting how much they seem to improve each time they come back to Boston.

“It just shows why they're in the championship in the G League,” Pritchard said. “Jordan, JD, Neemi, Drew, they are tremendous players getting better every time I see them.”

There was even a stretch toward the end of the game during which all four of them were on the court together, just as they were playing together in Maine. The chemistry was evident among them, as they closed the game on an 11-2 run.

“I feel like the game comes easier for us,” Queta said, “because we build our chemistry [in Maine] and understand a little bit of each other's dynamics where to be at, what guys like to do … The more we play with each other, we're starting to build a bit more. And these moments are really important for the development of our group. The more we can be able to come in there and play as hard as we can and take these minutes as meaningful reps, I feel like it's only gonna help the team long-term.”

The game also seemed to come easy for that group from a systematic standpoint, to which head coach Joe Mazzulla credits the alignment between both the Maine and Boston teams.

“I think it’s just a testament to the coaching staff, the front office, the players, and it shows the continuity amongst the organization, which is kind of what we’re looking for,” said Mazzulla. “So those guys have played really well any time they’ve come up for us, and they are doing a heck of a job [up] there.”

The job that they’ve done has put them within one win of capturing a G League championship. Getting these final competitive reps in before Monday night’s title game, hopefully, will help put them over the top.

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Maine’s Stars Shine for Boston Ahead of G League Title Game

BOSTON – Derrick White earned one of the more significant honors that a Boston Celtic could receive Thursday night when he was named the 2024 recipient of the Red Auerbach Award.

Each year, the recognition is given to the Celtics player or coach who best exemplifies the spirit of what it means to be a Celtic through exceptional performance on and off the court. And that is exactly how White has carried himself throughout the season.

Durable and consistent on the court, active and caring in the community, White represents everything that Auerbach would have loved in a player.

“Derrick has been an integral part of this team both on and off the court,” said Celtics Lead Owner and Governor Wyc Grousbeck, who, alongside Co-Owner Robert Epstein presented White with the award ahead of Boston’s matchup with the New York Knicks. “He embodies what it means to be a Boston Celtic and has consistently shown up not only for his teammates, but for members of the community as a role model, mentor, and friend.”

The Auerbach Award has been handed out 19 times to 17 different Celtics since its inception in 2006. Paul Pierce (2006, 2013) and Kevin Garnett (2008, 2012) are the only players to earn it twice and Doc Rivers (2011) is the only coach to have won it. Al Horford (2017), Jayson Tatum (2021), and Jaylen Brown (2023) are the only other current Celtics who have been honored.

From a playing standpoint, White has had by far his best NBA season yet, averaging career-highs of 15.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 1.0 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game.

However, his stats don’t tell the entire story of his impact.

“It’s just how he carries himself,” head coach Joe Mazzulla said of what allows White to stand out. “Who he is as a person, as a player, I would say he represents everything that it means to be a Celtic and a great teammate … There are a thousand things he does in practice or in the locker room or off the court that lead to that. So there’s not many people that are more deserving than he is.”

Kristaps Porzingis could tell White was a special player from their first week playing together. His introduction to White’s hustle came during the home-opener when the 6-foot-4 guard had two chase-down blocks against Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler, and how that was just a taste of what was to come for the season.

“I was like, man, how did he even make it there?” Porzingis recalled of those early defensive stops. “D-White doesn't give up on any play, and this is the type of guy you want on your team that's gonna give all on every possession.”

White has also given it his all off the court. He has participated in several community events such as Boston Scientific’s “Fit for a Cause” launch and Sun Life’s “Fit to Win” program. He also hosted the Strikes for Special Olympics Massachusetts bowling fundraiser and did a Curbside Care ride-along to surprise parents in need with diapers, strollers, gift cards, and more.

“It means a lot for Derrick to be recognized for who he is as a player, but for who he is as a person, as well,” said Brown, last year’s winner. “The Red Auerbach Award represents all of that, so shout out to Derrick."

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White Named 2024 Recipient of Red Auerbach Award

BOSTON – As soon as Jrue Holiday arrived in Boston in early October, he knew it was a place where he wanted to remain long-term. It was a mutual feeling between him and the Celtics, and so when it came time to consider a contract extension, the decision was a no-brainer for both parties.

Holiday officially signed a new deal with the team Thursday afternoon, solidifying his commitment to the C’s and their commitment to him.

“Since I came here, the situation here, it’s only been love,” Holiday said following Thursday’s shootaround at Auerbach Center. “The city of Boston, not only them but the organization, made it super easy for [our family] to have to navigate and get through a time that was a bit stressful for us, so just an appreciation for them. We love the city, we love this organization, the players in it, and what they stand for, and we’re doing our best to get another banner.”

Winning is all that Holiday cares about at this point in his career, and he believes being with the Celtics gives him the best opportunity to do so. If his first regular season with the team serves as any indication, his intuition appears to be spot on.

“Once I got here, or even once I knew I was getting traded here, this was a part of what I wanted, what I envisioned,” Holiday said of his 62-win squad. “Being in a great organization, being here for a lengthy amount of time, and being able to play alongside guys like [Jayson Tatum] and [Jaylen Brown] and really trying to get more banners.”

In his first season with the team, Holiday has averaged 12.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 4.9 assists per game while shooting 48.1 percent from the field and 43.1 percent from 3-point range. His scoring and assists are down from when he was a Milwaukee Buck, but his rebounds and 3-point percentage are both career-high marks.

Those changes show how much Holiday has been willing to adjust to what the team needs him to do on any given night, and he’s embraced playing a jack-of-all-trades role. Plus, the five-time All-Defense selectee continues to be one of the premier perimeter defenders in the league.

“I’m really just being me,” he said. “Being whatever the team needs. There’s going to be days where I’m scoring a lot, but there’s going to be days where I’m going to have to defend and get steals – or I guess that’s every day – but there might be days where I’m just shooting corner 3s. And I feel like whatever fit that I [have] during that game or during that time, during that moment, I’m here for that.”

On top of that, Holiday believes that Joe Mazzulla has helped him develop in new ways – even at the age of 33.

“Joe has definitely grown my game, grown kind've my vision and perspective of basketball,” Holiday said. “Every year, I do plan to grow, but I think (him) being able to give me a different responsibility to look at the game differently – especially with the players and the people that we have, I've never been on a team like this. So it’s been fun just to get to know Joe and just his craziness in his schemes, but at the same time, really see our team put it together.”

In the end, Holiday hopes it all comes together in the form of a championship run – and not just one.

“I want to be here,” he affirmed. “I want to win multiple rings. I’ve heard people say that here plenty of times, so I’m ready for that.”

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Holiday on Extension: 'I Want to Be Here, I Want to Win Multiple Rings'

A shorthanded Boston Celtics team encountered a situation Tuesday night in Milwaukee that it hadn’t faced in a long time: a deficit of more than 20 points.

Even though they couldn’t overcome the massive disadvantage, eventually falling 104-91 at Fiserv Forum, it was still a valuable experience for the C’s to have at this point in the season. They were forced to claw their way back – which they did to some extent, cutting the deficit from 24 down to 11 – and that’s a position that they need to be in from time to time because you never know what type of difficult situations you’ll need to claw your way out of in the playoffs.

“I think it’s good for us to be in a bunch of different situations,” said head coach Joe Mazzulla, whose team is usually the one that’s leading by 20. “That was the first time that a game wasn’t going our way since… I don’t remember when. So to me, it was a good opportunity to just play through that ­– find different ways to create runs, find different ways to just build stuff on either end of the floor. So I thought it was a good situation for us to be in because we hadn’t seen it in a while.”

Boston went into the matchup already disadvantaged, missing its top two centers: Kristaps Porzingis (right hamstring injury management) and Al Horford (left big toe sprain). The C’s went with Xavier Tillman as the starting center and Luke Kornet as the backup 5.

To make matters more difficult, Milwaukee outshot the Celtics by 43 percentage points in the first quarter (73.7 percent to 30.8 percent), which led to a 37-21 deficit out of the gate.

The C's continued to struggle into the second quarter, hitting their lowest point when they were down 47-23; but they stuck with it, made a few runs, and nearly cut the deficit to single digits.

Throughout the process, Joe Mazzulla tested out a few unique lineups – something he has the luxury of doing having already clinched the No. 1 overall seed.

One of those was a center-free lineup from the seven-minute mark of the third quarter until the end of the frame. During that stretch, the C’s went with Derrick White (later subbed out for Payton Pritchard), Jrue Holiday, Sam Hauser, Jaylen Brown, and Jayson Tatum against a fairly large Bucks fivesome. Interestingly, that’s when Boston went on one of its biggest runs, as it outscored Milwaukee 17-9 during that stretch.

“I liked the ability for us to switch a little bit,” Mazzulla said of the center-free minutes. “I liked the spacing that we were able to get. Their reads were a little bit clearer because we had five on the perimeter and they were doubling Jayson every time, the two-on-ones were right there. It was just to give the game a little something different. I thought we had played with the 5 some of the game, and then the game kind of just presented an opportunity to do that.”

Aside from that first quarter, Boston’s defense was impressive. It held the Bucks to 26 points in both the second and fourth frames and allowed just 15 points in the third.

But offensively, it just wasn’t the Celtics’ night. Though, it was also just a strange offensive night in general; the Celtics made history by becoming the first team in NBA history to not attempt a free throw, while the Bucks only attempted two.  

It was Boston’s lowest-scoring game of the season and just the third time it had been held under 100 in 79 matchups. But it’s nothing to be worried about at this stage in the season since they’ve got the East all wrapped up and are taking opportunities to rest guys and experiment with different lineups.

After all, this was only the fourth loss the C’s have suffered since Feb. 1.

“I think our guys pretty much are staying the course,” Mazzulla said. “I always go back to, can you handle winning and losing the same from the process of this is what we did well and this is what we didn’t? And can we get better as a team? I think our guys continue to do a good job of that.”

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C’s Find Ways to Use Rough Night in Milwaukee to Their Advantage

Kristaps Porzingis helped the Celtics make NBA history Monday, as he became the fourth Boston player this season to earn a Player of the Week Award. The 7-foot-3 center joined Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Derrick White to become the first foursome of teammates to each earn a Player of the Week recognition in the same season since the award was created in 1979-80.

The Celtics have now had three players earn the award in the past five weeks, while no other NBA team has had more than two players win throughout the entire campaign.

For KP, this marks the fourth time in his career that he’s won the award and it is the first time he’s earned it since the week of Jan. 2, 2023, when he was with the Washington Wizards.

In four games from April 1 to April 7, he averaged 19.8 points, 10.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 3.0 blocks, and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 65.9 percent from the field and 63.6 percent from long range. He logged three straight double-doubles to close out the week and also recorded a pair of five-block efforts.

Now, let’s take a look back at each of those four performances, all of which resulted in wins for the C’s.

Starting the week in the final matchup of a six-game road trip, Porzingis went to work against the Charlotte Hornets with 20 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and one block in 30 minutes of action. Although it was his lowest rebounding effort of the week, it was his highest assist total; the five dimes tied for his second-most of the season. KP knocked down 6-of-10 from the field, 7-of-8 from the free-throw line, and finished with a plus-11 in Boston’s 118-104 win at Spectrum Center.

Porzingis’ most impressive effort of the week – and one of his best of the season – came Wednesday night against one of the best teams in the West. Facing off against the Oklahoma City Thunder, he erupted for 27 points, a season-high-tying 12 rebounds, four assists, five blocks, and one steal while shooting 11-of-14 from the field and 3-of-3 from deep during 31 minutes of turnover-free action. During the 135-100 win, KP became the first player in franchise history to log at least 10 rebounds, five blocks, and three 3-pointers in a game. He also became the second Celtic to record at least 27 points, 12 rebounds, and five blocks, joining Robert Parish. Basketball Reference ranked this game as his second-best overall performance of the season; ironically, No. 1 was his previous matchup against the Thunder on Jan. 2, in which he logged 34 points, 10 rebounds, and three blocks.

Porzingis kept his high efficiency rolling into Friday night’s matchup with the Sacramento Kings. In just 24 minutes, the veteran center put up 20 points while shooting 7-of-10 from the field, 2-of-2 from long range, and 4-of-4 from the free-throw line. He also grabbed 11 rebounds, handed out two assists, snagged two steals, and blocked two shots during the 101-100 win.

KP wrapped up the week with another stat-stuffing performance, as he posted 12 points, 10 rebounds, two assists, three steals, and five blocks in 27 minutes of a 124-107 win over the Portland Trail Blazers. It marked Porzingis’ sixth five-block effort of the season, including his second in the last three games. It was also his third straight double-double, which is the most he’s had consecutively since the 2020-21 season with the Dallas Mavericks.