GAINESVILLE, Florida – The question of whether Florida basketball should have let Denzel Aberdeen leave in the offseason seems to have been answered.
Aberdeen likely would have been a starter for the Gators, who were fresh off a national title. However, failed ‘negotiations’ led to Aberdeen transferring to Kentucky and joining the Wildcats’ reported $22 million roster.
Regardless of the rationale on either side as to whether Aberdeen should have been rewarded a lucrative deal or if the Gators were smart to move on and invest elsewhere, it’s safe to say the latter was the better deal for Florida (19-6, 10-2 SEC).
In Aberdeen’s return to the O’Dome, Xaivian Lee outdueled him and scored a game-high 22 points that fueled Florida’s 92-83 win against Kentucky on Saturday, Feb. 14.
“I mean, he's playing great, right?” said Florida coach Todd Golden of Lee. “I mean, he was fantastic at Georgia, he was great at Vanderbilt. He’s stacked some really good games over the last couple of weeks, and I thought he was fantastic today.”
Aberdeen, who has had a respectable year at Kentucky, went 8-of-21 from the floor, but led Kentucky with 19 points and four assists.
“I think it was a good matchup,” said Florida’s Alex Condon, who scored 14 points. “I knew ‘Zel was going to be aggressive tonight and try to fuel off the crowd a little bit. Credit to him. He played a solid game, was aggressive. I think our guys did a great job making him take tough 2s, running him off the 3-point line. Yeah, as a whole, I was really proud of the team.”
The Gators’ defense also held UK’s leading scorer and the SEC’s Preseason Player of the Year, Otega Oweh, to 13 points as he went 4-of-14 from the floor.
“I thought we did a great job on (Aberdeen),” Golden said. “I thought he’d get some tough shows.
“But if we could cut their water off then we would give ourselves a good chance to win. They’re both really good players, and you’re not going to make them miss every time. But you know to go combined 12-of-35, that’s winning basketball for sure.”
Not to mention, Urban Klavzar, who opted to stay with UF after barely seeing the floor last season, delivered 19 points off the bench. Klavzar and Lee combined for nine 3-pointers, as UF has become slightly more effective beyond the arc in its recent five-game win streak.
“I think the message before was also how good, you know, what our ceiling can be as shots start to fall,” Lee said. “I think we're seeing that a little bit now, for sure. But, honestly, I don't think that's really what we're focusing on, to be honest. I think it's more just controllables, and then when that happens, it makes us that much harder to beat.”
Yes, Aberdeen and Kentucky will get another shot at Florida in the regular-season finale in Rupp Arena, but for now, the answer to move on seems straightforward as the Gators have gotten better.
“I think when we hit 10 3s, I think it was in back-to-back games, I don't think anyone in the country can play with us,” Condon said. “We’re a dangerous team. Inside, especially rebounding is a big emphasis. That's our DNA. Every game we try to win the rebound count by at least 12, and it sucks the guys inside, and then you throw it out, and these guys hit 3s. It's really unbeatable basketball I think.”
AMES, Iowa – In the attention economy, “What have you done lately?” has been largely replaced by, “What have you done right this second?” There’s no patience nor hardly any memory, but there certainly is an urgency bordering on frantic.
That makes for a tough environment to appreciate what Iowa State basketball has done. The Cyclones (22-3, 9-3 Big 12) are ranked fourth nationally, so it’s not as though they’re being overlooked or undervalued, but they’ve mostly only been in the national college basketball consciousness for their failures since the calendar flipped to 2026.
Getting stomped at Kansas and then no-showing at Cincinnati that same week. Taking an upset just days ago at TCU.
That 3-0 run through the Players Era Festival or that dismantling of Purdue on the road got their due at the time, but, heck, that was all the way back in 2025. That might as well be 1985 for the way we chew up and spit out takes on TikTok these days.
Mowing down five-straight Big 12 teams after those back-to-back losses was nice, sure, but, like, whatever? You can only get so excited about blowouts against the unimpressive middle and bottom of the Big 12.
Not only has it been two months since Iowa State beat the Boilermakers (and Iowa days after that), but it’s been two months since we’ve even seen the Cyclones play well against a high-level team.
You can reset that clock to zero on that front, and put the Cyclones right at the front of the national college basketball conversation.
That happens after outplaying and overwhelming the country’s hottest team, No. 9 Kansas, 74-56, to snap the Jayhawks’ eight-game winning streak, get a measure of revenge for last month’s 21-point loss and reassert themselves as a Final Four contender.
“I’d definitely say we made a statement,” Iowa State freshman Jamarion Batemon said. “This is a huge opportunity to bounce back and show that we’re one of the best teams, if not the best team, in the country.
“It was a great opportunity, and I feel like we definitely made that impact.”
How far the reverberations from that impact travel will no doubt be influenced by what the Cyclones do 48 hours later when No. 3 Houston comes to Hilton Coliseum for Big Monday. But for this weekend, at least, the Cyclones offered up a compelling case for just how damn good they are.
Five days after Kansas became the first team to beat Arizona, the Jayhawks got bullied, beaten and, at times, embarrassed by the Cyclones.
Iowa State’s ball pressure would have had Isaac Hayes singing falsetto.
The Jayhawks were consistently on their heels, playing backward and even had a pair of backcourt violations as the Cyclones allowed them no quarter. Much of Iowa State’s issues in its trio of losses came from an inability to disrupt opponents, but their dialed-up intensity against the Jayhawks kept their visitors uncomfortable and unsuccessful all afternoon.
“Our whole mindset was just to not let them be comfortable,” Tamin Lipsey said after a three-steal day. “We wanted to push them up the floor as much as we could.”
Just as important as the harassment Iowa State doled out defensively was a whole-of-rotation effort that saw all eight Cyclones who played make real contributions to winning.
Batemon, who by any measure is the last man in the rotation, set a tone with a level of aggression we haven’t seen from the freshman. His two 3-pointers and forceful drive and layup in the first half helped lift an offense that was struggling. Reserve center Dom Pleta’s offensive rebounding did much the same. Nate Heise had five boards and a steal in 26 minutes that also saw him provide a defensive presence on the perimeter.
And those are just the reserves.
It’s almost an afterthought that Joshua Jefferson had 11 points, five rebounds, four assists and a steal, or that Lipsey had 11 points, three boards and four assists. Blake Buchanan? A cool 11 and six while going 5 of 6 from the floor.
There was, though, no missing Milan Momcilovic.
The country’s best 3-point shooter had 18 points on 7-of-13 shooting, including 4-of-9 from deep. His fading-to-his-left, falling-to-the-floor, over-the-arm-of-6-10-Flory-Bidunga triple might be the best of his career and one of the more incredible makes Hilton Coliseum has seen in its half-century.
“That was probably the craziest shot I’ve seen in person,” Lipsey said.
It, simply, was a great game from a team whose greatness seemed to have been forgotten.
“I’m proud of our guys for how they worked this week,” said Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger, “and for the effort that they sustained for 40 minutes.
“That’s not easy to do, and I felt like that was as complete of a 40 minutes as we’ve had this season.”
If there was concern about the victory poisoning the Cyclones ahead of Monday’s huge matchup with Houston, well, they didn’t sound too impressed with themselves Saturday evening.
“I feel like we could have beat (Kansas) by more,” Momcilovic said after the Cyclones toppled KU by the largest margin of victory ever at Hilton Coliseum in the series. “Our offense got a little stagnant in that little five-minute stretch in the second half.
“I think it shows we’re still really good, and we can beat anyone night in, night out.”
If nothing else, the Cyclones have everyone’s attention.
INGLEWOOD, CA - FEBRUARY 14: Keshad Johnson #16 of the Miami Heat raises the AT&T Slam Dunk Contest trophy after the AT&T Slam Dunk Contest as part of the 2026 NBA All-Star Weekend on Saturday, February 14, 2026 at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Arizona men’s basketball alum and current Miami Heat Keshad Johnson outlasted fellow former Wildcat and current San Antonio Spur Carter Bryant to win the 2026 NBA Slam Dunk Contest.
Johnson marks the first NBA Wildcat to win the contest after four players before him did not win. On their first dunk attempt, Johnson received a 47.4 and Bryant received a 45.6.
Bryant earned a spot in the championship first after scoring a 49.2, and Johnson followed with a 45.4 on his dunk.
In the championship round, Johnson was the first to go and received a 49.6. He was upstaged by Bryant who received a perfect 50 score on his first dunk.
CARTER BRYANT WITH A 50 🔥
He needs a 47.5 on his final attempt to win @ATT Slam Dunk!
After another impressive and athletic dunk, Johnson got a 47.8 on his second dunk which put all the pressure on Bryant to win. Unable to complete his complicated final dunk, Bryant had to settle for a regular dunk and did not earn enough points to beat Johnson.
Finishing with a final score of 97.4 in the championship round, Johnson won the competition over Bryant, as well as Orlando Magic guard Jase Richardson and Los Angeles Lakers forward Jaxson Hayes.
"Everybody's journey is different… to all the kids out there, keep dreaming!"@kj_showtime0 with a message to the next generation of hoopers after being crowned the 2026 @ATT Slam Dunk Champ 🏆💥 pic.twitter.com/UrNe1OVST8
Even though it was a second place finish for Bryant in the dunk contest, he did not leave the NBA all-star weekend empty handed.
Bryant was a part of the Rising Stars championship team. Playing for Team Vince, who was coached by NBA hall of famer Vince Carter, he scored nine points between the two games he played.
Johnson and Bryant added to the list of former Wildcats to participate in the dunk contest, putting the overall total at six players and an overall total of appearances at eight.
Aaron Gordon was the last Wildcat to participate in 2020. He has also previously participated in the 2016 and 2017 competitions.
The first former Arizona player to participate was Richard Jefferson in 2003. In between Gordon and Jefferson were Andre Iguodala in 2006 and Chase Budinger in 2012.
Gordon, Iguodala, and Budinger all had second place finishes, with Gordon being the only former Arizona player to have two second place finishes.
Given the performance both Johnson and Bryant put on this year, perhaps both will be called back for next year’s competition.
All season, it seemed as if the narrative around the Texas Tech basketball team has been they're just sort of there.
In a long season such as this, when the college basketball is as good as ever, there are more great teams than ever and so much attention is given to the star-studded freshman class, players like JT Toppin and teams like the Red Raiders can go under the radar.
That shouldn't be the case after the team's latest triumph over one of the presumed No. 1 seeds in the NCAA tournament. Beating Arizona 78-75 in overtime on the Wildcats' home floor may be a shock to some, but it's merely more of what can be expected of Grant McCasland's team.
You just have to be paying attention long enough to understand that.
Granted, the Red Raiders have taken their lumps this season. There's no erasing that 30-point drubbing at the hands of Purdue in November. Losing to UCF in Orlando also wasn't great — Kansas did it too, but they didn't have Darryn Peterson, so it can be forgiven, to some extent.
Winning against Duke in Madison Square Garden got some deserved attention, though that didn't last long. Having that win come just before Christmas made some forget about Tech being the only team (until last week) to hand the Blue Devils an L.
Even when Texas Tech's gotten the better of Houston (nobody beats Houston in Big 12 play) and BYU, the focus coming out of those games was that the Red Raiders are really tough at home and most of the attention went to Kingston Flemings doing well and AJ Dybantsa not doing so well.
Some of that will follow Texas Tech again after this victory. Arizona's own star freshman Koa Peat left the game with an injury and did not return. That certainly changed how the Wildcats were able to operate. That, too, will be a big talking point that will detract from what was achieved by the Red Raiders.
Shame, since the Red Raiders didn't get that same benefit of the doubt when Christian Anderson missed the Kansas game. Sure, that was mentioned (briefly) before it became the, 'Did you see what Darryn Peterson did?' news cycle.
All of these freshmen are terrific. No doubt about it. Surefire lottery picks in the 2026 NBA draft. The issue at hand, though, is college is not the pros, and what those freshmen are doing isn't anywhere near what Toppin has done this season, and he showed once again why any conversation around the Big 12 player of the year and first team All-America honors can't continue without Toppin being at or near the top.
Toppin went for 31 points on 13-of-22 shooting and grabbed 13 rebounds, seven coming on the offensive glass against a much lengthier and physical Arizona frontline, with or without Peat. These are run-of-the-mill numbers for Toppin at this point, so commonplace they can be taken for granted.
It wasn't just another manimal-like performance from Toppin, it was historic. He's just the second player in the past 30 years to total 30 points and 10 rebounds in a road win against the No. 1 team in the country. It was just fourth similar stat line against nationally ranked teams this season, which is the most for any player of the past 20 years.
The two biggest plays of the night by Toppin didn't involve him looking for a bucket. The first came with 2:05 left in overtime, when Toppin kicked it out to Donovan Atwell for what was a crucial 3-pointer.
And in the final seconds of the game, he collected an offensive rebound and got it to LeJuan Watts, who hit the free throw to make it a three-point game with four seconds left.
This Texas Tech team isn't perfect, not by any stretch. But knocking off the Arizonas and Dukes and Houstons of the world is what this team is capable of on any given night. They probably won't win every game the rest of the way (road trips to Iowa State and BYU await), but don't forget the Red Raiders when filling out your March Madness bracket.
And in the meantime, remember the reigning Big 12 Player of the Year is also the player most deserving of the award again this season.
LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 14: Rick Brunson, Jalen Brunson #11, Allan Houston, and Karl-Anthony Towns #32 of the Team Knicks pose for a photo after winning the Kia Shooting Stars as a part of State Farm All-Star Saturday on Saturday, February 14, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Kyusung Gong/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The New York Knicks captured the revived Shooting Stars title Saturday night at NBA All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles, defeating three wannabe squads to claim the event’s first championship since its return to the ASW after an 11-year absence.
Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns and former Knicks All-Star Allan Houston, with the assistance of smooth passer Rick Brunson, combined for 47 points in the final round at Intuit Dome, beating Team Cameron’s 38.
Team Knicks advanced to the final after posting 31 points in the opening round, the highest of the four teams. They then outscored Team Cameron (Jalen Johnson, Kon Knueppel and Corey Maggette) in the championship round, albeit not with a little bit of drama, with Brunson (how surprising!) and the legendary Houston converting late long-range four-pointers to secure the win.
The other teams included Team All-Star, led by Scottie Barnes, Chet Holmgren and Richard RIP Hamilton, and Team Harper, featuring Dylan Harper, Ron Harper Jr. and Ron Harper.
Saturday’s program also included the 3-Point Contest and Slam Dunk Contest, as has been the case for years on end.
To the surprise of everybody, Damian Lillard won the 3-Point Contest for a third time while still rehabbing from am Achilles injury, joining Larry Bird and Craig Hodges as the only three-time champions. Lillard scored 29 points in the final round to edge Devin Booker.
Miami Heat forward Keshad Johnson won the Slam Dunk Contest, defeating Carter Bryant in the final round. Adam Silver, please, kill this thing or entirely rebuild it.
🌟 USA vs. WORLD in the City of Angels 🌟
Watch the NBA's brightest stars take center stage at Intuit Dome for the 75th NBA All-Star Game, Sunday at 5:00pm/et on NBC & Peacock! pic.twitter.com/tHArXNLHt9
Coming up next, the All-Star Game on Sunday, which will feature a new format with players divided into three teams: two American squads (youngins and oldies) and one World team.
About your Knicks: Brunson is a member of the younger cohort of Americans while Towns will represent the World side due to his Dominican Republic raíces.
All-Star Game Details
Date: Sunday, February 15, 2026
Time:Starting at 5:00 PM ET. Championship game at around 7:10 PM ET
The 29‑year‑old anchored Sunday’s 4 x 7.5-kilometer relay in the men’s competition for his fourth gold at the 2026 Games.
He had shared the record with three retired Norwegian athletes, Marit Bjoergen and Bjoern Daehlie in cross-country skiing and Ole Einar Bjoerndalen in the biathlon.
Tonight marks the 75th NBA All-Star Game. Victor Wembanyama, rapidly taking his position as the “face of the modern day NBA,” is the first French player to be a starter in the NBA All-Star Game.
Going back to the 1976 NBA/ABA merger, the Spurs have a long history of players participating in the All-Star Game.
George Gervin
Going back to the ABA, The Iceman participated in eleven straight All-Star Games. From the 1974-75 season until the 1984-85 season. Gervin was the Spurs superstar. In 1977, the first All-Star after the merger, Gervin was the lone representative of the Silver & Black. But in 1978 and again in 21979, he was joined by Larry Kenon.
In 1983, Gervin was accompanied by Artis Gilmore. Gilmore played for the Spurs from 1982-1987. He made the All-Star Game again in 1986, this time paired with Alvin Robertson.
Alvin Robertson
CHARLOTTE, NC – FEBRUARY 10: Alvin Robertson #20 of the Eastern Conference All Stars shoots a foul shot during the NBA All Star Game on February 10, 1991 at the Charlotte Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 1991 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
For three straight seasons, Alvin Robertson appeared in the All-Star competition. His first, with Gilmore in 1986, and then the following two years as the lone Spurs member. His last was 1988, and the Spurs went without an All-Star for the first time in 1989.
David Robinson
For nearly a decade, The Admiral made an annual trek to the All-Star Game. He missed in 1997 after only playing in six games due to injury, and of course there was no All-Star Game in 1999 due to the shortened lockout season. He was joined in 1993 by Sean Elliot and again in 1996 when the festivities were held in San Antonio.
The season Robinson spent injured opened the door for the Spurs to draft Tim Duncan, who would carry the Spurs into the next generation of All-Star competition.
Tim Duncan
Duncan made his first All-Star appearance in 1998 with David Robinson. The two participated again in 2000 and 2001. The Big Fundamental made a franchise 15 All-Stars over his nineteen years in the NBA. Over the years he was joined by Manu Ginobili in 2005 and 2011 and Tony Parker on four different occasions.
Parker also made two trips to the All-Star Game in 2012 and 2014 as the lone attendee.
Interesting fact: The Spurs Big 3 made twenty-three combined All-Star Games but never one featured all three of them together.
Passing the baton
TORONTO, CANADA – FEBRUARY 14 : LaMarcus Aldridge #12 and Kawhi Leonard #2 of the Western Conference All-Stars team pose for a portrait before the NBA All-Star Game on February 14, 2016 at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2016 NBAE (Photo by Jennifer Pottheiser/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
In 2016, LaMarcus Aldridge and Kawhi Leonard represented the Spurs in the All-Star Game. Leonard returned the following season. Aldridge flew solo at the All-Star Games in 2018 and 2019.
After two decades of All-Star representation, the Spurs did not have a player invited in 2020 or 2021.
In 2022, Dejounte Murray was selected to replace Draymond Green.
The Spurs went dry in 2023, and 2024.
Last year Victor Wembanyama made his All-Star debut. Tonight, he is starting for Team World.
De’Aaron Fox was added to this year’s competition as a replacement for Giannis Antetokounmpo. Fox will play for USA Stripes.
Gregg Popovich
In addition to player representation, Spurs legendary head coach Gregg Popovich was at the helm on four occasions. In 2005, 2011, 2013 and a final time in 2016 through the “Riley Rule.”*
*The head coach of the team with the best record is chosen to lead their respective conference with a prohibition against consecutive appearances
This year, Mitch Johnson will serve as head coach, also a result of the “Riley Rule.” He will coach USA Stripes which features his All-Star point guard De’Aaron Fox..
Round Robin competition begins at 4PM CST tomorrow and continues over a three-hour period featuring four games.
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SACRAMENTO, CA - 1991: Tom Chambers #24 of the Phoenix Suns dribbles against the Sacramento Kings circa 1991 at Arco Arena in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 1991 NBAE (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The journey keeps rolling, and if I am being honest, this pyramid has taken over more mental space than I ever expected. I keep circling back to names, revisiting tiers, and replaying arguments in my head. Every conversation I have with Suns fans adds another wrinkle that makes me second-guess a decision I felt good about an hour earlier. There is a real fear of getting it wrong, of missing something obvious, of overlooking a moment that mattered to someone else.
At the same time, I know what this is. It is fluid. It is subjective. It has to be viewed through my lens, guided by my standards, my memory, and my sense of what impact actually means. That is the only honest way to do it.
My memory. God help us.
I think one of the biggest challenges with this whole exercise is the scope of it. I am staring down 58 years of Phoenix Suns basketball, and I have only lived through about 38 of them with my own eyes. That leaves a full two decades of history that I did not experience in real time, years I have to reconstruct through box scores, old clips, yellowed stories, and whatever context I can mine after the fact.
There is a difference between knowing something happened and feeling it happen. There are players whose impact lives in numbers and paragraphs for me, not memories. I can build a case. I can understand the logic. But I did not live the nights. I did not feel the temperature of the building or the way a guy changed the mood of a season.
And that is also what makes this fun.
This community is layered. There are fans here who have been around since 1968. They saw it all unfold in real time. They know where the stories exaggerate and where the stats undersell the truth. They can tell me where I am right. They can tell me where I am dead wrong. And they should.
This pyramid is not meant to be the final word. It is a conversation starter. A framework. A way to connect eras, memories, and arguments across generations of Suns basketball. And the best part is letting those generations talk to each other.
So without further ado, let’s reveal the Tier 5 of the Phoenix Suns All-Time Pyramid.
Now this is one area where there actually is a clear line of demarcation, because everyone on this list is a multi-time All-Star as a member of the Phoenix Suns. These are players who earned the right to represent the franchise on a national stage more than once. These are not one off seasons or brief flashes. These are guys who showed up, produced, and carried the identity of the team with them when the lights were brightest, and they earned that recognition through sustained impact and credibility in a Suns uniform.
Let’s get into it.
Tier 5: All-Star Impact
He is one of those true legends of the sport, a point guard who feels like part of a fading species. I’m writing this now, with his retirement fresh and real, which adds weight to where he sits in the long annals of basketball history.
Chris Paul spent 21 years in the league, and three of those seasons came in Phoenix, totaling 194 regular-season games, and those games carried enormous significance for the franchise. He left Phoenix ranked third all-time in assists per game at 9.5, led the league in assists during the 2020-021 season at 10.8 per night, and served as the engine of a team that reached the NBA Finals.
His time in Phoenix included two All-Star selections and two All-NBA honors. He also ranks second all-time in Suns history in assist percentage at 41.4% and fifth in free throw percentage at 86.7%.
Remembering Chris Paul also means acknowledging how his body broke down in the postseason, something that followed him late into his career as he played through ages 34 to 37. That reality does not erase the impact. He arrived at an organization that had gone a decade without touching the postseason, and everything shifted. The Suns mattered again. They competed again.
His influence on Devin Booker, a player who will sit much higher on this pyramid, defies clean measurement. The Point God did not fix everything, but he pulled the franchise out of stagnation, and that alone secures his place in Suns history.
There is only one ‘Original Sun’, and that designation belongs to Dick Van Arsdale. The Flying Dutchman.
As a 6’5” shooting guard out of Indiana, Van Arsdale arrived in Phoenix through the 1968 expansion draft after coming over from the New York Knicks. He stayed until he retired in 1977, logging nine full seasons with the organization and anchoring its earliest identity.
The resume holds up. He ranks fifth all-time in games played, sixth all-time in points, and third all-time in offensive win shares, which still jumps off the page when you put it in historical context. He was a core member of the team that reached the first NBA Finals in franchise history in 1976, and he earned three consecutive All-Star selections, starting with the very first season of Suns basketball in 1968-69.
Statistically, his best year came in the 1970-71 season, when he averaged 20.2 points per game and carried a heavy load for a young franchise finding its footing.
So why Tier 5 instead of Tier 6? Because every organization has a starting point, and for the Phoenix Suns, Dick Van Arsdale was that point. The 1968-69 team that finished 16-66 also featured another All-Star in Gail Goodrich, but Goodrich was traded in 1970. Van Arsdale stayed. He became the constant through the early years, the player who embodied what the Suns were before there was any real definition of success.
Being the foundation is relevant. Dick Van Arsdale was not only productive, he was present, steady, and representative of the franchise from its first breath.
Some of my earliest Suns memories live in an offense that ran straight through Tom Chambers. Yes, Kevin Johnson was running the show, setting the table, and pushing the pace, but when it came time to finish the play, it was Chambers rising up and cashing it in, over and over again, with a consistency that defined that era of basketball in Phoenix.
Chambers spent five seasons with the Suns, arriving in 1988 as the first unrestricted free agent in NBA history, a decision that mattered then and still matters now. He chose Phoenix, and in doing so, he became the centerpiece of some of the best Suns teams that rarely get talked about anymore.
Everyone remembers 1992 -93 when Charles Barkley showed up and changed the national conversation, but the groundwork was already there long before that. Those teams were good. In some seasons, they were great.
In Chambers’ first year, the Suns went 55-27 and reached the Western Conference Finals. The next season, 54-28, same result. In 1990-91, they finished 55-27 again and bowed out in the first round. Then came 1991-92, a 53-29 season that ended in the conference semifinals. Over that four-year stretch, the Suns went 217-111.
It was a sustained run of winning basketball that positioned the franchise to take the final swing that eventually brought Barkley to town. The team could not quite get over the hump, but Tom Chambers was a massive reason they were knocking on the door year after year.
Individually, his production still towers over franchise history. His 27.2 points per game in the 1989-90 season remains the gold standard for scoring in Phoenix. He holds the top two single-season scoring totals in Suns history, with 2,201 points in 1989-90 and 2,085 points the year before. He made three All-Star teams as a Sun, earned two All-NBA selections, and his 20.6 points per game average in Phoenix ranks eighth all-time.
Tom Chambers feels like one of the forgotten greats of the NBA. No player has scored more career points without reaching the Hall of Fame, and it is still baffling. That 27.2 point season was fourth in the league in scoring that year, trailing only Michael Jordan, Karl Malone, and Patrick Ewing, while finishing ahead of Dominique Wilkins, Charles Barkley, Chris Mullin, Reggie Miller, Hakeem Olajuwon, and David Robinson. Every one of those names is enshrined. Chambers is not.
He should be.
And within the context of Phoenix Suns history, his place is clear. Tom Chambers belongs in Tier 5 of the Suns All Time Pyramid, without hesitation, without apology, and without revision.
Connie Hawkins arrived in Phoenix and immediately gave the Suns a sense of legitimacy, a player who lived above the rim and played the game with a style and confidence that felt ahead of its time. He was electric, graceful, and undeniably great, the kind of presence that changed how a young franchise was perceived the moment he stepped on the floor.
For those unfamiliar with his backstory, Hawkins carried a complicated history into the league. Early in his career, he was swept up in a point-shaving scandal and banned from the NBA, a decision that later came to be viewed as deeply unfair and damaging. By the time he reached Phoenix, he was playing with both talent and something to prove, and the Suns benefited from all of it, a gifted player reclaiming his place and leaving a meaningful imprint on the franchise in the process.
I know you didn’t watch The Hawk when he played for the Suns back in the late 60s. He joined the expansion Phoenix Suns in 1968 when he was 25 years old after stints with the ABL, Globetrotters and ABA. He won MVP awards in both leagues, and was Dr. J before Dr. J.
Unfortunately, Hawkins had eight of his best years ripped from him for being wrongly implicated in a point shaving scandal in 1961. Despite obvious evidence to the contrary, his name wasn’t cleared by the athletic world until 1969, during which time he was blackballed by colleges and the NBA.
As it turned out, Hawkins never even knew about the point-shaving. He just had the misfortune of knowing some of those who did, and borrowing a couple hundred bucks at one point from the attorney at the center of the scandal so he could pay some school expenses. That $200 was even repaid back to the attorney before the scandal even broke. Hawkins, a freshman in college who wasn’t even ALLOWED to play for the varsity team when the point shaving was supposed to have occurred, still got blackballed by both the NCAA and the NBA even though he was never arrested or indicted.
The Suns were assigned the 25-year old Hawkins after he was finally cleared to play, and after winning a $1.3 million judgment in a lawsuit he filed years before against the NBA for wrongful banning. During his 8-year exile from traditional basketball settings, Hawkins spent a few years traveling with the Harlem Globetrotters and winning MVP awards with both the ABL and ABA.
He spent four and a half seasons in Phoenix, and that first year alone announced exactly who he was. In 81 games, Connie Hawkins averaged 24.6 points, made the All-Star team, earned All-NBA First Team honors, and finished fifth in MVP voting, which tells you how loud his arrival was and how quickly the league took notice. He would go on to make three more All-Star teams as a Sun, four total, and his 20.5 points per game still rank tenth in franchise history.
The way he played jumps off the page even now. He averaged the third-most free throw attempts per game in Suns history at 7.4 and logged the fourth-most minutes per game at 37.8. In the 1969-70 season alone he attempted 741 free throws, the second-most ever in a single Suns’ season. Hawkins played through contact, invited it, and lived at the line because defenders had no clean answers for him.
This is one of those players I never got to see with my own eyes, and that part stings a little. Sitting on my desk is a 1971 Topps Connie Hawkins card, and every time I look at it, I feel like he would have been my guy if I had been around then.
He was built different. He played with force, attitude, and a physical edge that felt personal. The numbers tell the story, but the feeling of his game is what really lingers. At least so I’m told.
Alright, Suns fans, this is where it really starts to get fun, because Jason Kidd was an absolute stud during his time in Phoenix, and I remember that arrival vividly.
He came over in December of 1996 in a trade that sent Sam Cassell, Michael Finley, and A C Green out the door, and that move landed right after one of the most directionless seasons I can remember. The 1995-96 Sans Barkley Suns finished 41-41, their worst record since the late eighties, and the whole thing felt stale, like a team stuck pacing in place. Trading Michael Finley hurt, because he was one of my guys, but what Phoenix got back was a young All-Star point guard who had already shared Rookie of the Year honors with Grant Hill, and that felt like a real reset.
Kidd’s arrival was significant because it signaled that the Suns were ready to compete again, and they did compete, even if the results never quite broke through the ceiling. Over four and a half seasons, Phoenix never made it past the second round, but the nightly product felt serious again, organized, and intentional in a way it had not before.
Statistically, Kidd’s Suns run was loaded. He sits first all-time in franchise history in assists per game at 9.7, sixth in total assists with 3,011, eighth in steals with 655, third in minutes per game at 38.9, and second in steals per game at 2.1, trailing only Ron Lee. He also owns the top spot in triple-doubles in Suns history with 25, nearly double Kevin Johnson’s total of 13.
There is a very real case for him landing in Tier 4. He was a three-time All-Star in Phoenix, a three-time All-NBA selection, and a three-time All-Defensive player while wearing a Suns uniform, and there are not many players in franchise history who stacked that much hardware during their time here. That alone carries weight.
Where this lands for me is more personal and more subjective, and that is unavoidable in a project like this. The teams during his tenure never reached the heights you hope for when a player of that caliber is running the show, and those years between Barkley and Nash often feel defined by Kidd and Marbury filling space rather than delivering sustained success.
On a stylistic level, his limitations always stood out to me. He shot 33.1% from three in Phoenix, averaged 14.4 points per game, and while he elevated everyone around him and rebounded at an impressive 6.4 per night, it often felt like something was missing offensively. And then there is the way it ended, the allegations, the off-court issues that became an ugly and unavoidable chapter in his story, something that will always color how that era is remembered.
For all of that, Jason Kidd still belongs firmly on this pyramid, and for me, tier five is where he lands. Not as a dismissal of his greatness, but as an acknowledgment of the total picture, the brilliance, the gaps, and the complicated legacy he left behind in Phoenix.
The pyramid is starting to take shape. What do you agree with? Where did I get it wrong?
Feb 11, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard James Harden (1) stands on the court in the fourth quarter against the Washington Wizards at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | David Richard-Imagn Images
With the trade deadline well behind us, a recent poll conducted by SB Nation for its NBA readers asked two simple questions: Which team made the biggest improvement at the deadline? Which player moved before the deadline will have the biggest impact.
Per the poll that aimed to answer the first question above, SB Nation readers seem to think that the Cleveland Cavaliers made the biggest improvement of the deadline.
In turn, the answer to the second question — that is, which player moved before the deadline readers think will make the biggest impact — was none other than the Cavaliers’ signature deadline acquisition: James Harden.
To refresh everyone’s memory, Harden was acquired by the Cavaliers in exchange for sending Darius Garland and a second-round pick to the Los Angeles Clippers.
The Cavaliers — who sport a 34-21 record heading into the All-Star Break — are currently fourth in the Eastern Conference. Do you think they have what it takes to surprise people with a deep playoff run? Head on over to https://sportsbook.fanduel.com/navigation/nba to test your confidence.
The Bullock family and Boston Celtics play-by-play commentator Brian Scalabrine.
Michael Bullock has admired the Boston Celtics for as long as he can remember. His father, James Bullock, introduced him to the team at birth (literally), and rather than revere their 18 championships, Michael has learned far more from his favorite team.
“My dad has a strong attachment to the Celtics,” Michael told CelticsBlog. “He played most of his adult life and loved watching the Celtics on TV. He has followed them most of his life. The first Celtics game we watched together was at the hospital when I was born. He even attended a pregame demonstration of basketball skills in 1969 at the old Boston Garden, where Red Auerbach, Bill Russell, and Sam Jones demonstrated skills.”
Growing up in East Providence, Rhode Island, sports were a constant in the Bullock household and it wasn’t just basketball. The Bullock family’s passion for New England sports ran deep, but for Michael, it was never about the flashy highlights that would end up on ESPN the next morning. Instead, it was about the core principles that sports teach about life — lessons that often get lost amongst fans, athletes, and coaches — that inspired him more than anything else.
In 1996, before graduating from high school, Michael dedicated himself to participating in the Special Olympics.
“I first got involved with Special Olympics Rhode Island after watching my twin sister (Jessica) compete,” he said. “I like seeing all the athletes with special needs competing and having a lot of fun, so I thought I would join. I always liked basketball and track, and track and field was another sport that I played, so I could be part of the team.”
It’s a journey that has spanned 30 years for Michael, during which he has been involved in nearly everything imaginable. From basketball to bowling to track and field, he’s always remained committed to his belief in promoting inclusion. He has run the 100-meter, the 200-meter, and the 4×100 relay. However, it is on the basketball court above all else that Michael finds the greatest joy, relishing something he holds especially near: the importance of teamwork.
The Bullock family and 2008 Boston Celtics champion Brian Scalabrine.
While most fans with a devotion as strong as Michael and his family’s to the Celtics dream of setting foot on the iconic parquet under the bright lights, Michael set his sights on something different. He wanted to light the way for inclusion and awareness, so that those like him, his sister, and the thousands he has met over decades through Special Olympics Rhode Island could follow his example and reach the same heights his lifelong mantra has taken him.
“You can do anything if you put your mind to it,” Michael said. “I do it by attending Athlete Leadership University as a facilitator and working on the podcast called ‘Beyond The Medal.’”
In recognition of Michael’s dedication to spreading his message, Amica and the Celtics honored him through their collaborative Beyond the Patch initiative. He and his family were invited to Boston for the Feb. 1 home game against the Milwaukee Bucks, enjoying a VIP experience that included behind-the-scenes access, exclusive meet-and-greets, and courtside seats to the team’s 107-79 victory at TD Garden.
The invitation initially left Michael in disbelief, James recalled.
“Michael was thrilled when he found out that we would be getting courtside seats and access at the Celtics game,” James told CelticsBlog. “He is a big fan of all Boston sports and could not believe that he would get a chance to see his favorite Celtics players up close.”
The game was especially memorable as it coincided with Pioneer’s Day at the Garden, marking the first time the Celtics and Bucks honored the 75th anniversary of the NBA’s first Black players — Chuck Cooper, Earl Lloyd, and Nat “Sweetwater” Clifton. Both teams wore commemorative jerseys featuring 1950, the year Cooper, Lloyd, and Clifton broke the league’s color barrier, along with an NBA Pioneer’s Classic patch. On the court, Jaylen Brown delivered the pregame address and led all scorers with 30 points, while Anfernee Simons, in his final game in a Celtics uniform, added 27 off the bench.
Midway through the game, Michael and his family were featured on the Garden’s jumbotron, introduced to the crowd, and greeted with a round of applause from the more than 19,000 fans in attendance.
As a father, the experience was truly unforgettable for James. It was surreal watching his son honored for his 30 years of participation in the Special Olympics, all in one night filled with moments and memories that the entire family could share and carry with them forever.
“There were so many wonderful moments, it’s hard to know where to start,” James said. “Getting to meet Derek White and have him sign our jerseys. Being on the floor to see the players warm up, getting to have lunch at the Legends room with Leon Powe, and the great courtside seats we had. But I would have to say that the two best moments were when Mike and his twin sister Jessica got to bring the game ball to center court, and when they showed the AMICA video on the big screen, and everyone cheered for Michael. That was one of the proudest and happiest moments of our lives.”
Founded in 1968 in Chicago, Illinois, the Special Olympics has grown into a global movement. Today, more than 5.5 million athletes with intellectual disabilities from over 172 countries participate worldwide, with numbers continuing to rise. The 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Los Angeles drew an estimated 500,000 spectators and featured roughly 6,500 athletes and 3,000 coaches, making it the largest sports and humanitarian event in the world that year.
Those numbers don’t capture the profound impact the event has on millions worldwide — an effect no statistic could fully measure.
James has watched as SORI has helped foster Michael’s self-confidence and social growth, shaping him into someone who takes initiative and celebrates those around him. Through leadership roles and participation in competitions, Michael has developed skills that extend far beyond athletics. He’s seen firsthand how these experiences have transformed the Michael he knew growing up.
“When he was younger, Michael’s autism made it difficult for him to try or experience new things,” James said. “He was very shy and reluctant to engage. Being part of Special Olympics is a big part of his social development, both athletically and socially. Besides the athletic side of Special Olympics, he has taken part in a variety of Special Olympic programs that promote athlete leadership, public speaking, etc. He even became part of the local cable television show that the Special Olympics of Rhode Island produced.
“There’s a yearly fundraiser, ‘The Torch Run Plunge,’ where people jump into the freezing ocean to raise funds. There was a special law enforcement group that decided to do a super plunge, plunging every hour on the hour for 24 straight hours. When Michael saw this group, he turned to us and said, ‘These people are doing this for all of us Special Olympics athletes. I would like to do this as well, to show everyone that Special Olympics athletes are capable.’ Last year, that group raised over $1,000,000 in total fundraising. We were SO proud of him.”
The past three decades haven’t only shaped Michael — they’ve reshaped James as well. Watching his son grow through competition and the deeper lessons sports instill has steadily shifted James’ perspective for the better. The impact of the Special Olympics on Michael and his family cannot be overstated, nor can what the movement teaches those who witness it, even from the sidelines.
Last year alone, more than 1,000 athletes took part in the Special Olympics Rhode Island Summer Games.
“Watching Michael compete in Special Olympics has only enhanced my belief in how perseverance, sportsmanship, and teamwork can improve/shape the life of a special needs athlete,” James said. “Whenever Michael is on the podium to accept his medal, he always congratulates the other athletes on the podium. It has helped shape him into the caring adult he has become. My wife and I coached the East Providence team for Special Olympics of Rhode Island for 23 years. In every practice and game we saw, the Special Olympics had a positive effect on all the athletes in our group, in one way or another. The friendships and confidence that come from being on a team are immeasurable.”
INGLEWOOD, CA. — NBA All-Star Saturday came in facing some internal and external criticism about the overall state of the weekend and its viability for the future.
Between Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard winning the 3-Point Contest amid his recovery from a ruptured Achilles tendon and Keshad Johnson bringing infectious energy in the Slam Dunk Contest, there were certainly positive moments to be drawn from the night.
There were, however, plenty of points that deserve a more thorough examination.
But how did the All-Star Saturday fare on the whole?
Here are the winners and losers from Saturday of the 2026 NBA All-Star weekend.
WINNERS
Damian Lillard and his remarkable achievement
I don’t want this to be lost on the casual fan: Damian Lillard is nine-and-a-half months removed from a ruptured Achilles tendon. He’s 35. He had already won the 3-Point Contest two times, but his recovery and rehab had been so monotonous and removed him so far from basketball that he felt he needed to do it.
So he proceeded to score 56 points across both rounds, including 29 in the final round, tying Larry Bird and Craig Hodges as the only players in history to win the 3-Point Contest three times.
“I think this was necessary and was needed for the fans,” Lillard told reporters after the event. “… I wanted to be out there because that's all I can do right now. It was an easy call.”
Keshad Johnson
He danced, he expressed joy and he delivered consistency in what was, frankly, an underwhelming event. But winning the Slam Dunk Contest is still a significant accomplishment, and it can act as a boost to a young player’s career.
Johnson has appeared in 21 games for the Heat and is averaging 3.1 points per game across 7.6 minutes per contest. Winning the event will not convince Erik Spoelstra and the Heat staff to play him more, nor should it. But it will raise Johnson’s profile. All to say: it presents an opportunity that he can seize if he continues to work on his game and improve his all-around skill set.
LOSERS
The Slam Dunk Contest
This is not meant to take away from the accomplishment of Johnson, who brought infectious energy and high-level difficulty dunks to his routine. And no disrespect intended to the field, overall, but fans have been deprived of the game’s biggest stars and most prolific dunkers from competing in this event.
Possibly, many tuning in across the country had never heard of most of the field, if not all four participants. The NBA, of course, cannot force players to compete in the Slam Dunk Contest, but it needs to increase the incentives so the league’s top dunkers are pushed to participate.
The last great Dunk Contest was already 10 years ago, in the battle between Aaron Gordon and eventual champion Zach LaVine.
Perhaps we simply have unrealistic expectations of Dunk Contests and we should be okay accepting that not every contest is going to be legendary. That might help some of the angst surrounding this event.
But, at a minimum, fans are entitled to creativity and should want to see things that push the expectations of what dunks can be. That shouldn’t be compromised.
Shooting Stars
It seems the NBA is trying to find a long-term replacement for the Skills Challenge, and this may be a case where less is more. The Slam Dunk Contest and 3-Point Contest are the marquee events of NBA All-Star Saturday, and that feels like it should be enough.
The Shooting Stars contest was actually pretty close and it did provide some mild excitement late, but, if we’re going to lean in on shooting challenges, I wonder if some form of H.O.R.S.E. might appeal more to the nostalgia fans have.
‘It is what it is at this point’
The messaging to come from some of the game’s brightest stars Saturday during NBA All-Star media day, frankly, was disappointing. And, yes, we acknowledge that All-Star exhibitions across all major North American sports are in peril of teetering toward irrelevance as athletes, understandably, tend to prefer time off and leisure during the middle of seasons that can be intense grinds.
But hearing Anthony Edwards, one of the most dynamic and exciting players in the world, essentially shrug his shoulders when asked about effort isn’t exactly the optics the NBA will want tied to the premier event of the weekend.
"Are yall gonna give more effort this year or is it kind of like it is what it is at this point?"
He wasn’t alone, and honesty in press conferences is very much appreciated. But it raises questions about whether there are better ways to honor All-Star players that keep and grow fan engagement.
At the All-Star break, it’s worth acknowledging something that felt unlikely just four months ago.
The Celtics are good, not just scrappy, feisty, or ahead of schedule — they’re all of those things too, don’t get me wrong.
They are in-your-face, out-in-the-open good.
At the not-quite-exact halfway point of the season, the Boston Celtics own the second-best record in the East. Fourth in offensive rating. Eighth in defensive rating. Third-best point differential in the league. Eleven wins in their last fourteen games. I’ll stop there, you get it. This isn’t smoke and mirrors.
If you predicted this exact outcome back in October, congratulations! The rest of us were bracing for something closer to transitional. Competitive, maybe. Entertaining, for sure. A development year while waiting for Jayson Tatum to return and the roster to settle into its next iteration.
Instead, the Celtics are forcing a different conversation.
In Boston, when a team starts looking like a contender, the expectations don’t stay modest for long. And now that we have a large enough sample to believe this is real, fans are reluctantly asking themselves – is it another championship or bust season for the Celtics?
MIAMI, FL – APRIL 27: Head Coach Joe Mazzulla of the Boston Celtics talks with Derrick White #9 and Jaylen Brown #7 during the game against the Miami Heat during Round 1 Game 3 of the 2024 NBA Playoffs on April 27, 2024 at Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2024 NBAE (Photo by Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
There’s nothing flukey about this
A lot of my analysis is built on vibes, I’ll admit. So let’s strip away the aura and consider what the Celtics have done up through this point of the season by the numbers.
Through 54 games, the Celtics are 35–19. That’s a 53-win pace, only eight games off their 61-win total last year. Second in the East. Tied for fourth in the entire league. Their point differential suggests they’ve actually underperformed their record, with an expected mark closer to 38–16.
The offense? Fourth in the NBA in offensive rating. Third in three-pointers made. First in fewest turnovers.
The defense? Not elite by last year’s standard, but firmly in the top third of the league. Second in opponent points allowed per game. Top ten in defensive rating. They rebound better than they should for a team that plays small more often than not.
Since that 5–7 stumble in November, they’ve gone 30–12. That’s a 59-win pace over nearly three months.
This season was supposed to test whether Jaylen Brown could anchor an offense without Tatum shouldering that pressure. Instead of surviving that test, he’s thriving in it. The scoring leap is obvious, but the bigger shift is control. He’s dictating matchups, handling double teams way more calmly, and often defending the other team’s best player. When the Celtics need a bucket (or a stop), they know where it’s coming from.
BOSTON, MA – FEBRUARY 11: Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics handles the ball during the game against the Chicago Bulls on February 11, 2026 at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Behind him, the role expansion has been everything you could hope for, and then some.
Payton Pritchard handled starter-level usage, then slid back into a sixth-man role without missing a beat. Despite the shooting inefficiency, Derrick White’s processing speed remains one of the quiet advantages of this team. Neemias Queta has stabilized the middle, while Sam Hauser continues to stretch the geometry of the floor. And when it’s time to bring in some combination of Jordan Walsh, Hugo Gonzalez, and/or Luka Garza, they’re actually winning their minutes, not losing them.
In other words, you don’t land in the top-five in net rating by accident. You don’t maintain a top-three offense for four months on good vibes alone. And you don’t bank 35 wins while missing a top-five player because you’re playing “harder” than everyone else.
Everything about this version of the Celtics says contender.
Whether we were ready to say that in October or not doesn’t really matter anymore.
What the deadline tells us about Brad Stevens’ mindset
Often the best indicator of how a team views their season is the moves they make around the trade deadline. If the Celtics were indeed in a gap year, we likely would have seen Brad Stevens sacrifice the present in favor of the future.
Instead, he made moves that did two things simultaneously: improve the present and protect the future.
The Nikola Vučević addition was a calculated move for the now. Brad went and acquired a floor-spacing big who can pass, rebound, and operate within the existing structure. Much like Kristaps Porzingis before him, Nikola Vučević’s playstyle largely fits next to Tatum, not just in his absence.
In his recent press conference, Stevens said repeatedly that flexibility matters, and the Celtics now have plenty of that. Because of the moves Boston made, they head into the summer with:
Their own first-round pick
A favorable second-round pick
A full mid-level exception worth roughly $15 million
This means Boston can sign a rotation-level free agent outright. Or they could absorb a contract in a trade without matching salary. It also means they can consolidate young pieces if the playoffs reveal a clear need, or they could simply let the already-blossoming internal growth keep compounding.
BOSTON, MA – SEPTEMBER 29: Brad Stevens, president of basketball operations for the Boston Celtics, smiles during a press conference at Boston Celtics media day at the Auerbach Center on September 29, 2025 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo By Winslow Townson/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Brad didn’t panic-buy at the deadline or mortgage future assets chasing a headline. He reshaped the roster while preserving optionality.
When you layer those decisions on top of a potential Tatum return, the signs become too glaring to ignore. Whether anyone says “championship or bust” out loud or not, the standard in Boston tends to arrive on its own once the path becomes visible.
So what counts as success now?
If this were still considered a gap year for the Celtics, I’d be writing about vibes and development and moral victories that feel nice before switching gears to Draft prep. But the Celtics have dragged the conversation somewhere more stressful: they’ve played well enough for long enough that you can’t pretend the ceiling is just “fun season.”
The East is messy. The path is real. Boston has already banked the kind of résumé that forces you to take them seriously. Add Tatum back into the mix, and it becomes harder to justify moving the goalposts lower just because it was convenient in October.
So here’s the bar. Winning one round feels like a must. Making the conference finals feels like a fair expectation. And if you somehow end up back in the NBA Finals, well…anything can happen in a 7-game series.
The point is, the Celtics didn’t ask for these expectations. They earned them, and those of us that bleed green are lucky (and stressed) because of it.
We're a month away from Selection Sunday, so you may be getting that March Madness itch already.
The men's basketball conference races are heating up and the bubble is getting crowded. We'll know soon enough who is in The Big Dance.
Here's an early look at what you need to know, including key dates March Madness dates and conference tournament schedules. Here's our latest bracketology.
The 2026 NCAA tournament selection show will air on CBS, its traditional broadcast home. Streaming options include Paramount+, CBS's streaming site, and Fubo, which offers a free trial to potential subscribers.
When does March Madness start?
The first men’s game of the 2026 NCAA tournament will be on March 17 with the start of the First Four in Dayton, Ohio.
March Madness 2026 schedule
The 2026 NCAA men’s basketball tournament will transpire over the next three weeks, which will end with the Final Four and the national championship game in Indianapolis.
Here’s a rundown of the schedule for the 2026 NCAA Tournament:
MUMBAI, India (AP) — The most-anticipated game of the T20 World Cup is set to attract over a billion eyeballs when India takes on archrival Pakistan at Colombo on Sunday with uncertainty aplenty still surrounding world cricket’s marquee matchup.
Political and diplomatic tensions between the two nations have often boiled over on to the cricket field. Sunday’s game will be the first time the teams have met since last year’s acrimonious Asia Cup tournament in the United Arab Emirates which was won by India and where players refused to shake hands.
West Indies makes it 3 in 3
At Mumbai, West Indies notched its third successive win in Group C when it thumped Nepal by nine wickets and qualified for the Super 8 stage of the tournament.
West Indies had already beat Scotland and England to take command of Group C.
Nepal showed plenty of promise in its first game when it lost narrowly to England, but then two heavy defeats against first-timer Italy and Sunday against West Indies saw it eliminated.
Fast bowler Jason Holder grabbed 4-27 and restricted Nepal to 133-8 after captain Shai Hope won the toss and elected to field. Hope then smashed unbeaten 61 off 44 balls and Shimron Hetmyer scored 46 off 32 balls as West Indies cruised to 134-1 in 15.2 overs.
Nepal had stuttered to 6-73 in 15 overs but Dipendra Singh Airee (58) and Sompal Kami (26 not out) contributed a 54-run stand in the death overs to give the total some respectability.
United States, which lost to both India and Pakistan before beating the Netherlands, takes on Namibia in its final Group A game later Sunday.
All eyes on Colombo
But Colombo remains the focal point on Sunday where the marquee game of the tournament begins at 7 p.m. local time (1400 GMT).
In the lead up to the match, Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha said he believed it was up to the Indian players to decide whether they will shake hands with his team before and after Sunday’s game.
Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav, for his part, was non-committal.
“Why are you highlighting that?” Suryakumar asked reporters on the eve of the game. “We are here to play cricket. We will play good cricket. We will take all those calls tomorrow. We will see tomorrow.”
Pakistan’s government threatened a boycott of Sunday’s match after the International Cricket Council kicked Bangladesh out of the World Cup for refusing to play matches in India, citing security concerns.
Pakistan only agreed to play after intense discussions with the ICC. The fixture is the major revenue earner for the ICC.
Tensions running high
Tensions came to a head in the Asia Cup when Suryakumar refused to shake hands with Agha. Heated moments followed between the two sides throughout the tournament, with Suryakumar and Pakistan’s Haris Rauf fined for breaching the ICC’s code of conduct.
India went on to win the Asia Cup but refused to accept the trophy from Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Mohsin Naqvi.
“The game should be played in real spirit, the way it has been played since it started. The rest is up to them (India), what they want to do,” Agha told media on Saturday about the possibility of the players shaking hands.
India has not traveled to Pakistan since 2008 and Pakistan visited India for the 50-over World Cup in 2023 but has since played ICC tournaments at neutral venues.
India has defeated Pakistan 12 times in the 16 T20 games they have played. It also has an impressive 6-1 record in the eight T20 World Cup matches since the first edition in 2007, with one being tied.
