The Cleveland Cavaliers are playing their first game of the season against the Sacramento Kings. They’ll be at home tonight. Cleveland went 0-2 against the Kings last year.
Defense
After spending two weeks in the bottom-10 of defense rating, Cleveland snapped back to being elite when they held the Charlotte Hornets to just 87 points in their latest win.
I couldn’t say this was all due to the Cavaliers’ defense. The Hornets also happened to shoot well below their expected percentage. Especially on open three-point attempts. But hey, luck is part of this thing. And I thought the Cavs did a fine job of protecting the paint and leaving Charlotte with few options other than chucking threes on a night where they simply didn’t have it.
Replicating this effort against the Kings should be feasible. This is a far less dangerous offense, with SAC ranking 28th in offensive rating this season. Of course, you can’t take anything for granted in the NBA, but I’d be upset if the Cavs didn’t turn in another strong defensive performance tonight.
Taking Care of the Ball
This is becoming an issue.
Cleveland has turned the ball over at an unusual rate this season. They rank 13th in turnover percentage, which isn’t awful, but it’s a steep decline from being fourth last season. Part of this is that they don’t have as many capable ball-handlers and playmakers as before. Injuries to Darius Garland and Max Strus, combined with losing Ty Jerome and Caris LeVert, have mattered.
The Cavs had 20 turnovers in Charlotte, 21 turnovers against the OKC Thunder, and 18 turnovers in Philly. This is a trend that can’t continue if they want to stack wins.
Evan Mobley’s Usage
I’m repeating one of my points from our last preview. Mobley has to be involved for the full length of the game. I really don’t want ot keep writing about this.
We saw Mobley get to his spots effortlessly in the first half against the Hornets. For him to finish the second half with only 1 point on two field goal attempts is a crime. This is a problem the team has long neglected. It’s time we see them finally address this and put their best foot forward.
After a heartbreaking overtime loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, the Houston Rockets head to Detroit to take on a Pistons team that can be the first to sweep Houston this season.
These teams met back in October, and even with Jalen Duren getting ejected early, the Rockets allowed the Pistons to play their own style and never let Houston get going. Now, the Pistons are leading the Eastern Conference quite comfortably and the Rockets are trying to stay out of the play-in spots in the West.
The Rockets have been terrible on the second nights of back-to-backs, they finally got a win last week against the Anthony Edwards-less Minnesota Timberwolves. Will they get win #2 tonight?
On February 1, 2025, former Mavericks GM Nico Harrison changed the lives of everyone associated with the Dallas Mavericks when he traded Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers in the most shocking trade in recent sports history.
The move sparked immediate outrage and shock from the entire league and resulted in Harrison’s firing nine months later — a swift, but necessary resolution to one of the most shocking betrayals to a fanbase from a sports executive in league history.
Now, nearly a year later, the Lakers will be coming to Dallas for the second time since the trade commenced. Los Angeles’ first trip back — a 112-97 April 9 Lakers win where Dončić dominated the Mavericks to cheers from the American Airlines Center crowd — felt like something out of a sports movie. Home fans rooting for an opposing player throughout the game is exceptionally rare, especially in modern sports, yet it happened in April and I expect it to happen again Saturday.
It’s been a year unlike any other in sports fandom. Here’s a look back at a 12-month span that forever altered the Dallas Mavericks, from the fans to the players to the front office.
February 1, 2025, 11:12 CST: The Tweet
Late in the evening of February 1, ESPN’s Shams Charania shocked the world when he announced the Dallas Mavericks were trading Dončić, Maxi Kleber, and Markieff Morris to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a 2029 first-round pick in a three-team deal that included the Utah Jazz.
Fans across all teams immediately thought the tweet was a farce. “Has Shams been hacked?” started trending on social media and Charania told the Old Man and the Three podcast that his phone was blowing up with questions about if he’d been hacked.
“I answered five people on phone calls, texts I couldn’t, it was literally up to 300 messages,” he recalled.
But the trade was real, stunning the world. ESPN’s Tim MacMahon reported that night that Harrison “believed defense wins championships” and that the Mavericks had “major concerns” about moving forward with Dončić due to his “constant conditioning issues.”
February 8, 2025: Davis makes debut after fans protest trade
A week later, the Mavericks hosted the Houston Rockets in Anthony Davis’ debut as a Maverick, but the headlines that day weren’t focused on the game; it was on the scene outside the arena.
Thousands of fans flooded Victory Plaza outside the arena to protest the historic trade. People held signs, chanted “Fire Nico” and voiced their displeasure at the move. Inside the arena, Davis and the Mavericks defeated the Rockets, but the Mavericks’ new star exited the game in the third quarter with an injury.
For many, the trade was a turning point, ticket sales declined 40% that season after the trade. In November, the team’s 24-season streak of sellout games was snapped.
February 25, 2025: Dončić faces Mavericks for first time
Dallas traveled to Los Angeles to play the Lakers three weeks later with Harrison in attendance. The Lakers defeated the Mavericks, 107-99, with Dončić securing a triple double in the win. Davis missed the game with an injury.
Inside Crypto.com arena,“ Thank you, Nico!” chants erupted from the Lakers faithful. Harrison was in attendance for the game, and it was likely the last public sporting event where he’d ever receive a positive reception.
April 9, 2025: Dončić returns to Dallas
Two months after the trade, Dončić returned to American Airlines Center in one of the most surreal games I’ve ever witnessed as a fan. Purple and gold jerseys flooded AAC — which wasn’t uncommon for a Lakers road game, Los Angeles has one of the fiercest fanbases in the NBA — but most of the jerseys had one name: Dončić.
Purple and gold meshed with navy blue and white with the same name donned across the back. The Mavericks played a video tribute before the game for Dončić, who teared up on the sidelines as fans applauded the then-25 year old’s tenure in Dallas that included a 2022 Western Conference Finals run and a 2024 NBA Finals run.
Then, the game started, and if you thought Dončić would start slow due to the emotionof the game, he quickly showed the fans and the world just how big a mistake the Mavericks made.
He lit up the Mavericks, scoring 45 points on 16-28 shooting, including 7-10 from three-point range. Dallas fans erupted with every made basket, almost as if to rebel against their own team. Dončić added eight rebounds, six assists and four steals for good measure, and the Lakers clinched a playoff spot while Dallas dropped yet another game, a common theme for the post-Dončić era.
“It was little bit of both happy and angry, but it’s nice to see some familiar faces here,” Dončić said after the game. “…I really appreciate the fans.”
May 12, 2025: Mavericks win draft lottery
The Dallas Mavericks defied all odds and won the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery, despite having just a 1.8% chance to secure the No. 1 pick. It was the first time in franchise history Dallas had moved up in the draft lottery and it put them in position to draft Cooper Flagg.
In June, Dallas did just that, drafting Flagg with the No. 1 pick and beginning a new era of Mavericks basketball. The front office made it clear they were trying to move on and turn over a new leaf. The fans were not yet ready to do so.
November 10, 2025: Tensions boil over
Harrison had tried for nine months to outlast the fan outrage, hoping a flashy new rookie and visions of him, Davis, and Kyrie Irving would soothe fan’s rage.
It did not.
On November 10, tensions boiled over when the Mavericks faced off against the Milwaukee Bucks. Dallas blew a 13-point 4th-quarter lead, but had a chance to tie the game late after P.J. Washington, who had pleaded with fans to stop their chants during the game, stepped to the line to shoot three free throws with Dallas down 3.
Time seemed to stand still in that moment. With Davis watching from the sidelines with yet another injury, the fans staged their final stage of revolt. They no longer cared if their team won or lost. They only cared about Harrison being gone. Nothing else mattered.
That was when team governor Patrick Dumont knew enough was enough.
November 11, 2025: Harrison fired
Harrison was fired the next morning and the Mavericks named two co-GM’s, Matt Ricardi and Michael Finley, to lead the front office while they began a search for a new permanent general manager.
After four years as GM, a run that saw Dallas reach the WCF and NBA Finals, Harrison was out just nine months after the trade. Some things are too big to escape, and Harrison learned that the hard way.
January 24, 2026: Dončić returns again
A year ago, Dallas was a title contender looking to get back to the NBA Finals while the Lakers were facing questions about the direction of their franchise with two aging stars and a lack of appealing draft capital.
Now, everything has flipped.
Los Angeles, fifth in the West, now looks to establish themselves as the contender while Dallas starts a years-long rebuild. Flagg’s quick ascension will provide some comfort for Mavericks fans and gives a glimpse into what the future can hold, but the Mavericks are years away from being in the Finals, while Dončić looks to lead his second franchise to the championship series, hopefully this time with a different ending.
As it turns out, scoring three goals in less than a minute is a winning strategy!
The Bruins scored three goals in a 52-second span of the first period, added another in the second, then held off a late Vegas charge to earn a 4-3 win at TD Garden.
The first two goals of the game, one by Charlie McAvoy and one by Elias Lindholm, came just 30 seconds apart during a costly double-minor to Vegas’s Tomas Hertl.
David Pastrnak led the way on offense for the B’s, recording a goal and two assists.
Joonas Korpisalo made 30 saves in the win. The Finnish netminder has won his last four starts and six of his last eight.
McAvoy got the scoring started just nine seconds into the aforementioned double minor, making it 1-0 Bruins.
The Bruins grinders forced a turnover a few seconds after the ensuing puck drop, and Tanner Jeannot capitalized with great shot to beat Akira Schmid and make it 3-0 Bruins.
After falling behind 6-0 in Dallas on Tuesday night, the Bruins decided to take the opposite approach on Thursday night and go ahead 4-0. It seems like that might be a better strategy. Thank you for reading my analysis.
Per Judd Sirrott on the NESN broadcast, the Golden Knights came into last night’s game with one the best road penalty kills in the league, making B’s doubly successful power play even more impressive.
While the recent (until Dallas) winning run was a team effort, Korpisalo has been quietly good for a while now. While he might like the Dorofeyev goal back, he made a few big saves early in the first period prior to the B’s goal-scoring outburst. While Korpisalo had his struggles earlier in the season, he has rounded into form of late.
Lindholm and Morgan Geekie also had multi-point nights for the B’s, with Lindholm having a goal and an assist and Geekie having two assists.
The B’s managed to hold Vegas to a 1-for-4 mark on their own power plays, an impressive feat against the league’s fourth-best power play.
The B’s will be back in action on Saturday night, hosting the Montreal Canadiens at TD Garden.
After the mostly-promising but late-season collapse of 20222024 1984, the Minnesota Twins sagged to 77-85 in 1985. Things got worse in ‘86: 71-91, 6th in the AL West—21 GB the West-winning California Angels. The average draw of 15,000 per Metrodome contest—2nd-worst in AL attendance coffers—presented a lot of bad baseball for Bob Kurtz & Harmon Killebrew (on TV) and Herb Carneal & Joe Angel (on the dial) to cover, but also some signs that pieces were falling into place for a promising future.
Pitching (90 ERA+)
With the exception of ever-stalwart Bert Blyleven (17-14, 271.2 IP, 107 ERA+)—who even still gave up an MLB-record 50 home runs—and up-and-coming Frank Viola (16-13, 245.2 IP, 95 ERA+), pitching was this club’s Achilles heel.
Mike Smithson, Neal Heaton, & Mark Portugal were far worse than Rik Aalbert & Frankie out of the starting rotation. The pen at least had solid seasons from Keith Atherton (114 ERA+) & Roy Lee Jackson (111 ERA+)—but for some unknown reason still gave Ron Davis 38.2 IP, which of course netted a 47 ERA+. John Butcher (70 IP, 68 ERA+) wasn’t much more effective.
Offense (103 OPS+)
The quintet of Kirby Puckett, Kent Hrbek, Gary Gaetti, Tom Brunansky, & Roy Smalley all eclipsed 20 dingers, cultivating the Homer Dome reputation.
Especially stand-out were Puck (5.7 WAR, 223 H, 119 R, 37 2B, 31 HR, 96 RBI, 20 SB, .328 BA, 142 OPS+, Gold Glove) & the G-Man (5.8 WAR, 34 2B, 34 HR, 108 RBI, .287 BA, 131 OPS+, Gold Glove).
The most memorable moments from ‘86…
May 30: Smalley homers from both sides of the plate
Puck representing MN at the All-Star game in the Astrodome
August 1: Kirby hits for the cycle AND Blyleven records his 3,000th strikeout!
None of this was good enough to keep the Twins in contention—especially with a dispiriting 11 walk-off losses thrown into the mix. So in compiling a 59-80 record by September 12, manager Ray Miller was relieved of his duties after 1.93 seasons of top-step service. This led to the hiring of 36-year old skipper Tom Kelly—who presided over a 12-11 ‘86 denouement.
Of final note: The ‘86 Twins were horrific on the road—28-53. But at the Metrodome: 43-38.
The franchise was at a fulcrum: while seemingly set up with talent on the field, a new young manager, and an ability to dominate at home, two straight disappointing seasons after the promise of 1984 did not exactly inspire a ton of confidence for what 1987 would bring.
Happy Friday everyone, lots of fun little tidbits for you in our news of the day. We’ve got some more thoughts and discussion about the Hall of Fame inductees, including some bold sentiments from Carlos Beltran about why he doesn’t want to be defined by the Astros cheating scandal. Plus, two big starting pitcher trades see moves being made for the Rangers and Mets (of course, what aren’t the Mets doing these days?)
On the topic of starting pitchers, there’s also some Hall of Fame debate about whether or not they’re being snubbed by Cooperstown.
Carlos Beltrán is the first player drafted out of Puerto Rico to be elected to the Hall of Fame — the first five Puerto Rican Hall of Famers were all signed as free agents before Puerto Rico was incorporated into MLB's amateur draft in 1989.
Earlier, I described the various technologies that I’ve found are being used in baseball in general, and mostly, by the Cardinals. As I followed the trail of breadcrumbs around, I began to discover that it wasn’t so much the technology the Cardinals had fallen behind in (yes, there was and still are some deficits there), but what really had shown up was that the Cardinals lacked the people behind the curtain, and in the few places they had the people, there wasn’t a lot of cohesion and coordination. Not out of any sinister bureaucratic plot, but likely people spread too thin to be engaged in and knowledgeable about all the various moving parts of an organization.
The People Behind the Curtain
As with all tech, there needs to be people to set up the tech, make it work, integrate it with other tech and so on. It can be one whole job to know about and take care of the Force Plates technology and gather some data with it. It can be a whole ‘nuther job (and a separate specialty) to know about and take care of the Kinatrax system. Both produce mounds of data.
But how does one interpret and synthesize the data and make it actionable? I might know about Force Plate technology, but now I need to know something about…pitching. And what makes the act of pitching efficient (or inefficient)?
Then a third someone needs to bring the two tech domains together and understand how the Ground Force reading from the Force Plates can be seen affecting the kinetic chain reactions observed in the Kinatrax system. And with that, someone needs to understand anatomy and physiology of the human body. On top, someone needs to figure out what the readings mean and how they might need to be different.
Then you need another specialty in physical therapy or physical training to work with players to develop isolated exercises that get muscles trained to operate differently than the current habit (no easy feat!). It turns out, you can’t just tell a pitcher they need to lengthen their stride ¼” and rotate their hips .2 seconds earlier to get things more efficiently synced up.
Enter, Carl Kochan, Director of Performance, St. Louis Baseball Cardinals, LLC.
Anyone have any idea of who this is? I did not. He replaced Robert Butler, the prior Director just over a year ago. From what I can tell, his charter is to reach across various stovepipes in the organization to develop a working performance model for players that addresses travel and fatigue management and in-game demands (high demand for pitchers/catchers and very bursty demand for other players). In a 3-hour game, a position player might actually exert an acute work load for 5-10 minutes. Pitchers and catchers? The opposite.
His charter seems to focus on the minor league side, and includes tech people, nutrition specialists, medical coordinators, physical therapists, rehab specialists and trainers. He certainly has to reach wider than that if the coaches and development side of the organization is going to be in sync with the performance side.
In the Performance Department underneath Mr. Kochan, there are 3 strength and conditioning folks plus a coordinator, 2 rehab folks plus 3 medical coordinators (one of these in the DSL), 4 MiLB trainers, a nutritionist and 4 performance science experts. Total of nineteen folks. Just in the Performance Department. Want to guess how many of these positions existed in 2020? If you have a guess of two, you are spot on.
Here is a current opening in this organization (via Indeed.com):
Are you passionate about biomechanics and baseball? The St. Louis Cardinals are looking for a Biomechanist to join their Performance Department and support player development through advanced motion analysis and player tracking technologies. This is your opportunity to play a key role in integrating science with on-field performance! (location: Jupiter FLA) Key Responsibilities: • Lead motion capture assessments and equipment setup • Analyze biomechanics and in-game tracking data • Create actionable reports for individualized player plans • Collaborate across performance and player development teams • Support research initiatives and sport science equipment management Basic Qualifications: • Bachelor’s in biomechanics, engineering, or exercise science • Experience with kinematic/kinetic data capture and analysis
Indeed.com
Did you see the part in the job opening about collaborating with the player development team? Let’s look there. They currently have 29 staff members, led by Larry Day. This includes pitching, hitting and field coordinators, various minor league hitting and pitching coordinators and assistant coaches. How many did they have in these roles in 2020? None. As recently as 2024, they had sixteen. Just about doubled in size in the last 18 months. As near as I can tell, all but one of the original 16 are gone, except one. Jose Oquendo. As near as I can tell, this is where the complete tear-down and rebuild occurred.
The ocean of data
As you might suspect, all these technologies produce mountains of data. This creates challenges consistent with what other industries are encountering … managing “big data”. An organization can be awash with data but be unaware of what the most useful bits and pieces are.
There is a lot of scientific rigor in a group like this, which probably creates some interesting culture rubs with old-school baseball guys and the players themselves. Paul DeJong probably would be an exception here.
These guys are looking at challenges like where do they not have information they should? How can the data they collect contribute to improved strength and conditioning. Arm care appears to be a major focus of these efforts, pre-game, in-game AND post-game.
Another challenge is integrating this stuff across the levels of the organization and a need to improve consistency with player feedback. It probably doesn’t help if a player hears one thing at Driveline and another thing in the pitching lab at Jupiter.
Another challenge, right now they have no centralized repository for biomech data. It is hard to get a common understanding if the different professions and aptitudes can’t even access the data.
Playing from behind, catching up and getting ahead
With all this data capture, there is greater visibility in more intricate detail, but not necessarily more knowledge in how to react to the inputs they are getting. For instance, they might get a shoulder measurement from force plates that tells the reaction force of pitchers arm at full extension. So what? Is there benefit in custom tailoring a workout regime to increase that force? What does it mean if that force measures at 5% lower the data after a start from the day before? Does that indicate fatigue or low-level injury? Normal or aberrant?
What seems to come through all the noise is that this data is used to two different ends: 1) to help keep the players healthy and 2) to help them identify ways to optimize their performance.
A Case Study: Mathew Liberatore
I suppose most people remember that mid-season (early June, actually) start Liberatore had where his velocity cratered and he got hit hard by a not typically hard-hitting Kansas City lineup? The decline was so abrupt many worried he was hurt. They put him through a battery of physical tests, checking for injury and came up empty. Then they looked at the bio-mechanics data (ie. the advanced video) from the start and came up with some issues in how his mechanics were “out of sync” (his words) and the expectation that this was caused more by overall “fatigue issues” (again, his words).
In this new modern world, they use this data to develop specific conditioning programs to reduce these issues (and they take time to implement). Simply put, you no longer are left with observations like “he is opening up too soon and the arm is dragging through”. Now they can see if that is occurring because of his stride, his hip rotation, the torso rotation, shoulder, arm angle, whatever. Unconfirmed, but I’d bet Libby has spent this off-season working to improve strength and stamina and getting the kinetic chain to sync and stay synced during acute workloads exceeding an hour.
The last challenge – working across the stovepipes
Almost all organization hierarchies have stove pipes and they can create cultural boundaries that can be difficult to cross. When the Cardinals hired multiple new people (Pierpoint, Day, Cerfolio, Kochan) in the 2024-2025 off-season, the common theme among them was their mission was to get the different parts of the organization to work together better.
It’s not hard to imagine some old school coach in some far-off minor league town not quite embracing or trusting a new PT regime a player has adopted coming out of the hitting or pitching lab. The players themselves don’t always embrace. I think it was Joshua Baez who said something along the lines of having gotten information overload and needing to simplify things to make the gains he has made.
There has always been a natural rivalry between scouting and development. Now you add in all the tech and performance guys and complexity expands. Plus, the geographic distances. Palm Beach, Peoria, Springfield, Memphis and St. Louis can all be hard to keep in sync, particularly when the technology and the knowledge of how to apply is uneven across those boundaries.
The last stovepipe I observe is cultural and linguistic. This stuff is hard enough for all the English speakers. I’m sure many people see this stuff as Greek to them. A good segment of the Cardinal prospects speak English as a second language, or not at all. They clearly did not have enough Spanish speakers in camp this past spring, and the few they had were very busy running from field to field trying to translate coaching instructions. I wonder how many ESL types were inside the labs doing the same.
Summary
The technology evolution that is sweeping baseball swamped St. Louis and they are just getting their organizational stuff together in this area. Lots of change. Likely lots more will change.
Capturing all this has been daunting and I am aware that I’m just scratching the surface. Meanwhile, the environment I observe changes as I observe. My learning goal in this arena is to see if I can get a tour of this stuff when I’m Jupiter next month. Wish me luck.
With the news earlier this week that (briefly) former San Francisco Giants outfielder Carlos Beltrán will be inducted into the baseball Hall of Fame this year, there was unfortunately bad news for another former Giants outfielder.
Hunter Pence, the very definition of a Forever Giant, did not receive enough votes to keep his campaign alive. Players have to receive five percent of the votes to stay on the ballot, and Pence received only two total votes.
While this is a bummer to hear, it isn’t necessarily a surprise.
Pence was (and remains) a beloved Giants player who had a huge hand in helping the team secure two of their three World Series championships in the 2010s. But his career numbers weren’t quite the caliber they’d need to be to be successful in this endeavor.
That’s not a knock to Pence, or any player that doesn’t get the votes. It’s an arduous process filled with arbitrary preferences by those with the power to cast a vote. Maybe one player per year gets in, two if we’re lucky. And there seems to be no rhyme or reason to most of it.
So while I’m bummed, I still think we have plenty to celebrate Pence for.
There’s a difficult path, as it pertains to acquiring an external one. Houston is just $1.2 million under the apron.
The NBA’s hard cap is real.
We know this.
We’ve seen Rockets coach Ime Udoka deploy a hodgepodge of methods toward replacing Fred VanVleet.
Or attempting to.
No option has been perfect. Amen Thompson running point takes him away from his best offensive skills, which is attacking, cutting to the rim and slashing.
Instead, it leaves him at the top of the key, oftentimes standing around and/or taking low-percentage threes.
Kevin Durant has been relied on to handle some of the playmaking and offensive initiation, but he’s rather turnover prone. Especially when blitzed or trapped.
Reed Sheppard is a good option, save for the fact that he gets hunted defensively. He’s thrived in an off-ball role.
JD Davison is a decent fall back, but you don’t necessarily want to be relying on a two-way signee for offensive playmaking and creation.
Especially not the bulk of it. And he’s the best pick-and-roll point guard on the roster.
“Jose Alvarado.. The Houston Rockets—they have kind of did some background on Alvarado.”
Alvarado is a defensive pest. He’s also the type of player who you hate when he’s not on your team but absolutely love to have on your team.
He’s a hell of a spark off the bench and is infectious.
In 22 minutes of action, he averages 7.9 points, 3.3 assists, 2.8 rebounds one steal, 42.4 percent from the field, 36.1 percent from three (4.4 attempts) and 82.6 percent from the foul line.
He has a player option next season worth $4.5 million and has a $4.5 million number this season also, making him a realistic target, should they decide to look into making a move.
There will be competition for his services, however, as Haynes also reported the New York Knicks are interested in Alvarado’s services as well.
The Sydney Sixers have progressed through to an incredible eighth Big Bash grand final in 15 years on Friday night, courtesy of a dominant 57-run win over reigning champions Hobart.
Before the season began, everyone had a different opinion about how the Celtics would fare.
Some people naively thought they would plummet to the bottom of the East and tank for hometown kid AJ Dybantsa. Others thought they would hang around and perhaps make a surge if, and only if, Jayson Tatum returned. Most thought they would end up right around .500 or maybe a bit better (I was in that group).
Very few genuinely believed that, more than halfway through the season, they would be 11 games above .500 and second in the East. If you did, kudos to you, but I certainly didn’t.
So, how have they done it? Well, a lot goes into it, but from my perspective, here are ten reasons they’re still contenders.
1. Jaylen Brown has gone from outstanding to unstoppable.
I think we can all officially stop debating whether or not Jaylen Brown is capable of thriving as the No. 1 option on a contender. I thought Brown would embrace this role and excel in it, but I didn’t expect this level of pure domination.
Brown has upped his scoring (22.2 to 29.8), rebounding (5.8 to 6.7) and assists (4.5 to 4.8) per game from last year, while also improving his efficiency (46.3 to 48, 32.4 to 36.4, 76.4 to 79.1). He’s taking over games, leading by example and making life easier for everyone around him. His teammates have followed suit.
Jaylen Brown continues to get buckets at will as the @celtics win at home ☘️
When the season began, people fairly wondered if the Celtics could continue their 3-point shooting prowess without Tatum, Jrue Holiday, Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis.
The answer is a resounding yes. They still have Brown, Derrick White, Payton Pritchard and Sam Hauser. Add in Anfernee Simons, Luka Garza and some young guys who are improving in that area, and that’s a whole lot of offensive firepower.
Boston is second in the NBA in 3-pointers made per game (15.6), second in 3’s attempted per game (42.4) and seventh in 3-point percentage (36.8). Last year’s percentage? 36.8. How’s that for consistency?
3. Returning catalysts have expanded their roles.
While Brown has elevated his game, White, Pritchard, Hauser and Neemias Queta have embraced more opportunity as well.
Some of White’s shooting numbers are down, but he’s averaging more points (16.4 to 17.6), rebounds (4.5 to 4.6) and assists (4.8 to 5.4) than last year and is still everywhere defensively. Pritchard is posting career-highs in minutes, points, assists and rebounds as well, and Hauser hasn’t missed a shot in 2026. Queta is handling a lot of responsibility on an undersized team and making it look easy.
I’m always amazed how seamlessly NBA players can adjust to greater responsibility, but the thing about this team is that those adjustments are leading to wins.
4. Young guys are ready when their number is called.
It can be hard to play some nights and sit on the bench others, but this group hasn’t flinched in that respect. Joe Mazzulla tends to mix and match based on the opponent, and the young players on the roster deserve credit for staying ready and pouncing when they get the chance.
Jordan Walsh is playing some of the best basketball of his career and is a menace defensively. Baylor Scheierman is starting to figure it out, holding his own defensively and displaying his unique ability as a playmaker. Hugo González has a chance to be special and is just scratching the surface.
Orlando, FL – April 25: Boston Celtics forward Baylor Scheierman, left, and guard Jordan Walsh participate in the team shoot-around before Game 3 of the NBA Eastern Conference playoffs against the Orlando Magic at the Kia Center. (Photo by Danielle Parhizkaran/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
5. The new guys have fit in seamlessly.
Simons, Garza and Josh Minott have exceeded expectations and bought into the overall identity of the group. Simons is a starting-caliber player coming off the bench, Garza is often the glue for this team and Minott has been a pest and insane athlete when healthy.
6. They’ve made strides on the glass.
The Celtics are now 10th in the NBA in rebounds per game (45.1) and sixth in offensive rebounds per game (12.7). They were never going to be at the very top in that category, and that’s OK. As long as they’re holding own, and not letting teams bully them inside, they’ll be in most games. Teams like the Pistons and Rockets are tough matchups because of their size, but the Celtics are capable of finding creative ways to compensate.
Of all the things you didn't see coming…the Celtics are now 8th in the NBA in rebounding.
CELTICS REBOUNDING (NBA Rank)
First two months… Offensive: 7th Defensive: 30th Overall: 18th
Last month… Offensive: 5th Defensive: 2nd Overall: 3rd
Already-elite defenders like Brown, White and Queta have taken the next step. Players like Pritchard, Hauser, Simons and Garza, who are probably sick of constantly hearing about their defensive shortcomings, continue to prove people wrong. Guys like Walsh, Minott and González have provided contagious energy.
Defense was a way bigger question mark than offense, and so far, the Celtics have passed the test and then some. They’ve allowed the second-fewest points in the league (109.8), behind only the Thunder, which is extremely impressive.
8. They’ve leaned into playing at their own pace.
I expected this team to play a run-and-gun style of offense, but so far, it’s been just the opposite. The Celtics are dead last in the league in pace (96.43) and have had the third-fewest possessions (4,140) in the league. They’re dictating the action and making teams play their style. That’s generally an indicator that the ball is moving and they’re turning down good shots for great ones.
Miami, FL – May 21: Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra screams at a referee while Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla looks away. The Celtics lost to the Heat, 128-102, in Game 3 of the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals. (Photo by Jim Davis/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
9. Joe Mazzulla is coaching at an extremely high level.
The players deserve the bulk of the credit for items 1 through 8, but Mazzulla and his staff deserve praise as well.
Mazzulla inherited one of the best situations in NBA history, but he’s proving day by day that his early success wasn’t just a product of his circumstances. He’s one of the best coaches in the NBA and has found a sustainable winning formula with this team.
10. They’re playing with joy and for one another.
Body language is important in sports. You can tell when players are sick of one another and aren’t bought in for the greater good. This team is clearly united and relentlessly pursuing a common goal. Of course, winning can lead to buy in, but without the buy in, wins can be hard to find.
This could be a season to remember, and oh yeah, that Tatum guy is making steady progress.
Minnesota Wild coach John Hynes said it’s not up to him whether Quinn Hughes will play with Brock Faber at the Olympics.
But if Team USA coach Mike Sullivan needed any convincing, all he has to do is look at the stats since Hughes arrived in a blockbuster trade to Minnesota last month. What started out as a one-game trial has turned into a six-week tour de force, with Hughes and Faber combining for seven goals and 41 points in 20 games.
Chemistry this instant is not easy to find. Which is why you have to imagine that the dynamic defensive duo, who seem so similar but bring different elements that complement each other’s game, will be paired together in Milan next month.
“Both of them are obviously high-end players,” said Hynes, who is an assistant coach for Team USA. “I would say they’re a little bit different in the way that they play. But they’re both excellent skaters, I think they can break the puck out well, they can transition the puck well, and obviously you see their skating ability, whether it’s off the rush or in the offensive zone, they’re mobile and they make very good decisions with the puck.
“From a defensive standpoint, they’re both committed guys. They’re not just one-way players — they play a strong, two-way game.”
Chances are the Olympics were not on Bill Guerin’s mind when the Wild GM acquired Hughes in a trade from the Vancouver Canucks on Dec. 18. But considering that Guerin is also the GM of the U.S. Olympic team, it certainly doesn’t hurt to have a defense pairing that looks like they’ve been playing together for years — not weeks.
After all, the Olympics are a short tournament with little lead-up time. The last NHL game is on Feb. 5. A week later, the U.S. starts the tournament against Latvia on Feb. 12.
Not that Hughes needs much time to feel comfortable, anyway. From the moment he arrived in Minnesota, Hughes has fit in seamlessly with the Wild, helping the team to a 11-5-3 record. In 20 games, he has two goals and 24 points. Faber has also benefitted, scoring five goals and 17 points, while adding about a minute more per game in ice time.
“The way he moves — from the time he got here, I think everyone was like, 'Whoa,' " said Faber said of Hughes. “You don’t realize how good he is until you see it and you play with it. He’s only going to get better the more comfortable he gets. Obviously, he’s been playing so good for us. He’s been a huge part of why we’re winning games. Just such a great addition.”
The U.S., which also has two pairs of brothers — Quinn and Jack Hughes, and Matthew and Brady Tkachuk — is not the only country that will be bringing along the familiarity of linemates.
Canada’s top pairing will likely feature Colorado’s Cale Makar and Devon Toews, who have been playing together in Colorado for years. Finland will also send defensemen Miro Heiskanen and Esa Lindell, as well as forwards Mikko Rantanen and Roope Hintz — all Stars players.
That is, if Sullivan decides to keep the experiment going and keep Hughes and Faber together.
"Look, obviously they feel comfortable with each other so we'll see where it goes," said Hynes.
If last week's game in Las Vegas between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Vegas Golden Knights taught us anything, it's that the rematch on Friday at Scotiabank Arena is sure to be an emotionally-charged game.
Mitch Marner returns to Toronto and will play as a visitor for the first time since the sign-and-trade that saw the player leave for the desert.
And following Toronto's last game, a 2-1 overtime loss to the Detroit Red Wings, spme of Marner's ex-teammates were asked about what they expect it will be like in the building when they play against the former Leaf of nine seasons.
He's been a special player for this team for a long time. He's been a big presence in the community as well, not just with hockey. So I would hope it's a warm welcome. I know he has nothing but good memories here, and I think the fans have experienced a lot of good memories with him as well. So he's a great guy. It's unfortunate he's not with our group anymore. But, yeah, I mean, I hope hockey is a place of respect, and I hope that the fans pay him respect. And I can't speak for everyone. and I don't know how everyone feels, but, just with playing with him. I know he's been an unbelievable guy, and it's going to be emotional for him.
It's going to be good. I think Mitch did a lot for this city while he was here. He was a really good player for this team for a while. I was fortunate to play with him for only a short period of time, but he did a lot of good things, and, yeah, I'm sure it's going to be........... loud *smirk*.
A lot of emotions, but if there's anything I can say, it's a beautiful thing in all regards. Obviously, he was here for a long time, but I hope he just comes in and takes advantage of the opportunity to appreciate just all the memories that he's built over his years here, and there's definitely going to be an extra spring in his step for sure. But overall, I think we want to just continue to play our game, focus on ourselves, but that will be an emotional one for him for sure.
- Maple Leafs defenseman Brandon Carlo on Marner's return.
With the standings being as tight as they are right now, each game is of pivotal importance, but especially those intra-divisional matchups like the Montreal Canadiens’ Thursday night match-up with the Buffalo Sabres. After being beaten by those same Sabres 5-3 a week ago, Martin St-Louis’ men had an opportunity to get a do-over against Lindy Ruff’s formation.
Even though it was Jakub Dobes who backstopped the Canadiens to their first win against the Minnesota Wild since 2019 on Tuesday night, the coach had elected to give the net to Samuel Montembeault for Thursday’s game. It was understandable since Dobes had given three goals on just 19 shots on Tuesday night. Still, Montembeault hadn’t looked great either in his only game since Jacob Fowler was sent back down to the Laval Rocket, surrendering five goals on 34 shots to the Ottawa Senators.
They say fake it ‘till you make it because if you believe in yourself, others will. As regretful as it is to write, the Canadiens do not seem to be confident when Montembeault is in the net. Once again, on Thursday night, the first shot he faced went in. Granted, it was on a two-on-one, but still, to win, you need a goaltender who will make the tough saves, the ones that make you think that your last line of defence can do the job. On that play, all three of the Canadiens’ forwards went deep in the Sabres’ zone, Lane Hutson applied pressure in their territory as well, and Jayden Struble didn’t play well on the odd-man rush, but if the goalie pulls off a spectacular save, we have a different game.
Then, the Sabres’ second goal was a shorthanded marker. Noah Dobson was outworked and overtaken on the wing, but Montembeault was passive and deep in his own net. Yes, Dobson should have been more of a nuisance for Beck Malenstyn, but nothing prevented Montembeault from making a poke check.
Buffalo took a 3-0 lead early in the second frame when Zach Benson hit both posts before scoring on his third shot. Of course, the defence shouldn’t let a team take three shots in close succession, but if Montembeault stops the first shot from hitting the post and makes the save, he doesn’t end up looking like a weathercock in his net, and the next two shots don’t happen right under Hutson and Struble’s noses.
Three goals on just nine shots, those are not numbers that inspire confidence. That being said, at least in the third period, Montembeault made a big save on Alex Tuch on a breakaway, which allowed the Canadiens to stay in the game and prevented the Sabres from getting a second shorthanded goal in the same game.
Making Adjustments
After the Habs fell behind 3-0, they woke up. On an offensive zone faceoff, Kirby Dach dished out a great hit along the boards, which allowed Mike Matheson to get the puck back. He then left it for Suzuki, who fed Cole Caufield in the high slot. The sniper one-timed it in, bringing the Canadiens back within two.
Less than 10 minutes later, St-Louis elected to send Zach Bolduc out on an offensive faceoff with Suzuki and Caufield. While the Habs lost the draw, it was Bolduc who then intercepted a pass and got himself alone in front of the goalie, who couldn’t freeze the puck on his shot, allowing Suzuki to take the rebound and score to make it 3-2 Buffalo. The coach’s decision to send the Trois-Rivieres native out for the draw was an inspired one. After the game, he explained that he felt Bolduc had played well and wanted to manage Dach's minutes since he had just returned from injury.
On the other bench, though, it took about two seconds for Ruff, who had just seen his team give up two goals in less than 10 minutes after forging itself a three-goal lead, call for a timeout and give his men a stern talking to. Buffalo only allowed two more shots in the rest of the period, and it stopped the Canadiens from building up their momentum right away. That’s one way to prevent a hemorrhage and an example the Habs’ coach could follow. Oftentimes, he seems reluctant to use his timeout.
A Recurring Issue
If the Canadiens have got the message about shooting more, they finished the game with 34 shots on goal, but they still struggle to play a full 60 minutes and start playing the right way straight from the puck drop. Two of the goals they gave were within three minutes of the start of a period, and their power play has been atrocious for the last two games.
The man-advantage doesn’t mean you don’t have to play as well or be as patient. It’s incredible to see how impatient the top unit can be when it’s time to enter the zone on the man-advantage, while they can be as patient as a young parent who never says no to their spoiled toddler when they are set up in the offensive zone, passing the puck.
In the game against the Wild, Caufield tried to beat three guys on his own to enter the zone on the power play, when by definition, a power play means you’ll have at least one man open on the ice. Tonight, the zone entries were just as hard, and, just like Tuesday, the power play coast the Canadiens’ momentum; it didn’t give them any, especially after it gave up a goal and nearly gave up a second one.
In the end, for much of the game, the Canadiens were dominant; they led 34-17 in shots, they won 64% of the faceoffs (36-20), and they led 28-26 in hits, but not playing for 60 minutes can be fatal, which it was on Thursday night.
This defeat leaves the Habs in a precarious position in the standings, with a two-point lead over the Sabres, but Buffalo has a game in hand. They are also just three points ahead of the Boston Bruins, who won tonight as well. As luck would have it, the Canadiens’ next game on Saturday will be against the Bruins, in Boston, and needless to say, it will be a do-or-die affair.
If we’re being perfectly logical, the Phillies right now have not been completely successful in their offseason plan as they did not reel in the big fish in Bo Bichette. However, the word “completely” is doing a lot of heavy lifting here since we can still term this offseason successful by looking at what they did actually do.
Imagine this lineup without the 50 home run power potential Kyle Schwarber possesses. What if he signed with Cincinnati?
Imagine the bullpen without the impact that Brad Keller projects to have. Do we think Orion Kerkering deserves that kind of high leverage assignment again?
Are there still issues with the roster? Of course. God help us all if one of the main starting outfielders gets any kind of major injury. Are there depth issues in the rotation? Adding yet another starter would be kind of nice to mitigate some of the potential pitfalls that lay ahead. But calling the entirety of the offseason a failure is a bit extreme. It could have, and maybe should have, been better. But a failure? No.
