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This Mazzulla exchange says it all about Celtics' 3-point mentality

This Mazzulla exchange says it all about Celtics' 3-point mentality originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Joe Mazzulla couldn’t contain his smile.

One day after his Celtics set NBA records for the most 3-point attempts (60) and misses (45) in a playoff game en route to a Game 1 loss to the Knicks, a reporter asked Mazzulla about Boston’s 3-point defense and pointed out that New York made more than half of its 3-pointers (11 for 19) in the second half Monday night.

“So, they made them,” the Celtics interrupted with a grin. “Man, what a novel idea. That’s a novel concept, huh? Just make them when you’re open.”

Mazzulla clearly had heard the criticism about Boston’s 3-point-heavy attack in Game 1, which backfired in a big way. Just one of the Celtics’ 20 shot attempts in the third quarter was a 2-pointer, and 34 of their 41 attempts in the second half were 3-pointers. The C’s made just nine of those deep attempts, blowing a 20-point lead and losing home-court advantage as the Knicks took a 1-0 lead in the second-round series.

But if you think Boston’s misses will deter the team from hoisting up more 3-pointers in Game 2, you don’t know Mazzulla.

“The duality of that question is really cool to talk about,” Mazzulla continued. “We start the press conference off by saying, ‘You took all these and you missed them.’ And then you say, ‘They shot 50 percent in the second half from three.’ Yeah, you have to make them.”

There’s nuance to the 3-point discussion, of course. While the Celtics have been historically reliant on deep balls — they smashed NBA records for 3-point makes and attempts during the regular season — they’re at their best when they get quality looks off good ball movement. Their offense was more stagnant in Game 1, however, which led to a few forced 3-pointers that Mazzulla admits he’d like his team to have back.

“I loved the majority of our shots,” Mazzulla added. “There were probably 10 or 11 you could probably take back considering the ebbs and flows of how the game was going at that particular time.

“So, you have to be able to do both. You have to be able to make open shots and you have to have that understanding of the ebbs and flows of a game. Coaching shot selection is always easy. Hindsight’s always 20/20.”

The Celtics swept their regular-season series against the Knicks this season thanks in part to excellent 3-point shooting; they made at least 17 3s on 38.6 percent shooting or better in all four matchups. So, Mazzulla and Co. are likely banking on the idea that Monday’s brick-fest was an aberration.

But the C’s still need to make a concerted effort to get better looks from distance, or Mazzulla will be facing more pressing questions going forward. Game 2 is set for 7 p.m. ET on Wednesday at TD Garden, with NBC Sports Boston’s coverage beginning at 6 p.m. ET with Celtics Pregame Live.

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Steph to miss at least one week with Grade 1 left hamstring strain

Steph to miss at least one week with Grade 1 left hamstring strain originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Warriors will be without their best player for multiple games in the Western Conference semifinals against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Golden State superstar Steph Curry suffered a Grade 1 left hamstring strain in Tuesday’s Game 1 win over Minnesota and will be re-evaluated in one week, sidelining him for Games 2-4, the team announced after ESPN’s Shams Charania was first to report the news.

The Athletic’s Anthony Slater later reported that the Warriors currently are planning on Curry remaining in Minnesota to begin his rehab process with director of sports medicine Rick Celebrini before the team flies back to San Francisco after Thursday night’s game.

Curry suffered the injury early in the second quarter on Tuesday, and left the game for good after scoring 13 points with one rebound and one assist on 5-of-9 shooting from the field and 3 of 6 from 3-point range in 12 total minutes.

With Curry set to be re-evaluated in one week, he will miss Game 2 on Thursday at Target Center, Games 3 and 4 on Saturday and Monday at Chase Center, but could return for Game 5 next Wednesday at Target Center, which is exactly one week away, if all goes well.

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Report: Steph has Grade 1 hamstring strain, will miss Game 2

Report: Steph has Grade 1 hamstring strain, will miss Game 2 originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Warriors will be without their best player for Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday at Target Center, and perhaps longer.

Golden State superstar Steph Curry suffered a Grade 1 left hamstring strain in Tuesday’s Game 1 win over Minnesota and will be ruled out for Thursday’s contest, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Wednesday, citing sources.

Charania also reported, citing sources, that the Warriors expect Curry to miss at least one week with the injury and that an exact return timeline will be based on how he responds to rehab for the muscle strain, which is the first of his 16-year NBA career.

Curry suffered the injury early in the second quarter on Tuesday, and left the game for good after scoring 13 points with one rebound and one assist on 5-of-9 shooting from the field and 3 of 6 from 3-point range in 12 total minutes.

While it’s unclear exactly how long Curry will be out, the reported one-week timeline would indicate he not only will miss Game 2 on Thursday, but Game 3 on Saturday and Game 4 on Monday with a possibility to return for Game 5 next Wednesday at Target Center, which is exactly one week away.

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Norwegian fan trades five kilos of fish for ticket to Bodø/Glimt v Tottenham

  • Supporter with spare ticket took the bait over offer
  • Around 50,000 supporters vying for just 480 seats

A Norwegian bartered five kilos of semi-dried fish for a ticket to Thursday’s semi-final clash between Bodø/Glimt and Tottenham in the Arctic Circle, as the hosts aim to become the first Norwegian club to reach a European final.

Some 50,000 fans were vying for just 480 remaining tickets to the second leg of Bodø/Glimt’s Europa League semi-final.

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Butler tells Timberwolves fans to ‘watch their mouth' with heckling

Butler tells Timberwolves fans to ‘watch their mouth' with heckling originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Jimmy Butler issued a stern response to heckling Minnesota Timberwolves fans.

Speaking to reporters after the Warriors’ 99-88 win over Minnesota in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals on Tuesday at Target Center, Butler, the former Timberwolf playing in his first game at the arena since 2021, was asked about the heckling and loud boos he received throughout the game and shared a message to his former fan base.

“That doesn’t bother me,” Butler said. “But people do have to watch their mouth. It’s cool with the boos and all this stuff, but when you’re calling people out of their names, which I can hear …”

“What they say?” Warriors teammate Buddy Hield, who sat next to Butler at his postgame press conference, asked.

Butler: “You want me to repeat it? No, I’m not going to repeat it … That’s unnecessary. The boos, I get it, I understand. Let’s just keep it at that.”

Hield: “Yeah, watch your mouth.”

Butler: “Thanks, little bro.”

Butler only spent one-plus season (69 total games) with the Timberwolves from 2017 to 2018 before requesting a trade that sent him to the Philadelphia 76ers.

The veteran forward’s short tenure in Minnesota was shrouded in controversy due to contract disputes and an overall dissatisfaction with the organization’s culture. So much so that Butler’s former Timberwolves teammate, Jeff Teague, declared Butler the “most hated man in Minnesota” prior to Game 1.

And based on what Butler might have heard from the crowd Tuesday night, he might not be wrong.

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Järventie Brothers Reuinited In Finland

Roby Järventie playing for the Ottawa Senators in the 2022 pre-season. © Marc DesRosiers-Imagn Images

Finnish winger Roby Järventie, 22, has signed a three-year contract with Tappara, the Liiga club announced on Tuesday.

A Tampere native, Järventie is returning to his hometown after spending the past four seasons in North America in the Ottawa Senators and Edmonton Oilers organizations.

“Really good feeling – it’s nice to be home,” Järventie is quoted on the Tappara website. “It’s always been a dream to play together with my brother, so this is a great opportunity to make that dream come true.”

Roby’s younger brother Emil, 20, was a seventh-round pick of the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2023. The two brothers are actually products of rival club Ilves but Emil transferred to Tappara last season, where he split time between the club’s Liiga and top junior teams. This will be Roby’s first tour of duty with Tappara. Due to their age difference, this will be the first time the brothers have played together on the same team.

Roby Järventie was chosen in the second round, 33rd overall, by Ottawa in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. He then went to North America late in the pandemic-delayed 2021 season to play for the AHL’s Belleville Senators, recording three points in four games.

After playing a full season with Belleville in 2021-22, Järventie missed significant amounts of the next two campaigns with a recurring knee injury. He managed to play seven NHL games with Ottawa in 2023-24, recording one assist.

In the summer of 2024, he was traded to Edmonton. Järventie missed training camp after another knee surgery but only managed to play in two AHL games with the Bakersfield Condors in November before re-injuring his knee and has not played since.

According to an  Ilta-Sanomat article in March, Järventie’s rehab has been going well and he is expected to be ready for the start of training camp in late summer with Tappara.

In addition to the Järventie brothers, Tappara has also signed veteran defenseman Jyrki Jokipakka, who played 150 NHL games for the Dallas Stars and Calgary Flames. The club also has Calgary prospect Eetu Tuola and Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Oiva Keskinen under contract for 2025-26.

Topi Rönni’s Contract With Finnish Club Terminated Due To Public UproarTopi Rönni’s Contract With Finnish Club Terminated Due To Public UproarFinnish center Topi Rönni, who recently signed as a free agent with Liiga club Vaasan Sport, has agreed to part ways with the club after the signing drew intense criticism from the Finnish public and media.
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Trajectory, vibe, a sense of progress: why Arsenal can’t afford a Paris mismatch | Barney Ronay

There is a fair chance Mikel Arteta’s team won’t beat Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League. If they must lose, lose right

Is this thing … still on? After last week’s strangely enervated first-leg performance against Paris Saint-Germain at the Emirates Stadium it has been tempting to get a bit ahead of things, to see Arsenal’s season as already a zombie entity, still out there walking around the place, limbs twitching, skinny hands rattling the perimeter fence, not exactly dead, but not too far from undead.

On Monday night, even, Paris police declared Wednesday’s return leg at the Parc des Princes an event “of no particular concern”, as in no great flashpoints, no obvious tension. Just don’t tell Mikel Arteta that. And not just because rumours of the death of Arsenal’s season are widely exaggerated. There is even a nightmare scenario available to the club’s supporters, a product of the deep banter-verse, where Arsenal don’t make the Champions League next season but Tottenham do. All they need to do is keep losing while others win, and while slack, stitched-together Spurs bundle through Bodø/Glimt and a beta Manchester United, thereby banking their £100m jackpot while finishing 16th in the league.

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Geraint Thomas: ‘It’s been up and down. You remember the good times’

Tour de France winner in 2018 is building for a final assault on the great race before a farewell in Cardiff

“Bike racing is all I have ever known,” says Geraint Thomas of the 19-year professional career that will end this summer with one final Tour de France and a farewell appearance in the Tour of Britain.

While many of his peers are relishing a Tadej Pogacar-free Giro d’Italia that starts on Friday, the 2018 Tour winner has opted against three weeks in Italy, favouring one last ride in July’s French hothouse.

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Warriors vs. Timberwolves Game 1: Curry exits with hamstring injury but Butler, Hield spark Warriors win

NBA: Playoffs-Golden State Warriors at Minnesota Timberwolves

May 6, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Jimmy Butler (10) goes to the basket against Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert (27) in the fourth quarter during game one of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images

Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images

It felt like 2018 in Minnesota Tuesday night, and that's not a good thing. That fall, as Jimmy Butler was trying to force a trade out of Minnesota, he walked into one legendary practice, grabbed four end-of-the-bench players and led them in a scrimmage against the starters, talking smack the entire time and leading the scrubs to a win.

That Minnesota nightmare returned on Tuesday. On a night Stephen Curry left the game in the second quarter with a strained hamstring, Jimmy Butler led an undermanned Warriors team with 20 points, 11 rebounds (four offensive) and eight assists. Curry or no Curry the Warriors played strong defense, got timely shooting such as Draymond Green knocking down four 3-pointers, pushed their lead out to 23 at one point, and then held on at the end to pick up the 99-88 victory.

Golden State now leads the series 1-0, with Game 2 on Thursday in Minnesota.

There are two key takeaways from this game.

One is whether Curry will be available Thursday night, or at any point for the rest of the series. Curry will get an MRI on Wednesday to determine the severity of the hamstring strain, but he was seen by reporters limping as he left the arena.

The concern for the Warriors is that even if this is a "mild" Grade 1 strain, Curry could miss most of this series.

The other takeaway is that Anthony Edwards came out flat, shooting 0-of-10 to open the game, scoring just one point in the first half, and the rest of the Timberwolves followed his lead. Anthony and his teammates seemed thrown off by the zone defense Steve Kerr threw at them for chunks of the night. Here is what Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said, via Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic.

"It starts with Anthony. He struggled early and the light went out... You're the leader of the team. You have to come out and set the tone."

"People are going to try to blame whatever, blame whoever," Edwards said, via the Associated Press. "They can blame me. I just didn't play good enough."

Minnestoa started to put it together in the fourth quarter and got the Warriors' lead down to single digits, but Buddy Hield and the Warriors hit enough key shots late to hold on. Hield finished with 24 points and had five made 3-pointers.

Minnesota shot below 40% as a team, and while Edwards came back to lead the team in scoring with 23 he shot just 9-of-22. Julius Randle was 4-of-11 on his way to 18 points, and Naz Reid added 19 off the bench.

Expect a different Timberwolves team in Game 2, if not they will be in a hole that may be too deep to climb out of.

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Mets Notes: David Peterson's 'mixed bag' start, team's recent tough stretch

The Mets got off to a good start in Arizona with a win on Monday, and they looked to David Peterson to continue their winning ways in the desert.

However, the southpaw, despite pitching three hitless innings to start, just couldn't execute enough to keep the Diamondbacks down.

"Kind of a mixed bag," Peterson said of his start. "Felt good with my stuff. Poor execution on a few pitches and too many free bases with no one on."

Peterson threw a season-high 104 pitches and got through six innings. But his four free passes hurt him as Arizona took advantage and put up four runs on the left-hander. But the big blow came in the sixth when Lourdes Gurriel Jr. jumped on a first-pitch fastball that was middle-middle for a two-run shot that gave the Diamondbacks, and Zac Gallen, more than enough to complete the 5-1 win.

"[Peterson's start] was better than the number," manager Carlos Mendoza said after the game. "He used all his pitches, the fastball was good, the changeup, slider, but a play here and there, one pitch to Gurriel, but I thought it was good."

Peterson's outing on Tuesday dropped his record to 2-2 and raised his ERA to 3.52 through his first seven starts of the 2025 season.

Mets' recent tough stretch

After getting out to a hot start, the Mets have hit a bit of a skid in recent weeks.

They are 4-8 over their last 12 games, and are 0-2-1 in series in that span -- with Wednesday's rubber game deciding this upcoming series. While the Mets still sit atop the NL East with a 23-14 record, but this recent stretch has not produced as many wins as the team would like. Despite that, the Mets are still confident in this group and that they will turn things around soon.

"It’s never going to be easy. That’s what makes the big leagues the big leagues," Mendoza said of the stretch. "You’re going to go through stretches where you got to find a way, you got to fight. You’re going to go through some ups and downs. Overall, we’ve been there in every game. The guys continue to compete, and that’s what you want.

"Obviously, you want to come out on top, and we will. Nothing too concerned there."

Peterson added, "You’re going to go through some ups and downs. We’ve played some tough games, we’ve been battling every single game for nine innings. You win some, you lose some. The good thing about this team is everybody is able to take what happens today and flush it and come back tomorrow ready to compete and ready to win a ballgame."

"Zac [Gallen] pitched well, he was able to get out of that jam with just one run. Other than that, he pitched pretty well. Sometimes you have to tip your hat to them," Brandon Nimmo said of the offense. "We’ll come back tomorrow ready to go. Sometimes that happens. He pitched very well. We’re going to come back at it tomorrow and try to win a ballgame."

The Mets will look to win their first series since sweeping the Phillies at home in late April, on Wednesday afternoon.

Juan Soto makes history

Soto had a typical Soto statline against Arizona on Tuesday. Although he went hitless, he walked twice, including in that third inning that loaded the bases with two outs.

But those two walks helped the first-year Met make history. With his 798 walks, Soto now has the most walks by a hitter before they turn 27, passing Mickey Mantle (797).

"Pretty impressive and when you’re talking about those names and he’s only 26 and he’s already in that category, that’s elite," Mendoza said of the accomplishment. "It’s not easy to do, that’s what makes him a special hitter. His ability to control the strikezone and he seems to continue to get better at it. He’s not afraid to take his walks. If they’re afraid to pitch to him, he’ll take his base. Pretty big accomplishment there."

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Mets' Brandon Nimmo on injury scare vs. Diamondbacks: 'I think we dodged a bullet'

Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo had an injury scare in Tuesday's loss to the Diamondbacks.

In the fourth inning, Nimmo chased down a double down the left field line hit by Lourdes Gurriel Jr. The ball caromed off the corner and Nimmo seemingly tweaked his knee changing directions. Manager Carlos Mendoza and the club trainer went out to Nimmo, who stretched and massaged his knee and jogged a few feet. Nimmo convinced his manager to let him stay in, and the outfielder finished the entire game.

“I don’t know if the spike got stuck there with the turf, and Nimmo hyperextended the knee there. We’re going to have the doctor take a look at him," Mendoza said after the game. "He was able to manage. He was stable and played through it, obviously, finished the game... As of right now, I’m not too concerned, but let’s see what the doctor says."

The knee Nimmo tweaked was his left, not the right knee he injured during spring training. That's a plus, but Nimmo looked compromised in left field shortly after the injury scare. He was cautious running down balls, and looked in pain when slowing down to catch fly balls. But in his final at-bat, he looked in good spirits, smiling and talking with the home plate umpire.

"He’s smart, he knows himself better than anybody," Mendoza said of Nimmo. "He’s not going to risk it. The trainer checked him, and he finished the game."

“[Knee is] good, for the most part. I think we dodged a bullet, that’s great," Nimmo said after the game. "Felt it hyperextend when I went over to get the ball and was fortunate to get off of it pretty quickly and prevent more damage from being done.

"We’ll see how it is in the next 12 hours or so. I expect to be good to go to play."

Nimmo said his footing as he tried to figure out how the ball was going to carom off the wall caused him to feel like he double-bounced on a trampoline. But the veteran outfielder was evaluated by the team doctor, and the conclusion is that his knee feels stable.

"[The doctor] just said, watching the replay and looking at the knee, we dodged a bullet," Nimmo said. "Could have been much worse. We’re going to take it as a good thing. Dodged something that could have been a lot worse."

The Mets finish their three-game series with the Diamondbacks on Wednesday afternoon.

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From the Pocket: Fremantle still look good on paper – but since when has that mattered?

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A few days after they’d been trounced by an All-Indigenous team in February, Fremantle’s president addressed the faithful at Crown Perth. “This morning’s event is not just another routine AFL season launch,” Chris Sutherland said. “I think we are as ready as we’ve ever been to chase that cup. We definitely feel like the foundation is sound and we certainly think we’ve got nearly all the pieces in place. May the season be filled with moments of courage, connection and success. I’ve kept this speech very short because I’m actually done with talking. It’s time for action.”

The speech was short, but the message was clear – we’re ready, no more excuses, no more loser’s limp. It echoed thoughts of the CEO, the coach, the players and the wider commentariat. They were confident they had the right coach, the right list, the right age profile, and the right recruits.

This is an extract from Guardian Australia’s free weekly AFL email, From the Pocket. To get the full version, just visit this page and follow the instructions

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Mets' offense goes cold in 5-1 loss to Diamondbacks

The Mets' lineup was flummoxed by Zac Gallen again, picking up just four hits in their 5-1 loss to the Diamondbacks on Tuesday night.

Here are the takeaways...

-The Mets' patience got them on the board in the third inning. After an inning-ending double play was overturned, Francisco Lindor, Juan Soto and Pete Alonso worked long at-bats and walked to push across a run off of Gallen.

Gallen, who allowed just two hits and struck out eight Mets last week at Citi Field, settled down after the third. He retired 11 straight Mets after walking the three straight that pushed across a run. He pitched seven innings on a season-high 101 pitches (64 strikes), allowing the one run on two hits, three walks, and striking out six.

The only knocks Gallen allowed were a third-inning single from Francisco Alvarez and a Mark Vientos single in the seventh.

-David Peterson was cruising, getting through the first three innings without allowing a hit, before Randal Grichuk doubled on a ball that went through Vientos' legs. A walk and a passed ball later, the Diamondbacks got on the board after a Josh Naylor fielder's choice. Lindor then made a great stop to get Geraldo Perdomo out at first, but Naylor scored on the play.

The southpaw had trouble locating his pitches, pitching from behind in the count more often than in his previous outings. It came back to bite him in the sixth after walking Naylor, Peterson -- trying to get ahead in the count -- threw a 90 mph fastball over the heart of the plate and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. deposited it 383 feet over the left field wall (108.5 mph off the bat). It was only the third home run Peterson has allowed this season -- the first two coming on his first start of the season.

Peterson had moments of dominance, but ran out of gas by the end. He pitched six innings on a season-high 104 pitches (69 strikes), allowing four runs on five hits, and four walks while striking out six. It wasn't a bad outing, but his mistake to Gurriel sunk the Mets.

-Jose Butto pitched the seventh and allowed an unearned run thanks to a Tyrone Taylor error. Errors and defensive miscues led to three of Arizona's five runs. The right-hander finished the eighth, giving the Mets bullpen a reprieve with his two innings of work.

-The Mets offense did threaten in the ninth, getting two runners on with one out on a walk and a Starling Marte bloop single, but Brandon Nimmo lined out and Vientos popped out to end the game.

-Nimmo seemingly tweaked his knee playing a double down the left field line in the fourth inning. Trainers came out to help him, but Nimmo talked his way to staying in the game. He finished 0-for-4. He's now hitless in his last 14 at-bats.

Alvarez was the only one who could solve D-backs pitching, going 2-for-3, the only Met with a multi-hit game on Tuesday. Alonso, who entered the game with an NL-leading .349 average, went 0-for-3 with a walk, an RBI, and three strikeouts. He did extend his on-base streak to 18 games, but his average dipped to .341.

Game MVP: Zac Gallen

Gurriel had himself a game, but Gallen gave the Diamondbacks exactly what they needed after Monday's loss. Gallen has now dominated the Mets this season, allowing just two runs on four hits in 13 innings across two starts.

Highlights

What's next

The Mets complete their three-game series with Arizona on Wednesday afternoon. First pitch is set for 3:40 p.m.

Kodai Senga (3-2, 1.38 ERA) will take the mound and be opposed by Merrill Kelly (3-1, 4.06 ERA).