Taylor Snow

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BOSTON – The Boston Celtics exorcised last year’s demons by sending the Miami Heat packing for an early summer vacation Wednesday night, as they closed out their first-round series in emphatic fashion at TD Garden.

On the very same court where Miami eliminated Boston from last season’s Eastern Conference Finals, the Celtics got their revenge with a 118-84 Game 5 win, pushing them forward into the East semis.

It marked the fourth meeting between these teams in the last five postseasons, and they’ve taken turns alternating series wins. Miami ousted the Celtics in the 2020 Eastern Conference Finals. Boston got its revenge in the 2022 Conference Finals. The Heat punched back in the 2023 ECF. And the C’s retaliated with Wednesday’s first-round win while riding a pair of 25-point efforts from Jaylen Brown and Derrick White.

“We’ve just had such great battles against them,” said White. “In the past, we've had opportunities to close them out, especially on the home court, and have failed. So being able to close them out here tonight, and to do it the way we did it, it’s definitely big.”

For the most part, the Celtics dominated the series. All four of their wins were by at least 14 points, including three by at least 20. Their plus-78 scoring differential is the best by any team to this point in the playoffs – 15 points better than the second-place Thunder. And that was all a result of their approach going into each of these games.

“We talked about wanting to throw the first punch,” said White. “And I think we did that pretty much for the whole series.”

The only blip was their 104-94 Game 2 loss. But Boston didn’t feel the slightest sense of panic when Miami evened the series and just kept plowing ahead like it did all season long. Outside of the lone loss, the Celtics trailed for only 56 seconds in the other four games combined.

“We've been doing this all year,” said White. “We've had games where it might seem like it was a big loss, but we just bounce back, regroup, and everybody's just been on the same page all season. It's the playoffs; there's going to be ups, there’s going to be downs. That's what makes it amazing. That's what makes it fun. And so we’ve got to be ready to not get too high on those wins and not get too low on losses, and just keep improving.”

One area in which the Celtics improved as the series progressed was their collective physicality. That was the main attribute that the Heat had going for them, and Boston did an excellent job of matching or exceeding them in that area.

Brown especially liked how he and his teammates battled on the boards. Boston was plus-47 on the glass for the series, including a 56-29 rebounding advantage in Game 5.

“That’s a sign of it: staying on the glass,” Brown said their physical approach. “Being able to set that tone has helped our team and that’s where we’ve gotta continue to thrive is just being the more physical, tougher-playing team. We’ve got a bunch of tough guys in that locker room, so we’re up for the challenge.”

They were up for the challenge against the Heat. And now they’ll be up for the next challenge in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, whether it comes against Cleveland or Orlando.

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Celtics Put Out the Heat in Dominant Series-Clincher

BOSTON – In piecing together a championship-caliber roster behind the scenes, Brad Stevens has earned some shine in the spotlight.

The NBA announced Tuesday that the Celtics’ president of basketball operations has been named the 2023-24 Executive of the Year after building Boston into a league-best 64-win team.

Stevens won the award in a landslide, receiving 16 out of 29 first-place votes. No other executive received more than four such votes. He also earned six second-place votes and three third-place votes for a total of 101 voting points. Oklahoma City’s Sam Presti finished a distant second with 47 voting points.

Stevens is the third Celtics executive to achieve the honor, joining Red Auerbach in 1979-80 and Danny Ainge in 2007-08. &nbsp;&nbsp;

“I am so thankful to work for the Celtics,” Stevens said. “Our ownership group has given us the support and resources to build this team. The players, coaches, front office, and support staff are amazing - superstars in their jobs across the board. This recognition has everything to do with the team and nothing to do with any one individual. Great teams require that everyone in the building is fully committed to each other and moving in one direction.”

The Celtics have been moving in a positive direction ever since Stevens was elevated from head coach to president of basketball operations following the 2020-21 season. During his first year in his new role, he made a few trades and signings that turned into significant long-term pieces, such as the re-acquisition of Al Horford, the signing of undrafted free agent Sam Hauser, and dealing for Derrick White midseason ahead of Boston's 2022 NBA Finals run.

After failing to make it back to the Finals last year, Stevens made several franchise-altering decisions leading into the 2023-24 campaign which helped to shape Boston into the best team in the league while also setting it up for potential long-term success.

The two main moves were trading for Kristaps Porzingis on Draft Night and then dealing for Jrue Holiday at the start of Training Camp.

Both trades required great sacrifice, as the C’s had to give up Marcus Smart to acquire Porzingis and lost both Rob Williams and Malcolm Brogdon in the Holiday deal. But there is no question that both acquisitions were upgrades.

The Porzingis move completely changed the dynamic of Boston’s offense. His scoring versatility as both a low-post threat and a knockdown perimeter shooter took a great deal of pressure off Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum this season, plus, his 7-foot-3 presence has provided the Celtics with elite protection at the rim.

Tatum summed up KP’s value after Game 3 of the first round by claiming he is “the most important guy on our team for what we’re trying to accomplish.”

Holiday’s presence has also been of utmost importance. And his acquisition was just about as shocking as that of Porzingis. Holiday had initially be traded from Milwaukee as part of the Damian Lillard trade, and soon after he arrived in Portland,  Brad Stevens brought him back to the East. The C's had to give up Williams and Brogdon in the process. Still, it was ingenious to acquire a player who had been a key cog for a Milwaukee team that was considered Boston’s biggest Eastern Conference competition.

The move paid off tremendously, as the Celtics went on to win 64 wins, while a reshaped Bucks team finished with 49. Holiday became Boston's most impactful defender, a jack-of-all-trades offensive contributor, and a valuable locker-room presence as a respected teammate and someone with championship experience.

Not only did Stevens acquire two former All-Stars, but he also committed to both of them long-term. Porzingis signed a contract extension shortly after being traded, and Holiday did the same just before the end of the regular season.

Stevens also extended two longer-tenured core players, inking Brown and Payton Pritchard to long-term deals.

Not only did these decisions establish the Celtics as a present championship threat, but they have also set the team up for a bright future. For that, Stevens deserves to bask in the spotlight, even though we know how much he thrives working behind the scenes.

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Stevens’ Remarkable Roster Construction Earns Him Exec of the Year

Less than one year after tipping in the winning bucket in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals, the South Beach Boogeyman returned to Miami to terrorize the Heat once again.

Last time, it had been a single, heart-stopping play that Derrick White delivered at Kaseya Center; this time, he produced a full 48-minute nightmare to lift the Celtics to a 102-88 Game 4 win to give them a 3-1 lead in their first-round series.

White turned in the performance of his life Monday night, pouring in a career-high 38 points on 15-of-26 shooting from the field, including 8-of-15 from 3-point range.

White opened the game with a 16-point first quarter, tying his career high for playoff points in a single frame.

“I think any person that gets a couple going in and you start making some tough ones, you feel like you just can't miss, and that basket seems huge,” he said. “It was a lot of fun.”

White said he could have scored zero points and still would have had fun just by getting the win down in Miami. Being the star of the game was just a bonus.

However, the Celtics need those types of performances out of White because when he’s hot, it takes some of the pressure off guys like Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown and allows the offense to flow even more freely.

“When he's being aggressive, it just opens everything up,” said Tatum, who logged 20 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists. “Whatever they try and take away for myself, when your teammates are hitting shots and being aggressive and attacking close-outs out and making plays, it makes us very, very hard to guard. You want everybody to be assertive and be aggressive and try to make plays. It just makes us a better team.”

That’s exactly why White tries to bring such assertiveness into each matchup.

“Every game, I have the same mindset of trying to be aggressive, just read what the game is telling you, not force anything, and just do what I need to do,” he said. “Tonight, I got a couple of good looks early and then my team did a great job with just finding me and empowering me to stay aggressive, so a lot of credit goes to those guys.”

Discovering that sense of empowerment took some time, but White has all the confidence in the world now to step up in big games such as these. Not only does he have his teammates to thank for that, but also his head coach.

“It starts with Joe (Mazzulla),” White claimed. “Ever since he took over, he's just given me the most confidence … Our relationship is just getting better and better each day. It’s amazing to play for him and I love it.”

You could see that confidence in every area of his game Monday night from the eight threes he knocked down, to the three blocked shots, to the consecutive dunks he threw down midway through the third quarter.

“I’m just having fun out there,” he said. “Competing at the highest level on the biggest stage, that’s what it’s all about.”

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White’s Career-High Scoring Night Leads C’s to 3-1 Lead in Miami

The Celtics knew exactly what they needed to do to bounce back from Wednesday night’s Game 2 loss to the Heat, and that was to up their defensive intensity as the first-round series shifted down to Miami.

It didn’t take long for C's to right the ship on South Beach.

Boston held the Heat to just 12 points in the first quarter of Game 3 Saturday night, setting the tone for a 104-84 win while taking a 2-1 series lead.

It marked Boston’s best defensive effort – regular season or postseason – in nearly two full years. It hadn’t given up fewer than 85 points since its 93-80 Game 5 win over the Heat in the 2022 Eastern Conference Finals.

Joe Mazzulla described the early portion of Game 3 as a “rock fight,” as the two teams combined for just 15 points in the opening six minutes. Boston accounted for 80 percent of those points, grabbing a 12-3 lead out of the gate.

Jaylen Brown noted, “We put an emphasis on defense, trying to make them uncomfortable a little bit. They had a slow start, we had a good start on defense, and I think that opened up the game.”

Boston’s defensive effort sure opened things up for its offense, as it came alive for a 42-point second quarter. Meanwhile, its defense remained steadfast, taking a 63-39 lead into the break.

“It was just more about our attention to detail on both ends of the floor, mainly on the defensive end," said Jayson Tatum. "Just start the game and not let them be comfortable – regardless if they hit shots tonight, just try to make them work for everything that they get.”

Miami’s shot-making – particularly from 3-point land – was the main issue in Game 2. It made a franchise playoff-record 23 3-pointers Wednesday night at a 53.5 percent clip. On Saturday night, that number plummetted to nine makes at a 32.1 percent clip, similar to its 12 makes at a 32.4 percent clip in Game 1.

For a Celtics team that led the East in 3-point defense during the regular season, they felt much more like themselves on that end of the floor.

“Teams can come out and hit a plethora of shots,” said Brown, “they had a record-breaking night the other day, but we don't panic. When we watched the film, we broke it down seeing where we could make some improvements if we came out we executed, and I thought that's what we did tonight.”

On the offensive end, the Celtics put forth another balanced attack, just like they did in Game 1. Brown and Tatum tied for the game lead with 22 points. Kristaps Porzingis bounced back from a tough Game 2 with 18 points on 55.5 percent shooting. And Derrick White chipped in with 16 points.

As a team, the Celtics were deadly from inside the arc, where they shot 62.2 percent.

Overall, it was the type of bounce-back effort that their head coach expected.

“I don’t expect them to play perfect and I don’t expect a series to be easy or to go a certain way,” Mazzulla said. “But I trust them and I know they want to win, and I know they’ll do whatever it takes, and I trust their preparation, and I trust who they are.”

His players have that same trust in themselves, and they believe that through their preparation, they are just getting started in these playoffs.

Brown pointed out how the team needed a little time to regain its rhythm after playing just two games in the previous 12 days, and he is looking forward to playing every other day for the remainder of this series.

“I feel like we’re still getting it going,” he said. “I think we’ve still got another gear to kick into, so I’m looking forward to (Game 4) Monday.”

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C's Tighten Up Defense, Hold Heat to 84 Points in Game 3 Win

BOSTON – Heading into Game 3, there is one glaring area where the Celtics say they must return to form: defending the 3-point arc.

Such was their downfall in Game 2 Tuesday night, when the Miami Heat shot a playoff franchise-record 23-of-43 from deep, propelling them to a 111-101 series-splitting win.

It wasn’t just an anomaly for the Heat; it was also an unusual event for Boston, which led the Eastern Conference in 3-point defense during the regular season by allowing opponents to shoot just 35.2 percent.

However, Al Horford says there’s no room for such anomalies in the playoffs.

“You just have to be better,” he said Thursday before heading down to Miami for Game 3. “You have to be better defending the 3-point line. They shot a lot of them, a high frequency, and I know we will be better coming in the next game. There'll be more of an awareness to that. And for us, defensively continuing to make sure that we do a good job of getting stops and holding them to one shot.”

In order to get stops, Joe Mazzulla says his team will need to close out better, get their hands up in Miami’s airspace, and not allow as many open threes in transition. Boston did a much better job of that in Game 1 when it held the Heat to just a 32.4 clip from deep.

“We can control our transition defense and we can control a decent percentage of those 3s,” Mazzulla said. “And so that's the first step is always going back to taking away the things that you can control.”

Typically, the Celtics are in control of that area of the game. Not only do they have a top-tier 3-point defense, but they were also the third-leading team in shot contests this season.

Horford played a huge role in that area, claiming the fourth-best shot-contesting rate in the league.

“They are going to do what they are going to do, so we just have to be prepared to execute what we do and making sure that we're engaged at a high level defensively, which I expect our group to be,” said the veteran big. “We've been very consistent with that all year, and we have to show it again.”

Another rare occurrence in Game 2 was how limited Kristaps Porzingis was on the offensive end. Miami held him to just 1-of-9 shooting from the field, which represented his fewest field goals in a game all season in non-injury-shortened games.

However, Porzingis is not letting such a performance affect him mentally. He expects to bounce back in Game 3 and deliver something closer to the 7-of-13 effort he had in Game 1.

“Nothing changes for me; good game or bad game, I stay the same,” he said. “We looked at the things we can do better. I looked at my possessions. I’ll make sure I’m better offensively, 100 percent.”

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C’s Confident Their 3-Point Defense Will Return to Form in Game 3

BOSTON – A palpable buzz has been building around the Boston Celtics for the past several months as they’ve geared up for what could potentially be a special playoff run this spring.

A large portion of that hype has been self-generated from the team’s production on the court, where it went a league-best 64-18 during the regular season – its best mark since going 66-16 during its 2007-08 championship season.

But much of this year’s excitement has also been initiated by the production of another Celtics team off the court – a team of creatives operating behind the scenes who have stirred up a rousing playoff campaign through various marketing strategies. And it is their boldest, most technologically-advanced campaign to date.

All of those playoff hype videos and graphics that you’ve likely seen on the team’s official social media pages, all of the street banners, the digital signage, the in-arena motion graphics that you may have encountered in person – every one of those assets has been a result of countless hours of work put forth by the organization’s Creative and Content Teams, which consist of 10 talented artists and creative minds:

Those 10 individuals, with their varying titles and responsibilities, all came together in the months leading to the postseason, pooled their ideas into a creative cauldron and conjured up a cohesive game plan that would have made Boston’s coaching staff proud.

Their brainstorming sessions create an iron-sharpening-iron effect where they learn from and feed off each other’s ideas. This allows them to level up their efforts and helps to push them closer toward their collective goal of becoming the cream-of-the-crop creative/content group in the NBA.

In recent days, we’ve just begun to see the fruits that have been borne from all of their hard work. One of the more stimulating pieces to come out of the campaign was the initial playoff hype video that launched on all of the team’s social media platforms Saturday, the day before the on-court postseason journey officially began.

Duchon was the lead editor for this futuristic, technology-based piece, writing the script and piecing together all of its elements to create a masterpiece. The hours he put into the process were “too many” to count, he said, but it all paid off as the video reached millions of impressions in the blink of an eye.

Though, it wasn’t just Duchon behind the video’s creation. The entire content team played a role in its innovation, bringing individual concepts to the table, which were then executed during the team’s playoff marketing shoot in mid-March at WGBH’s studio in Brighton.

Each segment of the video had its own station inside the studio, and each setup was initiated and operated by a different member of the Content Team. Wilson came up with the cloning concept that you see in the theater at the beginning of the video. Von Iderstine produced the laser station that follows right after. Duchon conceptualized the trailing repetition station. And others helped by providing alternate camera angles and technical support.

The group went to extreme efforts to perfect such a technical project; for example, the laser machine was unexpectedly complicated to master, and so Carney had to seek the assistance of a laser expert up in the middle of New Hampshire so that they could operate it properly during the shoot.

But when a project of such magnitude comes to completion and is put on display, Von Iderstine says, “It’s the most rewarding feeling ever – to be a part of it from the very start of the lightbulb, and now it’s a whole finished piece for millions of people to see.”

That was just one of several incomparable pieces that have gone out on the Celtics’ social media platforms of late.

Hampton has been producing behind-the-scenes “sizzles” from practices and has also been capturing footage used on the digital signage outside the arena:

Carney created an adrenaline-pumping 24-second countdown video leading into Game 1 against the Heat:

Wilson clipped together a sweet-sounding Jayson Tatum highlight pack that was posted soon after Boston’s Game 1 win:

Those are just a few of the plethora of videos logged on the team's socials, and there will be plenty more to come.

The Creative Team has also taken its production up a notch in these playoffs with bold new concepts of their own.

After going with a “Dark Mode” theme last season, the graphics group opted to take a more colorful approach this time by showing off a diverse palette of greens while focusing on gradient usage.

Silver says, “There’s an emphasis on contrast, portraiture, and clean layouts. It’s very minimal, but it’s impactful.”

There is a lot of overlap and collaboration in the artwork produced by Silver, Arndt, and Wu. They spent the past couple of months comparing mood boards, inspired by various visual elements, while also coming up with a plan of how to execute their creativity with consistency.

“This year is a little different because we’re more aligned across the creative team,” Wu said. “So it’s really not starting from scratch each time; it’s more using whatever elements we align on at the beginning of the process and we go from there.”

Their art comes to life in many different forms. Arndt was responsible for laying out the artwork for the street banners and signage that fans see at the Hub on Causeway outside the arena. Silver was responsible for many of the in-arena designs, which are displayed on various digital boards. Many of Wu’s creations can be seen on the team’s social media pages, such as the three-column banner image of the full team lineup that is currently pinned to the top of the team’s Instagram page, which doubles as a highlight reel if you swipe on each frame. He came up with the concept while observing the very same playoff shoot from which the Content Team produced their hype pieces.

Just like the Celtics’ players have put in countless hours to hone their craft, the front office’s creative minds have been hard at work behind the scenes doing the same. Their responsibilities and exposure may differ vastly from one another, but they’re all working together under the same umbrella, inspiring the best fanbase in the world while striving toward the same goal.

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Celtics’ Content & Creative Teams Produce Boldest Playoff Marketing Campaign Yet

BOSTON – Just because Boston dominated Game 1 in a 20-point win over the Miami Heat doesn’t mean it can take its foot off the gas for Game 2.

The Celtics plan to pick up the intensity even more on Wednesday night to establish a commanding lead in the series.

After Tuesday’s practice, coach Joe Mazzulla said he wants to see his team “doing what we did with higher intensity and higher physicality. I think that’s what Game 2 calls for … There are small details we can get better at on both ends of the floor. We worked on that today. But I think the first step is what mindset, what physicality we’re coming in with.”

There was a great deal of physicality in Game 1 – especially late in the fourth quarter when Caleb Martin delivered a hard foul to Jayson Tatum, causing a scuffle to break out.

The Celtics must be willing to absorb those blows, just like Tatum did by popping right back up, shaking off the hit, and making both free throws. And they must be willing to stand up for each other just like Brown did by getting in Martin’s face and letting him know that he and his teammates aren’t backing down.

“Every game is a fight,” said Brown. “You gotta win the game and you gotta win the fight. Both of those things are important. We embrace both. Being a better, smarter team. But also being a team that's willing to dive on the floor and being the team that's able to set the tone physically and not back down.”

Boston knows that the Heat are bound to bring more of a fight in Game 2 since they’re now in a hole. Brown believes the best way to approach a desperate team is to put yourself in their shoes.

"We gotta come out with the same mentality, almost like we're down 1-0 instead of we're up,” he said. “We’ve gotta come ready to play, ready to fight because we can't expect them to come out and do nothing less. They're well-coached. They're organized. They're disciplined. They're going to have a good game plan of attack. We gotta make sure we take them out of it.

“They’re going to be hungry, desperate. They’re going to come out fast, even more aggressive, trying to turn us over, trying to crash the glass hard, being physical, even more knocking us to the ground. Just try to win that physicality, match it any way we can. That’s what I foresee. But we’ll be ready, and we’ll be ready to do the same thing.”

The C’s also have to be ready to face some major Miami adjustments. Erik Spoelstra treats these series like chess matches, and Mazzulla will have to do the same by preparing his guys for counterattacks.

“You have to have a healthy approach to understanding that every game is going to be different,” said Boston’s coach. “If you think that you’re not going to see a different version of Miami, then you’re kidding yourself. At the end of the day, it’s about giving what that game needs and having the expectation that it’s going to be a fight, and you’ve just got to get ready for a fight.”

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Mazzulla Wants ‘Higher Intensity, Physicality’ in Game 2

BOSTON – Boston used balance to establish dominance over the Miami Heat Sunday afternoon to set the tone for the opening round of the playoffs.

Six different Celtics scored between 10 and 23 points, Jayson Tatum logged his first career playoff triple-double, and the C’s blasted past the Heat at TD Garden to take Game 1 of the postseason, 114-94.

Jaylen Brown ignited a 14-0 start with a 3-pointer and a spin-move dunk out of the gate. The Celtics rode that momentum, going up by as many as 34 points in the second half before taking a 91-59 lead into the final frame.

It was an impressive open for a team that had just had an entire week off between games. However, Derrick White didn't think there would be any rust despite the extended break.

“We didn't walk into the game, per se, because we had the long layoff,” he said. “Just wanted to be aggressive from the start, and I think we did a good job of that."

White was one of the six Celtics who reached double-digits in scoring, as he finished second on the team with 20 points. Kristaps Porzingis logged 18 points, Jaylen Brown was right behind with 17, and Sam Hauser and Al Horford recorded 12 points and 10 points off the bench, respectively.

Leading the balanced team attack was Tatum with one of the most balanced individual games of his career. He logged 23 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists, and two steals, becoming the first Celtic to record a playoff triple-double since Marcus Smart on Sept. 9, 2020 against Toronto.

“His mindset and approach throughout the game was great,” Joe Mazzulla said of Tatum’s performance. “I thought he played with great patience, thought he picked and chose his spots very well. I thought he took what the defense gave him and found the balance of creating for himself and for others. So to fight for that discipline on the offensive end, on both ends of the floor really, is a huge key to this series.”

Another key to this series is withstanding Miami’s runs, which the C's managed to do in Game 1. After falling into that 14-0 hole, the Heat rallied and pulled within three points early in the second quarter. But Boston punched right back and took an even greater lead than the one with which it opened the game.

“They’re a good team. They’re going to make runs,” said White. “We’ve seen that for years now. Just trying to maintain that poise when they make runs. Just trying to settle down and figure out how we can get a great look offensively, and whatever the defense is, just make them work.”

The Celtics made Miami work by unleashing Hauser, who made four consecutive 3-pointers during a 2:41 stretch early in the second quarter to put his team back up by 12. Boston is going to need those types of efforts off the bench, and he, Al Horford, and Payton Pritchard all contributed, as Mazzulla stuck with the same eight-man rotation that we saw in the regular season.

“Sam is a big reason we extended the game in that&nbsp;second quarter,” said Tatum. “You're going to&nbsp;need things like that to be successful in the playoffs. It's not always going to&nbsp;be the guys that start the game. Any given night, we're going to count on&nbsp;somebody off the bench to change the pace of the game, or kind of mess&nbsp;things up in a good way and change the dynamic of what we're doing.”

As long as the Celtics keep doing what they’re doing, it’s going to be hard to beat them. At least that’s how Porzingis felt coming out of Game 1.

“I'm glad that we came out the way we came out today,” he said after his first Celtics postseason experience. “We just set the stage for the rest of our path.”