![]() Holiday was all that with 16 seconds left, with the Bucks nervously hanging onto a slippery one-point lead, with the building shaking from all the noise and with Booker - who once again terrorized the Bucks throughout the game - angling for a way to break the Bucks’ heart and grip.īooker drove the lane, saw a wall of Bucks, then pump-faked … for a fatal second. It’s the kind of play that champions make, that players who do not shy from the big stage make, that superb defenders make. But first, it’s necessary to detail how he won it at the end, with a reach and a grab and a rip of the ball away from Devin Booker right in the suspenseful and hysterical moment of truth. We’ll get to how he started the game, then changed it, then put the Bucks in control of it. Because if this tight championship series was just shook and triggered by the overall Game 5 excellence of Jrue Holiday, only folks in Milwaukee will forever cherish and celebrate what happened Saturday in the newly-named Footprint Center. PHOENIX - The night was filled with enough anecdotal evidence of greatness and carried such historical implications that July 17 may soon be declared a Holiday in the state of Arizona.įorgive the basketball citizens of Phoenix and the surrounding desert if they ever refuse to acknowledge it, though. Their top six appear to be unmatched.Jrue Holiday and Giannis Antetokounmpo were all smiles after securing the first road victory of this NBA Finals. It would not be a dominant second unit, but the Celtics, who have been in contention for nearly a decade without taking the final step, are focused on the playoffs, when rotations are whittled down to seven or eight players. The regular rotation, for now, likely will include Sam Hauser, Payton Pritchard, Luke Kornet, and Oshae Brissett. That capital could eventually be needed.Īlthough the Celtics have a fearsome starting five and can bring All-Defensive pick Derrick White, a star of last season’s playoffs, off the bench, there are some depth concerns. They could also owe the Spurs a 2028 pick swap, but otherwise have all of their future first-round choices along with a war chest of second-round picks. The Celtics acquired the 2024 Warriors pick in the Smart deal, and have now parted ways with their own 2029 first-round choice. ![]() The past few weeks, the Celtics’ social media accounts posted several videos of players working out at the Auerbach Center to prepare for the season, and Brogdon was the only one who never made an appearance. The Celtics pivoted and traded Smart to the Grizzlies in a different three-team deal, but Brogdon was reportedly frustrated by his inclusion in the initial trade, as well as news leaks about his health. In June, Brogdon was part of the initial three-team trade that would bring Porzingis to Boston, but the Clippers backed out because they did not have sufficient time to examine Brogdon’s injury. After being acquired in a trade with the Pacers, he embraced his bench role and was named the league’s Sixth Man of the Year.īut he was slowed by a forearm strain during the conference finals against the Heat, missing one game and going just 1 for 16 from the field over his final four. Williams appeared in just 35 games last year, averaging 8 points and 8.3 rebounds, but there is a belief around the league that he is capable of much more if healthy.īrogdon’s Celtics tenure, meanwhile, ends after one strong year that was marred by a sour ending. ![]() ![]() The Celtics are hopeful that history will repeat itself.Īlthough Portland was mostly seeking draft capital, the Celtics needed to send back nearly $34 million in salary for matching purposes, so it was clear that any trade would result in a substantial hit to the regular roster, too.Ī league source said the Blazers made it clear that Williams, the oft-injured but athletic big man who has shown flashes of dominance, needed to be part of the deal. Holiday then helped the Bucks win an NBA championship in his first year with the team. A league source said that when Holiday played for the Pelicans in 2020, the Celtics spoke at length with New Orleans about a potential trade before the Bucks eventually made the better offer.
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