Celtics take 2-0 lead over Pacers, Tyrese Haliburton exits early; Oilers win Game 1 in double overtime

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Good morning everyone, but especially…

THE BOSTON CELTICS

This was the game Celts fans were worried, and for good reason. Boston — a wonderful, powerful basketball machine — had lost three straight games in Game 2, seemingly always finding a way to cast doubt on its excellence.

Not this time. After trailing early, the Celtics went on a 20-0 run to take the lead. Pacemakersfinally achieving a 126-110 victory in Game 2, two days after a miracle victory in Game 1.

Jaylen Brown tied his playoff career high with 40 points, and it’s clear Indiana doesn’t have a good option to slow him down. Then again, when Brown is at the height of his powers, no one does. He attacked tirelessly (11 free throws), finished strong at the rim and made four 3-pointers. Add 23 of each Jayson Tatum It is Derrick White and 14 points (on 6-of-7 shooting) and 10 assists per Jrue Vacationand you see the best of a team that dominated the entire regular season.

Also encouraging for the Celtics? They closed the game offensively, notes Jack Maloney.

• Maloney: “They shot 26 of 40 from the field, including 9 of 19 from downtown, and only turned it over three times. While the Celtics may be prone to lackadaisical stretches where they sit still and slouch with the ball, we saw none of that. after the break. A two-minute gap in the fourth quarter, after they had already built a 17-point lead, was the longest scoring drought of the half.

Honorable mentions

And it wasn’t such a good day for…

THE INDIAN PACERS

Two nights later throwing away a golden opportunity, the Pacers were crushed. Now, things get even more difficult: Tyrese Haliburton left game 2 with pain in his left hamstring and didn’t come back. Rick Carlisle said Haliburton’s hamstring was bothering him at halftime, but he wanted to give it a try. Obviously, the plan backfired.

The hamstrings are complicated, and Haliburton knows this all too well. He missed 10 games during the regular season with a strained left hamstring and has yet to consistently return to his pre-injury form.

The Pacers have outscored opponents by 59 points this postseason with Haliburton on the floor, but they was overcome at 35 with him on the bench.

Yes, the Pacers lost 2-0 to the Knicks last series. But the Knicks were running out of bodies and lost even more as the series progressed. The Celtics, on the other hand, will likely only get stronger if Kristaps Porzingis turn back.

It was always going to be a big ask for Indiana to upset Boston. One team placed sixth in the East. The other was the first in the entire NBA. The Pacers needed a lot of things to get on their way. It’s not over, but after losing Game 1 in heartbreaking fashion and losing Game 2
and potentially their best player, the Pacers are finding things decidedly not going their way.

Not-so-honorable mentions

Connor McDavid beats Oilers in double overtime

Minutes after missing an opportunity to win the game, Connor McDavid I wasn’t willing to let history repeat itself. O Lubricators‘superstar redirected a Evan Bouchard to spend Jake Oettinger just 32 seconds into the second overtime to give Edmonton a 3-2 Game 1 victory over the Stars.

McDavid endured a difficult first overtime. Early on, he conceded a double minor penalty, which the visitors survived. Late in the period he appeared to have an open net but was denied by a heroic strike from Oettinger and Chris Tanev.

In fine form, McDavid not only redeemed himself but also broke a five-game goalless streak. Austin Nivison has more.

• Nivison: “Things looked terribly shaky for Edmonton early in the first overtime. McDavid was called for a double minor for high grip Matt Duchene, and the stars were buzzing. However, the penalty and the Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner were able to weather that storm and stay alive.”

Edmonton took a two-goal lead early in the second period behind goals from Leon Draisaitl It is Zach Hymanbut Tyler Seguin they cut the deficit in half soon after and tied the game late in the third. However, it was all in vain for Dallas. The Stars will take care of things tomorrow.

Cavaliers coaching candidates after firing JB Bickerstaff

Apparently earning the franchise’s first playoff series victory since LeBron James not good enough: the Knights fired JB Bickerstaff On thursday. He had a 170-159 record and two trips to the playoffs in four-plus seasons in Cleveland.

As we detailed in yesterday afternoon’s newsletter, there was some behind-the-scenes drama that may have contributed to Bickerstaff’s departure – frustration with the offensive and coaching structure, issues with the front office, etc. Potentially league-changing hiring process for Cleveland.

• DonovanMitchell is eligible for a contract extension this offseason. If he doesn’t sign one, he will be a free agent next offseason, and Cleveland could explore the possibility of trading him before he gets there.
• There could also be movement elsewhere: Mitchell and fellow offensive-minded guard Dario Garland occupy two places in the defense court, while one Evan Mobley-Jarrett Allen the front line is also somewhat similar. Cleveland desperately needs an added punch after finishing 14th out of 16 teams in playoff offensive rating.
• The Mitchell-Garland-Allen-Mobley quartet played just 28 games together in the regular season.

So whoever comes in has to be someone Mitchell believes in It is someone who has a solution to some redundancy among the team’s best players. Sam Quinn has one list of potential candidatesIncluding …

• Quinn: “James Borrego is one of the early candidates for the position… Although his record did not reflect this, he was highly regarded during his time as head coach of the Wasps. … He’s a creative basketball thinker, comfortable playing unorthodox lineups, which may be a necessity given Cleveland’s roster concerns, but he’s an experienced coach who won’t need time to acclimate to the job.

Winners, losers, conclusions from the House v. House settlement. NCAA

It’s officially a new era in college athletics. The NCAA Board of Governors and all Power Five conferences agreed to settlement terms in the landmark House v. Board of Education lawsuit. As we write in yesterday’s newsletterit was almost a certainty, but the SEC and what will soon be extinct Pac-12 came together to conclude things on Thursday.

Here are some key points:

• The revenue-sharing system will begin in fall 2025. Power Four schools could pay athletes more than $20 million annually.
• Former athletes will be compensated for previous NIL income restrictions. The NCAA will pay nearly $280 million annually.
• Scholarship limits can be increased while list sizes are reduced.
• Group of Five schools and non-revenue sports may struggle to stay afloat as power conference schools are expected to seek even more advantages (and will have natural advantages given their athletics revenues).

Shehan Jeyarajah has important conclusions, but the biggest is the rich – after getting poorer – get richer.

• Jeyarajá: “O Big Ten, SEC wins again – According to documents obtained by Yahoo Sports, power conference schools are expected to shell out up to $30 million a year over the next 10 years to cover revenue-sharing distribution, back injuries and expanded scholarship costs. If you want to know why Texas It is Oklahoma went to the SEC, while USC It is UCLA defected to the Big Ten, the potential cost of litigation played a significant role. A massive new television deal with the Big Ten could essentially fully cover the cost of the new reality for the Trojans and Bruins.”

David Cobb has complete winners and losersand let’s not forget: Players are the biggest winners.

What are we going to watch this weekend

Friday

Game 2: Panthers vs. Rangers8pm on ESPN
Game 2: Mavericks x Timberwolves8:30 pm on TNT

Saturday

Freedom in the Lynx1pm on CBS
Puppies at Cardinals or Dodgers at Reds7:15 pm on Fox
Game 2: Oilers in the Stars8pm on TNT
Sun in the sky8pm on CBS Sports Network
Game 3: Celtics vs. Pacers8:30pm on ABC
Fever in the Aces9pm on NBA TV
Marlins at Diamondbacks10:10 pm on FS1

Sunday

Game 3: Rangers vs. Panthers3pm on ABC
Puppies at Cardinals7pm on ESPN
Game 3: Timberwolves vs. Mavericks8pm on TNT