BOSTON (AP) — There was a time when the narrative surrounding Jaylen Brown was that he was a redundant player on a Celtics team shaping its identity around budding superstar Jayson Tatum.
Though he was a recent All-Star on a team packed with young, homegrown talent, Brown was considered by outsiders to be a potential trade chip Boston could use to adjust a roster that didn't get past the conference finals during his first five seasons.
BOSTON (AP) — Bodies were scattered across the parquet floor, diving after a loose ball late in Game 3 of the NBA Finals.
BOSTON (AP) — Throughout the postseason, the Boston Celtics had played their best basketball away from home.
Not anymore.
Jaylen Brown scored 27 points, Jayson Tatum added 26 and the Celtics rode the energy of a raucous TD Garden crowd to beat back another third-quarter onslaught by Golden State in a 116-100 victory Wednesday night that gave them a 2-1 lead in the NBA Finals.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The first sign Game 2 of the NBA Finals was going Golden State’s way came on the first possession.
Boston controlled the opening tap. Marcus Smart dribbled across midcourt and flipped the ball to Jayson Tatum, who quickly tossed it to Al Horford near the top of the key.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — When the Golden State Warriors look at the tape of Game 1 of the NBA Finals, they’ll see both the present and the past.
They’ll see the Boston Celtics, the 2022 version.
They’ll also see a team that looks a lot like the 2015 Warriors.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — When Steve Kerr looks at the way the Boston Celtics built a championship-caliber team, he sees plenty of similarities to how his Golden State Warriors got to the NBA Finals in 2015.
MIAMI (AP) — Not this time. After being thwarted on the doorstep of the NBA Finals three other times in the previous five seasons, the Boston Celtics have broken through.
MIAMI (AP) — Tyler Herro has recovered enough to play for the Miami Heat in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals Sunday night against the Boston Celtics.
Herro missed the three previous games because of a groin injury.
BOSTON (AP) — Heat guard Tyler Herro remained sidelined because of a strained left groin as Miami tries to stave off elimination in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals Friday night.
The reigning sixth man of the year hasn't played since Game 3 of the Heat's matchup with the Celtics.
MIAMI (AP) — Tyler Herro's strained left groin forced the Miami Heat to rule him out of Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night.
It was the second consecutive game that Herro — the NBA's sixth man of the year this season — has needed to miss because of the injury.
BOSTON (AP) — Celtics point guard and Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart was ruled out for Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals against Miami, joining Heat guard Tyler Herro on the sidelines for Monday night's game.
BOSTON (AP) — The Heat were embarrassed in Game 2, surrendering home-court advantage in their blowout loss to the Celtics in their Eastern Conference finals matchup.
Miami returned the favor in Game 3, building a 26-point first-half lead en route to hanging on for a 109-103 victory despite star Jimmy Butler sitting out the second half with swelling in his right knee.
BOSTON (AP) — Bam Adebayo scored 31 points with 10 rebounds for the Miami Heat, who blew a 25-point, first-half lead and lost Jimmy Butler to a knee injury but held on to beat the Boston Celtics 109-103 in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals Saturday night.
NEW YORK (AP) — Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart of the Boston Celtics was the leading vote-getter for the All-Defensive first team, with Mikal Bridges of the Phoenix Suns joining him as the other guard.
BOSTON (AP) — Marcus Smart brought the energy boost the Celtics needed to ignite a blowout win in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference finals matchup with the Heat.
Now armed with home-court advantage in the series, Boston will look to maintain its edge at TD Garden during Saturday's Game 3, where it will be opposite a Miami team that is dealing with new health concerns.
MIAMI (AP) — His team was down by 10 in the opening minutes, and Boston coach Ime Udoka was making no effort to hide his level of disappointment.
MIAMI (AP) — The Boston Celtics are closer to whole for the Eastern Conference finals.
Al Horford's stay in the NBA's health and safety protocols ended Thursday, a few hours before tipoff of Game 2 of the series against the Miami Heat.
MIAMI (AP) — Boston was without two starters for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals on Tuesday night, with Al Horford entering the NBA's health and safety protocols and Marcus Smart unable to play because of a mid-foot sprain.
Jayson Tatum scored 46 points, outdueling Giannis Antetokounmpo to make sure there wouldn’t be another Milwaukee fourth-quarter comeback, and the Boston Celtics beat the defending champions Bucks 108-95 on Friday night to force a seventh game in the Eastern Conference semifinal.
BOSTON (AP) — Bobby Portis made a putback off Giannis Antetokounmpo’s missed free throw with 15 seconds left, Jrue Holiday snuffed Marcus Smart on Boston’s final two possessions and the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Celtics 110-107 on Wednesday night to take a 3-2 series lead.
BOSTON (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo was having his best shooting night of the playoffs. Milwaukee dominated on the boards. And still the Bucks trailed Boston by 14 points in a game that could send the defending NBA champions to the brink of elimination.
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 42 points and made the go-ahead basket with 44.3 seconds left and the Milwaukee Bucks withstood a frantic flurry of shots in the final seconds to beat the Boston Celtics 103-101 on Saturday in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinal.
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo found a way to get better shots and recapture his peak form just in time to help the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks regain the lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Milwaukee Bucks forward Khris Middleton will miss at least two more games in the Eastern Conference semifinal series with the Boston Celtics as he recovers from a sprained medial collateral ligament in his left knee.
BOSTON (AP) — Celtics guard Marcus Smart has been ruled out of Tuesday's Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals with a bruised right thigh.
Smart was hurt Sunday in the loss to the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 1.
Preview capsule for the Boston-Milwaukee Eastern Conference semifinal series that starts Sunday:
No. 2 BOSTON CELTICS (51-31, 4-0) vs. No. 3 MILWAUKEE BUCKS (51-31, 4-1)
NEW YORK (AP) — Jayson Tatum scored 29 points, Jaylen Brown had 22 and the Boston Celtics completed a four-game sweep of the Brooklyn Nets, becoming the first team to reach the second round of the playoffs with a 116-112 victory Monday night.
NEW YORK (AP) — Jayson Tatum was stunned, yet certain. He disagreed with his sixth foul but had no doubt the Boston Celtics, with their rock-solid defense, would hold on without their scoring star.
NEW YORK (AP) — Boston’s Marcus Smart is the first guard in over a quarter-century to win the NBA defensive player of the year award.
NBA officials announced the award on Monday. The last guard to win this honor was Seattle’s Gary Payton in 1995-96.
BOSTON (AP) — Jayson Tatum made a layup at the buzzer off a pass from Marcus Smart to give the Boston Celtics a dramatic 115-114 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday in the Game 1 of the Eastern Conference first-round series.
BOSTON (AP) — Jayson Tatum has been adamant he didn’t view the Celtics’ matchup with the Nets as a chance to prove anything opposite two of the league’s elite scorers.
NEW YORK (AP) — Nikola Jokic is a finalist to win a second straight NBA MVP award, along with two-time winner Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid.
The NBA unveiled the top-three finishers in voting for its individual awards Sunday, with the expected names in the running for the marquee award.
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jrue Holiday each scored 29 points and the Milwaukee Bucks beat the short-handed Boston Celtics 127-121 on Thursday night to take over second place in the Eastern Conference.
TORONTO (AP) — Pascal Siakam had a season-high 40 points and 13 rebounds before fouling out, and the Toronto Raptors beat the short-handed Boston Celtics 115-112 in overtime on Monday night.
Fred VanVleet and OG Anunoby scored 14 points apiece, Thad Young and Gary Trent Jr.
TORONTO (AP) — Pascal Siakam had a season-high 40 points and 13 rebounds before fouling out, and the Toronto Raptors beat the short-handed Boston Celtics 115-112 in overtime on Monday night.
Fred VanVleet and OG Anunoby scored 14 points apiece, Thad Young and Gary Trent Jr.
BOSTON (AP) — It seemed unlikely the Celtics could play better than they did during a 4-0 West Coast road trip that included three wins by 20-plus points.
They found a way to do just that.
Jayson Tatum scored 11 of his 26 points during Boston’s nearly perfect first quarter to help the Celtics roll to a 125-97 victory over the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Stephen Curry said he’s confident he can return from a sprained left foot by the time the Golden State Warriors begin the playoffs.
The two-time league MVP wore a white boot on his foot Sunday as he addressed reporters for the first time since leaving Golden State's game Wednesday night after a collision with Boston’s Marcus Smart.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry will be sidelined at least two weeks with a sprained ligament in his left foot.
The reigning scoring champion underwent an MRI exam that revealed the injury and he is scheduled to be re-evaluated in two weeks, the team said Friday.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Stephen Curry went down with a left foot injury late in the first half and didn’t return as Marcus Smart and the Boston Celtics routed the Golden State Warriors 110-88 on Wednesday night.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Stephen Curry went down with a left foot injury late in the first half and Golden State coach Steve Kerr didn't like Marcus Smart's lunging move at the reigning NBA scoring champ.