Boston has star players, a deep bench and recent N.B.A. finals experience. What the team won’t have, if it loses in the playoffs, will be excuses.
Tag Archives: NBA Championship
The Story of LeBron James’s 38,388 Points
Teammates. Competitors. Victims of his memes. They each have a story about James’s road to breaking the N.B.A. career scoring record.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Is Greater Than Any Basketball Record
His N.B.A. career scoring record has been broken, but his legacy of activism and his expansion of Black athlete identity endure.
LeBron James Keeps the World Watching
The Los Angeles Lakers star has embraced the often harsh spotlight of celebrity to further his career and personal goals. But he said it can be “challenging at times.”
What to Know About the New NBA Season
Much of the conversation around the league the past few months hasn’t been about basketball.
Bill Russell, Who Led the Celtics to 11 Championships, Dies at 88
A Hall of Fame center whose former coach, Red Auerbach, called “the single most devastating force in the history of the game.”
Stephen Curry Left His Critics With Nothing Else to Say
Four N.B.A. championships. Two Most Valuable Player Awards. And yes, a finals M.V.P. Golden State’s Curry has nothing else to prove.
Golden State Beats Boston Celtics to Win NBA Championship
It’s the fourth championship in eight seasons for Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.
The Celtics Stopped Stephen Curry. Everyone Else Made Them Pay.
For the first time in a long time, Golden State’s Curry couldn’t hit a single 3-pointer. His teammates had better luck with their shots.
Golden State Needs 1 Win for Title After Beating Celtics in Game 5
Andrew Wiggins powered Golden State’s victory on an off night for Stephen Curry, who went 0 for 9 from 3-point range.
Stephen Curry Is More Human, and Brilliant, Than Ever
Golden State was good. Then too good. Then very, very bad. The worst. Back among the N.B.A. elite, Curry’s team has been humbled by the journey.
The Celtics Got Lucky by Not Getting What They Wanted
Other teams’ superstars kept getting traded, and the Celtics wanted in on the action. Boston (mostly) missed out, and is probably better off for it.
From Santo Domingo to the N.B.A. Finals, Al Horford Is at Home
Horford, the Boston Celtics center, is the first Dominican player in the N.B.A. finals. With the way he’s competing, it’s hard to tell he hasn’t been here before.
Boston Celtics Withstand Stephen Curry’s 3-pointers for Game 3 Win
Golden State’s Curry had 31 points, including six 3-pointers, but Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart and Jayson Tatum had big games of their own for Boston.
These Are Not Larry Bird’s Celtics. And That’s Just Fine.
Trips down memory lane have grown harder as Celtics greats pass away. But the new generation is carving a memorable path of its own.
Draymond Green Drags the Warriors Back Into the Fight
A fiery star tests some limits in carrying Golden State over Boston in Game 2.
Golden State Beats Boston Celtics in Game 2 of NBA Finals
After collapsing in the fourth quarter of Game 1, Golden State turned an early lead in Game 2 into a big-time victory to even the series.
Bill Fitch, Who Coached Celtics to the ’81 Title, Is Dead at 89
Hailed for reviving sagging teams, he was voted one of the top 10 coaches in the N.B.A.’s first half century and was twice named coach of the year.
Sports in 2021 Tried to Return to Normal
The coronavirus pandemic still had an impact, but players and leagues had their moments.
What the Milwaukee Bucks’ Win Did for Their City
This troubled, divided city needed something to celebrate.
How a Steal and Alley-Oop Now Leave the Bucks One Win from Title
Jrue Holiday’s daring decisions sealed a victory for Milwaukee in Game 5, giving the Bucks a 3-2 series lead over the Phoenix Suns.
The Bucks Have Big-Time Supporters: Kareem and Oscar Robertson
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Oscar Robertson were the top two scorers on Milwaukee’s 1971 title team. They’re rooting for Giannis Antetokounmpo win it all this year.
What It Means to Be Clutch in Basketball’s Biggest Moments
Legends are made in the N.B.A. finals, which begin Tuesday. Basketball players who have come through in high-stakes moments like this explain how they did it.
Phoenix Suns Headed to First N.B.A. Finals in Almost 30 Years
This will be the first trip to the finals for the Suns’ veteran leader, Chris Paul, who scored 41 points in the series-clinching Game 6 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers.
New York City Mayor’s Race Intensifies
The temperature on the campaign trail is rising as the primary race enters its final month.
Why Being a Knicks Fan Hurts So Good
Knicks fans used to disappointment are now reveling in a season of joy. “God forbid, if we win, we are going to burn this city down,” one famous fan said.
From Kobe to LeBron: Tragedy and Triumph in the N.B.A.
A year that began with the deaths of two N.B.A. icons could not end soon enough, marked by heartache along the way but also small moments worth celebrating now.
2020’s Memorable Moments in Sports
Sports were not a simple salve for the events of 2020, but they still provided some moments of joy, levity and shared humanity.
K.C. Jones, Celtics Standout as Player and Coach, Dies at 88
As a defense-minded guard, he played on eight consecutive championship teams. He later found success leading the team from the sidelines.
Tom Heinsohn, Champion Celtic as Player and Coach, Is Dead at 86
His blood always ran green: eight titles with Boston as a Hall of Fame forward and two as head coach followed by a three-decade career as a die-hard Celtics broadcaster.
Even With a New President, Sports at the White House Won’t Be the Same
The politicization of the ceremonial visit to the Rose Garden by champions is one sign the presidential connection to sports is fraught, maybe inalterably.
Still Processing Podcast: ‘Waiter, There’s a Fly in Our Bubble’
Do we have enough bread crumbs to get to the truth?
Jimmy Butler Was Made for the Miami Heat
In this newsletter, Marc Stein says Butler was the breakout star of the N.B.A. finals, even in defeat. Plus: Why one ring isn’t enough to put LeBron James on the Lakers’ Mount Rushmore.
The Lakers’ Winding Path Ends With a Championship
The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Miami Heat in six games to take home the franchise’s 17th championship. It was the fourth title for LeBron James.
Live Score and Updates of Lakers vs Heat Game 5
LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers can win the franchise’s 17th championship tonight by beating the Miami Heat in Game 5.
LeBron James Is Mr. October This Year
The Los Angeles Lakers superstar has his team on the brink of a championship at an unusual time, in an unusual year. The former Yankees star Reggie Jackson is watching.
Lakers Beat Heat in Game 4 of the N.B.A. Finals
The physical toll of the N.B.A. finals was on display before, during and after Los Angeles’s victory
LeBron James’s Teammates Beat Him, Then Joined Him
A handful of James’s Los Angeles Lakers teammates played for teams that knocked him out of past playoffs. No hard feelings?
Heat Beat Lakers in Game 3 of N.B.A. Finals
Grinding for layups, absorbing contact, drawing defenders and passing to teammates; Butler was Mr. Inside.
Jalen Rose’s N.B.A. Finals Diary: ‘I Can’t Wait for the Game’
The ESPN analyst is enthralled by the 2020 series, with players isolating and “Black Lives Matter” painted on the court.
Too Many Sports, Not Enough Time
It’s not your imagination. This glut of sports events is kind of epic.
Draymond Green Doesn’t Mind Missing the N.B.A. Finals. This Year.
In this newsletter, Marc Stein talks to Green about the Golden State Warriors’ down year, analyzes the many coaching vacancies, and looks at the Lakers-Heat finals.
Lakers vs Heat Game 1: Live Score and Updates
LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers are up against Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat for the championship.
Timeline: A Year That Changed the N.B.A.
From the virus to protests to an outpouring of grief.
What I Learned Inside the N.B.A. Bubble
Against all odds, it really was a refuge of competence, normalcy and transcendent play. But the outside world has a way of sneaking in.
LeBron James and the Burden of Being Great(est)
He is miffed about not winning the M.V.P. Award, and rightfully so. His magic on and off the court is often unfairly taken for granted.
As N.B.A. Forges Ahead, LeBron James Is ‘Ready for This Moment’
Much has changed around the league since it shut down in March. But James’s focus on winning has not wavered, his Lakers teammates say, with a shot at a title.
In ‘The Last Dance,’ Michael Jordan and the Bulls Still Dominate
ESPN’s new 10-part documentary doesn’t ask Big Questions. But it does go big on a team whose personalities and feats warrant just this sort of excess.