Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here… highlighting the big story line. Because there’s nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.
The #Wizards will come to the arena tomorrow in all black b4 for Round 3 vs #Celtics. Kelly Oubre: "You know where we're going with that."
— Candace Buckner (@CandaceDBuckner) January 24, 2017
Beal came up w/ the idea for the #Wizards to wear all black tomorrow. Teammates agreed. Even 2nite, guys were amped for the game.
— Candace Buckner (@CandaceDBuckner) January 24, 2017
Me to John Wall: "All black everything?"
Wall: "A black everything. A fun-er-ral!"
Beal in background: "Yaa."— Candace Buckner (@CandaceDBuckner) January 24, 2017
A funeral? Yikes. I’m ascared. I’m sure Isaiah Thomas, Marcus Smart and Jae Crowder are cowering in their hotel rooms this morning.
I really hope the Celtics don’t take the bait. It’s time to mimic the Patriots and ignore the noise. The Celtics have bigger fish to fry – like getting back on track after two awful losses at home.
In case you haven’t noticed, the Raptors are in a funk, too. They’ve lost 3 straight and DeMar DeRozan is out with a sprained ankle. The Celtics are just 1.5 games behind Toronto in the standings. It’s time to make a move.
The Wizards play their best (18-6) at home. The Celtics need to be focused on Xs and Os, not the color of Bradley Beal’s suit. Plus, it will be fun watching the Wizards talk post-game about a loss while putting on their funeral attire.
Related – ESPN Boston – All black everything – a funeral | Globe: Will bad blood resurface? | Herald –Wiz guards post another tough challenge | CSNNE – Bradley, Green and Jackson to miss WAS game | Mass Live – Crowder calls Wizards disrespectful
On Page 2, the L2M pisses off Jae Crowder.
The NBA announced Sunday night that Smart’s steal – which came with 10.8 seconds left in regulation – should have stood up as a clean play. Instead, the referees whistled Smart for a foul, wiped away his ensuing bucket and granted Lillard two free throws. The Celtics should have gone ahead by one point, but fell behind by three.
They needed a Terry Rozier 3-pointer just to force overtime and lost, 127-123, in the extra session.
The NBA’s report supported the accuracy of every other call during overtime and the last two minutes of regulation, but the erroneous foul on Smart might have cost the Celtics the game. Hearing about the mistake only irritated the team’s players.
“It just pisses you off,” Jae Crowder said. “I don’t like that.”
IT and Al Horford also voiced their displeasure with the Last Two Minute Report. While I understand their perspective, I love the league’s transparency with officiating. It’s a great way to show what they got right and wrong.
I’ll always feel like the league (David Stern) buried the Tim Donaghy gambling scandal and the media went along for the ride.
The rest of the links
ESPN – IT on Pats: They’re the team you want to be | LeBron whining about Cavs roster
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