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.
5. Prediction time: Who makes the playoffs in the East?
Mazzeo: The Nets sneak into the No. 8 spot. But given that the Celtics hold the tiebreaker, nothing would surprise me.
Forsberg: Honestly, this all might boil down to the Hawks. They can practically pick their first-round opponent. Lie down against the Nets and likely ensure a visit from Brooklyn (though that diminishes the first-round pick that will be delivered). If the Hawks prefer to see Boston, then a couple of wins over Brooklyn would help that cause. I agree that Brooklyn seemingly has the edge at the moment, but Boston’s tiebreaker could be a huge asset at the finish line.
ESPN Boston – Jump ball: Who gets the 8th seed in the East?
No disrespect is meant to the likes of Charlotte and Indiana, the race for the 8th seed (and possibly 6th and 7th seeds) has come down to a good ‘ol battle of Boston vs. New York. Ok, so it’s technically Brooklyn, and it’s still the Nets, but the Celtics had some playoff battles with them in the days of Pierce, Walker and Jim O’Brien’s 3-point bombing teams. Back then the Nets defeated the Celtics in back-to-back seasons, prompting Ainge to detonate those teams (thankfully). These days, Ainge has detonated the Nets franchise, but this time has done it off the court. It would be poetic if the Celtics, who were supposed to be horrible, ended up being the team that knocked the Nets out of the playoffs. Ainge destroyed Brooklyn in the Pierce/KG trade (although the emotional cost of watching Pierce in another uniform was high), and now his team is in good position to lap them on and off the court.
Chris Forsberg makes a great point in that the Hawks (who are the 1st seed) can essentially choose their first round opponent. They may want to go all out against Brooklyn and force them into the lottery because then the Hawks get Brooklyn’s lottery pick. But maybe they don’t want to play these scrappy Celtics. Either way it should be a fun final few games. It would be a little bit sweeter to get in at the expense of the Nets.
On Page 2, Ainge (once again) says Stevens is going nowhere
“Brad’s not considering college,” Ainge said on his weekly call-in to 98.5 the Sports Hub’s Toucher & Rich show. “Brad is with the Celtics. It’s just talk; it’s just talk out there. When coaching jobs open up, of course there’s a lot of people that would have interest in Brad.”
Stevens came to Boston after six seasons (2007-2013) as coach of the Butler Bulldogs. He was 166-49 (.772 winning percentage), which included a pair of national championship runner-up finishes in 2010 to Duke and in 2011 to UConn.
To hear Stevens’ name thrown about as someone college programs have interest in, doesn’t seem to bother Ainge.
“I certainly understand it,” Ainge said. “It’s a compliment to Brad, that he’s a well-known coach, well-liked and respected coach around college and NBA circles. I’m sure we’ll continue to hear that kind of stuff every year. But Brad’s with us and that’s that.”
CSNNE – Ainge: Stevens ‘not considering college’
Will Brad Stevens leave for Indiana? Maybe head south to coach Texas? Maybe he likes it here but prefers to try his hand in the Ivy League at Harvard? Duke? Syracuse? Oxford? Bayside High? Is he going to be the next Spider-Man? Maybe he’s playing the Joker in the next Batman vs Superman movie? Actually, he’s playing the next Jedi master in the new Star Wars movie.
Look, could he leave? Sure, it’s possible. But there has been zero indications other than rumors that he’s going back to college. He’s here, and it truly seems like he wants to see this thing through. Ainge got a huge piece of the rebuilding puzzle right away when he hired Stevens. Hopefully, Stevens has a chance to coach a true contender while he’s here.
The rest of the links:
ESPN Boston – Ainge embraces playoff push | Why Luigi Datome may stay in the NBA | Celtics are seventh NBA team to join new ticketing trend
Boston Globe – Celtics’ run toward playoffs good for long-term health of team | Celtics big man Tyler Zeller was the Bill Russell of Nerf basketball
Boston Herald – Team, fans savor time with Jae Crowder
CSNNE – Ainge didn’t expect Olynyk to play in Celtics’ win | Ainge: Experience of playoff push critical for Celtics
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