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.
Well, rather than focusing on the negative–that Boston is now in a three way tie for fourth place in the East, with no Crowder return in sight–let’s spend a bit of time on this Kevin Durant thing because why not? We’re fans. John already covered the ‘how low can they go’ angle yesterday.
Chad Finn had a piece on Boston.com that Mike linked to yesterday, and he elaborated on that in an interview with Noah Coslov later that day:
Rather than putting out any hopes that Celtics fans may have of him coming here as a free agent at some point, those seem to be enhanced quite a bit today just because he didn’t dismiss them out of hand.
Both Finn and Coslov pointed out that Durant’s extended praise of the Celtics was highly unusual, that while Durant is savvy enough not to criticize other teams and cities, neither has he gone around tossing out compliments like, “the tradition of being a Boston Celtic is second to none“
And there’s a whole other factor in play here. Seattle’s revenge. Of course this is all tongue-in-cheek. Or at least, that’s what I’m saying now, because it sounds so absurd, but if Boston lands yet another world class forward named Kevin this summer, I’m going to say I knew it all along.
Okay, as most of you know, Clayton Bennett put together an investment group that bought the Seattle Supersonics with a clearly, if privately, expressed intent to move the team. Publicly, the team shook down the city of Seattle for money to fix up KeyArena while they privately negotiated the move to Oklahoma City. The ownership group announced their intent to move the team (‘as soon as legally possible’) a day after the Sonics’ home opener in 2007.
The subsequent lawsuits and mess, including the NBA’s decision to let OKC claim Seattle’s championship and record book has been the source of considerable anger in the Seattle-Tacoma area.
Boston has two players on their roster from there.
Avery Bradley and Isaiah Thomas.
Know where Avery Bradley went to college? Texas. Know who else went to Texas? I’ll give you a hint. His last name rhymes with “houseplant”. Asked if he had said anything to this player, Bradley said, “I might have, I might not have.” Of course, if he flat out admitted he had, he’d be subject to a fine and tampering charges.
Isaiah Thomas, as we all know, is Boston’s recruiter-in-chief. He took his son into the Thunder locker room after the game in order to introduce him to KD.
So, hey, maybe these Seattle-ites play a role in showing OKC what it feels like when something you really like goes away and there’s nothing you can do about it…
Page 2: Where it’s a really slow news day.
The taste that the Oklahoma City loss left in the mouths of these Celtics players is one that isn’t easily cleansed which is why tonight’s game is one of the more potentially pivotal battles Boston will face this season.
Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas described tonight’s matchup as a “must-win” for Boston (39-29), which has lost three in a row and now finds itself in a four-way tie with Miami, Atlanta and Charlotte for playoff spots 3-6.
The only other item of note is Sherrod Blakely’s preview of tonight’s game. In a possible break for Boston, rumors suggest that Toronto, playing the back half of a back-to-back, might rest Kyle Lowry. Yep. That’s where we’re at now without Crowder–latching onto a suggestion by a guy who covers the Raptors for the Canadian ESPN.
Valanciunas (hand) is listed as doubtful vs Indy, though Casey said he’s feeling better. Could see them resting Lowry tonight or tmrw vs BOS
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) March 17, 2016
The rest of the links
CSNNE: Five players the Celtics were lucky to draft | Shaughnessy on Celtics: ‘You don’t have stars, you don’t win’ | Ainge: C’s tradition ‘has more meaning to some’ free agents
MassLive: Boston Celtics rumors 2016: Coty Clarke to sign another 10-day contract
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