Will Cooper Flagg ever play for the Celtics, will they get a Christmas game, and other offseason thoughts
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▪ Speaking of the schedule release, is there a chance
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Last season, just 3 of the 10 teams playing on Christmas were from the Eastern Conference. And the injuries to Tatum, Indiana's Tyrese Haliburton, and Milwaukee's Damian Lillard have widened the gap between the two conferences this summer.
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The Lakers, Warriors, Knicks, Thunder, and Rockets figure to be locks to play on Christmas, with the Nuggets and Timberwolves not far behind. The Cavaliers won 64 games and are returning most of their key pieces. That would leave two more spots. The NBA will probably have to choose whether it wants to highlight a rising team such as the Magic or stick with a weakened Celtics squad with rich tradition and a strong run of recent success.
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▪ According to league sources, everything is pushing forward as planned
▪ Longtime Celtics assistant Matt Reynolds has been picked to coach Boston's summer league team. Reynolds joined the Celtics as an intern in 2013 and worked in the video department for about five years before becoming a special assistant to the head coach for three. He was officially named an assistant coach in 2022 and has turned into one of head coach Joe Mazzulla's most trusted confidants. During games, Reynolds is usually tasked with deciding whether to challenge a call.
▪ Mazzulla is constantly seeking ways to improve, and based on a hint from president of basketball operations Brad Stevens, it's clear that this pursuit has not been scaled back this summer.
'I know Joe has already traveled the world to meet with people and talk about some [coaching philosophies],' Stevens said. 'I think he was excited to do that. He's actually at a conference tonight talking about leadership. He's always trying to learn and grow. I believe wholeheartedly in him and our staff figuring out how to best maximize our team.'
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▪ The
▪ Celtics
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'Nah, not really,' Shulga said, smiling. 'Still player-ref relationship, yeah.'
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▪ Former Celtics forward Guerschon Yabusele appears to be back in the NBA for good. Yabusele parlayed
Yabusele was just 20 when
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▪ The NBA is inching closer to empowering players to firing up deep end-of-quarter shots without worrying about misses denting their field-goal percentage. During summer league, missed 'heaves' will be recorded as team attempts only. To be considered a heave, the play must originate in the backcourt and come in the final three seconds of the final three periods, at a minimum distance of about 36 feet.
Adam Himmelsbach can be reached at
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