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Celtics retire Kevin Garnett’s jersey No. 5 today

The number 5 today will join the ranks of Celtics legends overlooking the parquet floor from the rafters of TD Garden.

Kevin Garnett and his family will help raise the historic banner featuring his number 5 to the arena rafters, cementing a Celtics legacy which featured five All-Star appearances, a Defensive Player of the Year award, and a 2008 NBA Championship banner in his six seasons with the franchise.

“Everything changed the minute KG walked into the first practice,” said Celtics Governor, Managing Partner, and CEO Wyc Grousbeck. “A lot of people contributed to the championship, but KG would simply not let us lose that year. He is one of my very favorite people and very favorite Celtics.”

“KG embodies the heart and soul of what it means to be a Celtic,” said Celtics Co-Owner and Alternate Governor Steve Pagliuca. “His selflessness and team leadership were critical to bringing a 17th banner back to Boston. He proved that nothing is impossible when you play as a team and trust each other. He is simply the best.”

Acquired by the Celtics on July 31, 2007 from the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for five players and two first-round draft picks, Garnett played six impactful seasons in Boston from 2007-08 to 2012-13, producing 15.7 points on 52.0% shooting, 8.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.0 blocked shots across 396 games with the franchise. He was named an NBA All-Star in five of his six seasons with the Celtics, including each of his first four from 2008 to 2011.

In his first season with Boston, the then 13-year NBA veteran averaged 18.8 points on 53.9% shooting, 9.2 rebounds, 1.4 steals, and 1.3 blocked shots, all of which finished as his high marks with the team. He was named the NBA Defensive Player of the Year for the first time in his career, becoming the first Celtics player in franchise history to receive the award.

Garnett played an integral role in the Celtics’ quest for Banner 17, averaging a double-double with 20.4 points (49.5% FG), 10.5 rebounds, 1.3 steals, and 1.3 blocked shots in 26 postseason games in 2008. He finished with 30+ points twice during Boston’s historic playoff run – including a 33-point, 7-rebound performance in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals against Detroit – and capped off his playoff dominance with 26 points (10-18 FG) and 14 rebounds in the Celtics championship-clinching Game 6 against the Los Angeles Lakers on June 17.

Inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2020, Garnett received 15 career All-Star selections in 21 seasons with Minnesota, Boston, and Brooklyn. The fifth overall selection of the 1995 NBA Draft is one three players in NBA history to tally at least 20,000 points and 10,000 rebounds for his career (Abdul-Jabbar/Malone), and one of two players to surpass 1,800 steals and 1,800 blocks (Olajuwon).

Celtics fans attending today’s game against the Dallas Mavericks will be greeted with a commemorative t-shirt featuring the number 5 and a silhouette of Kevin Garnett on the front, courtesy of TD Bank. Vistaprint and the Celtics have also teamed up with local artist Ally Thatcher of Fallen Cargo to create a mural across the 19,156 seats of TD Garden. Each fan will receive a piece of the overarching mural on its seatback.

GIFTS GARNETT WILL RECEIVE FROM CELTICS

As part of the ceremony, which will include Garnett’s family, Celtics alumni, current Celtics players, and Celtics executives on the parquet, the Celtics will present Garnett with a series of gifts acknowledging his memorable Celtics career, including:

– A replica of the retired number 5 banner, which is framed with authentic parquet flooring from the 2007-08 championship season.

– A framed collage including a number 5 square, iconic photos of Garnett, and an authentic piece of parquet flooring, etched with career accolades.

– Original painting by esteemed artist Daniel Maltzman, which was created behind the banners hanging in the rafters.

– NFT Gift Basket including five original collectibles from Gutter Pigeons, Bears Deluxe, SupDucks, The Doggies (Snoop Dogg), and Rug Radio.

– A custom engraved bottle of Cincoro Extra Añejo Tequila.

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Paul Pierce speaks on the Celtics

This won’t shock you, but Paul Pierce has some good things to say about the Boston Celtics. Via the Boston.com:

Paul Pierce knows what it takes to bring an NBA title to Boston.

The Celtics legend was the NBA Finals MVP for the organization’s last championship team in 2008. Fourteen years later, with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown leading a Celtics squad that’s won 18 of its last 21 games, Pierce believes that this current iteration of the Celtics might hit the same ceiling as the 2008 Celtics.

“Well, Jayson Tatum’s playing at an MVP level. The Celtics are playing their best basketball right now,” Pierce told NBC Sports Boston’s Abby Chin during Friday night’s Celtics game. “If they continue to play like this, I could see them in the Eastern Conference Finals and possibly the NBA Finals.”

Pierce is perfectly correct on this, of course. The Celtics are currently 5th, and rising lately, in a tight Eastern conference race whose mid and upper seeds are wide open for the taking.

After a slow start to the season, Celtics basketball is on a serious roll these days, and they’re playing as well as almost any team in the league.

Trail Blazers founding broadcaster Bill Schonely announces retirement

Trail Blazers founding broadcaster Bill Schonely has announced his retirement after over 50 years with the Trail Blazers organization as play-by-play broadcaster and team ambassador at the age of 92.

Schonely, who coined many popular catchphrases for the organization including Portland favorite “Rip City”, was hired in 1970 by team founder Harry Glickman and served as play-by-play broadcaster for almost three decades. Schonely has served as a Trail Blazers ambassador since 2003 and has made appearances in the community in support of the team’s outreach mission.

“Bill has been a fixture of the Trail Blazers organization since its inception and will continue to be forever engrained in this city,” said Dewayne Hankins, President of Business Operations for the Trail Blazers. “We thank Bill immensely for his 50+ years of hard work and everything he has given to our organization, the city of Portland and the entire NBA community.”

Schonely was one of the organization’s earliest employees at hire number six. He was tasked with quickly assembling a radio network to introduce Oregon to the Trail Blazers organization. Serving as the team’s play-by-play voice for nearly 30 years, he called over 2,500 games including the team’s incredible championship run in 1977 and the exciting runs in the 1990s. Schonely maintained a streak of calling games throughout his 30-year run that was only interrupted in 1982-83 when he stepped away to recover from heart bypass surgery. Prior to joining the Trail Blazers organization, Schonely served in the United States Marine Corps and worked at radio stations throughout the country.

In 1999, Schonely was inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame for broadcasting and in 2012, he was awarded the Curt Gowdy Media Award from the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame for his contributions to the game as an outstanding broadcaster.

Schonely will be honored at the last home game of the season on Sunday, April 10 vs. Utah

G League: Jordan Crawford is back on the Long Island Nets

The Long Island Nets, the NBA G League affiliate of the Brooklyn Nets, have reacquired guard Jordan Crawford from the available player pool to replace guard Tyrone Wallace while he plays for the New Orleans Pelicans on a 10-day contract.

Crawford (6’5”, 195) was previously acquired by Long Island on Dec. 30 and appeared in eight games (two starts) with the team this season, averaging 13.4 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 29.4 minutes per contest prior to being waived on Jan. 31.

The 33-year-old has also appeared in 281 career NBA games (99 starts) across six seasons with New Orleans (2016-18), Boston (2013-14), Golden State (2014), Washington (2011-13) and Atlanta (2010-11), recording averages of 12.2 points, 2.5 rebounds and 3.1 assists in 24.4 minutes per game. Crawford has also appeared in 53 career NBA G League games (27 starts) over three seasons with the Grand Rapids (2016-17), Fort Wayne (2014-15) and Long Island (2021-22), averaging 21.8 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.2 steals in 30.6 minutes per contest. Additionally, Crawford has played five seasons (2014-21) internationally in China, Germany, Israel, Russia and Turkey.

Hornets sign guard Isaiah Thomas to second 10-day contract

The Charlotte Hornets have signed guard Isaiah Thomas to a second 10-day contract.

Thomas signed his first 10-day contract with the Hornets on Mar. 2, averaging 9.7 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game in three games for Charlotte. Earlier this season, Thomas signed a 10-day contract with both the Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks. He is averaging 9.0 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 19.4 minutes per game over seven games this season with Los Angeles, Dallas and Charlotte.

Pelicans sign forward Alize Johnson to 10-day contract

The New Orleans Pelicans have signed forward Alize Johnson to a 10-day contract via the COVID hardship exception.

Johnson, 6’7”, 212, has appeared in 71 career games (one start) across four seasons with Indiana, Brooklyn, Chicago, Washington, and New Orleans, recording averages of 2.6 points and 3.1 rebounds in 7.5 minutes per contest while shooting .487 from the field. Johnson has appeared in 22 games this season with the Bulls, Wizards, and Pelicans, averaging 1.9 points and 2.7 rebounds in 7.4 minutes per game.

A native of Williamsport, Pa., Johnson was selected 50th overall in the 2018 NBA Draft out of Missouri State where he averaged 14.9 points, 11.1 rebounds, and 2.4 assists across two seasons.

New Orleans’s roster now stands at 18 players, including two two-way players.

Mitchell Robinson playing well for Knicks this season

Here’s the New York Daily News with some positive words on Knicks center Mitchell Robinson:

Mitchell Robinson began this campaign still recovering from a fractured foot, having added too much weight during a longer-than-expected rehab. The Knicks passed on giving Robinson an extension in the offseason, instead handing $30 million to the other center — Nerlens Noel — who finished last season as the starter.

Robinson’s poor conditioning left him benched in early December, with Noel stepping back into the lineup.

Now?

Robinson is registering the best and most consistent basketball of his career, becoming a tour de force on the offensive glass as Noel devolved to unreliable. His strength and basketball IQ is finally catching up to his athleticism, and the development is reflected in his rebounding numbers: Robinson, 23, is second in the NBA in total offensive rebounds, behind only his opponent in Friday night’s game, Memphis’ Steven Adams. He’s shooting a ridiculous 77% from the field, with an equally ridiculous 42.5% of his field goals coming from putbacks off rebounds.

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Pelicans sign Tyrone Wallace to 10-day contract, and release Alize Johnson

The New Orleans Pelicans have signed guard Tyrone Wallace to a 10-day contract.

And in a related move, the Pelicans released Alize Johnson.

Wallace, 6-5, 198, has appeared in 106 career games (19 starts) across three seasons with the LA Clippers and Atlanta Hawks, recording averages of 5.2 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 15.5 minutes per contest.

Wallace most recently appeared in 20 games (11 starts) this season with the G League’s Long Island Nets, averaging 18.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.3 assists in 33.4 minutes per game.

New Orleans’s roster now stands at 17 players, including two two-way players.

James Harden struggles in Sixers loss to Nets

Thursday night in Philly, as a still-inactive Ben Simmons looked on, the Nets easily handled the Sixers, winning 129-100. Here’s the Philly Voice on the play of James Harden, who shot a miserable 3 for 17 and shot just two free throws for 11 points against his former squad:

James Harden was absolutely horrendous in this game. All the issues he has been accused of having when it matters in the playoffs came roaring to the forefront in a game with all eyes on it, and it was probably the single biggest reason the Sixers found themselves down 20 points early in this game. Brooklyn’s perimeter stars played at an A1 level, and Harden was a mess, turning the ball over and getting his shot packed whenever he tried to get into the painted area.

There were far too many attempts from Harden to sell contact and draw fouls when he could have simply played basketball. He didn’t look particularly good or shoot well even when he tried to reach deep into the stepback bag, but that was frankly a secondary issue. Throughout this game, Harden looked without a hope or a plan after spending most of his time here to date completely controlling games.

You look at Harden’s passing a lot differently when the other team has completely shut him down as a scorer. There were moments in Thursday’s game where it felt like Harden was so in his head and stuck in the mud that he simply wanted to get rid of the ball, uninterested in attacking the teeth of Brooklyn’s defense. And this isn’t even a good defense! Far from it, in fact. It’s almost hard to describe just how bad and detrimental to the cause Harden was in this game.

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Cavaliers sign center Moses Brown to 10-day contract

The Cleveland Cavaliers have signed center Moses Brown to a 10-day contract, Cavaliers President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman announced today from Cleveland Clinic Courts.

Brown (7-2, 245) has appeared in 78 career NBA games (33 starts) with Portland, Oklahoma City and Dallas over his three seasons in the NBA. He holds career averages of 5.9 points, 5.9 rebounds and 0.73 blocks in 14.4 minutes. Additionally, Brown has also played in 45 games (15 starts) over three seasons in the NBA G League and was named to the 2021 All-NBA G League First Team and NBA G League All-Defensive Team, posting averages of 18.5 points, 13.9 rebounds and 1.71 blocks in 26.4 minutes over the 2020-21 NBA G League season. Brown went undrafted in 2019 after playing one season at UCLA.

This season with the Mavericks, Brown appeared in 26 games (1 start), averaging 3.1 points and 2.3 rebounds in 6.5 minutes per contest. Brown will wear jersey number 6 for the Cavaliers.