G Leaguers hope to provide a blueprint
The Maine Celtics are one win away from capturing their first G League championship.
A winner-take-all Game 3 of the finals is set for Monday at 9 p.m. at Portland Expo, where Maine will take on the Oklahoma City Blue.
The Boston Celtics have the best record in the NBA and are favorites to win the Finals.
With G League affiliate Maine on the brink of a title, players such as Neemias Queta, JD Davison, Drew Peterson, and Jordan Walsh have the uncommon opportunity to apply the knowledge they’ve soaked up from the NBA’s best during a championship chase of their own.
“The environment that they’re going to be in on a night-in, nightout basis is fantastic for their career development, to be around that,” said Maine Celtics coach Blaine Mueller. “It’s not common. You look around the league and some of the teams that we play, and the reality is that once the regular-season is done, it’s offseason mode completely.”
“A lot of two-way and younger roster players that may spend a lot of time in the G League don’t get that experience. So whether it’s our playoff push or Boston’s once our season ends, there’s an opportunity to learn and grow, whether that’s by doing or observing.”
Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla ,who plans to attend Monday’s game, has spoken throughout the season about the synergy between Maine and Boston. Mueller said his staff set a goal at the beginning of the year to create a joyful and fun atmosphere for players to develop and learn how to win.
“We try to the best of our abilities to emulate what Boston is doing,” Mueller said. “Certainly there’s a little bit of different personnel. It’s not going to be 100 percent identical, but as much as we can put them in a learning environment for the play style and system and terminology, the better it is when they go back to Boston and they have the opportunity to translate it in an NBA game.”
Mueller said he is excited to have home-court advantage Monday night after dropping Game 2 on the road Thursday.
“We’ve got amazing fans. The Expo is such a small and intimate space,” Mueller said. “To sell it out and have it at capacity with our fans engaged — I’m really just excited for them to get to experience another Finals game and for our guys to play in that environment.
“Obviously we have to give them something to cheer about, but what the fans do to give us a little boost and a pop in terms of our intensity and effort is certainly very real.”
Curbside Care
This week is Black Maternal Health Week. The Celtics launched an initiative called Curbside Care last year aimed at addressing Black maternal health issues in Boston.
“Data shows startling disparities between Black women and white women on rates of postpartum mortality, identification and treatment for postpartum depression, and breastfeeding duration,” the Celtics said in a release.
Curbside Care aims to eliminate a few of these barriers, including transportation and childcare, by providing dyadic care for both mothers and newborns directly outside patients’ homes.
The Celtics estimate that 2,500 patient appointments per year for Boston residents have been provided through the program.
Last month, Celtics guard Derrick White made a surprise visit, bringing gifts and supplies.
The Celtics announced White as the winner of the 2024 Red Auerbach Award award Thursday. The award is given to the Celtics player or coach who best exemplifies the spirit of being a Celtic on and off the court. Tatum grants wish
Tairih King is a 9-year-old Make-a-Wish child who has been diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma. His wish was to meet Jayson Tatum and receive a pair of his sneakers.
Tatum made the request a reality Thursday night, meeting with King before the Celtics lost to the Knicks. King watched warm-ups that night at TD Garden and spent time with other players on the Celtics’ roster.