Stevens replacing Ainge as president in Celts’ shakeup
Danny Ainge, who helped bring two NBA titles to Boston as a player and another as the team’s basketball boss, stepped down from the Celtics’ front office just hours after they were eliminated from the postseason, and head coach Brad Stevens is giving up his job on the bench to replace him.
Stevens will lead the search for his successor, the Celtics said in a news conference Wednesday. He leaves as the fourthwinningest head coach in franchise history, but one who failed to hang a championship banner from the rafters.
“Hiring a new coach will give us a great opportunity to hire somebody that will be … a new, fresh voice with a new, fresh perspective,” Stevens said. “They don’t have to fill Doc Rivers’ shoes, like I did. And they don’t have to fill Danny Ainge’s shoes, like I do. They just have to figure out a way to be better than the last guy.”
This year’s team lost 10 of its last 15 games and falling into the playin round. The moves came about 12 hours after the Celtics lost to Brooklyn in Game 5 of their firstround playoff series.
Wednesday’s games
Mavericks 105, Clippers 100: Luka Doncic had 42 points, eight rebounds and 14 assists and visiting Dallas took a 3-2 lead in the Western Conference first-round series with Los Angeles, with a chance to clinch the series at home on Friday. However, the home team has yet to win a game in this series. Paul George had 23 points and 10 rebounds for the Clippers, but Kawhi Leonard struggled to score 20 points on 7-for-19 shooting, including 1-for-7 from 3-point territory. George and Leonard each had five turnovers.
Jazz 126, Grizzlies 110: Donovan Mitchell scored 26 of his 30 points in the first half and host Utah eliminated Memphis in Game 5. Mitchell also had 10 assists and six rebounds in 29 minutes, getting a little rest before facing the winner of the Clippers-Mavericks series.
76ers 129, Wizards 112: Seth Curry scored a playoff-career-high 30 points and host Philadelphia eliminated Washington in five games, overcoming Joel Embiid’s absence because of a knee injury. Tobias
Harris added 28 points and teamed with Curry and Ben Simmons to carry the offensive load with Embiid out. Simmons had 19 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds to keep the top-seeded 76ers in the hunt for their first championship since 1983. Embiid is day to day with a lateral meniscus tear in his right knee.
Hawks 103, Knicks 89: Trae Young put the finishing touches on his impressive first playoff series with 36 points and nine assists, and visiting Atlanta eliminated New York in Game 5. Clint Capela backed up his confident words from a day earlier with 14 points and 15 rebounds for the Hawks, who will play top-seeded Philadelphia in the Eastern Conference semifinals, which begin Sunday.