Photo by Frank Dodson/LATimes The Boston Celtics weren’t supposed to be here. Ranked third, written off as a temporary placeholder in the East, and forced to navigate a long stretch without their franchise player: Boston has quietly flipped the script. At 23–12, the Celtics have done more than survive—they’ve competed at the toughest level, defended their identity, and won, leaning heavily into the best version of Jaylen Brown we’ve ever seen. On paper, this doesn’t look like

By Joel Piton · 10/17/25 · Sportz Nation Credit: Sarah Stier/GettyImages The Boston Celtics sent shockwaves through the NBA on Wednesday night, dismantling the former Eastern Conference top seed Cleveland Cavaliers in a 20-point blowout. For a team that stumbled out of the gate with three straight losses—and even sparked whispers of tanking this season—the victory felt like a much-needed jolt of hope. Was this a turning point, or just a one-night fluke? With Boston now sittin

By Joel Piton · 10/17/25 · Sportz Nation Credit: Sarah Stier/GettyImages - Celtics G Derrick White (#9) attacks the basket defended by Cleveland Cav's G Craig Porter Jr. (#9) With the NBA preseason officially in the rearview, the countdown is over—in just one day, regular season Celtics basketball returns. That also means the hunt for banner 19 begins in earnest. Yet, the journey won’t be straightforward. The franchise player is injured—fresh off last year’s postseason—and d

Just as everything has been turned upside-down this year, so too has Boston sports. The Red Sox were an absolute disaster, the Bruins and...