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- š The Celtics are CHAMPS!
š The Celtics are CHAMPS!
Plus, how this sharpshooter went from three different schools to the NBA draft
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After a year hounded by haters and doubters, the Boston Celtics are your NBA Champions! All we gotta say is ā
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And big congrats to our Finals Challenge winners Jack and Logyn! That was fun! Should we run it back? Reply to this email if you want an NBA Draft Challenge for a chance to win more prizes!
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Todayās Lineup
š Celtics Championship Coverage
Boston dominates Dallas to claim their 18th ring
š Enjoy the Journey
How this sharpshooter went from three different schools to the NBA draft
š No Ceilings Draft Coverage Breaking down some of the most Enjoyable 2024 draft prospects
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Celtics Championship Coverage
Celtics Slice Up Mavericks 106-88 to raise Banner #18
Looking across the NBA social media landscape, thereās one word that youāll see to describe these Finals far more than any other ā boring. But, as time goes on and people truly process the legacy of this Celtics team, we think it will be replaced by another ā dominant.
Letās take a quick look at some of the numbers from this all-time great season.
The 5th best point differential in NBA history. š„
One of just three teams since 2000 with less than four losses in the playoffs. š²
The most threes per game of any championship winner ever 3ļøā£
And everything that makes them so great was on display in a game five performance that was practically done and dusted by halftime. The relentless defense of Derrick White and Jrue Holiday had Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic fighting tooth and nail for buckets that had come near effortless to them earlier in the playoffs. And their barrage of first-half threes involved seven different Celtics, including Payton Pritchard with an audacious half-court heave at the buzzer.
But, it was none other than the star duo that has been questioned more than any other in recent years who stepped up when it mattered most. Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum had no time for the #1 option conversations, they just got to work, balled out, and shut everyone up.
While JB ended up with the Finals MVP, it was JT who made the biggest mark on this decisive game, putting up a near triple-double. And for all the jabs online about what iconic moment he would try to imitate once the Celtics won, he ended up creating one all his own, holding his son Deuce in his arms as the confetti fell around them. Finally, a champion.
DEUCE'S DAD: NBA CHAMPION šāļøš
ā NBA (@NBA)
3:09 AM ā¢ Jun 18, 2024
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Enjoy the Journey: Cormac Ryan
Over the next week, we're going to be taking you through the incredible stories behind a few different NBA draft prospects whose names you should know before next week's draft. First up is Cormac Ryan, a shooting guard who spent last year with North Carolina and is looking to do just one thing at the next level: win.
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Cormac Ryan (left) during UNCās win over Duke on March 9th
āThe mindset that I have is one that starts and ends with being hungry, being a competitor, and looking to earn my way into this league at every turn,ā said Cormac Ryan, settling down in his hotel room after a tough multi-hour practice session.
Itās a mindset that you can see every time he steps on the court, from his exuberance after a tough long-range basket down to his nonstop effort on the defensive end. One that, despite being a perimeter-oriented wing, he learned from watching one of the gameās greatest-ever big men.
āI love to just take in as much as I can. Part of becoming a better player is watching these guys who have become elite in their role and then taking away bits and pieces from each guy,ā Cormac said. āEven guys who arenāt similar to me, like Kevin Garnett. I have basically no similarities to him in terms of basketball, but I love his fire and his intensity. And that's something that you can watch and feed off of and respond to.
Basketball has always been a central part of Cormac's life. He grew up Enjoy-ing some of the best guards the early 2000s NBA had to offer, including Steve Nash, JJ Redick, and Kirk Heinrich. But before them all, it all started with the influence the game had on his parents. His father, Mike, played 53 games over three seasons at Yale University and started all 28 games of his 1988-89 senior season.
āBasketball is something I've always loved,ā he said. āItās been a source of learning and life lessons for me, and I carry a lot of what I learned through basketball into life as well.
And Cormac certainly has learned from the best. He benefitted from the guidance of multiple different legendary coaches at the collegiate levelāstarting out at Stanford under coach Jerod Haase and then transferring to Notre Dame coached by Mike Brey before finally ending up with coach Hubert Davis at North Carolina last year. And instead of worrying about the potentially tumultuous nature of spending time underneath multiple different coaches at multiple different programs, Cormac got the best out of each opportunity he was provided with and learned from those experiences.
āBeing able to learn and take a little bit away from each and every stop has been a real advantage for me,ā he said.
As the draft approaches, Cormac is staying hungry and emphasizing the competitive edge he could contribute at the NBA level.
āMy job and my responsibility is to go out and to the best of my ability show my value to the NBA teams I get the opportunity to work out for,ā he said. āAnd to be in this position is a blessing, first and foremost. To have the people in my corner, the guidance, the physical and mental blessings from God, and the ability to be at the precipice of something like this is something that I'm always grateful for.ā
And in terms of his goals as a professional basketball player, Cormac is keeping it simple.
āMy ambitions are what they have always beenāto impact winning and win a championship. That is my goal, with whatever franchise I land with and whatever that looks like,ā he said.
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š§ Daily Trivia š§
Since 2000 only two NBA champions had a better playoff win percentage than the 2024 Celtics, the 2017 Warriors and.... |
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No Ceilings: Most Enjoyable Prospects
Whatās up, Enjoyers?! Itās your boy Corey from No Ceilings here, and the crew is back again to help you parse your way through the chaos of the 2024 NBA Draft. This draft in particular is unlike drafts from the last few years, in that there is no Wemby, Cade, or Paolo, slap you in the face type #1 prospect. Butā¦this makes this draft all the more fun and potentially all the more chaotic. So to help you get familiar with some of these guys weāre going to break down some of the 2024 class and weāre going to start with some of the Most Enjoyable dudes that will hear their names called on June 26th and 27th.
Born To Get Buckets: Kentuckyās Rob Dillingham basically walked out of an NBA Jam video game. The wiggly guard has the deepest bag in the class and will take your ankles if you try to guard him too tight. Unfortunately for defenders, if you play off of him he is going to drain a jumper directly in your eye. The rub with Rob? Well, heās a very slight 164 pounds and at just 6ā2ā with t-rex arms there are going to be questions about how well he holds up defensively at the next level. But if weāre talking straight entertainment factor? Sit back, relax, and turn on some Rob Wit Da Shifts tape. It doesnāt get any more fun.
Look Out Below: G League Ignite wing Ron Holland can get UP. Holland has an absolutely relentless motor and flyās up the court like one of those jets from Top Gun. Basically what Iām saying is that if you try to jump with Ron, you may end up on a poster. If youāre looking for a top end player comp, think 2024 NBA Finals MVP Jaylen Brown. Holland was once projected as a potential top pick during the pre-draft cycle, but an up-and-down season with an Ignite team that has since shut down due to how dysfunctional their season was, has Hollandās stock a bit up in the air. But if youāre looking for high flying draft prospects, up in the air is where youāll find him.
The Chaos Agent: If youāre like us over at No Ceilings and youāve watched Heath Ledger in the Dark Knight on loop so many times that you need a little chaos in your draft prospects, then Providenceās Devin Carter is your guy. Carter is a straight ball of energy that is anywhere and everywhere at all times. Son of former NBA hooper Anthony Carter, Devin made huge improvements as a shooter during his junior campaign. My dude was not afraid to let that thing fly. Three off movement? Sure. Pull-up from five feet behind the line? Why not? The dude is fearless. Donāt be surprised if you hear Devin Carterās name a little earlier than you may expect on night one of the draft.
Thanks for reading y'all. Weāll be back for more draft talk the rest of the week. In the meantime, make sure youāre caught up on all things draft by copping the official 2024 No Ceilings NBA Draft Guide which is available now!
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Three in the Key
š„¹ Big Al gets his ring
17 years and 186 playoff games laterā¦
š Casual pickup for the MVP
Imagine Nikola Jokic showing up to your local courtā¦
š¤ Freedom Day
Today we recognize Juneteenth celebrating Black freedom, history and heritage.
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Signing Off
Itās been an honor spreading basketball positivity with yāall for another incredible season! Thank you all so much for tuning in and weāre excited to keep working hard to deliver uplifting hoops news all summer.
Talk soon,
š š š
In your best Mike Breen impression, what did you think of today's newsletter? |
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