Starting 5, Sept. 24: The champion Celtics are back with Media Day today
Lights, Camera, Action. The defending champs’ media day is here, exactly four weeks from opening night. Watch live at 10 am ET.
THE LINEUP
What’s inside today’s edition?
Summer Catch-Up: All the offseason news you might’ve missed
Running It Back: The Celtics return the same core in 2024-25, hungry for another title
Defending The Title: What the numbers say about the difficult task of going back-to-back
W Playoffs: Home teams win all Game 1s, with MVP A’ja and the Aces aiming for a three-peat
What’s Next: Looking ahead to media days, Abu Dhabi and the NBA preseason
1. SUMMER CATCH-UP: WHILE YOU WERE AWAY
It’s been 39 days since our last full newsletter and 99 days since the Celtics won the 2024 NBA Finals. But who’s counting?
Basketball is back. (Well, almost.) And a lot has transpired since confetti rained down on the parquet floor at TD Garden.
So, before Celtics Media Day gets underway today to tip off the preseason festivities, let’s catch up on any offseason news you might’ve missed this summer.
The free agent frenzy lived up to its name as several stars found new homes, including Paul George (76ers), Klay Thompson (Mavericks), Chris Paul (Spurs) and Mikal Bridges (Knicks).
- Offseason By Team: Every offseason move by all 30 teams
- Free Agent Finder: See where every 2024 free agent ended up
- Trade Tracker: Every offseason swap in one spot
USA Men’s Basketball was golden at the 2024 Paris Olympics as Stephen Curry powered the Stars & Stripes past Victor Wembanyama and France in a thrilling final to cap an unforgettable tournament run.
- Strive For 5 Completed: USAB returns to American soil with the gold for the fifth straight Olympics
- Steph’s Flurry: Steph Curry drains four 3s in the final three minutes of the Gold Medal Game to secure the title
- The Rally: USAB overcomes a 17-point deficit to storm past Nikola Jokic and Serbia in the semifinals
- Flagbearer Bron: LeBron James and tennis star Coco Gauff serve as Team USA’s honorary flag bearers during Opening Ceremony
History was made at the 2024 NBA Draft as the Hawks’ Zaccharie Risacher (No. 1) and the Wizards’ Alex Sarr (No. 2) became the first two French players to be selected with the top two picks, while LeBron and Bronny James became the first ever active father-son NBA duo.
- Full 2024 Draft Results: Every pick from No. 1 to No. 58
- 5 Takeaways From Round 1: The top stories from the first round
Plus, seven NBA teams found a new head coach and the Heat took home the NBA 2K25 Summer League title to cap a busy circuit of summer hoops.
- All-Summer League Teams: The top performers from the NBA 2K25 Summer League in Las Vegas
- 30 Teams In 30 Teams Days: Evaluating every NBA club heading into training camp
2. CELTICS PREPARE FOR TITLE ‘ATTACK’
“The phrase ‘defending a title’ is a very passive-aggressive term,” said Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla this summer. “Whether you’ve won or haven’t won, your mindset can’t change … You’re not defending something, you’re attacking a new goal.”
After falling short in four Eastern Conference Finals and one NBA Finals in the span of seven seasons, Boston finally broke through in 2024, winning its first championship in 16 years.
Now, as the Celtics chase back-to-back titles, 29 other teams will be chasing them. But their mentality remains the same, says Mazzulla.
- Mazzulla: “I hear people talk about ‘hunter vs. hunted,’ but I think it’s ‘both/and.’ I think we should always be hunting people [in sports], and we should be getting hunted at the same time each year …
- “So regardless of the circumstances, our goal is no different than it was last year: Stick to the process of winning and get better every single day.”
Last season, the Celtics outscored their opponents by an average of 10.7 points per game (regular season + Playoffs) — the fifth-best mark by any team in league history — on their way to a record 18th title, capping one of the most dominant runs the NBA has ever seen.
This season, they’re running it back.
Boston is returning 15 players who accounted for 93% of its regular-season minutes last season, the highest rate for a defending champion in the past decade.
- Core Four: This summer, the Celtics re-signed Jayson Tatum (five years) and Derrick White (four years) to long-term deals after extending Jrue Holiday (four years) in April and Jaylen Brown (five years) in 2023
- Re-Signed Role Players: The team also re-signed Sam Hauser, Luke Kornet, Neemias Queta and Xavier Tillman
- Additional Firepower: Boston added Lonnie Walker IV (38.4 3P% in 2023-24) in free agency after drafting 3-point specialist Baylor Scheierman (No. 30 pick) from Creighton and Gonzaga forward Anton Watson (No. 54)
- Lone Departure: The team’s only departure from last year’s roster was guard/forward Svi Mykhailiuk, who averaged 4.0 points in 41 games
The Celtics will be without one key member of their 2024 title run to begin the season, as Kristaps Porzingis is expected to miss extended time after having leg surgery this summer to repair a torn retinaculum and dislocated posterior tibialis tendon suffered in Game 2 of the Finals.
- C’s Without KP: Porzingis averaged the third-most points on the team last season with 20.1 ppg, but Boston still managed to go 21-4 in the regular season and 10-2 in the Playoffs in his absence
- Mazzulla On KP’s Return: “No timetable yet. But he’s progressing. Meeting all his checkpoints. Working hard to get back. He takes a lot of pride in doing the best he can to be available.”
3. TITLE DEFENSE BY THE NUMBERS
The NBA has not seen a repeat champion since the Warriors won back-to-back titles in 2017 and 2018.
In the six seasons that followed the last successful title defense, the NBA has seen six different NBA champions – 2019 Raptors, 2020 Lakers, 2021 Bucks, 2022 Warriors, 2023 Nuggets, 2024 Celtics – matching the longest such run in NBA history (1975-80).
To dig into the difficulty of the Celtics’ task this upcoming season, let’s break down the numbers of the previous champions that preceded them.
- 23: Of the first 77 NBA champions, 23 (29.9%) successfully defended the title
- 8: The Celtics account for eight of the successful title defenses in league history. Seven came during their record run of eight straight titles from 1959-66, while the other came at the end of their dynasty in 1969
- 6: Only six other franchises have repeated as NBA champions: Lakers (7x: 1950, 1953-54, 1988, 2001-02, 2010); Bulls (4x: 1992-93, 1997-98); Pistons (1990), Rockets (1995), Heat (2013) and Warriors (2018)
For champs who haven’t repeated, 13 of them reached the Finals the following season but were unable to claim the crown again.
- 36: Combining the 23 successful title defenses and 13 runner-up finishes, defending champs have reached the Finals and had a chance to repeat 46.8% of the time
- 68.9: The percentage of defending champs that at least reach the Conference Finals the following season, with 17 teams bowing out once reaching the last four
- 2: Only two teams in NBA history have won a title but missed the Playoffs the following season; the 1970 Celtics, following the retirement of Bill Russell, was one
- 7: The 2024-25 season marks the seventh chance the Celtics have to win back-to-back titles since the Russell era. They reached the Finals in 1985 and 1987, but were thwarted each time by their arch-rival Lakers
Will this be Lucky No. 7 for the Celtics or will the NBA once again see a new champion in 2025?
Boston doesn’t have to look far for some competition, as a pair of Atlantic Division rivals made moves this offseason to bolster their rosters.
- Sixers Load Up: Philly had a busy summer, signing free agents in Paul George (from the Clippers) and Caleb Martin (from the Heat) along with French Olympic standout Guerschon Yabusele. They also resigned Kyle Lowry and Kelly Oubre Jr. and reached extensions with franchise pillars Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid
- Knicks Get Deeper: New York acquired Mikal Bridges from Brooklyn to complete the Villanova quartet, while also resigning OG Anunoby and Precious Achiuwa, extending newly-named captain Jalen Brunson and will get Julius Randle back after he missed the Playoffs
4. W PLAYOFFS: A’JA, ACES SEEK HISTORY
The Celtics aren’t the only team with eyes on a repeat title. The Las Vegas Aces opened their quest for a three-peat with a 78-67 win over Seattle on Sunday in Game 1 of the first round of the WNBA Playoffs.
Last season, the Aces became the first team to repeat as champs since the 2001-02 L.A. Sparks. Now, they’re looking to be the second team to ever win three straight, joining the Houston Comets, who won four in a row to open the league (1997-2000).
At the center of the Aces title run is A’ja Wilson, who joined an exclusive club with Lisa Leslie, Sheryl Swoopes and Lauren Jackson as the only three-time Most Valuable Player winners in league history.
- Unanimous Choice: After finishing third in MVP in 2023, A’ja left no doubt this season, becoming the first unanimous MVP since the Houston’s Cynthia Cooper in the league’s inaugural season of 1997
- Unprecedented Game: This season, Wilson averaged a league-record 26.9 points, 11.9 rebounds (2nd), 2.6 blocks (1st), 1.8 steals (5th) and 2.3 assists. Here’s the list of players in NBA and WNBA history to reach those marks or better in a season – A’ja Wilson
After winning their first two titles as the No. 1 overall seed, the Aces are working out of the four seed in 2024, while the team that they beat in the Finals last year – the New York Liberty – hold the top seed. All four series tipped off on Sunday, with the higher seeds winning the first of the best-of-three series at home.
- (1) Liberty 83, (8) Dream 69: Breanna Stewart (20 pts, 11 reb) and Leonie Fiebich (career-high 21 pts, 4 3s) combined for 41 points as NY never trailed against Atlanta
- (2) Lynx 102, (7) Mercury 95: Napheesa Collier scored a playoff career-high 38 points as Minnesota blew a 23-point lead before rallying late to beat Phoenix
- (3) Sun 93, (6) Fever 69: Alyssa Thomas’ triple-double (12 pts, 13 ast, 10 reb) and Marina Mabrey’s WNBA Playoff record 27 points off the bench spoiled Caitlin Clark’s (11 pts, 8 ast) postseason debut as Connecticut defeated Indy
What’s Next: The Liberty host the Dream (7:30 ET) and the Aces host the Storm (9:30 ET) in an ESPN doubleheader tonight with last year’s finalists looking to complete sweeps and advance.
5. ABU DHABI LOOK AHEAD + KEY DATES
Don’t look now, but the 2024-25 season is nearly here.
The preseason tips off in just 10 days (Oct. 4), beginning with the NBA Abu Dhabi Games 2024 between the Celtics and Nuggets — the past two Finals champions who each have standalone media days this week ahead of the action in UAE.
And the festivities don’t stop there. Below are some key dates to circle on your calendar ahead of the regular season, which tips off on Oct. 22.
- Sept. 24: First allowable date for players participating in Celtics & Nuggets preseason games in Abu Dhabi, UAE to report to their teams
- Sept. 24: Celtics Media Day
- Sept. 25: Training Camps open for all teams participating in preseason games outside North America (Celtics, Nuggets, Raptors, Wizards)
- Sept. 26: Nuggets Media Day
- Sept. 30: First allowable date for all other veteran players to report to their teams
- Sept. 30: Media Day for remaining 28 NBA teams
- Oct. 1: NBA Training Camps open
- Oct. 4: NBA Preseason games begin (Full Schedule)
- Oct. 4 & 6: NBA Abu Dhabi Games 2024 (Celtics vs. Nuggets | Abu Dhabi, UAE)
- Oct. 6: NBA Canada Series (Toronto Raptors vs. Washington Wizards | Montreal, QC)
- Oct. 12-13: Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Enshrinement Weekend (Springfield, MA)
- Oct. 18: NBA Preseason ends
- Oct. 21: Rosters set for NBA Opening Day (5 p.m. ET)
- Oct. 22: Start of the 2024-25 NBA regular season (Full Schedule)
