{"id":838799,"date":"2026-08-02T00:33:15","date_gmt":"2026-08-02T00:33:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/838799\/"},"modified":"2026-08-02T00:33:15","modified_gmt":"2026-08-02T00:33:15","slug":"if-the-76ers-win-the-nba-championship-it-will-be-the-celtics-fault","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/838799\/","title":{"rendered":"If the 76ers win the NBA championship, it will be the Celtics\u2019 fault"},"content":{"rendered":"

Truly. It\u2019s painfully clear that James would not have joined the Sixers if the Celtics hadn\u2019t traded Jaylen Brown to Philadelphia<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Forty-one-year-old LeBron could have joined any team he wanted. It\u2019s not about the money for him anymore; this is about his legacy. It\u2019s about winning in a mega NBA market that hasn\u2019t tasted champagne since Moses Malone and Julius Erving roamed the hardwood at the old Spectrum way back in 1983.<\/p>\n

LeBron wants to win in his fourth city, and Philly would not have been a destination if 29-year-old Brown weren\u2019t waiting in the wings. The Joel Embiid-Tyrese Maxey-VJ Edgecombe Sixers were routed by the Knicks<\/a> in the Eastern Conference semifinals. The series was a joke, and the 76ers weren\u2019t going anywhere in 2026-27 with the oft-injured Embiid and his returning cast.<\/p>\n

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Now, they have Brown. And LeBron. Suddenly they have a star-laden starting five better than any in the league. If Embiid stays healthy, they have a chance at a championship.<\/p>\n

All thanks to Brad Stevens<\/a>.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m absolutely loving this, and haven\u2019t been this geeked about an upcoming NBA season since 1985, when Red Auerbach added Bill Walton and Jerry Sichting to a Celtics team that had just gone 63-19.<\/p>\n

I can\u2019t wait for the NBA\u2019s schedule release in mid-August. The Celtics will play the 76ers four times in 2026-27, then hopefully meet in a playoff rematch<\/a>. With LeBron, the Philly-at-Boston games will be like Peyton Manning coming to Foxborough vs. Tom Brady, or Roger Clemens starting playoff games at Fenway Park for the Yankees.<\/p>\n

Even their preseason games will be must-watch. LeBron comes to Boston on Oct. 10, and the Celtics play an exhibition Oct. 16 in Philly.<\/p>\n

The mere thought of LeBron at the Garden in a 76ers uniform keeps me awake at night. I was there in 2008 when a young James willed an ordinary Cavaliers team to a conference semifinal Game 7 against the Garnett-Pierce-Allen world champions. Paul Pierce scored 41 points in the Celtics\u2019 victory<\/a>, while James had a majestic 45 in a 5-point loss.<\/p>\n

LeBron had his revenge at the Garden four years later in a 45-point, 15-rebound, Game 6 tour de force<\/a> that sent the Heat and Celtics back to Miami for a Game 7 that was won by Miami. It was one of the greatest individual performances by a visitor on Boston\u2019s parquet floor.<\/p>\n

And now the NBA\u2019s ancient warrior is wearing the uniform Wilt Chamberlain wore when he dueled Bill Russell in the 1960s. Too good.<\/p>\n

James\u2019s \u201cdecision\u201d heaps new pressure on a Celtics franchise still reeling from the curious Brown giveaway for 36-year-old Paul George and some draft picks. It adds a whole new layer of bad to the Brown deal. We\u2019ll be eyeballing the Atlantic Division standings as early as November.<\/p>\n

If the LeBron Sixers win a championship, Philly\u2019s banner will be Boston\u2019s fault, and the Brown trade will take its rightful place on the medal podium of local bonehead deals \u2014 Babe Ruth to the Yankees<\/a>, Mookie Betts to the Dodgers<\/a> \u2014 with Bill Chisholm and Stevens joining Harry Frazee, John Henry, and Chaim Bloom in New England sports infamy. Henry also owns the Globe. <\/p>\n

It\u2019ll be Boston\u2019s fault.<\/p>\n

\u22c5 Quiz: 1. Name five Hall of Fame pitchers with more than 100 wins and more than 100 saves; 2. Curtis Mead was assigned Tony Conigliaro\u2019s No. 25. Name two Red Sox who wore No. 25 when they were MVP of a Sox World Series win this century. (Answers below.)<\/p>\n

\u22c5 On June 30, when the Red Sox were 37-47, I got this unsolicited text from Alex Cora: \u201cGet hot for 10 days \u2026 They need more than that but this is their window. Nationals, Angels, White Sox, Mets. With the way they pitch they can get close to .500 by the end of this stretch.\u201d The Sox lost to the Nationals the next day, then ripped off 15 in a row<\/a>, sweeping the Angels, White Sox, and Mets. Now there\u2019s a man who knows his team.<\/p>\n

\u22c5 Why do I suspect Robert Kraft isn\u2019t telling the whole story<\/a> when he says the Patriots have offered to make Christian Gonzalez the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history, and the highest-paid player in franchise history? Is MAGA Bob talking about guaranteed dollars? And doesn\u2019t he realize that fans know new contracts to top players always become the new standard? Would we be impressed if Stevens told us the Celtics are paying Jordan Walsh more than Bill Russell ever made? What is the upside of trying to make your own player look greedy?<\/p>\n

\u22c5 Not a fan of trading Connelly Early for Curtis Mead, and this has nothing to do with the bad luck of Mead sustaining a fractured wrist<\/a> (Vern Ruhle, anybody?) in his second plate appearance with the Red Sox. We all understand the need for righthanded power, but unless Mead becomes an everyday second baseman who can hit 25 home runs every year, the Sox simply didn\u2019t get enough for a 24-year-old lefthanded starting pitcher who took the ball for their most important start of their season<\/a> last October. In 21 starts over two seasons, Early went 8-7 with a 3.24 ERA. His elbow barked this year, but Early is smart, West Point-disciplined, and his Washington boss, Paul Toboni, is a bright talent who spent a decade with the Sox and knows exactly what he\u2019s getting. <\/p>\n

The plate-crowding\/pull-happy Mead has 17 homers this year, but he\u2019s 25, was designated for assignment by the White Sox, has already been traded three times, and wears more armor than Matt Damon in \u201cThe Odyssey.\u201d Mead presents as a typical Red Sox journeyman, 4-A player. <\/p>\n

Now that he\u2019s hurt, the Sox will go into the offseason not knowing what they have in Mead. Is he another Vaughn Grissom<\/a>? The whole deal feels like another case of the Sox working the edges and trying to show they are smarter than everybody else.<\/p>\n

\u22c5 If the season ended today, the Astros\u2019 Yordan Alvarez would win the American League\u2019s Triple Crown (.321, 35 HRs, 80 RBIs going into Thursday). <\/p>\n

\u22c5 While in the Baseball Hall of Fame\u2019s<\/a> plaque gallery last Saturday, I made it a point to seek out new inductee Jeff Kent, who never got more than 46.5 percent on the BBWAA\u2019s ballot (75 percent is required for admission) but was voted in by a small committee of his peers last winter. I\u2019ve been a Hall of Fame voter since 1988 and have always applied a \u201cnothing shady\u201d standard when it comes time for the ballot. In 2022<\/a> and \u201923<\/a>, I voted for Kent only, which was not popular. \u201cJeff Kent might not be the hill you want to die on,\u201d suggested Theo Epstein.<\/p>\n

\u22c5 Epstein isn\u2019t eligible to get a plaque in the Hall until he\u2019s at least 65 years old. A curse-buster with the Red Sox and Cubs, the 52-year-old Epstein is a lock for Cooperstown. There are 23 managers and 40 pioneers\/executives with plaques in the Hall. Sad to report that I\u2019m not feeling much love for the late Larry Lucchino<\/a> or Camden Yards architect (and rebuilder of Fenway and Dodger Stadium) Janet Marie Smith<\/a> regarding their chances to appear on the 2026-27 Era Committee ballot for consideration. <\/p>\n

A ballot of eight former managers, umpires, and executives will be announced in November, and a Hall panel of 16 will vote on the candidates and announce their findings at the Winter Meetings in early December. Look for Dusty Baker and Bruce Bochy to appear, maybe umpire Joe West, and two or three executives. Regarding the 2027 class of players, Buster Posey is favored to gain election on the next BBWAA ballot, and Jon Lester has a chance.<\/p>\n

\"TheoTheo Epstein is a lock for the Baseball Hall of Fame, but he’s going to have to wait.Michael M. Santiago\/Getty<\/p>\n

\u22c5 From Wade Boggs: \u201cYou want to teach young kids how to hit? Tell them to go with their friends, find an empty field \u2014 there are plenty of \u2019em these days \u2014 and play Wiffle ball all day.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u22c5 How many of you have noticed that NCAA president Charlie Baker<\/a> looks like Roger Goodell? Bumped into the former governor a few weeks back in D.C., and he has some rather hilarious tales of being mistaken for the NFL commissioner while in the vicinity of angry Patriots fans. Can you imagine growing up in Needham, playing at Harvard, running Massachusetts, then being blamed for Deflategate by Patriots Nation?<\/p>\n

\u22c5 One of my great readers had the best comment on the new Gordie Howe Bridge<\/a>, which connects Detroit to Windsor, Ontario, and opened just last week: \u201cThe Gordie Howe Bridge hat trick is: 1. veering from lane to lane; 2. brake-checking 18-wheelers; 3. stopping to get out and fight another driver.\u201d Nice. Why can\u2019t the Globe get writers like that?<\/p>\n

\"TheThe Gordie Howe Bridge, connecting Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, opened this past week.Jacob Hamilton | MLive.com\/Jacob Hamilton | MLive.com\/Ann A<\/p>\n

\u22c5 Bob Cousy, who turns 98 a week from Sunday, called before the beginning of the World Cup final<\/a> and wanted to talk soccer. Cooz, you no doubt forgot, was commissioner of the ill-fated American Soccer League from 1974-79. \u201cI had six owners, none of whom spoke English,\u201d remembered the Houdini of the Hardwood. \u201cWe were struggling. I had suggestions to produce more scoring, and that was flatly rejected by all of them. I will admit that soccer has come a long way since that time, particularly on the amateur level. This great reception for the game has been surprising to me. I\u2019ll be interested to see if America accepts soccer six weeks from now. I guess it\u2019s a beautiful game, but I won\u2019t be watching the final this afternoon.\u201d According to AI, \u201cCousy was dismissed as commissioner because he lacked deep familiarity with soccer.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u22c5 Anybody else still wondering why England didn\u2019t mark Lionel Messi in the final minutes of their World Cup semifinal<\/a>?<\/p>\n

\u22c5 If you are a soccer and\/or \u201cTed Lasso\u201d fan, check out the El Paso Locomotive of the United Soccer League where Cristo Fernandez \u2014 who played upbeat, ever-hopeful Dani Rojas on Apple TV\u2019s favorite fictional soccer team \u2014 is a center-forward, wearing No. 91. The native of Mexico played professionally as a teen before a knee injury motivated him to become an actor. He was a fun character on \u201cLasso.\u201d Now he\u2019s a 35-year-old fledgling player in the USL. <\/p>\n

\"CristoCristo Fernandez, who played upbeat Dani Rojas on “Ted Lasso,” is a center-forward for El Paso Locomotive PC of the United Soccer League.PAUL RATJE\/NYT<\/p>\n

\u22c5 Best wishes to Topsfield\u2019s Pat Yanchus, Mike Yastrzemski\u2019s high school baseball coach at St. John\u2019s Prep. <\/p>\n

\u22c5 In a USA Today WNBA power rankings feature, the publication selected the all-time best player for each of the league\u2019s 15 current franchises. Some of the all-time greats included Maya Moore (Minnesota), Lisa Leslie (Los Angeles), Candace Parker (Chicago), Breanna Stewart (New York), and Diana Taurasi (Phoenix). Golden State\u2019s designated greatest ever is none other than Newton South\u2019s Veronica Burton<\/a>, daughter of WBZ\u2019s Steve Burton and the granddaughter of first-ever Patriots draft pick, the late Ron Burton.<\/p>\n

\"VeronicaVeronica Burton was named the greatest player in the short history of the WNBA’s Golden State Valkyries by USA Today.Brett Davis\/Getty<\/p>\n

\u22c5 Proud of Hull\u2019s distinction as the site of the first night baseball game, folks in the town invite all to join them for a boat trip from Hull to Boston (for Red Sox vs. Athletics) and back on Aug. 9. For information, call (508) 654-1997. <\/p>\n

\u22c5 Kudos to the Krafts for \u201cKick[gl]ass: Women in Football<\/a>,\u201d an expansive exhibit that will be on display at the Patriots Hall of Fame between now and the end of the NFL playoffs. Among many women\u2019s contributions to professional football, the exhibit celebrates the history of the Boston Renegades<\/a> and other local women\u2019s pro football teams, while recognizing an evolving landscape where 23 states across the country now sanction girls\u2019 flag football championships. Boston College grad Dr. Jen Welter, a onetime assistant coach of the Arizona Cardinals, is founder\/executive producer of the exhibit, and the organization\u2019s managing director is former longtime TD Garden employee Laurie Miller Voke.<\/p>\n

\u22c5 Quiz answers: 1. Dennis Eckersley (197 wins, 390 saves), Rollie Fingers (114, 341), Rich Gossage (124, 310), John Smoltz (213, 154), Hoyt Wilhelm (143, 228); 2. Mike Lowell (2007), Steve Pearce (2018).<\/p>\n

Dan Shaughnessy is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at daniel.shaughnessy@globe.com<\/a>. Follow him @dan_shaughnessy<\/a>.<\/p>\n