The Celtics are still alive (for now), plus what the Lakers would be like without LeBron James

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Good morning everyone but especially to…

JAYSON TATUM AND THE BOSTON CELTICS

They are not dead yet. THE Boston Celtics took inspiration from the Bee Gees and won Game 3 over the Miami Heat, 116-99, to stay alive in the Eastern Conference Finals. If Boston is to pull off a historic comeback, it had to start with a Game 4 win.

Down 56-50 at halftimethe Celts were risking seeing their season vanish in Miami. That’s when Jayson Tatum flipped a switch and took over the game for the Celtics.

• Tatum he scored 14 points in the third quarterand the The Celtics went on an 18-0 run.
• Tatum ended up as the game top scorer (33) AND rebounder (11).
• Grant Williams provided some unexpected offense off the bench, going 4 of 7 from three-point range For 14 points.

Perhaps more important: Boston’s defense held Miami to 25% on three-point shooting AND forced 15 turnovers. Jimmy Butler was able to get his 29 pointsbut the The Celtics neutralized the rest of the Heat roster.

Down 3-1 in the series, the The Celtics still have a lot of work to do if they want to reach the NBA Finals. That work will continue Thursday night as the two teams return to Boston for Game 5 at the TD Garden.

Honorable mentions

And it’s not a good morning for…

THE STARS OF DALLAS

As soon as 7:20 into Game 3 of the Western Conference FinalsTHE Dallas stars I had trailing 3-0 against the Golden Knights of Las Vegaslost captain Jamie Benn to a game misconduct AND starting goaltender Jake Oettinger shot.

The Golden Knights then took a 4-0 lead in the first 10 minutes of the second period, and that score stood until the final buzzer. THE the frustration in Dallas showed on the ice and in the stands.

• Towards the end of the second frame, Massimo Domi let his emotions get the better of him, and him he took a total of 14 minutes of penalties.
• As if following the lead of their team, the fans reacted by throwing extortionately priced drinks and snacks onto the ice.
• To make matters worse for Dallas, Evgenii Dadonov left the game with an injury and he didn’t come back. His status for Game 4 is unknown, and so is Benn, who may have a hearing with the Department of Player Safety For attempting to rearrange Stone’s teeth.

As embarrassing a night as it was for the Stars, the The Golden Knights must go to the top. Now they have a 3-0 lead in the seriesit’s a victory in Game 4 will send them to the Stanley Cup Finals for the second time in the franchise’s fledgling history.

Not so honorable mentions

What would the Lakers be like without LeBron James 🏀

LeBron James he didn’t look like a player about to retire In the Los Angeles Lakers‘ Game 4 loss to the Denver Nuggets Monday evening. It might actually be on the table, though.

James Land all goalscorers with 40 pointsbut after the The Lakers were blown away out of the playoffs, hinted at the possibility of retiring. While James still has plenty of speed, overtaking Father Time is impossible, even for the best athletes.

Should James retire, it would leave the Lakers in an interesting position. Obviously they would take a step back in the 2023-24 NBA standings, but it would be too give the team some flexibility as he builds towards the future. Our Sam Quinn wrote about James’ retirement it would mean for the Lakers:

• Quinn: “The Lakers should almost consider any retirement from James to be permanent, but if they write off their salary, their books suddenly look pretty clean. This would leave Davis and Christie as the only guaranteed contracts left on their ledger. Reaves has little coverage as a limited free agency and Vanderbilt is woefully underpaid in an unsecured deal, but other than that foursome, the Lakers could conceivably create virtually unlimited rooftop space to re-sign their own free agents or chase outside upgrades.“

If Game 4 has taught us anything, it’s that James still has elite basketball in the tank. The Lakers need it if they are to challenge for the title in the next two seasons, but if James decides to leave, they would work with a blank slate.

Now there are less than 100 days to the start of college footballand the team of CBS Sports has come up with the 100 biggest storylines and names you need to know as week 1 approaches.

College football always offers some drama and this year will be no different.

Georgia will be looking for the three peat, Deion Sanders enters freshman year at Coloradoand the The Big 12 will look a little different. Our Chip Patterson highlighted some sophomore coaches which they already are face some pressure after disappointing 2022 campaigns.

• Patterson: “But it was there too Mario Cristobal AND You love me one game of bowls is missing as are both Billy Naper TO Florida AND Brent Venables TO Oklahoma going 6-6 in the regular season. Year 2 has proven over the years to be a time when a power conference coaching assignment can pivot to either an upward trajectory or an early hot seat.”

Start doing your preseason homework now why Saturdays will soon be filled with college football from noon to midnight.

NFL teams are expected to encounter turmoil in 2023 🏈

With just months left before the NFL season begins, it is easy for any fan to be optimistic. But not all of this optimism is justified.

Our Will Brinson put together his list of five teams that could find themselves in trouble this season. THE Arizona Cardinals made the cut, and for good reason. They have it experienced a rocky start under the new managementbut at least there… Maye… be a little light at the end of the tunnel.

• Brison: “Quarterback might be a mitigating factor here, but Kyler Murray he is recovering from a torn ACL suffered late in the season. It would be a pretty big surprise if he’s ready to go by week 1. And there’s the further question of whether the Cardinals want him ready. Arizona has its and Houston’s first-round pick in 2024, factor in a new regime and Caleb Williams/Drake Maye they are absolutely game for desert birds.”

THE Tampa Bay buccaneers, Tennessee Titans, New England PatriotsAND The Raiders of Vegas completes the list of teams likely to face a tough time this year.

What are we watching on Thursday 📺

🏒 Hurricanes at Panthers, 8pm on TNT