Author: teddoncic

Celtics transition defense can collapse in three seconds: a missed three, a long rebound and a guard streaking toward an empty rim. The original shot barely matters. Jayson Tatum may have driven into traffic, Derrick White could have missed from above the break, or a reserve might have forced a jumper while fighting for minutes. Once the ball changes hands, everyone inherits the same problem. Tyrese Maxey could already be racing up the sideline. LeBron James might have gathered the rebound with open hardwood ahead. One late reaction can turn an ordinary miss into a dunk, a corner three or…

Celtics defensive rebounding will provide the first honest test of Boston’s blockbuster summer. The answer will emerge when a shot hits the rim at the Auerbach Center and five players must decide who finds a body, who pursues the ball, and who runs. On July 6, Boston traded Jaylen Brown to Philadelphia for Paul George, two first-round picks, and two second-round picks. The Celtics announced the signings of Mitchell Robinson and Mike Conley Jr. one day later. Those moves changed the roster’s personality almost overnight. Boston lost one of the league’s strongest rebounding wings, added a center who can wreck…

At the Rocket Classic, survival starts where the old tournament formula used to end: beside a raised green, on shaved bentgrass, with a 60-degree wedge hovering above a tight lie. For seven years, Detroit Golf Club rewarded speed. Players launched drivers over corners, flipped wedges into soft targets, and treated 20 under as the beginning of Sunday pressure. Now architect Tyler Rae’s $16 million restoration has changed the argument. Fresh runoff slopes push marginal approaches away. Deeper bunkers swallow weak misses. Two former par 5s now play as long par 4s, dragging mid-irons back into the hands of even the…

Rocket Classic wind control begins with a flag snapping above the rebuilt green at No. 17. For years, this tournament played like a track meet. Players hammered driver, attacked four par fives, and treated 20-under as an invitation rather than a fantasy. One loose swing rarely killed a round because another scoring opportunity waited only a few holes away. That safety net has vanished. Detroit Golf Club returns as a 7,328-yard par 70 after a $16 million restoration led by architect Tyler Rae. The project increased the number of bunkers from 84 to 91, lifted and reshaped greens, improved drainage,…

The green reading blueprint for winning the Rocket Classic starts with the first bounce. A wedge lands on fresh bentgrass, skips forward, then releases toward a rebuilt Donald Ross contour. The sound feels ordinary. The movement does not. For years, returning players arrived at Detroit Golf Club carrying a useful mental map. They knew which approach shots stopped quickly, which putts flattened near the cup, and which sections of the greens offered reliable birdie chances. That knowledge no longer carries the same weight. Architect Tyler Rae restored every putting surface toward its original dimensions, raised several green complexes, and returned…

Hawks second-unit creation became impossible to ignore once New York forced every possession into the half court. The Knicks switched actions, crowded driving lanes, and waited for Atlanta’s first idea to disappear. Too often, the next one never arrived. The ball moved around the perimeter, but nobody bent the defense or created a clean second read. Atlanta’s roster has changed quickly since then. The Hawks traded Trae Young for CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert in January, then added Ryan Nembhard, Luguentz Dort, Aaron Wiggins, Devin Carter, and No. 8 pick Kingston Flemings during the offseason. Those moves created real depth.…

Late-game shot quality will define the Celtics in 2026-27 because Brad Stevens did not break apart a championship core to watch the same old offense freeze in April. Boston’s last season ended with a brutal sequence. The Celtics cut an 18-point Philadelphia lead to one in Game 7, turning TD Garden from a funeral back into a furnace. Payton Pritchard then missed a wide-open three that would have put Boston ahead. On Philadelphia’s next two possessions, Tyrese Maxey dragged Neemias Queta into space and beat him to the rim for two layups. That was the season. Jayson Tatum watched from…

The Hawks point-of-attack defense question begins with the scar Atlanta carried out of the playoffs. New York hung 140 points on the Hawks in Game 6. Worse, the Knicks stormed into halftime with an 83-36 lead, the largest halftime margin in NBA playoff history. Atlanta’s defenders could not contain the ball. The back line rotated early, corner shooters found daylight, and one breakdown kept feeding the next. The Hawks finished 46-36 and ranked near the league’s top ten in defensive rating, but that collapse changed the meaning of an otherwise respectable season. Those numbers suggested progress. Game 6 exposed the…

Half-court spacing will define the Hawks in 2026-27 because their final game last spring stripped away every comfortable part of their identity. Atlanta could not run. Its passing lanes vanished. Jalen Johnson met a second defender whenever he approached the paint. The New York Knicks forced eight first-quarter turnovers, closed the period on a 31-4 run and entered halftime ahead 83-36. That 47-point margin set an NBA playoff record. By the final buzzer, the Hawks had lost Game 6 by 140-89. Their season ended with a 51-point defeat. One catastrophic night cannot explain an entire roster. Still, the collapse exposed…

Stand on the rebuilt 17th tee at Detroit Golf Club and the message becomes clear. At 537 yards, this par 4 demands much more than speed. Cameron Young struck a strong drive there during his practice round and still faced a 5-iron into the green. He later described the hole to Reuters as a “beast.” That reaction captures the challenge awaiting the field at the 2026 Rocket Classic. The restored North Course still rewards power, but it no longer allows players to swing freely without considering where the ball will finish. Fresh fairways, repositioned bunkers, and altered sightlines now shape…