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BOSTON — With 63 seconds remaining in Game 6 of the NBA Finals, Boston Celtics coach Ime Udoka, his team trailing by 11, waved the white flag and replaced all five of his starters.

Jayson Tatum, after slowly trudging off the court, exchanged greetings with Boston players and coaches, untucked his No. 0 jersey, plopped into a seat on the bench and watched the Golden State Warriors celebrate their fourth championship in eight years.

“It hurts,” Tatum said after the Celtics’ season-ending 103-90 loss. “Being with this group, the things we’ve overcome throughout the season, getting to this point … just knowing how bad we wanted it, coming up short.

“It’s a terrible feeling.”

Tatum and fellow star wing Jaylen Brown became the fourth duo to be the top two scorers on a Finals team at 25 years old or younger, according to Elias Sports Bureau.

The Houston Rockets, led by Hall of Famers Hakeem Olajuwon and Ralph Sampson, did it in 1986. Shaquille O’Neal and Anfernee Hardaway led the Orlando Magic to the Finals in 1995. Nearly two decades later it was Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook taking the 2012 Oklahoma City Thunder to the league’s biggest stage.

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After falling to the Warriors, Tatum, Brown and the Celtics now have something else in common with those prior teams: Each lost in the league’s championship round.

That stat, on its own, isn’t shocking. In order to win the sport’s ultimate prize, teams often have to lose it first. What’s more surprising is the other unfortunate fact shared among the first three elite squads on that list:

None of those duos ever made it back to the Finals.

As the Celtics head into the offseason after a stunning midseason turnaround brought them two wins from their first championship since 2008, they hope to avoid a similar fate.

“The future is bright,” Brown said postgame. “I always look at adversity as opportunities to shape an individual. For whatever reason, it wasn’t our time. …

“For me, it’s always about growth. Continuing to get better, continuing to find different ways to lead. That’s what it’s about. The future is bright.”

How Boston should approach the summer

THE CELTICS ENTER the offseason on a different timeline from each of those three prior teams in their situation. The 1986 Rockets’ chances of remaining a contender fell off once Sampson began suffering knee and back injuries the next season — he went from playing 243 games through his first three NBA seasons to a total of 213 over the rest of his nine-year career.

The 1995 Magic and 2012 Thunder, meanwhile, fell victim to many small markets’ yearly battle against the pull of free agency. After losing to Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in the East finals in 1996, O’Neal left Orlando for the Los Angeles Lakers. The Thunder traded James Harden before the start of the 2012-13 season and lost Durant to the Warriors in the summer of 2016.

Boston, on the other hand, is set up for long-term success.

The Celtics’ top eight players are all signed through at least next season. Al Horford, 36, is their only key player whose rights they don’t control past next season and is the only one older than 27. Tatum, Marcus Smart and Robert Williams III are all signed through 2025-26. Derrick White, Daniel Theis and Payton Pritchard have deals that take them through 2024-25, and Jaylen Brown’s extension runs through 2023-24.

Jayson Tatum and the Celtics fell in the NBA Finals, but the future looks bright in Boston. Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images

The Celtics also have a new coach in Udoka and new president of basketball operations in Brad Stevens, both of whom appear set in their roles.

That has caused Boston, even when falling to Golden State, to view the end of 2021-22 as a springboard rather than a roadblock.

“There is a big-picture approach, as well, a core group that we want to build with going forward and understanding how to guard every situation,” Udoka said before the Celtics’ Game 2 loss.

“[I’ve] dealt with this in years past in the Finals or in the playoffs in general, kind of finding that balance of when to stick with it if something is not working but also look at the big picture and how well we’ve done throughout the season, adapting to different teams [and] different schemes.”

Udoka held to that belief early in the season when Boston was repeatedly scuffling, and maintained it as the Celtics turned things around beginning in late January, when the schemes Udoka wanted the players to run — plus some under-the-radar trades — helped turn Boston into a near-unstoppable juggernaut.

The Golden State Warriors beat the Boston Celtics 4-2 in the Finals.

GAME 6: GS 103, BOS 90
o Curry captures first Finals MVP
o Stars hit social media to congratulate Warriors

GAME 5: GS 104, BOS 94
o Whatever it takes: How Warriors won G5
o Warriors are suffocating C’s game plan

GAME 4: GS 107, BOS 97
o Curry’s epic game changes series
o Celtics, Warriors need their big men

GAME 3: BOS 116, GS 100
o C’s use size, quickness to regain control
o Curry in unfamiliar underdog territory

GAME 2: GS 107, BOS 88
o Steph was a problem for the Celtics
o C’s lament more third-quarter woes

GAME 1: BOS 120, GS 108
o Boston’s win one year in the making
o Celtics beat Dubs at their game

“Nobody even had us being here, let alone in the playoffs,” Smart said after Boston’s Game 6 loss. “We’ve been through hell to get here, and you take that. You know what I’m saying? We got to use that.”

Boston finished the regular season 28-7 while posting the league’s best offensive and defensive ratings during that span. Factor in a run to the Finals that featured two Game 7 wins, and Boston has the talent and experience to be a championship contender for years.

“When I think of who are likely to be the [East] teams who are running it back next year,” said an East scout, “I feel as good or better about them as I do anyone.”

THE FINALS WERE rough for Boston’s franchise cornerstone. Golden State threw a variety of defenses at Tatum as the series progressed, and he struggled to adjust, shooting 36.7% from the field and 31.6% from 2-point range.

Tatum finished the postseason with 100 turnovers — more than any player in a single playoffs in NBA history. “Learn and understand who he is in this league,” Udoka said of Tatum’s next challenge.

“You’re an All-Star, All-NBA First Team guy for a reason. This is only the start of how you’re going to be guarded and the attention you’re going to draw.”

Meanwhile, the Celtics saw their depth get tested. They were fortunate to make it through the playoffs without any lasting injuries, although they did see Smart and Robert Williams rotate in and out with ailments.

But against Golden State, the team’s reserve unit of White, Grant Williams and Pritchard was largely outclassed, including going a combined 2-for-10 from the field for five points in Game 6. While Boston’s top eight is viewed as elite leaguewide, the back end of its roster is lacking.

“They have a lot of scrubs,” an East executive said of Boston’s bench.

“[And] they still need a real point guard. I love Marcus, but he needs another person to help him, and it can’t be [Tatum and Brown] because they dribble too much. They need someone else. If Utah [looks to move] Mike Conley, can you put him in there? Someone like that.”

Tatum and Brown, on the other hand, have made significant strides — but league insiders say that growth needs to continue. After Udoka began this season urging the duo’s playmaking to improve, both took steps forward as facilitators despite struggling with turnovers in the playoffs.

“I think Jaylen is starting to show a better feel for the ball and more unselfishness with the ball,” a Western Conference executive said. “Jayson is showing better decision-making. He’s learning what it takes to be ‘the guy.'”

Now, add the Celtics’ Finals loss to the list of learning experiences in a postseason full of them after eliminating Kevin Durant’s Brooklyn Nets, Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s Milwaukee Bucks and Jimmy Butler‘s Miami Heat in consecutive series — staring down road closeout games in Milwaukee and Miami and living to tell the tale.

While they fell short of an NBA-record 18th title and remain tied with their rivals in Los Angeles, there’s plenty of optimism in Boston and throughout the league that these Celtics, led by their young and soaring star duo, have the pieces to make a triumphant return to the NBA’s grandest stage.

“That’s the message to the guys tonight: ‘This is just the start,'” Udoka said. “A foundation has been set.”

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Credit: Coco Picard

Editor’s note: Coco Picard spoke to Chicago artist and School of the Art Institute of Chicago assistant professor Anna Martine Whitehead in early June. The comic above captures moments of their conversation. Text from the comic is transcribed here to ease readability.

Performance maker Anna Martine Whitehead has been writing and developing FORCE! An Opera in Three Acts since 2020. In February, Whitehead spoke with the Reader about a related video, Cadenza, that has since screened on OTV Open Television and in an online program hosted by New York’s Chocolate Factory Theater in collaboration with the Portland Institute for Contemporary Art. Whitehead will participate in an exhibition co-hosted by the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts and the Arts Incubator this summer. 

As Whitehead develops FORCE! for a live premiere at the end of the year, she reflects on how this work continues to deepen her sense of embodying nuance and complexity in the prison-industrial complex. 

“I’ve felt every feeling I think I have to feel on the outskirts of various prisons, in the waiting rooms. I think everything you need to make a high drama, emotionally heavy theatrical production like an opera happens in a prison waiting room, and it mostly involves Black and Brown women. I’ve stood in the Stateville [Correctional Center] waiting room and thought, ‘Everything is happening right here.’

“The characters are all versions of myself . . . there is the overprotective one, the angry one, the crazy one. There’s also the corrections officer, who is extremely complex. I have empathy for this character but have also historically had beef with her in real life, so I’m grateful to [performer] Angel Bat Dawid for being able to deeply develop her contours. What becomes important in the character work we do is to try and understand how each performer finds that character within themselves. Where does the anger, for example, live in you and how do you dance that or sing that? Like what does that look like in the body, for example.

“We (Black women, Black and Brown queers, etc.) needed to do this work with each other. But to understand why, you have to understand what it means that these waiting rooms are often full of only Black and Brown women and their kids. Working on this project through the pandemic it was so painfully clear that we are the ones who, for the most part, do the caretaking because we are the caretakers. I got into the habit of saying, ‘We are the caretakers of the world.’ We almost never get paid to make art about our dreams together. 

“That is fundamentally what FORCE! is—a structure for resourcing ourselves to dream of a world beyond the prison-industrial complex and all its impoverished tentacles that reach into our lives and make it almost or actually impossible to live.” 

FORCE! An Opera in Three Acts
Information and upcoming events listed at force-anopera.com. Whitehead also maintains annamartine.com.

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Given the myriad horrors American society faces, desensitization can be a survival mechanism as well as part of the problem. Numbness can easily turn to apathy when we’re bombarded unrelentingly with mass shootings, climate-change-induced natural disasters, stealthy new COVID-19 variants (plus monkeypox), a 24-7 news cycle broadcasting the horrors of the invasion of Ukraine, and increasing threats to our right to bodily autonomy. This stress on our collective psyche makes it easy to overlook (or just not care about) the deaths of beloved artistic heroes. 

German electronic-music overlord Klaus Schulze passed away in May (within days of his Greek counterpart Vangelis), but his death was barely mentioned in the mainstream U.S. press. Schulze was a singular artist who remained true to his darkly ethereal vision throughout decades of constant sonic innovation. He began his career in 1969 as a drummer in freak ’n’ roll bands such as Tangerine Dream and Ash Ra Tempel (which he joined in 1970). As Tangerine Dream morphed from space rockers into a synthesizer crew making electronic soundscapes, Schulze went through a similar transformation as a solo artist. He eventually recorded more than 50 albums under his own name, including forward-thinking classics such as 1972’s Irrlicht and 1973’s Cyborg; collaborated with fellow outsider artists, including Arthur Brown, Michael Shrieve, and Lisa Gerrard; and worked on tons of film scores in genres as diverse as porn and science fiction. More recently, Schulze teamed up with Hans Zimmer on “Grains of Sand,” the end-titles theme for Zimmer’s Oscar-winning soundtrack to the 2021 film of Dune. Schulze was so inspired by the 1965 Frank Herbert novel (which also provided the source material for David Lynch’s 1984 Dune) that in 1979 he released an album of Dune-inspired music. His work with Zimmer awakened that old itch, and Schulze returned to Dune for his final opus, the mammoth new triple LP Deus Arrakis. 

The fact that Schulze was still reaching new audiences in 2022 makes his death even more tragic—he sounds newly energized on Deus Arrakis, and it’s a shame we won’t hear more of that. Schulze’s previous studio releases, 2018’s Silhouettes and 2019’s reconstructed soundtrack for the 1982 horror film Next of Kin, use modern-sounding vocal samples and beats as well as live or sampled string instruments, but Deus Arrakis peers back into his pure-synth space daze. “Osiris,” the first of several long pieces, incorporates phased waves of sound as a backdrop for layers of divine cosmic-keyboard melodies. Schulze is at his most experimental on “Seth,” which runs an epic 32 minutes: it begins with an intro that sounds like being stuck in a sandstorm (and perhaps dreading that a giant worm might emerge to swallow you), then settles into a ceremonial stream of ambient cascades that gives way to rhythmic synth patches (recalling classic Schulze albums such as 1975’s Timewind). The final piece, “Der Hauch des Lebens,” nearly  half an hour long, is as fitting an epitaph as an artist has ever laid down. The title means “The Breath of Life,” and it feels like Schulze acknowledging his mortality: he’d been suffering from renal disease for years, and it seems unlikely that death caught him entirely by surprise. To appreciate the slowly unfolding sonic colors of this visionary, atmospheric piece, you need patience, but your effort is well rewarded. Like any journey, whether in sci-fi or in life, it moves between realms of pure bliss and darker terrain. Schulze’s sound may have provided a foundation for the icy, emotionless coldwave genre, but his music has always elicited an impassioned response from me—and his last album is no exception. Rest in psychedelic power, maestro.

Klaus Schulze’s Deus Arrakis  is available through his website.

Read More

Credit: Coco Picard

Editor’s note: Coco Picard spoke to Chicago artist and School of the Art Institute of Chicago assistant professor Anna Martine Whitehead in early June. The comic above captures moments of their conversation. Text from the comic is transcribed here to ease readability.

Performance maker Anna Martine Whitehead has been writing and developing FORCE! An Opera in Three Acts since 2020. In February, Whitehead spoke with the Reader about a related video, Cadenza, that has since screened on OTV Open Television and in an online program hosted by New York’s Chocolate Factory Theater in collaboration with the Portland Institute for Contemporary Art. Whitehead will participate in an exhibition co-hosted by the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts and the Arts Incubator this summer. 

As Whitehead develops FORCE! for a live premiere at the end of the year, she reflects on how this work continues to deepen her sense of embodying nuance and complexity in the prison-industrial complex. 

“I’ve felt every feeling I think I have to feel on the outskirts of various prisons, in the waiting rooms. I think everything you need to make a high drama, emotionally heavy theatrical production like an opera happens in a prison waiting room, and it mostly involves Black and Brown women. I’ve stood in the Stateville [Correctional Center] waiting room and thought, ‘Everything is happening right here.’

“The characters are all versions of myself . . . there is the overprotective one, the angry one, the crazy one. There’s also the corrections officer, who is extremely complex. I have empathy for this character but have also historically had beef with her in real life, so I’m grateful to [performer] Angel Bat Dawid for being able to deeply develop her contours. What becomes important in the character work we do is to try and understand how each performer finds that character within themselves. Where does the anger, for example, live in you and how do you dance that or sing that? Like what does that look like in the body, for example.

“We (Black women, Black and Brown queers, etc.) needed to do this work with each other. But to understand why, you have to understand what it means that these waiting rooms are often full of only Black and Brown women and their kids. Working on this project through the pandemic it was so painfully clear that we are the ones who, for the most part, do the caretaking because we are the caretakers. I got into the habit of saying, ‘We are the caretakers of the world.’ We almost never get paid to make art about our dreams together. 

“That is fundamentally what FORCE! is—a structure for resourcing ourselves to dream of a world beyond the prison-industrial complex and all its impoverished tentacles that reach into our lives and make it almost or actually impossible to live.” 

FORCE! An Opera in Three Acts
Information and upcoming events listed at force-anopera.com. Whitehead also maintains annamartine.com.

Read More

Given the myriad horrors American society faces, desensitization can be a survival mechanism as well as part of the problem. Numbness can easily turn to apathy when we’re bombarded unrelentingly with mass shootings, climate-change-induced natural disasters, stealthy new COVID-19 variants (plus monkeypox), a 24-7 news cycle broadcasting the horrors of the invasion of Ukraine, and increasing threats to our right to bodily autonomy. This stress on our collective psyche makes it easy to overlook (or just not care about) the deaths of beloved artistic heroes. 

German electronic-music overlord Klaus Schulze passed away in May (within days of his Greek counterpart Vangelis), but his death was barely mentioned in the mainstream U.S. press. Schulze was a singular artist who remained true to his darkly ethereal vision throughout decades of constant sonic innovation. He began his career in 1969 as a drummer in freak ’n’ roll bands such as Tangerine Dream and Ash Ra Tempel (which he joined in 1970). As Tangerine Dream morphed from space rockers into a synthesizer crew making electronic soundscapes, Schulze went through a similar transformation as a solo artist. He eventually recorded more than 50 albums under his own name, including forward-thinking classics such as 1972’s Irrlicht and 1973’s Cyborg; collaborated with fellow outsider artists, including Arthur Brown, Michael Shrieve, and Lisa Gerrard; and worked on tons of film scores in genres as diverse as porn and science fiction. More recently, Schulze teamed up with Hans Zimmer on “Grains of Sand,” the end-titles theme for Zimmer’s Oscar-winning soundtrack to the 2021 film of Dune. Schulze was so inspired by the 1965 Frank Herbert novel (which also provided the source material for David Lynch’s 1984 Dune) that in 1979 he released an album of Dune-inspired music. His work with Zimmer awakened that old itch, and Schulze returned to Dune for his final opus, the mammoth new triple LP Deus Arrakis. 

The fact that Schulze was still reaching new audiences in 2022 makes his death even more tragic—he sounds newly energized on Deus Arrakis, and it’s a shame we won’t hear more of that. Schulze’s previous studio releases, 2018’s Silhouettes and 2019’s reconstructed soundtrack for the 1982 horror film Next of Kin, use modern-sounding vocal samples and beats as well as live or sampled string instruments, but Deus Arrakis peers back into his pure-synth space daze. “Osiris,” the first of several long pieces, incorporates phased waves of sound as a backdrop for layers of divine cosmic-keyboard melodies. Schulze is at his most experimental on “Seth,” which runs an epic 32 minutes: it begins with an intro that sounds like being stuck in a sandstorm (and perhaps dreading that a giant worm might emerge to swallow you), then settles into a ceremonial stream of ambient cascades that gives way to rhythmic synth patches (recalling classic Schulze albums such as 1975’s Timewind). The final piece, “Der Hauch des Lebens,” nearly  half an hour long, is as fitting an epitaph as an artist has ever laid down. The title means “The Breath of Life,” and it feels like Schulze acknowledging his mortality: he’d been suffering from renal disease for years, and it seems unlikely that death caught him entirely by surprise. To appreciate the slowly unfolding sonic colors of this visionary, atmospheric piece, you need patience, but your effort is well rewarded. Like any journey, whether in sci-fi or in life, it moves between realms of pure bliss and darker terrain. Schulze’s sound may have provided a foundation for the icy, emotionless coldwave genre, but his music has always elicited an impassioned response from me—and his last album is no exception. Rest in psychedelic power, maestro.

Klaus Schulze’s Deus Arrakis  is available through his website.

Read More

The Golden State Warriors are the 2022 NBA champions, Stephen Curry has his long-awaited Finals MVP award and the Warriors’ big three of Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green tallied title No. 4.

OK, what’s next?

After battling in the Finals, where do the Warriors and Boston Celtics check in for the 2022-23 season? What about Eastern Conference contenders such as the Brooklyn Nets, Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers after falling short of their playoff goals this season?

What lies ahead for the Phoenix Suns — the league’s best regular-season team in 2021-22 — ahead of a massive offseason decision surrounding center Deandre Ayton? Where do LeBron James, Anthony Davis and the Los Angeles Lakers land after failing to reach the play-in tournament?

Yes, it’s way too early. But before we hit the draft and free agency, let’s take stock of the current landscape of the league.

Note: These rankings are based on where the members of our panel (ESPN’s Kendra Andrews, Tim Bontemps, Jamal Collier, Nick Friedell, Andrew Lopez, Tim MacMahon, Dave McMenamin, Kevin Pelton and Ohm Youngmisuk) think teams belong heading into next season, taking into account potential player movement and the draft. Title odds for 2023 by Caesars Sportsbook.

MORE: Moments that supercharged the return of the Dubs dynasty

ESPN

1. Golden State Warriors
2021-22 record: 53-29
Result: NBA champions
2023 title odds: +500

Fresh off their fourth championship in the past eight seasons, the Warriors have much to celebrate, including the return of Klay Thompson and the emergence of Jordan Poole. Still, they have a big offseason ahead. Golden State has just eight players locked in to its roster, with some key free agents, including Kevon Looney and Gary Payton II, and an option to pick up Andrew Wiggins. The Warriors are already the highest-spending team in the league, and as much as they would like to run it back with this title-winning group, it’s unclear whether that’s a possibility. — Andrews

2. Boston Celtics
2021-22 record: 51-31
Result: Lost in NBA Finals
2023 title odds: +600

It was a remarkable turnaround for Boston, which went from being under .500 in late January to within two games of winning an NBA title. Ultimately, though, Boston’s loss to the Warriors in the NBA Finals was proof of the growth that’s still left for this group to get where it wants to go – namely at the offensive end of the court. Turnovers and cold spells offensively proved to be the difference against Golden State, and will be the places Boston looks to improve moving forward. — Bontemps

3. Milwaukee Bucks
2021-22 record: 51-31
Result: Lost in East semis
2023 title odds: +750

Timing and health are two of the biggest roadblocks that can prevent a title team from repeating, so it’s fair if Milwaukee fans are still wondering “what if” Khris Middleton had been available for the Bucks’ second-round exit against the Celtics. Yet, playing the postseason without Middleton exposed some of the Bucks’ weaknesses, especially on the wings. For a run at another championship they will need to retool around their best three players: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jrue Holiday and Middleton. — Collier

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4. Memphis Grizzlies
2021-22 record: 56-26
Result: Lost in West semis
2023 title odds: +1600

Signing Ja Morant to a potential supermax rookie extension is an easy decision for general manager Zach Kleiman, who earned the Executive of the Year honor as the architect of the Grizzlies’ rapid rebuild. Kleiman has more difficult decisions to make regarding the free agency of Tyus Jones and Kyle Anderson, a pair of veterans who have been quality role players, as well as how aggressive to be in the trade market, where the Grizzlies’ first-round picks acquired in previous deals could be valuable commodities. — MacMahon

5. Dallas Mavericks
2021-22 record: 52-30
Result: Lost in West finals
2023 title odds: +1600

The Mavs are confident that they will re-sign Jalen Brunson in the wake of their run to the West finals. He will likely again be Dallas’ second-best player, behind Luka Doncic, as GM Nico Harrison is handcuffed by the Mavs being well into luxury tax territory with limited first-round picks to dangle in trade packages. Dallas hopes to add an athletic big man and wing depth. — MacMahon

MORE: Jalen Brunson’s star turn has massive free agency implications

6. Miami Heat
2021-22 record: 53-29
Result: Lost in East Finals
2023 title odds: +1400

Pat Riley & Co. have to figure out if they can find the number that makes the most sense for a Tyler Herro extension. They also have to wait and see if P.J. Tucker is going to pick up his player option for next season. Both Riley and coach Erik Spoelstra made it clear at the end of the season that they would love to find a way to bring Tucker back, even if he opts out. It remains to be seen what the market is for veteran Victor Oladipo as he continues to work his way back from injuries that derailed his past few seasons. Riley also made it clear that he wants to see veteran point guard Kyle Lowry get into better shape, but the 77-year-old president seems content with bringing the same core back, led by Jimmy Butler. — Friedell

7. Phoenix Suns
2021-22 record: 64-18
Result: Lost in West semis
2023 title odds: +800

This will be the summer of Deandre Ayton in the desert. It’s just a matter of whether he is able to come to an agreement on an extension or Phoenix ends up helping him find a new home via a sign-and-trade. The Suns couldn’t come to terms with Ayton on an extension last summer, setting up a showdown for this summer when he can become a restricted free agent. Now, that showdown is here. — Lopez

8. LA Clippers
2021-22 record: 42-40
Result: Lost in Play-In Tournament
2023 title odds: +800

The Clippers are expected to be title contenders with Kawhi Leonard set to return after missing all of last season while rehabbing a torn ACL. A healthy Leonard and Paul George are as good as any duo in the league, but their supporting cast is arguably deeper than ever. The Clippers’ midseason trade for Norman Powell and Robert Covington added a legit third offensive scorer and another defensive player to a team stacked with them. Coach Ty Lue could play a lineup of all interchangeable parts that can switch defensively with the likes of Nic Batum and Marcus Morris Sr. adding versatility. Reggie Jackson will have more in the tank now that he doesn’t have to carry the offensive load like he did last season. And Ivica Zubac, Luke Kennard and Terance Mann have shown glimpses of what they can do with bigger opportunities. — Youngmisuk

9. Denver Nuggets
2021-22 record: 48-34
Result: Lost in Round 1
2023 title odds: +2200

The Nuggets say they are entering a phase of their organization that they’ve never talked about before: It’s championship or bust. With back-to-back MVP Nikola Jokic, and the returns of Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr., Denver will finally have its full core back together. It’s not clear, however, if those pieces will be enough with the Nuggets’ supporting cast. And if not, who exactly can they target to help carry them over the hump in the West? — Andrews

10. Brooklyn Nets
2021-22 record: 44-38
Result: Lost in Round 1
2023 title odds: +600

Brooklyn remains in a holding pattern as it waits to see if Kyrie Irving picks up his player option heading into the summer. Nets general manager Sean Marks made it clear at his end-of-season press conference that the Nets want players who are committed to being part of the team, and Irving hasn’t proven that he can be counted on to play every game — especially after missing the bulk of New York City home games last season after declining to get the COVID-19 vaccination. As the Nets wait to decide what to do with Irving moving forward, they also have to hope that Ben Simmons recovers from back surgery and is able to play at a high level again next season. Veteran center Andre Drummond played well for the Nets after being acquired from Philadelphia in the Simmons trade, but given the money already on the books, it remains unclear whether Brooklyn will be able to re-sign him. — Friedell

11. Philadelphia 76ers
2021-22 record: 51-31
Result: Lost in East semis
2023 title odds: +1600

Who could’ve guessed it would be a drama-filled offseason in Philadelphia? Well, anyone, given that’s been the case for the past eight or nine years now. Next up for the 76ers? Deciding how to proceed with James Harden after making the blockbuster Ben Simmons trade to acquire him at the February trade deadline. Will Harden get the max? Will he pick up his option? Will the two sides compromise on something else? How both sides proceed will be a defining moment for the franchise as superstar center Joel Embiid hits his prime and will be on his own supermax deal for the next several seasons. — Bontemps

MORE: James Harden’s performance reveals the uncertain future for the 76ers’ star duo

12. Minnesota Timberwolves
2021-22 record: 46-36
Result: Lost in Round 1
2023 title odds: +6000

After returning to the playoffs for the first time since 2018 and giving the Memphis Grizzlies a scare in the opening round, Minnesota has all eight players who saw at least 70 minutes of action in the series under contract for 2022-23. That means the biggest task for new president Tim Connelly is a possible extension for center Karl-Anthony Towns, who is supermax eligible after making the All-NBA third team. Bigger changes may be in store in 2023, when the Timberwolves could create max-level cap room entering the final season of Anthony Edwards‘ rookie contract. — Pelton

13. Chicago Bulls
2021-22 record: 46-36
Result: Lost in Round 1
2023 title odds: +6000

The Bulls returned to relevance in 2021-22, making the postseason for the first time in four years behind a career year from DeMar DeRozan. Now comes the hard part: elevating from being merely good to competing for a championship. After overhauling the roster for the past 18 months, management has preached continuity with the team’s core and signaled its intent to re-sign Zach LaVine in free agency. — Collier

The Golden State Warriors beat the Boston Celtics 4-2 in the Finals.

GAME 6: GS 103, BOS 90
o Curry captures first Finals MVP
o Stars hit social media to congratulate Warriors

GAME 5: GS 104, BOS 94
o Whatever it takes: How Warriors won G5
o Warriors are suffocating C’s game plan

GAME 4: GS 107, BOS 97
o Curry’s epic game changes series
o Celtics, Warriors need their big men

GAME 3: BOS 116, GS 100
o C’s use size, quickness to regain control
o Curry in unfamiliar underdog territory

GAME 2: GS 107, BOS 88
o Steph was a problem for the Celtics
o C’s lament more third-quarter woes

GAME 1: BOS 120, GS 108
o Boston’s win one year in the making
o Celtics beat Dubs at their game

14. Utah Jazz
2021-22 record: 49-33
Result: Lost in West semis
2023 title odds: +5000

Selecting a replacement for head coach Quin Snyder, who recently resigned, won’t be the only potentially franchise-altering call made by Danny Ainge and the Jazz front office. It’s been made clear that Utah will try to remain competitive with Donovan Mitchell as the face of the franchise. There’s an anticipation around the league that Rudy Gobert will get traded this summer, but the Jazz have sent strong signals that they won’t settle for anything but a massive haul in return for the perennial All-Star center. — MacMahon

15. Toronto Raptors
2021-22 record: 48-34
Result: Lost in Round 1
2023 title odds: +6000

Last season was an unqualified success in Toronto, thanks to both Pascal Siakam returning to All-NBA-caliber play and Scottie Barnes being the NBA’s Rookie of the Year. After getting back into the playoffs, the question now is how to take another step forward in what is an incredibly competitive top of the Eastern Conference. Doing so is going to take an additional infusion of talent for a team that, as of now, is lacking in salary-cap space and extra draft assets to go get it. Still, there are plenty of teams that would be happy to have a core of Siakam, Barnes, Fred VanVleet, OG Anunoby and Gary Trent. — Bontemps

16. New Orleans Pelicans
2021-22 record: 36-46
Result: Lost in Round 1
2023 title odds: +6000

Once things are taken care of with Zion Williamson‘s looming extension talks — he’s made it clear he wants to be in New Orleans — the Pelicans can focus on improving a roster that made a surprise run to the first round of the NBA playoffs. New Orleans has 14 guaranteed contracts, as well as three picks in the draft. There’s not much wiggle room for added players, unless the Pelicans look to make some deals. — Lopez

17. Los Angeles Lakers
2021-22 record: 33-49
Result: Missed playoffs
2023 title odds: +2200

Still fewer than 24 months removed from a championship, the Lakers began the arduous process of finding their way back to a championship contention by choosing Darvin Ham to be the new head coach. There’s plenty of work left to do, with as many as seven roster spots needing to be filled and, of course, the Russell Westbrook conundrum. Hiring Ham is a good first step, at least. — McMenamin

18. Cleveland Cavaliers
2021-22 record: 44-38
Result: Lost in East play-in
2023 title odds: +8000

Cleveland failed to reach a contract extension with Collin Sexton prior to last season, and now he enters the summer as a restricted free agent. Once the pride of the franchise for his development as a fierce competitor in the wake of LeBron James‘ departure, Sexton has been leapfrogged as a prospect by All-Star Darius Garland and Rookie of the Year runner-up Evan Mobley. It will be fascinating to see what the market will be for him after knee surgery limited him to just 11 games last year. How much will the Cavs be willing to pay to match a potential outside offer? — McMenamin

19. Atlanta Hawks
2021-22 record: 43-39
Result: Lost in Round 1
2023 title odds: +6000

Atlanta handed out $300 million in new contracts last summer after making the Eastern Conference finals, but there’s a looming decision to make about whether or not to pay the luxury tax after a disappointing end to the 2021-22 season. The easiest way to do so is by waiving Danilo Gallinari, who is set to be paid $21.5 million in 2022-23, since only $5 million is guaranteed. They could get under the tax easily if they do so by June 29. — Lopez

20. Charlotte Hornets
2021-22 record: 43-39
Result: Lost in East play-in
2023 title odds: +12500

New coach Kenny Atkinson will be tasked with doing what his predecessor, James Borrego, was unable to: turn the Hornets into a competent defensive group. Of course, Borrego also was never given the kind of rim-protecting center this team needed to really take a significant step forward at that end of the court, either. The other big question in Charlotte this summer: What will happen with Miles Bridges, as the high-flying forward — and perfect complement to LaMelo Ball — hits restricted free agency, where he will all but certainly command a hefty price tag. — Bontemps

21. San Antonio Spurs
2021-22 record: 34-48
Result: Lost in West play-in
2023 title odds: +25000

After back-to-back play-in tournament defeats, the Spurs have a chance to make a splash this offseason with three first-round picks (Nos. 9, 20 and 25). They are one of a handful of teams that enter the offseason with cap space. San Antonio has a young core in place with Dejounte Murray, Keldon Johnson and Devin Vassell. Add in the picks and cap space, and they have a chance to get back to the playoffs in 2022-23. — Lopez

22. New York Knicks
2021-22 record: 37-45
Result: Missed playoffs
2023 title odds: +15000

Another year, another Knicks lottery pick and hopes among the team’s fanbase of landing a big star in a trade. Under president of basketball operations Leon Rose, the Knicks have been methodical in their spending and accumulation of assets. This summer, though, they could be a lot busier, as there’s been plenty of links between them and Mavericks free agent guard Jalen Brunson — including his father, Rick, being hired by coach Tom Thibodeau. New York also has to decide what to do with unrestricted free agent center Mitchell Robinson, as well as whether they can come to an agreement on a rookie contract extension with RJ Barrett. — Bontemps

23. Portland Trail Blazers
2021-22 record: 27-55
Result: Missed playoffs
2023 title odds: +12500

Portland is rebuilding around Damian Lillard after trading away CJ McCollum and Norman Powell last season. Anfernee Simons showed what he can do with a bigger role, and Josh Hart is a nice complementary piece. It remains to be seen what the Blazers do with the No. 7 pick in Thursday’s draft. Portland has some draft assets, trade exceptions and the ability to free some cap space. But the bottom line: Portland has to find talent to surround Dame. — Youngmisuk

24. Washington Wizards
2021-22 record: 35-47
Result: Missed playoffs
2023 title odds: +50000

As has been the case for the past several years, Washington’s future is centered on keeping Bradley Beal happy with a contending roster. Beal has indicated that he will remain with the Wizards, who can sign the guard to a $248 million contract. Washington traded for Kristaps Porzingis at the 2022 deadline and have a core of young forwards in Kyle Kuzma, Rui Hachimura, Deni Avdija and Corey Kispert. What the Wizards can really use is a point guard. They have the No. 10 pick in the draft. — Youngmisuk

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25. Sacramento Kings
2021-22 record: 30-52
Result: Missed postseason
2023 title odds: +100000

It’s been an excruciating 16-year drought without a postseason appearance for the Kings franchise. Since Rick Adelman vacated the seat as the most successful coach in Kings history, Sacramento cycled through 11 different coaches before hiring Mike Brown away from the Golden State Warriors’ staff this offseason. The 2008-09 Coach of the Year has made the playoffs in five of his seven years as the top guy, not to mention countless runs as an assistant. Maybe he’ll be the guy to break the streak. — McMenamin

26. Indiana Pacers
2021-22 record: 25-57
Result: Missed postseason
2023 title odds: +75000

A 25-57 season turned into Indiana’s highest draft pick (No. 6 overall) since taking Rik Smits No. 2 in 1988. If they get someone who can help immediately, the Pacers could compete for a playoff spot with a full season from deadline pickup Tyrese Haliburton and a healthy Myles Turner to anchor the defense. The forward spots are the biggest need for Indiana, which dealt away Domantas Sabonis to get Haliburton and sees T.J. Warren hit unrestricted free agency after being sidelined since December 2020 by consecutive stress fractures in his left foot. — Pelton

27. Detroit Pistons
2021-22 record: 23-59
Result: Missed postseason
2023 title odds: +75000

The Pistons found their centerpiece in the draft one year ago, selecting Cade Cunningham with the No. 1 overall pick. And while their improvements on the court were minimal, Detroit’s first offseason to build around Cunningham with more talent, and perhaps a true running mate, has arrived. — Collier

28. Oklahoma City Thunder
2021-22 record: 24-58
Result: Missed postseason
2023 title odds: +100000

The 2022 lottery was much kinder to Oklahoma City than the year before, when the Thunder not only dropped to sixth but also saw the Houston Rockets retain their top-three protected pick. This time around, Oklahoma City’s combination came up second, giving the Thunder a chance to take either Chet Holmgren or Jabari Smith Jr.; Oklahoma City also holds the 12th and 30th picks via trade, likely adding more frontcourt talent to a roster currently built around young guards Luguentz Dort, Josh Giddey and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. — Pelton

29. Houston Rockets
2021-22 record: 20-62
Result: Missed postseason
2023 title odds: +100000

It’s still early in the Rockets’ rebuild. Houston needs to land a franchise cornerstone with the No. 3 overall pick to pair with Jalen Green, who had a promising finish to his rookie year. There has been hope that Kevin Porter Jr. can be that type of player, but the Rockets are expected to approach his rookie extension talks with caution — if at all. After dealing Christian Wood to the Mavericks, Eric Gordon remains as a productive veteran whose best value to the Rockets is probably as trade bait. — MacMahon

30. Orlando Magic
2020-21 record: 22-60
Result: Missed postseason
2023 title odds: +100000

There is finally a little excitement again in Orlando surrounding this young group’s future. That’s because the No. 1 pick in next week’s draft gives more hope to an organization in desperate need of it. No matter which direction the Magic take with the first pick, they have to trust that second-year coach Jamahl Mosley and his staff will continue to develop Markelle Fultz, Wendell Carter Jr., Cole Anthony and Jalen Suggs. On top of the needed improvements from the younger players, the Magic have to trust that Jonathan Isaac will make an impact next year after missing the last two seasons while rehabbing from an ACL injury suffered in the 2020 NBA Bubble. — Friedell

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BOSTON — In the wake of their season-ending loss to the Golden State Warriors on Thursday night in Game 6 of the NBA Finals at TD Garden, the message from the Boston Celtics was that the future is bright, and that this loss was, in their eyes, just the beginning.

“It’s definitely is tough,” Marcus Smart said of Boston’s 103-90 loss to Golden State. “But it’s definitely one of those things we’ve been through hell to get here, and you take that. You know what I’m saying? We got to use that.

“It’s going to be tough. That’s what I know for myself. I’m viewing it and looking at all the s— we had to get through to get here just to even get to this situation to have an opportunity.”

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The Celtics, who had won their first three elimination games in these playoffs to get to this point, were unable to make that happen a fourth time Thursday, as their series-long issues offensively once again reared their head.

For all of the attention paid to Finals MVP Stephen Curry, Boston held the Warriors in and around the low 100s in scoring in each game of this series. But, as Jayson Tatum said, it was Boston’s poise on the offensive end that repeatedly failed the Celtics, as they committed one turnover after another.

The Celtics had another 22 turnovers in Game 6, while Tatum — who finished with an NBA-record 100 giveaways in this postseason, the most ever by a player in a single playoffs — had five of them alone.

In the game’s opening minutes, it looked like Boston would be in business. The Celtics came out flying at both ends, running crisp offense and harassing the Warriors defensively. That allowed Boston to jump out to a 14-2 lead four minutes in, sending the TD Garden crowd into a frenzy and creating the possibility this series could be headed back to San Francisco.

But then the Warriors responded. And responded. And responded. Minutes ticked by, and Golden State kept scoring. Boston kept turning the ball over. By the end of the first quarter, the Warriors had taken the lead — one Golden State would never give back. That advantage ballooned to 15 at halftime, and while the Celtics fought valiantly in the second half, they never truly threatened to come back.

“This is tough, getting to this point and not accomplishing what we wanted to,” said Tatum, who hardly spoke above a whisper during his stint at the podium after his latest rough game in this series, finishing with 13 points on 6-for-18 shooting in 40 minutes. “It hurts. You know, we all could have done things better. I feel like I could have done a lot of things better. But, you know, like we said, we competed, we tried all season, all playoffs.”

Trying, though, wasn’t enough to solve the puzzles Golden State presented this Boston team. The Celtics were able to overcome the problems they gave themselves from a turnover and execution standpoint against the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference semifinals and the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference finals.

The Warriors, however, were a different story, as Curry and Golden State’s experienced roster threw one look after another at Boston throughout this series and the Celtics — and Tatum in particular — struggled to adjust.

And, as Boston begins a long offseason of wondering what might have been — particularly after rough collapses in the fourth quarters of winnable games in both Games 4 and 5, and after finishing the postseason with a dismal 6-6 record here at TD Garden — Celtics coach Ime Udoka, who was on the San Antonio Spurs coaching staff when they lost to the Miami Heat in seven games in 2013, said this loss will linger for some time.

“It’s going to hurt. It will hurt for a while. Probably that stuff never goes away. I’ve lost one before.

“That was part of the message. Let it propel us forward, the experience. Growth and progress that we made this season. Obviously, getting to your ultimate goal and fall a few games short is going to hurt. There are a lot of guys in there [that are] very emotional right now.”

One of them was clearly Tatum, who looked like he didn’t want to speak for most of his postgame news conference. But another was big man Robert Williams, who bounced back from the knee pain that has dogged him for most of the playoffs to be Boston’s most impactful player in this series.

“It don’t stop hurting,” he said, when asked when he will begin moving on from this loss. “Honestly, it never stops hurting until we’re back in this position again. Starting with the beginning of the season.

“Just got to be better, man. Got to be better. Everyone got to take a step up, add a little intensity to everything we’re doing. But it never stops hurting.”

Still, much of what the Celtics said after this one is that the future is quite bright here in Boston. All eight of the team’s top rotation players are under contract for next season, and of them only Al Horford is older than 27.

After a slow start to the year that saw Boston sitting at 23-24 in late January, the Celtics completely flipped the script, going 28-7 to end the year, and then going through superstars Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jimmy Butler — the latter two in seven-game series — to make it this far.

Ultimately, though, the combination of Curry and the veteran moxie and experience on this stage for the Warriors was too much for Boston to overcome. Now, the Celtics will head into the summer thinking about what might have been and excited about where this franchise is headed after making it to the NBA Finals for the first time in 12 years.

“The future is bright,” Jaylen Brown said. “I always look at adversity as opportunities to shape an individual. For whatever reason, it wasn’t our time. That means we still got a lot to learn. Personally, I still got a lot to learn.

“For me, it’s always about growth. Continuing to get better, continuing to find different ways to lead. That’s what it’s about. The future is bright. I’m excited to get back next year.”

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