As another playoff-bound team fires its coach, Joe Mazzulla doesn't bat an eye
'It's coaching,' he said before the Celtics faced the New York Knicks. 'He was 10 years there? That's a lot. You hope for [length] like that. You hope for a situation of stability to be somewhere for as long as you have and when it's your time, it's your time.
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'But I think you focus more on the fact that he was able to be there for 10 years. Not many coaches get to do that. You hope for that but you know not everybody gets that opportunity.'
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Mazzulla was asked whether he entered this Celtics job knowing eventually his message and impact was eventually going to wane. Reports out of Denver were that Malone's grating style had caused him to lose support.
'To me, I wake up every day and find the balance of, it's part of what motivates me, but I wake up every day saying it's going to be my last day,' Mazzulla said. 'You have to have that type of perspective because it gives you gratitude, keeps you hungry. You have to have a healthy balance if you want this for as long as you can but at the same time you're very much replaceable because that's just how it works.
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'Every day I remind myself of my own mortality. And I think that's what kind of keeps me in perspective and a gratitude of the opportunity that you have.'
Payton Pritchard explains shoe deal
Payton Pritchard
, the leading Sixth Man of the Year candidate, agreed last week to a new shoe deal with Converse. Pritchard, the Celtics' first-round pick in 2020, had been a player without a shoe contract until he said he began fielding offers in recent months.
Pritchard spent the season wearing the '741 Performance' shoes produced by teammate
Jaylen Brown
.
Payton Pritchard scored a shoe deal with Boston-based Converse recently.
Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff
'There were a lot of companies, a lot of people put their offers out,' he said at morning shootaround at Madison Square Garden. 'Ultimately Converse's offer and everything that went it is what I thought was the best decision for myself. I've said this before; JB's shoe I think is an unbelievable basketball shoe. Converse appealed to me with the lifestyle and stuff like that.'
He said Brown understood his decision.
'Once you tell him the money situation, he's gonna have to understand it a little bit more,' Pritchard said. 'I'm not in the position like JB is [$304 million contract] where I'm not making as much money as that man, so it's a little bit different. He wasn't heartbroken. I'm still going to be supportive of his brand and I hope it takes off.'
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A trend in the NCAA Tournament was the undersized shooting guard such as
Walter Clayton Jr.
of Florida or Ole Miss's
Sean Pedulla
, who could be seen as similar to Pritchard. Out of Oregon, Pritchard was viewed as more of a combo guard with the ability to score, and he has quieted those critics who believed he couldn't thrive as a scorer at 6-feet-1-inch.
'It's just expanding your game, showing you can affect the game in many ways,' he said. 'I still look at myself as a point guard. It's just in certain situations I have to become [versatile] to affect the game. In whatever position you're in, it's having a big arsenal. You can be able to play point but you can be able to be a scorer, so in any given situation or on any team, you're never gonna be like, 'aww he can't play because we don't need this.' So it's having a big bag.'
Layups
The Knicks entered Tuesday at full strength with
Jalen Brunson
playing his second game since missing 15 games with a sprained ankle and
Miles McBride
, listed as probable, coming off the bench. New York needed one win to clinch the No. 3 seed after the hard-charging Indiana Pacers, who entered Tuesday on a four-game winning streak . . .
Al Horford
and family made the trip to San Antonio to see Horford's Florida Gators win the National Championship. Horford was a member of the Gators' back-to-back title teams in 2006 and 2007 and is the only remaining active NBA player from that team. Horford sat out Tuesday with a knee sprain.
Gary Washburn is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at
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San Francisco Chronicle
28 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Valkyries clamp down on Caitlin Clark, pull away in fourth quarter to beat Fever
Stopping Caitlin Clark? No problem for the Golden State Valkyries. In front of a frenzied sellout Chase Center crowd, Golden State stormed back from a 13-point third-quarter deficit to take down Clark's Indiana Fever 88-77 on Thursday night. The expansion club was powered by 45 bench points and Kayla Thornton 's 16-point showing. Fans showing up for the Clark Show might have left disappointed, but they did get to witness one of the most exhilarating Valkyries performances in the young franchise's history. Clark was held without a 3-pointer for only the second time in her WNBA career while being heavily guarded by the combination of Thornton, Veronica Burton and Tiffany Hayes. Clark finished with 11 points, nine assists, six turnovers and shot 3-for-14 in 34 minutes. 'Coach gave us a great game plan,' Hayes said of Natalie Nakase. 'We knew we had to stay up on her. We knew she's a three-level scorer. I think it was a great team defensive game today — everybody was locked in, making sure she didn't get any easy looks.' After a disappointing effort against league-worst Dallas two days earlier, Thursday's showing was much closer to what Nakase expects from her team. Valkyries 88, Fever 77 FG FT Reb INDIANA Min M-A M-A O-T A PF PTS Howard 23:53 6-11 1-1 1-5 2 2 13 Hull 32:45 1-5 0-0 0-3 3 3 3 Boston 29:48 7-11 2-2 3-12 1 5 17 Clark 34:23 3-14 5-5 0-7 9 3 11 Mitchell 33:00 6-11 3-4 0-1 2 5 16 Cunningham 23:54 3-7 0-0 1-6 1 0 9 Colson 13:13 2-3 0-0 0-1 2 2 5 Dantas 8:02 1-4 0-0 0-0 0 2 3 Timpson 0:29 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 Turner 0:29 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 Totals 200:00 29-66 11-12 5-35 20 22 77 Percentages: FG .439, FT .917. 3-Point Goals: 8-29, .276 (Cunningham 3-7, Boston 1-1, Colson 1-2, Hull 1-2, Dantas 1-3, Mitchell 1-5, Howard 0-2, Clark 0-7). Team Rebounds: 7. Team Turnovers: 1. Blocked Shots: 3 (Boston 3). Turnovers: 16 (Clark 6, Mitchell 4, Boston 3, Howard 2, Colson). Steals: 3 (Boston, Clark, Colson). Technical Fouls: None. Percentages: FG .429, FT .704. 3-Point Goals: 9-31, .290 (Thornton 5-8, Bibby 2-6, Martin 1-4, Burton 1-6, Leite 0-1, Billings 0-2, Hayes 0-2, Talbot 0-2). Team Rebounds: 12. Team Turnovers: None. Blocked Shots: 5 (Amihere 4, Burton). Turnovers: 7 (Billings 2, Leite 2, Hayes, Martin, Thornton). Steals: 10 (Talbot 3, Amihere, Bibby, Billings, Hayes, Leite, Martin, Thornton). Technical Fouls: None. A_18,064 (18,064). T_2:04. 'That's what I was looking for,' she said. 'Maximum effort for 80 possessions. … We had to make some adjustments, but much happier with the effort.' Golden State discombobulated the Fever's offense, which turned the ball over 16 times. A fourth-quarter traveling call against Clark led to the possession on which Hayes drove to the rim to give the Valkyries their first second-half lead. Golden State has taken out teams' top scorers before this season. In a blowout win over Las Vegas last week, the Valkyries double- and triple-teamed center A'ja Wilson, daring other players to shoot from distance. They had an inverse approach against the Fever (6-6). 'We were being disruptive,' Nakase said. 'We know that (Clark) doesn't like physicality. We know that she wants to get to that left step-back. … We were just making sure that she wasn't getting into rhythm and then that she was just seeing multiple bodies.' With Hayes glued to Clark, the Valkyries sent a double team whenever a pick happened in front of Clark. The Iowa alum didn't make her first field goal until the 4:12 mark of the second quarter. She finished the first half 1-for-8 with three turnovers, two points and six assists. 'They did a really good job of being physical with her,' said interim Indiana coach Austin Kelly, who was filling in for Stephanie White, who was away due to a personal matter. 'That's going to be the game plan all year long. I thought early on we were moving it … but we got away from that in the second half. I think the lack of ball movement allowed them to really beat her up. When we move it, a lot of good things happen, we are able to punch it, we get to our sprays, and it gets back to her. That's when she is going to get the good looks. But they did a good job of being physical and making it tough for her.' The Valkyries struggled to contain center Aliyah Boston, who scored 17 points on 7-for-11 shooting for the best paint-scoring team in the WNBA. But she scored just two points in the second half while the Valkyries surged. 'We were not guarding her the right way' in the first half, Nakase said. 'They were rolling into certain actions, so we adjusted it, and our (guard) was there, ready and early. (In the first half) we were late. We were getting backdoor cut. We were giving up layups. That's not what we wanted, because they're the top team in paint points.' The Valkyries shot 35.1% from the floor in the opening two stanzas, even while playing a strong defensive game. Indiana went on a 10-0 run in the third quarter to take its 13-point lead, but Golden State stormed back with a 26-11 run in the fourth. The Valkyries went up 76-70 on a Monique Billings and-1 with 3:23 left. They extended their lead to eight points on two Chloe Bibby free throws. Forward Laeticia Amihere blocked a Lexie Bull layup attempt before Thornton sank her fifth 3-pointer of the night to put the Valkyries ahead by 11. 'We keep talking about how we want to be the best defensive team,' Nakase said. 'We'll hang our hats on the defensive end. In the first half, we're like, that ain't our best, so we wanted to make sure they saw our best. In terms of disruption, physicality and finishing with a rebound, that's what you saw tonight.' The Valkyries shot 51.5% from the field in the second half after going ice cold in the second quarter. They had a 6:20 stretch in that frame in which they missed seven consecutive shots, allowing Indiana to get on a roll. The bench awoke in the third quarter, guided by Bibby. The Australian forward tallied 12 points and was a game-high plus-25 in her first WNBA contest. She hit two 3-pointers and notched a steal while being assigned to Boston late in the contest. 'Whatever my reads are, I'm going to do whatever they ask of me,' she said. 'The crowd was just loud as heck. It was incredible. Their energy, I think everybody just fed off of it, and it just made it so much fun.' Golden State faces Connecticut (2-10 entering Friday) on Sunday in the second of a five-game homestand. Thursday night was a rebound performance, but also a message to the league: The Valkyries can defend with the best of them. 'It just shows that we wanted in Dallas to think it was going to be easy, because their record, and the record is not who they are,' Thornton said. 'That is a wakeup. I'm glad we went through that, because we came in today focused on what we needed to. (Indiana) team, and we just executed what we needed to. … We got back to where we needed to.'
Los Angeles Times
an hour ago
- Los Angeles Times
Accounting Firm Growth Spurned by Acquisitions, Global Expansion and New Services
For Southern California's many accounting firms, acquisitions have been a means of expansion as the industry consolidates to streamline operations and enhanced technology. Over the past year, a flurry of acquisitions has also been supplemented by new offerings, such as legal services and global expansion with employees in foreign countries that provide services to support U.S. operations. One of the largest mergers of the past year was CBIZ's $2.3-billion acquisition of Marcum LLP, which closed on November 1. The combined firm is expected to have combined annualized revenue of approximately $2.8 billion. Smaller firms have also been the targets of acquisition as aging partners seek exit plans and firms utilize artificial intelligence and offshore resources to optimize operations. It's a trend that mirrors the wider business climate, according to Aldrich CPAs + Advisors. The firm conducted a survey of more than 100 owners and executives at private companies in California, Oregon and Washington and found that 61% received at least one unsolicited offer to be purchased within the past 12 months, and nearly a quarter of those surveyed received three or more unsolicited offers. Competition to acquire accounting firms has been fierce, but local firms have been able to execute mergers despite interest from national firms. In October, GHJ Accounting, Tax and Advisory Firm acquired Los Angeles-based GGF, which provides audit, tax and consulting services to entrepreneurial businesses and individuals. 'We are proud to integrate GGF into the GHJ family to strengthen our ability to deliver exceptional value to our clients. Their strong client relationships and tailored approach make them a perfect strategic fit for our firm,' said Tom Barry, GHJ managing partner, in a statement. Firms are also expanding by adding new services beyond traditional audit and tax advisory. Two firms quickly took advantage of an Arizona Supreme Court ruling in 2021 that allowed nonlawyers to have an economic interest in law firms under the state's Alternative Business Structure program. The Arizona Supreme Court granted a special license to Big Four firm KPMG to operate a law firm in February. In addition to KPMG, Aprio acquired Radix Law, a Scottsdale-based firm, and launched Aprio Legal in February under the alternative business structure. However, a state law proposed in California may limit the impact of the Arizona ruling. Assembly Bill 931 would prohibit California attorneys from sharing legal fees with out-of-state firms operating under alternative business structures such as those that exist in Arizona and Utah, where non-lawyers, including private equity firms and corporations, may invest in or own law firms. Aprio's addition of a law firm complements its nationwide acquisition spree that included Woodland Hills firm Kirsch Kohn & Bridge in November. The Kirsch Kohn & Bridge acquisition added five partners and more than 30 local professionals. Nationally, it has expanded its footprint with firms in Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Denver and Chicago. Plus, it added cybersecurity firm Securitybricks. Firms have also expanded their reach globally by opening new offices worldwide to support operations. For example, Weaver credited its West Coast growth partly due to long-term progress reflected by the firm's global footprint and official expansion into India. It opened four new offices since the beginning of 2025 in India: Kochi, Coimbatore and Bengaluru opened in January, while Weaver's Chennai office opened in March. At Long Beach-based Windes, local tax partner Guy Nicio, who serves on the firm's board of directors, leads its growing Philippines team, which provides employee support and client services. HCVT continued to invest in its Armenia operations, reinforcing a commitment to build infrastructure that supports future growth.
an hour ago
Fred Smith, FedEx founder who revolutionized package delivery business, dies at 80
MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Fred Smith, the FedEx Corp. founder who revolutionized the express delivery industry, has died, the company said. He was 80. FedEx started operating in 1973, delivering small parcels and documents more quickly than the post office could. Over the next half-century, Smith, a Marine Corp. veteran, oversaw the growth of a company that combined air and ground service and became something of an economic bellwether because so many other companies rely on it. Memphis, Tennessee-based FedEx grew into a global transportation and logistics company that averages 17 million shipments per business day. Smith stepped down as CEO in 2022 but remained executive chairman. Smith, a 1966 graduate of Yale University, used a business theory he came up with in college to create a delivery system based on coordinated air cargo flights centered on a main hub, a "hub and spokes" system, as it became known. The company also played a major role in the shift by American business and industry to a greater use of time-sensitive deliveries and less dependence on large inventories and warehouses. Smith once told The Associated Press that he came up with the name Federal Express because he wanted the company to sound big and important when in fact it was a start-up operation with a future far from assured. At the time, Smith was trying to land a major shipping contract with the Federal Reserve Bank that didn't work out. In the beginning, Federal Express had 14 small aircraft operating out of the Memphis International Airport flying packages to 25 U.S. cities. Smith's father, also named Frederick, built a small fortune in Memphis with a regional bus line and other business ventures. Following college, Smith joined the U.S. Marines and was commissioned a second lieutenant. He left the military as a captain in 1969 after two tours in Vietnam where he was decorated for bravery and wounds received in combat. He told The Associated Press in a 2023 interview that everything he did running FedEx came from his experience in the Marines, not what he learned at Yale. Getting Federal Express started was no easy task. Overnight shipments were new to American business and the company had to have a fleet of planes and a system of interconnecting air routes in place from the get-go. Though one of Memphis' best-known and most prominent citizens, Smith generally avoided the public spotlight, devoting his energies to work and family. Despite his low profile, Smith made a cameo appearance in the 2000 movie 'Castaway' starring Tom Hanks. The movie was about a FedEx employee stranded on an island. 'Memphis has lost its most important citizen, Fred Smith,' said U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen of Tennessee, citing Smith's support for everything from the University of Memphis to the city's zoo. 'FedEx is the engine of our economy, and Fred Smith was its visionary founder. But more than that, he was a dedicated citizen who cared deeply about our city." Smith rarely publicized the donations he and his family made, but he agreed to speak with AP in 2023 about a gift to the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation to endow a new scholarship fund for the children of Navy service members pursuing studies in STEM. 'The thing that's interested me are the institutions and the causes not the naming or the recognition,' Smith said at the time. Asked what it means to contribute to the public good, he replied: 'America is the most generous country in the world. It's amazing the charitable contributions that Americans make every year. Everything from the smallest things to these massive health care initiatives and the Gates Foundation and everything in between,' he said. 'I think if you've done well in this country, it's pretty churlish for you not to at least be willing to give a pretty good portion of that back to the public interest. And all this is in the great tradition of American philanthropy.'
