Brad Stevens may not have meant to do it, but the Boston sports mood has been tilted hard in the Red Sox’s favor ever since the Celtics shipped Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers.
The timing is too neat to ignore, even if the logic is flimsy. The Red Sox have not lost since that trade, and the run has turned into one of the first real hot stretches of their season.
The Celtics’ move was reported on the evening of Wednesday, July 1, when Boston sent Brown away for Paul George and draft picks. The Red Sox had already dropped that day’s game to the Washington Nationals. After that, they took the field on July 3 and haven’t been beaten since.
Here’s the run they’ve stacked up:
Red Sox 5, Angels 2
Red Sox 8, Angels 1
Red Sox 7, Angels 5
Red Sox 8, White Sox 1
Red Sox 5, White Sox 0
Red Sox 2, White Sox 1
Red Sox 6, Mets 2
Red Sox 4, Mets 0
Red Sox 3, Mets 2
That last one came with a late rally against the Mets in the final game before the All-Star Break, which only added to the feeling that everything was breaking Boston’s way.
Of course, nobody is seriously arguing an NBA trade caused an MLB winning streak. But in a city where every sports move gets cross-checked against the local mood, the coincidence has been hard to miss.
The Red Sox will try to keep it going when they return to action on Friday. And for now, Stevens at least gets the joke: he may have moved the basketball world, but he also managed to give Fenway Park a little extra lift.
In Other News...
Celtics Just Got Burned By An Unexpected Hawks Breakout
A Summer League game in Las Vegas turned into a frustrating one for Boston when Atlanta rode a bench spark to a 102-90 win, and the biggest problem for the Celtics was how quickly the Hawks found a scorer who kept the pressure on all night. The performance came from a young wing who has already built a reputation on the defensive end, but this time the offense was what jumped out, with a steady shot-making night that gave Atlanta a much-needed lift.
For the Hawks, the timing matters as training camp approaches, because every strong showing in July can change the conversation around the back end of the roster and the developmental pipeline. Boston, meanwhile, leaves with another reminder that Summer League can expose more than raw talent, especially when an unexpected breakout starts looking like a player with a real path to stick. [Read more 🡒]
Jaylen Brown Trade Just Turned The Celtics Into A Warning Sign
The Celtics decision to move Jaylen Brown was about more than just basketball fit. It was a reminder of how quickly the NBAs new financial rules can squeeze a contender, especially when two stars are set to consume so much of the cap that the rest of the roster starts to feel impossible to build around. Bostons situation has become a cautionary tale for teams trying to keep a title window open without painting themselves into a corner.
Around the league, that lesson is already showing up in contract decisions. Victor Wembanyama and Austin Reaves both agreed to extensions that left money on the table in exchange for more flexibility for their teams, a sign that players and front offices are adjusting to the same pressures Boston ran into. The Knicks, too, have already made moves with the second tax apron in mind, which only underscores how much the Celtics cap dilemma is shaping the way other teams think about the next few years. [Read more 🡒]