🌟 The Ma(ye)n attraction

Good Morning, Boston.

On this day in 1956 … Celtics guard Bill Sharman missed a free throw — for the first time in 55 attempts. That was an NBA record at the time — one he’d break a few years later with 56 straight makes during the 1958 season. He also set the record for the longest shot in NBA All-Star Game history with this 70-foot buzzer-beater. An early disciple of “Mazzulla Ball”, just imagine the numbers he’d put up with today’s Celtics.

WHAT’S ON TAP TODAY:

Buehler … Buehler …

Celtics get Christmas coal

From GOAT to GOAT

LET’S GET INTO IT…

LEADING OFF

Maye the megastar

Drake Maye is “him.” Forget the Patriots’ record. Forget about Jerod Mayo’s job status. Forget the Krafts. Pats fans should be ecstatic about this team going forward. Why? Because their young QB is already a budding superstar, even as he learns from his early mistakes. With every eye-popping throw, Maye’s league-wide legend grows, and that can only mean great things for New England.

He’s standing up to the NFL’s best competition. Maye’s spectacular TD throw to Kayshon Boutte and mettle against relentless pressure were part of why the Patriots hung tough with the Bills in last Sunday’s loss. He had the Bills praising him on the opposing sideline during the game, and MVP candidate Josh Allen went out of his way last week to talk Maye up. They know what they’re up against for the foreseeable future.

He’s earned comparisons to Allen and other great QBs. While Maye’s too humble to accept his flowers yet, his game compares favorably to Allen and Justin Herbert — the two QBs he’ll finish the season against. In fact, Maye is a far better passer than the extremely raw Allen was early in his career, while his duel-threat playmaking gives him a dimension Herbert didn’t have in his historic rookie season. Put those together, and you might have a special young QB.

His popularity has kept the Patriots relevant … The 3-12 Patriots are playing their second primetime game in a row this Saturday against a (probably) playoff-bound Chargers team because the NFL wants to showcase Maye and amp up those comps with Allen and Herbert. Meanwhile, Kendrick Bourne is boldly recruiting Tee Higgins to the Patriots on social media, despite the team’s awful record. Maye’s become appointment TV, and the whole league is watching.

… and could pay off big next offseason. Maye’s remarkable talent and leadership so far are the best bargaining chips the organization has to orchestrate its turnaround next year — even better than having tons of salary cap space. Players around the league know he’s the future, and current Patriots have been spreading the word. New England is set up perfectly to aggressively add talent during Maye’s rookie contract, but it wouldn’t have mattered if Maye wasn’t good. Fortunately, he is, and he has two more opportunities to put the NFL on notice this season.

POLL

🤔 What’s the biggest priority for helping Drake Maye in 2025?

BOSTON SPORTS

Quick hits & headlines

🚶 Red Sox sign SP Walker Buehler. Boston nabbed the ex-Dodger on a one-year, $21.05 million deal to essentially set their starting rotation for 2025. He’s not Corbin Burnes, but it’s like getting the slightly off-brand (but still cool) version of the present you wanted for Christmas. If he stays healthy, he and Garrett Crochet could give opposing hitters headaches.

🤨 What’s with the Celtics? The Christmas Day loss to the 76ers was the C’s second in a row and fourth in their last seven games. Whether it’s fatigue from that championship run or just not taking their opponents seriously enough, these losses need to turn into lessons ASAP.

🗑️ Kendrick Bourne shares his “worst” Christmas present. The Patriots receiver’s parents apparently weren’t pleased with the state of Kendrick’s room as a kid, so they gifted Bourne and his brothers a trash can for Christmas. After all, if your parents don’t ruthlessly shame you into doing your chores, do they even love you?

📽️ Bill Belichick’s favorite Tom Brady play. The GOAT coach told the GOAT player on the “Let’s Go!” podcast that Brady’s TD throw to David Givens in Super Bowl XXXIX was his finest work ever, in Belichick’s opinion. 1. If you guessed that on the first try, you’re a real football nerd. 2. Watching Belichick gush about great football players is can’t-miss programming. 

🏟️ White Stadium officially welcomes BOS Nation FC. The City of Boston and the city’s new NWSL club formally agreed to a 10-year lease to make White Stadium the team’s home. The old landmark will get a facelift ahead of BOS Nation FC’s opener in 2026 and be partly available for some public usage. Yours truly can’t wait to hit up the new eight-lane track.

LAST CALL

The McConkey mistake

Did the Patriots make a big mistake not drafting Chargers WR Ladd McConkey?

A big one.

The reason the Patriots traded down rather than take McConkey at pick No. 34 made some sense on paper: they reportedly wanted South Carolina’s Xavier Legette – a more traditional No. 1-type receiver — over the more slot-oriented McConkey. So they traded down when Carolina swiped Legette and used the picks they got to draft two receivers (Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker) who fit what they were seeking. The problem: McConkey’s approaching 1,000 receiving yards while Polk and Baker barely play. Sometimes, you just take good players and slot them in later.

Gut-check time

GAME … SET … MEME

Clapping back

👏 The 76ers’ social team called “scoreboard” after their Christmas win ... but Celtics fans quickly called “standings” on Philly to remind them they’re in no position to talk smack. If only the C’s showed a similar level of fight on the court, they might not be in this funk.

🗞 That’s a wrap. I’ll be writing Joe Mazzulla to have his team study Bill Sharman’s old film so they stop shooting so terribly from the free-throw line. Seriously, that guy had the sauce.

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