BOSTON (AP) — The Boston Celtics heard loud and clear what everyone what was saying about them before this season.
They heard all the predictions about how they would take a step back from the NBA’s top tier with Jayson Tatum rehabbing from the ruptured Achilles tendon he suffered in the playoffs last May.
They heard the narrative that this would be a throwaway year, likely ending with Boston in the draft lottery, after an offseason shakeup that included the departures of key 2024 championship contributors Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford.
So, when the Celtics last month notched their 50th win for the fifth consecutive season, All-Star Jaylen Brown didn’t hold back in ripping that narrative into confetti.
“50 wins in a gap year,” Brown posted on X, along with a shamrock emoji.
Enough said.
Now, as the Celtics prepare for their fourth straight playoff appearance under coach Joe Mazzulla as the Eastern Conference’s No. 2 seed, they are whole again following Tatum’s return last month. And the rest of the NBA is acknowledging what the Celtics have believed for some time: The sky remains the limit for this team.
Though Brown, who seized the leadership reins during an MVP-caliber season, acknowledged that he was surprised “a little” at least about just how well the cards have fallen for this group.
“Obviously, my mentality was come in and compete. But the way the group merged together as quickly as it did — it didn’t take us long. I thought it would take us a littler longer," Brown said. "We were trending upward post-All-Star break. But we kind of figured it out maybe the first 10 or 15 games. We started clicking and gelling. That just doesn’t happen.”
With Tatum sidelined the first 65 games, Brown flourished as the No. 1 option and leader, taking his game to new levels on both the offensive and defensive ends. He post career-high averages in points (28.7), rebounds (6.9) and assists (5.1).
He also got lots of support.
Derrick White struggled offensively at times but remained a stalwart on defense, leading all NBA guards in contested shots (550) while ranking second among guards in blocks per game (1.3).
Payton Pritchard adjusted his game, first as a starter and then by returning to the bench role that earned him Sixth Man of the Year honors last season. Sam Hauser remained a reliable threat from the 3-point line, and Neemias Queta grew his game in leaps in his first year as a starter.
There were some questions about how Tatum’s return on March 6 would affect the flow of a group that had learned to adjust and thrive without the sixth-time All-Star.
Instead, Tatum has reacclimated himself in short order, averaging 21.8 points, 10 rebounds and 5.1 assists in 16 games.
“Quite honestly I think it’s impressive that he’s gotten back to the level that he’s at as fast as he’s done it, while also keeping the main thing the main thing, which is remaining healthy and giving us the best chance to win every night,” Mazzulla said. “It’s a credit to him."
One of the final hurdles to Tatum feeling “back” came on April 9, when the Celtics visited the New York Knicks in his first game at Madison Square Garden since suffering his injury. He said the past month has strengthened a love for basketball he feared during rehab he might lose.
“You go through ups and downs mentally when you go through an injury, especially the one that I had,” Tatum said. “Moments of doubt or things like that. But there’s definitely a sense of gratitude.”
For Brown, it’s also put into perspective just how unlikely his nine seasons playing alongside Tatum have been.
Famed Celtics duo Bill Russell and Bob Cousy played together for seven seasons. Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant played together for eight.
“I think it’s been a historic run. We were able to deliver a championship in 2024. Unfortunately, we had opportunities in the past that got away from us, but we’ve been right there for a long amount of time. We’ve gained a lot of experience,” Brown said. ”Everything isn’t always perfect, but it’s not supposed to be. It’s a part of the journey. ... I’m excited to go have another opportunity.”
Brown also has an eye on bringing more trophies to Boston.
“I’m still improving. I’m still getting better. I’m still learning. I’m still growing," he said. "I feel like I’m entering my prime and I’m excited to maximize my potential and then take advantage of every opportunity I have to win and just be a part of a team and be a part of something special.”
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Boston Celtics fans react as the team is announced before an NBA basketball game against the Orlando Magic, Sunday, April 12, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell)
Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla calls to his players during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the New Orleans Pelicans, Friday, April 10, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) drives to the basket against New Orleans Pelicans guard Micah Peavy (14) during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, April 10, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal prosecutors made an unannounced visit this week to a construction site at Federal Reserve headquarters that is the focus of an investigation into a $2.5 billion renovation project, according to two people familiar with the visit.
Two prosecutors and an investigator from U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s office were turned away on Tuesday by a building contractor and referred to Fed attorneys, one of the people said. The two people familiar with the visit spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to publicly discuss an ongoing investigation.
The visit underscores that the Trump administration is not backing down from its investigation of the Fed and its chair, Jerome Powell, even though the probe has delayed the confirmation of a new chair nominated by President Donald Trump. The investigation is focused on cost overruns and brief testimony about the project last summer by Powell. Trump confirmed in an interview that aired Wednesday on Fox Business that he wants to continue the probe.
Last month, during a closed-door hearing before a federal judge, a top deputy from Pirro’s office conceded that they hadn’t found any evidence of a crime in their investigation of the headquarters project.
Robert Hur, an attorney for the Federal Reserve board of governors, sent an email to Pirro’s prosecutors about their visit and their request for a “tour” to “check on progress” at the construction site. Hur’s email, which The Associated Press has viewed, noted that U.S. District Judge James Boasberg concluded that their interest in the Federal Reserve’s renovation project was “pretextual.”
“Should you wish to challenge that finding, the courts provide an avenue for you; it is not appropriate for you to try to circumvent it,” Hur wrote.
Sen. Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican who is a key member of the Senate Banking Committee, has vowed to vote against Kevin Warsh, Trump's nominee to replace Powell as Fed chair, until the investigation is dropped. With the committee closely divided on partisan lines, Tillis' opposition is enough to block Warsh from receiving the committee's approval.
Tillis on Wednesday criticized the investigation as “bogus, ill-timed, ill-informed” and repeated that seven Republican members of the banking panel have said they do not believe Powell committed a crime when he testified last June.
Tillis also said there aren’t enough votes on the committee or in the broader Senate to do an end-run around the committee and get Warsh confirmed some other way.
“There really is no path,” he told reporters, adding that Pirro and her aides were “asleep at the switch” because the investigation has essentially delayed Powell's departure from the Fed, despite Trump's obsessive criticism of the Fed chair. Powell has now said he won't leave until the investigation is resolved.
Tillis suggested Pirro blindsided the White House with her investigation. “They should have consulted with the White House, because I’m sure if they would have, (the White House) would have said, ‘no, we can wait,'” until Powell steps down.
But Kevin Hassett, the Trump administration's top economist, said Wednesday that the Justice Department got involved because “the president wanted to investigate the cost overrun,” Axios reported.
The Banking panel said Tuesday that it will hold a hearing on Warsh's nomination April 21. Powell's term as Fed chair ends May 15, but Powell said last month he would remain as chair until a replacement is named.
Powell is serving a separate term as a member of the Fed's governing board that lasts until January 2028. Chairs typically leave the board when their terms as chair end, but they can remain on the board if they choose. Powell has said he won't leave until the investigation is resolved. If he remains it would deny Trump the opportunity to appoint someone else to the seven-member board.
Late Tuesday Tillis posted a link on social media to The Wall Street Journal’s article on the visit below an image of the Three Stooges and wrote, “The U.S. Attorney’s Office for D.C. at the crime scene.”
The investigation centers on an appearance by Powell before the Banking Committee last June, when he was asked about cost overruns on the renovations. The most recent estimates from the Fed suggest the current estimated cost of $2.5 billion is about $600 million higher than a 2022 estimate of $1.9 billion.
“It is probably corrupt, but what it really is, is incompetent,” Trump said. “Don't you think we have to find out what happened there?”
The president's support for the investigation threatens a timeframe set out by Sen. Tim Scott, a South Carolina Republican who chairs the Banking Committee. Scott said Tuesday on Fox Business that he believed the investigation would be “wrapped up in the next few weeks,” allowing Warsh to be confirmed soon after.
News of the unannounced visit by prosecutors comes as Trump has again threatened to fire Powell, if the Federal Reserve Chair decides to stay on the central bank's governing board after his term as chair expires next month.
“Well then I’ll have to fire him, OK?” Trump said.
Trump has for months wanted to remove Powell, saying he has been too slow in orchestrating interest rate cuts that would give the U.S. economy a quick boost. Powell has said the investigation is a pretext to undermine the Fed's independence to set rates.
Sen. Josh Hawley, a Missouri Republican, said Trump can only fire Powell “for cause,” meaning some kind of misconduct, “so that's a pretty tall order.”
Trump’s threat to fire Powell comes as the Supreme Court is weighing the president’s effort to remove another central bank governor, Lisa Cook. Lower courts have so far allowed Cook to remain in her job while her legal challenge to the firing continues. The Supreme Court also seemed likely to keep her on the Fed when the court heard arguments in January. A decision could come any time.
The issue in Cook’s case is whether allegations of mortgage fraud, which she has denied, is a sufficient reason to fire her or a mere pretext masking Trump’s desire to exert more control over U.S. interest rate policy.
The Supreme Court has allowed the firings of the heads of other governmental agencies at the president’s discretion, with no claim that they did anything wrong, while also signaling that it is approaching the independence of the nation’s central bank more cautiously, calling the Fed “a uniquely structured, quasi-private entity.”
AP Writers Seung Min Kim, Mark Sherman, Paul Wiseman, Alanna Durkin Richer, and video journalist Nathan Ellgren contributed to this report.
FILE - Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, right, and President Donald Trump look over a document of cost figures during a visit to the Federal Reserve, Thursday, July 24, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)
