NBA News: Celtics and 76ers Lose

May 12, 2026, 06:23
USSports

Introduction

The Boston Celtics lost their games early. The Philadelphia 76ers beat Boston, but then the New York Knicks beat Philadelphia.

Main Body

The Boston Celtics played bad defense. They did not stop the other team from scoring. Brad Stevens says the team needs new players. Philadelphia beat Boston, but then they lost to New York. Tyrese Maxey and Paul George scored fewer points in the second round. Joel Embiid played well against Boston, but he was tired against New York. Philadelphia has a problem with money. They pay Embiid and George a lot of money. This makes it hard to buy new players. The New York Knicks are now in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Conclusion

Boston and Philadelphia must change their teams. The New York Knicks want to win the championship.

Learning

The Power of 'BUT'

In this story, the word but is used to show a change or a surprise. It connects two opposite ideas.

  • Philadelphia beat Boston, but then they lost to New York. (Win →\rightarrow Loss)

  • Joel Embiid played well …\dots but he was tired. (Good →\rightarrow Bad)

Action Words: Past vs. Now

Notice how the story describes things that already happened. We add -ed to the end of the word to show it is finished.

  • Play →\rightarrow Played
  • Score →\rightarrow Scored

Wait! Some words are "rule-breakers" and change completely:

  • Win →\rightarrow Won (The Knicks want to win →\rightarrow They won)
  • Lose →\rightarrow Lost (Celtics lose →\rightarrow Celtics lost)

Money Talk

When we talk about needing something, we use Need to + Action.

  • The team needs new players.
  • Boston must change their teams.

(Need / Must = It is necessary)

Vocabulary Learning

lost (v.)
to no longer have or possess something
Example:I lost my keys at the park.
beat (v.)
to win against someone
Example:She beat her friend in the game.
play (v.)
to do an activity for fun
Example:They play soccer every Saturday.
bad (adj.)
not good
Example:The weather was bad yesterday.
defense (n.)
protecting from attack
Example:The team's defense stopped the opponent.
stop (v.)
to prevent from continuing
Example:The guard stopped the thief.
team (n.)
a group working together
Example:Our team won the competition.
needs (v.)
requires something
Example:The child needs food.
new (adj.)
not old, recently made
Example:She bought a new book.
players (n.)
people who play a sport
Example:The players trained hard.
points (n.)
units of score
Example:He scored ten points.
well (adv.)
in a good way
Example:She sings well.
tired (adj.)
not energetic
Example:After the game, he felt tired.
problem (n.)
a difficulty
Example:We have a problem with the computer.
money (n.)
currency
Example:She saved some money.