Carissa Moore stormed to Olympic gold medal glory on surfing's Games debut as she dazzled in waters made choppier than normal by the nearby tropical cyclone.

Born in Hawaii, where she still lives, and a former student of the Punahou prep school that was also attended by Barack Obama and Michelle Wie, Moore added to her four world titles with the Tokyo 2020 top prize.

The 28-year-old had been a favourite for the new addition to the Olympic programme and did not disappoint, producing big runs on her fourth and fifth attempts on the waves at Tsurigasaki Surfing Beach. She scored 7.33 followed by 7.60 for a combined 14.93 to comprehensively defeat Bianca Buitendag in the final.

Buitendag's best two scores were 3.23 and 5.23 as she failed to impress the judges in the way Moore's eye-catching performances had.

Few at the Olympics welcomed the threat of an incoming storm, but the surfers are a breed apart and thrive on the powerful waves, the likes of which Moore is familiar with from home.

If anything weighed on her shoulders, it appeared to be the medal more than the pressure.

"It's quite heavy," Moore said as she tried the gold on for size.

"I'm very proud and honoured. It's been a crazy couple of days, a little bit of a rollercoaster of emotions just trying to figure out the break, find my rhythm, learning how to trust myself without my family here.

"I feel super blessed, super fortunate. It's been an incredible experience."

Moore started her life in surfing at the age of five, on Waikiki beach in Honolulu, and she had described it as "a cherry on top" of her Olympic experience to reach the final.

While Buitendag took silver, bronze went to Japan's Amuro Tsuzuki.

Gold in the men's event went to Brazil's Italo Ferreira, who scored a resounding win over Japan's Kanoa Igarashi, prevailing by 15.14 to 6.60 in the final.

Igarashi had scored impressively on his way through the rounds, notably with a 17.00 combined score in the semi-final, but could not produce that level when it mattered most.

Ferreira said: "It's one of the best days of my life for sure. I was so nervous at the beginning but I just tried to surf and have fun because two months ago I was busy with training and thinking and dreaming and now I've got the gold medal. The dream came true."

Warren Gatland has selected Mako Vunipola to start for the British and Irish Lions in the second Test against South Africa in Cape Town.

Head coach Gatland makes three changes to the side that beat the Springboks 22-17 last weekend, with Conor Murray and Chris Harris also coming into the starting XV to face the world champions on Saturday.

Vunipola replaces Rory Sutherland as he joins Luke Cowan-Dickie and Tadhg Furlong in the front row, while captain Alun Wyn Jones wins his 11th successive Lions Test cap as he partners Maro Itoje in an unchanged back row.

Murray comes in for Ali Price at scrum-half to partner Dan Biggar, while Harris is preferred to Elliot Daly to play alongside Robbie Henshaw in the centres.

The back three of Anthony Watson, Duhan van der Merwe and Stuart Hogg is unchanged, while Taulupe Faletau joins Sutherland, Price and Daly on the bench.

The Lions have only lost two series after winning the first Test, with the most recent occasion coming against Australia in 2001.

"As always, selection was incredibly tough," Gatland said. "However, we've made the changes we think are the right calls for the weekend's game.

"We feel we can go up another level from where we were in the first Test and I would expect us to improve.

"It's the biggest game on the Tour and we have to embrace the expectation that comes with it. As players and coaches, these are the games you want to be involved in. 

"We’re relishing the opportunity to face the Springboks again on Saturday and potentially seal a series win."

British and Irish Lions: Stuart Hogg, Anthony Watson, Chris Harris, Robbie Henshaw, Duhan van der Merwe, Dan Biggar, Conor Murray; Mako Vunipola, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Tadhg Furlong, Maro Itoje, Alun Wyn Jones (captain), Courtney Lawes, Tom Curry, Jack Conan.

Replacements: Ken Owens, Rory Sutherland, Kyle Sinckler, Tadhg Beirne, Taulupe Faletau, Ali Price, Owen Farrell, Elliot Daly.

Andy Murray said the quad injury that ruled him out of defending his men's singles title at Tokyo 2020 has not been troubling him in matches, but his withdrawal was due to concerns over results showing up in scans.

The Olympic champion in 2012 and 2016 opted to pull out of the singles prior to his scheduled first-round showdown against Felix Auger-Aliassime on Sunday. 

Instead, Murray decided to continue in the doubles alongside Joe Salisbury, where the pair made the quarter-finals on Tuesday by beating German duo Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz 6-2 7-6 (7-2).

It means Murray remains on track for a third straight Olympic gold and he offered a bit of insight behind his decision not to play in the singles.

"I've had a bit of an issue with my quad," he said.

"It's actually not really been causing me many issues on the court like in practice or anything, there was just some stuff showing on the scans that made all the medical team a bit wary about it.

"I said to Joe that if he picked me to play doubles with him then I'd prioritise the doubles over the singles if I had any physical issues and that was the case. 

"It's disappointing for me because I do feel like I've been playing well, and I've loved the Olympics and I would've liked the opportunity to defend my title. 

"But that wasn't to be and now all the focus and energy goes towards the doubles and to try our best to get a medal there."

Marin Cilic and Ivan Dodig await Murray and Salisbury in the last eight.

Shohei Ohtani once again starred for the Los Angeles Angels on Monday, leading Joe Maddon to declare nobody else is even in the running for this season's MVP award in the American League.

The two-way superstar produced another inspired performance during the Angels' 6-2 victory over the Colorado Rockies.

Ohtani gave up just one run during a dominant seven innings at Angel Stadium, lowering his ERA for the season to 3.04.

The 27-year-old, who became the first player to start as a pitcher and a hitter in an All-Star game earlier this year, also recorded his 100th strikeout of 2021 after pitching at well over 100mph.

Then there is his tally of 35 home runs before the end of July - the best in the MLB. He is the first pitcher to hit more than nine while recording triple-digit strikeouts in the same season.

Not only that, but Ohtani became only the fourth pitcher in the past 30 seasons to have a hit, run, RBI and stolen base in a single inning.

Angels manager Maddon thinks the numbers make a strong case as to why the Japanese player is a clear favourite to be named MVP.

"To me, it's not even close," he said. "When people talk about it being close, it's not.

"What he's doing is so unique. It's just so different compared to anybody else right now.

"Nobody's doing what he's doing, and nobody's done what he's doing, if that makes any sense. He is so motivated."

Naomi Osaka saw her Tokyo 2020 gold medal hopes go up in smoke after a painful defeat and admitted: "This one sucks more than the others."

The world number two had seen top-ranked Ash Barty bounced out in the first round, and the face of Japan's Games looked primed for a run deep into the tournament.

But the prospects of home glory in women's tennis were dashed in round three when Osaka crumbled 6-1 6-4 to Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic.

Osaka, who lit the Olympic cauldron in Friday's opening ceremony, was left scrambling for answers as to why she underperformed.

"How disappointed am I? I mean, I'm disappointed in every loss, but I feel like this one sucks more than the others," she said.

"I definitely feel like there was a lot of pressure for this. I think it's maybe because I haven't played in the Olympics before and for the first year [it] was a bit much."

Asked what went wrong against the world number 42, Osaka said: "Everything – if you watch the match then you would probably see. I feel like there's a lot of things that I counted on that I couldn't rely on today."

There were certainly mitigating circumstances that the 23-year-old might have pointed to, given she had not played since the French Open before heading into the Olympics.

Osaka pulled out of Roland Garros after winning through her first-round match, citing anxiety and pointing to episodes of depression as she explained why she refused to take part in news conferences during the tournament.

Her declarations in Paris came after the four grand slam tournaments warned she could be thrown out of their events if she persistently refused to talk to the media.

Already a four-time grand slam winner, Osaka has found plenty of public support and there was criticism of the tennis authorities for their stance.

To many in Japan, she can do little wrong, although she could also do little right against Vondrousova. Osaka had 32 unforced errors to just 10 from Vondrousova, who also hit more winners.

After saving two match points, Osaka swung a backhand wide on a third to seal her exit.

Despite her disappointment, Osaka felt she had given a reasonable account following a recent absence from the tour, which saw her miss Wimbledon.

But the Games called for more than that, and it was a deflated Osaka who spoke afterwards, explaining how the pressure on her shoulders proved overbearing.

"I've taken long breaks before and I've managed to do well," she said. "I'm not saying that I did bad right now, but I do know that my expectations were a lot higher.

"I feel like my attitude wasn't that great because I don't really know how to cope with that pressure, so that's the best that I could have done in this situation."

Olympic chiefs have declared any "flagrant abuses" of Games principles will be dealt with firmly after an Israeli judoka was controversially left without a round-of-32 opponent.

Algerian Fethi Nourine was suspended by the International Judo Federation on Saturday and ordered to leave Tokyo after pulling out of the men's 73kg event to avoid Israel's Tohar Butbul.

Nourine had been due to face Sudan's Mohamed Abdalrasool in an eliminator for the right to face Butbul but abandoned his Tokyo 2020 mission, citing political support for the Palestinian cause.

Abdalrasool, handed a bye through to a match against Butbul on Monday, then also failed to compete. No reason has been forthcoming for his absence, although it was confirmed he weighed in for the event.

Butbul was waved through to the next round and went on to finish seventh overall in the competition.

Speaking in a media briefing on Tuesday, International Olympic Committee director of solidarity James Macleod said: "Obviously the IOC is always concerned in these cases and is monitoring it very closely.

"If there are flagrant abuses of the Olympic charter, the IOC will take all necessary measures in that respect.

"The IOC is looking at every case that's brought to us. We will investigate every case that's brought to us, even from third parties.

"The IOC has been very clear that non-discrimination, autonomy, all these principles in the Olympic charter, are things we will not flinch from and we will adopt a strict position on all of those."

Within its list of fundamental principles, the Olympic charter says there can be no place for "discrimination of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, sexual orientation, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status".

Japanese superstar Naomi Osaka crashed out of the Tokyo Olympics tennis with a 6-1 6-4 defeat to Czech world number 42 Marketa Vondrousova.

Osaka, who lit the flame at Friday's opening ceremony, had won her opening two matches but bowed out in straight sets, with Vondrousova reaching the quarter-finals.

In the first set, Vondrousova dominated on her first serve and broke three times, before the Japanese hit back with an early break in the second. But the Czech fought back to win, with Osaka finishing with 32 unforced errors to just 10 by her opponent.

"Of course it's one of the biggest wins of my career," Vondrousova said. "Naomi is a great player, she has so many grand slams, so I knew it would be a tough match. I'm very happy with my play. I played amazingly in the first set, and then the second set was really tough. I'm just happy to be through."

World number two Osaka joins top seed and Wimbledon champion Ash Barty in being eliminated early at the Tokyo Games.

In the men's singles second round, fourth-ranked Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas eased past American Francis Tiafoe 6-3 6-4, avenging a shock Wimbledon defeat.

DUFFY DELIGHT

Flora Duffy won Bermuda's first-ever Olympic gold medal with victory in the women's triathlon on Tuesday at Odaiba Marine Park.

The four-time Olympian failed to finish in Beijing, came 45th in London and improved to eighth in Rio de Janeiro.

Duffy took the Tokyo title in a time of one hour, 55 minutes and 36 seconds, finishing more than a minute ahead of Britain's Georgia Taylor-Brown who took silver, with USA's Katie Zaferes claiming bronze.

“It's always been my dream to race at the Olympics and be a professional athlete with the goal of being an Olympic champion," Duffy said.

"That's not the easiest thing to do regardless of where you're from. Bermuda is a small country, but it's really passionate about its sport.

“I'm so grateful that I could achieve a personal dream here of winning an Olympic medal, but this is bigger than me, this is going to inspire the youth of Bermuda and everyone back home that competing on the world stage from a small island is really possible."

The 33-year-old broke clear in a group of seven early in the bike stage, before dominating the 10km run.

Bermuda, which has a population of just over 70,000, had only claimed one medal previously in Olympic history, a bronze in 1976.

MCKEOWN BREAKS OLYMPIC RECORD

Australia secured a second gold medal in the pool as Kaylee McKeown broke the Olympic record in the women's 100m backstroke.

McKeown won in 57.47, finishing ahead of Canada's Kylie Masse by 0.25 seconds, with USA's Regan Smith taking bronze. Masse had led at the turn.

In the men's 100m backstroke, Russian Olympic Committee claimed a one-two finish as Evgeny Rylov edged out countryman Kliment Kolesnikov, who holds the 50m world record. Ryan Murphy, who is the world record holder across 100m, claimed bronze.

Great Britain's Tom Dean won the men's 200m freestyle by 0.04, marginally ahead of compatriot Duncan Scott, with Brazil's Fernando Scheffer coming in third. The result meant two British male swimmers stood on the same Olympic podium for the first time since 1908.

World record holder Lilly King finished third as US teenager Lydia Jacoby triumphed in the women's 50m breaststroke. South Africa's Tatjana Schoenmaker claimed silver.

CHINESE PAIR ON TARGET

China claimed another gold medal in the final of the 10m air pistol mixed team at the Asaka Shooting Range.

China's Ranxin Jiang and Wei Pang won 16-14 over Russian Olympic Committee pair Vitalina Batsarashkina and Artem Chernousov.

Ukraine duo Olena Kostevych and Oleh Omelchuk won the bronze by beating Serbia.

The 10m air rifle mixed team bronze and gold medal matches were taking place later on Tuesday.

AUSSIES SINGING IN MEN'S HOCKEY

World number two side Australia knocked off reigning Olympic gold medallists Argentina 5-2 in the men's hockey group stage.

Australia claimed their third consecutive victory and top Group A, this time being aided by two goals from Blake Govers.

The Kookaburras have only won one Olympic gold despite often being a dominant side in men's hockey and are one of the favourites to triumph in Tokyo.

Japan and New Zealand, who both previously lost to Australia, drew 2-2 in the other Group A game.

In Group B, world number four India won 3-0 over Spain, while fifth-ranked Germany beat Great Britain 5-1.

Shohei Ohtani continues to amaze after doing it all again as the Los Angeles Angels won 6-2 over the Colorado Rockies in the MLS on Monday.

In the first inning, Ohtani drove in an RBI single as David Fletcher scored, before stealing a base to second.

Ohtani stepped up on the mound throughout too, tossing down five strikeouts, including a handful of outstanding sliders across seven innings, allowing five hits.

Jack Mayfield came up with a two-run shot down the line in the seventh inning to put the Angels 4-1 up.

The Angels added another two in the eighth inning to round out the win which lifts them to 50-49.

Walkoffs and a go-ahead grand slam

Andrew McCutchen launched a massive three-run home run to earn the Philadelphia Phillies an exhilarating 6-5 walk-off win over the Washington Nationals.

With two runners on base down 5-3 in the ninth inning, McCutchen hit Brad Hand high over Juan Soto's head in right-field for a homer.

Javier Baez also walked it off with an RBI single to lead the Chicago Cubs past the Cincinnati Reds 6-5.

Alex Verdugo hit a two-run go-ahead homer as the Boston Red Sox continued their recent dominance over the Toronto Blue Jays with a 5-4 win. Boston now have 33 comeback wins this season.

Kyle Tucker hit a three-run home run as the Houston Astros raced to a 6-0 first inning lead which they surrendered, eventually losing 11-8 to the Seattle Mariners.

The Mariners trailed 8-7 at the bottom of the eighth inning when Dylan Moore hit a decisive go-ahead grand slam to left field from Brooks Raley.

Rockies rocky road

Ohtani claimed the win against the Rockies, but Colorado's road record is a major concern, suffering their third straight away defeat. The Rockies have the worst road record in the majors, going at 10-37, compared to 33-20 at home.

Cabrera closes in on 500

The Detroit Tigers may have lost 6-5 to the Minnesota Twins but veteran slugger Miguel Cabrera moved a step closer to his 500th home run, with a two-run homer. Cabrera, 38, now has 495 career home runs.

Monday's results

Atlanta Braves 2-0 New York Mets
Philadelphia Phillies 6-5 Washington Nationals
Boston Red Sox 5-4 Toronto Blue Jays
Chicago Cubs 6-5 Cincinnati Reds
Kansas City Royals 4-3 Chicago White Sox
Minnesota Twins 6-5 Detroit Tigers
New York Mets 1-0 Atlanta Braves
Los Angeles Angels 6-2 Colorado Rockies
Seattle Mariners 11-8 Houston Astros

Yankees at Rays

The Tampa Bay Rays (60-40) take on American League East contenders, the New York Yankees (51-47), in the opening game of their series.

Naomi Osaka saw her Olympic gold medal dream shattered by a third-round defeat to Marketa Vondrousova at Tokyo 2020 on Tuesday.

Osaka lit the Olympic cauldron on Friday and was widely hailed as the 'face of the Games', with enormous expectation that she would go on to triumph for hosts Japan.

The early exit of world number one Ash Barty seemed to help her case, but Osaka lost 6-1 6-4 to her Czech opponent in an hour and eight minutes.

Another great day in the pool saw Team GB and the Russian Olympic Committee secure one-twos, while teenager Lydia Jacoby earned a surprise triumph and Kaylee McKeown brought home another swimming gold for Australia.

There was also a further look at Ariarne Titmus and Katie Ledecky at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre, with the pair securing their passage to the final of the women's 200 metres freestyle.

Here is a round-up of Tuesday's goings-on in swimming at the Olympics.

MORE AUSSIE SUCCESS AS MCKEOWN SETS NEW OLYMPIC MARK

Just a day on from Titmus' thrilling win over Ledecky in the 400m freestyle, Australia had more reason to celebrate in the pool on Tuesday as McKeown won the 100m backstroke, becoming the first Australian woman to triumph in the event.

Her time of 57.47 seconds established a new Olympic record, the fourth time this week in the event a new benchmark has been set, and was only 0.02 seconds off her own world-record time.

Kylie Masse had led at the 50m mark and the Canadian held off the challenge of Team USA's Regan Smith to take silver.

DEAN PIPS SCOTT AS GB GO ONE-TWO

A thriller in the men's 200m freestyle saw Tom Dean pip Duncan Scott to gold as two British male swimmers stood on the same Olympic podium for the first time since 1908.

Scott was fastest in Monday's semi-finals and a blistering finish put him right in contention, but it was Dean, having made a superb opening, who just touched home first by four hundredths of a second.

"I knew it was going to be a dog fight," Dean, whose time of 1:44.22 is a new British record, told BBC Sport.

"I didn't know how people were going to swim it. It was just race to race."

TEENAGE KICKS AS JACOBY UPSETS THE ODDS

The shock of the session came in the women's 100m backstroke where American world-record holder Lilly King and Olympic benchmark setter Tatjana Schoenmaker of South Africa were favourites for gold.

There was an American winner but it was not King, the honour instead going to 17-year-old Jacoby, who became only the sixth swimmer to break 1:05.

The teenager broke free in the final 20m and defending champion King was proud of her younger team-mate's phenomenal achievement.

"We love to keep that gold in the USA family so this kid just had the swim of her life and I'm so proud to be her team-mate. I'm proud to get bronze for my country," King said.

RUSSIAN DUO BEAT MURPHY IN 100 BACK

Defending champion and world-record holder Ryan Murphy had to settle for bronze in a lightning 100m men's backstroke final, which saw the Russian Olympic Committee secure a one-two.

Evgeny Rylov (51.98), the 200m back world champion, edged compatriot Kliment Kolesnikov (52.00) in a tight finish as the USA did not win either gold or silver in this race for the first time since 1980 – when they boycotted the Games.

TITMUS AND LEDECKY TO BATTLE AGAIN?

If Monday's 400m clash was anything to go by then we could be in for another treat at the pool on Wednesday. Titmus qualified fastest in the women's 200m freestyle, with Ledecky winning her heat and going through third quickest overall.

Kristof Milak, who owns the world record, swam fastest in the men's semi-finals for the men's 200m butterfly, while Kate Douglass was quickest in the semis for the women's 200m individual medley.

South African eighth-seed Lloyd Harris was bundled out by Australian Jordan Thompson 7-6 (7-2) 1-6 6-2 in a seesawing contest.

Thompson, who is ranked 63rd in the world, got the better of Harris, showing to grit to win in two hours and 30 minutes.

In the final match of the day, play was suspended due to rain and lightning after the first set with American Sam Querrey leading 6-4 against German Peter Gojowczyk.

Former world number 11 Querrey sent down 12 aces in the first set before the weather intervened.

The winner of Querrey and Gojowczyk will take on Thompson.

Steve Johnson defeated Alexei Popyrin 7-6 (7-4) 6-3, while Bjorn Fratangelo beat Italian Andreas Seppi 7-5 7-6 (7-5).

After a seventh-place finish in the Eastern Conference was followed by a first-round exit in the playoffs, the Boston Celtics decided it was time for change.

Danny Ainge, the long-time director of basketball operations, is out. Brad Stevens' reign as head coach is over too, though he has switched from orchestrating plays on the sideline to making deals in the front office. His replacement on the bench, Ime Udoka, is an experienced member of supporting casts who finally gets a chance to take on a lead role.

The revamp was not just restricted to team staff, either.

Kemba Walker – seen as a major addition in 2019 – was deemed expendable amid concerns over both his long-term health and salary number. The deal with the Oklahoma City Thunder came at a cost – Boston had to give up their first-round pick in this year's draft as a sweetener – but it may not be the final move for a franchise aiming to regain momentum.

For so long, the Celtics were viewed as a team on the rise. A plethora of burgeoning talents were allowed to develop under the highly rated Stevens, a graduate from the college system who steered them to the Eastern Conference Finals on three occasions between 2017 and 2020.

However, 2020-21 was undoubtedly a step back. A 36-36 record in the regular season, albeit amid the backdrop of a global pandemic, was a surprise. Losing to the Brooklyn Nets in five, however, was not. In fact, the only shock was that they managed to avoid being swept.

So what happens in the next chapter of the Celtics story? Stevens must work out the path for a team that, after playing the long game, has quickly been left behind by its rivals

Boston's double act offers hope

Capitalising on a plethora of draft picks stockpiled over time, the Celtics had sculpted a roster that appeared a step away from moving onto the next level. Major moves were made to try and tip the balance: Kyrie Irving appeared the perfect marriage only for the relationship to flame out, while Gordon Hayward endured a hugely unfortunate start and never completely recovered.

Walker has gone now too, leaving Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown as the two fundamental pillars in place for Boston to build around.

Brown finished with a career-high 24.7 points per game at the end of the regular season, a figure aided by shooting 39.7 per cent from deep when averaging 7.1 three-pointers an outing. He attempted more shots in general, with his 19.2 field goals up from 15.6 in the previous campaign. There was also an upturn in assists as well.

However, a wrist injury meant he missed the series against the Nets. Tatum fought a lone hand, including a 50-point performance in Game 3. He became the third Celtic to reach a half-century in a regulation playoff game, joining a select group that also includes John Havlicek and Sam Jones.

Yet that stunning performance merely delayed the inevitable. In putting together a big three, the Nets had jumped the queue in the East. Boston were one of only two teams to have a pair of players finish in the top 20 for points per game in the regular season. The other? Brooklyn, of course.

Tatum averaged an impressive 26.8 points per 75 possessions to continue on an upward curve. Kevin Durant described the third overall pick in the 2017 draft as a "tough, tough cover" after trying to keep him quiet during the first-round matchup. Like Brown, the 23-year-old showed his all-round capabilities by setting career-high averages for points, rebounds and assists.

His usage rate of 30.8 per cent for every 75 possessions was both a sign of his growing status and also a by-product of an ever-changing cast around him. The Celtics used 37 different line-ups – only three teams topped that figure – as injuries and the added wrinkle of the NBA's COVID-19 protocols left Stevens consistently shuffling the deck on a nightly basis.

However, the absences should not paper over the cracks: Brown and Tatum - whose absence from an All-NBA team cost him $33million in his rookie extension – need help.

Moving on from Walker

Boston hoped Walker would be a multi-dimensional scoring guard who could also facilitate for others. The issue was he did not play nearly enough to merit holding on to that ideal any longer.

Walker was restricted to 43 appearances in the regular season, during which he averaged 19.3 points per game – his lowest total since 2014-15. The team was marginally better with him on the court – they scored at 113.2 points per 100 possessions, compared to 109.6 without – though played at a slightly higher pace when the former Charlotte Hornet was absent.

Taking into consideration the likelihood of the four-time All-Star utilising his player option for the 2022-23 season, there was over $73m left on his deal. Boston did get something in return from the Thunder, as a familiar face returned for a second spell (more on that later).

Walker's departure provides some cap relief, of course, but it also leaves a sizable hole in the roster. Marcus Smart appears the in-house option to start at point guard, yet he is heading into a contract year and is still yet to demonstrate how he can be relied upon for consistent offensive production.

His 14.2 points per 75 possessions ranked him 222nd in the league, although a player with a reputation for being a pest to opposing teams posted a defensive rating of 112.8, the highest of his NBA career. As he heads into his eighth season, Smart is a solid contributor capable of making plays without the ball, yet also someone opposing teams do not fear having possession in crunch time.

The same may well be said for Al Horford, even if the Celtics are not quite getting the same player who said farewell to Boston in 2019.

You can call me, Al

Life in Philadelphia did not pan out for Horford following his move in free agency two years ago, with him stuck as the odd man out in a crowded front court where Joel Embiid rules the roost. His time in Oklahoma was short-lived, but now he is back in familiar surroundings.

The 14-year veteran returns having become a more frequent three-point shooter since his first stint – his average of 5.4 attempts in 20 games for the Thunder was a career high, a stark contrast to the player who tried 18 shots from beyond the arc across his first six years in the league.

His playmaking abilities will help lighten the load on Brown and Tatum, while his experience should be invaluable to promising big Robert Williams, whose effective field goal percentage of 72.1 left him behind only DeAndre Jordan in the entire NBA.

Williams also showed he can be a presence on defense, with only five players averaging more blocked shots per game. The third-year center is a low usage, high-value finisher when close to the rim who is primed to take on a starting role.

In general, however, Boston's defensive numbers suffered a dip. Having ranked second in the category in 2019-20, giving up 107.3 points per outing, they fell outside the top 10 this term, their points against number finishing up at 111.2

The Celtics also have a decision to make over Evan Fournier, the trade-deadline addition who is now a free agent. Outside shooting is a must in the league, and the Frenchman was successful with 46.3 per cent of his three-point attempts in the regular season following his arrival from the Orlando Magic.

Last year's first-round selection Payton Pritchard, who shot 46.7 per cent when averaging 2.5 catch-and-shoot three-point attempts, showed signs of promise, but Boston still needs more shooting depth.

Verdict: Evolution

The revolution may have already occurred in Boston. After over 600 games as the head coach, Stevens wasted no time in making an impact following his change of roles.

However, a full re-shaping of the team would require trading away one of the core pieces he has worked so closely with over recent years. Smart, who makes just over $14m on an expiring deal, appears the most trade-friendly asset: the Celtics know the clock is ticking.

Whether Smart sticks around or not, Boston needs more to aid their dynamic duo in Brown and Tatum. The cap situation suggests dipping a toe into the free agency waters, rather than diving right in. There is no point pinning too much faith on the draft process for help either, as their first-round selection is now sitting in the Thunder's treasure chest of picks.

Stevens will survey the landscape and acknowledge standing still is a risk. Brooklyn have their big three, Giannis Antetokounmpo is ensconced in the East with Milwaukee and the Atlanta Hawks have suddenly found their wings to make a run to the Conference Finals.

His final year saw Boston average 1.18 points per possession, behind only the Sacramento Kings, while their effective field goal percentage of 63.3 ranked fourth. There is much to like about this group, yet also a feeling that standing pat is a risk with few potential rewards.

If there is a shortcut to potentially becoming a title candidate, it could be in the form of a frustrated superstar ripe for picking off in a blockbuster trade. That, however, would require a change of mindset when it comes to how they have gone about team building in recent years.

Moving Walker was a fine start, but Stevens the GM has to get creative if Boston are to get back involved in the title race again, rather than just making up the playoff numbers.