Celtics ☘️ Sentinel

    1st Quarter     RWill needs to neutralize Bam tonight, along with Al.  What is with those Miami uniforms, sometimes simple is the best way to go. Need to jump on this team being short handed tonight. That first two points of the game came off of some excellent passing! Tatum to Smart to RWill for the JAM!    JT and JB showing how it's done on offense. They both have that natural ability to hit those mid range jumpers. It's been a team effort on offense with all five starters getting on the board. If their D can sustain it's intensity they will be able to frustrate this short handed Heat team. The sooner the Celtics light them up, the sooner we don't need to see those ugly uniforms.    2nd Quarter    Celtics need some energy,  slowly this short handed Heat team is chipping away at this lead. At such a slow pace this writer may have nodded off a bit. Celtics need to get things in gear and push pace of play and get the te...

 No, The Wolverine doesn't have a glass eye , but rather, there are still fragments of glass embedded in his right hand from when he punched a picture frame in 2018 ( per CelticsBlog's Keith P. Smith ):  Following the game (Celtics-Pelicans), Marcus Smart was spotted rubbing and flexing his right hand. When asked if his hand was sore, Smart revealed he still has glass in his hand from punching a picture frame in 2018. Smart also said at times he has trouble finding feeling in the hand because of the glass. That makes his 12-assist night even that much more remarkable. It appears the picture-punching days are over and we see Marcus orchestrating the offense with precision and control . He seems to be doing that in his personal life also.  Smart's late mom, Camellia , used to tell him, "Calm your ass down" . Looks like he has done that. The following from one of my previous articles: But Marcus said it best recently. He views basketball as the  calm center of a vio...

  Dilabeli akhir-akhir ini oleh banyak orang sebagai "melewati masa jayanya", Al Horford akan berusia 36 tahun musim depan. Jika Danny Ainge masih memimpin - sering secara terbuka mengkritik kecenderungan Red Auerbach untuk berpegang teguh pada bintang-bintang yang menua - "Affable Al" hampir pasti akan menuju ke luar kota sebelum Batas Waktu Perdagangan 10 Februari. Kita semua ingat transaksi Paul Pierce-dan-Kevin Garnett-to-the-Nets. Tapi Brad Stevens duduk di "kursi besar" untuk Boston sekarang, dan dia mungkin tidak begitu cenderung untuk menempatkan Al di luar sana sebagai umpan perdagangan. Diakui, Horford melewati puncaknya dan skornya turun musim ini, seperti akurasinya dari lapangan dan di luar busur. Namun dibandingkan dengan musim lalu di OKC, upaya tembakan lapangannya turun dari 16.6 (OKC) menjadi 1.1 (Boston), sedangkan upaya tembakan 3 angkanya turun dari 7.0 (OKC) menjadi 5.0 (Boston). Dengan kata lain, dia tidak terlibat dalam pelanggaran...

 Labeled lately by many as "past his prime", Al Horford will be 36 years old next season . If Danny Ainge was still in charge -  often openly criticizing Red Auerbach's tendency to cling to aging stars - "Affable Al" would almost-certainly be heading out of town prior to the February 10th Trade Deadline. We all remember that Paul Pierce-and-Kevin Garnett-to-the-Nets transaction . But Brad Stevens sits in the "big seat" for Boston now, and he may not be so inclined to put Al out there as trade bait. Admittedly, Horford is past his peak and his scoring is down this season , as is his accuracy from the field and beyond the arc.  But compared to last season in OKC, his fi eld goal attempts are down from 16.6 (OKC) to 1.1 (Boston), while his 3-point attempts are down from 7.0 (OKC) to 5.0 (Boston) . In other words, he is not as involved with the offense in Boston this season - at least part of the reason for his scoring reduction.  Al's contract for ...

  I could not have said it better myself. Adapting to change is critical for survival and maintaining quality of life.  What more does Marcus Smart have to do to gain more acceptance from fans?  He has been Boston's main facilitator since the departure of Kyrie Irving and Kemba Walker . He has seen the error of his ways and cut down the number of heaves-from-distance he attempts, and his assists are up . His 9.9 field goal attempts per game this season are the lowest in the past three seasons, and since his return to action, he has only attempted an average of 6.5 shots per game over the last three games.. Also, in that same span, he has averaged 6.8 assists per game and a plus/minus of +23.3 . Red Auerbach said it. You can't make a shooter out of a non-shoote r. Marcus' accuracy from range will never be all that great, but his skills, fire, desire and toughness fit this team like a glove .  Quick question? How many field goal attempts and assists did 8-time NBA Ch...

 It took 69 points from The Jay Team to take out the weak Pelicans and get back to a (barely) winning (26-25) record . We at CelticsSentinel have broached the Celtics weak bench  and Ime Udoka's decision to not "play the kids" . With the NBA trade deadline on the horizon (11 days away), we are looking for intelligent, knowledgeable (and courteous) feedback from our readers. This is your time to vent. The following is from Brian Fleming, a long-time, devoted Celtics fan with whom I have communicated over the past years. "The (Celtics) bench remains a disaster and the coach has no idea how to use it better. For young players, Langford can't stay healthy and he was drafted for offense, but when he plays, he's nothing more than a defensive specialist. Nesmith was drafted for his shooting and scoring prowess. He doesn't play, and when he does, he can't seem to shoot. Grant Williams isn't a bust where he was drafted, but he's nothing more than a m...

        Kendrick Perkins does not deserve his Celtics credentials. I'll tell you why.       1st Quarter      When you play a lesser opponent you run them off the floor! So far tonight gotta love the pace the Celtics are playing with. Coming out after a meltdown vs the Hawks, they are making the Pelicans say you are our daddy! Keep this aggressive play up! Now as the bench enter can they keep up? Because last night the bench was a HUGE disappointment.              How do our avid readers feel about Ime up to this point? How about Brad? It has to be addressed that the Celtics chose to go with a rookie coach and rookie GM. That takes a lot of guts, or maybe some unthoughtful choices.. Please readers talk to us we want to know. With all that said gotta love the start tonight. We deserve a blowout!           2nd Quarter        With a slowed down pace the Celt...

 Promising not to bore my readers with too many numbers, but the stats clearly show that the Boston Celtics need a Bench Boost . I compared starter-stats with bench numbers, and here are a few: Starter Ratings Points: 4th Rebounds: 1st Assists: 12th FG %: 19th 3-pt. %: 27th Plus/minus: 9th Bench Ratings Points: 28th Rebounds: 30th Assists: 27th FG %: 24th 3-pt. %: 6th Plus/minus: 15th The stats clearly show that the Celtics starters can score points, rebound and facilitate , but their shooting efficiency (accuracy) needs work . T he bench? They can't score, rebound, rack up assists or hit from the field. But their 3-point accuracy is good. “They said you have to use your five best players but I found you win with the five who fit together the best.” Red Auerbach pic.twitter.com/d0jaIT4GNF — Colin (@CM1661) January 29, 2022 What's to be done? This presents nothing new, but it should clarify the bench issue for Boston. In last nights loss to the Hawks, Boston's bench scored...

 I never doubt what I see from the NBA's Taylor Snow , but when I saw his tweet on the very-high Net Rating for the Celtics five starters , I needed to verify it first hand. Boston's regular starting 5 of Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Al Horford, and Rob Williams has by far the best net rating (21.3) among all Eastern Conference lineups (min. 150 minutes). pic.twitter.com/m3p8639TZO — Taylor Snow (@taylorcsnow) January 26, 2022 Yes, it's true . According to NBA.com's stats,  the Boston Celtics starting-5 of Al Horford, Rob Williams, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart not only are tops in the East in Net Rating (second-overall), but they are ranked number-one in the NBA in Defensive Rating . In 14 games thus far this season, the frequent-starting quintet, in 14 games, have played together a total of 174 minutes - and despite much negativity on the general underachievement of The Green  in 2021-22, The Jay Team, Wolverine, Sky Pilot and Affable Al a...

       1st Quarter        Nice offensive sets so far the good guys in green. Marcus using his body getting to the rim with the and 1 you gotta love it. JB coming home tonight, can he come up with a lights out performance? I sure believe and hope so. One issue we are seeing right now is the Celtics getting out done in the paint. Need to change that, if we are going to be successful tonight.        JBs pace and attack are on point so far tonight. Need to keep this aggressive play going. Lets hope the rest of the team follows suit and gets it in gear. Hawks are a team we lost to earlier this season, tonight is the Return of the Jays (Jedi). Where we use the force necessary to get the W! Isn't basketball just a beautiful game. The sound of the ball being dribbled, a nice crisp pass between teammates and the sweet sound of a nothing but net shot. Awe I Love This Game! Nostalgic moment over on to the second quarter.    ...

 The NBA trade deadline is February 10th, two weeks away. Celtics bulldog, Marcus Smart , is now eligible to be traded, and this his tenure in Boston will be in the limelight . Despite his shooting woes, I view Smart as a vital piece-of-the-puzzle for Brad Stevens and Ime Udoka . In the past two games, both wins for Boston, the fiery guard posted team-highs (+36 in each game) in plus/minus . Against the Wizards, he shot 4-of-9 from the field and 2-of-6 on treys - not bad. Versus the Kings, he took only three shots, missing all of them - but still came away with plus-36. NBCSports' Chris Forsberg  recently wrote that the Celtics quartet (call if "core" if you see fit ) of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Rob Williams and Smart ranks fifth in the NBA in net rating when they are on the floor together: Working in his favor: The Celtics’ four-man lineup featuring Tatum, Brown, Williams, and Smart has a net rating of plus-15.3 in 363 minutes together over 20 appearances this s...

  Former Celtic, Stephon Marbury , was impressed with Kevin Durant's point guard skills even when he watched the 6'10" Durant play his first college game at Texas ( per essentiallysports.com's Aaron Mathew ): MARBURY:  “We’ve never seen a guy at 6’10” handle the ball the way how he handles the basketball. It’s literally point guard skills. Everything that he does from his cross, from his hesi, everything. The thing that separates is he can shoot. When you can shoot from that far out that sets up everything. A good NBA point guard needs to have exceptional ball-handling skills - be a diversified scoring threat - orchestrate the offense - pass the ball to the right guy at the right time - and play solid defense. That is exactly what the 6'8" Tatum has become - a forward with point-guard skills. His handles have improved significantly since his NBA debut, and JT lately has become an adept and willing facilitator . Jaylen came into the league as a shooter,...

           Let's take a look at some numbers from last night's DRUBBING!   66 points, 14 rebounds, 9 assists,while shooting 60% from the floor and, 46% from downtown. Talk about a one two punch that just kept landing HayMakers. Any ideas where we are going with this?      We here at the Sentinel would like to give out out award to the JAY TEAM! Congrats on winning the Celtics Sentinel Citation Award!          We also want to give a shout out and honorable mention to RWill!  Scoring 13 points, grabbing 17 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks. Plus all the countless possessions he keeps alive! Could we say RWill could be part of this Big Three?!  Bleed Green! Celtic Pride! Miss ya Ma! 

        1st Quarter        Open the game with a BANG! BING BANG BOOM JT for Three! JT to JB for THREE! So far consistent ball movement on offense. We need to see a sustained effort to keep the ball moving. If we can do that guys should be able to capitalize. RWill saving another possession on the follow up, getting an uncontested dunk! JT and JB coming out hitting haymakers! Gotta love the start.        Where can the Celtics find those missing pieces for the roster?! I feel we all know this team needs a true point guard. That doesn't mean I want the Wolverine gone. This roster also needs shooters who can compliment the Jay Team! We have to be proactive this deadline. Unless Brad knows something we don't about this current roster. Nice play on both ends for the good guys in green!        2nd Quarter       Need to sustain this lead and intensity. By no means do I expect the Kings to shoot t...

 I never heard of Alperen Sengun until I read an article by Heavy.com's Steve Bulpett . Steve had some good words for the 6'9" Turk : Word is 19-year-old center Alperen Sengun was the Celts’ guy if they had kept the pick — and OKC ended up making him the choice and dealing him to Houston. “He’s a tough kid,” said one NBA personnel man of the 6-9 Sengun. “He’s a little raw, but he’s been playing with adults overseas for years. He’s going to be good. Him and (Rob) Williams would be a really good tandem.” The Turkish center was taken with (formerly) Boston's first-round pick at number-16 by OKC whereby he was quickly dealt to Houston. Only 3% of Turkey lies in Europe, but Sengun could be another major find from overseas. Here are his per-36-minutes stats from 39 games with the Rockets this season: 17.5 PPG - 9.2 RPG - 5.1 APG - 1.6 SPG - 1.7 BPG Sengun with the one-legged fadeaway as the Rockets keep it close with Golden State! 😯 (📽️: @HoustonRockets ) pic.twitter.com/...

  Quickly, how many rebounds and assists did Larry Bird have in his 60-point explosion versus the Hawks? The answer is "less than Tatum" in both categories. Here's the breakdown. Bird:    42 minutes - 60 points -  7 rebounds - 3 assists - 61% FG - 25% 3s - 94% FT Tatum: 33 minutes - 51 points - 10 rebounds - 7 assists - 64% FG - 64% 3s - 100% FT Surprised? In the Hawks game, Dennis Johnson racked up 17 assists and Danny Ainge had 13 dimes . We can only guess how many of those feeds went in Larry's direction. This is in no way meant to demean the feat of a player I place top-5, all-time NBA, Larry Bird . But rather to point out that the negative comments aimed towards Jayson have to do with his "point padding", selfishness and unwillingness to pass the ball. For Jayson Tatum to put up these numbers in 33 minutes with such shooting efficiency while still garnering 10 boards and seven assists is extraordinary . I believe that is what I meant when I labeled h...

      Franchise player anyone? These type of players only come around so often. Embrace this young talented young man. We here at the Sentinel do.       Try these stats on for size 51 points, 10 rebounds, and 7 assists! Given the outcome of Fridays debacle, you could see this team going in two ways. Come out and fight or lay down, thankfully they fought.  We saw this young stud come out and DOMINATE!      Anyone out there thinking about trading this star is not in their right sports mind. I've said it before and will say it again. He will be the reason we will raise banner 18 . The kid has it all and is still young! His basketball mind and body are maturing before our eyes!         Congrats on winning the Celtics Sentinel Citation Award! JT! My guy! 

  NBA.com's Sreve Aschburner just wrote what I, and many other Celtics fans, have been thinking since the start of this season - namely, that the talent on the Boston roster is too damn good for this level of mediocrity to continue. Steve Aschburner:  Maybe I’m just analyzing according to laundry at this point, but  the Boston Celtics thrashing around at .500 or worse  for much of this season has surprised me. Having two tremendous wings in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown somehow has turned into the my turn-your turn dead end of the unsatisfying Paul Pierce-Antoine Walker days. I get that point guard has been an issue and Al Horford is well past his prime, but Marcus Smart is tough, Robert Williams III is delivering in the middle and I simply assumed Brad Stevens taking his coaching chops upstairs meant he would replace or surpass them with his choice of sideline successor (Ime Udoka). I get it, they’re vertically challenged defensively, but I cannot believe this m...

      1st Quarter             So far the Celtics are coming out with purpose. If this team doesn't play with purpose the season may be lost. If they can find some motivation and purpose this could turn into a very special season. With that said play some stinking D! How about a shout-out for GWill nailing threes like Steph Curry.              And just like that the lead has shriveled up. This group can't handle a lead at all. I miss the Big Three, both versions. I'm sorry but today's brand of basketball is trash. Until we get a coach who is willing to embrace quality basketball we are going to struggle.        2nd Quarter       We need an overhaul of our other pieces.  JB and JT are in it for the long haul. Can a GM and Coach actually maximize this these two?  Right now Brad and Ime are not. We needed a real GM and Coach and we got rookies in that area. ...

  If you read my previous article , you already know the Celtics are ranked towards the bottom of the NBA (27th place) in win/loss record in "clutch time" . Here's the good and bad from the Celtics players in the final five minutes of a close game (score differential five or less) . Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Dennis Schroder, Josh Richardson, Marcus Smart and Rob Williams all have averaged four minutes-or-more in crunch time this season. They are followed by Al Horford, Romeo langford and Grant Williams logging two-or-more minutes. Points   Tatum and Brown average a combined 6.7 PPG in those critical final five minutes. The point production drops off precipitously after that. Field Goal Attempts Ditto. Its the Jay team once again attempting a combined 5.6 shots per game . Field goal percentage Enes Freedom hits a perfect 100% of his field goals in crunch time, but his minutes are limited . He is followed by RWill (64%) and Dennis Schroder (51.5%) . Brown hits a respe...

 The Boston Celtics sit in the 27th spot - 4th from last - as far as wins and losses in   the last five minutes of a game in which the point differential is 5 or less. In 26 games in which The Green found themselves in "clutch time" , they show nine wins and 17 losses for a .346 record. Only the Spurs, Magic and Pacers have worse records. Here's the breakdown. What the issue? It's not that Boston can't score points in those critical five minutes. They rank second in the NBA in that category. Is it shooting accuracy? Yup! Celtics rank 19th in field goal accuracy at the end of close games and 14th in 3-point marksmanship (.416 and .299, respectively) . Don't they shoot enough with the game on the line? Not the problem. They rank first in that category, throwing up 8.0 shots in that 5-minute span. The trouble is that most of the shots don't go in. What else goes amiss? Rebounds (5th), assists (11th), steals (1st) and blocks (3rd) are not the probl...

 Few question the Celtics need for scoring off the bench , and a quick look at Grant Williams' stats over the last five games reveals he may need more involvement in Boston's offense: 22.3 MPG - 7.4 PPG - 3.0 RPG - 1.4 APG - 0.6 BPG - 52% FG - 47% 3s Per 36 minutes: 12.0 PPG - 4.8 RPG - 2.3 APG - 1.0 BPG 52% FG - 47% 3s For the season thus far, GWill ranks third on the team (30 games or more) in field goal percentage (.483) and first in 3-point percentage (.424) . Grant also ranks second for the season in free throw percentage (.884) . It may be time for Coach Udoka to increase Grant's minutes and run more plays for him. The guy can shoot the ball. He needs longer stretches to either prove himself, or show that he is not up to the task on a consistent basis.

      1st Quarter       When JB hits his threes in stride it's as pure as organic honey, so damn sweet! Celtics fans can we give a shout out to Mike Gorman, just love him doing games. Just wish Tommy was still with him. Not an ideal start IMO, this is a weaker less talented team. Celtics should be coming out ready to bury them!        RWill with a huge block, yet no fast break off if it? JRich my guy coming in and making stuff happen. Drilling a three like he just struck oil! JRich with another nice offensive set with the floater that touched Heaven where my mom is. I'd like to think she guided that one home.        2nd Quarter       Celtics are getting rolled, didn't score until 9:30 left in the quarter come on guys. Unacceptable! How can an NBA team be so cold, really I don't get it. Someone needs to get to the rack and score. What is this team, because right now they look like losers. ...

 I had not seen much of Bol Bol , and frankly that holds true for most NBA fans. My original thought was that the Celtics acquired him for purely financial reasons , but Brad Stevens has indicated he may be a keeper. Bol has a similar frame to that of his late dad, Manute Bol , Manute was a super-slim 7'7" and 201 pounds . He was not overly athletic but came into games as a rebounder and shot-blocker. The younger Bol is listed at 7'2" and 220 pounds and presents as a more-athletic and skilled version of his dad. The Celtics brass has indicated that, following foot surgery, Bol Bol may be able to play this season, and the team wants to see what he can do on the court .  “He’s an intriguing young player,” Udoka said of Bol pregame Wednesday. “I’ve seen him quite a bit at Oregon before he got hurt there playing with Payton. Know about him, intriguing guy who can do a lot of things obviously and he’s a guy that’s a restricted free agent, so we can retain his rights and...

 I am a numbers guy, but I fully admit to not be totally NBA-Salary-Cap savvy - but with the wording and changes due to Covid, I doubt there are few that do fully understand it. I did a review of the Hernangomez/Bol/Dozier trade, and here is my somewhat-rough analysis. The Celtics sent out $6.2 million (Hernangomez) in the deal and took back $4.1 million (Bol and Dozier) , so they gained some cap room (approx. $2.1 million) . According to Spotrac.Com , , Boston now has a total cap of $139.4 million, roughly $2.8 million over the Luxury Tax Threshold of $136.6 million . Dennis Schroder was signed with the taxpayer mid-level exception of $5.9 million . If they signed Dennis to a non-taxpayer mid-level deal (which they could not), they would be hard-capped (which they are not) , requiring The Green to keep below the luxury tax apron of $143 million. It seems doubtful if Bol Bol and P J Dozier fit into the Celtics present (both are out with major injuries) or future plans, and sinc...

       1st Quarter       Celtics wearing their Green uniforms and I gotta say it looks good. Celtics playing hard so far on D, now it's time for the offense to start! While the ball movement has been solid, the points are not coming. When DS starts, it seems he plays his best. Some guys just do their best when they can start cooking early in the game.        Crashing the glass as a unit, on several possessions the Celtics are hitting the glass with effort. With no RWill, we are seeing other guys keep offensive sets alive by going after the rock on misses. If more NBA guys followed their shots that would make a big difference in games. I was always taught to follow your shot. JT giving up threes to drive to the hoop, is magical to see! Ball movement has been crisp so far.       2nd Quarter      Coming off a tight first, what should we look for at the start of the second. Hopefully a nice Celtics run...

      A trade you don't say?! Brad the Mad scientist is at it again!        Juancho "we hardly knew y" Hernangomez is heading to the Spurs, while Bryn Forbes goes to the land of the Nuggets! The Celtics acquire Bol Bol, and PJ Dozier . Did you know PJ Dozier is a cousin to the late great Reggie Lewis!        This looks to be a salary cap move from my sources. Are we in store for more moves?! Are we finally going to bring a piece or two that will help the Jay Team climb up the Eastern Conference standings?!       All this writer knows is we need to start putting together win streaks. Only 5.5 wins separates us from the Bulls. Make a run and get into the top 4 in the EC. Like I said the only team I fear is the Deer! That's probably because I'm biased towards my Greek brother  with whom I share not only my name but our Faith. 

     Here are some numbers 12 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and a steal. 5 of 9 from the field and 2 of 5 from three, and that's in only 25 minutes . Plus he filled in at center for RWill, can you take a guess?! Who earned our prestigious award??      That's right, it's Al Horford , Mr. Calm and Collective, aka the Silent Warrior! Congrats on taking home the Celtics Sentinel Citation Award Winner! Your impact on this team is unquantifiable and we love you in green white! Congrats!        Al is a key piece to this seasons team's ability to find ways to win . His effort and example are something each guy in that locker room should be following. We are gonna need a health Al come playoff time, and yes, I said playoff time! This team will make the playoffs and make us proud. 

       1st Quarter       Pelicans with a strong start, didn't the Celtics have issues last season with early games? So far it isn't looking very good right now. Al with a drive and hammer dunk, can that ignite and wake up this Celtics team today? Way to many threes already for my taste. So far it's the Pelicans dictating pace of play.     JRich is a winner, I for one do not want the Celtics trading him away. He makes winning plays, and he does it on both ends of the floor. His basketball IQ is right there with his talent. This could be the steal of the off season for the Celtics. He can be a key contributor off the bench for this team down the stretch.           2nd Quarter       Nesmith and Pritchard in already, man do I wish Ime used these two guys more. Both guys have the ability to shoot, and both take pride on D. Hustling is in their basketball DNA. They both proved last season ...