Celtics ☘️ Sentinel

 As it turns out, Malcolm Brogdon was only biding his time . Well, "his time" came last night in the Celtics 112-94 victory over the Washington Wizards. He scored a-point-a-minute during his 23-minute stint on the court, hitting on 6-of-12 from the field, 3-of-5 from the arc and a perfect 8-of-8 from the charity stripe. Along with Brogdon's 23 points, his two rebounds and four assists - and overall outstanding play - landed him the Gatorade-Player-of-the-Game award . Much deserved, and we knew this performance was in the cards. Did a little bit of everything off the bench 💪🏾 @MalcolmBrogdon7 is tonight’s @Gatorade Player of the Game pic.twitter.com/fgJis3U8Ft — Boston Celtics (@celtics) October 31, 2022  Malcolm's come-out game was no fluke. He is a class act that will add much to the Celtics success this season. "Cohesion" is how one Celtics fan describes part of what he adds. Way to go Celtics! They played with more cohesion, purpose, and force. Grea...

  It's STARTS ON D! Let's Grab Some Boards tonight please! 1st Quarter ☘️ Run! Run! Run! Time to get back on a winning note! JT opens up the night with THREEEEEEEEE! JT for threeeeeeeee again!!!! Scoring hasn't been an issue, it's been our D. This Wizards team is truly inferior and we need to make sure they know it. JB with a threeeeeeeee from down town! The Jays are hot tonight! Just like that another JT for THREEEEEEEEE!!! Love that they are fitting their shots, but don't get mesmerized by the three. Guess what another Brown from down town threeeeeeeee! The Celtics offense has been led so far by the masterful Jay Team! When these two studs have it going no one can guard them! We just need to see them be consistently good thru four quarters. Yes they will have ups and downs during the game but we need to see that overall flow throughout!  The Celtics have carved up this Wizards team like a thanksgiving turkey! Celtics lead 34-15 after one! 2nd Quarter 🍀🍀 The Celt...

 Numbers may not tell the whole story, but they don't lie. Here are four areas that may need attention by the 3-2 Boston Celtics after five games into the season: Defensive Rating: No surprise here. The Green are in 26th place in the League, giving up 117.9 points per game. Steals: Boston is ranked 24th in the NBA with only 6.2 thefts per contest. Rebounding: A rotten 28th-place for the Celtics with 39.0 caroms/game. Offensive rebounding: They are slotted in the 26th spot at 8.8 offensive boards per game. As stated, this is not the whole story, but a good start. The defense and rebounding - two chores that require hard work and dedication-to-the-task - are some of the worst in the NBA for a team that came close to a Title last season. This is fixable. The 3-0 start to the 2022-23 season was exhilarating, but the two-losses-in-a-row were disappointing. Plenty of time to right the ship.

 You remember him - Right? Danny Ainge, the former Head Honcho of the Boston Celtics . Well, blame him for the Celtics 132-123 overtime loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. "Trader Danny" went immediately into rebuild mode when he left the reins of the Celtics in the hands of Brad Stevens and headed back to Utah. Ainge traded 3-time All-Star, Donovan Mitchell , to Cleveland in exchange for players and future draft picks - the Cavs' first-rounders in 2025, 2027 and 2029, plus pick swaps in 2026 and 2028. The idea, of course, was for the Utah Jazz to tank and for the Cavaliers to have trouble integrating Mitchell into the fold. Guess What! It isn't working out that way - at least not yet. Utah's pre-season ranking via ESPN was 28th and their Week #2 ranking was at #13 with a 3-1 record. As of today, they stand 4th in the West Standings with a 4-2 record.  Following the loss to the Cavs, Boston sits in 4th place in the East Standings (3-2 record) , one notch behin...

DEFENSE DEFENSE DEFENSE!  We must improve our D this season and get it back into last year's mode of excellence!   1st Quarter ☘️ Refs are already in epic form, calling early fouls on the good guys! Love seeing JB banging and bodying up Allen. Not the best start, Celtics trail early. They are going to have to solve this Cavs tough defense. This Cavs team is long and presents a lot of issues for the C's.  C's bring in Blake Griffin in hopes to combat the Cavs size down low. Gotta shake things up to improve our chance to get back in this game. Donovan Mitchell is here to play, hitting everything he's taking. Until this D improves it's going to be a long game and season for that matter.  JB on the offensive end attacking Allen and drawing the foul. If we can continue to be this aggressive, we have a shot. Al looks very spry tonight! Finding his 2 point game where he left it. Attack Al Attack! No three's please! Loving the C's running in transition, but you have...

 Halloween is approaching, so here is an absolutely weird tale from my policing days. Nothing is ever what it appears to be! The phone call at my home came from one of my police officers that they had a human head floating in an old well. The homeowner had noticed a strange taste and smell to his drinking water , and upon inspection, had found a human head floating on top of the water in his well. I responded to the scene - shone a spotlight down into the well - and there it was. It was looking up at all of us - flesh-colored face, eyes, nose, forehead, Yup! A human head, but where was the rest of the body? A bucket was lowered into the water and the hideous finding was brought to dry land. The smell was overpowering, but the previously-floating "thing" was nothing other than a dead gray squirrel that had fallen into the well - died there - with decomposition gases ripping the creature open , exposing its flesh-colored inner skin - with various bones, tendons and ligaments ...

 GWill has been suspended one game by the NBA after ejecting him vs the Bulls. I don't feel what he did should have resulted in a suspension. We see guys like Draymond play dirty, punch teammates and all they get is a fine. Is the NBA sending a message to the Celtics that they are out to get them?!  The refs the other night made the game all about them. Yes the C's let their foot off the gas, but in the second half it was all about which official could top the next! Let's hope this galvanizes the team Friday vs the Cavs to send a message. Bleed Green! Celtic Pride! Tommy Heinsohn Does Not Approve of this decision!

 Post game, Marcus Smart said that he felt the Celtics took their foot off the gas , resulting in a 120-102 loss to the Bulls . That's a fine synopsis. Here are some specifics. I'll start with the Celtics shot chart .  How about 48 3-point attempts from Boston and only 21 by the Bulls . Looks like the reincarnation of a past bad habit by The Green. Here's the shot chart for Chicago: Rebounding is mostly just effort . How did the Celtics fare there? Not good - 45 boards for Boston, 60 for the Bulls. How about free throw attempts? Looks like 12 (yes, 12) for the Celtics, 29 for Chicago . Lack of effort, once again. "This is a good test for us. We've just got to respond." Marcus Smart on #Celtics 120-102 loss to the #Bulls pic.twitter.com/MD46YJeppL — Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) October 25, 2022 Marcus got it right. After the first quarter, the Boston Celtics didn't run out of gas - they took their foot off it! The discussion will be abo...

  1st Quarter ☘️ Congratulations to JT getting player of the week! If I know him it's only about team goals and success for this year. The Celtics passing is spectacular so far. Plus the birthday boy is coming out hot! You have to love how they are carving up this porous defense of the Bulls.  Celtics D is locking the Bulls up so far! Inflict the pain! Seek out your defender and destroy! This ball movement tonight is very crisp! When this team is locked in on both ends they aren't losing very many games.  What a hot start, this is Celtics basketball at it's best! Noah Vonleh, is getting the Celtics extra possessions, making up for RWills absence. It feels like the C's should be up by more. This Bulls team, has some fight in them. Celtics lead 39-30 2nd Quarter 🍀🍀 Celtics shot 61 percent in the first, let's keep it rolling. Rebounding is a bit of an issue right now. This lead is evaporating before our eyes. The defense has lost its edge, time to tighten things up! ...

  Jayson Tatum is not the only Celtic to have worked on - and improved - his game this off-season. Derrick White has returned to the court as a legit scoring threat for Boston. With Rob Williams out of action, White has taken a starting role and made the most of it. Through three games, the Celtics are 3-0 and he has averaged: 28.7 minutes - 13.0 points - 4.7 rebounds - 3.0 assists - 52% FG - 50% 3s In the Celtics 126-120 win over Orlando last night, Derrick had a line of 27/4/4 while hitting 10-of-17 from the field and 5-of-9 on treys . His catch-and-shoot corner threes were deadly. Credit his shooting coach(s) for the improvement. Credit Derrick White's shooting coach(s) for this kind of performance - and the off-season work he put in. This opens things up for the Jay Team even more. What a plus! Derrick White 27 Pts 4 Ast Highlights vs Magic! https://t.co/si2Z3aW61H via @YouTube — Tom Lane (@CelticsSentinel) October 23, 2022 If White can routinely shoot even-remotely like t...

 I was slotted to draft third in one of my Fantasy Basketball Leagues , and I p icked Jayson Tatum over Giannis Antetokounmpo . I had a reason. My thinking was that I truly believed that Tatum would have improved his game over the summer , a time of year when the great ones make critical strides . That seems to have happened for the Missouri native now in his sixth NBA season. The Celtics are off to a perfect start to the 2022-23 season with a 3-0 record. Jayson now holds the franchise record for most points scored through the first three games , having scored 104 total points - thereby eclipsing Larry Bird's previous record of 96 points over that first-three-games stretch. Tatum leads the League in scoring at 34.7 points per game and continues his dominance on the boards with 8.3 rebounds/game . His assists are at 3.0 APG , while adding 1.0 steals and 1.7 blocks per contest. His field goal percentage is a whopping 58.7 %.   The MVP chants will certainly get louder for th...

1st Quarter ☘️ Noah Al Noah problem, Noah Vonleh is coming out to ball tonight! That's just my humble prediction. Unacceptable start to this game, yes it's only 4-0 but this is not the way you start against an inferior team.  DWhite with an excellent cut off a nice pass from JB. When this group cuts good things happen! Now it's time to play for real guys. I do love JT passing up a three getting to the rack! Both JT and JB have been making better percentage plays this season, giving up threes for easy deuces.  After a slow start the Celtics are starting to assert their will. I know I wear green colored glasses, but both Jays seem so much more mature this year. Marcus is a bit three happy tonight, stop shooting please. Start facilitating Marcus that's where you flourish. What you did last night was the Marcus we need tonight.  JT is a man amongst boys already tonight. Taking contact and getting the and ones! Dudes on another level this year! He has shown a willingness to ...

 If Celtics fans are thinking that Al Horford looks a bit slower this October, they may be correct - but don't expect any "slump" to last. Remember what I wrote in January? What Has Happened to Al Horford? "Al Horford started the 2021-22 season off strong and active, but the likable vet seems to be slowing down. Or is something else going on? Here is the October-to-January comparison:" October: 30.3 MPG - 13.0 PPG - 10.5 RPG - 3.0 APG - 3.8 BPG - 44% FG - 21% 3s January:  26.9 MPG -  5.2 PPG -  6.0 RPG -  2.8 APG - 1.2 BPG - 34% FG - 25% 3s Boston's Dominican center came out on fire at the start of the 2021-22 season , but seemed to cool off as the season progressed. But Horford was himself in the post-season when the Celtics came damn close to Banner 18. In an average of 35 minutes of playoff action, Al supplied 12.0 PPG, 9.3 RPG, 3.3 APG - while hitting 52% from the field and 48% of his threes . In last night's 111-104 win over the Heat , he ...

  1st Quarter ☘️ The Celtics are going to need an answer for Bam tonight. He seems to have activated BAM from the playoffs when he went off against us. He's a solid big, but should not be beating us by himself. RWills absence is huge for this group. Need him back fully healthy, we need someone to come in and shit Bam down.  Defensively we need to see the Celtics tighten things up. They seem to be a step slow right now but I expect them to pick it up. Coach Mazzulla will accept no less than great D from this group. Go get em coach, we need to assert our will.  DWhite hitting corner threes is something we should all get used to this season. He could become an assassin from the corners. You have to love the fact he's crashing the boards on the defensive end.  JB with incredible defense against flop specialist Kyle Lowry. JB didn't go for the cheap fakes and sent that weak crap where it belonged. Followed up by Noah Vonleh also getting a defensive stop vs Lowry. Mark my ...

 The Philadelphia 76'ers seem to be constantly attempting to surround center, Joel Embiid , with pieces to complete their puzzle and raise a Championship banner. They may be on the wrong track. The following from ESPN's Tim Bontemps: "For the past several years, the 76ers have tried to optimize Embiid's prime with hopes of deep postseason runs. But each time, flawed roster constructions have prevented the kind of breakthrough that normally follows a perennial MVP finalist. There was Embiid's ultimately doomed partnership with  Ben Simmons , a point guard whose lack of a reliable jump shot forced the 76ers to build offenses in which pick-and-rolls -- the lifeblood of the modern NBA -- were rare occurrences. There was the disastrous yearlong pairing with fellow big man  Al Horford , the player who gave Embiid fits for years with the  Boston Celtics  and gave him almost as many as a teammate." Philly had signed Horford in free agency, in part, to ensure he wouldn...

  It's one game, but it says a lot about how SPECIAL our two headed monster is! The JAYS are jumping and jazzing up the NBA! Opening night, refs are against you, Harden had a conga line to free points, yet ya still won?! Let's Gooooooo!  We witnessed once again why these gents need to stay together. As Al Green said LETS STAY TOGETHER! Both poured in 35 points last night, talk about causing NBA defenses issues. We are witnesses to what will be the best year of their young careers. Each of them will show why they are top 5 in this league! Each Jay has the ability to score at will, in multiple ways.  Whether it be getting to the rack, nailing jumpers, or crushing threes! We now are getting to see each develop as passers, and both can grab boards when need be. What's my favorite thing about both, is they LOVE PLAYING D! By the end of this season each will be in the MVP conversation. Each will have shown us the best of themselves.  Hey NBA WATCH OUT!  Bleed Green! C...

 Boston Head Coach, Joe Mazzulla , had to feel great after his Celtics took out the Philadelphia 76'ers in convincing fashion, 126-117. Here are my 10 takeaways from the contest: 1.) PACE: It is clear that Mazzulla is telling his troops to push the ball on offense. Boston outscored Philly 24-to-2 in fast break points. 2.) MALCOLM BROGDON: Boston's recent acquisition takes it to the hoop with authority and precision. He uses his body control to finish well at the rim. Malcolm finished with 16 points on 7-of-11 from the field. His shot chart for the game is below: 3.) GRANT WILLIAMS: Grant only missed one shot, and that was from the free throw line. He totaled 15 points in 24 minutes, while shooting a perfect 5-of-5 from the field and 3-of-3 on treys.  4.) PAYTON PRITCHARD: Payton saw a DNP-CD for the game. It is unknown if this will continue into the season - or Coach Mazzulla felt it necessary to keep the little guy on the bench due to the size on the court for Philadelphi...

Kudos to TNT and their tribute to Bill Russell, totally had me welling up. That man was an amazing human being, and in my opinion the GOAT. It's up on this Celtics team to bring home Banner 18 in his honor.  Dear Celtics thank you for last season, it was the most trying time I've ever had in my life. Yet watching and writing about you got me through it. Thank you from the bottom of my heart - Celtic Knight...   Quarter 1☘️ Here we go it's step one along the journey to Banner 18. It's going to be a hard long road, but at the end the sweetest victory awaits. Excellent D to open up the game by the C's! JT for threeeeeeeee! In yo face Embid! JT telling Maxey to get that weak stuff out of his house in a Russell like manner! The Celtics D has come to play! Once again showing how dominant they can be on D!  Great D is what leads to championships, and this team loves to get down and dirty on D! The refs are already starting to plot against the C's on a horrid flagrant f...

 It now looks like Celtics center, Rob Williams , will not be back on the court until the season is half-done . What was originally planned as 4-6 week absence transitioned into an 8-12 week hiatus - and now we hear he may not return until well into January of 2023. Williams III has reportedly undergone PRP (platelet-rich plasma) therapy for his knee issue, which basically involved the injection of his own blood cells into the injured knee . The procedure appears to still be in the experimental stage, but the hope is that PRP will hasten the healing process for a superb athlete the Celtics are counting on to help raise Banner 18.

 Most of us don't get to see the preparation and work that goes into a moose hunt in Northern New Hampshire, but yesterday my wife, Linda, and I ended our morning walk by spending four-and-one-half hours watching and talking to hunting guides and hunters after an 800-poiund moose had been shot and killed at a distance of 117 yards with a .338-caliber rifle.   This hunt was "done by the book", with the out-of-state hunters possessing the moose permit and hunting license . They were guided by a local New Hampshire guiding service that had scouted a vast wilderness close to our home in Errol, New Hampshire . The work getting the huge animal out of the woods was rigorous and required the labor of seven (7) men, tow straps and an all-terrain vehicle. The task required more than four hours clearing a trail, constantly shifting the moose carcass and gaining as little as six inches of progress at each attempt. After the moose was on the trailer, the recovery crew's first...

  Bleacher Reports' NBA wing ratings are out , and no surprise, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown made the cut.   7. Jaylen Brown While he's forever been in trade rumors as bait to chase superstars, Brown has become the perfect No. 2 option in Boston. The 25-year-old is already one of the most complete wings in the NBA and ranks ahead of Ingram and DeRozan here thanks to his play on the defensive end. The Celtics' slow start last year likely cost Brown his second All-Star trip, something that shouldn't happen again with how talented Boston is overall. Assuming the summer trade talk centered around Kevin Durant hasn't bothered him too much, Brown is due for another huge year with the C's. —Swartz 2. Jayson Tatum We knew this moment was coming since his rookie season. Tatum is officially flirting with top-five-player status and is projected to pass veteran wings like LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard and Jimmy Butler in the NBA pecking order by the end of the season. Tatum...

 The Boston Celtics lost a close one in overtime to the Toronto Raptors, 137-134 , in part due to a minor emotional reaction that got Jayson Tatum his second technical - and ejection - with 30 seconds remaining in the third quarter. His first "T" came at the 3:37 mark of the third period after he slammed the ball to the court after being called for a personal foul. His ejection, which came as a surprise to virtually anyone watching the game - including me , came about after Jayson performed an overhead, exasperation-type arm movement following another personal foul called on him. Jayson Tatum got ejected from the Celtics' preseason game after his second tech. pic.twitter.com/pnal83haRj — SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 15, 2022 Tatum's game has come full-circle, and he has morphed into a complete player - perhaps even top-5 in the League. But he has never rid himself of the need to protest many of the calls against him. Getting tossed in a pre-season contest ...

  Pre game thoughts, let's see what Noah Vonleh can do in his last prove it game! If I'm the Celtics I'm not letting him walk out that door. He's a throwback big and a valuable asset for this team.  Ist Quarter Thoughts ☘️ Toronto has come out ready to ball, Celtics ball movement has been good so far. The way they move that rock to one another is a sign of a team that trusts! The more they share the better shots they get, it will be difficult for other teams to stop them this year. Team D and Team O are a recipe for success.  Downtown Jaylen Brown is once again off to a hot start. He's the match that lights the fire in the first. In a very smart basketball play he gets the rock to White for the three in the corner! That's a play we need to see more of from him. If he develops that watch out NBA, because both of the Celtics studs like to pass the rock. Yet another weapon in their arsenal! Both Jays need to dive into Larry Birds greatest hits and watch him pass wi...

 It's a legitimate question. Both Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum have many seasons left in them and have already reached stardom. In my recent article , I presented my top-5 - kind of: Bill Russell (C) Larry Bird (SF) John Havlicek (SG) Dennis Johnson (PG) PF is still up in the air, with Kevin McHale, Kevin Garnett and Dave Cowens in contention. To make the grade, Jayson may unseat Bird (unlikely) or one of my power forward candidates. Jaylen would have to overtake either Hondo at SG or Bird at SF. Right now, it would seem to me that Tatum might have the greater shot at entering that Fab Five at the power forward slot. Still, that's tough competition against Herman Munster (Ainge's moniker for McHale), The Big Ticket and Big Red. What think you? Does either Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown have a shot at making the Celtics All-Time Starting-5? Tatum may make the grade at the PF slot if he can eventually oust McHale, Garnett or Cowens (depending on your choice). Who do you now p...

 The Celtics Marcus Smart may go his entire NBA career without getting his accomplishments to the  forefront. The recent Sports Illustrated cover may be the start of a turnaround. Let's start with a comparison with the late Dennis Johnson , a player that was so damn good I place him at the starting point guard on my All-Time Celtics squad . By the way, DJ is accompanied on that Fab Five by John Havlicek (SG), Bill Russell (C), Larry Bird (SF) - and one of the following at PF: Kevin McHale, Kevin Garnett or Dave Cowens - I just can't make up my mind. I don't place Marcus at DJ's level - not quite. Dennis was a superb defender (6X All-Defensive First team) but was never able to cop that DPOY Trophy that Smart was able to earn. Dennis was also Finals MVP (1979) 3-Time Champion and 5-Time All-Star - all awards that have eluded Marcus thus far. Stats? Here are the 8th-season stats for both players : Marcus: 12.1 PPG - 3.8 RPG - 5.9 APG - 1.7 SPG - .418 FG - .331 3s DJ: 13...

 I can understand ranking the Bucks and Warriors ahead of the C's. Bucks have the top player in the league/ world in Giannis, with a team built around his strengths and they won the chip two seasons ago. Warriors with Curry cooking, and being defending champs I get it. What I don't get is the Clippers and Sixers. Neither team has ever lived up to expectations and I don't think they ever will.   With all those facts laid out the Celtics are getting disrespected! This season will be vindication of last season. The Celtics run through the vaunted East last year was great. Yes they made things very difficult but that's what happens when you play extremely good teams. It's no cake walk or cake on the beach!  This year's team is much deeper and already playing with purpose. JT is becoming a top five player in this league. Not only is he getting better but he makes everyone else around him better. JB seems primed to jump into the top 10 IMO. This roster is constructed ...

 The Phoenix Suns are still trying to find a new home for former-Celtic, Jae Crowder , and the name of Payton Pritchard has surfaced once again as a bargaining chip.  The Celtics right now are guard-rich and wing-poor - or are they? The point guard spot seems solid with Marcus Smart, Derrick White, Malcolm Brogdon and Pritchard manning the duties. I had previously broached the idea of Crowder joining The Green as a combo-forward, but the performance of Payton this far in pre-season play causes me to say, "no way"! Brad Stevens has always seemed to have the mindset of - "Gather as many wings as possible" , so he may just pull the trigger to get Crowder's toughness back in Boston. Stretching things out a bit by having Smart, White and Brogdon play the small forward position would be an alternate - and maybe workable - solution.

Sports fans in Boston totally realize that the current version of The Green is something special, but here come some quotes from a Dallas Mavericks writer who hates liking the Celtics 2022-23 entry into the NBA Sweepstakes: "After all, they (Celtics) have a MVP candidate in Jayson Tatum. Tatum fans rightfully note he’s among one of the best scorers in the NBA. He’s an outstanding defender as well, making himself one of the premier two-way wings in a league where that position reigns supreme. He’s likely to be a fringe MVP player, the kind who gets discussed in podcasts but doesn’t make a real dent in the voting.  Then there’s Jaylen Brown, one of the league’s most underpaid players relative to his on-court value and Marcus Smart is the skeleton key which makes it all work for Boston. Don’t agree on Smart being a sidekick? I get it. Al Horford is there, same with Derrick White, Robert Williams, and even Malcolm Brogdon. The Celtics are DEEP. The wing-to-wing starter debate betwee...