Celtics ☘️ Sentinel

I know the NBA is a long season and this Celtics team sure needs rest. As a fan I'm feeling a little lonely without any Celtics basketball until tomorrow night. Last we saw this team they were watching the self proclaimed goat writhe on the floor like a toddler having a tantrum. Looking for a foul after he clearly traveled. A guy who wants to win so bad that he and Mr Glass sat out as his team lost to the Nets. Winning doesn't matter to him or the Lakers, what matters is this scoring record. The greats never play for stats, they play for wins.  Rant over because I could go on and on as to how he has ruined the game I love.  What's discouraging about this team is they play to the level of their opponents. That's why they lost to Orlando, Miami, and New York. I also see a bit of boredom too, do they believe they are that good?! To achieve the ultimate goal you need to put the work in every night.  What's encouraging about this team, is when they move the ball, it'...

  In the 1970's , you could count the black families in my town on one hand . One such family lived in our development, and one of the sons, Fred, and his white friend, Mike, would often use the basketball hoop in my driveway. One day while my wife, Linda, was hanging wash outdoors, Fred and Mike showed up. My very young son, Marc, not familiar with those of African descent, yelled out, "Hey mom, guess who's here. Mike and the shiny kid." Linda, hoping this embarassment would end quickly, ignored Marc's heralding-of-the-arrival of the young duo. Marc, not to be deterred , yelled out once again, "Mom, look who it is. Mike and the shiny kid". Whether there was a third outcry from our offspring , we can't recall. But Fred and Mike stettled in for basketball competition - the clothes got hung out to dry - and the world went on. Fred and I became good friends . I once took Fred, Mike and a friend to a Celtics-Knicks game at the Old Boston Garden. It tu...

 This comes as no surprise. The National Basketball Referees Association has determined that Lebron James was fouled by the Celtics Jayson Tatum on the last play in regulation - with no foul being called. Here is how the 38-year-old superstar reacted ( per NBA.com's Tim Reynolds ): “We don’t have room for error,” James said after Saturday’s game. “And it’s one of the best games we played all year. For it to fall on somebody else’s judgment, or non-judgment, it’s just ridiculous. It’s ridiculous.” Since when does any NBA referee, or any other occupant of this planet, have no "room for error" ? My readers know well that I rarely criticize League refs, and there is a reason. They have to make split-second decisions during an extremely-fast game. Errors will happen. There is nothing "ridiculous" about that.   Over the years, Lebron, listed at 6'9", 250 pounds, often bulls his way to the hoop, and his superstar status earns him plenty of calls that could h...

 The Celtics 6th-Man-of-the-Year candidate, Malcolm Brogdon, is hard to define but I describe him as quietly-intense. One analyst on Twitter acutely portrays Brogdon playing basketball with "the personality of an 8th-grade world history teacher" . I get that, and I agree with the comparison: Malcolm Brogdon hoops with the personality of an 8th grade world history teacher Does that make sense? I think it makes sense — Mark Schindler (@MG_Schindler) January 29, 2023  Some may misinterpret that analysis, but not me. We are not looking at a loudmouth with child-like antics on the court . Malcolm is inwardly intense, professional and dedicated to the task at hand, but he hardly ever displays emotion. He and Payton Pritchard are very much alike in that sense. Now to the 6th-Man-of-the-Year battle . I won't bore you with the stats, but for bench players participating in 40-or-more games, his only competition is Benedict Mathurin or Russell W@estbrook . And for the past five game...

Why do I say historically speaking because both franchises are tied with 17 titles. Even though five of their titles belong to Minneapolis and they only started claiming them when they needed too close the gap on us! So in essence it's Boston 17- Lakers 12. If dig deeper it's really only 11, that bubble crap was not a real title. I've never held my feelings back about the Fakers and Leflop and I will continue to be a Bleed Green, Celtic Pride, I Am A Celtic, C Us Rise guy! We own the Lakers in regular season wins, and we own them in the Finals. We also own them in integrity, always winning the right way. While they get gifted players.    1st Quarter ☘️ JT starts things off with a great left handed layup. JT to the hoop and draws and foul! Boy do I despise James.....  LEflop James is the worst thing to happen to basketball in my lifetime. Guys chasing rings, and flopping their way into eternity. I'm also going to say he's a hypocrite, calls Boston racist yet owns par...

 You don't hear the term, "street justice" , much anymore, but it was used and practiced when I started my law enforcement career in the early 70's. On my very first arrest for public dunkenness, the veteran booking officer at the neighboring police department came around the counter and punched my prisoner in the face for no apparent reason. The unfortunate drunk fell to the floor with blood flowing from his nose ( per U. S. Department of Justice ): "Street justice is a police response to a community mandate calling for action to be taken when formal institutions will not or cannot respond for various reasons. This street justice function has created widespread concern, particularly when police officers simultaneously display ethnic or racial prejudice." Street justice was dealt by a number of officers, and hardly a peep was heard from the victims, their families or the media . Things changed in the ensuing years, and particularly in liberal Massachusetts,...

 The Celtics record this season with Marcus Smart on the sidelines is 5-4 (.556), including a 3-game losing streak in the team's last three games. With The Wolverine on the court, the team is 30-11 (.732).   So what are they missing when Marcus is out of action? No stats really stand out, so I will go with the subjective factors such as "energy", "fire" and "intensity" . This present Celtics crew maintains a tenuous hold on the number-one spot in the Rankings, but they are still prone to relaxing at certain points in games. That doesn't happen as often with Marcus directing the offense and bugging the Hell out of the opposition on defense.   He remains the unofficial leader of The Green , and they are not the same without him. When his latest ailment heals, he will be welcomed back to help reverse that bothersome losing streak.

  1st Quarter ☘️ We have some reinforcements playing tonight, it's time to get back to our winning ways. They call this a rivalry game, I'd say it's pretty lopsided in favor of the Celtics! Keys to the game, are pushing the pace, playing D, and rebounding!  I want to see a Blowout!  JB opens up the game with his patented mid range jumper! DWhite with a nice take away on D! He's been very good on the defensive end. Love seeing JT posting up and getting the score inside. He can do that all game if he wants. The more he develops that post up game the more unstoppable he can become. Back to back THREEEEEEEEEs for JT!!! Al said I can do that as he drains a nothing but net three! Timeout by the Knickerbockers, these Celtics should be able to dominate this team. Love seeing JT get in the paint and score with that one handed floater. He's showing a bit of everything in his bag tonight.  Great job by DWhite getting inside and initiating contact. Having him in the starting li...

 A new movie about to come into theaters, Knock at the Cabin , brought this incident back from the past. Our camp (I never called it a cabin) perched above a remote lake in Western Maine - in the middle of a vast wilderness containing very few folks . My wife and two young kids were asleep inside during one of those nights where there was absolutely no natural light - no moon, no stars. Only blackness. The sudden knock on the door had no warning that there were any other humans other than a family down the lake in the area. In our 30-plus years on the lake, the knock was the first-and-last we ever heard. My daughter, Lisa , was probably the most-alarmed due to her habit of reading some of the most-gruesome horror books while at the camp . You know the kind - stories of innocent girls being pulled outside of their cabin through a window by cannabalistic monsters. That kind of stuff. Well, the guys at the door weren't cannibals. They were wilderness tour guides leading a group of ...

 Please help me here! In 20-plus years in law enforcement, I have seen enough bizarre behavior from my officers and the public to fill a novel. So what is up with Joe Mazzula doing a somersault  in front of Marcus Smart (per NESN's Adam London)? According to The Boston Globe’s Adam Himmelsbach, Mazzulla walked past Marcus Smart in the Celtics locker room before the game,  did a full somersault  in front of the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, said “you can’t do that” and walked out. Smart made it clear to Himmelsbach that the theatrics weren’t an inside joke between him and his coach. “We need to stop giving him sugar,” Smart told Himmelsbach. The best chance here is that the act was simply a light, spontaneous moment by a rookie coach trying to lighten the pre-game tension . I obviously wasn't there to see the acrobatics or Smart's innocuous response, but the incident-as-described has bizarre aspects to it . But right now, I will go with the incident being ju...

 Ten-time Celtics Champion, Sam Jones , was expected to retire after the 1968-69 season, but Bill Russell calling it quits was a bit of a shocker . Sam was going to be sorely missed, but John Havlicek, JoJo White and Larry Siegfried were still arouind to pick up some of the slack. But who was going to replace the seemingly-irreplaceable Russell? Well, it wasn't going to be 7-footer, Hank Finkel , traded to Boston prior to the 1969-70 season. Finkel had his best statistical season in his first stint in Beantown, but he was not Russ - not even close . As Hank's wife, Kathy, said at the time - she knew her husband was not Bill Russell every time she saw his paycheck. Then came "The Savior". 6'8.5", 130 pound Dave Cowens, taken at number-4 in the 1970 NBA draft.. "Too small to play center in the NBA" is what many critics uttered, but "Big Red" proved them wrong. He never lived-and-breathed basketball, but once on the court, he gave you eve...

The Celtics are a way of life☘️🏀🍀 Anyone else feel tonight's game has lost some pizzazz? Does it really matter in the long run?! By the looks of how many guys are sitting I wouldn't look to much into tonights game. It seems as though these Celtics are saving their guys, the key is their health come playoff time. Celtics 4 Life!   1st Quarter ☘️ I love the fact that Payton Pritchard is getting the start tonight. Expect a big game out of him tonight! Going to need all hands on deck! Let's hope this team is ready for a fight especially being short handed. Where are the fans tonight?! Empty seats all around!  DWhite gets inside and takes it to the flopper Lowry! Post him up all damn game! JT gets a quick basket early, no one is stopping him tonight. Right on cue Lowry just tried to sell a horrible flop! Boy does his game just get me annoyed! Tatum gets inside once again off a great set play! Refs are starting early giving the Heat a bogus call. Grant tends to start slow when ...

  I for one do feel this Celtics roster is pretty deep, but it still has holes. I feel they need a big and a wing who can score. What do our valuable readers feel? Are we set where we are?! Do you want to see a splash occur? Let's look at our guards which I feel is the deepest part of the this team. At point, we have Marcus, Malcolm, Derrick, and Payton. Not to mention JB as your shooting guard. Hauser fits that two guard slot as well.  Our forwards consist of JT, Grant, Blake, and I'd include Al in there.  Our centers are Rob, Luke and you could include Al.  Question is who do we want to actually trade?! Do any of our needs get met thru trades or the buyout market. Does Brad have to give up a quality piece? Is Wyc willing to pay.... Imo he's a cheap son of a gun.  My ideal wing would be JRich from San Antonio. He showed last season he has that edge and he's got game! He's a dawg on D which I love. What big is ideal.... I'd say Poetyl from SA but they want too m...

 Jaylen Brown's skills and athleticism are unquestioned. His scoring and board work are superb, and his handles and free throw shooting have advanced. But he lacks the one quality that is required for superstar status - other than drawing a lot of attention on offense, he just doesn't make his teammates better. Over the years, guys like Bob Cousy, Bill Russell, John Havlicek and Larry Bird have significantly contributed to the progress and production of their teammates. We can now add Jayson Tatum to that list. I keep saying, they have different skills sets. They are complimentary because sometimes Tatum is slow to get scoring. Meanwhile he does other things to impact game, rebounds,facilitating, defense. Brown will start scoring from the jump. when Tatum leaves game things slip…. — Cheryl a fullerton (@Cherylafullert1) January 24, 2023 Jayson contributes to wins in so many ways . When his shots are not falling, he works hard on the boards and on defense - and makes sure th...

  1st Quarter ☘️ No Rob, No Brogdon and No Marcus Smart. A shorthanded team is one that comes out fighting for their livelihood. Especially against a team that beat them in back to back games earlier in Boston. It's time to make the Magic vanish off the floor! Anytime you have both Jays on the court, you should be ready for a special performance. Great D by the C's to open up the game. It should be interesting to see both Al and Blake out there together. I honestly like seeing them on the floor together. C's haven't found the basket yet tonight. That quickly changes as JB nails the three!!! He's a guy who tends to start off well in first quarters.  C's need to tighten up the D tonight. The offense looks terrible right now. It seems to me these Celtics have no energy right now. You can't allow dumpster fire teams to get any confidence. Yet the Celtics like to let them hang around.  DWhite for THREEEEEEEEE!!! going to need a big game from him as the primary ba...

Payton Pritchard doesn't blink . I even wrote about it a while ago. This kid just doesn't blink - either literally or figuratively.  Pritchard has only seen action in 31-of-Boston's 47 games thus far and has only averaged 11.2 MPG in those. Many of his no-plays were DNP-CDs . But his energy, interest, intensity and fire have never wavered. Did I mention he doesn't blink. Payton Pritchard, detailed self-description. "I wouldn't be in the position I am today without having a tough mindset. A lot of people look at me and I’m a 6-foot-1, white, American guard. A lot of us aren't there. So you’ve got to be tough and bring it every day.” — Adam Himmelsbach (@AdamHimmelsbach) January 22, 2023 Payton is undersized by today's League standards at 6'1". A quick view affirms that he is indeed white and does not possess overwhelming speed or athleticism . But he is smart and determined to succeed in the NBA. Pritchard uses great body control to accomplis...

  Mettle: (Definition) "A person's (team's) ability to cope well with difficulties or to face a demanding situation in a spirited and resilient way." That about sums it up relative to the Celtics 106-104 victory over the Toronto Raptors . With their best player (Jayson Tatum) out of action with a sore wrist - and losing both Marcus Smart and Rob Williams to injuries in the first half - a number of players dug in and produced what was needed. It starts with Jaylen Brown . His team-high 27 points were just the beginning. Eight rebounds, six assists and three steals were the frosting. Grant Williams put up a career-high 25 points , making 4-of-6 from the hinterlands. Then came Malcolm Brogdon with 23 points and seven boards . And Payton Pritchard showed once again why trading him may be a bad move . He produced all of his 12 points in the fourth quarter, hitting 4-of-7 from deep. But perhaps Brown said it best following the game: ''To win in the NBA is hard eno...

  1st Quarter ☘️ What is this Raptors floor tonight?! The uniforms as well?! RWill with a nice jump hook to start things off! Marcus Smart with the great defense takes the hit and steals the ball but he's out of bounds.  C's off too a very slow start. JB is off tonight. Is it me or is tonight a throw away game?! Great D by JB! He was not treating Achuwa preciously! JB floats to the rack and scores. JB for THREEEEEEEEE!!! Tonight is gonna be a downtown Jaylen Brown kinda game! JB steps through and has the opportunity for the and one! Love this dude! Pay him his money!  DWhite with the floater! Let's Go! Cs are not looking very good right now. They trail by nine, not ideal especially being short handed. These Raptors are not impressive. MB scores on the one handed jump shot! MB for Threeeeeeeee!!! C's have fought back after falling behind. JB for THREEEEEEEEE!!! Let's Gooooooooo! Celtics trail by one.  2nd Quarter 🍀🍀 Celtics with absolutely spectacular ball movement...

 It would come down to the size/savvy/skills/synergy of the 1986 crew against the youth/athleticism/quickness/talent of the current version of The Green. Imagine this! Al Horford facing Robert Parish Rob Williams versus Kevin McHale Jayson Tatum confronting Larry Bird Jaylen Brown covering Dennis Johnson Marcus Smart vs. Danny Ainge Then come the benches: Luke Kornet against Bill Walton Grant Williams facing Scott Wedman Derrick White covering Jerry Sichting Horford would have trouble with Robert's size and strength - and that unstoppable rainbow jumper . McHale's inside moves and tremendous wingspan would give Rob fits. But Kevin gave all defenders fits. Larry would be a bit slow in trying to contain Jayson's speed and handles but would out-clever Tatum as he did with most opponents. Jaylen Brown's quickness and size advantage would give DJ a few headaches, but that matchup overall would be fairly even Smart versus Danny? Ainge was known as the "quickness w...

 This game was in question the whole way, but the Boston Celtics held the fort (barely) in overtime to take the game. And they answered some questions that have been lurking all season. Does the two-big pairing work? It sure does. Al Horford and Rob Williams combined for 34 points on 67% from the field, along with 21 rebounds - 10 of which off the offensive boards.  Is Al Horford ready for the rocking chair? Hell, no! He played 37 minutes and came up with three key blocks and two vital 3-pointers . The Dominican Gentleman won't be occupying that rocking chair at "The Home" anytime soon. Is Jayson Tatum's MVP status valid? It sure is. Despite poor shooting (33% FG, 31% 3s) on his 34 points, he showed how complete his skills have become. He has transformed into a superb rebounder, grabbing 19 boards in this one. He also racked up three steals, six assists - and shot a perfect 12-of-12 from the free throw line. He does everything out there. How's Malcolm Brogdon d...

  1st Quarter ☘️ The Celtics have won the tip and we shoot a three. Not a smart start! Marcus does the Smart thing and goes to the hoop. Force Steph Curry to actually play defense. Marcus for threeeeeeeee!!! The more they make Curry work on D the less he has on the offensive end. Am I the only one who has sports angst towards the Warriors?!  JT for the JAM! Why isn't the Garden loud?! I want Old Boston Garden type levels of fandom! Al Horford is destroying Wiggins. Al Horford with the SPECTACULAR block on Jordan Poole! Al said get that weak bleep outta my house! Al has been solid like a rock tonight! The Warriors have no answers down low. Al with the pump fake and he rips the rim like a machine!  JB with the JAM! Great job by JB seeing he had Curry on him. He exposed Curry for the weak defender that he is. Tonight's game is very close. It would do a lot of good if the C's could just flat out kick their butts. I know the NBA won't allow that though.  Great job by GWil...

 Rest in basketball Heaven! Chris Ford passed away at the age of 74. Is it me or when we watch our beloved C's players and coaches pass it feels like losing part of the family?. It seems to me that we have witnessed way too many former C's make their way to the other side. I hope my mom is letting them know how much I love the C's lol.  We all know Chris Ford hit the first three pointer, what we didn't know is that shot has lead us to how the game is played now. Chris Ford was a hard nosed player with damn good skills. He's nicknamed Doc for his jam against Dr J. Talk about a memorable moment. He was a versatile player and very respected and loved by his teammates. Here is Larry's thoughts on his passing.  "Chris was such an important part of our success, as a teammate, Coach and friend. My thoughts and condolences are with the Ford family." Chris was part of three Celtics titles teams, one as a player and two as an assistant coach. He also lead the Bi...

 Here's a chance to win a copy of Mark C. Bodanza's excellent bio of 10-Time Champion, Sam Jones - signed by Sam & Mark . It starts today with the Boston Celtics contest against the Golden State Warriors. How does it work? It's quite simple. 1.) Look for any of our future CelticsSentinel articles containing the words "BANNER 18" in the title, including this article. 2.) It's all about Jayson Tatum's points, rebounds & assists in the next Celtics game - Warriors in  this case. 3.) Give us your estimate of the sum of Jayson's points, rebounds & assists in that one, specific game. 4.) Example: Tatum with 30 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists. The total amounts to 48 in this case. 5.) Put that estimate (48) in the comment section of the article. We just need the total number, not necessarily the specific number of each category (points, rebounds, assists). 6.) Closest estimate, above or below , gets one point. 7.) In case of a tie, both get ...

The Boston Celtics are first in the East and have the best record in the NBA. The Golden State Warriors are sixth in the West and are at .500.... Earlier this season we saw the Celtics get punched in the gut by these same Warriors who won Banner 18 on our turf. Do they own space in the Celtics heads? Anyone else sick of hearing about Draymond Green and Klay Thompson crapping on Boston and the fans?! It irks me down to my core that they have a title over us.  You can down play the game tomorrow night, but for me it's a proving ground that we are truly on a mission. Last year's finals defeat hurts like hell, I know winning tomorrow doesn't make up for that series loss. Yet seeing the best team in the league with the best player in the league beating these Warriors matters. I want to see the Celtics play a complete game on both ends. If they can shut down Curry it's like cutting off the head of a snake! Throw multiple defenders at him, Marcus, DWhite and MB!  I fully expec...

 I am going with Chris Forsberg on this one. The rumblings on The Celtics going with another big center (read: Jacob Poetl ) to back up Al Horford and Rob Williams is folly. Forsberg figures that a big wing in the way to go if Brad Stevens sees fit to add another player to the roster (Per Forsberg): "But Boston might have a bigger need for a big wing -- someone who could play Hauser’s role, limit the wear and tear on the Jays, and be a trusted defender in a playoff series." Boston recently fully guaranteed Justin Jackson's $2.1 million for this season, but the 6'8" wing doesn't look like a keeper. Jayson Tatum may be an iron man, but he is not made of steel. Jaylen Brown is currently out with a groin injury. Without this pair in decent condition - no Title this season. Tatum is approaching that time in his career where star players peak. Scary thought for the rest of the League since he won't turn 25 uintil March. Stevens needs to discard thoughts ...

 Jayson Tatum's incendiary performance in last night's victory over the Charlotte Hornets erased any remaining doubt about just how good this youmg man really is. After raining down 51 points on the Hornets, he now has seven games of 50-or-more points. So what are the possibilities. I have broached this question before. Time to revisit. So Jayson Tatum, 45 days shy of 25th birthsday, have same amount of 50pts games (7) as three best scorers in Celtics history (John Havlicek 1, Paul Pierce 1, Larry Bird 5) combined. If he stays heathty (please God) he would join Russell and Bird in all-time Celtics frontcourt pic.twitter.com/Dww3rgYAGs — Davor Vitković (@DavorVitkovic) January 16, 2023 Titles come into serious play here, and Jayson has zero of them. Bill Russell has 11 and Larry Bird has three . Jayson has yet to prove that he can surpass these two superstars. For years, I have projected Tatum as having a ceiling between Paul P:ierce and Larry Bird.   He has already surpassed...

  Is there anything this young man can't do?!? So today we witnessed Jayson Tatum's fifth 50 point game in a Celtics uniform. How is it possible that he now owns the record! He surpasses Larry Bird who did it four times. With a franchise like the Celtics who have so so so many Hall of Famers. He now stands alone with this record.  What other Celtics records will he break?! Given he spends his entire career here. Which he damn well better! Are we witnessing a transcendent player. In some ways we are, what will ultimately matter to him will be titles. Imagine if his goal along the way of breaking records is to hoist championship banners? Multiple banners. I look forward to continuing to watching each and every game this young man plays. Some day soon I want to see him raise a Banner in the rafters. Cough cough meaning this season! Along with multiple banners I expect to see 0 in the rafters and someday I'll see him in the Hall of Fame.  Bleed Green! Celtic Pride! ☘️🍀🏀

Once again the Celtics are without Jaylen Brown. They could however be getting DWhite back. He's listed as probable, with the neck injury. I wouldn't rush him back even though I love watching him.    1st Quarter ☘️ C's are pushing the pace nicely so far today. The defense has been decent so far, we need to see them lock em down! It's great to get DWhite back and he had a great alley OOP to Marcus Smart! The score is tied which is not ideal, but expect the C's to go on a run.  We have our first timeout of the game, and let's hope Coach Joe gets in their ears. Need to stomp on these Hornets and send em to the showers early! Love watching Rob out there, he's does all the little things out there. He also earns this team so many extra possessions!  JT gets to the hoop with ease, love that part of his game. What's concerning right now is the fact that the Hornets are living in the paint. Need to make that go away, especially if we want to win.  The Wolverine h...