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The good, bad and ugly from Celtics 118-112 win over Pacers

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  The Good Kemba Walker was on target. He was high-scorer for Boston with 32 points on 53% shooting from the field. And he did more than just hit his shots, coming away with six boards and three assists. He, and the team, needed this game from him. The bench came through. Payton Pritchard (30 minutes, nine points, four rebounds, team-high plus/minus of + 13), Jeff Teague (14 points) and Rob Williams (see next paragraph) all contributed to the victory. Adjusting Rob Williams minutes to the 37 played by Myles Turner , TIMELORD's numbers project to 27 points, 19 rebounds, seven assists, two steals and five blocks . Turner had 17 points, 10 boards, one steal and three blocks. Make what you wish from that.  The Bad Marcus Smart remains out of action with a calf tear/sprain. It is uplifting for fans that the Celtics took the win from an Eastern Conference rival without The Wolverine on the court, but this injury worries me. His grade 1 sprain tore some micro muscle fibers. If there
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Simulated Red Auerbach-vs- Kyrie Irving debate on changing NBA logo

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Former-Celtic, Kyrie Irving is going all out to promote the late Kobe Bryant as the new NBA logo , replacing the current one represented by Jerry West. This debate, though never actually happening in reality, will be presented as though it did. Red Auerbach : Kyrie, why are you campaigning to have Kobe Bryant as the next NBA logo. What's wrong with Jerry West. Kyrie Irving : There's nothing wrong with Jerry West. I am talking about my generation. Kobe was drafted at 17 years old. He's MY generation.  Red: Sounds like this is more about you than Kobe! Kyrie : No, it's just that " this is the guy for us and the guy for me . He is my mentor and more than an inspiration. I took a lot of wisdom and knowledge from that guy and he is always around me and Gigi is always around me ." Red : I think you just supported my position. A lot of "I's", "my's" and "me's" in there . Kyrie: Who would you want for the logo, Red? Red
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Danny Ainge's "new-faces-if-it-comes-to-that" scenario has emerged

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Celtics fans can remain angry about the departure of Al Horford and Gordon Hayward , but they really should admit The Green sorely miss what that pair supplied. Conversely, it was quickly apparent that the Kyrie Irving -in-Boston experiment was a failure - partly due to him not being the best of teammates - but also the fact that Celtics team was simply a bad mix. We may be looking at that once again. Hordford was brought on board in 2016, followed by Irving and Hayward in 2017. All three left Boston of their own volition, but Irving's acquisition was a mistake. Not so with Gordon and Al. Boston misses them. The current Celtics crew is mired in 9th place in the East with a 15-17 record - the same as the lowly Knicks. That last stat alone merits roster (or higher-level) changes. Youth, injuries and Covid aside, we are looking at a bad mix of players . There is no synergy - no coordination - no cooperation . There will be no spontaneous fix here. Some type of change is needed. What
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Expect a different Celtics team post-All-Star break

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The Celtics remain mired in sixth place in the East with a losing (15-16) record. Expect things to change after the All-Star break, and certainly post-Trade-Deadline (March 25). That change could be in the form of different lineups, tweaks to the style or pace - or finally, some new faces. Boston's rotation is suddenly solidifying. Jeff Teague's appearances are dwindling, but Tristan Thompson seems to be finding his niche.  Rookie Aaron Nesmith has emerged from the mist, averaging 22.7 minutes per game over the last five contests. Over that span, he has hit 7-of-14 from the field - 4-of-10 on 3-pointers - and collected an encouraging 4.2 rebounds per game. Expect to see more of the ever-moving sharp-shooter after the break. Grant Williams seems to fading into the mist from whence Nesmith emerged, playing only seven minutes in Boston's loss to the Mavericks last night. Rob Williams? He saw 14 minutes in the loss, and despite some very-obvious improvement in his game, it
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Are we seeing a replay of the Isaiah Thomas saga with Kemba Walker?

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CelticsSentinel's Erich Ryan broached the Kemba Walker conundrum back on February 10, and the issue remains in question.  Danny Ainge shipped Isaiah Thomas out of town in damaged condition after the diminutive guard had literally saved Boston's 2016-17 season with his heroic play.  The latest questions surround another undersized point guard, Kemba Walker. On a recent Colin Cowherd Podcast , NBA analyst Ric Bucher stated that Celtics boss, Danny Ainge "tried like Hell to move Kemba at the beginning of the season" . Bucher added that Walker's knee injury and lack of size are one of the reasons "they (Celtics) are not a Championship contending team" .  I share these concerns for the Boston Celtics. Like IT, Kemba's lack of size is magnified when significant injuries hamper the quick, evasive movements shared by both players.  Walker was given stem cell therapy for his knee issue in the off-season, and it just may be that the treatment was really a &qu
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Celtics anointment of a captain is needed - and soon.

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One of our writers, Steven Mayer, has repeatedly suggested that Brad Stevens put an NBA-seasoned ex-player on the bench next to him as an assistant to energize the Celtics. I have endlessly proposed the need for a captain to finally be anointed. The former issue will be addressed in a later article, but the Captaincy is urgent. But who should it be? An on-floor leader needs to be skilled enough to play starter-type minutes - tough enough to yell at his comrades (and himself) - fair enough to distribute the admonishments and accolades equitably - and brave enough to tell Brad Stevens and Danny Ainge that he doesn't agree with them on certain issues. Sometimes, in years gone by, the choice of Captain was obvious, and I present Bill Russell and Larry Bird as Exhibits A and B. This is not one of those times. I have broached Marcus Smart in the past as the floor leader, and I am sticking with that. Jaylen Brown would be my second choice, and I have none after that. The well is dry. Jays
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Danny Ainge is punting - sort of

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Danny Ainge is not known for taking a step or two back, or punting, when there is a chance to make a major score. But that is exactly what he is doing in this first-half of a tumultuous 2020-21 season. Agree on all of those points. I will add "not to take weak teams lightly". But Brad keeping the youngsters in at critical points (as in, end of close games) is fine with me in the first half of the season. No killer instinct yet in this crew. https://t.co/rMZQZHWTZE — Tom Lane (@CelticsSentinel) February 21, 2021 We know all the negatives of the season, and particularly last night's 120-115 OT loss to the Pelicans. Taking weaker teams likely. Not holding on to big leads - as in "24-point-lead" vs. New Orleans. Not having what Ainge terms "urgency" to win every game.  But putting the young guys into tight situations this early in the season is exactly what Danny and Brad Stevens need to do. We saw it last night when both rookie Aaron Nesmith and Rob Will
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