Celtics ☘️ Sentinel

 Three years ago, I broached the idea of Brad Stevens giving Jayson Tatum more time at the point guard spot - and took some heat from readers. The title of the piece was: Putting Tatum at the Point Sporadically Could Fast-Forward MVP Contention Now, prior to the 2023-24 NBA season, it appears that the 6'8" combo forward will play more than "sporadically" at the "one" spot. I think the Celtics play at a slower pace when Tatum brings the ball up, but he has proven he can initiate the offense effectively. It speaks to Tatum's ability to adapt to what his team needs. It's hard to come up with a situation where he's a bad fit. pic.twitter.com/SICug6BnL5 — Bobby Krivitsky (@BobbyKrivitsky) September 21, 2023 Jayson's name should be in contention this season for MVP, but his assist numbers would need to take at least a small leap. Logging more time at the point would also help to propel him into the oncourt leader of The Green.  . Derrick White

        Isn't it ironic that a guy nicknamed "Red" could be so color-blind when it came to choosing his players. He only saw talent and character. Arnold Jacob "Red" Auerbach should be referred to as one of the greatest coaches of all time! A man of morals who stuck up for his players when dealing with racial issues. A innovator as a coach who went on to win 9 titles as a coach and when he served as GM and President in the front office he was part of another 7 titles!        Before he was coach of the Boston Celtics he was coach of the Washington Capitols and Tri Cities Blackhawks how many of you knew that? When you hear the name Red Auerbach you think top coach in NBA history. He amassed 938 wins! He was coach of the year in 1965 and executive of the year in 1980. Think about this number of 16 titles in 29 years.       Red was the coach who put together the modern game with his coaching style. He redesigned basketball. He made sure his teams were dominated by t

 It may be controversial to some, but I place Larry Bird in my top-5 NBA. All-Time. Here's why. SIZE Larry said it himself - "My entire game changed when I went from 6'6" to 6'9." With the added three inches, The Birdman was able to get his shot off - improve his rebounding - fight for position under the basket - and see over opponents to get the ball to his teammates. He may have been good - even very good - at 6;6" - but not great. Bird averaged 10.0 rebounds per game for his career. Not bad for a guy not very quick or athletic. SAVVY Forget Larry's use of double-negatives. He is no dummy, especially on the hardwood. He almost always knew the right play and how/where/when to get it done. His knowledge of the game and instincts were some of the best the League has ever seen. SYNERGY WITH TEAMMATES "I knew my teammates"  was what Larry told former fellow Celtic, Kevin McHale . Bird knew where his teammates were most of the time - and wh

Greetings Celtics fans! As we see summer heading towards fall it's a reminder that the Celtics will be back on TV very soon. I think my expectations are tailored right now because last season I was Banner 18 or bust. Unfortunately a 3-0 deficit to Miami and a turned JT ankle made last year a total bust for me. No one remembers the team down 3-0 and loses game seven. Yet I think I will... Derrick White made a play that should have put him in that Gerald Henderson category of I'll never forget that play.  From my vantage point, I expect career years from JB and JT. I also expect JTs overall game to improve on so many levels. This young man talks about the Mount Rushmore of Celtics players and I fully believe he wants to be one of them. That all starts by winning a ring and then winning a few more. Overall we all know how well JT is on offense yet I feel he can bring it to a whole new level. Defensively I expect the same. The kid is built to be great. Now without Marcus Smart I fe

 I am not talking saviors here, but rather the players that made the difference that yielded Championships for the Boston Celtics. It starts with Bill Russell . Cousy, Sharman and Company were good but there were no Titles until Bill showed up. From 1957-to-1969, The Green racked up 11 Championships with Russ manning the center spot. The team had an off year until the next big guy appeared in the person of Dave Cowens - add two more Titles. "Big Red" made a big difference. Than came the immortal Larry Bird just as Dave was starting to slow down due to injuries. The Green earned no rings in Larry's first season, but then Red Auerbach picked up two more big men ( Robert Parish and Kevin McHale) , and that sealed the deal - resulting in three Finals victories in the 80's. Paul Pierce was very good - and very loyal to Boston - but he needed help. It came in the body of 6'11" Kevin Garnett . He was the missing piece that put another Larry O'Brien Trophy in

 In his past role as Celtics head honcho, Danny Ainge lamented that his team lacked a clear hierarchy.  Most Celtics fans would agree that Jayson Tatum is the Alpha Dog with respect to talent in Boston's structure, but can he be the on-court leader in the mold of Bill Russell, Larry Bird or Paul Pierce?  As much as many fans hated to see Marcus Smart traded away, and I include myself in that bunch - in many ways he was the most-vocal member of the team, and probably the main driver of what took place on the hardwood. Smart's departure may clarify the leadership role in the upcoming season. So it may come down to the best player (Tatum) assuming the leadership role and running with it. Jaylen Brown, with one more year in the NBA than Jayson, may have an issue with that, and we may see a Paul Pierce/Kevin Garnett leadership replay with both members of The Jay team sharing control duties. Stay tuned.