Imagine if Jayson Tatum played as hard as Marcus Smart?!?!

Most Celtics fans wake up a little tired and a little disappointed this morning. When that game was over last night I felt like I had just done a handful of line drills. My blood was pumping. I could feel the stress throughout my body. And I was tired. Maybe it is just the combination of oxycodone and valium that I have been on for the past couple of weeks since my neck surgery, but more likely it is just from the anxiety that comes with watching this Celtics team and knowing how good they can be, only to be let down. Sometimes it seems like I want it more than them.

I open up with that because I am gonna go right at one particular player and I'm trying to buy myself some more time before I go completely off the rails on him. He's one of my favorite players. I loved it when Danny traded out of the 1 spot back to 3 and grabbed an extra pick while still landing "the man". I have been saying for a couple of years now that he is going to be a top 5 player in the NBA very soon. But last night, for the first time, I found myself thinking that I might be wrong about all of this. And so I'm gonna get right in his face:

Jayson Tatum - you need to play harder. What you gave us last night was unacceptable. And as I wrote on Twitter last night:

@jaytatum0 im sure you could care less what jimmy in NH says but if i was your coach i would sit your arse on the bench!
— Jimmy in NH (@JimmyMac257) December 13, 2019

I'm not talking about the weak ass missed shots you had. As Kemba said earlier this year to you, "I don't care how many shots you miss. I want you to keep shooting." What I'm talking about is the hustle back on defense. The keeping your head up after you miss instead of dropping the shoulders, slouching, and watching the guys on the other team all sprint the other way for a fast break wide open basket. What I'm talking about is a fire in the belly. A competitive spirit that says I am not going to be pushed around by these guys.

I'm not sure Tatum has it. If you rewatch the game last night you will see lazy after lazy after lazy defense by Tatum. On a team with huge effort guys like Marcus Smart and Semi Ojele, guys willing to get trucked by bigger guys every single game, what I saw from Tatum last night was unacceptable. I see Semi stand in the lane and not flinch as he gets rammed into at full speed to draw an offensive foul. And then I see Tatum getting called for a technical because he slammed the ball into the ground like a petulant little child.....on a play where he got soundly beaten to the hoop because he played - you guessed it - lazy defense.

To wrap it up - I'm still a fan of Tatum. The guy doesn't want to lose. He nailed 3 threes late in the 4th last night. He wants the ball in his hands during money time. And I want it there too. But if I was on the court with him last night, I would have been right in Tatum's face. Either you are with us or you ain't. You need to play harder.

I wasn't on the court with him last night. So I'm writing it here this morning.

The Elm Street Nightmare

A true-and-suspenseful horror tale of haunting, homicides and the hunt for triple-murderer, Daniel Laplante - as told by the cops that were there By Lt. Thomas Lane (Ret.) Daniel Laplante - cold, calm, clever, calculating- Photo: YouTube Elm Street surfaces on six (6) occasions in the Laplante saga: 1.) He resided on Elm Street in Townsend, Massachusetts 2.) He kidnapped a woman at gunpoint on Elm Street, Pepperell , Massachusetts 3.) That kidnapped woman fled to the Gillogly residence on Elm Street after escaping from the armed fugitive, Laplante. 4.) He was arrested and transported to Massachusetts State Police Barracks on Elm Street in Concord . 5.) He was tried, convicted and sentenced for the murders at Superior Court , corner of Elm Stree t and Gorham Street, Lowell, Massachusetts. 6.) The author, Thomas Lane, lived on Elm Steet, Pepperell, Massachusetts while a police Sgt./Lt. for the t...

A sorrowful farewell to Kitty's Restaurant (North Reading, MA) as a family tradition

Time to say "Goodbye" to Kitty's Restaurant - my family's destination and tradition for six generations and more than 80 years. My memories of Kitty's go back to the early-1950's . I would accompany my dad and grandfather on fishing trips to the Ipswich River in North Reading, Massachusetts - followed by a visit to the restaurant on Main Street. In later years, my wife, Linda, and I would eat there with our two kids, Marc and Lisa - and years later - with our two grand daughters - and still later - with our great grandson, Carson. Author and family at Kitty's approx. 10 years ago Kitty's never disappointed. The drinks were big and well-made . The food was terrific - as were the portions. The service was exceptional and we became well-acquainted with the waiters and waitresses. It all worked so very well for many decades. My grand daughter, Courtney , was particularly fond of the restaurant. She was born with cystic fibrosis , and during her fr...

Wemby versus Kareem as rookies

We already know that the Spurs Victor Wembanyama is going to be an NBA phenomenon, but will he surpass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar by the end of his career. It is highly likely. I did a "per-36-minutes" comparison between the two stars, mainly because Kareem logged 43.1 MPG in his rookie campaign - while Wemby has been held to only 29.4 MPG. Kareem: 24.1 PPG - 12.1 RPG - 3.4 APG - .518 FG - .653 FT Wemby: 25.9 PPG - 12.9 RPG - 4.5 APG - .463 FG - .796 FT No blocks, steals or 3-pointers were looked at since they were not tracked in Jabbar's first year in the NBA. It should also be noted that Kareem was 22 years old at the time, while Victor started at age 20. Two factors favoring Wembanyama ultimately surpassing Jabbar on any "Best-of-All-Time" charts are his point guard skills , shared by so many European players. and the fact he is being mentored by Gregg Popovich. His potential seems astounding. But the question remains. Can he garner six Titles and six MVP ...

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