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Showing posts from June, 2020

Marcus Smart victim of bias in DPOY voting

Don't expect Celtics guard, Marcus Smart, to seriously compete for the NBA Defensive-Player-of-the-Year Award this season. He has too much against him in the form of bias from several sources. Defensive guards stand little chance to walk away with this trophy, but that has not always been the case. The DPOY Award has been given out since the 1982-83 season, and five of the six initial winners played the guard position: 1983: Sidney Moncrief (guard) 1984: Sidney Moncrief (guard) 1985: Mark Eaton (center) 1986: Alvin Robertson (guard) 1987: Michael Cooper (guard/forward) 1988: Michael Jordan (guard) It has been all centers (23) and forwards(7), with the one exception being Gary Payton (guard) winning the trophy in 1996. The numbers clearly show why Smart stands little chance of ever seeing the DPOY Trophy in his home. So where does the bias come in. Well, first of all, there is obvious prejudice here directed at the "little guy". While other NBA awards such as

A vote of confidence in Daniel Theis as starting center

Results of my Twitter poll concerned with the Celtics present position at the 5-spot are in, and they can be seen below. The likable Enes Kanter didn't get much love from fans this time, garnering no votes to start in the pivot. Does Theis suffice at the center spot? Daniel has been Brad Stevens' top choice in the pivot, and that may not change soon. What are your thoughts for next season? — Tom Lane (@CelticsSentinel) June 12, 2020 Daniel set career highs in 58 games thus far this season in: Minutes:23.8 Points: 9.3 Rebounds: 6.6 Assists: 1.6 Steals: 0.6 Blocks: 1.3 FG%: 56.5 FT%: 76.4 Damn fine stats considering he plays slightly less than half the game. What more does this man have to do to be taken seriously? And at the age of 28 years, he may not have reached his peak. He just keeps improving.

Past/Present Pairings: Marcus Smart and Dave Cowens

Just image a fantasy pairing of Marcus Smart and Dave Cowens. One is black. The other white. Marcus has played all five positions but is listed as a guard. Many thought Dave was destined as a power forward, but he played center for the Boston Celtics. The differences in the Potent Pair generally end there. Call them "Horizontal Heroes" or strong contenders for the "NBA Floor Burn Trophy", but they both are known for their ferocious defense and the will to never take a play off. They display what Miami Coach Erik Spoelstra once termed "primal energy" when he beseeched his team to go after loose balls versus Dirk Nowitski's Mavericks. Here is Marcus Smart hitting the floor: Favourite play of the NBA season so far? pic.twitter.com/zM7SIfkFOn — Josh Coyne (@poundcoyne) June 6, 2020 Dave Cowens was not just quick for a big man. He was quick , period. Watch how he switches onto Oscar Robertson, knocks the ball loose from the legendary guard and outraces

Bill Russell needs to be the image on the new NBA logo

Having already proposed the renaming of Christopher Columbus Park in Boston after Celtics-Great, Bill Russell, I will once again advocate strongly for the NBA logo to bear his likeness. Folks responding to @Advil & @CelticsSentinel plea to have Christopher Columbus Park named after Bill Russell. The time is right, and that time is NOW! @FCHWPO https://t.co/7sWY7KVFoL pic.twitter.com/8loOA0s2Re — Tom Lane (@CelticsSentinel) June 3, 2020 Jerry West has been the image on the League's logo since 1969. The designer was Alan Siegel, and apparently Siegel had a reason for his choice (per sportscasting.com's Rick Thomas): The image of West was chosen as the basis of the NBA logo because Siegel felt it best embodied the league’s dynamism and athleticism. The silhouette manages to convey power, movement, and grace all at once West never made any money from his image representing the NBA, and he seems to have no strong feelings about remaining as the visual representation o