Celtics ☘️ Sentinel

  New Years Eve Basketball in San Antonio.  1st Q ☘️ C's with the first basket of the game off some great ball movement. JB mans up and brings home a two handed JAM! Derrick feels right at home and looks good already tonight. The way JB gets inside the paint and bullies guys should be his bread and butter. So is his silky smooth turn around fade away. Man has his game just grown so much. He's becoming a more all around all star player! To witness his growth is something all Celtics fans should enjoy and revel in. He and Tatum are just becoming two players we can trust that will do anything to win. Becoming all around players is part of that journey to winning. I've had my moments critiquing his game but this season is turning out to be his best. Liking what I've seen in this first quarter from the C's. They should be able to slowly blow these Spurs off the floor. Celtics lead after one.  2nd Q 🍀🍀 DWhite leads the C's in points after the first. This man deserve

Celtics welcome the Raptors into the Boston Garden. The Celtics will be without JT, Al, and KP. Yet there is nothing to fear we still have DWhite, Jrue and JB! ☘️ 1st Q 🏀 Luuuuuuuke! Blocks the first shot of the game. Sam Hauser with the first points of the game for the C's! Sam and Luke thrust into the starting lineup and making an early impact. Nice to have JB back, expect him to have a big game tonight! C's UP! I like what I'm seeing on both ends of the floor right now! Holiday, Brown and White hitting their stride early. Expect this big three, to lead the charge tonight. Celtics ball movement has been tight tonight! Cs are using the entire bench tonight. Love the way the C's are pushing the pace! JB is a man amongst boys! Straight destroying the Raptors D. I love Queta! He continues to work hard and make plays. When you have a team like this you will remember each and every guy who played. Especially if this group wins a ring.  🍀🍀 2nd Q 🏀🏀 C's can only cont

  I didn't write about the Lakers and Celtics because I was enjoying family time. However I was presently surprised with how well the C's played and encouraged by them not panicking after the lead shrunk. They showed why they are the best team in the NBA. Tonight the C's take on a two win team who has lost 27 straight games. Let's hope the C's stay focused and blow them off the Garden floor.  1st Q 🍀 Celtics ball movement on this first possession was efficient. Al finds JT for a two handed JAM! C's need to exploit the KP match up. No one on this Pistons team can guard him. This Celtics start has been very uninspiring right now. Right on cue JT nails the three! Time for a large run! Al out there fighting for second chance opportunities. That's what makes Al a winner. JT exposes the Pistons D and finds KP over the top. Still not feeling how close this game is right now. C's are trailing right now and it's disgusting. Queta is a breath of fresh air out

Both Derrick White and Jrue Holiday can score whenever they truly want. Yet they are the consummate teammates who love getting other guys involved. Last night's game vs the Fakers saw them garner 18 assists. Those are some excellent numbers, plus I'm sure Joe is guiding what he wants from them as well. Both guys are defensive Dawgs! With a total of three steals and three blocks you have to tip your hat to them . How about Jrues D on Leflop... Jrue Holiday has that killer on D and does it so effortlessly.  I know I said they can score whenever they want and combined they had 36 points all of which were quality baskets and impacted the game. Each guys is a TOTAL PACKAGE! Kudos to our wiz president Brad Stevens for finding these gems. Both epitomize what it means to be a Celtic. As much as I bust Wyc kudos to allowing Brad to make things happen. Shout-out to Coach Mazzulla, last year he was thrown into a job where he couldn't impart his philosophies in such a short time. This

 Short and sweet, folks - as always. The Celtics take on the Lakers this Christmas Day. Adore him- like him - hate him - despise him, but Lebron James will turn 39 years old on Saturday , December 30 and he still plays like he is in his prime - which is generally regarded as roughly 28 years old for NBA . players. 34.2 MPG - 25.7 PPG - 7.7 RPG - 7.3 APG - 1.5 SPG - ,544 FG - .412 3s Those are not "geezer" stats for "The King" this season. Love him or hate him - give him his due . The man takes extraordinary care of his body - for the good of himself, his team and the NBA.  With that aside, as a loyal 6-decade fan of the Boston Celtics, here's hoping for a Christmas present in the form of a solid Celtics victory.

 It has been more than six months since young Damien Merchant was traumatically injured in an accident that could have taken one of legs or his life. But Damien survived  - never lost his left leg - and is now looking to a future that will erase the darkness that enveloped him half-a-year ago. It is somewhat ironic that I am writing this on Christmas Day - a great time to thank and applaud all that helped a young man when he desperately needed it - including Brad Montague (his friend and boss), The Errol Rescue Squad,  Damien's medical team - and all of the kind folks that donated to his GoFundMe fundraiser - and all others that offered support to this youngster. To those that donated, be advised that the total amount raised (now $3,400.00) remains in a bank account to be used to help this likable lad to navigate a world that looked quite dismal when his leg became accidently shredded by a stump grinder.  For those that wish to help in this very-worthy cause, the GoFundMe link

 This big guy seems to be the real thing - a bit of a throwback that doesn't score from any distance but does everything else quite well. Neemias Queta supplied 14  points, 12 rebounds (6 offensive) and three assists in Boston's 145-108 blowout of the Clippers in only 23 minutes  - while hitting 4-of-7 from down low and 6-of-8 from the free throw line. Queta exhibited an array of soft layups and power jams . His teammates are constantly looking to feed him anywhere close to the hoop. Celtics Portuguese Man O' War becoming an integral part of Mazzulla's rotation and the reliable 3rd-string center Boston sorely needs. Neemias Queta - 14 Pts, 12 Reb, 3 Ast Full Highlights｜Boston Celtics vs ... https://t.co/yP26Lw2KYc via @YouTube — Tom Lane (@CelticsSentinel) December 24, 2023   In eight games this season, The Portuguese Man O' War is hitting on 50.0% of his field goals and 76.9% of his free throws. The Boston Celtics may have found their third-string center . He

C's are coming off a nice win vs the Kings. Today they take on the LA Clippers who are playing some very good ball lately. This game will be more entertaining than Mondays game. Expect the refs to favor the fakers and give em the win.  1st Q 🏀 JB opens up with a three! He's the match that lights the fire of this team! James Harden just tripped over his own two feet. Draws a call, he's so overrated. Jrue directing the offense and finds Al for a three! C's looking good early on. It's early on and the C's are three happy. Which means I'm not happy because I don't like the three point shot in today's NBA context. C's force a shot clock violation, I love defense. Jrue nails his first shot, which is... a three. C's are missing way too many shots early on. If these shots start falling we could run away with today's game. JT needs to start pounding the rock inside. C's have slowly built up their lead. Gotta keep pushing and attacking this Cl

 The trade that brought Derrick White to Boston for Josh Richardson, Romeo Langford, a first-round pick and a pick swap is helping make Brad Stevens look like a basketball sage! The Celtics are atop the Eastern Conference and White is having the very-best season of his career . Here is where he stands after 27 games: He has career highs in: Minutes (32.6 MPG) Points (16.5 PPG) Rebounds (4.0 RPG) Assists (5.1 APG) Steals (1.3 SPG) Blocks (1.2 BPG) FG% (.492) 3-pt. % (.429) Damn impressive! It is no wonder Boston fans love this guy. He displays little outward emotion on the court, but he constantly makes winning plays no one saw coming. That is - no one but him. Joe Mazzulla fully realizes that he needs to keep a guy on the floor that was originally slated for bench duty. There is even All-Star chatter for Derrick going on , and it is not as far fetched as it may seem. He deserves to be in the conversation.

 The Celtics Jaylen Brown has been the target of many Boston fans this season, with some of the flak being warranted . But over the last seven games (6-1 record), the criticism has calmed down - for a reason. Over that span, the 6'6" G/F has averaged 24.1 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 5.1 APG (not a misprint), 2.1 TOPG and a plus/minus of +9.4. His 3-point shooting has been a bit off (31.4%) , but his field goal-and-free-throw accuracy (53.1% and 88.0%, respectively) have not. Remember when Jaylen couldn't hit his free throws? And his assist numbers were low while his turnovers came too often. In that 7-game stretch, he took 3.6 free throw attempts per game and made 3.1 of them . And his assist-to-turnover ratio stands at 2.4 assists-per-miscue .  Brown has been curtailing his tendency to force his offense and he is a nightmare for defenders when he drives all the way to the hoop . He is scoring less and passing off more. And he does all of this quietly, although he has clearly state

 Here I go with my whimsy at full tilt once again. If each NBA team could clone a member from the past and team him with the present squad - who would that be for the Boston Celtics? Every NBA team should be allowed to clone one all time franchise great like in Foundation — jason concepcion (@netw3rk) December 20, 2023   Of course, for Boston, Bill Russell and Larry Bird come immediately to mind. Russ playing alongside Tatum and Brown would be hard to beat. His superb athleticism, quickness, rim protection and rebounding would offset his lack of an outside shot. Bird was a super-skilled, non-athletic, somewhat-slow white star before the overseas invasion by the likes of Nikola Jokic, Luke Doncic and Domantas Sabonis . He is the type of player that would fit anywhere. Bob Cousy would have his advocates, but I would not be into that. But Kevin Garnett, Dave Cowens and Kevin McHale are another matter. They would need special consideration. Paul Pierce and John Havlicek come to min

 The Celtics rugged center, Neemias Queta , is starting to prove that this Portuguese Man O' War will never be described as a jellyfish ( per Wikipedia ): "The Portuguese man o' war is a conspicuous member of the  neuston , It has numerous venomous microscopic  nematocysts  which deliver a painful  sting  powerful enough to kill fish, and has been known to occasionally kill humans. Although it superficially resembles a  jellyfish , the Portuguese man o' war is in fact a  siphonophore ."  Queta is an absolute handful for opponents under the rim . He uses his 7-foot, 250-lb. frame to roughhouse his way to the hoop for layups and battle repeatedly for missed shots , particularly off the offensive glass. In the two road games versus the Warriors and Kings, he took down a total of 16 rebounds in limited minutes. Ten-of-the-16 were offensive boards. He is also a combined (2 games) 8-of-16 from the field for 50% accuracy. Queta's career stats show a FG% of .487 and

Coming off the loss last night the C's are in Sacramento. They are without JT and Al. Time for a signature JB game. Derrick needs to ball out and we need KP to be solid. Jrue Holiday should be able to pick up the slack as well. Sam gets the start and hopefully he will actually make some shots tonight.  First Quarter ☘️ KP starts us off with a deep three off a nice pass from JB. I fully expect to see his entire arsenal tonight. He's going to need to have a good night. C's will have to manage his minutes all season. Protect him at all costs until the post season. DWhite is so very smooth on offense. He's also going to need to play a heck of a game if we want any chance at winning. No Tatum worries me, doesn't mean I don't believe in the rest of the guys. It's just an uphill climb vs a very good Kings team . Currently the defense isn't doing much, Joe calls the timeout... I hope they wake up or I'll be calling it an early night. JB has been a dunk mach

 I am far from saying the Celtics Neemias Queta is the second-coming of the great Moses Malone , but he has some of Malone's game in him - primarily as a relentless rebounder  (particularly on the offensive glass ) and a tough matchup on offense close to the hoop. In last night's loss to the Warriors, Queta had a double-double consisting of 10 points (5-of-8 FG) and 10 boards - six of which were of the offensive variety. Like Moses, the Portuguese center is a bull under the basket. And he works hard. Malone's NBA career ended with him averaging 20.6 PPG and 12.2 RPG - with 5.1 of his boards off the offensive glass. No one seemed to sweat as much as Moses, and "relentless" defined his game. I just love the way this Portuguese import shows us hints of Moses Malone. https://t.co/ZBEwh7oX0D — Tom Lane (@CelticsSentinel) December 20, 2023 Boston lost to Golden State, in part because they once again relied too much on the three-ball , missing 41 of their 58 attempts

 金州深夜篮球 作者：凯尔特骑士 2023 年 12 月 20 日 C队正进入一段非常艰难的时期，从今晚的勇士队开始。 勇士队是一只受伤的鸭子，他们的赛季并不好。 这就是他们今晚变得危险的原因。 今晚之后我们将看到国王队、快船队和湖人队。 希望我们能在接下来的几场比赛中看到凯尔特人队最好的篮球表现。 第一问🏀 没有KP，但我们有神奇的阿尔！ 他本赛季表现非常好。 他在底角找到了德怀特三分球。 JT还为他找到了另外三个人。 DWhite 被锁定并加载。 这个人本赛季打得像全明星！ 本赛季他的全能表现令人难以置信。 JT 的出色 D 缩小了差距，抢断并将球打回家！ 今晚感觉可能会是一场点球大战。 布里塞特的努力和果酱！ 布里塞特偷窃和果酱！ 他带来了这种能量，我喜欢它。 几分钟前一瘸一拐下场后，塔图姆仍在更衣室里。 我希望他没事……DWhite 又从深处来了！ JB今晚将粉碎勇士队D队。 德里克怀特今晚有三个盖帽！ JT 又回到了替补席上。 奎塔我们在这里工作！ 喜欢他的努力！ C队率先领先！ 第二问🏀🏀 你必须对 C 队第一节的表现感到满意。 每个人都产生了影响，并且似乎都被锁定了。在这种类型的公路旅行中，优秀的球队会锁定并希望赢得所有人。 今晚到目前为止我看到了这一点。 我们希望在第二季度开始时这种情况能够继续下去。 朱·霍勒迪 (Jrue Holiday) 夺走岩石并得分。 这就是为什么他是联盟中最好的外线防守者。 奎塔在董事会工作，发现 PP 为三！ PP 又与 Queta 打成平手！ 这都是关于给予和索取……C队拥有不错的领先优势，但为什么不在半场之前扩大领先优势呢？ C 队看起来很漂亮，只需要开始击倒他们即可。 C队让勇士队一路领先。 我还没睡着干什么？？？ 来自市中心的DWhite 砰！ 半场结束，C队领先3分。 第三问🏀🏀🏀 JB 和 DWhite 在第三局开始我们的比赛。 如果我们能打出不错的第三分，我们也许就能击败勇士队。 克莱·汤普森是个爱发牢骚的大孩子，你旅行过就接受吧。 今晚JB占据主导地位！ 他逼迫库里第四次犯规！ C队继续加快步伐并扩大了领先优势。 JB对库里犯规第五次。 奎塔是一个篮板机器！ C正在滚动！ 勇士队在第三节没有真正的答案。 C 队表现强劲，并在三分后领先。 第四问🏀🏀🏀🏀 距离比赛还剩四分之一，凯尔特人队

C's are entering a very rough stretch, it starts tonight with the Warriors. The Warriors are a wounded duck right and are not having a great season. That's what makes them dangerous tonight. After tonight we see the Kings, Clippers and Lakers. Let's hope we will see the Celtics best basketball during these next few games.  1st Q 🏀 No KP, but we have Amazing Al! He's been very good this season. He finds DWhite for an early three from the corner. JT also finds him for another three. DWhite is locked and loaded. The man is playing like an All Star this season! His all around game has been incredible this season. Excellent D by JT closing the gap, getting the steal and jamming it home! Tonight feels like it could be a shootout. Brissett with a hard take and jam! Brissett with the steal and jam! He's bringing that energy, I love it. Tatum is still in the locker room after limping off a few minutes ago. I hope he's ok... DWhite from deep again! JB is shredding the Wa

 Particularly in their recent 5-game home stand, the Boston Celtics are showing a "balance of power", and as such, are back to #1 in NBA.com's Power Rankings . "The five-game homestand that just concluded was the Celtics’ best five-game stretch of offense ( 124.4 points scored per 100 possessions ) since the first five games of the season, and the last four were against teams — the Cavs and Magic — that rank in the top 10 defensively. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown each had 30-point games against Orlando, but neither has been on a huge tear and   the top eight guys   in their rotation have all contributed." Boston took all five contests, with their three big guns (Tatum, Brown, Porzingis) averaging 26.0, 22.6 and 18.8 points per game , respectively. During that stint, reserves Al Horford, Sam Hauser and Payton Pritchard combined for 22.0 PPG while hitting 54%, 46% and 52% (FG, respectively) and 46%, 43% and 59% (3s, respectively). Is this an 8-man rotation th

  Celtics vs Magic... I was lucky enough to see the Celtics game on Friday. I was even happier to get on to the parquet and get some shots up. I tell you it was a dream come true. Every Celtic fan should get the chance on the parquet. Despite being short handed the Celtics rolled over the Magic. Pritchard and Hauser looked very efficient from deep! The Jays did their thing and Derrick White was impressive. Jrue Holiday was nice to see in person too. I fully expect to see us roll them again! First Quarter ☘️ Looking for a fast start today, JB needs to light that match! C's are a bit slow out of the gate. C's need to amp up their Defense. If they don't the Magic will blow them out of the water. They have absolutely no flow right now. Jrue Holiday has been solid, doing a little bit of everything out there. He and Derrick are both jack of all trades type players. JB hitting that fall away is a staple to his game. That's pretty much an automatic bucket. Both he and JT have s

 We haven't seen much of Lamar Stevens this season, but he got the start at center last night as the short-handed Celtics (no Horford, Porzingis or Kornet) took out the Magic, 128-111.   The "Pine Platoon" of Stevens, Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser, Neemias Queta, Oshae Brissett and Svi Mykhailuk combined for 55 points, 17 rebounds, 11 assists, eight steals and four blocks . Pritchard had a productive night, He scored 21 points (7-of-10 FG, 6-of-7 3s), pulled down three boards, and dished out five assists. Hauser was high man for Boston in rebounds, collecting seven. The veteran starters got into the passing mode from the start, with Tatum, Brown, Holiday and White combining for 20 of Boston's 31 assists . Derrick White had a team-high eight dimes. With the three big men out, the usual bench crew really came through - which bodes well for The Green's success in their quest for Banner 18.

 Let me decide the outcome of NbcSportsBoston's (partnered with Strat-0 -Matic ) " Settle the Argument" as to the top Celtics team of all time. The contest is down to the Semi-Finals with the 1972-73 team matched up against the 1985-86 crew. As much as I loved the '73 team , they have little chance of taking this. The starting-5 is undersized by any measuring stick. Dave Cowens (6'8.5"), Paul Silas (6'7"), John Havlicek (6'5"), Don Chaney (6'5") and JoJo White (6'3") matched up against Robert Parish (7'1"), Kevin McHale (6'10"), Larry Bird (6'9"), Danny Ainge (6'5") and Dennis Johnson (6'4") ? Despite their lack of size, the ' 73 Celtics get the nod on rebounding (total of 4,802) over the '86 crew (3807), but the latter group takes points, assists and field goal percentage.  Then there are the benches . Bird & Company had Bill Walton, Jerry Sichting and Scott Wedma

Celtics welcome back the Cavs for part two of the mini series. Both teams know each other well. It's all about adjustments and scheme tonight. I won't be writing tomorrow night, I'll be at the game and will have the opportunity to shoot on the floor after the game. For me this is beyond special. I always dreamt  about being a Celtic, that didn't happen but I will be on the parquet to get up a few shots.  First Quarter ☘️ Tip off time! Here we go C's! JT to Jrue sets us off on a good note! DWhite for three! Off the pass from JT. JT is a bad man when he passes the rock. DWhite is an ALL STAR NO DOUBT ABOUT IT! The way JB uses his left is a weapon for him. JB for three! C's are on fire so far tonight. JB to KP for the JAM! Loving the energy so far tonight, this is what NBA basketball looks like. Refs out here trying to keep the Cavs in the game. I love the pace the C's are playing with right now. My goodness JB just BROKE THE RIM! JAM CITY! C's are balling

 The NBA is losing patience with the Golden State Warriors, Draymond Green . He has been suspended indefinitely following his 18th career ejection for a Flagrant-2 foul against Jusuf Nurkic .  Green has been a mainstay for Golden State over the years. His stats have never been explosive, but his temper has . This this season, he ranks 5th on the team at 25.1 minutes per game, while averaging 9.7 PPG, 5.5 RPG and 5.8 APG. His game goes beyond roughness, and the NBA may have become tired of his on-court thuggery. Golden State is struggling a bit this season - standing 11th in the West with a n10-13 record. Despite Dray's four Championship rings and four All-Star appearances, he will be 34 years old before the end of this season, and it may be time for that indefinite suspension to put him out for most (or all) of the remaining season - and for the Warriors to move on from him. The following was released by the NBA. pic.twitter.com/MUyW5ygJsb — NBA Communications (@NBAPR) December