Skip to main content

My 64th NBA Celtics Post-Season! Mental discipline is key for The Green.

Image
By

 I started following pro basketball in 1960. My next-door friend was from Lawrence, Massachusetts - and like most young guys from that city - he was a hoop fanatic. As a senior in high school, I quickly became one. These playoffs will be number-64 for me.


The present version of my home team has been brilliantly constructed. They have been close to omnipotent in the regular season and should have corrected any weaknesses that have revealed themselves in the past several post-seasons.

Physically, they really lack nothing. The starters - the bench - the role players are all there. Scoring? Check! Defense? Ditto! Luck? They have that. Unlike a few opposing teams, they are healthy. 

My point here is that:

"You can not tweak your little finger without your brain initiating the action". -- Tom Lane

It seems the only thing that can get in the way of Banner 18 for the Boston Celtics would be mental lapses. Taking plays off - repeating bad habits - overreliance on 3- pointers - slowing the pace in the clutch - relying too much on isolation plays. etc. 

The window for success is long for The Green, but they are poised beautifully this post-season to take it all. But they are not robots. They could fail, and I can live with that - as long as their mental discipline remains staunchly in place. 


Labels:

Comments

  1. Don RussoApril 22, 2024 at 3:39 AM

    My first real memory of the Celtics is 1963. Cousy had just retired, Sam and KC were the backcourt and Havlicek was emerging as the 6th man. The key to the Celtics success was teamwork, but it was also knowing there was one key guy who could, by force of will, ensure they win. Russ, initially, then Halichek, then Bird. Each team was cohesive, with defensive stoppers(Russ, Satch, KC) and lights out shooters(Sam, Hondo, Bird, etc) and great rebounders ( Russ, Silas, Cowens, Parish). In the most recent incarnation, KG was the stopper and rebounder and Pierce and Ray were the shooters). Plus there were always role players who could rise to the occasion (Nellie, Max, Walton, etc).

    The current team has all of those elements too. They just need continued focus and courage and it’s theirs. They have the talent, do they have the will? We’ll find out shortly.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tom LaneApril 22, 2024 at 2:15 PM

      This current team is really good. Are they post-season good. As you state, we'll find out.

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Elm Street Nightmare

By
 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 town police force. When evil and cleverness reside in the same mind, the st
17 comments
Read more

In defense of Marcus Smart

By
 Let me make it clear first of all that I am totally against making a threat of any kind that even hints at harming, or certainly killing, another human being. Marcus Smart was wrong in doing so in the Celtics loss to the tanking Oklahoma City Thunder , and he deserved the one-game suspension. But to be honest, part of me loved that it occurred. . This type of thing can happen when a player gets to a point "beyond frustration" and is having a bad game. Marcus and his teammates have been under-performing generally - were in the process of losing to a pathetic-and-tanking Thunder team - and Smart was having a bad game . And he let loose verbally at the closest target - an NBA official. Wilt Chamberlain did a similar act versus referee, Earl Strom when Wilt was having his usual tortuous time at the free throw line (per Chicago Tribune's Sam Smith): ''He was in one of those 1-for-13s,'' recalls referee Earl Strom. ''Nothing was getting close. S
Post a Comment
Read more

Did the Celtics Kevin McHale really have a wingspan of 8-feet?

By
According to many sources, the Celtics Kevin McHale did indeed have an estimated wingspan of 8-feet. One of those sources is Wikipedia, as seen below: Kevin McHale American basketball player DescriptionKevin Edward McHale is an American retired basketball player who played his entire professional career for the Boston Celtics. He is a Basketball Hall of Fame inductee, and is regarded as one of the best power forwards of all time. He was named to the NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team. Wikipedia Born: December 19, 1957 (age 61 years), Hibbing, MN Wingspan: 8′ 0″ Height: 6′ 10″ Spouse: Lynn McHale (m. 1982) NBA draft: 1980, Boston Celtics (Round: 1 / Pick: 3) Hall of fame induction: 1999 Number: 32 (Boston Celtics / Power forward, Center) Kevin was listed at 6'10" tall when he was drafted with the 3rd pick in the 1980 draft. Red Auerbach, in yet another heist, brought in both McHale and center Robert Parish (via trade) prior to the Celtics' 1980-81 Champion
Post a Comment
Read more