Celtics ☘️ Sentinel

 When you and your family are nine miles from the nearest paved road , and there is no electricity, toilet, running water, refrigerator, automatic heating device or nearby corner store,  daily living becomes very different. Such was our "fate" for roughly 30 years on the shores of Aziscohos Lake in Western Maine. Aziscohos Lake, Western Maine Any trip to the camp started with buying provisions for the duration or our stay. The nearest grocery store would be at least an hour away - 20 minutes of which meant navigating nine miles of treacherous logging roads . Moose and logging trucks needed to be avoided.  No fridge meant a large cooler and blocks of ice would have to suffice. And if the four-hour trip to the camp meant we arrived in darkness, lugging everything down the hill with only flashlights to guide the way could be a major chore. No electricity meant relying on propane lanterns and kerosene lamps once inside. Cooking took different forms . A simple propane c...

  Women seem to generally see their doctors on a regular schedule. Men , conversely, often avoid medical pros like the plague . In my early 50's, I was one of them . But that changed. "Your first symptom may have been to drop dead!"  My story is not an uncommon one. It started with a hernia that needed repair . But my blood pressure was sky-high. And I had no symptoms . No surgeon would operate until that BP came down . My general practioner, David Spiegelman (Pepperell, MA at the time) was on it. The BP became controlled, and the operation was successful. Than came the high PSA - followed by a biopsy that revealed prostate cancer. Once again - no symptoms. The prostate was removed - followed by 37 sessions of radiation. This all took place roughly 19 years ago . However, four years ago , Doctor Spiegelman, during a routine exam, found that I had a heart murmer. Any symptoms, you may ask. NOPE! A cardiologist determined that I had "aortic stenosis", a clogg...

 Remember the 1-on-1 competition during the 1972 NBA All-Star festivities . It came down to the Celtics 6'3" point guard, JoJo White, versus the Pistons 6'11" center, Bob Lanier . Size mattered as Lanier took the honors - and the $15,000.00 prize. Reintroducung this type of contest during All-Star weekend - while revising it to a 2-on-2 competition - may be helpful in spurring interest in the activities that take place during the League celebration. And making it a 4-man contest (2-on-2) introduces passing skills into the fray. My personal choice would be to have each pair come from the same team . In 1972, it could have been Lanier and teammate, Dave Bing, against White and Dave Cowens . This season, had Jayson Tatum not been injured , teaming him with Jaylen Brown would have been interesting. And how about pitting them versus the Lakers' Luka Doncic and Lebron James . Almost every NBA fan is bored with what goes on during All-Star weekend, and help is nee...

            Imagine if you asked former players to load manage... I'm telling you here and now that Larry would tell you heck no! A guy like MJ would say someone paid good money to see me. I may not be an All world athlete but there's no load management between my two jobs. My old man worked for 43 years in a factory and didn't need load management. I get that these teams invest in these individuals and they want longevity, but we are making softer athletes who tend to be injured more. Those former players dealt with so much and had none of the nutritional stuff as today's athletes do. They survived off grit, talent and hard work.       I appreciate a player like JT who doesn't like taking nights off. He gets that people come to see him perform night in and night out. Unfortunately for him he suffered a brutal injury in the playoffs. His presence and love for the game will be missed. I expect to see JB along with Derrick lead this team t...

 I realize Larry Bird gets many accolades for his career accomplishments, but he does not get the recognition coming to him . Why? Partly because he is "light complected" , not highly-athletic - nor particularly quick on his feet. And let me add that being a career-long member of the much-maligned Boston Celtics doesn't help his status amoing non-New-Englanders. Let's do a quick stats comparison of Larry and Michael Jordan , widely recognized as the "best ever".  Larry: 24.3 PPG - 10.0 RPG - 6.3 APG - 1.7 SPG - 0.8 BPG - .496 FG - .376 3s - .886 FT Michael: 30.1 PPG - 6.2 RPG - 5.3 APG - 2.3 SPG - 0.8 BPG - .497 FG -  .327 3s - .835 FT Bird takes four categories (underlined) , and Jordan takes two . The FG% was too close to call , and a tie occurred in blocks . Granted, stats alone do not determine rankings - nor do Championships, individuaL defensive prowess - or many other attributes.  And I will not go so far as to state that Bird should be rated...

 Yes, I absolutely know that the Boston Celtics roster has been ravaged in an attempt to cut costs and hopefully get below the second (or even first) apron. But 29th seems quite pessimistic , particularly since the last slot is occupied by the Golden State Warriors with an "incomplete" ranking ( per The Athletic's David Aldridge ): The skinny:  The second apron ran like a scythe through the Celtics’ dreams of an extended run atop the East. While Boston awaits Jayson Tatum’s return, likely for the 2026-27 season, it will have to figure out who will ride with Tatum, Brown and (presumably) Derrick White going forward. Is Simons part of the retooling, or will he be flipped for more payers and picks? Garza isn’t without offensive talent, but he’s a couple of steps down, obviously, from KP. Gonzalez projects as a solid if not spectacular wing. It’s going to be bleak in Beantown for a minute. I totally realize that ranking NBA teams in the off-season is not an exact science . M...

  Who is going to rebound for the Boston Celtics this season? Thay have lost five of their top-7 board men through injury (Tatum), trades and desersions. In the 2024-25 regular season, Jayson Tatum, Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford, Luke Kornet and Jrue Holiday accounted for 31.3 rebounds per contest. The entire team averaged 45.3 RPG . "Boston, we have a problem". Only Derrick White and Jaylen Brown remain in green from the top-7 rebounders for last season. So, where are the boards going to come from? All of this assumes that Al Horford will be on the west coast soon , but Neemias Queta averaged 9.9 RPG (per 36 minutes) last season , and he is expected to be the starter - at least for the beginning of the season. It appears that Joe Mazzulla may go big at the power forward slot to help make up for the projected lack of board men. So, who is that fifth starter at the PF position? It is too early to totally answer that question, but 6'10" Luka Garza has averaged 9...

 I am talking maximum playoff minutes per game in their Celtics careers. Here are their average floor time per contest - followed by the year it was accomplished. Bill Russell: 48.0 MPG (1962) John Havlicek: 47.2 MPG (1969) Bob Cousy: 46.0 MPG (1952) - tie Dave Cowens: 46.0 MPG (1973) - tie Larry Bird: 44.9 MPG (1988)\ Jayson Tatum: 41.0 MPG (2022) So, it appears that in 1962, Russ never left the court during the post season. He either played the entire game for each contest, or there were a few overtime situations and some less-than-48-MPGs battles. He was THAT good. No surprise Hondo was next. The year, 1969, was Big Bill's last season before retirement, and The Green were getting older. Havlicek was badly needed, particularly versus the rival Lakers. The Cooz and Big Red tied for third place . Larry came in fourth. No big surprises there, either. Frankly, I was a bit surprised that Tatum (5th place) was that far behind the other Celtics stars in playoff floor time. I may ha...

      The Celtics have extended Coach Joe Mazzulla. This season will be his toughest given all the turn around and injuries. Joe said this is a truly a blessing and without his faith and family he wouldn't be here. Gotta love how he's not afraid to share his faith. Joe will really need to adapt how the Celtics play this season. He will need to Coach a tougher brand of basketball and rely less on the three. I do believe we will see a different style from the Celtics.       I feel we will see Derrick White grow into a star. He's gonna have to shoulder a lot of the load this year. PP is also going to take that next step, I love his fire. I really want to see Baylor take that next step. Mark my words Queta is going to be special! I just want to see a hard working tough team. I truly think Joe will grow into an even better coach. Once this year ends expect Tatums return to be very special. I feel the Celtics will go all in. Details of Joe's new contract are...

 This is not new news . I have been involved in fitness as a Weight Management Consultant and Personal Trainer for 33 years , and have measured clients for weight and body fat for my entire career. And I was alarmed to find that the average man or woman stepping onto the scale and undergoing body fat testing was in the "OBESE: catagory, meaning above 25 % body fat for men and greater than 32% for woman. Now this from Laura Dorwart of verywellhealth.com _ Hard to believe, right? But it's true, although quite disturbing. Growing up in the 40's and 50's, I recall very few very fat individuals. Now? They are everywhere. Blame whoever or whatever you wish for this dangerous epidemic, but understand your fitness is one of the very few things over which you have complete control.  And if you are truly obese, that high-fat body never leaves you . It goes where you go . So what do you do? I have worked with roughly 2,000 clients , one-on-one, in small groups - and in larger s...

 The hole left by the "departure" of Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday - plus the Achilles injury to Jayson Tatum leaves a major void in the Celtics starting-5 . In some may view as a "rag-tag" roster - still under construction - the starting point guard and center slots may just be filled with Payton Pritchard and Neemias Queta - at least to start the season. My personal preference is to give the little guy a shot . Pritchard deserves it - and may flourish in that role. His per-36-minutes stats from last season are: 18.1 PPG - 4.9 RPG - 4.4 APG - 1.1 SPG - .472 FG - .407 3s - .845 FT I don't want the little guy to disappear from the NBA or the Celtics parquet. Guys like K C Jones, Isaiah Thomas and Rajon Rondo were exciting to watch and all three had success in Beantown.  And the old-school center - that rebounded, protected the paint and the rim, and scored in close - has been around since the Bill Russell era . The "stretch-5" is a somewh...

 We have some more movement by the Celtics. I'm glad Niang is gone, never been a big fan. Boucher to me is an interesting move, he's always played well vs us I think he's got something to give! Part of me thinks there are still moves to make. This season will be the first time in a while a title isn't on the table. I will be locked in as always and try to get out quality writings. 

 It is approaching 7;30 PM in the north country, and the setting sun is bright red . Why? Because when the sun is low in the sky, light has to travel through more of the atmosphere before it reaches our eyes. And particularly right now, the air is filled with smoke from the wildfires rampant in Canada. The short answer is that the large molecules of smoke disperse light in such a way that the color red becomes more prominent. In effect, air polution becomes a light show - close to sunrise and sunset. Curiosity is what separates the young from the old. Don't lose your curiosity, Don't leave the kid in you behind . Know the world around you and be aware of your surroundings. The rewards are many.

  Adaption to change is quite necessary for survival . Ask Celtics head honcho, Brad Stevens , about that. He is in the midst of doing just that. The Boston Celtics could not continue their quest for more NBA success being over that "second apron" . So, there goes Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday . Add in that Jayson Tatum will be out of action for all (or most) of next season, and right away Boston fans think they are looking at a 2025-26 gap season. To me, "GAP" means an empty space. I don't see the upcoming season that way . League mastermind, Brad Stevens, had to make major moves to (hopefully) remain highly-competitive next season and plan for Title contention for the extended future . Stevens will not punt . I am excited to see what deals lie ahead for The Green. I understand that many Boston fans want immediate-and-continued serious Championship hopes . Well, the lust for immediate gratification has undermined many individuals - and even a number of...