Celtics ☘️ Sentinel

 While the outcome wasn't ideal I'm forever thankful to this group of Celtics. My writings will always be geared to the Celtics and basketball, as you know lost my mom, cousin and could have lost my life this year. I started writing for Celtics Sentinel in the summer last year. Who would have guessed that writing about them would have been my escape and safe place. Writing about them brought me the therapy I needed after mom passed and when I was in the hospital it was my safe place.  Now the outcome last night was not what we wanted as Celtic fans but when we were 11th in the East did anyone see this coming?! Tom and I had high hopes for this group early on and that never wavered.  Yet there was talk about trading everyone and firing Ime mostly from the Boston radio shows and other media people. Yet here at the Sentinel we stayed firm, didn't hide our frustrations but ultimately believed.  We were part of a run that saw us throw Kyrie and KD out of the club, then in...

  An NBA's shooters' touch can abandon him at any time - particularly in the intensity and fatigue of the NBA Finals. Jayson Tatum may be shooting an uncharacteristic 34.1% (28-of-82) in the four games versus Golden State, but even the legendary Larry Bird had his shooting woes in Games 3, 4 and 5 in the 1981 Finals against the Houston Rockets .  Larry scored only eight points in Game 3, hitting only 3-of-11 from the field. Bird repeated that slump with eight points on 3-of-11 in Game 4. Game 5 saw 12 points from "The Legend", hitting 5-of-16 on field goals. Bird came through in a clinching Game 6 , with the Celtics taking the victory and the Championship. He racked up 27 points and was 11-of-20 from the field . Larry's shooting may have been off in that 3-game span, but he collected 37 boards, 25 assists and seven steals to go with his 28 points during that 3-contest period. Boiling it down, Tatum registered 34.1% from the field in four games , while Larr...

 Past Celtics teams and the present Warriors crew are usually mentioned when the subject of sports dynasties comes up. Boston won 11 Titles from 1956-69 and three Championships from 1981-86 .while  Golden State has three from 2015 to the present . The 79-91 Lakers (5 Titles) and 90-98 Bulls (6 Titles) can be put into that list. There is no clear definition for NBA dynasties, but per Wikipedia : In  sports , a  dynasty  is a team or individual that dominates their sport or league for an extended length of time. Some leagues usually maintain official lists of dynasties, often as part of a  hall of fame , but in many cases, whether a team or individual has achieved a dynasty is  subjective . With the 2022 Finals tied at 2-2, the Warriors will either continue their League-dominance, or the very-talented, but young, Celtics could begin a series of Finals victories over the next several years, starting with this one. Golden State players are getting gr...

  This Celtics loss need not to have happened . The Green were ahead, 91-86 with 7:32 to go in the fourth quarter. That's when things fell apart . Boston went back to their habit of taking the easy way out by throwing up multiple 3-pointers, as opposed to going downhill - taking the foul - kicking it out - or actually making the layup. Prior to that mid-point in the fourth quarter , the Celtics were hitting 46.4% (13-of-28) of their treys. In the final seven minutes of the game, they hit on 25% (2-of-8) from behind the arc. Admittedly, the Warriors Steph Curry chose this game to raise his play to another level , pouring in 43 points from everywhere - hauling down 10 boards - and passing off for four assists . The potential "best shooter the NBA has ever seen" shot 53.8% from the field, 50.0% on 3-pointers and 88.9% on free throws. The Celtics still have not found a way to slow him down. After this game, Curry wll certainly be back at the number-one spot in nba.com...

  Celtics center, Rob Williams did his best John Havlicek impression in last night's 116-100 victory over the Golden State Warriors in Game 3 of the NBA Finals.  For those that remember, in the 1973 Eastern Conference Finals, Hondo,  against the Knicks, played the final three games with his right shoulder so badly injured , his coach, Tom Heinsohn, had this comment : “His right arm was dangling — most guys wouldn’t have even been out there,” Heinsohn said. As with Havlicek, Williams III has been playing with one appendage - in this case one leg. Regardless of the knee issue, in last night's win, Rob logged 26 minutes, scored eight point (4-of-5 FG), took down 10 rebounds (3 offensive), made three steals, blocked four shots and came away with team honors in plus/minus (+21). Ime Udoka used his supremely-athletic big man at various junctures in the contest, and Williams responded beautifully. He gives his team such versatility with his height, length, quickness and mobili...

 Hasten back to Game 4 of the 1984 Finals - Boston Celtics versus Los Angeles Lakers - Celtics down 2-1. The Lakers Kurt Rambi s was on a fast break when - out of the blue - Kevin McHale took him out. That changed everything. Game 3 of that series went to LA, and Larry Bird called out the whole team for playing like sissies . Not so in Game 4. The normally super-skilled, but somewhat-placid McHale took the opportunity to lay out Rambis on the hardwood. Did the refs care a lot? Not too much . Here is Kurt's reaction : “The funny thing about all that,” he said, “huge brawl, everybody’s pushing and shoving, benches are clearing, and the referees just go, ‘OK, Kurt just go shoot your two free throws and let’s keep playing.’ That was the end of it. There was no fine, nothing.” It was the NBA Finals after all. No technical foul for Kevin. No ejection from the game . Just a normal foul and two free throws for Rambis. Now fast forward to the present. Draymond Green is testing the refer...

 Golden State's Draymond Green has been a pain in the ass for Warrior's opponents seemingly forever. He is The Dubs' emotional leader, and it showed in Game 2 of the Finals against the Boston Celtics. Green set the tone early. Game 2 was barely underway when Green tied up Al Horford for a jump ball.  Later in the contest, Draymond contested a 3-pointer by Jaylen Brown and both ended up on the floor. A minor physical confrontation took place , and it became clear that Dray was out to antagonize the Celtics players and mentally and physically disrupt Ime Udoka's plans. Most NBA fans will agree that the rules change in the NBA post-season , particularly in the Finals. When the Green-Brown dust-up occurred, Draymond had already had one technical foul to his (dis)credit. He knew he could get away with some misbehavior, with the refs reluctant to call a second technical, resulting in his expulsion from the game ( per Washington Post's Candace Buckner ): What would be ...

 It is no secret that the Boston Celtics hang their hats on lock-down defense. But their versatility has been paramount in their success, meaning being able to effectively switch one-through-five . The acquisition of Al Horford, Daniel Theis and Derrick White overtly revealed Ime Udoka's mission. The Celtics can go either big or small , but it is center/forward Rob Williams who is often the difference-maker. At 6'8"  with an ungodly wingspan, he is capable of guarding almost any opponent anywhere on the court. He blocks shots on the perimeter and forces any opponent with designs of driving in for a layup or dunk to think twice about it. In less than 30 minutes per game , Williams III averaged close to a double-double (10.0 PPG, 9.6 RPG) in the regular season while blocking 2.2 shots per contes t. He is a quick leaper and able to quickly recover for multiple attempts to corral rebounds. Rob can be counted on for several lob/dunks per game and a few put-backs via offe...

  The Boston Celtics dominated in the fourth quarter to take out the Golden State Warriors, 120-108. Here are some thoughts on that Boston victory. Two guys NOT acquired for 3-point proficiency hit 11-of-16 treys Al Horford and Derrick White combined for 68.8% accuracy from behind the arc, totaling 47 points. Marcus Smart is becoming a legitimate scorer for Boston The 2022 Defensive-Player-of-the-Year has left his erratic bombs behind him. Smart racked up 18 points on 7-of-11 from the field and 4-of-7 on 3-pointers. The Wolverine still drives frequently into the paint but lately has been fairly reliable on shooting the long ball. Celtics ball movement was as good as anything seen in the 2021-22 season Boston totaled 33 assists to Golden States' 24 . Jayson Tatum had 13 all by himself. The passes were quick, crisp and on the money for the most part. It was a thing of beauty. Jayson Tatum may not shoot this poorly again in the series  Tatum only scored 12 points in the game ...

 Some of the very-finest sports writing has its origins in Boston, and The Ringer's Jackie MacMullan may be at the top of that list. Her story on Celtics Coach, Ime Udoka , and his team's rise to the NBA Finals is worth reading in its entirety, but here are a few excerpts : (MacMullan): He (Coach Ime Udoka) has made it his mission to transform lottery picks into grinders, convincing them to prioritize defensive stands instead of crowd-pleasing 3-pointers or thundering dunks. He has taken them to heights even they had begun to fret might be out of their reach … until their coach challenged them to embrace a journey that builds resiliency and connectivity, the hallmarks of his own well-worn path to success. After the Celtics fell to the Miami Heat in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals, Udoka had placed much of the blame on his crew "playing to the crowd and trying to do too much" , apparently meaning focusing on "crowd-pleasing 3-pointers and thunderous ...

 If you look back at pre-season predictions for each NBA team to win the 2022 Finals, every one I looked at had the Celtics mired-in-the-middle, with hardly any shot at walking away with the Championship. My how things have changed! #Celtics brothers and sisters I like our odds! Thank you @538politics pic.twitter.com/cWsFWTBCv3 — Ty Ray (@coug88) April 13, 2022 Fivethirtyeight.com has just tagged The Green with the best odds (31%) of taking The Prize . Their predictions would pit the Celtics against the Phoenix Suns in the NBA Finals . How about the Nets, you may ask . They are given a mere 2% chance of winning the Finals . But I doubt Boston will get lulled into complacency when they face Brooklyn in Round One. Prior to the season, the Lakers were favorites in the West in the minds of many League analysts. They are now out of the post-season picture. Meanwhile, the Bucks are only given a 13% chance at repeating in the Championship quest, while the Warriors and Heat are each...