Celtics ☘️ Sentinel

  Hey! Why not? The loss of Jayson Tatum, Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Holiday and Luke Kornet means Joe Mazzulla has to find 63 points (per game), 25 rebounds and 12 assists somewhere. So why not acquire Ben Simmons if his price is right for Boston's cost-cutting financial situation. He won't be 30 years old for another year, and he has averaged 13 points, seven rebounds and seven assists per game for his career.  Ben is not a shooter, even from the foul line . But he does almost everything else well , including defense . Wikipedia lists him as a point guard/power forward. He is versatile .  No, he won't be chucking up 3-pointers, but his ball handling, passing skills and transition offense will create scoring opportunities for others. Mazzulla just may be relying on his troops to force turnovers via tough defense, and it just happens that Simmons has a career average of 1.5 steals per game . Ben Simmons badly needs a redemptive season, and he has some skills that c...

 That was the buzz early last season when the disgrunted Ben Simmons decided to sit out the season in Philly. One such proposal broached sending Marcus Smart, Josh Richardson, Grant Williams and two first round picks to the 76'ers for Ben. Another had Smart, JRich and Rob Williams III heading out for Simmons. Back to the present, and more sanity. The Celtics lead the entire NBA with a 32-12 record and Marcus just keeps getting better-and-better as main point guard. Over the last four games - all wins - he is ranked third in the League with 11.0 assists per game. Smart doesn't exactly burn the rim from the hinterlands, but this season he is hitting at a 33% clip on treys. How about Ben? He has attempted one 3-pointer this season - and missed it. He seems plagued by a fear of taking any shot from distance and having to go to the free throw line after being fouled. So any potential deal sending Marcus Smart to Simmons' new home in Brooklyn would be total folly . Smart...

 That is what I proposed in my article on New Years Day . The first test of the Nets solidity (or lack thereof)  came with the knee injury to Kevin Durant who is expected to miss one month of action. Here is my take on Ben Simmons from that article: The third prong of Brooklyn's Big-3,  Ben Simmons,  just  can't seem to find a position or team that suits him.  Usually listed as a 6'10" point guard, Simmons can play various spots on the floor, but injuries and what can only be described as  "mental unsteaduness"   - and the unwillingness to take shots from any distance - have attached  many question marks to his future in the League. Ben's flaws surfaced in the Celtics 109-98 win over Brooklyn last night. Even though Simmons had nine rebounds and 13 assists in the contest, he took only three shot attempts and missed all three . He scored ZERO points , hardly what his team was looking for to help fill the 30-point void left by Durant's abs...

 Any NBA analyst who views the Brooklyn Nets current 11-game winning streak as a prelude to the 2023 Champuionship is delusional. And my argument centers on the (so-called) Big-3 of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and Ben Simmons. The well-respected Nets coach, Jacques Vaughn , has his work cut out for him. It all starts with 34-year-old Kevin Durant. The 12-time All-Star's time to shine is fading , although he still plays like a much-younger version of himself. But Durant is now with his fourth NBA team and always seems to be trying to add yet another Title to his credit . He asked to be traded last summer, but later rescinded that request. If the losses return, he may ask out. Kyrie Irving? When Irving was traded to the Boston Celtics in 2017, many analysts felt he could be a franchise player in Beantown, but he never committed to one of the top sports franchises ever - and after causing much disruption - chose to head to Brooklyn. He had originally asked for a trade (prior to goi...

 The Brooklyn Nets have suddenly surged into second place in the 2022-23 NBA Standings . A 10-game winning streak can tend to do that! There are five teams in the East with records better than .600 - led by the Boston Celtics with a record of 25-10 (.714). At least for the present, Brooklyn appears to be the major block to the Celtics chances of coming out of the Eastern Conference in the post-season.  The Nets do it with scoring . They rank first in the League in Offensive Rating (123.4 PPG), Field Goal Percentage (54.8%) and 3-Point Percentage (44.2%). No surprise that Kevin Durant leads the Nets' attack with 29.9 PPG, followed by (major sigh) Kyrie Irving at 26.1 PPG.  How about Ben Simmons , you may ask. He is averaging 8.3 points per game and remains a question mark for whatever fortunes await the Brooklyn Nets.  Is Brooklyn's 10-game surge a temporary fluke - or a reflection of their destiny for the 2022-23 season? Time will answer that question, but any te...

 I have limits! And they have just been reached! I have a problem with the "Title Seekers" conversing in the shadows to come together to create a new NBA dynasty. And the Brooklyn Nets are a prime example. The plotting of Celtics misfit, Kyrie Irving, and the star that cast aside any thoughts of joining the Boston Celtics, Kevin Durant , came together in Brooklyn for the purpose to winning a few Titles. They have added Ben Simmons to the mix and are strategically positioned to achieve the goal. Or are they? All three stars are flawed in one way or another. Individually, they are filled to the brim with various superior skills which are yet to produce wins together - let alone a Championship - in our time. Coach Steve Nash was the scapegoat in an NBA League that is now controlled by the star players. Now comes former Celtics Coach, Ime Udoka , the main character in one of the biggest scandals in Celtics history. Speaking only for myself, if this foursome achieves any leve...

 Yes, we could have been the equivalent of the present version of the Philadelphia 76'ers . You know, "The Process" that never worked.   All of Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Rob Williams, Al Horford - and even Coach Ime Udoka - could have been in Philly rather than Boston this season.  The 76'ers grabbed Ben Simmons at number-1 in the 2016 draft instead of Jaylen Brown . Then they took Markelle Fultz number-one the next year (2017) instead of Jayson Tatum. In 2018, Philadelphia chose Mikal Bridges at #10, while the Celtics went with Rob Williams when he dropped to #27. Al Horford left for Philly as a free agent in 2019, but the 76'ers felt that Al was not a good fit (definitely flawed thinking!) and traded him to Oklahoma City after one season. How about Ime Udoka . He signed with Philadelphia as an assistant coach in 2019 and rightly felt that was not the place for him at the time. Udoka signed with the Nets as an assistant in 2020, and quickly grabbed his fi...

 "Fabrication" is defined either as an "invention" or a "lie". Which is it for the Brooklyn Nets?  Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving came to Brooklyn basically as free agents, and Ben Simmons forced his way out of Philly to eventually join the two stars. On paper, the Nets appear to be omnipotent . On hardwood, we await the final result. Even Danny Ainge questioned his construction of most of the team we now see on the parquet. "No clear hierarchy" was his pronouncement. Well, a few roster tweaks and a renewed energy have The Green surging in the past two months. In the months of January and February, Boston has a 19-7 record (.731) . That is a 26-game sample ,, and only League-leading Phoenix Suns have a better season record (49-11, .817) than the Celtics 26-game surge. My readers know very well my feelings for Irvings' flight from Boston to Brooklyn , and I doubt Simmons will get a warm reception in his first re-visit to Philadelphia , aft...

      Who decided that putting out a Jaylen Brown for Ben Simmons trade is a good idea? Not the Celtic Knight I'll tell you that. When the Celtics drafted JB, . Fun fact: My father and I went to that first preseason game of JB in Amherst. We came across Jerry Colangelo at the time and asked him about JB, His thoughts were he wasn't that high on him. My thought at the time was sour grapes. JB came out and had a few thunderous dunks.        Let's start with Ben Simmons. The man can't shoot! He also doesn't seem like a very tough minded player. If he can't handle Philly, Boston Celtics fans will eat him alive . He's a very string defensive player, and can pass the rock efficiently, but other than that he just doesn't get the basketball juices flowing.        JB has grown every year he's worn Green and White. He came into the league a raw athletic talent, and he has turned himself into a complete player that continues to grow ! He ...

  NBA TV's Charles Barkley said it this morning. The Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76'ers are "poorly constructed" and a trade might solve the issue for both teams. Kyle Neubeck of the PhillyVoice indicates that Boston has already inquired about the 6'10" point guard, with the possibility of Jaylen Brown heading to the 76'ers:   Simmons' best run as a professional came during a stretch in 2020 with Embiid on the shelf and Horford starting at center, including a 34-point triple-double against the Brooklyn Nets in late January, perhaps the best individual game he has ever played. And given the Celtics' apparent need to swap a ball-dominant player for a pass-first player, Simmons is the top name on the market as it stands right now. As one who rarely writes about potential trades, I can not dismiss this scenario totally . Danny Ainge , in the past, has openly discussed that he erred by not constructing his team with "a clear hierarchy...

I just like to get the other side of the story. The Philadelphia 76'ers beat the Celtics 117-109 on Wednesday night, and a rematch comes this evening. A Philadelphia sports writer feels that the Wednesday contest was Philly's first game versus a legitimate Title contender, and he wasn't exactly enthralled with the win or the structure of his home team ( per Philadelphia Inquirer's David Murphy ): In an ideal world, the game that unfolded in front of his eyes will be the last of its kind, a showdown between two championship aspirants that revealed almost nothing about the future that awaits either team. In the visiting corner, the Boston Celtics, minus their best player. In the home corner, the Sixers, playing a seventh straight game without their full starting lineup. Murphy agrees with most of us in Boston that the Wednesday game, and outcome, was not representative of what CAN  occur with both teams having full active rosters. One region of concern for Philadelphia i...

What to expect heading into the rivals' first matchups of the season this week It's pretty well documented that the current squads of the Celtics and 76ers aren't exactly buddy-buddy. This continues a storied rivalry between the two cities, with a long history of titans of our game matching up, such as Russell vs Chamberlain and Bird vs Dr. J. Now, we get the pleasure of watching Tatum and Brown take on Embiid and Simmons. The Celtics have had Philly's number the past few seasons, putting up a 15-6 record against them since Tatum's rookie season, which includes two smack downs in the playoffs (4-1 in the 17-18 season, and a 4-0 sweep in the bubble last season). You may remember the 17-18 series for Philly dropping confetti early (in a game that the Celtics won in OT), and Marcus Morris giving Embiid the "3-0" when the two started chirping at each other. These playoff losses lead to Embiid saying "This is not a rivalry... they always kick our ass"...

 My quick answer to the above question is you be t! Philadelphia had possession of the first pick in the 2016 NBA draft and chose Ben Simmons. Two picks later, the Boston Celtics took Jaylen Brown. Ben sat out the 2016-17 season with an injury, but Jaylen hopped right into the fray immediately. An Eastern Conference Executive had some strong words on Ben Simmons (via @MikeAScotto ) pic.twitter.com/aKiMMaoZL9 — Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) January 14, 2021 That's the point made by an unnamed Eastern Conference Exec via Michael Scotto. Simmons generally is the same player that came in as a rookie in the 2017-18 season. His stats reveal the same. His numbers this season are mostly down over his debut year. His points, assists, steals and field goal percentage are all down this season, and his fouls and turnovers are up. How about 3-pointers, you may ask? Please! He has attempted only nine (9) treys in his entire career. Jaylen is a different story.  Here are the numbers:: Rooki...

Once former Celtics coach, Doc Rivers , parted ways with the Los Angeles Clippers, it didn't take long for the Philadelphia 76'ers to latch onto him. His team takes the court tonight at 7:30 ET for an exhibition contest versus the Boston Celtics. Doc indicates it is all about conditioning, timing and pace - along with a large dose of 4-man, position-less basketball. We can assume that Philly center, Joel Embiid will reamain glued to the 5-spot ( per Philadelphia Enquirer's Keith Pompey ): They will run more pick-and-rolls under Rivers compared to the past seven seasons with Brett Brown. They’ll also run a motion offense with every position interchangeable besides the five spot. Right now, the offense is a day-to-day process. “Obviously, Shake [Milton] and Furkan [Korkmaz] being together,” he said, “I definitely want to see Tyrese [Maxey] with that group because of his ball-handling ability and his ability to shoot. Mike Scott has had a phenomenal training camp, not a ...

Now down 0-2 in their first-round series against the Boston Celtics, what does the Philadelphia press feel about the 76'ers chances of winning the series - or even one game? Well, the headline from Marcus Hayes' article for the Philadelphia Enquirer might give us a hint: Love him or hate him, these Sixers can’t win without Ben Simmons Simmons will never gain the affection shown to Larry Bird by Boston fans, but he may be a vital piece for Coach Brett Brown - this from The Enquirer's Marcus Hayes : Ben Simmons has a knee injury. He’s out for the foreseeable future. Without him, Jayson Tatum is cooking the Sixers. Without him, there is no offensive identity. Without him, there is no leader. Brown said “we make our money” through Joel Embiid, and Embiid calls himself The Process, but it’s never been clearer how valuable Simmons is. Trademark aside, it’s Ben’s team, for better or worse. With him, it might not always thrive. Without him, it dies. In his article, Hayes str...

Jayson Tatum was virtually unstoppable in the Celtics 128-101 victory over the Philadelphia 76'ers last night. It seemed that everything he put up went in - 3-pointers, drives, layups, floaters, mid-range shots. In 30 minutes of action, he poured in 33 points on 12-of-20 from the field and 8-of-12 from 3-point land. Tatum also came away with a team-high plus/minus of +29, along with five rebounds and five assists. Philly coach Brett Brown injected Matisse Thybulle into the starting lineup in place of former-Celtic, Al Horford, most likely due to Horford's difficulty in countering the offensive threat from the Jay team, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. It didn't work. Philadelphia more than held their own in the early going, but they had little chance after that. One specific play mirrored the tone of the entire game. At the 7:53 mark of the third quarter and Boston ahead 72-59, Kemba Walker stole the ball from Joel Embiid, with Tatum gaining possession. Jayson whipped a ...

The strangely-constructed Philadelphia 76'ers have now lost four in a row after their 118-108 loss to the Houston Rockets last night. Their 23-14 record ranks sixth in the Eastern Conference, behind the Bucks, Celtics, Heat, Raptors and Pacers. This is not where they were projected to be almost halfway through the season. Philly has size, rebounding (11th in NBA) and passing (3rd in assists in NBA). What they don't have are long-distance shooters. They rank 26th in 3-point attempts and 23rd in made-treys. And they are 24th in percent of points from beyond the arc. With point guard, Ben Simmons, running the show, their offense is very effective. But when things slow down, the 76'ers falter. Their most-effective 3-point shooters may be the big-man duo of Joel Embiid and Al Horford, but they rank 10th and 12th, respectively, for 3-point percentage ON THE TEAM. That just doesn't make sense. The current Philly roster seems to be the antithesis of what we see with the Bo...

In his recent interview with Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer, former Celtic Al Horford's tone did not sound like that of a man completely contented with his new environment. It is important to note that, in his three seasons with the Celtics, Al was never known as a whiner or complainer. He was always the quiet professional, doing his job on the court and supplying stability off of it. In Boston, much of Brad Stevens' offense flowed through Horford. Not so, apparently, in Philly ( per Philadelphia Inquirer's Keith Pompey ): The Sixers got the five-time All-Star to start at power forward alongside two-time All-Star Joel Embiid. Horford also slides to center on the nights when Embiid sits out. But they’ve haven’t come close to being a dynamic duo. It’s been more like the league’s best center being paired with a role-playing power forward. “It’s not as good as I want to be,” Horford said Monday of his season. “I still haven’t been able to find my rhythm wit...

All #Celtics fans please like and share this. I was a true Al fan but when you leave to go to the #76ers I'm sorry but you ain't a friend anymore. You dont go to a rival. But if you do, please do this. pic.twitter.com/pyR5IB97Ub — Jimmy in NH (@JimmyMac257) November 9, 2019 I'm still amazed by the number of Celtics fans on social media who feel like we really miss Al Horford.  It blows my mind!  I'm not here to say he sucks.  He was a good Celtic and he was a guy I enjoyed rooting for while he was here.  But this dude was never that good......and he left to go to the enemy!  Yes the Lakers are our #1 rival but the 76ers are right behind them in 2nd place.  I hate the 76ers.  I don't like their players.  I don't like their fans.  And I dont like the way they went about trying to build a winning team by tanking.  Al going there says he never really cared about us as fans.  So why do we care about him? I don't. I'm glad he...

The Boston Celtics 107-93 loss to Philadelphia in their season opener obviously wasn't a great start to the season. Here are some random thoughts on the game. Gordon Hayward was Boston's star Gordon was in the game for 35 minutes and came away with a team-high 25 points, along with five rebounds, two assists and only one turnover. He hit his shots from all over the court but took no 3-pointers. He was 8-of-15 on field goals and 9-of-11 from the free throw line. But most of all, he looked smooth and confident on the court. He was the one most-responsible for keeping the Celtics in the game in the second half. Boston had no answer for Ben Simmons Simmons looked virtually unstoppable out there. He flirted with a triple-double with a line of 24 points, eight rebounds and nine assists, while shooting 68.8% from the field. How about 3-pointers, you may ask? Please - zero, of course. He drove the lane at will - scoring, passing off or drawing a foul. Brad Stevens even tried Semi O...