Celtics ☘️ Sentinel

 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...

 Bob "The Cooz" Cousy recently turned 96 , and we will never see another of his like . Here's some interesting facts and thoughts on the 6'1" phenom : 1.) He was the 3rd-overall pick in the 1950 draft , but said "NO" to the team that drafted him (Tri-Cities Blackhawks). 2.) Red Auerbach had the first pick in that draft, but ignored Cooz, thinking he was too flashy . 3.) Cousy was picked up by the Chicago Stags, and when they folded, the Celtics reluctantly hose  Cooz in the dispersal draft. 4.) Well, that turned out very well as Bob turned into the Celtics first real star. 5.) Cousy's forte was his passing skills . He led the League in assists for eight consecutive seasons , finishing with a career average of 7.5 assists per game. 6.) But Cooz was also an accomplished scorer (18.4 PPG for his career), but hardly a marksman (.375 FG). 7.) Despite his lack of height, he was also a fine rebounder (5.2 RPG) . 8.) He was a 13X All-Star, 10X All-NBA Fi...

 On a recent NBA TV segment titled Basketball Stories: Indiana Glory , Larry Bird had no wasted words in summing up the present state of the NBA: "I really like where the League's at." That was it! Nothing more. Nothing less. But when Bird talks - I listen. And I agree totally . Having followed the League since 1960, the NBA has attained enormous popularity world-wide. The League has never displayed the combination of skills and athleticism fans see on the court lately. And the international popularity has spawned the likes of Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kristaps Porzingis.  What's not to like? Well, maybe the NBA-as-big-business may eventually burst at the seams . Just where do the sky-high salaries stop ? In the Celtics camp, Bob Cousy in the mid-to-late 50's was the highest-paid NBA payer at $25,000.00 per season. In the late 60's, Bill Russell was high man at $100,001.00 (yes, one dollar more than Wilt) , and Larry Bird ...

  This just isn't right! K. C. Jones is well-overdue for induction into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach. Has he been forgotten - and tossed aside - in that capacity? The time is right to correct the slight. The Boston Celtics currently have the most HOF inductees , with 40 . Is the feeling among the voters that 40 members of The Green is sufficient? Well, it's not! K. C. is in The Hall as a player, which is much-deserved for the guy that took over the reins from Bob Cousy and constantly played under the shadow of Bill Russell . And Jones was voted one of the . 15 greatest coaches in NBA history. 5 #NBAFinals appearances and 2 titles as an #NBA head coach. 2 championships as an assistant. 2nd highest winning % for any head coach with 500 wins Help induct Coach K​.​C. Jones Into the National Basketball Hall of Fame - Sign the Petition! https://t.co/rQTWMSt6SN via @Change — Dan Kelley (@DanKelley66) June 10, 2024 So what's going on? I have felt for som...

 Just watched a replay of Game-6 of the 1963 NBA  Finals - Celtics versus Lakers. Brings back a lot. Celtics took the game (112=109) and the 1963 Championship. The game was close. This was Bob Cousy's last game as a Boston Celtic. He had 18 points and seven assists, even hampered by an ankile injury sustained late in the game. Tom Heinsohn was the hero - sealing the win with a key offensive rebound, put-back - all while getting fouled. He was high scorer for Boston with 22 points, while taking down nine boards. Ferocious is what describes Bill Russell's rebounding prowess. He had 24 rebounds in this one, but I had forgotten his passing skills from the low post. He too game honors in both rebounding AND assists (9 of them). I had also (somewhat) forgotten Elgin Baylor's overall superb talent and his "head-shake" habit as he brought the ball over half court. he had a line of 28/8/8 in this contest.  Jerry West had a line of 32P/7R/9A - just a routine night for...

 Jaylen Brown's skills and athleticism are unquestioned. His scoring and board work are superb, and his handles and free throw shooting have advanced. But he lacks the one quality that is required for superstar status - other than drawing a lot of attention on offense, he just doesn't make his teammates better. Over the years, guys like Bob Cousy, Bill Russell, John Havlicek and Larry Bird have significantly contributed to the progress and production of their teammates. We can now add Jayson Tatum to that list. I keep saying, they have different skills sets. They are complimentary because sometimes Tatum is slow to get scoring. Meanwhile he does other things to impact game, rebounds,facilitating, defense. Brown will start scoring from the jump. when Tatum leaves game things slip…. — Cheryl a fullerton (@Cherylafullert1) January 24, 2023 Jayson contributes to wins in so many ways . When his shots are not falling, he works hard on the boards and on defense - and makes sure th...

  Marcus Smart is not a "true" anything - except one Hell of a pro basketball player that does what is required to win games.  Boston has had its share of "traditional" point guards - Bob Cousy, K C Jones, JoJo White and Rajon Rondo , to name a few. But The Green fared quite well in the 80's with a non-traditional back court pairing of Dennis Johnson and Danny Ainge . The Celtics even tried Kyrie Irving and Kemba Walker in that role, both of which, for varioous reasons, didn't work out. Now comes Smart at the point - with a lot of fans, analysts and sports writers naysaying the trial as a future failed venture. Why? Because supposedly, the Celtics needed a true point guard to guide them - not some defensive specialist whose offensive game often sputtered. All that has changed. Marcus Smart is orchestrating a team that has the best record (17-4) in the NBA and often produces vibes of being able to waltz into possession of the 2023 Championship trophy. Marc...

  Celtics Assistant Coach, Joe Mazzulla , has been tabbed as the interim coach to run the Celtics ship for now, but I simply don't have faith that he will keep the vessel from self-destruction. Admittedly, I could be wrong. So I am throwing it out there. Many of our followers at Celtics Sentinel are very savvy and opinionated. The choice of the next guy at the helm may very well determine whether the ship sinks or sails flying Banner 18. Let us know in the comment section or via Twitter. One other thing. This team has lacked a true on-court leader for too long. Cousy, Russell, Havlicek, Bird, Pierce and Garnett "won't be walking through that door". Brad Stevens has chosen not to appoint a team captain, but beyond the title, one of the players needs to step forward and take command verbally and with his play on the court. So let us know your choice(s) on that one too. 

 It's E ast Finals MVP (Jayson Tatum) versus the West Finals MVP (Steph Curry) . East coast against West coast. Memories of Larry Bird battling Magic Johnson. Youth clashing with age. The Number-1 defense confronting the Number-2 "D". It rarely gets better than this . Golden State will have home-court advantage in the series, but the Celtics managed to get three-of-their-four wins on the road against Miami . Home-court seemed to make little difference in the series. So here we go. The Bob Cousy Trophy winning Celtics versus the Oscar Robertson Trophy winning Warriors . If this doesn't excite you, you may not be a true NBA fan. "The Splash Brothers" batting "The Jay Team" - Marcus Smart wreaking havoc with the Warrior's offense - Steph firing shots from everywhere - Draymond Green doing a little bit of everything. And Rookie Head Coach, Ime Udoka, matching wits with seasoned Coach, Steve Kerr. Both coaches are disciples of Gregg Popovich...

 In the end, the Boston Celtics proved themselves to be the better team, taking out the Miami Heat in Game 7, 110-96 . So the memorable, storybook season continues with a Finals matchup against the Golden State Warriors. The Miami Heat , led by Jimmy Butler , hold the fourth spot in the League's regular season Defensive Ratings , and they were relentless. The Golden State Warriors won't be any easier , ranking just below Boston, with b oth teams occupying the top two Defensive Rankings .  But win or lose in the Finals, The Green have distinguished themselves - r ising to the occasion and coming from the middle-of-the-pack at mid-season - all the way to the NBA Finals is truly "storybook" stuff. The Celtics picked up the Bob Cousy Trophy for being the Eastern Conference Champs, and Jayson Tatum deservedly won the Larry Bird Trophy as MVP of the East Finals . The Boston Celtics are definitely back in the limelight once again. The Celtics are not nearly as seasoned a...

 The NBA revealed the first-25-of-75 players to be included in their 75th Anniversary Team , and five of them played for the Boston Celtics. No major surprises here, but one deserving 'little guy" made the cut, but many would not regard him as a lock to make the team ( per NBA.com ): NATE ARCHIBALD BOB COUSY DAVE COWENS KEVIN MCHALE BILL RUSSELL We knew Cousy and  Russell would be there , and McHale and Cowens were no surprise . But I, for one, applaud the decision of putting "Tiny" Archibald into the mix . Nate remains the only player in NBA history to lead the League in points per game (34.0 PPG) and assists per game (11.4 APG), doing so in the 72-73 season with Kansas City-Omaha. In 13 seasons, he has six All-Star appearances and one Championship (1980-81 with Celtics, alongside a young Larry Bird) to his credit. The next 25 members of the 75th Anniversary Team will be announced later today. Expect John Havlicek and Sam Jones to be in the final-50. Tommy Heinsohn...

      Bob Cousy aka the Hardwood Houdini! The Cooz was a masterful passer and dribbler he could give a masters class in how to facilitate and keep defenders on their toes ! He was also able to score at will. He starred for the Celtics from 1950 to 1963! A six time champ, 13 time All Star, and 2 time All Star game MVP! He won the overall MVP in 1957!      Originally drafted by the Tri Cities Hawks he refused to report to them an eventually found himself in green and white despite Red snubbing him when he had the first overall pick . When Cooz was up to be selected after floating around other leagues the Celtics ended up with him and we're not too happy. That would sure change in the years he spent in Boston.        Cooz led the NBA in assists for 8 straight years . He did a lot prior to the shot clock putting up some hefty number. In 66 minutes during a playoff game he scored 50 points! This was before he won a ring. In 56/57 the Celtics...

      Isn't it ironic that a guy nicknamed "Red" could be so color-blind when it came to choosing his players. He only saw talent and character .  Arnold Jacob "Red" Auerbach should be referred to as one of the greatest coaches of all time! A man of morals who stuck up for his players when dealing with racial issues. A innovator as a coach who went on to win 9 titles as a coach and when he served as GM and President in the front office he was part of another 7 titles!        Before he was coach of the Boston Celtics he was coach of the Washington Capitols and Tri Cities Blackhawks how many of you knew that? When you hear the name Red Auerbach you think top coach in NBA history. He amassed 938 wins! He was coach of the year in 1965 and executive of the year in 1980. Think about this number of 16 titles in 29 years.       Red was the coach who put together the modern game with his coaching style. He redesigned basketball . He ...

No, I haven't been drinking. It's not even 6:00 AM ET. And besides, this has been a crazy season in many ways - and I say this is not a move that is totally off the table . Bob Cousy did it for one game as coach of the Royals, although that didn't work out very well. Dave Cowens came out of retirement to play for the Bucks and his old pal, Coach Don Nelson . Magic Johnson did it, as did Michael Jordan - twice. Why not assistant coach, Evan Turner . Many of my contacts in a Celtics chat group have been trying in vain to view Turner's name and capacity on any official Celtics listing. He was allegedly brought into the fold in the capacity of player development to replace Kara Lawson .  The 6'7" wing has played for Brad Stevens as a member of the Celtics during the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons, playing in all-but-one of the combined 164 contests and starting 69 of them. ET covered the PG, SG and SF spots for Boston, He averaged 9.5 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 6.5 APG and 1...

Former-Celtics great, Bill Russell, walked around with a chip on his shoulder, but he also played basketball with that same attitude. Russ has mellowed over the years, but the chip remains in place for anyone attempting to knock it off. Could he play - or even be a star these days? Here's my analysis. Who am I to judge? I lived down the street from Russell in Reading, Massachusetts during the 1960's and started following the NBA at the same time. Bill's second home in Reading was more upscale and private than his first residence on busy Main Street. A line of cedar trees all-but-shielded the Haverhill Street home from view. It was "Big Bill's" (as Johnny Most called him) play on the court that largely fueled my interest in the Boston Celtics, all the way to his final game, and triumph, when he led his team to its 11th Championship on May 5, 1969 versus the Los Angeles Lakers. As Jim Murray, the late Pulitzer Prize-winning sports writer of the Los Angeles T...

Our on-line draft of 32 Celtics stars is complete, and we have now whittled down that number to the Sweet Sixteen. The only current player to make the cut is Al Horford. The remaining 15 Boston players are either retired or deceased, having played for The Green for more than two full seasons over the past sixty years. The 16 stars from the Lakers squad is as formidable. CELTICS: BIGS Bill Russell Dave Cowens Robert Parish Al Horford WINGS Kevin Garnett John Havlicek Paul Pierce Larry Bird Tom Heinsohn Kevin McHale Reggie Lewis Dennis Johnson Sam Jones BALL HANDLERS Bob Cousy JoJo White Tiny Archibald LAKERS: BIGS Wilt Chamberlain Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Shaquille O'Neal Pau Gasol George Mikan WINGS Magic Johnson Elgin Baylor Kobe Bryant James Worthy Bob MaAdoo Jamaal Wilkes Michael Cooper BALL HANDLERS Jerry West Byron Scott Gail Goodrich Derek Fisher What sticks out immediately is the triple-tower combo of Wilt, Shaq and Kareem. The Celtics can...

The Celtics-Lakers rivalry goes back six decades and isn't over yet. It started with Bill Russell, Tom Heinsohn, Bob Cousy and the Jones Boys in the early 60's, and with the current talent-laden rosters of both LA and Boston, it may not be over soon. CelticsSentinel held an online 4-team draft yesterday focusing on Celtics players with more than two years of service in Boston. The goal was to create a Celtics team that could take on a 60-year compilation of Lakers stars. The results are below: @LisaLaneMcCart1 Team Horford (C) Pierce (F) Havlicek (F) Rondo (G) Dennis Johnson (G) Bench: Antoine Walker (F) Smart (G) Isaiah Thomas (G) — Tom Lane (@CelticsSentinel) April 1, 2020 @DanKelley66 Team Parish (C) Bird (F) Heinsohn (F) Sharman (G) Cousy (G) Bench: Macauley (C) Maxwell (F) Ray Allen (G) — Tom Lane (@CelticsSentinel) April 1, 2020 It is quickly obvious that @DanKelley66 went old-school, taking Bob Cousy, Bill Sharman, Tom Heinsohn and "Easy Ed" Macauley. Des...

I am giving my readers four choices for the top, all-time Celtics point guard, projecting that player propelled into the 2019-20 season. One of the choices, Rajon Rondo, is here already and playing for the Lakers. Two others, JoJo White and Dennis Johnson, have sadly left us. Bob Cousy fortunately, is still with us. In a previous article , I gave my arguments for putting DJ as my choice, with JoJo as his backup. He had size, savvy and a terrific sense of team play. And he was a fierce, dedicated defender. I also have written on legend, Bob Cousy, having less stature in today's NBA . But I understand those that may aggressively disagree. My readers will notice that I chose point guards from four eras, the 60's (Cousy), 70's (White), 80's (Johnson) and 2,000's (Rondo). That was not intended. It just fell that way. Here's your chance! Putting him in TODAY's NBA, who's your top Celtics point guard - all-time. Vote for a starter and backup. And tell ...

Nothing seems to arouse the emotions of NBA fans as much as the Bob Cousy-as-all-time-great controversy. Individuals either defend him to the hilt or degrade his abilities with a vengeance. As always, the correct view lies somewhere between the extremes. Cousy's main attributes were his passing, basketball IQ and court vision. In the 50's and 60's, his ball handling was good enough to thwart most defenders of that era, and he used it to maneuver his way to the hoop for a layup or assist. What Red Auerbach originally saw as theatrical antics by Cooz-as-facilitator certainly generated fan appeal and usually got the job done. The 13-time All-Star and 8-time Assists Leader was an innovator and true star in his time. But things have changed. “Quite possibly the most overrated player in the history of the sport.” @LaJethroJenkins takes a look back at the career of Bob Cousy. pic.twitter.com/BB3IQT1NxB — Yahoo Sports NBA (@YahooSportsNBA) December 2, 2019 Accelerate to the p...

Seeing the photo below for the first time, I did some research on its origin - and fouled out completely. Clint Eastwood with 60's Celtics Tom Heinsohn, Frank Ramsey and Bob Cousy was too interesting to let go. Anyone have any info, or at least ideas on the photo? Some may call this off-season filler, but damn it - I am a true fan of all four guys in the photo. Clint Eastwood's portrayal of "Dirty Harry" Callahan is iconic. We all need some mystery in our lives, but I need to know. Why were these four men assembled? If I am able track it down, you will see it in my article. In the meantime, "Make my day." If you have info, let us know. Do You Feel Lucky, Punk? https://t.co/oQ4aqQelh5 via @YouTube — Tom Lane (@CelticsSentinel) August 16, 2019 Follow Tom at @CelticsSentinel and @_Celtics_Center