Celtics ☘️ Sentinel

  Jordan Walsh's first two seasons in the NBA with the Boston Celtics did not bode well for his career in the Big League. Over 61 games in the 2-year span, he averaged only 8.5 minutes per game and his accuracy from deep - mid-=range and free throw line did not bring back memories of Larry Bird . But the kid, now 21 years old, has found his way. This season he is hitting on 56% from deep - 39% on his treys - and 80% from the charity stripe. And he just keeps making hustle plays, on both offense and defense. Listed at 6'6"/6'7" and 205 pounds , his 7'3" wingspan becomes very apparent on his offensive rebounds, putbacks, blocked shots and deflections.  But beyond his God/Nature-given tools , Walsh's intensity, desire and fire are unequaled. His defense kept him in games for his first two seasons, but now he has become a legitimate 2-way player . Jordan Walsh 22 PTS, 7 REB, 3 AST, 2 STL, 1 BLK, 8/8 FG, 1/1 3FG, 103.4% TS vs Wizards https://t.co/6F...

 I admit to being enamored with the Champion 2003-04 Detroit Pistons , mostly for the fact they were massive underdogs to the Shaq/Kobe Lakers - and they played stifling defense In what has been described as the biggest upset in NBA Finals history , the Pistons not only took the Title - but they did so in five games . Unlike the Lakers, Detroit had no big names . Their starting five consisted of Chauncey Billups, Ben Wallace, Rasheed Wallace, Rip Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince. But in the end, defense trumped offense. The 2023-24 version of the Boston Celtics HAS big names , including Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Kristaps Porzingis . And Al Horford, Derrick White and Jrue Holiday  are far from unknowns.. But any one NBA team - on any given night - can defeat any other team no matter how powerful . When The Green work their butts off on defense, they drive opponents nuts. That is simply hard work and dedication to the task. Offense, particularly 3-point barrages, can come and...

 Yes, it's true. Long chided for his reckless putting up of reckless shots - NBA.com ranks Marcus Smart number-7 in shooting percentage (53.3%) in Crunch Time - which is "when the score is within five points in the final five minutes of the fourth quarter or overtime".  How can this be? Has anyone checked up on this? I am being sarcastic. The Wolverine is hitting a career-high 45% of his field goal attempts this season - and apparently his accuracy rises significantly with the game on the line . Smart's critics will not like this article.   Smart's heroics in the fourth quarter are nothing new - although Clutch-Time-Marklsmanship may be. Years ago, former Celtics, Chauncey Billups , wrote something about Marcus' winning plays: Y'all say what u want about Marcus Smart but that kid makes winning plays every game in the 4th. — Chauncey Billups (@1MrBigShot) May 22, 2017 In a close win over the Kings in 2019, I previously wrote about Smart's heroics lat...

 Call him "the Wolverine", "Stretch-6" or "Cobra" , but whatever you call Marcus Smart , we need to add "2022 Defensive-Player-of-the-Year" . Chauncey Billups started the chant five years ago: Y'all say what u want about Marcus Smart but that kid makes winning plays every game in the 4th. — Chauncey Billups (@1MrBigShot) May 22, 2017 Well, fans, the fire in "that kid" has not been squelched in the least over the past 5-year span. Now it's "The Glove" himself, Gary Payton singing the praises of Marcus: “[Marcus Smart] should win [DPOY]. Why not?” If @GaryPayton had a vote for Defensive Player of the Year, he tells @termineradio and @jumpshot8 he’d be voting for @smart_MS3 #BleedGreen pic.twitter.com/CgV4LKXMBm — SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) April 8, 2022 Enough is enough! In the past few years, I have written more about Smart than any other Celtics - for a reason. In 62 years of following the Boston Celtics,...

  NBA Analyst, Sam Mitchel l, has pegged the Boston Celtics for a first-round exit from this season's playoffs. Is he correct? The Celtics have trouble scoring the ball . They rank 18th in the NBA in Offensive Rating at 110.6. The present roster relies heavily on smothering defense to win game s, and is that enough to have en extended run in the post season? Well, the 2003-04 Detroit Pistons did just that - all the way to the 2004 Title. Chauncey Billups and Company had the 2nd-best Defensive Rating for that season, but only the 17th-best Offensive Rating . Yet they took out the potent offensive attack of the Shaquille O'Neal/Kobe Bryant Lakers in five games to take home the trophy. The Green, despite offensive weakness, possess the top Defensive Rating in the League for the past two months. They have become the team no one wants to play . They deny in the paint, and they restrict at the perimeter.  Billups was joined by tough-as-nails Ben Wallace, dedicated defender, Tay...

 Just finished watching an NBA TV replay of the 2004 Title-clinching Game-5 between the underdog Pistons versus the multi-superstar Lakers . Detroit took the game and Championship with the final score being 100-87 in favor of the Pistons. My readers know my affection for that specific Detroit team. They had ZERO superstars , whereas LA had Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant, Karl Malone (out for Game 5) and Gary Payton . Chauncey Billups voiced his feelings best on his supposedly out-matched crew: "People are not even thinking we had a chance to win one game in this series." "We do play the right way, and we are truly a team" is what Pistons Coach Larry Brown had to say about his troops. He was right. His players pushed the ball up court to make Shaq work harder, played extremely-tough defense , moved the bal l around and kept attacking the basket . It all worked, and Ben Wallace's play was astounding . I had honestly forgotten how tough and quick he was. And...

Guest article by John Edward James Kaloroumakis  What do we really need in a new coach for the Boston Celtics? My choice would be a former player who can relate to the present core and ignite a fire under them with no fear of putting them in their place when needed. Some former Celtics players have come back to Boston to coach the team for which they had played. Bill Russell was dubbed player/coach by Red Auerbach in 1966, resulting in two more Championships for The Green (1967, 1969). Tommy Heinsohn followed Russ on the bench for two more Titles, and K C Jones returned for an additional two Championships. Former Celtics Larry Bird, Don Nelson and Rick Carlisle went elsewhere to coach and had significant success. Some of the names thrown out there as potential successors to Brad Stevens on the bench are Ime Udoka, Chauncey Billups and Darvin Ham , all of whom command respect from the players they mentor. Will one of them be the leader who takes us back to the Finals and Ban...

  I wrote it on April 3, 2021. " Plugging holes in Celtics ship hasn't worked. Time to repair it at dry dock"  Well, the first repair is the major one. With the news that Celtics boss, Danny Ainge , is abandoning ship - that is, retiring, Coach Brad Stevens appears destined to take over at the helm in the front office, but the question is - who will come in as coach to fill Brad's role. My guess is that prime candidates are already in the minds of Danny and Brad. Celtics make it official: Danny Ainge retires, Brad Stevens is President of Basketball Operations — Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 2, 2021 Danny expected more when coming back to Boston in 2003 to take over the reins of a team once ruled by his mentor, Red Auerbach .  Ainge was up to the task, but the game - and who controls much of it - have changed. With two heart attacks in his medical history, and the prospects for Banner #18 not looking hopeful in the next two years, Danny Ainge has called it quit...

Many NBA analysts feel that the current Celtics squad lacks the depth to be a legitimate Championship contender. They may be correct, but a look at two NBA Champions, the 2004 Pistons and 2008 Celtics, may add some interesting comparisons. The 2004 Detroit Piston featured Chauncey Billups (6'3"), Rip Hamilton (6'7"), Tayshaun prince (6'9"), Ben Wallace (6'9") and Rasheed Wallace (6'11"). In the Finals match-up, Detroit faced the heavily-favored Los Angeles Lakers led by Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant. Despite being underdogs, the Pistons won the series in five games. The Pistons basically went 8-deep in the Finals with players logging double-digit minutes. The five starters all averaged double-digits in points, going from Prince's 10.0 PPG to Hamilton's 21.4 PPG. Beyond the top-8 players, no Piston supplied significant contributions. The five starters averaged only 77.0 points per game, and the three primary bench guys con...

It had to be. Tim Duncan, alias The Big Fundamental, eventually just had to land in the NBA coaching ranks at some point. Returning to San Antonio, where he played for 19 seasons, just seems natural - as does Gregg Popovich's comment on Duncan's return. The Spurs have hired Tim Duncan as an assistant coach, the team announced. “It is only fitting, that after I served loyally for 19 years as Tim Duncan’s assistant, that he returns the favor,” said Gregg Popovich. pic.twitter.com/DEVhxZyVn6 — SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) July 22, 2019 It was Shaquille O'Neal that gave Tim his nickname, The Big Fundamental. Shaq compared Duncan to former Celtic, Larry Bird, as a player that was not terribly athletic, but could destroy you with the basics - the fundamentals. Duncan averaged 19.0 PPG, 10.8 RPG and 2.2 BPG, and he used the glass much like another former Celtic, Sam Jones. Tim was a 5-time Champion, 3-time Finals MVP and 2-time NBA MVP. Could he shoot 3-pointers? Nope! Over...