Celtics ☘️ Sentinel

  I loved the Celtics teams of the 1970s! Tickets to the games at "The Garden" were cheap (see photo) - the action was fast - the Celtics players were undersized and overachievers - and "The Jewish Architect", Red Auerbach , used to send personal Christmas cards to me since I filled many of the empty seats by sponsoring bus trips to the games. The 70s Celtics players were generally undersized . Dave Cowens , at 6'8.5", had to combat the likes of 7-foot-plus Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul Jabbar. John Havlicek , at 6'5", often manned the forward position - as did 6'6" Don Nelson. Paul Silas had one inch over "Nellie" and played the power forward slot. JoJo White did have average size (6'3") as the point guard. Only Don Chaney had a bit of an edge at 6'5", covering the shooting guard slot. It was the same for Charlie Scott , also 6'5", manning one of the guard spots. My point is that basketball f...

 The development and recent performance of Robert Williams III is changing the way I think about the current "poorly-constructed" Celtics roster and what changes are needed. This from CelticsBlog's Adam Taylor: For all the talk of a Big Three and trading for the team's next star player, we would all do well to remember that Williams’ star is still rising, and he could well be the third prong in a potent offensive trident. And if the Celtics believe that to be the case, and Williams continues to prove his health is on the up, then any potential move in the coming weeks should focus on a ball-handler to help expedite the next steps in his development. Taylor got it right.   Flash back to the 1973-74 Celtics crew. Don Chaney's primary role was defensive stopper, and that is what Marcus Smart does best . What the Celtics should look for is a pass-first point guard that thrives on penetration and facilitation - but can't be left alone on the perimeter. Sounds l...

 Both the late Dennis Johnson and Marcus Smart are not generally thought of as elite athletes, but both have shown Celtics glimpses of vertical leaps and quick moves that seemed off the scale. There are other comparisons. DJ was such an astounding defender, Magic Johnson labeled him as one of his toughest opponent s. And no present NBA player wants to be guarded by The Wolverine. But now that the buzz of possible Marcus Smart trades have faded, he may want to watch some footage of Dennis in action. Red Auerbach was right. You can't turn a poor-to-mediocre shooter into a dead-eye marksman, K. C. Jones and Don Chaney being Exhibits A and B. Exhibit C would be Marcus . His 38% career shooting from the field and 33% on three-pointers needs to rise.   DJ shot 44% on field goals - but also a putrid 17% on treys - but to his credit, he rarely took the long shot. On point production, Johnson averaged 14.1 PPG, while Smart is at 13.1 PPG. They both show up with three or four board...

       Don "Duck" Chaney played for the Green and White from 1968 to 1975. He was a two-time champ, winning in 69 and 74. In college he was an incredible player and he played 40 minutes in what was called the game of the century at the Astrodome. The Celtics took him with the 12 pick in the draft.        Duck won his first title as a rookie alongside the great Bill Russell . You want to know what other incredible feat this man had was? He played with Larry Bird . He is the only Celtic with that distinct qualification on his resume. In 72/73 he started that season and averaged 13 points a game and helped the Celtics to 68 wins the most in their hallowed history.        He was a star on defense and was the quintessential lock-down defender for his day. He was quiet and mild mannered. When you had him on the court he was talkative and intense, a tough hard nosed player who embodied being a true Celtic. Anyone know where he...

Red Auerbach was right. He said you can't turn a bad shooter into a good one. And he never tried to do that. Red never forced long-range shooting into the repertoires of players like Bill Russell and Don Chaney . Don't tell me about their field goal percentages . They rarely shot anything past 10 feet. Merely a reminder to Brad Stevens NOT to try turning Rob Williams into a 3-point marksman. "Off the Expressway, over the river, off the billboard, through the window, nothing but net". MJ and Larry Bird Play HORSE | McDonald Commercial | 1993 https://t.co/Vmzcbv8MJ1 via @YouTube — Tom Lane (@CelticsSentinel) April 3, 2021 The same can be said for Tony Allen and Kendrick Perkins . And frankly, for present Celtic, Marcus Smart . Marcus is hitting 40.1% from the field and 32.7% on 3-pointers this season, and that is sufficient for a guy that does so many other things for Boston - so long as his long-range attempts are kept under control. Jacking up too many shots from lo...