Celtics ☘️ Sentinel

 I can't believe I am resurrecting the much-despised Rick Pitino's rant skewering Boston fans, but I felt it necessary (Pitino) “Larry Bird is not walking through that door, fans. Kevin McHale is not walking through that door, and Robert Parish is not walking through that door. And if you expect them to walk through that door, they’re going to be gray and old. ....the only thing we can do is work hard, and all the negativity that’s in this town sucks." In his rant, Pitino was shielding himself from criticism coming from Boston sports fans, and it failed - as did Rick with his stint in Beantown. Now we have a mastermind at the helm in Brad Stevens and a young, somewhat-inexperienced, but focused, coach in Joe Mazzulla - trying desperately to nail Banner 18. This present Celtics team is good - very good . But they just can't seem to get the job done when that Banner 18 seems within their grasp. Right now, with one exception (Kristaps Porzingis) , they are healthy ....

  Don't blame Jayson Tatum for Boston's 118-104 debacle last night versus Cleveland. He is the only one that should not have fingers pointed at him in the Celtics loss in Game-2. Jayson constantly took it to the hoop, finishing with 25 points, seven boards, six assists and one steal . And he hit on 9-of-11 on his free throws. Isn't it ironic that LeVert translates to "The Green" from French to English . Two of Caris LeVert's scoring epics have occurred in Beantown . He must think his last name portends an explosion at The Garden ( per Steve Aschburner ): "Two of Caris LeVert’s most explosive games ever have come on Boston’s parquet floor. He scored a career high of 51 points against the Celtics while with Brooklyn in March 2020. Then in October 2022, by then with Cleveland, he went for 41. He has only two other 40-point performances against everybody else, in all other buildings." Now where were the rebounds from Boston last night? The Celtics were...

 In Game-7 of the Cavaliers-Magic series, I became a believer in what the Cavs' Donovan Mitchell can accomplish on the court. It looked like Orlando was going to run away with the win - that is, until Mitchell decided to take the game over. Cleveland took the game, and Donovan took the honors with 34 points, nine rebounds, five assists, one steal and one block. He repeatedly took the ball to the hoop, getting the score or picking up the foul. And he hit 15-of-17 of his free throws. He was terrific. His fellow backcourt mate, Darius Garland had an off night, hitting on only 3-of-13 from the field and 0-of-4 on 3-pointers . I doubt he will have many more of those games in the East Semis against Boston. The Celtics should be heavily favored in this matchup, particularly if Jarrett Allen remains out of action. Mitchell and Garland will be defended by Boston's Jrue Holiday and Derrick White , who seem more-than-capable of handling the Cavs backcourt duo.  Boston took the Celtic...

 As of today, January 4, 2024, five writers for NBA.com unanimously picked the Celtics Jayson Tatum as a frontcourt starter in the upcoming 2024 NBA All-Star contest.    Other locks by NBA.com were Tyrese Haliburton in the backcourt, along with Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo in the frontcourt . Tyrese Maxey, (twice)  Jalen Brunson, Trae Young and Donovan Mitchell also received votes to possibly join Haliburton at the guard position.

1st Quarter Moments C's start things off well, Tikka Muscala drains the three. He will need a few more of these tonight. He didn't show very much last night. Tonight needs to make up for that. He's had flashes in a Cs uniform.  JB is purely the best player at driving to the basket. When he sets his mind to getting there, no on can stop him. He's incredibly quick and strong. The Masked Man has no fear!  Happy Birthday to Marcus Smart, let's hope it's a good one. Meaning get a win tonight and celebrate! I think last game Marcus played good defense. I do think he was iffy from beyond the arc. If you noticed the Knicks left him open to shoot.  Malcolm Brogdon is a sight for sore eyes tonight. He will need to have one of those signature games. He was truly missed last night. I'm sure he would made multiple plays that would have put us over the top.  2nd Quarter Moments MB drives inside and kicks it out to DWhite for three. The White and Brogdon combo is something...

  First Quarter Thoughts....... Rob has become quite the passer, love the way he found Al for a three. That's a smart and high basketball IQ play! T he way this Cavs team gets at it is very impressive.  Marcus Smart diving on the floor is something I'll always enjoy seeing. Off the break he finds JT for the monster jam! Love the way this team is running early on. The more this team runs the better they are. It all started on the defensive end, because defense wins championships!  JB with the off the glass beauty! Love the way he isn't afraid to attack the paint vs these Cavs bigs. The bigger they are the harder they fall! I don't believe there is anyone else in the league that plays with such aggression going into the paint! Thankful JB plays for the good guys! Derrick White is just sooooo underated! Flying in from the weak side and getting the offensive board. Finds JB for a one handed jack hammer DUNK! I think Derrick is a special player. He's a possession creator...

  NBA.com's Michael C. Wright listed eight guards from the Eastern Conference that will be in competition to head to the annual All-Star game, The Celtics Jaylen Brown is having a season that should send him to his second All-Star stint, but nothing is guaranteed. Brown will be competing with DeMarar DeRozan, Darius Garland, James Harden, Tyrese Halibuton, Donovan Mitchell, Dejounte Murray and Trae Young. In last year's All-Star game, a total of 14 guards participated.  Jaylen's averages this season show 26.7 PPG, 7.1 RPG and 3.7 APG . His competitors have similar stats, but Boston's number-one ranking  in the League Standings could give him the needed boost. Brown's high-level athleticism and ability to score in so many ways may also help his cause. His game is made for the All-Star type of play. He can be fun to watch.

 The current version of the Boston Celtics, basically built by the team's former Head Honcho, Danny Ainge , was expected to be good this season, and it is. The Green, with a 9-3 record (.750) sit in second place in the East and are tied with the Trail Blazers for the third spot in the League. The real irony is the positioning of the Utah Jazz , currently in "rebuild status" after Ainge went back out West to join them. The quotation marks surround "rebuild status" for Utah since they are currently in second place (behind the Bucks) in the NBA standings - with a 10-3 record. This wasn't supposed to happen, and my thinking is that this is a surprise, even to Danny himself. When with Boston, Ainge worked a major trade with the Brooklyn Nets that ultimately brought Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown to Beantown. If this pair is not the top duo in the NBA right now, they may soon be. But once in Utah, CEO Ainge traded Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell for a slew of p...