Celtics ☘️ Sentinel

 Celtics fans are now reading about a foot injury to recently-acquired Kristaps Porzingis that may keep him out of the FIBA World Cup. Can it be? Or is it simply that the Boston Celtics don't want a repeat of the Danilo Gallinari saga . You remember the Italian star that signed a contract with Boston - chose to play for his home country last summer - and susequently suffered a season-ending injury prior to ever taking the floor for the Celtics. Whether the foot issue is severe, merely-significant or nonexistent - the news may be somewhat positive for a franchise that has had more than it's share of bad fortune in the way of injuries. There will be no replay of the Gallinari saga.  More hope for the Celtics season rests with the "Long Latvian" that ever existed with Gallo. Count me as relieved by the news, and here's hoping Kristaps will have a healthy season in Beantown.

There are six Boston Celtics players currently involved in FIBA World Cup competition, each with two games under their belts. Here are my ratings thus far, solely based on the statistics via USAB.Com . Number 1: Kemba Walker There is no surprise here. Kemba has been vital to Team USA's 2-0 record. In 25.0 minutes per game, he has averaged 13.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 2.0 steals. And he has shot 50% on field goals and 36% on 3-pointers. His quickness on offense and dedication to defense has put tremendous pressure on the opposition. Number 2: Jayson Tatum Jayson's shooting has been off, only hitting 32% of his field goals and 25% on treys. But he has averaged 10.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.0 steals per game. With 24.5 MPG of floor time, Coach Gregg Popovich obviously sees Tatum's importance to the cause. Jayson is expected to miss the following two games with a moderate ankle injury. Number 3: Vincent Poirier Poirier has only logged 14.0 ...

Brazil's win over Greece in World Cup competition brings up an important question for Adam Silver and the rest of the NBA. Should the NBA adopt the FIBA rule on goal tending and basket interference? Brazil's Bruno Caboclo ended the game by swatting away a third free throw by Greece's Kostas Sloukas as the ball hovered above the rim giving Brazil the 79-78 win. AND NOW BRUNO WITH THE GAME-SAVING TIP pic.twitter.com/As8xQZbtbm — William Lou (@william_lou) September 3, 2019 The NBA and FIBA rules are the same on a ball in downward flight towards the basket . A player can not block the ball when it is in downward flight. The difference in rules comes with a ball above the cylinder. FIBA: Once the ball strikes the rim, any player can play the ball (i.e. swat it away or tap it in) No blocking a ball in downward flight towards the rim. NBA: An imaginary cylinder exists that has the basket as its base. Touching the ball while any part of it is in this cylinder (and still ...

Daniel Theis and Dennis Schroder excelled last night in Germany's 92-84 win over Poland in FIBA World Cup exhibition. Theis notched 17 points on 7-of-15 from the field, while adding four rebounds and three blocks. He and point guard, Schroder, have a lot of synergy out there on the floor as Dennis scored 33 points while handing out nine assists and grabbing five boards. Daniel Theis Germany NT Highlights vs Poland (17 pts, 4 reb, 3 blk) https://t.co/4FdxNHrUCV via @YouTube — Tom Lane (@CelticsSentinel) August 19, 2019 That's your @celtics big @dtheis10 making plays like a guard. Another solid game for Theis who finished with 17 points, 4 boards and 3 blocks against Poland today. pic.twitter.com/vjGmAQ9yr5 — Tomek Kordylewski (@Timi_093) August 18, 2019 Daniel was definitely off on his 3-point shooting, taking four attempts beyond the arc and missing all of them. But his post game was solid, and he did well from mid-range. What may be most-notable for Boston fans...

With NBA stars such as James Harden, Anthony Davis and Bradley Beal continuing to withdraw from USA Basketball, Marcus Smart has now pledged to join Celtics Teammates Kemba Walker and Jayson Tatum at training camp to compete in the FIBA World Cup set to start on August 31, 2019. Jaylen Brown is also rumored to be a possible addition to the squad as the dust settles from the All-Star departures. Report: Marcus Smart will join Kemba Walker and Jayson Tatum on Team USA's FIBA World Cup training camp roster https://t.co/l7fI4Kde1m pic.twitter.com/11ajqFKALX — NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSBoston) July 22, 2019 There are currently 15 players scheduled to battle for 12 roster slots on team USA. If Brown does join his comrades, and all four make the final squad, that would mean that one-third of Team USA would be composed of Celtics players. Here are the training camp members as of this writing: Guards: Kemba Walker, Boston Celtics Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers Donovan Mi...