Celtics ☘️ Sentinel

 This season will mark Jaylen Brown's fifth selection as an All-Star and his first shot at starting the game. Here's how the voting went from fans, media and current players. The fans ranked the Celtics G/F at #5 - while players put him at #3 . The media put him at the top , ranking Brown at #1. Jaylen's 5th-best weighted score of 3.5 squeezed him into the starting-5 for the 2026 NBA All-Star contest. It is intesting that the media placed Jaylen over every player in the East , while fans ranked him behind Giannis Antetokounmpo, Cade Cunningham, Tyrese Maxey ad Jaylen Brunson . The players rightly put Brown before both Maxey and Brunson. Jaylen is having a career season in Jayson Tatum's absence, and it is refreshing to see the voters put him in the starting unit.

 The Celtics season is roughly 18% done after 15 games , and Jaylen Brown has confirmed what he set out to do. He was confident that he could assume Boston's "Alpha" role in the absence of the injured Jayson Tatum . Brown is currently third in usage rate (35.6%) behind such luminaries as Luka Doncic and Giannis Antetokounmpo . So much of the Celtics offense goes through Brown, and he is hitting on 50.3% of his field goal attempts and 34.9% of his 3-pointers . He leads in team in scoring at 27.5 points per game . He leads Boston in field goal attempts but comes in fifth in shot attempts from beyond the arc . His ability to get into the paint and launch a successful 2-pointer or layup has been great to watch. It seems his only downside is his turnover ratio of 3.5 miahaps per game . The season is still young, but thus far Jaylen has been as good as his word . The Celtics now sit ninth in the East Standings with an 8-7 record. The East is a real melting pot where the ...

  C's welcome the Bucks to the Garden it should be a good ole knock down fight. Two heavy weights of the NBA going at it. Giannis, JT, JB, Dame and so many others. I truly love Giannis, but I'm a C's fan first. I expect a pretty epic game tonight. We get to see the Best of the Best tonight.  ☘️       The C's are wearing those ugly uniforms that I can't stand. Hopefully the C's play is better than those uniforms. It's finally tipoff and I'm ready for some Celtics basketball. C's need to push this pace and get in front of the Greek defensively. Don't allow him to get down hill.        C's with incredible ball movement to start is off. JT cashes it in nothing but net. Nice to get Jrue back tonight vs his old team. JB with the pure jumper, followed up with a great drive. Expect both Jays to do there thing tonight. I'm feeling both guys are going over twenty points tonight. With that said JT for three, followed up by JB for three! Ballin! ...

 Don't look now, but Doc Rivers is once again in turbulent waters . His Milwaukee Bucks are mired in the standings with a 2-8 record and have lost twice to the Boston Celtics , the team he deserted in 2013 because he did not want to be part of a rebuild. His two stars, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damien Lillard, are having fine seasons, but the rest of his cast just can't get the job done. In 2020, Doc left his position with the Clippers - and in 2023, he was fired as coach of the 76'ers. But the veteran coach took over the reins of the Bucks in January of 2024 after Milwaukee fired Adrian Griffin . Such is the lot of the modern NBA coach. So what happens now in Milwaukee? Trading The Greek Freak and tanking won't help due to a paucity of future first-round picks. Ditto for trading Lillard. The Milwaukee Bucks have little in the way of tradeable players or draft picks, so almost realistic any trade scenario would not improve their immediate future . So, back to Doc. Ri...

      We have a tight one here in the fourth.        C's and Bucks are tied up at 95. We have a jump ball and let's hope the C's can grab it. As much as I like the Greek he barrels into guys and gets away with it. What a bogus flagrant one call on JB. Give me a freaking break. This league is soft as margarine. Basketball used to be a tough game now it's just soft.       C's get JB in the post against the smaller guy. He draws the foul and makes only one free throw. JT is very aggressive going to the cup and draws the foul. I like them going to the rim and drawing fouls. That's how you win close games to like this. C's force the bucks into a turnover. JT for three!!! C's with a four point lead! C's will need some championship level defense going forward.       C's call a timeout, and I expect an incredible play here. Off of timeouts Joe has become very good designing plays. Let's see what they have going right now...

     Giannis and the Bucks come into Boston with questions. Giannis himself is wondering who his team is... They are 1-2 and don't have an identity. Unlike our Boston Celtics who are the best team in the NBA. It's always fun when the C's play the Bucks. Especially because Giannis is a truly special player. With that said Let's Go Celtics!  1Q🏀    Here we go, it's game time! So far it's a scoreless first. C's have come out a bit cold, kinda like the temperature out there tonight. C's ball movement is there but the shots aren't falling. Al Horford with the block of the game already! Sent the shot by Giannis out like grease lightning! That block lead to DWhite scoring in transition. DWhite followed up the layup with a beautiful three pointer. DWhite has the C's first seven points.       C's better be careful because Dame looks locked in early on. Jaylen Brown has transformed his body into a machine. He's absolutely ripped and barely fits i...

  Joel Embiid is back in the Philly fold following recovery from a torn meniscus , and the 76'ers finished the season on an 8-game winning streak . Those two facts are totally related. If the Celtics spar with Philly at some point in the post-season, the question remains of how to defend the 7', 280-lb. "Cameroonian Colossus" . Joe Mazzulla's strategy of putting d efensive whiz, Jrue Holiday , on Embiid during the regular season worked quite well. Jrue Holiday defense ✅ Jrue Holiday offense ✅ pic.twitter.com/XVgKsaHWlH — Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) November 9, 2023 Jrue did a commendable job on Joel on the perimeter and worked his butt off making it hard for the big man to gain ground in the paint. Holiday often had Kristaps Porzingis coming over as a second defender, but don't be surprised to see Xavier Tillman given the task of covering Embiid for limited minutes. As Joel Embiid goes - so go the Philadelphia 76'ers. Mazzulla will go w...

 The Celtics 104-91 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks has little meaning in the scheme of things, but two  items clearly stand out. The first, of course, is the calf injury to Giannis Antetokounmpo . The extent of the injury remains unknown, but it could have ramifications for the upcoming playoffs . Milwaukee's post-season without The Freak, even for a few games, would not sit well for Doc Rivers or his team. Number-2 items from last night has to be the fact that only two free throws were taken the entire game , and those two just happened to be taken by Giannis. So Boston had zero free throws taken , and Milwaukee committed only four fouls the whole game. How does than stand up in NBAS history ( per CNN's Matias Grez )? "During the team’s 104-91 defeat to the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday, the Celtics became the first team in NBA history to shoot zero free throws in a game. To make matters even more bizarre, the Bucks only shot two, meaning the two teams set a new record for t...

  Celtics welcome the Bucks to the TD Garden. There will be no Giannis on what is Greek heritage night at the Garden. Dame will need to carry this team if they want a shot at beating the C's. I'm a little late to the party, but JT and PP have come to play tonight! C's have a double digit lead as we enter the half. I absolutely love PPs confidence on the floor this season. Expect him to make huge plays in the playoffs! JT is as smooth as butter tonight. How beautiful is this team, I tell ya I've fallen in love with them. This roster despite being without Holiday and Hauser are firing on all cylinders. Kudos to the C's for exposing Lopez on the pick and rolls tonight.  Both teams in this third have been exchanging blows. Lillard has come out and is starting to get hot. Bucks have cut into this C's lead. C's need to answer back and do it with some force! JB hits a three and he must have heard me. Back to back Brown buckets and our lead is back to ten! JT just b...

Guest article by "The Sports Machine with Slim"  Can We Get a Challenge, Please? Celtics games have been kinda boring for the past couple of months , haven't they? I host a sports talk radio show every weekday and we always talk Celtics . It's the same story after almost every single game. Celtics win again. Big. The Celtics are 11-2 since the all star break. The average winning margin during those wins is 22 points per game. That's not even counting  the last game before the all star break when we beat Brooklyn by 50. Heck, even one of the losses was kinda boring. The Celts were up by 18 in the 4 th  quarter to the Cavaliers. Some of you probably turned the game off and went to bed. Who could have blamed you? The Nuggets game? Not boring. The NBA regular season matchup of the year lived up to the hype. It showed the world that we are beatable . It exposed a flaw in this Celtics team that just might be similar to last year's squad: Are we clutch? Can we win ...

 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.

 Realizing that the Kia MVP Ladder was alphabetically (first letter of last name), the Celtics Jayson Tatum still ended up dead-last (#15). But it is clear that he is not favored to acquire the honor this season. Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics Offseason additions leave Boston looking primed for legit contention. Tatum enters a critical 2023-24 campaign coming off All-NBA first team honors in each of the last two seasons, after becoming the first Celtics player to average 30 points per game. Tatum opened the season with his 91st career double-double. But that thinking may be premature. Boston has won both contests thus far, and Tatum seems on a mission. He has added much-needed physicality to his game and fans are see him using his body strength and control to finish at the rim. That is somewhat new. His averages over the two games - and the 2-0 record - are a great start to his quest for MVP and Banner 18. 40.0 MPG - 28.0 PPG - 9.5 RPG - 4.5 APG - 1.5 SPG Jayson is up against toug...

 Why is Tommy smiling you ask... I'll tell you because even though the Bucks added Lillard the C's will still win the East. Jrue Holiday used to kill the Celtics. Plus he was an absolute dog on D. Lillard while being an amazing player doesn't play a lick of D. It's funny to now see two of my favorite non Celtics playing together. Everyone knows my love for the Greek and when I first started writing I did a piece on Lillard.  This trade secures the Greek in Milwaukee long term. Which is the extremely important for the Bucks. You don't let future hall of famers walk out the door. Expect to see the max extension offered and accepted very soon. Now on to the Celtics. We have received news that both Brogdon and Porzingis are healthy and ready for training camp. Those two are key to the Celtics success. Their health needs to be pristine this season. If the Celtics are healthy they will beat the Bucks in an eastern conference finals series.  Jayson Christopher Tatum needs ...

 My love for my Greek brother is evident despite bleeding green. Sitting in a restaurant during the draft and hoping the C's would make my dream come true... What did they do?? They drafted Kelly O and I wanted to cry. I've followed his career for as long as I can remember. During his finals run it was surreal to see a young man from such humble beginnings become an NBA champion. Whats most important to me is we share our faith and heritage, and of course a love for basketball.  We just heard yesterday that he's not going to sign an extension if the Bucks aren't championship driven... Will my dream come true?! Is there a basketball world where Giannis, JT and JB can be together??? I'd settle for it to be Giannis and Tatum honestly. If I'm Brad I'm examining every option to bring him here if the Bucks fumble the ball. The only detriment I see to that is Mr Cheap himself Wyc one title Grousbeck not allowing Brad to do so. Imagine what you could have in a Giann...

  As a kid growing up the NBA draft brought me so much excitement. I was usually at UMass basketball camp and spent time at my grandparents. I can vividly remember sitting on the floor or couch and writing each draft pick as it came in. I would go back during the season and see who was successful and who wasnt. I would also go back and see who the Celtics missed out on.  I feel the draft no matter what sport is the luck of the draw. Yet so many times the Celtics have plain fallen flat on their face. That doesn't mean they haven't hit the ball out of the park. Historically early on the Celtics were a team that could do no wrong in the draft. You just think about what could have been. Imagine if they drafted Giannis like I wanted them to.. Instead we end up Kelly O who I never cared for.  Imagine if they took Joker instead of James Young?! What a bust he was, Joker and Giannis would be quite the frontcourt. With that said as we enter into the draft tomorrow night, will the ...

What does tonight really mean?? On Christmas day the C's crushed the Bucks. The next time they played the C's sat everyone, and had a chance to beat a healthy Bucks team. In all reality they should have. Was that strategic by the C's?? Getting in the Bucks head, by saying even our bench can beat you. Who know. What I do know is the C's are in second right now and the Bucks are first. That may not change this season. What tonight means is, if the C's win they will own space in the Bucks minds. It will give the C's the season series and prove they can win in Milwaukee. Which will be the case if both teams make the Eastern Conference Finals.  It's game time and the tip off is here.... First Quarter Moments Early on both teams are trading punches, it feels like a heavyweight title fight. Both teams are out to prove who is the best. Record wise it's the Bucks and even the eye test says that. In my heart I still believe the C's can beat them and win the wh...

 The Celtics, Nets, Bucks, Cavaliers and 76'ers are clustered at the top of the Eastern Conference Standings. All five teams hold records of .615 or better, with Boston leading the entire League (28-12, .700). But The Celtics hold on that spot is tenuous. A significant injury to Jayson Tatum, Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Donovan Mitchell or Joel Embiid can change everything. More news is pending on the seriousness of Durant's knee injury from last night. His potential prolonged absence and increased losses could rattle both Kyrie Irving and Ben Simmons , both of whom are not regarded as the most-stable individuals in the NBA. The Bucks without Giannis would be in deep trouble. The Greek Freak does everything on the floor but sweep it. He is a phenomenon and in a class all by himself. The Celtics without Tatum leading them might fare somewhat better . His teammate, Jaylen Brown , currently accompanies Jayson in the top-10 MVP Ladder.  Aside from the possibility and co...

 Prior to the 2017 NBA draft, Bleacher Report had Jayson Tatum projected as the number-6 pick  and compared his game to that of Harrison Barnes. Well, Tatum was taken with the 3rd pick and, thus far, has outpaced the Barnes comparison. Later comparisons have linked Jayson's game to that of Kevin Durant and Kobe Bryant . Ironically, Tatum currently leads Durant in the KIA MVP Ladder with JT at number-2 and KD at number-3. How about Luka Doncic? NBADraft.Net (pre-draft) compared Luka to Toni Kukoc . He has already surpassed that projection, and some have compared Luka to a combo of Larry Bird and Magic Johnson . I peg Doncic as a modern replica of Oscar Robertson - both triple-double machines, big guards, not-terribly athletic but able to maneuver into any position on the court to shoot or pass to a teammate . Luka is currently placed at number-4 on the MVP Ladder. Now to Giannis Antetokounmpo, number-5 on the MVP Ladder. I have never seen an NBA player, past or present, who ...

 The look in the NBA has changed a bit since Danny Ainge drafted Kelly Olynyk 13th-overall in the 2013 draft. Players from out-of-the-USA like Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic combine size and skills -and only average athleticism - to constantly be high on the MVP Ladder. Well, the 6'11" Canadian-born Olynyk has the size and skills and could fit in nicely for a second stint in Beantown. He may not be the fiercest defender, but this season in UItah he is hitting 50% from the field, 40% from the hinterlands and 83% from the free throw line. In only 28 minutes/game, he adds 4.9 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.1 steals per game. He won't be making any potential MVP list, but the 31-year-old C/F  may be just what the Celtics need for the second-half of the season and playoffs. Kelly is set to earn $12.8 million this season and $12.2 million in 2023-24 - with only $3 million of that guaranteed. Would Ainge part with the guy he chose over Giannis Antetokounmpo in 2013? In a rebui...

 I was slotted to draft third in one of my Fantasy Basketball Leagues , and I p icked Jayson Tatum over Giannis Antetokounmpo . I had a reason. My thinking was that I truly believed that Tatum would have improved his game over the summer , a time of year when the great ones make critical strides . That seems to have happened for the Missouri native now in his sixth NBA season. The Celtics are off to a perfect start to the 2022-23 season with a 3-0 record. Jayson now holds the franchise record for most points scored through the first three games , having scored 104 total points - thereby eclipsing Larry Bird's previous record of 96 points over that first-three-games stretch. Tatum leads the League in scoring at 34.7 points per game and continues his dominance on the boards with 8.3 rebounds/game . His assists are at 3.0 APG , while adding 1.0 steals and 1.7 blocks per contest. His field goal percentage is a whopping 58.7 %.   The MVP chants will certainly get louder for th...