Celtics ☘️ Sentinel

 I write this knowing damn well that nothing will change, but I question whether the NBA season is too long and grueling.  The Boston Celtics played a total of 101 games in the 2023-24 season - the usual 82 regular season contests and 19 playoff games. Despite the physical toll on the players, the regular season can seem to be simply a never-ending prelude to the intensity of the post-season. As an example, Boston has played 47 games thus far this season, and the players already appear to be bored and itching for the playoffs . They still sit second in the East Standings (barely) and have a 5-5 record in the last 10 contests . But I understand their laid-back mindset and lethargic play of late. And The Green appear to relax at home - where they have a worse record than on the road . And the loss to Houston last night hurt a bit more - with the Rockets taking over third place in the standings from Boston. The NBA has become a League of wealth , with the 30 teams having a co...

 The Boston Celtics are 43 games into the current regular season , and they are faltering. WHY? Well, first of all, this IS the regular season - and Boston is experiencing the lethargy often seen in a "post-Title NBA team" . In other words, the Celtics are bored with any pre-playoff contests - i tching for the post-season - and facing potential post-season competition from a very-improved Cavaliers team and a somewhat-improved Thunder squad. Celtics record 2023-24, 64-18 (780) Celtics record 2024-25, 30-13 (.698) And don't dismiss the Milwaukee Bucks or Denver Nuggets in this conversation. Any team with a Giannis Antetokounmpo or Nikola Jokic on it could give The Green problems in the post-season. And how about the Knicks, Grizzlies and (Heaven forbid) the Rockets. Surpassing the Cavs for first place in the Eastern Conference would be difficult for Boston, but the good news is that the Celtics thus far have won as many games on the road (15) as they have at home . A...

 Celtics Coach, Joe Mazzulla, has been stressing the importance of hitting the offensive glass for second-chance points . It worked in last night's 116-106 win over Ime Udoka's Rockets ( per NBA.com ): The Celtics outrebounded the Rockets 56-49 and had 17 offensive rebounds, helping them outscore the Rockets 23-10 in second-chance points. “It’s something we’ve stressed this year, and it’s something we’ve gotten better at,” Mazzulla said. “On nights like this, it keeps baskets alive and gives us extra possessions.” The top rebounders versus Houston were Jaylen Brown and Derrick White with 11 each, but it was the big man tandem of Luke Kornet and Kristaps Porzingis that combined for nine of Boston's 16 offensive boards . Even with limited minutes, Neemias Queta and Kornet lead The Green in offensive rebounds  this season with 2.1 and 1.7 offensive boards per game, respectively. I am reluctant to broach the idea of second-chance hoops resulting from offensive rebounds as ...

 Final score: Celtics 145, Rockets 113. Jaylen Brown pouring it on against a f ormer Celtics coach (Ime Udoka) he soundly supported , despite the latter's "misdeeds" in Beantown. . Payton Pritchard "horsing around" late in the contest. Jayson Tatum getting an ejection when the game was already in the bag.  Not only did the Boston win keep the home streak alive at 19-straight, but Udoka's previous-interim substitute, Joe Mazzulla, kept his team at the top-of-the-hill record-wise . This was not only a "must-win" for the Celtics, the blowout made it sweet. Why wouldn't Pritchard throw a lob to Oshae Brissett off the glass for the jam? Brissett was the guy that grabbed the defensive board and got the outlet pass to Payton. Nice move. Payton Pritchard throwing a garbage time off-the-backboard alley oop against Ime Udoka’s team is rich. Ime once got mad the Celtics kept feeding Pritchard late in a blowout win, suggesting they disrespected the g...

 It may not be the sole cause of the Celtics sub-par post-season play and questionable synergy , but according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski , the Boston locker room n ever got over the suspension of former Coach Ime Udoka. "This locker room never got over Ime Udoka's dismissal as head coach," he (Woj) said Monday. "These players did not accept the organization's reasoning for doing it. They thought it was a wild overreaction. There were a lot of the people on the outside who thought it was an overreaction. That it was an HR matter. "I think for this team and talking with management, they never got any more answers than the public was getting on this. That doesn't mean they haven't accepted Joe Mazzulla as head coach, but this is a team that really believed in Ime Udoka and had a strong connection with him. "There was nothing that they found to be disqualifying to work again in the NBA." @wojespn discusses why the @HoustonRockets deci...

 If not, he should be. At least, take a look! Danny Green was just traded to the Houston Rockets  and  almost surely will be bought out of his contract. The 6'6" 3-and-D G/F earned three Championship rings with three different teams - spent multi seasons under the tutelage of coach-and-savant, Gregg Popovich, in San Antonio - and even at 35 years of age, could add to Boston's wing depth. What's not to like about Danny's career .399 accuracy from the hinterlands? He is a veteran of the playoff wars , and even though his return to action following knee surgery is still in progress, easing him into the fray gently is easy considering the Celtics' depth. One step at a time. If a buyout occurs, he would need to pass waivers and become a free agent. If that 3-part process occurs, Stevens needs to consider a conversation with the vet wing. Hell, his last name fits. What more is needed?

 I never heard of Alperen Sengun until I read an article by Heavy.com's Steve Bulpett . Steve had some good words for the 6'9" Turk : Word is 19-year-old center Alperen Sengun was the Celts’ guy if they had kept the pick — and OKC ended up making him the choice and dealing him to Houston. “He’s a tough kid,” said one NBA personnel man of the 6-9 Sengun. “He’s a little raw, but he’s been playing with adults overseas for years. He’s going to be good. Him and (Rob) Williams would be a really good tandem.” The Turkish center was taken with (formerly) Boston's first-round pick at number-16 by OKC whereby he was quickly dealt to Houston. Only 3% of Turkey lies in Europe, but Sengun could be another major find from overseas. Here are his per-36-minutes stats from 39 games with the Rockets this season: 17.5 PPG - 9.2 RPG - 5.1 APG - 1.6 SPG - 1.7 BPG Sengun with the one-legged fadeaway as the Rockets keep it close with Golden State! 😯 (📽️: @HoustonRockets ) pic.twitter.com/...

       1st Quarter       Jayson Tatum Hot Start        Starting where he left off the last few games. Jayson Tatum has been nothing but the best player we have. He hit a fall away which is hard to defend. He went to the hole looking for contact . Nailed his step away - how can you block that? He doing himself for a nice dunk off an Al feed. Found himself at the line again. Keep going to the paint!       Defense Was Stout  - Offense hit or miss        Defense started out very strong, they blocked shots, collapsed on the ball when it hit the paint . There were plenty of active hands and contested shots. They had a few lapses, but overall solid defense. Offense was good and bad . A few nice moments where the ball was moving but some of the shot selection was terrible. Celtics lead 22-21 , need to see a better flow on offense, and better shot selection.      2nd Quarter  ...

      After their first win of the season we look at those players or player who gave it their heart, and bleed green out there. Luckily for this team we have a few! Yes you guessed it it's steady as they go Al Horford and Dennis The Pest Shroeder!        According to Jayson Tatum, Al looked young out there today . For those fans who watched the game we saw Al be aggressive on both ends. His hands were very active defensively.  He had 3 steals, 3 blocks and a double double . Kinda makes you wish he never left to go to Philly. He just looks right in green and his play backs it up.       DS, aka The Pest, Shroeder is everything you could want to annoy the other team. He's lighting quick, gets to the hoop and can knock down some shots . He had 18 points 5 rebounds and 5 assists . He shot 50 percent from the field. He also had one steal. And his fight to regain the ball he had stolen from him tells us about the fight in this slen...

 Here are my Instant Images from the Boston Celtics first win of the season, a 107-97 victory over the Houston Rockets. You just knew this game was going to be different in the first 15 seconds of the opening period. The steal by Jayson Tatum - followed by a long pass by Marcus Smart to a sprinting Tatum resulted in a slam and two points. The tone of the game had been set! Ganar cura muchos males. ¡Me encanta tenerte de vuelta, Al! https://t.co/rdF3xknCMx — Tom Lane (@CelticsSentinel) October 25, 2021 When did Al Horford become a rim protector? Al had four blocks in his first game back for Boston, and he racked up three more last night. A small sample, but Horford is averaging 3.5 blocks per game for the young season. When did Grant Williams become a marksman?  In three games thus far, Grant is shooting 14-of-20 (70%) on field goals and 9-of-13 (69%) on 3-pointers. He was 6-of-7 from the field last night and 5-of-7 on treys. Red Auerbach insisted that shooters can'...

      Random Thoughts - First Half         Jayson Tatum came to play . Dunking the rock, hitting jumpers, driving to the hoop, hitting fall aways. Knocking down 3s, driving and dishing to Al under the hoop. He did get a call and it was against Theis. Go figure! Theis was always the guy refs made calls on when he wore green. I knew there was a solid reason we were thrilled to hear Al Horford was returning to Boston! https://t.co/NEtUKxrstJ — Tom Lane (@CelticsSentinel) October 25, 2021        Al Horford once again playing solid ball . Causing turnovers, getting steals and blocking shots . When did he become a rim protector? Al's buddy, Dennis Schroder , was once again pestering guys on D. He hit a 3, and was the recipient of a few nice passes turned into layups.       A troubling stat shows the Celtics defensive transition is giving up 33 points per game . Tonight they continue to give up open shots . Way to man...

 The Celtics didn't waste much time coming to terms with 6'5" Brodric Thomas after he was waived by the Cleveland Cavaliers six days ago. Thomas went undrafted in the 2020 NBA draft and has also spent time with the Rockets at the G-League ( per NBA.com ): The undrafted guard from Truman State also played in the NBA G League in 2020-21, where he was named to the All-NBA G League Second Team and to the NBA G League All-Rookie Team. In six games with the Cleveland Charge (then Canton Charge), the Cavaliers’ exclusively owned and operated NBA G League team, Thomas averaged 21.3 points on .462 shooting from the field, including .462 (24-52) from three-point range, 6.7 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 2.17 steals and 1.17 blocks in 33.8 minutes.  Brodric will join Sam Hauser as a two-way player with the Maine Celtics. The 15th roster spot for Boston remains open after the team waived Jabari Parker . Initial indications are that the slot will remain open, at least for the present time.

Celtics boss, Danny Ainge , had hinted about what could happen around the trade deadline. He told us that the team needed "shooting with size" and that fans may see "new faces if it comes to that" . Both wishes may have come true with the arrival of French import, 6'7" Evan Fournier . Might be the "shooter with size" Ainge was looking for. https://t.co/nYxU30AB3J — Tom Lane (@CelticsSentinel) April 3, 2021 Last night, in Boston's decisive victory over the Houston Rockets, Fournier poured in 23 points in 30 minutes of action, hitting 8-of-13 from the field and 7-of-11 on 3-pointers . Such a win over the pitiful Rockets is nothing to cheer about, but this "new face" could become a fixture in Beantown if  he can repeat this type of performance with some level of regularity. Fournier came to the Celtics via Danny Ainge's TPE with little fanfare - and frankly, disappointment among some of the Celtics faithful hoping for a hero to resc...

Rob Williams & Payton Pritchard may be emerging Rob Williams per-36-minutes stats remain impressive Brad Stevens has been displaying some un-Brad-like behavior in this season's first three games. Four of his young guys have averaged 15-or-more minutes this far. The question is, does this significant floor time indicate Stevens is devoted to developing his fledgling troops, or are they being showcased for an impending trade. Celtics fans need to think this way with Danny Ainge at the helm. Rookie Payton Pritchard leads the foursome in minutes at 20.3 MPG, followed by Grant Williams at 18.7 MPG - Robert Williams at 17.0 MPG and Semi Ojeleye with 15.3 MPG. To answer my own question, I believe the Celtics boss is covering the middle road - having Brad play and develop all four youngsters, while showing potential trade partners what these guys can do. The small 3-game sample shows Pritchard and Williams III as the players that stand out, either as trade bait or potential, solid...

The latest James Harden-to-Boston rumors have the 8-time All-Star and MVP (2018) putting the Celtics on his wish list .  The conventional wisdom is that any trade package for Harden is constituted in two forms: promising young players or a star player plus picks. For the Celtics, that could mean a package of Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart or flipping Kemba Walker (who is still nursing a balky knee post-stem cell injection) and trade ballast for the eight-time All-Star. After Brown's potent performance in the Celtics season-opener versus the Milwaukee Bucks, he appears to be ready for All-NBA consideration . His present contact where he will earn $28.4 million in the final season (2022-23) of his deal, may very well prove to be a bargain. Any talk about sending any of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown or Marcus Smart is just that - talk. I can't envision any members of this trio going elsewhere, even for James Harden. That leaves the only viable option sending Kemba Walker to Houston fo...

Once former Celtics coach, Doc Rivers , parted ways with the Los Angeles Clippers, it didn't take long for the Philadelphia 76'ers to latch onto him. His team takes the court tonight at 7:30 ET for an exhibition contest versus the Boston Celtics. Doc indicates it is all about conditioning, timing and pace - along with a large dose of 4-man, position-less basketball. We can assume that Philly center, Joel Embiid will reamain glued to the 5-spot ( per Philadelphia Enquirer's Keith Pompey ): They will run more pick-and-rolls under Rivers compared to the past seven seasons with Brett Brown. They’ll also run a motion offense with every position interchangeable besides the five spot. Right now, the offense is a day-to-day process. “Obviously, Shake [Milton] and Furkan [Korkmaz] being together,” he said, “I definitely want to see Tyrese [Maxey] with that group because of his ball-handling ability and his ability to shoot. Mike Scott has had a phenomenal training camp, not a ...

I just finished watching a rerun of the 1986 NBA Finals contest that resulted in Boston's 16th Banner. It was June 8, 1986 at Boston Garden, and this Game-6 pitted Houston's Twin-Tower front court of Hakeem Olajuwon and Ralph Sampson against the Celtics Big-3 of Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Larry Bird. The lessons from the contest follow: Try to draft as many Larry Birds as you can during your tenure as GM.  Larry outplayed both Hakeem and Ralph in this one. He had a triple-double of 29pts., 11 boards, 12 assists and three steals. He looked totally exhausted at the finish. He gave it eveerything he had. The Celtics game was all about ball-movement. Despite having the Big-3, there was no concerted push to get the ball inside to Robert Parish and Kevin McHale. And there was no running to the corners begging for the ball to launch a 3-pointer. As a matter of fact, at least once, Bird ran WITH the ball out to the corner to nail a trey. But he MOVED out there. Even Danny Ainge, a no...

As of this mornings ratings, FiveThirtyEight's poll has the Celtics with the best odds (21%) of winning the NBA Title. Boston also is rated as having the best shot (39%) of coming out of the East to challenge for the 2020 Championship. In the same analysis, the Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers are neck-and-neck with the second-best odds (18%) to win it all. The Lakers, however, are favored (32%) to win the Western Conference Finals, with the Clippers following at 29%. #BeatPhila 🧹✔️ Big fight vs Toronto ahead. Let‘s do this @celtics 🦾☘️ #BleedGreen #BubbleTheis pic.twitter.com/XFkrLO6e8k — Daniel Theis (@dtheis10) August 24, 2020 In the East, FiveThirtyEight gives the Toronto Raptors a 10% chance of garnering a Title this season, followed by the Milwaukee Bucks at 9%. The Celtics' manhandling of the Philadelphia 76'ers in their 4-game sweep played a large role in 538's predictions. The fact that the Rockets, Lakers and Clippers all appear to be vulnerable cert...

Brad Stevens continues to give his rookies playing time during critical junctures in games. It is obvious he is trying to determine what his rotations will look like for post-season play. Brad inserted Romeo Langford into the lineup at the 5:02 mark of the first quarter on Saturday against the Houston Rockets. Grant Williams came into the game two minutes later. The Celtics had been playing tight defense to that point, and both rookies did a credible job on that end of the court. The problem came on the offensive end. Langford went scoreless, missing both of his shots, while Williams scored two points, collected three boards and came away with a team-high plus/minus of +10. Brad Wanamaker added two points to the bench-total of four points in the Celtics 111-110 loss to Houston. Stevens chose to leave Enes Kanter on the bench for the entire game, and it is becoming obvious that, particularly with injuries a constant issue, lack of scoring from the bench will continue to haunt this ...

It is difficult to describe the roar of 20,000 frenzied fans perfectly synced - absolutely in unison - unless you are there. And I was. As guests of Eileen O'Malley (@eileenmomalley), the Boston Celtics and a wonderful gentleman by the name of Abdul Dramali (@Advil), my daughter, Lisa, and great grandson, Carson, were there with me with five seconds to go, and Boston down 104-101. Jayson Tatum purposely missed the second of two free throws - the rebound went to Jaylen Brown - who put up a 3-point shot that hit pay dirt as the buzzer sounded - tying the score at 104-104. The roar from the crowd was deafening. Brown's cold-blooded shot was number-one on NBA.Com's Plays-of-the-Week . Marcus Smart showing love for my great grandson, Carson Thomas Lane The video doesn't even come close to portraying the roar of 20,000 fans at TD Garden. Watch for my article very shortly. Jaylen Brown CRAZY BUZZER-BEATER vs Houston Rockets https://t.co/Ts1ljrUyaS via @YouTube — To...