Celtics ☘️ Sentinel

  The Good Kemba Walker was on target. He was high-scorer for Boston with 32 points on 53% shooting from the field. And he did more than just hit his shots, coming away with six boards and three assists. He, and the team, needed this game from him. The bench came through. Payton Pritchard (30 minutes, nine points, four rebounds, team-high plus/minus of + 13), Jeff Teague (14 points) and Rob Williams (see next paragraph) all contributed to the victory. Adjusting Rob Williams minutes to the 37 played by Myles Turner , TIMELORD's numbers project to 27 points, 19 rebounds, seven assists, two steals and five blocks . Turner had 17 points, 10 boards, one steal and three blocks. Make what you wish from that.  The Bad Marcus Smart remains out of action with a calf tear/sprain. It is uplifting for fans that the Celtics took the win from an Eastern Conference rival without The Wolverine on the court, but this injury worries me. His grade 1 sprain tore some micro muscle fibers. If ...

After the 96-93 loss last night to the Detroit Pistons, the Celtics remain immersed in mediocrity with a record of 3-3. It is obvious that they miss Gordon Hayward - lost to free agency - but it is Kemba Walker's lingering knee injury that is keeping them from a consistent winning record. Let's face it, the present Celtics squad needs to play more team ball. They ranked 25th last season with 23.0 assists per game. This year, The Green rank 22nd at 22.5 APG . Thus far, they lost a combined nine APG from Hayward and Walker, but Marcus Smart has ably picked up facilitation duties, and Jeff Teagues addition has helped in that category. Two of the main culprits keeping Boston from winning more games are the teams inability (or unwillingness) to hit the boards and its ineffectiveness in putting points on the board. They ranked 8th in the NBA last season in rebounds/game , averaging 46.1 RPG. They are mired at 24th place this year, pulling down only 42.3 RPG . The team misses En...

The 3-point shot's introduction into the NBA is a classic case of too much of anything being a bad thing. Used in moderation, it adds entertainment value and helps keep teams in contention in the closing minutes of tight games. The Boston Celtics supplied a glut of treys in their two Exhibition games - lost both contests - and bored and disappointed  the Hell out of most Celtics fans. The Green hoisted 39 3-pointers in the loss to Philadelphia, only hitting on 11 of them - for a 28.2% accuracy rate. It got worse in the defeat at the hands of the much-maligned Kyrie Irving and his Brooklyn Nets. In that game, the Celtics "threw up" 45 (yes, 45) attempts and made only eight of them, probably causing some watchers to contemplate "throwing up" themselves. A 17.8% accuracy rate for shots beyond the arc? Pitiful! Who were the main offenders? That included just about everyone except Jeff Teague who was a perfect 5-of-5 over the 2-games. Jayson Tatum hit only a combined...

The Boston Celtics lost to Philadelphia last night, 108-99, but the defeat hardly matters. Brad Dtevens experimented big-time with his lineups, and here are my 10 takeaways from the contest: Payton Pritchard looked like he has been in the League for 3-or-4 years It wasn't just the rookie's stats that stood out (16 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block) in only 22 minutes. He played like a veteran out there. At one point when he was at the free throw line, I saw that "nothing-is-going-to-stop-me" look that Dave Cowens aften displayed. This kid is a keeper. Brad Stevens is experimenting big-time in Exhibition Season We saw a lot of small-ball in last night/s game versus Philadelphia. At one juncture, Brad put out a quintet of Tremont Waters (5'10"), Carsen Edwards (5'11"), Pritchard (6'1"), Aaron Nesmith (6'6") and Grant Williams (6'6").   Jeff Teague proved himself to be a wise addition Teague scored a team-high 18 points ...

Bringing in Jeff Teague as some guard depth this year could end up being a monumental move for this year's Celtics team. Teague is a well respected veteran in the league, and having gone to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2015 with the Atlanta Hawks, knows what it takes to win tough games. Here's a brief look at why I think Jeff will be a great fit with the C's Every Celtics fan loves Marcus Smart , due to everything he brings to the table, from the defensive intensity to scoring outbursts. For all the good things he does, Marcus excels off ball, and can have his effectiveness diminished when he is forced to be a primary ball handler. He is often pigeon-holed into that role with the second unit (or when Kemba is out), and Teague's addition will hopefully allow him to play more off-ball and maximize his abilities.  At the deadline last year, Teague was traded to the Atlanta Hawks to play alongside Trae Young. His usage rate and effectiveness dipped considerably, as he ...

Rookies don't usually start games unless their names happened to be Larry Bird or Magic Johnson. And Brad Stevens is not high on major playing time for first-year guys anyway, so why broach this? Because the Celtics have needed a constant-motion shooting wing for a long time. I mean someone with reasonable size and mobility that never stops moving without the ball and has the capacity to handle the pass for a stop-and-pop or move to the basket.  That is what Nesmith is known for. Can he handle a starting assignment? I don't know, but it needs to be tried. Newly-acquired Jeff Teague has been projected by some to start in place of the injured Kemba Walker at the PG spot, but my choice is Marcus Smart, alongside the Jay Team and Daniel Theis or Tristan Thompson.  Brad Stevens may be a brilliant coach, but he can never be labeled as bold or remarkably innovative. Put Aaron at the SF spot - keep him in there despite miscues that may occur - and run some plays for him to see what he...

The real test for NBA players and their teams comes in the playoffs, not the regular season. Summer League, exhibitions and regular-season play are simply a prelude to the main event. That's why Danny Ainge picked up Tristan Thompson and Jeff Teague. Sure, his team needed more help in the middle and at the point, but both Thompson and Teague have been battle-tested repeatedly in the post-season. The Celtics have one of the youngest rosters in the NBA. That can work very well for long-term success but can be a negative issue once the real competition starts, and that means the 2021 playoffs. Besides being post-season vets, Tristan is 29 years old and Jeff is 32. Age doesn't have a lot of positive gifts with it, but it does bring more wisdom and balance. Both attributes help a lot in the pressure cooker atmosphere of playoff competition. Will this all work as early as this season? Well, Danny has learned patience, but the Celtics 12-year Title drought may be gnawing at him. I env...

As a 3-year supporter of Gordon Hayward's stint in Boston, I now say goodbye. I believe Charlotte overspent with their $120 million/4 year offer, and the Hayward "family" decision to depart Beantown was made in error. Time to move on. With Hayward bound elsewhere, and the free agent market looking like the Sahara desert, I remain optimistic. I never envisioned Danny Ainge as a Red Auerbach successor, but Danny has done quite well. Don't give up on The Green. — Tom Lane (@CelticsSentinel) November 21, 2020 I have argued all along that  five tweaks to the Celtics roster  would put The Green back in the Finals, and Danny Ainge wasted no time in doing so. Cleveland center, Tristan Thompson, is coming on board via free agency with a $19 million deal spread over two years, although many Bostonians seem to favor the potential arrival of Khloe Kardashian.   The 29-year-old, 1-time NBA Champ averaged 30.2 MPG, 12.0 PPG, 10.1 RPG and 2.1 APG last season. He projects to b...