Celtics ☘️ Sentinel

 The credit is somewhat dubious, but the origin of the alley-oop play probably started at the University of San Francisco with K C Jones lobbing the pass to Bill Russell for the slam (per Wikipedia): In the 1950s, some players began grabbing balls in mid-air and then  dunking .  K. C. Jones  and  Bill Russell  teamed up to perform the alley-oop several times while at the  University of San Francisco  in the mid-1950s. During their time with the Dons, Russell and Jones led the team to a then-record 55-game win streak  (including an undefeated 29–0 record during the  1955–56 season ) and helped pioneer a play that later became known as the  alley-oop . It makes sense. K C was an accomplished playmaker, and Russ was a leaper and amazingly athletic. Their USF teams were so powerful that it allowed experimentation without risking losses. It is notable that in the photo, K C is relegated to the back row - which brings me to the Basketbal...

The late KC Jones was definitely the right coach for Larry Bird and his cohorts in the mid-1980's. KC's fine manner and ability to handle men made him the right man to lead one of the most-talented, veteran teams in NBA history to success. Here is one interchange between Larry Bird and Jones - as told by KC himself - that illustrates the synergy between the two: (K C Jones): "Larry shooting a 3-pointer and then I call a timeout - and they didn't count the 3-pointer." "So he's pretty upset. So I (KC) diagrammed the play, and he (Larry) says "Heck with the play, Case, give me the ball and tell the rest of the guys to get out of the way." So I say, "shut up Larry, I'm the coach here." (KC than lays out the play)): "Okay, Dennis, you take the ball out - get it to Kevin - then throw it to Larry and everybody, get the Hell out of the way." K.C. Jones explains two Larry Bird stories . https://t.co/f6zSXWJnbx via @YouTube — ...

  "Hail fellow well met"  is an  English   idiom  used when referring to a person whose behavior is hearty, friendly, and congenial, in the affirmative sense. It took an excellent CelticsBlog article by Dan Kelley  to once again remind me why the hell K C Jones has not been inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach. Read Dan's article for many specifics. Both former Celtics coaches, Bill Fitch and Rick Pitino , are in the Hall as coaches. Why isn't K C there? I was never a fan of Fitch and still despise Pitino. Rick came close to ruining a treasured sports franchise (Celtics) and I didn't care for Bill - even though Larry Bird still showers praise on him. I first learned of Fitch's harsh treatment of his (then) assistant, K C Jones after reading Jones' book, Rebound . Fitch's abuse of K C was well-known ( per latimes.com's Thomas Bonk ): "Fitch had little use for K.C. Jones, who was one of his assistant coaches, but who succeeded...

 Let me decide the outcome of NbcSportsBoston's (partnered with Strat-0 -Matic ) " Settle the Argument" as to the top Celtics team of all time. The contest is down to the Semi-Finals with the 1972-73 team matched up against the 1985-86 crew. As much as I loved the '73 team , they have little chance of taking this. The starting-5 is undersized by any measuring stick. Dave Cowens (6'8.5"), Paul Silas (6'7"), John Havlicek (6'5"), Don Chaney (6'5") and JoJo White (6'3") matched up against Robert Parish (7'1"), Kevin McHale (6'10"), Larry Bird (6'9"), Danny Ainge (6'5") and Dennis Johnson (6'4") ? Despite their lack of size, the ' 73 Celtics get the nod on rebounding (total of 4,802) over the '86 crew (3807), but the latter group takes points, assists and field goal percentage.  Then there are the benches . Bird & Company had Bill Walton, Jerry Sichting and Scott Wedma...

 Flash back to the 1988 Celtics post-season . Coach K C Jones had his starters on the floor for major minutes. Larry Bird averaged 44.9 MPG - Kevin McHale logged 42.1 MPG - and Dennis Johnson went for 41.3 MPG in the playoffs. Robert Parish and Danny Ainge averaged 36.8 MPG and 39.4 MPG, respectively. How about rookie Reggie Lewis? He only saw the floor for an average of a paltry 5.8 minutes per contest. K C once responded to a question about his use of big minutes for his vets by stating that a team can not allow the opposition to gain any level of confidence . It appears Joe Mazzulla is following that same line of thinking. In Boston's convincing 119-106 win over the Hawks in Game-2 of the series, no one registed 40-or-more minutes, but the five starters all played between 32.0 MPG (Al Horford) to 39.3 MPG (Jayson Tatum) and remained on the floor with the game totally in hand by Boston .  Whether Mazzulla will continue this non-substitution strategy remains to be see...

 The late K C Jones said it best when asked why, as coach - when his team had a large lead - he played his seasoned vets big minutes and the youngsters hardly saw the floor . KC responded that when you have a lead, you simply can not allow the opposition to get the confidence to spur a comeback . In other words, when the enemy is down, keep them there. Celtics fans can assume present coach, Joe Mazzulla , has said similar things to his troops, but they fail to comply at the worst moments - like in last night's loss to the Nets after holding an early 28-point lead . Boston sports writers will blame the 19 turnovers - too much reliance on 3-pointers - not working the offensive boards , etc. Those are just symptoms of a bigger problem. Realizing Mazzulla is a rookie head coach, he still needs to demand his crew makes sure that the enemy never has a chance to "return from the dead" and crush The Green in their own home. Joe should make his guys watch each-and-every episo...

  Marcus Smart is not a "true" anything - except one Hell of a pro basketball player that does what is required to win games.  Boston has had its share of "traditional" point guards - Bob Cousy, K C Jones, JoJo White and Rajon Rondo , to name a few. But The Green fared quite well in the 80's with a non-traditional back court pairing of Dennis Johnson and Danny Ainge . The Celtics even tried Kyrie Irving and Kemba Walker in that role, both of which, for varioous reasons, didn't work out. Now comes Smart at the point - with a lot of fans, analysts and sports writers naysaying the trial as a future failed venture. Why? Because supposedly, the Celtics needed a true point guard to guide them - not some defensive specialist whose offensive game often sputtered. All that has changed. Marcus Smart is orchestrating a team that has the best record (17-4) in the NBA and often produces vibes of being able to waltz into possession of the 2023 Championship trophy. Marc...

 The Celtics system designed by Danny Ainge, Brad Stevens and Ime Udoka relies heavily on switching defense, meaning guys with sufficient size and strength to handle the task. At 6'1" and 195 pounds, Payton Pritchard may seem out of place . The stats for the post-season, and the eye test, indicate otherwise. Although Payton is averaging only 13.6 minutes per game in the playoffs, his per-36-minutes stats reveal : 14.5 PPG - 5.5 RPG - 4.8 APG - 0.6 TOsPG - plus/minus of +9.5 - 46.5% FG - 37.7% 3s Admittedly, Pritchard's lack of size is sometimes exposed on the defensive end , but he can score from anywhere - takes care of the ball (0.6 turnovers per game) - and works hard on defense . He can get exposed on Ime Udoka's plan to switch one-through-five, but this kid belongs in the League . So what happens from here? That may depend on the outcome of this season. Has the "Little Guy" in Boston become a thing of the past. I hope not . Memories of Bob Cousy, K C...

 The 1965-66 Celtics big-minutes quintet screamed DEFENSE. The 2021-22 crew has a few vibes of that 5-some. Boston fans can expect to see Marcus Smart, Derrick White, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum and Rob Williams close out a lot of games from here on in. That unit checks all of the boxes for interior-and-perimeter defense . The offense remains a bit of a question. The Championship 1965-66 Celtics team included K C Jones, Sam Jones, John Havlicek, Satch Sanders and Bill Russell. Russ, KC and Satch were primarily defensive specialists who only combined for 34.1 points per game during the regular season. Havlicak, who was also a defensive nightmare for opponents, and Sam were the main scorers, combining for 42.3 PPG. This clearly defines what Celtics opponents face. Just a few vibes of the 60's - The Jones Boys & Siegfried in the back-court - Hondo and Satch in the front-court - & Russ waiting for anyone seriously considering heading to the hoop. https://t.co/XOjK8Ieyog ...

  I could not have said it better myself. Adapting to change is critical for survival and maintaining quality of life.  What more does Marcus Smart have to do to gain more acceptance from fans?  He has been Boston's main facilitator since the departure of Kyrie Irving and Kemba Walker . He has seen the error of his ways and cut down the number of heaves-from-distance he attempts, and his assists are up . His 9.9 field goal attempts per game this season are the lowest in the past three seasons, and since his return to action, he has only attempted an average of 6.5 shots per game over the last three games.. Also, in that same span, he has averaged 6.8 assists per game and a plus/minus of +23.3 . Red Auerbach said it. You can't make a shooter out of a non-shoote r. Marcus' accuracy from range will never be all that great, but his skills, fire, desire and toughness fit this team like a glove .  Quick question? How many field goal attempts and assists did 8-time NBA Ch...

           Sam Jones was an amazing player and winner on the basketball court. He was a part of the Boston Celtics when they were the most dominant team in basketball history . No team in the NBA had a run like they did, winning 8 titles in a row and no team will ever come close to that. Another measure of a man is his service to his country and Sam served the US Army for two years.       Sam was part of the the dynamic duo of the Jones boys alongside KC in Boston. Sam was there for ten NBA title teams from 59 to 66 as well as 68 and 69. His role on those teams was of huge significance during those magical runs. He was a five time All Star . He was named to the NBA's 25th and 50th anniversary teams. His number 24 is hanging in the Boston Garden. Sam "Mr Buckets" Jones is in the Basketball Hall of Fame. Jones was part of the first all black starting five in NBA history!       Sam's ability on the floor gave him the ...

     Why is  KC Jones  so underrated as a player and a coach even though he won in every level plus the fact he's in the Basketball Hall of Fame .        KC Jones as a player had an amazing career. He was a two time college basketball champion . He was also an 8 time NBA champion as well. His number was retired in college as well as the NBA. Talk about a player who performed his best when it mattered, winning all those titles in the NBA. A player who stood out with teammates that consisted of Bill Russell, Sam Jones , and so many other Hall of Fame players.       Let's look at his NBA career as a coach. He was a two time assistant on championship winning teams in 72 and 81. As a head coach he led two of the most talented Boston Celtics and NBA teams of all time in 84 and 86 to NBA Championships.. Talk about having the ability to lead some of the greatest NBA players of all time in Larry Bird , Kevin McHale and Robert Pa...

Whatever you hear or read about the late K C Jones, the word "gentleman" is going to be in there. And he was far more than that prior to his recent death on Christmas Day, 2020.  K C was quiet and dignified, and individuals of that ilk often get lost in the shuffle of modern hype and over-reaction. How important was he in the world of basketball and the Celtics winning ways specifically? ( per Wikipedia ): Jones is one of only eight players in basketball history to have won an NCAA championship, an NBA championship, and an Olympic gold medal,  joining  Bill Russell ,  Magic Johnson ,  Michael Jordan ,  Jerry Lucas ,  Clyde Lovellette ,  Quinn Buckner , and  Anthony Davis . In NBA history, only his former teammates Russell (11 championships) and  Sam Jones  (10) have won more championships during their playing careers. I was fortunate enough to watch Jones on the parquet, starting in the early 1960's. He had taken up the unenviable t...