Celtics ☘️ Sentinel

 The Milwaukee Bucks ended up reportedly sending Giannis Antetokounmpo to the Miami Heat. Rumors are that the Celtics' Brad Stevens was unwilling to deal away Hugo Gonzalez and/or Baylor Scheierman, in addition to Jaylen Brown . As usual, Stevens sees the whole picture and is looking to the foreseeable future - as well as the coming season.  Brad did not capture the Exec-of-the-Year without a solid basis for the award. The Boston Celtics may be the most-successful franchise in sports history, and he fits Boston like a glove. Miami was looking for the best deal possible, and that apparently included acquiring a couple of talented young guys from the Boston ranks. Boston didn’t want to give up Hugo Gonzalez AND Baylor Scheierman on top of Jaylen Brown & two first-round picks they offered to Milwaukee. (via @ShamsCharania ) pic.twitter.com/mVcjfgoCu8 — Polymarket Hoops (@PolymarketHoops) June 23, 2026 Stevens is looking down the road . He obviously feels both Hugo and B...

  Pat Riley got his wish. Giannis Antetokounmpo will reportedly join Bam Adebayo in Miami, with the Bucks'  Tyler Herro, Jaime Jaquez and Kel'el Ware ending up in Milwaukee. . "The Celtics were not willing to part with enough young players and assets to get a deal done." @ShamsCharania says Boston offered Jaylen Brown and two first-round picks for Giannis Antetokounmpo before he was traded to Miami 👀 pic.twitter.com/WvGCveMwjE — NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) June 23, 2026 So the drama centered around "The Greek Freak"  possibly going to the Boston Celtics has ended, Celtics fans can be assured that Brad Stevens is not done constructing his 2026-27 squad. Granted, Giannis remains a top-tier talent in the NBA, but less-radical moves may be in store for perhaps the most-storied  franchise in sports history. In the end, Pat Riley apparently has assembled a potent front-court duo in "The Freak" and Bam, but a few questions remain about Giannis' age,...

 Miami Heat Coach, Eric Spoelstra , believes the Celtics Derrick White is the most-underrated player in the NBA. He may be correct, but Boston's 6'4",  do-everything guard must be getting used to the tag. In high school, he was a 6-foot combo guard that did not get a ton of attention from colleges. But Colorado-Colorado Springs gave him a room-and-board stipend . He grew three inches prior to playing for UCCS - and he was on his way. Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra on Derrick White: “I think Derrick White is the most underrated player in the league.” pic.twitter.com/PRQtoA3qbE — 𝙟𝙗 (@lockedupjb) March 15, 2025 But the underrated tag hung on to him . In the 2017 NBA draft he lasted until the 29th-overall pick and went to the San Antonio Spurs. The Celtics were sharp enough to trade for him in 2022, sending Josh Richardson, Romeo Langford , a draft pick (and draft swap) to the Spurs. White is averaging 16.7 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 4.4 APG, 1.0 SPG and 1.1 BPG this season ,...

  Where is the drama in this season's version of the Boston Celtics? Hell, the major story may be the lingering Kristaps Porzingis injury , but fans are (sadly) getting used to that. The past drama of Payton Pritchard wanting more playing time or a trade has faded - with the 6'1" combo guard proving he was right all along . Despite starting zero games this season, he places fifth in minutes per game (28.6 MPG) on the team. He is having a great season. The Celtics have no one whining about wanting (demanding?) a trade a la the Heat's Jimmy Butler . And there is zero chance of Joe Mazzulla getting canned early in the season - as did the King's Mike Brown. Boston was slated to have a fine season, and they now sit with the third-best record in the League. Despite a dip to mediocrity over the past 10 games (6-4 record) , they are 3-0 in their last three contests. But today, they face the team with the second-best record - the Oklahoma City Thunder, winners of their...

  Let me be "blunt"  (correct pronunciation of Blount)! Mark Blount was never a favorite of mine when he played for the Boston Celtics. He was the 54th pick in the 1997 NBA draft by Seattle and played for the American minor Leagues for three seasons before signing with Boston for the 2000-2001 season . The stats for the rookie center were hardly noteworthy (3.9 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 1.2 BPG)) and they dropped significantly in his sophomore season with the Celtics (2.1 PPG, 1.9 RPG, 0.4 BPG). Possibly feeling he wasn't being used correctly in Beantown, he signed with the Nuggets in 2002 , but was traded back to Boston in 2003 . For some unknown reason, the Celtics decided to offer Blount a 6 year/$41 million deal starting in the 2004-05 season. Perhaps it is the fact that Mark came to Boston after Bill Russell, Dave Cowens and Robert Parish had terminated their NBA careers, but I never favored Blount as an acceptable center for the Celtics. His play always seemed lethargic a...

 Celtics sophomore, Jordan Walsh , is off to a bad start in Summer League competition. His averages in the two games thus far are as follows: 25.5 MPG - 6.5 PPG - 5.5 RPG - 1.5 APG - 2.0 SPG - 1.0 BPG - 25% FG - 0% (0-of-11) on 3s But at least in Game #2, a win for Boston versus the Lakers, Walsh fared somewhat better than in the Game-1 loss to the Heat. So he may be settling in and not forcing his offense. His Game-2 points, rebounds, assists, steals, field goal percentage and plus/minus all improved over Game-1.  Tonight's contest against Charlotte will have some importance for Jordan. Despite his 4-year contract with the Celtics (year #4 is a team option) , he will have competition as backup wing for Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Sam Hauser. And he knows it. But that is what Summer League is all about . Walsh seemingly is desperately trying to participate in more Celtics games this season. He appeared in only nine Celtics games in his rookie season, spending most of his...

 It's already out there. The vibes are resounding that the Boston Celtics , mostly due to key injuries to members of opposing teams, have had - and will have - an easy path - at least to the NBA Finals ( per nytimes.com ): "Boston faced a  Miami Heat  team without  Jimmy Butler . Now, it’s facing a  Cavaliers  team that misses  Jarrett Allen  and just had to sit Mitchell because of his knee. Also, this is a Cleveland team that gave away  the worst t-shirts ever  used as promo. Assuming the Celtics take care of business in the next game or two ( they beat Cleveland 109-102  last night to move to 3-1 in the series), they will face either a  young, inexperienced Pacers team  with one of the worst defenses we’ve ever seen, or an  extremely banged-up Knicks squad  missing at least two starters." No kidding! Since when has good luck not been a requirement for bringing the Championship Trophy back to your home city? G...

 I'm talking about the Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers . The Lakers camp has been favored by NBA stars for decades , with the likes of Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Shaquille O'Neal and Lebron James ending up there. The sun, warmth, bright lights and chances for off-court stardom beckoned. And both Shaq and Lebron also played for the Miami Heat . The warmth, beaches and night life were calling. And I almost forgot they played together for Cleveland, forgoing the warmth and beaches for a bit. Well, it's 2024, and both teams have been eliminated from the post-season, and I love it . The Lakers won't acquire their Banner 18 prior to the Boston Celtics doing the same, and apparently the sun and nightlife of Miami wasn't enough to cure the ailments of Jimmy Butler and Terry Rozier . The current Celtics team doesn't have any classic "Ring Shoppers" in the fold. No member of The Green is known for constantly seeking supposed greener pastures.  Ok...

 My followers are aware that one of my passions is the study, and practice, of survival skills . As a cop, I battled fists, clubs, knives, guns and personal attacks by (supposed) friends and foes alike. And cursed by horrible genetics, I still am into my eighth decade on planet earth . Now to the 2023-24 Boston Celtics, who just eliminated a nemesis in the form of the Miami Heat. This Boston crew was assembled by the the newly-anointed NBA Exec-of-the-Year, Brad Stevens . The additions of Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Holiday and Derrick White were masterful moves.  With Porzingis out of action with a calf ailment, Al Horford stepped into the starting lineup and 12 Celtics players saw action in the victory. Injuries happen, but unless The Green see an injury plague descend, they should weather every storm in this post-season . T hey should survive, and Banner 18 is within their grasp. It seems that Red Auerbach's team-construction talents were passed down to (first) Danny Ainge ...

 Particularly with the Boston-Miami rivalry in full swing, it was amazing to see so many Heat fans at the Kaseya Center in full "White Hot" garb (per NBA.com ): "The coolest thing about White Hot is HEAT Fans understanding the power of their solidarity. When everyone dresses in white for HEAT Playoff games, they become a collective unit—one incredibly loud voice that creates the atmosphere and energy that can help make a difference in the outcome of a game.:"  There you have it. "One incredibly loud voice that creates the atmosphere and energy that can help make a difference in the outcome of a game" Those Miami fans   simply knew that that the Celtics Derrick White was going to have a career night, and the white shirts predicted that Derrick White was going to be "White Hot" and lead his team to victory. White finished Boston's 102-88 victory over Miami in Game-4 with 3 8 points - on 57.7% accuracy from the field and 53.3% from the hinterl...

 I wrote recently on the low combined number of assists (4) by the Jay Team in the Game-2 loss to Miami - in addition to the need for improved focus on the offensive glass by the entire Celtics team. Well, in Boston's convincing 104-84 win over the Heat last night in Game-3, there is little doubt that improvement in both categories helped get the win . Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown combined for nine assists (6 for Tatum, 3 for Brown) , and 10 of the Celtics 43 rebounds were off the offensive glass .  One of Jayson's assists stood ou t for me. At the 6:58 mark of the second quarter, Tatum whipped a pass to a cutting Sam Hauser under the hoop for the score. It brought back memories of Dennis Johnson repeatedly making the same pass to a cutting Larry Bird under the hoop. Derrick White led the way with three offensive boards . That guy never takes a play off. Al Horford, Jaylen Brown and Payton Pritchard followed with two offensive rebounds each . Opponents never seem to n...

Guest article by "The Sports Machine with Slim"  HEY CELTICS FANS! All of you. Yes even the ones who come on here just to complain even when we win. I need all of your eyes here please. We all want the Celtics to win banner 18. We may argue about how to get there and whether or not Jayson Tatum can get it done in a close game. We might not agree on Mazzulla being a championship level coach. And we might actually not even really like one another in real life. But we have a common goal. Let's come together for the next two months. Please. Let's join as one to lift this incredible regular season team to new playoff highs. Honestly, I'm not sure this group of players can do it without us. Here are the facts: The Celtics were 6-3 on the road in the playoffs last year. They were 5-6 at home in those same playoffs. Now this year they are 1-1 at home against an 8 seed that is without their best player. These Celtics are immature and they need our help. This ain't the ...

 The reasons behind the Celtics unexpected loss to the Miami Heat in Game-2 have all been discussed. Stifling Miami defense and dead-eye accuracy from the hinterlands  and Porzingis having trouble receiving passes and getting open, etc. But how about only three assists from Jayson Tatum and a meager one assist from Jaylen Brown . Hell, Miami's Tyler Herro had 14 assists all by himself in the win - and s till managed a team-high 24 points - while hitting 7-of-13 from the field and 6-of-11 on threes. Let's go back to the 1986 Celtics post-season . Larry Bird, from the forward position, averaged 8.2 assists-per-game. Even Kevin McHale, alias "The Black Hole", averaged 2.7 APG.   This is hardly an indictment against The Jay Team. The point is simply that they have seasoned scorers on the floor with them, and as good as Jaylen and Jayson are, Jrue Holiday, Derrick White and Al Horford need more looks - even in clutch time. Miami Coach, Eric Spoelstra , may be trying to ...

 It was apparent from the start that the Miami Heat were not giving away anything to the Celtics . Their defense was versatile and stifling.  But few expected their shooting display from the hinterlands in the Heat's 111-101 defeat of Boston . They hit on 23-of-43 shots from deep for a 53.5 percentage. In the regular season , they only attempted an average of 33.7 3-pointers per game, making 12.5 of them (37.0%) . What also didn't help the Celtics cause was Kristaps Porzingis having an off-shooting night . He was 1-of-9 from the field and 0-of-4 from long range for a total of six points . He did fine in the other categories, however, with eight rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocks. And give credit to T yler Herro and his 24 points, five boards and 14 assists. He lived up to his name . So it's on to Miami with the series tied 1-1. Home court has once again been negated versus the Miami Heat - in a series that many felt would be a sweep by Boston - particul...

 Where do I start? Flashback to Game-5 of the 1991 Celtics-Pacers playoff series . Larry Bird spent the night before the game in traction with a spine ailment - was there for opening tap - and during one play, hit his head on the floor so hard, his head bounced. He was forced to head to the locker room with a fractured cheekbone, and possible concussion, but returned to the court with an astounding roar from the crowd . Boston took the game and the series as I watched every minute of the contest on TV. Now to the present. I have rightfully been critical of Jayson Tatum for his frequent complaints to officials . But after the hard foul on him by Caleb Martin in Game-1 of the Celtics-Heat series - and Jayson's quick bounce-back from the floor - and what could have been a serious injury - I saw a guy that is ready to be an on-court leader for his team. That is my focus. I am rightfully proud of Jayson - the entire Celtics team - and the coaches and execs. Not one of the folks conne...

Guest article by "The Sports Machine with Slim"  Let’s Go Celtics FANS! I hear the chant in the TD Garden all the time.  “Let’s Go CEL-TICS!” It’s catchy. It’s easy to say. And it’s on the jumbotron with the accompanying drumbeat so we all know the rhythm to say it to. It’s also old and played out. So I’m gonna make a little alteration: “Let’s Go Cel-tics – FANS!” It is obvious to anyone with two eyeballs that the fans are making a difference in the NBA. Heading into last night’s games, the home team had been 10-0 in the playoffs. Home court matters. Boston fans like to feel as though our home crowd advantage is something special. That isn’t really the case though. The Celtics are 12-12 in their last 24 playoff games in Boston . #NotGoodEnough Do I blame the Boston fans for our home court playoff mediocrity? No. The players are the ones shooting the shots. But I will say this: The fans can make a difference. I saw it two nights ago. The New York Knicks fans 100% absolutely wo...

  Jayson Tatum has a bad rap of complaining too much to the refs on call and non-calls. But a hard late-game hard foul on Tatum by Caleb Martin - and Jayson's (non) response - is a turning point for him in my mind. After being undercut by Martin in Boston's win over the Heat last night, Tatum hit the floor really hard - and I fully expected him to be injured or to dramatize it. Neither happened. Instead, the Celtics main star jumped quickly to his feet and walked away. No faking an injury. No complaining. No confrontation with Martin. No fisticuffs and an ejection. His (non) actions were so "Larry Bird-like". Could this be a turning point for Jayson Tatum? I think so. What we saw was a mature superstar reacting as such. He left the confrontations to his teammate, Jaylen Brown, who in turn picked up a technical foul - as did Caleb Martin. Congrats, Jayson, on all of that. Oh, and also on your triple-double.

Guest article by "The Sports Machine with Slim"  Celtics Fans - Let's Get Busy! Today the Boston Celtics kick off what should be an amazing playoff run. We are the most talented team in the league and we have gotten the benefit of an incredibly easy draw. Jimmy Butler is down, and after we beat the Heat, Cleveland or Orlando will await us. Please excuse me while I laugh. If the Celtics come with the right effort level, there is no way on God's green earth that any of those teams can beat us four out of seven games. Zero percent chance. But what if the Celtics DONT come with the right intensity and effort? What if Jayson Tatum doesn't hustle back on D and instead chooses to whine at officials like he has done for most of his career? What if Jaylen Brown chooses to dribble too much and makes untimely turnovers like he has done for most of HIS career? And what if Kristaps Porzingis turns into the soft unicorn that he has been for most of his career? What will happ...

Guest article by "The Sports Machine with Slim" If you are like me, you are a hard core, long time Celtics fan who is incredibly optimistic that this season is going to end in a NBA championship. We are definitely the most talented team in the league. Jayson Tatum is playing at an MVP level. Jaylen Brown has been incredible since the all-star break. Derrick White does everything great. Jrue competes on the defensive end and doesn’t turn the ball over. Porzingis is one of the best post up players in all of basketball. Heck, we even have Al Horford fresh, hungry, and happily coming off the bench. But yet I still worry. If you are like me, you worry too. The Celtics have let us down in recent years when the times got tough. *In 2018 (Tatum’s rookie year), the Celtics scored 79 points in a Game 7 Eastern Conference Finals loss vs Cleveland. *In 2020, the Miami Heat beat us in an Eastern Conference Finals (in the bubble) in which we were definitely the better team. *In 2022, we bl...

 After winning 11 games in a row - and destroying a Warriors team that was on a roll - Celtics fans may have seen the last of that "bad day at work" mindset we heard about after l osses versus weaker teams. During the winning streak, Jayson Tatum and company not only have not taken a single game off - they have appeared to not even have taken a single play off. The final score of 140-88 doesn't tell the whole story from Sunday's dissection of Steph Curry's Warriors. It started with the Celtics relentless defense . Golden State shot 39.1% from the field and 17.1% on 3-pointers. The Green gave "no quarter" to Steph and his crew. Conversely, Boston shot 55.2% on field goals and 51.0% from the hinterlands . The Green have shooters galore and defense that looks like it was programmed with a computer.   This is not the team we saw fall to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Finals last year - nor the Boston crew we saw lose in the 2022 Finals to the Warri...