Celtics ☘️ Sentinel

  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...

  "Leadership"? "Kyrie Irving"? In the same sentence? Yup, I said it. Former-Celtic, Kyrie Irving, has found a secure home with the Dallas Mavericks and basketball fans have never seen the level of maturity the "Master-of-handles" has displayed in the "Big D". So, no longer will my readers see headlines such as what I wrote a year ago: "Kyrie me no Irvings" -- Tom Lane It starts with his stats, but that is only part of the story. In last night's win over the Timberwolves in Game-1 of the West Finals, Irving came away with 30 points, five rebounds and four assists. He continually wormed his way through the Minnesota defense, hitting on 12-of-23 from the field. His scoring and efficiency were critical in the Dallas victory. "We had a lot of long meetings with J-Kidd… Once I saw we had a chance, I was like well I’m not going to take this for granted, so every single day I remind those guys what it’s like to fail, what it’s like...

 The Boston Celtics have the best record in the East (15-5, .750) and the second-best in the NBA to the Minnesota Timberwolves (16-4), but still have trouble closing games in Clutch Time . In the final five minutes of a game -and the score within five points - Boston has a 7-4 record (.636) , not up to par with their overall record. Lack of ball movement, slow pace and turnovers seem to play a role.  In Clutch Time, The Green rank 20th in Assist-To-Turnover rate, 24th in Turnover Percentage and 28th in Pace. In other words, they slow the pace down - don't distribute the ball enough - and lose the ball when they do pass. To simplify, the Celtics may very well be the best team in the NBA, but they still get rattled with the game on the line. Jayson Tatum, Jrue Holiday and Jaylen Brown all make the "Top-100" (in that order) for turnovers in Clutch Time . There is no main culprit there. The Celtics choke a bit as a team with the game in question. They need to get better w...

  Yes, I get it! Kevin Love is reportedly negotiating a buyout from the Cleveland Cavaliers ansd is possibly heading to Miami . After many seasons in Minnesota and Cleveland, he may want to spend his time in a warm part of the planet. Love is basically a California guy - the nephew of the Beach Boys Mike Love - but how about the East Coast. How about Boston . The 5-time All-Star is not done yet. He already has one Champiopnship ring when he paired with Lebron James in Cleveland. Kevin has always been a solid guy on the boards and possesses one of the most-effective outlet passes I have witnessed . And he can score from anywhere on the court ( per Wikipedia ): "His (Love's) middle name, Wesley, is in honor of  Wes Unseld , the former  Washington Bullets  center and the Loves' family friend." Love has seen limited floor time lately, but he was runner-up for Sixth-Man-of-the-Year last season, averaging 13.6 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game. I have al...

 In his post-game interview, Celtics Coach Joe Mazzulla looked somewhat uncomfortable when questioned about his team's propensity for taking 3-pointers - even when they aren't falling. Despite the 121-109 win for Boston, the guys in green only hit 28% (13-of-46) on treys . But the rookie head coach finally got down to the nitty gritty with one statement that clearly defines his crew: "If we're physically and mentally tougher - and we work at it - the talent will take care of itself!" AMEN to that! Mazzulla, without specifically saying it, knows his guys take their feet off the gas peda l too often, particularly of late - and the losses pile up. After closely watching six decades of Celtics stars come and go, I label the talent level on the 2022-23 crew as very high-level . And the SYNERGY  between the various players can make Mazzulla's team almost omnipotent. But the physicality and mental toughness are too-often not on display. That is the issue. Take fi...

          1st Quarter       Robert Williams Continues his growth        RWill continues his maturation, it is truly something that we should embrace. The way his game has elevated is a true joy for Celtics fans. Every year every season he grows into a true basketball big. Honestly when we drafted him I was pumped and he has not disappointed.        Al being back brings comfort         Isn't it nice to have the steady comfort of Al being back in the line up. Als play this year has been spectacular! He seems like a young 35 at this point. He's setting great screens, fighting for rebounds, and passing the ball like a pro. On the offensive end he's getting to the hoop, he's posting up, and hitting threes. Gotta love Al!       Overall not very pleased with how this game is evolving. Both teams seem to be playing at a mediocre level. This needs to be a JB or PP gam...

  The Boston Celtics have added a Spaniard by the name of Juancho Hernangomez to the roster. What can fans expect from Beantown's version of "The Spaniard" ? I have little idea, and neither does anyone else. The 6'9" forward has been playing professional basketball since the age of 17 , and now at 25 years of age, he will be part of a team that is looking to survive, and hopefully thrive in, the 2021-22 season. Since the Celtics now have acquired "The Spaniard", I thought it appropriate to remind players & fans: "Whatever comes out of these gates ..., if we stay together, we survive." Team play works. Gladiator Move Clip - Work Together https://t.co/ilo4yMgyGY via @YouTube — Tom Lane (@CelticsSentinel) September 14, 2021 Love the movie, Gladiator   Hate the ending. But here's hoping the coming season ends well for The Green. Getting back to Juan, his best season occurred in 2019-20 with Minnesota , and the first hint with his seems t...

       In yet another move, the Celtics have acquired Juancho Hernangomez from the Memphis Grizzlies for Kris Dunn, Carsen Edwards, and a second round pick . Brad Stevens and the front office team have not stopped this off-season.       Most Celtics fans expected that Kris Dunn would be moved in a deal. Celtics fans were feeling this was Carsens last chance and they were right. Carsen never materialized into that guy off the bench. The question now is where does Juancho fit in to this year's team? Some might say he reminds them of Jonas Jerebko. Another big who has length and he's only 25. A guy who can space the floor for the Jays!  The 6'9", 214-pound Spanish import had his best partial season with Minnesota in the 2019-20 season, averaging 28.4 MPG, 12.9 PPG and 7.3 RPG . He can play both forward positions.      Needless to say this off-season for the Celtics has been busy! Question is, are they done? ! 

        Kevin Garnett was intense (but you knew that), versatile, and a defensive monster and one of the greatest power forwards of all time! He brought a fire to the Celtics they were lacking and changed how things were done when he was traded to the Celtics. In that trade the Celtics gave up Al Jefferson, Ryan Gomes, Sebastian Telfair, Gerald Green, and Theo Ratlif, the most players given up for one player in NBA history. Celtics fans will say that was the most lopsided deal ever and they won the trade!       Before he became a Celtic he lead the Wolves to eight straight playoffs and the 2004 Western Conference Finals. He is one of only five players to be win the MVP and Defensive Player of the Year . He in fact was the first Celtic to ever win that award and think about that given their stories history. During the Celtics Game-6 Clincher vs the Lakers, he scored 26 points and had 14 rebounds. During that special year he and the great Bill Russ...

Jaylen Brown took scoring honors versus the Knicks on April 7, 2021 with 32 points . Last night - two days later - his Jay Team partner, Jayson Tatum , countered by pouring in a team-high 53 points against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Both contests were much-needed wins for the Celtics. Boston took the game last night by a score of 145-136 in overtime. Flashback to March 3, 1985. Kevin McHale scored a Celtics then-record 56 points in a game against the Detroit Pistons. That record didn't last long . None days later, Larry Bird put on one of the most awesome offensive displays ever witnessed, breaking McHale's record by lighting up the Atlanta Hawks for 60 points . Larry graciously acknowledged his teammates : “Sixty points is awful tough to get and you can’t do it without the help of your teammates”, Bird said in a post-game interview. Bird's 60 points topped McHale's 56 only 9 days later. Tatum's 53 points beats Brown's 32 points 2 days later. Look for my ar...

In the end, the Boston Celtics simply had too many weapons in their arsenal, taking out the injury-depleted Minnesota Timberwolves, 127-117. Minnesota was without center Karl-Anthony Towns, on the shelf with an injury, and Boston was missing Kemba Walker due to knee soreness. But Kemba's absence didn't matter. The Celtics had four players score 25-or-more points in the game for the first time since Tom Heinsohn, Bob Cousy, Bill Sharman and Bill Russell did it on January 20, 1960 ( per NBA's Dave Campbell ): “The strength of our team is just the amount of guys that can go off at any point in time, especially when you’re making the right plays and getting easy looks,” Hayward said. "We’re too talented. We just need to continue to do that.” Jalen Brown scored 25 points and Jayson Tatum had 28 points and 11 rebounds as fellow All-Star Kemba Walker sat out because of a minor knee injury. The four players at 25 or more points marked just the second such occurrence in Cel...

Danny Ainge came to the Boston Celtics in 2003 as Executive of Basketball Operations, and by 2007 his hunger for an NBA Title as a member of the front office had peaked. Even with Paul Pierce on the roster, a Championship was not going to happen any time soon, so Ainge saw his Ticket-out-of-Mediocrity in the guise of Minnesota superstar, Kevin Garnett. But Kevin wasn't going to leave Minnesota for just any destination. He wanted a Title as much as Ainge, but Garnett knew that Pierce's entourage was insufficient to get that done. Well, along came sharpshooting guard, Ray Allen, via trade, and the stage was set for The Big Ticket to come aboard. Kevin didn't come cheap. Rising star, Al Jefferson, and youngsters Sebastian Telfair, Ryan Gomes and Gerald Green - in addition to Theo Ratliff - were sent to Minnesota - leaving the Celtics roster wealthy in talent but sparse in numbers. Retired star, Reggie Miller was close to being talked out of his life of leisure to join the...

Ten-Year NBA veteran, and former-Celtic, Evan Turner, was recently traded from the Atlanta Hawks to the Minnesota Timberwolves. It is quite likely that Turner will be bought out by Minnesota, and the 31-year-old guard/forward should draw some interest from the Boston Celtics. Barring another trade, Evan Turner is expected to get a buyout from @Timberwolves . The @celtics are expected to be among teams interested him -- but no roster spot (as of now). Another East contender would have interest, too, I'm told. More on @HeavySan : https://t.co/dpSQHbE6Lt — Sean Deveney (@SeanDeveney) February 5, 2020 ET spent two seasons in Boston, and his best production came in the 2014-15 season when he averaged 12.4 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 7.2 APG and 1.3 SPG. He is a 3-position player, capable of handling both guard positions as well as the small forward spot. Since he has played under coach Brad Stevens, Turner knows Brad's offensive and defensive schemes. There is currently no open roster slot...

ESPN's Zach Lowe had Minnesota Head Coach, Ryan Saunders on his podcast , and Ryan had a few memories of Kevin Garnett. According to Saunders, when he was a ballboy for the Timberwolves, prior to a game, Garnett took off his warm-up pants and tried to throw them down on the court. What Ryan didn't know at the time was that this was one of Kevin's pre-game rituals - the pants had to hit the floor. Saunders caught the pants in mid-air three times and kept throwing them back to The Big Ticket. After the third catch by Saunders, Garnett walked over to him - grabbed the pants - and threw them to the floor. Lowe asked, "Was there profanity spewing out of his mouth the whole time." If you remember Garnett at all, you know Ryan's answer was a definite "Yes". Saunders added that after the game, Kevin never realized that had happened, and this incident showed Garnett's level of intensity. We recall that intensity, and we miss it. We could use some of ...