Celtics ☘️ Sentinel

 In an NBA TV segment called, Basketball Stories: Indiana Glory , Former-Celtic, Larry Bird , sat down with Isiah Thomas and Reggie Miller to discuss many subjects, including the "Mount Rushmore" of NBA superstars.  Larry stated the following: "I always knew how good I was. I didn't care what you thought about my games. I knew in the majority of the games I played in - with the team we had - we're gonna win most of them." "Quit whining about Lebron (James). Enjoy him while he's here. He's unbelievable. He's one of the greatest - if not the greatest ever." It is fitting that Bird mentioned himself in "the best ever" conversation. He belongs there . And it particularly noteworthy that Larry sent accolades "The King's" way. Lebron may not be the most-likable individual on the planet, but he has to be included in the "Best Ever" talk because of his skills, longevity in the League, his conditioning, his ve...

  Kevin McHale's signature up-and-under move only made #10 on NBA TV's Signature Moves rankings. Kevin thought he should be at #7 and even suggested if he was at #11, he wouldn't have to be on the show. Number-10 is about right for the move. It was so damn simple, and we know that any shot not a dunk or 3-pointer will never be highly-rated in today's League. McHale said he was only 5'10" tall at the start of his sophomore year in high school, and developed the up-and-under to score on bigger opponents. Then when he grew much taller (6'10" eventually), his main move was a jump hook , but against the "leapers", he would go to the up-fake and then the underhanded lay in (per McHale): "I liked shooting over two or three guys because it made Danny (Ainge) mad. Danny used to say, 'You got three guys on you', and I would say, 'Ya, but I scored.' " Back when Kevin Garnett asked to be taught the up-and-under move, McHale t...

How long is Danny Ainge going to continue without an on-court leader? I have written repeatedly on this subject, and now I have some backup. On this morning's NBA TV broadcast, Shaquille O'Neal was asked what is wrong with the Boston Celtics. His response follows: "This game we play - the simpler you make it, the easier it becomes. They (Celtics) have to identify whose team it is. They have to identify who the second punch is." When asked who that leader may be, Shaq hesitated briefly and then mentioned Jayson Tatum as that guy. Candace Parke r blamed the COVID pandemic as the main cause of Boston's woes, while Dwayne Wade stated the team has no "identity" .  O'Neal's comment about "simplicity" was a bit obscure, but he may have been talking about Brad Stevens perhaps overly-complex defensive and offensive schemes . If that was his point, I agree. Overthinking can lead to confusion . But Shaq's statement on the need for an o...

Both former NBA stars, Isiah Thomas and Dennis Scott, labeled Aaron Nesmith as the most-exciting rookie to watch this coming season. On this morning's NBA TV broadcast, Zeke and 3-D were openly enthusiastic about the prospects of the Vanderbilt product alongside Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.  Isiah Thomas indicated he viewed Aaron as "NBA-ready", and already having an "NBA shot". He continued with: "I don't see there's a lot in his game that needs to change. He's got that automatic shot where he's ready to go". Dennis Scott was equally  optimistic about the 6'6" rookie wing, stating that coach Jerry Stackhouse had labeled Nesmith as "... the best shooter I've seen on a day-to-day basis". Scott commented further that Danny Ainge needs shooters around Tatum and Brown, and added "You need somebody to catch-and-shoot, not catch and dribble". That certainly describes Nesmith. Aaron calls himself the "Ab...

In this morning's NBA TV broadcast, analyst Candace Parker gave her thoughts on the Eastern Conference race, specifically between the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks. Parker indicated that Boston could certainly give Milwaukee a scare in the post-season, with their cast of defenders' ability to effectively slow down Giannis Antetokounmpo. But Candace added that she still felt that the Celtics were "one year away" from serious contention for a Championship. After Boston's 118-106 win over the Portland Trailblazers last night, the Celtics sit in third place in the Eastern Conference with a 40-17 record, behind the Bucks at 50-8 and Raptors at 42-16. Parker applauded Boston's ability to cover The Greek Freak, while Shaquille O'Neal thought that stopping all of the other Milwaukee players was the ticket to success. In the end, the Celtics appear solid one-through-six. They very well may have the strongest top-6 in the NBA in Kemba Walker, Marcus Smart...

Following the Celtics 113-101 win over the Chicago Bulls, NBA TV's Grant Hill and Rex Chapman had some thoughts on the current makeup of the team and changes that may be needed for the post-season. Although there was general agreement that Brad Stevens having four go-to scorers in Kemba Walker, Gordon Hayward and the Jay Team gives The Green a huge advantage over other teams, the lack of another big man and one more perimeter bench player may hurt Boston's chances in the playoffs. Hill stated the Celtics need "one more big to complement (Enes) Kanter", and there appeared to be agreement that Kanter has been "picked on" in the past during post-season play. Grant even mentioned the possibility of going after former-Celtic Aron Baynes to fill the bench-big-man role. Chapman agreed for the need for another big off the bench, stating "I think they're a big away ... they are gonna have to go out and get an Aron Baynes type of guy." They really t...