Celtics ☘️ Sentinel

 JUGGERNAUT: :  a massive inexorable force, campaign, movement, or object that crushes whatever is in its path . an advertising juggernaut. The Celtics Joe Mazzulla and his troops have transformed themselves into a "juggernaut" in the clutch. They currently rank sixth in Net Rating (+20.5) under Mazzulla this season in Clutch-Time games  - whereas they ranked 26th in NR (-9.5) in the 2021-22 season under Ime Udoka . That is a point- differential of of 30.2 . So where does the difference really come from - the offense or defense? The Defensive Ratings from both seasons are virtually the same - (07.5 for 2023-24 /and 107.2 for 2021-22. The Offensive Rating difference is huge (97.7 in 2021-22 and 128.8 in 2023-24).  At least for the early portion of this season, The Green can not be talked about as "chokers in the Clutch". At the end of close games they have learned to maintain their poise and put the ball in the hoop. Credit both the players and the coachi...

 The Boston Celtics once-grand offense has fizzled in the last five games - resulting in a 1-5 record in that span. What's up? The Green have been toppled by the Milwaukee Bucks from top spot in the League Standings - but still are number-one in Offensive Rating (116.8 points) for the season - but are dead-last (101.0 points) in that category over the last five games . The main reason? T heir field goal and 3-point shooting have hit the skids. The Celtics players are taking more treys and hitting fewer of them . They average 41.9 treys per game (attempted) for the season, and make 38.1% of them. Not so for the last five contests. For that span, they are up to 44.0 3-point attempts/game and hitting a mere 28.6%. And their assists are down from 26.3 APG (season) -to-22.0 APG while racking up four losses and one victory. The rebounds, turnovers and Defensive Rating have not changed much for the Boys from Beantown, so it appears that the main issue in their lackluster play in the la...

 First-year Celtics Head Coach, Joe Mazzulla, has turned his players loose. And it's working. Boston (for the time being) may have eased up a bit on the defensive end (#14 Defensive Rating) , but they are Numero Uno in Offensive Rating - tops in the NBA. And by the way, what really counts are the wins, and The Green possess the best record in the League (13-3) and the top Net Rating (7.7). Who ever thought this would happen? The Celtics have shooters galore - move the ball around - take care of it - and are so damn unselfish   finding the right play. Previously a turnover machine, Boston now ranks second in the NBA in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.0) and first in True Shooting Percentage (61.9%). There is nothing better for basketball fans than to have their team with a strong winning record and play entertaining ball at the same time. The Green are a joy to observe and are on a roll. Can it continue? Who knows, but let's live in the present. Boston beat the Pelicans last n...