Celtics ☘️ Sentinel

      Founding Fathers... Episode 1       The Celtics have been in the forefront of social justice and of course winning. Red Auerbach was the leader of all of that. A man who was unafraid of what anyone would say. Bob Cousy was ahead of his time the way that man could handle the rock and distribute it! He was a magician on the floor! I personally remember meeting Couz as a young man. He was doing a game at the old Springfield Civic Center. Amazing that despite all the undertones of racism in Boston, the Celtics were the first team to draft a black player in Chuck Cooper. Something to be said for Cooper and Cousy who built a friendship despite looking different. As it should be!      When the Celtics drafted Bill Russell everything in the course of NBA history was set afire. Red knew he could be the most dominant player on defense, I mean let's be real on both ends of thr floor. Pairing Russell and Cousy was one of the most genius sports move...

  We are talking Grant Williams here . You remember him - the Boston Celtics first-round pick (#22 overall) from the 2019 NBA draft. The 6'6" do-everything center/forward has made an appearance in five-of-Boston's eight playoff games thus far, averaging 13.8 minutes per game . Known for his 3-point accuracy, Grant has connected on 56.3% of his treys over that post-season span - but for some rerason, Joe Mazzulla has chosen to not call his name on a number of occasions. He has been called on to take those long-range shots, and he has become very adept - particularly from the corner. Williams has the weight and strength to guard the big men such as Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo , and surprisingly, appears capable of handling the smaller, quicker oppnents on the perimeter. Williams will be a Restricted Free Agent this summer , and the question remains whether he will end up in Boston. In the past, the Celtics lost two quality players to free agency , in part becaus...

 When comparing the 2008 Celtics team that took the Title against the 2022 crew that came reasonably close to a Championship, the first thing that stands out is the age difference . The 2008 group were led by Paul Pierce (30), Ray Allen (32) and Kevin Garnett (31).They were backed up by P. J. Brown (38), James Posey (31) and Eddie House (29) . Back to the present. Al Horford (36), Marcus Smart (28), Jaylen Brown (25) and Jayson Tatum (24) make the Banner-17 crew seem ancient. Other major contributors are Derrick White (27), Rob Williams and Payton Pritchard  (24) and Grant Williams (23) . You get the picture. And while we're on it, here is a comparison of the two benches from the Finals (combined averages/game): Posey, House, Brown (2008): 20.7 points - 9.5 boards - 4.5 assists White, Green Pritchard (2022): 18.2 Points - 8.5 boards - 4.7 assists Not a major difference in the bench production, is there? Yet that bench from 2008 gets a lot of accolades , as they should, whil...

 I go on record as not agreeing with the idea that "playing the kids" was not such a good idea in the first place, particularly in the case of sophomore, Aaron Nesmith. Nesmith was my one-and-only proposed candidate to be taken by the Celtics in the 2020 NBA draft .. He seemed to be tailor-made to bring some much-needed motion offense to TD Garden . Here is some pre-draft analysis on Aaron: "He can catch and shoot as well as anybody in this year’s class, and excels in his off-ball movement … Understands the importance of movement to free himself for looks … Very effective when catching and shooting off-ball screens and uses constant motion to get open … Muscle memory. Has a pretty quick and high release with consistent form which allows him to get his shot off in tight windows" Notice there is no mention of "catch and shoot after lolling in the corner ". But there is mention of "movement to free himself" ,"catching and shooting off ball...

 If the rumbles hold true, t he Celtics simply can't decide if Jeff Green belongs in Green or not . They may be looking to acquire him for the fourth time . New: Some thoughts on the Celtics reportedly showing trade interest in Jeff Green(!?!) and Jalen Smith https://t.co/gMySzSlKXD — Brian Robb (@BrianTRobb) January 12, 2022 FIRST TIME: The Celtics drafted Jeff Green number-5 overall in the 2007 NBA draft but quickly traded him to the Seattle Supersonics (now Thunder) for Ray Allen and Big Baby Davis . SECOND TIME:  Mid-way through the 2011-12 season, Boston traded Kendrick Perkins and Nate Robinson for Green . The 6'8" forward failed his physical due to a heart ailment, and the contract was voided. THIRD TIME: Jeff missed the entire 2011-12 season after undergoing heart surgery, but the Celtics signed him to a 4-year contract prior to the 2012-13 season. Mid-way through the 2014-15 season, Green was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies.  FOURTH TIME?: So here we go again. ...

 When Jayson Tatum came into the League at the age of 19 , I never thought a significant number of Celtics fans and analysts would find fault with him. But apparently, that is happening. I have projected Tatum's ceiling somewhere between Paul Pierce and Larry Bird . Here is the 5th-season comparison between the two Celtics stars.  Pierce: 25 yrs. - 39.2 MPG - 25.9 PPG - 7.3 RPG - 4.4 APG - 1.8 SPG - 0.8 BPG - 42%FG/30%3s/80%FT Tatum: 23 yrs. - 36.6 MPG - 25.5 PPG - 8.3 RPG - 3.8 APG - 1.0 SPG - 0.8 BPG - 42%FG/33%3s/84%FT Damn close, isn't it . The Truth didn't achieve his one-and-only Title until season #10 , at the age of 30 . Bringing in Ray Allen helped a lot, and acquiring Kevin Garnet t was a mammoth move for Danny Ainge.  Jayson is truly a franchise player and needs to remain in Boston. To me, he is still a kid that has weathered turmoil surrounding Danny Ainge acquisitions, that because of injury or ego,  backfire d. Then came COVID and the accompanying h...

      The Original Big 3, in this writers opinion was the greatest trio ever put together. If your an older Celtics fan Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and Robert Parish are names that stir up great memories! If your on the younger end and hear Big 3 the names Pierce, Garnett, and Allen come to mind. Not bad in their own right, but nowhere near the Original.       In Larry Bird you had it all! He could pass as if he had eyes in the back of his head. He wasn't afraid to rebound and start the fast break! He had a killer instinct, his trash talk was legendary, not to mention he was a dive-on-the-floor, lunch pail guy! As a shooter he was feared by his opponents and was deadly from outside. Defensively Larry was willing to get his hands dirty, even if that meant throwing a punch. He literally gave his entire body and soul to the game of basketball.       With Kevin McHale you had a player who's post up game was so insane he named his moves!...

        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...

      Paul Pierce labeled The Truth by the great Shaquille O'Neal . Was one of the greatest Celtics to ever put on the green and white. He could get to the hoop with ease , he had a nasty midrange game that was at times unstoppable and could he knock down the three! No one embodied being a Celtic like Paul, and his love for the franchise was evident even when he played for other teams later in his career.       An early indication of his greatness in the post season came during the Eastern Conference Finals vs the then New Jersey Nets . Where the Celtics were trailing by 21 points in the fourth quarter and he scored 19 of his 28 points in that fourth quarter to to lead the Celtics to the greatest fourth quarter comeback ever! Talk about incredible! In game 7 vs the Cavs during their epic title run he scored the 2nd most points in Celtics playoff history where he scored 41 points and out did Lebron. During the Finals that year he was carted off the f...

      Ray Allen was a player who was admired by Celtics fans. There were dreams of the young man who played at UConn in Celtics fans minds. In a steal of a trade by Danny Ainge, he acquired Ray and Big Baby Davis for Delonte West, Wally Z, and what turned out to be Jeff Green. Celtics fans will say Danny definitely won this trade.       Ray was a player who could score from  anywhere especially from three point land he was deadly out there. Ray also had a heck of a midrange game and could get to the hoop easily. An absolute complete player who, when teamed up with KG and The Truth, was a true threat to go off at any moment.       As a Celtic Ray had some memorable moments . During game 4 of the Finals vs the Lakers he played all 48 minutes scoring 19 points and had 9 rebounds. He was part of the 24 point comeback and even scored the clinching layup to put the Celtics up five. In the clinching game vs the Lakers. He had had a ...

 I wrote on this subject in the middle of the 2019-20 season. Celtics boss, Danny Ainge , voiced his concern about his team having "equal depth" and no ":clear hierarchy"  That issue was partially solved through the disappearance of Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward from the Celtics landscape. The two stars clashed, with each wanting a top role in the team's fate.  Some analysts argue that Jaylen Brown should be traded since he and Jayson Tatum on the same is redundant, that is, they have similar skills and size . I disagree . The only real issue here is the question of who leads this team. Brown is a year older than Tatum and has an extra year under his belt in the League and with the Celtics. But thus far, it seems quite certain that Jaylen is the Alpha-best-player. That is the only dilemma. Ainge saw no drastic signs of any power struggle among his comrades in the 80's, with Larry Bird the top dog. Not so with the 2008 Championship crew. Paul Pierce h...

  Marcus Smart will go into the final year of his 4-year deal next season, earning a team-friendly $13.8 million . Both Allens from the 2008 Championship team left the Celtics of their own accord, and there may be lessons there from the departures of Tony and Ray Allen that Danny Ainge may take into account in dealing with any new contract for Marcus. Ainge openly lamented that he let Tony Allen walk away in the summer of 2010 to join the Memphis Grizzlies. The "Grindfather" , as he was later known, admitted that he left, in part, because he felt overshadowed by Paul Pierce and Ray Allen.   Ray Allen left the team in 2012, rejecting a 2-year, $12 million deal from the Celtics to accept a 3-year contract for $9 million with the Miami Heat. He, like Tony Allen, may have felt less-than-appreciated in Boston ( per Sporting News' Sean Deveney ): Perhaps that’s where the problem started, then. In the book, Allen seems genuinely unsure of why Rondo turned on him so complet...

 There is more to Aaron Nesmith's game than outside shooting. He hustles, rebounds, blocks shots and racks up steals . But it is his constant motion offense that opens up many opportunities for him and his teammates, and it is something that was somewhat lacking within the Celtics lineups. Prior to last year's draft, I projected Aaron Nesmith as my sole choice for the Celtics at #14. I felt he was the "constant motion" shooter Boston needed. https://t.co/iPZiPOliG4 Aaron Nesmith Highlights vs San Antonio Spurs (16 pts, 6 reb) https://t.co/PX3KpLs2xH via @YouTube — Tom Lane (@CelticsSentinel) May 2, 2021  The Vanderbilt product has blossomed in The Green's last two games, averaging 15.5 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 2.0 SPG and 1.5 BPG . The only question from many Boston fans is - why have we not seen more of him previously? With Brad Stevens' unpredictability in putting out lineups , Aaron could melt back into the fog from whence he came. But expect to see more of this ro...

 I truly believe that injecting two philosophies into the present Celtics culture will solve most of their shortcomings. Additional age, seasoning - and a new player or two - will fill the rest of the void. The first step concerns ubuntu , a philosophy that coach Doc Rivers introduced to his 2008 Championship team. The entire phrase is  "Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu" , meaning that a person is a person through other people, a team concept perfect for today's NBA players. Accept it or reject it, but the ibuntu idea worked for Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and the rest of the Title crew. It also can function for Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart and their comrades.  On the front-office front,  “ primum non nocere ,”   , or "do no harm", appears to be on Danny Ainge's mind. He has to be saying, I can't screw this up! With three present-and-past All-Stars, a Defensive-Player-of-the-Year candidate - and a young rebounding/rim-protecting center on...

Chatter remains relative to the potential retirement of Ray Allen's Celtics jersey #20. I won't chatter about it. I will simply say, "no" - not because of Ray leaving the Celtics for Miami - or any other negative thoughts about him. Here's why: Ray spent seven years with the Milwaukee Bucks and only five in Boston.  He only earned two Title rings, one of which was with the Heat after departing Beantown. Paul Silas won three Championships, two of them in Boston. His number was never retired. Absolutely. Retiring #20 in Ray's honor should not happen. That never happened with another #20, Larry Siegfried. Nothing against Ray, but this would amount to a "mending fences" move. And how about Silas. https://t.co/mUxawiwm9D pic.twitter.com/uCpv6nsl4W — Tom Lane (@CelticsSentinel) December 7, 2020 The late Larry Siegfried is the forgotten Celtic. "Ziggy" spent seven years with the Celtics and won five rings here. His #20 never got to the rafters, a...

As a retired Police Lieutenant, I have seen what is contained in the following videos all too often. Young lives destroyed by alcohol, drugs and mental illness. Delonte West has taken a self-destructive path since his days in the NBA, four of those years spent in Boston. Slim doing bad NBA need to offer him some help pic.twitter.com/b7MtTj9JAt — Maybe: Damani (@damani_givens) January 21, 2020 The former 24th-overall pick in the 2004 NBA draft had his best season during the Celtics 2006-07 campaign in which he notched 12.2 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 4.4 APG and 1.1 SPG. He was traded to the Seattle Supersonics after that season as part of a package that brought Ray Allen and Big Baby Davis to Boston. West was reacquired by the Celtics for the 2010-11-season as a backup to point guard, Rajon Rondo. Recent videos apparently show Delonte getting beaten on the street and in handcuffs yelling out an unintelligible rant. He is clearly close to the end of the line and needs help quickly and despe...