Celtics ☘️ Sentinel

 Ever notice that Jaylen Brown doesn't make a lot of noise . He's not demonstrative on the court and doesn't usually have a lot to say. Until now! After the Celtics took Game 3 from Golden State to advance to a 2-1 series lead, the often-subdued Brown is making plenty of noise in the NBA Finals, rising to number-one in NBA.Com's Finals MVP Ladder . Brown joined the elite company of LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Tim Duncan, Vince Carter and James Harden as players since 1997 to rack up at least 15 points, five rebounds and three assists in the first quarter of a playoff game. Boston's "Quiet Man" has been on a roll . In the three Finals contests, he has averaged: 35.1 MPG - 22.7 PPG - 7.3 RPG - 4,3 APG - 42,9% FG - 36.0% 3s - 84.6% FT Those are great stats and terrific company. Let's not forget, this is the guy that, in his rookie season, shot only 68.5% on free throws and averaged only 0.8 assists per game in the regular season. Like he does everythi...

San Antonio head coach, Gregg Popovich , has been at the helm of the Spurs for a quarter-century , and his troops almost always seem to be in the fight for another Title. Pop has five Championships and three Coach of the Year awards to his credit. Pop in Boston, summarily rejecting the crown as "The Godfather of Load Management:" pic.twitter.com/bt4iAEFmCW — Jeff McDonald (@JMcDonald_SAEN) January 8, 2020 So Popovich wants no credit , and conversely, no blame , for becoming the "Godfather of Load Management" . I give him the credit. He sat his stars, Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobli , to prolong their careers. And it appears the Celtics Brad Stevens is following suit. Some NBA fans feel they deserve to see their stars in action, either in person or on television. I see that as another symptom of "instant gratification". They want to see Lebron James and Kevin Durant out on the court, even if they have a nagging injury or their careers may be cu...

For those skeptics who feel Larry Bird should not be rated Top-5 All-Time, I present the following from September 20, 2020 ( per The Sacramento Bee's Joe Davidson ): OUR ALL-TIME NBA STARTING 5, PLUS A FEW MORE If I’m picking an all-time NBA starting lineup, here’s who I hit the floor with: Point guard: Magic Johnson  — The ultimate floor leader, ball handler, passer, leader, personality and champion. Magic led the Lakers to nine NBA Finals, winning five. He could play any position. Shooting guard: Michael Jordan  — Relentless in scoring, in defending, in leadership and winning. Jordan and the Chicago Bulls went 6-0 in the NBA Finals while owning the 1990s. Small forward: LeBron James  — Ageless, timeless, relentless. James at 35 can score inside and out, handle the ball, finish with the ball, and has his third team in the Finals. Power forward: Larry Bird  — Yes, he could also play small forward, and James would be seamless at power forward, but in this game, just u...

It had to be. Tim Duncan, alias The Big Fundamental, eventually just had to land in the NBA coaching ranks at some point. Returning to San Antonio, where he played for 19 seasons, just seems natural - as does Gregg Popovich's comment on Duncan's return. The Spurs have hired Tim Duncan as an assistant coach, the team announced. “It is only fitting, that after I served loyally for 19 years as Tim Duncan’s assistant, that he returns the favor,” said Gregg Popovich. pic.twitter.com/DEVhxZyVn6 — SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) July 22, 2019 It was Shaquille O'Neal that gave Tim his nickname, The Big Fundamental. Shaq compared Duncan to former Celtic, Larry Bird, as a player that was not terribly athletic, but could destroy you with the basics - the fundamentals. Duncan averaged 19.0 PPG, 10.8 RPG and 2.2 BPG, and he used the glass much like another former Celtic, Sam Jones. Tim was a 5-time Champion, 3-time Finals MVP and 2-time NBA MVP. Could he shoot 3-pointers? Nope! Over...