Celtics ☘️ Sentinel

In the past,, I have broached Jayson Tatum as potentially having a career ceiling somewhere between Paul Pierce and Larry Bird in Celtics history. But hey, let's take a look at Jaylen Brown in that discussion. I am leaving past point guards ( read: Cousy, JoJo, Rondo ) and centers ( read: Russell, Cowens, Parish ) out of this analysis - and sticking with wings only. Take a look below. Here are the 9th-season stats for Brown (12 games thus far in 2024-25) and Pierce (2006-07 season). Brown: 25.3 PPG - 7.1 RPG - 4.4 APG - 1.0 SPG - 2.5 TOPG - .426 FG - .284 3s - .772 FT Pierce: 25.0 PPG - 5.9 RPG - 4.1 APG - 1.0 SPG - 3.2 TOPG - .439 FG - .389 3s - .796 FT Looks like "The Truth" gets the nod on shooting accuracy in all three categories - while Jaylen wins on rebounds, assists (nice job on those) and turnovers (ditto) . In today's NBA, both players are classified as wings - with both occupying the SG and SF positions. My take is that Jayson Tatum has already passed ...

 I can't relate it as well as Mark C. Bodanza, author of the JoJo White bio , Make It Count , but one of Red Auerbach's top draft conquests involved working to keep White out of the US Army - while keeping him in the Marine Reserves - and scooping him up as the ninth pick in the 1969 NBA draft (per Mark C. Bodanza): "Then a funny thing happened. Eight teams, many fearing the impact of a two year delay... in White's basketball career, passed on the ball-handling, talented point guard. Sitting coyly with the ninth pick in the first round of the NBA's 1969 draft was the cigar-chomping , cards-close-to-the-vest general manager, Red Auerbach." You see, JoJo had already been drafted into the Army , but subsequently enlisted in the Marine reserves. The machinations were complex, but while eight NBA general mangers were convinced that White would not be available to play in the NBA for at least two years, Red thought otherwise. "Red was very powerful" was...

 "(Jaylen) Brown and (Jayson) Tatum are great players, but they are nice guys. I never met a great player  that was really, really a nice guy". --- Charles Barkley That is what Sir Charles had to say about a Celtics team that had been destroyed (114-105) by a Lebron-less, Brow-less Lakers crew. Is it true? "You can't tweak your little finger without your brain initiating the action." --- Tom Lane This is not simply part of a bad stretch for Boston. Their minds are not into the regular season, and they are once again bored with the 82 games that lead to the post-season. "I'm almost off their bandwagon... They don't win on toughness and defense." Chuck sounds off on the Celtics' first-half performance pic.twitter.com/8Olm13SR7W — NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) February 2, 2024 The "toughness" and "defense" Barkley mentioned as requirements for Titles were sorely missing in last night's contest. Do any long-time Celtics fans...

  "Hail fellow well met"  is an  English   idiom  used when referring to a person whose behavior is hearty, friendly, and congenial, in the affirmative sense. It took an excellent CelticsBlog article by Dan Kelley  to once again remind me why the hell K C Jones has not been inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach. Read Dan's article for many specifics. Both former Celtics coaches, Bill Fitch and Rick Pitino , are in the Hall as coaches. Why isn't K C there? I was never a fan of Fitch and still despise Pitino. Rick came close to ruining a treasured sports franchise (Celtics) and I didn't care for Bill - even though Larry Bird still showers praise on him. I first learned of Fitch's harsh treatment of his (then) assistant, K C Jones after reading Jones' book, Rebound . Fitch's abuse of K C was well-known ( per latimes.com's Thomas Bonk ): "Fitch had little use for K.C. Jones, who was one of his assistant coaches, but who succeeded...

 Let me decide the outcome of NbcSportsBoston's (partnered with Strat-0 -Matic ) " Settle the Argument" as to the top Celtics team of all time. The contest is down to the Semi-Finals with the 1972-73 team matched up against the 1985-86 crew. As much as I loved the '73 team , they have little chance of taking this. The starting-5 is undersized by any measuring stick. Dave Cowens (6'8.5"), Paul Silas (6'7"), John Havlicek (6'5"), Don Chaney (6'5") and JoJo White (6'3") matched up against Robert Parish (7'1"), Kevin McHale (6'10"), Larry Bird (6'9"), Danny Ainge (6'5") and Dennis Johnson (6'4") ? Despite their lack of size, the ' 73 Celtics get the nod on rebounding (total of 4,802) over the '86 crew (3807), but the latter group takes points, assists and field goal percentage.  Then there are the benches . Bird & Company had Bill Walton, Jerry Sichting and Scott Wedma...

 Some have called it "the greatest NBA game ever played" - but at very least, Game-5 of the 1976 Finals between the Boston Celtics and Phoenix Suns should be a "must-see" for any League fan.  Boston won Game-5, 128-126, in triple-overtime , and there were thrills galore. John Havlicek started the game for the first time in the series, and the result was immediate. The Celtics built a big lead by the end of the first quarter. The pace was super-fast with both teams fast-breaking on every opportunity, often initiated by a defensive board and a long outlet pass. Here's some irony. The Celtics JoJo White covered the Suns' Paul Westphal , a former teammate of White in Boston. In the backcourt with JoJo for Boston was Charlie Scott , the guy brought over from Phoenix for Westphal. JoJo had a team-high 33 points, six boards and nine assists in the win - playing 60 minutes in the thjriller  and was named Finals MVP after Boston won the Title in Game-6 in Phoenix...

First Quarter Moments  Blake Griffin gives up his body to start tonight's game! That's a Tommy Point! Fitting as the C's are honoring Tommy throughout tonight's game. DWhite opens up the scoring with a pure three!  How refreshing it is to have Eddie House with Mike Gorman tonight. JT hitting the paint hard draws a foul. Lately JT has been excellent at getting in the paint. C's ball movement has been very crisp. Now they need to start knocking down these shots.  Every time I see Kelly O and his man bun I get sick, why.... Because we could have drafted Giannis. In a basketball dream world, we would drafted Giannis and then the Jays in their prospective drafts. My oh my! Seeing these Tommy Heinsohn highlights, touches my heart. Boy do I miss him on these games. I was lucky enough to meet him at a game and he gave me his autograph. What I remember most was how kind he was to me. Memory Eternal Tommy!  JT has been excellent finishing with his left hand lately. Malcolm Br...

 Let's all remember! Joe Mazzulla is a ROOKIE head coach . He inherited a team with prehaps the top pairing in the entire NBA in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown , but that has a few negatives attached to it. Flash back to the Celtics 1969-70 season , Tommy Heinson's rookie season as head coach. Bill Russell and Sam Jones had just retired and Red Auerbach had turned his team over to his former "whipping boy" , a move that tells a lot about the redhead's respect for Tommy. Heinsohn admitted that his rookie coaching campaign was "pure trauma". Now back to the present. Heinsohn had some breathing room in 1969-70 since most of the hopes for the season rested on the shoulders of veteran John Havlicek . The Celtics finished with a record of 34-48 with " Jarrin' John" leading his team in points, rebounds and assists . Not that bad for a team on the mend after losing two of their top stars. Joe Mazzulla has no such wiggle room . After the loss to t...

 The highest Celtics scoring occurred in the 1959-60 season , with The Green averaging 1 24,5 points per game during the regular season - good enough for 4th-all-time in the NBA . Tommy Heinsohn was the main gunner (no surprise) at 21.7 PPG, followed by Bob Cousy (19.4), Bill Sharman (19.3), Bill Russell (18.2), Frank Ramsay (15.3) and Sam Jones (11.9). During the four consecutive seasons, starting in the 1959-60 campaign, Boston teams occupy slots in the top-40, all-time, in scoring - while also averaging a point-differential of +8.4 points over the opposition. It should be noted that The Green won all available Titles in the 1960's, except for the 1966-67 season. Forward to the present. The 2022-23 Boston crew currently ranks 27th-all-time, in NBA scoring (119.4 PPG) with an average point differential of +6.8 points over the opposition . Jayson Tatum (30.2 PPG) and Jaylen Brown (26.6) are the big guns for the Celtics, followed by Malcolm Brogdon (13.9), Marcus Smart (11.7), ...

 I am now into my seventh (7th) decade of following the NBA and Celtics basketball, and I am in total awe of Jayson Tatum and his game.  From his arrival in Boston, I have tagged as possibly the smoothest Celtic to ever take to the parquet. Tatum seemed to glide down the floor like no Boston player before him. But my argument was that the youngster, unlike his predecessor, Paul Pierce , always seemed to avoid contact. That has not changed to a large extent. Jayson's smoothess remains, but he is stronger and can take the buffeting on the way to the hoop - and still finish. He is a solid defender - skilled rebounder - and willing passer. Tommy Hainsohn once labelled The Truth as possibly the best scorer in Celtics history, but Tatum may take over that label. Originally, I placed Tatum's potential ceiling somewhere between Pierce and Larry Bird, and that may come to fruition. He is that good. MVP is far from being out of the question. In last night's 122-104 win over the Ki...

Even after 17 Title Banners, Celtics fans need a bit of Fantasy. Come with me for a few minutes I want Tommy Heinsohn and Johnny Most broadcasting Game One between the Celtics and Nets tomorrow afternoon. Yes, I know they have both passed on, but can you imagine these two Boston "Homers" sharing thoughts on the return of Kyrie Irving and his Brooklyn Nets to TD Garden. Many Celtics fans want this left alone, but I can't. It was Irving stomping on the center-court Celtics logo that did it for me . For those not aware, that Leprechaun logo was designed by Red Auerbach's brother, Zang. Okay, I also want Tommy and Johnny to get Red's take on all of this during half-time.  Legend has it that leprechauns often engage in mischief . What better time to inject a few pranks into the Nets' offense than tomorrow somewhat after 3:30 PM ET. Leprechauns are also said to have a pot of gold hidden away , and that bit of gold known as the Larry O'Brien Championship Tr...

 I am frankly surprised at lack of outcry in the snubbing of the great Tommy Heinsohn who is not included in The Greatest Coaches in NBA History . Is this another case of erasing history . Understanding that Tommy no longer inhabits the living world - and that he only coached for nine seasons in the NBA - but those are not reasons to slight his accomplishments. With no disrespect to former Celtics coach, Doc Rivers, I would gladly put Heinsohn in Doc's place Tommy Heinsohn snubbed, WTF? https://t.co/i86epHOueo — Mike Dynon ☘️🏀 (@MikeDynon) February 9, 2022 . Doc Rivers One-time NBA Champion One-time Coach-of-the-Year Three-time All-Star Coach 1024-725 record as coach .585 all-time record Tommy Heinsohn Two-time NBA Champion One-time Coach-of-the-Year Four-time All-Star Coach 427-263 record as coach .619 all-time record There's more! How would you like to take over the reins from Red Auerbach and Bill Russell of one of the greatest sports franchises of all time. Well, Tomm...

       1st Quarter        Nice offensive sets so far the good guys in green. Marcus using his body getting to the rim with the and 1 you gotta love it. JB coming home tonight, can he come up with a lights out performance? I sure believe and hope so. One issue we are seeing right now is the Celtics getting out done in the paint. Need to change that, if we are going to be successful tonight.        JBs pace and attack are on point so far tonight. Need to keep this aggressive play going. Lets hope the rest of the team follows suit and gets it in gear. Hawks are a team we lost to earlier this season, tonight is the Return of the Jays (Jedi). Where we use the force necessary to get the W! Isn't basketball just a beautiful game. The sound of the ball being dribbled, a nice crisp pass between teammates and the sweet sound of a nothing but net shot. Awe I Love This Game! Nostalgic moment over on to the second quarter.    ...

      1st Quarter     Injury Report-   No RWill or JRich         Not The Best Start on O or D         Ice cold shooting to start offensively for the Celtics, they moved the ball but just couldn't hit their shots in the early going. On the defensive end, does anyone remember that Patty Mills is a shooter?! Midway through the quarter the Celtics ability to drive and score was a template to success. Seeing the Great Bill Russell in the crowd is a joy. It also begs the question how does he feel about today's game?       The Wolverine is on the prowl       Marcus Smart has found a hole in the Nets defense , and no, it's not jacking up three s. His ability to drive and score can be a key to victory. Dennis Schroder came in and followed suit . Smarts passing also had an impact on the over the shoulder to JT. Then he found a cutting Al for two. When Marcus drives and distributes...

     First Half Thoughts       1st Quarter       Lackluster offense to start , never got it going. Luka as always came out to kill the C's. Defense didn't look very sharp to start.        JT blocked Porzingis , he had active hands on D . Tatum did nail a three in Lukas face . JT had a nice steal on Luka. JT got to the line.        DS to RWill on the oop never gets old . DS got the tip on his own miss. He also had a very nice floater. We saw Nesmith early and he had a nice steal! Overall not the best start. Celtics trail 29-15 .       2nd Quarter       Al with a nice fall away , plus another nice score. Al makes it look Easy Like Sunday Morning ! JRich for two - he's been a solid addition this season . PP brought the rain on nice shot, need more of him!        Smart to RWill off the ballerina move was poetry in motion . RWill also followed up a Nesmith ...

 The "eye test" was telling me that something is awry with Jayson Tatum's game through eight contests this season, and the stats reveal at least part of the issue.  His field goal percentage is at a miserable 38.3% - not good for a guy with a career 45.4 % average. Ditto with his 3-point accuracy - this season shows 26.2 % of his treys hit pay dirt , down from a career 39.1 %. And no good news of the foul shooting. His freebies are landing 75 % of the time , as opposed to a career 83.7 %. And may I add that his assists are down from 4.3 APG last season to 3.6 APG this year . But on the other hand, he is really letting the ball fly in 2021 , launching 23.5 field goal attempts per game - compared to a career 15.5 per game. On 3-pointers, he is throwing up 8.1 3s per game , compared to 5.3 for his career. Here's a quick look at three former Celtics "gunners" . Kevin McHale, called "The Black Hole" by his buddy, Danny Ainge, threw up 12.7 field goa...

    Random thoughts on Celtics 103-102 loss to Orlando in pre-season play        It seems that lulls in offense are something this team will need to improve on. Too many turnovers are also leading to this lack of offense. When the extra passes are made, it usually ends up with the Celtics scoring. It creates open shots and the motion on offense is something to look at next game.       Before getting hit in the nose we are seeing what Payton Pritchard can do. Knocking down threes, getting the ball to his teammates, and hitting the mid range jumpers. He can legitimately be one of your bench scorers. Kid has no fear and up in basketball heaven Tommy Heinsohn is pleased .             Rob Williams hustle and moto r are huge to this teams success. He worked hard on all ends of the floor tonight. His passing was efficient, and he hit some shots tonight. Wait till he and The Wolverine get their alley oops g...

 Here I go again! I truly miss the run-the-opposition-into-the-ground, fast-paced basketball we saw from the Celtics in the 60's and 70's. Coaches Red Auerbach and (later) Tommy Heinsohn demanded it. Few centers could match Bill Russell and Dave Cowens at ripping the ball off the boards and starting the fast break. Bob Cousy preferred the long outlet pass, while his replacement, K C Jones , would drive the ball down court before passing off to the open man. Cowens, JoJo White and John Havlicek were just born to run . That tradition carried on in the early 90's with former-Celtic, Don Nelson , and his RUN TMC  Warriors trio of  Tim Hardaway, Mitch Richmond and Chris Mullin . . Nellie was an integral part of that  70's Celtics crew as a player under Tommy Heinsohn.  Now, back to today. We might expect a little more running game from the projected starters for Boston, but more-likely we may see it from the bench, possibly from A aron Nesmith, B r uno Fernando...

    We just witnessed a season of Celtics basketball that didn't go as expected, given such high hopes. We were left with the loss of Mr Celtic, Tommy Heinsohn , the guy who was part of in some way, shape or form of all 17 titles. What a major loss for the Celtics organization and the fans who would choose the hometown broadcast over any national broadcast to get to listen to our beloved Tommy.       His legacy was not only as a player, but a coach and broadcaster, and some may say like an Uncle to all Celtics fans. As a player he was ROY in 1957 , the same year Bill Russell came into the League. He made six all star games   and won 8 - yes 8 - titles! He had his number 15 raised to the rafters at the Boston Garden! What's amazing is as a rookie in game-7 he played a major role in the Celtics securing the championship that year. He is in the Basketball Hall of Fame as a player.       As a coach he won two NBA titles leading the Celtics...

Whatever you hear or read about the late K C Jones, the word "gentleman" is going to be in there. And he was far more than that prior to his recent death on Christmas Day, 2020.  K C was quiet and dignified, and individuals of that ilk often get lost in the shuffle of modern hype and over-reaction. How important was he in the world of basketball and the Celtics winning ways specifically? ( per Wikipedia ): Jones is one of only eight players in basketball history to have won an NCAA championship, an NBA championship, and an Olympic gold medal,  joining  Bill Russell ,  Magic Johnson ,  Michael Jordan ,  Jerry Lucas ,  Clyde Lovellette ,  Quinn Buckner , and  Anthony Davis . In NBA history, only his former teammates Russell (11 championships) and  Sam Jones  (10) have won more championships during their playing careers. I was fortunate enough to watch Jones on the parquet, starting in the early 1960's. He had taken up the unenviable t...