Celtics ☘️ Sentinel

 I admit to being enamored with the Champion 2003-04 Detroit Pistons , mostly for the fact they were massive underdogs to the Shaq/Kobe Lakers - and they played stifling defense In what has been described as the biggest upset in NBA Finals history , the Pistons not only took the Title - but they did so in five games . Unlike the Lakers, Detroit had no big names . Their starting five consisted of Chauncey Billups, Ben Wallace, Rasheed Wallace, Rip Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince. But in the end, defense trumped offense. The 2023-24 version of the Boston Celtics HAS big names , including Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Kristaps Porzingis . And Al Horford, Derrick White and Jrue Holiday  are far from unknowns.. But any one NBA team - on any given night - can defeat any other team no matter how powerful . When The Green work their butts off on defense, they drive opponents nuts. That is simply hard work and dedication to the task. Offense, particularly 3-point barrages, can come and...

  "Exhibit A" in my argument is the score following ther 2023 NBA All-Star game. A score of 184-175? Who won? Who cares? Even one of the participants (Jaylen Brown) termed the "contest" a "glorified layup line". The game was almost devoid of defense. But beyond the shooting display of the All-Star contest, the League itself has become a "shooting contest" . The 3-point shot reigns supreme. We must never forget that the long ball was an invention of the ABL - and then the ABA - as an exciting gimmick to get fans out of their seats, along with a red, white and blue ball and a slam dunk contest. Jaylen Brown called the NBA All Star game “a glorified layup line” pic.twitter.com/eE3YrAus5S — Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) February 20, 2023 Admittedly, the 3-pointer has its place in the NBA game , but it may be time to tone it down a bit. All-but-gone are the "specialists" - players that thrived on rebounding, defense and playmaking . Whe...

  NBA Analyst, Sam Mitchel l, has pegged the Boston Celtics for a first-round exit from this season's playoffs. Is he correct? The Celtics have trouble scoring the ball . They rank 18th in the NBA in Offensive Rating at 110.6. The present roster relies heavily on smothering defense to win game s, and is that enough to have en extended run in the post season? Well, the 2003-04 Detroit Pistons did just that - all the way to the 2004 Title. Chauncey Billups and Company had the 2nd-best Defensive Rating for that season, but only the 17th-best Offensive Rating . Yet they took out the potent offensive attack of the Shaquille O'Neal/Kobe Bryant Lakers in five games to take home the trophy. The Green, despite offensive weakness, possess the top Defensive Rating in the League for the past two months. They have become the team no one wants to play . They deny in the paint, and they restrict at the perimeter.  Billups was joined by tough-as-nails Ben Wallace, dedicated defender, Tay...

 Just finished watching an NBA TV replay of the 2004 Title-clinching Game-5 between the underdog Pistons versus the multi-superstar Lakers . Detroit took the game and Championship with the final score being 100-87 in favor of the Pistons. My readers know my affection for that specific Detroit team. They had ZERO superstars , whereas LA had Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant, Karl Malone (out for Game 5) and Gary Payton . Chauncey Billups voiced his feelings best on his supposedly out-matched crew: "People are not even thinking we had a chance to win one game in this series." "We do play the right way, and we are truly a team" is what Pistons Coach Larry Brown had to say about his troops. He was right. His players pushed the ball up court to make Shaq work harder, played extremely-tough defense , moved the bal l around and kept attacking the basket . It all worked, and Ben Wallace's play was astounding . I had honestly forgotten how tough and quick he was. And...