Celtics ☘️ Sentinel

 The Boston Celtics are 43 games into the current regular season , and they are faltering. WHY? Well, first of all, this IS the regular season - and Boston is experiencing the lethargy often seen in a "post-Title NBA team" . In other words, the Celtics are bored with any pre-playoff contests - i tching for the post-season - and facing potential post-season competition from a very-improved Cavaliers team and a somewhat-improved Thunder squad. Celtics record 2023-24, 64-18 (780) Celtics record 2024-25, 30-13 (.698) And don't dismiss the Milwaukee Bucks or Denver Nuggets in this conversation. Any team with a Giannis Antetokounmpo or Nikola Jokic on it could give The Green problems in the post-season. And how about the Knicks, Grizzlies and (Heaven forbid) the Rockets. Surpassing the Cavs for first place in the Eastern Conference would be difficult for Boston, but the good news is that the Celtics thus far have won as many games on the road (15) as they have at home . A...

Guest article by "The Sports Machine with Slim"  Can We Get a Challenge, Please? Celtics games have been kinda boring for the past couple of months , haven't they? I host a sports talk radio show every weekday and we always talk Celtics . It's the same story after almost every single game. Celtics win again. Big. The Celtics are 11-2 since the all star break. The average winning margin during those wins is 22 points per game. That's not even counting  the last game before the all star break when we beat Brooklyn by 50. Heck, even one of the losses was kinda boring. The Celts were up by 18 in the 4 th  quarter to the Cavaliers. Some of you probably turned the game off and went to bed. Who could have blamed you? The Nuggets game? Not boring. The NBA regular season matchup of the year lived up to the hype. It showed the world that we are beatable . It exposed a flaw in this Celtics team that just might be similar to last year's squad: Are we clutch? Can we win ...

 Don't rule this out. NBA.com's Steve Aschburner and Shaun Powell have tabbed the Los Angeles Lakers as having a decent shot to end up coming out of the West in pursuit of Banner 18 . Imagine Lebron James Lakers facing Jayson Tatum's Celtics in the Finals. The Lakers are currently sitting at #9 in the Western Conference, so they may need to get through the Play In Tournament first, but the added drama of both teams vying - not only for the 2024 Title - but also that 18th Banner to hang in their rafters. Los Angeles has "The King" and "The Brow", but there is one big caveat for them ( per Steve Aschburner ): The Lakers are 7-7 with, er, one big caveat: They are 0-3 against Denver this season, 0-8 counting the 2023 Western Conference Finals and the last 2022-23 regular-season clash. Somebody else will need to bump off the Nuggets for this scenario to happen. Count me as a Celtics fan who has some fear of Boston facing Denver in the Finals. They are th...

 The Boston Celtics have transformed into a fairly strong Clutch Time performer , but in the f inal five minutes of games with a differential of five points or less , they have a glaring weakness compared to the Denver Nuggets. That weakness for Boston lies in their shooting percentage in Clutch Time. The Denver Nuggets hold first place in that category, hitting at a 53.0% clip from the field - while the Celtics are in a distant 11th spot at 46.2%.  Let's take a look at Boston's 109-115 loss to Denver last night. Clutch time began at the 3:15 mark of the fourth quarter with the score at 102-107 in favor of the Nuggets . From that point, the Celtics hit on only 2-of-8 from the field (25.0%) while the Nuggets were 3-of-6 (50%). Granted, overall Boston does quite well in close games this season sitting in 6th place with a winning percentage of 64.3%. Denver , however, is in 4th place with a WP of 65.6%. Regardless of whether or not these two teams compete in the 2024 Fina...

 There was no "bad day at work" talk by Jaylen Brown following the Celtics 105-104 loss to Cleveland last night. He called it right: Brown: "Today was a mentality loss. We had the game. Shouldn’t have happened." Boston was due for a mental lapse as their winning streak kept growing - ending last night a eleven (11) games. Jaylen realizes everything begins with the brain, and the Guys in Green lacked sufficient mental focus to close this one out after having a 2 2-point lead in the fourth quarter. Of course, Dean Wade's All-Star impersonation didn't help Boston's cause (23 points in 21 minutes) , nor did the overturned foul call against Cleveland. But it is on to the Denver Nuggets on Thursday , and fans can expect no mental lapses in that one.

 The good news? The Boston Celtics are back in the Number-1 spot in NBA.com's Power Rankings . The bad news? The Green reverted to bad clutch offense in their loss to the Denver Nuggets on Friday ( per NBA.com's John Schuhmann ) "The Celtics scored just four points on nine clutch possessions in their loss to the Nuggets on Friday, shooting 2-for-6 on clutch 2-pointers,  0-for-4 on clutch 3s , and 0-for-2 on clutch free throws. That could elicit some flashbacks to bad clutch offense of the past, but they still rank fifth in clutch offense (124 points scored per 100 possessions) this season, and (even with the loss to Denver) they’ve been super efficient — 135 points on 102 possessions (132 per 100) — with the score within five in the last five against teams that currently have winning records." Read that again -"2-for-6 on clutch 2-pointers,  0-for-4 on clutch 3s , and 0-for-2 on clutch free throws."  Imagine Friday's contest was a Finals matchup - m...

 The NBA Champion Denver Nuggets have all three of those attributes - size, smarts and synergy - and none of those can be taught . The rest of the League can expect the Denver roster to look very-much like it does right now for next season. They are not going away. How in the world does the eighth seed (Miami Heat) put the Boston Celtics in a 0-3 hole in the Eastern Finals - and then fall to the Nuggets in a 5-game series? That is a good question for Brad Stevens , and he knows the answer. No way would the present Celtics squad have defeated Denver had they advanced past Miami. Despite having one of the most-talented crews in the League , there had to be some level of discord within the Celtics organization for the players to perform (at times) so poorly. There is always discord within any organization, but The Green could not overcome whatever was bugging them . Stevens can talk all he wants about Joe Mazzulla being his guy going forward - and J aylen Brown   being suc...

Originally I was not going to watch the NBA finals because I felt as though I needed to mourn the Celtics. Thankfully my wife said you're watching it to see the Heat get beat. I owe her a big thank you because Jokic, Murray and these Nuggets play the game the right way. This group knows their roles, plays D and doesn't rely on the three ball. Unlike our team that shoots too many threes, guys don't know their roles and our coaching failed us.  Jokic is a walking triple double and he trusts his teammates to do the right thing. Murray has no fear at all, imagine if we drafted him instead of Brown? Just food for thought.... Aaron Gordon has shown me that on a good team he's a very good role player. KCP and Bruce Brown are defensive minded guys and can also hit a few shots for you. Uncle Jeff Green is a great piece and presence to have on that bench. This Denver team is who the C's should want to be. Handling a team beneath you and kicking their behinds.  Most of these M...

  NBA.Com's Isiah Thomas said it best. He talked about Nikola Jokic's "intellect" - his basketball IQ - but the former Detroit point guard could just as well been talking about the entire organization. Led by "The Joker", the Denver Nuggets have size and talent, but most of all their best attribute is from the neck up. Following Denver's last-night's 108-95 win over the Miami Heat - putting them one game away from their first Title - the discussion among the analysts turned to past NBA superstars with that Jokic-like quality of being able to mentally overcome anything thrown at them - names like Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and Tim Duncan. Jokic is able to respond properly to any defense presented by the opposition. He can post up or hit from any distance. Larry Bird did the same. I hope Mazulla is watching this series. Denver is punishing Miami around the basket because they’re a short team and not particularly athletic. Celtics played right into ...

  The Detroit's Pistons have hired Monty Williams as their next head Coach. Monty had a nice run with the Suns but lost in his only Finals appearance. I wonder if him getting fired in Phoenix has anything to do with Kevin Durant being there?! Personally I feel Detroit has a good voice to coach their young talent. Unlike the C's who have a three point happy coach in Joe Mazzulla.  Joe Mazzulla is going to lose members of his coaching staff to Ime Udoka and the Rockets. I don't blame those guys at all, if it were me I'd run from Joe's three happy offense and lack of defense and in game adjustments. C's are going to need to add several veteran coaches as a crutch for Joe. Hopefully they can stress to him that stupid stand behind the three point line offense. Let's miss over thirty threes and keep shooting more. Angers me to watch such a poor basketball product.  Nick Nurse heads to Philly if anyone can maximize Embid and that team it could be him. Question is w...

 FACT: The Boston Celtics don't do well in post-season Clutch Time! The Celtics did fine in the regular season  (2022-23) when the game was close (5 point differential or less) in the final five minutes of games. The Green ranked second in win percentage (64.9%) with a 24-13 record in such contests. But Clutch Time has given Boston the jitters in the post-season with the Celtics (ranked 9th , record of 5-6, win % of 45.5%). Miami, on the other hand, did worse  than Boston in the regular season in Clutch Time games (ranked 6th, 45.7% win percentage, 32-22 record) but better in the 2023 playoffs (ranked 2nd, 66.7 win %, 6-3 record). The Celtics were almost eliminated from the post-season in Game-6 versus the Heat - when Derrick White bailed his team out on a last-second put-back. Once again, the unflappable, never-stop-moving guard saved the day - and perhaps the season - for Boston . The lessons? The Boston Celtics need to avoid Clutch Time in Game-7. Get a so...

  Tommy Heinsohn followed Red Auerbach's cue in preparing his troops for a fast-pace, run-your-opponents-into-the-ground type of offense. And now, Head Coach Joe Mazzulla is doing likewise. In the Celtics 131-112 win over the Nuggets , it all started in the first quarter with a rebound by Jaylen Brown - who whipped a long outlet pass to a streaking Jayson Tatum for the slam. Fans were then treated to a Dennis-Johnson-to-Larry-Bird recreati on when Brown found Grant Williams open under the hoop. Less than a minute later, it was J aylen-to-Jayson-Tatum for an easy one.  There was little iso play. Just a lot of rebounding, quick outlet passes and running downcourt. It could have been Russell/Cousy/Heinsohn - or Cowens/Hondo/White . But this time it was Horford, Tatum and Brown. And how about Payton Pritch ard. He racked up 11 points, five boards and one Hell of a steal and hoop at 9:19 of the second period. Only seconds earlier, the 6'1" guard grabbed an offensive board...

      A trade you don't say?! Brad the Mad scientist is at it again!        Juancho "we hardly knew y" Hernangomez is heading to the Spurs, while Bryn Forbes goes to the land of the Nuggets! The Celtics acquire Bol Bol, and PJ Dozier . Did you know PJ Dozier is a cousin to the late great Reggie Lewis!        This looks to be a salary cap move from my sources. Are we in store for more moves?! Are we finally going to bring a piece or two that will help the Jay Team climb up the Eastern Conference standings?!       All this writer knows is we need to start putting together win streaks. Only 5.5 wins separates us from the Bulls. Make a run and get into the top 4 in the EC. Like I said the only team I fear is the Deer! That's probably because I'm biased towards my Greek brother  with whom I share not only my name but our Faith. 

  "Uncle Jeff Green's" Denver Nuggets blew away the Portland Trailblazers last night to the tune of 140-108 . Green must have heard the negative (and hilarious) vibes from Boston fans relative to his potential return (would be his 4th) to Beantown.  The feeling around Boston is that Jeff plays well when with Celtics rivals, but not in Boston . That played out last night as " Uncle Jeff" came away with 19 points (9-of-11 FG), five rebounds and three assists. At this point I would take Soylent Green. — The GOAT (@gsGOAT)  January 13, 2022  Despite his performance versus the Blazers, Beantown fan shows little support for the fourth return of Green to "The Green". And since 2021-22 was never going to be a serious-contention season, I will second that stance. Nikola Jokic & @unclejeffgreen were rolling in the @nuggets win! #MileHighBasketball Jeff Green: 19 PTS (9-11 FGM), 5 REB Nikola Jokic: 20 PTS, 8 REB, 7 AST pic.twitter.com/8ktEH2jVvP — NBA (@N...

 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. ...

 There was no sophomore slump evident with Payton Pritchard and Aaron Nesmith last night.. Boston took the game from the Nuggets with a final score of 107-82. Aaron "ThreeSmith" lived up to his nickname by hitting 78% (7-of-9) on 3-pointers and 72% overall from the field. He had a game-high 33 points and collected seven boards. The 14th pick in the 2020 NBA draft  was absolutely on fire. Aaron "ThreeSmith" lived up to his nickname with 33 points and 7-of-9 on 3-pointers. He was on fire. Aaron Nesmith IGNITES For 33 PTS! 🔥 https://t.co/MduCIWMFNg via @YouTube — Tom Lane (@CelticsSentinel) August 11, 2021 Fellow second-year man, Pritchard, taken with the 26th pick in the same draft, scored 21 points on 60% shooting from the field and 80% from beyond the arc. And his eight rebounds and 12 assists are an indicator that we may be looking at a solid second-unit point guard that does more than score the ball. Pritchard's ability to quickly push the ball upcourt and...

Celtics sophomore, Romeo Langford only scored five points and took down five rebounds in the Celtics come-from-behind win over the Denver Nuggets, but he gets most of the credit for turning around what appeared to be a lost cause for Boston. It all started at the 1:44 mark of the third quarter with the Celtics trailing, 79-65 . The 6'4" Langford was covering Denver's 6'8" JaMychal Green , and Romeo's intense defense forced a travel call on Green . Things went Boston's way after that. Romeo started the fourth quarter, and his play had already allowed Boston to close the gap to five points with a 79-74 score. It was Langford once again making the right play on a drive to the hoop, taking a hard foul in the process. His two foul shots gave the Celtics the lead at 80-79 . Langford's plus/minus for the contest was a +18 , second only to Grant Williams' +23 . Boston's 40-8 run started with Romeo's tough defense on Green. Admittedly, the Nugge...

  The Celtics had a great game against the Raptors. (Note: it really hurts me that I have to call a game in which the Celtics played to their level of talent - Great). The team dished out 30 dimes. Jaylen Brown led the C’s with 10 while Tatum contributed with 9. What does it mean when those two guys have that kind of assist total? It means that they were moving the ball the way Brad Stevens intended. But like so often with this team one “great game” means multiple games where they go back to selfish basketball. Against the 2 worst teams in the Eastern Conference the Celtics had 15 assists vs Detroit followed up by 14 vs the Wizards (one of the worst defensive teams I have ever seen). That’s a total of 29 assists vs the drudges of the NBA or 1 less than they dished out against Toronto. That brings us to last night against Denver, Yes, Denver came in to Boston banged up and we absolutely should have won, but that can’t take away from what we saw...beautiful ball movement and 26 assis...

The Celtics recent 2-game skid came against the two bottom-dwellers of the Eastern Conference - the Detroit Piston and Washington Wizards. Last night's victory came against the Denver Nuggets, currently ranked 7th in the West. When I talked to Danny Ainge yesterday, he spoke about the need for the #Celtics players to compete with a greater sense of urgency. Their play thus far tonight vs the #Nuggets ... pic.twitter.com/HIayOHgia5 — A. Sherrod Blakely (@ASherrodblakely) February 17, 2021 The "sense of urgency" uttered by the Celtics boss clearly indicates a lack of total effort at times by his crew. Losing in succession to two of the worst teams in the League and following that with a convincing win over a much-stronger opponent  doesn't bode well for the Celtics' 2021 post-season. "Urgency" suggests running, cutting, movement on offense and defense - going for every rebound - never taking a single play off. This is no secret. Taking it easy against we...

For those that have been following my tweet-turned-tornado journey, let me first tell you that the hundreds of cards and gifts for my great grandson, Carson Thomas Lane, have not stopped. They just keep coming. I can't even write about this without getting teary-eyed. I was only asking for one card from Carson's namesake, Carsen Edwards. Who knew? A plea to Carsen Edwards @Cboogie_3 . My great grandson, Carson Thomas Lane, lost his mom, Courtney, to Cystic Fibrosis on Friday at the age of 25. He loves getting cards & he needs an uplift. 123 Garden Dr., Apt. 2, Manchester, NH 03102. I would be forever grateful. pic.twitter.com/Bb2vj27rHq — Tom Lane (@CelticsSentinel) November 14, 2019 My readers and Twitter followers quickly jumped on the tweet, and responses from Carsen Edwards and Marcus Smart came almost instantly. My idea to get Carson Thomas Lane, at age seven, into TD Garden with me, my wife, Linda, my daughter, Lisa Lane McCarty and Josh Farrell, Carsen's surro...