Celtics ☘️ Sentinel

 Prior to the 2017 NBA draft, Bleacher Report had Jayson Tatum projected as the number-6 pick  and compared his game to that of Harrison Barnes. Well, Tatum was taken with the 3rd pick and, thus far, has outpaced the Barnes comparison. Later comparisons have linked Jayson's game to that of Kevin Durant and Kobe Bryant . Ironically, Tatum currently leads Durant in the KIA MVP Ladder with JT at number-2 and KD at number-3. How about Luka Doncic? NBADraft.Net (pre-draft) compared Luka to Toni Kukoc . He has already surpassed that projection, and some have compared Luka to a combo of Larry Bird and Magic Johnson . I peg Doncic as a modern replica of Oscar Robertson - both triple-double machines, big guards, not-terribly athletic but able to maneuver into any position on the court to shoot or pass to a teammate . Luka is currently placed at number-4 on the MVP Ladder. Now to Giannis Antetokounmpo, number-5 on the MVP Ladder. I have never seen an NBA player, past or present, who ...

 Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant, Vince Carter, Rasheed Wallace, Baron Davis, Mike Bibby and Rudy Gay . They all participated in the holiday high school basketball tournament known as the Beach Ball Classic - held in Myrtle Beach, Couth Carolina yearly between Christmas and New Years. The 2022 version of the Classic is now underway with the action starting yesterday, Tuesday, December 27, 2022. My wife and I are in that area for the next three months and will be taking in the action.  One of the big names in the Tournament this year is 6'5" Karter Knox , a shooting giard in his junior year at Tampa Catholic High School in Florida, His team defeated a local entry, Myrtle Beach, by a score of 88-51. Knox notched a game-high 27 points on 12-of-21 from the field . Here is one of his six dunks. The youngster also took down nine (9) rebounds and racked up three steals - pretty good for a shooting guard. Dunk of the Day! @thekarterknox or @tampacathhoops at the BBC in @MyMyrtleBeach ...

The Brooklyn Nets Big-Fou r of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, James Harden and (soon-to-be-Net) Blake Griffin own a combined 33 Title rings and are considered favorites by many analysts to walk away with the 2021 Championship. But wait a minute. The 2003-04 Los Angeles Lakers also had a Big-4 and history shows a total of 56 rings for the elite quartet who were favored to take the 2004 Title but fell to a much (on paper) weaker Pistons crew. That Lakers group included Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant, Karl Malone and Gary Payton . They were heavily favored over Detroit with a lineup of C hauncey Billups, Rasheed Wallace, Ben Wallace and Tayshaun Prince . But injuries and discord abounded within the Lakers organization , while the Pistons played team ball and tough defense - walking away with the prize  (per Wikipedia): During the 2003 off-season, superstar guard  Kobe Bryant  had been accused of  sexual assault  in  Colorado . Media attention surrounding the cas...

Former-Celtic, Kyrie Irving is going all out to promote the late Kobe Bryant as the new NBA logo , replacing the current one represented by Jerry West. This debate, though never actually happening in reality, will be presented as though it did. Red Auerbach : Kyrie, why are you campaigning to have Kobe Bryant as the next NBA logo. What's wrong with Jerry West. Kyrie Irving : There's nothing wrong with Jerry West. I am talking about my generation. Kobe was drafted at 17 years old. He's MY generation.  Red: Sounds like this is more about you than Kobe! Kyrie : No, it's just that " this is the guy for us and the guy for me . He is my mentor and more than an inspiration. I took a lot of wisdom and knowledge from that guy and he is always around me and Gigi is always around me ." Red : I think you just supported my position. A lot of "I's", "my's" and "me's" in there . Kyrie: Who would you want for the logo, Red? Red...

Realizing the immense impact the late Kobe Bryant had on the NBA, I truly believe that the Kobe-as-logo proposal is too emotion-of-the-moment based. Making his image the logo of the NBA would certainly give a boost to those mourning his loss, but it would also demean the present Logo, Jerry West, and other League stalwarts that were never considered for the honor. I will start with West. The 14-time All-Star, 8-time Champion as Executive and 2-time Executive-of-the-Year earned the honor and is still deeply involved in the NBA. How about Bill Russell? He is an 11-time Title holder and 2-time Champion as player/coach of the Celtics. This proud man never received the accolades he deserved when he was active. And then there is Larry Bird - 3-time Champ, 12-time All-Star - and the only player to earn MVP, Coach-of-the-Year and Executive-of-the-Year. Those are fine credentials. The Lakers Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul Jabbar would certainly be worthy of consideration. You get my point...

You be the judge. In his final NBA game, Kobe Bryant had already racked up 59 points and he was at the free throw line in an attempt to reach the 60-point level. Gordon Hayward stepped into the lane, probably to ensure that Kobe would get a second try at 60 points. Hayward later denied making the generous gesture. Very cool move by Gordon Hayward in Kobe’s last game. I had never heard of this before. It’s a shame it sometimes takes a tragedy for good stories to be heard. pic.twitter.com/ei7SeW74jW — Dan Kelley (@DanKelley66) January 28, 2020 You've seen the video. And you read Gordon's denial. Intentional or accidental? What do my readers think. Gordon gets my accolades for the fine gesture and then denying it so as to not demean Bryant's feat. Was Gordon Hayward's lane violation in Kobe Bryant's final NBA game intentional or accidental? Read my impending article and vote. — Tom Lane (@CelticsSentinel) January 28, 2020 Follow Tom at @CelticsSentinel, @Causewa...

The best way to deal with death and tragic misfortune is to move on from it. The news of Kobe Bryant's death in a helicopter crash yesterday quickly brought back to us his impact on the Boston Celtics. His words to Gordon Hayward after Gordon's gruesome, season-ending injury in 2017 put on display The Black Mamba's growth as a valued member of the human race. What Kobe Bryant wrote after Gordon Hayward suffered his gruesome ankle injury in 2017: pic.twitter.com/svIafkMKog — Boston.com Celtics News (@BDCCeltics) January 27, 2020 "Time to move on ...it's a long journey but if you focus on the mini milestones along the way you will find beauty in the struggle of doing simple things that prior to this injury were taken for granted. Best of luck to you on this journey my brother #mambamentality always." Simple words - but very meaningful. These are words from someone who has undergone hardship, some of it admittedly self-caused. Byrant's death at 41 years...

After the trauma of last season, the Boston Celtics need a genuine hero to step forward and take control. I am not talking about a gunner that that will try to take a game over by himself, nor a verbal leader to keep things in line. What the team needs is a guy that can be counted on to consistently supply what is needed to win games - a hero that can be counted on in the clutch to deliver. It is highly-probable that the hero Boston is waiting for is third-year man, Jayson Tatum. Jayson Tatum = Mr. Franchise? pic.twitter.com/Z2wKLLk36c — Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) July 24, 2019 Danny Ainge and Brad Stevens know what they have in Tatum. SB Nation's Keith Smith was apparently told by an unidentified NBA executive that the Celtics turned down an insane offer for Jayson, and added that Tatum was the franshise in Boston ( per NBC Sports Darren Hartwell ): "We tried to get him. The price they asked was insane, as it should be," the executive told Smith, ad...