Celtics ☘️ Sentinel

I have placed 32 Celtics players into eight seedings and came away with what I feel is the best crew to win a crucial contest. Larry Bird over Bill Russell was a tough call, but I went with Larry's versatility. There is nothing he does not do well. Dave Cowens over Kevin McHale was difficult, but I went with Dave's blue-collar, lunch bucket mentality. Dennis Johnson at #3 was my choice - and a controversial one. He was simply a fabulous 2-way player, and his synergy with Bird made the decision. I went with Marcus Smart and Larry Siegfried because of their toughness in the back court. And Rajon Rondo? I needed another floor general out there, and he fits the bill. Al Horford is in there to add more size, playmaking and defense. My 8-man rotation. What's yours? 1- Bird 2- Cowens 3- DJ 4-Reggie 5-Rondo 6-Horford 7-Smart 8-Siegfried — Tom Lane (@CelticsSentinel) March 31, 2020 You will most-certainly disagree with my seedings and 8-man rotation - and you should. There ar...

A thin 6'5" in the 1980's, Danny Ainge looked like the president of your high school science club, but he never backed away from a fight or any type of confrontation. But unless you were a Celtics fan, you probably despised him. His most infamous scuffle involved Atlanta's Tree Rollins, resulting in the "Tree Bites Man" headlines when Rollins chomped down on Danny's digit. But Ainge was so hated by opponents, many still think it was Danny that did the biting. There were many dust-ups involving the guy now called "Trader Danny", and many are encapsulated in the following video. Michael Jordan, Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars, Mario Elie and Sam Cassell are only a few of Ainge's combatants. Take a look. Ainge may have been hated by most opponents, but he was often praised by those who admired his ferocious competitiveness( per LA Times' Joe Hamelin ): "He's the best all-around athlete that I've ever seen." - Larry Bi...

President Donald Trump announced yesterday that he is extending social distancing guidelines until April 30. On Sunday, however, Trump seemed to acknowledge that the spread of the virus had not slowed, at least not yet. He said that modeling shows that the peak of the death rate will likely hit in two weeks, but stressed that he hopes the country will be on its way to recovery by June 1. "We can expect that by June 1st, we will be well on our way to recovery, we think by June 1st. A lot of great things will be happening," he said. The extension may bode well for the health of Americans, but it certainly puts a damper on hopes for a re-start of the 2019-20 NBA season. The playoffs were originally scheduled to begin on April 18, 2020, with the Finals set for June 4. It is becoming very difficult to imagine playoffs-as-usual with thousands of spectators filling the stands anytime in April or May. And then the question is raised, what happens with the draft lottery and draf...

I wrote in December of last year that Gordon Hayward can be expected to be on the Celtics roster next season, and that view has not changed, despite the suspension of NBA action. Whether Gordon opts in to his $34.2 million deal for the 2020-21 season or chooses to see what else Boston or other teams can offer, the best chance is that we see him in green for 2020-21. Despite much personal success, an NBA Title has eluded Hayward. Boston's Core-5 of Hayward, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Kemba Walker and Marcus Smart are slated to earn roughly $115.9 million next season, and the Celtics are projected to be over the luxury tax threshold. That's not the major issue. Tatum will be in a contract season in 2020-21, and he is due for a major raise once his 4-year, rookie deal is done. Fitting the salaries of Gordon and Jayson into Boston's financial landscape for 2021-22 will require masterful maneuvering by Danny Ainge. But Hayward recently turned 30 years old, and this may be h...

"Journeyman" defines Boston Celtics center, Enes Kanter. In his ninth season in the NBA, Kanter has played for six different franchises - three of them twice. In other words, he has performed alongside a total of nine different rosters. He may be on the move once again this summer. Enes is signed with Boston for the sum of $5 million for 2020-21, but he has a player option. His 17.5 minutes per game this season mark the least floor time for him since the 2012-13 season, his second in the League. His minutes have dropped from 12.0 MPG (last 10 games) to 11.1 MPG (last 5) to 10.2 MPG for the last two contests. Daniel Theis has clearly been Brad Stevens' center of choice. Theis has averaged 23.8 minutes/game this year - 28.2 MPG over the last 10 games - and 31.0 MPG for the last two contests. Daniel's minutes have soared, while Kanter's time has plummeted. The message is clear. If a player doesn't dedicate himself to Brad's constant-movement, switching d...

Whether you like Kyrie Irving or hate him, when he came to Boston in 2017 he may have been the most-dangerous players with the ball in his hands of any point guard in the League. He put his skills on display early in his stint with the Celtics when Boston traveled to Dallas on November 20, 2017 to take on the Mavericks. The Celtics won the game in overtime, 110-102, largely on the supreme play of Irving. Kyrie came away with 47 points, three rebounds, six assists - scoring 10 of his points in the overtime period. He shot 16-of-22 from the field, 5-of-7 from beyond the arc and 10-of-11 from the free throw line. His plus/minus of plus-21 was a team-high ( per NBA's Dave Jackson ): In the extra period, Irving scored his team's first six points. Then after Jaylen Brown gave Boston a 104-102 lead with a jumper with 1:39 to play, Irving went to work on Yogi Ferrell, backing him down and drawing contact on a lay-up with 48.5 seconds to play. Though Irving missed the free throw to ...

Tom Meshchery is a Russian-born 10-year NBA veteran known as one of the toughest players in the NBA during the 1960's. But he was also a poet and once wrote an ode to the Celtics Bill Russell titled "Eagle with a beard". More recently, in 2014, Meschery wrote a sequel to his original work . Bill Russell Once, in a poem I call him an eagle with a (beard). I was young and the poem held promise that the writer might improve. I always liked the image. It asked the reader to see Bill with slightly stooped shoulders, long feathery arms and talons hovering above the paint protecting it like his nest intruders entered at their peril. His beard was dark as was he, a shadow that darkened our attempts to score. I am older. As is he. I saw him recently on TV still an eagle, giving an (interview) and tried picturing him as something else and couldn't. I found it comforting to think I got him right so many years ago, that now, so close to both our dying I hope...