Celtics ☘️ Sentinel

 The Los Angeles Clippers did it with Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan . And the Orlando Magic did it with Evan Fournier, Nikola Vucevic and Aaron Gordon . I know what you're thinking - none of those players are with their former teams anymore. But Danny Ainge appointing Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum to a tri-captaincy could be a make-or-break strategy to get this under-achieving group to respond. I have written repeatedly on the need for a Celtics captain to finally come forward and act in that capacity. An on-court leader has been sorely needed for some time, but never seems to get done. So it may be time to put the trio out there with somewhat-shared leadership duties . "Somewhat-shared"? Why not? Marcus was named co-captain of Team USA in 2019, along with Kemba Walker , mainly for Smart's defensive ability and drive. That would also be his position in Boston's tri-captaincy. Marcus is the oldest (27) of the three players, and al...

 Let me make it clear first of all that I am totally against making a threat of any kind that even hints at harming, or certainly killing, another human being. Marcus Smart was wrong in doing so in the Celtics loss to the tanking Oklahoma City Thunder , and he deserved the one-game suspension. But to be honest, part of me loved that it occurred. . This type of thing can happen when a player gets to a point "beyond frustration" and is having a bad game. Marcus and his teammates have been under-performing generally - were in the process of losing to a pathetic-and-tanking Thunder team - and Smart was having a bad game . And he let loose verbally at the closest target - an NBA official. Wilt Chamberlain did a similar act versus referee, Earl Strom when Wilt was having his usual tortuous time at the free throw line (per Chicago Tribune's Sam Smith): ''He was in one of those 1-for-13s,'' recalls referee Earl Strom. ''Nothing was getting close. S...

I mean it! Have you watched his closeups? Payton Pritchard doesn't blink . It's like if he blinks, he will miss something on the court. This rookie is a bundle of mental and physical intensity . He has a bit of that Dave Cowens fire in him. But also in a figurative sense, he never seems to blink (meaning back away) from the right play. In the Celtics 109-104 loss to the Brooklyn Nets last night, Payton poured in 22 points on 8-of-12 from the field and 6-of-7 on 3-pointers . His range on the long ball seems limitless . he played a large role in Boston's comeback attempt in the fourth quarter. Payton Pritchard exploded for 22 points off bench that included 6-7 from 3-Pt country against the Nets 🔥 pic.twitter.com/jKTjPqR9Kh — Celtics Nation (@CelticsNationCP) April 24, 2021 Pritchard also recorded three rebounds and two assists and had ZERO turnovers , as the rest of the team racked up a total of 19 mishaps leading to 32 points for Brooklyn . The announcers for the game al...

San Antonio head coach, Gregg Popovich , has been at the helm of the Spurs for a quarter-century , and his troops almost always seem to be in the fight for another Title. Pop has five Championships and three Coach of the Year awards to his credit. Pop in Boston, summarily rejecting the crown as "The Godfather of Load Management:" pic.twitter.com/bt4iAEFmCW — Jeff McDonald (@JMcDonald_SAEN) January 8, 2020 So Popovich wants no credit , and conversely, no blame , for becoming the "Godfather of Load Management" . I give him the credit. He sat his stars, Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobli , to prolong their careers. And it appears the Celtics Brad Stevens is following suit. Some NBA fans feel they deserve to see their stars in action, either in person or on television. I see that as another symptom of "instant gratification". They want to see Lebron James and Kevin Durant out on the court, even if they have a nagging injury or their careers may be cu...

Celtics fans often discuss the importance of Danny Ainge picking up four subs from the scrap heap for the Championship 2007-08 season. There is always much discussion on the importance of James Posey, P. J. Brown, Eddie House and Sam Cassell in that Title season. Well, Danny is starting to repeat that strategy, starting with the recent acquisition of Evan Fournier and Jabari Parker. "Not of the same caliber" current Boston fans may say, but lets take a look. Posey was the main gain for the Celtics, playing the most minutes in the post-season (22.0 MPG) - scoring the most points (6.7 PPG) - and taking down the most rebounds (3.6 RPG) . As important as James was that season, his numbers are not that exciting, at least on the surface. Brown, Cassell and House combined for only 9.9 PPG, 4.1 RPG and 2.6 APG in the playoffs. Mind you, we are only talking statistics here.  It can be stated that impressive stats were not required with Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen hi...

Newly-acquired Jabari Parker produced more in his debut with the Boston Celtics than most fans expected. His 11 points in only 16 minutes of action was a bit of a surprise, but Parker's four rebounds really stood out because they were all off the offensive boards . Nice debut for Jabari Parker - 11 points on a combo of put-backs, mid-range jumper & "sweet turnaround move" close to the hoop - 4 rebounds ALL Offensive. Jabari Parker Celtics Debut Highlights vs Golden State Warriors (11 pts,... https://t.co/6i0bEmB3gj via @YouTube — Tom Lane (@CelticsSentinel) April 19, 2021 At least pre-All-Star break, the Celtics seemed to work hard on almost every attempted shot. Easy baskets seldom happened. Particularly with Enes Kanter gone, put-backs via offensive boards were rare. But Saturday night versus the Warriors, Jabari scored off all of his four offensive board s. Three of his hoops came on put-backs following the offensive boards, and he sank a fourth shot on a mi...

Celtics coach, Brad Stevens , seems to have the "you-can't-have-too-many-wings" mindset . The Celtics have waived recently-acquired Moritz Wagner , and plan to sign the 6'8", 245-pound Parker to a two-year deal. Jabari Parker -- the former No. 2 overall pick -- has agreed to a two-year deal with the Celtics, sources said. Parker, a career 14.8 points per game scorer, gives Boston some depth in frontcourt. https://t.co/MBe2PXC5Fu — Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 16, 2021 The recently-turned 26 year-old was taken with the second overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft by the Milwaukee Bucks, and two torn ACL's in the same knee and a bunch of trades have certainly had a negative effect on his career. One reaction to the acquisition follows: This seems like a good acquisition, Tom. This is a young guy who can still play. He can fill the bucket, and he has something to prove. A second unit with Parker and Fournier on the court is a significant improvement ove...